Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming suffers strained tendon injury
Rockets centre Yao Ming suffered an injury in Houston's game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. The 7-foot-6 player, who missed all of last season, was taken out of the
game due to a strained tendon in his left leg. He is questionable for his team's upcoming match against the Indiana Pacers.
Yao left Houston's 98-81 loss to the Wizards in the first quarter. He was on the court for the first 6:14 of the game but did not return for the rest of the game. The seven-time All Star
had zero points and one rebound. He was sidelined for the entire 2009-10 season after getting surgery to repair a broken left foot.
Playing limited minutes
Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman had been limiting Yao's time on the court to start the season. A 24-minute limit has been put in place as a ceiling for his minutes on the court for
every game. Yao, who has also been pulled out of the roster for back-to-back games, has been considered for more minutes before being injured.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Adelman said, "He is coming off a 15, 16 month lay-off. He's not the Yao from two years ago.''
Before the game, the injury-prone centre had been lobbying for more minutes. "The team needs to play consistently," Yao said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. "That means you
need a consistent line-up. A guy who is a starting centre being on and off, on and off, I think that's not good for a team. That's why I think playing back-to-back for me and for team-mates is very important."
Yao, who was frustrated with his playing time, had played without complications before suffering the injury. The Rockets, which are currently nursing a 1-6 record, have been playing reserves
Brad Miller and Jordan Hill in Yao's place.
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