Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Short on scoring and in need of help in their backcourt, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown said Tuesday the team has inquired about free-agent guard Gilbert Arenas.

“We’ve made a call on (him), yes,” Brown said. “We’ve called to see what his status is. That’s it.”

Brown said there are currently no plans to bring Arenas in for a workout.

“I have not talked to him, I have not watched any tape on him. It’s really just conversation,” Brown said.

“We’ve had conversation about a lot of players. There are a ton of players out there that we’ve had conversation about.”

Arenas is a three-time All-Star with a career average of 21.7 points per game but last year struggled in Washington before a mid-season trade to Orlando. With the Magic, Arenas’ numbers plummeted. He averaged only 8.0 points a game, shooting only 27.5 percent from 3-point range and 34.4 overall.

Injuries and league discipline have severely limited his time on the floor, as well. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Arenas has appeared in only 117 games.

The 30-year-old Arenas is a Los Angeles native.

The need for additional backcourt support is more acute with the absence of veteran point guardSteve Blake, who has missed nine consecutive games heading into Tuesday’s home date against the Charlotte Bobcats with a rib injury. Blake was evaluated by a Lakers doctor Tuesday and was cleared to run on the treadmill moving forward. He has also started to participate in light shooting drills. Blake originally was expected to be out 3-4 weeks with the injury, but the Lakers have not updated Blake’s timetable since Tuesday’s result.

Brown characterized communication between himself and the Lakers’ front office as consistent, but said he hasn’t asked for help for specific areas of the roster.

“I’m sure (general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) is doing what he can to help this team get better.”

WRITTEN BY Brian Kamenetzky covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com & FULL STORY HERE