JO out 2-3 weeks

[gar]

I think Erden give us more of what Perk brings in terms of toughness and rebounding than either JO or Sheed. Still needs to get acclimated. Of course would rather have someone like Sheed or JO out there at the end of a game when foul shooting is an issue. No need to panic.

[LooseCannon]

I think Erden give us more of what Perk brings in terms of toughness and rebounding than either JO or Sheed.

Rebounds per 36 minutes/total rebounding percentage (Perk and Sheed last season, everyone else this season):
Kevin Garnett 10.8/18.9%
Kendrick Perkins 9.9/16.9%
Shaquille O'Neal 9.8/17.3%
Semih Erden 7.4/13.0%
Jermaine O'Neal 7.3/12.7%
Rasheed Wallace 6.6/11.2%
Glen Davis 5.6/9.8%

In comparing Erden and J-Ow, Semih gets more defensive rebounds and Jermaine gets more offensive rebounds. O'Neal is also blocking shots at a rate comparable to Perk last season.

[Adelaide Celt]

Hope they can get this fully diagnosed soon. If surgery is the best option (very possible IMO) now is the time to have it done. Still plenty of time for him to recover.

[Prof. Clutch]

It's moments like this that it would be nice to have Eric Dampier still out there somewhere looming in the free agency world.

[Bahku]

Great ... well, we knew what we were taking on with this guy, so it's really no surprise. Let's hope Shaq stays healthy.

[More Banners]

This is why it's a gamble to invest the full MLE on a player with an injury history as long and consistent as JO's.

[LooseCannon]

This is why it's a gamble to invest the full MLE on a player with an injury history as long and consistent as JO's.

At least it's only two years.  Miami gave a five-year MLE contract to the almost equally injury-prone Mike Miller, who will be older than Jermaine O'Neal at the end of their current contracts.

Given the team's needs, it was a good gamble.

[GreenFaith1819]

Hopefully, with JO being out this time, he will come back ready to go for the long haul. I hope he takes as much time as needed to get himself right.

He seemed to be getting his groove offensively with that first unit, then he went down for this. I love how he protects the paint, Perk-Style.

As for Marquis? With him being out for Wednesday's game, at least this will give Delonte some extra time to run.

[nba is the worst]

It's moments like this that it would be nice to have Eric Dampier still out there somewhere looming in the free agency world.

Isn't that the case?

I haven't heard that he's landed a job yet...

[Fan from VT]

Well, earl barron is off the market, so so much for that idea

"Overall, the free-agent center crop is pretty barren after the Phoenix Suns signed Earl Barron and another journeyman, Dwayne Jones, who has had stints with five NBA teams, is headed to China. Other options include Marcus Cousin who was a late training camp cut by the San Antonio Spurs; Darryl Watkins who was in camp with the New Orleans Hornets; and Brian Zoubek who did not make the New Jersey Nets' final roster. They could also go the NBA Development League route. Drew Naymick, who was a training camp invitee for Los Angeles, is playing for the Lakers' D-League affiliate in Bakersfield. The other top centers in the D-League include Courtney Sims of Iowa (who played on the Lakers' summer league team in Las Vegas), Cheikh Samb of Sioux Falls (who the Lakers drafted with the No. 51 pick in 2006), Chris Hunter of Fort Wayne, Sean Williams of Texas and Magnum Rolle of Maine."

Here's some stuff from NBA Rumors about the Lakers looking for a Ratliff replacement; the same logic could be used for the C's after they cut Wafer and need an extra big body.

[Fan from VT]

It's moments like this that it would be nice to have Eric Dampier still out there somewhere looming in the free agency world.

Isn't that the case?

I haven't heard that he's landed a job yet...

Man i'd forgotten about Dampier. Don't think he'll come here, he wants more guaranteed PT, but he'd be good fit for us. He's a great offensive rebounder and we need that.

[Jon]

Yep.  It's playoffs or bust with this team.

However, I worry a little about this mentality of resting players excessively for every injury, while playing the healthy ones into the ground to maintain the level of play.  To me, it really should be all or nothing: either act like it's the playoffs all the time and get everyone playing ASAP or just act like it doesn't matter and play KG, Ray, and PP fewer than 35 mpg no mater what. 

[CelticHooligan3]

The guy needs to suck it up and get on the court. He's searching for different answers from different doctors and getting the same feedback from everyone. That tells you somthing.. The guy has a very low pain threshhold and he's soft. Everyone plays with these type of nagging injuries. He needs to grow some. He's seen doctors in Boston Miami and now New York.

They've all said there's no serious damage. To me it came off sounding as if he didn't trust the first opinions of the doctors in Boston so he wanted to get "his" doctors to look at it. So he went to get other opinions. But they've all had the same consensus. That means the issue is more with the player rather than the diagnosis or docs.   

[greenpride32]

The guy needs to suck it up and get on the court. He's searching for different answers from different doctors and getting the same feedback from everyone. That tells you somthing.. The guy has a very low pain threshhold and he's soft. Everyone plays with these type of nagging injuries. He needs to grow some. He's seen doctors in Boston Miami and now New York.

They've all said there's no serious damage. To me it came off sounding as if he didn't trust the first opinions of the doctors in Boston so he wanted to get "his" doctors to look at it. So he went to get other opinions. But they've all had the same consensus. That means the issue is more with the player rather than the diagnosis or docs.   

He doesn't strike me as the type of guy who's looking for an easy way out.  Didn't he shoot like 1-6 for two straight games?  That's when he shut it down and said I can't play effectively, I'm doing more harm them help to this team by staying on the court.  I suspect he's getting more opinions to determine the problem and find a long term solution.  Rather than docs telling him it's fine and then it's not.

[More Banners]

Well, earl barron is off the market, so so much for that idea

"Overall, the free-agent center crop is pretty barren after the Phoenix Suns signed Earl Barron and another journeyman, Dwayne Jones, who has had stints with five NBA teams, is headed to China. Other options include Marcus Cousin who was a late training camp cut by the San Antonio Spurs; Darryl Watkins who was in camp with the New Orleans Hornets; and Brian Zoubek who did not make the New Jersey Nets' final roster. They could also go the NBA Development League route. Drew Naymick, who was a training camp invitee for Los Angeles, is playing for the Lakers' D-League affiliate in Bakersfield. The other top centers in the D-League include Courtney Sims of Iowa (who played on the Lakers' summer league team in Las Vegas), Cheikh Samb of Sioux Falls (who the Lakers drafted with the No. 51 pick in 2006), Chris Hunter of Fort Wayne, Sean Williams of Texas and Magnum Rolle of Maine."

Here's some stuff from NBA Rumors about the Lakers looking for a Ratliff replacement; the same logic could be used for the C's after they cut Wafer and need an extra big body.

I would definitely rather have Dwayne Jones on the roster than VW.  TP for the Jones update!