Steve Blake (abdomen, groin) has been cleared to play 2-on-2 Friday. Barring setbacks, Blake will progress to full-blown 5-on-5 action in the next few days. He'll eventually function as Steve Nash's strict backup, ahead of Chris Duhon.

Steve Blake (abdomen, groin) said he had a good workout Thursday, but will wait to see how he feels Friday before determining his status going forward. Blake, who's been sidelined since Nov. 11, received a cortisone shot on Sunday to try to help as he recovers from surgery. He was slated to be re-evaluated when the Lakers returned from their three-game road trip, which ended Wednesday night. He'll spell Steve Nash when he returns, but offers zero fantasy value barring an injury to Nash.

Steve Blake (abdomen, groin) will receive a cortisone shot on Sunday and will be re-evaluated when the team returns from their upcoming road trip. The Lakers have three road games on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday before returning home to face the Jazz on Friday. Blake has been out since November 11 and he will help spell Steve Nash upon his return. He'll have little to no value in fantasy leagues while Nash is healthy.

Steve Blake (abdomen, groin) said that he had a "breakthrough" at Wednesday's practice. "it gave me a little confidence to say, 'Maybe I can do it,'" Blake said after practice. We'll see how Blake feels on Thursday in order to gauge a timetable, but the Lakers are not putting a target date on his return. Chris Duhon will continue to back up Steve Nash while Blake is out.

Steve Blake took part in 3-on-3 drills Wednesday, but wants to wait to see how his groin and abdomen respond to increased activity. Blake's injury odyssey this year has been full of twists and turns and today's workout comes a day after he said he planned to see a hernia specialist. At this point, all we can do is wait it out and see how he's affected by the workout. Whenever he does return, he'll be Steve Nash's primary backup.

Steve Blake (abdomen, groin) is without a timetable for his return. This goes directly against a report that Blake was hoping to return next week. Although Blake's abdomen is feeling better, his groin injury continues to be a problem and has been "bothering him lately." Whenever he does return, he'll back up Steve Nash.

Steve Blake (groin) got a platelet-rich plasma injection on his groin and is hoping to return next week. He's been targeting a return in mid-January for about one month, but it looks like he'll be a couple days late from that timetable. Blake will back up Steve Nash and doesn't have value in almost all leagues.

Steve Blake (abdomen) is improving, but there is still no timetable for his return. "He's feeling a little bit better, but there's no timetable," said Mike D'Antoni. Blake isn't ready to begin "ramping it up yet," so the report from late December that he'd be back in two to three weeks looks like it was inaccurate. Based Blake's six-to-eight week timeframe given after his surgery, the point guard should be able to return in late January or early February.

Steve Blake (abdomen) said on Friday that he is targeting a return in mid-January. This has been his target date since early December, but it appears he's still on schedule. He'll have little to no fantasy value as long as Steve Nash is healthy.

Steve Blake (abdomen) "will be back in two to three weeks," according to the Los Angeles Times. Blake was targeting a mid-January return after surgery, so that sounds about right. When he does get back on the floor, it will help Mike D'Antoni's plan to decrease Steve Nash's minutes. Blake should resume the backup point guard role immediately.