Andrew Bogut revealed just how serious his ankle surgery actually was, from Marcus Thompson of Inside the Warriors: “As it turns out, Warriors center Andrew Bogut did have microfracture surgery on his left ankle in April. But, according to team sources, it’s not the same as the alarming procedure we learned about through the likes of Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber and Greg Oden. Well, it’s the same surgery. Just not the same situation. “Some people go in for microfracture surgery. This wasn’t that,” one source said pointing out that players who are experiencing chronic and degenerative problems turn to microfracture surgery. Bogut, on the other hand, went in to get his left ankle cleaned out of scar tissue and bone fragments. When Dr. Richard Ferkel was inside, he noticed a “minor” cartilage issue and he addressed it with a form of microfracture surgery. The major part of the surgery, the source said, was cleaning out the debris.”
- Bogut put a timetable for his return, and it is not one that Warriors fans were hoping to hear, from Carl Steward of Contra Costa Times: “Asked whether he thought his season might be in jeopardy, Bogut said he thinks he will return — though it could take “one, two or three months.” Bogut, who has missed the last nine games, continues to be plagued by soreness and swelling in his surgically repaired left ankle. The 7-foot center won’t play Thursday night’s home game against Denver, and while it was thought he might be available for Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, he ruled himself out of that one, too.”
Steve Nash is still in pain and will continue to miss time, from Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times: “Lakers guard Steve Nash will be sidelined until at least next week, still unable to run without pain in his lower left leg, he said Tuesday. Nash took part in some agility drills Monday and tried to do some jogging but couldn’t complete it symptom-free. He will probably undergo an MRI exam to get a fresh update on the small fracture in his lower left leg. Nash said he would not play Friday or Sunday, adding he’d be out “about another week” in a brief interview. The Lakers continue to wait, eager to see what their offense looks like under his guidance. He has missed 13 consecutive games, his longest stretch since 1999.”
Rick Carlisle and Darren Collison are in disagreement about the idea of starting, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas: “To hear Rick Carlisle tell it, Darren Collison didn’t get demoted. Never mind the fact that Collison didn’t start in Philadelphia, a first for him since he was traded to the Mavericks this summer. “He’s our starting point guard, but tonight he came off the bench,” Carlisle said after the Mavs’ 100-98 loss to the 76ers. “I mean, Jason Terrywas our starting 2 guard, but he came off the bench for four years. It’s not that big a deal.” Collison didn’t seem to buy into that line of thinking. “Am I happy about the situation as a competitor? No,” Collison said. “I know how hard I work. I’m still going to try to lead this team to victories in the near future.”
While Mike D’Antoni was busy complimenting the drive and intensity level of Kobe Bryant, the guard was busy lamenting over his 10 turnovers against the Pacers, from Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles: “The one thing you have to say about Kobe is his intensity, and that goes a long way,” D’Antoni said. “As your body gets older, you lose it mentally. You don’t want to train. You’re just tired. You got a lot of money, and you know what, it’s hard. Kobe is not going to let that happen to him. He’s too intense and too much of a champion.”… But there was only one thing Bryant focused on after the game as he coughed his way through five minutes of questions: the turnovers he had coughed up. “It boggles my mind that I had 10 turnovers,” Bryant said. “Those are things that I can minimize, and my responsibility is to pick everybody up. … The fact is, we had 10 possessions we didn’t get looks at the basket because I turned it over.”
- Here’s how Byron Scott felt about his team’s latest performance, from Sam Amico of Fox Sports:
Byron Scott on Cavs' loss: "Anderson Varejao was fantastic. Everyone else sucked."
@SamAmicoFSO
Sam Amico
Ben Golliver of SI looks into why Pau Gasol has been struggling for the Lakers: “As the chart indicates, in 2008-09, Gasol’s first full season with the Lakers, 44 percent of his field-goal attempts came at the rim. By comparison, just 16 percent of his attempts came on shots from 16-to-23 feet, commonly referred to as long twos. So far this season, 47 percent of Gasol’s attempts are long twos while just 27 percent have come at the rim. That’s a massive shift away from high-efficiency shots to low-efficiency shots, a trend that slowly developed over the last two seasons before accelerating this year as the Triangle Offense became a memory. To make matters worse, Gasol is hitting just 40 percent of his long twos this season, his worst mark during his time in Los Angeles.”