With Pau Gasol out for a few games to start the season due to a hamstring injury the Lakers have inserted Lamar Odom into the starting lineup at power forward. He has started 3 games so far this season for the Lakers and he has averaged 12.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in 39.3 minutes per game. The depth of the Lakers has been damaged due to Gasol’s injury but at least they have a player the quality of Lamar Odom to pitch in.

Reserve small forward/shooting guard Trevor Ariza will miss at least the next 8 weeks with a broken bone in his right foot. Ariza has played in 24 games (3 starts) this season with the Lakers and he is averaging 18.0 minutes, 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Ariza has shot well for the Lakers since coming over from the Magic as he’s hitting 52.4% of his shots from the floor.

The Lakers will be without starting center Andrew Bynum for at least the next 8 weeks due to a dislocated kneecap. This will hurt the Lakers big time as Bynum has been really playing well this season. Bynum has played in 35 games so far this season and he’s averaging 28.8 minutes, 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf will pick up the minutes to replace Bynum. Brown has played in 15 games so far this season and he is averaging 19.2 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. But, Brown has been a bust so far in his NBA career so the Lakers will likely suffer a huge dropoff in production from the center position. Ronny Turiaf is a hustling player that always gives his all but he has physical limitations in playing center. Turiaf has played in 32 games so far this season and he’s averaging 16.2 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

The Lakers have lost cener Chris Mihm for the next 3-4 weeks with a sore Achilles. He has played in 19 games (5 starts) this season and he is averaging 13.3 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He is only shooting 36.9% from the floor and 64% from the free throw line so far this season. The Lakers will just have to give Andrew Bynum more playing time now and that should be a good thing for them.

Center Kwame Brown is out indefinately with a sprained MCL. He has played in 7 games (6 starts) so far this season and he has averaged 21.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He better hurry back as Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm have both been playing well and there might not be many minutes left for Brown.

Starting power forward Lamar Odom will miss the first week or two of the season with a shoulder injury. This will hurt the Lakers big time as Odom is Kobe Bryant’s only real help on offense. Odom played in 56 games last season and he averaged 15.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Ronny Turiaf will start in Odom’s place until he’s ready to return. Turiaf played in 72 games (1 start) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. Turiaf will do a decent job of playing defense and rebounding until Odom can return but the Lakers offense will suffer a little bit.

Kwame Brown’s ankle is bothering him and he likely won’t play again until the playoffs, if the Lakers make it. His season has been almost a complete waste as he only has played in 39 games and he averaged 8.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He shot 58.4% from the floor but most of his shots were putbacks or dunks. He has been a huge disappointment for the Lakers this season.

Luke Walton is still out with a badly sprained ankle and there’s no telling when he’ll be ready to return. Walton has played in 43 games this season and he has averaged 33.2 minutes, 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The Lakers really need him back soon to help make up for the loss of Lamar Odom as Walton has really improved as a player this season.

Lamar Odom has a torn labrum in his shoulder and could miss the rest of the season. He played in 38 games this season and he averaged 39.2 minutes, 16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. The Lakers will definately miss Odom as he takes a lot of pressure off of Kobe at the offensive end of the court. The second half of the season could be ugly for the Lakers now.

Vladimir Radmanovic is expected to miss 8 weeks after falling on a patch of ice Saturday in Utah and separating his shoulder. The Lakers are very upset at him as they aren’t quite believing his story. In 52 games this season he has averaged 18.7 minutes, 6.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists. The Lakers will miss him and his deft shooting touch.