Cuttino

Mobley

He says he is aiming for a Wednesday night return against Portland, which would give him another four days to rehab the injury.

Don’t play him until he’s back in the lineup for good.

While he’s listed as questionable, he’s not expected to play. DeShawn Stevenson was ineffective starting in his place on Wednesday and it’s unknown if Johnny Davis will got with him again or start Hedo Turkoglu, their sixth man. Davis would like to keep Turkoglu coming off the bench if he can.

DeShawn Stevenson is filling in for him.

GM John Weisbrod said of Mobley, “I consider that our No. 1 contractual issue going into the offseason at this point. Obviously, things can change based on what happens to different players, but he’s an important part of our team. I like Cuttino a lot.” For his part, Mobley suggested he likes the situation in Orlando, but at 29 needs to explore the market for the best offer.

“We don’t want to overdo it so soon. He’s going to be playing some limited minutes, probably 14 or 15,” Davis said a night after Mobley played 35 minutes.

''We had talked about it all year,’' Rockets trainer Keith Jones said. ''We thought it was probably something we were going to do. But after we did the exit physicals with all the players, Dr. (Walter) Lowe and Dr. (Kevin) Varner looked at the MRI and X-rays and said he would greatly benefit from having the ankles scoped. He had sprained both ankles so many times, he really has a lot of scar tissue and loose bone spurs. This will greatly improve how he feels.’' Mobley will need about six weeks to recover.

Mobley should be able to play in Wednesday’s game, and start alongside Steve Francis in the Houston backcourt this season.

The bruise is not considered serious. Mobley should not miss any time.

Mobley finished with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, two blocks, and three 3’s.