SAN ANTONIO, May 24 -- San Antonio Spurs All-Star forward Tim Duncan, the MVP of the 1999 NBA Finals, Wednesday underwent successful surgery on his left knee.
The surgery, called a partial lateral menisectomy, was performed by Spurs team physician Dr. David Schmidt.
Duncan is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, but no precise timetable has been set for his rehabilitation.
Duncan tore the lateral meniscus in his knee on April 11 against Sacramento. He missed the final four regular-seasongames and the entire first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, who defeated last year's NBA champions in four games.
An MRI taken on Tuesday revealed that the injury had not healed on it's own.
One of the top players in the NBA, Duncan becomes a free agent on July 1. The Spurs are considered the favorites to retain his services, but have to replace other aging players.
Throughout the series with Phoenix, Spurs coach and general manager Gregg Popovich repeatedly said he would not risk having Duncan suffer further damage to the knee.
With the "Twin Towers" of Duncan and David Robinson leading the way, the Spurs went 15-2 during the 1999 playoffs and captured their first NBA championship. But their chances of repeating clearly hinged on the health of Duncan.
Duncan, 23, averaged 23.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in 74 games. He missed four games earlier in the season with an abdominal injury.NEWLN:
