Matt Barnes will be out for the foreseeable future after an MRI today revealed a torn meniscus in his right knee. Barnes sustained the injury last night against the Hornets and the Lakers have not set a definitive timetable for his return.
More will be known after Barnes has surgery in the coming days. For the time being Phil Jackson is going to have to shuffle his rotations to fill the void left in the wake of Barnes’ absence.
Paging Luke Walton…
In addition to Luke logging more minutes, Devin Ebanks has been recalled from the D-League. While his production has slipped in recent weeks, Barnes has been an integral part of a bench that many view as the best in the league.
While the news is not good the timing of this injury is ideal if such a notion exists. Depending on the nature of his rehab, Barnes could be back up to speed in time for the most important portion of the regular season. In the here and now the Lake Show loses a key defender and high energy player off the bench.
This just adds more adversity to a season already filled with more drama than a Q&A session with James Lipton. Nobody ever said this three-peat was going to be easy.