Madsen Is Latest Setback

Laker forward Mark Madsen has a torn ligament in his left wrist and will have surgery Tuesday to repair it, the club announced Friday, the day after it lost starting point guard Derek Fisher to probable foot surgery.

Like Fisher, who is expected to have surgery next week, Madsen will require at least four months for recovery.

Madsen sprained his wrist in training camp. In October, team doctors determined Madsen would play through the season and then have the wrist evaluated. An arthrogram Friday revealed the tear.

Madsen was told he could be practicing with the team in three months.

“When I was in the doctor’s office, I was OK,� Madsen said. “On the drive to talk to [General Manager] Mitch [Kupchak], I called my dad and broke down a little. Any time anything goes unexpected, something seems bad, my dad says something good will come of it. I have to trust that this is an opportunity. Mitch said the same thing. I’m hoping to be back for Game 1 of the regular season.�

He added that he was satisfied to wait on the surgery, so that he could have participated in the championship season.

“I’m so glad we did it the way we did,� he said. “I had some good game experiences.�

That the wrist is on Madsen’s nondominant side and is not a weight-bearing joint could speed his recovery. He is expected to return before Fisher.

Trying to hold the two-time defending NBA champions together despite luxury-tax and salary-cap considerations, free agency for power forward Horace Grant and an aging roster, Kupchak has had his off-season complicated by the surgeries for Fisher and Madsen. Both rehabilitation schedules could bleed into the regular season.

Already, it appeared the Lakers would be unwilling to carry the allowable 15 players or spend their $4.5-million exception, because of the luxury-tax threshold of about $54.3 million and owner Jerry Buss’ reputed aversion to spending the dollar-for-dollar fine for exceeding it.

The free-agent negotiating period--when teams may discuss contracts but not sign players--begins Sunday. The Lakers have eight uninjured players on their roster: guard Kobe Bryant, small forward Rick Fox, small forward Devean George, forward Robert Horry, guard Lindsey Hunter, forward Slava Medvedenko, center Shaquille O’Neal and guard Brian Shaw.

Free-agent guards Mike Penberthy and J.R. Rider are expected to play in the summer league, as will Medvedenko and George.

Free agents may be tendered contracts on July 18.

Kupchak received the final list of free agents Friday. The Lakers need at least one more guard and, as a result of Madsen’s injury and Thursday’s trade of Greg Foster, a power forward who could also back up at center.

“I’ve gone through the list [of free agents] and earmarked some players who make sense,� he said. “I really believe that whatever we bring to our owner he would consider, regardless of luxury tax.�

Kupchak would not discuss the free-agent candidates for the frontcourt, but Christian Laettner fits the description, as do Nazr Mohammed, Mark Bryant, Matt Bullard and, of course, Grant, among others.

“A lot of it depends on how the market shakes out,� Kupchak said.

A Staples Center favorite because of his rugged play and unending hustle, the 6-foot-9 Madsen figured to be part of next season’s rotation at power forward and center, particularly if Grant was not re-signed. Coach Phil Jackson recently said he could envision a rotation of Horry, Madsen and Medvedenko at power forward if a veteran power forward could not be acquired.

Madsen, 25, had ahead of him a full summer of basketball training. He was to participate on the Lakers’ summer league team in Long Beach during July, spend parts of August and September playing for the U.S. entry in the Goodwill Games in Australia, then report for a month of training camp in late September. All of that, including the camp, appears to be washed away.

Only Thursday, as he was leaving the Lakers’ training facility in El Segundo, Madsen said he would spend the coming months honing his jump shot and gaining weight, preparing for his heightened role.