Chris Mihm and more

It sounds like Chris Mihm is not going to be healthy at the start of training camp and probably won’t be playing in the Lakers’ early exhibition games. Mihm is still recovering from the July 26 surgery he underwent on his right ankle. The Lakers originally thought Mihm would be ready for camp but his recovery has been slow going.

Kwame Brown figures to be the starting center and Mihm will have to find a role for himself once he is healed. This is a contract season for Mihm, so it’s a shame to hear it will start out on the wrong note.

In other news, the Lakers are going to round out their training camp roster by signing forward Marcus Douthit, their second-round pick in the 2004 draft. The Lakers retained Douthit’s rights even as he played overseas and in the NBA Development League. He averaged 10.9 points and 7.3 rebounds with the D-League’s Albuquerque Thunderbirds last season.

Douthit has played in summer league for the Lakers the past three years but faces the longest of long odds to make the team. If Mihm is going to be out for an extended period, maybe the Lakers decide to add a big man and take a chance on him. Most likely, Douthit winds up back in the D-League playing for a call-up with another NBA team.