Kansas.com: Lakers expect Malone, Fox, Fisher back

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/8442788.htm

Lakers expect Malone, Fox, Fisher back

By KEVIN DING

The Orange County Register


EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Positive developments on the injury front have made it possible the Lakers will have a full 12-man roster available for the start of the postseason. The club now expects starting forwards Karl Malone and Rick Fox and backup guard Derek Fisher to play Saturday night in the playoff opener against Houston.

With a new device to wear on his dislocated right thumb, Fox improved to the point that he's more assured of playing than fellow small forward Devean George, whose strained left calf kept him unable to raise up on his toes Thursday. But even if George misses the first two playoff games, he should be healed by Game 3 against Houston next Friday.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson on Wednesday all but ruled Fox out for the playoff opener, but he successfully practiced shooting and catching the ball with trainer Chip Schaefer using a less limiting splint on his thumb.

"Our biggest concern is defensively you use your hands a lot," Jackson said.

Malone, who missed 39 games this season because of a right-knee injury, had his moderately sprained right ankle X-rayed and examined Thursday by his personal doctor, Newport Beach's Ralph Venuto, and seems certain to play.

"The one with probably the least concern to us is Karl," Jackson said.

Fisher suffered a right groin strain in the final moments of the double-overtime victory in Portland on Thursday, but felt so much better Friday that he did not seek a doctor's opinion. Fisher said he would play Saturday.

Guard Kareem Rush was examined Thursday by foot specialist Ron Smith and was diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain. The ongoing injury is not expected to cause Rush to miss any time.

Gary Payton, Fisher and George were the only Lakers to play all 82 games in the regular season. In 14 NBA seasons, Payton has never missed more than three games in a season.

The Lakers, as expected, submitted to the NBA on Thursday a playoff roster that was the same as their regular-season-ending one that excluded injured Horace Grant and Jamal Sampson.

BRYANT'S ROLE

Kobe Bryant has pretrial hearings in Colorado in his sexual-assault case set for April 26-28. The only game scheduled for that time frame is Game 5 on April 28, which would be a night game at Staples Center, if needed - meaning Bryant should be able to commute from Colorado in time for the game.

Jackson does not intend to unleash Bryant's scoring thrust early in games against Houston, as the coach has considered lately.

"We're not going to feature him," Jackson said. "He'll feature himself."

One largely overlooked play amid Bryant's dramatics Wednesday night was him hustling back and leaping to foul Portland's Ruben Patterson at the rim with 8.9 seconds left in regulation. Patterson missed both foul shots, leaving Portland's lead at three points and setting up Bryant's tying three-pointer against the self-proclaimed "Kobe Stopper."

Patterson asked for and was given the sneakers Bryant wore in the game.

DRAFT PICK:

The Lakers have the 27th pick in the June 24 draft - after Sacramento and before San Antonio.



It seems we wont get a break. Malone has been laker's X factor this year.