"The timing is unfortunate," Sonics general manager Rick Sund said Saturday. "Nick had a great summer with us. But we really think surgery now is the right course of action. This is a long-range deal."
Collison was the 12th overall pick in the NBA draft after helping Kansas
reach the NCAA championship game. He was an All-American and the Big 12
Conference Player of the Year as a senior. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Collison averaged 18.5 points and 10 rebounds. "It's very disappointing. I've wanted to play in this league since I was
8 or 9, and now I'll be out for a year," he said.
He partially dislocated his left shoulder in practice this week. An MRI test showed similar weakness in his right shoulder, and the Sonics didn't want to risk a similar injury there.
Dr. Russell Warren, who did surgery on Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber's shoulder, will operate on Collison in New York. The left shoulder will be first; the right shoulder about two months later. No dates have been set.
The estimated recovery time is six months for each shoulder. Sonics team orthopedist Dr. Richard Zorn said Collison should have a complete recovery. The Sonics don't believe they drafted damaged goods. Collison started 130 of the 142 games he played at Kansas. "I've sprained my shoulder before, but this time it was totally different," Collison said.
With Collison out, the Sonics will go with 6-foot-8 Reggie Evans and 6-10 Vladimir Radmanovic at power forward. Sund said he did not expect to sign or trade for another power forward to replace Collison on the Sonics' roster. The team also has centers Jerome James, Vitaly Potapenko and Calvin Booth. Collison, of Iowa Falls, Iowa, probably would not have started this season, but he was expected to play about 10 minutes a game. "I definitely thought I could play a lot," Collison said.
The Sonics have had bad luck with both their first-round draft choices. Oregon point guard Luke Ridnour, the 14th pick in the draft, had surgery Aug. 6 for a pulled abdominal muscle and is still not ready for full practices in training camp.