Denver Nuggets Injury News: Wilson Chandler to Have Season-Ending Hip Surgery
The Denver Nuggets will have to play the entire season without small forward Wilson Chandler, who is out the rest of the year due to a labral tear. The injury requires a season-ending surgery, leaving a significant hole in the Nuggets' wing rotation.
The hip injury happened during the Nuggets' preseason games, needing at least six months to completely heal, wherein rehabilitation will be comprehensive, which means that Chandler's season is all over.
The swingman signed a contract extension with the team worth $46.5 million to play for them for four more years. The same injury prevented him from playing a game this season, which kind of a big blow to a Nuggets team that needs offensive firepower after the departure of several key players last year, including point guard Ty Lawson. Chandler's numbers are very much needed to be offset by another player off the bench, probably Will Barton, especially that he contributes big time, with last season's averages of 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
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Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news about Chandler's surgery, which actually is his second after getting the same procedure back in 2012. The surgery is set to be performed by next week.
In a statement released to the press, Chandler talked about the frustration of having to decide for surgery especially when the team is currently looking at a change. "I'm incredibly disappointed at this point, I put in so much work over the summer to make myself a better player. I dedicated my whole summer to self-improvement and all I had on my mind this offseason and preseason was 'this was my year, I was going to help this team win,'" he said.
This summer, the veteran forward worked hard to be in good shape, thinking all along that he'll be assuming a bigger role for a team full of youngsters. General manager Tim Connelly and head coach Michael Malone will have to look for other veteran options to guide this rebuilding team.
