Odom Says He Won’t Be Sixth Man

The Lakers’ Lamar Odom has responded to Coach Phil Jackson’s recent statement that he is considering making Odom the team’s sixth man this season, telling reporters that Jackson must have ‘bumped his head’ before saying that. The Lakers were in El Segundo yesterday before the start of training camp for a media session in which Odom expressed his disdain for Jackson’s recent idea for the upcoming 2008-09 season. Odom told the L.A. Times that for Jackson to issue a statement like that, “you’ve got to be out of your…mind.”

Odom has been a starter since he started playing basketball in elementary school in New York City and has remained a starter throughout his nine-year career in the NBA and despite what Jackson says, the small forward won’t give up his place without a fight.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 30, 2008 - Post a comment

Phil’s Plans for Bryant and Odom

Phil Jackson spent the off-season relaxing at his Montana home, but while the Lakers coach let let last season’s championship loss (to the Celtics) sink in, he was also busy plotting the upcoming 2008-09 season. Jackson, who turned 63 last week, met with reporters on Friday for nearly half an hour to discuss concerns for the upcoming season, such as Kobe Bryant’s playing time (which could be reduced), the possibility of Lamar Odom starting and Andrew Bynum’s health. Bryant also briefly spoke with reporters about his decision to forgo surgery on his right pinkie. The procedure would have required a 12-week recovery time and Bryant told reporters gathered in the players’ parking lot of the team training facility that enough scar tissue had built up to make his finger stable enough to play this season.

Last season’s crushing loss to Boston (131-92) in Game 6 was partly attributed to Bynum’s left knee and Bryant’s right pinkie, but Jackson is starting training camp (which begins tomorrow) with a clean slate. The 6-foot Bynum appears to be in good health, although Jackson said his absence in the last 57 games may hold him back, and his performance at training camp will serve as an indicator of how he will cope once the regular season begins on Oct. 28 (against Portland). As for Bryant, Jackson  told the  L.A. Times that the 30-year-old’s minutes would be shortened “without a doubt” and in reference to Odom, Jackson says that with Bynum at center and Pau Gasol at power forward, Odom will play small forward. (This is Odom’s final year of a $14.1 million season.) Check out the full article here.
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Permalink - Posted in General on September 29, 2008 - Post a comment

Mono for Sun Yue

Sun Yue, the Chinese native who recently inked a deal with the Lakers, tested positive for mononucleosis after Wednesday’s press conference.The rookie guard will consequently miss the start of training camp and delay his career with the Lakers until he is healthy. The 22-year-old seemed in good spirits at Wednesday’s media meet-and-greet in El Segundo but was taken to a Los Angeles-area hospital shortly thereafter. There is no date yet set for Yue’s return but he will not be ready to begin training camp with the rest of the Lakers come Tuesday.

Lakers spokesman John Black told the Los Angeles Times that the severity of the disease varies and only time will tell when Sun Yue will be ready to play. Yue reportedly felt lethargic upon his arrival to his new home town from his native China a few days ago, but chalked it up to yet lag until the hospital results proved otherwise. Yue will simply rest this weekend and visit the Lakers team doctor, John Moe, on Monday to see his status. Until then, Yue will sit in on team meetings (he is not considered contagious at this time) and watch practice from the bench until he has clearance to play.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 26, 2008 - Post a comment

The Sun Shines on the Lakers

The Lakers held a press conference Wednesday to announce the signing of rookie Sun Yue to a multi-year contract. About 30 members of the media were in attendance at the team’s training facility in El Segundo as the club introduced the 6-foot-9 guard, who only arrived in Los Angeles a few days ago from his native China. Yue answered questions in English at a  table surrounded by over a dozen Chinese-speaking members of the media in a room at the El Seguno training center.

Yue was the Lakers second-round draft pick from 2007 and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was surprised at the turn-out for the press conference. In a statement to the L.A. Times, Kupchak said, “Quite frankly this is a very unusual turnout for a player who was drafted two years ago who we hope to be on this team for many, many years to come.” The 22-year-old started for the Chinese national team in the Beijing Olympics last month but lacks NBA-level experience, thus the Lakers general manager said Yue will have to earn his way into the club. The guard is not expected to be a rotation player for the Lakers this season and if he earns enough time as a backup he may play with the Lakers’ Development League team, the D-Fenders.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 25, 2008 - Post a comment

Lakers and Celtics: Will They Meet Again?

As the 2008-09 NBA regular season approaches, the speculation over who will take home the title continues. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are expected to meet again in this year’s NBA finals. Last year’s loss is still fresh in the minds’ of Lakers fans, as the team was favored 2-1 when the Celtics unexpectedly took home the prize (which they will be defending in the upcoming season should the two teams meet at the finals again). Just like last year, the Lakers are the current favorite to win the 2009 NBA Championship at +335, with the Celtics at +350 and the San Antonio Spurs at +850. NBA experts predict that the Lakers could win as many as 60+ games this season (last year they finished with a 75-25 record).

As for predictions for the NBA Western Conference, the Lakers are favored to win at +145 with San Antonio at +375, New Orleans at +600, Houston and Utah at +675 and Phoenix closing out at +800. Boston is again favored to win the Eastern Conference Finals again +135 with the Detroit Pistons behind at +400 followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers at +575 and Orlando Magic at +800.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 24, 2008 - Post a comment

This Little Pinkie Plays Basketball

When Kobe Bryant announced that he will forgo surgery on his right pinkie via his website, kb24.com, fans were instantly worried what that would mean for the Lakers 2008-09 season. Instead of going under the knife to repair ligament damage caused last season, Bryant will report to training camp as scheduled and play every game in the upcoming season-with only four finger on his shooting hand! While some bloggers claim that Bryant’s disadvantage merely makes it a fiar game for his opponents, it is doubtful that the minor injury will even hinder his game.

Kobe has been playing with his pinkie and ring finger taped together since February and that didn’t stop him from leading the Lakers to the finals (and helping Team USA secure Beijing Gold). Assuming Andrew Bynum starts off the season with his knee adequately healed, the Lakers seem at their best for the upcoming season and forecasts are already claiming that they are the number one team in the NBA. As the reigning MVP, it would be pointless for Bryant to sit out 12 weeks of the season to heal the most useless of the five fingers, says one blogger (and this blogger agrees).

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 23, 2008 - Post a comment

NBA Salary Cap May Result in Loss of Players

ESPN’s J.A. Adande worries that the NBA salary cap may cause players like the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant to leave the NBA to play in Europe, where the sky is the limit in terms of a paycheck. For fans who call this worry preposterous, Adande cites Michael Jordan’s leaving basketball at the peak of his career to play minor league baseball for one year as an example. If Bryant and other NBA platers like LeBRon James were lured to Europe with the promise of a bigger paycheck, it wouldn’t be as big of a stretch because they would still be playing basketball (and for a lot more dough).
In an interview with ESPN last month, Bryant put his answer bluntly, asking a reporter if he knows anyone who would turn down 50 million dollars. And 50 mill doesn’t even shock people these days, as NBA stars like Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko carried the flags of their respective nations at the Opening Ceremonies, showing that NBA stars have reached the status of athletic icons. NBA commissioner David Stern may be faced with the decision to get rid of the salary cap or to expand to Europe.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 22, 2008 - Post a comment

Recap: Lakers Offseason Moves

Training camp begins on Sept. 30 for the Lakers, with their first preseason game on Oct. 7 against the Utah Jazz at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Plenty of preseason predictions have slated the Lakers to win the 2008-09 NBA title, although there is worry of a repeat of last year’s upset when the Lakers were beat out by the Boston Celtics. In order to forecast how the Western Conference will pan out, here is a recap of the preseason moves made by the Lakers:
Via the draft, the Lakers added Joe Crawford (No. 58) and Sun Yue (2007 draft pick). Via free agency the purple and gold added Dwayne Mitchell, Josh Powell, Brandon Heath and Sasha Vujacic (re-signed) to the roster. The Lakers only lost one player, via free agency, Ronny Turiaf, who will now be playing for the Warriors. Bloggers predict that Kobe, Pau and Phil will keep the Lakers afloat in the West but there is some unknown factors resting on Bynum’s health (and Kobe’s pinkie) and the so called “Bench Mob” of Jordan, Sasha, Vlad and Mihm will also be a deciding factor.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 19, 2008 - Post a comment

Pre-season Predicitons May Jinx Lakers, Says One Blogger

Seasoned Lakers blogger Anthony Bass fears that the recent forecasts predicting that the Lakers will come out on top in the 2008-09 season may jinx the purple and gold. Bass blamed Bill Simmons for jinxing the Lakers last season, when he predicted they would  take home the NBA title but lost to the Boston Celtics in the upset of the season (at least for Lakers fans). This season the Lakers are favored again by most experts on the sport, and this blogger is fearful that the jinx may strike again.

Bass’ biggest fear is that the Celtics will triumph again this season, in a repeat performance of the 2007-08 upset. The blogger offers Phil Jackson some advice on how to avoid the jinx, by placing Andrew Bynum at center from the start and pairing Drew and Kobe together, which would place Odom or Gasol leading the second team. However Jackson decides to arrange the court this season the jinx will surely be looming overhead.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 18, 2008 - Post a comment

Prices for ‘Premium’ Games Skyrocket

On Tuesday the Lakers revealed that as much as $55 will be added on to the cost of an admission to seven home games in the upcoming NBA season. The ticket premium will be in place for games pinning the Lakers against their fiercest opponents, such as the Celtics, Cavaliers and Mavericks. The home games in which the price levy will be in effect are against Boston (Dec. 25), Cleveland (Jan. 19), San Antonio (Jan. 25), New Orleans (Feb. 20), Phoenix (Feb. 26), Dallas (March 15) and Houston (April 3). The premium will range from $10 on a $35 seat and as much to $55 on a $260 seat, coming on the curtails of an overall price increase of approximately 5.5% that the Lakers announced for individual game tickets yesterday.

Lucky for season-ticket holders, who make up about 13,600 of the 15,000 seats that are available during home games at Staple Center, the premium won’t affect them. Also exempt are about 600 seats in the upper-level bowl for the select games; they will still be sold at a league-mandated $10. Tim Harris, the Lakers’ senior vice president of business operations, says that about 900 to 1,000 tickets at the seven games will be assessed for the premium and the extra revenue will be used to cover payroll costs.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 17, 2008 - Post a comment


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