In today’s NBA news, Clippers’ new shooting guard JJ Redick will be sidelined for 10 days with a bruised quad, and Bobcats’ center Brendan Haywood will miss 12 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot.
Redick on the shelf
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Clippers shooting guard JJ Redick will be out at least 10 days with a bruised left quad.
The injury is not thought to be serious however, and Redick should be ready for the start of the regular season.
The Clippers signed the sharpshooter to a four-year $27.7 million deal in the offseason after acquiring him in a three-way trade that also sent Eric Bledsoe to the Suns.
Redick, 29, is coming off his best season as a pro where he averaged over 14 points per contest including 2.1 treys. He is a career 39% three-point shooter.
If for some strange reason Redick isn’t ready for opening night, Willie Green will take his place in the starting lineup, while sixth-man extraordinaire Jamal Crawford will also pick up some extra minutes.
The Clippers are by far the deepest team in the NBA, and under the tutelage of new head coach Doc Rivers, this team should no doubt compete for a championship this season.
Vegas has the Clippers win total set at 57. To see how we think they will fare, check out our season preview.
Haywood out three months
According to a tweet from Rick Bonnell, Bobcats’ center Brendan Haywood will be out 12 weeks after an MRI revealed that he had a stress fracture in his left foot. He is scheduled to have surgery next week.
Barring any setbacks, Haywood should be back sometime in mid-January.
Haywood, 33, averaged 3.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 61 games last season as Charlotte’s backup center.
Former lottery pick Bismack Biyombo will now be Al Jefferson’s primary backup, with 2013 first-round pick Cody Zeller picking up extra minutes as well.
With or without Haywood, the Bobcats will yet again be one of the worst teams in the NBA. The firepower simply isn’t there.
Check out our Bobcats preview here
Anthony Davis tearing up preseason
Anthony Davis continued his scorching hot preseason last night when went absolutely bonkers in a win over the Magic. He dropped 29 points to go along with nine rebounds, one assist, two steals and four blocks in 31 minutes of action.
The former number-one overall pick spent the entire summer working on his game and it appears to be paying off thus far.
Davis, 20, averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks as a rookie last year.
The word on the street is that AD has added to his offensive repertoire, he’s developed a little jump hook shot, as well as an 18-foot jumper. If you combine that with his skills at the rim, then you’re looking a pretty dynamic 20-year-old kid.
Davis will be the anchor for an up-and-coming Pelicans team this season. His defensive prowess is that of no other, and if these reports are true about his offensive improvement, then he should easily make the all-star team this year.
The Pelicans have a plethora of young talent, and should no doubt be in contention for one of the bottom three playoff spots in the loaded Western Conference.
Check out our Pelicans team preview here.