Minnesota Timberwolves forward Tom Gugliotta will miss the rest of the season because he needs surgery on his injured right ankle.
Gugliotta, the team's leading scorer with 20.1 points per game, has been out since Jan. 30 when his ankle locked up in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was later diagnosed with bone spurs and bone chips in the ankle."I would say there's a pretty good chance he's done for the year," Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale said Friday night. "It hurts. Anytime you lose a guy like that, it hurts your lineup."
Gugliotta, whose ankle did not respond to treatment, has seen foot and ankle specialists in Birmingham, Ala., Boston and New York. All three recommended surgery, said Gugliotta's wife, Nikki.
At the urging of McHale, Gugliotta also saw a foot therapist in Boston, but the ankle still failed to respond.