First off, I don't know why Karl didn't take Birdman out of the game last night after he aggravated his knee.

He was walking quite gingerly, and it was obviously the same knee he had been having problems with, as it had a neoprene brace on it. I play basketball and have had tendinitis on/off for the past 5-6 years - if I've learned one thing, its that if I feel a twinge or sharp pain, STOP PLAYING.

Patella tendinitis is common in basketball, and can be re-aggravated very easily. If I stopped when it started to hurt and iced it, I'd be good to go 100% in 2-3 days, or even the next day if I was lucky. But when I played through the pain, I'd usually be looking at at least 1-3 weeks of mild inflammation and pain.

...

On to Petro, I think the guy is starting to show a little more polish. I still think he is mediocre at best, but he is starting gain some confidence and looks more and more like he belongs in the NBA, especially at home.

At this point, I think that he should get minutes over Malik Allen as an occasional rotational big. Lets face it, Allen hasn't done much of anything this season, and despite what was promised of his jump shooting this season, the only thing he does better than Petro at this point is set screens. The way he passed and moved the ball looked much improved, and he was showing decent positioning under the basket and the ability to hit the midrange j. Obviously he isn't the sole answer to our frontcourt problems, but I think he's now worth a look.

At only 23, I think Petro has room to improve. I don't believe he will ever be more than a role player, but even that would be a huge step. I'd like to see what he can do with 5-8 min on the court during something other than garbage time, especially if Birdman's knees start bothering him again.