Heat’s Bam Adebayo to have thumb surgery to repair torn ligament, could take up to six weeks off, reports

Depth of Miami Heat’s just dealt a big blow to the near future. On Wednesday, Heat announced All-Star Big Man Bam Adebayo torn the ligament securing the ulnar in his right thumb during Miami’s 120-111 loss first Denver Nuggets on Monday night, and will require surgery.

The Heat indicated a return schedule would be offered after the surgery, although the expected time for return after a torn UCL is four to six weeks, according to The Heat. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. If he misses six weeks of competition, we won’t see him back on the field for the Heat until mid-January.

Adebayo is in the midst of another solid season for the Heat. Over 18 games, he averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.9 minutes of action per take. In his absence, Dewayne Dedmon will probably slide into the starting center position for Heat, which can be cause for concern. Dedmon was able to serve in the reserve role, but it’s fair to wonder if he can keep his production running for a few more minutes. Plus, Dedmon is dealing with a bruised knee own. In addition to Dedmon, will open more opportunities to be on the field for reserves such as Omer Yurtseven, KZ Okpala, and even has the ability to dissipate heat Udonis Haslem. Erik Spoelstra and Heat will have to use a team approach as they try to fill their star center.

Without Adebayo, the Heat will also have the task of staying strong in a competitive Eastern tournament. Miami are currently third in the East with a 13-8 record, but only two games have separated them from the 11th seed. Celtics, and a lot can happen in six weeks. One small slip could make Heat realize he was outside the playoff picture to look in.

The Heat don’t have a particularly difficult schedule coming up, but they do have two meetings with the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks next week and two matches against upstart Cleveland Cavaliers in the near future, including one on Wednesday night. The good news for the Heat is that Adebayo’s injury isn’t the end of the season, and he will be back in plenty of time for Miami to make a playoff spot. They just need to do their best to weather the storm in the meantime.