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Nick Young's absence could last another 3 weeks

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

It doesn't really sound as if Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott cares much that Nick Young's absence is lingering.

Swaggy P will miss a seventh consecutive game on Sunday due to soreness in his left knee despite no underlying issue being revealed by an MRI. The soreness has persisted and is only slowly getting better, leaving the team at a bit of a loss for a timeline.

Scott said the right things in updating Young's status but was clear they're not in a rush to get him back.

"It might take another week, or two or three," Scott said. "(Nick) doesn't know. It depends on how fast he heals. We're not in a hurry. He still has some pain in there. That's the biggest concern."

Had Scott made those comments about any other player, they'd be taken as a team practicing caution in the player's best interest. With Young, who Scott has been openly critical of for the better part of the season, it comes off as if Young's return just doesn't matter all that much to him.

Young had a similarly nagging knee issue a year ago, when he had a non-displaced patellar fracture in the knee and missed six games.

"I guess he is a slow healer," Scott said.

In the 42 games Young's played this year - he missed additional time with a thumb injury to start the season - he's averaged 13.4 points in 23.8 minutes, shooting better from long range (36.9 percent) than inside the arc (36.3 percent). 

It's been a struggle. Young has three years remaining on his deal after this season, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Lakers shut him down entirely to make sure he enters 2015-16 in peak shape.

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