Shaq to have thumb surgery, out 6-8 weeks

[Allanon]

Just saw this at another forum. This was the thumb sprained in the Celtics/Cavs game by Big Baby.

Updated, Cleveland reporter says up to 9 weeks...middle of the Playoffs or thereabouts.

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[gm5k]

could actually help the Cavs as Shaq should be fresh for a playoff run.

[mavsfan1000]

They got Jamison just in time. Though they will have to wait on Ilgauskas returning. Once they get Ilgauskas back, there will be a log jam at the 4 and 5.

[Goran Dragic]

The fate of the Cavs' season depends on whether Shaq stays active for these 8 weeks and is in shape come playoff time, or if he does nothing and is in the kind of shape he is at the beginning of the season.

[mavsfan1000]

Yeah a thumb should not keep him from exercising. He just has to avoid contact.

[DesignatedT]

damn. it didnt even look that bad. 6 to 8 weeks seems pretty extreme.

[Allanon]

damn. it didnt even look that bad. 6 to 8 weeks seems pretty extreme.

Yeah it is pretty extreme; sure doesn't look like it was that bad in the video.

If it's 6 weeks, he's done for the regular season. If he's out 8 weeks that puts him past the first round of the post season.

[DesignatedT]

Yeah it is pretty extreme; sure doesn't look like it was that bad in the video.

If it's 6 weeks, he's done for the regular season. If he's out 8 weeks that puts him past the first round of the post season.

When can big z return to cleveland again? seems like they might need him.

[duncan228]

O’Neal to have surgery to repair injured thumb (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-cavaliers-shaqinjured&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal will undergo surgery on Monday to repair his injured right thumb.

O’Neal was examined Sunday by Dr. Thomas Graham at the National Hand Center in Baltimore. He will perform the surgery.

An MRI exam Saturday confirmed the injury was a significant sprain. O’Neal was hurt during a win at Boston on Thursday. The team has not provided any timeline for his return.

With O’Neal out of the lineup, Anderson Varejao will continue to start at center. Former backup Zydrunas Ilgauskas, traded to Washington for Antawn Jamison, is now a free agent following a buyout from the Wizards. Ilgauskas is free to sign with any team, but will have to wait until March 21 under NBA rules should he elect to re-sign with the Cavaliers.

Cleveland also recalled rookie Danny Green from Erie of the NBA Development League. He was assigned to Erie on Feb. 24 and played in two games for the BayHawks.

[Allanon]

When can big z return to cleveland again? seems like they might need him.

March 22nd I believe is the exact date Z may be back in a Cavs uniform.

[MiamiHeat]

All part of the plan.

Shaq will rest up now and be FRESH for the playoffs :)

[MiamiHeat]

All part of the plan.

Shaq will rest up now and be FRESH for the playoffs :)

[DJ Mbenga]

get him on nutrisystem and he will be in playoff shape. but if he has the shaq diet he will resemble oliver miller

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

All part of the plan.

Shaq will rest up now and be FRESH for the playoffs :)


Any other player there might be proof to that. Shaq on the other hand is on the KFC diet when he's not playing so the injury might kill him in the playoffs.

[ShoogarBear]

All part of the plan.

Shaq will rest up now and be FRESH for the playoffs :)

Yeah, and a 80% free throw shooter, too.

[Killakobe81]

This helps Cavs secure HCA ... they will be great in regular season ...Dwight will destroy the Cavs frotline in the playoffs ...and Rashard can play against Jamison and not be overpowered at the 4 ...

[Killakobe81]

The flipside is the lane will be les clogged without shaq and lebron should be driving more anyways ...
His shooting HAS improved ... but that broke jumper ...

[duncan228]

Sources: Shaq to be sidelined until playoffs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AuDhV1vPWpvBXCvRqBrRFGW8vLYF?slug=aw-shaqinjury022810&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&)
By Adrian Wojnarowski

Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal is expected to miss six to eight weeks after having surgery on his right thumb, a source close to him told Yahoo! Sports.

O’Neal will miss the rest of the regular season and likely the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Cleveland’s regular season ends on April 14, and the best-case scenario could have O’Neal back for the start of the playoffs. Regardless, he is expected to return before the Cavs would have to potentially face their most difficult conference test: Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

O’Neal, 37, will have surgery at the National Hand Center in Baltimore on Monday. In his absence, the Cavs will continue to start Anderson Varejao at center. Leon Powe will also share minutes.

Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis injured O’Neal’s thumb on a hard foul on Thursday. O’Neal traveled to Baltimore on Sunday to meet with specialists.

The Cavaliers traded backup center Zydrunas Ilgauskas to the Washington Wizards in the deal for Antawn Jamison. Ilgauskas was waived last week and can’t be re-signed by the Cavs until March 22.

[MavDynasty]

:lmao if big z signs with another team

[SenorSpur]

Fortunately for O'Neal, this isn't the type of injury that will keep him from stalking ex-girlfriends and having sex with other NBA players fiance's.

[lefty]

The Big Twisted Thumb

[bostonguy]

SON OF A BITCH! This is bad news. Anyone who thinks Shaq will just pick it up after missing this much time is delusional. Shaq especially for his age needed this time to continue his progression and rhythm for the post season. Him coming back in the 2nd round is going to really set him back. They need a productive Shaq if they want to win it all. Jamison isn't enough. They traded for Shaq for a reason.

Damn it. On a side note....this does open up more minutes for Leon Powe.:hat

[pauls931]

In other news Sasha Vagichic is out 1 week with a yeast infection.

[Thunder Dan]

this isn't a big deal. Cavs have an easy schedule in March, and Shaq will be ready for the playoffs. Cavs will have #1 seed in the East, and they don't need it for the Finals since the Lakers aren't that tough at home anyways because of how soft they are.

[in2deep]

Lakers will still get stomped in the finals

[Thunder Dan]

Lakers will still get stomped in the finals

if they even make it. Denver scared me alot more than the Lakers. Kobe looks like he is going the rout of KG this year

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Oooh, bad timing. This is sounding a lot like Horry's last season in SA where he may very well have had something left in the tank for the playoffs but couldn't get the time in during the regular season to get into any kind of shape or rhythm.

[Thunder Dan]

Shaq got hurt on company time, therefore he'll recoup on company time. How does it feel to know your team just lost all chances of even making it out of the second round?

the Cavs are better without Shaq until they play the Magic.

Cavs could go undefeated in March- at the most they lose 2 games.

[TheMACHINE]

shaq is gonna come back 20 pounds heavier.

[Thunder Dan]

shaq is gonna come back 20 pounds heavier.

even more beef to push around that soft front line of the Lakers like he already did twice this year

[TheMACHINE]

even more beef to push around that soft front line of the Lakers like he already did twice this year

:lmao

[TheMACHINE]

Orlando/Lakers Finals rematch is gonna be crazy this year.

[Thunder Dan]

Orlando has no answer for Jamison

[TheMACHINE]

Orlando has no answer for Jamison

maybe they'll get lucky and MB will not start him again. lol

[Thunder Dan]

Mike may decide to play Darnell Jackson over Jamison, you never know

[Thunder Dan]

You play in the pathetic East. You're fucked dude. At least you have a legit excuse this year when you get throttled again.

ipfzvlgMcNE

[Sportcamper]

Do I understand correctly that Big Z can now ask for 10 mil to re sign with the Cavs…:lol

I am sorry for Shaqs misfortune but I am happy for Big Z…

[Thunder Dan]

Z wouldn't do that. The Cavs stuck by Z when nobody thought he would play basketball again, and gave him over 90 million since being drafted. He won't fuck the Cavs over.

[djohn2oo8]

ipfzvlgMcNE

:lmao

[LakeShow]

Damn, that sucks.

Shaq out 6-8 weeks means an out of shape shaq for the playoffs. Not good for the Cavs.

[Killakobe81]

Shaq is NEEDED for the Magic ...
He is not needed for the hawks or bulls etc.

BUT having his size and still fairly effective though limitedpost game (power dunk, drop step and jump hook middle) created some matchups issues for the smaller front lnes ...

how can you double BOTH lebron and Kobe?

Dont get me wrong Verejao is the most valuable big for the Cavs ...but shaq brings a lot more to the table than JJ, Powe etc.

[SenorSpur]

Shaq got hurt on company time, therefore he'll recoup on company time.



:lol

For a $23 mil a year player, Shaq certainly has always had a minimum-wage attitude toward his profession.

[duhoh]

:lol

For a $23 mil a year player, Shaq certainly has always had a minimum-wage attitude toward his profession.

that's what happens when your ego is a 100x larger than your body is.

[Goran Dragic]

IMO them having Shaq to play the Lakers is a lot more important than them having Shaq to play Orlando. It's not like he's some premier Dwight defender, he simply isn't as bad a defender as Z and can limit Dwight's minutes by getting him in foul trouble. Orlando isn't the matchup problem they used to be for Cleveland. It's actually a little funny for Jameer Nelson of all people to say we gon' upset Cleveland when him getting injured had a lot to do with Orlando winning.

Against LA, they need Shaq since he actually does make Bynum a non-factor most of the time. If Shaq keeps Bynum in foul trouble sitting on the bench it means Pau has to play center and guard someone 100 pounds heavier than he is while Jamison has a way better matchup guarding Odom rather than Gasol.

[nkdlunch]

Chuck said it best. As long as lebron, jamison are on the court. It doesn't really matter who else plays.

Shaq is not even 3d best player in the cavs. nonissue

lakers still losing to cavs

[HarlemHeat37]

As long as they have the best player in the NBA by a huge margin, they'll be alright..

[j.dizzle]

LOL at LA playing pretty shitty & half assed this season & still only one game back of a team that plays in a conference where 9 out of 15 teams are under .500 hahaha. You know your conference is garbage when Toronto, Chicago, & Milwaukee are 5-7 seeds. LMAO at the Bucks in the playoffs in the East while NO, Houston, & Grizzlies aren't even in them right now in the West.:lol

[duncan228]

O’Neal has surgery to repair injured thumb (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-cavaliers-shaqinjured&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal had surgery on his injured right thumb Monday and seems likely to miss the rest of the regular season.

If he gets back for the playoffs, though, O’Neal is promising to make up for his time out.

O’Neal will miss about eight weeks, the team said. He was examined Sunday by specialist Dr. Thomas Graham at the National Hand Center in Baltimore, who performed the surgery Monday morning.

“He feels like he let us down, but we understand injuries happen in the game,” said teammate Jamario Moon, who got a text from the star center along with the other Cavs. “I think he’s really down about being out. … He let us know it’s time to continue playing basketball and he’s going to be all right.”

The recovery timeline means O’Neal, who turns 38 on Saturday, may not be ready for the start of the playoffs April 17. The Cavaliers acquired him last summer with an eye toward the postseason, after Dwight Howard and Orlando eliminated them in the Eastern Conference finals.

Cleveland enters its game Monday against the Knicks leading Orlando by six games for the best record in the East. Should the Cavaliers and Magic retain the top two seeds, they wouldn’t meet until the Eastern Conference finals, which begin in mid-May.

“Will be out for a min but when I return it is on,” O’Neal posted on his Twitter account Monday morning. “Win da ring for da king! Luv my team, Cavs baby!”

O’Neal has played well for the Cavaliers, averaging 12 points and 6.7 rebounds in 53 games. He injured the thumb Thursday at Boston when his shot was blocked by Glen “Big Baby” Davis with just over 7 minutes left in the first half.

Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said O’Neal will wear a splint for the next two weeks, then begin his rehab.

“Our guys have done a very good job of stepping up this season. We are confident they will do the same in this situation,” Ferry said. “We are fortunate to have some depth in our front court that can keep us moving forward while Shaq recovers and returns to play for the postseason.”

Anderson Varejao will continue to start at center for Cleveland, which has the NBA’s best record at 44-16. J.J. Hickson and Leon Powe, who recently returned from knee surgery, are also options.

Former backup Zydrunas Ilgauskas, traded to Washington for Antawn Jamison, is now a free agent following a buyout by the Wizards. Ilgauskas is free to sign with any team, but will have to wait another couple of weeks under NBA rules should he elect to re-sign with the Cavaliers.

Cleveland has battled injuries and personnel losses all season.

Point guard Mo Williams recently returned after missing 11 games with an injured shoulder and guard Delonte West bounced in and out of the rotation early because of personal reasons. Powe debuted last week after recovering from knee surgery last summer.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” coach Mike Brown said. “It’s happened all year. Hopefully someone will step up and fill the void and we’ll just keep moving forward.”

[mogrovejo]

This is bad news for the Cavs, Shaq and Jamison won't be able to construct some chemistry till the playoffs, especially on the defensive end.

Milwaukee is a better team than New Orleans or Memphis. Bogut is criminally underrated.