<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Examining Jorge Garbajosa's injured left leg last month, doctors representing the Toronto Raptors made an observation and a recommendation. They noticed that his fibula, fractured in a gruesome season-ending fall in March, still wasn't healed. And they urged Garbajosa to submit to surgery, specifically to the insertion of a metal plate and screws to aid the process. Garbajosa had more macho ideas, which was why he is expected to be on a court in Seville again today, playing his third game in three days for the Spanish national team on what is essentially a broken leg. The risk of Garbajosa suffering a career-ending injury in the ongoing European championship is high enough that you can put a price on it. The Spanish federation foot the bill on an insurance policy that cost, it's been speculated, in the neighbourhood of $1 million (all figures U.S.). Without the policy, the Raps wouldn't have agreed to their player's participation. For Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, it was liveable compromise. The club could have forced Garbajosa ? who had 10 points and two rebounds in 20 minutes of yesterday's 93-77 win over Latvia ? to skip the tournament. But they could not force him to have a surgery he didn't want. So while the Spanish forward follows the apparent advice of compatriot doctors who have told him there is precedent of elite athletes playing through such an injury ? and of continuing to rehabilitate the injury with non-surgical therapy ? the Raptors are as protected as they can be. The insurance policy runs for three months. So if Garbajosa reinjures the leg, either in the ongoing tournament or in the Raptors' early-season paces, the club is covered for the full value of the $8.5 million left on his contract. </div> The Toronto Star
