Los Angeles’ NBA championship odds are dependent on the health of their star player and former league MVP, and we know he’s been battling injuries all season, but is it worse than he’s let on?

A report came down on Monday that Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant had his right knee drained of fluid in an attempt to get Bryant as close to 100% as possible before their Game 1 meeting with Phoenix on Monday in the Western Conference finals.  Bryant has fought broken fingers, back problems, an ailing wrist, and other bumps and bruises that we probably don’t even know about.  He looked very banged up in the first round against Oklahoma City, but that may have been a result of the Thunder’s athleticism and youth.  But Bryant’s knee (and other injuries) will have to now hold up against a Phoenix team that doesn’t know the meaning of “walk it up the floor”, and they’ll be pushing the issue as much as possible, every time they get the ball.

So should Lakers fans be worried about the health of their No.1 guy?  Unless Bryant is missing an entire leg, we wouldn’t bet on this knee-draining being a big deal, unlike some injuries affecting champions league betting.  It’s something that a lot of guys get done during the course of the season, and if it’s going to give Bryant a little more flexibility with his knee, so be it.  One thing you don’t have to worry about, though, is the Lakers’ betting odds in this series, because Bryant will be fine when the ball goes up.