Nick Young out for the next two games with knee injury

As ESPN.com reports, Nick Young will not travel with the Lakers for their two-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies due to knee soreness. Swaggy P came back on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets after sitting out over two weeks due to a non-displaced fracture in his left patella, as well as a bone bruise. There isn't any indication yet as to whether or not he did anything to aggravate the injury in-game, or it's that he just wasn't healed enough to come back in the first place.

It's no surprise that Young is sitting out after a short outing two nights ago, as he was noticeably hobbled in his 20 minutes of action. The back-to-back set in Indy and Memphis would be tough on any player, regardless of his health. Perhaps even more than just a precautionary measure, it's also a situational one.

The Lakers will again be back at 11 players, with Young, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Xavier Henry all still sitting out with a variety of leg injuries. Mike D'Antoni will have to rely on his new back court rotation that includes Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks, as well as incumbents Jodie Meeks, Kendall Marshall and Jordan Farmar. It seems that no matter what the Lakers do, a surplus of guards just isn't possible--someone always seems to go down at perfectly timed intervals.

The injury couldn't have come at a worse part of the season for Young, who has boosted his stock exponentially this season with his enthusiastic play in front of a home crowd that's very evidently taken with him, as well as a newfound focus on defensive energy. He has a player option for less than $2 million for next season, which may look more appetizing by the day if this injury becomes more serious than it initially appeared.

--MAMBINO

--Follow this author @TheGreatMambino