NEW YORK, April 22 (UPI) -- After missing the entire 2002-03 season with a fractured left kneecap, New York Knicks forward Antonio McDyess underwent additional bone graft surgery Tuesday.
According to Knicks team physician Dr. Norman Scott, the procedure "will further stimulate blood flow, and move the healing process along at a faster rate."
The two-hour surgery was performed by Drs. Michael Stuart and Robert Trousdale at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., with Scott assisting.
"There were no surprises during the surgery, and we are very optimistic that Antonio will have a full recovery and be able to play again next season," Scott said. "He will be able to walk on crutches and put weight on the knee later this week."
McDyess will be able to begin rehabilitation in about two weeks, but the Knicks refused to give a timetable on his return.
This is the third operation in 19 months for McDyess, who had surgery last October that entailed having screws placed in his kneecap to stabilize the bone.
At the time, the Knicks said the injury was unrelated to his previous surgery, when he ruptured his patella tendon in October 2001 while playing for the Denver Nuggets.
McDyess had been in rehab for months, and it wasn't until last week that a CAT scan revealed the knee was not healing as quickly as the Knicks had hoped.
When the Knicks acquired McDyess from the Nuggets last June, they put him through an extensive physical exam. Four months after the trade, McDyess fractured his kneecap again during the Knicks' third exhibition game, and underwent surgery Oct. 16.
McDyess, who played for the gold medal-winning 2000 Olympic team, has career averages of 17.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game over seven seasons with Denver and the Phoenix Suns.
