Black-owned barbershops are more than just hair salons; they’re community centers, and where I get my hair cut, it’s not unusual, even during the off-season, to find some impassioned argument about whether you’d start your all-time team with Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. Thus, it was of little surprise when, during the baseball playoffs last season, I walked into the shop and found the NBA leading the discussion.

“Here’s what I want to know,” announced a man who was getting his do styled. “What’s the matter with Yao Ming?” I asked if the Rockets center had been hurt recently; as far as I knew, there wasn’t anything wrong with him.

“Seven-foot-6, 300 pounds, and a smooth stroke from 15 feet,” the commentator continued, sounding just like the Cedric the Entertainer character from the “Barbershop” movie series. “That boy should put up 20 and 10 every night.”

Oh, so that’s what’s wrong with Yao Ming: He wasn’t living up to expectations of a center taken first overall. Big men picked in that position tend toward the extremes. On the one hand, there are future Hall of Famers like Shaquile O’Neal, Hakeem Olujawon, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing. On the other, there are waste-of-a-draft pick busts like Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi, Ralph Sampson, and Joe Barry Carroll. Ming was clearly closer to the first camp, but for membership, he needs to reach some lofty standards.

Since returning from injury on January 31, Ming has not only matched those standards, he’s exceeded them. In February he averaged 21.7 points on 51% shooting and 11.4 boards. This month, his shooting improved to 53.9% and he’s averaged 28.9 points and 11 boards.

Suddenly, those references to the Ming Dynasty and the Great Wall of China don’t seem so snarky.

Ming was always a little tough to figure because his background was so cloudy. Not only are we largely ignorant about the standard of quality in China, but 7-foot-6-inch, 300-pound players with sweet strokes from 15 feet just don’t come along every day.

What did seem clear from early on was that Ming was better than supertall NBA counterparts like Georghe Muresan, Shawn Bradley, and Manute Bol. Still, that’s damning with faint praise. More than half the backup centers in the league were better players than that trio. Ming had the potential to be a legend. In barbershops all over the world, people were wondering what was taking so long.

The truth is, we don’t know what the development curve should be for a player like Yao. He didn’t lead his collegiate program to multiple final fours like Ewing and Olujawon, nor did he put up stats that were easily translatable like Robinson and O’Neal.

Further complicating matters was Yao’s obligation to the Chinese national team, which kept him playing ball nearly 12 months a year. This may have accounted for his noticeable lack of stamina early in his NBA career – he averaged fewer than 33 minutes a game in each of his first three seasons. On the court, fatigue was leading to foul trouble, which kept him off the floor for even longer stretches.

But something has changed this season, and as midseason approached, it was clear that this was a different Yao Ming. His points-per-minute averages had always been strong, but this season he has found away to stay on the floor. He’s also learned not to retaliate to gratuitous contact, which has cut down on his fouls, and he’s grown comfortable as the first option on the Rockets offense (an especially good thing given Tracy McGrady’s injury-plagued season). This month, he’s averaging almost 38 minutes per game, and his increased production – 22.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per – game owes a lot to his staying on the floor.

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has also done his part to bolster Yao’s stamina, changing the Rockets defensive scheme so that they don’t switch pick and rolls as regularly as they once did. In the past, Yao was often left on the perimeter chasing guards, which winded him.

In a recent game against Indiana, Yao showcased his new maturity against Pacer pivotman Scott Pollard, who was assaulting him on almost every possession. Rather than retaliate and risk drawing an offensive foul, Yao called for the ball on the low post, leaned into Pollard, then spun away for an easy dunk. On the next half-court possession, he did the exact same thing. Pollard began looking for other ways to defend him.

The rest of the league is now doing the same. After Yao torched Dallas for 27 first half points last week, the Mavericks double- and triple-teamed the him the rest of the game, limiting to just nine second-half points.

When McGrady returns, that approach won’t be as easy, but it also points out another problem Yao faces. The Rockets feature two of the 10 best players in the league, but much of the rest of the roster would have trouble making the end of the bench for most teams. Of the supporting cast, only guards Rafer Alston and Luther Head and forward Stromile Swift have been consistent contributors.

Yao’s next test will be to lead his team deep into the playoffs. But he won’t be able to get them past the first round in the Western Conference until GM Carroll Dawson surrounds him with better players. Until then, the guys in the barbershop can grouse about Yao, but their complaints will really be about the Rockets – not their best player.