Reading Rockets Basketball

Yao Officially Cleared to Play

The Rockets most significant change in the starting lineup this coming season will likely not be in the form of any free agent or draft acquisition, but rather the return of center Yao Ming, who missed the entire year after undergoing foot surgery in July of 2009. In late August, team doctors officially gave Yao the go ahead to resume basketball activities, welcome news for the Rockets, Rockets fans and the big man alike. Since the 7’6” Yao went down, the Rockets have faced serious size issues in the middle, featuring no other legitimate 7-footer on last year’s roster. In an effort to compensate for their looming loss, the Rockets mixed and matched a host of players who are probably better suited to play power forward than center. While Luis Scola posted admirable numbers, standing just 6’9” he faced an almost nightly mismatch against some of the more vertically endowed players. The now departed David Andersen, a first year player from Australia added more size at 6’11” 245 lbs., though he appeared in only 63 games logging close to 14 minutes per contest. Neither player, nor anyone else in the Rockets lineup, could come close to matching Yao’s 310 lbs. frame.Perhaps more than his sheer size, the Rockets have missed Yao’s consistent productivity. Over the course of the past 4 years, Yao has averaged no less than 19.7 PPG, pulling down close to 10 rebounds and averaging at least 2 blocks per game in 3 of those years. Of course, Rockets fans shouldn’t expect to see Yao to return immediately to his pre-injury form. Now 30 years old, Yao isn’t quite entering the twilight of his career, but still unlikely to recover as quickly as a spry 20-something counterpart might. Not to mention, he hasn’t played basketball in over a year and no matter how many years a player has spent in the league it can be tough to adjust back to the speed of the NBA game. Still, if Yao can return at close to full strength, the Rockets will be excited for their long lost center’s prodigal return.