Irving to miss playoffs; Nowitzki’s future unclear
The Boston Celtics have spent most of the season adjusting on the fly. Now they will have to go through the playoffs without Kyrie Irving.
The star point guard will need surgery on his left knee and is done for season. The team on Thursday put his recovery time at four to five months.
Irving hasn't played since March 11. In the upcoming surgery, two screws will be removed. They were implanted after Irving's patellar fracture during the 2015 NBA Finals.
Irving recently developed an infection at the site of the screws, and now they must be taken out.
Following his original procedure last month, the team had said the knee was structurally sound and the kneecap healed, but the wire had been putting pressure on the knee.
This is Irving's first season in Boston after he demanded to be traded from Cleveland. And the player he was dealt for, Isaiah Thomas, is out for the year following hip surgery. •Dirk Nowitzki's 20th season is over a few games early after the Dallas Mavericks star had surgery on his left ankle.
Now the question is whether the 7-foot German will play as a 40-year-old after saying he intends to return for a 21st season, all with the Mavericks. Nowitzki could be the first to play that long with one franchise.
The team said Thursday that Nowitzki underwent a procedure to clear out unhealthy tissue, called surgical debridement. It was performed at a Dallas medical clinic.
Nowitzki, who turns 40 in June, played his final game of the season at home against Portland on Tuesday.
•The New Orleans Pelicans have brought back guard Jordan Crawford as the club tries to hang on to one of the final playoffs spots in the Western Conference.
The Pelicans announced the move on Thursday, but terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The 6-foot-4 Crawford has played in 21 games for the Pelicans during parts of the past two seasons and has been a productive scorer in those outings, averaging 13.6 points.
Crawford played in only two games early this season with New Orleans, averaging 9.0 points before being waived on October 21.
Crawford has been in the NBA since 2010, also playing for with Atlanta, Washington, Boston and Golden State.