Overview of Cavs G Kyrie Irving’s Bicep Injury

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving left yesterday’s game against the Clippers in the first quarter after colliding with Blake Griffin.  Irving clutched his left upper arm after the incident and was ruled out of the game with a left bicep injury.  Cavs.com updated the situation with the following statement today:

“Irving traveled back to Cleveland with the team and was examined at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health this afternoon by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker. Imaging revealed a strain in the long head tendon of his left biceps. Irving will now undergo a period of inactivity for his left biceps and be re-evaluated in two weeks.”

Losing their leading scorer (21.2 PPG) and playmaker (6.2 AST) virtually eliminates any chance of the Cavs making the playoffs as they are 4.5 games back of Atlanta for the final spot.  Irving’s had a history of injuries even in the short time he’s been in the league.  Hopefully he will bounce back quickly from this latest setback.

The bicep muscle attaches to the shoulder with two tendons, the long head and short head.  The former connects to the top of the shoulder socket at the glenoid while the latter joins to a bony protrusion on the scapula called the coracoid process.  Strains can occur in these tendons from repetitive motions and stresses or in Irving’s case, a sudden impact to the area.

Fantasy Impact
With most fantasy leagues entering round one of the playoffs, owners of Irving now have to look elsewhere for production.  A good place to start is on the Cavaliers with point guard Jarrett Jack, who is likely to take over the bulk of Irving’s minutes.  Jack has been inconsistent in his last 10 games with highs of 21 PTS and lows of 5 PTS on 22% shooting.  But with more consistent minutes and playing with the first unit from the outset of the game should help Jack’s value in the coming weeks.

Other point guards to consider if they are still available include Jordan Farmar of the Lakers, Brian Roberts of the Pelicans, Jeremy Lin and Patrick Beverely of the Rockets, and Reggie Jackson the Thunder.

Overview of Lakers’ G Nick Young’s Patella Fracture

Guard/forward Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers continues to be sidelined with knee pain after sustaining a non-displaced left patella fracture a month ago.  The injury occurred late in the second quarter on February 5th against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Young was wrapped up by C.J. Miles on a fast-break, causing the former to improperly plant his left leg.  He has been in and out of the lineup for the past month.

The patella, or kneecap, provides strength and stability when the leg straightens because the quadriceps muscle attaches to it.  Common methods of fracturing the patella include direct trauma from a fall or when there is an eccentric contraction force exerted on the area.  This can happen with forceful quadriceps contraction while the leg is straight, causing the patella to be pulled apart.

Patella fractures can be classified into four types:

1. Stable (non-displaced): The patella is fractured in a way that everything is still in place anatomically.
2. Displaced: The patella fractures in such a way that the pieces no longer line up, and thus requires surgery.
3. Comminuted: The patella breaks into three or more pieces and is very unstable.
4. Open: The skin over the patella has broken, revealing the bone underneath.  Often, damage is also seen in the surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Fantasy Impact
The Lakers have a couple of intriguing prospects putting up solid lines with Young out.  Among them are Wesley Johnson and Kent Bazemore.  The former has been averaging 14 PPG and hitting almost 2 threes a game since Young went out.  Bazemore has been a huge surprise so far for the Lakers after being buried on the bench in Golden State where he was known more for his celebrations than his on-court contributions.  Since being dealt at the trade deadline, he’s scored in double digits in all five games, averaging 16 PPG and a career high 33 MPG.  I leave you with a compilation of Mr. Bazemore’s body of work in Golden State.