Fuck Yea[h] NBA

Injury update, since players are dropping like flies during this hectic schedule. Especially two integral players of international origin. 

The finest Australian basketball player this side of Luc Longley,  Andrew Bogut is out indefinitely with a fractured ankle reports Charles Gardner of the Journal -Sentinel. There’s no timetable on his return, which is code speak for: he’s done this year. As Jerry Schmidt addresses at Bucksketball, the Bucks don’t have a lot of options in terms of his replacement. 

Andrea Bargnani re-tweeked the strained calf muscle that kept him out of 6 previous games for the Raptors this year during the double OT thriller over Utah on Wednesday night. Good news for Raptor fans though, as the cranky Doug Smith reports in the Toronto Star, “According to a statement issued by the team in Denver on Friday morning, tests done Thursday ‘revealed no significant damage to the calf.’” Unfortunately though, the strain and Bargnani’s importance to the squad means “it’s unclear when Bargnani might be able to play again; he is ‘expected to be sidelined for an indefinite period of time’ according to the release.” That’s unfortunate for the Rap nation, and I hope he gets better because you guys need him. That Ian Thomsen piece for Sports Illustrated really made me appreciate what Bargnani does for the lowly Raptors and their rookie head coach: Dwyane Casey.

It’s not just the International players that are banged-up.

Rajon Rondo sat out his second straight game last night for the Celtics with a strained wrist. Eric Gordon is expected to miss 6 weeks with his knee injury, and his contract is still up in the air as his agent negotiates with the league. We all know that can’t be a good thing. Also, the New Jersey Nets might be missing Kris Humphries, Marshoon Brooks and Mehmet Okur.

It’s a long season, in a packed amount of time, 66 games in 124 days, so fans should be prepared to lose some of their pieces as the season progresses. Staying healthy is almost as important for the top teams as winning games. The playoffs could be an ugly affair if everyone is banged up. I wish the NBA hadn’t done this schedule; it’s hurting the league.