Once upon a time, UCLA forward Kevon Looney was considered a surefire lottery pick, but concerns about his hip raised red flags around the league. The Warriors took him 30th overall in June, the final pick of the first round of the draft, and they’ve announced that he’ll be out four to six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum.
Here’s the team’s press release:Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney underwent a successful right hip arthroscopy this morning to repair a torn labrum, the team announced today. The procedure was performed by renowned Steadman Clinic orthopaedic surgeon and hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon at the Vail Valley Surgery Center in Vail, Colorado.
Looney will begin rehabilitation from the surgery immediately and is expected to be out a minimum of four-to-six months before returning to basketball activity.
“Kevon has his entire NBA career ahead of him and we felt that, in consultation with our medical staff, Kevon and his representatives, it was best to address the issue now,” said Warriors General Manager Bob Myers. “He will have our complete support throughout the rehabilitation process and we are confident he will make a full recovery.”The Warriors are in a fortunate position with Looney because they didn’t need much out of him in his rookie season. They’re coming off a historically great season that included 67 regular-season wins and the franchise’s first NBA title in 40 years. Other than trading David Lee and picking up Jason Thompson, their roster is essentially the same as it was last season, which means it’s going to be virtually impossible for a rookie to compete for minutes with the likes of Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala. They drafted Looney because they saw him as more talented than the 30th pick and they could afford to take a long-term, proactive approach with his health. Nipping this issue now, while he’s not needed on the court, makes sense.