Utah Jazz's Enes Kanter will have MRI on dislocated shoulder

It was tough to look at.

The first major injury of Enes Kanter's NBA career happened on Wednesday night in Utah's 103-88 win over the Phoenix Suns at EnergySolutions Arena.

His dislocated shoulder caused his arm to dangle by his side after a hard collision with Hamed Haddadi. After both big men went to the floor, Kanter staggered to his feet like a punch-drunk boxer. He wanted to stay in the game, but the pain was too great. The crowd gasped at the vision of a shoulder popped out of place, the bone seemingly threatening to break through skin.

"It disconnected after I fell to the ground and the other guy fell on my arm," Kanter said.

A second-year center for the Jazz, Kanter will have an MRI tomorrow to determine how much time he will miss, if any. The general consensus is that Kanter will be on the shelf for as much as two weeks, the worst stretch of the season for him to be inactive due to the Western Conference playoff push.

In his stead, Ty Corbin will have to rely on more of Derrick Favors for minutes off the bench. Jeremy Evans can play an expanded role. The Jazz could even play Marvin Williams as a stretch power forward in a pinch if need be.

"It's tough, man — he was playing really well," Utah center Al Jefferson said. "His confidence was getting there. That's part of the game, you're going to have injuries. He's a young kid, and he's going to work really hard on getting healthy. It sucks for him to get hurt at this time of the year right now with him playing so well."

True to Kanter's 2013 persona, he fielded questions afterward with a slick hat and a sling on his left arm. He spoke of text messages and females asking him if he was OK. He spoke of pain, and the fact that he was feeling none at that moment. He also spoke of the process of getting back as soon as possible.

"I just have to get the MRI and go from there," Kanter said. "My shoulder is disconnected, but I'm alright. I just want to return because I want to help the team make the postseason."

tjones@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tjonessltrib