Steve Blake of Los Angeles Lakers to have an abdominal surgery; Expected to miss 6-8 weeks: NBA News
Nothing seems to be going right for the Los Angeles Lakers at the moment. They just suffered an embarrassing loss to Orlando Magic, their defence has been shaky, their reserves have been inconsistent, Dwight Howard just can’t get
two free throws made in a row, Pau Gasol is having an indifferent time and now Kobe Bryant is pissed off at the team.
Their biggest sore point this season however has been the absence of Steve Nash and Steve Blake, the starting and reserve point guards in the side. While Nash started to participate in restricted on court drills recently, the Lakers
revealed on Monday that Blake will have to undergo a laparoscopic surgery on his torn abdominal muscle, a procedure that can rule him out for 6 to 8 weeks.
That is something which will worry the Lakers, none more than the team leader Kobe Bryant;
"It's a big concern for me," Bryant said about Blake. "Steve and I have always played extremely well together. He's a clutch shooter, and he's a tough competitor. That's one of the things I like about him, his toughness. So, we're
going to be missing a lot with him being out. I'm not sure how long he is going to be out, but I'm assuming it's going to be a while. Hopefully he can keep his head in it and come back ready to go."
Blake came into spotlight late last season and in the playoffs when Ramon Session, the first choice playmaker under Mike Brown, started to struggle. He made a big impact in the playoffs and was a major factor in the Lakers’ game
seven win against the Denver Nuggets in the first round series. This season, he was to be used as an impact player, but after Nash’s injury, he filled in the starting slot averaging 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in seven games, before
getting injured on Nov.4 against the Detroit Pistons.
The player was expected to make a comeback this week, but the pain never subsided and the Lakers’ medical staff deemed surgery as the only viable option. The procedure will be carried out on Wednesday by Dr. Craig Smith.
Tags: