The good news for Toronto fans is that superstar Vince Carter had successful surgery on his left knee, but the bad news is that there would be no guarantee the injury can be completely rehabilitated.

The surgery, performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Marks at Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital, lasted around 20 minutes in duration, appears to have put Carter out for the season.  But what if the Raptors make the playoffs this season (they are currently 10th in the East), will Carter be able to play?  "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," Marks said.

As Mike Ulmer of the Toronto Sun reports the procedure removed inflamed tissue inside the knee is connected to an irritation of the quadriceps tendon, which itself is the reason why Carter will be out so long.  The rehabilitation time without the tendon issue is supposed to be six weeks, and the tendon injury could prolong that rehabilitation.

Carter, who was in good spirits after the surgery, will begin rehabilitating the knee after waiting for a couple of days to allow the swelling to subside.
"Tendons respond very much more slowly to exercise," Raptors team doctor Doug Richards said.