| | Associated Press
PHOENIX -- Phoenix Mercury point guard Michele Timms, a
starter in last year's inaugural WNBA All-Star game, will miss the
rest of the season after having knee surgery. She may heal in time
to play for Australia in the Summer Olympics.
"It looks like she's out for our season," Mercury vice
president Seth Sulka said Wednesday. "She's really been looking
forward to playing in the Olympics at home, and I just hope that
she gets back in time to do that."
Timms had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair torn cartilage
in her left knee. On Wednesday, the Mercury placed her on the
injured list and activated center Rankica Sarenac.
Timms, 35, started the first eight games for the Mercury (9-6),
but her sore knee affected her play. She averaged 3.8 points, 2.3
assists and 22 minutes.
The team prepared for her absence by moving Tonya Edwards to
point guard, giving Michelle Cleary more minutes as a backup and
signing guard Dena Head last month. But Timms' decision to have
surgery in Australia still caught the Mercury off-guard.
Timms had two MRIs in Phoenix that showed a deep bone bruise and
a slight radial tear in the meniscus.
But when she returned home for a checkup, Australian Olympic
doctors told her after a third MRI to go ahead with the surgery.
"They found a bunch of things that are in line with an older
player's knee," Sulka said. "They cleaned out the debris,
repaired the tear and fixed everything. She'll be on crutches for
four weeks, and she will be out six to eight weeks."
Sarenac was placed on the injured list June 19 with tendinitis
in her right Achilles' tendon. | |
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