Sitting out games isn?t the only frustration these days for Charlotte Hornets forward Jamal Mashburn.
Mashburn is able to work out up to three hours a day doing physical therapy designed to heal his strained abdominal muscle.
But unlike therapy for previous injuries in Mashburn?s career, this rehabilitation has no set time for healing.
"It?s been tough on me because I like being active," said Mashburn, one of a handful of NBA players with a personal trainer for just that reason. "And I?m working out 2 1-2 to three hours daily. Medicine balls. Balance drills. That sort of thing."
Unfortunately for Mashburn and the Hornets, basketball still hasn?t been added to that regimen.
And no one knows for sure if it?ll ever be added again this season.
"I?d rather not put a timetable on it," said Mashburn, who would be lost for the season if he agrees to surgery for the injury. "Until I?m 100 percent, I have to be patient and keep working to get better."
For now, it appears the earliest Hornets fans would see Mashburn would be the All-Star break.
That would mean Mashburn?s rehabilitation clears up the injury and he?s cleared to practice in the next two weeks and he spends about a month getting in game condition.