Funny thing happens when you've been hanging out at home, on the beach, or in night clubs for a month to six months. Your ankles get all soft and roll-y. That's what we found out this week as everyone and their backup small forward sprained an ankle, limiting them in preseason play. Part of the game. There were some other injuries that were feared to be more serious but thankfully ended up okay. We thought we'd give you a run down of where everyone's at and how much you should be freaking out as a fan about them. Panic levels are on a 1-10 scale.
1. Baron Davis Not Having Surgery, Expected to Miss One Week: After last night's terrorfest from the Boston Globe, Clippers fans can lower their dosage tonight as Davis discovered today he will not need surgery on the torn finger ligament in his non-shooting hand. Coach Mike Dunleavy said "The only good news is if you could pick a finger this could possibly happen to, it's the best one," according to the report from the LA Times. Doctors suggested he miss only about a week of time. It's Davis, so of course that could turn into three weeks, but the good news is that it's not 4-6 weeks like the fear was yesterday. Be sure to pat your Clipper fan friend on the back when he climbs back in through the window.
2. Deron Williams Out Two Weeks, MRI, X-Rays Negative: And the entire Jazz nation can breathe out. There was some concern today going into Williams' MRI due to the nature of the swelling, but the MRI today showed just a "second degree inversion sprain" and no tendon or bone damage, which is great news. A lot of people (other than me) think that this Jazz squad can contend for a championship, but they 100% must have Deron Williams to do that. So this is pretty good news. Dropping a few games on an easy schedule is no biggie.
3. Tracy McGrady Just Wants You to Know He Will Never Be Healthy For an Entire Season:Tracy McGrady has decided to get started on the injuries early this year, saying he hasn't recovered from offseason surgeries and that he may miss the season opener. Most worrisome from the article is the erratic way McGrady's view of the injuries shifts from day to day. That's just not good in any way, shape,or form. McGrady at least is selling it as a priorities thing. "What's most important is to be healthy toward the end of the season," McGrady told the Houston Chronicle. The problem is that the Rockets play in the most competitive division in the toughest conference. He doesn't have a lot of room to chill out and be well. (HT: SLAM)
4. Nets' Josh Boone Has Heart Scare: Nets' frontcourt player Josh Boone was held out of an exhibition game due to a rapid heartbeat that resulted in "inconclusive" heart tests on Monday, according to the Star-Ledger. Last week Boone was running and felt heavy heartbeats during practice which warranted the tests. Doctors said it probably wasn't a huge issue, but they're being extra cautious, which is a good approach. The Nets can't afford to lose Boone with the other frontcourt injuries they've already sustained.
5. Nash's Ankle Nothing But Mild Sprain:Steve Nash was back at practice after respraining his ankle. It's termed a mild sprain and he was held out of the exhibition game on Monday but is expected to be fully ready for the start of the regular season next week according to the always knowledgeable Paul Coro. No biggie.
