Shoulder surgery ends season for Jazz's Kanter
Utah Jazz center Enes Kanter was to have season-ending surgery on Wednesday in Chicago to repair a dislocated left shoulder.
The surgery decision was made over rehabbing the shoulder to reduce the risk of further problems, Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said, according to The Salt Lake City Tribune.
"Frankly, this is good news," Lindsey said. "The probability as given to us that something would happen to the shoulder is no greater than a shoulder that's never been injured before."
Kanter injured the shoulder during a March 27 win over the Phoenix Suns when he fought for a loose ball with the Suns' Hamed Haddadi.
Without Kanter, the Jazz will use Derrick Favors, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap on the front line for the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs if Utah qualifies. The Jazz are battling the Los Angeles Lakers for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference.
The team has yet to indicate when Kanter, the No. 3 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, will return to basketball.
