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The Charlotte Hornets are 19-26 this season, which is good enough for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, which would earn them a spot in the NBA playoffs. Unfortunately, Kemba Walker’s absence means Charlotte’s postseason chances will take a huge hit.
Update: Wednesday, Jan 28
According to several reports, Walker will miss six weeks after having surgery on his knee. The team announced he had successful surgery in New York on Wednesday.
Monday, Jan 26
Walker has been playing with soreness in his left knee due to a cyst for nearly two weeks. It has forced him to miss practice and his production on the court has diminished because of it.
As if the news could not get any worse, Walker found out that pain in his left knee is also stemming from a torn lateral meniscus, which means he must undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair it.
The fans and Hornet players may be disappointed that Walker will be unable to play for the foreseeable future. However, the reality is the organization will be at ease once he completes the surgery.
Clearly, the reason has nothing to do with Walker’s ability to be productive on the court. In fact, he is by far the team’s best player and one of the only reasons Charlotte is in contention for a playoff spot. The organization is at ease because they knew he was dealing with a tremendous amount of pain. Also, repairing the torn meniscus means no further damage can be done by him continuing to play with the significant injury.
Walker leads the Hornets in points per game (18.8), assists per game (5.2) and steals per game (1.38) this season.
Michael Terrill is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelTerrill, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
