On Monday, Jeremy Lin underwent successful surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. When an MRI first diagnosed Lin’s injury, many reports indicated that the New York Knicks’ point guard would be sidelined for at least six weeks. That means he would be out for the remainder of the regular season and likely the first round of the postseason.

However, Lin will try to return sooner than previously expected.

Lin told HOOPSWORLD that he’ll try to return in four weeks, which means he may be able to play during the Knicks’ first-round playoff series. He could miss up to six weeks, but remains optimistic that he’ll be able to play before then. The 2012 playoffs will begin on April 28. The 23-year-old has never appeared in a postseason game, but he hopes that will change in the coming weeks.

“I hope I’ll be back for the playoffs,” Lin said during a Facebook Q&A with fans. “It’s killing me to watch the team without being able to play, but I need to make sure my knee is 100 percent before I get back on the court, so we will wait and see.”

The point guard started the rehabilitation process this afternoon with “stretching and muscle activation.” Eventually, as he heals, he’ll test his knee with “biking, swimming and running.” Finally, once he’s nearing his return to action, Lin’s rehab will focus on “shooting, cutting and jumping.”

The Knicks currently hold the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, with a 27-27 record. Since Lin’s injury, New York is 3-2. The Milwaukee Bucks are a game and a half behind the Knicks in the standings and are playing well since acquiring Monta Ellis at the trade deadline.

Lin has averaged 14.6 points and 6.1 assists this season. He originally wanted to play through the small meniscus tear, but he opted for surgery when the pain did not subside after nearly a week of rest. Lin will be a restricted free agent this summer and all signs point to him remaining in New York.

Faried Adjusting to NBA: Kenneth Faried has been a pleasant surprise for the Denver Nuggets this season. After being selected with the 22^nd overall pick in this year’s draft, Faried has made an instant impact as a starter for the Nuggets. In 26 games with the first unit, he has averaged 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. Faried has also improved Denver’s interior defense, averaging one block per game.

Few rookies emerge as starters from day one, especially rookies picked in the twenties. However, the coaching staff trusts Faried and he has won over the locker room.

“He has a battery that doesn’t run out,” Ty Lawson said of Faried. “He makes big plays. He always seems to come up with big blocks when we need them. He’s a great player.”

While most players enter the NBA as wide-eyed rookies, Faried hasn’t been overwhelmed by the transition from college to the pros. In fact, he thought the competition in the NBA would be tougher. When asked what has surprised him most about the league he pauses for several seconds and then smiles, trying to find the right words to say.

“The biggest surprise has been how slow some of the bigs are,” Faried told HOOPSWORLD. “Really, everybody doesn’t run as fast as I thought they would. I thought everybody would have speed and push it down to the court, but bigs don’t really get back. Then, I get easy baskets.”

This far along into the season, Faried is starting to feel comfortable. On the court, he has developed chemistry with his teammates. Off the court, he no longer has to wear a pink “Hello Kitty” backpack, after graduating from rookie hazing last week.

“It’s very easy now,” Faried said. “I know what I’m doing. I know how to play each of the positions that they have me playing. I know what the coaching staff wants me to do. They feel comfortable putting me, as a rookie, on the other team’s best scorer and that’s a great feeling. It’s exciting.”

It’s exciting, unless Dirk Nowitzki is scoring on you.

“The first time I guarded Dirk Nowitzki was my welcome to the NBA moment,” Faried said with a laugh. “That was tough. It really welcomed me to the NBA.”

While many rookies have had a difficult time adjusting to the NBA without a summer league or traditional training camp, Faried looks at the condensed season differently. With so many games, teams have to use more players and that gives him the chance to prove himself.

“This season, guys can’t play every night because there are so many games in a row,” Faried explained. “That means there’s an opportunity for someone like me. When an opportunity like that presents itself, you have to play.”

Warriors Recall Wright: The Golden State Warriors have recalled forward Chris Wright from the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League, the team announced today.

Wright, 23, was assigned to the Wizards on March 24 and has appeared in six games for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate since that time, averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per contest, while shooting 58.2 percent (46-79 FG) from the field. The forward helped lead the Wizards to a 5-1 record during his stint with the team, including victories in their last five contests to secure a spot in the 2012 D-League Playoffs.

This was the second assignment of the season for Wright. Overall, he has appeared in nine games with the Wizards this season, averaging 18.2 points, 8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.33 blocks in 29 minutes.

Wright will rejoin the Warriors in Minnesota in time for tonight’s game against the Timberwolves.  He has appeared in 17 games with Golden State this season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.7 minutes.

NBA Chats: There are three NBA chats on the schedule today. Anthony Macri, who is a player development consultant for the Pro Training Center, kicked things off at 11 a.m. Salary cap guru Larry Coon hosted his weekly chat at 3 p.m. Next up, Lang Greene will be hosting his weekly chat at 8 p.m. EST. Feel free to drop him a line on anything NBA related. You can always find our upcoming chats here.