The Lakers are completely decimated at guard for Game #3 and beyond against the Spurs.  PG Steve Nash (hamstring), Steve Blake (hamstring) and Jodie Meeks (partial ligament tear in his ankle) are all likely out indefinitely.  Nash has started both games against the Spurs so far in this series and he is averaging 30.5 minutes, 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.  Blake has played well against the Spurs too, starting both games in which he has averaged 37.5 minutes, 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  Meeks has played in 1 game off the bench against the Spurs in this series and he had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.  These injuries mean the Darius Morris, Andrew Goudelock and Chris Duhon will play the bulk of the guard minutes for the Lakers from here on out against the Spurs, unless Blake, Nash or Meeks miraculously get cured in the near future.  Morris has played in both games against the Spurs off the bench in this series and he is averaging 15.5 minutes and 5.0 points per game.  Goudelock didn’t play in any games during the regular season for the Lakers.  He has played in 1 game off the bench in this series and he worked 6 minutes in which he had 2 points, 1 assist and 1 steal.  Duhon has yet to play in this series for the Lakers.  The Lakers are officially in deep, deep trouble against the Spurs now.

34-year old shooting guard Kobe Bryant tore his left Achilles tendon last night against the Warriors and it will end his season and could put his career in jeopardy.  Bryant scored 34 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and he dished out 4 assists in 45 minutes last night in the Lakers’ 118-116 win over the visiting Golden State Warriors.  Bryant finishes up the 2012-13 season having played in 78 games (all starts) in which he averaged 38.6 minutes, 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Bryant has played in 1,239 games (1,091 starts) in his first 17 years with the Lakers and he is averaging 36.6 minutes, 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  The Lakers are going to need 25-year old shooting guard Jodie Meeks to step up in place of Kobe Bryant.  Meeks has played in 76 games (8 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 20.9 minutes, 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  The Lakers have a one game lead on the Utah Jazz for the #8 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs with two games to play.  The Jazz own the tiebreaker, so the Lakers need to win their last two games just to be safe and that won’t be easy (especially without the Black Mamba).  The Lakers play their remaining two games at home, facing the Spurs this Sunday and the Rockets this Wednesday.  The Jazz have two road games left, one on Monday against the Timberwolves and then the season finale against the Grizzlies.

33-year old small forward Metta World Peace will be out indefinitely due to a meniscus tear in his left knee.  He has played in 70 games (64 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 34.6 minutes, 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  But, he is only shooting 40.5% from the floor, 34.7% from three point range and 73.1% from the free throw line so far this year….which isn’t that impressive.  That being said, the Lakers are going to really miss World Peace defensively moving forward.  The Lakers are going to need someone to really step up as they will be moving forward without Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace.

The Lakers have lost 34-year old shooting guard Kobe Bryant indefinitely due to a severe left ankle sprain.  He has played in 66 games (all starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 38.3 minutes, 27.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Bryant had been pretty hot so far in March for the Lakers.  He has played in 7 games (all starts) so far in March and he is averaging 39.8 minutes, 29.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  The Lakers are in very, very serious trouble now.

UPDATE:  (4/2/2013) – Kobe Bryant returned with a vengeance tonight with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots in 47 minutes in a key win against the Mavericks.

The Lakers have lost 32-year old Pau Gasol for at least six weeks due to a partial tear of his plantar fascia, and maybe three months (which would end his season).  Gasol has played in 36 games (29 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 33.4 minutes, 13.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  25-year old Earl Clark will continue to start at power forward for the Lakers and he is likely to see a bump in P.T.  Clark has played in 26 games (13 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 21.1 minutes, 7.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  He is also shooting well as he is 14 of 29 (48.3%) from three point range so far this year.  Clark has turned into quite a find for the Lakers as he was thought to be nothing more than a throw in when they got him as part of the return in the Dwight Howard deal last summer.  36-year old Antawn Jamison is also likely to see a bump in P.T.  Jamison has played in 43 games (6 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 20.5 minutes, 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

The Lakers will be without 25-year old power forward Jordan Hill for the rest of the 2012-13 season as he needs hip surgery.  Hill played in 29 games (1 start) for the Lakers this year and he averaged 15.8 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  He has now played in 36 games (2 starts) in his first two years with the Lakers and he is averaging 15.0 minutes, 6.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  This is a big blow for the Lakers moving forward.

27-year old center Dwight Howard has a torn labrum in his shoulder and he will be out indefinitely.  Howard has played in 33 games (all starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 36.2 minutes, 17.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.6 blocked shots per game.  Pau Gasol is also out indefinitely due to a nasty concussion.  Gasol has played in 25 games (all starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 34.3 minutes, 12.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  Jordan Hill will miss at least the next two games due to a hip injury.  Hill has played in 29 games (1 start) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 15.8 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  The Lakers are going to just sink further into the toilet unless some guys step up while this trio is out of action.

The Lakers have shut down 32-year old power forward Pau Gasol indefinitely as he has tendonitis in both of his knees.  Gasol has played in 15 games (13 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 12.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots.  Head coach Mike D’Antoni is going to give Gasol as much time as he needs to heal his knees.  That means that 36-year old Antawn Jamison is going to step into the starting lineup for a while in Gasol’s old spot.  He has played in 18 games (1 start) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 19.9 minutes, 7.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  I think Jamison will do a solid job while Gasol is out of action.

32-year old point guard Steve Blake is going to miss 6-8 more weeks as he needs surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle.  Blake has played in 7 games (5 starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 26.0 minutes, 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  This is a big blow to the Lakers as they were hoping to get Steve Blake and Steve Nash back at around the same time, giving them a huge boost at point guard.

38-year old starting point guard Steve Nash is going to miss at least one week due to a small fracture in his left fibula.  Nash has played in 2 games (both starts) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 25.0 minutes, 4.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.  32-year old Steve Blake will replace Nash in the starting lineup until he’s ready to return to action.  Blake has played in 3 games (1 start) for the Lakers so far this year and he is averaging 26.7 minutes, 5.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  The Lakers hope that Nash won’t miss too much time as Blake is a career backup type and little more.

UPDATE:  (11/5/2012) – Nash is now going to miss at least the next four weeks due to his injury.