It has been nearly two months since news broke that New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson was likely out for the remainder of the 2013-2014 season, but on Tuesday afternoon, that designation became official.
The organization announced that Anderson will be having surgery on his herniated disk, and as a result, he will officially be out for the rest of the year. Honestly, there is no surprise here, as there have even been rumblings that Anderson’s career could be in jeopardy, but this is still a sad occurrence for the player and the organization.
Anderson, who is a 25-year-old power forward, last appeared in a game on January 3rd, but prior to the injury, he was potentially the front-runner for the league’s 6th Man of the Year Award after a fantastic start. In 22 games, the former California star was averaging 19.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with a 19.05 PER, and he is one of the more unique players in the league with his ability to stretch the floor (40.9% from 3-point distance) at 6-foot-10.
Best wishes for Anderson on his recovery, and hopefully, he can be back in time for the 2014-2015 season.