Webster out indefinitely after back surgery

MINNEAPOLIS For the second straight year, Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Martell Webster will begin the season recovering from back surgery. The Timberwolves announced Friday that Webster will be out indefinitely as he recovers from microdiscectomy surgery that was performed Sept. 28. Microdiscectomy is a procedure to remove herniated disk material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord, and it is the same surgery Webster had last fall. Last year, Webster missed the first 24 games of the season while recovering from the surgery, which was needed after he hurt his back while playing in the 2010 playoffs for the Portland Trail Blazers. Webster, 25, played in 46 games during his first season with the Timberwolves and started just one. He averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.8 minutes per game. Webster, who has played six NBA seasons since the Blazers made him the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, was brought to Minnesota for his 3-point shooting, and he did his part last season by making a career-high 41.7 percent of his 3s. The injury will likely free up more playing time for reserve shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who averaged 6.6 points in 19.0 minutes per game last season.