Bucks center Lopez has back surgery, return not ruled out
TORONTO – The Milwaukee Bucks announced Thursday that center Brook Lopez had back surgery in Los Angeles. The team said the surgery was performed by Robert Watkins IV, the spine surgeon for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clippers and Rams. Bucks team physician William Raasch provided oversight.
No timeline for a potential return was provided, though Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer believes Lopez will play again at some point.
Lopez, 33, had been sidelined with what was characterized as back soreness on the league injury reports since playing in the Bucks' season opener Oct. 19.
Two days later in Miami, Lopez participated in a shootaround but then was scratched from the game.
Budenholzer said no specific incident occurred in Miami either.
“I don't know,” the coach said before the Bucks took on the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. “I think it's; I really don't know enough about backs just to be completely honest.
“I don't want to be vague or not answer the question but I think it's just something that's probably been happening in there and got to a point where he couldn't play and we hoped rest and rehab and things like that would resolve it and it hasn't.”
The team officially signed veteran big man DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year deal Tuesday. Later that afternoon Budenholzer said Lopez had not had any setbacks and didn't provide a timeline for a potential return.
“He's basically been making, you know, very, very slow but little progress from the beginning,” Budenholzer said. “So, I think after just consulting with the doctors and looking at things more, kind of realizing you know, I guess if no progress is a setback then that's a setback. So, but it just really; lot of consultations with the doctors and Brook and his group and our group. I feel good about the results, the decision, the process and hopeful Brook will return healthy at some point.”
While Budenholzer once again did not put a timeline on a potential return to action, he also didn't want to say Lopez would not play again at all this season.
“We feel good about the surgery today and he'll begin his rehab and do everything he can I think to put himself in position to play for us,” he said.
But, Budenholzer was strong in his belief that this surgery was not careerthreatening for the 14-year veteran.
“The feedback, the conversations, the follow-up after this morning was very, very positive, including expecting him to be able to play and be productive,” Budenholzer said. “I think the surgery today has been done on multiple basketball players, multiple athletes, multiple sports.
“Return to play is very, very often successful.”
Lopez has been a durable player his entire career, with the only reported back injuries coming before he played his freshman season at Stanford, when he had surgery for a bulging disc in September 2006.