BEIJING - Yao Ming's season-ending injury has China thinking the once-unthinkable: The host nation's biggest, boldest and glitziest star might miss the Beijing Olympics.
While doctors say he should still make the Games, healing is expected to take until around June - perilously close to the Olympics' August 8 opening ceremony.
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, of China, speaks at a press conference after it was announced he would not play for the rest of the NBA basketball season due to a stress fracture in his left foot Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008 in Houston. [Agencies] |
"When we heard about Yao's injury, we felt shocked and concerned just like all the basketball fans in China," Bai Ximin, manager of the national men's team told a packed news conference.
"We can totally understand how he feels right now and we hope he'll remain positive and optimistic while receiving treatment," Bai said.
The 2.26-meter (7-foot-6) Yao, who was averaging 22 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season, was ruled out for the season on Tuesday with a stress fracture in his left foot, a stunning blow to the surging Houston Rockets.
Bai and the Chinese Basketball Association's deputy director, Hu Jiashi, said officials discussed Yao's condition with China's Lithuanian-born coach Jonas Kazlauskas at a morning meeting. They said contingency plans were being worked out in case he is ruled out of the Games.
Kazlauskas told officials, assistant coaches, and players to "face the reality and have a positive attitude," Hu said. He said the coach had dual lineups and game plans and was prepared to send the team out on court with or without Yao.
Yao's injury dominated coverage in leading newspaper Titan Sports, which offered a hopeful note.
"The only thing offering Yao Ming any solace at this time is that his injury will not force him to miss the Beijing Olympics of his dreams," Titan said.
Doctors blamed the injury on accumulated stress on the bone, rather than any single incident. Titan said the true cause was the Rockets' failure to provide a reliable substitute for Yao, forcing him into too much game time.
"In fact, exhaustion was really the major reason behind Yao Ming's injury," the paper said.
