Damion James' tough break

Rookie small forward Damion James broke his right foot early in Thursday’s game at Dallas and continued playing. But he likely will miss at least two months after undergoing surgery today.

"Bad news for the kid and for us because he was just starting to come on," coach Avery Johnson said.

More will be known about James’ timetable after the surgery.

James made his first NBA start in Dallas, replacing the disappointing Travis Outlaw.

Phil on Farmar

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said it was an organizational decision to make signing Steve Blake a priority over keeping Jordan Farmar. The point guard joined the Nets on a three-year, $12 million deal.

"We had a talk about it as an organization, trying to figure out if this is the guard for the future or if he’s going to be a backup guard for his career," Jackson said. "So the decision was made monetarily more than anything else."

Briefs

Troy Murphy is healthy, yet was inactive for the seventh time in the last 14 games.