The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that center Al Jefferson will be out indefinitely after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study done this morning revealed the extent of the injury, which occurred in Minnesota's game last night at New Orleans. The date for surgery has yet to be determined.
"This is an unfortunate situation for Al and we wish him a quick recovery," said Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale. "Al has been playing at an all-star level all season and has been our go-to-guy on the court. Knowing Al, he will work hard in his rehab efforts to get back on the court as soon as possible. In the interim, I'm confident that the other players on our roster will step up and meet this challenge."
Jefferson has appeared in all 50 games for the Timberwolves this season with averages of 23.1 ppg (7th in NBA), 11.0 rpg (6th in NBA), and 1.7 bpg. The fifth-year center is one of just three players in the NBA (Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan) to post at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. Jefferson also ranks fifth in the NBA with 30 double-doubles in 2008-09 and is shooting 49.7% from the field while averaging a career-best 73.8% from the free-throw line. In his five-year NBA career, Jefferson has posted averages of 14.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
No comments:
Post a Comment