Ron Artest? Gone. Tracy McGrady? Gone for a little while. Yao Ming? Most likely gone, at least for 2009-10.
Looks like the Rockets are in store for a very long season.
Artest shipped off to Los Angeles, McGrady could be recovering from knee surgery until next February, and on Friday, seven-time All-Star center Yao announced that he will undergo surgery next week on his left foot, which is likely to keep him out of the entire 2009-10 season. The team doesn't have a specific idea about when he will become available again, telling Yahoo Sports that he is "expected to be available for the team's training camp in 2010."
Houston began its rebuilding efforts by signing former Laker Trevor Ariza, and the team is getting some leniency from the NBA, which has granted the Rockets' request for a disabled player exception. But Ariza can only get the team so far next season, and general manager Daryl Morey basically conceded as much, acknowledging that the Rockets will probably focus on rebuilding for the future — the distant future.
"We don't want to take any time off, with question marks on Yao and Tracy [McGrady]," he told Yahoo Sports. "It's put some challenges in our way. But we don't want to take time off if we can, so we want to keep adding players like Trevor, who can help us now and can be part of a young core that's going to grow together and win a lot of games."
Houston has also acquired David Andersen via a trade from Atlanta.
Yao has long suffered from foot problems, having missed a total of 83 regular-season games in the past three years. He broke a bone in his foot in 2006, and a stress fracture sidelined him in 2008. He played 77 games in 2008-09 — his most since 2004-05 — but went down yet again in the second round of the playoffs.
Yao is confident that surgery to reduce the arch in his foot will allow him to remain one of the NBA's top players.
"This surgery will allow me to continue my career playing basketball, and I look forward to returning to the court," he said in a statement. "I am very grateful to have the support of teammates, friends and fans as I dedicate myself to making a completely successful recovery."
