Horry Ready to Test Knee for Return

Robert Horry attempts the last hurdle in his five-week comeback from a sprained knee ligament today, a custom-made workout that will determine whether he can be activated for Wednesday’s game and a process that will actually last into Wednesday.

Running through plays with Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Travis Knight and assistant coach Kurt Rambis--one for every position around small forward Horry--and maybe playing some two-on-two won’t make the decision. How the left leg reacts will, something that won’t be known until it has a chance to stiffen or swell overnight.

“I would say it’s no better than 50-50,” Coach Del Harris said of Horry returning against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Forum, something that last week seemed almost certain. “It’s not foregone that he’ll play Wednesday. I have high hopes. But it’s not something where it’s a routine, rubber-stamp operation. He’ll work out [today] and a decision will be made the next day.

“If it doesn’t go real well, we’ll just put it off until the Seattle game.”

That’s next Monday, after two more games. Because the Lakers play the Bucks on Wednesday and then are at Vancouver on Thursday, the wait would not only give the knee extra time, but would also give Horry the opportunity to get in a couple practices with the team before playing for the first time since Feb. 16.

Either way, he will be coming back right on schedule, give or take a few days. The Lakers won’t have to make another transaction along with Horry’s activation, whenever it comes, since they had kept the roster at 11 players for this reason.