The All-Star break wasn’t exactly the healing salve the Clippers had hoped it would be for J.J. Redick.
The veteran guard, who had what the Clippers were calling a hip injury that cost him the previous four games, actually has a bulging disc in his lower back. So instead of being day-to-day, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said “I don’t have a clue” when Redick could return.
“Until, I guess the (term) would be ‘calms down,’ so he can get his movement back, he’ll be out,” Rivers said. “That could be three days, two weeks, three weeks. No one knows. There’s no set deadline on when he’s coming back. He could be back quick or it could take awhile.”
Redick, who previously missed 21 games with a torn ligament in his wrist, is averaging 15.7 points this season and is shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range. When he returns, he likely won’t have the same seamless transition back into the starting he had before his latest injury, since this time he can’t run to keep his conditioning up.
Redick has been slowed by several ailments, but the Clippers believe this injury stems from the nasty fall he took in Sacramento on Nov. 29, the same incident that hurt his wrist.
“We’re not going to put him out there ’til he’s feeling great,” Rivers said.