Worthy to Have Knee Surgery

The Lakers, who might have believed their season couldn’t get worse, found out otherwise Wednesday, when it was announced that forward James Worthy will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery within the next few days on his left knee.

According to a statement released before the Lakers’ 98-93 loss at the Forum to Portland, the team will determine after the surgery when, or if, Worthy will return this season.

But even under the best of circumstances, it is doubtful that he could play more than half of the 16 remaining games before the regular season ends April 19.

“They know there’s a lot of swelling, but it’s not career-threatening or anything,” said Worthy, who watched Wednesday night’s game from the bench in street clothes. “It might be a minor tear, but, basically, they just want to go in and clean up some rough spots.”

Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said he believes the team will make a move to replace Worthy. One possibility is that rookie forward Keith Owens from UCLA will be reactivated after spending the last three weeks on the injured list because of a bruised elbow, but Dunleavy said the team might also look elsewhere.

“We’ve got a few days off next week,” he said. “If we can find somebody out there, it would be the perfect opportunity to bring him in.”

Worthy, 31, has not played since the first half of a March 1 game against Houston. He missed three games in January because of swelling in the knee but was not put on the injured list until nine days ago.

After sitting out the Lakers’ most recent five-game trip, he worked out Tuesday. But the knee swelled again Wednesday, leading to the decision to operate.

“It’s the same thing that’s been happening for the last few months,” he said.

Worthy, a seven-time All-Star, is leading the team in scoring with an average of 19.9 points. He also is averaging 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists.