Lakers Still Far Apart with Free Agents Odom and Ariza
Forwards Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom might have been pivotal in helping the Lakers win the NBA championship this season, but now the team’s two main free-agents are far from negotiations. Ariza and his agents weren’t pleased with the Lakers’ annual offer of $5.6 million over an unspecified number of years, as the 24-year-old was hoping for $7-8 million a year. As for Odom, 29, rumor has it that he is seeking $10 million a year, although no one knows what the Lakers offered him. David Lee, Ariza’s agent, negotiated down the wire for another client, Andrew Bynum, last October and is likely to do the same for Ariza. On Wednesday (July 1) Lee said, “All we’re looking for is a little appreciation for what Trevor has done. I don’t think they believe Trevor is serious about leaving, and that’s too bad. I didn’t think we’d be in this situation. I am disappointed and surprised by what I thought would be some feelings for the people who have given you everything you’ve got.”
Portland, Houston, Cleveland, Toronto and the Clippers have all expressed an interest in Ariza but only Portland and Toronto have enough salary-cap room to offer more than the Lakers’ current offer. “It’s business. I understand what they are trying to do and I understand that I have to do what is best for me. I’m really not worried. It will work itself out.”
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Kobe Stays Put!!!
Kobe Bryant officially decided not to opt out of his contract and will reportedly sign a three-year extension on top of his two remaining years. Bryant would make a guaranteed $47.8 million over the next two years and with the extension could stand to make another $86 million to $91 million (dependig on the NBA salary-cap figures which will be decided in 2011). The earliest Kobe could opt out of his contract again would most likely be June 2012 but if he were to do so he would leave over $60 million on the table over the past two years. Bryant, who turns 31 in August, has spent his entire 13-year career with the Lakers and may retire when this contract is up.
According to an source unauthorized to speak publicly, Kobe said he didn’t become an unrestricted free agent because he wanted to “let Lamar [Odom] and Trevor [Ariza] have their day.” Odom will take a substantial pay cut (he made $14.1 million last season) while Ariza (who turned 24 yesterday) will get a pay raise from the $3.1 million he made last season. No verbal agreements have yet been made and negotiations will continue throughout the week, although both San Antonio and Phoenix have expressed an interest in Odom. Detroit, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Toronto, Portland, Atlanta and possibly Sacramento are among the short-list of teams who have enough salary cap to sign Odom or Ariza. They Lakers may pursue Houston forward Ron Artest if unable to sign Ariza or Odom.
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How Will the Economy Affect the NBA?
Free agency starts tomorrow (July 1) but it won’t be a free-for-all this year, due to a variety of reasons–the economy being one of them. The Lakers sold two picks on draft-day for $6.2 million and rumor has it that the team will re-sign forwards Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza now that they can afford to. Lakers’ reserve guard Shannon Brown made only $796,000 last season (nearly $5 million below the average salary in the NBA) and will get a raise from somebody tomorrow.
Kobe Bryant has the ability to opt out of his contract but has been making it pretty clear that we will be back next season. A few weeks ago Byrant said, “I’m not going anywhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere. It just wastes our breath just talking about it. Let’s talk about Trevor and Lamar and the importance of bringing them back.” Bryant turns 31 in August and is under contract for two more years and $47.8 million, although he could potentially tear up his contract and sign a new for five years and a whopping $135 million. Both Phil Jackson and Mitch Kupchak have spoken optimistically about keeping Odoma and Ariza.
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Phil Jackson on Lakers’ Assistant Coach Kurt Rambis
Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson said that the organization has “toyed” with the concept of Lakers’ Assistant Coach Kurt Rambis coaching a few road games in a radio interview and Rambis responded, saying it’s “one of the many ideas we kicked around a little.” On June 23 Rambis spoke with reporters and aknowledged that he heard Jackson’s comments about being open to the idea of him filling in for the Lakers’ Head Coach for a few road games next season and said that in early July Jackson will reveal his decision on his coaching future.
Last season Rambis coached one game when Jackson decided to stay in L.A. instead of travelling to Portland with the Lakers due to swelling in his legs from plantar fasciitus. Said Rambis, who was one of the final candidates for the Sacramento Kings Head Coaching job, “This is not new to me. This is one of the many ideas we kicked around a little. The hardest part about the job is the travel. It’s especially hard when you have physical issues. There’s some travel that are particularly grueling. He can take tough road trips off. Phil is probably at a point where he is looking to wind his career down and I’m looking to wind my career up.” Jackson turns 64 in September and told 710 AM radio that he will have some tests done to determine his health and that is they turn out well “that there’s no doubt” that he’ll return to coach the Lakers for the 09-10 season.
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Lakers Sell Two Draft Picks
In yesterday’s NBA draft the Lakers sold two of their picks for a combined $4.5 million, saving a total of $6.2 million for selling two selections, which Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak hopes will help them re-sign free agents Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom. For a second consecutive season, the Lakers sat out the first round and sold the 29th overall pick to the New York Knicks for $3 million. The Lakers sent the 42nd overall pick to the Miami Heat for $1.5 and received a 2011 second-round pick in both deals. When asked if the Lakers savings of $1.7 million will help their chances of re-signing Ariza and Odom, Kupchak said, “It certainly won’t hurt.”
“I don’t know what the free-agent market’s going to hold for us. If a competing team makes an offer that we don’t think is a good basketball business decision, then it doesn’t matter how much money you have, we won’t match that or try to match that offer,” said Kupchak to the L.A. Times. If their payroll hits $90 million (which may happen if they re-sign Ariza and Odom when they become unrestricted free agents Wednesday) the Lakers could face up to $20 million in taxes and they are trying to decrease the luxury-tax hit. When asked about selling two picks Kupchak said, “We think we did the right thing. There’s a chance if we can keep our team together that we really wouldn’t have roster space for draft picks. This year’s draft, we felt, was not as strong down in the ‘29′ range.”
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Draft Tonight
The Lakers have three picks in tonight’s NBA Draft, one in the first round and two in the second. ESPN draft guru Chad Ford is reporting that the Lakers are looking to trade some of those picks, but could select Florida State guard Toney Douglas with the 28th overall pick if they’re unable to strike a deal. “The Lakers are saying they want to trade this pick, but if they don’t I think Douglas could be the man,” Ford writes. ”His ability to play both positions, shoot the ball and defend could make him a long-term replacement for Derek Fisher.”
Ford has the Lakers taking French point guard Rodrigue Beaubois with the first of their two second-round picks (46th overall, acquired from Charlotte in the Adam Morrision/Shannon Brown trade). “Beaubois is long and athletic, but he’s still learning how to play,” Ford writes of the point guard. ”A good pick in the future.” With the second-to-last pick in the draft (59th overall), Ford projects the Lakers to select Villanova forward Dante Cunningham. “Cunningham is the type of highly intelligent big man who might find a way to thrive in coach Phil Jackson’s system,” Ford says. The Douglas pick definitely makes sense thanks to his ability to shoot the ball and the philosophy that the triangle offense will help counteract his point guard deficiencies. Beaubois makes sense only because the team could stash him in Europe for a couple of years, while I’d be surprised if they didn’t move the 59th overall selection by the end of the night.
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Home Schooling?
Only a guy that has won a record 10 NBA titles could even float this idea out there. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson is talking about potentially coaching the team’s home games for the most part in 2009-10, with assistant Kurt Rambis taking over most of the coaching duties on the road. Though it sounds like a far-fetched idea, it’s not out of the question, according to Jackson. “Yeah, we’ve toyed around with that idea actually,” Jackson told ESPN Radio. ”I guess it’s not that revolutionary. We talked a little bit about it, and you know I was actually kind of given the green light to actually try this out and when the time came.”
Jackson is notoriously laissez-faire with his team, sometimes not even talking to them in time out situations. He leaves a lot up to Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, it seems, though Jackson still plays a major role. “I think the idea has some merit to it,” Jackson said of coaching mainly at Staples Center. ”[But] I don’t want to lose control of the team. And I think that’s the one thing that you find out your team needs. I don’t mean control, like control, but like being in the trenches with them, i.e., when things get tough or something happens, you’re there with them.”
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Lakers Eyeing Collison?
ESPN’s NBA Draft guru Chad Ford is predicting that the Lakers will select UCLA product Darren Collison with the 29th pick in this Thursday’s NBA Draft. Collison played point guard for four years under Ben Howland and is a well-known player in the Los Angeles area. “Collison is a small guard, something Phil Jackson isn’t a big fan of,” Ford writes. ”But he is super fast, has a smooth jumper and can get after it defensively. With Derek Fisher winding down his career, he’s worth a gamble here.” Collison was once seen as a potential lottery pick, but saw his draft stock slide a bit in the past two years.
Collison doesn’t fit the Phil Jackson mold, as the Zen Master likes big guards, but it’s not even set in stone that Jackson will be back coaching the Lakers next season. Then again, Derek Fisher is a small guard and won Jackson over with his solid play, hustle and smarts. Those are three things that Collison can bring to the table as he’s was a productive player in each of the four seasons he played at UCLA. Collison averaged 14 points, five assists and two rebounds per game in his senior season. He also added a steal and a half per game while shooting good percentages across the board.
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Charles Barkley Says Phil Is Leaving the Lakers
According to Charles Barkey, Phil Jackson is leaving the Lakers, meaning the team will have to decide what to do with free agents Lamar Odom and Trevor Arize and face a future without Jackson. Says Barley in his Los Angeles Times posting, “I don’t know if he’s the greatest coach of all time, but Phil Jackson is in the conversation. I mean, you win 10 championships–that’s pretty impressive. But I don’t think he’s coming back. Phil’s done. I just think he’s had enough. He’s definitely gone. That’s just my opinion, though.”
Weighing in on the finals Barkley said, “The Lakers had the best team. What I can’t believe was that it was such a struggle. They had the best team all season. It was just amazing to me that they could go through the motions. Orlando has got plenty of places to go fishing. They have a lot of options.” Barkley also offered some predictions about next season and signed off by quipping, “Kobe wants us to believe he didn’t want one without Shaq, the way he’s jumping around there. C’mon, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? He didn’t jump like that when they won the last three.”
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Lakers Get Redemption from Last Season’s Championship Loss
The Lakers celebrated winning the NBA title on Sunday night (June 14) for the 15th time in Lakers’ franchise history, the fourth time in this decade and the first time since 2002. After the Lakers’ clinching 99-86 victory over the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena Kobe Bryant gave four first pumps, one for each championship ring, in celebration. “This feels like a dream. This doesn’t feel real,” said Bryant afterward. He won the Finals MVP title for the first time without former teammate (and rival) Shaquille O’Neal.
Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson echoed the sentiment of the Finals MVP saying, “It’s surreal.” Jackson became the greatest championship coach in NBA history, with his 10th title beating the nine won by Boston Celtics’ Coach Red Auerbach, and donned a gold cap with the Roman number for 10 on it (given to him by his kids), X. Jerry Buss also reached a milestone, becoming the best sports owner of the 21st century as the Lakers’ fourth title since 2000 is more during that time span than any other franchise in any other major sport. One of Jerry’s younger sons, Joey Buss, said afterward, “We have two more to go to meet the Boston Celtics,” referring to the Celtics’ record 17 titles, although most everyone was happy that the Lakers redeemed themselves after losing to the Celtic in the Finals last season.
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