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Bobcats' Bell may have surgery
AP Photo
Gerald Henderson of the Bobcats drives past Luc Mbah a Moute of the Bucks.
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Published: October 21, 2009
CHARLOTTE - Charlotte Bobcats starting shooting guard Raja Bell has a partially torn ligament in his left wrist and will soon decide whether to have surgery which would sideline him up to four months.
The severity of Bell's injury, announced after he sat out a 94-87 exhibition win over Milwaukee last night, is a major blow for the Bobcats, who could be without their best defensive player and team leader.
Bell was injured when his wrist bent awkwardly as he tried to grab a loose ball in Sunday's game against Utah.
"The way I understand it, surgery would be 6-8 (weeks) in a cast with pins and then 6-8 (weeks) worth of rehab," Bell said.
There's a chance that Bell could play through the injury by going through a rigorous treatment process, but Bell said he won't decide until he gets a second opinion.
"It's pretty disappointing to me," Bell said. "I was looking forward to coming in and having a good season and being as healthy as I could be to start the season. In that regard, it's a big setback for me personally."
If Bell is lost for a long period, it might be difficult for the Bobcats to improve on last season's 35-47 record and reach the playoffs for the first time. The Bobcats, who acquired Bell in a trade from Phoenix last year, faded from playoff contention when Bell was sidelined with minor injuries late last season.
"I think we're not as discouraged as this thing might sound," Coach Larry Brown said. "We'll see what happens in the next few days and then we'll be able to make a better decision on what the prognosis is and what the treatment will be."
In last night's game, D.J. Augustin scored 15 points and rookie Gerald Henderson was nearly perfect from the field in the win over the Bucks .
The game marked Tyson Chandler's preseason debut with the Bobcats.
Charlotte (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak despite getting little from Chandler, who had four points and two rebounds in 16 minutes in his first game after offseason ankle surgery.
Henderson, the 12th pick in the NBA Draft, added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and Boris Diaw had 10 points in 30 minutes in his longest stint since returning from a sprained ankle.
Rookie Brandon Jennings shook off a slow start to finish with 14 points and eight assists in his second straight start for the Bucks (3-4), while Andrew Bogut had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Chandler, acquired in July from New Orleans for Emeka Okafor, had sat out the first six exhibition games.
He started at center and played two eight-minute stretches in the first and third quarters, looking still short of game shape.
Chandler hit a mid-range jumper and had a put-back dunk, but wasn't a major part of the offense during his stints.
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