The New Orleans Hornets may end up in the playoffs, but their chances of advancing to the next round took a severe blow on Friday.

A fantasy favorite and New Orleans Hornet’s PF, David West, leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, will miss the rest of the season when MRI exams revealed that he suffered a torn ACL.

West was injured on Thursday, when his left knee buckled late in regulation in a 121-117 overtime win over Utah.  The all-star forward scored 29 points in the game before being taken off in a wheelchair holding his head and grimacing in pain after falling after a dunk that tied the game at 103 with 22.5 seconds left in regulation.

For fantasy owners, the injury means West may have to spend the entire summer rehabbing the knee.  West will now be 31-years old, coming off a serious knee injury.  He plans to have ACL reconstructive surgery to repair the damage ASAP.  Reports indicate there has been limited swelling in the knee, which will lessen the waiting time necessary for doctors to perform the surgery.  The sooner West gets the surgery and get things under control, the sooner the rehab and recovery process begins.

In ACL reconstruction, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are #2 of the main stabilizers of the knee.  There are many other structures in the knee that also contribute to stability.  A repair of the ligament is rarely a possibility, and thus the ligament is reconstructed using another tendon or ligament to substitute for the torn ligament.  The tendons will need time to bind to the bones to make the “new” ligament.  This operation will in 90% of cases give more knee stability.  This surgery WILL NOT return West’s knee completely to “pre-injury” status alone, therefore Fantasy owners can expect West “OUT” due to ACL rehab for the next six to 10 months.

The Hornets are not completely safe for a playoff spot as they are two games ahead of Memphis for seventh in the Western Conference. With 10 games left and a tough schedule, they now have to face nine opponents with a record of .500 or better.