Remember we were all debating about Magette complaining about him coming off the bench even though he was not 100%? One side said to let him sit on the bench longer to heal on up and one side said he should be playing because he is one of their best players...
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Friday, forward Corey Maggette received a more definitive explanation on the pain in his left foot.
The news wasn't great.
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After having a CT scan in Los Angeles, he was told by team physician Tony Daly that he has a separation of the ligament that lies between the bones midway in the foot. It's an injury more common to football players, particularly linemen and running backs.
Although the separation was described as minor, Maggette's foot was put in a soft cast and he is expected to be out for another four weeks.
Maggette, who was originally diagnosed as having a ligament sprain, has not played since Dec. 5.
He leaves a large hole in the Clippers' offense. In the 13 games Maggette has played, he averaged 34.1 minutes, 21.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.
"It's a big blow to us, obviously," Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We'll see if there is anything we can do to ease that pain."
Beginning today, the Clippers are off until Tuesday, when they face Sacramento. After that, they don't play again until Dec. 31 against Boston.
Both games are at home, which gives the team some time to decide whether to trade for a player or ride out Maggette's absence.
Quinton Ross is also out, with a back problem.
"We'll see what's up," said Dunleavy, who spent Friday on the phone with General Manager Elgin Baylor discussing various moves. "You may see guys fly in. We'll see who are available free agents, guys playing in the league … go all different places. Right now we're just trying to gather information."
The Clippers, who beat Charlotte, 97-88, Friday, are 3-5 in the games Maggette has missed. The players took the Maggette news in stride.
"We'll just have to stay focused while he heals," said reserve forward Walter McCarty. "This is the NBA, and stuff like that happens. Usually you lose a key player for an amount of time. You play so many nights, put so much stress on your body, that things like this happen.
"We know we have guys capable of stepping up. We just have to do that every night."
