Mbah a Moute out
Luc Mbah a Moute will miss the first round of playoffs.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Rockets remained hopeful Luc Mbah a Moute’s injury Tuesday would be less severe than when he also dislocated his right shoulder in December. But after Wednesday’s MRI, he is expected to be out “at least” through the playoffs’ first round, a person with knowledge of his condition said.
“It’s about the same as last time,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We don’t know how it will respond. It will be a couple, three weeks I would think, at the earliest.”
Mbah a Moute dislocated the shoulder on a dunk in the first half. He had previously suffered that injury when he braced himself on a fall after a dunk, forcing him to miss 15 games over a month.
Mbah a Moute has played an average of 25.6 minutes per game this season, averaging 7.5 points on 48.1 percent shooting. He is considered an especially important player off the bench for his ability to defend well at a variety of positions, helping the Rockets employ their aggressive switching defensive style.
With the emergence of Gerald Green as a backup guard/small forward, Mbah a Moute was to play increasingly at power forward as a backup to P.J. Tucker. With Mbah a Moute out, the Rockets would have to either use Trevor Ariza more as a backup power forward, play Ryan Anderson or Joe Johnson at the position or use Tucker for extended minutes, which would limit his time at center in a small lineups.
“I hate to see that happen to Luc,” Green said. “I’m ready for whatever coach decides to do. He’s done a good job of trying to get guys rhythm.”
Anderson missed the final four games of the season with a sprained ankle, but he’s optimistic he would be ready for the start of the playoffs.
“That’s why we have depth,” D’Antoni said. “As the door closes for somebody, it opens for somebody else. That’s why we went and got Joe Johnson, we have Ryan coming back in here. We hate to lose Luc. I hate it for him. He’ll be back. We just have to hold on until he gets back.”
Paul gets feet wet as an owner
Guard Chris Paul’s primary motivation in buying a share of the Winston-Salem Dash, the minor league baseball team in his hometown, was to help serve his community and his own affection for WinstonSalem. But he also viewed it as a start.
Asked if team ownership could be his career choice after he retires from the NBA, Paul said his purchase into the Dash was part of the learning process.
“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Paul, who is a fixture on the other side of the labor-management relationship as president of the NBA Players Association, said. “Always learning. You have to figure it out, understand the business.”
The Dash is a Class A-Advance team in the Chicago White Sox organization that until 2010 played its games at Wake Forest, Paul’s alma mater.
“That’s my hometown,” Paul said. “I saw an opportunity I could come in and be a minority owner. I was excited. Home is always going to be home. To be a part of that, I’m excited.”
Jackson in, Quarterman out
The Rockets made their third roster move of the final three weeks of the season, signing Aaron Jackson, a 31-year-old guard who had played in the China Basketball Association and in Russia, and releasing Tim Quarterman.
The Rockets had previously signed Le’Bryan Nash to a 10-day contract on March 23, though he never joined the team. They released Nash a week later to sign Quarterman, who played in three games.