When Emeka Okafor went down in January vs the Houston Rockets with his second truly ugly ankle injury of the season, my first impression was the he was done for the year. Stick a fork in him , put him in a coat/tie and a walking boot at the end of the bench for the rest of the year because hes done. Upon hearing the initial injury reports telling us that he was expected to return in early to mid-March, I was happy for him and for the team that he was going to get back on the court this season, but also a little puzzled by the timing of his return. What good can happen by putting the cornerstone and first pick of your franchise back on the court for the final 12 to 15 games of the season? Thats hardly enough time on the court to even get him back in decent game shape. And lets be honest here, its not like we’re fighting for a playoff spot. The only really logical thing to do is to shut him down for the season and make sure hes completely healthy for 2006-2007. Theres absolutely nothing to gain by putting him back on the court in 2005-2006.

{mosgoogle} 

All of this brings me back to the Bobcats’ injury report, The reports are still saying that he returns in Mid-March, but there have been absolutely no news updates in the local media regarding his injury and no progress reports in the local papers, No word on him participating in drills or when he might begin participating, all of which make me very suspicious. I have a gut feeling that hes not returning this year, but the Bobcats’ front office are just waiting to announce it for their own reasons. Maybe they’ll prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

{moscomment}