Five months after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, Russell Westbrook has gone back under the knife. It was announced Tuesday that the Thunder point guard underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same knee after experiencing swelling caused by a loose stitch. As a result will miss the first four to six weeks of the regular season. Westbrook said once fully recovered, he doesn't plan on changing his style of play. But will going through two knee surgeries in a short period of time change his play for him?

What are you expecting out of Russell Westbrook this season?

•  
  19%
  Better performance than last season
•  
  56%
  About the same performance as last season
•  
  25%
  Worse performance than last season

(Total votes: 1,652)

How far will the Thunder go if they make the playoffs?

•  
  8%
  Lose in first round
•  
  23%
  Lose in conference semifinals
•  
  36%
  Lose in conference finals
•  
  20%
  Lose in NBA Finals
•  
  13%
  Win NBA championship

(Total votes: 481)

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say in our Facebook conversation on the story:

• Ira Murray: "Something doesn't seem right. Swelling was caused by a "loose stitch", but he's having surgery that will keep him on the shelf for 2 months? Either they are lying about his healing, or he wasn't going to be ready for the season anyway."
• Dan Ellertson: "Having Brandon Roy flashbacks right now.... hopefully Westbrook doesn't end up injury-ridden like Roy did after that surgery."
• Danny Pierce: "I can definitely see Russell Westbrook being one of those guys who's never the same from here on out...relies too much on athletics, he's gonna lose a step with all these injuries"
• Chris Calvert: "Westbrook will be fine! We just need to sit back and chill! It's for sure a small setback but as long as it heals to 100% like they say then everything will be good!"

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan many times in his career, but he still has a long way to go before he overtakes Jordan in the championships department -- or, if you believe Jordan, in a game of one-on-one. In an interview promoting the NBA 2K14 game, Jordan said that if he were in his prime, he wouldn't lose to LeBron in a solo matchup. LeBron (6-foot-8, 250 pounds) would have a significant size advantage over Jordan (6-6, 216), but MJ would have the edge in pure shooting. Honestly, given his legendary competitiveness, we're not sure we'd bet against Jordan, even if it were later on in his career.

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say in our Facebook conversation on the story:

• Peter Kica: "why is MJ stating an obvious? we know he would beat lebron 1on1. but when it comes to overall skill level there is no doubt that lebron is right up there with him if not higher. Lebron is a better passer, rebounder, he is way stronger and he has been developing a midrange to 3pt game. He has improved his post game and he has come up clutch in the FINALS! "
• Ernest McCaleb: "Lebron James is a playmaker. He's more magic thane MJ. Who cares that MJ thinks he can beat Lebron in 1 on 1. Lebron is MUCH more than a 1 on 1 player - he's a facilitator. "
• Aaron Weiner: "It would have been close, but Jordan had the more creative offensive game, which lends itself to 1-1. LeBron would have been able to shoot over him, though, and since he's an improved shooter I think it would have been close."
• Matt McLeod: "If Lebron wanted to post him every time it would be a hell of a hard time for Jordan to beat him. Even with Jordan in his prime, Lebron has 40+ lbs on Michael and 2 inches while being faster and more explosive than Michael. Give Jordan the ball first and maybe cause he could shoot, but if Lebron got the ball first and decided he simply wanted to WIN and post Michael up evey time theres absolutely NOTHING Michael could do about that. Not CLOSE to the strength and size of Lebron. Not close."
• Joe Schnipke: "MJ would beat LeBron but it would be closer than people think. People who say MJ would kill LeBron are just hating."

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Welcome to SportsNation! On Tuesday, ESPN ombudsman Robert Lipsyte will stop by to take your questions.

Throughout his 18-month appointment, Lipsyte, who started in June, will offer his independent examination and analysis of ESPN's TV, radio, print and digital offerings. He succeeds the Poynter Review Project as ombudsman, as well as Don Ohlmeyer, Le Anne Schreiber and George Solomon.

During a long and distinguished media career, Lipsyte previously worked for the New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Nightly News, PBS, in addition to contributing to other ESPN projects such as the "SportsCentury" series. He earned an Emmy in 1990 as the host of PBS' "The Eleventh Hour." Lipsyte is also a two-time winner of the Mike Berger Award for distinguished reporting and won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in Young Adult literature, while also being a 1992 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in commentary.

Send your questions now and join Lipsyte Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET!

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