Hornets guards LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann to miss multiple weeks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Considering everything the Charlotte Hornets have gone through over the season’s initial five weeks, two words probably creep into their mind as they ponder their wild ride on the injury roller coaster.

Why us?

“I love that you said, ‘Why us?’ ” coach Charles Lee said Saturday, “because a couple of weeks ago we talked about some of the injuries and people have a tendency to go like, ‘Oh, why is this happening to us?’ And we should flip that into, ‘What is this trying to teach us?’ And, ‘What can we learn from this opportunity?’ And ‘How can we grow from this opportunity’ instead of the, ‘Woe is me.’

“Everybody has taken that approach. … Whatever the situation is now that has changed, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, put action to trying to figure out how can we just improve and problem solve.”

They’ll have plenty of time to delve into those equations given the latest rough dose of injury news, with LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann each expected to be out for at least two weeks when both will be re-evaluated. Ball was back on the bench in street clothes for the second straight game, getting a front row seat of the Hornets’ 107-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center.

Charlotte’s star point guard was diagnosed with a left calf strain suffered in Wednesday night’s loss to Miami, and his primary backup, Mann, has disc irritation in his lower back, which was revealed following further imaging on what was initially termed as lower back soreness.

So even on the night Nick Richards returned after a 14-game absence due to a shoulder injury, Charlotte learned it will be without two of its top guards for a decent chunk of action, continuing the musical chairs. It’s a blow to a team already missing Miles Bridges (knee), Mark Williams (foot) and Grant Williams (ACL).

Still, at least one name is off the injury list.

“It’s good to be back on the court with my teammates,” said Richards, who posted 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes off the bench before fouling out. “It’s been boring sitting on the bench for a whole month. A slow start in the beginning, but as the game went on I got my rhythm back. Getting my wind back is going to take some time.

“Get a few games under my belt again and I think I should be back to normal.”

Ball’s issues stem from coming up gimpy on the final sequence against the Heat, ending his streak of good injury fortune. Before the calf problem, the fifth-year player avoided anything serious, playing through a bruised tailbone against the Hawks in late October and shaking off a pesky sore wrist to soar at an All-Star level, ranking first in the NBA in total points (559), second in points per game (31.1), second in total made 3-pointers (84) and second in 3-pointers per game (4.7).

Plus, Ball also leads the league in fourth-quarter points per game (11.1), field goals per game (3.9) and 3-pointers per game (1.6). So, that shows just how much of an uphill battle the Hornets have in replacing the production of their star point guard, who apparently knew something was amiss following the loss to the Heat.

“Both guys, I would say (it’s an) unfortunate situation,” Lee said. “They’ve both been playing really well, at a high level, they’ve helped our team a ton at both ends of the floor. So, their presence will be missed and has been missed. Obviously, Tre missed a couple more games than Melo has, but they will take care of their business like I know they will.

“They are competitors. They want to be out there on the court to compete and hoop, but they also want to be out there for their teammates. I just walked past Melo as I was coming in here to do media, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to take care of everything I need to do on this return-to-play program, and I’m going to attack it with the right mindset.’ So, I have all the confidence in the world in our performance staff and in those guys.”

Mann hadn’t dressed in the Hornets’ past four games leading into their outing with the Hawks, and shuffled in and out of the lineup just prior to that while fighting through a back issue. He sat six times since Nov. 11, leaving the Hornets’ thin on the bench since he was one of the better reserves in the league when healthy.

“I think anytime you get clarity about what’s going on, it kind of helps,” Lee said. “So, he’s going to continue to get the treatment that he has to. I know that he’s starting to feel small increases daily with everything that he’s doing.

“So, I know those small wins, they are still wins at the end of the day. So, he’s making progress and I’m really proud of him and happy for him.”

Richards’ return had to be a mental booster if nothing else. He hadn’t played since Nov. 1 due to a shoulder injury, when the big man suffered a cartilage fracture in the first rib underneath his right clavicle.

“Nick is an amazing player,” Josh Green said. “Super athletic, shot blocker, dunking the ball. And just having his presence down there, it goes a long way.”

But while Richards was in the lineup again, there’s still no definitive timetable for Williams or Bridges. Williams is participating in team activities and still working his way back from a strained tendon in his left foot that occurred during an offseason workout. Bridges has begun individual drills as he continues to rehab a bruised bone in his right knee.

Add it all up and the Hornets, who are among the top teams in player games missed due to injuries the past two seasons and added a new 10-person health and performance staff, are mired in a familiar position yet again: attempting to replace Ball’s high-octane engine.

“He’s explosive, and I think when he got hot against us last game (in October), there was a number of shots in front of our bench, so you feel bad a little bit more,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I think he’s shown his ability to do that — both to play-make and with his size, too, to be able to shoot over the top of the people.

“He’s got a quick release, so he’s a special player, and he’ll continue to get better the longer he’s in the league.”

Until he’s healthy, though, it’ll be a collaborative effort to fill his large shoes.

“It’s very tough, but at the end of the day it’s how the league is,” Green said. “I don’t really know how many times every team has every single player that’s healthy. And it’s something that we can’t just sit back and dwell on. Obviously, we want all those guys back as soon as possible. It gives opportunities to new guys to be able to step up and be able to play the game.

“I really do think our young guys have stepped up and are able to play and make an impact on the game. So, that side of things is very cool to see.”