CLEVELAND (AP) -Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes will miss at least four weeks with a bruised left leg, yet another setback for the fragile player and the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Hughes hurt his leg during a Nov. 4 game at Phoenix when he collided with Suns guard Leandro Barbosa.
He missed three games and was still experiencing discomfort on Tuesday night, when he left an overtime loss against Orlando in the fourth quarter complaining of pain. Hughes was 2-for-12 from the field when he limped to the bench.
The team said tests revealed a deep bone bruise and estimated a four-week treatment period before Hughes could resume basketball activities.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hughes, who signed a five-year $60 million free agent contract with Cleveland in 2005, has spent a large chunk of his career on the sideline with an assortment of injuries.
Last season, he missed 10 regular-season games with a sprained ankle, and sat out Games 3 and 4 of the NBA finals against San Antonio with a foot injury. During his first season with Cleveland, Hughes missed 46 games in the regular season with a broken right finger that required two surgeries.
While he was with the Washington Wizards, Hughes missed 20 games during the 2004-05 season with a broken right thumb. The previous year, he was sidelined for 19 games with a broken right wrist, and in 2002-03, he sat 15 games with a sprained right wrist, bruised left knee and sprained right ankle.
Hughes wasn’t doing much to help the Cavaliers this season, but without him, the club may have to start swingman Sasha Pavlovic, who has been bothered by back spasms and isn’t in great playing shape since ending his contract holdout.
The Cavaliers, who will host the Utah Jazz on Friday, are missing Donyell Marshall (wrist) and Eric Snow (knee surgery), two key contributors from last season. Cleveland’s frontline is also without forward Anderson Varejao, a restricted free agent who remains unsigned.
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