The Charlotte Hornets will be without Cody Zeller indefinitely, after the reserve center suffered a torn meniscus, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The team will also be without another big man in Frank Kaminsky against the Chicago Bulls tonight, still nursing a sprained ankle.
Zeller had become Dwight Howard's main backup, as well as a versatile face-up center that can hit the mid-range shot consistently.
He first hurt his knee while trying to gather for a shot in-close against David West in Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors, sitting out the rest of the game, as he was hobbling through the last few possessions of the third quarter.
This injury will mean more minutes for starter Dwight Howard and Johnny O'Bryant III, who can crack the rotation if Kaminsky is to miss more time with his ankle.
The Hornets lose one of their key shot-blocking presences in what's been a season of unexpected blows to the team, right after getting point guard Kemba Walker and shooting guard Nicolas Batum back in the fold, and losing head coach Steve Clifford for the foreseeable future, attending to health concerns.
Meniscus injuries are delicate, especially for big men, who are forced to put a lot of body weight on a joint. While the seven-footer hasn't chosen surgery at this moment, the Hornets will play a lot more small ball without him, likely involving Treveon Graham as they did last game.
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