Vujanic tears ACL

Skratchy_Seal

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Found this link off the ESPN boards.

http://www.fiba.com/pages/en/news/latest_news_article.asp?r_act_news=7334&r_cat=8

20/05/2005
SCG - Vujanic injury blow for Serbia & Montenegro

BOLOGNA (Lega A) - Serbia & Montenegro's Eurobasket 2005 plans have been thrown into disarray with the news that starting guard Milos Vujanic suffered a serious knee injury in the Italian League play-offs with Climamio Bologna on Wednesday and will need several months to recover.

Vujanic, 24, a scoring machine who played in Yugoslavia's triumphant FIBA World Championship 2006 side in Indianapolis, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Game Three against Sedima Roseto and will go under the knife on Friday.

A Climamio Bologna statement said: "Further tests have confirmed that the player has torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The player will have an operation. Obviously his season has ended. The estimated time of recovery is between four and six months."

Serbia & Montenegro is like a basketball factory, having produced many of the world's top players and coaches over the years with many of their stars now on playing for NBA teams.

Vujanic has as much talent as any of them, which is why the New York Knicks selected him 36th overall in the 2002 NBA draft.

But the player elected to remain in Italy because of the guarantee of playing time in Italy, and in the prestigious Euroleague competition.

The Knicks, tired of waiting on Vujanic, traded his draft rights to Phoenix last season when they acquired Team USA guard Stephon Marbury from the Suns.

Vujanic recently told PA International he was "50-50" about whether or not he should go to the NBA after this season.

The injury has all but ruled Vujanic out of the European Championships, a competition that Serbia & Montenegro are hosting. They must finish in the top six to earn an automatic play at FIBA World Championship 2006 in Japan, where they hope to win a third straight world crown.

As for Bologna, the late-season bust-up between Italian international guard Gianmarco Pozzecco and coach Jasmine Repesa could now have disastrous consequences.

Pozzecco was suspended by the club, who then decided he would no longer play for them this season. That paved the way for Pozzecco to join Zaragoza in Spain's second division although he has said he expects to return to Bologna for next season.

Rodolfo Rombaldoni, another Italian international who played at the Olympics last summer and joined Bologna in midseason from Sicc Jesi, will now see more playing time at the point, along with fellow national team member Gianluca Basile.

Alessandro Piazza, a promising Bologna point guard who is just 17 years old, has played in the Euroleague for the club and can also fill in at the position.

Bologna will face the winner of Lottomatica Roma's quarter-final clash with Montepaschi Siena, a tie which the Romans currently lead 2-1.

By Jeff Taylor and Cindy Garcia-Bennett, PA International
 
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Skratchy_Seal

Skratchy_Seal

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I thought he would've been the primary back-up to Nash and eventually moving to the starting spot in three years. I was getting pretty darn impatient with him though.
 

sunsfn

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CardNots said:
I think we gave up on him last year when we signed Nash.

Not so. They tried to get him to come over in the middle of this season, but the buyout money was too much.

This could end his coming over though.
 

devilalum

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This has got to end any speculation about him ever joining the Suns.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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i lost all interest in him a long time ago. his rights have served as nothing more than a bothersome flea. but i hope he's okay.
 

George O'Brien

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I really am disappointed, however I would not be shocked if they brought him over mid season. Still, it means the Suns are going to have to be thinking more about PG in the draft than I would have preferred.

On the plus side (which probably doesn't exist), it means the Suns would be able to use their entire MLE on an inside guy.
 

coloradosun

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There could be a plus side that exists, if he is considering coming over his asking price will probably go down. Odds are he will remain where the money will still be good.

Bad news for the Suns, any trade value has evaporated.
 

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