Kobe Bryant injury: Lakers might look to acquire a point guard

The team survived the first 19 games of the season without Kobe Bryant, winning 10 while waiting for their All-Star guard to return from Achilles’ tendon surgery.

Now Bryant is down with a knee injury that will knock him out for six more weeks.

Not only is Bryant out but so is Steve Blake (elbow, five weeks), Steve Nash (back, at least a month) and Jordan Farmar (hamstring, another week).

The Lakers will start Xavier Henry at the point in the meantime, backing him up by committee with Jodie Meeks and Nick Young.

Perhaps it’s time the Lakers added another point guard, at least until reinforcements are available?

“We’ll talk with” General Manager Mitch Kupchak, said Coach Mike D’Antoni after practice on Thursday. “We’re looking but we don’t want to just get anybody.”

But then the Lakers coach admitted the Lakers might have to pick up a point guard.

“That’s probably the next step,” he said.

Kupchak was late arriving to the team’s practice facility in El Segundo on the heels of the Bryant injury.

He acknowledged the Lakers have a situation, but he and his staff hadn’t had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the options.

Teams cannot sign 10-day contracts with free agents until Jan. 6.

Instead, the Lakers can sign a player to to their open roster spot on a non-guaranteed contract.

“That’s what you [probably] do,” said Kupchak. “It’s actually more flexibility” than a 10-day contract.

The Lakers would have until Jan. 10 to waive any non-guaranteed players before their salaries locked in for the remainder of the season.

Free agents Darius Morris and Chris Duhon both played for D’Antoni last season. Leandro Barbosa spent time with D’Antoni on the Phoenix Suns.

Former Laker Shannon Brown is also available, although he’s more of a shooting guard.

Other possible targets could be Jamaal Tinsley, Sebastian Telfair, Rodrigue Beaubois, Kendall Marshall, Lester Hudson and Seth Curry, among many others.

The Lakers can also look to trade for a point guard under contract with another franchise, although the team might prefer to wait for Farmar to return before doing anything drastic.

ALSO:

Kobe Bryant out six weeks with a knee fracture

Mike D’Antoni: Kobe Bryant will be ‘hunting for some bear’

Xavier Henry takes over Kobe Bryant’s starting role for Lakers

Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.