Injury Watch: Updates on Lebron, KG, Perk

Posted by Brian Robb on May 6, 2010 796013 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F05%2F06%2Finjury-watch-updates-on-lebron-kg-perk%2FInjury+Watch%3A+Updates+on+Lebron%2C+KG%2C+Perk2010-05-06+18%3A13%3A03Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D7960

Three day breaks in between playoff games allow for plenty of storylines to develop and with that in mind, let’s take a quick look at all the injury updates, starting with Lebron.

First, we have a report from our TrueHoop friends over at Ball In Europe telling us, that they have a source telling them Lebron’s injury is much worse than believed:

The bombshell: A source close to the Cleveland Cavaliers who wished to remain anonymous has admitted that LeBron James should not playing with his injury in its current state. Apparently, the damage is enough that the right arm of King James – perhaps that should be “King Richard III” for the nonce – is having great difficulty in carrying anything heavier than a basketball.

The extent of the injury has been thus far been publicly diagnosed as “sprained elbow and bone bruise,” but with MRIs aplenty, a left-handed free throw attempt, and a 24-hour disappearing act in the very recent future, the tension builds over the MVP’s physical ability to play. Even after a “sudued” 41-minute, game-high 24-point performance.

The guys over at BIE stand pretty strong behind the report, so take it for what it’s worth. With that being said, Brian Windhorst, the best Cavs beat guy out there, confirms that the Cavs have shelved plans for another MRI on the elbow, via his twitter account earlier this afternoon. What that lack of an MRI means exactly, I have no idea, all I can say is I can’t wait for game 3 to come so some of this speculation can end.

Meanwhile, good news on the C’s injury front, after the jump

Our buddy over at ESPNBoston.com Chris Forsberg, reports positive developments from C’s practice today in Waltham, via his twitter account A quick summary:

* KG’s swelling on his foot/ankle, has gone down considerably since yesterday.

* Both Perk and KG practiced with the team.

* Doc Rivers was much more upbeat about both, compared to yesterday’s practice.

Did I say I hate three day layoffs? I’m going to have to retract that one.

A couple more items to consider here. First, Perk dealing with an hyperextension on the same knee that he has been fighting tendinitis on for much of the past three months. Well timed rest, and controlled minutes over the final month of the season worked well to maximize Perk’s effectivness thus far these playoffs, providing lifts in both his rebounding (8.3 per game) and block (2 per game) averages from the regular season.

Perk has also done well to fight off his traveling and dribbling demons during this series thus far, going up without hesitation around the basket repeatedly, while shooting a splendid 69 percent from the field. A lot has been made about how the C’s are a different team with Rondo becoming a force offensively, but the value of Perk’s offensive contributions can not be undervalued in figuring why the C’s have dominated the Cavs for six of the first eight quarters in this series.

As far as KG goes, the fact that Doc allowed him to practice shows just how positive he must be feeling about his condition. This team has been incredibly cautious, and rightfully so with the 34 year old power forward all year long, so to get him back on the court today is huge.

Check back for any further developments here at CH as today continues.