Bobcats’ Jeff Taylor Out for Season

The Charlotte Bobcats (13-15) may be bound for just their second playoff trip in franchise history this season, but they’ll have to finish their 2013-2014 campaign without small forward Jeff Taylor, who ruptured his Achilles tendon during Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

According to ESPN.com, the Bobcats still aren’t sure if Taylor suffered a partial or complete tear, but considering an Achilles tendon rupture usually requires four to six months of recovery time following surgery, the team expects him to miss the remainder of the season.

“It’s unfortunate for him, especially, but also for the team,” Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford said. “Sports are like any other business, it starts with people — and he’s a great person.”

With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out with a broken hand, Taylor had just begun to make an impact, averaging 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 26 games this season. Fortunately, Kidd-Gilchrist should be ready to return later this month.

In the meantime, Charlotte will have to find production from other players, including Anthony Tolliver, who started in place of Taylor at small forward in the team’s 88-85 loss to the Utah Jazz. However, Tolliver might not be the long term solution at the position, after netting just two points in 26 minutes of playing time.

“We’ll go by matchups,” Clifford said on Saturday. “Tonight they are bigger so we will start Anthony Tolliver and then we will just take it game by game.”

To give themselves another option at small forward, the Bobcats signed Chris Douglas-Roberts last week. They could also use Gerald Henderson – who normally plays shooting guard – to help at SF as well.

Losing Taylor might not derail Charlotte’s season, but it is certainly an unneeded bump in the road, one which could make the rest of the season just a little more difficult for the sub-.500 Bobcats.