Thabeet was injured during the first half of Tuesday night’s game when his jaw collided with teammate Zach Randolph’s head. The 22-year-old Thabeet had just entered the game a minute prior to the collision. The 7-foot-3 center out of UConn was the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

Image: Zuma Press

So far this young season, Thabeet has averaged 6.8 minutes per game and tallied six total blocks in six contests. Memphis was 1-6 entering Tuesday night’s game — last in the Southwest Division.  At this time, it’s not known how much time Thabeet will miss.  Some players have been able to come back from a broken jaw after a couple weeks, playing with their jaw wired shut.

Post from: EveryJoe

Rookie Thabeet Breaks Jaw

Here are the five most devastating NBA injuries that could have an impact on the 2009 NBA championship:

5. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets
It’s a bad sign when a team trades for you without giving up much of anything and then they rescind the trade due to health reasons. That’s exactly what happened to Chandler after being traded to the Thunder. If Chandler doesn’t get healthy, the Hornets have no championship shot.

4. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Stoudemire would be higher on this list of the Suns were a true championship contender. His injured eye will likely keep him out for the rest of the season, which will make it tough for Phoenix to make the 2009 NBA playoffs.

3. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Coming off of offseason ankle surgery, Ginobili now is facing a stress reaction in his other ankle. If Ginobili can’t return to the Spurs at 100%, their championship hopes go down the drain. The good news for San Antonio is that he should be able to return in a few weeks.

2. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Although Bynum’s torn MCL isn’t as bad as the injury he had last season, Lakers fans won’t be able to breath again until they see him back on the court. Last season Bynum was expected to be back in plenty of time for the playoffs … yet never returned.

1. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Garnett is dealing with a knee strain that will keep him out two to three weeks. If Garnett doesn’t get fully healthy prior to his return, he could re-injure his knee. For the Celtics to win back-to-back championships, Boston definitely needs Garnett leading the way.

Post from: EveryJoe

Five Most Devastating NBA Injuries in 2009

Yao suffered a stress fracture in his foot. I’m guessing feet aren’t really made to prop up 7-foot-6 human beings who run for a living. Hopefully Yao will bounce back.

Perhaps the craziest news regarding the Yao injury is the self-proclaimed stat guru that is John Hollinger over at ESPN saying that the Rockets will still make the playoffs.

Said Hollinger: “With a three-game lead and less than two months to play, Houston should be a playoff team, even without Yao.”

Uh, what. He thinks a three-game lead will hold up for the Rockets without Yao over the course of two months? What is he smoking? The Rockets are in the seventh seed and they have the Warriors and the Nuggets right on their heels.

The Warriors and Nuggets are quality teams who will likely get even better as the season goes on. The Rockets? Not so much.

Post from: EveryJoe

Yao Done, Hollinger is Crazy