OUR FANHOUSE TOOLBAR INTEGRATES THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS INTO YOUR WEB BROWSER AND INSTALLS IN SECONDS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR HERE.

NBA

Rockets Doctor Confirms Foot Injury Could End Yao Ming's Career

Posted Jun 29, 2009 7:00PM By Tom Ziller (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Rockets, NBA Injuries

Text SizeAAA
Yao MingThe bad gets worse. Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton confirmed to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen that Yao Ming's broken foot is so serious it could end the center's career. Earlier Monday, Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that outside general managers had gotten the sense in dealings with Houston's Daryl Morey that Yao's injury is much worse than anyone had thought, to the point the Rockets could be without their talisman for the entire 2009-10 season.

But the coda from Clanton -- marking this fracture as the most serious injury in Yao's accursed reign -- bodes more doom than one more lost season. As you well know, the Rockets without Yao is like a jazz quartet without the bass or piano. He's not just the face of the franchise. He's the spine, the legs and the arms, too.

Further evaluation of the injury is on its way, with multiple specialists involved. That's the news to pay attention to going forward. But what will also be interesting to watch will be an assessment of what went wrong. Clanton tells Feigen that Yao's fracture (on the tarsal navicular bone in the center's left foot) has gotten worse since it was immobilized by the franchise medical staff after the injury. Yao isn't feeling pain, but the fracture has grown. In other words, the plan was to let the bone heal itself by immobilizing it. Instead, the fracture deepened.

Yao has been in China since the end of the Rockets' season, a Game 7 loss in the conference semifinals against the Lakers. If this injury does indeed claim Yao's 2009-10 or (heavens forbid, truly) his career, we can expect some measure of finger-pointing between Yao's Chinese camp and the Rockets staff. Morey and team owner Leslie Alexander have always been completely professional in dealing with the Chinese interests, and vice versa. But when Rushmore crumbles, there's nothing to do but yell and scream. Stay tuned while (obviously) hoping for the best.

Latest NBA Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma, puts on his jersey for a photo shoot on June 29, 2009 at the Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin (L) from the University of Oklahoma, poses for a photo with current Clippers player Eric Gordan during a press conference on June 29, 2009 at the Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Eric Gordan

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick Blake Griffin (L) from the University of Oklahoma speaks to reporters as current Clippers player Eric Gordan looks on during a press conference on June 29, 2009 at the Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Eric Gordan

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin (L) from the University of Oklahoma and Clippers' General Manager and Head Coach Mike Dunleavy, pose with Griffins' Clippers jersey during a press conference on June 29, 2009 at the Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Mike Dunleavy

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma, addresses the media during a press conference as General Manager and Head Coach Mike Dunleavy (L) and President Andy Roeser (R) share the stage on June 29, 2009 at the Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Mike Dunleavy;Andy Roeser

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin (R) from the University of Oklahoma, shares a moment with former Clippers player Michael Cage during a press conference at the Clippers Training Center June 29, 2009 in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Michael Cage

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin (C) from the University of Oklahoma, and his parents Tommy Griffin (L) and Gail Griffin, pose with Blake's Clippers jersey during a press conference at the Clippers Training Center June 29, 2009 in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Tommy Griffin;Gail Griffin

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma, poses with his Clippers jersey during a press conference at the Clippers Training Center June 29, 2009 in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick, Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma, addresses the media during a press conference at the Clippers Training Center June 29, 2009 in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin

    NBAE/Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - JUNE 29: The Los Angeles Clippers number one draft pick Blake Griffin (C), and his parents, Tommy Griffin (L) and Gail Griffin, arrive at a Clippers press conference to meet the press at the Clippers Training Center June 29, 2009 in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Blake Griffin;Tommy Griffin;Gail Griffin

    NBAE/Getty Images

Tags: Yao+Ming, YaoMing

Related Articles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 20 Comments