Speights Out 6-8 Weeks With Knee Injury
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that PF Marreese Speights will miss the next six to eight weeks after Speights partially tore the MCL in his left knee on Saturday night.
Speights, the Sixers’ best player in terms of production per minute (by far), hurt himself in the fourth quarter of the Sixers’ 94-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls, when his left leg bent back awkwardly during a routine play on defense. Speights immediately crumpled to the ground, clutched his knee, and could not return.
“I talked to him and he has a very good attitude and knows that it is a part of the game,” general manager Ed Stefanski said. “He will work hard to get back. His numbers this year per minutes played are off the charts. The things we asked him to work on he got better at - rebounding and scoring inside. He’s been an outstanding outside shooter and has been working on his defense. It’s a setback, but we know he has big talent and upside. We are thrilled with his progression.”
With Speights out, the Sixers will likely turn to the frontcourt combination of Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert, two men who represent $140 million (or nearly half the Sixers’ payroll). The Sixers have been vigorously shopping Sammy (and silently shopping Elton), so if there’s any bright side to Speights’ injury - it could be that Brand and Dalembert will likely be called upon to increase their production (and their trade value).
