Kersey’s Foot Broken; Suns Prevail

The Lakers learned Wednesday that Jerome Kersey, the free-agent signee projected as the backup small forward, has a broken left foot, not a bruise as originally thought, and will be out at least two weeks.

Barring any unexpected developments, that puts Kersey on the injured list for the start of the season, could mean Eddie Jones will have to play significant minutes there behind Cedric Ceballos, therefore forcing Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant into larger roles as Jones’ backup at shooting guard. It remains to be seen whether it will also help Trevor Wilson--likely bound for waivers before this news, but now the only true small forward left on the bench.

Kersey had averaged 20 minutes in three appearances before missing the next three because of the foot problem. He was with the team Tuesday in San Diego, though in street clothes, then returned to Los Angeles while the Lakers flew to Tucson. Wednesday, he was examined by team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo.

“When a player comes to camp overweight, it puts a lot of stress on their body, and the older you are, the more magnified the problem becomes,” Coach Del Harris said before the Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns, 109-100, in an exhibition game at Tucson. “And he came in heavy. He worked hard to get himself in shape, but in the process, he put a lot of stress on himself.”

The Lakers lost their second in a row, dropping to 5-2, even though Byron Scott made five of seven three-point shots and seven of 10 overall en route to a game-high 25 points in only 27 minutes.

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The schedule said Tuesday’s game against the Houston Rockets in San Diego was an exhibition. The fourth quarter said playoffs.

With 4:51 left, Harris sent Nick Van Exel and Elden Campbell back in, giving the Lakers four starters plus Scott on the court. With 2:43 remaining, the entire opening lineup was in, while Houston played Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Mario Elie and reserve point guard Matt Maloney, good enough for a Rocket victory, 116-114.

“I just think it was an opportunity for each team to play against a good team,” Harris said. “And when Charles is on the court--he is such a competitor-slash-pain in the butt--you want to compete too.”