Cavaliers Preseason: Tyler Zeller has Emergency Appendectomy, Out Indefinitely

The Cavaliers' center position is indefinitely and perennially injured and there's nothing the team can do about it apparently.

Second-year center Tyler Zeller was forced to undergo an emergency appendectomy on Friday, according to team website.

Cavaliers center Tyler Zeller was diagnosed with acute appendicitis yesterday in Cleveland and subsequently had an appendectomy at the Cleveland Clinic. He is now recovering at the Cleveland Clinic after the successful procedure and will undergo a period of additional recovery and re-evaluation before a timetable is established for his return to basketball activity.

I've gone on record saying that I believe Zeller will be an important part of the team this season due to the checkered injury pasts of both Anderson Varejao and Andrew Bynum. Even if it's simply as a practice body so that Bynum and Varejao can get a few extra off days in the middle of the season, Zeller gives the Cavs depth in a position of need.

As far as recovery time is concerned, we can look back at Gary Neal's procedure in 2011 to give a reasonable expectation of when we can expect Zeller to return to team activities.

For the first week of his recovery Neal will not be allowed to engage in any physical activity. Next week he will be examined by doctors at which point a timeline for his return will be determined.

Emergency surgeries are always a little bit scary, so let's hope there are no complications and Tyler experiences a speedy recovery.