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The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for another run at an NBA title as the best team in the Western Conference will almost certainly head into the playoffs with the conference’s best record for the second straight season.

Just like the two previous seasons though, in which Kobe Bryant and company made it all the way to the NBA Finals, the Lakers will most likely head into the playoffs without their starting center Andrew Bynum due to injury once again.

It is starting to sound like the same old story in Los Angeles as the Lakers youngest player has once again gone down with injury and will not be able to help the team until his sprained Achilles is healed and ready to go. Fortunately for the defending champs, they have Lamar Odom who can step in and take over Pau Gasol’s spot while the Spaniard moves to the center position.

Some people are even saying that the Los Angeles Lakers might be a better team with Andrew Bynum on the bench and Lamar Odom in the starting lineup. It is no secret that Odom could very well start on any other team in the league and be a All-Star, but he has definitely done well coming off the bench for the Lakers as they have played brilliantly this season in the sixth man role.

It was thought that Andrew Bynum might have been able to get back into the lineup against the San Antonio Spurs this Sunday, but the big kid will get an MRI this Thursday to see how well the injury has healed. There has been no timetable set for his return.

The one positive for the Lakers in the injury department, if you can really call it a positive, is the return of Luke Walton in the lineup who looks like he will be ready to go against the Utah Jazz this Thursday. Walton will give the Lakers an extra body and does have a high basketball IQ, but his skills have seriously declined over the past couple of seasons and so have his minutes.