Devin Ebanks says he fractured his left leg by falling into a chair
In what he called a "freak accident," Lakers rookie forward Devin Ebanks said he suffered a stress fracture in his left leg during a practice in Memphis three weeks ago.
"We were playing a three-on-three game and I stepped back and fell into a chair," Ebanks said. "The chair got me."
Ebanks played through the pain, participating in practices and even playing in four games since then. The pain, however, became so overwhelming during practice Thursday that he had trouble jumping and running.
"I was running down the court and I thought, 'I can't do it,'" Ebanks said of his injury, which Lakers Coach Phil Jackson originally thought happened during a morning shoot-around Feb. 10 in Boston.
Ebanks will be sidelined for at least the next nine games. He plans to travel with the team on its four-game trip, which includes stops in San Antonio (Sunday), Atlanta (Tuesday), Miami (Thursday) and Dallas (Saturday). He has been instructed to limit his movement, but he's allowed to work on shooting drills so long as he remains stationary.
"It was very noticeable when I played," said Ebanks, who has been used sparingly off the bench, appearing in 20 games and averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.9 minutes. "But it wasn't noticeable enough for me to sit out. But yesterday in practice I couldn't run and jump like I usually do."
---Mark Medina
E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com
Tony Parker's playing? I thought he was out 2-4 weeks. Did he pull a Paul Pierce on us?
Posted by: Scott | March 04, 2011 at 07:31 PM
Tough kid, that Ebanks. Should have been getting more minutes when Barnes went down.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | March 04, 2011 at 10:26 PM
The Lakers need to sign Carlos Arroyo to back up their point guards. His quickness will help defend some of the quicker guards in the league.
Posted by: Peter | March 04, 2011 at 10:47 PM