ducks
01-31-2004, 01:49 PM
Marc Jackson said that he hopes to be back in action after the Feb. 15 NBA All-Star Game, and his return can't come soon enough for a 76ers team that is awfully thin in the frontcourt.
"I think after the all-star break is realistic," Jackson said before last night's game with the New Orleans Hornets. "It has been unbelievably tough sitting out, but I try to stay positive, knowing I will be returning soon."
The Sixers' first game after the all-star break is Feb. 17 in Denver.
The 6-foot-10, 253-pound Jackson suffered a fractured left ring finger in a Dec. 2 game against Toronto. While rehabilitating, he suffered a stress reaction and bone bruise in his left foot. He isn't sure exactly when it happened, but that is the injury that is keeping him out.
"If not for the foot injury, I would be back by now," said Jackson, a former standout at Roman Catholic High and Temple. "I would have been back by the Memphis game [Jan. 17]."
In his first year with the Sixers after being acquired from Minnesota in the four-team trade that also brought Glenn Robinson to Philadelphia, Jackson is averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes. He has played in 19 games.
He can relate. If anybody can sympathize with the rash of injuries that Sixers coach Randy Ayers has had to deal with, it is Hornets coach Tim Floyd.
Until Wednesday, the Hornets had played all season without swingman Jamal Mashburn, an all-star last season, who was recovering from knee surgery.
Point guard Baron Davis, likely to be voted to the Eastern Conference all-star team by the coaches this season, recently missed three games with a sprained ankle, and backcourt mate David Wesley has missed the last seven with a sprained toe.
"To Randy's credit, he's approached [the injuries] by talking about the confidence he has in the players he has and that they can go out and do the job without [the ones who are out]," Floyd said.
Hamilton to stay. The Sixers have signed forward Zendon Hamilton to a contract for the remainder of the season.
Hamilton was originally signed Dec. 6 as a free agent and waived on Jan. 6. He later signed two 10-day contracts - the maximum allowed by the NBA before a team has to either sign a player for the rest of the season or release him.
Way to go, Coach.Sixers swingman Aaron McKie was beaming with pride over the milestone reached this week by Temple's John Chaney, his former college coach. Chaney picked up his 700th college coaching victory on Wednesday.
"It is well-deserved, and I am happy for him, and I can say I played a part in him getting those 700 wins," McKie said. "He is going to go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time, and I am proud to say I got to play for him."
Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or [email protected].
"I think after the all-star break is realistic," Jackson said before last night's game with the New Orleans Hornets. "It has been unbelievably tough sitting out, but I try to stay positive, knowing I will be returning soon."
The Sixers' first game after the all-star break is Feb. 17 in Denver.
The 6-foot-10, 253-pound Jackson suffered a fractured left ring finger in a Dec. 2 game against Toronto. While rehabilitating, he suffered a stress reaction and bone bruise in his left foot. He isn't sure exactly when it happened, but that is the injury that is keeping him out.
"If not for the foot injury, I would be back by now," said Jackson, a former standout at Roman Catholic High and Temple. "I would have been back by the Memphis game [Jan. 17]."
In his first year with the Sixers after being acquired from Minnesota in the four-team trade that also brought Glenn Robinson to Philadelphia, Jackson is averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes. He has played in 19 games.
He can relate. If anybody can sympathize with the rash of injuries that Sixers coach Randy Ayers has had to deal with, it is Hornets coach Tim Floyd.
Until Wednesday, the Hornets had played all season without swingman Jamal Mashburn, an all-star last season, who was recovering from knee surgery.
Point guard Baron Davis, likely to be voted to the Eastern Conference all-star team by the coaches this season, recently missed three games with a sprained ankle, and backcourt mate David Wesley has missed the last seven with a sprained toe.
"To Randy's credit, he's approached [the injuries] by talking about the confidence he has in the players he has and that they can go out and do the job without [the ones who are out]," Floyd said.
Hamilton to stay. The Sixers have signed forward Zendon Hamilton to a contract for the remainder of the season.
Hamilton was originally signed Dec. 6 as a free agent and waived on Jan. 6. He later signed two 10-day contracts - the maximum allowed by the NBA before a team has to either sign a player for the rest of the season or release him.
Way to go, Coach.Sixers swingman Aaron McKie was beaming with pride over the milestone reached this week by Temple's John Chaney, his former college coach. Chaney picked up his 700th college coaching victory on Wednesday.
"It is well-deserved, and I am happy for him, and I can say I played a part in him getting those 700 wins," McKie said. "He is going to go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time, and I am proud to say I got to play for him."
Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or [email protected].