Al Jefferson Injury Update – Fantasy Impact
February 8, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Injuries, NBA News
Al Jefferson of the Minnesota Timberwolves had to leave the game against the New Orleans Hornets prematurely due to a knee injury. While Jefferson hasn’t gotten an x-ray or an MRI yet, the immediate reaction didn’t look good.
After the game, Jefferson said he felt a pop in his knee. If he has any type of serious injury, you can expect the T’Wolves to shut him down for the rest of the season, especially considering Jefferson is their franchise player.
If Jefferson is forced to miss time, the player who could benefit the most is Kevin Love. The rookie out of UCLA who started the season off slowly has played much better as of late. In January, Love averaged 12.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. In February, his numbers are even better. With Jefferson out, Love would have to play more minutes and get more touches.
Ryan Gomes should also see an increase of minutes at the power forward position if Jefferson is to miss action. Scorers such as Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and Mike Miller will also be seeing more touches. Craig Smith is out for another two weeks but he’ll see more minutes as well.
Hopefully, for Minnesota’s sake and the sake of fantasy basketball players around the world, Jefferson will be okay and won’t miss significant time.
