Chase Budinger injury: Timberwolves forward needs surgery for torn meniscus

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger suffered a lateral meniscus tear Saturday against the Chicago Bulls and must undergo surgery to repair the injury, according to Judd Zulgad of 1500 ESPN.

A timetable for Budinger's return will be determined following the surgery, which will take place later this week. The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter when Budinger got caught in a scrum of players, twisting his knee and tearing his meniscus.

Budinger was acquired by Minnesota this past offseason from the Houston Rockets. In six games with the Timberwolves, he is averaging 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in more than 23 minutes of action per game. He carries an average of 9.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in his three year NBA career.

Budinger joins several other Timberwolves on the injury report. Point guard Ricky Rubio is still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered towards the end of the 2011-2012 season, Kevin Love is out for several more weeks with a broken hand and guard Brandon Roy is dealing with a knee injury.