The bad news has been piling up for the Indiana Pacers. They lost Lance Stephenson during free agency as he chose to sign with the Charlotte Hornets and Paul George suffered a season-ending leg injury during a scrimmage game with Team USA. There were reports that they were trying to trade center Roy Hibbert but that may be put on hold with their backup center Ian Mahinmi now sidelined.
via ESPN:
The Indiana Pacers received some bad news on Friday when they learned backup center Ian Mahinmi won’t be available for France during the FIBA World Cup as he has suffered a shoulder injury.
According to The Indianapolis Star, a doctor for the French national team stated Mahinmi will likely be sidelined 2-3 months. Mahinmi says he suffered the same injury prior to the 2014 playoffs, however it was not as bad.
“The injury prevents me from playing. The shoulder is dislocated, is resocketed … The risks are high. My health is better to stop,” Mahinmi said. “The injury was incurred before the playoffs. But it did not stop me from playing. I have not missed a practice or a game.”
Mahinmi will likely return to Indianapolis immediately so he can meet with the Pacers medical staff to determine the exact extent of the injury and probable timeline.
With Mahinmi sidelined, head coach Frank Vogel will probably give the backup center minutes to Luis Scola and possibly Lavoy Allen.
