As the NBA regular season dies down, the playoff races continue to heat up, the injury totals continue to rise and those players in pursuit of an award continue to inch closer together. Well, unless you’re vying for the 2012-’13 MVP. That would be LeBron’s.
Lets take a look at the latest news, rumors and injuries from around the league. And then we’ll jump to twitter to take a look at who declared for the NBA draft this summer.
Injury Report
- It’s a Metta Miracle. Just 12 days after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus, Metta World Peace suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers. While he isn’t in the starting lineup, he is available to Mike D’Antoni. More on the story from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles: “”He won’t start, but he’ll play,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said after Lakers shootaround Tuesday morning. “You always worry about somebody coming back and not knowing what can occur. But we have to get him back. I’m sure he’s ready to roll.” Teammates have come up with several nicknames for World Peace in light of his rather miraculous healing process.”
- Until the regular season ends, if it’s about the Lakers, then it is also about the Utah Jazz. The Jazz entered Tuesday night a half game ahead of the Lakers for the 8th-seed in the Western Conference, but they also entered Tuesday night receiving some bad news. Backup forward Enes Kanter will miss the remainder of the season due to surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder, according to the Associated Press: “The team announced the decision Tuesday before Utah’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Surgery is set for Wednesday and will be performed in Chicago by Dr. Guido Marra. The 20-year old Kanter hinted last week that he might be done when he indicated he was riding a stationary bike to stay in shape for “summer. The injury occurred March 27 against Phoenix when the Suns’ 7-foot-2, 265-pound center Hamed Haddadi fell on Kanter as they battled over a loose ball. Kanter was averaging 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.”
The Chicago Bulls are safely in the playoffs, but they are still jockeying for playoff position. The Bulls entered Tuesday night two games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the 4th-seed in the East, and only a single game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks. If the Bulls fall behind the Hawks, they would begin the playoffs in Indianapolis, winners of the own Central Division. The cards are not currently in Chicago’s favor, though, as they continue to be plagued by injury as they traveled to Toronto without Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Taj Gibson. And of course, Derrick Rose. More from Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago: “Thibodeau seems more optimistic that other injured Bulls players can return before the regular season ends. Derrick Rose‘s status remains in doubt after his knee injury from last season’s playoffs, but Taj Gibson (knee) and Luol Deng (hip) could be back soon. They won’t be playing Tuesday night, however. “Taj is a lot better, Lou is better,” Thibodeau said. “[Noah] is the tricky one. I’m hopeful that he’s going to respond well. He’s doing everything he can to get back out there, but you have to wait and see on that. As I told him, I don’t want him out there if he’s injured. That’s important. He’s working hard on his rehab and hopefully it will respond.””
- While Miami is in no danger of any sort, Dwayne Wade will likely be shut down for the rest of the regular season while trying to rest up a sprained ankle, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com: “Dwyane Wade won’t rule out missing the rest of the regular season to recover from a right knee injury, but the Miami Heat star said Sunday he hopes to return before the playoffs. Wade has missed six of the Heat’s past eight games and is still dealing with soreness and swelling in the knee, which he has aggravated twice since initially injuring it a month ago.”
- More on Wade: “The most important thing is to be healthy,” Wade said Sunday, addressing the media for the first time since he last played March 29. “So when I feel it, then I’ll get back on the court. Obviously, I want to play. But I have to make sure that I’m right. You have to get healthy.”
- The Denver Nuggets, who have been streaking since the start of the new year — 35-9 — received some good news Tuesday. Their sar point guard, Ty Lawson, may be back sooner than they initially expected. In fact, he could be back as soon as Wednesday against San Antonio. Check out what Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post had to report: “Ty Lawson is still dealing with his heel injury, but did participate in Nuggets practice Tuesday, although he played “OK, nothing much more than OK,” coach George Karl said. “I don’t think he took many chances, but he did run up and down the court,” Karl said. “He doesn’t seem like he was confident. Knowing Ty, he probably wouldn’t try (overly aggressive play) until he’s in the game. If he wants to play, I’d probably give him a 15-20 minute window.””