Wolves' Saunders: Rubio's ankle injury was worse than a sprain
He wanted to be back by Christmas, the team was hoping for mid-January and yet Ricky Rubio remains sidelined with the left ankle injury he suffered on Nov. 7.
As it turns out, the injury was far worse than just a sprain, which explains why the Spaniard has been on the shelf beyond the initial eight-week prognosis. Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president Flip Saunders discussed the severity of Rubio's injury on Wednesday, revealing that the team has been cautious with his push to return due to fear of re-injury.
It's not him not wanting to play or not working. He's doing everything he can. We as an organization and the doctors who are involved have been the ones who have tried to hold him back. ...
It's a very unique ankle sprain. They said at the time it's going to be worse than a high ankle sprain, and everyone knows those go eight to 12 weeks. So it has nothing to do with him not wanting to play.
Saunders said that Rubio's high ankle sprain was accompanied by damage to muscles and ligaments that connect the ankle to the toes, which put him at risk of suffering a stress fracture in his leg if he returns too soon.
When he may return remains unclear, he's progressed to participating in contact drills in practice. At 7-34, there's little reason for the Wolves to rush Rubio back and risk creating additional issues, especially after signing him to a four-year, $55-million contract extension in October.
In the meantime, his absence continues to mean extended development time for rookie Zach LaVine, who is averaging 8.4 points and 3.5 assists in 23.5 minutes.