Pistons' Udrih injured; status for final two games unknown
Memphis, Tenn. — Stan Van Gundy planned to finish the season with a set rotation at point guard: Ish Smith as the starter and Beno Udrih as the backup.
That plan might have to change.
After Van Gundy decided to shut down Reggie Jackson for the final nine games to clear his mind and rest his knee tendinitis, the path seemed to be pretty clear.
That’s in a flux now after Udrih injured his right knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 103-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Udrih looked to injure the knee after his left foot slipped and he tried to get his balance. The best-case scenario would be a sprain, but it’s unclear how severe the injury could be, pending further examination.
“I think he did something,” Van Gundy said. “I’m not optimistic that we’ll have him these last two games.”
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The only other true point guard on the roster is Jackson, but rookie Michael Gbinije — whom Van Gundy said he wanted to see play more in the final games — could be an option, along with having one of the shooting guards handle the ball more.
That seems to be the leaning for Van Gundy, though he didn’t have time to figure anything out just after the game. He did say that going back to Jackson, who started 52 games this season, isn’t the likely option.
“I don’t think so. I think we’ll just play it out and use Darrun (Hilliard) and Stanley (Johnson) or play Ish bigger minutes,” Van Gundy said. “It’s hard because we’ve had that plan with (Jackson) and now to say get ready, his mind has been in a different place for a few days.
“We haven’t talked about it as a staff, but I don’t think we’ll go back to that.”
In recent games, Johnson has played more on the ball to create offense and Hilliard had been the emergency third point guard when Jackson missed the first 21 games of the season because of tendinitis.
The Pistons will play a back-to-back, closing out the final game at The Palace on Monday night against the Washington Wizards.
rod.beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard