9/27/2004 10:31:49 AM|||Shep|||

The Jamal Mashburn-New Orleans Hornets saga is coming to an end, as Mashburn's troublesome right knee pushes him further out of the Hornets' plans and possibly into retirement.

Mashburn, an All-Star forward, is scheduled to have another MRI exam next week. But unless the knee is substantially better, which seems unlikely, he will land on the injured list. He could stay there all year, he could return, he could be traded, he could retire. Who knows?

Fantasy Impact

There'll sure be more news when the results of Mashburn's MRI come back, but at this point, it's probably safe to take him off your draft list. This article lists Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston, Kerry Kittles'n'Bits, and C-Webb as a few other players who've had the same kind of knee trouble as Mashburn. While those guys are still productive, for the most part, they just don't measure up to what they were before the injuries. Kittles took a year off after his surgery - so perhaps Mashburn would be wise to do the same.

|||109629958983802147|||Is it time to just say N.O. to Mashburn?