Bobcats - Gerald Wallace -F

		Bobcats     Gerald Wallace -F
		Mar 14, 2012  12:26 pm EST

The Charlotte Bobcats added veteran Larry Hughes Saturday, but that won't be immediate help in filling the minutes Gerald Wallace will miss.</p> Wallace sprained his left ankle just before halftime of Friday's victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. While a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Saturday showed no fracture or ligament tear, Wallace figures to miss at least the next two games.</p> Meanwhile, the Bobcats have signed Hughes who, at 6-foot-5, could fill some minutes at either guard spot or small forward. However, Hughes is still recovering from a broken hand and is unlikely to be cleared to play before Friday's game in Atlanta.</p> It was a relief Saturday when Wallace's MRI came back negative. The Bobcats say his ankle was extremely sore Saturday, so they sent him for the test in case the damage was more serious. Wallace suffered the injury while driving to the basket, when Clippers guard Baron Davis pushed him from behind. Davis was charged with a flagrant foul.</p> Wallace averages the most minutes in the NBA at 42 per game. Bobcats coach Larry Brown indicated Saturday he'd likely move Stephen Jackson from shooting guard to Wallace's small forward spot, and start either Stephen Graham or Gerald Henderson at shooting guard. </p> Brown added that Wallace's absence might cause him to use Boris Diaw some at small forward and pair Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin more in the backcourt. </p> Signing Hughes is an effort to fill the gap left by the departure of combo guard Flip Murray. The Bobcats traded Murray, along with reserve point guard Acie Law, to the Chicago Bulls in the deal for power forward Tyrus Thomas. </p> Murray was the Bobcats' best scoring option off the bench, averaging 9.9 points before the trade, and he also was an alternative at point guard. Hughes, a 12-season NBA veteran, has a skill set similar to Murray's, though Brown would like to keep Hughes mostly at shooting guard. </p> Hughes' fracture is at the base of the finger next to his pinky on his left hand. He can catch, pass and shoot without discomfort, but has yet to be cleared for contact drills. </p> Since Hughes was waived by the Sacramento Kings before March 1, he would be eligible should the Bobcats qualify for the playoffs.

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