Cleveland Cavaliers center Chris “Birdman” Andersen suffered a non-contact right knee injury during practice on Friday, later deemed to be a torn ACL, the team announced Friday night.
The Cavaliers now have just 13 active players on its roster, with both Andersen and vet guard Mo Williams not playing for the remainder of the year. That leaves the defending champions with a gaping hole at back-up point guard and at back-up center, an obvious concern for the team and its hopeful fans.
The Cavaliers are not expected to waive Chris Andersen, but rather began exploring potential trade options around the association.
Andersen signed a deal with Cleveland this past summer, with the team holding hopes that he could fill the vacant back-up center position left by Timofey Mozgov.
In 12 games with the Cavs this season, Andersen has averaged 2.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 9.5 minutes per contest.
Andersen, a two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat, is in his 14th season in the league and turns 39 next summer. Fans hope this unfortunate injury isn’t the sudden end of his spirited career, but recognize that this certainly could be the final stint for “The Birdman”.
