CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 2 -- Anthony Mason, the best all-around player on the Charlotte Hornets, will miss the entire season with a ruptured bicep. Hornets physician Dr. Glenn Perry has recommended surgery to repair a rupture in Mason's right distal bicep tendon. Surgery has not been scheduled and recovery time is four to six months. The 6-7, 250-pound Mason suffered the injury in Monday morning's practice. He had missed only 25 games over the last seven seasons and annually is among the league leaders in minutes played. The loss of Mason is a huge blow to the Hornets, who already are without injured All-Star forward Glen Rice for up to 20 games. Charlotte has won 105 games over the last two seasons but is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Mason warrants double-teams in the low post, can handle the ball and led the Hornets in rebounding in both of his seasons with the club. In 81 games last season, he averaged 12.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists, second on the club. The Hornets lost centers Vlade Divac and Matt Geiger and guard Dell Curry to free agency. They signed forward Derrick Coleman but may have to use him at center as the team's lone frontcourt scoring option. Moving into the starting lineup for Mason may be J.R. Reid, a former first-round pick who averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds as a reserve last season. Last season, Mason openly feuded with Hornets coach Dave Cowens and was arrested in New York during All-Star Weekend on a statutory rape charge.
He later agreed to a plea bargain in which the more serious charges were dropped and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service. Mason, 32, was a 1988 third-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers. He played in Turkey, the CBA and the USBL and also in a handful of games for the New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets before being signed by the New York Knicks in 1991. Mason spent five seasons with the Knicks, leading the NBA in minutes played in the 1995-96 season. He was dealt to the Hornets on July 14, 1996 for forward Larry Johnson. In nine seasons, he has career averages of 10.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
