Rockets Breathe Sigh Of Relief

Yao Ming expected to return to action Monday versus Hornets

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Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - Houstonians woke up Sunday morning greeted by threatening skies, thunderstorms and even tornado warnings. Yet hours later, the sun was shining and the skies were crystal clear, leaving the city to enjoy a beautiful Easter afternoon while simultaneously making the ominous early weather reports seem much ado about nothing.

Surely Rockets fans can relate.

Today the dark clouds of concern which had lingered ever since news broke that Yao Ming would miss Friday night’s contest against Golden State with a sore right foot have cleared, bringing an end to the most nerve-wracking 48 hour stretch of the Rockets season to date. After undergoing an MRI and bone scan Saturday, Yao Ming was diagnosed with nothing more than a bone bruise and the Rockets expect their All-Star center to return to action in time for Monday’s pivotal match-up with New Orleans.

”He’s fine,” said Coach Rick Adelman at the conclusion of Sunday’s practice. “He didn’t do anything today, but everybody tells me that he’s going to be fine tomorrow so that’s what we’re anticipating.

“I think any big guy who’s had problems, when something happens you’re always worried about it, but [Rockets’ head athletic trainer] Keith [Jones] didn’t seem concerned about it at any time. It didn’t seem like it was bothering him that much, it was just sore.”

Yao rode a stationary bike while his teammates practiced Sunday afternoon, as the club continued to take a cautious approach with his injury. But Yao, as he has been throughout this mild ordeal, was in good spirits and eager to emphasize the precautionary nature of his absence Friday night.

“It’s sore, but not pain,” he explained. “Because of what happened to my left foot, I have to really take care of both feet. So [after] what happened to my right foot, I just told Keith to check it out because the playoffs are close and I don’t want it to get any worse. That’s it.

“I [felt] it in the Orlando game five days ago. Then in Sacramento I feel the same way. Then in Golden State, I walked out there before the game and (the soreness) was still there. And like I said, this is almost the end of the regular season and we have a bigger goal than just to play the regular season, right?

“But I knew things weren’t that bad because I still remember how the left foot felt last year – it was pretty bad – and it took until it was pretty bad [before I told] the trainer. This year I have to set a line right there and if I feel anything in my feet I have to tell them.”

Yao’s imminent return means the Rockets can once again focus all their energy and attention on taking care of business during the final week of the regular season. They close with a pair of tough games against division rivals; hosting New Orleans Monday before making a trip to Dallas for the season finale Wednesday night. Win both and Houston is ensured the Southwest Division crown and at least the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed – if Denver stumbles in either of its final two games the Rockets would claim the No. 2 spot with a perfect finish, by virtue of winning the season series against the Nuggets. Of course, having a healthy Yao gives Houston a much greater shot at making that scenario a reality.

“It’s great for us,” said Aaron Brooks. “ Yao is our centerpiece and the offense isn’t the same without him. We want to get ready for the playoffs and the only way to do that is to have all your guys in there. It’s good that he got his little bit of rest, so now we’ve got two games and then we go on this playoff run.”

But Brooks wasn’t quite finished. Throughout the last two days, Rockets players have seemed so unconcerned about their center’s injury that it had become an abundant source of humor, even to Yao himself. So it was only appropriate that Houston’s point guard couldn’t conclude without delivering one more little friendly dig at his giant teammate:

“I guess we’ll just welcome him back to the team and go from there,” he said with an impish grin. “I always thought he was faking it, anyway.”

Then Brooks made his exit along with the rest of his Rockets teammates, no doubt eager to enjoy what remained of a sunny Sunday afternoon. And all the while the dark clouds moved on, drifting further away along a path destined to leave them as nothing more than distant memories on the horizon.

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