Jason Collins Injury: Hawks Center Has Ligament Tear In Elbow, Out 2-4 More Weeks

Atlanta's Jason Collins is progressing in his recovery from a torn ligament in his elbow and expects to begin rehab on the injury on Friday.

#Hawks C Jason Collins (elbow) says he's scheduled to begin rehab Friday.

— Michael Cunningham (@ajchawks) February 29, 2012

Collins hasn't played since February 2 when he suffered the elbow injury against the Memphis Grizzlies. On the season, Collins has played in 13 games and is averaging 1.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

Without Collins and Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia has taken over as Atlanta's starting center. The Hawks signed Erick Dampier to two 10-day contracts and expects to resign him for the remainder of the season. Collins played a big part in the Hawks success last season in the playoffs against the Orlando Magic. However, Atlanta has continued that success into this season defeating the Magic twice without Collins.

For more on Jason Collins and the Atlanta Hawks head on over to Peachtree Hoops.

Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collins will miss an additional 2-4 weeks with an elbow injury that he suffered on February 2 against Memphis. Collins had an MRI earlier this week and it showed that the ligament still had not healed and doctors advised Collins to remain in his brace.

"They showed me the MRI on the screen and the severity of the tear and highly recommended I stay in this brace so I can get back to the court as quickly as possible."

Without Collins, Atlanta has used Zaza Pachulia exclusively as the starting center with rookie power forward Ivan Johnson as the backup. Atlanta also signed Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract to help provide some depth in the front court.

For more on Jason Collins injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketballpage.

Injured Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collins had his injured elbow examined by his doctor today but the injury still hasn't healed according to coach Larry Drew.

#Hawks C Jason Collins (elbow) saw doc today. Drew says he's still not healed. Didn't commit to another 10-day for Dampier

— Michael Cunningham (@ajchawks) February 16, 2012

Atlanta signed center Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract to add depth and size to its front court for the five-game road trip. Dampier played just over 16 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and did acceptable work against Andrew Bynum.

Although Drew didn't commit to Dampier for another contract it is likely that the Hawks will offer another 10-day deal to Dampier once his current deal runs out if Collins is still not ready to return from injury.

For more on Jason Collins injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Injured Hawks center Jason Collins is with the club on as they begin their five-game road trip in Los Angeles but is unlikely to play on the trip according to a report by Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham.

Jason Collins (elbow) has joined the team here but Larry Drew said it's doubtful he will play on the trip. That means there's a pretty good chance Erick Dampier will stick around for a second 10-day contract.

Atlanta added Dampier with the hope that he could provide some much needed size to the Atlanta front court. Dampier checked in midway through the first quarter of Tuesday's game against the Lakers as the Hawks scrambled to try to matchup with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

Collins told Cunningham that his elbow was feeling better and that he would see his doctor on Wednesday.

For more on Jason Collins injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collins will miss a minimum of two weeks with a sprained elbow according to a release by the team. Collins had an MRI exam on Friday but the Hawks didn't elaborate as to whether there was any ligament damage in the elbow.

"I didn't break it, didn't dislocate it. We will look at it in two weeks and be re-evaluated."

Without Collins, Atlanta is extremely thin with Zaza Pachulia the only healthy true center remaining on the roster. Ivan Johnson has played backup minutes at the center position even when Collins was healthy. Hawks coach Larry Drew told the AJC prior to Saturday's game that the Hawks were looking at candidates to sign a 10-day contract with the club to provide some depth. The free agent center market isn't exactly overloaded with talented options at this point in the season however.

For more on Jason Collins injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.