SEATTLE -- Nick Collison's first NBA season is over before it started.
Collison, the Seattle SuperSonics' first pick in last June's draft, needs
surgery on both shoulders and will be out for all of 2003-04.
"The timing is unfortunate," Sonics general manager Rick Sund
said Saturday. "Nick had a great summer with us. But we really
think surgery now is the right course of action. This is a
long-range deal."
Collison was the 12th overall pick in the NBA draft after
helping Kansas reach the NCAA championship game. He was an
All-American and the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year as a
senior.
The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Collison averaged 18.5 points and 10
rebounds.
"It's very disappointing. I've wanted to play in this league
since I was 8 or 9, and now I'll be out for a year," he said.
He partially dislocated his left shoulder in practice this week.
An MRI test showed similar weakness in his right shoulder, and the
Sonics didn't want to risk a similar injury there.
Dr. Russell Warren, who did surgery on Sacramento Kings star
Chris Webber's shoulder, will operate on Collison in New York. The
left shoulder will be first; the right shoulder about two months
later. No dates have been set.
The estimated recovery time is six months for each shoulder.
Sonics team orthopedist Dr. Richard Zorn said Collison should
have a complete recovery.
The Sonics don't believe they drafted damaged goods. Collison
started 130 of the 142 games he played at Kansas.
"I've sprained my shoulder before, but this time it was totally
different," Collison said.
With Collison out, the Sonics will go with 6-foot-8 Reggie Evans
and 6-10 Vladimir Radmanovic at power forward.
Sund said he did not expect to sign or trade for another power
forward to replace Collison on the Sonics' roster. The team also
has centers Jerome James, Vitaly Potapenko and Calvin Booth.
Collison probably would not have started
this season, but he was expected to play about 10 minutes a game.
"I definitely thought I could play a lot," Collison said.
The Sonics have had bad luck with both their first-round draft
choices. Oregon point guard Luke Ridnour, the 14th pick in the
draft, had surgery Aug. 6 for a pulled abdominal muscle and is
still not ready for full practices in training camp.