EQUIPO DE ERIC MUSSELMAN HA SOBREPASADO MUCHAS ADVERSIDADES

Bighorns Overcoming Injury Bug with Wins


Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
By Scott Stanchak, NBA D-League.com

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011
Here’s a scenario: The No. 1 pick in the draft – your No. 1. pick – goes down with an injury 12 games into the season. Five games later, your starting point guard is sidelined for the year. What do you do?

If you’re the Reno Bighorns, you move on and continue to rack up the wins.

“When you lose a starting center and starting point guard this early in the season, it’s hard,” coach Eric Musselman said. “Our guys did a good job, different guys changing roles.”

Despite these injury setbacks, Musselman has his team playing among the NBA D-League’s elite. Reno’s 20-12 record is fifth best among all 16 teams. Their five-game winning streak is also tied for a league high.

“I’m real happy with the way we’re looking right now,” forward Anthony Richardson said.

Nick Fazekas was the first to go down. On Dec. 19 against the Austin Toros, Fazekas sprained his left ankle. That’s not too tough of an injury, but for the 6’11, 211-pounder it was the same ankle he had surgery on last year.

“When Nick went down it was kind of out of nowhere,” said former Bighorns forward Patrick Ewing Jr., who was traded to the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Jan. 25.

Two weeks later, the Bighorns, whose NBA affiliates are the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, were in the second quarter of their game against the Iowa Energy when Aaron Miles injured his knee. At the time, Miles was the NBA D-League’s assists and steals leader.

“It’s not something you expect, especially with two guys who have such a major impact on your team,” Ewing Jr. said.

Reno waived Fazekas and Miles to free up a pair of roster spots. The team, however, retains both players’ rights should they return. That timetable is up in the air, however, with one team official listing Fazekas as day-to-day. Miles, on the other hand, is done for the year.

Since Fazekas went down, the Bighorns have gone 12-8, while they’ve strung together a 10-5 record after Miles’ setback. Their winning percentage is better now than it was when both players were on the floor together.

Much of the Bighorn’s success can be attributed to an array of offensive talent, including guard Jeremy Lin (17.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.19 spg, 5.6 rpg), forward Marcus Landry (17.3 ppg) and Ewing Jr. (15.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg). Lin, who was on assignment from the Warriors, has since returned to the NBA club. Ewing Jr. was shipped to the Skyforce for guard-forward Danny Green.

Landry and Green now form the Bighorn’s nucleolus. In Green’s six games since joining the team, the former Cleveland Cavalier is averaging 16 points and 6.5 rebounds. Forward Anthony Richardson (14 ppg, 6.9 rpg), guard Donald Sloan (10.3 ppg) and center Patrick O’Bryant (9.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg) round out the team’s starting five.

“We have a lot of guys,” the first-year Reno coach said. “It’s a different guy for us every night and that’s been a neat thing. When guys haven’t had a big night they’ve accepted the guys playing behind them.”

Reno has also been hit hard by a number of transactions. First, center Hassan Whiteside was sent to the team on assignment from the Sacramento Kings. The second-rounder in the 2010 NBA Draft spent 14 games with the green and white before being recalled. The Warriors then sent Lin to their affiliate on Dec. 28, only to bring back the Bighorn’s leading scorer on Feb. 5. One day earlier, Steve Novak signed with the team after being released by the Dallas Mavericks a month prior. Novak’s debut was an impressive 21-points, six-rebound performance. Four days later the forward signed with the San Antonio Spurs.

“We feel we’re as good as any team in the league,” Musselman said. “We just have to play hard and except our roles.”

Despite all this shuffling, the Bighorns have proven they can overcome any changes to the lineup and continue to succeed on the court. For an organization in just their third season, back-to-back playoff appearances look more likely each day.

That begs the question: What would you do if your starting center and guard were sidelined?