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Indiana Pacers swingman Danny Granger will miss at least three more games, according to coach Frank Vogel.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Tuesday after practice that Granger, out but all of five games this season, will have his left knee re-evaluated at the end of this week.
“Even if he’s cleared at the end of this week, that’s not going to be him back in game action right away,” Vogel said. “That’s him resuming activity.”
— Reported by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star
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The Timberwolves received some good news in this injury-plagued season when forward Chase Budinger, out since Nov. 10 with a knee injury, was cleared Tuesday, March 12, to practice with the team.
Budinger spoke by phone Tuesday morning with Florida-based orthopedist James Andrews, who performed the Nov. 13 surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus ligament in Budinger’s left knee.
“The doctor said I can go into the next phase, which is a lot of contact work,” Budinger said after the Wolves’ shootaround. “What I can do is start playing one on one with the coaches and do some two-on-two stuff. Hopefully, (Wolves forward) Kevin (Love) will get cleared and we can start working out together and do some two-on-two stuff.”
— Reported by Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press
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The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed forward Shavlik Randolph to a second 10-day contract.
Randolph, a 6’10” forward, has yet to appear in a game for the Celtics since he was signed to his first 10-day contract on March 1. He appeared in 28 games for the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association earlier this season averaging 32.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in 36.5 minutes per game while shooting 53.1% from the floor.
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Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving experienced a left shoulder injury during the third quarter of last night’s game against the Raptors in Toronto.
X-rays taken at the Air Canada Centre were negative. He was reevaluated today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health where he received an MRI and physical exam by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker which revealed a Left AC (acromioclavicular) sprain.
Irving will undergo a period of rest and treatment and is currently projected to be out three to four weeks.
The 21-42 Cavaliers are the 12th seed in the Eastern conference. They weren’t going to make the playoffs this season, but losing their young superstar still hurts and will make the team’s remaining games that much more of a struggle.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Irving was driving to the basket when he took a hip from Raptors rookie forward/center Jonas Valancuinas and tumbled to the floor with 2:04 left in the third quarter of the Cavs’ 100-96 loss at Toronto. Irving landed on his left shoulder, lay on the floor for a bit, was tended to on the bench by athletic trainer Max Benton and then returned to the game to shoot two free throws — one-handed. He made the first, but missed the second. Toronto’s Landry Fields grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled by Luke Walton. At that point Irving headed directly to the locker room and did not return. After the game, he needed help to get his Duke sweatshirt over his head. Then this afternoon, the Cavs announced he had a left AC (acromioclavicular) sprain or a sprained AC joint, an injury more commonly suffered by quarterbacks when they’re tackled and land on their shoulders.”
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, “Since the Cavs selected him No. 1 overall in 2011, Irving has suffered a concussion, a fractured wrist, injured both shoulders, hyperextended his knee and fractured a finger. He also broke a bone in his jaw this season but played through the injury without missing a game thanks to a protective mask. Irving missed most of his one season at Duke with a toe injury and battled problems with his right shoulder while in high school. He missed 10 games after spraining his right shoulder last season.”
The Utah Jazz today signed Santa Cruz guard Travis Leslie to a 10-day contract. It is the 24th Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA Development League season. Leslie joins 121 players with NBA D-League experience currently on NBA rosters.
Leslie (6-4, 205, Georgia) has played in 28 games for Santa Cruz this season, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 27.6 minutes. He has scored at least 20 points in nine outings, including two 30-plus point games. He was named to the Prospects All-Star squad for the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game and went on to win MVP honors with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in a 139-125 victory over the Futures Team.
Leslie was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 47th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He appeared in 10 games for the Clippers during the 2011-12 season and averaged 1.4 points and 4.5 minutes. He was waived by the Clippers before the start of the season and subsequently selected by Santa Cruz in the 2012 NBA D-League Draft.
Leslie is expected to join the Jazz today and be available tomorrow when the team hosts the Pistons at 9 P.M. EST.
Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire continues to suffer knee injuries
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Amar’e Stoudemire needs surgery and will miss the next six weeks of the Knicks’ season. The killer blow was announced by the team just prior to Saturday’s game against the Jazz. Stoudemire will have a right knee debridement sometime this week.
Stoudemire had been having some soreness in the knee, and missed the team’s shootaround Saturday morning. He elected to have an MRI later in the day, which revealed that he needed surgery.
“I feel for Amar’e, because again he’s put a lot of work in this summer, to get back out on the court, with what he went through at the beginning of camp,” head coach Mike Woodson said. “And now he’s got to go back in again. I feel for the young man because he puts so much time and hard work in. But you know we got to go on.”
With the timetable suggested by the team, Stoudemire will presumably miss the rest of the regular season and into part of the playoffs.
— Reported by Seth Walder of the New York Daily News
InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says: I feel awful for Stoudemire, who keeps himself in great shape and has desperately tried to stay healthy.
The Los Angeles Lakers today assigned Darius Morris and Robert Sacre to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignments are the record 143rd and 144th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons. Morris becomes the record 55th NBA player to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season, while Sacre is on his third assignment of the season.
Morris (6-4, 190, Michigan) has played in 42 games this season for Los Angeles, averaging 4.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds. On Dec. 16, he tallied 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field in a 111-98 win over the 76ers. He appeared in one game on assignment last season for the D-Fenders and scored 21 points in a 99-98 win over the Dakota Wizards.
Sacre (7-0, 260, Gonzaga) has appeared in 27 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 7.2 minutes. He has played in four games on assignment with the D-Fenders, averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 31.0 minutes. He returned to the Lakers following a 22-point performance vs. Sioux Falls at the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nev.
Both players are expected to join the D-Fenders and be available when the team hosts the Austin Toros on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that guard Ramon Sessions could miss approximately 2-4 weeks after an MRI on his left knee revealed that he suffered a second degree MCL sprain during last night’s game against Brooklyn. His meniscus and other ligaments are intact and no surgery is needed.
Sessions has appeared in all 61 games this season, with averages of 14.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 27.1 minutes.
The Bobcats have a 13-48 record, which is worst in the NBA. They are led in scoring by Kemba Walker at 17.2 points per game. Sessions is their second-leading scorer. He’s followed by Gerald Henderson, who averages 13.2 ppg.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott says he would consider shutting down All-Star guard Kyrie Irving again if his right knee is still sore.
After scoring 20 points and leading the Cavs to a comeback win over Utah on Wednesday night, Irving said his knee still hurt and the only way it would get better is if he sat out the rest of the season. The Cavs recently rested Irving for three games after he hyperextended his knee when he banged it during practice.
— Reported by Tom Withers of the Associated Press
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New Orleans Hornets rookie guard Austin Rivers will miss four to six weeks with a broken bone in his right hand, according to a USA Today report.
Rivers fractured fourth metacarpal bone during the first half of Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He smacked his hand on teammate Greivis Vasquez’s body after making a steal. He exited the game for good with 4:28 left in the second quarter.
— Reported by the Sports Xchange