The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping that their backcourt of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash could return on January 28 against the Indiana Pacers at home, with coach Mike D'Antoni saying that their Hall of Fame backcourt will be reevaluated once they return from their annual Grammys road trip.
"Hopefully both of them are ready," D'Antoni told InsideSoCal.com, which reported that both Bryant and Nash will be tested after the Lakers come back from a seven-game, 12-day roadtrip starting on January 15.
The Lakers are rapidly falling behind in the playoff race in the tough Western Conference with a 14-23 record, with injuries to Bryant and Nash among the many culprits of their descent. The team is also missing backup guards Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry with different injuries. Henry is the most likely to return to action soon, with the team planning to reevaluate the swingman on Monday, January 13.
"If we're lucky, we'll see. He could start playing," D'Antoni said, adding that the Lakers may have Henry back in the line-up for their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers before they embark on the seven-game road trip.
Farmar, he added, could return in February. "He has to have rehabilitation on his arm and strengthening stuff after he gets clear," D'Antoni said. "He could be further out."
But the return of the Hall of Fame caliber backcourt could be the boost that the Lakers are looking for. Bryant is out with a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his left knee while Nash has nerve irritation in his back and hamstrings. The team is hoping to turn things around and catch up on the Dallas Mavericks, who are 7 games ahead of them for the eight last seed in the West.
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