Lakers Off-Season: Time Well Spent?

In a recent Los Angeles Times poll Lakers fans were asked to weigh in on what their favorite NBA team should be spending their time doing during the off-season; here are the results. 26.1% of you say the purple and gold need to simply assume status quo and make sure Andrew Bynum is healthy for the upcoming 2008-09 season. Bynum is recovering from a knee injury that shortened his last season and fans are anxious to see him back on the court. 18.1% think that Lamar Odum should be traded for a more physical player. Talks of a trade for the Lakers froward this season have been silenced for now but it will remain to be seen if Odom will make the roster next year.

A whopping 45.0% of Lakers fans think Ron Artest should be signed to the mid-level exception and the last piece of the poll pie, 10.9%, think that Phil Jackson should be dumped for a younger coach who can better relate to the Lakers players. What do you think?

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 16, 2008 - Post a comment

Speculation On Upcoming Season

Bloggers have been working overtime recently, devoting ample attention to the forecast for the 2008-09 NBA season. Certain L.A. Times bloggers speculate that the purple and gold will emerge the winners in June 2009, with New Orleans and Boston coming up just short. Although the Lakers are a formidable opponent for other NBA teams, a few variables will undoubtedly play a major role in the upcoming season. Andrew Bynum’s health has been reported as stable recently, but only time will tell if he will be 100% on the court and if Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom will play well together. With the recent announcement of Kobe Bryant’s decision to forego finger surgery comes worry about the Lakers star’s ability to play to his best ability without fixing his ligament injury after last season.

More injury has plagued the Lakers in the past few months, with Luke Walton healing after ankle surgery and working hard to make it to training camp. The addition of former Aztec Brandon Heath to the purple and gold roster adds another variable in the heap for the 2008-09 season. As the countdown to training camp approaches blogs will continue to buzz with rumors and speculation for the upcoming season.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 15, 2008 - Post a comment

Walton’s Recovery Update

Lakers forward Luke Walton is on the slow road to recovery after undergoing ankle surgery. The July 18 procedure sought to remove bone spurs and scar tissue as well as clear out cartilage debris from his right ankle to remedy problems from last season. Walton is expected to get medical clearance Wednesday from his doctor, which means his rehabilitation workouts will get a boost. Tuesday was the first time Walton tested his ankle post-surgery; he ran on a wind-bubble treadmill (used because it reduces stress on joints from body weight) but wants to amp up his routine so he will be able to attend training camp by Sept. 30. Although Walton is ready to hit the court with Andrew Bynum like he used to, only time will tell if his ankle is healed.

Walton’s other surgery was a minor procedure on his right thumb, but injury has plagued him in the past. During his collegiate basketball career at Arizona, Walton missed an entire season due to a stress fracture in his foot. While in school Walton was able to focus on academics to keep his mind on the game, the Lakers forward is antsy to get back on the court this time and it looking forward to the upcoming season. The Lakers loss to Boston in the championship last season has also fueled Walton’s fire to bring the NBA championship back to L.A. this season.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 12, 2008 - Post a comment

Brandon Heath Joins Lakers

Yesterday it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent guard Brandon Heath. The terms of Heath’s agreement were not released per team policy. Last season Heath, a 6-3 guard from San Diego State, played for Entente Orleans 45 in France and averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists throughout the 25 games played. In the 2008 Summer-Pro League Heath played for the Los Angeles Clippers in Las Vegas, where he averaged 5.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in the total of five games played.

The 6-foot-3 guard was the all-time leading score in San Diego State and Mountain West conference history and went unselected after the 2007 NBA draft, thus prompting him to play overseas. Heath is the only SDSU player in the school’s 86-season basketball history to produce a 30-point scoring game in all of his four seasons, according to his official Aztec player biography. In 2006 Heath helped the Aztecs make it to the NCAA Tournament and the following year to the second round of the 2007 NIT. The Los Angeles native attended Westchester High School, where he was a teammate of current Lakers forward Trevor Ariza.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 11, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Bryant to Forgoe Finger Surgery

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has decided to pass on pinkie surgery in favor of joining his teammates in training camp on Sept. 27. Bryant announced this update on his Web site, kb24.com, Tuesday after hearing from his doctors that the recovery time could take up to 12 weeks. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is behind Bryant’s decision to postpone surgery on his right pinkie finger to repair ligament damage caused Feb. 5, when he jammed the finger against former New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd. Although Bryant did not miss a game in the remainder of the season, and was awarded with his first MVP award, he paid the price of further aggravating his finger as he led the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

Bryant initially postponed surgery until the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics, where he helped lead Team USA to the gold medal, but after visiting numerous specialists the Lakers guard decided to skip surgery all together. Bryant remains confident that his court time will not suffer from the injury and is just excited for the beginning of training camp and subsequently the Lakers first regular season game against Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 10, 2008 - Post a comment

Bryant to Undergo Pinkie Procedure

On Monday Lakers guard Kobe Bryant announced he will undergo surgery on his right pinkie finger to repair ligament damage. Bryant postponed the said surgery until the completion of the Beijing Olympics, where he helped Team USA secure the gold metal. The infamous Laker will reveal the specifics on his surgery (such as the date for the impending procedure) on his Website, kb24.com. The expected recovery time for the surgery is about six weeks so time will tell whether Kobe’s pinkie prob will conflict with the upcoming season. Training camp for the Lakers begins Sept. 27 and they play their first regular season game at home against Portland Oct. 28.

Bryant averaged 29.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing in all of the 82 games and the 30-year-old Lakers guard was a shoo in for his first MVP award. In the 2007-08 season Bryant led the Lakers to the third best record in the league. Lakers fans are hoping that his right pinkie will be sufficiently repaired by the time the official season starts because if the procedure spills into the season it could mean trouble for the whole team.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 9, 2008 - Post a comment

Twin Towers: Bynum and Gasol Unite

Nearly eight months ago Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered a knee injury that ended his season early, but he is rapidly recovering and ready to get back on the court. The Lakers added Pau Gasol in Bynum’s absence but Bynum is eager for the season to begin and sees Gasol as an asset rather then a threat, saying that they will form a great defensive duo on the court as a “Twin Towers” team. Bynum’s positive attitude can be attributed to his deepened appreciation for the game after his injury made him realize how easily things can be taken away.
Bynum dislocated his left knee and suffered a bone bruise last January after stepping on Lamar Odom’s foot during a rebound in a game versus Memphis and remained on the bench throughout the rest of the season (despite hopes that he would be able to play in the NBA Playoffs). Bynum underwent surgery in New York in May and, after watching the Lakers lose to the Celtics in the playoffs, returned east for more rehabilitation. Trainer Sean Zarzana worked Bynum in Atlanta and although he participated in 2-on-2 and 2-on-3 games he has yet to test his knee in a full-court scenario. Bynum begins working with Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis on Monday and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be on hand for further workouts.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 8, 2008 - Post a comment

Basketball Hall Of Fame to Admit Pat Riley

Former Lakers coach Pat Riley, who won five NBA titles in L.A. and Miami, will join the Basketball Hall of Fame in the ultimate honor in the realm of the sport. Riley, who is known for his “never-let-them-see-you-sweat” mantra and suave appearance is hailed as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Riley is currently President of the Miami Heat but started as a coach for the Lakers before moving to coach the New York Knicks, finally  settling with the Heat. He is the only coach in NBA history to receive the Coach of the Year award with three different teams and Current Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson is the only coach to have beat Riley’s record in the history of the NBA.

The Schenectady, New York native began his basketball career playing for the San Diego Rockets before switching to the Lakers and then the Phoenix Suns. After retiring his jersey, Riley was a broadcaster for the Lakers before eventually becoming head coach. Riley’s legacy remains in his 24 season reign as well as his penchant for Armani suits.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 5, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Bryant helps Chicago in Bid for 2016 Olympics

Chicago is among the contenders to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, and thanks to Oprah Winfrey the “Windy City” got a publicity boost in the form of a few celebrated Olympians. Beijing medalists Dara Torres, Michael Phelps and Los Angeles Lakers’ favorite Kobe Bryant were on hand to tape the season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show, along with 150 other U.S. Olympic athletes, last weekend.

Chicago has some stiff competition, in the form of Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Tokyo but the hostest with the mostest hopes that publicity for The Oprah Winfrey Show generated by the public’s fascination with Bryant and other athletes will help the finalist city win the bid. Oprah’s 23rd season will air Monday, where Bryant and other celebrated Olympians will receive a warm welcome home.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 4, 2008 - Post a comment

ESPN Predicts LeBron for MVP, Kobe Third

ESPN.com’s experts have predicted that Kobe Bryant will finish third in MVP voting for the 2008-2009 season.  The forecast has LeBron James winning the award with Chris Paul as the runner up and Dwyane Wade rounding out the four vote-getters.  Bryant is coming off his first MVP season, which is hard to believe considering all the phenomenal seasons that he’s put together in his career.  Surrounded by a number of quality players on what appears to be the best team in the league on paper, Bryant could be in line for back to back MVP seasons.

It took Bryant so long to win his first MVP that some people say he got the award because people thought he deserved it due to his total body of work during his career and that if just last season was taken into consideration that it should have gone to Paul.  James, at the age of 23, has taken over the title of “best player never to win an MVP award” from Bryant, which could help him take the hardware home next season.  Bryant probably only has a couple more years to win another MVP with guys like James, Paul and Dwight Howard all much younger and on the upswing of their careers.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 3, 2008 - Post a comment


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