Al Jefferson out until Friday at earliest, could still be shut down
The Charlotte Hornets' playoff hopes are on life support, and they're not going to have Al Jefferson around to try to revive them over the next two games.
Jefferson, who left Friday's game and sat out Saturday's due to lingering right knee soreness, has been ruled out for the team's Tuesday and Wednesday games. Head coach Steve Clifford said Monday that the earliest Jefferson would return is Friday, and that it remains possible that the team will shut him down for the season if they fall out of the race.
Falling out of the race could come as soon as Tuesday with the Hornets up against the Miami Heat, one of the team's they need to jump to grab the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte sits a game-and-a-half back of that spot with six to play, and dropping a game to a fellow contender at this late juncture could effectively, if not mathematically, eliminate them.
It's been a tough season for Jefferson, whose numbers have dropped nearly across the board in 65 games. He's averaging 16.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 48.1 percent. But despite the blocks, his defense has regressed after a successful debut in Clifford's system a year ago.
The 30-year-old faces a tough decision this summer with a $13.8-million player option, a higher one-year salary than he'd likely command on the market but perhaps not high enough to forgo the opportunity to sign a multi-year deal this summer.
Center Cody Zeller (shoulder) and small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ankle) also remain out for the Hornets on Tuesday.