Yao’s Done, Now Let the Conspiracy Theories Begin

By Bethlehem Shoals
The word is out: Yao Ming done for the rest of the season, and the postseason, with a stress fracture in his left foot.
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Now, while none of us are doctors, we follow sports and thus at least hear a lot about injuries. We know that stress fractures can knock players out of commission for a long time. But this stark a prognosis? When the Rockets have just hit their stride with a team that, let’s be honest, doesn’t have forever to win a title? It’s certainly the worst case scenario.
And it’s hard not to wonder if this is Olympics-related. Owing to all that genocide and oil stuff, and China’s increasingly giant role on the world stage, it’s shaping up to be an awfully tense, or at least Outside the Lines-y, summer in Beijing. More than ever, Yao -- whom China basically created to prove their basketball superiority -- matters as a world-historical figure. That’s why Brooks is suggesting that Yao has shut it down early to ensure his health for August, when his country will need him.
Yao has always honored his commitment to international competition, and many actually blamed this year-round schedule for the dude’s less than immediate development into a stud. If Yao’s hurt, and both China and the center himself want him at his best in the Olympics, and Yao enjoys repping his nation, there could be some fire here. It’s not like the Chinese sports apparatus is averse to playing hardball. Remember, it was their anxiety over losing Yao that made getting him to the NBA such a hassle.
Then again, what if -- and admittedly, this is a long shot -- Yao is trying to get out of the Olympics? The gesture could be personal in nature, or political, or both. Hard to speculate exactly what his motivations might be, but if he were looking for a chance to make a statement against China, this would be it. While writing off the whole NBA season is a harsh price to pay, he is injured. Hypothetically, this is his moment to take a stand; not rushing his recovery, or pushing himself to heal, gives him just the excuse he needs.
Worth keeping in mind as you bat around conspiracy theories: Yao does have an independent streak, as we saw this fall when he skipped the opening of Rockets camp for the Special Olympics. It wasn’t a big deal, but it did prove that the big fella can make decisions for himself -- not just obediently follow what the NBA or CBA tell him to do.↵