Just when you think the New York Knicks are getting heathy, they lose another critical piece from the roster.
It was reported on Monday that center Tyson Chandler may be on track to play this week for the first time since suffering a fractured leg on Nov. 5 against the Charlotte Bobcats. Marc Berman of New York Post has details:
Tyson Chandler is one good practice away from making his long-awaited comeback Wednesday in Milwaukee.
“I’ll do a five-on-five scrimmage [Tuesday] and if it goes well, I’ll play,’’ Chandler told The Post before Monday’s Garden match against Washington.
Chandler’s imminent return can’t come at a better time as defensive big man Kenyon Martin is laid up with an abdominal strain. The Knicks haven’t provided a timetable on Martin, but Mike Woodson, when pressed, said “one to two weeks is in the neighborhood, but that could change.’’
Unfortunately, they will now have to deal with another injury: Pablo Prigioni suffered a toe injury that will sideline him for the foreseeable future, from Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal:
Knicks say Pablo Prigioni sustained a hairline fracture in his right toe. Expected to miss two weeks; no surgery required.
With Raymond Felton already out of the equation, they will now have to rely heavily on Beno Udrih to carry the load. A lack of chemistry is bad enough, but continued injuries on top of it has completely derailed whatever they may have hoped to have accomplished by this point of the season. Luckily for these Knicks, their conference is having a historically bad season. Despite having a 7-17 record – fourth worst record in the entire league – they are still only three games back from being the eighth seed.
MARK JACKSON TAKES SHOT AT HIS TEAM:
Since losing Andre Iguodala to a hamstring injury, the Golden State Warriors have been all over the map. Mostly, though, they have been losing games due to a lack of intensity on the defensive end and lack of depth. After their latest loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Jackson dished out against his team for not wanting it enough, from Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
“We are not playing 48 minutes with a sense of urgency,” Jackson said. “That’s the disappointing part. Right now, I would say it’s not a slow start. We’re not playing with a sense of urgency.
“We came in talking about being the hardest-working team because (Phoenix) plays extremely hard and they’re talented. And we did not do that. I’m disappointed and we’ve got to find answers, individually and collectively.
“I’m finding that the guys in suits and ties want it more than the guys in the uniforms.”
[…]
“We’ve been watching the same movie every night,” Jackson said, “and it’s getting old.”
UNHAPPY KAMAN:
Chris Kaman signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason hoping to thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s system and play alongside Pau Gasol. Instead, he has lost all playing time to Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre. Clearly miffed by the lack of playing time, Kaman expressed he never would have signed with the team if he knew that this was going to be his role, from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles:
“It’s absolutely not what I was looking for,” Kaman told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Monday morning after the Lakers’ shootaround. “It’s not really in my control. I just try to keep working hard and be ready if the time comes. And if it doesn’t, then it just wasn’t meant to be.”
[…]
“I haven’t,” Kaman said, when asked if he’d heard from the Lakers or anyone else about whether he’d be moved. “The conversations I’ve had have been, ‘Let’s stick with it. Let’s play it out a little more. Let’s see where things go.’ So I just try to be ready and be positive. I’m not going to let it take away from me having fun and being a good person. I just do the best I can with what I’ve got.”
[…]
“Never did I think I would come here and not play, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have come,” Kaman said. “I had a bunch of other options, but I saw opportunity here.”
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