How did LeBron get injured?

By dunking it too hard. Yeah, the Average Joe isn’t going to shed a tear.

Explained LeBron: “I hit it pretty bad on the rim. It’s like you hit your funny bone, but it’s not funny at all.”

LeBron finished the game with 34 points, nine assists, two rebounds, two steals and six turnovers. He didn’t get much help on the night. Shaquille O’Neal missed the game due to an injured shoulder and none of the other Cavs scored more than ten points.

The Wizards, on the other hand, had a lot of players step up. Antawn Jamison, who was playing in his first game of the season, scored 31 points and ripped down ten rebounds. Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas had 19 and 18 points, respectively.

The win dropped the Cavs to 8-4, while the Wizards improved to 3-7 with the win.

LeBron James got injured on a dunk. Poor LeBron (Image: Zuma Press)

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LeBron James Injury Update on Dunk Mishap

Going up against the Washington Wizards, Hansbrough had 13 points and five rebounds. He was 3-for-7 from the field and 7-for-10 at the line. The Pacers ended up blowing out the Pacers 102-86.

The Pacers were led by Danny Granger’s 22 points, six rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks. TJ Ford and Dahntay Jones had 18 points for Indiana.

Caron Butler had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards. Gilbert Arenas had 13 points and five assists.

Hansbrough has been bothered by injuries for most of the last few months. However, now that he’s healthy, expect him to get consistent playing time. It’ll be interesting to see if he can translate his success in college to the NBA.

Tyler Hansbrough made his Pacers debut (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tyler Hansbrough Impressive in Debut

The Wizards, who have battled injury woes the last few years, were expected to be one of the most improved teams in the NBA. Without Jamison, that will be much more difficult. They’ll need to keep their boat above water while he’s out to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Last season, Jamison had one of the best seasons of his career. In 81 games, the 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, 35.1% from three-point land and 75.4% at the line.

Along with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Bulter, Jamison is part of Washington’s Big Three. With Jamison on the sidelines, the Wizards will need production from others such as newcomers Randy Foye and Mile Miller.

Antawn Jamison - Washington Wizards (Image: Zuma Press)

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Antawn Jamison Injury Update – Shoulder

Late in the offseason, Arenas injured his middle finger — later diagnosed as a dislocation. This week during Wizards training camp, he aggravated the finger injury. As a result, he was forced to sit out scrimmages.

The good news is that the Wizards believe Arenas should be back on the court soon. Additionally, all reports indicate that the 27-year-old appears to be healthy on his surgically repaired knee.

Washington and Arenas hope that this is the year the former All-Star returns to an elite level. During the 2005-06 season, Arenas averaged 29.3 points per game. The next year, he averaged 28.4 points. Last season, in only two games, Arenas averaged only 13.0 points per contest.

Gilbert Arenas Injury Update (Image: Zuma Press)

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Gilbert Arenas Injury Update – Finger

Sam Cassell Retires - Assistant Coach Washington Wizards (Image: Zuma Press)

On Thursday, Cassell retired from the NBA and took a job with the Washington Wizards to become an assistant coach. The Wizards also hired Randy Wittman on Thursday as an assistant coach. Both Cassell and Wittman will be on new head coach Flip Saunders staff.

Over the years, Cassell has made no secret of his ambition to eventually be a head coach in the NBA. This opportunity with Washington is a good first step.

During his playing days, Cassell won three NBA championships — two with the Houston Rockets and his third last year with the Boston Celtics. He also played for the Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets, Milwuakee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 993 career games, Cassell averaged 15.7 points, 6.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest.

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Sam Cassell Retires, Joins Wizards Staff

Flip Saunders, Washington Wizards (Image: Newscom)

Saunders will reportedly sign a deal that will pay him an estimated $18 million over the next four years. Expect the hiring to become official shortly after the season comes to an end on Wednesday. Currently, the Wizards are being coached by Ed Tapscott. Tapscott will likely return to his position within Washington’s front office.

The Wizards and Saunders have been linked for many months. With Washington equipped with a veteran roster, the team is obviously in a win-now mode. Saunders has a long track record of helping his teams put victories on the board.

Beginning his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Saunders eventually moved on to coach the Detroit Pistons. Over a span of 13 season, Saunders was able to advance to the conference finals four different times. All told, he has a 587-396 career record.

The Wizards currently have a record of 19-61 — the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

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Flip Saunders is the New Coach for Wizards

Gilbert Arenas Returns to Wizards (Image: Newscom)

Not surprisingly, the 17-57 Wizards lost the game. However, the return of Arenas gave the team a chance. With the Detroit Pistons up by two points with under ten seconds to go in the contest, Arenas lined up a three-pointer for the win. A triumphant return wasn’t meant to be as ex-Wizards number one overall draft pick Kwame Brown blocked the attempt to secure a 98-96 victory for the Pistons.

Late in the 2006-07 season, Arenas suffered a knee injury that has since derailed his career. He only played 13 games last season and had missed the entire season this year after requiring additional surgery over the summer.

Arenas’ best year came in the 2005-06 season. The former Arizona Wildcat averaged 29.3 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 assists in 42.3 minutes per game.

While the Wizards don’t have much to play for this year, a successful end to their 2009 campaign could give the team momentum heading into next season.

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Gilbert Arenas Returns for the Wizards

Memphis Grizzlies
After the collusion trade that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers, the Grizzlies have gone from a team who had playoff hopes to a team that is a few years away from threatening .500. The Grizz have good young talent but they are more like a really good college team rather than an NBA team.

Washington Wizards
The Wizards fired Eddie Jordan after he helped them become a year-in and year-out challenger for the playoffs. Now Gilbert Arenas is talking about how last place isn’t that bad. The playoffs are and will be a distant memory for the Wizards for quite a while.

Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers were respectable for a few years but now they are back to being the Clippers. The biggest joke in the history of the NBA is back to being a sorry excuse for a basketball team. Not only are they are bad, they are old and bad. That is the worst combination is sports.

Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are proving that there just might be basketball gods. After stealing the franchise away from the city of Seattle, the Thunder have been horrible. Karma seems to be doing a number of Oklahoma City’s new basketball team. And I can’t say I feel sorry for them.

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Five Worst Teams in the NBA in 2008

According to a report out of Washington, the tattoo says “Change We Believe In” and is spread across the four fingers on his left hand. He also had the number 44 added to his pinkie, apparently to honor the fact that Obama will become the 44th President of the United States.

There’s no word if Arenas has finished with his Obama-related tattoos or if this was just a beginning. Perhaps on his right hand he can put the phrase “Yes We Can”. On his arm, maybe Arenas can keep a running log concerning each and every bill Obama signs as president. And obviously, he’ll have to tattoo the word “hope” somewhere on his body.

Arenas should eventually return to the basketball court. Some people think he’ll be back at the beginning of December. Other think it could be 2009 before we get to see the Washington Wizard star guard in action.

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Gilbert Arenas – Barack Obama Tattoo