The last team any team wants to deal with is an injury to one of their top players, but the Golden State Warriors are going to have to find a way to fill the void created by the injury to Stephen Curry. Curry will miss at least two weeks with a sprained ankle. An MRI was done on the ankle and there was no structural damage. After the two week time frame Curry’s ankle will be re-evaluated. There where also X-rays taken after the game which where negative, but Curry left the arena in a walking boot and using crutches.
The injury occurred in the final minute of Golden State’s 125-115 road win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. As Curry was going for a steal on Pelicans guard E’Twaun Moore he stepped on Moore’s foot and turned the ankle.
Golden State is currently 19-6 and just a 1/2 a game behind the Houston Rockets for the best record in the Western Conference.
Golden State didn’t announce who would step into the starting line up in place of Curry, but you’d have to expect that Shaun Livingston would be that guy. Livingston has played in 22 of the Warriors 25 games this season and has made one start. He’s averaging 4.7 points and 2 assists per game while playing just over 15 minutes per game. There should also be an increase in playing time for guards Nick Young and Patrick McCaw. Young and McCaw have been playing about 13 minutes a game this season.
Filling Curry’s minutes won’t be the problem for Golden State. What’s going to be a bigger issue for them is making up the 26.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.74 steals per game that Curry has given them this season.
If Curry is out just the two weeks that have been mentioned he’ll miss games against the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trailblazers, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. He would return on December 20th at home against the Memphis Grizzlies.
That of course would be the best case scenario for Curry’s return, but there’s no rush at all for Golden State to bring them back. It’s still very early in the season and the worst thing that could happen is they don’t get the #1 playoff seed in the Western Conference. Of course the Warriors don’t need home court advantage through the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals or win the NBA title.
The NFL handed out three one game suspensions after Week 13.
The first suspension was given to New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski for his late hit on Tre’Davious White in New England’s game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. White was laying face down on the ground after making an interception when Gronkowski jumped on him driving his elbow and forearm into White’s head and neck area.
Gronkowski was penalized on the play but not ejected from the game. While White was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
The other two suspensions came after the Pittsburgh Steelers/Cincinnati Bengals Monday night game.
Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster was given a one game suspension for his block on Vontaze Burfict. It was ruled that Burfict was in a defenseless posture was laid out by Smith-Schuster and had to be carted off the field. Smith-Schuster stood over Burfict as he lay motionless on the field.
The other suspension from the Monday night game was given to Bengals safety George Iloka. Iloka received his suspension for his hit on Steelers wide receiver Antoine Brown on Brown’s game tying touchdown reception. It was ruled that Brown was in a defenseless position when Iloka hit him. Even after the big hit by Iloka, Brown some how held onto the football.
Both Gronkowski and Smith-Schuster have had there hearings and their suspensions where upheld. Iloka did have his hearing on Tuesday evening and the verdict from that hearing isn’t expected to be announced until some time today.
As we’re waiting for the baseball winter meetings to get started and some of the bigger names to sign as free agents or get moved in a trade there have been some minor moves by teams.
A signing that a lot of people thought could be big had the St. Louis Cardinals signing Miles Mikolas to a two year $15.5 million dollar deal. Mikolas has pitched 37 games in the major leagues; starting 10 of them, but hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2014. For the last three seasons Mikolas has been pitching for the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Central League. Mikolas made 62 starts going 31-13 over 424 2/3rd innings with an E.R.A. of 2.19. His numbers playing in Japan where much better than the numbers he posted in his first major league stint. Mikolas was 4-6 with an E.R.A. of 5.32 over 91 1/3rd innings in those three major league seasons.
Mikolas is being added into the starting rotation mix for the Cardinals, but we’ll have to see if the improvement he made playing in Japan will carry over to St. Louis next season.
The Texas Rangers also came to an agreement with a pitcher. The Rangers signed pitcher Mike Minor to a contract, but he has to be able to pass a physical before the deal becomes official. There where no contract terms announced between the Rangers and Minor, but reports are his contract will be 4 year and $28 million dollars of he passes that physical.
Minor missed both the 2015 and 2016 seasons because of arm and shoulder injuries, He returned last season with the Kansas City Royals and had success out of their bullpen. Minor pitched in 65 games for Kansas City last season. Minor was 6-6 with an E.R.A. of 2.55 while picking up 6 saves.
Before last season Minor was a starter. In 5 seasons with the Atlanta Braves Minor made 110 starts. He was 38-36 as a starter with an E.R.A. of 4.10. He made 30 or more starts twice for the Braves and had one complete game in those 110 starts.
Interestingly the Rangers would like to use Minor as a starter again, but as part of a six man rotation. While no team has officially went to a six man rotation for an entire season it appears as though this is the way baseball is headed.
Would you like to see teams go to a six man starting rotation?
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