The Houston Rockets may be wqithout Yao Ming for a lot longer than originally thought. The team has recently admitted his recovery from a foot injury is behind schedule and their worried he’ll miss all of next season, if not longer.

“At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career threatening,” team physician Tom Clanton said. “One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery.”

It goes without saying, but this is devastating news for the Rockets. They will never win a championship with Ming out of the lineup.