Not only has the NBA been taken by storm by the surging Pacers and Trailblazers recently, but also by a series of injuries, especially hand injuries. We have seen the saying, “Hands Down, Man Down” come to life.
J.J. Redick, the starting two-guard of the Los Angeles Clippers, was the first to injure his hand. Redick left the game on November 29th against the Sacramento Kings after taking a hard fall. He is scheduled to miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured bone in his right hand and a torn UCL in his elbow. Redick has been instrumental to the Clippers’ success by supplying 15.8ppg and 2.8rpg. More impressive are his shooting numbers – 93% from the line and 36% from the 3-point line.
Anthony Davis, the starting forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, left the game on December 1st against the New York Knicks. Davis suffered a non-displaced fracture of the fifth-metacarpal in his left hand and will miss 4-6 weeks. Davis, who is a big part of the Pelicans staying over .500, is averaging a double double (18.8ppg and 10.2rpg).
Paul Pierce, a new addition of the Brooklyn Nets, also suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Originally, the injury was thought to be a bruised right hand. Pierce’s numbers are more than unimpressive this year at 12.4ppg, 4.9rpg, and 2.8apg.
Other injuries around the NBA include: Chandler Parsons (HOU) lingering back spasms, Andre Iguodala (GSW) hamstring sprain, Kobe Bryant (LAL) Achilles, Kyle Korver (ATL) ribs, Pau Gasol (LAL) mild ankle sprain, Marc Gasol (MEM) grade 2 MCL sprain, Deron Williams (BKN) lingering ankle issues, and Tyson Chandler (NYK) fractured right fibula.
One of the top stories surfacing the NBA this week is Kobe Bryant’s expected return Friday at the Sacramento Kings. D’Antoni, reporting on Kobe’s return, said that if Kobe can get through practices on Wednesday and Thursday, “then Friday looks good…but we don’t know for sure.” Bryant’s official status for Friday’s contest vs. the Kings has yet to be determined.
