<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Gilbert Arenas said he hopes he'll return from a second knee operation and be back in the Washington Wizards ' lineup within two months. "I don't really know. I keep pushing it back," the All-Star point guard told the team's Web site on Saturday. "Hopefully, I will be able to come back sometime between the middle of February to the middle of March." Arenas had surgery last April but needed another operation in November. At the time, his recovery was expected to take three months. "This is not the same injury as last time where I had all the pain. The first surgery was a rough one," Arenas said. "This is the best it has looked since I got hurt the first time. I am pain free now."</div> Source
He shouldn't come back until he's close to 100%. The Wizards are still in the playoff race and Butler has stepped up in his absence.
http://sportstwo.com/NBA/Story/NBA/1474562 <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Arenas unsure, may miss season</span> Sunday, January 6, 2008 02:54 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Gilbert Arenas may not return for the Washington Wizards this season. The All-Star guard is hoping to return to the court within two months, but has said he will not rush back, having undergone a second knee surgery in two years. "It's all about me getting healthy this time," Arenas said in Sunday's Washington Times. "If I'm not 110 percent, I'm not going to budge. I'm not in a rush." How the Wizards fare without him will have an impact. "If we have a change to go far in the playoffs with me playing, I'll say yeah." he said. "If not, I'll go ahead and shut it down. See ya." The comments come only a day after Arenas sounded more upbeat about his recovery in comments that appeared on the team's web site. "This is not the same injury as the last time where I had all the pain," Arenas said. "The first surgery was a rough one. My leg has not looked good or felt the same since April 4th. This is the best it has looked since I got hurt the first time. I am pain free now." Asked about a potential return date, he said: "I really don't know. I keep pushing it back. Hopefully I will be able to comeback somewhere between the middle of February and the middle of March." Arenas has now had two surgeries on his left knee in the last seven months. The first repaired a torn lateral meniscus. The second repaired a partial tear in the left medial meniscus. The two injuries have made Arenas more cautious about rushing his return. Arenas played eight games for Washington this season before the second surgery, averaging 22.4 points. Last year, he averaged 28.4 points per game.
