Jamal

Mashburn

Expect Mashburn to play, but if he can’t, George Lynch would get the start at small forward.

Mashburn missed Saturday’s game with a chip fracture of the middle joint on his middle finger. ''Not with the way that thing is still swollen,’' Silas said. ''I can’t see him coming back for this series. Hopefully, for the next one, he’ll be back. But who knows?’' Mashburn still hopes to return against the Sixers.

Mashburn has a sprained right knee, suffered in practice Tuesday. He is not expected to practice today or play Friday or Sunday.

Mashburn might not play again during the regular season because of the bone bruise in his right knee. “It’s bone on bone, and there’s not much I can do with it,” Mashburn said. “It’s just from the years of playing in the league. I’m taking the doctors’ advice to rest it. There’s no surgical procedure.”

Mashburn was already estimated to miss at least three weeks with patella femoral irritation in his right knee. Putting him on the IL frees a roster spot should the Hornets decide to add a player via a 10-day contract, even though coach Tim Floyd said it’s unlikely that will occur.

Mashburn said Tuesday that he plans to get an evaluation on his surgically repaired right knee from his doctors in Miami within the next 10 days to determine when he’ll return. He has been jogging on a track and doing weight-lifting exercises to strengthen his right knee since Nov. 1.

“I talked to Mash the other day, and he said he’s ready mentally and physically,” said coach Tim Floyd. “Being ready to go full court takes conditioning to another step.”

Mashburn, 31, plans to discuss retirement with his family after the season, saying he isn’t sure it’s wise to press a knee he considers fragile. It seems that what he really wants is a trade. “This organization and the way things were done, I’ve been misdiagnosed a couple times, and it’s gotten to the point where I have to take care of myself,” Mashburn said.

Mashburn has shot at a 32 percent clip over his last five contests. ''Mash certainly hasn’t been himself in a few games, he just lost his legs (fatigue),’' coach Paul Silas said. ''He’s shooting the same as when he scored 50, but he hasn’t been able to have that lift -- and it’s understandable.’' Once Baron Davis is back in the starting lineup, which Silas said should happen Wednesday, Mashburn should get some relief from carrying the scoring load.

On a recent vacation trip to Disney World, Mashburn said he couldn’t walk around the theme park with his wife and two kids without experiencing swelling in his right knee. He may not be ready for the start of the season.