It’s a Case of Deja Vu for Fisher

Derek Fisher, who helped heal an emotionally ailing Laker team with his urgent play and cool guidance, has a stress fracture in his right foot, an injury similar to the one that caused him to sit out the first 62 games of last season.

Team physicians are recommending surgery, including a bone graft and the insertion of a screw. The fracture of the navicular bone, discovered in a CT scan Tuesday during a routine end-of-season exit examination, is expected to take four to six months to heal. The fracture is incomplete--or into the bone--as opposed to his previous injury, which was through the bone.

Fisher, 26, is mulling options, but he is expected to have the surgery soon. It would be his second in nine months, raising questions about the previous procedure, why a screw was not used in the first surgery, and the ramifications of another surgery. Also, Fisher could be prone to such an injury.

“I know we have the best orthopedic doctors,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said of Steve Lombardo and Phil Kwong. “Everybody in the NBA comes to our guys. Nobody is more diligent.”

This fracture was diagnosed earlier than last year’s, both in relation to the injury and the season, which could allow Fisher to return more quickly. Training camp starts in three months.

Kupchak said Fisher was struggling with the news.

“He was down, and understandably so,” Kupchak said. “I reminded him what he’s been through for the last year, and that it’s OK to be down right now. I mean, not only does he come back, but he basically leads the team to a championship. Then, a week later, he’s having to think about surgery again. With that kind of emotional swing, you have a right not to feel good.”

Reacting, the Lakers on Thursday acquired guard Lindsey Hunter from the Milwaukee Bucks for Greg Foster, rarely used as Shaquille O’Neal’s backup. The trade is contingent on the players passing physicals.

Hunter, 30, traded last off-season from the Detroit Pistons, has three years remaining on his contract, at $2.7 million, $3 million and $3.3 million. Foster is due $1.8 million next season. The Lakers fit Hunter under the salary cap by using a traded-player exception created by the Travis Knight deal, and for the next year will have Foster’s $1.8 million as another exception.

“The urgency to shore up the backcourt was heightened when we found out about Derek,” Kupchak said.

At 6 feet 2, Hunter could start in Fisher’s absence. He is an athletic player who averaged 10.1 points in 82 games in his first season with the Bucks. He made 37.3% of his three-point attempts, right on his career average, in the regular season, then made only eight of 53 three-pointers in 18 postseason games.

Though Hunter is not a true point guard, the Lakers’ triangle offense does not demand one.

The Bucks say they are seeking more playing time for Tim Thomas at shooting guard. It also is possible they are clearing payroll in order to acquire Seattle point guard Gary Payton.

Hunter recently had a brother killed in a car accident, according to a Laker official, and has returned to his hometown, Jackson, Miss. He was unavailable for comment.

Foster was deemed by some on the coaching staff to be “too soft” to play center and not agile enough to play power forward. He played mostly in emergency situations and blowouts.

“It was frustrating,” Foster said. “But, you know, the results were positive. It was fun to be on a championship team, but it was no fun to sit and watch it all year.”

The news that Fisher needs surgery and another long rehabilitation jarred an organization that saw him flourish on the floor and in the locker room late last season. The Lakers were 30-6 after he came off the injured list on March 13, including a 15-1 run through the playoffs in which he averaged 13.4 points. In the postseason, he made 35 of 68 three-pointers, 51.5 %.

In recent weeks, Kupchak said Fisher’s emergence had caused him to rethink his summer strategy, allowing for Fisher as the undisputed starter at the point next season. But by Tuesday evening, Kupchak was forced to think about a replacement, and by Wednesday he was making the telephone calls that brought Hunter. The Lakers have only three healthy guards--Kobe Bryant, Brian Shaw and Hunter--on their roster.

“We still need another guard, maybe two,” Kupchak said.

Mike Penberthy, Tyronn Lue and Ron Harper are free agents.

Fisher spent the post-championship celebration soaked in champagne, one arm around his mother, speaking of the lessons learned from such a physically trying--and ultimately satisfying--season.

Reached in an airport terminal, Lue asked for a moment to compose himself.

“Man, there’s tears in my eyes,” he said. “That’s OK. He’s going to get through it. I just don’t see why this happens to good people all the time.”

Fisher spent part of last summer in Long Beach, supporting Lue, who was recovering from knee surgery.

“I feel bad for Derek,” Foster said. “He had so much momentum going for him. But, if anyone can handle it, it’s Derek. He’s a real levelheaded guy. He did it once, he can do it again.”

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On Guards

Derek Fisher’s foot injury makes the Lakers’ trade for Lindsey Hunter a key move. Their statistics:

DEREK FISHER

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FG% FT% 3PT% Reb Ast Pts 2000-01 .412 .806 .397 3.0 4.4 11.5 Career .388 .733 .350 1.9 3.1 5.8

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LINDSEY HUNTER

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FG% FT% 3PT% Reb Ast Pts 2000-01 .381 .802 .373 2.1 2.7 10.1 Career .395 .751 .373 2.7 3.3 11.1

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FISHER FACTOR

Laker record with, without Derek Fisher last season:

With: 30-6

Without: 41-21

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