Anderson Varejao all set to undergo surgery on right leg
Cleveland Cavaliers’ inspirational power forward Anderson Varejao is all set to have a surgery on 12 February in order to repair a torn tendon in his right ankle.
Varejao had injured his right ankle and foot during a team shoot-out and tuning session at the Cleveland Clinic Courts on 6 January. He was examined immediately and underwent X-rays and MRI at the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health following practice, the results
of which revealed an injury to the peroneus longus tendon.
An initial medical report was followed up by a series of prognosis, as the Wine and Gold hoped against hope for their most influential player to recover. However, a follow-up MRI in Phoenix at St. Joseph’s Hospital four days later finally put the matter
into perspective. To the horror of the team and the Cavaliers faithful, the results confirmed that six-year pro had a complete tear of the peroneus longus in the right ankle and foot.
In the following days, Anderson consulted many physicians to get a clearer picture and soon it became evident that his right foot wouldn't be stable without surgery . That effectively put him out for the whole season. To perform the surgery, Varejao chose
Dr. Robert Anderson, who will perform the operation in Charlotte, N.C.
The dazzling forward admitted that complete rehabilitation could take three to four months, but hoped to come back totally fit.
"Now that I know I'm having the surgery, I know I'm just going to have to rehab and be back whenever I'm 100 percent," Varejao said. "Now I know with who and I kind of know when I'm going to be back. I'll be 100 percent."
Varejao had been the key cog of the crumbling Cavaliers campaign this season. The lanky forward had been playing some of the best basketball of his career when he got injured. In the 31 games he played, the 6 ft 11 in Brazilian, led the team with 9.7 rebounds
per game and posted an average of 9.1 points and 1.2 blocks. Ever since his departure, the Cavs have lost 12 straight games and now find themselves on the cusp of overtaking the worst-ever NBA losing record.
The physical pain might be subsiding for Anderson as the days pass however, mentally this has been a painful season. His first jolt came just before the season began as he learnt that his best buddy in the league, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, will not be alongside
him for the first time in his career. Then at the start of training camp, he learned that his 94-year-old grandfather died. An inconsolable Anderson had to leave the camp and returned to his native country to mourn.
Finally the injury woes struck. The Cavs have sorely missed his leadership, post presence and hustle on the court. The 28-year-old forward also admitted that it has been extremely frustrating to sit and watch his team slump to the worst losing record in
franchise history.
"It's just frustrating for me not being out there and helping my team-mates," Varejao said. "I want to play and want to be out there, but unfortunately I can't. I know I could be one more out there fighting and trying to win a couple games."
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