NEW YORK (AP) — Knicks guard Derrick Rose had surgery Wednesday on his right ankle and could miss two months.
Already short-handed with six players in the NBA's health and safety protocols, the Knicks have now lost the former league MVP whose arrival jump-started their run to the playoffs last season.
Rose had missed the last two games with what the team said was ankle soreness. The Knicks announced he had a procedure on the ankle at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery and would be evaluated in eight weeks.
The 33-year-old Rose had mostly come off the bench since arriving from Detroit in a trade last February, reuniting him with Tom Thibodeau, his coach in Chicago when Rose was the NBA's MVP in 2011. He finished third in voting for the NBA's Sixth Man Award last season, though moved into the starting lineup for the final three games of their playoff series against Atlanta.
The point guard went back to the bench behind Kemba Walker to start this season, but had taken over the starting spot again before getting hurt. He is averaging 12 points, one of the bright spots in New York's disappointing 14-17 start.
Walker had fallen out of the rotation entirely, though started the last two games with so many Knicks unavailable and played well. RJ Barrett, Nerlens Noel, Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox II, Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride remain out in protocols, though Obi Toppin was cleared to return Wednesday.
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