Cavs’ guard Larry Hughes to miss at least four weeks

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bruised but not broken this time, Larry Hughes is again too hurt to play for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland’s fragile guard, who has also endured personal misfortune in the past, will miss at least four weeks with a deep bone bruise in his left leg, yet another setback for Hughes and the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Hughes hurt his leg during a game Nov. 4 at Phoenix when he collided with Suns guard Leandro Barbosa.

He missed three games and was still experiencing discomfort on Tuesday night, when he left an overtime loss against Orlando in the fourth quarter complaining of pain. Hughes was 2-for-12 from the field when he limped to the bench.

The team said tests revealed a deep bone bruise and swelling. They estimated a four-week treatment period before Hughes could resume basketball activities.

The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hughes, who signed a five-year $60 million free agent contract with Cleveland in 2005, has spent a large chunk of his career on the sideline with an assortment of injuries.

He also missed time following the tragic death of his younger brother, Justin, in 2006. In addition, Hughes’ wife had a brain aneurysm this summer and one of his aunts passed away.

Last season, Hughes missed 10 regular-season games with a sprained ankle, and sat out Games 3 and 4 of the NBA finals against San Antonio with a foot injury. During his first season with Cleveland, Hughes missed 46 games in the regular season with a broken right finger that required two surgeries.

Hughes wasn’t doing much to help the Cavaliers this season, but without him, the club may have to start swingman Sasha Pavlovic, who has been bothered by back spasms and isn’t in great playing shape since ending his contract holdout.

Hughes’ absence will also mean additional playing time for Damon Jones and Devin Brown.

The Cavaliers, who will host the Utah Jazz on Friday, are missing Donyell Marshall (wrist) and Eric Snow (knee surgery). Cleveland’s frontline is also without forward Anderson Varejao, a restricted free agent who remains unsigned.