Bucks shutting down Ilyasova for the season

The Milwaukee Bucks are shutting down power forward Ersan Ilyasova for the remainder of the season.

The Turkish-born Ilyasova has been dealing with a sprained right ankle, and the team made the decision for him to sit out their final 11 games on Thursday, following a Tuesday visit to a doctor in Los Angeles. 

While Ilyasova - pictured above delivering a vicious basketball Hadouken - will not require surgery, the doctor has recommended rest and rehabilitation. The ankle has bothered Ilyasova since the very start of the season, as it cost him most of November and  more time again in late December.

The 26-year-old has had a terribly disappointing season, one that has drove fantasy owners - enticed by the fact that he can hit threes with power forward-eligibility - insane. It probably didn't make the player or the team very happy, either.

In 55 games, he averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds, down moderately from his 2011-12 and 2012-13 numbers. More discouraging, though, was that his 3-point percentage cratered from a two-year peak of 44.8 percent all the way to 28.2 percent. As a result, he ranked as a below-average offensive player in efficiency terms for the first time since 2010-11.

The Bucks have their would-be floor spacer under contract through 2016-17, and he'll come with a $7.9 million cap hit for next season.