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Well then. Rasheed Wallace has been out for two months with a stress injury in his left foot. Folks have suspected all along that Sheed's injury might be something more grave like a fracture-- or at least might turn into something like that-- and, well, here we are:
Knicks say Wallace has a "Jones fracture" to his right foot that requires surgery that should keep him out eight weeks.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) February 27, 2013
Update on Rasheed Wallace - X-rays showed progression to a fractured R 5th metatarsal. Surgery this week, recovery approximately 8 weeks.
— Jonah Ballow (@jonahballow) February 27, 2013
Things:
1. The Knicks have since corrected it to the left foot. It was the left foot along. It would have been weird for the right foot to fracture, albeit kinda funny, especially if you imagine that the Knicks had been treating the wrong foot the whole time.
2. Eight weeks is the rest of the regular season, pretty much, and I just don't see Sheed making the speediest recovery possible. My guess is we've seen the last of Wallace in a Knicks uniform.
3. This is what a Jones fracture is. It's named after Bridget Jones, probably.
4. This sucks, because Wallace proved in limited minutes that he could make an important impact on defense. Perhaps coincidentally, the Knicks played quite well when he participated.
5. Ergo Kenyon Martin.
6. Marcus Camby is on his way back from plantar fasciitis, too. They need to be sooooo careful with him.
It remains to be seen whether the Knicks will cut their losses/Sheed and try to find an additional healthy body beyond Kenyon Martin, or whether they'll wait the recovery out in hopes of hustling him back for the playoffs. The latter strikes me as foolhardy. Maybe they value Sheed's locker room presence enough that they'll keep him with the team. He doesn't necessarily have to wear a uniform to hang around (see Davis, Baron), so we'll see about that. I hope they waive him and add another player, even if it's not a big man.
Buns. Thanks for the memories, Sheed.
Update: Nate Taylor reports the Knicks intend to keep Wallace on the roster. If that's the case, I think it's unwise. Sheed was nominally "healthy" when he signed and still took weeks to get on the floor. I have trouble believing he'll be able to make a full recovery within those two months. That's part of being 38.