Yao Ming could miss all of next season, possibly more

[xAusT1n]

Source: Yahoo

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.

Rebuilding time for Rockets?

 

[Chris]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

You forgot to cite it as an Adrian Wojoidgh kjasTJekutgski article.

 

[Radar]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

I know rockets fans are piss...Every yr is out of t-mac or yao injured...It so embarrassing

Dam this is one less C we would have to worry about..Dam i wanted to play him next year after blowing us out last season...Lucky ass,shaq was going to eat him alive:chuckles:

 

[Mdog1]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

This is not good for the Rockets, but this most likely means a rebuild for them. Artest?

 

[KIisKing]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

Time to trade T-Mac. No were not getting him so please dont start lets get t-mac threads.

 

[cavsrook25]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

I know rockets fans are piss...Every yr is out of t-mac or yao injured...It so embarrassing

Dam this is one less C we would have to worry about..Dam i wanted to play him next year after blowing us out last season...Lucky ass,shaq was going to eat him alive:chuckles:

Not just Rocket fans. Think about Stern. He must be throwing a sh!t fit right about now because of all the business in China he will lose next year... karma for taking away LeBron's triple double??? But seriously, I feel bad for Yao. Seems like a good guy who has tons of pressure on him and tries his best. Look at the Olympics last year. T-mac has been a b!tch since he got his big payday and has milked injuries since then so I don't really feel as bad for him.

 

[TAS]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

Title is very misleading OP.

The article says "Rockets could lose Yao for season, if not longer".

 

[Dr. Gymbo]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

This is terrible news for Yao. I mean, look at Z and his history of foot injury and problems. Cleveland fans can sympathize with Houston. I mean Yao is a better version of Z, even when Z was in his prime. You never want to see players still that have some tread on their tires go out early and be forced into retirement irregardless of what team they are on.

Yao means a great deal to the face NBA's international influence. It really is a big blow to Houston. I really was impressed by the grit they showed against the Lakers despite losing Yao and T-Mac. I think rebuilding is now a necessity.

 

[Maximus]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

I mentioned Yao was done for the season in the Artest thread last week. Yao has the same problem Z and a lot of giants have...the arch of their feet can't handle the stress. Yao has spoken to Z's doctors and Z himself about getting the same reconstruction surgery which reduces the stress on the arch. Hopefully it works out and saves his career. I had visions of Yao coming here next year and being the perfect fit next to Lebron for basketball as well as marketing reasons...chances of that are all but gone.

As I also said in the Artest thread, this team must rebuild now. TMac is damaged goods. Yao is damaged goods. It's time to blow it up. No reason to re-sign Artest in my opinion.

 

[wackersr]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

This is not good for the Rockets, but this most likely means a rebuild for them. Artest?

I'd rather have Battier

 

[cavsrook25]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

This is not good for the Rockets, but this most likely means a rebuild for them. Artest?

Could be rebuild time since they tried to trade Battier and Brooks for Rubio, link. Artest might be out, but then again he is crazy so I won't try to predict his reaction. Probably try to move T-mac for something. Maybe try to bring in someone like Iverson to draw interest?? I really don't what the Rockets will or can do at this point. Really bad luck for them.

 

[wackersr]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

I mentioned Yao was done for the season in the Artest thread last week. Yao has the same problem Z and a lot of giants have...the arch of their feet can't handle the stress. Yao has spoken to Z's doctors and Z himself about getting the same reconstruction surgery which reduces the stress on the arch. Hopefully it works out and saves his career. I had visions of Yao coming here next year and being the perfect fit next to Lebron for basketball as well as marketing reasons...chances of that are all but gone.

As I also said in the Artest thread, this team must rebuild now. TMac is damaged goods. Yao is damaged goods. It's time to blow it up. No reason to re-sign Artest in my opinion.

If they don't want to completetly blow it up, maybe the Rockets would like to trade for Z so Yao can talk to him any time he wants....

 

[Thunder]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

I'm not even gonna turn this into a "let's get Artest/Battier" thread.

Let's focus on something Non-Cavs related (gasp) for a sec....this is very sad news. As a fan of the NBA, I want to see every one healthy and I know that's not possible, but seeing Yao out for this long is saddening. I hope he takes the Big Z route and at age 28, by the time he fully recovers he could be on the wrong side of 30. With that said, I hope he does the reconstructive surgery and IMO if the surgery is successful, he is talented enough and will be healthy enough to play until he's 35, hopefully. Good luck Yao, return ASAP...

 

[Mdog1]

Re: Yao Ming out next season, maybe more

I'm not even gonna turn this into a "let's get Artest/Battier" thread.

Let's focus on something Non-Cavs related (gasp) for a sec....this is very sad news. As a fan of the NBA, I want to see every one healthy and I know that's not possible, but seeing Yao out for this long is saddening. I hope he takes the Big Z route and at age 28, by the time he fully recovers he could be on the wrong side of 30. With that said, I hope he does the reconstructive surgery and IMO if the surgery is successful, he is talented enough and will be healthy enough to play until he's 35, hopefully. Good luck Yao, return ASAP...

:gtfo:

Seriously though I feel really bad for Yao, and as a Cavs fan I know what they are going through here. I hope he recovers fast (however unlikely) and that they rebuild.

 

[MikeSwim07]

Maybe we will actually win a game in Houston next season...