Yao Ming out for the rest of the season
It’s good to see that Dikembe Mutombo is still playing professional basketball, and even more interesting is the fact that he’s doing it for one of the most competent teams in the NBA, the Rockets. Not so great is the fact that he’s playing in replacement of Yao Ming, and even worst is to know that Yao will miss the rest of the season due to a stress injury on his foot.
The Rockets, before Ming’s injury were one of the main contenders for the title and one of 3 or 4 teams playing tough to win the West Conference, after his injury, they can maybe still make it to the playoffs, but it will probably going to be as a 7th or 8th seed, playing against a 1st or 2nd seed, really a hard task for Tracy McGrady and his teammates.
Now that Ming is out, McGrady is the most significant piece in the Rockets future game plan, though he is awkwardly averaging around 22 points per game, his lowest since the 2000 season.
Yao Ming, who’s major faculty is his dedication for the sport, is feeling the pressure of getting injured at a time when his team needs him the most and the fact that he is doubting about being present at the Beijing Olympic games, where he is expected to be the main figure of the event for the locals.
Seeing the Warriors and the Nuggets approaching to the top, is hard for me to give the Rockets a chance of making it to the playoffs, and if they do, I am not sure how long they will survive, really a mighty task for Houston, let’s see if they have what it takes without one of the 5 men in the NBA who is adding 20 points and 10 rebounds steadily, game after game.
