Porzingis admits he may need minor elbow procedure after season

With a sprained ankle and bursitis in his elbow, Kristaps Porzingis took Wednesday night off as his New York Knicks squared off with the Orlando Magic. While his short-term absence amounts to little more than precautionary maintenance in the early stages of a long season, Porzingis indicated that his lingering elbow issue has become a long-term concern.

The big man said he might need to undergo a minor procedure on his wonky right elbow - telling the New York Post's Marc Berman that he could "drain it" or "do some stuff with it" - but not until after the season.

"It bothers me a little bit but not that bad," Porzingis said prior to tip-off Wednesday. "I have to get the swelling down and then I’ll be fine again. But I think once the season's over, I might have to do something about it. I just can’t keep going like this every year."

Porzingis said he re-aggravated his elbow bursitis in Tuesday's hard-fought win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets - a game that featured a physical battle between him and Dwight Howard.

Porzingis is averaging a cool 30 points with 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per outing this season. The Knicks entered Wednesday with a 6-4 record - tied with the Magic, the Toronto Raptors, and the Philadelphia 76ers for the third-best mark in the Eastern Conference.