02-05-2008, 04:27 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 5,458
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Yi's shoulder hurt/ CV may start
Quote:
St. Francis - Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva has been aching for a chance to play meaningful minutes.
But he's not happy the chance could come due to an injury to starting power forward Yi Jianlian, who banged his right shoulder early in the Bucks' 91-83 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at the Bradley Center.
Yi, who has started all 48 games for the Bucks this season, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday morning, and the team was awaiting test results.
"It just feels strange," said Yi, who had a hard time lifting his arm over his head Monday but did travel with the team as it left town for a two-game trip to Memphis and Dallas.
If Yi is unable to play tonight in Memphis, Villanueva would be in line to start for the first time this season.
"That's definitely an unfortunate situation," Villanueva said after the Bucks' practice session at the Cousins Center. "I don't want playing time like that. I don't wish harm on a teammate.
"But I understand the situation. The opportunity is there, and now I just have to seize it."
Villanueva's frustration has grown in recent weeks, and he felt compelled to address trade rumors on the blog he writes for NBA.com, with the league trade deadline approaching Feb. 21. He elaborated a bit on those comments Monday.
"Is a trade possible? It's possible, definitely," Villanueva said. "Anything can happen in this business. I feel like I didn't get traded here to be the ninth man. I'm playing 19 minutes a game. It's definitely frustrating, but I've got to stick with it and keep working and see what happens."
The Bucks made a strong commitment to Yi when they signed him on Aug. 29, and the 7-foot rookie earned the starting job in training camp. But Villanueva said Yi's starting role is not the issue.
"I don't really care, coming off the bench," Villanueva said. "I've done it before. My thing is, use me, you know."
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A lot more on CV's frustrations here:
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Yi's shoulder hurt/ CV may start
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