Normally, nothing much comes out of pregame media availability.  Tonight, though, I'm really glad I brought a pen, because there are a couple medical issues of note. 

First, in news that will surely have many readers of this site clearing space in the living room for their happy dance, Luke Walton won't play against the Blazers because he's got a touch of the sesamoiditis (highlighted so we catch all those Google news searches for "sesamoiditis").  While it sounds like something you very quietly had treated by the campus nurse in college, it's actually a problem with the big toe and surrounding bones and tendons.   According to the fine folks at foot.com:

"...The term is a general description for any irritation of the sesamoid bones, which are tiny bones within the tendons that run to the big toe. Like the kneecap, the sesamoids function as a pulley, increasing the leverage of the tendons controlling the toe. Every time you push off against the toe the sesamoids are involved, and eventually they can become irritated, even fractured. Because the bones are actually within the tendons, sesamoiditis is really a kind of tendinitis - the tendons around the bones become inflamed..."

The problem began for Walton before the Utah game, and has gotten worse since then to the point where it hurts to drive a car (yet another reason these guys should just teleport to games).  He'll see Dr. Ken Jung at Kerlin-Jobe tomorrow, and the Lakers will know more about his long term prognosis when he's done.

Moving on, Sasha Vujacic has tonsillitis, a more common problem not addressed at foot.com or even tonsil.com.  However, at itonsil.com, you can learn everything you need to know about the tonsils and adenoids.  The good news: Sasha will play, though the Lakers have an ice cream machine at the ready on the odd chance he needs to have them removed at halftime.  Kobe would. 

AUDIO- Walton: Download luke_walton_1.4.09.mp3

BK