Hooped Up

The Utah Jazz are one banged up unit with a laundry list of injuries on their roster.  Carlos Boozer is their latest injured player and he know awaits a MRI to see what repairs are needed to get him back to the line up.  My ironic suggestion for a injured player with the last name Boozer in a Mormon state…a tall Guinness.

“Jazz All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer is undergoing an MRI on his strained quad muscle this morning. Boozer’s status for Friday night’s game at San Antonio won’t be known until the team gets the tests results later today. Boozer was injured with 3:55 left in the Jazz’s 105-94 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena. He scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds before hobbling off the court after a scramble for a loose ball.”

Salt Lake Tribune

Gilbert Arenas is still probably a month a way from the Washington line up, but in the meantime the Wizards are sucking salt with the worst record in the NBA. Ya, the Thunder only have one win too, but that was more likely of a scenario than the Wizards current record of suckiness.  Still Arenas believes that finishing the worst can lead to being first.  

“I don’t want to see them struggle,” Arenas said. “But if this is one of those years where we don’t make the playoffs or we finish in last place … that’s what happened to San Antonio and that’s how they got Tim Duncan and look at them now … and that’s for the better.”

USA Today

With DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Jennings available in 2009, Gilbert might be right on the money with that thought.

As it turns out, losing to the Celtics last week was the beginning of the worst of times for the then, 6 and O Hawks, that have now lost four straight after last night and Al Horford.

“They doubled up Tuesday night. They lost Al Horford to a sprained ankle with 5:12 to play in the first quarter and lost their fourth consecutive game, a humbling 113-96 beating at the hands of Indiana before a sparse crowd of 13,379 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Making matters even worse for the Hawks is that they have only a few hours to process where they go from here, with Washington coming to Philips Arena for a game tonight.

“We can’t beat anybody like this,” said Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson, referring to the recent inept efforts on defense as much as the team’s dwindling ranks.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

What started out as an “easy win” game against the struggling Thunder, turned out the be a possible nightmare.

“Tracy McGrady tweaked his left knee - the one that had off-season surgery - early in the third quarter and dragged his leg over to the bench, where he sat for the rest of the night. Yao hurt his left foot - the one that had the broken bone last season - in the fourth quarter and took a seat with T-Mac. Artest went crashing into the row of cameras beyond the baseline and rolled his right ankle in the final minute. It turned what should have been a walkover win against the lowly Thunder into a harrowing experience.”

Houston Chronicle

The news isn’t good regarding newly drafted Raptors rookie Nathan Jawai. The sidelined forward has an enlarged heart and if his condition worsens he may never play in the NBA.  This is obviously horrible news for a kid that is only 22 years old. Let’s hope he gets better!

“The Raptors have kept details of Jawai’s case secret for two months, other than repeating he has been tested for cardiac issues that arose before training camp.But The Sunday Telegraph revealed yesterday that a further six-week rest has been advised by doctors after the latest series of tests. An enlarged heart carries the obvious risk of heart attacks.

“The doctors are being extra cautious,” Jawai’s agent, Daniel Moldovan, told the paper. “It was their recommendation — not their demand — that Nate take another six weeks off.”

Toronto Sun

The extent of the injury to the ankle of Josh Smith is officially confusing!  It’s not because doctors don’t know what’s wrong, it’s because the Associated Free Press has reported that he will be out for “four seeks”. This could mean that his ankle is still injured and he is now lost deep in the Georgia woods and the Hawks have launched a massive man hunt  for the hobbling forward. Or perhaps the Hawks made a religious trade that involving four Sikhs that we don’t have the details to yet.

If you Google Josh Smith right now, you’ll see it actually still reads
“Hawks lose forward Smith for up to four seeks“.

It’s good to know that my little blog isn’t the only one with the ability to make mistakez.

According to the National Post, the Toronto Raptors are still not sure how injured guard Jose Calderon is after he left Wednesday nights game versus the Philadelphia 76ers with a thigh injury.  Calderon had an MRI on his right hamstring and will have time to rest his injury in hopes of playing against the visiting Miami Heat Sunday. Although, running around guarding Dwayne Wade with half a thigh can’t be a great idea.  

During the Beijing games, Calderon missed the gold-medal game against the United States with a slight tear of the adductor muscle in his same right thigh.

Perhaps a good ole’ fashion KG taunting would help him heal faster.

The story of the year so far has been injuries, injuries, Marbury and more injuries.  Since this season began, the injury bug has hit like the plague and a lot of notable players are missing in action. According to the Sacramento Bee, Kevin Martin is the latest member to join that list and will be out of the Kings line up for 7 -10 days. 

Definitely not good news for the Sactown faithful.

Deron Williams could be inserted into the Utah Jazz line up as early as tonight for his first game of the season against the 76ers . With all the injury news these days I’m glad some body’s coming back.

“Point guard Deron Williams informed the Jazz this morning that he will try to make his 2008-09 NBA season debut tonight, when Utah visits Philadelphia in its second outing of a five-game road trip. “He told me he’s gonna play,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said after the team’s morning shootaround at Wachovia Center here. “We’ll probably play him sparingly. “You know how he is,” Sloan added. “He might want to get out there five minutes and say he feels great. But we’re gonna try to watch him pretty close.” 

Deseret News

Harrington has been placed on the Warriors inactive list and is using bed rest to cure an ailing back. Doctors have also recommended that he use his favorite “blanky” to speed up his recovery.

“Perhaps in an attempt to quiet his clamoring for a trade, Golden State Warriors forward Al Harrington was placed on the inactive list with a strained lower back prior to Friday’s 109-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Harrington, who has had an ongoing feud with coach Don Nelson about his role on the team, was not in attendance at Oracle Arena. He asked to be traded one day before the start of the season.”

National Post