Well, it only took three games, but already three key players on this year’s squad are missing time. Let’s take a look at what the situations are, and what the early forecasts may show:
Anthony Davis
Concussed (only mildly, though, according to the diagnosis) in the second game against Utah, Davis missed the next night against Chicago, and is going to sit out again tonight against Philadelphia. Exactly when he will return is not yet known, as he’ll have to have to pass a series of tests and not have symptoms popping back up before he’s allowed to play.
Level of Concern – Low, but cautious. Davis seems to feel capable of getting back on the court, and coach Monty Williams seems to think he’s ready as well, even recently getting fined $25,000 by the NBA for comments he made concerning their concussion policy. Concussions can be a tricky issue, and you don’t want to come back prematurely and have a better chance of getting re-concussed. The Hornets are playing it safe with this one (even if only because they’re required to by the league), but it sounds like Davis could be cleared to play before long.
Eric Gordon
Declared out “indefinitely” shortly before the season began, which was later defined as 4 to 6 weeks, an entire offseason plus preseason of no contact and no real action was apparently not enough time for Gordon’s knee to heal adequately enough for him to play.
Gordon’s injury doesn’t look to hurt the team as much as people may have originally thought. They’ve looked very good through their first three, and with all the new faces on the team (who weren’t used to playing with Gordon anyway) playing without him isn’t some big transition that they’re going to struggle with. At this point, the bigger concern may be how his eventual return may impact team chemistry.
Level of Concern – Moderate. This knee thing has been going on for so long with Gordon that it has to be a concern to the organization, as well as the fans (who are already lukewarm toward Gordon after the events of his free-agency over the summer).
On the plus side though, his absence has opened up an immediate opportunity for Austin Rivers to jump into a starting role and get a lot of playing time early on.
…
Wait, what?
Austin Rivers
The rookie guard has a sprained finger that will keep him out tonight against Philly. However, this is nothing serious and Rivers should be back soon.
Level of Concern – Low. In the meantime, Darius Miller will start in Rivers’ place, and after being impressed with the energy he brought on the court in limited action off the bench, I’m eager to see what he can do with a bigger role.
Next up: Philadelphia. The Hornets have impressed so far, let’s see if they can keep it up.
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