This article is part of our NBA Injury Analysis series.
Chris Paul
The All-Star point guard has missed two straight games and appears likely to sit for a third Monday as he nurses a rib injury.
The rib cage consists of 24 ribs (12 on each side), the sternum (better known as the breastbone), the thoracic vertebrae of the spine and a specialized type of connective tissue known as costal cartilage. The costal cartilage connects the 12 pairs of ribs to the sternum though the manner in which this occurs varies.
The costal cartilage of the first seven rib pairs attach directly to the manubrium and body of the sternum. Rib pairs eight through 10 are referred to as the false ribs and attach to the costal cartilage of the ribs directly above them. The final two rib pairs do no attach to the sternum but have associated cartilage in the area and remain connected to the spine.
Paul's injury occurred to the costal cartilage of an undisclosed rib and is being called inflamed rib cartilage. Rib injuries like this one often result in sharp pain with movement, particularly while breathing and trunk movement. As a result, they are difficult to play with and easily irritated.
Chostochondral injuries occur frequently in the NFL though they are less common in the NBA. However, a few players have experienced rib cartilage injuries in recent memory, including point guard Deron Williams, who missed 11 games last season after breaking the cartilage of the 12th rib on his left side. Paul's injury does
Chris Paul
The All-Star point guard has missed two straight games and appears likely to sit for a third Monday as he nurses a rib injury.
The rib cage consists of 24 ribs (12 on each side), the sternum (better known as the breastbone), the thoracic vertebrae of the spine and a specialized type of connective tissue known as costal cartilage. The costal cartilage connects the 12 pairs of ribs to the sternum though the manner in which this occurs varies.
The costal cartilage of the first seven rib pairs attach directly to the manubrium and body of the sternum. Rib pairs eight through 10 are referred to as the false ribs and attach to the costal cartilage of the ribs directly above them. The final two rib pairs do no attach to the sternum but have associated cartilage in the area and remain connected to the spine.
Paul's injury occurred to the costal cartilage of an undisclosed rib and is being called inflamed rib cartilage. Rib injuries like this one often result in sharp pain with movement, particularly while breathing and trunk movement. As a result, they are difficult to play with and easily irritated.
Chostochondral injuries occur frequently in the NFL though they are less common in the NBA. However, a few players have experienced rib cartilage injuries in recent memory, including point guard Deron Williams, who missed 11 games last season after breaking the cartilage of the 12th rib on his left side. Paul's injury does not appear to be as serious, though the average missed time for isolated rib injuries in the NBA over the past few seasons is 6.8 games. This trend suggests Paul will miss a few more games this week and should likely be benched in weekly formats. Even if Paul does manage to play, the injury could limit his overall effectiveness, and he will likely be forced to wear extra padding under his jersey to protect the injury site from contact. Austin Rivers will continue to see extra minutes with CP3 out, though he's shot just 6 of 18 from the field in the two games since Paul went down.
Rudy Gobert
Gobert has been ruled out indefinitely after he suffering a Grade II medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in his left knee during a recent practice. While indefinite timelines can be maddening for fantasy owners, the frequency of MCL sprains in the NBA and Utah's description of the injury allows us to look at previous trends in hopes of providing a more accurate guess as to how long Gobert will be sidelined.
To start, the MCL, along with the LCL and cruciate ligaments, is a primary stabilizer of the knee. It is responsible for supporting the knee in side-to-side movements. Like all ligaments, it can be sprained, and the Grade II designation given to Gobert's injury means his MCL has been moderately over-stretched. Often Grade II sprains are referred to as partial tears. Fortunately, the MCL can heal without surgical intervention, particularly if the medial meniscus remains intact. This appears to be the case with Gobert, as the team has reported surgery will not be necessary.
Since the 2005-06 season, there have been 10 in-season examples of Grade II MCL sprains, including Memphis big men Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph and Washington's Nene Hilario. The average number of games missed for these 10 cases sits at 22 games, or roughly six weeks, making a mid-January return for Gobert likely. In the meantime, the Jazz will turn to Trevor Booker to fill the void left by the Stifle Tower. Booker played through a viral infection over the weekend and still managed to collect 14 rebounds in a win over Indiana. The Jazz play four games this week, making Booker an intriguing addition in all formats, particularly for those in need of rebounds.
Fast Breaks
Harrison Barnes
The Golden State medical team will reevaluate Barnes' sprained left ankle this Sunday. As a result, he will miss three more games this week and would not return until Wednesday, Dec. 16. Despite Barnes' injury, the Warriors continue to steamroll all those in their path and have pushed their undefeated streak to 22 games.
Willie Cauley-Stein
The rookie center will miss four-to-six weeks after suffering an open dislocation of his right index finger. The term open dislocation means the bones of the finger came out of alignment and broke through the skin in the process. The digit has already been returned to normal alignment and it appears the bones remain intact. Cauley-Stein will spend the next few weeks letting the subsequent soft tissue wound heal and should be fine moving forward. Kosta Koufos could see a bump in minutes though Omri Casspi has joined in the starting unit with DeMarcus Cousins shifting to center and Rudy Gay moving over to the power forward spot.
Tyson Chandler
The veteran center has missed six of the last seven games, including five straight, due to a strained hamstring. The injury can be a very limiting one and Chandler is not expected to return Monday. The 2012 Defensive Player of the Year was underperforming before the injury and his extended absence may force fantasy owners to consider cutting him loose. Alex Len has performed admirably in Chandler's place, averaging 9.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in the last five.
Danilo Gallinari
The Nuggets forward is playing through a painful bone bruise in his left knee. The bruise is situated on his left femur and was reportedly an issue throughout the team's win over the 76ers on Saturday. Given Gallinari's lengthy history of knee problems, don't be shocked if Denver opts to give him a night off at some point this week. The team can ill-afford to lose their leading scorer for an extended period of time, and a game or two now could pay big dividends down the road.
J.J. Redick
The impact of Paul's injury was increased when Redick suffered a right ankle sprain just seconds into a loss to Indiana. He did not play over the weekend and is questionable for Monday's game against Minnesota. Jamal Crawford joined Austin Rivers in the Clippers' backcourt and scored a season-high 32 points Saturday, including six made three-pointers.
