Just as the Rockets were exploding off of a major win streak, their best (and tallest) player has been sidelined for the season with an injury that could keep even the biggest men down.
Yao Ming, star center for the NBA's Houston Rockets, is out for the season with a fractured bone in his foot. Ming has suffered a stress fracture in his left foot, an injury that, according to the Rockets team doctor, is not one you can gloss over.
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It is not an injury we feel he can play with,” Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton said. “I’ve made the recommendation that it be treated surgically and we are working with him to get other opinions just to be certain that that is indeed what should be done.”
He can get either a cast and crutches treatment or a screw insert treatment; either way, it takes four months to recover.
The Rockets were on a 12 game win streak that featured both Yao and Tracy McGrady playing healthy together. Both stars had been in and out of injury over the past two seasons so much that it was hard to count on both being in the same game. However, the Rockets had stayed healthy with Yao averaging 22 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as well as 2 blocks and 85% from the free throw line.
Yao's replacement at center will be the 41 year-old Dikembe Mutombo, who has played only 8 minutes a game this year.
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