Wizards center Ian Mahinmi could return to practice on a limited basis next week, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. Mahinmi underwent left knee surgery on October 15th to repair cartilage. The initial recovery period for his return to action was 4-6 weeks, according to Michael. The former Pacers big man signed a four-year, $64MM contract with Washington over the summer despite the presence of Marcin Gortat.
In other injury-related news around the league:
- Sixers big man Nerlens Noel could return to Philadelphia this week to continue his rehabilitation from a left knee injury, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Noel underwent surgery during training camp to repair inflamed tissue above the knee after appearing in just one preseason game.
- Knicks forward Lance Thomas has a bone bruise in his left ankle and is out indefinitely, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Thomas has played in eight games off the bench, averaging 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes. Justin Holiday will likely pick up most of his minutes.
- Bulls small forward Doug McDermott could miss the team’s entire six-game road trip because of a concussion, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. McDermott entered the concussion protocol for the second time this season after a hard fall on Saturday. McDermott has appeared in nine games this season, averaging 10.6 points. Nikola Mirotic will need to be a bigger factor with McDermott sidelined.
- Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli is receiving another medical opinion on his left knee injury, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. The former Warriors reserve, who signed a two-year, $16MM contract to join Portland, hasn’t appeared in a game this season since undergoing a knee procedure this summer.
- Jazz power forward Derrick Favors will be sidelined “for a while,” coach Quin Snyder told Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Favors was diagnosed with a bone contusion in his left knee on Wednesday. Trey Lyles will likely take Favors’ starting spot while he mends.