Bucks' Sanders undergoes medical procedure, will miss rest of preseason

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders underwent a minor outpatient procedure Friday morning, the team announced.

The procedure, which was performed at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, will cause Sanders to miss Milwaukee's final three preseason games. He is expected to be ready for the Bucks' regular-season opener in Charlotte on Oct. 29.

Sanders averaged 10.7 points and 10.0 rebounds in Milwaukee's first three preseason games, last appearing Oct. 11 against the Chicago Bulls. He missed practice this week along with Tuesday's exhibition game in Cleveland with what the team was calling an illness.

If Sanders were to miss the start of the regular season, it would be a frustrating beginning to what is a critical bounce-back year for the 25-year-old.

Sanders was limited to 23 games in 2013-14 due to a torn thumb ligament from a November altercation at a Milwaukee nightclub and a broken right orbital bone suffered when hit with an inadvertent elbow during a game in early February.

A four-year, $44 million contract extension signed in July of 2013 kicks in this season, making Sanders the highest-paid player on the Bucks.

The Bucks play Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before facing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Milwaukee concludes the preseason next Wednesday against Minnesota at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

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