Arthroscopic surgery to repair an irritation under Raul Lopez' kneecap will be performed Saturday by Ramone Cugat in Barcelona, an allowance the Jazz were happy to make in order to spare their oft-injured point guard the isolation of post-surgery immobilization thousands of miles from home.
 
Cugat "is an excellent doctor, and once we were comfortable with that, the consideration became, let's give him the fuzzy feelings of being in familiar surroundings, with family and friends around to help him," said Jazz trainer Gary Briggs. "We are more concerned with his rehab a lot farther down the road, and he will come back to Utah for that."