TORONTO -- Raptors forward Jorge Garbajosa is expected to

miss six months after undergoing surgery on his left ankle and leg

on Tuesday.



Garbajosa suffered a displaced ankle joint with a ligament tear

and a fractured fibula after falling awkwardly in Monday night's

game at Boston.

He averaged 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in his rookie season.

"We're going to miss Garbo. He brings a lot to our team,"

Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. "We just hope he has a speedy

recovery and gets healthy is ready to play next year."

Garbajosa was coming back on defense trying to block Celtics

forward Al Jefferson's dunk. He fell hard, grabbed his leg and

yelled to the bench for help.

The Raptors medical staff covered Garbajosa's leg with a towel.

He was later loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled off the court.

Toronto signed Garbajosa to a three-year, $12 million contract

last summer after he played 11 seasons in Europe. The 6-foot-9

starter earned a number of honors during his European playing

career, including 2005 and 2006 Spanish club finals MVP. He helped

Spain win the world championship last summer.

Toronto is already dealing with the loss of No. 1 pick Andrea

Bargnani, who had an appendectomy last Wednesday and is expected to

miss the rest of the season.