A preseason physically detected an enlarged heart in Phoenix Suns forward Channing Frye, putting him on the sideline indefinitely.
The Suns said Frye has developed a dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition discovered during an echocardiogram by team cardiologist Dr. Tim Byrne.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, primarily affecting the left ventricle, which becomes enlarged and can’t pump blood to the body with as much force as a healthy heart, according to mayoclinc.com.
Frye will be followed closely by his team of medical specialists. He will not participate in basketball activities and will be re-evaluated in December.
“Nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of our players,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “Channing and his family have the full support of our organization. His health is our primary concern and we are committed to helping him in any way he needs.”
A St. Mary’s High School product who grew up in the Phoenix area and attended the University of Arizona, Frye originally signed to play for his hometown team on July 14, 2009. His time with the Suns has been the most productive of his career; in three seasons with Phoenix, Frye has averaged 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.00 blocks in 222 games, after joining the Suns with career averages of 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.47 blocks in 278 games with the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks, who selected him eighth overall
In 2005. Frye has averaged double-digit scoring in three consecutive years with the Suns after doing so once in his first four seasons, but scoring is just one facet of his game that has grown immensely in the desert. Frye has set a single-season career high in double-doubles in three consecutive seasons and has averaged a career best in blocks in three-straight campaigns.
