Team faces Knicks tonight without its reserve center
Wizards reserve center Etan Thomas has suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, the team announced Tuesday. He will be evaluated in two weeks and is out indefinitely. Thomas was hurt in the first period of the Wizards’ 97-91 loss to Milwaukee Monday night.
The 6-foot-10 Thomas was averaging 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.8 minutes. Coming off heart surgery, 15 months ago, which kept him out all last year, Thomas was having the least productive of his seven seasons in Washington.
He is one of four players to start at center for the struggling Wizards (7-30). Current starter Andray Blatche has been the most productive, averaging 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 27.4 minutes in 16 starts and will share pivot duties with rookie JaVale McGee and veteran Darius Songaila.
With the Wizards playing at the New York Knicks tonight, the injury increases the likelihood that Oleksiy Pecherov will get an opportunity. The 7-footer has played only 53 minutes in seven games.
After opening this year in the starting lineup and scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the opener against New Jersey, Thomas never again matched those numbers and saw his playing time become more intermittent after Ed Tapscott replaced Eddie Jordan as head coach.
Thomas, 30, is signed through the 2009-10 season when he will make more than $7 million.
