Lou Williams Out for Season with Torn ACL (Video)
By Josh Hill
ACL injuries are starting to show up much more frequently in pro sports, and that’s far from being an acceptable thing. Derrick Rose is on the verge of returning from an ACL tear, Ricky Rubio came back a month ago from his ACL tear and we all know about Adrian Peterson and Robert Griffin III.
Add Atlanta Hawks guard Lou Williams to the ACL casualty list.
The Hawks have confirmed their worst fears, and have announced Williams did indeed tear his ACL in Friday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Williams went up for a bucket early in the second quarter on Friday but didn’t get there and came up hobbling badly. Williams limped all the way into tunnel before collapsing in agony.
“We are extremely disappointed for Lou, and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery,” said Danny Ferry, the Hawks’ president of basketball operations and general manager in a statement. “He has been a complete professional in every sense of the word and know that approach, along with his work ethic, will serve him well in his rehabilitation.”
Atlanta is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, but without Williams they’ll have to fight even harder to stay afloat. Derrick Rose is set to return to the Bulls anytime now and that means the Chicago — who has been surprisingly above average without him– is about to make an already tight conference even tighter. The Hawks made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but now face an uphill climb to get back there without their star guard.
Moving forward, the Hawks will be looking to use Devin Harris, Jeff Teague, Anthony Morrow and rookie John Jenkins to replace Williams while he recovers.