Derrick Rose will not play Saturday afternoon in Brazil because he's suffering from left knee soreness, according to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.
NBA news roundup: Derrick Rose out with knee soreness; Al Jefferson, Tyler Zeller hurt;
A couple of big man are going to be on the shelf for a while, but Anthony Bennett and Victor Oladipo gave NBA fans plenty of reasons to smile Friday night.
Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Rose and Joakim Noah are sitting out the Bulls' game against the Wizards, and they'll be replaced in the starting lineup by Kirk Hinrich and Nazr Mohammed. The big news is obviously Rose's knee, because this is the first hiccup since he started playing on his surgically-repaired left knee.
The team said sitting Rose is just a precautionary move, but every bit of Rose news that isn’t “he’s 100-percent healthy” is concerning for Bulls fans, who sat through a season of speculation about the actual health of Rose’s knee. The Bulls will handle this with the greatest of care since the games don’t count.
Jefferson sprains ankle, is carried to locker room
The Charlotte Bobcats gave Al Jefferson a $41 million contract this offseason, and just a few days into the preseason, he's walking around on crutches. Big Al sprained his ankle Friday night against the Heat, and had to be carried to the Bobcats' locker room.
X-Rays on the ankle were negative, so Jefferson was diagnosed with a sprain. He was seen in a walking boot and crutches after the game. Per Michael Wallace of ESPN, this is what Jefferson told reporters:
“It’s sore as [expletive], real sore -- that’s all I can tell you,” Jefferson told ESPN.com as he left the arena. “It feels like I’ve got a heartbeat in it. All that matters is that it’s negative. It ain’t nothing I’ve never been through before, so I’ve just got to get treatment and make sure I’m ready for the season.”
Aside from how awesome Jefferson is, Bobcats fans should be encouraged by the fact that it’s not a fracture, but a seven-footer suffering an ankle injury before the season in which he is supposed to carry the team is not a good way to start the season.
Zeller undergoes appendectomy
The Cavaliers lost some frontcourt depth for the near future Friday night when Tyler Zeller underwent surgery to take out his appendix. Zeller was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and had surgery later that day. There is no timetable for his return.
That phrase is unfortunately familiar to Cavs fans, since that's also being used in Andrew Bynum's recovery from his knee surgeries. That leaves Anthony Bennett and Earl Clark as the only backups to Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao, who isn't the paragon of health himself.
The Cavaliers have serious playoff aspirations this year. Zeller shouldn’t be on the shelf too long -- obviously appendicitis doesn’t affect a player long-term like a knee or back injury -- but every game counts when you figure to be battling for the No. 8 seed.
Bennett, Oladipo impress
The No. 1 and 2 picks in this year's NBA draft in a head-to-head matchup both had their best games of their fledgling NBA career. Anthony Bennett, the Cavs' No. 1 pick, scored 16 points -- 14 in the fourth quarter, including two three-pointers -- and led the Cavs to a victory. He also had four rebounds, a steal and a block in 22 minutes of game action.
Although his team lost, Victor Oladipo looked even better, scoring 18 points on 7-13 shooting, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out three assists in 30 minutes, which led all players on the Magic. He was the Magic's best player on the floor despite coming off the bench behind Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo, the same lineup head coach Jacque Vaughn will likely use to start the season. Even Kyrie Irving was impressed with the No. 2 pick. From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:
“He’s going to be great,” Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving said of Oladipo. “He’s going to be great in this league. ... His potential is out of the roof.”
Harrison Barnes to sit out Warriors' China trip
Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes is suffering from some inflammation in his left foot, and will likely be sitting out the Warriors' two games in China against the Lakers, according to Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times.
Thompson reports that Barnes isn’t suffering from plantar fasciitis or any other lingering injury, but the team is being cautious with its young catalyst, hoping rest with allow the swelling to go down. The team said Barnes has been working out all summer and the swelling may just be a result of all the work Barnes has put in.
Royce White scores five in Sixers debut
Royce White, hoping for a fresh start with the Philadelphia 76ers after a messy divorce with the Houston Rockets, finally saw the floor in NBA action Friday night.
White scored five points, grabbed three rebounds and picked up five fouls in 10 minutes of action Friday night against the Boston Celtics.
“I was happy to be out there,” White told USA Today. “I didn’t think I played well. I’m still not making plays that are routine for me ... but it’s just a feel thing, getting a feel back.”
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