The Los Angeles Lakers cannot catch a break.
After Xavier Henry said there was a possibility of returning to the team for Tuesday's game, that option was taken off the table. Henry felt some pain following his contact workout on the Lakers’ practice court on Sunday.
He was optimistic afterward, but he admitted something still was not right.
“It might be soreness,” Henry had responded when asked about the pain in his knee.
“It feels way better than it did when it first happened,” Henry told the small assembly of Sunday media.
On Monday, the Lakers announced that Henry experienced soreness and would be reevaluated on Tuesday. He is slated to spend the next several days doing non-weight-bearing exercises.
At practice on Monday, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni addressed the possibility of Henry returning to the team sooner rather than later.
“I don’t think he’ll get the 'all clear' yet,” D’Antoni prophesized. “But if he’s 'all clear,' he’s clear. And then, he would play some minutes.”
D’Antoni confirmed Henry would come off the bench if and when he was passed fit to play, meaning Kendall Marshall would remain a starter until Steve Blake, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash or Jordan Farmar returned to supplant the second-year point guard.
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On Tuesday, the Lakers start a daunting stretch of nine games in 15 days. Over those 15 days, the Lakers will take eight flights. With the schedule bearing down on a bruised and beaten squad, Henry’s return would be a welcomed boost to the struggling squad.
