Eric Gordon explained what has kept him out for so long and hopes to play before the end of 2012, from John Reid of The Times Picayune: “I had a lot of pain and all throughout my knee cap,’’ Gordon said before Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers in which he watched from the bench. “It shut down all my muscles around my leg from my calf to even my quads. So that’s what I was dealing with and if I would have kept on going I would have had to undergo possible surgery.’’ Gordon was sent to Los Angeles a month ago to get more personalized rehabilitation work to help in his knee recovery and to strengthen his quad muscles… “Coming out here definitely was the best thing because I’m better mentally and physically,’’ Gordon said. “They train you a whole different way and it just worked out. Now, I’m in position to really get back with the team and really get things going as far as practicing and getting back to playing.’’… “I’m more than 90 percent sure I’m going to play before this month is over,” Gordon said. “That’s what I’m striving for and I’m starting now to turn things up.”
Glen Davis will miss some time after suffering a sprained shoulder, according to John Denton of NBA.com: “Davis, who is averaging career highs in minutes (33), points (16), rebounds (7.9) and assists (1.8), badly sprained his left shoulder on Wednesday night when he was fouled by hard by Washington’s Emeka Okafor. The injury will not require surgery, but could keep Davis out of action for four to six weeks, although there is no definitive timetable for his return. A MRI conducted on Thursday showed no structural damage in Davis’ shoulder. The injury occurred with 47.8 seconds remaining in the Magic’s 90-83 defeat of the Washington Wizards. At the time of the injury, Davis sprained his left shoulder and ultimately had it popped back into place by team doctors. Davis stayed down on the floor for several minutes, biting his jersey, grimacing and writhing in pain.”
- Derek Fisher will miss at least the next three games due to a tendon strain, from ESPN Dallas: “Derek Fisher will miss Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat because of a right patellar tendon strain, the Mavericks announced. Fisher suffered the injury during Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He will not travel with the team on its upcoming trip to Memphis and San Antonio.”
Tyson Chandler had some commentary about Carmelo Anthony and what the game against the Nets meant to him, from Al Iannazzone of Newsday: “He’s a special player,” Chandler said. “There’s not many in this world that can take four, five days off and then come in and put up 31.” Anthony’s presence also opened up the floor for his teammates as he faced double-teams almost after he passed midcourt. J.R. Smith scored 19 points off the bench, and Chandler had 16 and 12 rebounds. He shot 7-for-11 from the field — six of his field goals were slams. “I wanted to make a statement,” Chandler said. “[This] was a big game for us, a game in our division, an opportunity to gain a full game as far as the lead goes. We have to make statements like this.”
Amare Stoudemire looks to return to his dominating form, from Iannazzone: “Amar’e Stoudemire grabbed a pass on a high pick-and-roll and threw down a monster dunk. Later, he hit a turnaround jumper, and swatted a layup off the referee’s head and out of bounds. Stoudemire said that was just a little preview of what to expect when he rejoins the Knicks. He believes he will return to his All-Star form after undergoing surgery on his left knee seven weeks ago. But he’s not ready yet. “I’m on pace to return back to dominance,” Stoudemire said Thursday. “It’s a matter of becoming 100 percent. When I’m healthy I feel like I’m back to my dominant self.”… “I just know I need a little more time,” Stoudemire said. “I’m not totally there yet. I want to make sure I’m 100 percent and ready to give my all on the basketball court once I get out there and play at a high level. My goal is return to my dominant self and that’s what I’m on pace to do.”
- Josh Howard has been cut by the Timberwolves after being diagnosed with a torn ACL, from Zach Harper of CBSSports:
For some reason, Jason Terry decided to take a shot at former Celtics guard Ray Allen, from A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE: “If there’s one thing we know about Boston Celtics guard Jason Terry now, it’s that he can shoot — literally and figuratively… During Terry’s post-game spiel about Pierce which included the usual references to him being a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest Celtics ever, Terry took a not-so-veiled dig at former Celtic Ray Allen. “His (Pierce) willingness to stick through the tough times and not just jump off, ‘I’m out of here! I’m going to join forces with Kobe (Bryant),’ or ‘I’m going to play with Dwyane Wade’ — that’s a shot right there,” Terry said.”
Tyreke Evans may have come back too soon from his knee injury, from Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: “Did Tyreke Evans return from his knee injury too soon? There’s no way of knowing for certain. But Evans is still out. And the Kings have to make do without their second-leading scorer. Evans missed his second consecutive game with a sore left knee Wednesday in the Kings’ victory over the Warriors at Sleep Train Arena. Evans has missed seven games because of his knee. He left Sunday’s loss against Denver after 10 minutes because his knee began bothering him. “I don’t know,” Kings coach Keith Smart said when asked if Evans had come back too soon. “Everything from my assumption was he was OK. But obviously he wasn’t OK with the way you saw him the last game (Sunday).”… The Kings’ next game is Friday in Los Angeles against the Clippers. There is no timetable for Evans to return.”
- Chris Paul reached a milestone on Wednesday without even realizing it: