Golden State Warriors point guard C.J. Watson is out indefinitely after an MRI exam on his sprained right elbow revealed a torn ligament.
Team officials said the injury will not require surgery, but did not provide a timetable for his return. The former University of Tennessee standout will begin rehabilitation immediately and must wear a brace when he returns to practice.
The second-year guard, who was examined by Dr. John Belzer in San Francisco, hurt himself when he fell onto the concrete floor after being fouled in Tuesday's exhibition against Lietuvos Rytas.
His injury worsens an already grave point guard situation for coach Don Nelson, who has been starting undrafted rookie DeMarcus Nelson in place of the injured Monta Ellis.
Watson ranked second on the depth chart and is the lone point guard with experience in the Warriors' system. Third-stringer Marcus Williams has struggled in the preseason, though he's put together two of his best practices this week.
"That's another bullet we took," Don Nelson said of Watson's injury. "It's a position we were lacking in anyway. I don't know that I would have started him opening night, but he was probably going to end up being a starter for me, unless I went with (Stephen Jackson) in the lineup."
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Comments » 5
CoverOrange writes:
Remeber the last time we hired a coach from Tulsa?
cltvol writes:
Who was the Tulsa hire? buzz?
I think we need to hire a coach that is tough and disciplined. Doesn't matter if he is O genius or not. People catch up to the geniuses but don't catch up to hard work, toughness, discipline, leadership, etc. If that is the constant the skill level will ultimately elevate to championship material from time to time, but never sink to the depths we have over past few years. No idea who this person is, but Coach Cut fits the mode IMHO.
golfballs03 writes:
That's a tough break for Watson. He was in a good position for this year. Hopefully he can make a full recovery and get back soon
VOLnNC writes:
Poor C.J. I'm sure he doesn't want, or need, pity but he was finally going to have him opportunity and then the rug got pulled out from under him. Hope he has good luck in his recovery!
ncvol writes:
Sorry about the injury CJ... Hope you have a speedy recovery....
Go Vols !!
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