Suns Amare out at least 4 months

[Matrix]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1011suns.html




Amare out four months
Suns star has microfracture procedure on left knee
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 11, 2005

advertisement





The Suns received devastating news this morning regarding their All-Star big man.

Suns star Amaré Stoudemire’s arthroscopic surgery evolved into a microfracture procedure on his left knee this morning, according to his manager.

Team physician and orthopedic surgeon Thomas Carter found Stoudemire’s cartilage damage to be more severe than anticipated. Stoudermire’s manager, Rodney Rice, said the power forward is expected be out for four months because of the surgery.

“It was better to do the microfracture now instead of chancing that the lesion would grow, which might affect Amaré down the road,” said Rice, who was in the room during this morning’s scope. “It was best to do the procedure now.”

Suns fans remember how microfracture surgery greatly changed the game of Penny Hardaway but Rice said Stoudemire should not be as adversely affected because he is having the operation at a younger age and at a time when the lesion is smaller. During a microfracture, holes are drilled into the bone. The cells then come up with the blood through the holes and form into cartilage.

“He’s got a lot of things in his favor to come back in a strong way,” Rice said.

[Kori Ellis]

Damn - that sucks for him. Microfracture surgery is very hard to ever recover from. Good luck to Amare.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Well, that's bad news for the Suns. I think as long as Nash is healthy they'll stay afloat but their going to need Marion or someone to really step up if they want stay in the hunt for a division title.

[SWC Bonfire]

Wow, that's a devastating injury.

How long has this been an issue? Did they wait until the start of the season to actually do this surgery, or is it just now apparent?

[sa_butta]

Damn that sucks for Suns, they will be hurting for a while like last
year when Nash was out. Too bad for them, but its part of the game.
I hope he comes back soon cause I dont want any excuses.

[Kori Ellis]

How long has this been an issue? Did they wait until the start of the season to actually do this surgery, or is it just now apparent?

It's been bothering him all summer. They were just doing an exploratory procedure to check the extent of the damage but ended up doing microfracture surgery. This surgery kills a lot of careers. Hopefully that doesn't happen to Amare.

[Kori Ellis]

Most doctors recommend players sit out one year after this type of surgery if they want to recover properly.

[JUUOT]

it sucks. a good fight needs 2 fighters. i hope amare will come back fast.

[ducks]

it sucks for amare
amare has the skills to be the mvp in the nba in 2 years

[Matrix]

Here in Arizona, a good thing never last too long, take the Dbacks for example,

[Summers]

Man, that really stinks. Here's hoping the surgery goes well and he recovers quickly.

[Kori Ellis]

What's the Suns front court situation? Who will even start? Am I correct that your only centers are Pat Burke and Brian Grant ???

[TheTruth]

Damn, he was turning into the most entertaining player in the league.

Heres hoping for a quick recovery.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

It's been bothering him all summer. They were just doing an exploratory procedure to check the extent of the damage but ended up doing microfracture surgery. This surgery kills a lot of careers. Hopefully that doesn't happen to Amare.

Kori, can you name some guys who couldn't bounce back from this surgery? I'm just curious.

[Kori Ellis]

Kori, can you name some guys who couldn't bounce back from this surgery? I'm just curious.

Penny Hardaway
Allan Houston
Jamal Mashburn

[ducks]

I had jan 7 penciled in to see suns and spurs play in az as a big game
guess not now

[Supergirl]

Amare's pretty young to be having this many problems - he was out for almost a while season 2 years ago - and had surgery to correct his vision - I'd say the prognosis is not good, overall. Some people are born with stonger dispositions than others. Some people are not. Grant Hill could have been great, too.

Sucks for the Suns, esp since they just locked him in to a big contract. Without Amare Suns are an easy 1st round exit of the playoffs, even with Nash.

[themvp]

Good luck, Amere!

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Penny Hardaway
Allan Houston
Jamal Mashburn

Allan Houston, that's who I was trying to think of. Thanks Kori.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Very bad news. I feel bad for the Suns and their fans. Amare is a dynamite player and I hope he comes back 100% healthy.

[TheTruth]

Amare's pretty young to be having this many problems - he was out for almost a while season 2 years ago - and had surgery to correct his vision - I'd say the prognosis is not good, overall. Some people are born with stonger dispositions than others. Some people are not. Grant Hill could have been great, too.

Sucks for the Suns, esp since they just locked him in to a big contract. Without Amare Suns are an easy 1st round exit of the playoffs, even with Nash.
Grant was already great.

[samikeyp]

That sucks. He is a good young player, I hope he makes it back 100%

[King]

Penny Hardaway
Allan Houston
Jamal Mashburn


Webber and Kidd just had it recently, too -- it'll be interesting to see if they join your list.

[picnroll]

Hoping for a full recovery.

On a side note anybody remember how protected that pick Spurs got for Barbosa was and if that was a pick the Knicks packaged to Chicago for Curry?

[Doc Jerome]

Horrible news. Just horrible.

[TheTruth]

Whats makes it even worse for the Suns is the fact that Nash isn't getting any younger. Their window of opportunity may be closed. Bummer for them

Didn't Zack Randolph have this surgery last year? He came back alright fromit.

[ShoogarBear]

:(

[spurster]

That's a big ouch. One thing in Amare's favor is his youth. He ought to heal faster and better than an older player.

[ObiwanGinobili]

oh man. that sux!
Sux for Amare. Sux for the Suns.... even sux for the Spurs.


i hope he recovers well - hopefully he won;t push himself to come back too soon. could ruin his whole career

[boutons]

4 months is mid-Feb, plus whatever lost physical conditioning.
Suns could struggle making the playoffs.

Jason Kidd came back pretty well from micro-fracture surgery, but Chris Webber didn't.

Awfully bad break for such a young player.

[myhc]

that's too bad. i feel sorry for the guy. but he's young so he's got that going for him so maybe he can heal better and faster.

so now how does this change the dynamic of the west? assuming amare comes back (or even if he does) in february, i'd venture to guess the suns can still make the playoffs but probably as a 7 or 8 seed now. it'll be dogfight with utah, golden state and even the lakers now i'm sure. the kings are suddenly looking at the division title and a possible 2 or 3 seed. wow.

[JMarkJohns]

The only good thing about this is that it was done on cartilage, not ligaments. The latter is the injury that takes a year plus on average to recover from.

It's potentially devastating.

[waly.mg]

Now, we can Know if Steve Nash is the league MVP

[tlongII]

Whats makes it even worse for the Suns is the fact that Nash isn't getting any younger. Their window of opportunity may be closed. Bummer for them

Didn't Zack Randolph have this surgery last year? He came back alright fromit.


Zach had the surgery during last season. He is looking pretty good in training camp right now. I think 4 months is a very optimistic view of recovery time for this thing. On the bright side, it seems this procedure is becoming more and more common.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Absolutely terrible news. Amare is one of the guys you cheer for even if he isn't on YOUR team. Hopefully this doesn't create long term damage to a career that I have been looking forward to following.

[1Parker1]

See you in 4 months, Amare.

BTW, anyone remember why he was out the season before? I can't remember what injury he had then...was it his knee?

[JMarkJohns]

One very important thing of note.

This isn't the same type of microfracture surgery as what Penny, McDyess, Webber, Kidd or Randolph had. They all had ligament damage, which is far more serious.

Amare has cartilage damage.

Thus the 4 month recovery time.

[JMarkJohns]

See you in 4 months, Amare.

BTW, anyone remember why he was out the season before? I can't remember what injury he had then...was it his knee?

Severaly sprained ankle.

He missed around 20 games, came back, tweaked it again, missed another dozen or so.

[JUUOT]

thomas starting at center, marion as a 4, JJones, bell and nash

grant, diaw at the 4, jackson, barbosa, on the bench?

[ShoogarBear]

out of those 5 players, only penny's game was based on hops.

Mmmm, McDyess, too.

[picnroll]

Did McDyess have microfracture surgery? I thought it was patellar fracture and/or rupture of the patellar tendon.

[Despot]

He's young, and I don't know too much about this surgery, but from what I have heard, in the position he plays, it won't affect him as much as it would a guard.
Although, it does seem to me like he plays like a guard, doesn't it? Either way, I would think that his explosiveness is what will suffer the most, it's a shame too, the sky was, or is the limit for him. Best of luck Amare. I really expected great things from you, and I hope this will be just a bump in the road.

What is kinda shocking to me, is that the article makes it seem like the surgery was explorative, and when they found the problem, they went to town and fixed it without consulting Amare first, does this happen alot?? Especially on such a drastic surgery?

Edited to add: Also, Amare has always been a professional, and polite, and probably the only non spur I would root for, in a non spurs game of course.

[mavsfan1000]

This fucking blows. The most exciting team in the league will not be the same without Amare.

[JMarkJohns]

The general consensous was that he could still play, but it wasn't recommended.

He'd been practicig on this for the last couple months.

He had an MRI earlier in the summer, then an X-ray and another MRI just recently. All showed nothing. That's why they needed this procedure.

It's devastating injury for Amare and this year, but it's nothing like the names and games above. This was a procedure for the future, so nothing wrong would come of this minor tear, then to alleviate the soreness he's suffered.

It's not an injury that should affect him or his game for more than his length of time missed.

[MiNuS]

This fucking blows. The most exciting team in the league will not be the same without Amare.excuse me! The most exciting?


this only means they will not have a chance for home court advantage.

Basically right now the Spurs have to focus on themselves 1st,the Rockets,Nuggetts,and the Mavs maybe.

[Mavs<Spurs]

Damn - that sucks for him. Microfracture surgery is very hard to ever recover from. Good luck to Amare.


I agree. Too bad, he seems like a good guy from what I have seen. And obviously he is an amazing athlete and a great basketball player.

[picnroll]

Here's (http://www.myorthodoc.com/Knee%20cartilage%20defects.htm) a good overview of articular cartilage knee defects.

An excerpt;

Microfracture chondroplasty is a arthroscopic procedure in which the surgeon creates multiple tiny puncture holes in the denuded areas (exposed bone) using a sharp surgical pick. The punctures in the bone allow blood from the bone-marrow to escape and pool within the cartilage defect. Eventually the pooled blood will solidify into a type of cartilage which can cover the denuded defect. In approximately 80% of cases there is an acceptable degree of filling of the defect and symptom relief. The major downside to microfracture chondroplasty is the necessity for crutches and strict use of a motion machine (CPM) for 4-6 weeks. There is also a question of long-term durability beyond 5 years after the surgery. Nonetheless the arthroscopic debridement and the microfracture chondroplasty serve as the first-line surgical procedures before embarking onto much more complex options.

[mavsfan1000]

excuse me! The most exciting?


this only means they will not have a chance for home court advantage.

Basically right now the Spurs have to focus on themselves 1st,the Rockets,Nuggetts,and the Mavs maybe.

I would say that because of their playing style. Always running down the floor but I don't care too much for the players. They just are fun to watch.

[Mavs<Spurs]

I agree. Too bad, he seems like a good guy from what I have seen. And obviously he is an amazing athlete and a great basketball player.

In fact, if the Spurs were not going to win it all, I would probably root for the Suns because they seem like a class act which is more than I can see for some others (e.g. Sonic fans getting excited when they saw Tim Duncan injured!)

[ducks]

suns a class act????
not since the new owners took over

[tlongII]

One very important thing of note.

This isn't the same type of microfracture surgery as what Penny, McDyess, Webber, Kidd or Randolph had. They all had ligament damage, which is far more serious.

Amare has cartilage damage.

Thus the 4 month recovery time.

Not true. They all had cartilage damage. That is what microfracture surgery is for. The key to the severity is whether or not the cartilage damage is in a weight bearing area of the knee. Kidd's and Randolph's were not. I don't know about Amare.

[ducks]

could suns get a lottery pick out of this

[Bruno]

Suns are so desperate than they have tried to sign Jerome Moiso but he failed his physical.
Good Luck for Amare.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

could suns get a lottery pick out of this

That's a tad drastic. If Nash goes down then this seems rather likely, but as long as they have Nash and get Amare back for at least the last month of the season the Suns should be able to at least manage the eight spot.

[waly.mg]

We have Rasho Nesterovic for a trade between both

[Despot]

That's a thought, trade Rasho for Amare, heck, even throw in Ford

[BillsCarnage]

Very unfortunate injury for Amare. If the Suns are smart they'll sit him the whole season, but knowing D'Antoni he'll run him 48min the second he's ok'd by the dr's. :-/

With the Suns all but a 45-50 win team now the Spurs should have a fairly easy road to the finals. Houston and Denver will compete, but they're are about it this year. Good luck Spurs fans.

[baseline bum]

One very important thing of note.

This isn't the same type of microfracture surgery as what Penny, McDyess, Webber, Kidd or Randolph had. They all had ligament damage, which is far more serious.

Amare has cartilage damage.

Thus the 4 month recovery time.

I hope so, although I hope they err on the side of caution in bringing him back. Amare's a hall of fame player in the making, and no season is worth jeopardizing that.

[Kori Ellis]

One very important thing of note.

This isn't the same type of microfracture surgery as what Penny, McDyess, Webber, Kidd or Randolph had. They all had ligament damage, which is far more serious.

Amare has cartilage damage.

Thus the 4 month recovery time.

Actually, TLong is right. It's the same surgery and they all had cartilage damage like Amare does - it's just a matter of how bad the damage was .. plus it takes a lot of luck. If after the surgery enough blood gets into the area so that it can heal properly and quickly.

[ShoogarBear]

With the Suns all but a 45-50 win team now the Spurs should have a fairly easy road to the finals.

You really think the Suns can win 45 without Amare? With all the other changes, and with the element of surprise gone, I think they'll struggle to win 42.

[tlongII]

You really think the Suns can win 45 without Amare? With all the other changes, and with the element of surprise gone, I think they'll struggle to win 42.

I agree. They will struggle to make the playoffs without Amare.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Man this fucking blows, poor kid. How do you think he injured his knee? Was it from all the wear and tear of that sky high jumping he does?

[picnroll]

With Amare possibly out for the season I think they have a shot at the lottery. That's why I'm interested in how well protected that pick still is that went to the Spurs, then Knicks and maybe then Bulls?

[Kori Ellis]

I had a serious question early in this thread... who is their backup center? Brian Grant?

[BillsCarnage]

Man this fucking blows, poor kid. How do you think he injured his knee? Was it from all the wear and tear of that sky high jumping he does?


He did injure it during the Dallas series and did play charity games over the summer. So it could have been a progression of things.

Brian Grant is backup C/PF. Don't forget Burke :lol

Seriously though, I think Jones or JJax will get the SF slot with Marion going to PF. They still have that $3.6mil trade exception and several first rounders. They should ride it out for @ 30 games and see if anyone steps up at PF, sans Marion. If not make a trade for a PF.

[Bruno]

With Amare possibly out for the season I think they have a shot at the lottery. That's why I'm interested in how well protected that pick still is that went to the Spurs, then Knicks and maybe then Bulls?

Suns own all their first round pick. The pick given to SA for Barbosa and traded to knicks was used to draft Lee this year(30th pick).
Knicks owns 2006 SA first round pick (top 10 protected).

[1Parker1]

It's especially a shame for the Suns if he doesn't recover fully considering that they just signed him to that huge deal....

[picnroll]

Suns own all their first round pick. The pick given to SA for Barbosa and traded to knicks was used to draft Lee this year(30th pick).
Knicks owns 2006 SA first round pick (top 10 protected).
Oh yeah. :oops

[Bruno]

He did injure it during the Dallas series and did play charity games over the summer. So it could have been a progression of things.

Brian Grant is backup C/PF. Don't forget Burke :lol

Seriously though, I think Jones or JJax will get the SF slot with Marion going to PF. They still have that $3.6mil trade exception and several first rounders. They should ride it out for @ 30 games and see if anyone steps up at PF, sans Marion. If not make a trade for a PF.

Your best backup PF is your backup PG (Diaw is 6'9 and play SF and PF this summer).
Wilcox could be a solution, the TE + one first rounder is maybe enough but will Clips deal with a division rival ?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Such a fucking shame, if I were Amare I would take an entire season off, especially given this injury's track record for screwing up careers.

[Obstructed_View]

What a shame. I had hoped that Amare's hops and physical ability would last until his game could catch up and he could get by without it. It took McDyess a couple of years for that to happen. I hope he comes through with flying colors.

Didn't Amare just sign a max contract? That's gonna hurt if he doesn't come back.

McDyess came back very strong from the surgery, and then broke his patella, weakened by the hole they drilled and not given time to completely heal.

[dbreiden83080]

How the hell did they just give this guy a 73 mil extension, with his knee bothering him like this. They did not make sure he was fine before they inked that deal, i mean he has been complaining about his knee for weeks now. I would expect him to get back to where he was but my god if he doesn't they still owe him all of that money.

[2centsworth]

Suns will not make the playoffs without Amare.

[ChumpDumper]

How the hell did they just give this guy a 73 mil extension, with his knee bothering him like this. They did not make sure he was fine before they inked that deal, i mean he has been complaining about his knee for weeks now. I would expect him to get back to where he was but my god if he doesn't they still owe him all of that money.Most of it would be covered by insurance, so it's a decent enough risk.

[BillsCarnage]

How the hell did they just give this guy a 73 mil extension, with his knee bothering him like this. They did not make sure he was fine before they inked that deal, i mean he has been complaining about his knee for weeks now. I would expect him to get back to where he was but my god if he doesn't they still owe him all of that money.

They knew the knee was bothering him. They knew about it 2mo ago. From the article:
The defect was noted on an MRI scan several weeks prior to surgery and at that time Stoudemire was treated symptomatically. As symptoms elevated, the decision was made to operate and treat more aggressively, rather than have a potentially lingering issue all season and perhaps beyond.

They had to sign him. If they didn't and he recovered to pre-injury they he may wonder why the suns didn't take care of him. It could have been the JoJo fiasco all over again. Amare's knee is fine structurally, he's young and has the determination to return. The Suns did the right thing.

Many of the players named who have had this were older and/or had previous knee surgeries. Stephen Davis (Carolina Panthers) had the surgery and he seems to be doing fine.

[Horry For 3!]

What's the Suns front court situation? Who will even start? Am I correct that your only centers are Pat Burke and Brian Grant ???
Yup. Pat Burke, Brian Grant, Kurt Thomas could play C if needed. That is all they have.

OUCH.

[Dre_7]

That sucks. I hope it doesnt affect his career long term.

[2centsworth]

How the hell did they just give this guy a 73 mil extension, with his knee bothering him like this. They did not make sure he was fine before they inked that deal, i mean he has been complaining about his knee for weeks now. I would expect him to get back to where he was but my god if he doesn't they still owe him all of that money.
the knee was more reason for Amare to sign. Otherwise, he holds off and maybe signs with the Lakers.

[mavsfan1000]

I don't think Amare would want to sign with the lakers. He just used that to up his price.

[BillsCarnage]

The Fakers rumor had nothing to do with uping the price. As with any player and the CBA their current team can offer them the most while under contract with an extension or as a RFA.

Don't forget he's still under the rookie salary this year, the extension doesn't kick in until next season. That's why i think they should just sit him out the whole season and not take the risk of bringing him back.

[SpursFreak1320]

that sucks for suns but good news for sopurs :blah

[ducks]

WHY IS IT GOOD NEWS FOR THE SPURS?
suns could get a lottery pick out of this
then the spurs could be in big trouble the followering year!

[ALVAREZ6]

Sucks for Phoenix fans...


after Amare's push-ups from the January 21st, 2005 game, I have no sympathy for him.

[ALVAREZ6]

WHY IS IT GOOD NEWS FOR THE SPURS?
suns could get a lottery pick out of this

The Suns won't be that bad, they will still win.

[exstatic]

Of all the listed players who had this surgery, Kidd recovered the most completely. Then again, his game is played closer to the floor than just about anyone in the league.

Good luck, kid, and when you can work out, work on those post moves and rebounding block outs. You may not be able to jump out of the gym anymore. Hit the fundamentals in a major way.

[ducks]

The Suns won't be that bad, they will still win.
no more then 45 games
will that be enough to make the playoffs?

[mavsfan1000]

The suns will win 50. Nash and Marion along with the starting group will still score alot. Diaw is definitely is good pickup as it looks like they will need him to play a similar role to Amare as a slasher.

[timvp]

Horrible news. Amare and LeBron were poised to rule the league in the next five years.

:td

[reader]

There is a video up at the Suns official web site. Colangelo, D'Antoni, Nash and Marion are all interviewed regarding Amare.

[DieMrBond]

As much as i disliked Amare, you hate to see that happen to anyone. I read the article this morning, and you just feel bad... imagine how much worse he would of been though if he hadnt already got his max contract... Pheonix probably would of still signed him anyway, but scary thought for him.

Good luck, Amare (only so timmy can beat you down for years to come)

[ALVAREZ6]

http://members.iinet.net.au/~chippy/sig.jpg
Nice sig!

[orhe]

they won't make the playoffs so goes the rivalry

is Amare's age a factor? he's still pretty young... he might recover better

[NashtoAmare]

First off i just want to say thank you to the Spurs fans for being nice about this whole thing. I sorta thought you would all be like "i told you so" but you guys weren't so thanks..This like sucks beyond words, I feel so bad for Amare i could care less about us possibly having a losing season i'm just worried about Amare and the career he could have had and should of had.

I do think Amare will be back after the all-star break and be at about 80% . Amare's will to win is have the battle in his recrovery.. On the brightside i look forward to seeing players such as James Jones and Boris steping up and developing. i saw the suns scrimagie thing is Tucson and james looks really good. Raja Bell is also very under-rated and has an amazing talent he just may be better than JJ. Kurt Thomas is the opposite of slow he looked great at the game. Steve and Marion looked like they did last year and Eddie house scored i think about 5 3's..ever Pat Burke looked okay.

I wish the best of luck to Amare and his recovering ..i hope he comes back soon.the Suns will still be a good team althought i do think we dropped down to about 5 or 6 in West.Were getting into the playoffs with Amare or without now..without Nash and umm can i hear the word lottery.. which wouldn't be so bad i guess..but i won't wish for the worst..

**The Spurs road to the Championship just got even more easy** now i almost expect them to win it and if they don't....

I still have hope for the Suns being the O5' 06" Champs..Go Suns!!!

[BillsCarnage]

I do think Amare will be back after the all-star break and be at about 80% .

They'd be wise to sit him the whole season. The extension hasn't kicked in and he's still young enough to fully recover from this. No reason to rush him back to service once healthy.

Chalk it up as a cieste la ve

[exstatic]

Unless the Suns are in the thick of it, I'd probably shut him down for the year, too. He's young, but rushing him back could cause a setback.

[NashtoAmare]

i wouldn't mind his missing the season but when Amare says 4 months he does 4 months. I guess we will see how he feels..I also didn't think of the fact that he contract dosen't kick in till nexy year..at least the suns are only losing about 3 million compared to the some 10 they might have lost if this happened next year.. i guess i wouldn't mind if he sat out the season but i still hope he comes back.

[DesiSpur_21]

Man this really sucks. Matrix HAS to have a mvp-calibre season.

[DesiSpur_21]

They'd be wise to sit him the whole season. The extension hasn't kicked in and he's still young enough to fully recover from this. No reason to rush him back to service once healthy.

Chalk it up as a cieste la ve

:tu

It'd be a dumass move to hurry him. He is THE future of that franchise.

[spursupporter]

the suns at most will get 7th seed this season, i think...

[mavsfan1000]

I agree. I think they will get the 7th seed.

[ChumpDumper]

There actually are several free agent PF/C options out there that Phoenix might be able to use -- maybe more when training camp cuts are made.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Is his injury more serious then duncans or kidds? Cose we both know what happen to these two guys after knee injury....yeh duncan went on to win 2 rings after that surgey he is superman

[TDMVPDPOY]

Is his injury more serious then duncans or kidds? Cose we both know what happen to these two guys after knee injury....yeh duncan went on to win 2 rings after that surgery he is superman

[Kori Ellis]

Is his injury more serious then duncans or kidds? Cose we both know what happen to these two guys after knee injury....yeh duncan went on to win 2 rings after that surgery he is superman

This is far more serious than Duncan's injury/surgery. It's similar to Jason Kidd's.

Here's a good article about it. He'll have to be very lucky to be back in four months ...

Microfracture might mean big trouble for Amare
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/trainingcamp05/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2188422

This would be a fine time for Amare Stoudemire to reaffirm how truly amazing he can be.

To recover from microfracture surgery in a mere four months, as the Phoenix Suns' medical staff projects, Stoudemire might have to be more freakish than ever.

For no one in the NBA has ever rebounded that quickly from hole-drilling in the knee.

Tuesday brought word of the season's first major injury and, sadly, it's a doozy. With the Suns hope that they wouldn't lose the future of their franchise for more than a month, Stoudemire wound up having a surgery that quickly proceeded from exploratory to serious and promptly landed him on a team no one wants to join:

The All-Microfracture Team.

It features Jason Kidd and Allan Houston at the guards, Jamal Mashburn and Chris Webber at the forwards and Stoudemire, blessed with the potential to be better than any of those guys at their best, suddenly at center.

It sounds like an All-Star team, but it's actually a collection of famous names that has mostly encountered long, painful recoveries from a procedure that has returned only Kidd to the vicinity of peak form.

The good news?

Stoudemire is only 22. The defect that led to the surgery, furthermore, is considered far smaller and less serious than the original injuries which plagued Kidd, Houston, Mashburn and Webber. The Suns thus contend that they're taking an aggressive course to prevent a problem from becoming a major problem.

Combine that contention with Stoudemire's youth and you have the basis for the Suns' belief that Stoudemire can be back on the floor sometime after the All-Star break in late February.

"I would be a lot more down or depressed if I really thought this would affect Amare's future," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said by phone Tuesday night. "I don't think it will."

Earlier in the day, D'Antoni told reporters in Phoenix that he fully expects Stoudemire "to be great when he comes back and wow the fans for 10 more years."

Suns fans can only hope. They can also be pardoned if they're not quite ready to echo the coach's confidence, because it wasn't so long ago that Penny Hardaway, one of the league's first high-profile microfracture patients, never came close to living up to the rich contract Phoenix gave him.

And Hardaway is hardly alone. Microfracture procedures couldn't save Mashburn or Terrell Brandon and likewise haven't resulted in lasting improvements for Webber, Houston, Alvin Williams and Eduardo Najera.

Utah's Matt Harpring, who underwent his second microfracture surgery in April, hopes to be ready for Opening Night, which would represent a six-month recovery.

Can Stoudemire do it faster?

He is a Phoenix Sun, after all, and a certifiable freak of nature with his unmatched package of size, speed and power. So maybe it's not impossible.

Portland's Zach Randolph is another youthful power player trying to make it back from microfracture faster than ever before. Who knows? Maybe Randolph and Stoudemire can revolutionize the rehab process together, just as Stoudemire and Nash modernized the pick-and-roll.

You don't have to be a Suns fan to hope so. No matter where your allegiances rest, you'd miss the Suns and the way they run and gun if Stoudemire were to end up missing the usual six-to-eight months.

"Amare's a pretty amazing guy," said Suns point guard Steve Nash, the reigning MVP, of his favorite assist target. "I don't ever want to say there's something he can't do. We're just going to hope for the fastest possible recovery and try to be a better team when he comes back. There are lot of unknowns, and we have a lot to prove without him, but the mood is pretty upbeat considering."

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN

[TDMVPDPOY]

this will give the suns a reason to throw the season away and aim fo rthat lottery pick for greg oden, or maybe greg is stayin in college to finish his degree.

[timvp]

Marc Stein paints an ugly picture. :vomit

[DieMrBond]

On this FoxSports article

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/4982848
"Stoudemire had been struggling with discomfort throughout the summer, and it was believed that during exploratory arthroscopic surgery, doctors could clean up what was believed to be a minor cartilage tear. Instead, they poked a hole in the joint, and the entire world of the Suns has changed with the 22-year-old Stoudemire incapacitated for what they believe to be four months."

It seems to read to me as though the Doctors screwed up, and made the situation worse than diagnostics... I hope thats not the case and i just read it wrong...

[Kori Ellis]

No, they poked a hole into the joint on purpose -- that's what microfracture surgery is .. drilling holes.

When they got in there, they saw that he had worse damage and ended up having to do the more extensive surgery.

[timvp]

They could either do this surgery or watch Amare slowly turn into Charles Smith.

Sucks.

[gospursgojas]

Charles Smith #1 or #2????

[timvp]

http://www.yerwoodcenter.org/images/events_11.jpg

One.

:depressed

[gospursgojas]

I heard that its the same kind of surgery that Penny had and we all know what happend after that. That doesnt necessarly mean that its the same injury, but I heard its the same procedure that penny had

PS
Sorry if this was already posted...

[DesiSpur_21]

Looks like Suns have to be "really" careful here. They just can't rush him back. D'Antoni better not force the issue.

[sanman53]

Dang, that sucks!

[SenorSpur]

Based upon the seriousness of this procedure and the history of athletes who have "never been the same" following the rehab period (Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Allan Houston, Terrell Brandon, Chris Webber, Eduardo Najera, Alvin Williams), the Suns shouldn't take any chances with rushing him back this season.

Instead, they should consider "shutting this guy down" for this year, so as not to jeapordize his very bright future.

[Obstructed_View]

This makes the Spurs' road to the championship easier? Did the Suns make the Spurs road to the '05 title difficult? :)

[ducks]

UPDATE: Amare's Surgery a Success
Updated: Oct. 12, 2005, 2:00 AM ET
Stoudemire out four months after surgeryAssociated Press


PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns will be without All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire for about four months after he underwent microfracture surgery to repair damage to his injured left knee on Tuesday.

The extent of the injury was determined during "diagnostic" surgery by team doctor Thomas Carter, who then proceeded with the repair, Suns president Bryan Colangelo said.

Stoudemire, who turns 23 next month, signed a five-year, $73 million contract extension last week, the maximum allowed under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement with the players union.

Colangelo said the team knew of Stoudemire's knee problem during contract negotiations, but was not aware of the extent until Tuesday's surgery. The team projects Stoudemire to return around the All-Star break Feb. 17-21.

Carter detected the defect in an MRI exam several weeks ago and initially dealt with it through treatment and rest.

Stoudemire first talked about the soreness several weeks ago. After it worsened during last week's training camp in Tucson, he sought the opinions of three doctors before giving Carter the go-ahead for arthroscopic surgery.

"Dr. Carter, in consultation with Amare, chose the best course of action in terms of treating it aggressively and taking care of it now rather than letting it become a lingering problem," Colangelo said.

In a news release, the Suns said Carter repaired a joint surface defect roughly one centimeter in diameter on the inside of his left knee.

"The surgery went well and other than the defect that we treated today, Amare's knee is remarkably and structurally healthy," Carter said in the statement released by the team. "Given Amare's age and the nominal size of the location of the defect, I am confident the microfracture procedure performed will allow a healthy and normal return to action."

Considered the cornerstone of the franchise, Stoudemire has improved each year and was a main component of a team that won a league-best 62 games last season.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward was fifth in the NBA in scoring at 26 points per game last season, his third in the league. He averaged 30 points in the playoffs, 37 in the Western Conference finals against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.

Stoudemire's loss will leave the Suns with a vastly different team through most of the regular season. The only starters from last season's team will be the NBA's most valuable player, Steve Nash, and All-Star Shawn Marion.

"It's out of our control, so we've got to go out and make the most of what we have and not worry about the piece we're missing," Nash said after Tuesday's practice. "We'll try to build our team and hopefully be a better team when he returns."

Coach Mike D'Antoni said the team probably would go small more often to better utilize the personnel. Everyone will have to shoot more, he said, including Nash and Marion.

"We don't have any inside post presence," Marion said. "However you want to look at it, he's a beast in there, so we are going to miss that inside threat. But with Kurt [Thomas] and Brian [Grant], we do have some inside bangers.''

Stoudemire had been bothered by soreness in the knee for several months. He had worked out last week in training camp, but sat out the team's scrimmage and final practice to have the knee examined by three doctors.

"Amare will be fine," D'Antoni said. "I fully expect him to be great when he comes back and wow the fans for 10 more years."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2187484

[NashtoAmare]

This makes the Spurs' road to the championship easier? Did the Suns make the Spurs road to the '05 title difficult? :)

The Suns didn't make it hard.. but Amare and Steve didn't make it easy...

[exstatic]

Luckily for him, I read that the bone lesion was fairly small, and in a not totally weight bearing area. Still sucks to have microfracture surgery at that age.

[NashtoAmare]

Is it true the Spurs lost today by like 15 or so to philly???

[Marcus Bryant]

Dunno. Then again, I don't care about games played in October.

[CubanMustGo]

Is it true the Spurs lost today by like 15 or so to philly???

Yeah, but none of the starters saw significant PT. The leading scorer was a guy (Saunders) who prolly will be in the NBDL when the season starts.

[Obstructed_View]

Is it true the Spurs lost today by like 15 or so to philly???:lmao

[JMarkJohns]

I heard that its the same kind of surgery that Penny had and we all know what happend after that. That doesnt necessarly mean that its the same injury, but I heard its the same procedure that penny had

PS
Sorry if this was already posted...

Like I was saying earlier... Penny had seven knee surgeries prior to his microfracture procedure. He had absolutely zero cartilage in his knee. He had reconstructive knee surgery right before...

It's not fair to judge this procedure on Penny or anyone else, because while the surgery may be the same, the patient isn't, the injury isn't.

Amare had a minor cartilage lesion no bigger than 1 centimeter long in an out of the way area of his knee. It's a concern any time a player goes under the knife, but the Dr. who performed the surgery has said that Amare's knee was remarkably healthy, save for this cartilage tear.

Here's just one thing.

Penny had seven surgeries and could never stay on the court. After his microfracture surgery, this was never an issue again. True, he wasn't the same player, but perhaps the other surgeries have more to do with that?

Stephen Davis of the Caronlina Panthers just had this surgery done and he's a freakin' 3rd-down, goal-line RB, arguably thee toughest position on knees in all of sports.

Just about every player who's ever had microfracture has had it after other operations.

[BillsCarnage]

Amare had a minor cartilage lesion no bigger than 1 centimeter long in an out of the way area of his knee. It's a concern any time a player goes under the knife, but the Dr. who performed the surgery has said that Amare's knee was remarkably healthy, save for this cartilage tear.


That's what i was curious about - the location of the lesion. Do you know the exact local? If it's not weight baring he should be fine. It was 8mm x 2mm, i think.