Houston ? Houston center Yao Ming will have surgery on his broken left foot next week and will likely miss all of next season, the latest blow to the Rockets’ faltering bid to return to the NBA’s elite.

The team said Friday that there is no timetable set for the return of the 7-foot-6 Yao, a seven-time All Star, but that he is “expected to be available for the team’s training camp in 2010.” That camp is in October — 16 months away.

The 28-year-old Yao chose a surgery that will involve a bone graft to promote bone regeneration, the team said. He’s also hoping to reduce the arch in the foot by realigning and restructuring the bones.

“This surgery will allow me to continue my career playing basketball and I look forward to returning to the court,” Yao said in a statement.

The decision for surgery was expected. The Rockets applied for a disabled player exception from the NBA a few weeks ago, betting that their center will miss next season as he recovers. The NBA agreed that Yao’s return is unlikely and approved the request, freeing up about $5.7 million that the Rockets used to sign free agent Trevor Ariza from the Lakers.

Houston has also scrambled to find a center since free agency began and this week acquired 6-foot-11 David Andersen in a trade with Atlanta.

Yao has been consulting with doctors since late June, when the Rockets said he would be out indefinitely.

He suffered a hairline fracture in the foot in a playoff game on May 3 and the team initially said Yao would miss only 8-12 weeks. When doctors re-examined the injury about seven weeks later, they discovered that the injury had not healed and amended the prognosis.

NBA

Walker plays golf event

Las Vegas — Former NBA all-star Antoine Walker is playing golf this weekend in northern Nevada before a scheduled court date Monday in Las Vegas in a case involving an $822,500 gambling debt. Walker, who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008, teed off Friday in a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe a day after posting $135,000 cash bail.

Cuban complaint dismissed

Dallas — A federal judge dismissed a civil insider-trading lawsuit against Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on Friday, dealing the Securities and Exchange Commission a rare high-profile setback.

U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater ruled that the SEC could not hold Cuban liable for insider trading because the agency didn’t allege the billionaire NBA team owner had agreed not to trade based on confidential information he received about an Internet search engine company, Mamma.com Inc.

The judge wrote in his 35-page ruling that the SEC could file an amended complaint within 30 days if it can allege that Cuban agreed not to sell stock when he told the company’s chief executive that he wouldn’t divulge secret information he was about to receive in 2004.

The SEC said Cuban avoided a loss of $750,000 by selling his 600,000 shares, which represented a 6.3 percent stake in the company.

Clippers trade Randolph

Los Angeles — The Clippers have traded leading scorer Zach Randolph to Memphis in exchange for Quentin Richardson. The deal was announced Friday.

Richardson averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 72 games with the New York Knicks last season. He’s returning to the Clippers, where he played from 2000-04 after being drafted by the team out of DePaul.

Randolph was acquired in a trade with the Knicks in November 2008. The forward averaged 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds in 50 games for the Clippers last season.

Randolph was suspended for two games by the team after being arrested for investigation of drunken driving in April.

Watson cut by Thunder

Oklahoma City — The Oklahoma City Thunder have waived guard Earl Watson. Watson, an eight-year NBA veteran, appeared in 68 games and started in 18 with Oklahoma City this past season and averaged 6.6 points, 5.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per contest.

GOLF

Chalmers leads at U.S. Bank

Milwaukee — Greg Chalmers stayed on top of the leaderboard, firing a second-round 67 to build a two-shot lead Friday at the U.S. Bank Championship. Chalmers was at 9-under 131.

Fellow first-round leader Jeff Klauk shot a 69 to finish two strokes behind along with Chris Riley (66) and Kris Blanks (63). Kevin Na (65), Marc Turnesa (65) and Steve Flesch (65) were another stroke back at 6 under.

Former Kansas University golfer Gary Woodland shot a 67 and missed the cut with a 145 total.

Romo takes Tahoe lead

Stateline, Nev. — Tony Romo shot a 3-under 69 to take the first-round lead Friday at the 20th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback tallied 27 points in the modified Stableford format that awards six points for eagle, three for birdie, one for par, zero for bogey and minus two for double bogey or worse. Former pitcher Rick Rhoden, who has won the tournament a record seven times, was two points off the lead with 25.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Notre Dame-Army set in N.Y.

New York — Notre Dame and Army will play the first football game at the new Yankee Stadium next year, rekindling a tradition that took off after Knute Rockne’s “Win one for the Gipper” speech more than 80 years ago. The teams will meet in 2010.

SOFTBALL

U.S. blanks Italy, 12-0

Oklahoma City — Jennie Finch and Jenae Leles homered, and the U.S. capitalized on some shaky defense by Italy for a 12-0 victory Friday night at the World Cup of Softball.

NFL

Arrest made in McNair case

Nashville, Tenn. — Federal prosecutors announced gun charges Friday against a convicted murderer who admitted he sold the pistol that was used to kill ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair.

Adrian J. Gilliam Jr., 33, of LaVergne, Tenn., was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Eagles cornerback acquitted

Sycamore, Ill. — Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu has been acquitted of burglary charges in Illinois. A DeKalb County judge acquitted Ikegwuonu on Friday of residential burglary and criminal trespassing.

Ikegwuonu and his twin brother, Bill, were arrested in November 2006. They were accused of trying to steal a video game system from an apartment in the city of DeKalb.

Bill Ikegwuonu played for Northern Illinois’ football team at the time. He was acquitted of similar charges in April.

BASEBALL

Yankees give Mitre chance

New York — Sergio Mitre will become the Yankees’ No. 5 starter while Chien-Ming Wang is on the disabled list. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team plans to bring up Mitre and start the 28-year-old right-hander against Baltimore on Tuesday night.

TENNIS

Davis Cup wants major cities

Madrid — The Davis Cup final will have to be held in major cities following amendments to the competition’s rules on Friday. The International Tennis Federation made the change at its annual general meeting after Argentina last November used Islas Malvinas Stadium in Mar del Plata, which failed to meet capacity requirements.

Clijsters mulls comeback

Kim Clijsters wants to return to professional tennis full-time. The 2005 U.S. Open champion is ending a two-year retirement next week, making her World TeamTennis Pro League debut with matches in St. Louis on Tuesday and Philadelphia on Wednesday.

WTA tournaments in Mason, Ohio, and Toronto will follow, in preparation for the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 31.

TRACK AND FIELD

Bolt wins 100 in 9.79

Saint-Denis, France — World record holder Usain Bolt has won the 100 meters at the Areva Meeting outside Paris, winning comfortably and just missing Tyson Gay’s season-best time. The Jamaican, gearing up for next month’s world championships in Berlin, won in 9.79 seconds Friday. Gay ran 9.77 last week in Rome.