The Chick Hearn Chronicles

Oh, There's Basketball Again?

2012-01-29T15:27:00.003-06:00

Yeah, that should be telling enough.

Just goes to show you how much I care anymore about the NBA.

Two lockouts in 12 years that resulted in two shortened seasons.

And David Stern still runs the show.

That's enough to turn me off, and away.

Oh, and let's not forget the overrated and untalented players that make up about 90% of the rosters,

They "entertain" us with their pure athleticism and little-to-no basketball skills or smarts.

It's no wonder players can't make free throws or 15-foot jumpers.

Where's Magic Johnson and Larry Bird when you need them?!

I want my 80's NBA back!

I think I've seen enough of the crybabies in this league. For now, anyway.

"I'm not your child."

2011-09-30T21:01:00.001-05:00

Those were the words of Miami superstar Dwayne Wade directed at NBA Commissioner David Stern during today's labor talks between the players and owners. Obviously things are getting heated between the two sides.

Stern supposedly pointed a finger in the direction of Wade during today's session while making a comment and Wade barked back at him, "You're not pointing your finger at me. I am not your child." Wade reportedly felt as if Stern was belittling him.

Talks got so heated at that point that the players in the room nearly stormed out. Union executive directive Billy Hunter calmed the players down and asked the players to remain at the negotiation table with Stern and the 10 owners present.

Think there might be a sense of urgency in trying to get a deal done?

Both the league and players cautioned that a deal is still far from close, but talks will resume in a much smaller forum tomorrow. The contingent of big-name players on hand today will not be present tomorrow.

In the meantime, the Italian League team, Virtus Bologna, that offered Kobe Bryant a contract announced today that they had a deal with him to join their team. The deal is reportedly for about 10 games over a 35- to 40-day period and worth about $3 million.

There are some scheduling conflicts posed by two of the other teams in the league which could hinder the deal, but Virtus is confident Kobe will still sign the deal.

Checking In... Lockout News

2011-09-23T21:49:00.001-05:00

It's been a very quiet off-season and lockout thus far. The league and players have met several times in recent weeks but without any progress on reaching a new labor deal.

In the meantime, because it's getting close to when training camps would normally begin, the league postponed camps indefinitely today and announced the cancellation of the first week of pre-season games this season of 43 games. There's really nothing to be optimistic as far as getting a season started on time at this point, but we're probably still about a week away from reaching panic mode.

With the lockout looking like it will linger well into the fall season, several players have already taken to signing with teams overseas, primarily in Europe, to stay in game shape.

Pau Gasol is already over there, and now Kobe Bryant has an offer on the table from an Italian team for about $6.75 million. Now the question is, will he take the offer and play there until the lockout ends?

We'll know soon enough.

What Brown Can't Do For You

2011-06-30T19:26:00.005-05:00

Shannon Brown has opted out of the final year of his contract by declining his player option and electing to become a free agent, whenever that may be as the players will be officially locked out as of midnight ET tonight.

Brown joined the Lakers in the middle of the 2008-2009 season in a trade deadline deal with Charlotte, along with Adam Morrison, for Vladimir Radmanovic. He averaged about eight points a game the last two seasons.

BREAKING: Locked Out!

2011-06-30T15:09:00.005-05:00

The NBA has locked out its players today.

The current collective bargaining agreement ends tonight at midnight ET.

The sides are far apart in negotiations on all major issues.

This includes salaries to salary cap, revenues to revenue sharing.

All league business has been suspended.

Free agency has been put on hold.

Games could be lost, as well.

Last lockout in 1998-99 resulted in a shortened 50-game season.

Talks could resume in next "two to three weeks."

It's Official

2011-06-24T00:21:00.002-05:00

Well, that didn't take long.

Just drafted F Chukwudiebere Maduabum of Nigeria has been traded.

Maduabum will take his services to Denver.

In return, Lakers get a future second-round pick.

We hardly knew ye, Chuky!

Laker Draft Picks

2011-06-23T23:47:00.006-05:00

As mentioned earlier, Lakers had four second-round picks in tonight's draft.

Here are the players they drafted:

41st: G Darius Morris, from Michigan
46th: G Andrew Goudelock, from College of Charleston
56th: F Chukwudiebere Maduabum, from Nigeria (go ahead, try to pronounce it!)
58th: F Ater Majok

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has already suggested either Maduabum or Majok could be traded later tonight, with the other going to Europe.

Lakers are also still waiting on whether Shannon Brown will exercise or decline his player option.

This could greatly affect the training camp roster and whether or not Gouldelock has a chance to make the team or not.

Meanwhile, Cleveland took Duke G Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick.

Arizona F Derrick Williams went second overall to Minnesota.

And two UCLA players were drafted, as well.

F Tyler Honeycutt was drafted in the second round by the Kings with 35th pick.

G Malcolm Lee was drafted by the Bulls with 53rd pick.

**********

And finally, from the "Say what?!" files...

Ron Artest has filed paperwork in L.A. to legally change his name to...

Metta World Peace.

No joke.

Read about it here.

Draft Day Has Arrived

2011-06-23T17:02:00.005-05:00

As usual, Lakers aren't expected to be big players at the draft.

They have no first round picks again.

But they have been trying to trade up to get into the Top 5.

And yesterday a rumor surfaced that they had made an offer for the second pick.

That pick is held by Minnesota who is expected to take Arizona forward Derrick Williams.

The rumored offer was Lamar Odom for Kevin Love and the pick.

As of right now, it looks like it's not happening.

However, trading Odom might not be a bad idea because he has a very attractive contract.

And if it meant getting Love and drafting Williams?

Well, that could fill two holes created by moving Odom.

One other rumor worth mentioning...

Odom and Ron Artest for Andre Iguodala. Would you do that one?

For now, Lakers have four second round picks (41, 46, 56 & 58).

My guess is that will be the extent of their night.

**********

Other tidbits...

Brian Shaw has been named Associate Head Coach of Indiana Pacers.

Matt Barnes has exercised his option and will return next season.

Bill Macdonald and John Ireland headline new Lakers broadcast teams.

Macdonald joins Stu Lantz as TV play-by-play guy, replacing Joel Myers.

Ireland replaces Spero Dedes on radio and will team up with Mychal Thompson.

Former Laker Center Shaquille O'Neal has retired after 19 seasons.

We Have a New Champion

2011-06-12T22:25:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on a job well done as they defeated the Miami Heat tonight 105-95 to clinch the 2011 NBA Championship in six games and earn their first ever NBA title.

Dirk Nowitzki was named series MVP.

I gained a lot of respect for this Mavs team as they had to go through the two-time defending champion Lakers to get this far. The Mavs earned this title.

My congrats also go out to all the Mavs fans out there here in DFW. As a relatively new resident here (four years) transplanted from L.A., I've come to know plenty of Mavs fans and they are some of the best fans in the world. So enjoy the win and the championship, and enjoy the parade in a couple of days. And as a reminder, from a Laker fan who didn't celebrate like a fool in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 or 2010, please celebrate peacefully with class and dignity! In other words, don't burn down your city!

This Just Totally Irks Me

2011-06-10T18:11:00.006-05:00

You know, I somehow expected this from Lebron James.

He already comes across as an arrogant, immature, pompous ass.

No wonder people are losing all respect for the guy!

But Dwayne Wade, too? I expected better from him...

Beautiful sportsmanship. Seriously...

This just exemplifies why I'm rooting hard for Dallas to win this thing.

One more win!

Two and a Half Months

2011-06-09T19:51:00.007-05:00

Ok, so I stole that title from the CBS hit sitcom. So sue me!

But yes, it's been a while, so let's get right to it and recap from where we left off...

We knew the Lakers got the two-seed and drew New Orleans in first round.

We knew they lost Game 1 at home.

They won the series in six.

They drew Dallas in the next round, and got slammed.

Dallas swept them in four games, and it wasn't pretty.

Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom committed stupid, ugly fouls in Game 4.

Bynum has been suspended for start of next season.

Pau Gasol simply didn't show up at all in the playoffs.

Quest for Three-peat Part II came to a crashing end.

Dallas is now playing Miami for the NBA title.

Series is tied 2-2, and the series has been closer than that!

Dirk Nowitzki is in "beastmode"; Lebron James has been MIA.

Phil Jackson retired; Mike Brown (yes, really, that Mike Brown!) was hired to replace him.

So long, triangle offense.

Moving forward in the off-season, here are five things the Lakers need...

Kobe healthy
Younger and quicker point guard (Chris Paul or Deron Williams, anyone?)
Shooters who can make their shots
More consistent bench play
Dwight Howard

All that said, everything is peachy in Laker-land.

In the meantime, we wait for a new champion, free agency and a possible league work-stoppage.

And the Sixth Man Award Goes to...?

2011-04-19T14:42:00.001-05:00

Lamar Odom! Congratulations, L.O.!

You've had a great season, so far!

Ugly Loss

2011-04-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

Well that wasn't very pretty now, was it?

But not to worry, these things happen. At least that's what Phil says.

Kobe did his part. Chris Paul did his too.

The rest of the Lakers didn't.

Pau was absent and took the day off.

So did the bench.

And so did the defense, especially in transition.

Ok, Hornets got their one road win.

Game 2 should be much different Wednesday night.

It better be or the two-time defending champs are in deep trouble.

Weird End to Regular Season

2011-04-14T21:32:00.003-05:00

After rolling through 17 of their first 18 after the break, Lakers went on a five-game skid.

They finished season winning last two against San Antonio and Sacramento to equate last year's 57-25 mark.

Along the way, Pau Gasol had a knee scare, but is fine. Just a bone bruise.

Andrew Bynum hyper-extended his knee, but is fine too.

Steve Blake came down with the chicken pox.

And Kobe was dinged $100k after making a racially sensitive slur to a referee in the aforementioned San Antonio game.

So, the two-time defending champs "earned" the two-seed and get CP3 and the Hornets in round one.

Game one is Sunday.

Quick Note

2011-03-28T20:50:00.003-05:00

Lakers are an NBA-best 15-1 since the All-Star Break.

Any questions?

I didn't think so.

And that triple-overtime 139-135 win last week against Phoenix was insane!

Seriously, insane!

Ok that's all. You may carry on...

Rocked in Cleveland

2011-02-16T23:13:00.001-06:00

So much for that 55-point blowout win two weeks ago against the Cavs at Staples...

Gasol's 30 & 20 not enough tonight.

Lakers finish trip 4-3 after starting 4-0.

All-Star Break this weekend at Staples.

Kobe, Pau and Blake Griffin to rep the local teams.

Ouch, That Hurt!

2011-02-14T21:43:00.004-06:00

Another ugly loss. But is anyone surprised they lost in Charlotte?

There was no magic in Orlando yesterday either.

One more stop on the seven-game roadie Wednesday.

Time to rock Cleveland!

Should We Just Call Them the Lakerbockers?

2011-02-11T23:10:00.006-06:00

Because the Lakers just simply own the Knicks at MSG. Or shall we call it, KSG:

Kobe Square Garden.

Season sweep complete against Knicks.

Kobe blew up for 19 in first; finished with 33 in rout.

**********

Cavs ended an NBA-record 26-game losing streak tonight with an overtime win against the Clippers in Cleveland. Had the Cavs lost again tonight, they would have surpassed the 1973 & 1974 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the longest losing streak by any North American team sport among the four major sports.

Beantown Beatdown

2011-02-10T21:50:00.005-06:00

It's gotta be the throwbacks! Strangely, they wore their 1971-72 home throwbacks on the road, and still won.

Five Lakers scored in double-figures lead by Kobe's 23.

Ray Allen passed Reggie Miller for most career three-pointers made.

On to take a bite out of the Big Apple tomorrow night.

**********

One other hoops note... Utah head coach Jerry Sloan retired today after 23 seasons.

One Week

2011-02-07T18:51:00.004-06:00

The Lakers lost to Boston and San Antonio at home last week, two teams with the top records in their respective conferences, but needed overtime to beat Houston at Staples and barely got by New Orleans on the road.

They played pretty good hoops in all four games but they had their lapses. Life doesn't get any easier for them.

The New Orleans win started a seven-game road trip that includes Memphis tonight, where they typically don't play well, Boston and New York on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday, and Orlando Sunday afternoon. The trip concludes with a stop in Charlotte next Monday, another place they don't generally play well, and Cleveland next Wednesday, against a Cavs team they walloped by 55 points last month at Staples.

They will need to play better than they have been if they even want to consider finishing above .500 on the trip.

The time is now! Let's rock!

A Common Problem

2011-01-30T19:32:00.001-06:00

Another ugly loss. They earned it. Kobe's 41 not enough.

Kings of Staples

2011-01-29T11:44:00.006-06:00

And it's not the Lakers. (And I'm not talking pucks either.)

So much for that beating they gave the Jazz the other night.

Ugly loss. Not for lack of trying. But ugly nonetheless.

This team's inconsistencies still make me cringe.

The C's arrive at Staples tomorrow. Should be uh... interesting.

Kobe passes "The Dream" for eighth all-time in scoring.

He's also starting another All-Star Game. Thirteen in a row!

Five Years Ago Today

2011-01-22T21:35:00.004-06:00

Kobe dumped 81 points on Toronto.

It was January 22, 2006. Lakers had a Sunday night home game against the Raptors, and little did anyone know that Kobe was about to make history. He finished with the most points ever scored by a Laker in a game, and second most ever in NBA history since Wilt Chamberlain dropped 100 points on the Knicks on March 2, 1962 while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors.

My how time flies.

Meanwhile, after losing to the Clippers last Sunday as the road team at Staples, the Lakers beat Oklahoma City the following night at Staples. They then took to the road and lost to a struggling Mavs team Wednesday night in Dallas, but rebounded nicely to beat the Nuggets in Denver last night.

Next up: The Jazz at Staples on Tuesday night.

And the Winning Streak...

2011-01-16T20:11:00.004-06:00

Goes bye-bye.

The Clippers halt the Lakers streak at seven today with a solid 99-92 win at Staples. This time, it wasn't Kobe or the Lakers that stepped it up in the fourth quarter. Instead, they showed their frustration at the end of the game, and two players from each team were tossed after a minor altercation ensued.

Lamar Odom, Ron-Ron, Blake Griffin and Baron Davis were all ejected. And Phil Jackson had some choice words for the refs afterwards.

In any case, both teams have home games tomorrow at Staples: the Clippers vs Indiana with a matinee affair, and the Lakers vs Oklahoma City in the nightcap.

Seventh Heaven

2011-01-15T15:27:00.004-06:00

That's where the win streak is at now after wins over the Warriors and Nets. They struggled in both games but Kobe came up big in the fourth quarter in both games, as usual.

They get another good test tomorrow: a red-hot Blake Griffin and the cross-arena Clippers.

112-57

2011-01-12T13:26:00.001-06:00

No, that score is not a typo. That was last night's final. A rather historical night to say the least.

Most lopsided win in Laker history: 55 points; third most in NBA history.

Fewest points allowed by Lakers in shot-clock era.

Fewest points ever scored by Cavs.

Had Lakers scored just one point in second half, they would have still won 58-57.

Ouch!

Hope they saved room for the Warriors tonight...

Back in the Saddle Again

2011-01-10T14:20:00.002-06:00

Ron-Ron setting the tone early with a P.J. Carlesimo-like hand-to-the-neck move, check.

Stellar defense shutting down prolific offense, check.

Bynum with his best game of the season, check.

"What can Brown do for you?" with the exclamation point three-pointer and dunk, check.

Rout of the Knicks, check.

Four-game winning streak, check.

And That, My Friends...

2011-01-08T11:04:00.000-06:00

Is a winning streak! Three in a row.

So Much For That

2011-01-03T14:39:00.003-06:00

Another ugly loss last night to Memphis. Horrible effort all around. Very disappointing.

Breaking News?

2010-12-30T21:02:00.002-06:00

Lakers snapped their three-game skid last night with a 103-88 win in New Orleans. Well, that was easy.

Awful

2010-12-25T20:08:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to you too, Lakers. What a horrible game, effort, performance, whatever... you name it.

Bastards...

Trade

2010-12-14T21:30:00.004-06:00

The Lakers have agreed to trade Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic to New Jersey in a three-team deal that would net the Lakers Joe Smith from Houston. Because Smith can't be traded until tomorrow, the 15th, the deal can't become official until then. Houston will get Terrence Williams from Jersey in the deal, which could include other elements once the deal is completed.

The Lakers are probably making this deal for two reasons: one, to rid themselves of Sasha's contract, and two, they're probably concern enough about Theo Ratliff's injury that they felt they needed to add more depth in the middle.

Meanwhile, Andrew Bynum made his season debut tonight in the Lakers win in Washington after a long recovery from a knee injury he suffered in the middle of last season. Bynum didn't start tonight, and he will probably be eased slowly back into the rotation.

New Season

2010-10-25T13:25:00.002-05:00

It's been a relatively busy four months for the Lakers since they won their second consecutive NBA title and their 16th overall. Here's a little recap of the off-season and a brief look ahead to the new 2010-2011 season as the Lakers begin to defend their title again tomorrow night against Houston when they raise that 16th banner to the rafters in Staples Center.

The Lakers drafted Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter, waved goodbye to Jordan Farmar, Josh Powell, DJ Mbenga, and Adam Morrison, who all left via free agency, and welcomed Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff. Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown also re-signed with the team, as well.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum are still nursing and recovering from last season's injuries. Both players had off-season surgery and while Kobe is ready to go tomorrow night, Bynum is still not completely healed and will start the season inactive. He is not expected to be ready until at least Thanksgiving, if not later.

Meanwhile, both Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton are dealing with new injuries. Vujacic is out indefinitely while he recovers from a concussion after getting an inadvertent elbow to the head by teammate Lamar Odom during practice recently. And Walton suffered a groin injury in a pre-season game over the weekend, and is also out indefinitely.

As for Odom, he went to the FIBA World Championships with Team USA and came home with a Gold Medal.

Apparently, only Pau Gasol and Ron Artest had relatively quiet off-seasons and pre-seasons.

The Lakers are expected to be a favorite to repeat as champions again heading into the season. Out West, their main competition will be the usual suspects, such as San Antontio, Dallas, Phoenix, Utah and Oklahoma City. However, there has been a shift in the East, and the Lakers will no doubt have another team to be concerned about besides Boston and Orlando.

The Miami Heat completely revamped their roster in the off-season when they not only re-signed Dwayne Wade, but added LeBron James and Chris Bosh as free agents. Add to the mix the likes of Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Udonis Haslem, the Miami Heat have suddenly become not only relevant again, but the favorites in the East.

The Celtics were able to re-sign Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and add Jermaine and Shaquille O'Neal, but their age, along with Kevin Garnett's recent injury history, has to still be of concern to Celtics. Injuries are already beginning to mount in Boston and the season hasn't even started yet.

The 2010-2011 season should be one of the more exciting seasons in recent years with so many players on new teams, and the emergence of new teams as serious contenders. But in the end, it would be foolish to pick against the Lakers to repeat for a third straight year. It won't be as easy this year for the Lakers, but the title is theirs until someone takes it from them.

Sweet 16!

2010-07-03T21:53:00.005-05:00

It's been two weeks since the Lakers clinched their 16th NBA title against Boston in seven games. Kobe earned his second straight NBA Finals MVP. The L.A. riots were in full force that night, as if right on cue. The parade has already come and gone. Phil Jackson has already announced he'll be back for one more year. And the free agency drama is already in full swing.

The Finals were certainly very entertaining, that is, if you enjoy watching the refs control them. But still, it was very entertaining. It was a see-saw battle throughout. The Lakers won Game One at home, then got beat in Game Two. The series shifted to Boston and Derek Fisher took over in Game three. The Celtics won the next two games in Boston, playing solid defense to stifle the Lakers. But Lakers returned the favor in the final two games back in L.A. with two insane defensive efforts to keep the Celtics at bay, at win their 16th NBA title, second most in NBA history behind Boston's 17, second in a row, and third win over the Celtics in their last four meetings head-to-head.

With all that behind them, the Lakers are looking forward to next season. The off-season drama began with the annual Phil Jackson watch. After meeting with doctors, he was cleared to resume his coaching duties, and elected to return for one more final year.

As for the players, Shannon Brown opted out of his contract, and Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Adam Morrison all became free agents, as well. They've already agreed to a four-year deal with guard Steve Blake, essentially marking the end of Farmar's Laker stay, at the very least. Blake can officially sign his contract on July 8th.

The Lakers and Fisher would like to continue their relationship, but Fisher wants a multi-year deal worth about $5MM per year, while the Lakers are only willing to go as high as $2.5 or $3MM per year. Is their a compromise somewhere in the middle? Sure. I'm pretty sure both would like to find some sort of resolution to this sooner rather than later.

The Lakers had been linked to guard-forward Mike Miller the day before signing Blake, but Blake's signing all but takes the Lakers out of the running for Miller. A sign-and-trade is always possible, but highly unlikely. Earlier in the off-season, it had been reported that the Lakers were very interested in guard Raja Bell, and they could very well still be interested. Bell has stated his first choice is Miami, so this is still in a wait-and-see mode until all the other top free agents find homes.

Aside from Fisher, the starting lineup figures to remain intact, assuming they don't trade Andrew Bynum. The bench appears to have been thinned out, and depending on how they fill out the bottom end of the roster, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton will probably be given more playing time next year than this. Both struggled immensely this season off the bench, Walton in large part due to an injury-plagued season, and Vujacic also battled nagging ailments, as well.

At least one of the Lakers draft picks this year is likely to make the roster. West Virginia small forward Devin Ebanks has a very good chance of not only making the team, but of becoming an key bench player for the Lakers. His biggest upside is his defense, and that's why the Lakers drafted him.

At this point regardless of how the off-season plays out for everyone, Lakers included, it would be foolish and hard-pressed to bet against the Lakers winning their third NBA title in a row next season. With so many key players on the market right now, and teams such as Miami, Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Cleveland all in play to not only bring back their key players, but also to add to them, it's still too early to tell who the Lakers primary opposition will be.

But one thing is for certain, the Lakers are the back-to-back defending NBA Champions!!

It's Been a While... Again

2010-05-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, life just gets in the way of being able to keep this space up-to-date, but with the holiday weekend upon us and the NBA season down to two teams after an interesting first three rounds of playoff hoops, It's time to get back down to business.

When we last spoke here, Kobe had just inked his three-extension and the Lakers were preparing for the playoffs. Since then, the Lakers have rolled through three rounds, though it was interesting for a while.

As the top seed in the West, they drew a very good eight-seed in Oklahoma City. The Thunder won two games in the series, and pushed the Lakers in a couple of the other games. But in the end, it was just too much Kobe, and too much Laker experience for the Thunder.

The Lakers then got a match-up with the Utah Jazz, and promptly swept them right out of round two. They manhandled the Phoenix Suns in the first two games at Staples in the Conference Finals, but looked lost in games three and four in Phoenix. With the series tied 2-2 in Game Five, the Lakers looked like they were on their way to another home blowout against the Suns. Instead, the Suns erased an 18-point deficit and with the score tied with 3.5 seconds left, the Lakers got some more of the playoff magic.

Ron Artest continued his hot streak in Game Six at Phoenix last night, and although the Lakers nearly blew another large lead, they hung on for an eight-point win and a third straight trip to the NBA Finals.

The Lakers will get a rematch, and home court, against the Boston Celtics. They split the season series 1-1, with each team winning on the road by one point. But the C's have the Lakers number when it comes to the Finals. In the previous 11 match-ups, the Lakers are just 2-9 overall against Boston in the Finals, including a six-game thumping by the Celtics in 2008. You can bet the Lakers are looking for revenge.

And for what it's worth, the Lakers are making their league-high 31st appearance in the Finals to go with their 15 titles, second most in the league behind Boston, who have 18 titles in just 21 total appearances in the Finals.

It should be a fun series.

More to come as it closer to Game One on Thursday night at Staples.

Lakers Extend Kobe

2010-04-02T18:10:00.005-05:00

Just days after completing a very disappointing 2-3 road trip as they prepare for the playoffs, the Lakers announced today they have inked Kobe Bryant to a three-year max extension, likely to be around $90MM.

Think it's a coincidence that Kobe's extension, Pau's extension and Ron Artest's contract all run through the 2013-2014 season? I think not. The Lakers have all but assured themselves they will be one of the top teams in the league through that season.

Ouch! That Hurt...

2010-03-27T09:20:00.005-05:00

After the Lakers struggled some, and looked relatively inconsistent in the initial couple weeks after Kobe's return from his ankle injury, they ran off seven straight wins. The first couple of those seven games weren't pretty, but they were wins. They started to play well again, as a team, and consistently enough that they reeled off seven straight wins.

Then they ran into a buzzsaw.

I didn't see any of last night's game, but I have to imagine from some of the score updates I saw that it was ugly. The score after three quarters was 80-47. In favor of Oklahoma City.

And for a change, Kobe had a lot to do with the 91-75 loss. He turned the ball over eight times. Seriously.

And it doesn't get any easier tonight. The Lakers are back at in the second of back-to-back games in Houston. Let's hope they don't have to call in any problems.

This team better get its act together when the playoffs arrive otherwise there won't be another parade through L.A. in June.

**********

A quick update: Andrew Bynum is expected to be back in action late next week after suffering a strained Achilles last week. And Luke Walton is inching closer to his return, as well.

And So It Goes...

2010-03-01T18:10:00.002-06:00

Kobe returns after a five-game injury absence in which the Lakers went 4-1 without him, only to look listless and effortless for two-plus games since. You kind of had to think this would happen. Their "main man" goes down and the other 11 guys suddenly feel a sense of urgency and play out of their minds for five games. Then the guy comes back and the rest of the team takes a deep breathe and a sigh of relief and they wait for something to happen through four games in which they looked dreadful in two-plus of them.

In any case, Kobe's back and hopefully the last 18 minutes of Sunday's win over Denver is a sign of things to come.

In the meantime, I stumbled across this little ditty of a rumor early this morning. In a nutshell, the rumor suggests Lebron James is quietly campaigning to join the Lakers in the off-season after his contract with Cleveland expires.

Now, as the article suggests, a lot would have to happen for this to ever come to fruition. The Lakers would have to shrug Kobe off to the sidelines and end all possible contract extension negotiations. Would they dare do that to the franchise's all-time leading scorer and the second most popular player in franchise history?

I just don't see it happening, but it does make for a fun little conversation.

Celtics Barely Escape Kobe-less Lakers

2010-02-19T00:26:00.003-06:00

Lakers lose by one, 87-86. They had several chances to take the lead in the last two minutes of the game but came up empty. Pau Gasol had 22 points for the Lakers in the loss.

The Lakers are off until next Tuesday when they begin a short two game trip in Memphis, followed by a stop in Dallas. Hopefully the extra off days between games will be plenty for Kobe to get back into a game. Lakers are 4-1 now without him, 42-14 overall.

No Kobe, No Problem!

2010-02-18T15:23:00.003-06:00

The Lakers are 4-0 with Kobe sitting out the past four games due to a bad ankle. One had to wonder if the Lakers would go into a panic mode not knowing how long Kobe would be out and make a trade before today's deadline, but it came and went and the Lakers stood pat.

The Lakers were tied to several trade rumors, including one that would have netted them Chicago's Kirk Hinrich. The sticking point to that potential deal, and frankly, any deal, was their inability to find a taker for Sasha Vujacic. The Lakers have grown more and more weary of Sasha's inconsistencies in recent weeks and started shopping him several weeks ago. But the Lakers were not looking to add any more payroll, so in order to take on the remaining two years, $17MM of Hinrich's contract, it had to be offset with a similar contract going the other way, and that contract was Vujacic. So the beat goes on. Hinrich is still in Chicago, and Vujacic in L.A.

The Lakers have beaten Portland, Utah and Golden State on the road, three teams that give the Lakers trouble in their buildings, and San Antonio at home without Kobe. Andrew Bynum missed the first three of those games, but Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol have stepped up nicely in all four games, and Bynum had a solid game on Tuesday in Golden State while playing in pain. Shannon Brown has played well in Kobe's absence, as well.

So the Lakers forward with the same team they've had all season as they host the Celtics tonight at Staples. And once again, Kobe will not play. There's no telling when he'll play, but if the rest of the team continues to step and play with the sense of urgency they've had over the past four games, they have a legit chance tonight. And it will give Kobe even more time for his ankle to heal.

Bynum's Injury

2010-02-06T23:58:00.001-06:00

It's a hip contusion he suffered in the first half. No word on how serious the injury is or whether he'll play Monday.

Kobe Sits, but Lakers Win Anyway

2010-02-06T23:26:00.004-06:00

The Lakers looked dreadful last night in the second half, losing big at home to Denver, 126-113, Kobe scored 33 points on a bum ankle after re-aggravating it in their win Wednesday night against Charlotte.

But after last night's game, the Laker's finally decided today that Kobe needed a rest, so he was given a night off tonight in Portland. Well, benching Kobe against a team they usually don't play well against in their building didn't seem like the right thing to do, and the odds were certainly stacked against the Lakers for a win, but lo and behold, they buckled down, and others stepped up in Kobe's absence, and the Lakers took care of business at the Rose Garden tonight, winning 99-82.

Lamar Odom, starting in Kobe's place, scored just 10 points but grabbed a whopping 22 boards. Ron Artest led the Lakers with 21 points and Shannon Brown added 19 off the bench.

I didn't get to see any of the game here, and there is no recap posted on the ol' www yet, so I am curious as to why Andrew Bynum only played 9½ minutes tonight.

Regardless, this was a much needed "team" victory. Hopefully they can use this win without Kobe as motivation because they'll need all the help they can get if Kobe doesn't play Monday when they host the Spurs.

More Laker History

2010-02-03T23:55:00.000-06:00

This time, with the 99-97 win tonight against Charlotte, Phil Jackson became the winningest coach in Laker history, passing Pat Riley with his 534th career win as a Laker.

The Passing

2010-02-02T11:48:00.001-06:00

Here's the video of Kobe passing Jerry West as the Lakers all-time leading scorer...

And Then They Lose...

2010-02-01T23:35:00.003-06:00

95-93 in Memphis. Clearly they were exhausted from playing the day before in Boston, but the Lakers notoriously don't play well in Memphis anyway. Kobe finished his record-setting night tying a season-high with 44 points.

They finish the road trip 5-3, and head back to L.A. with a 37-12 mark, and host Charlotte for a rare Wednesday night game at Staples.

Kobe is King Laker

2010-02-01T21:15:00.002-06:00

He needed 29 points to pass Jerry West as the team's all-time leading scorer and he's got 34 with about six and a half minutes left in the game in Memphis.

Congrats, Kobe!

533 and 2

2010-02-01T18:33:00.003-06:00

So you might be wondering what the two numbers mean. Well, the first one is pretty simple. Phil Jackson tied Pat Riley yesterday with 533 wins on the all-time Lakers win list for coaches in the Lakers 90-89 win at Boston. And Kobe was it again with yet another game-winner.

The number two might be a bit more difficult to decipher without a Laker "Number Translator."

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Pau Gasol trade to the Lakers. In the process, they unloaded some dead weight on the team, most notably Kwame Brown, Marc Gasol, his little brother, and Javaris Crittenton, who was recently suspended for the remainder of the season by the NBA for taking part in the Dirty Harry weapon-draw incident with teammate Gilbert Arenas last month.

But it's become pretty obvious how valuable Gasol has become to the Lakers over the last two years. The Lakers have been in the last two Finals since the trade. And here's some irony for you:

On the two-year anniversary of the trade, the Lakers continue their eight-game road trip tonight in of all places, Memphis, where Gasol came to the Lakers from. So you can imagine that even as Gasol has become a mainstay and fan-favorite in L.A., and he has grown to love it there, he will have some mixed emotions as he takes the floor tonight to take on his old team.

And Yet Another Laker Milestone

2010-01-30T16:09:00.003-06:00

And this one has nothing to do with Kobe.

Phil Jackson is just one win shy of tying Pat Riley atop the Lakers all-time wins list for coaches with 533 wins. Riles has a better win percentage with the Lakers with his 533-194 mark. Phil has 253 losses.

*****

Also forgot to congratulate Kobe on his All-Star selection, as well. He was voted in by the fans as a starter, and will be joined by teammate Pau Gasol, selected as a reserve on the West team. The All-Star game is next Sunday on Valentine's Day in Arlington at Cowboys Stadium. So far, more than 85,000 seats have been sold for this game, with an additional 15,000 standing-room only tickets expected to be sold. The 100,000 plus in attendance for the game would demolish the all-time attendance record for any basketball game anywhere.

Lebron Loses His Cool

2010-01-30T13:42:00.003-06:00

This is another reason he has a lot of growing up to do. You never saw/see Magic, MJ or Kobe have temper-tantrums like this when they don't get a call go their way...

Approaching Another Milestone

2010-01-30T12:08:00.005-06:00

As the Lakers continue their swing through the East Coast, Kobe continues his push towards another milestone. The team has won their last three games at Washington, Indiana and Philly last night in pretty convincing fashion since their loss in Toronto last Sunday, but Kobe is about to make Laker history.

After reaching 25,000 career points at the start of the trip last week in Cleveland, Kobe is now just 48 points shy of surpassing Laker legend Jerry West as the all-time leading scorer in Laker history. And all this hoopla over Kobe has started a whole new debate in L.A. over who the greatest player is in Laker history.

There are a few who believe it is Jerry West, but the real debate is between Kobe and Magic. Having grown up watching Magic do things no other guard in the history of the game has ever done, and being in awe watching him do it, and then having the honor as an adult to see Kobe do what he does, it's a very tough decision. They both certainly can make a great argument for this honor, but my vote goes to Magic, for several reasons.

While Kobe is a pure scorer, and arguably one of the most clutch players in the history of the game, Magic was the one who wowed and awed players and fans with his knack for making players around him better. Kobe's getting better at that, but Magic was great at it. He always knew where everyone on the floor was. He was an amazing passer. He was an amazing "quarterback" on the court.

Magic also had his share of game-winning shots, and you could make an argument that his game-winners are more memorable than Kobe's because of the conditions. There's the "baby sky hook" in Boston in the Finals in 1987. That one is probably his greatest shot ever. It's the most memorable. He had another clutch shot in Boston earlier that season the beat the Celtics at the buzzer.

Take a look...

And let's not forget his performance in the 1980 Finals against Philly, when Kareem couldn't go in Game Six because of a badly sprained ankle. Magic stepped in as the center and promptly led the Lakers to their first of five titles in the 80s while picking up the slack in Kareem's absence.

But Magic's fame and glory came for making players around him better. No one could read or see the court better than Magic. He did things on the court and with the ball that no one has ever done or been able to do. He knew exactly where every player was on the court at all times. He was the only player who had eyes on the back of his head as well as the front. Magic mesmerized teammates, opponents and fans alike.

Magic was not only a five-time champion, but he was a three-time MVP winner. Sure, Kobe is closing in as a four-time champion, and has an MVP of his own, but Magic will always be... the Magicman.

Lakers Go to Washington

2010-01-25T17:04:00.005-06:00

After blowing a four-point lead with a minute and a half in yesterday's game at Toronto to lose 106-105 (Kobe finished one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with a 27-16-9 line), the Lakers moved back stateside and spent the morning visiting President Obama at the White House, who honored them for their championship run last season.

Here's a short video from NBA TV. (Pay close attention to Obama's plea to Phil Jackson to give some members of Congress a few hoops pointers.)

After visiting the White House today, the Purple and Gold will continue their swing through the Eastern seaboard with a quick stay in D.C. through tomorrow night with a game against the Gilbert Arena-less Wizards. Also, Ron Artest, who was not part of last year's title, sat out the visit with the flu. He'll be a game-time decision tomorrow night.

A Tale of Two Cities

2010-01-23T14:37:00.004-06:00

The Lakers got off to a great start on Thursday night in Cleveland, but couldn't finish off the Cavs, and lost 93-87. The battle between Kobe and Lebron lived up to its expectations, as Kobe scored 31 on 12 of 31 shooting while Lebron netted 37 on 13 of 25 shooting.

The Lakers demise on the night was their inability to make shots down the stretch. It was a see-saw battle for much of the game, but in the end, the Cavs kept their cool, and the Lakers couldn't hit their shot from the field or the free throw line. The Lakers were also unable to match Cleveland's intensity throughout the game, something Kobe was a little concerned after the game.

“The mentality has to change a little bit playing against these teams,” Bryant said. “These teams are physical, tough-minded, hard-nosed types of teams. That’s not part of our DNA. We have to step up and match that and still play skillful basketball.”

Meanwhile, the Lakers got a good game for most of the night from the Knicks on Friday, but in the end, they were too much for New York, pulling out a 115-105 win.

Kobe continued to struggle with his shooting in large part because of the injured index finger on his shooting hand, hitting just eight of his 24 shots to lead six Lakers in double figures with 27 points. It was a ho-hum game for Kobe until he took over late in the game. Obviously, it was a far cry from his 61-point night there last season, but he made his points matter, especially down the stretch.

Pau Gasol added 20 while Andrew Bynum poured in 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter. Lamar Odom had an unusual line, scoring just two points while grabbing a team-high 14 rebounds.

Next up on the road trip, north of the border on Sunday in Toronto. Oh Canada!

25,000

2010-01-21T19:54:00.001-06:00

Kobe has just notched his 25,000th career point to become the youngest player ever to reach the milestone.

Lakers and Cavs, Kobe and Lebron...

2010-01-21T18:59:00.000-06:00

The Rematch. Now.

Last Night's Win, and Pau Wins Award

2010-01-19T22:31:00.007-06:00

The Lakers looked like they were going to roll all over the Magic early last night but wound up coughing up the lead in the third period, then had to battle back to edge the Magic, 98-92. Kobe had another horrible shooting night, shooting four-for-19 from the field for just 11 points, though he looked like he was feeling a lot better as far as his back went. Kobe will also have to wait another night to reach 25,000 points for his career.

The Lakers continue to plug along with the league's best record, now at 32-9 after last night's win. The begin an eight-game roadie on Thursday in Cleveland against Lebron James and the Cavs.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol was named 2009 Sportsman of the Year by the L.A. Sports Council. During the year 2009, Gasol won an NBA title with the Lakers, was all-NBA third-team, won the European Championship while winning MVP honors, signed an extension with the Lakers through the 2013-2014 season, and kicked off his acting career with a cameo on CSI: Miami. Congratulations, Pau!

Finals Rematch

2010-01-18T21:23:00.004-06:00

It's been a while again since I've blogged in this here space, but while I've been absent the Lakers have continued to roll, sort of. They continue to lead the league with the best record at 31-9 going into tonight's Finals rematch with Orlando, but they've struggled over the last eight games since January 3rd while going 5-3.

In the process of looking like the champs that they are in their five wins against Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, Dallas again and the Clippers, they also looked lost and uninspired in losses to the Clippers, Blazers and Spurs. Kobe had his worst game of the season, if not in his career, against the Spurs, but that was largely due to his plethora of injuries.

He's still battling a broken finger on his shooting hand, and a banged up elbow, and in that Spurs game, he strained his lower back after suffering back spasms earlier in that game. He struggled in the first half of the next game in Dallas but played well in the second half that he wound up hitting the game-winning shot.

The Lakers also got Pau Gasol back in their last game, a 40-point blowout of the Clippers. Gasol had reinjured his hamstring early in that January 3rd blowout of Dallas and hadn't played since.

In the meantime, in spite of Gasol's injury and Kobe being banged up, the Lakers have been getting some nice contributions from Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar. Ron Artest has also since returned to the lineup after his Christmas Day fall in his home that sidelined him for a few games since.

Back to Kobe. He's still fighting through the bad back but as he put it earlier today, "it's stiff, not painful." He'll play tonight. He needs 30 tonight for 25,000 in his career. (More on Kobe later as I want to touch on how he relishes the challenge of playing with all these injuries compared to other great players.)

Reflecting on the Last Decade

2010-01-03T18:07:00.003-06:00

As we move into a new decade, it's always fun to reflect on the previous 10 years just completed. That said, I thought we'd go back and look at the best Laker games and players of the last 10 years.

Top Laker Games. Where do we start? The Lakers provided us fans with so many great games in the last 10 years that it's virtually impossible to find a place to start. But I'll give it a shot!

8. Any of Kobe's regular-season buzzer-beaters not mentioned below.

7. Kobe scores 61 at Madison Square Garden.

6. Kobe takes over in overtime in Finals against Indiana after Shaq fouls out.

5. Kobe hits TWO buzzer-beaters in Portland, one at end of regulation, and one to win in 2OT.

4. The Lakers rally from 15 points down in fourth quarter to beat Portland in Game 7.

3. Kobe dumps 81 on Toronto.

2. Robert Horry's playoff three-pointer buzzer-beater from top of the key beats the Kings.

1. Derek Fisher's playoff buzzer-beater in San Antonio with .04 seconds left.

I know I'm probably missing some games from this list, but these are the most memorable games that have stuck with me over the last 10 years.

And how about the top Laker players over the last 10 years? Well, there are two, maybe three, that are pretty obvious. So if we break the top five down by position, this is what we come up with:

Center: Shaquille O'Neal. Continued the history of dominant big men in Purple and Gold.

Power Forward: Pau Gasol. One of the most consistent power forwards in franchise history.

Small Forward: Rick Fox. Another in the long line of consistency.

Point Guard: Derek Fisher. Along with Kobe, was part of four decade titles.

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant. Is there anyone else?

Merry New Year!

2010-01-03T17:56:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been a while, and my apologies for being dark over the past couple of weeks.

During my absence from this here blog, the Lakers have continued to roll, having won five of the seven games they've played. They haven't played particularly well in most of those games, including two ugly losses, one to Lebron James and Cleveland on Christmas, and the other to Phoenix a few nights later. They have managed to find ways to win the others, including another Kobe buzzer-beater two nights ago against Sacramento.

Welcome to 2010. Some things will never change!

Moving forward, tonight, they host a red-hot Dallas Mavericks team that is second in the conference behind the Lakers at 23-10.

The question still remains about whether or not Ron Artest will play. As you know, he suffered a concussion after a Christmas Day fall in his home and hasn't played since, and the lack of his presence defensively is very noticeable. He did practice, somewhat, with team doctors and neurologists looking on, and will apparently be a game-time decision.

Again?!

2009-12-20T18:00:00.004-06:00

From Wednesday 12/16. (A few days late!) Kobe goes for 39 after netting 42 the night before.

What broken finger?!

Jazz Snaps Lakers Streak at 11

2009-12-12T22:24:00.002-06:00

I didn't see the game, so I have no real opinion or analysis to add.

Final score: Jazz 102, Lakers 94. Here's the box score from the game.

My Beef with King James

2009-12-12T16:50:00.007-06:00

I haven't had a chance this past week to react to an incident that occured recently, but now that I have a few minutes, and I've actually had a chance to gather my thoughts on it, I figured now's as good a time as any to give you my opinion on it.

Everyone knows LeBron James is a great player. And, everyone knows he loves to have fun, especially on the court. But last Friday night against the Bulls, I think he went a little overboard.

Throughout the game that night, LeBron was seen dancing excessively on the sidelines and during the game, even while he was on the court. He was seen during one timeout making "funny" faces at the camera that just so happened to be right in his face. And as he put it later, he was just having fun.

Well, Bulls center Joakim Noah took exception to it. And frankly, so did I. Late in the game, while James was about to shoot a couple of free throws in front of the Bulls bench, Noah, sitting on the bench, started calling him out on it. After James made one of the free throws, he casually walked towards the Bulls bench to confront Noah, but before it got out of hand, it was broken up.

Still, even after the game, there was a lot of talk about it.

Now, we all know Noah had a knack for a doing a little excessive taunting back when he was at the University of Florida. And some might suggest he was being a bit hypocritical to call out James. But I think Noah was dead-on for calling him out in this case.

This is the NBA. It's a professional league where the players get paid. This is a different animal from the NCAA.

Some say that NBA players, no, check that, all professional athletes, are entertainers. While this might be true, the last thing that gives you the right to do is showboat, rub it in your opponents faces. It's one reason why I'm not a big NFL fan. Because the lack of maturity and respect from some players to their opponents disgusts me. (The end zone showboating after a score has gone far too overboard for my taste, and so has the showboating after making a great defensive play when they're trailing by three touchdowns late in a game.)

Back to LeBron James. As I said before, he's nothing short of a great player, a great athlete, a great talent. But one thing he does lack, in my opinion, is maturity. And I think it was that immaturity that led to the excessive dancing on the court.

By comparison, you never, ever saw Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Michael Jordan dance around like that while on the court in the middle of a game. You never saw them disrespect their opponents. Heck, you don't even see Kobe do it, or even Dwayne Wade.

Why? Because they respected/respect the game and their opponents. And most importantly, they took/take the game seriously. They were/are passionate about it. Sure, they tried/try to have fun, but they did/do it without chastising their opponents.

They did/do it respectfully and with dignity.

Kobe Breaks Finger as Lakers Roll to 11th Straight Win

2009-12-12T16:03:00.003-06:00

The Lakers keep find ways to turn close games into routs, and last night was no different. Well, actually it was.

The difference was Kobe broke his index finger on his shooting hand in the first quarter while he was reaching for a pass. He stayed in the game briefly and played through it but eventually came out of the game and went to the locker room for x-rays and treatment. He came back out for the second half and finished the game with 20 points.

With the 104-92 win over former Laker player and coach Kurt Rambis and his Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers improved their-league best record to 18-3 and wrapped up the easy part of their schedule on a roll. The Lakers got a generous schedule in which they played 17 of their first 21 games at home, and rolled through that stretch with a 15-2 home mark.

Pau Gasol was outstanding last night pouring in 17 points and pulling down a career-high 20 rebounds, and Ron Artest added 16 points for the Lakers.

In this last stretch, the Lakers won impressive games this week against Utah and Phoenix. With the Phoenix win, the Lakers reminded the Suns, the rest of the conference, and probably the rest of the league, as well, who the Cream of the Crop really is.

Utah will get a chance for redemption tonight as the Lakers travel into cold Salt Lake City for a rematch against the Jazz. But they won't get any breaks (no pun intended) because it's going to take a lot more than a broken finger to keep Kobe off the floor. Kobe is expected to play tonight, but how effective, or ineffective he is because of the broken finger, well, we'll just have to wait and find out, won't we?!

Another Kobe Buzzer-Beater

2009-12-05T00:40:00.008-06:00

We should be used to this by now as Laker fans, but this was ridiculous! Kobe heaved a running three-pointer off the backboard as time expired for an electric 108-107 win over Miami, sending another sellout Staples Center crowd into a frenzy. Dwayne Wade couldn't have defended Kobe on that play any better.

Just simply a great finish to a great game. There's not much else to say about this game. That's how great a game it was.

The win was the Lakers eighth straight win to improve to a league-best 15-3.

Ouch!

2009-12-02T22:05:00.005-06:00

Anyone happen to see the box score for Atlanta's 146-115 win over Toronto tonight?

The Hawks had nine players score in double figures tonight, folks! That's right, NINE players in double figures. And a tenth player scored nine points!

It also didn't help that Chris Bosh only scored two points for the Raptors. I guess he was so happy to be out of frigid Toronto for a night, that he simply took the night off to celebrate being in a warm climate city for a change.

Lakers Help Nets Rewrite History

2009-12-02T21:34:00.003-06:00

After routing the Warriors in Oakland, 130-97, this past Saturday night, the Lakers did the same to New Jersey at Staples the following night, hammering the Nets 106-87. With that loss, the Nets tied a league record for most consecutive losses to start a season with 17.

Tonight, back in Jersey, the Nets hosted the Dallas Mavericks in hopes of trying to avoid history with the worst start in NBA history to start a season without a win. Instead, they took another beating, losing to Dallas, 117-101, in a game that wasn't even that close. The Nets now own a part of NBA history... for futility.

0-18.

No team has ever had such a start.

The Mavs held a 77-50 halftime lead and shot a ridiculous 81% from the field in the first half, including 90% in the second quarter. The game was actually tied at one point at 28, but the Mavs blew the game open from there, and never looked back. They led by as much as 31 points early in the third quarter.

The announced crowd at the Izod Center in Jersey was just under 11,700, but there probably wasn't even that many fans in the building, so the chorus of boos was hardly noticeable as the final seconds evaporated off the clock.

Meanwhile, while the Nets were creating new history, the Lakers continued their march towards another title.

After the blowouts against the Warriors and Nets, the Lakers buzzed past the Hornets last night at Staples, 110-99, their seventh straight win, improving to 14-3 on the young season. Coupled with a stunning Phoenix Suns loss to the hapless New York Knicks, the Lakers leap-frogged the Suns into first place in the Pacific Division. The Suns then proceded to follow last night's embarrassment with another ugly loss tonight, 107-90 in Cleveland.

With another off day tomorrow night, they get Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat on Friday night, and then Phoenix on Sunday night, both at Staples.

A Quiet Win

2009-11-25T12:39:00.006-06:00

The Usual Suspects led the Lakers to a ho-hum 100-90 win over the hapless New York Knickerbockers last night out at Staples. And as Forrest Gump proclaimed, "And that's all I have to say about that."

Now I go prepare to eat turkey and pie tomorrow.

Happy Turkey Day and safe travels, if you're traveling, to everyone!

Say What?!

2009-11-23T13:09:00.001-06:00

Kobe decides to start a quick game of H-O-R-S-E during last night's game...

Ok... your turn!

Lakers Win Another Yawner...

2009-11-22T22:53:00.006-06:00

This one against the OKC Thunder, 101-85.

Didn't get to see the game as I don't have League Pass on my DirecTV. But from what I could tell just looking at the box score and whatnot, the game wasn't really even that close.

Kobe led all scorers with 26, adding six rebounds and seven assists, while Andrew Bynum poured in 25 plus seven boards. I guess that "jammed" ankle wasn't bothering him tonight. The newfound actor added 15, seven and six, as well.

Lakers improve to 10-3, and get the Knicks at Staples on Tuesday. (So, make it 11-3?!)

Lakers Run Past Bulls

2009-11-21T00:49:00.003-06:00

Pau Gasol's return was a doozy: 24 points and 13 boards in 35 minutes of a 108-93 running of the Bulls. Word on the street is Gasol will be promoted to pick the locale of the next CSI series after this stellar season debut.

(Rumor has it he's also been asked to pick a The Who song for the show's theme song and chose "Run Like Hell" to commemorate tonight's win over the Bulls, not knowing it was a Pink Floyd song instead.)

CSI: Barcelona anyone?!

Meanwhile, 'Drew Bynum left the game midway through quarter three with a jammed right ankle, and is listed as D2D. My thinking is he was kept out of the rest of the game because of the score, and not so much because the injury is worse than it is.

Next up: Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder Sunday night at Staples.

CSI: Miami Star Returns

2009-11-19T22:01:00.002-06:00

To the court. Pau Gasol is back in action tonight, making his season debut against the Bulls at Staples. So far, so good.

Kobe Goes For 40 For the 100th Time

2009-11-18T00:21:00.002-06:00

And for the fourth time this season alone. Kobe finished the night with 40 points on 17 of 29 shooting as the Lakers ripped Detroit, 106-93.

Lakers improve to 8-3, with Chicago in town Thursday night.

Walton Out Six Weeks

2009-11-16T23:06:00.000-06:00

Luke Walton, who missed last night's game with a sore back, is expected to miss the next six weeks after being diagnosed with a pinched nerve.

Pau Gasol...

2009-11-16T23:04:00.003-06:00

As Doc Brown once proclaimed in Back to the Future, "the actor?!"

A snipet...

Kobe Goes Cold Against Rockets

2009-11-15T23:24:00.001-06:00

Uh, Houston? We have a problem.

That seems to be the glaring theme tonight after Kobe went ice cold, scoring just 18 points on 5 of 20 shooting, while the Rockets blasted the Lakers 101-91. Of greater concern was Kobe's right groin, an injury he originally suffered last week against New Orleans, which he apparently re-aggravated in the first quarter. He was nice enough to stay in the game and play through it.

In a strange twist, only one Rocket starter scored in double figures tonight: Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 33 points. But it was still enough to hand the Lakers their second straight loss and third of the season.

Lakers Look Lost in Denver

2009-11-14T00:45:00.000-06:00

Fortunately for them, it was a game in November, and not May or June. The game was competitive for about 24½ minutes and then the Nuggets took over and turned it into a blowout. Final score: Home Team 105, Visitors 79.

The Lakers did manage to get balanced scoring from four of the five starters, but Derek Fisher was virtually unheard from tonight, and the entire bench with the exception of eight Jordan Farmar points was non-existent. Kobe and Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 19 points apiece.

Back home on Sunday with Houston. Trevor Ariza gets his ring.

Win Streak Reaches Six

2009-11-13T00:11:00.001-06:00

The Lakers improved to 7-1 as their win streak reached six tonight with a 121-102 blowout of the Phoenix Suns at Staples. The win follows a 104-88 romp of New Orleans on Sunday.

The "Captain" Has Leukemia

2009-11-10T07:10:00.002-06:00

Hall of Fame and Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced last night that he has a rare form of leukemia. Kareem sounded optimistic about the long-term prognosis, and provided he follows through with all of treatments and medications, says it is manageable.

Kareem intends to continue with his normal schedule of activities while undergoing treatment.

We wish Kareem all the best and pray for a speedy recovery.

41

2009-11-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

That seems to be Kobe's new number. For the third time in six games this season, Kobe has scored 41 points as the Lakers ripped the Memphis Grizzlies 114-98.

Lakers improve to 5-1 on the young season.

Another Nailbiter...

2009-11-04T22:29:00.002-06:00

But Lakers prevail 103-102 in overtime in Houston. Kobe finishes with 41 again, and 6 and 2.

Lakers improve to 4-1.

Overtime Again

2009-11-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

Tied at 92 in Houston...

Gasol Update

2009-11-04T20:22:00.002-06:00

While the Lakers are battling it out deep in the heart of Texas against the Rockets and former teammate Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol was cleared today to resume all basketball activities after his extensive MRI revealed he did not have a tear in his hamstring. That said, he's expected to practice tomorrow and could see game action as early as Friday.

Meanwhile, Ariza and Ron Artest were assessed technical fouls in the first quarter, and Artest, who played for Houston last season, was booed mercilessly by Rockets fans every time he touched the ball.

The game was tied at 22 after one quarter.

Lakers Dodge One in OKC

2009-11-03T22:09:00.001-06:00

Final: Lakers 101, Thunder 98, OT.

Kobe finished with a 31-6-4 line while battling flu-like symptoms.

Houston tomorrow night.

Kobe's in the Lineup

2009-11-03T18:56:00.002-06:00

His fever is gone but he's still got a sore throat and isn't 100%. None of this has stopped him from playing before, so he'll be ready to go.

Kobe Out Tonight?

2009-11-03T14:02:00.002-06:00

He has flu-like symptoms and a high fever. He missed this morning's shoot-around, as well. He's listed as questionable for tonight and is a game-time decision. Stay tuned.

Gasol To Miss At Least Two More

2009-11-02T16:53:00.002-06:00

As it turns out, he might have a small tear in his hammy. A sonogram revealed the possible tear and he underwent an extensive MRI today, of which the results won't be known until tomorrow.

This is obviously not very good news, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for that MRI to come back negative tomorrow.

Lakers Romp Hawks

2009-11-01T23:32:00.000-06:00

Wasn't expecting this against a pretty good young team. but still without Pau Gasol, the Lakers rolled to a 118-110 win over Atlanta at Staples. Kobe poured in 41, the 97th time in his career he's scored 40 or in a game.

The Lakers trailed the Hawks midway through the second quarter, 38-37, but by halftime, they had regained the lead and opened it up to 64-58. By the end of the third, the Lakers were cruising by 22 points, 98-76.

The Lakers hit the road for a back-to-back in Oklahoma and Houston tomorrow and Wednesday nights before heading back to Staples for a matchup with Memphis on Friday night.

Gasol Still Out

2009-11-01T19:42:00.003-06:00

Pau Gasol got his first ever championship ring just before the Lakers began their title defense on Tuesday night with a 99-92 win on opening night. But he didn't play. Three nights later, the Lakers looked sluggish, still without Gasol, in a 94-80 loss at Staples to Dallas.

Tonight, the Lakers hope to get back on the winning track against Atlanta, but Gasol will not be available again. Gasol is still nursing a sore hamstring that has kept him out of action since early in the pre-season.

The Lakers aren't too concerned about it, but Gasol is, as there is no timetable for his return. While he's still listed as day-to-day, it seems more like he's week-to-week.

Hopefully they can get him back sooner rather than later.

Ring Ceremony Revisted

2009-10-27T16:38:00.003-05:00

Twenty-two years and five titles later, this never gets old. This is from the 1987 ring ceremony, emceed by the late, great Hall of Fame Laker broadcaster Chick Hearn.

It's time to hand out some more hardware and raise another banner to the Staples Center rafters! The quest for 16 begins tonight!

Pre-season Winding Down...

2009-10-24T14:31:00.004-05:00

Opening night is just three days away. Championship banner number 15 will be raised to the Staples Center rafters that night, against their in-house, in-town rival Clippers, with number one pick Blake Griffin making his official pro debut for the Clippers.

So many storylines heading into the 2009-2010 season.

For the Lakers, the big question is, can they repeat? Many people they can, and a lot of people think they will. Some don't think Ron Artest will make them anymore better than Trevor Ariza, and those same people don't think they can repeat. Either way, it won't be easy. And it looks like they'll have to start their quest to repeat without the services of Pau Gasol, who is still nursing a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last six pre-season games.

Back to the task at hand: repeating.

The West is loaded again. Denver still appears to be their biggest challengers, but Utah is still there, Dallas has gotten better with the addition of Shawn Marion, Portland is a year older and experienced, San Antonio is another year older but added Richard Jefferson, and just to throw them into the mix, the Clippers might contend for a playoff spot if they stay healthy.

The East still has its three beasts: The Celtics, who are a year older but added Rasheed Wallace to the mix, the Cavs, who added Shaq, and Orlando. All three teams have 60 wins written all over them.

All but the Clippers are serious contenders, and any one of them (minus the Clippers) can dethrone the Lakers. But really, the only team that can really beat the Lakers, is the Lakers. They've got to stay healthy. Artest has to be on his best behavior. (He's been seeing a sports psychologist for the past year to work on his anger management issues front he past.) Lamar Odom needs to stay focused and be accept his role off the bench. If all that happens, there's no reason the Lakers won't repeat.

The roster is virtually the same with the exception of Artest. And you can't help but think that the former Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Defensive Team can only help. And not to mention his 17-point career average is a little more intriguing than Ariza's eight-point average.

So let's get the banner up and defend that title.

Summer News

2009-08-20T19:41:00.006-05:00

Ever since Lamar Odom finally re-signed with the Lakers last month, I was hoping things would quiet down for the Lakers until camp started, but lo and behold, it's been anything but for the World Champions. That said, here's a brief chronological rundown/recap on some of the key news items since Odom's signing:

The Lakers waived guard Sun Yue. I don't think anyone will miss him.
Guard Sasha Vujacic underwent minor knee surgery following a minor injury suffered while playing for Slovenia's national team this summer. He has since fully recovered and has resumed full basketball activities. Barring any setbacks, he'll be ready for camp.
Former Laker forward and assistant coach Kurt Rambis was named head coach of the Timberwolves. Congratulations, and good luck in Minnesota! You'll need it.
Forward Pau Gasol broke his left middle finger (his non-shooting hand) while practicing with the Spanish national team. The injury required surgery but it's not considered a serious injury and he was expected to miss only three weeks. This timetable means Gasol should be more than ready when camp opens up in October, but to be safe, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti is flying later this month to Spain to check on Gasol, and to make sure the reports of the three-week setback are accurate.

That should about cover it. This space is now current and up-to-date!

Odom To Re-Sign With Lakers

2009-07-30T16:28:00.004-05:00

About time. Now can we move on and not talk about this anymore? Here's the ESPN.com report...

As L.O.'s World Turns

2009-07-22T19:19:00.005-05:00

We haven't heard much on the Lamar Odom drama in a few days, but there's an interesting rumor floating around the internet.

Last week, we learned that Odom reached out to Laker owner Jerry Buss in hopes of fixing the mess Odom created by rejecting the Laker offers. One source claimed the two met last night. Yesterday we also heard Kobe say he's confident that Odom will return to the Lakers. Now today, Black Sports Online is reporting that their sources say the Lakers and Odom have reached an agreement.

However, John Ireland says in his blog that after talking with his sources within the organization, no such deal has been reached. He also says that Odom will have to take a lesser offer than the ones he turned down if he's to re-sign with the Lakers. The Lakers will not put either of the offers (the 3- or 4-year deals) back on the table, and no offer is currently on the table. Finally, Ireland also says it was Odom who turned down the Lakers, not his agent, Jeff Schwartz.

This all sounds like something you might find on the Soap Opera cable network at 3am.

Lakers Pull Offers for Odom

2009-07-15T16:59:00.005-05:00

The Lamar Odom saga has taken a new twist. The Lakers yesterday pulled their two offers on the table for Odom, saying that they were growing frustrated with him and his agent, Jeff Schwartz. The two offers are reported to be around $9MM per year for four years, and around $10MM per year for three.

According to a report today in the L.A. Times, people within the Lakers organization, and people close to Odom, however, believe that Odom wants to re-sign with the Lakers and accept one of the offers. However, his agent isn't convinced of that. Well, last time I checked, the agent works for the player, not the other way around. If a player says he wants to sign one of the contracts, it's the agent's responsibility to make sure that happens. The agent is an adviser and a negotiator, nothing more. The agent isn't the decision-maker, the player is.

Last weekend Mitch Kupchak admitted he was growing frustrated with Odom and his agent, and at the time didn't like his chances of being able to re-sign Odom, although he had hoped for a resolution 'in a couple of days.' Well those couple of days have come and gone, and no resolution has been reached, unless you count the retraction of the two offers the Lakers way of saying, ' we have reached a resolution.'

The Lakers say they will be more than willing to re-open negotiations, but Odom and his agent will have to come to them, and the two offers pulled yesterday are no longer on the table. Any new offers made by the Lakers could very well be for less than those retracted yesterday.

This all has an eerie similarity to the Dodgers situation with Manny Ramirez this past spring, doesn't it? I would guess the Lakers have grown tired of the lack of communication from the Odom Camp, and are ready to move on. It also appears obvious the Lakers have no intention what-so-ever of getting into a bidding war with themselves, as there are no other known offers from any other team for Odom. There does appear to be some lukewarm interest from at least four other teams (Dallas, Miami, Utah and Portland), but no serious talks have apparently taken place, and no offers have been made.

My advice to the Lakers is this: if re-signing Odom is going to hinder their chances of re-signing Pau Gasol when his contract is up in two years, I pass on Odom. Odom's a nice role player to have coming off the bench, and when he's on top of his game, and focused on the task at hand, he's one of the best players in the game. But his inconsistencies make him a liability. Gasol, to me, is a much more important piece of the puzzle for the future beyond the next two years. Let Odom walk, I say.

Stay tuned as this may get even stickier before it all irons out.

Artest Signing Official

2009-07-08T11:33:00.004-05:00

Here is the story on the Lakers official website with an official press release. All free agent signings in the NBA can officially take place starting today as the moratorium period has concluded.

Artest will be wearing No. 37 for the Lakers in honor of Michael Jackson's album Thriller, which spent a record 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200 Albums chart in 1984 and 1985. Jackson died unexpectedly 13 days ago at the age of 50 in Los Angeles.

Shannon Brown has also officially signed a new two-year deal with the Lakers. Here is his official announcement.

Phil and L.O.

2009-07-04T22:23:00.004-05:00

Well you knew Phil would return next season, especially if he was cleared medically. Well, it's now confirmed.

Not confirmed yet is the rumored three-year, $23-$24MM offer coming to Lamar Odom, as suggested by ESPN's Chirs Broussard. We'll find out soon enough.

Also, according to the NY Post, the Lakers, along with Orlando, have made "serious inquiries" about Knicks RFA PG Nate Robinson. The same report also says Robinson could very well just accept the Knicks one-year qualifying offer. Should the Lakers make him an offer for the Knicks to match, and the Knicks don't match it, you can almost bet Jordan Farmar will be out of the picture next season.

An Insider's Take on Artest, Plus Ariza To Houston

2009-07-02T21:58:00.006-05:00

I just happened to be rummaging through some of the Laker blogs on the big WWW to see what was being said about the Ron Artest deal, and came across this posting by John Ireland, who covers the Lakers for KCAL 9, and is the co-host of the Mason and Ireland Show on 710 ESPN in L.A. from 10am to 2pm.

Also, in reaction to the Artest agreement, Trevor Ariza has accepted the Rockets offer of their full mid-level exception of five years, $32MM. Artest reportedly is getting part of the Lakers mid-level exception of three years and roughly $18MM. As Ireland notes, this leaves more than enough for the Lakers to re-sign Lamar Odom, a childhood friend of Artest.

Lakers Agree with Artest

2009-07-02T18:30:00.006-05:00

According to the L.A. Times, the Daily News and CBS Sports, the Lakers and Ron Artest have agreed on a deal. The Lakers, and Kobe, have coveted Artest for several years now, and almost traded for him two seasons ago when he was traded by Sacramento to Houston. Now, they apparently have their man.

The addition of Artest will take the sting away from the possibility of losing Trevor Ariza. Ariza is said to be upset with the Lakers for the way they've handled his free agency and is now talking with Cleveland and Houston, among other teams. Meanwhile, Artest is expected to sign for the Lakers full mid-level exception, which is roughly five years and about $32MM, and should give the Lakers enough in their budget to re-sign Lamar Odom, as well.

Artest has been meeting with Jerry Buss and other members of the Lakers management team, including Phil Jackson for much of the day. His agent says an official announcement of the agreement could come later today.

Is Ariza a Goner?

2009-07-01T22:12:00.003-05:00

According to this ESPN article just posted a bit ago, all signs point to swingman Trevor Ariza signing elsewhere, perhaps with Cleveland. The article suggests that both the Lakers and Cavs are offering just their mid-level exception for him, but Ariza is apparently not happy with the Lakers "blase attitude towards his free agency." The Rockets, Clippers, Raptors and Blazers are also said to be interested.

Stay tuned as this story continues to develop.

Stoudemire Rumor?

2009-06-26T19:18:00.007-05:00

From Rotoworld:

A Twitter account belonging to @amareisreal states "Amar'e Stoudemire to the Lakers on Friday!"

The Twitter page looks like the real deal and is attributed to Stoudemire by two different verification sites. While we doubt Stoudemire actually posted the Tweet in question, it is possible. But it seems more likely that this may be a prank. Or should we say, 'Twank.'

So, am I the only one who chuckled at this? Seems hard to believe... and too good to be true. Lakers have confirmed this to be a hoax, as well.

Another Pick Traded

2009-06-26T11:49:00.004-05:00

The Lakers traded the draft rights of 42nd pick Patrick Beverley to the Miami Heat for a future second-round pick and cash. Maybe Farmar isn't being shopped afterall.