New head coach Michael Malone has been dealt a major blow in his quest to turn around a struggling Nuggets team.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, forward Wilson Chandler will undergo season-ending hip surgery. Chandler has been diagnosed with a labral tear, according to the report.
Yahoo Sources: Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler will undergo season-ending hip surgery. https://t.co/6AtP64Wtug
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 12, 2015
The team issued a statement shortly after the report. In it, Chandler said the following:
“I’m incredibly disappointed at this point, I put in so much work over the summer to make myself a better player,” said Chandler. “I was really looking forward to this year, being out there battling with my teammates, being a part of the change. I dedicated my whole summer to self-improvement and all I had on my mind this off-season and preseason was ‘this was my year, I was going to help this team win.’ So this is very frustrating and heart-breaking to say the least. I just want to say thank you to the whole organization for supporting me at a time like this.”
Chandler re-signed with the Nuggets in the offseason on a four-year, $46.5 million extension that will keep him in Denver through the 2018-19 season.
At 28 years old and with eight seasons of NBA experience under his belt, Chandler was expected to help lead a Nuggets team that lacks depth and experience. As a player who can man the 2, 3 and 4 positions on the court, as well as defend them, Chandler is a major asset the Nuggets will struggle to replace.