Lakers small forward Ron Artest still can't remember the exact details about his Christmas night tumble that resulted in a concussion and stitches in his elbow, which forced him to sit out his third consecutive game Tuesday night.
One minute, Artest said he remembered coming home from Staples Center with his hands full of Christmas presents.
The next minute, he was inside his home and his wife was standing above him and asking him, "Are you all right?"
Artest said he believes he must have tripped on the stairs leading to his front door, but he doesn't remember falling. He couldn't say whether he fell forward or backward, and he doesn't recall whether he made it inside on his own or whether he had help.
"My wife said I was asleep for two or three minutes," Artest said in his first public comments since he was injured. "It took an hour to get my senses back. I didn't feel it (falling). That's the scary part. I'm still woozy at times."
A neurologist has examined Artest daily since he was injured. Artest has not been cleared to resume practicing with his teammates or to play in games. He said he doesn't have headaches, but still feels woozy when he lies down.
"I feel grateful to be up and talking," he said at halftime of the Lakers' game Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors. "I'm getting better. … The first day was bad. I couldn't remember much. I'm happy it's not worse."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Artest was scheduled to work out on his own today, his first physical activity since his tumble only hours after the team's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday afternoon.
"It's going to be an off day for the players, but he'll work out," Jackson said of Artest. "The big dangers are elevated heart rate and blood pressure in this situation. It's something that has to be monitored."
Artest said he didn't know about today's scheduled workout, but Lakers spokesman John Black clarified matters by saying that the workout would not be basketball-related. Artest would instead walk and/or run on a treadmill at the team's practice facility in El Segundo.
Medical news
Lamar Odom played Tuesday with his sprained right index and middle fingers taped. He was injured in the first half of the Lakers' loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, and Jackson didn't like the way he played after the injury.
"He got injured and it was distracting for him in the second period," Jackson said of Odom, who had nine points on 4-for-13 shooting and 13 rebounds against the Suns.
Bryant update
Jackson chalked up Kobe Bryant's poor shooting to start Monday's game against the Suns to a lack of an off-day workout, then admitted a strained right elbow and a fractured right index finger had roles, too.
Bryant recovered to make 14 of 26 shots and score 34 points.
"He didn't shoot between the games (Saturday at Sacramento and Monday at Phoenix)," Jackson said. "I thought he was a little off. … The only thing that's bothering him is ballhandling and passing, not shooting."
Posts
