Pierce suffered the injury in the first half of the Nets' Friday loss to the Houston Rockets. So far this season, Pierce is averaging 12.4 points and 4.8 rebounds, despite taking a far less aggressive approach on offense than he has in the past.

Pierce isn't the first significant Nets player to go down. A number of injuries have hurt the Nets' chances of gaining chemistry within a new collection of stars. Aside from Pierce, Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry have all missed time with injury.

The injuries are taking a toll on the Nets, who stand 5-12 on the season thus far, not exactly what was expected in Brooklyn when Pierce and Kevin Garnett were brought in to join a roster of All-Stars.


WOUNDED LAKERS


Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring.

The Lakers announced their backup point guard's injury Monday. The team also announced Pau Gasol has a mildly sprained right ankle.

Farmar left Sunday night's game against Portland after playing just 56 seconds. He had an ultrasound examination Monday.

Farmar is off to a strong start in his return to the Lakers, where he won two NBA titles before playing in New Jersey and Turkey. The UCLA product is averaging 9.2 points and 4.4 assists per game for Los Angeles.

Farmar is the second injured point guard for the Lakers, who have had Steve Nash in their lineup for just six games this season. Steve Blake has started in Nash's place.


IGGY RETURN


The Golden State Warriors lost forward Andre Iguodala on a injury-filled weekend that also claimed Derrick Rose and Marc Gasol.

While Rose is out for the season and Gasol is still working back, Iguodala is close to making a basketball return, Warriors coach Mark Jackson told the Contra Costa Times (via EyeOnBasketball).

Iguodala, who suffered a strained hamstring, is getting "closer and closer" to coming back for the Warriors, according to Jackson.

"We'll stay true to the process as usual and look forward to having him back," Jackson said.

The Warriors won't have to rush Iguodala back, as second-year Harrison Barnes has emerged from his own injury issues to serve as a worthy replacement. The Warriors would like to have Barnes in the sixth man role to bolster their depth, though.

"It's think it's pretty obvious," Jackson said. "He's a bigtime playmaker on the offensive end. He's another ball-handler for us. He's a guy that has an extremely high IQ, understanding the offensive end and the defensive end. He helps out depth also, because now you bring Harrison off the bench. Now you have, I don't want to say no nowhere to go with Harrison not on the bench, but that hurts us.

"We went and got him for a reason, and when we don't have him we're still a good basketball team, but we're not the same team."


SALARY SAVED


At this point, most sports fans are aware of the high rates at which professional athletes go bankrupt, despite earning millions during their playing careers.

For the NBA, that number stands at 60 percent. Philadelphia 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams has parents who intend to make sure he doesn't become another statistic, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer (via EyeOnBasketball).

As the 11th pick of this past summer's NBA draft, Carter-Williams will take in $4.5 million in salary over his first two seasons of his deal and could come out with $10 million if the two final years of his contract is picked up.

Carter-Williams' parents have his salary deposited into a trust he cannot touch for three years, which is a solid plan to protect a 22-year-old kid making millions of dollars. Carter-Williams lives on endorsement deals from Nike and Panini trading cards at the moment, and players are also allotted per diems when on the road.

This is a smart idea, considering the life that some athletes lead. There are bad decisions, but there are also factors at play when athletes lose money. Not many NBA players don't come from privileged backgrounds, so they feel the need to help out family and simply don't have money-management skills.

That said, Carter-Williams' parents have taken the right approach. While this can't be the reality for everyone, it is a good example set for those capable of making such a decision.

Contributors: DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press