Mike Krzyzewski S Need For New Knee Costs Duke Trip But Maybe Saves Season

“After three days of working with our team, I found that it wasn’t sustainable for me, for a long period of time, to go forward with my knee,” Krzyzewski said in a video posted to Twitter. “I could kind of muck it out for the Dominican trip, but for the whole season it wouldn’t be appropriate to do this.”

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Krzyzewski, 70, will have knee replacement surgery this weekend at Duke University Medical Hospital. It is expected he will be released from the hospital early next week and begin rehabilitation so he can be ready to begin preseason practice with the team in late September.

“Unequivocally, this is the absolute right thing Mike should do, and at precisely the right time,” Duke athletic director Kevin White said in the school’s release.

Duke is replacing nearly its entire rotation, although the Devils will have star senior guard Grayson Allen to build around. It would have helped the team adjust to new point guard Trevon Duval, and for developing big man Marques Bolden to get some high-level competition. Duke had been planning to compete against the Dominican Republic national team, which is preparing for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament in Colombia Aug. 25-Sept. 3.

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It’s possible if there had been no trip planned, however, Krzyzewski would not have recognized the need for a second knee replacement until practice began Sept. 30. Getting the operation then would have significantly interfered with his ability to prepare the team for its pursuit of Duke’s – and Krzyzewski’s – sixth NCAA Championship.

Krzyzewski also has won a record 1,071 games and reached 12 Final Fours. His second victory this season with be the 1,000th he has recorded at Duke, where he became head coach in 1980.

“I’ll have enough time to be ready to go fullspeed in practice,” Krzyzewski said. “I have a good group of youngsters, and they deserve me to be at my best. Because for those three days of working with them, they certainly were giving me their best.”