Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer admitted he really doesn't know what Eric Bledsoe is dealing with, only that it has been nagging for as long as he has coached the team. Bledsoe sat out Monday's game against the Denver Nuggets, joining Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the starters to miss this game.
Budenholzer was asked about the reason for Bledsoe's absence (listed as right knee effusion), which prompted this concerning admission:
“I don’t know what it is except for it’s what Bled has,” said Budenholzer, according to Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “I’m a little embarrassed to say I mean that. … He’s had a little bit of this just, really, probably the year and a half I’ve been here.”
A knee effusion occurs when water or fluid accumulates in the knee or around the joint. This could happen due to arthritis, or, most commonly, prior injuries to ligaments or cartilages around the knee from prior surgeries, resulting in swelling.
Others known to have had this condition include John Wall and Kyrie Irving, who had to have their knees drained in the past to help alleviate the pain. While this could be a commonplace injury for some NBA guys, it's certainly concerning, considering most of them happen as the result of an arthroscopy.
The Bucks coach noted this injury could be more of a an issue on some days than others, depending on the swelling.
Bledsoe, however, has been relatively healthy this season, playing in 56 of the team's 65 games in 2019-20. He also played in 78 games last season, his first full season with Milwaukee. The guard has been a key cog for the Bucks, but he has developed a reputation as a poor performer in the playoffs, something he'll need to get past for the club to win the title.
Follow Us
Subscribe