injury news:
Jazz point guard Carlos Arroyo sprained his left ankle late in the first quarter of Thursday's exhibition game against the Knicks, the Associated Press reported. He did not return.
Nets center Alonzo Mourning returned to the court on Thursday for the first time since undergoing a kidney transplant on December 19, 2003. He scored 12 points over 19 minutes. Mourning also registered five rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. "I count my blessings every day and I realize how fortunate I am," he told the Associated Press. Head coach Lawrence Frank added, "Barring injury, we'll see a guy who's going to be very, very effective, but it is going to take time. Just because he's playing tonight doesn't throw out the fact of what we've been saying from Day 1, it's going to be baby steps."
Rockets center Yao Ming hyperextended his left elbow in Wednesday's preseason game against the Spurs and underwent an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury. Ming did play 25 minutes, much of them after sustaining the injury, scoring 13 points, hauling in 11 boards, and blocking three shots. After the game, Yao told the Houston Chronicle that he heard a crunch while getting his arms locked with Spurs center Rasho Nesterovic and that he was "scared."
Jerry Stackhouse will not be on the court for the start of the Mavericks' season, and could miss more than just one game. The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the guard will be sidelined with a right thigh contusion, an injury that occurred on October 17 in a preseason game with the Magic. Stackhouse will have a second MRI next week and will know more about a possible return date after learning the results.
Nets guard/forward Ron Mercer has been bothered by swelling and soreness in his left knee since the start of training camp, he admitted on Wednesday. "The only thing that bothers me is the swelling hasn't gone down. We've been doing a little bit of everything to try to prevent it," Mercer told the New York Post. "At times, it's good, [but] the more and more we practice a long time, the more it comes back and it doesn't go down...As far as jumping, it (affects me). I can't dunk, I just slap boards now, on layups."
Heat forward Udonis Haslem did not play on Wednesday due to a bruised left foot. He suffered the injury on Friday and has been day-to-day ever since. Malik Allen started in his place.
Nets point guard Jason Kidd has been cleared to start on-court running. He underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee on July 1, and his surgeon, Dr. Robert Altchek, evaluated his progress on Wednesday. Kidd will begin his next phase of rehab on Monday, the New York Daily News reported. He still has no timetable for his return. "It all depends on if we have any bumps in the road," Kidd said. "We haven't had any bumps in the road up to this point. Now that this is serious - we are out of the pool and now it is running and doing basketball stuff - we'll see how the knee responds. We'll find out what happens."
Bucks forward Keith Van Horn and guard/forward Desmond Mason both missed Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves due to illnesses. Van Horn became ill shortly before the contest, and Mason didn't even travel with the club. Both players are day-to-day.
Bulls forward Tyson Chandler bruised his right hip in Wednesday's game against the Pacers. He is day-to-day and told the Chicago Tribune that he would not miss the opener.
Celtics guard Gary Payton is day-to-day due to a fractured right thumb. The Boston Globe reported that X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture. "I'm just going to take it one day at a time," Payton said. "We'll just keep treating and hopefully it will get better. I don't want people to think that something's wrong with my hand and then go after it in a basketball game. It will heal the way it should heal. The pain has gone away." Head coach Doc Rivers added, "The way it was explained to me, they said they didn't think it would hinder his play at all. We'll see. Can he practice this week? We don't know that yet."
Backup Pacers point guard Anthony Johnson broke his hand in Tuesday's preseason game against the Grizzlies and will miss the next six-to-eight weeks, according to the Associated Press.
Shooting guard Kerry Kittles, acquired in an offseason trade to replace free agent Quentin Richardson, has told teammates not to expect him to return to action until Thanksgiving, the Los Angeles Times reports. Kittle has not practiced since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in June.