2 min read • December 29, 2021
Posted in
Cavaliers' veteran point guard Ricky Rubio suffered a torn left ACL Tuesday night, first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and later confirmed by multiple other reporters.
The MRI confirms what the ProBasketballDocs surmised after reviewing initial video of the injury, based on his previous left knee injury and the significant movement in the knee during the play.
The injury is the second time Rubio has torn his left ACL, the first coming nearly 10 years ago in March 2012. The 31-year-old returned to the court in Dec. 2012 – a 9-month recovery – but was not back to a full workload or previous productivity until February.
As this will be his second surgery and recovery, Rubio's path to return may be easier, as doctors will be working with non-native tissue, so the path to repair has already been paved.
Rubio suffered the tear late in the Cavaliers' loss to the Pelicans, going to the ground holding the area above his kneecap after taking an awkward step. The 11th-year guard was 1 assist away from his 8th-career triple-double, as he had posted 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists thus far.
Cleveland, at 20-14 and competing for home-court in the East, will now have to forge ahead without 2 of their top 3 guards, leaving breakout 3rd-year star Darius Garland and a combination of Isaac Okoro – who was their starting small forward – and Denzel Valentine to fill out the backcourt.
Written by
