Yao is likely done -from yahoo sports

[kingjames23]

not good news for rockets fans

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns
Rockets could lose Yao for season, if not longer

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports 2 hours, 56 minutes ago


Yahoo! Sports

As the NBA draft approached, the grim truth about Yao Ming’s(notes) broken left foot hung like an anvil over the Houston Rockets. The fear isn’t that he’s just lost for next season, but longer.

The Rockets and Yao’s reps are frightened over his future, and the concern is the most base of all: Does Yao Ming ever play again?

“The realization has hit them that this is grave,” one NBA general manager said.

For now, the Rockets have privately told league peers it could be a full season before Yao might be able to return to basketball. Multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors with knowledge of the diagnoses are describing a troubling re-fracture of his navicular bone. Three pins were inserted a year ago, but the foot cracked in the playoffs and isn’t healing.

“It sounds like he’s missing most of next season, if not the entire 82 games,” one league executive who has had recent discussions with the Houston front office told Yahoo! Sports. “That’s all that [the Rockets] will concede quietly, but they know it’s probably much worse.”

Houston general manager Daryl Morey refused comment on Monday and a team spokesman said the Rockets will not have further comment until Yao undergoes additional medical tests.

There’s no reason for the Rockets to disclose the severity of the injury, nor the uncertainty over Yao’s future. Before the Rockets go public with a dire diagnosis, they plan to send him to three more specialists this week, a source said. For now, the Rockets have season tickets and sponsorships to sell. For now, the Rockets will publicly decry these doomsday revelations as premature, but this is the reality that they’re working under within the organization.

This has turned into an impossible situation for the Rockets’ capable GM. Even if Yao plays again, Morey knows it’s just a matter of time until his lower body breaks down. His feet and ankles just can’t support the mobility of his 7-foot-6 frame.

With four surgeries in three years, the Rockets worried they were reaching a breaking point. Well, it’s here. After missing 86 games in the previous three seasons, the 28-year-old Yao missed a mere five this past regular season before injuring his foot during the Rockets’ second-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

It wasn’t until last week when Houston issued a statement saying Yao’s fractured foot hadn’t healed properly, that he would be unavailable “indefinitely.” Prior to Thursday’s draft, Morey tried desperately to trade into the high lottery to take Spanish prodigy Ricky Rubio(notes). Houston needed a young star, but had too few assets to make a deal with Memphis or Sacramento. It seemed odd to teams that Houston had thrown Shane Battier(notes) and Aaron Brooks(notes) into offers within weeks of pushing the NBA champion Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals.

Now, the Rockets have tough decisions to make: Do they keep pushing Tracy McGrady(notes) and his expiring contract on the market or let the $22 million expire next summer? So far, Morey is getting offered bad contracts and junk talent for him. What’s more, does Houston re-sign Ron Artest(notes) to a $40 million-plus contract when contention is no longer viable? Why not create cap space for the summers of 2010 and 2011? Why not get younger now? Yao could opt out of his contract next summer, but odds are that Houston won’t be so fortunate.

The Rockets should do themselves a favor and just start over. That isn’t easy in a sophisticated and rabid NBA market like Houston, but what everyone long suspected has reached fruition: Yao and McGrady are no longer a faulty foundation, but a collapsed one. Houston needs to proceed with an understanding that they’re no longer chasing the Lakers, but beginning again.

Rest assured, Houston has long been fearful that Yao’s responsibilities to the Chinese national team were rapidly contributing to his breakdown, and perhaps they’ve finally been met. Yao wouldn’t have missed the Beijing Olympics for the world, but it was clear he wasn’t fully healed in those Games. The Rockets paid a price for his nationalism, his obligation and now the darkest fears are close to confirmation: It isn’t just a season on the brink for Yao Ming, but perhaps a career.

[vinceair]

Very bad news. Damn, all the tall guys have big problems with their legs. I hope he recovers.

[Brave Sir Rubin]

This isn't surprising at all considering the fact that he's a fucking freak of nature.

[Alejandrov011]

Tall people is more injury prone than others. Always foot, knee and back problems fluorish faster in 7'4, or taller

Remember Muresan knees, Shawn Bradley, now Yao

[Sauru]

yup shoulda traded him when he has value

[bowdown]

yup shoulda traded him when he has value

that would be such an unintentional dick move.

[Fresh8]

He's been playing NBA seasons, backing it up with stints with the Chinese national team and any time he hasn't been playing, he has been nursing injuries. He comes back to play through injuries or comes back to early, and either way reaggravates his ailments. I'm sad to see that he will miss the whole of the next season and it doesn't look good for his career. He's shown that he could have fulfilled what Houston believed he was capable of.

I've followed him since 2001 and I've watched him improve from year to year. If he had not had the workload he has had, perhaps the injuries may not have occurred or would not be as severe? It's sad because Yao could have been one of the All-time great centers. Not just because of his height but he actually had skill.

I guess I can't say much because I think Yao, personally, has no regrets because he is loyal to his country and at the end of the day - I believe he did say that being in China for the Olympics and representing his country was the and if not - one of the highlights of his career.

[Sauru]

yup shoulda traded him when he has value

that would be such an unintentional dick move.

dick move = better than lotto team

[cyanide]

They have a freaking genius of a GM to put all the pieces to make a championship contender. It's a shame their best player is out.

[Andrew]

It's very unfortunate for Yao and the Rockets if those concerns are founded, but not altogether surprising. For years, the talk has been that Yao is being pushed too hard and not given enough time away from basketball with concerns that his body would start breaking down sooner rather than later. With all the injuries mounting, it seems that's come to pass.

Hopefully, further tests and examinations will result in a little less doom and gloom but the current prognosis certainly doesn't look good.

[Joe the Space Marine]

If that's it's for Yao, I enjoyed seeing him play. He always worked hard.

[Modifly]

When will a Rockets fan like me be able to enjoy a bright, sunny day?

[Angelo]

When will a Rockets fan like me be able to enjoy a bright, sunny day?

If TMAC will be traded to other team and have a good player in return

[Lamrock]

jermaine o'neal for t-mac. oft-injured has-been big man for oft-injured has been swingman. make it happen!

[Stress Fracture]

When will a Rockets fan like me be able to enjoy a bright, sunny day?

Yeah, when will it really happen? I hope he could recover from that foot injury.

If TMAC will be traded to other team and have a good player in return

What, you serious? If it's LeBron I'll accept it! J/K

jermaine o'neal for t-mac. oft-injured has-been big man for oft-injured has been swingman. make it happen!

No. Another oft-injured big man in Houston? It's going to be another disappointment.

[Modifly]

Ask a real Rockets fan Kris.. any real Rockets fan. We love T-Mac and we want him to stay in Houston. No matter how injured he is we will hate to see him go. Even if he's holding us back from the Larry O'Brien trophy we want him to continue wearing red, even if it's just sitting on the bench and watching the entire game from there.

And screw Jermaine O'Neal. Even a 30 years old injured T-Mac is worth more than a healthy O'Neal.

[Stress Fracture]

Ask a real Rockets fan Kris.. any real Rockets fan. We love T-Mac and we want him to stay in Houston. No matter how injured he is we will hate to see him go. Even if he's holding us back from the Larry O'Brien trophy we want him to continue wearing red, even if it's just sitting on the bench and watching the entire game from there.

And screw Jermaine O'Neal. Even a 30 years old injured T-Mac is worth more than a healthy O'Neal.

That's it. If he's the Jermaine O'Neal of Indiana back in the days then it will be acceptable.

[NovU]

Yao was a lot of fun to watch and it's such a shame to see him going like this. I really hope to see him come back strong. I think he'll likely have a surgery so I don't think we will be seeing him next season. This is big. SIGH...

[Stress Fracture]

Yes, it's really a BIG LOSS for us. If T-Mac is healthy and Ron=Ron will re-sign, I'm sure we will still enter the Playoffs.

[jonthefon]

Ouch. I think Daryl Morey did a great job putting this roster together, but he just happened to inherit two stars who developed injury problems.

[Modifly]

Daryl Morey is one hell of a GM. He's done an amazing job putting this team together. Hell, he even found two hidden gems in Wafer and Landry. No one expected Von Von to do what he did last season. Too bad Yao and T-Mac cannot remain healthy otherwise things could have been a lot better for the organisation.

Who knows, Von Von could turn himself into a star within the next two seasons. If that happens, watch out.



EDIT: According to yaomingmania.com, Yao is feeling no pain in his injured foot.

I would be irresponsible if I didn’t report what Yahoo Sports and the Houston Chronicle are reporting about how Yao may miss next season, and maybe longer.

Here’s Yahoo’s story, and here’s Jonathan Feigen’s story from the Chronicle.

Because Yao is in no pain, I think alot of this may be speculation. I prefer to agree with the statement Rockets’ physician Dr. Tom Clanton made: “The fact he is having no symptoms gives us reason for optimism.”

A small section from Jonathan Feigen's story:

Yao had a pin inserted in the foot in February 2008 and in less than six months was ready to play in the Olympics and in 77 regular-season games last season. But Clanton said there is concern that a more extreme procedure might be warranted, even though Yao’s current injury is considered less severe.

“At this stage, he is having no symptoms or physical signs,” Clanton said. “He has no tenderness, no swelling, no redness. When he came back in, he was feeling like everything was perfect, and he would start rehabilitation and get ready to play. The findings on the CT were shocking for him and for us.

“You don’t treat a CT scan; you treat a patient. We are looking for every reason to treat this on clinical findings but don’t want to put him at risk for a greater fracture.”

[Mirkwood]

Yeah, this is without a dout a HUGE LOSS to the Rockets, losing their face of the franchise and one of the top 3 centers in the L.

But if he misses the entire season, what wll they do?

Curently they got only one player, who can play center. Chuck Hayes. -.-
So they gotta turn to the free agensy. I think they shoud try to get Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Since Shaq is in Cleveland, it's clear that Big Z wont be there netx season. He brings size, hes a season veteran, has good post game and has a solid mid range J. They would also need a backup center since Dikembe is going to retire (Much love).

And yeah, this is just what i think.
(sorry for my bad english)

[Stress Fracture]

Then who will Houston give up to get Big Z?

[Modifly]

Also found something from Clutchfans.net :

was just watching Sportscenter and they discussed how Yao's injury has been overplayed. They believe there is still a good chance that he will be back next season. He just really does not want to have surgery, but if he has to to get back on the court he will. I am sooo much happier!!!

it must've been so he wouldnt play on the chinese national team

Pretty interesting, but nonetheless it isn't that reliable. If Sportscenter is indeed correct, then it's good news for us Rockets fan.

[Stress Fracture]

Oh, if it's really a true news from SportsCenter, I'll be relieved. We need him next season.