We already reported about the right medial meniscus tear Derrick Rose suffered last night in the third quarter of the Bulls-Blazers game in Portland, but two other players, Marc Gasol and Andre Iguodala, also went down with injuries yesterday for team’s in the thick of a competitive Western Conference.
We’ve been updating the Rose reports as information filters in, but while the injuries to Iggy and Gasol don’t appear to be as severe as the one Rose suffered, they’re still important for their team’s long-term outlook this season.
According to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal, Gasol suffered a grade 2 sprain to his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee, the team announced on Saturday after MRI tests came back.
Gasol will not require surgery but will instead rest to allow the injury to heal. No timetable has been set for his return.
But Gasol could miss sit out [sic] 8-10 weeks because of the degree of the sprain suffered Friday night during the Grizzlies’ 102-86 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Gasol suffered the injury with 10:24 left in the second quarter. His knee buckled without any contact from another player. Gasol eventually limped into the locker room and didn’t return.
The Grizzlies started the season slow, losing five of their first eight games of the year under new coach Dave Joerger. But they had rattled off four-consecutive road wins during a brutal trip west, including an overtime victory while visiting the Golden State’s intimidating Oracle Arena. But on Friday night’s trip to San Antonio, Gasol was lost for the foreseeable future, casting a shroud over the Grizzlies’ season since the 2013 DPOY is their stud on defense and a facilitator and scorer on offense.
But it wasn’t just Gasol and Rose who suffered injuries on a cruel Friday in the NBA. Golden State’s free agent acqusition and perimeter defensive stud, Andre Iguodala, also suffered what’s being called a left hamstring strain during Golden State’s 102-95 loss to the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.
Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News provided an update on Iggy’s status moving forward after an MRI test this morning:
A team source confirmed reports Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala will not need surgery to report his left hamstring strain. USA Today was first to report.
A timetable for his return is still unknown. Iguodala sustained the injury late in the third quarter of Friday’s loss to the host Los Angeles Lakers.
He had an MRI on Saturday to learn the severity of the injury, which had him barely walking after the game. No surgery means Iguodala could return to action relatively soon.
Iguodala spoke with Thompson after the game on Friday about how the injury felt:
“That’s what I felt, so that’s why I was so concerned,” Iguodala said. “I knew it was something. Normally I can just run it off or it’ll go away. But once I heard it pop, I knew it was serious.”
[…]
“I’ve never been hurt before,” Iguodala said after totaling six points and six assists in 28 minutes Friday. “I’ve had something that might’ve kept me out for a game. Something really minor where I knew I’d be back in two days. But this one kind of worries me a little bit. So we’ll take it serious and I’m sure I’ll be back really soon. My body has been pretty good to me so far. I take care of it, so sooner than everyone things.”
Black Friday came early in the NBA. Let’s hope everyone stays healthy during the game’s tonight. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Derrick Rose, Marc Gasol and Andre Iguodala. Our top wish before the season started was that no one suffered a serious injury, but that wish appears to have gone unanswered.
This sucks guys.
What do you think?
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