Uh, Houston. We have a problem.

I hate to say it, but 'Sheed could help Houston. For the right price, this should be the Rockets next move.

By now, I am sure every NBA fan has read at least one story about Yao Ming's foot. 

Yes, the sports world recently acquired foot fetish has created quite the buzz (or buzz kill if you are a Rockets fan). Yao Ming will miss all of next season with a broken left foot. But the story doesn't end there, Ming could be done playing basketball entirely. 

Many have claimed the story is being blown out of proportion and this will serve as wake-up call for Yao Ming that his body cant handle the stress of playing in the NBA and for China's national team. I am no doctor, but I am sorry to say this story is not blown out of proportion. Yao Ming could have played his last NBA game. 

Being 7-foot-6 comes with a price, and unfortunately Yao is now paying that price. Having superhuman size is a health concern in itself and normally leads to a much shorter life. But when a man that size has a serious break in his foot, it's like a horse that breaks its leg. There is a good chance there is no coming back from it. 

It would be a huge loss to the NBA to lose the most gifted player over 7-foot-3 in the history of the league. Yao's gargantuan predecessors George Muresan and Manute Bol played like giants. Both were very uncoordinated and slow. But Yao is quick with a soft touch and can run down the floor like a power forward. While once-in-a-lifetime player gets thrown out a lot, Yao really is an oddity. 

My concern for Yao now is that the problems stop at his feet. Gigantism is a pituitary disorder and as stated earlier, can cause not just career-threatening, but life-threatening problems. Former professional wrestlers Andre the Giant and Giant Gonzalez both suffered from gigantism and Andre died in his 50s, while Gonzalez is having serious health issues at 43.

I'm not ready to jump to that severe of a conclusion, but while the selfish part of me wants Yao to get back on the court, I just hope he can get healthy and stay healthy for a long time to come. 

But for now Houston has a problem, and it needs to be addressed. Yao Ming is out and Tracy McGrady is out for most of the season. Ron Artest is a free agent. Houston has done a great job managing their cap the last few years and now is time to be even more careful. 

Yao! That hurts the bank account

Prior to this foot debacle, Yao having a player option at the end of next season was no problem for Houston. They wanted him to pick up that option and probably would have offered an extension. But now he has an option he will definitely pick up, because after a season on the sidelines, that backloaded deal is a lot better than any sort of money he would get from another team. 

So that money is accounted for. Now the Rockets have two realistic options. Artest is a free agent, but with Yao hurt, they should let him walk. Artest is not the cornerstone of a franchise, he is a nice third man. If they signed him, he would be the star and it would never work. 

The Rockets would also like to dump McGrady, but they will have to wait until the end of this season when his contract is up. I doubt any team will want to pick up that contract on a perennial injured player. 

So now the Rockets either have to use the money they save by letting Artest walk to sign a free agent center this season, or they trade some of the top-notch young players on their bench that have made them so good the last two seasons for a quick fix with Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudemire. 

It's a tough call. Picking up Bosh or Stoudemire would keep them in contention, but they would lose players that could help them for years to come. The team would struggle to stay in competition by signing one of the free agent centers and it would also tie them up financially more than a quick fix. 

My best advice: Sign Rasheed Wallace. I know, Rasheed Wallace scares me too. He comes overpriced sometimes and you don't know if he will always show up. But when he does, his post defense is still top-notch and his versatility makes him hard to defend. 

The Rockets could make a play for a real pricey big man like Carlos Boozer, but he would be too expensive and is not any sort of answer to replacing a center. Or they could go cheap and sign Marcin Gortat, but Carl Landry would work just as well in that case. 

Wallace would be a good move if they could sign him to a 2-year deal with a club option in the third. It would keep the team afloat without crippling them too much financially since McGrady is sure to be gone by the end of the season. 

The Rockets front office has the toughest job this offseason. Their next move could make or break this franchise for the next three years. 

Odom is spelled A-R-I-Z-A

Lamar who? The Lakers should choose Ariza over Odom, mainly so they don't have to pay Odom a signing bonus of 100,000 packs of Twizzlers

Ever since the Lakers won the NBA Championship, the sports world has been buzzing about how much of their roster they will be able to preserve. 

Unlike the Boston Celtics of last year, which was clearly a team built for one strong run, these Lakers have a chance to make it back to the Finals next season. And while a certain TBDS writer is having outlandish dreams about Kobe leaving, the real issue LA faces is what to do about Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. 

Many believe the Lakers will let them both walk, while others think signing Odom should be the priority. But if the Lakers want to give themselves the best chance at making it back to the Finals, they will sign Ariza. 

And I just don't say Ariza because I traded for him in NBA 2K9 where he helped my Milwaukee Bucks reach the NBA Playoffs (where we lost in the first round to Miami), but because he has a few distinct advantages over Odom. 

1. Defense: There is great defenders, All-Star defenders and even All-NBA defenders. But then there is All-World defense, which is what Ariza possesses. Ariza is so versatile on defense, easily changing from on-the-ball lockdown assignments to perfect help and team defense. While players such as Dwight Howard and Josh Smith can intimidate with blocked shots, Ariza can play defense so well, his man won't get the chance to get a clean shot up. Odom is serviceable on defense, but nowhere near Ariza's level. 

2. Shooting: Odom can score, there is no doubt about that, but he isn't the caliber of shooter Ariza has become. When Ariza first entered the NBA, his shot was almost non-existent, but throughout the season, he improved game-to-game to the point he was one of the Lakers biggest outside threats. He isn't as efficient as Odom when it comes to taking it to the rim, but if he can improve in that area, his outside-inside dual threat will be much more valuable to the Lakers than Odom's mid-range game. 

3. Youth: Both men will want lucrative, long-term deals. So when having to decide between two players with similar skill sets, it makes more sense to sign a 24-year-old to a multi-year deal compared to a 30-year-old. I believe Odom has plenty of years left of good basketball, but he has reached the peak of his skill. Ariza still has room to grow and is already a dangerous player, so at this point, the roof of the Staples Center is the limit for this kid. As his confidence grows and he gets more touches, he could become a multi-time All-Star for LA. 

4. Consistency: One thing Lamar Odom has been consistent at is being inconsistent. One question that lingered before every Laker playoff game was; "Which Odom would show up?" Even Odom didn't know the answer to that question. With Ariza, even if he was having a cold shooting night, his stellar defense was sure to be there no matter what. I would have more confidence knowing I was sending out a player who would give the LeBrons and the Wades of the NBA a difficult time every night. 

5. Health Care: Odom is not as fresh or healthy as Ariza. Neither have had any serious injury issues in their careers, but Odom has been out with nagging injuries a lot more than Ariza has. Also, it seems Ariza has made it in the clear without any sort of skin infection from the 1,000 tattoos he has, so the Lakers don't have to worry about that. However, if they keep Odom, they better make sure they have a good dental plan, because all that candy is going to catch up to him. Be smart, sign Ariza, save money on your company dental care. 

Under no circumstances should the Lakers let both players walk. But if they want to save money while sending out a very competitive team, they will Odom with an A-R-I-Z-A. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed go in direct contrast with Skip Bayless and the ESPN NBA experts who choose Odom over Ariza. While the author respects the worldwide leader in sports ... they are incorrect.