MRI reveals no broken ankle for Rubio but 'significant' sprain

MIAMI – Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio is out indefinitely after a magnetic resonance imaging exam taken Saturday confirmed his left ankle is not broken. He suffered a "significant" sprain when he was injured just before halftime on Friday night in Orlando, the team said.

Rubio will remain on crutches for the next 10 days to two weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated when the swelling subsides and he can place some weight on his left foot, coach Flip Saunders said. Rubio did not attend Saturday night's 102-92 loss to the Heat but will remain with the team here through Monday, then will return to the Twin Cities while the Wolves head to play Houston in Mexico City.

Saturday's MRI did not show a high ankle sprain — typically a slower-healing injury than a low ankle sprain — but Saunders said that won't be known for certain until some time goes by.

"In two weeks you can ask me," he said.

Even though team officials were careful Saturday not to put any timeline on Rubio's return, he likely will be out weeks, perhaps through Christmas or New Year's Day.

"He's in good spirits," Saunders said. "Anyone who knows Ricky from when he went through his knee situation a few years ago [tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in March 2012] knows he's an extremely hard worker. If anyone can get back as soon as he can, he's a guy who will."

The Wolves won't put a timeline on Rubio's recovery, other than indefinitely. But Dr. Kenneth Jung, a foot and ankle surgeon in Los Angeles who is not involved in Rubio's treatment, said such an injury in which ligaments are torn likely requires six weeks' healing or could take as much as eight to 10 weeks if there is a complicating factor, such as bone bruising.

Without Rubio, the Wolves now must depend upon veteran Mo Williams and rookie Zach LaVine as their two remaining healthy point guards.

Saunders said he will go with those two "right now" rather than look to sign another point guard because they would have to waive or trade a player currently on the roster to do so. Their most likely options should they ever do that: Find another team to take Chase Budinger's contract that runs through next season at $5 million a year, or release rookie Glenn Robinson III.

"We're not prepared to cut somebody at this point," Saunders said.

Saunders and his staff certainly contemplated an injury such as Rubio's when they decided last month to buyout/cut J.J. Barea while keeping Robinson. The move saved the Wolves about $1.3 million and Barea signed back with Dallas.

"No question," Saunders said, referring to the risk he realized his team took by doing so. "But we weren't going to waste a developmental player in the short term because it's the long-term future we're looking at."

• Forward Anthony Bennett missed Saturday because of a swollen knee that he said he first banged on Chicago center Joakim Noah's knee brace a week before. Last year's No. 1 overall pick said the knee bothered him, but he ignored it until it grew too sore to play on Friday. "I probably should have handled it earlier," Bennett said.