The Los Angeles Lakers say point guard Lonzo Ball will be re-evaluated in a week. Team physicians on Thursday determined Ball needs more "healing and recovery time" because of a bone bruise related to his Grade 3 ankle sprain suffered Jan. 19. The team says Ball will meet with team physicians in a week and his status will be updated again at that point.
While X-ray results were negative, this still figures to be a significant injury for Ball. Ingram missed seven games with a sprained ankle earlier this season and when Ball has been injured in the past, the Lakers have been extremely careful when bringing him back. He played 52 games as a rookie, in part because of a nagging knee injury that started off as day-to-day and ended up costing him 15 games.
The Russell Westbrook situation does seem a little more interesting, at least in the sense that the Lakers might have more control than they do in talks with James. The team, after all, could always add more stuff to any trade offers in an effort to unload Westbrook. And depending on what the expectations are in return, they could simply just keep piling on the limited trade assets that they have (pick swaps, second-round picks, etc.). So far, that’s a road the Lakers haven’t seriously taken, Rob Pelinka surprising plenty of folks around the NBA with his hesitancy to attach multiple draft picks with Westbrook in trade talks.