MANKATO, MINN. – Injured Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger had the lateral meniscus in his left knee removed by arthroscopic surgery Monday in Alabama and the team has listed him as out "indefinitely."
Just how long does that mean?
Don't ask coach Rick Adelman.
"I have no idea what it means," he said after the Wolves' first day of training camp in Mankato on Tuesday. "I don't really know. I don't ask those questions very often any more. I just wait and see."
Famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews repaired that lateral meniscus last November in an operation that kept Budinger out for the next four months. Removing it rather than repairing it again likely will shorten the recovery time from months to weeks.
Oklahoma City announced Tuesday that All-Star guard Russell Westbrook had a different sort of surgery to alleviate swelling in his knee after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will miss the regular season's first four to six weeks.
A Wolves spokesperson said the team won't know Budinger's timetable until swelling in the knee subsides, likely in a couple of weeks. Wolves forward Derrick Williams mentioned six weeks when discussing Budinger's absence.
Adelman said Budinger's absence means Corey Brewer will have to carry more of the load at small forward and said it creates more opportunity for Alexey Shved at backup shooting guard because some of Budinger's minutes will come there backing up starter Kevin Martin.
