Hooped Up

Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers will be sidelined from 4-6 weeks after the Spanish native underwent successful surgery Tuesday to alleviate pain in his right leg. The microdiscetomy procedure relieved pressure from a nerve root in his lower back that caused discomfort in the leg.

‘The procedure was successful and we can now turn our attention to getting Rudy healthy and back on the court,’ Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said in a statement.

‘He’s been under a lot of pain and we look forward to Rudy returning healthier than ever.
Monsters and Critics

The Bulls finally got a bit of good news on the injury front Tuesday.

Before the game with the New Jersey Nets at the United Center, Kirk Hinrich said his sprained left thumb has improved, and there’s a chance he could play tonight when the Bulls face the Atlanta Hawks on the road.

The veteran guard has missed the last six games, leaving the Bulls’ backcourt rotation thin and causing starters Derrick Rose and John Salmons to log heavy minutes.

Hinrich suffered the injury during a practice in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 25.

He missed more than two months last season when he suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb that required surgery.
Chicago Sun-Times

Rookies are supposed to make mistakes.

But they are also supposed to seek veterans for advice, keep their mouths shut, watch and learn.

Terrence Williams is struggling with much of the above, almost as badly as he has struggled with his shot. The rookie forward has made mistakes, which everyone accepts as part of the growth process. But Williams hasn’t kept his frustrations private. He posted his concerns on Twitter and could be fined by the team.

“You don’t do that [Twitter] on club time,” said team president Rod Thorn, who added Williams “could be” fined for posts he made Monday that may be deemed detrimental to the team.Williams is 22 years old and struggling probably for the first time ever.