<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Laker roster, already threadbare and fraying, will take another hit because Slava Medvedenko is probably lost for the season. Sidelined since mid-November, the reserve forward will have surgery to repair a herniated disk, a procedure that typically requires a three-month recovery period. The surgery is expected to be performed next week by William Dillin of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Medvedenko, 26, hurt his back when pivoting during drills before an early-season game against Minnesota. Surgery became the only option after his back did not respond well enough to therapy over the last two months. Medvedenko never got on track this season. His only headline-grabbing activity was when he passed out in an elevator at the team hotel in Philadelphia in November after eating only a candy bar for breakfast. Medvedenko, in the final year of a two-year contract extension that pays him $3 million this season, had two points and an assist in two games. "We may have to get more help," Coach Phil Jackson said. "That makes a void in that position." A leading candidate would be second-round draft pick Ronny Turiaf, averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in five games for the CBA's Yakama (Wash.) Sun Kings. Turiaf has recovered from open-heart surgery in July and is working on conditioning. Medvedenko, in his sixth season, has career averages of 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds.</div> Source Perfect timing since Turiaf is ready to go.
