ATLANTA, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Atlanta Hawks center Theo Ratliff will undergo surgery to remove a cartilage tear in his right hip on Saturday and will miss the next six to eight weeks, the team announced Friday.
The arthroscopic procedure will be performed by Dr. Mark Phillipon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to Hawks athletic trainer Wally Blase.
"Theo's hip area did not respond to any of the conservative treatments we tried," Blase said. "After speaking with several of the top specialists around the country, it was determined that this was the best course of action."
Ratliff already has missed six regular season games due to the injury, which is thought to have occurred during workouts this summer. He also was sidelined for seven of Atlanta's eight preseason contests.
The Hawks on November 5 placed their center on the injured list with what was described as a strained right hip flexor and a slight groin pull.
Ratliff started the Hawks' first two regular season contests, losses to Houston and Washington, before sitting out the 90-83 victory over the Miami Heat on Nov.3.
In his two games, the 6-10 Ratliff averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Nazr Mohammed against Miami.
Injuries are not anything new to Ratliff, who came to the Hawks last February in a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers with a broken wrist that forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
Ratliff, 28, garnered All-Star honors for the first time in his career last season after averaging 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in 50 games. He also led the NBA with 3.7 blocks per game.
