Heat’s Goran Dragic undergoes knee surgery. Spoelstra: ‘This solution is the most promising’
After Goran Dragic’s swollen right knee did not respond to rest and treatment, the Heat and Dragic have turned to another option.
The Heat’s starting point guard underwent successful surgery Wednesday morning “to clean up his right knee,” the team announced in a release. The good news for the Heat is it’s not considered a season-ending procedure.
Dragic is expected to be out until the NBA All-Star break, which puts his return at least two months away. The NBA All-Star Game will be played on Feb. 17.
“We feel good about the fact that there’s a solution now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following Wednesday’s practice, with a Thursday matchup against the Rockets looming. “It was frustrating for him and all parties, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Goran is as dedicated as anybody, so he was around the building doing treatment around the clock. It just wasn’t responding the way he wanted it to. He pushed it all the way until he realized that it wouldn’t get better, and we went with this solution. And this solution is the most promising so he can deal it and he’ll be back this season.”
The 45-minute procedure was performed by Heat team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables.
The right knee injury has forced Dragic to miss 12 of the past 14 games.
It’s the same knee that forced Dragic to miss two games in early November and eight consecutive games before returning in a win over the Suns on Dec. 7. But continued soreness in the knee forced Dragic out again last week, as he sat out the final three games on the Heat’s recent six-game trip.
Stiffness and swelling in the knee have been the biggest issues Dragic has faced with the injury. He had fluid drained from his right knee last month.
“Injuries are a part of the game, but it sucks,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “When you have a teammate go down, your starting point guard, it definitely hurts, especially a guy like Goran, who is just one of the nicest guys in the world. You don’t want nothing bad to ever happen to him. But I thought he did a good job of asking the right questions. He asked me a lot of questions because he knows I’ve been through three knee surgeries, as well. I think he’s got a good team around him that can get him back on the court when he’s ready.”
The Heat has posted a 7-8 record in the 15 games Dragic has missed this season (14 because of his right knee issue and one because of a right foot injury).
With no other true veteran point guard on the Heat’s roster besides Dragic, it’s been using a combination of Justise Winslow, James Johnson, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson and Wade to initiate offense in his absence. Winslow has started the past two games at point guard.
Guard Dion Waiters, who is nearing a return from January ankle surgery, could also help fill the void left by Dragic. Waiters, who averaged 4.3 assists in his first season with the Heat, returned to practice Tuesday.
“It sucks, because with a healthy group that we had, even with the guys that’s out there now, I think just with a healthy group we can be dangerous,” Waiters said. “I think everybody knows that.”
The Heat has room to add one player to its 15-man roster, with the team carrying the NBA minimum of 14 players over the first two months of the season. But filling that spot comes with a cost, as Miami is already about $6.3 million above the luxury tax threshold.
For now, the Heat’s approach is to stick with its current roster rather than add a point guard, according to team officials.
Dragic is averaging 15.3 points on 41.2 percent shooting, to go with 4.9 assists in 14 games this season.
▪ Heat forward Justise Winslow is listed as questionable for Thursday’s home game against the Rockets because of right ankle pain. He did not practice Wednesday.
▪ Heat guard Tyler Johnson sat out Wednesday’s practice due to a migraine. He is probable for Thursday’s contest.
This story was originally published December 19, 2018 at 12:41 PM.
