Mbenga pulled down 13 rebounds and scored five points in his first start as a Laker and his third start of his career.

Spin: With Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum on the shelf, Mbenga stepped in and did exactly what Phil Jackson needed him to do.Sat, Nov 7

Mbenga pulled down 13 rebounds and scored five points in his first start as a Laker, his third start of his career.

Spin: With Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum on the shelf, Mbenga stepped in and did exactly what Phil Jackson needed him to do.Sat, Nov 7

News: Lakers C DJ Mbenga had 13 rebounds but little offensive success while starting for the first time in his three seasons with the Lakers on Friday night in a win over the Grizzlies. Mbenga scored five points on 2 of 7 shooting in 30 minutes on the floor. He blocked four shots.

Analysis: Mbenga got the start on Friday with both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol out with injury. He had not played more than 10 minutes in a game this season before Friday. It is clear that with playing time Mbenga will get plenty of blocks and boards but the scoring is a work in progress. He has low-end Fantasy appeal until he sees consistent playing time

Artest turned in a solid performance in Friday's win against Memphis, totaling 19 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three treys on 7-of-14 shooting.

Spin: Artest was the Lakers' clear No. 2 option with Andrew Bynum (elbow) and Pau Gasol (hamstring) sidelined, and with Lamar Odom struggling (three points on 1-of-6 shooting).Sat, Nov 7

Ron Artest is not thrilled with Charles Barkley, who said recently that Artest needs to focus more on basketball and less on his budding rap career. "TNT was trying to make me look good, but Charles was trying to make me look bad," Artest said after Friday's game. He also referenced Barkley's DUI arrest from last year on Twitter, writing "What's worse; rapping or driving drunk?" Artest called Barkley overrated during last year's playoffs, as this feud has been ongoing. Source: Press Enterprise

Ron Artest hit 7-of-14 shots for 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers in Friday's win. He's played very well in three straight games, but keep in mind that Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum didn't play tonight. The offensive production is a welcomed relief to his owners, but we'll have to see how he fares once Pau and Bynum are back in the lineup. Consider this a sell-high opportunity on Artest.Related: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum

Odom made just one shot, a three-pointer, in his six attempts from the floor as the Lakers defeated Memphis on Friday.

Spin: He did pad some fantasy points with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, but three points in not going to cut it for a veteran like Odom. Especially with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum out due to injuries.Sat, Nov 7

Lamar Odom celebrated his birthday by hitting just 1-of-6 shots for three points, six boards, four assists, a 3-pointer and block on Friday. Odom wasn't feeling it tonight and probably missed the presence of Andrew Bynum, who was out with an elbow injury. He'll bounce back in the next one.

Odom scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, to go along with two assists, two steals and four turnovers, in L.A.'s win over Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

Spin: Through the Lakers first four games, Odom is averaging 12.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 40.3 mpg. He has turned the ball over an unusually high number of times, but all of his numbers should soon drop as Pau Gasol gets closer to making his return.Wed, Nov 4

News: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Lakers did not give contract extensions to Jordan Farmar or Adam Morrison, making them both restricted free agents in July. The Lakers had until today to reach an agreement with each player.

Analysis: Farmar might get some interest from other teams, but Morrison will need to show something this season after averaging only 3.9 points a game since suffering a torn knee ligament in October 2008. He has no Fantasy appeal

Morrison isn't likely to see many playing opportunities this season, the Charlotte Observer reports.

Spin: Morrison is behind Ron Artest, Luke Walton, and Lamar Odom on the Lakers' depth chart. It would be great to see Morrison get a chance to establish a career in the NBA, but his best chance will likely come from signing into a new situation as a free agent next season.Sun, Oct 18

Morrison could not find his shot as he went 1-for-6 and scored three points in Thursday's win over Sacramento.

Spin:

The Lakers did not give Jordan Farmar and Adam Morrison contract extensions by Monday's deadline, making both players unrestricted free agents at this season's end. Farmar has career averages of 6.8 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds and will earn $1.9 million this season. Morrison has career averages of 8.6 points, 1.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds. He will earn $5.2 million this year.Source: Los Angeles Times Related: Adam Morrison

News: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Lakers did not give contract extensions to Jordan Farmar or Adam Morrison, making them both restricted free agents in July. The Lakers had until today to reach an agreement with each player.

Analysis: Farmar is locked in a battle with Shannon Brown for minutes as Derek Fisher's backup. His current role does not allow for consistent production and he is not a player we recommend activating in Fantasy

Farmar scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting against the Kings Thursday. He also had two rebounds, an assist, and two turnovers.

Spin:

News: Kobe Bryant scored 41 points while becoming the youngest player to reach 24,000, leading the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Bryant carried the Lakers while reaching his latest scoring milestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain did. With a second-half surge, he even overtook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson for 16th place on the NBA's career scoring list. Before punctuating his night with two beautiful fallaway jumpers in the final two minutes, Bryant became the 17th NBA player to scored 24,000 points on a second-quarter basket. At 31 years, 75 days old, Bryant needed every bit of his head start from skipping college to beat Chamberlain to the mark.

Analysis: Bryant has scored exactly 41 points for the third time in four games, giving him 99 career 40-point games. We have no clue what happened to him on Oct. 30 against Dallas. He only managed 20 points in that game and has scored at least 31 in every other game this year. Bryant should be active in 100 percent of Fantasy leagues almost every week regardless of matchups

Bryant dropped 41 points for the second consecutive game as the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies on Friday.

Spin: Bryant didn't contribute much elsewhere as he was forced to shoulder the offensive load with Andrew Bynum (elbow) and Pau Gasol (hamstring) sidelined, and with Lamar Odom struggling (three points on 1-of-6 shooting).Sat, Nov 7

Yahoo! Sports reports that the Lakers and Kobe Bryant are continuing to work on a contract extension.

Our View: Kobe can opt out of the final year of his deal and became a free agent next summer - quite a good time to be on the open market in case you had not heard. That being said, both sides sound committed to hammering out an extension, and the chances of Kobe leaving the Lakers next summer appear to be somewhere near non-existent.