The Phoenix Suns looked like they could be in serious trouble when their starting center Marcin Gortat went down with what ended up being a thumb injury. Gortat has a broken right thumb that could seriously hamper his ability to score.
Paul Coro of AZCentral reports that the Polish Hammer will try his best to play through the pain.
Gortat will sit out Thursday night's preseason finale and not practice before Monday's season opener but will "probably" play the opener while wearing a splint, Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said. He said Gortat's thumb is expected to take two to three weeks to heal.
"I'm going to fight for my spot," Gortat said Tuesday night. "As long as I'm walking and seeing everything in front of me, I'm going to ready to play. I'll be ready for Monday night's game."
If Gortat struggles with his effectiveness, that could open up the starting job back up to Robin Lopez. Even if Lopez is probably better as a 15-20 minute guy, he does have some experience carrying the load and is a solid defensive player who looks improved so far this preseason.
Channing Frye and Garret Siler might also see some playing time as well. But if Gortat struggles or is in some way impaired by the injury, the Suns will struggle with any of the many teams in the West with capable big men. It'll be a difficult situation to overcome.
To discuss Gortat's situation with Phoenix fans, head on over to Bright Side of the Sun.
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