Injury Spin Cycle: Chris Kaman Close to Returning; Al Horford Update

Not that anyone seems to care anymore, but Chris Kaman (ankle) is close to returning to the basketball court for the Clippers. I'm not sure how much he's going to play, but he'll be suited up and ready to log some minutes in the middle.

Kaman has played only twice since Nov. 9, due to a sprained left ankle. Yes, he played 76 games last season, but he also played only 31 times in the 2008-09 season. He's often known more for his health concerns than he is for his play on the court.

Don't expect him to come back and be slotted into the starting lineup. Not only because of his health but also because of the play of DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan has struggled of late, but as a starter he's averaging 7.3 points on 66 percent shooting, 8.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. That's in 27 minutes of action. No way I see Jordan losing any time at center. Could he lose his starting gig? It's possible, but the best Kaman owners might see is a starting center in a time-share.

I can advocate picking up Kaman, but only at a minimal price. He's just not suited to play with this up-start offense. Especially not after Jordan helped in leading the Clips to a 9-5 record in January. He's earned his keep.

- Deron Williams still seems to be bothered by his wrist injury. However, he's saying that he won't be sitting any games out. That's refreshing to hear, though it's not too comforting to know that the wrist isn't healing much. We'll have to follow this one closely.

- Al Horford (back) should be in the starting lineup on Tuesday night against the 76ers. I would be prepared to get him in your lineup. [Update: Al Horford is OUT on Tuesday night]

- Serge Ibaka looks like he's going to miss Tuesday night's game against the Grizzlies with a rib injury. If you're in a deeper league you might want to take a flier on Nenad Krstic. Right now Ibaka seems to be day-to-day.

- Dirk Nowitzki had an X-ray done on his right wrist. The results were negative. Coming off his Monday night performance, here's to hoping it gets better. I suppose we'll see how he responds on Wednesday night.