Warriors' Lee injures middle finger

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LAS VEGAS -- David Lee injured his right middle finger Tuesday during his first practice with Team USA, an injury significant enough that he planned to immediately fly back to Oakland to be examined by the Golden State Warriors' medical staff.

Lee said the injury occurred when he went up to block a shot and jammed his finger against the bottom of the backboard.

"I looked down and my finger was completely turned to the side," Lee said. "It's possibly a tendon or a dislocation of some sort. It's something I've got to go have looked at either way.

"Hopefully it's something I can splint up and play with. That's up to the doctors to decide," Lee said.

Lee's injury came one day after Team USA learned it would be without forward Amare Stoudemire for the world championships after the New York Knicks said they were unable to procure an insurance policy to cover Stoudemire's surgically-repaired knee. Also, Phoenix center Robin Lopez informed team USA earlier Tuesday that he would not be attending minicamp as he continues to rehabilitate a back injury that kept him out of the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

The losses of Stoudemire, Lee and Lopez left the U.S. team with just 19 healthy players heading into their second day of practice Wednesday.

Lee said he planned to return to Las Vegas late Wednesday, even if the Warriors tell him to sit out the rest of minicamp. After a scrimmage Saturday night, Team USA will resume training camp in New York on Aug. 10.

Chris Sheridan is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

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