Atlanta Hawks Centre Al Horford out of NBA for 3-4 months- NBA Update
Atlanta Hawks are one of the stronger sides in the Eastern Conference of the NBA this season because of their lethal roster, consisting of many scoring machines and defensive lynchpins.
They are off to an impressive start and are only improving with every game, which is a good sign for the team. However, just a few hours ago, the team faced a major setback that will definitely hurt the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs and, maybe,
further.
25 year old All-Star Centre Al Horford- an integral component of Hawks offense and defence- has caught an injury and is expected to miss at least three months of NBA action.
On Wednesday night, in the Hawks defeat against Indiana Pacers, Horford injured his shoulder after colliding with Pacers centre Roy Hibbert in an attempt to grab a rebound. Even though he did not take part in the remainder of the game, at that time the injury
seemed to be a routine and less threatening one.
Unfortunately, after further tests were carried out on his shoulder, it turned out he had tore his muscle, a setback which usually takes 90-100 days to heal.
"I'm still surprised. I thought I was going to be able to rehab it for a couple of weeks and come back." Horford exclaimed almost in disbelief.
The injury is a huge blow for the Hawks without a doubt. The team was just starting to gel and was on a role and his absence now will be gravely felt by the side which could struggle to carry on the early momentum.
"He's going to certainly be missed," Coach Larry Drew said. "We were starting to mesh. We were starting to jell. I'm hoping our guys will rally around one another."
Horford was selected by Hawks in the 2007 NBA draft and within no time emerged as one of the most coveted players they had. Now with him out, all focus has shifted to the senior members in the team, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, to take them forward.
Joe Johnson, like the rest of the team, is extremely disappointed with this unfortunate development but said that the team needs to move on quickly.
"We can't worry about who we have out on the court, we've just got to go out there and play," Johnson said. "Not only I have to step up, but the whole locker room. Our big guys have to step up to fill that void of losing Al."
He will be looking to build on Atlanta’s good start so that when Horford returns, they are able to take the next step.
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