Today, the Houston Rockets found out that Yao Ming's hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone of his left foot pretty much hasn't healed at all since it occurred on May 8th. With this in mind, many options are on the table (placing a pin, bone grafting, realigning the entire foot) but all come with a serious chance that he will miss at least the beginning of next season, if not the entire season (as was hinted at by team physician Tom Clanton). This is crushing news for the Rockets as they were hoping to put the final touches on an already top tier roster in order to have a team capable of making a serious run at the title next year. I was really curious to see what moves they would make especially with so many big name players already having been on the move this offseason (it's like 'GMs Gone Wild' thus far). Anyway, the Rockets are going to have to make a major decision relatively soon as to whether they are going to stay committed to Yao or attempt to bring in a new superstar (If Yao's carrer is over, the Rockets could attempt to collect forced-retirement relief from the league, which would help defray the cost of the rest of his contract). If it were me, here's what I'd do:
1) First, whether Yao returns or not, get rid of Tracy McGrady. He costs way too much ($23 million) for a guy who is seemingly always hurt and is already going to miss half of next season due to microfracture surgery on his knee. Even if the only offer you get for him is a free bowl of soup, give him away.
2) Don't give up on Yao. There are enough options left on the table to fix his foot that you have to give it a shot because he is a game changer. Also, he's only 28 now but even as his age advances, he's 7'6''. With that kind of height, he'll be able to shoot over the top and can adapt his game as he loses some of his quickness.
3) Go out and get someone who can play the 5 but won't cost you an arm and a leg. Specifically, I'm looking at Glen 'Big Baby' Davis who is a restricted free agent and demonstrated this past post season that he can flat out play. He is a good free throw shooter and can finish around the basket. Or, if they really want to take a chance, they could sign 34 year old Rasheed Wallace. Wallace is not the producer he once was but he doesn't need to be with the talent around him. He is still a fiery player who can play both inside and outside.
Overall, the Rockets already have a good nucleus with Artest, Scolar, Alston, Wafer, Landry, and Battier. They just need (1) someone to plug into center who will fight for boards and (2) not allow Artest to become the first option on offense. I think the Rockets have the potential to be a solid, but not dominating team, without Yao. It sure will be interesting to see what happens.
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