Andrew Goudelock

As he sat by his locker room stall, Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock refused to think his days could be numbered. The Lakers have yet to exercise their $789,000 option to bring him back for his second season. The team has a bloated backcourt, both at point guard and shooting guard. Although Goudelock showed some promise last season shooting 37.3% from three-point range, the Lakers still acquired sharpshooter Jodie Meeks in hopes of improving the team's 39.5% mark from behind the perimeter, 25th in the NBA.  "I think players play their best when they have a chip on their shoulder because they have something to prove," Goudelock told The Times in a quiet moment before the Lakers' preseason loss Sunday to the Golden State Warriors at Fresno's Save Mart Center.

It's become a record-breaking playoff run for the Lakers, not the kind they ever expected when Steve Nash put ink to paper last July, followed a month later by the Dwight Howard acquisition. The Lakers have lost three consecutive playoff games by double digits only one other time (1970 against Phoenix), according to Elias. They just suffered their most one-sided playoff defeat at home. And they haven't been swept in the first round since 1967 by the San Francisco Warriors in what was called the Western Division playoffs.

Coach Mike Brown doesn't plan to use rookie guard Andrew Goudelock in the regular rotation much anymore. He appeared only in garbage time in the Lakers' 109-93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and didn't play in the Lakers' loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Brown said the reason has less to do with Ramon Sessions' arrival to the Lakers' backcourt and more to do with the postseason awaiting in a little more than a month. "We're shrinking it a little bit," Brown said of his rotation.  Because of that, Brown in recent games has paired Sessions with multiple guards, including Kobe Bryant and Steve Blake.

The Lakers' locker room was an inexplicably steamy 77 degrees an hour before their playoff game. Yeah, they felt the heat. They got pushed off the court by the San Antonio Spurs and almost surely will be ejected soon from the Western Conference playoffs after an 120-89 loss Friday at Staples Center. Fans booed in the second quarter, somehow sensing this could be the Lakers' worst home playoff loss ever. It was. No longer holding that title was a 106-77 loss to Portland in the 2000 Western Conference finals.

With fans chanting his name, Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock performed something few have ever witnessed. He dunked a basketball, a feat the 6-foot-2 Goudelock later joked he's only done 15 times in his life. The significance went beyond the giddiness expressed by about 200 campers over Goudelock's sudden hops during an appearance at Camp Lakers on Wedesday at the Roybal Learning Center. It also gave a snapshot on how Goudelock's weight loss this offseason has helped him become more mobile.

After facing limited playing time with the Lakers, rookie guard Darius Morris will finally see time on the court. But that will happen while he wears aD-Fendersuniform. The Lakers assigned Morris to the Development League Wednesday, after he averaged 2.7 points and 1.1 assists in 10.3 minutes through 13 games. Despite the Lakers' needs at point guard, Coach Mike Brown expressed skepticism about playing Morris significant minutes because of his inexperience, over-dribbling and his understanding of the offense.  Morris assumed the backup spot while Steve Blake sat out the first seven games with a rib injury.

-- Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick reports that "Minnesota General Manager David Kahn Minnesota is still attempting to land Gasol, and that push is likely to continue all the way until the deadline. "  -- The Times' Mike Bresnahan explains why the Lakers have improved their play. -- The Orange County Register's Janis Carr focuses on Andrew Goudelock's progression as a rookie. -- The Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis talks to Tayshaun Prince about winning the 2004 NBA Finals against the Lakers.

This is the 10th post in a series awarding midseason grades to some of the Lakers . This focuses on the rookies. Player: Darius Morris How he did: 2.7 points on 52% in 10.3 minutes through 13 games. Good: Even with his limited playing time, Morris shows potential with his play-making abilities and athleticism. He hasn't let his limited role detract him from working hard. Morris routinely stays after practice to work on shots and often arrives early for pregame warmups.

Game stories -- The Times' Mike Bresnahan highlights Kobe Bryant's acknowledgment he felt fatigued in the Lakers' 88-85 overtime loss Tuesday to the Detroit Pistons. -- The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding centers his game story on Bryant's struggles. -- The Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis and the Detroit News' Vincent Goodwill credit Rodney Stuckey's contributions. -- The Daily News' Elliott Teaford focuses on the Lakers' continual road struggles.

All those dreadful games in which the Lakers' reserves coughed up double-digit leads may soon become a distant memory. The Lakers acquired strong secondary scoring by persuading Antawn Jamison to sign at the veteran's minimum. They immediately bolstered their outside shooting by acquiring Jodie Meeks. The Lakers made sure to hang on to young promising prospects, such as Jordan Hill and Devin Ebanks. So it's safe to assume that the Lakers reserves won't fare any worse than last season, when they finished last in the league in scoring (20.5)

The Lakers will have a most valuable player in their backcourt Friday. It won't be Kobe Bryant. It may not be Steve Nash. That could leave Andrew Goudelock, selected as MVP of the NBA's Development League on Thursday after a season's worth of memorable performances against such teams as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and the Maine Red Claws. Next up for Goudelock: the San Antonio Spurs, in Game 3 of the Lakers' Western Conference first-round playoff series at Staples Center. A Lakers season that has included some surprising backcourt combinations - Bryant as a point guard, Nash as a hybrid shooting guard - could yield an even more unlikely union after another wave of injuries to Nash, Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks.

The Lakers (45-37) get a crack at the San Antonio Spurs (58-24) at Staples Center on Friday in Game 3 of their first-round playoff matchup. The Spurs have won the first two games, and now the Lakers face an uphill battle in upsetting San Antonio with Steve Blake out indefinitely (hamstring), Steve Nash (hamstring and hip) doubtful, Jodie Meeks doubtful (ankle) and Kobe Bryant (Achilles) out for months. Against Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and the Spurs, the Lakers may play a backcourt of Chris Duhon, Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock.

Steve Nash and Jodie Meeks are still doubtful for tonight's game. So are the Lakers' chances of beating San Antonio. Meeks did not take part in the team's Friday morning shoot-around, and Nash walked through a few things but did not take an active role. The Lakers play San Antonio tonight in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. The Spurs lead the series, 2-0. Darius Morris will start at guard for the Lakers, Coach Mike D'Antoni said, alongside either Nash, veteran Chris Duhon or recent signee Andrew Goudelock.

Lakers forward Metta World Peace took to Twitter to announce he had a cyst in his knee drained. "My knee is in really good shape," World Peace tweeted with a photo of himself holding a syringe filled with fluid. "The last two games this Bakers Cyst was tough to play with. Just drained it. Whoa!" World Peace underwent surgery on March 28 after a left knee injury (torn meniscus). He was originally expected to be out for a minimum of six weeks but returned just 12 days later.

Faint chants could be heard as Andrew Goudelock stepped to the free-throw line late in the first quarter. “MVP!” fans yelled halfheartedly inside Staples Center, as if they were almost embarrassed it had come to this for the Lakers. The newly minted most valuable player of the Development League did what he could in a performance worthy of basketball's biggest stage Friday night, but there was no saving the Lakers during a 120-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series.

Doc Rivers, the straight-shooting coach of the Celtics, has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for his criticism of the referees following Game 2 of Boston's playoff series against the New York Knicks, who have a 2-0 lead following an 87-71 victory Wednesday night. Rivers is candid in giving his responses to questions, and evidently league officials didn't like how he answered when asked about Celtics center Kevin Garnett's drawing two fouls in an 18-second span a little more than three minutes into the game.

The Lakers waived second-year guard Andrew Goudelock on Saturday, bringing the roster down to 15. It seemed clear heading into training camp that Goudelock was a long shot.  Coach Mike Brown primarily had him working on point-guard skills and the Lakers are already loaded with four at the same position, all on fully guaranteed contracts. Goudelock was selected with the 46th pick in the 2011 NBA draft out of the College of Charleston, where he was a high-scoring two guard.  His run with the Lakers was his first experience trying to play the point.

The competitor in Lakers rookie guard Andrew Goudelock wishes he could remain on the court. Yet, Goudelock maintained a pragmatic view regarding the plan by Lakers Coach Mike Brown to keep him out of the rotation since the postseason awaits in a little more than a month. "It's an experience thing," said Goudelock, who's averaging 4.4 points in 10.7 minutes a game. "I'm a rookie, obviously. We got a lot of experienced guys on this team and it's close to playoff time. The knowledge and experience they have is very valuable.

The NBA Development League has selected Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock as the 2012-13 most valuable player. Goudelock averaged 21.4 points and 5.8 assists for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of Hidalgo, Texas. The 6-foot-3 guard also played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. “Andrew truly had a standout season in the NBA D-League this year,” said Chris Alpert, vice president of basketball operations and player personnel for the league. “His tireless work ethic, dedication to development and impressive skill set were not only a huge asset for his team, but earned him an NBA D-League All-Star selection and a call-up to the NBA. I congratulate Andrew on his tremendous season this year, and on returning to the NBA with the Lakers.” The Lakers might call upon Goudelock to play a major role throughout the remainder of the postseason with starter Kobe Bryant out (Achilles' tendon)

As the season began, so will it presumably end for the Lakers. The Lakers announced on Thursday that Steve Blake is out indefinitely after an ultrasound confirmed a moderate strain of his right hamstring. Steve Nash received two additional epidural injections in his back and a cortisone shot in his right hip and is considered doubtful for Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Jodie Meeks is still scheduled to have an MRI on his sprained ankle and is also doubtful for Friday.