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TORONTO — It hasn't been the best week for the Toronto Raptors. Chances are next week won't be any better.
Last Friday, NBA all-star forward Chris Bosh left the first quarter of a game against the Indiana Pacers complaining of soreness in his right knee. Three missed games later, it's not clear when he'll be back.
"We're not putting a timetable on it," Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors' president and general manager, said yesterday.
"No injury is the same, they're unpredictable. Based on his history [of knee injuries], his average recovery time has been a week to 18 days, but Chris will not be back until he's physically ready to come back. That's always our approach to these injuries and we've been consistent on that."
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- Charlotte Bobcats
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Orlando Magic
- Toronto Raptors
- Washington Wizards
- Andrea Bargnani
- Chris Bosh
- Alexander Johnson
Asked when he'll be ready to play, Bosh said: "Shoot, when I'm pain-free. I think it's too early [to pinpoint a return date]. I'm still waiting for it to start progressing. It's the same old."
The Raptors will be home for two games before leaving on a formidable trip against Western Conference teams, and Colangelo allowed that the Raptors may be without their best player when they head out.
"There is the possibility he's going to miss all or some of that trip," the GM said.
The Raptors didn't practise yesterday, and Bosh didn't do any running. Previously, Bosh has always tried to get in at least one light workout and one full practice before returning to the lineup after an injury.
The Raptors may be further short-handed tonightfri against the Washington Wizards at the Air Canada Centre. Colangelo said Andrea Bargnani was "day-to-day" after the Miami Heat's Alexander Johnson elbowed him in the face and knocked him to the ground on a layup on Wednesday.
Colangelo said X-rays for a possible facial fracture were negative, but Bargnani was seen by an oral surgeon yesterday, as some teeth were shifted and three broken by the blow.
Right now, Bosh's absence is of most concern.
Without him, the Raptors lost to the Pacers and the Charlotte Bobcats, both of whom are outside the playoff picture in the weak Eastern Conference. Then Toronto was bounced around by the Orlando Magic, the team the Raptors are trying to overtake for the third playoff spot in the East. It helped that the Raptors defeated the hapless Heat in Miami on Wednesday.
Seattle could offer some hope for a soft landing on Sunday, except the 16-45 SuperSonics beat the Raptors handily just before Christmas.
Things get worse before they get better.
After Sunday's game, Toronto will leave on a five-game, eight-day Western trip that will start with a game against the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The Raptors are 15-15 on the road and 5-5 on the road against Western Conference opponents this season.
The Raptors are finishing what has arguably been the softest part of their schedule, but even though only three of their past 14 opponents had winning records, the Raptors were just 8-6.
"This has been a rough stretch," Colangelo said, "though it came after a stretch when we won five of six games. What's most frustrating is the opponents we've lost to are teams we should have beaten. When you lose those games, it means you've got to make it up by beating a team you might not be favoured against. We've got some work to do. We can't lose to teams we should beat."
The Raptors were in a similar situation last season when they went west for a difficult four-game trip before Christmas without Bosh and came home with two wins. Colangelo is hoping for a similar rally.
"We've always felt like depth is our greatest strength," he said. "We had some guys step up last year and hopefully some guys will realize that this is their time and take advantage of it. There are times in a long season when the coaching staff gets pushed and tested, and individual players get pushed and tested, and this is one of those times."
