The losses just keep on coming for the Los Angeles Clippers.
That is, the personnel losses.
The Clippers actually won a game on Monday, taking down the streaking Toronto Raptors in what represented Milos Teodosic’s first dose of NBA action in almost two months following a bout fasciitis. But, just as the Clippers were welcoming back their craftiest passer, they bade farewell, once again, to Danilo Gallinari.
Two games into his return from a glute injury, Gallinari has suffered a another, separate glute injury that head coach Doc Rivers will expect to sideline him for a little while, per ESPN.com’s Lawrence Murray:
Power forward Danilo Gallinari, who missed 13 games with a glute injury and returned to action this past Wednesday, will miss Monday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors due to what coach Doc Rivers says is a new glute injury suffered in Gallinari’s second game back Saturday against the Washington Wizards.
“He’s out for probably a good couple of games,” said Rivers, who is already without opening night starters power forward Blake Griffin due to a left MCL sprain and point guard Patrick Beverley, who is out for the season after undergoing right knee surgery.
“I guess he took a pretty hard fall in the fourth quarter,” Rivers added of Gallinari. “I honestly never saw it, then I got a call after the game about it, and then you go and look, and it was a pretty good fall.”
I mean, at this point, whatever. The Clippers are so battered and bruised it doesn’t even matter. Patrick Beverley is done for the season following surgery to repair a microfracture and torn meniscus in his right knee. (Or is he?) Blake Griffin, meanwhile, probably won’t be back until sometime in February while recovering from a sprained left MCL.
Somehow, amid all these injuries, the Clippers must figure out what do with DeAndre Jordan, the hottest name in trade rumors these days. They won’t be able to get an adequate sample with a mostly healthy unit before February’s deadline, but his chemistry with Teodosic, a quality pick-and-roll orchestrator, should clue them in to whether they have a viable shot at salvaging this season once Griffin and Gallinari are healthy.
