This from the Houston Chronicle this afternoon…

In an indication that Yao Ming will miss all of the 2009-10 season, the Rockets signed Trevor Ariza using the disabled player exception they expect to receive with Yao out.

The use of the injury exception would indicate he plans to undergo season-ending surgery, rather than choosing the more conservative option of immobilizing the injury again in the hopes that his hairline fracture would heal without surgery.

If Yao was to recover quickly from the surgery, Yao could come back and play next season, though granting the exception indicates that the league agrees that Yao will likely miss the season.

So it’s not all gloom-and-doom. Yao COULD come back next season. But listening to Houston sports radio and reading the Chronicle for over a week now, everyone has been resigned to the prospect that Yao will most likely miss next season, although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, nor has the treatment that Yao will opt to take.

The good news is that using this exception on Ariza gives the Rockets the flexibility to still use the mid-level exception on another free agent, perhaps Orlando center (like Marcin Gortat?). Go Daryl, Go!

Here’s more from the Chronicle on today’s announcement.

So Ron Artest is gone and Trevor Ariza is coming to Houston. I’m okay with that.

Ariza reminds me of a more athletic Robert Horry, and we all know how he helped the Rockets win a couple of rings. Both have shown they can hit big shots in the clutch, something the Rockets have needed.

If it turns out Yao is going to be hurt for all of next season, then the Rockets can’t build around Artest. He’s not a cornerstone player, and he’s not getting any younger. And as much as I liked him as a player, I was very disappointed how he never learned how to stop being a ballhog and jack up terrible shots. He is what he is.

Although Artest is going to sign for the mid-level exception with the Lakers for around $5-$6 million per year for 3 years, he would have cost a lot more to the Rockets (maybe $9 million/year for 3 years, if not more).

The Rockets can’t tie up that kind of money for an offensive liability as they try to retool for the future. Not for a 40% shooter. I actually think Artest is going to disrupt the offensive chemistry on the Lakers, as this Yahoo article points out, but that’s their problem. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out in LA-LA land.

Hopefully what we’ll see this coming season, if Yao is out, is that this is a “David Robinson year” for the Rockets. You may remember about 12 years ago the Spurs were a decent team, but then Robinson got hurt for almost the entire year, they ended up in the lottery, and got Tim Duncan. Robinson came back, and that’s when the championships ultimately ensued.

In the meantime, I don’t think the Rockets are going to tank too bad this season. They’ve got good players like Ariza, Brooks, Landry, Lowry, and Scola, and that’s not even taking into account their draft picks. They aren’t chopped liver, they are still going to be fun to watch under an Adelman offensive system that won’t be disrupted by Artest’s ball-stopping, and they could still sign a serviceable center. And don’t forget that Joey Dorsey could evolve into being a defensive presence they need down low. They are definitely going to be more athletic, and that’s always fun to watch.

Finally, if Yao can come back during the season, the Ariza acquisition may end up being a nice compliment to the Rockets, Horry-style.

I would be irresponsible if I didn’t report what Yahoo Sports and the Houston Chronicle are reporting about how Yao may miss next season, and maybe longer.

Here’s Yahoo’s story, and here’s Jonathan Feigen’s story from the Chronicle.

Because Yao is in no pain, I think alot of this may be speculation. I prefer to agree with the statement Rockets’ physician Dr. Tom Clanton made: “The fact he is having no symptoms gives us reason for optimism.”

Discouraging news late yesterday came out that Yao’s left foot hasn’t healed. Yao flew to Houston from China to get his foot checked out as scheduled. This statement came from Rockets team physician Tom Clanton…

“Yao is not experiencing any pain in his left foot. However, the results from the CT and bone scans we performed over the past two days indicate that the hairline fracture has not responded to the degree that we expected. We will review a variety of treatment options before proceeding.”

This could mean anything from wearing a cast to surgery. I know Yao has got to be really bummed right now. He was itching to get back to running, so this is a setback.

Here’s more of the story from the Chronicle.

Yesterday Yao gave an interview in China that stated he thinks the Chinese national team needs to have “fresh blood” if they want to continue and improve, and give young players more court time to increase their experience. We already know from last year that Yao said he had played his last Olympics in the 2008 Beijing Games. So it looks like a changing of the guard is occurring before our very eyes.

In the YaoMania forum, Raymond reports Yao will be cheering on his Chinese teammates when they play exhibition games against Australian national team in Beilun of Ningbo June 28-30th.

Before that, though, he will be flying back to Houston on Sunday June 21st for the scheduled medical checkup on his foot. It will be a short trip, though, since he will return to China sometime next week for a summer camp sponsored by China Life for orphans and child survivors of the Sichuan earthquake in Beijing.

In case you didn’t know, Yao has a Facebook page that has been getting updated while he has been in Beijing with some good stuff. Make sure to check it out at Facebook.com/Yao and become a fan.

Also, Yao was interviewed after the Lakers and his Chinese National teammate Sun Yue won a ring. Here’s a video that Yao gave in Chinese (it may take awhile to play since it’s being hosted in China):

Raymond in China reports the following…

Yao congratulated Sun Yue on his achievement, but said he felt somewhat jealous/envious of him. He said if he didn’t feel envious or jealous, then he must be someone that lives without desire and expectations 无欲无求.

He said players always should dream to improve and move higher. He believed that even now that Sun Yue had already obtained his first championship ring, he will not be satisfied and self-complacent in light of this. He thought Sun Yue will (work much harder and) hope he could obtain more play minutes as well as to gain more experience. After all, he thought the worth and value of a player is only manifested when he actually plays.

Aaron Brooks, along with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, have been in Beijing for a couple of days for a Nike “All-Asia” basketball camp.

Click here for more photos of Brooks and Rondo at the camp, including photos of their vertical leap!

Aaron and Yao have also talked with each other over the phone, and plan to meet up for dinner sometime this week.

A couple of days ago in Beijing, Yao was the recipient of the Classic Icon Figure in Sports Award at the 2009 China Fashion Awards in a star-studded event. It also marked the launch of a broad new integrated multimedia brand called Enjoyoung for the Shanghai Media Group, China’s No. 2 state-run media firm after China Central Television.

Click here for more photos from the event. Click here for a video of Yao accepting the award.

Raymond has been busy in the forum this week with all kinds of updates from Yao. Here’s a summary:

Early this week, an interview of Yao was published in the Shanghai Morning Post where he summarized his achievement with the Rockets this season, who the leaders are on the Rockets, as well as a story he told about a rare speech he gave to the team after a blowout loss earlier in the season.

On Tuesday, June 2nd, Yao and wife Ye Li paid a visit to men’s and women’s Chinese national teams. Here they are pictured having some fun on the court.

Also this week, Yao did some voice-over work for a Chinese animated film called The Magic Aster where his character is an old Chinese herbal doctor.

Click here for photos of Yao at the press conference where he promotes the film, which debuts June 19th.

Yao will donate his earnings from the film to the Shanghai Special Care Foundation, which he started with other people who worked for the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympic Games. Established in July 2008, the foundation helps mentally handicapped people and the poor. Part of the box office income from the movie will go to the foundation.

On Sunday Yao made a rare appearance at a famous Beijing school, Shi Jia Primary School, and spent time with hundreds of school kids on the eve of International Children’s Day (June 1st).

It has become an annual tradition for Yao to spend June 1st with children. This time his wife Ye Li was with him, as well as other Chinese celebrities and athletes.

Click here for more photos from Yao and Ye Li’s day with the kids.