Fondly known as “Shaq”, Shaquille O’Neal scratched his shoulder on Saturday, 14th November 2009 in a game against the Utah Jazz. His injury is said to keep him from playing the Tuesday game against the Golden State Warriors. O’Neal was able to finish the Saturday game but did not practice on Monday. It is still not sure O’Neal suffered injury on which shoulder but appears doubtful to play on Tuesday.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is expected to play for O’Neal while he is undergoing treatment. O’Neal has played 75 games with Phoenix last season. “We can be cautious during this time of the year,” Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown was reported saying. “We’re not going to rush anybody back, let alone Shaq. Even though guys may miss a few practices here and there or a few games here and there, this is the time to do it as opposed to the end of the year.”
O’Neal has already played 2 games last week against Orlando Magic and Miami Heat and scored 10 points with 4 rebounds in under 20 minutes. The Cavaliers are expected to play 4 games beginning with the Warriors on Tuesday. Though missing O’Neal, Brown has strong faith in his team and believes such small upsets are part of the game. “Obviously, I think we’re a very, very good club. It’s part of the ups and downs of a season when you have guys that are injured or have a sickness. We have to go out there and keep playing.”