Yao-zas

Yao could miss the next season. He could miss longer. He's got a broken foot that should have been pretty much healed by now, but actually got worse. This could be the end of Yao's career.

This got me wondering. Where does Yao, who has only played 7 seasons and 481 games, rank among other players in NBA history? There's no doubt Yao wouldn't make the Hall of Fame if his career were to end today, but you would think that if he could manage to play 7 more seasons, he would be on a pretty decent Hall of Fame pace, considering his global impact on the game.

Strictly speaking in terms of totals, Yao is pretty umimpressive.

His 4467 rebounds is 241st all time. A few players with more rebounds are Michael Finley (4733), Troy Murphy (4618), and Rashard Lewis (4485) - not a single one of them a center.

His 912 blocks is good for 87th all time. Hey, in the top 100, pretty good right? Not so fast. Ahead of him are career journeyman and Cal Berkeley guest lecturer Adonal Foyle (1193), Pau Gasol (1000) and "Say Hello to" Raef LaFrentz (919). Also, just below him at 893 is Michael Jordan. Not players who jump out at you as being shot blocking machines, but makes sense given he's only played 7 seasons.

His 9196 points are outside of the top 250, so I have no idea who else is around him, but probably nobody impressive. Greg Ostertag maybe? Bill Wennington? Kevin Duckworth? Kevin Malone?

If you look at his averages, they're a bit better, but still not amazing.

His 52.5% FG shooting is 32nd all time, tied with Bill Cartwright, ahead of Bill Walton (52.08%) and Magic Johnson (51.97).

His 19.1 points per game ranks with Isiah Thomas (19.23) and Jamal Mashburn (19.06).

His 9.3 rebounds per game sits between Rony Wolfman Seikaly (9.47) and Derrick Coleman (9.26).

His 1.9 blocks per game hang with Jermaine O'Neal's 1.94 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas's 1.72.

So what did we learn here?

Yao, by the numbers, hasn't really made his mark on the game yet. If he is forced to retire prematurely, he will have fallen way short of his potential. The Rockets' efforts to build a team around him for the better part of the last decade will all be for nothing, as the Rockets haven't even come close to the NBA Finals.

On the other hand, Yao has opened doors. Many doors. 1.33 billion doors. Thanks to Yao, China has gone basketball crazy. The way Yao is an ambassador to the game, and the way he has learned the English language and been able to be appealing and marketable is everything David Stern could have wanted, and more.

If David Stern was Dr. Evil, trying to take over the world with professional basketball, Yao would be his right hand man, Number 2. Ha Seung Jin would be Patty O'Brien (they're always after me lucky charms) suffering career death before it ever started, and Yuta Tabuse would be Mustafa (i'm still alive, only i'm very badly burned). If Ha Seung Jin or Yuta Tabuse would have been half as successful as Yao, they would have had a similar effect on Korea and Japan, respectively.

It seems like at best Yao will play only a few more years and have an abbreviated basketball career. This is a shame, but if there is anyone who can have a lasting impact on the game with largely unimpressive numbers, it's Yao Ming.