Injuries have hit NBA teams hard
In a span of four days, the NBA has witnessed a couple of unsightly injuries: Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut falling to the floor with his elbow buckling beneath him and then Toronto's Chris Bosh on the floor in a heap, blood gushing from his nose.
Bosh went down Tuesday just two minutes into a game at Cleveland after being accidentally elbowed in the face by Cavs forward Antawn Jamison.
Bosh was diagnosed with broken bones on the right side of his face and stayed at the hospital Tuesday night instead of joining his teammates on the flight back to Toronto. He skipped Wednesday's game against Boston, and, according to the Raptors' medical director, he is expected to need "weeks" to recover after surgery for the broken bones. It's not known if he can play again in the regular season.
The Bulls know it's not smart to count the Raptors out of the playoff race. The Bulls lost Tuesday to Milwaukee, which was playing its first game since Bogut's season-ending injury.
With the Raptors losing to the Celtics on Wednesday, the Bulls trail Toronto by a half-game for the final playoff spot in the East. Toronto, though, does hold the tiebreaker. The two teams play Sunday at the Air Canada Centre.
"It's unbelievable," said Bulls center Joakim Noah, who's missed 18 games with plantar fasciitis. "This injury thing, I guess it's part of the game. I don't wish that on anybody."
Added coach Vinny Del Negro, "I saw it on replay and it didn't look like he got hit that hard. You can't worry about their situation. We have enough issues here to deal with. We don't play them for a couple games."
Bosh had just been named Eastern Conference player of the week. In the four games before getting injured, he averaged 31.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, while shooting 59.4 percent from the field.
Manu off market: One of the top free agents this summer could be heading off the market. Manu Ginobili is close to signing a three-year, $40-million extension, according to yahoo.com.
Ginobili is 33, which makes him less attractive than the top names on the free-agent list. But he was the best shooting guard alternative to likely maximum-contract players such as Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson.
The Bulls, with $20 million to spend, will no doubt explore all possibilities at the two guard and power forward.
Cavs consider time off: Cleveland coach Mike Brown mentioned recently that he might rest some of his regulars in the final week of the season, considering the Cavaliers have already locked up the NBA's best record.
"There will be some games guys sit out. But it will be different times for different guys," Brown said in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "I look at these games as a high-level practice. Obviously, if we don't win, it really doesn't matter. But you hope we do things the right way so we can get something out of it to help us."
Brown used everyone on Tuesday against Toronto, except for guards Delonte West and Daniel Gibson, who are out with injuries. The Cavs still are not certain if Shaquille O'Neal (thumb) will return before the end of the regular season.