Yao Ming to Have Surgery, Will Possibly Miss All 2009-2010 Season

Houston center Yao Ming has elected to have surgery on his fractured left foot. After several opinions from doctors, Yao decided to have the surgery which would reduce stress on his ailing extremity.

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had the same surgery eight seasons ago, and hasn’t suffered another fracture since.

The question is what the Rockets do now. Yao has not only been the face of the franchise, but has also been the face of the NBA when it came to spreading the NBA brand globally.

Yao was drafted first overall in the 2002 NBA draft, and was set to be the building block for the Houston Rockets franchise.

The Rockets committed to Yao by surrounding him with talent like Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest. Now what do the Rockets do? They have lost their franchise player, and even if he does come back, he may never be the same.

The Rockets are going to have a season in which they try to rebuild on the fly, without Tracy McGrady until the second half of the season, and Yao for possibly the whole season.

The Rockets have no one to rely on for scoring punch next season. Trevor Ariza would be the best option to build around.

Now the Rockets lost their three leading scorers from last season, and Luis Scola is the current leader in scoring average, averaging just under 13 points per game.

Can you rely on Trevor Ariza to be a legitimate No. 1 option for next season? Also, Tracy McGrady‘s time with the Rockets will likely come to an end after next season.

Beware Rocket fans, as much of a success last season was, it will be a long shot if the Rockets just miss the playoffs next season, as expectations will be low.