After suffering a concussion and an injury to his left knee which required arthroscopic surgery, Victor Cruz of the New York Giants will miss the final two games of the season. He joins the long list of Giants that have been injured which include Jason Pierre-Paul, Corey Webster, Brandon Jacobs, David Wilson, and Shaun Rogers, just to name a few.
After returning from an achilles injury, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, has suffered a setback.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Thursday that Bryant is expected to miss at least six weeks with a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his left knee.
Bryant suffered the injury Tuesday night during the Lakers’ 96-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The injury is a major blow to the Lakers, who in November gave Bryant a two-year, $48.5 million dollar contract extension.
The team also announced Thursday Steve Nash, who has just played in six games this season, will miss another month because of nerve root irritation.
Jordan Farmar will also miss another week as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
With injuries to their backcourt, the Lakers quickly moved to add depth. They agreed to a deal with Kendall Marshall on Thursday night. Marshall, who was taken 13th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2012 draft, had been playing in the D-League for the Delaware 87ers where he was acquired off of waivers earlier this month after having what has been a disappointing beginning to his career.
This recent injury to Bryant itself will not require surgery, only rest. But since it is on the same leg that he tore his achilles, one can wonder if the two are connected or if he came back to soon.
After returning to the court on Dec. 8, Bryant was averaging 13.8 points and 6.3 assists in six games, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and averaging 29.5 minutes. Although his numbers have not been very Kobe-like, they were getting better over the past couple games. His shooting percentage was going up slightly, and he was committing less turnovers. Bryant was starting to get back into basketball shape after having missed training camp and being months without doing any basketball activity
In the game in which he was injured, Bryant tied his season high with 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Bryant also hit a deep 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win, which is remarkable because it appears as if he suffered the fracture in the third quarter.
The Lakers were 2-4 since the return of Bryant and 12-13 overall which puts them in 11th place in the tough Western Conference.
With no Kobe, Nash, and Farmar, the Lakers are in trouble. We will see what the Lakers will do within the next couple weeks.
The New York Yankees made the signing of outfielder Carlos Beltran official Thurday and introduced him on Friday morning at Yankee Stadium.
Beltran, 36, said during the press conference that he was happy to be back to the city where he once played for the crosstown rival New York Mets for seven years.
“Having the opportunity to come back again as a Yankee means a lot to me,” Beltran said. “I grew up being a Yankee fan. I grew up being a Bernie Williams fan. At one point [in 2005], I almost got a chance to sign with the Yankees, but it didn’t work out,” said Beltran during the press conference. Instead, he signed with the Mets. Although he had a few good years with the Mets, the marriage between the two was bumpy.
The Yankees and 8-time All Star Outfielder Beltran agreed to a three-year, $45 million dollar deal two weeks ago. The move was an immediate response to the departure of Robinson Cano, who signed with the Seattle Mariners for a whopping $240 million dollars over 10 years.
The Yankees also signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year. $153 million dollar deal. Ellsbury played for the Boston Red Sox last year.
This will be the sixth team that Beltran plays for during his 15 year career. With the St. Louis Cardinals last year, he hit .296 with 24 homers, 84 RBIs and had an OPS of .830, leading the team to the World Series and his first.
The switch-hitting Beltran not only brings his experience, and his power to the Bronx, but he also brings leadership and a strong veteran presence to a clubhouse that has lost legends Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte to retirement.
The addition also gives the Yankees and manager Joe Girardi a more versatile lineup to combat other teams with. Although Robinson Cano is no longer on the team, the additions of Beltran, Ellsbury, a healthy Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira, along with more pieces that are being added, the Yankees lineup will not have more depth but it will also have more speed toward the bottom and top.
Beltran has had issues with his knees over the past few years stemming back to his days with the New York Mets. The New York Yankees as a result will monitor him as he plays right field. They will also utilize him as a DH.