Besides being devastated by the news that Anthony Edwards will miss roughly two months as he is having an arthroscopic procedure on his knee, many wondered why this procedure didn't happen in the offseason. After all, Edwards dealt with a hyperextended knee injury in the playoffs and missed time at the end of the regular season with knee inflammation. If this was going to be a problem, shouldn't they have addressed it this summer?
However, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly confirmed that this issue couldn't have been addressed in the offseason.
"No, the imaging has changed in the most recent imaging," Connelly said when asked if this could've been addressed in the offseason. "We've had a bunch of imaging since this summer, and it changed as of yesterday."
“I think the imaging is different than the playoffs; it’s different than even it was a month ago,” Connelly added. “So, that’s how we came to this decision.”
Connelly also confirmed that the latest round of imaging was done after the Cavs game when Ant was feeling "a little bit different."
Tim Connelly's comments add clarity to the timing of Anthony Edwards' surgery
While I understand why fans expressed concerns about the timeline of events, you have to trust the Timberwolves' medical team and organization.
The Wolves are an incredibly smart organization with a world-class medical staff. In fact, they won an award for being the best medical staff in the league last season. Simply put, it would be shocking if they made a major mistake regarding the timing and need for the procedure. When considering this and Connelly's comments, it should ease any concerns regarding the timeline.
Of course, the injury is still brutal, but the Wolves didn't make a mistake by not having Ant get surgery.
And while I'm far from a doctor, it makes sense to me that the imaging changed, especially after playing some games. Unfortunately, he tweaked his knee again, which changed the equation. It's also vital to note that Edwards' surgery is on his right knee, while his injury in the playoffs was on his left knee, but his knee inflammation last regular season was on his right knee.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic noted that Edwards tweaked his knee against the Miami Heat. Furthermore, Ant popped up on the Wolves' injury report against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it looked like he also aggravated his knee again during Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors.
Edwards was as productive as ever during the Wolves' first four games of the season. He averaged 33.3 points and had two 40-point outbursts, one against the Heat and the other against the Cavs. Still, Edwards mainly relied on his outside shot and didn't have the same elite level of burst we've been accustomed to seeing from him.
It's truly amazing what Ant did while not being at 100 percent. Hopefully, this procedure goes smoothly, and Edwards can return to the court better than ever.
As Connelly noted in his press conference, though, the main priority is Edwards' long-term health. Likewise, this is a pretty serious procedure, especially from a long-term standpoint, so caution and patience are needed.
In any case, Timberwolves fans need to trust that the organization is making the right decisions—and clearly, Edwards' surgery isn't because of him or the organization foolishly putting it off this summer.
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