Surgery spurs Kevin Garnett

By Steve Bulpett
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 -

There were no unexpected obstacles for team physician Dr. Brian McKeon when he entered Kevin Garnett’s right knee yesterday - which means the 2009-10 Celtics [team stats] season has started off on the right foot.

Spurs were removed during the procedure at New England Baptist Hospital, and McKeon, assisted by Drs. Michael Belkin and John Richmond, were obviously pleased to find no structural damage.

“They didn’t have to touch the tendon,” Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in a telephone interview. “They never thought they would.

“There were really no surprises throughout the procedure. They just went and cleaned out some wear and tear and got rid of the spur in the back of the leg.”

Garnett played just four games after straining the knee Feb. 19 at Utah. He was unable to go in the postseason as the Celts were eliminated in the second round.

In a statement from the team, Ainge said, “After this successful surgery, Kevin can now begin to focus on rehabilitating his knee, returning to top physical shape and fully preparing for the 2009-10 season.”

Added coach Doc Rivers in the release, “I expect Kevin to return to active duty in full force and be that consummate two-way professional that he has shown all of us throughout his fantastic NBA career.”

The fact that Garnett and the Celtics are not active now in the NBA playoffs has followers of the team wishing a decision made before the season could be revisited. Garnett’s spurs showed up then, but they were not deemed a significant problem.

“Well, yeah, if you know it’s going to be a problem and you know he’s not going to be able to play in the playoffs, sure you’d do things differently,” Ainge said. “In hindsight, it’s always easy to look back. And we discussed it again in February. We looked at all the possibilities and made the decision. But you have to understand there were no guarantees even with the surgery. I’m certainly not second guessing our medical staff or the people that were consulted.”

That basketball is a series of risk-reward decisions was never more evident than with Garnett. The spurs were not a major issue over the first 55 games, and even when he was injured against the Jazz, getting the inflamed area of the knee to calm down with treatment was seen as the best option.

Such questions were expected when the Celts traded for Garnett, then 31 with 12 NBA seasons on his resume.

“Oh, yeah, we knew what we were getting into, and it was worth the gamble,” Rivers said. “No question. He brought us one banner already, so clearly it was worth the gamble.”

It is worth noting that the main player traded for Garnett, Al Jefferson [stats], then 22, suffered a far worse injury this season (torn ACL).

And for now the Celtics have reason to believe that Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce [stats] will be more than functional next season.

“I think that KG’s got a lot of basketball left in him, and he should be fine by training camp,” Ainge said.