The Phoenix Suns confirmed everyone’s fears Sunday, announcing that guard Eric Bledsoe requires surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
OFFICIAL: Suns guard @EBled2 sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee during Saturday night's game & will undergo surgery on Tuesday.
— #WeArePHX (@Suns) December 28, 2015
Bledsoe could be out until after the NBA All-Star break.
The Suns have lost four in a row, and head coach Jeff Hornacek’s job is reportedly on the line.
Per the AZ Republic:
Bledsoe previously tore a meniscus in his right knee and had it repaired in 2011. A surgery to remove the damaged meniscus in 2014 sidelined him for more than two months at almost the same juncture of the season as this injury. Then, Bledsoe missed games from Jan. 2 to March 10.
Without knowing the results after Sunday’s practice, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek only could start preparing the team for the ultimate challenge of coming off rock bottom with Saturday’s home loss to the 2-30 76ers (minus Jahlil Okafor) and going through a four-day gauntlet against three of the NBA’s top four teams – Cleveland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. […] “We felt that all along, if something happened to one or the other, if they were missing a game or something, the other guy could be the lone point guard,” Hornacek said.
Bledsoe had been the Suns’ primary ball-handler, but that now shifts to Brandon Knight, who played almost exclusively point guard for Detroit and Milwaukee before being traded to Phoenix last season. Hornacek said rookie Devin Booker likely will be the other starting guard, as he was for the second half of his career-high 19-point game Saturday. Guard Bryce Cotton, the Tucson native, will now be on the active roster after not playing since he was signed Nov. 25 as backcourt insurance for Bledsoe’s and Knight’s health issues.
