Mario Chalmers undergoes knee surgery, should be ready for training camp

For the first time since 2010, the NBA Finals will take place without Mario Chalmers getting yelled at by teammates.

With LeBron James battling for the championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat have been left to deal with other matters, like work through reported contract disagreements or minor injury issues. Chalmers did the latter Friday, undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair an inflamed plica in his right knee.

He's expected to begin rehabilitation soon and should be able to return to basketball activities well ahead of training camp.

While he managed to appear in 80 games for the Heat, Chalmers battled right knee issues from as early as March 6, one of the two games he missed this season. The injury was called a knee bruise at the time, and it sounds as if Chalmers' plica - a fold of tissue in the knee - remained irritated, causing him discomfort late in the year.

The 29-year-old Alaska native averaged a career-high 10.2 points this season, kicking in 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in the process. But his shooting percentages dropped drastically with his higher usage - he shot 40.3 percent overall and 29.4 percent on threes, and his minutes declined late in the year.

Chalmers closed the season questioning his place on the team as a result. His role is somewhat unclear if the team retains Goran Dragic, as the presence of Shabazz Napier could render Chalmers a third-string point guard or the backup shooting guard behind Dwyane Wade. With one year and $4.3 million left on his deal, he's probably staying with the only franchise he's ever played for at least one more season, whatever the role.