Yao is likely done -from yahoo sports

[Modifly]

So sad? I'm not sad at all. We'll see if Houston is "fucked". Also, T-Mac is a long way from where he used to dominate, OK. The thing is, is it really necessary for him to dominate and average 30 points a game again to win?

[Angelo]

Yes because he is entitled to do it because he is the superstar of the team

[jonthefon]

If he's ever scoring even 20 again, it's going to be on a shitload of usages, so have fun getting shots to everyone else.

The way I see Houston finding a consistent winning formula is to slow the game completely down, turn it into a half-court slog every night, beat teams with their defense, limit them to one possession, then find some sort of efficiency on the offensive end and win 80-point games.

[NovU]

trade him and start with a new younger core

Agreed. Better start rebuilding sooner than late. Right now, I don't think the Houston is a playoff team anyways. Even if they were, they wouldn't get nowhere in the playoffs. Healthy Tracy only will ask for a bigger contract, and take Rockets nowhere anyways. I hope to see them start looking for that new young core sooner.

[Jing]

HOUSTON (AP)—Rockets center Yao Ming(notes) had surgery Tuesday to repair a broken bone in his left foot.

The team announced the surgery was performed at Memorial Hermann Hospital by Dr. Tom Clanton, the Rockets’ team physician, along with Dr. Bill McGarvey.

Surgeons grafted bone onto the tarsal navicular bone and realigned his foot to reduce stress on the repair. The seven-time All-Star is slated to remain in the hospital for several days.

“Everything went according to play, and we were able to achieve not only fixation of the broken bone but also realignment of the bones to improve the stress pattern on his foot,” Dr. Clanton said in the statement. “We expect him to be immobilized in a cast and using crutches for at least 6-8 weeks.”

Yao is expected to miss the 2009-10 season, but be ready to go for training camp in 2010.

Yao suffered the hairline fracture late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets said late last month that the injury had not healed and he was out indefinitely. Last Friday, the 7-foot-6 center announced that he’d have the surgery.

The injury had raised questions, especially in his native China, about Yao’s playing future. But on July 8, he said through his agent that he was “optimistic about the future and I will return to playing basketball when my foot has fully healed.”

Yao played in 77 regular-season games in 2008-09, his most injury-free year since 2004-05, when he played in 80. Before last season, Yao missed chunks of the previous three seasons with leg and foot injuries.

In 2006-07, Yao missed 32 games after breaking his right leg. He sustained a stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08, underwent surgery and sat out 26 games.

Yao is due to make more than $16 million next season, with a player option for 2010-11 that would pay him more than $17 million.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

[Stress Fracture]

I wish he will be okay after the surgery.

[Andrew]

That sounds a tad more encouraging than the prognosis before the surgery.

[Modifly]

I read somewhere that he could even return to basketball activities within 6 months. By basketball activities I think they mean shooting jumpshots and simple layups and other soft things. I really wish that he will just take the entire year off the court and have a good time with his family. That will be a lot better for his body.

[Andrew]

I'd say so, it seems unlikely that they'd rush him back to contact drills and full scrimmages ahead of schedule unless he healed much faster than anyone could reasonably anticipate.