Orange County Register

EL SEGUNDO - It has been a week and a half since Lakers rookie Sun Yue sustained a sprained left ankle while practicing with the D-League affiliate Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Not much improvement in his condition has occurred since then. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday that Sun’s ankle remains incased in a protective boot.

The injury occurred March 23, at the Lakers’ El Segundo practice facility. X-rays taken were normal but it is not known whether the condition of Sun’s ankle will improve enough for him to be an effective practice player as the Lakers prepare for the playoffs.

“It’s a pretty bad sprain,” Kupchak said.

It is just another sobering experience for Sun, who as a member of the Chinese national basketball team, played against current teammates Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol last summer in the Beijing Olympics.

Sun competed and won a roster job in training camp over second-year player Coby Karl and fellow rookie Joe Crawford. But as expected, Sun received practically zero playing time once the regular season began.

Initially, he balked at being assigned to the D-Fenders but finally consented after the Lakers discussed the situation with Sun’s representatives. He appeared in five games with the D-Fenders.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.