Jordan Farmar had been itching to play on the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent four-game road trip, but he was repeatedly told to sit on his hands and wait. His first day back in Los Angeles, Farmar went to see Dr. Luga Podesta of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic.
There, Farmar underwent an ultrasound on his torn left hamstrings. Unfortunately for Farmar and the Lakers, the news was not good enough. The Lakers will be without the point guard for at least one more week, as the “injury is still not healed” per Lakers PR.
Lakers PR made a point to mention that the injury had progressed, but Farmar will not be re-examined until Dec. 24, the day before the Lakers host LeBron James and the Miami Heat for Christmas.
Farmar originally tore his hamstring on Dec. 1 within minutes of stepping on the court against the Portland Trailblazers. The original timeline asked for a minimum of four weeks, and Farmar’s anxiousness displayed in his desire to get back on the court less than three weeks after tearing the muscle.
Compounding Farmar’s unavailability is Steve Blake’s freak elbow injury that has the former Maryland Terrapin sidelined for another five weeks. With Steve Nash’s return date entirely unknown, the Lakers will continue to play with a 35-year-old coming off an eight-month Achilles rehab as their point guard.
Kobe Bryant has not been provided much time to acclimate to the rigors of the NBA schedule, but he appears to be taking every challenge in stride.
If Farmar is able to return on Christmas day, the Lakers will need to play another three games without a point guard: against Minnesota, at Golden State and at Phoenix.
First up, Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio is one of the most electric point guards in the league with a gift for passing. Then, Stephen Curry makes his point guard presentation against a Lakers team that will be on the second night of a back-to-back. If the Lakers are not missing their point guards by that point, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic will show the Lakers how Phoenix's two point guards can effectively operate in tandem.
As much as the Lakers would like a point guard to run the offense, the Lakers absolutely need a point guard on defense.
