Forward injured calf against the Bobcats Wizards forward Andray Blatche is expected to miss the next three to five weeks with a strained left calf, interim coach Randy Wittman said Monday before a game against the Chicago Bulls.
Blatche suffered the injury at Charlotte on Saturday, playing eight minutes in Washington’s 102-99 victory.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of bleeding in there that leads to the inflammation in his calf, so we’ve got to get that out of there first,” Wittman said. “Then you have a better idea of what you’re looking at.”
The Wizards are also without center Ronny Turiaf, who broke his left hand on New Year’s Day and is expected to miss five to six weeks. To help fill the void created by Blatche’s absence, second-year center Hamady Ndiaye was recalled from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League on Monday.
“It’s too bad for him,” Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. said. “I know that he was trying to turn the corner. He was being a better teammate. Any time you lose a guy that’s a big part of your team, it’s tough.”
The season has been a roller coaster for Blatche, whose production (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) has been overshadowed by his own behavior — he complained about his role in former coach Flip Saunders’ offense after the first game of the season — and the behavior of fans at Verizon Center, who have booed him relentlessly. Blatche had been fighting through the adversity and a nagging shoulder injury. Wittman moved him to the bench last week, elevating rookie Jan Vesely to the starting lineup.
“I’m not too worried about who’s going to get the scoring [lost without Blatche],” Wittman said. “As long as we keeping playing together and the way we have, that’ll take care of itself.”
Mason focused on the silver lining but echoed a refrain that has been familiar during Blatche’s seven-year career.
“This will be good for him,” Mason said. “For him to get himself healthy. Really attack the weight room. Really attack his body and get back 100 percent to finish the season strong. I’m going to tell him when I speak to him, when negatives happen, you’ve got to turn it into a positive. These are the cards he’s been dealt. He’s got to make the most of it.”
