The Suns announced that point guard Eric Bledsoe underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and he will miss the remainder of the season as a result. Initial reports predicted Bledsoe would be out of action for about six weeks, though that timetable may have been reflective of the team’s hope that Bledsoe’s surgery would remove the meniscus, which usually entails a shorter recovery time, rather than make an attempt to repair it.
Bledsoe, now in his sixth year in the league, was enjoying the best season of his career prior to suffering the injury. His 20.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game are either tied with or exceed career highs. His absence is certainly a blow to the 12-21 team, and it could hasten the front office in pressing the reset button on its current rebuild. The Suns are eligible to apply for a disabled player exception with the loss of Bledsoe, which would be valued at $5.464MM. The team is not currently eligible to apply for a hardship exception, however.
Here’s more from the week that was…
Miscellaneous News
- Clippers power forward Blake Griffin will be out of action for at least two weeks after suffering a partially torn left quadriceps.
- The Suns fired assistant coaches Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting and gave fellow assistants Nate Bjorkgren and Earl Watson more prominent roles.
- The NBA suspended Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes for two games without pay for his role in the off the court altercation with Knicks coach Derek Fisher back in October.
- Al Jefferson will be out approximately six weeks after suffering a tear in the lateral meniscus of his right knee.
Signings
- The Grizzlies signed center Ryan Hollins.
- Sixers draft-and-stash pick Vasilije Micic signed with the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda.
- Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who spent part of training camp with the Clippers, signed with Champville in Lebanon.
- Former Celtics center Vitor Faverani signed with the Spanish club UCAM Murcia.
Waivers
- The Grizzlies waived Russ Smith.
D-League News
- Nuggets camp cut Nick Johnson signed with the NBA D-League and was claimed by the Spurs’ affiliate.
- The Hornets’ new D-League affiliate in Greensboro, N.C. will be called the Swarm, the team announced.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.