It only took one preseason game for the Charlotte Hornets to get stung (heh) by the injury bug.
Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was forced to leave Saturday’s preseason opener against the Orlando Magic after suffering a dislocated right shoulder late in the second quarter.
The fourth-year wing was attempting to execute a basic dribble handoff with teammate Al Jefferson, but fell hard upon curling around the Jefferson screen and landed awkwardly on the shoulder.
Kidd-Gilchrist reportedly had to leave the Charlotte locker room on a stretcher after exiting the game.
I just saw Michael Kidd-Gilchrist being taken out of the locker room in a stretcher. Not good for Charlotte.
— Mary Stevens (@MaryStevensNBA) October 4, 2015
The team announced that the former No. 2 overall pick was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and given x-rays. While the results came back negative, the dislocation diagnosis was confirmed shortly thereafter.
Injury Update: @hornets Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a dislocated right shoulder in Sat's preseason game vs ORL.
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) October 4, 2015
Injury Update (cont.): @hornets MKG was taken to Florida South Hospital for x-rays & evaluation. X-rays taken were negative.
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) October 4, 2015
Recovery time for shoulder dislocations usually varies on a case-by-case basis. Most recently, we saw Cavs forward Kevin Love suffer one in the infamous OlynykGate incident. Love was initially expected to be out for four-to-six months after sustaining the injury in April, but now with training camp in full swing, still has no timetable for a return. It could very well boil down to whether or not Kidd-Gilchrist needs surgery to repair the shoulder (which Love did).
If Kidd-Gilchrist is sidelined for a prolonged period, it’s a near death blow for Charlotte. One of the top-three wing defenders in the league, MKG is the anchor of the Hornets defense. While Nicolas Batum’s peskiness on the perimeter could help some, without a true rim protector on the roster and a now-vulnerable front line on defense, the Hornets could find themselves conceding a ton of points from all over the floor.
Kidd-Gilchrist just signed a four-year, $52 million extension with the team over the offseason. At just 22 years old, he’s already amongst the NBA’s elite on defense and last season, he quietly grew from a laughingstock offensively to a respectable midrange shooter and close-range finisher. An extended MKG absence is a major loss for not only Charlotte fans, but NBA fans everywhere.
Image via Nic Arcos on YouTube
