Lakers Lose Bynum, Barnes
The Los Angeles Lakers have been dealt a few potential playoff blows. Andrew Bynum hyper-extended his right knee on Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
He’ll skip the team’s regular season finale to get an MRI.
Andrew was able to walk off the court on his own power. He seemed to be in discomfort but not like anything he suffered in the past.
That doesn’t mean he’ll get a clean MRI. Even a few weeks of recovery could make the postseason difficult for the Lakers, assuming he’s not day-to-day.
Additionally, Steve Blake is out with a case of the chicken pox.
The Lakers say he’s out indefinitely but Coach Phil Jackson seemed to think Blake would be available in the first round of the playoffs. Chicken pox typically lasts 5-7 days although complications are common when adults come down with it.
Word around STAPLES Center Tuesday is that Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant have yet to come down with the ailment, making them susceptible. Jackson said the team hadn’t taken a complete tally yet but would shortly.
The Lakers are expected to bring in Trey Johnson who was with the Lakers in training camp before spending most of the year in the D-League with the Bakersfield Jam.
Johnson is a 6’5" guard, averaging 25.5 points, 4.2 boards and 4.5 assists through 39 regular season games with the Jam.
Finally, Matt Barnes sat out Tuesday with soreness in his knee that Jackson said was a surprise development.
Heading into the Spurs game, the Lakers had lost five straight and are in danger of finishing behind the Dallas Mavericks or even the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Should the Lakers win out, they’ll be the two-seed with better records than every team in the league save the Chicago Bulls, Miami HEAT and Spurs.
The Lakers finish their regular season on Wednesday on the road against the surprisingly resilient Sacramento Kings.
Meanwhile the Memphis Grizzlies appear to be tanking their game against the Portland Trail Blazers by holding out Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. If the Grizzlies, who finish on Wednesday in LA against the Clippers, lose their final two, they’ll face the San Antonio Spurs and avoid the Lakers until the Western Conference Finals should both advance.{AUTHOR_BOX}
The New Orleans Hornets own the tie-breaker over the Grizzlies. Two losses would lock Memphis in at eight.
Memphis split their four-game series with the Spurs as well as their four against the Oklahoma City Thunder who would be their prospective second-round opponent (assuming the Denver Nuggets don’t upset the Thunder).
If the Grizzlies do finish eighth, the Lakers as the two seed would draw the New Orleans Hornets who are struggling after losing David West to an ACL tear. West had successful surgery on Tuesday and will be sidelined for some time.
Should the Lakers drop to three, they’d get the Portland Trail Blazers in round one.
UPDATE: After the game, Bynum indicated he didn’t think the injury was anything serious. Obviously an MRI may say differently but the Laker center downplayed it . . .
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