Pau to miss a week of action, maybe more, with strained groin

Just as things might be getting better for the Los Angeles Lakers, they seem to get worse.

A MRI yesterday revealed that Pau Gasol has a strained groin muscle which will keep him out of action for at least a week, meaning he'll miss the upcoming three-game road trip in Minnesota, Cleveland and Philadelphia. This comes on the heels of the news that Steve Blake and Steve Nash could rejoin the active roster for Tuesday's game versus the Timberwolves, with Jordan Famar not far behind them.

At least offensively, the Lakers will definitely feel Gasol's absence. In the month of January, he averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and nearly 2 blocks on 51% shooting while feeling the full weight of every opposing team's defense on his back. The Lakers finished the month with a 3-12 record, a horrible stretch that could have been somehow worse without Gasol's offensive contributions.

In his stead, the Lakers will play Robert Sacre, Jordan Hill and Chris Kaman, which may give the team a slightly better defensive complexion, but will certainly lack scoring-wise.This should bode well for Kaman specifically, as he seems to be one of the team's best trade chips.

If Blake and Nash suffer any setbacks either before or during the game on Tuesday, Pau's injury will leave the team with just nine healthy bodies, an unfathomable scenario for a team already playing truly terrible basketball.

--MAMBINO

--Follow this author @TheGreatMambino

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