With all the injuries that have occurred lately and the "woe is us" feeling spreading through this discussion group, I thought it'd be a good idea for us to have a comprehensive injury thread that details what injuries each player currently has and what date each player is expected to return. I have performed a little research (and I emphasize little) and have put together a list of injured players, injuries and expected return date. I don't know what some of the injuries are and I don't know when some of the players are coming back so there are some holes to be filled in. 1. Rapher Alston - Hairline fracture in leg - 12/25/05 - 1/15/06 (this is according to the thread started by bplld that I can't seem to find). 2. Derek Anderson - strained right calf - 12/31/05 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3183) 3. Jon Barry - ? - ? 4. Yao Ming - Sore big toe - 12/25/05 - 12/28/05 (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3534030.html) 5. Dikembe Mutombo - dislocated finger - 12/25/05 - 01/01/06 (this is according to the thread by tested911 but I never saw a link or news story about it) 6. Bob Sura - back? - after 01/01/06 (this is according to many references on this board about Sura being back after the new year)
I just looked at our schedule and I have to say, Yao's injury cannot have come at a better time. We have only 2 games in the next 8 days! and it's against 2 of the weaker teams in the league. Extending that even further, we only have 5 games in the next 15 days! and besides GS, which is the last of the 5 games, all the teams are fairly weak.
Denver is NOT weak, they're deep and have at least one advantage against us: health (a big advantage I might add)
Jon Barry's new injury: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251206010 Jon Barry, who sat out Houston's last three games with a bruised left foot, played only two minutes before getting hurt again. Barry entered with 2:59 left in the opening quarter, then strained his right calf with 1:01 remaining and didn't return also, Deke's finger was dislocated and lacerated, requiring 8 stitches. link
If we can hit the .500 mark by the end of the year, I will believe anything is possible. I was thinking last night how much the Lakers suck - they can't beat us when we have six guys out of our rotation injured?
seriously....could we HAVE any more injuries this season? next thing you know van gundy falls down the stairs and breaks his hip and is out for a month........but would that be a bad thing?