On the list of guys who you should feel bad for regarding this season, Brook Lopez has to be one of the bigger candidates. Imagine if your job kept working with you to get you back at work from an injury, but you knew the only reason they were is that they want to use your efforts as part of a deal to acquire someone else to do your job. So you’re injured, trying to get back to work, and yet all of your efforts are only considered assets to be used to acquire your replacement. That’s just not cool.
But it’s the situation for Brook Lopez and on top of all that, the guy just cannot get healthy. After suffering a fracture in his foot that kept him out for most of the season, Lopez then went down with an ankle just days after he returned. Now, when he should be getting back after ducking being sent to Orlando or a third team in a move for Dwight Howard, a CT scan found another “crack” or “line” (read: fracture” that was caused during his sprain. From the New York Post:Additional tests on the Nets center, who has missed all but five games this season, found a small line or crack resulting from the ankle sprain he endured after coming back from a broken foot. Lopez’s return to active duty was immediately pushed back at least two more weeks. General manager Billy King said Lopez would be evaluated at that time.
“Brook had another CT scan and in looking at it, the doctors noticed a little line that’s healing, but hasn’t completely healed, and so we’re going to keep him out for two more weeks and re-evaluate then,” King said. “It just hasn’t completely healed.
“He has no pain whatsoever.’’ … He has no pain whatsoever but it’s just we’re protecting a young fella that has a long career ahead of him.’’
via With Brook Lopez sidelined at least another two weeks, the New Jersey Nets fall to the Atlanta Hawks, 93-84, on Friday night - NYPOST.com.
Nets Daily points out that this wasn’t part of the original fracture but instead part of his sprain. So that’s great, right? ... Sigh.
The Nets honestly need to shut Lopez down for the rest of the season. Not only does he need to get healthy, not only will it help with any deal they sign to keep him as a restricted free agent (which they’re going to need in any trade for Howard and especially need if they can’t get Howard), but they need to tank out this season. And not like Golden State or Portland need to tank. Those are “it would be for the best to tank.” The Nets, because they traded a first-round pick for Gerald Wallace, need to drop into the top-three so the protections on the pick allow them to keep their first-rounder.
So to review:
Their franchise center who they wanted to use to acquire the best franchise center is out two more weeks at least due to a fracture found after a sprain after a foot fracture, which is OK because they need to tank in order to keep their pick they sent to Portland for Gerald Wallace in a deadline panic trade after the franchise center they really want decided to stay with his team for another year.
/Clown music plays.
I really hope next year is an All-Star year for Lopez. He deserves it after all the crap he’s had to put up with this season.
