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Published: December 19, 2007 5:11 a.m.

Injury, call-up has Ants in flux

Richardson waits on move to NBA

By Steve Warden
The Journal Gazette
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Center Cheikh Samb is back in Detroit and not with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in Tulsa, Okla., where they will play today; and it’s not because he was recalled by the NBA Pistons.

In the second game of his NBA Development League season in Fort Wayne, the 7-foot-1 Samb was forced to leave after getting hit in the face. The injury broke Samb’s front teeth but also gave him a slight fracture to the jaw.

Samb had 12 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots in his Mad Ants debut against Dakota last Thursday, but the following night against Dakota he left the game in the second half after the injury. Even though he missed the entire fourth period, Samb finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

He returned to Detroit to receive medical attention and is also expected to miss the Ants’ home game Saturday against Central Division-leading Iowa.

“It’s just going to depend on how quickly he heals,” Ants coach Kent Davison said of Samb’s return. “That’s disappointing. My big concern is that he gets healthy, and when he gets ready, he’ll come back and we’ll be a better team because of it.”

Samb might not be the only missing Ant in Tulsa.

Swingman Jeremy Richardson, the league’s leading scorer with a 28.5 average, sat out Tuesday morning’s practice, did not make the trip to Tulsa and is expected to get an NBA call-up as early as today. It would be the first time a Mad Ants player has received a call-up, and it would be the fourth occasion for Richardson, who, while playing for Fort Worth last season, was called up once by Portland and twice by Atlanta.

A starter in all eight games, Richardson has led the Mad Ants in scoring in all but his first game. He has scored 30 or more five times, and his 40 points at Iowa remains a single-game league high for this season.

Also seen at the Ants practice was 6-6 guard Sammy Mejia, who did not make the final roster cut of 10. Mejia’s rights were retained by the Ants, however, because of an injury. If Richardson were to leave for the NBA, Mejia could take the roster spot once he becomes eligible.

stwarden@jg.net