In today’s NBA news, Mavericks forward Brandan Wright will be out of action for a while with a small fracture in his left shoulder; Rodney Stuckey fractured his thumb on a car door; and Dwayne Wade returned to action for the Miami Heat.
Wright fractures shoulder
ESPNDallas.com’s Tim Macmahon is reporting that Mavericks forward-center Brandan Wright suffered a small non-displaced fracture in his left shoulder.
The injury, which occurred during a practice Tuesday, is not expected to require surgery and there is currently no timetable for his return.
Wright, 26, averaged 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in just 18 minutes for Dallas last season. The Mavericks rewarded him over the summer, by signing the big man to a two-year, $10 million dollar deal that includes $1.1 million in incentives.
Wright was a big part of the Mavs’ frontcourt depth. Now with him out, they will have to rely on DeJuan Blair, Bernard James and perhaps Renaldo Balkman to pick up the slack.
The Mavs have a lot of new faces this season and are hoping to contend for one of the final playoff spots in the West. To see where we have them finishing, check out our team preview.
Stuckey to have thumb surugery
According to a tweet from Pistons beat writer Vincent Goodwill, guard Rodney Stuckey will have surgery Friday to repair a fractured right thumb. The injury occurred when Stuckey got his thumb caught in his car door.
There is no timetable for his return. However, it will most likely carry over into the regular season. Stuckey will wear a splint on his thumb for two weeks before being re-evaluated.
The Eastern Washington alumnus averaged 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 76 games for the Pistons last season.
Before the injury, Stuckey was competing with Chauncey Billups for the starting shooting guard spot. With him gone, the job will belong to Billups, with Will Bynum and rookie first round pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope coming off the bench.
Stuckey, 27, is in the final year of a three-year, $25.5 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
To check out our Pistons team preview, click here.
D-Wade returns to lineup
After being questionable for the entire preseason, Dwyane Wade returned to the starting lineup Thursday night in Miami’s game vs. Detroit.
Wade scored eight points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists in 21 minutes.
Wade, who will be 32 in January, averaged 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in 69 games for the Heat last season.
Many people think Wade may have taken some years off his career with the reckless style he plays with on a nightly basis. He has worn down in each of the last two seasons.
One thing is for certain: If the Heat are going to three-peat this season, Wade must stay healthy and contribute, especially during the playoffs.
To find out if Miami will win another title, check out our season preview
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