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djsunyc
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Still Ailing, Knicks’ Richardson May Have Back Surgery.
New York Times.
03-30-07.
By Howard Beck
Quentin Richardson’s season is over and his future is somewhat clouded because of a back injury that apparently will require surgery.
Richardson has missed seven consecutive games because of what the Knicks have classified as a “sore lower back.” The team has given no other details and continues to call Richardson’s status day to day.
But Richardson recently told teammates that he will not play again this season and that he would probably have surgery to repair a ruptured disk. Richardson was said to be seeking a second opinion before committing to the operation. The typical recovery time is four to five months, which means that if all goes well, Richardson would be back for training camp in October.
Richardson would become the second Knicks starter to undergo season-ending surgery. Jamal Crawford had ankle surgery March 2. The Knicks are also missing forward David Lee. Coach Isiah Thomas has implied lately that he did not expect any of the three to play again this season.
The Knicks lost a third guard, Steve Francis, to a right ankle sprain in Wednesday’s victory against Cleveland. Francis did not fly with the team to Dallas yesterday, and he is considered doubtful for tonight’s game against the Mavericks.
The team continues to keep Richardson’s status vague, and Thomas did not acknowledge the possibility of surgery.
“That I don’t know,” Thomas said yesterday. “That’s up to the doctors and him and whatever they decide to do.” Asked if Richardson would miss the final 11 games of the season, Thomas said: “Again, I don’t know that. If it happens, there’s next year.”
Back troubles have haunted Richardson for at least three years, dating to his final months with the Los Angeles Clippers. Richardson missed 12 games late in the 2003-4 season because of back spasms. He signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns that summer, and health concerns were a factor in the Clippers’ decision to let him go.
Richardson was sturdy in his one season with Phoenix, playing 79 regular-season games and 15 playoff games. He was traded to the Knicks for Kurt Thomas in June 2005. That deal was delayed for several days when the Knicks learned that Richardson’s back was not insured against a career-ending injury. The matter was resolved when the Suns agreed to also trade their first-round draft pick, which became Nate Robinson.
If the rest of this season is wiped out, Richardson will have missed 55 games in two years with the Knicks — 30 because of back problems. Richardson played only 10 minutes in two other games this month because of the injury.
The Knicks have not made Richardson available to reporters for two weeks. Richardson has repeatedly played down his injury, insisting that he has no structural damage and that the condition could be resolved with rest and rehabilitation.
The good news for Richardson — assuming he does have surgery — is that athletes are generally able to resume their careers.
“The majority of athletes, 85 to 90 percent, come back to their elite level of competition,” said Dr. Andrew Hecht, the co-chief of spine surgery for the Department of Orthopaedics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan.
Hecht was speaking generally and has no direct knowledge of Richardson’s case. Hecht has worked with several top athletes and called the disk injury “one of the most common things that we see in elite athletes.”
When a disk ruptures, it can put pressure on a nearby nerve, causing back and leg pain. According to Hecht, some athletes are able to recover with therapy, anti-inflammatories and sometimes an injection.
The Knicks have apparently been following such a treatment plan all season. Back spasms forced Richardson to miss 11 games in a row from Dec. 16 to Jan. 5, but he returned and played for the next two months. The problem resurfaced March 3, when he had to leave a game in Atlanta after 10 minutes.
“A lot of people can get better with conservative treatment,” Hecht said.
If treatment fails, he said, the alternative is surgery to remove the loose disk fragment. Recovery time can vary, but Hecht said the average is between four and five months. Peja Stojakovic of the Hornets had the operation in mid-December and has not played since. He might return tomorrow against the Knicks.
When healthy, Richardson is the Knicks’ best 3-point shooter, their top perimeter defender and a valued leader. A starter at both shooting guard and small forward, Richardson averaged 13 points and a career-high 7.2 rebounds in 49 games this season. He is owed $26.2 million over the next three seasons.
With Richardson, Crawford and Lee out, the Knicks (31-40) recently lost six of seven games, jeopardizing their playoff hopes. Now they will probably be without Francis — who replaced Crawford in the lineup — for at least a game or two. Francis stayed behind yesterday to get a magnetic resonance imaging exam.
“We’re definitely not at full throttle,” said Stephon Marbury, who will probably have a new backcourt partner — either Robinson or the rookie Mardy Collins — in Dallas. “For us, our mind-set has to continue. Each and every night we go on the court, we play with the same heart.”
Thomas strained to put a positive spin on the injuries, saying they would help speed the development of the Knicks’ younger players.
“The silver lining in dark cloud, they’re getting a chance to play in pressure situations when the game is on the line and the season is on the line,” Thomas said.
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3/30/2007 10:33 AM
