A crowd of 18,717 and players from both teams fell silent when Bucks rookie T.J. Ford hit the court hard at the Bradley Center Tuesday night.
Ford collided with the Timberwolves' Mark Madsen while making an acrobatic layup in the fourth quarter of the Bucks' 108-102 loss at the Bradley Center. At first it looked like the point guard might have hurt his hip or tailbone.
But, after receiving medical attention, and being taken from the court on a stretcher, Ford was checked for neck injuries at St. Luke's Hospital. Ford was diagnosed with a sprained neck and did not play Wednesday night in Boston. He is listed as day-to-day and could miss a few games.
"It is always scary when you see a guy taken from the court," said the Bucks' Joe Smith. "I was right next to him when he hit the court, and could see he was hurt."
Sam Cassell, who Ford replaced as the Milwaukee point guard, said he too was scared by the fall. "I was very concerned," said Cassell, who now starts for the Timberwolves. "When I saw him move his leg, I felt a little better, but that's always a concern."
Damon Jones, who will start until Ford recovers, said, "That's like my brother out there. He's a teammate. He's our starting point guard and an integral part of what we do here."
The timing of the injury, especially if Ford has to miss some extended time, is very unfortunate for the Bucks. The rookie has shown steady improvement and has become the floor leader for the young team. He also has become a fan favorite.
Keith Van Horn's addition also looks like it could make the Bucks better by playoff time. Van Horn is a legitimate offensive threat. He had 25 points Tuesday and hit a couple clutch 3-pointers to almost bring the Bucks from behind for a win against what might be the best team in the NBA these days.
So, you'd like to see the other key players remain healthy for the stretch run. "All we can do is hope T.J. can come back soon," Jones said. "In the meantime, some of us have to step up our games and keep this thing going."
Sam The Man
Cassell's return to Milwaukee was eventful, as you would expect. First, he responded to some recent critical comments by Tim Thomas, who was traded to New York in the Van Horn deal.
"Why would a guy like that say those things?" Cassell said in response to Thomas' comments that the Big 3, including Cassell, did not play well in the playoffs and in clutch situations. "Just play the game. Tim has problems."
Cassell also remains a player who has never committed a foul in his opinion. He drew a technical for protesting a call in the third quarter and had to be restrained on the Timberwolves' bench.
Sam did score a game-high 29 points, including several key free throws in the closing minutes.
The Brew Crew Review
Regular position players are reporting to the Brewers' spring training camp this week. Early media reports have focused on how the Brewers have not done that much to improve their starting rotation, but if Ben Sheets, Wayne Franklin and Doug Davis continue to develop the team could end up with a solid 1-2-3.
Sheets needs to have a break-out year and approach the 20-win level many were predicting for him right after he was an Olympics hero.
Look for regular reports about spring training the next few weeks, and then in-depth looks at the Brewers in late March, when this writer makes an annual trip to Arizona.
The Name Game
Kudos to Bucks' coach Terry Porter, who was honored by his alma mater of South Division last Friday ... No. 44, worn by former Admirals Gino Cavallini and Kevin Willison, will be retired Saturday night at the Bradley Center ... Kyle Bubolz of Waukesha North won two individual championships at the WIAA state swimming meet and became the first boy to win the 50-yard freestyle four time ... Fan favorite Brooks Kieschnick, a relief pitcher and pinch-hitter, signed a one-year deal with the Brewers.
Beyond Milwaukee Sports
UW-River Falls won its first basketball championship in more than 50 years when it beat Platteville 50-47 for the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title ... Two Italian XC skiers, Giantonio Zanetel and Lara Peyrot, won the men's and women's division titles in the Birkebeiner over the weekend. Zanetel has won two straight Birkies ... Jared Brandon scored 52 points to help DeForest beat La Crosse Central, 73-65 ... Alyssa Lange of Tomahawk became the first girl in state history to earn a berth in the state high school wrestling tournament.
Hot Tix
The Bucks host Memphis at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Miami at 2 p.m. Sunday, both at the Bradley Center.
The Admirals host Houston Thursday and Philadelphia Saturday. Both games are at 7 p.m. at the BC. The Wave does not play again until March 6, when it hosts Kansas City at the U.S. Cellular Arena.
In college hoops, UWM ends its regular season Saturday with a 7 p.m. game against Cleveland State at the Klotsche Center. Wisconsin plays Purdue at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Kohl Center in Madison. Marquette is on the road until March 3.
The Badgers look to be a lock for a NCAA bid no matter what happens in the Big Ten tournament. The Panthers and Golden Eagles are on the bubble and need good tournaments.
Depending on what happens Thursday night in the quarterfinals, the UWM women basketball team could host the Horizon League semis and finals at the Klotsche Center on March 7-8.
Look for a preview of all March Madness possibilities in this column next week.
