Pedja to have surgery

[AleksandarN]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/index?&lpos=globalnav&lid=gn_NBA_NBA

OKLAHOMA CITY -- New Orleans guard Peja Stojakovic had a disc fragment removed from his lower back Sunday, a move the Hornets hope will help speed the three-time All-Star's return to the lineup.

The Hornets, who also announced that forward David West will have surgery on a bothersome right elbow, provided no timetable for Stojakovic's return. He has missed nine games already, with what initially was diagnosed as back spasms.

West has missed 15 games since straining his right forearm Nov. 10 against Portland, and New Orleans also has been without top reserve Bobby Jackson with a cracked rib.

"We will evaluate Peja and David once they have recovered from their surgeries before we make a determination on their status," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "Although our team has been slowed by injuries as of late, we don't want to rush their returns to the detriment of their health."

Stojakovic was averaging 17.8 points and shooting 41 percent from 3-point range as the Hornets jumped out to a strong start. He had a career-high 42 points in a win against Charlotte and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in a victory at Minnesota.

It seems that Petrie has perfect timing when getting rid of the players before they become injuried more. Bobby,Bonzi,Doug,Vlade and Pedja all had surgery or was injuried the next season after leaving the Kings.

 

[SacTownKid]

I hope Peja gets back to 100% soon!

 

[VF21]

You and me both, STK. I have to wonder if the fragments were the intial source of his back problems a few years ago...

 

[kennadog]

You and me both, STK. I have to wonder if the fragments were the intial source of his back problems a few years ago...

Wouldn't surprise me if that was the beginning of the deterioration. I hope Pedja gets well soon.

 

[piksi]

Hornets are getting killed by injuries. Are we playing them any time soon ?

 

[6th]

Hornets are getting killed by injuries. Are we playing them any time soon ?

Is January 26th soon enough? No, probably not.

 

[piksi]

Is January 26th soon enough? No, probably not.

Bobby will be back. As for the other 2 - hard to say

 

[Warhawk]

Well, they do have a couple former Kings on the squad. Need more be said?

 

[LMM]

Hoping for a speedy recovery for Peja.

 

[vj9999]

Hoping for a speedy recovery for Peja.

At least 2 months. Possibly out for the season.

 

[6th]

At least 2 months. Possibly out for the season.

That's bad. Get well, Pedja.

 

[piksi]

At least 2 months. Possibly out for the season.

Source ?

 

[vj9999]

Source ?

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpsports/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpsports/archives/2006_12.html#216849

[FONT=arial,sans-serif] MIAMI - Hornets Coach Byron Scott predicted Monday that prized free-agent acquisition Peja Stojakovic will miss a big portion of the season, likely to extend for a couple of months or more after undergoing major back surgery Sunday.

Hornets backup point guard Bobby Jackson said he is not counting on Stojakovic returning this season.

"That's a tough surgery dealing with your back,'' said Jackson, who is expected to return to action in a week or so after missing the past seven games with a cracked left rib. "Can he (Stojakovic) be the same player, 'Yes.' But it’s not going to be over the amount of time that we want it be. It won't be this season, so that's probably going to be the frustrating thing for him and this team. But you have to take the bad with the good. We've got to step up as players.''

Without Stojakovic or starting forward David West, who traveled with the team to Miami but will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow Wednesday, the Hornets could be in for a struggle to make the playoffs. The team hasn't advanced to the postseason since the 2003-04 season. Stojakovic, a 6-foot-10 shooting guard, was the team's top acquisition this summer, signing a five-year, $64 million deal.

Scott didn't rule out that General Manager Jeff Bower could be forced to explore trade options to offset not having two of the team's top scorers available for a lengthy period. Without Stojakovic and West, the Hornets have lost eight of 10 games and they rank last among the league’s 30-teams in scoring with a 90.5 per game average.

"Jeff and I have talked already and I'm sure when I get back he'll have some more things for us to look at,'' Scott said. "But like I said before, I'm going to coach the guys that are here to try and get these guys ready to play each game to the best of their ability. But I’m hoping those guys (Stojakovic and West) are fast healers.''

West said he could be sidelined anywhere from two to eight weeks once the surgical procedure is done to remove inflammation in the joint membrane in his right elbow.

"Once they clean it out, my elbow will be fine,'' said West, who signed a five-year, $43 million contract extension in October. "Then it will be just a matter of how soon I heal. I was trying to avoid surgery, hoping that the medication and stuff would work. But this way now, I know exactly my elbow will be healed and I won't have to worry about it anymore.''
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[kennadog]

I'm sorry to here that for Pedja. I wish him a speedy and good recovery.

 

[Peja]

Man,I can't believe he is out for a season.That probably means one more year out of national team too...What a blow...
Get well soon Peja!

 

[LMM]

Oooooh that sucks! Sucks for Peja and the Hornets...

Hopefully he can come back strong from this, though.

 

[Kings113]

With Peja's injury history, specifically his back - not that surprising. Really bad for the Hornets and him though, he and them were off to a damn good start.

The Hornets and their fans took big risks signing Peja/B-Jax to those deals. Good veteran players, but steadily declining and injury prone.

Two of the reasons why I wasn't really buying into all the hype they got in the summer, pre-season, and early into the season.

Aside from Denver being basically a lock for the playoffs now, this definitely changes my prediction of the Hornets making the playoffs as an 8th seed. I said they needed to get 60-65 games out of Peja/B-Jax in order to do so - and they aren't. The David West injury doesn't help either.

Hopefully better luck next year for them.

 

[Macto420]

actually peja was coming on much better than his stats show, the last few games he had played in he was the man. i remember one of our announcers praising k mart for hitting like 15 pts in a row in a pre season game..well peja hit like 22 staright opening points in a real season game.