« A-Train | Main | The happiest anniversary »
July 21, 2006
Mihm update
The Lakers announced today that Chris Mihm will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to remove scar tissue in his right ankle. Mihm suffered a severe sprain of the ankle in a March 12 game against Seattle. The ligaments that he tore have since healed, but the buildup of scar tissue is hampering his recovery, a team spokesman said. Mihm is expected to be back playing basketball again in four to six weeks and should be ready for training camp in October.
It will be an interesting season for Mihm in a lot of respects, chiefly because he will be an unrestricted free agent once it is over. The Lakers have three centers on their roster right now, with a lot invested in the two not named Mihm. Kwame Brown is owed $17 million the next two seasons and made strides at the end of last season with Mihm out. Beyond that, Andrew Bynum needs to play if he is to continue in his development.
Right now, Mihm will have to find minutes - - he started 56 games last season - - playing behind Brown and possibly sliding over to power forward. He has the jumper to play the position but is best suited as a center. The Lakers also figure to start Vladimir Radmanovic and Lamar Odom at their two forward spots. They just made a $30 million investment in Radmanovic, with Odom due more than $40 million the next three seasons.
You just have to wonder what would have happened had Mihm not sprained his ankle in the last minute of a game that was bad enough already.
Posted by Ross Siler at July 21, 2006 12:59 PM