PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 21 -- Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Theo Ratliff had successful surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his right wrist and may be back sooner than scheduled.
The procedure, performed in Durham, N.C., lasted 65 minutes and involved the insertion of a screw into the wrist to repair a stress fracture of the scaphoid bone.
"Everything went well. There were no problems," 76ers team physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy said. "It was done through a small incision and Theo was awake through the procedure. The projection is for Theo to miss two to four weeks."
Ratliff, who leads the NBA in blocked shots, originally was expected to miss four to six weeks following the discovery of the injury on Feb. 8.
Although the new prognosis has him returning as early as the first week of March, Ratliff cautioned that he will not play until he is 100 percent. He tried to play through an injured foot early last season and was unable to contribute.
"I am anxious to get back as soon as possible," Ratliff said. "But I am not going to rush anything. I am going to let things heal properly and come back to where I can be at my best."NEWLN: