Rockets' star garners further disrespect in recent "What If" rankings

The Houston Rockets have had their share of "what ifs" over the years. The most heartbreaking case is Yao Ming.

Bleacher Report seems to disagree. They just published an article naming the biggest "what if" star of the century for every team in the NBA. They named Dwight Howard as the Rockets' choice.

With all due respect, they're wrong.

Rockets' biggest "what if" star falsely identified

That's not to say Howard didn't break the Rockets' hearts.

The team brought him on to be James Harden's co-star. In theory, it was perfect. Howard would be an elite pick-and-roll partner for an elite pick-and-roll guard. What could go wrong?

Well, plenty. For starters, Howard never seemed satisfied with that role. He wanted post touches, and that never made sense in a Harden-led offense. There was always an on-court tension between the two stars.

Worse still, injuries began to take their toll on Howard. He lost a step defensively, which is where he'd always made his mark. All told, the duo's partnership lasted just three seasons.

How could Ming's tenure be worse?

Rockets' Yao Ming had horrible luck

To begin with, Harden and Howard made the Western Conference Finals in 2014-15. This is a duo that succeeded until they didn't. That's better than a duo that didn't succeed at all.

Moreover, the outcome of the Howard era was a positive one. The Rockets realized that Harden was maximized alongside a big man who was just happy to catch lobs. That led to Clint Capela's insertion into the starting lineup, where he thrived for years.

It didn't take long for the organization to find Harden's next co-star. Harden was their lone All-Star for just one season before they brought Chris Paul on board. They built a far more dangerous team than they ever had with Howard in the process.

There's no such silver lining for the Ming era.

His most impressive statistical season came in 2006-07. Ming averaged 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks with a 5.4 Box Plus/Minus (BPM). He looked set to make good on his MVP-caliber potential:

But he only suited up for 48 games.

That's the story of Ming's career. The details are too painful. Suffice it to say, he was scarcely available, and his career was cut short by knee problems at 30.

Unlike Howard, Ming wanted to remain a Houston Rocket. Tracy McGrady was happy to defer to him. The only thing that held that era of Rockets basketball back was health:

And that's what makes Ming the biggest "what if" player of the century for Houston.