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From the AP...

Chinese officials are hoping to speed NBA star Yao Ming's recovery with a secret remedy -- traditional Chinese medicine.

The Houston Rockets center underwent surgery on Monday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. Doctors in the United States said after the surgery that he was expected to recover in time to play for China at the Beijing Olympics in August.

However, back home they're taking no chances with Yao's health.

"After the surgery, Chinese medicine will be used to help Yao Ming's recovery," Hu Jiashi, deputy director of the Chinese Basketball Association, told the Beijing News.

"We've hired medical experts to diagnose Yao Ming's condition and communicate with American doctors and we've reached agreement."

Chinese remedies are widely believed across China to be effective, usually made of herbal compounds that have been used for centuries.

Hu also urged caution.

"Yao Ming's absence from the Olympics is something nobody wants to see," Hu said. "However, we have to listen to the doctors advice. We also need to face reality. If Yao doesn't fully recovered from the injury, he can't give his best performance plus it could hurt his career."

Yao is China's best-known athlete and has contracts with several Olympic sponsors including McDonald's and Coca-Cola. He is believed to earn about $25 million alone in sponsorship deals and is being heavily marketed across China in the run-up to the Games.

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer...

Robert Swift underwent successful surgery to repair a torn right meniscus and he will be re-examined next week and begin rehabilitation in 10 days. He is expected to miss the season.

colonel:

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer...

 

 

Robert Swift underwent successful surgery to repair a torn right meniscus and he will be re-examined next week and begin rehabilitation in 10 days. He is expected to miss the season.

Now there's a shocker. 

Not that it matters, but...  From the Boston Globe...

Scot Pollard underwent successful surgery Tuesday night to repair a torn tendon in his left ankle. The operation was performed in Indianapolis by a surgeon Pollard had become familiar with during his time with the Pacers. Pollard revealed more than a week ago that he had decided to have the operation, effectively ending his season.

"He hurt the ankle early, coming in to play with the rest of the players, and he didn't have to do that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "But he did. I think the coaches and his teammates understand what he tried to do for this team."

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer...

The Sonics just can't seem to keep their young centers healthy.

Surgery to repair a torn right meniscus for Mouhamed Sene turned into microfracture surgery and the Senegalese big man could miss the entire 2008-09 season. Doctors found cartilage damage in the knee Monday and decided to perform the intensive surgery, which has derailed the careers of several NBA players.

From the AP...

New Jersey Nets guard Vince Carter had surgery to remove a bone spur from his right ankle on Wednesday.

Dr. Martin O'Malley performed the surgery in New York, Nets president Rod Thorn said.

Carter will be on crutches for several weeks, followed by rehabilitation. He is expected to be ready for training camp.

Carter played in 76 games this past season, averaging 21.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He led the team in scoring 36 times, assists 21 times and rebounding 15 times.

The 10-year veteran was one of only three NBA players (Kobe Bryant, Lebron James) to average more than 20 points, six rebounds and five assists throughout the season.

The eight-time All-Star holds career averages of 23.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

From the AP...

Rockets guard Tracy McGrady could need three months to recover following operations on his knee and shoulder.

"I don't expect these issues to impact his ability to prepare for the upcoming season," said team physician Tom Clanton, who operated on McGrady's knee.

Loose tissue was cleared out of the left knee and left shoulder. McGrady sprained his shoulder against Sacramento on March 24 and wore padding to protect it for the rest of the season, which ended last Friday against Utah in the first round of the playoffs.

McGrady revealed midway through the series he was having a recurrence of the same knee problems that kept him out of 12 games in December and January. He took painkilling injections during the Utah series.

"It's really going to help him recover and be pain free in those areas going forward," general manager Daryl Morey said Wednesday. "Those are two areas that have been nagging Tracy for a while -- not as acute as we saw this season -- but they've been nagging him."

The procedures, both considered minor, were done Tuesday.

McGrady averaged 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists this season. He averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the playoffs, but the Rockets lost to the Jazz in six games. McGrady is 0-for-7 in the playoffs in his 11 seasons.

Point guard Rafer Alston and forward Shane Battier also will have surgery soon, Morey said. Alston injured ligaments in his right ankle in Game 6 in Utah and Battier hurt his left ankle late in the regular season.

Morey met with Dikembe Mutombo on Tuesday and said the 41-year-old backup center will decide in a week to two weeks whether he will return for an 18th season or retire. The 7-foot-2 Mutombo capably filled in when Yao Ming broke his foot in February, averaging 16 minutes and three points a game.

"If he decides to come back, it's a good thing for us," Morey said. "It creates another option or a possibility for us going forward."

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel...

As work continues on finalizing the contracts of their assistant coaches for next season, the Milwaukee Bucks announced Thursday that point guard Mo Williams had undergone successful surgery to repair ligament damage in his right thumb.

The surgery was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York by hand specialist Michelle Carlson. Williams will be sidelined for about six weeks and will then be able to resume basketball-related activities while wearing a splint. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp in October.

Williams played much of last season with the injury although he didn't miss any games because of it. He missed a total of 16 games because of other injuries and illnesses.

From the Miami Herald...

The signs of progress were visible through Heat forward Dorell Wright's grin as he talked Thursday about the strides he has made while recovering from knee surgery that prematurely ended his season.

He is making strides now, literally. He is walking with no discernable limp, painlessly climbing stairs at his home and extending his left leg into a straight line and lifting it into the air while in bed.

Those are all things Wright has been able to do for the first time since his season ended March 2, when he sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee in a loss at Sacramento and missed the Heat's final 26 games.

Provided his recovery continues to go as planned, Wright plans to next do something he hasn't been able to do in his previous four seasons in Miami: Become a reliable long-term option in the Heat's playing rotation.

''I'm just hoping things go well,'' said Wright, who along with forward Udonis Haslem attended a party Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena for 300 students from the Heat Academy's after-school program. ``This is the place where I really want to be.''

In some ways, Wright's rehabilitation seems to have complicated matters as he heads into what already shaped up as the most important offseason of his career. But despite the setback, Wright is most likely to be brought back among the 11 players on the Heat's roster without guaranteed contracts heading into the summer.

From most indications, the Heat will extend Wright, 22, a $2.4 million qualifying offer next month, make him a restricted free agent and hold the right to match any outside offers to keep him for a fifth season.

Had Wright remained healthy and continued the progress he was making over the second half of the season, it is possible he would have commanded more interest -- and money -- from other teams when free agency negotiations open on July 1.

From the AP...

Center Andrew Bynum underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday in New York, and the Los Angeles Lakers said they expect him to make a full recovery by the start of training camp next fall.

The 30-minute procedure, performed by Dr. David Altchek, consisted of removing some cartilage debris and smoothing some rough spots on the underside of Bynum's left kneecap, the team said.

Bynum had the operation on the same day the Lakers opened the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center.

"Everything seemed to go well," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, adding that from what he had heard, Bynum should be 100 percent in about three months. "I think Andrew's glad he did it."

Bynum hasn't played since suffering a bone bruise in his knee and a subluxation of the kneecap -- a brief dislocation that popped back into place -- in the third quarter of a 100-99 victory over Memphis on Jan. 13. He was having a breakout season, averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots in 35 games.

"That's perfect," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said when informed of the news. "Andrew is really important to us. We'll all be waiting for him. As soon as this game is over, I'll be sure to holler at him, wish him well."

The Lakers estimated a day after the 20-year-old center was injured that he'd be sidelined eight to 12 weeks. But Jackson said April 21 that a return this season was remote, and Bynum said much the same thing shortly thereafter.

Dr. Altchek examined Bynum in New York on April 10 and declined to clear him for practice. The 7-footer was examined again May 7 in Princeton, N.J., by Dr. Steven Gecha, who said there had been some improvement in the knee, but recommended exploratory surgery if there wasn't more in the ensuing three to four weeks. The surgery was performed two weeks after that.

Despite Bynum's absence, the Lakers went 57-25 to earn the top seed in the West, and 8-2 to eliminate Denver and Utah from the playoffs to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2004.

Bynum, the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, averaged 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 46 games as a rookie, and 7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.56 blocked shots in 82 games in his second season.

From the AP...

Toronto Raptors guard Anthony Parker had surgery Wednesday to repair an injured extensor tendon in the middle finger of his right hand.

The surgery was performed in Toronto by Dr. Brent Graham. Parker must wear a cast for three weeks before he can begin rehabilitation.

Parker averaged a career-high 12.5 points last season, second only to Chris Bosh on the Raptors. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists and became just the third player in team history to start all 82 regular-season games.

Parker's procedure came eight days after Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani had nasal surgery in Milan, Italy, to remove his adenoids and repair a deviated septum. Bargnani, who must wait two weeks before resuming basketball workouts, was injured in a March 17 game at Utah when he was elbowed by teammate Jamario Moon while going for a loose ball.

The first overall pick in the 2006 draft, Bargnani averaged 10.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 78 games for Toronto last season, including 53 starts.

From the AP...

Starting point guard Earl Watson fractured his right thumb and will have surgery Thursday in Los Angeles, the SuperSonics said Tuesday.

The Sonics said the injury has a typical recovery period of 3-4 months.

Last season, the 29-year-old Watson averaged career highs in points (10.7), assists (6.8), rebounds (2.9) and minutes (29.1). During his seven-year NBA career, Watson has averaged 7.4 points and 4.5 assists in 529 games.

Sonics general manager Sam Presti said he is confident Watson will make a "timely recovery."

The Sonics drafted 19-year-old UCLA sophomore guard Russell Westbrook, the Pac-10 defensive player of the year, last week to be their starting point guard of the future. Watson also played at UCLA. The Sonics also have point guard Luke Ridnour on their roster.

Seattle finished a franchise-worst 20-62 record last season.

From the AP...

Boston Celtics starting center Kendrick Perkins has undergone surgery on his left shoulder.

The Celtics said Perkins had arthroscopic surgery Wednesday at New England Baptist Hospital. Also undergoing surgery was the Celtics' second-round draft pick, Bill Walker, to repair damage to his right knee.

The NBA champions said both procedures were successful. Team physician Dr. Brian McKeon led both surgeries.

No timetable has been set for Perkins' and Walker's offseason returns to the Celtics.

Perkins was nagged by the shoulder late in the season and aggravated the injury in the finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, causing him to miss Game 5 of the series.