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The Washington Wizards likely will be without swingman Jerry Stackhouse for the start of the 2003-04 season.
Stackhouse is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday in New York to determine the cause of the continued discomfort he is experiencing, Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld announced on Thursday.
"We have spoken
with Jerry, our team doctors as well as Dr. David Altchek in New York and we
feel that the surgery to determine the extent of the damage to Jerry's knee
is the best course of action at this time," Grunfeld said.
An MRI taken Tuesday revealed that Stackhouse suffers from chondromalacia, a
wearing of the lining in the back of the kneecap. Ticketmaster
Wizards team physician Dr. Steve Haas and Altchek determined that arthroscopic surgery would be the best way to determine the extent of the damage to the knee.
"In spite of the rehabilitation work that I've been doing, I continue to experience pain in my knee," Stackhouse said. "I haven't been able to play up to the level I'm capable of playing and I'm hoping that this will ease the discomfort so that I can get back and be 100 percent and help the team in any way I can."
It is unlikely that Stackhouse, who recently signed a four-year extension worth $33 million, will be ready for the Wizards' season opener on October 29.
Stackhouse, 28, was acquired in a six-player trade with the Detroit Pistons on September 11, 2002. He averaged 21.5 points and 4.5 assists in 70 games in his first season with Washington. Ticketmaster
The 6-6, 220-pound North Carolina product has career averages of 21.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 582 games, including 506 starts. He made the Eastern Conference All-Star team with the Pistons in 2000 and 2001.