The injury news for the Golden State Warriors is going from bad to worse as the team released a statement today noting that center Kwame Brown will unfortunately undergo surgery for a torn pectoralis major (the chest muscle that attaches to his right shoulder), which will require surgery to be performed over the next few days. The injury will sideline him for at least three months of an already shortened season.
GM and team Vice President Larry Riley had this to say about the injury:
"Obviously, we're very disappointed, especially for Kwame, who was playing extremely well and had worked diligently since his arrival," said Larry Riley, the team's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations/General Manager. "In a short time, he had proven to be the anchor to our low post defense and certainly lived up to his reputation as one of the top interior defenders in the NBA. He had provided us a big, physical presence in the middle, which is something that we've lacked in the past. Unfortunately, surgery of this nature typically requires, approximately, a three-month recovery period."
Brown has been a pleasant surprise since coming over from the Charlotte Bobcats earlier this year, averaged 6.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in a shade under 21 muntes a game this season off the bench, getting the start in the last few games in Andris Biedrins absence with a ankle/toe injury.
Coach Mark Jackson echoed the same sentiments that Riley did about the 10 year veteran:
"I feel extremely bad for Kwame," said Head Coach Mark Jackson. "He had done absolutely everything that myself and our coaching staff had asked of him and quickly started to change this team's image on the defensive end of the floor. If you look at the last week, in particular, he had some pretty impressive defensive performances, especially against some of the top scoring big men in the NBA. This is a blow, but Kwame and the Warriors will recover and move forward. I know that he will work as hard as he can during rehabilitation."
Brown was hurt during the Heat game on Tuesday when trying to keep Udonis Haslem from scoring an easy bucket toward the end of the fourth quarter. Kwame bear hugged Haslem as he jumped, causing the pectoral muscle to tear.
With Stephen Curry's status still up in the air, the W's can ill afford another major injury. Hopefully the return of Andris Biedrins to the lineup Thursday night can quell the production lost in Kwame.
For more on the Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind.