(AP)

The player said it. His coach reiterated it.

Michael Carter-Williams, in the same breath, thanked media members who voted him the NBA’s Rookie of the Year and then followed it up by saying he’s unsatisfied with winning a personal award. The 76ers’ point guard spoke Monday about pining for more, not only individual greatness but aspirations of helping the Sixers reach the postseason.

That plan took a detour Tuesday, when the Sixers announced that Carter-Williams had undergone successful surgery to repair a labrum injury on his right shoulder. The team said there’s no timetable for the return of the 22-year-old.

What does the surgery mean for Carter-Williams?

For starters, it’s unlikely he will be available to participate in either of the summer leagues. (The Sixers are expected to field teams for the Orlando and Las Vegas leagues.) There’s no hard-and-fast recovery time for a labrum surgery recipient, but it generally requires two to four months. That timeline would put Carter-Williams in line to be ready for the opening of training camp.

Beyond the summer leagues, Carter-Williams can forget about fine-tuning his game. Monday, at MCW’s Rookie of the Year press conference, Sixers coach Brett Brown spoke at length about the summer months being the time when players make their most money, when they can watch gametape and focus on improving one or two skills that had been weaknesses in the past season.

For Carter-Williams, those well-documented weaknesses were his shooting percentage and his defense. Rehab on his surgically repaired shoulder will prevent Carter-Williams from hoisting the thousands of shots he was likely to take this summer. In addition, Brown’s desire to have Carter-Williams work on his on-the-ball defense and keeping players in front of him will have to be put on the back-burner as he turns his attention toward injury rehab.

The immediate ramifications of Carter-Williams’ surgery won’t be felt in the next few months. Instead, the will bear out when the Sixers’ season begins.

(AP)

Michael Carter-Williams underwent successful surgery to repair the labrum of his right shoulder, the 76ers announced Tuesday, and there is no timetable for his return.

The surgery was performed by Dr. David Altchek, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the team said, and his rehab will be monitored by the team’s head physician, Dr. Brian Sennett of Penn Medicine.

“The health of our players is our primary concern,” Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said in a statement. “There were a number of healthy discussions between Michael, our medical team, several medical specialists and Michael’s representatives. After careful consideration and thoughtful research, we collectively agreed that it was in Michael’s best interest to move forward with the procedure now and allow maximum recovery time.”

The timing of the surgery would seem to put Carter-Williams’ availability for the Sixers’ summer-league teams in jeopardy. The soonest Carter-Williams, who on Monday was named NBA Rookie of the Year, would have to be medically available is in October for the team’s training camp.

Carter-Williams' durability was a popular talking point during his rookie season, as the Syracuse product missed 12 games with three separate injuries:

• He sat out from Nov. 13-18, missing four games with a left foot bruise.
• He did not play between Dec. 6-16, skipping seven games due to a skin infection on his right knee that required a brief hospitalization.
• And he missed a game Feb. 1 at Detroit with a sore right shoulder.

The Sixers went 1-11 in games in which Carter-Williams was a DNP.

(Christopher A. Vito)

Andrew Bynum found a new rebounding buddy, but the 76ers' injured center is still engaging only in 1-on-0 workouts.

Bynum participated in post-practice shooting drills Friday at PCOM, with Kwame Brown serving as his rebounding partner. Bynum attempted shots from spots all over the floor, anywhere from under the rim to around the 3-point arc.

Earlier this week, Bynum said he couldn't find a reason why he wouldn't debut for the Sixers before the end of the month.

“I can't wait for that moment he says, 'Coach, I'm ready to go. Put me out there. Let's play,'” Sixers coach Doug Collins said of Bynum. “His activity level has picked up in practice. He still isn't doing anything with the team. It's still 1-on-0, but he is starting to move around a little bit, which is encouraging.” (VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP)


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