Larry Sanders' 5-game suspension began Wednesday despite injury

The Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA did Larry Sanders a pretty big favor Wednesday.

Sanders is out for the season due to a broken orbital bone and has a five-game suspension pending for testing positive for marijuana for a third time. Normally, a suspension does not begin until a player is healthy (so he would otherwise be playing). However, Sanders' suspension began on Wednesday, meaning it will span the Bucks' final five games of the season.

Not only does this allow Sanders to play to start the 2014-15 season, it also means he'll lose just $37,000 per game instead of $134,000, because the contract extension he signed this past summer kicks in next season. That saves Sanders nearly $500,000 in total.

According to SB Nation, who got word from a league official, Sanders was cleared by Bucks' team doctors, who sent the evaluation to the NBA. After review by an independent physician contracted by the league, it was determined that Sanders is physically able to play.

In short, the Bucks were likely sitting Sanders out for the remainder of the season as a precaution, but the opportunity to have him serve his suspension now - and save him a great deal of money - led to them clearing him early.