Oakland, United States: Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has been diagnosed with a concussion, the NBA team announced on Friday, and will not play again until he completes the league’s concussion protocol.
That means there is no timetable for the backcourt standout to return to the court as the opening game of the best-of-seven NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers looms at home next Thursday.
Golden State produced the best record in the NBA this season at 67-15. The Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1975, when they beat Washington for the title.
Thompson, who will be re-evaluated daily, suffered the injury Wednesday in a Western Conference-clinching playoff victory over Houston when leaping Rockets forward Trevor Ariza slammed a knee into the side of Thompson’s head.
Thompson, 25, received his first All-Star Game nod this season. He averaged 21.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 77 games this season.
In the playoffs, Thompson has averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
Scott Skiles was, meanwhile, named coach of the Orlando Magic on Friday, the 13-season NBA coach tasked with ending the club’s three-year run of failing to reach the playoffs.
Skiles, whose first season as a coach was for Greek side Thessaloniki in 1996-97, takes the job from which Jacque Vaughn was fired last February, one taken on an interim basis by James Borrego.
The Magic went 25-57 this past season, only a slight improvement on 23-59 the season before and 20-62 in 2012-13 but not nearly enough to satisfy fans of a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2009, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, and 1995, losing to Houston.
Skiles, 51, has an overall NBA regular season record of 443-433 guiding Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee, the team from which he and club owners agreed to his resignation after a 16-16 start to the 2012-13 campaign.
Skiles has guided six teams into the playoffs, reaching the second round in 2000 with Phoenix and 2007 with Chicago.
“Scott clearly distinguished himself as a tremendous fit,” Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. “Our young roster will benefit greatly from Scott’s extensive head coaching experience and commitment to teaching smart, physical, unselfish basketball. We believe in Scott’s ability to establish a culture of winning habits and accountability that will help guide our team in a positive direction.”
