Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Washington Wizards guard John Wall is
expected to be sidelined approximately eight weeks with a stress injury to his
left patella, forcing him to miss all of training camp and likely the first
month of the regular season.
Wall was examined in New York by orthopedic specialist Dr. David Altchek on
Thursday after experiencing discomfort in that knee, and underwent an MRI exam
which revealed the early stages of a non-traumatic stress injury.
"We're all disappointed for John after how hard he worked this summer and how
excited he was to begin training camp, but we feel fortunate that we caught
the injury early and that he will be able to return with the vast majority of
the season still in front of us," said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld. "In
the meantime, we're confident that the versatility and depth of our team will
help us move forward and continue the positive momentum that we've seen over
the past several months."
Wall, the top overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Kentucky, posted averages
of 16.3 points, 8.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds while playing in all 66 games
last season.
"My teammates and I are all excited to build on the improvement we made at the
end of last season, and I know they will continue to make great progress while
I get through this setback," said Wall. "I will work extremely hard to make
sure I get back as soon as possible so I can re-join them and help our team
continue to improve."
The Wizards are scheduled to begin the 2012-13 season at Cleveland on Oct. 30.
The Sports Network