He had elbow surgery after the playoffs. I thought I should post it now since no one did.... It says that he was playing injured during the San Antonio series. Maybe that was the reason he was struggling so much. I'm not so sure about that but it's a possibility. I hope to see more from him next year.Suns G Barbosa may miss international play with injuryJune 2, 2007RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Ticker) - Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa will miss the Pan Am Games for Brazil after injuring his elbow in the NBA playoffs, according to his brother.The winner of the NBA's Sixth Man Award, Barbosa played poorly as the Suns lost in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. After the series, Barbosa had surgery on his left elbow.The Brazilian Basketball Confederation is still waiting for a prognosis. But Barbosa's brother, Artur, told globoesporte.com that the injury will prevent "The Brazilian Blur" from playing when Brazil hosts the tournament from July 25-29.ADVERTISEMENT"He doesn't have time to recover before the Pan American Games," Artur Barbosa said. "According to the doctors, the injury is in a very delicate area and the time needed for recuperation is almost two months."That rehabilitation period also would jeopardize Barbosa's chances of playing in the FIBA Americas Championship beginning August 22 in Las Vegas. Barbosa's participation there had already been in doubt over insurance issues.Barbosa averaging 11.3 points vs. the Spurs after averaging 21.2 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. During the regular season, he averaged 18.1 points."He should not have played in the NBA playoffs but he did not want to lose those games," Artur Barbosa added. "In the first game against the Lakers he played well, but in the second he felt a terrible pain."At that moment, no one said anything about his injury as they did not want to give anything away ahead of the San Antonio series."
