All-Star
forward David
Lee of
the Warriors is out for the season after tearing his right hip flexor
during Golden State's 97-95 loss to Denver in Game 1 of their opening
playoff series.
"Unfortunate,
especially for a guy that's worked so hard and put himself in
position and put us in the position that we're in today. ... But the
task is still at hand so we move forward," coach Mark Jackson
said.
An
MRI revealed the injury.
"I
knew last night when I did it," Lee said before the Warriors'
practice Sunday. "I felt it pop. So I knew we were going to get
the results we did this morning. I went to run back on defense and
had absolutely no sensation in my leg. It wasn't even painful as much
as it was just [numb]."
Lee
said doctors told him he likely won't need surgery, just a couple of
months of rest and rehab. He said he hopes to be 100 percent by
midsummer and come back stronger in camp.
The
injury leaves the Warriors without a key producer down low. Lee led
the NBA in double-doubles with 56 this season. He averaged 18.5
points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
"We
can't replace him, and we know that," Jackson said. "And
that's the thing we have to know right away. He's an All-Star power
forward who's had an incredible year. But we have some guys on our
bench that can do some things to cover up his absence. But we cannot
replace David Lee."
Carl
Landry stands
to get the bulk of Lee's minutes with Draymond Green, Andris Biedrins and FestusEzeli also
in the rotation. Jackson might also go with a guard-heavy lineup at
times.
Lee
banged into JaValeMcGee on
a drive in the fourth quarter Saturday and winced as he landed on his
right hip. After gathering himself, he shot both free throws, then
struggled to run down the court and needed assistance as he made his
way to the bench.
"No
dirty play or anything like that," Lee said. "I went up and
when I landed, my foot caught, my weight kept all going forward and
put all the pressure on that hip area. And I've been dealing with a
sore back ... for the last week and a half, two weeks. And whether
overcompensating for that had anything to do with it, I don't know."
Lee
finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds in his first playoff game in
eight NBA seasons.
"I've
waited for eight years for this and to have it come to such an abrupt
end with something that's out of my control is frustrating," Lee
said. "But at the end of the day, our team has still got a good
chance I think in this series and I'm going to put all my effort
toward that."
Game
2 is Tuesday night in Denver, and Lee will be there for his
teammates.
"It's
easy to kind of sit here and worry about yourself, but I've been a
leader all year long and I'm going to continue to be one and guys
need to see me be positive right now, and I'm going to do my best to
be that guy," he said.
Being
a cheerleader or a coach, though, will be hard for him.
"I
know it's really going to set in on Tuesday when we go out there and
I'm not ready to play," Lee said.
Even
the Nuggets understand what a loss it is for Golden State.
"When
I saw him go down, I saw how it happened and I was like, 'I hope he
didn't tear it,'" the Nuggets' Kenneth Faried said.
"You saw his leg went down. It wasn't a hard foul, he just lost
his foot in the air.
"You
see anybody go down like that, it's terrible. It hurts to see a
player of that caliber go down. I hope he make a full recovery. I
hope he's alright."
Source:
espn
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