NBA recap week 3: Former Wildcat Azubuike goes down to injury, out 3-5 months

by Andrew Hardison

Kelenna Azubuike (Warriors)-13.3 PTS, 4.6 REB, 1.0 BLK

The biggest news in regards to our former Kentucky Wildcats basketball stars was that Warriors forward Kelenna Azubuike was injured during Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The injury is extremely severe with reports saying Azubuike injured his left patellar tendon which could sideline him anywhere from 3-5 months. It’s a tough break for a player whose game was really shining through at the early junction of this long NBA season. What hurts even more is the fact that Azubuike had cracked the Warriors starting lineup and would supplant other players on his team of that distinction. He has been putting up solid numbers recently; a 31 point outburst coming last week, only to find the majority of his time on the bench once more. Azubuike is one of the toughest players out there, making his way from NBDL superstar to a formidable slashing forward for the Warriors. His career is in no way, shape, or form anywhere from being over but instead of taking one step forward, Azubuike is now taking two steps back. His career in the NBA is in no way over. He’ll recover from the injury and get back to playing, but for such a promising young star it was tough to watch one of the strongest players I’ve ever seen go down like that last night. Best of luck to Azubuike moving forward.

Rajon Rondo (Celtics)-10.3 PTS, 8.7 AST, 3.5 REB, 2.7 STL

Rondo has set himself up quite nicely having been drafted by the Boston Celtics three years ago. The Celtics have lost two-straight games to the Hawks and Pacers, but Rondo has been able to pace Boston all-season long. Rondo stands to be one of the best guard defenders in the league by averaging 2.7 steals/game topping his career average of 1.7. Rondo’s assist totals have taken a drop considerably since the beginning over the season when he was only behind Steve Nash in terms of assists/game, but is still fourth in league with 8.7 per/game. The importance of Rondo to the Celtics cannot be understated. He runs the offense, sets up teammates for better looks, and sticks to his defender like white on rice. With two straight losses under their belts, Rondo might have to do that much more for the Celtics to continue their push towards a second NBA Championship in three years. Game of the week: 14 PTS, 11 AST, 2 STL in (105-86) blowout win over the Utah Jazz.

Chuck Hayes (Rockets)-6.6 PTS, 6.7 REB, 0.8 BLK

Hayes has been a serviceable replacement for Yao Ming at the Rockets center position. He won’t score a ton, won’t grab 10-12 rebounds a game, and won’t block a lot of shots. That’s not the worry for the Rockets however, as they position Hayes to improve on his intangibles. With Hayes being undersized for his position, he must do that much more to outwork the bigger low-post players of the NBA. You won’t find too many players stronger than Hayes, so there aren’t a lot of guys out there who are going to push him around. The catch for the Rockets with having Yao out due to injury is that forwards Carl Landry and Luis Scola have been picking up a lot of the slack. In his last five games, Landry is averaging 16.4 pts/game with Scola averaging 17.8 pts/game to along with 10.2 reb/game. With numbers like those, you can figure Hayes’ role to focus on the defensive side of the ball and keeping the opponents top post-players under wraps. Game of the week: 6 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK in blowout win over Memphis (104-79).

Jodie Meeks (Bucks)-7.0 PTS, 2.8 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.6 STL

Meeks has kindly been lost in the shuffle of the Bucks rotation since his 19 point outburst against the New York Knicks. He hasn’t gotten as many minutes; 14.5/game, so the production hasn’t been there either. Fellow teammates Carlos Delfino, Luc Ridnour, and Charlie Bell are also eating into Meeks’ minutes at the guard position. The rookie however has taken everything in stride and is still learning the NBA game. Meeks isn’t as good as rookie and fellow teammate Brandon Jennings, but Meeks also didn’t play overseas for a year. Instead, he will learn by experience and from veterans throughout the season. Meeks stands to help the Bucks mostly with his shooting. He’s got solid NBA range from deep and has a good mid-range game that can get him points and opportunities at some free-throws. Meeks might do best to focus on the defensive side of the game, with the Bucks having a lot of scoring options to choose from. The rookie will get sporadic playing time at best unless more injuries are to occur to the Bucks at the shooting guard position. Game of the week: 8 PTS, 4 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL in (129-125) win over the Warriors.

Keith Bogans (Spurs)-4.4 PTS, 1.3 REB, 0.7 AST

Bogans appears to fill in as Bruce Bowen’s replacement since Bowen was traded this off-season to the Milwaukee Bucks. His minutes have varied game by game, seeing only 17 minutes in some and then 30+ minutes in the other. A more consistent playing rotation may keep Bogans more comfortable and stable as the season goes on. He can put up the points as seen during a win over Dallas in which he scored 13 points in 34 minutes of play. Bogans is an average three-point shooter which should help the Spurs drastically if he’s to get ample playing time. Expect Bogans’ totals to hover around these numbers for the entirety of the season unless someone like Manu Ginobili or Richard Jefferson goes down to injury. At (4-4), the Spurs need a spark from somewhere and Bogans may just fit that bill coming off the bench. Game of the week: 13 PTS, 3 REB, 3-6 from 3-point in (92-83) over the Dallas Mavericks.

Tayshaun Prince (Pistons)-12.3 PTS, 5.0 REB, 2.3 AST
The early season hasn’t brought many meaningful minutes for Prince and the Pistons. He’s missed the past six games and hasn’t accompanied his teammates on any of the team’s travels. Prince has had a solid career that has lasted seven years. Injuries are going to become a larger impact on the rest of his playing years and may keep him out for longer periods of time. This looks like one of those, with back injuries essentially immobilizing you on the basketball court. Even sleeping becomes difficult with many players choosing to sleep on a floor rather than a luxurious hotel bed. Newly acquired Charlie Villanueva has stepped in tremendously for Prince, so his absence isn’t as drastic as many would have thought. Prince won’t be back any time soon which is tough for one of the NBA’s most durable players.

Nazr Mohammed (Bobcats)-5.0 PTS, 3.8 REB, 1.1 BLK
Mohammed has been a pleasant surprise for the Charlotte Bobcats who have used his services in the back-up department. Starting center Tyson Chandler hasn’t been playing well as of late, which allows Mohammed
to step in give some solid minutes. The Bobcats aren’t very good so anything positive from Nazr is good for the team. His minutes have increased the three games most likely due to Charlotte losing four straight games. Larry Brown is looking for anyone to go in and step it up. Mohammed fits the bill and should continue to see 15-20 minutes a game. Game of the week: 32 min., 10-13 FG%, 3 BLK, 13 REB, 24 PTS (vs. Orl, @Det).

Jamaal Magloire (Heat)-
Magloire hadn’t seen any action for four straight games, until Saturday night when he got five minutes of playing time in an 81-80 victory over the New Jersey Nets. There haven’t been any signs that Magloire has anything left in his tank and at 31 years of age, is on the back end of his career. Teammates Joel Anthony gets most of the minutes as the back up to starter Jermaine O’Neal, so Magloire doesn’t get a lot of opportunities. Game of the week: 5 min., 1 TO, 1 REB in a win over the Nets.

Randolph Morris (Hawks)-1.8 PTS, 1.2 REB

Morris is still learning the ropes in the NBA landscape even though he’s been in the league for three seasons. One of those was with the Knicks so that probably was a deterrent rather than a boost for his early career. Having been picked up by the Hawks, Morris has been able to learn from fellow teammates Al Horford, Zaza Puchulia, and Jason Collins. He won’t play a lot but when he does he can produce for the Hawks. Morris saw some mop up time in a victory over the Hornets on Saturday night. Rewind back to his last year in college and realize that Morris played at an All-American level before leaving for the NBA. If Morris can get quality minutes he might be able to do a little bit more than many expected. Game of the week: 4 MIN, 6 PTS, 2 REB in a 121-98 win over the Hornets.

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