Bucks' Parker sees knee injury as 'big opportunity' to learn

By foxsports
Published

MILWAUKEE -- Jabari Parker began his first public statements to the media since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last Monday in Phoenix by thanking everyone who reached out to him over the past week.

But the Milwaukee Bucks rookie is ready to move forward in his road to recovery.

"I just don't want people feeling sorry for me," Parker said prior to Tuesday night's game against Charlotte. "Things happen. We get tossed some bumps in our roads. We just have to pick it up and learn from it.

"One of the positive things is I get a brand-new knee. You have to look at longevity. Hopefully this will just be a short thing and I'll be able to return for the career that I want to have."

Parker went down with 10:52 remaining in the third quarter of Milwaukee's 96-94 victory in Phoenix on Dec. 15. He corralled a rebound on the defensive end of the floor and tried taking the ball the length of the floor. His left knee buckled and gave out while attempting a Eurostep on Suns forward P.J. Tucker.

"I didn't know it was this serious when it happened," Parker said. "I wasn't in agony. I felt the twist, and I thought it was hyperextended. It was a clean (tear)."

The Bucks initially diagnosed Parker with a left knee sprain but confirmed reports of an ACL tear late last Tuesday night.

"It wasn't frustration at all," Parker said of when he learned he tore his ACL. "It was more questioning myself and how I am going to come back from this. I am trying to stay optimistic. I want to challenge myself more now that I have to take it day by day."

Selected No. 2 overall out of Duke University in this past June's draft, Parker averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 25 games for the Bucks this season. Parker was second among rookies in scoring and third in rebounding while helping the Bucks to a 13-12 record, making him the odds-on-favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

Parker gave an honest assessment of his shortened rookie season on Tuesday.

"I think it was like a 'C,' " Parker said. "I assess myself at a 'C' because I'm harder on myself on the things I can do to prepare myself that is in my control. I don't think that I did too well. I have the future to make up for it."

No timetable for surgery has been set, as the swelling in Parker's left knee must subside before the procedure can occur. Typical recovery time for a torn ACL is six to eight months, but there's a chance Parker could miss the beginning of next season depending on how he recovers from the surgery.

"It is just going to day by day," Parker said. "Even if I miss how many days next year, it is just day by day.

"This is not a time off for me. It is more a time for me to learn more. I will get a chance to look outside of the mistakes I used to make and hopefully get better. This is definitely a big opportunity for me."

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