The Denver Nuggets are truly a group of walking wounded players. Danilo Gallinari won’t step on the court this season, JaVale McGee has been out since Nov. 8th with a stress fracture, Wilson Chandler has spent time on the injured list, as has Darrell Arthur, Kenneth Faried, Anthony Randolph, and joining them recently: Ty Lawson (rotator cuff sprain in left shoulder) and now Nate Robinson with an ACL sprain.
According to the Nuggets official website on Robinson:
Denver Nuggets guard Nate Robinson has been ruled out of Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors after an MRI Thursday revealed a sprained anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Robinson, averaging 10.4 points and 2.5 assists in 44 games this season, will be evaluated again Friday to determine a course of treatment.
Pay special attention to the "evaluated again Friday to determine a course of treatment" aspect of this injury. With no timetable for a return, Robinson could miss a pretty big chunk of the season. Anterior Cruciate Ligament sprains are pretty serious business.
Add this tweet from Blake Olson:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Nuggets&src=hash">#Nuggets</a> Shaw: Still need more tests on Nate Robinson before they know how serious Nate's injury is. <a href="http://t.co/MMXUQenK7A">pic.twitter.com/MMXUQenK7A</a></p>— Blake Olson (@BlakeOlson1) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeOlson1/statuses/428991415310221312">January 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Check out the following from American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons on ACL sprains:
Grade 1 Sprains. The ligament is mildly damaged in a Grade 1 Sprain. It has been slightly stretched, but is still able to help keep the knee joint stable.
Grade 2 Sprains. A Grade 2 Sprain stretches the ligament to the point where it becomes loose. This is often referred to as a partial tear of the ligament.
Grade 3 Sprains. This type of sprain is most commonly referred to as a complete tear of the ligament. The ligament has been split into two pieces, and the knee joint is unstable.
We'll see how long Robinson is kept out and hopefully it's just a "Grade 1" sprain, but we won't know for sure until further tests are run. We shouldn't expect him back on the court anytime in the near future.
Andre Miller update:
Olson also tweeted this out today:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Nuggets&src=hash">#Nuggets</a> Shaw says it is still possible that <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23AndreMiller&src=hash">#AndreMiller</a> may return to team. Possible. <a href="http://t.co/M7N4fqORwB">pic.twitter.com/M7N4fqORwB</a></p>— Blake Olson (@BlakeOlson1) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeOlson1/statuses/428989653908090880">January 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I'm skeptical that Miller will be brought back to the team. Shaw is saying the right things, but I believe the damage has been done and we won't be seeing Miller back in a Nuggets uniform. Is he still a serviceable player? Yes. But it would be a very odd situation to have him come back to the team under these circumstances. We'll see, I'm wrong quite often.
