Wonderful - Now Trevor Ariza is Out for 8 Weeks
As if losing Andrew Bynum for eight weeks wasn't enough, the news today is that energetic Trevor Ariza will also be out for eight weeks, after breaking his foot. Ariza isn't as an important asset at Bynum, but his energy and athleticism have fit in with this year's up-tempo offense. But I guess I should be thankful that these injuries are occurring in the doldrums of January, instead of on the doorstep of the playoffs.
The Lakers front court is hurting. Bynum and Ariza are out for eight weeks. Kwame Brown is not 100%. And here's a depressing stat: Kwame Brown is the third highest paid Laker, with a 2007-2008 salary eclipsing $9 million! He is third only to Kobe (~$19.5 million) and Lamar Odom (~$13.2 million). In a pure dollar sense, Kwame is equivalent to Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, and Sasha Vujacic - combined!
Tonight the Lakers square off against the Denver Nuggets who, at 24-15, are in a tight race with Portland and Utah for their division lead. The subplot for tonight: will Laker Colby Karl - son of Denver coach George Karl - play in tonight's game? He may see some playing time given the Laker's depleted roster. If so, it would be the third time in NBA history that a father coach and player son met on the hardwood. Does anyone happen to know the two other father/son coach/player matchups?