Trade front looks bleak for Kobe Bryant

Although there has been no sign of trade talks between the Lakers and other teams over the last few weeks, NBA star Kobe Bryant has still not rescinded his trade demand and has still not backed away from his no-trade clause, according to an article published Wednesday, Nov. 14 in the Los Angeles Times.

Bryant, whose performances during the first four games of the season have been both consistent and successful (unlike the team as a whole), is still looking to get traded but will have to live with the situation if the Lakers can’t find an agreement before the Feb. 21 trade date, according to the Los Angeles Times. But Bryant’s seemingly dedicated attitude and his accomplishments on the floor so far this season are not going unnoticed by the team.

“I think with Lamar [Odom] back and [Bryant's] role of being a captain, all that has kind of brought him into being involved, being a part of this,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “It’s about involvement, about not being detached and about investing yourself.”

Now that it appears Bryant has made an honest effort to do that for the Lakers this season, it seems absurd for the team to yank him out from what he’s already started. Still looking for tickets to the next game? Visit Stubhub.com and get a pair of Lakers tickets right now!

Permalink - Posted in General on November 14, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers gear up for double whammy in Texas

The Lakers are off to Texas for a game against the San Antonio Spurs tonight and will then take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday - meanwhile, in Los Angelels, Kobe Bryant and fellow team members Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown are getting geared up to take on the challenge, with a full roster of 15 healthy players for the first time this season, according to an article published Tuesday, Nov. 13, by The Daily Breeze.
“I always enjoy this trip,” Bryant said about the team’s trip to Texas. “We’re facing two great basketball clubs in San Antonio and Houston. They’re playing extremely well right now and I’m looking forward to going over there.”

Although the Lakers finally have Brown and Odom back and fully recovered from their respective injuries, the Rockets and the Spurs are both 6-1 this season and still have the same tricks up there sleeve - including Houston’s Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan. The Lakers, however, were able to pull through last season 2-1 against the Rockets and win the team’s only game at Houston. Fans are surely anxiously awaiting what will happen this year.

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Permalink - Posted in General on November 13, 2007 - Post a comment

Bryant and Odom help Lakers shut down the Timberwolves

Kobe Bryant, with 30 points on Friday against the Minnesota, teamed up with Lamar Odom - who scored 18 points and had ten rebounds, helping the Lakers shut down the Timberwolves 107-93, according to an Associated Press article published on the Lakers Official Web site.

Minnesota, who are off to a 0-4 season start,  received major support from Al Jefferson with 24 points and 15 rebounds, as well as Ryan Gomes with 17 points and Sebastian Telfair with 15 points. On the Lakers side, Andrew Bynum  and Chris Mihm each had ten points and ten rebounds, according to the AP article.

The Lakers, who are 3-2 in their season of play, got a confidence boost from Friday’s win, after falling to the New Orleans Hornet earlier last week. Now, as they prepare to face the  San Antonio Spurs Tuesday, Nov. 13 at San Antonio.

Make sure to secure your pair of Lakers tickets at Stubhub.com right now.

Permalink - Posted in General on November 12, 2007 - Post a comment

A new and improved defensive profile for the Lakers?

Many critics are saying that the Los Angeles Lakers are already making huge strides defensively this season compared to the past few, and - although it’s still very early - many are saying that this Lakers team may be one of the most consistent as far as making it happen out on the floor. NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s defense has seemingly improved greatly from last season, and with help from Luke Walton and his excellent recovery speed, the duo are helping lead the rest of the team and convince them that defense really does need to be played, according to an article published Nov. 5 at ClubLakers.com.

But most fans and analysts still know that the Lakers, although showing great potential for a successful season, still need to focus in on a few areas of improvement, including stepping up that same dedication to defense that the team showed during the last two games but that wanned greatly in this week’s loss to the Hornets. The true test will come when the Lakers face the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, Friday, Nov. 9 and when they travel next week to face off against Philadelphia and a few other big rivals in the weeks to come.

Get a pair of season tickets and rest assured that your seats for each and every game are secured. Get Lakers tickets right now at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on November 9, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers’ Odom feeling good at practice, could play tomorrow against Minnesota

Still recovering from a May shoulder surgery, Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom practiced for the first time in a while with the team on Monday and officials say he might be able to play in Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to an article published Monday, Nov. 6, by the Los Angeles Times Web site.

“It felt pretty good to practice, get up and down with the guys, get blocked a couple of times, make some shots, miss some shots, grab rebounds,” Odom said. “My basketball timing’s off a little bit, but hopefully in practice I’ll get it back.”

Odom will likely replace Lakers Ronny Turiaf or Luke Walton if he is able to play in Friday’s game - a possibliity that relies upon Odom receiving clearance from a doctor. Critics peculate that Coach Phil Jackson may decide to leave Turiaf in as power forward and Odom as small forward in order to prevent Odom - who is recovering from his second shoulder injury - from receiving a beating from opposing power forwards during every game, according to the LA Times article.

The Lakers are now 2-2 this season, after falling to the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday evening, and are taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday with a home court advantage at the Staples Center. Still haven’t reserved your seats this season? Grab a pair of Lakers tickets at Stubhub.com immediately and enjoy the game tomorrow!

Permalink - Posted in General on November 8, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers ‘blow it defensively,’ fall 118-104 to New Orleans Hornets

Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets was the talk of the town last night as he and his team put the Lakers’ two-game winning streak to an end. Paul, who had21 assists - breaking the record for assists against the Lakers set in 1990 by John Stockton - and helped lead the Hornets with 19 points and and only two turn-overs in 35 minutes of play, according to an article published Wednesday, Nov. 7 on the Los Angeles Times Web site.

“He knocked down his shots, to his credit, but we did blow it defensively,” said Jordan Farmar, who had 11 points. “We let Chris Paul do whatever he wanted.”New Orleans also received major support from long-time Lakers rival Peja Stojakovic, who had 36 points, including 10 three-pointers, which broke both the Hornet’s team record as well as the Lakers opponent record of eight set by Gilbert Arenas, Vladimir Radmanovic and Stephen Jackson. In regards to the evening’s events, coach Phil Jackson said he was disappointed in the loss but reminded his team that the season was still young.

“Oh man, what a finish to a ballgame,” Coach Phil Jackson said, sighing heavily. “Paul broke us down, found guys sitting on the three-point line. We tried a variety of things defensively out there to try and slow Paul down, but he got inside our defense.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on November 7, 2007 - Post a comment

Kobe Bryant leads Lakers to two wins in first three games

With a sprained right wrist (his shooting wrist), Lakers’ point guard Kobe Bryant led his team to two straight victories over the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz, and scoring 45 points in the season opener against the Houston Rockets even though his team fell 93-95. Although Bryant’s status with the team has been in question over the past month as trade rumors fly, his ability as a natural-born leader has not been an issue, according to an article published Nov. 5 on USA Today online.
“It’s just back in my comfort zone,” Bryant said of his and the Lakers’ success in the USA Today article. “I’m back in that striking position.”

Now that Bryant is back in his groove, joined by Vladimir Radmanovic - who scored 16 points in the team’s last game against the Jazz, proving that his last season’s 6.6 point average was not going to follow him - the Lakers seem to be in a more advantaged position to propel themselves  closer to champion status. With a positive attitude from Bryant, it may be safe to say the team will follow suit.
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Permalink - Posted in General on November 6, 2007 - Post a comment

Radmanovic proves his skills in Friday’s game against Phoenix Suns

Leading the Lakers in points scored, Vladimir Radmanovic gave a 16-point effort in Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, propelling the Lakers to a 119-98 victory over one of the the team’s biggest rivals, according to a story published Sunday, Nov. 4 on The Daily Breeze official Web site.

Friday’s performance from Radmanovic, who joins the Lakers this season for his sophomore year on the team,  comes as a bit of a surprise after fans and coaching staff in LA watched last season as the 6-foot-10 forward stayed mostly stagnant on the bench, averaging only 6.6 points for 55 games, when in comparison he  averaged 9.8 when playing for the Clippers in 2005-06. Now, after his exceptional game this past weekend, many analysts are asking, “How?” and “Will it continue?”

“Vladie had one of those nights,” Coach Phil Jackson said about Friday’s win. “We just hope it’s that kind of night more often. Instead of once a month, you hope it’s once or twice a week.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on November 5, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers spirited practice Thursday leads team into Friday’s second game of season

With Lamar Odom laid up due to a shoulder injury, the Lakers travel to Phoenix for a match-up tonight with the Suns after a productive Thursday practice, according to an article posted on the Official L.A. Lakers Web site. “They’re expecting to win a championship, and they’re a team that really gets under our skin in terms of knocking us out of the playoffs the last two years,” Lakers star point guard Kobe Bryant said. “We’re going to go in there ready to play with a chip on our shoulder and see if we can’t do some damage.”

Although the addition of star player Grant Hill has also given the Suns a bit of an advantage,  the Lakers feel confident from practice in knowing what aspects of their game need to be pushed and emphasized going into tonight’s game, according to the article. Working on staying in front of the ball will help the defense against the Suns and help the Lakers stay on top of their opponents’ speed, according to the article.
“We’ve been doing a pretty good job of staying focused here,” Bryant said in a recent press conference, also answering a question from media about whether trade talks are distracting his teammates: “No, I talk to them,” he replied. “From that standpoint I don’t think it’s that difficult. If I didn’t speak to them or didn’t fill them in on what’s going on, then it’d be a little confusing.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on November 2, 2007 - Post a comment

Kobe rumors lurk around Lakers, Bulls trade talks

With the deadline for contract extensions ending Wednesday, Oct. 31, many continue to ponder where NBA superstar Kobe Bryant will end up/ Although talks did take place last week between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls, rumors that star point guard Kobe Bryant might be traded are iffy at best, according to an article published Nov. 1 by ChicagoSports.com.

John Paxson, Bulls’ general manager, has been engaging in trade talks with the Sacramento Kings in relation to the Bulls Luol Deng, but nothing definite has been ironed out, according to the article. Paxson, who is scheduled to address the media Thursday about the deals has made it clear in previous months that the Bulls are still actively pursuing Bryant but are not willing to sacrifice their current roster in return and will not give up Deng.

Although the Lakers barely missed a victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday evening’s season opener, their talent is still unmistakable for the upcoming season, and pending Bryant’s possible trade, the team continues to maintain a shot at the championships. Get your Lakers tickets soon for the next game at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on November 1, 2007 - Post a comment


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