NBA News/Injuries/etc. (4/25/12)

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Kyrie Irving - G - Cavaliers </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Kyrie Irving (flu) wants to play on Thursday and is participating in warmups, but he hasn't yet been cleared by the Cavs' medical staff.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Even if Irving plays, coach Byron Scott intends to limit his prized rookie to a handful of minutes. Donald Sloan figures to get extra playing time with Irving either sidelined or very limited.
Apr. 25 - 6:12 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Jason Lloyd on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Jordan Crawford - G - Wizards </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Jordan Crawford (ankle) will not play on Wednesday.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Crawford made just 1-of-8 shots in 20 minutes on Monday, and he might as well rest with the Wizards bound for the draft lottery. In his absence, expect to see more of Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin and even Morris Almond.
Apr. 25 - 6:14 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Wizards on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>James Harden - G/F - Thunder </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">James Harden (concussion) will not play on Wednesday, though he has been cleared to return to action.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">The Thunder have every reason to be cautious with their star sixth-man, especially with their playoff seeding already decided.
Apr. 25 - 6:59 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Benjamin Hochman on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Monta Ellis - G - Bucks </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Monta Ellis (hand) will not play vs. the Sixers on Wednesday.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">There's been no word on his status for Thursday's finale, but we'd be shocked if he played in such a meaningless game. As we noted on Monday, both Mike Dunleavy and Beno Udrih stand to gain from the absence of both Ellis and Carlos Delfino.
Apr. 25 - 7:02 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Bucks PR on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Chris Paul - G - Clippers </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Chris Paul (groin) remains a true game-time decision on Wednesday, but he's doing everything he can to play.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">"At some point, something didn’t feel right, but I’ll be OK," said CP3. "I’ll be ready to go as soon as they throw that ball up." Take that for what it's worth, but we should have final confirmation very soon.
Apr. 25 - 7:15 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Madelyn Burke on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Drew Gooden - F/C - Bucks </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Drew Gooden (ankle) will not play on Wednesday, leaving the Bucks with a starting frontcourt of Ekpe Udoh and Jon Leuer.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">The Bucks' season is two games away from ending and it appears that their veterans in full shut-down mode. It would be very surprising to see Gooden in uniform on Thursday.
Apr. 25 - 7:10 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Bucks PR on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Ersan Ilyasova - F - Bucks </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Ersan Ilyasova will not play on Wednesday vs. the Sixers, moving Ekpe Udoh into the starting lineup.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Ilyasova has been limping around on a bruised thigh for a while now, and with Milwaukee out of the playoff race he has no incentive to push through injury. He'll be highly coveted as an unrestricted FA this summer.
Apr. 25 - 7:04 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Bucks PR on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>David Lee - F/C - Warriors </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">David Lee will undergo surgery on Thursday to repair a torn abdominal muscle.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">He missed the end of the season with a groin injury, which was apparently quite legitimate. Lee's return date hasn't yet been established, but it doesn't sound like he's in any danger of not being ready for training camp.
Apr. 25 - 7:27 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: CNS Bay Area</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td> Chris Paul - G - Clippers </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Chris Paul's groin injury means he won't start for the Clippers on Wednesday.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">He is in uniform and could still play, but if he's not starting, our guess is he won't get off the bench tonight. Eric Bledsoe should start in his place, while Mo Williams and Randy Foye will also get a boost in minutes if Paul is out.
Apr. 25 - 7:46 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: Brian Mahoney on Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table>

HacheMan · Apr 25, 2012

<table border="0" cellSpacing="0" cellPadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Tim Duncan - F/C - Spurs </td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="bodyCopy">Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker won't play in the final two games of the season, according to Gregg Popovich.</td></tr><tr><td>

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">"It’s doesn’t make any sense to play them," Popovich said. "Our health is more important than the final record." Every other player on the roster under the age of 35 should get decent minutes in the two final regular-season games, but don't be surprised to see Popovich mix it up, playing different guys heavy minutes in each game. Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Dejuan Blair are a few guys who should finish up strong.
Apr. 25 - 8:09 p.m. ET</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">

</td></tr><tr><td class="vaLink">Source: San Antonio Express-News</td></tr></tbody></table>