Sports Injuries

Adam Morrison has made his peace with the player he is and the one he believes he still can become. Others have heaped criticism on Morrison, 24, for not living up to the immense expectations placed on him when Charlotte Bobcats co-owner Michael Jordan selected him as the third overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft. Not long ago, Morrison was one of the biggest stars in college, leading the nation in scoring with 28.1 points a game for Gonzaga.

The headbanging collisions that thrill sports fans have lifelong effects on the athletes, with impairments in movement and thinking skills showing up 30 years or more after the concussions, researchers reported Tuesday. The slight deficits resulting from one or two concussions were similar to problems found in patients with the early stages of dementia, although they did not interfere with the daily life of the otherwise healthy men, researchers reported in the journal Brain.

Blake Griffin hasn't been a Clipper for long . . . but long enough, apparently. It hasn't even been a month since the NBA draft, but the prized rookie already has an injury that will keep him out of action for weeks, not days. The team issued a release Wednesday saying the power forward suffered a strained right shoulder and will be resting for three to four weeks. This means Griffin, the No. 1 overall draft pick, will miss the USA Basketball national team mini-camp in Las Vegas.

You're thinking it. The rest of the NBA is thinking it. I bet deep down, some folks who show up for work in purple and gold sweats are even thinking it. Andrew Bynum's right knee may have just cost the Lakers a championship. It's a nutty thought, but then so was the notion that, when he injured his knee at this same time last year, Bynum might miss the rest of the season. He did.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming's broken left foot could be a "career-threatening" injury. Dr. Tom Clanton, the Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao's injury "has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening." Yahoo Sports first reported that the Rockets and Yao's representatives were concerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again.

Three of the four teams in today's NFL playoff games -- the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts -- spent the last week patiently answering below-the-belt questions about their top receivers. Below-the-thigh questions, in fact. Intrigue swirls around the toe of Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, the ankle of Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens and the knee of Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison. The availability of each player could play a big role in the success of his team.

There went the kneecap felt 'round Lakerdom. Here's a test for Lakers fans who are limping around today in sympathy with Andrew Bynum: What does his knee injury mean for the team's chances? A) There goes first place in the West. B) There goes first place in the Pacific. C) There goes home-court advantage in the first round. D) There goes the season. E) There goes the franchise. F) All of the above. The answer is, all of the above.

PHOENIX -- One way or another, Plaxico Burress has found a way to be the center of attention this week. The New York Giants receiver started with his mouth, making headlines by predicting that his team would upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. "I've always been a confident player," he said. "And I'll always be that way." Now he is making news with his injured ankle and knee, which caused him to miss a second day of practice on Thursday. And that could be a much bigger deal.

PHOENIX -- Eight o'clock on a desert morning, the rising sun casts an unsettling glow on the two deep, disparate shades of the NFL. In one corner of town are the stars. In the other corner are the scars. Outside a flowery suburban resort, the New England Patriots are walking into tents with hundreds of reporters to talk about the Super Bowl. Inside a sterile downtown convention center, four dozen NFL stars are limping into a half-empty ballroom to talk about what happens next.

As the 2008 professional baseball season begins, pitchers will stand atop regulation-height, 10-inch mounds to wind up. Then they'll stride, cock their arms, accelerate, decelerate and follow through to release a ball that can reach speeds of 100 mph. Now, a motion analysis study of 20 elite pitchers from the major leagues and NCAA Division I-A college teams suggests that a 10-inch mound, also standard for college and high school baseball, might contribute to injuries.