Miami Heat's James Jones out three months with wrist injury

The bad fortune of the Miami Heat continued on Thursday with the announcement that forward James Jones would miss up to three months due to a wrist injury suffered in practice.  The Heat is already without the services of backup center Jamaal Magloire for six to eight weeks due to a broken hand.

The Heat signed Jones this summer as a free agent to bolster their outside shooting.  He showed a lot of promise with Portland last season, averaging 8 points a game and a spiffy 44% shooting percentage from three point range which was #2 in the NBA.   The Blazers were willing to part with him since they had a lot of good outside shooting on the team, and as a Miami native Jones was quick to sign with the rebuilding Heat.

Jones had been slowed during training camp with a sprained wrist, but appeared to be on the mend before the latest setback.  He’s been diagnosed with a ruptured tendon in the wrist, suffered while taking a shot on Wednesday.  Jones commented about the pain he felt from the injury and the disappointment from his setback:

"Just imagine somebody punching you in your stomach as hard as they can. I felt like I was turning the corner."

Jones will have surgery on Saturday to repair the ruptured tendon.  The Heat, who had the league’s worst record a year ago, may move to add a three point shooter to the roster before the regular season begins.