Sixers Notes: Carter-Williams not sure when he'll return

Injured 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams said Monday night that he's not sure exactly when he'll return the court.

The rookie missed his third straight game because of soreness and a skin infection on the front of his right knee. Carter-Williams spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at University of Pennsylvania hospital because of the ailment.

Carter-Williams said he would play "when everyone says it will be OK for me to come back."

The 22-year-old rookie is on antibiotics and is waiting for the soreness to go away before he takes the court. The Sixers hope he'll make the two-game trip to Minnesota on Wednesday and Toronto on Friday.

"I want to play all the time," he said. "You guys know that. When I was in the hospital, I wish I was out there playing.

"I do play through a lot of pain. But the smart thing to do is to get the OK from everybody first until I play."

Carter-Williams probably suffered the injury against the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 1 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He remained in that game.

Two nights later, he recorded a triple-double against the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center.

The swelling "went down a little bit, actually," said Carter-Williams, who aggravated the injury against the Magic. "And then it blew up again at the Orlando game. So that's when I knew there was really something wrong."

The rookie has missed seventh games - the first four with a bruised arch in his left foot.

Thaddeus Young has a season left on his contract with the 76ers, plus a player option for 2015-16.

But given where the Sixers stand, it's possible that the team will look to trade him before the NBA trading deadline on Feb. 20.

ESPN.com reported that the power forward could be moved to the Houston Rockets next week in exchange for center Omer Asik.

"I'm not worrying about the trade or anything," Young said. "It's a business. If it happens, it happens. I just have to live with it and keep moving on.

"But at the end of the day, I'm here, I'm focused, and I'm ready to go out here."

Young, 25, was averaging 15.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals before Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"I definitely love Philly, and want to continue being here," he said. "If they see fit to trade me, then, hey, my time is up and I have to move on."