Yao Ming has garnered a lot of attention over his eight-year NBA career, as he has been named to the All-Star team eight times, although a large part of that has been due to his popularity in the Asian community (a fanbase that really blossomed when he came to the NBA in 2002). However, Yao has suffered a number of nagging injuries throughout his career and played only five games last season and the major question surrounding the big center now is, will Houston take a chance and offer him a contract for next season?
Houston’s odds in most online sportsbooks over the last few seasons have been predicated on Yao’s health, and when he is healthy, we know he’s one of the best centers in the league. But Yao has played more than 55 games in a season just four times in his career, including last year’s low of five, and we don’t know if the Rockets are willing to go through this again. There are still some outside factors that both sides have to consider, such as the negotiation of a new CBA which is threatening next season, but Yao has started that he wants to remain in Houston as he has been there his entire career. We’re sure someone would take a risk on Yao if the free agent isn’t offered a new deal.
The market for big men in the NBA is slim at best, with Orlando’s Dwight Howard, the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum and Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut as the only true centers in the league that are worth talking about (you may want to consider the Clippers’ Chris Kaman, Dallas’ Tyson Chandler and a couple others, but the list is short). Therefore, someone (reports state Golden State) will put in an offer on Yao. But if we had to lay a wager, we would bet on Yao Ming spending one more season in Houston.
