In the fourth quarter against Miami Friday night, Jordan Farmar had a breakaway dunk, and when he landed he winced and showed pain coming back up the court. He came out at that point and went to the locker room, but everyone assumed it was the on-and-off tendonitis that has bothered that knee for a while.
Instead, it was the first serious injury for the Lakers this season. The Lakers announced today that Farmar has a tear lateral meniscus in his left knee. It showed up in an MRI and he is flying back to Los Angeles on Sunday to have it looked at by more doctors.
How long he will be out depends on how severe the tear is. A small tear just needs a couple weeks of rest. A severe tear requires surgery leading to two or three months of recovery.
In the short term, Sasha Vujacic will be the backup point guard. The triangle offense does not require a traditional point, and Sasha has played that role well before. Not that Farmar will be easy to replace. Despite frustration with his role, he was averaging 20 minutes, 8 points and 2.4 assists per game.
