Ryan Anderson: (Back) To Be Evaluated In Late February

Anderson (back) will be reevaluated in late February and plans to seek out a second opinion on his back as well, the New Orleans Times Picayune reports. "At beginning of the year, I got my last MRI and it said the disc wasn't healing," Anderson said. "But my symptoms are getting a lot better. I don't feel that pain anymore. The fact that I'm feeling better is a good sign, but I'm going to get re-checked and have another MRI."

Analysis:

Anderson has been sidelined since January 3 with a herniated disk in his back. The original timetable for Anderson was that he'd rest for two months and then be evaluated to determine if he'd need to undergo surgery. While it's encouraging to hear that Anderson is no longer experiencing pain, until he undergoes an official evaluation, we're unlikely to have a strong idea of if he can play again this season. The Pelicans are essentially out of the playoff conversation at this time, and if that doesn't improve over the next few weeks, the team may decide it's simply best to sit Anderson for the rest of the season, which has been reported to possibly be the most likely of outcomes.