The Milwaukee Bucks seemed to finally be getting whole in their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers this past weekend as they finally had their full starting lineup together but unfortunately for them it didn't last long. Starting power forward Jabari Parker suffered an injury to his foot that was supposed to keep him out for their entire impending road trip but that may not be the case after all, according to Gary Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
The injury to Parker's foot has been considered minor from the start as it is being called a sprain but it seemed like the Bucks were going to be extremely cautious with him as they said he wouldn't travel with the team on the three game trip. Now though, it seems like they might be having second thoughts as they are considering bringing Parker to Cleveland with them for their game on Thursday night.
If the swelling and pain is gone by game time Thursday it is very reasonable to think he could play but it is still no guarantee especially when you consider that he is also working his way back from major knee surgery. Parker has only played in five of the teams eleven games so far this season but was on a strict minutes limit for the most part. It wasn't until Sunday's game against Cleveland that he finally reached 30 minutes which was a good sign he would be back to normal minutes before too long but then this setback happened.
Head coach Jason Kidd is hopeful that Parker could play on Thursday night but he also has been very vocal about wanting to keep Parker healthy and staying patient with the 20 year old. Regardless of whether he returns on Thursday though, Parker will likely only miss one or two more games at the most with this injury.
Through five games Parker is averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as he gets back into the swing of things. In his last game against Cleveland Parker played very well and looked extremely healthy as he made a couple of highlight reel plays so this setback has to be frustrating for him and Bucks fans but the good news is he should be able to pick up where he left off. Jerryd Bayless started in Parker's place on Tuesday night in what ended up being a blowout loss so the Bucks would certainly love to have their starting power forward back sooner rather than later.
