In the latest in a long line of point guard injuries, Eric Bledsoe will be out indefinitely for the Phoenix Suns. The team doesn't yet know the severity of the injury, but he will reportedly have surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee, per Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
NBA news roundup: Eric Bledsoe out indefinitely, Deron Williams out at least 2 more games
Suns guard Eric Bledsoe is out indefinitely, while Nets guard Deron Williams will miss at least the next two games.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Bledsoe has missed the last four games with what the Suns were calling a knee sprain, and the Suns have gone 2-2 in that span. This is obviously a huge blow for the 21-13 Phoenix squad that has surpassed every expectation this season. Bledsoe has averaged 18 points, 5.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds alongside Goran Dragic in the backcourt.
Gerald Green has started in Bledsoe's place, and the Suns recently signed combo guard Leandro Barbosa, who will surely see increased minutes in Bledsoe's absence.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams will miss the team's games on Friday against the Miami Heat and Saturday against the Toronto Raptors, via Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. It is unclear at this point whether he will accompany his teammates when they head to London, England, for a game on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Williams has missed 13 games this season and got a cortisone shot and platelet-rich plasma injections in both of his ankles on Tuesday. Brooklyn has won four games in a row, including two without Williams. Shaun Livingston will continue to play the bulk of the point guard minutes.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry would be a starter in the All-Star Game if the voting ended today. The third returns came in on Thursday and Curry had climbed to 667,372 votes, compared to the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul's 651,073 votes. Paul had previously trailed only the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant among Western Conference guards.
The perception of Curry has come a long way since he was snubbed from the game entirely last season.
The Houston Rockets have Chicago Bulls swingman Mike Dunleavy on their wish list, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. While the Rockets have yet to initiate a conversation about Dunleavy, they will explore the situation before February's trade deadline.
Houston is currently fifth in the West and could use some help on the perimeter. Chicago got good value when it signed Dunleavy to a two-year, $6.5 million deal in July, but he might no longer fit into the Bulls’ long-term plans.
Mike D’Antoni, quote machine
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni was in fine form at Thursday’s practice, joking with reporters at every opportunity. Here’s D’Antoni on his team’s defensive struggles:
.@DerrinHorton to D'Antoni: "There's a moment where this team has defensive lapses…" D'Antoni interjects: "That would be the jump ball."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 9, 2014 On injured point guard Jordan Farmar:
I tell ya, Mike D was on one today. @MarkG_Medina asked him what Farmar was able to do. Jokingly says: "Farmar? He's worthless" **laughs
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 9, 2014 On whether the team, which has lost nine of its last 10 games, sees things getting any easier:
Mike D'Antoni on if there is a light at the end of the tunnel: "There is a light, but it could be a train coming."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 9, 2014 And then there’s this:
Sardonic comment by D'Antoni: "The national anthem is really mean to us. Every time they play it, we don't play well."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 9, 2014 The 2013-2014 Los Angeles Lakers: They might not win much, but at least they’re entertaining.
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