Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

It has been a month since Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters the team was still “pursuing big deals” in the aftermath of the vetoed Chris Paul trade that resulted in Lamar Odom ultimately being shipped to Dallas as a consequence.

Things have died down since then.

“We’re in a different time frame right now,” Kupchak told ESPNLosAngeles.com before the Lakers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. “You’re talking about a period of time when there was free agency and everybody was scrambling to put together their rosters and sign players and deal with the issues that were out there. We’re into the season now, so generally speaking, when you’re into the season things slow down and people typically want to see how their team looks. So, without being specific, that’s where we are.”

The Lakers have a full 15-man roster at the moment and would need to release a player to add one of the veteran free agents on the market. Accomplished NBA contributors Gilbert Arenas and Joel Przybilla are still without a team and Yahoo! Sports reported Rasheed Wallace is considering coming out of retirement to sign somewhere.

“We don’t expect to sign anybody any time soon,” Kupchak said.

— Reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles

After further evaluation, it has been determined that Lakers guard Steve Blake will be out approximately three to four weeks due to the costochaondral fracture (fracture of the cartilage that connects the rib to the sternum) he originally suffered during the Lakers’ game against Phoenix on Tuesday and aggravated in Wednesday’s game at Utah.

Blake is the fifth leading scorer on the Lakers this season, averaging 7.3 points and 2.8 assists in 24.3 minutes per game, coming off the bench behind starting point guard Derek Fisher.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant might be playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist, but at least his chronically bothersome right knee is in great shape.

“It’s as close to 100 percent as it’s going to get,” said Bryant before the Lakers hosted the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Bryant, usually loathsome to discuss his injuries and protective that his medical procedures are kept private, opened up about his health status when asked about New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez’s recent trip to Germany to be treated by the same physician that Bryant visited in the offseason.

“I gave him the phone number,” Bryant said, revealing he recommended Peter Wehling to treat the Yankee star’s knee and shoulder after experiencing success when his own right knee and left ankle were treated by Wehling. “I just told him it made a huge difference for me. I’m 95 percent better, if not to say 100.”

It was the fourth procedure that Bryant, 33, has undergone on the knee since 2003, but it was less invasive than other surgeries, as it centered around blood manipulation rather than removing any loose bodies or frayed ligaments.

While the 16-year veteran is reporting a clean bill of health when it comes to his knee, the wrist remains a work in progress.

— Reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles

Andrew Bynum had 29 points and 13 rebounds in his season debut following a four-game suspension that carried over from the playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 92-89 Saturday.

Bynum shot 13 for 18, helping the Lakers win their third straight following the team’s first 0-2 start since 2002-03.

The 7-foot center was suspended without pay for the first four games of the season because of a flagrant foul against Dallas’ J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. The original ban was five games, but was reduced on Dec. 23 as a result of a shortened schedule caused by the NBA lockout.

Bynum totaled 41 points and 23 rebounds in two preseason games against the Clippers.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kobe Bryant felt his body falling apart, so he did something about it. Twice.

Bryant went to Germany on two occasions during the off-season, The Times has learned, undergoing innovative procedures on his ailing right knee and, in a previously unreported development, his chronically troublesome left ankle, according to people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Bryant aggravated his ankle while moving across the lane on defense in the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Hornets last season. It was a non-contact injury, his foot buckling under him without any contact. He left the arena that night on crutches but did not sit out any games.

He visited molecular orthopedist Peter Wehling about six weeks later in Duesseldorf to get treatment on an arthritic joint in his knee, as The Times first reported. After deeming it a success, Bryant went to see Wehling for his ankle around the time of a promotional appearance for Nike in Italy in October.

— Via Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times