Roberts Back on Injured List

The Clippers put center Stanley Roberts, who has sat out four games because of ruptured disk in his back, on the injured list and activated swingman Eric Piatkowski.

Team physician Tony Daly estimates that Roberts will be out 10 days to two weeks.

“A disk is never minor, but it’s a small disk,” Daly said. “He’s doing a lot better already. He’s a lot better than he was last week and maybe next week he’ll be even better.”

Coach Bill Fitch doesn’t want to rush Roberts back.

“Stanley’s coming along good, he’s doing his rehab, but the thing we want to avoid is having him in and out like we went through last year,” Fitch said of Roberts, who sat out 31 games last season because of heel and ankle injuries. “They feel that it would have been at least another five days before he could start working.

“It’s aggravating. We’ve been going through this the three years I’ve been here and it stinks, but one of these days you keep hoping that this will be his time, but if he doesn’t get in shape and stay in shape he’s going to have problems with injuries.”

Piatkowski, who sat out seven games because of flu, was happy to return.

“I lost a few pounds, but I ate really well and hit the weight room really hard while they were on the road,” he said.