As everyone probably knows by know, Jeremy Lin sustained a small tear in his meniscus and is slated to be out approximately 6 weeks. Lin underwent successful surgery yesterday. Seeing as how some people may not understand the actual extent of the injury and what it actually is, I’ll explain it.

A meniscal tear is a tear in the cartilage, a slight one in Lin’s case, located between the top of  the tibia and the bottom of the femur The meniscus is thinly covered by another layer of cartilage. The injury is usually caused by a twisting of the knee, which is exactly what happened to Lin during the game against the Pistons. Lin underwent knee arthroscopy, which is simply the removal of the damaged part of the meniscus. Arthroscopic surgery is done by inserting small instruments and a small camera into the knee joint through several small incisions, then examining and repairing the tissue. The surgery is done under general and local anesthesia and takes about one to two hours.

The Knicks have said that Lin will be back ready to play in about 6 weeks, which is a blessing because he could return during the playoffs. Lin’s return would probably come to fruition towards the end of the first series, unless the series is over fairly quickly. He should definitely be available for the 2nd round, which is very good news. If his injury was more severe, he could have been out for several months. Of course, this is all relative to New York actually making the playoffs and winning a playoff series.

Davis is returning from a tweaked hamstring. Personally, I’m not sure how much I like this. I don’t disagree that the Knicks need Davis out there. Mike Bibby’s corpse has been corpse-like and totally ineffective, but the Knicks need Davis in the long run. Hamstring injuries, like all leg injuries, are delicate. This is a huge game for the Knicks, but the long term health of their backup point guard is more important. We’ll see what happens tonight.

Good thing we have Jared Jeffries. With Harrellson out for 6 weeks, Jeffries will get a lot of run playing both center and power forward. I imagine that Jerome Jordan will be recalled from the D-league as well. Jordan scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in his first D-League game earlier this week.

Apart from Jordan’s call up, Harrellson’s injury may also open up a spot for either Renaldo Balkman or Steve Novak. I would like to see Novak get some more run because the Knicks have struggled to hit shots from beyond the arc this season. At 6’10 Novak is big enough to play a stretch 4 and I think he will get some run there. I like the energy Balkman brings but right now this team needs scoring and Novak can shoot the 3. Harrellson was one of the Knicks better 3 point shooters this season and losing him will be a big loss.