The Sydney Kings will be without star import Josh Childress for the remainder of the NBL season after the former NBA player sustained a torn right pectoral muscle.
The league’s leading scorer won’t be part of the Kings’ late season playoff push after the club announced it would shut the 31-year-old down for the remainder of the 2014-15 season following the injury from last weekend’s 105-86 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.
“Right now all we can focus on is what we can control and that’s hanging tough and banding together. The most important thing for me is that the blokes stand up and play hard for our loyal fans,” coach Damian Cotter told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Kings announced that Childress will require surgery and be out of action for four to six months. The 2.03m forward missed three games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.
A dominant Childress hasn’t impacted the Sydney’s post-season chances as expected despite leading the NBL in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots per game with the Kings still three wins behind fourth-placed Adelaide.
The versatile Childress has appeared in 18 games for the Kings this season, averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 blocks per contest. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Childress has contributed to a 15 percent rise in attendance at Kings games and a 50 percent increase in merchandise sales.
The Kings face the Wildcats in Perth on Sunday before matches against Adelaide, Cairns, Wollongong and two season-ending hit outs against fellow playoff hopeful Melbourne United.
Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.
