As if losing their second straight game wasn't enough bad news for the Los Angeles Lakers, they received more bad news after the game, when it was revealed that forward Lamar Odom will have an MRI on his right foot on Monday. Odom has a bone bruise on his right foot that has bothered him this week. After the game on Fox Sports West, Odom said in an interview that the injury wasn't a big deal and that "hopefully this was the last time we have to talk about this," but that seems to be more of a company line than anything.
Odom did have 22 points and 11 rebounds tonight in the Lakers' 121-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. On the season, Odom is averaging 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Losing Odom would leave the Lakers' front line wafer thin. Andrew Bynum is out until after Thanksgiving as he recovers from knee surgery, and backup Theo Ratliff has been battling a sore left knee. It was revealed after the game that Ratliff would also have an MRI on Monday.
If both Odom and Ratliff are out, the Lakers would have to go to a smaller lineup, likely with Ron Artest sliding to power forward and Matt Barnes playing small forward. Rookie Derrick Caracter could also see a sharp increase in minutes. The Lakers begin a three-game road trip on Tuesday that will take them to Milwaukee, Detroit, and Minnesota.
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