WASHINGTON (AP) -Washington Wizards center Andray Blatche, who wound up on the wrong end of a collision with Shaquille O’Neal, will be sidelined two to four weeks with a strained left knee.
Blatche said he felt his knee pop when he was bumped by O’Neal along the baseline late in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 103-87 loss to the Phoenix Suns. O’Neal was called for a foul, while Blatche needed assistance to get back on his feet before eventually hopping down the tunnel to the locker room.
Blatche, who has yet to miss a game this season, has 23 starts and is averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds. Though a natural power forward, he became the regular starting center because of injuries to Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas.
The injury leaves the Wizards, whose 9-35 record is the worst in the NBA, with just 10 healthy players. Interim coach Ed Tapscott said Darius Songaila or rookie JaVale McGee will start Wednesday’s game at Miami.
, practiced and said he hopes to play Friday against Philadelphia and Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“If I don’t feel pain after those two games, I’m going to keep it going,” said Stevenson, whose pain has come from a disc putting pressure on a nerve in his lower back. “It’s an ongoing problem. I’ll probably have it for the rest of my career.”
Tapscott also said that Thomas, out since Jan. 12 with a torn ligament in his left knee, won’t be able to run for another two to four weeks and won’t be available for practice until two weeks after that. The Wizards are hoping Thomas can recover without requiring surgery.
Tapscott had no update on point guard Gilbert Arenas, who has yet to play this season after a third surgery on his left knee in September. Arenas has been playing 2-on-2 games with teammates but has yet to take part in a regular practice.
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