Sixers' MCW has shoulder surgery
Rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams had the labrum in his right shoulder repaired.
IT CERTAINLY isn't a time to raise a red flag, but perhaps having one stored away for the future might not be a bad idea.
Yesterday, the Sixers announced that Michael Carter-Williams underwent successful surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder. That information came a day after MCW received rookie of the year honors, joining Allen Iverson (1997) as the second player in team history to garner that award.
"The health of our players is our primary concern," general manager Sam Hinkie said in a statement. "There were a number of healthy discussions between Michael, our medical team, several medical specialists and Michael's representatives. After careful consideration and thoughtful research, we collectively agreed that it was in Michael's best interest to move forward with the procedure now and allow for maximum recovery time."
Carrying only 185 pounds on his 6-6 frame, one of Carter-Williams' main goals this offseason was to get stronger and put on weight. Both he and coach Brett Brown talked of those being two goals that needed addressing during the offseason.
Carter-Williams, who averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds, was sidelined for 12 games during the season. He missed four games in mid-November with a bruised left foot, seven more in December with a sore knee and one game at the beginning of February with a sore right shoulder.
It is probably because of that last injury, suffered in a game against Atlanta, that the rookie of the year was on the operating table yesterday for a surgery performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The rehabilitation will be supervised by head team physician Dr. Brian Sennett, of Penn Medicine.
The team said in a statement that there is no timetable for MCW's return. Of course, that will rely on how involved the surgery was. But since Carter-Williams played some of his best basketball during the last 10 games of the season, it's a safe bet the surgery was more of a cleanup than anything else.
Blog: ph.ly/Sixerville