Tyreke Evans Out With Concussion and Possible Fractured Jaw

Well King fans – if you don’t believe in curses, you might want to get a voodoo doll. The Kings star Point Guard and potential Rookie Of The Year left Friday nights game against the Milwaukee Bucks with only a minute and a half or so remaining due to serious injuries to his mouth and head.

Kings Power Forward Carl Landry and Bucks Forward Ersan Ilyasova battled for a potentially game ending rebound, which would have all but insured a King victory, and knowing so – Evans entered the battle for the board. Unfortunately, Ilyasova’s elbow caught Evans flush in the mouth sending him straight to the floor where he sustained serious gum damage, chipped teeth, mouth contusions and last but not least, a concussion. Evans looked dazed as he climbed to his feet but quickly gathered himself and walked to the Kings bench with a towel stopping the bleeding from his mouth. After a few moments on the bench where team doctor and team dentist looked at his injuries, Evans left the court for further tests. Evans will undergo an X-ray this afternoon to see if there was any damage to his jaw.

If you recall, Shareef Abdur-Rahim broke his jaw during the 2005-2006 season with the Kings but made the decision to avoid surgery and played ten days later with his jaw wired shut. However, Rahim did not have a concussion and as anybody who’s ever had one, they’re nothing to play around with – especially when you play as reckless as Tyreke Evans.

Even if the results of Evans’ X-ray are negative, you really do need to think about sitting him down for the rest of the season, or at least for the majority of it. With the playoffs out of reach and only a handful of games left, any positives from playing are quickly negated by the seriousness of what could happen with another blow to the head.