Yao Gone for Six Weeks: Rockets Playoff Hopes Take A Tim Thomas Hit

The Houston Rockets’ season blew up in the first quarter of last night’s game against the L.A. Clippers when Yao Ming suffered a fractured knee. The Rockets are already missing Tracy McGrady who sat out the last seven games with back spasms. Yao will miss approximately six weeks:

Yao was leaping for a blocked shot as Chuck Hayes and Tim Thomas hit the floor beneath him. Yao’s knee appeared to get caught under Thomas’ body and Yao immediately grabbed his knee and screamed in pain.

  Yao was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, where an MRI test revealed a fracture of Yao’s right tibial plateau, trainer Keith Jones said.

The Rockets initially said Yao had only suffered a bone bruise. Now, Jones said he hopes the injury will not require surgery.

“It’s a non-displaced fracture, so nothing is way out of the way or out of whack,” Jones said. “We think he’ll do well with just rest. An option would be to do something more, but we’re hoping that won’t need to be done.”

The 7-foot-6, 310-pound Yao now faces rehabilitation for the third time in a year. Last December, he underwent surgery for a toe infection and missed 21 games. Last April, he broke his left foot in Utah and missed the final four games of the season.With Yao gone, the Clippers won easily 98-83. Though Yao’s replacement Dikembe Mutomobo is an adequate defensive and rebounding replacement for Yao, he cannot replace Yao’s 25.9 ppg and 9.4 rpg. Unless T-Mac can get and reamain healthy, Houston will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs.