The Brooklyn Nets announced that starting point guard D’Angelo Russell underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his knee, but they did not give a timeline for his return. According to Nets general manager Sean Marks, Russell will be out for an indefinite period of time. Russell last played on Nov. 11 in their 114-106 loss to the Utah Jazz. He scored 26 points but limped his way to the locker room late in the fourth quarter. After that, the Nets announced that Russell will be out for a few games due to a knee injury.
The injury was a temporary setback for Russell, who has been enjoying the best season of his career so far with the Nets.
The 21-year-old Russell is averaging career highs with 20.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Russell was the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft. While he was a consistent scorer in his first two years in the NBA, the Lakers saw the need to drop him and select Lonzo Ball as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Drafting Ball created a logjam at starting point guard so the Lakers then traded him to the Nets for center Brook Lopez. Spencer Dinwiddie has started for the Nets in place of Russell.
Grizzlies playmaker out indefinitely
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley will be out indefinitely after experiencing soreness in left heel and Achilles, according to the team.
The Grizzlies provided no timetable for Conley’s return but said he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Conley’s career has been hampered by Achilles issue and other injuries in the past three seasons, playing just 69 games last season, 56 games in 2015-16 and 70 games in 2014-15. Last season, Conley averaged a career-best 20.5 points per game on top of 6.3 assists per game.
This season, Conley is 17.1 points and 4.1 dimes per game. The Grizzlies are likely to start veteran guard Mario Chalmers until Conley returns with Dillon Brooks and Andrew Harrison as possible backups.
Cavs’ Derrick Rose out for two weeks
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers will sit down starting point guard Derrick Rose for two weeks due to lingering ankle problems.
The 29-year-old Rose has played in just seven games this season due to ankle issues, averaging 14.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per outing. As of now, the Cavaliers are looking just fine without Rose with JR Smith, Dwyane Wade, Iman Shumpert and Jose Calderon in their backcourt. Also, LeBron James can also perform ballhandling duties until Rose returns.
