Backup big , Chris Andersen , was lost for the year with a knee injury .
Not long after , in a Dec. 20 win in Milwaukee , J.R. Smith broke his right thumb -- undergoing surgery that will keep him out until spring .
Backup big , Chris Andersen , was lost for the year with a knee injury and not long after , in a Dec. 20 win in Milwaukee , J.R. Smith broke his right thumb -- undergoing surgery that will keep him out until spring .