Garbajosa ankle surgery will bench player for at least 10 weeks

13 December 2007

MADRID – Toronto Raptors’ Spanish forward Jorge Garbajosa will be unavailable to play for a minimum of 10 weeks after he underwent a successful operation Tuesday on his ankle, prompted by a magnetic scan several weeks ago that revealed dead cells.

In the operation, which took place in a Baltimore hospital, his ankle cartilage was cleaned, and two metal plates were implanted into his left fibula.

Doctors said that Garbajosa’s most recent injury had nothing to do with another ankle injury he suffered six months ago, which also saw the NBA player sidelined, sparking an international spat between him and his NBA team, which at first refused to authorise his release for the 2007 Eurobasket competition. After securing a multi-million dollar insurance policy, Garbajosa was eventually allowed to play in the European tournament, where the Spanish national team finished in second place overall.

Even after the 10-week period during which Garbajosa cannot put any pressure on his ankle, doctors estimate he will need another month of rehabilitation before returning to the court. Under this timeframe, the player would not be available until the last eight games of the NBA regular season. Raptors representatives have stated the player will stay on the inactive list indefinitely, as "there is no time frame established for his active return."

So far this season, the forward has seen only sporadic playing time compared with last year. He has only taken the court in seven games for the Raptors, scoring an average 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

Subject: Spanish news