Via the Orlando Magic:
Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday morning to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Nelson was injured in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game vs. Charlotte and underwent an MRI Tuesday morning.
It is estimated that Nelson will be out four-to-six weeks following the procedure.
The injury bug just hit a little harder.
Jason Williams will presumably be the starter in the short-term, with Anthony Johnson as the back-up. As for Jameer Nelson, one has to hope for a safe and speedy recover for him. Luckily the injury isn't serious and the Orlando Magic will have its All-Star point guard back in roughly a month's time or so.
UPDATE: A little more analysis.
If there's one good thing to take away from the news, it's that the Magic aren't foreign to playing without Nelson. Orlando had to play without Nelson for half the regular season last year, as well as the majority of the postseason so this isn't uncharted territory for all parties involved. But is Jason Williams fit and ready to take on starter's minutes for a brief period of time? Who knows. Johnson should be okay as a back-up, as he proved to be a reliable player in that role this past season, but there are question marks with him. Should we expect the same production from Johnson? Who knows.
Whatever the case may be, one might expect the Magic's offense to revert back to how it was when Nelson was hurt last year. Instead of the ball being in the hands of Hedo Turkoglu a lot, especially in the pick & roll, it's now Vince Carter who may assume responsibility a bit more. Also, think of Williams as a more efficient Rafer Alston who's a better distributor of the basketball. As for the other players, it's not necessarily a bad thing for more shots to be distributed amongst Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and others, given their efficiency. Orlando has the depth and the firepower to withstand Nelson's absence a bit better, from the offensive side of the ball, this season. Likewise, head coach Stan Van Gundy is one of the best coaches in the NBA in adjusting on the fly, as he proved last season.
Defensively, the Magic should be relatively fine. Nelson's defense wasn't good to start the year, so perhaps Williams and Johnson can do better in that regard. Williams has rated well, defensively so far, in the early going (granted, in a reserve role) and Johnson was an above-average defender this past season, so perhaps he can carry his good play on the defensive end this year in the short-term. Just have to wait and see. Williams has been known to be a sieve, defensively, in the past but that was while he had knee problems. Williams has looked good this season, in that regard, so perhaps that won't be as much of an issue as it would have been a few season ago.
Losing an All-Star is always tough and not having as potent of a threat at point guard on offense will hurt a little, but the Orlando Magic should be okay while Jameer Nelson is out. That is, as long as everyone else stays healthy.