Lakers and Andrew Bynum Ink Four-Year Deal

Andrew Bynum signed a four-year contract extension for $57.4 million Thursday. The deal came at the end of a tense month-long negotiations period between the Los Angeles Lakers and David Lee, Bynum’s agent. Bynum, who is locked in until 2013, will make $2.8 million this season, can earn nearly $42 million over the first three years of his contract extension and about $16 million for the fourth year as a team option. Bynum appeared elated in a statement to the L.A. Times: “This has been a fantastic week for me so far: turning 21, winning our first two games of the season, and now getting this contract signed. This gives my and my family financial security, and more importantly, cements my future with the Lakers, which in my opinion is the best organization in all of professional sports. I couldn’t be happier.”

This is a different tune than the Lakers and Bynum were singing earlier this week, when Bynum’s agent was asking for an average of $17 million per year on a five-year deal and the Lakers countered with an average of $11 million per year over five years. After spending over a week in L.A. trying to negotiate, Lee returned home to New York Wednesday without a deal, but came back to L.A. on Thursday, one day before the NBA contract-extension deadline for players like Bynum (the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft) and the two parties came to a decision. To see the full article go to the Los Angeles Times Web site.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 31, 2008 - Post a comment

Win #2 for Lakers

The Lakers played the Clippers Wednesday at Staples Center and triumphed 117-79. Just as the Lakers foiled Greg Oden’s debut with Portland in Tuesday’s season opener, the Lakers short-circuited Baron Davis’ first game as a Clipper. There have been two games into the 2008-09 NBA season and the Lakers have secured two victories by a total of 58 points. On Wednesday’s game the Lakers’ defense was dominant, holding the Clippers 36.7% shooting on the way to an 85-57 lead through three quarters and seven Lakers scored double digits (Derek Fisher had 15 and Kobe Bryant had 16). Clippers fans resignedly slipped out of the arena early on in the fourth quarter as a result.

Reporters were checking the record books to see if the point differential was worth noting, but in the end it wasn’t as bad as the 1979 embarrassment when the Lakers had a 46-point lead over the Clippers. Wednesday night’s game was the second-worse loss to the Lakers in the Clippers’ 38-year history, however. More good news for Lakers fans, as Andrew Bynum came back with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots in 25 minutes after a slow opener and despite being on the Clippers home turf there was a rousing “M-V-P” chant for Bryant. The Lakers and Clippers meet again next Wednesday in a Lakers home game.

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

Easy Win for Lakers in Season Opener

Last night the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the up-and-coming Portland Trail Blazers and scored an easy 96-76 victory. The young, promising Trail Blazers were injury-prone in last night’s opener at Staples Center and never led during the game, revealing the Lakers to be faster, bigger and more efficient from outside. Kobe Bryant finished with 23 points, 17 of them in the second half while Pau Gasol had 15 points all in the first half of the game. Bryant told the L.A. Times he was “surprised” by the margin of victory, saying, “Portland’s been a team that’s kind of given us a lot of trouble. But we were able to stifle them a bit, which I’m very pleased with.”

The showdown between Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum was hyped prior to the game, but it proved to be all talk, as Oden left the court after the second quarter because of a sprained right foot (his numbers for the game: no points, four missed shots, two missed free throws and five rebounds in 13 minutes). Many fans see the game as an example of the changes ushered in by the new year; in last season’s opener Bryant was booed during pregame intros after he demanded to be traded. There was a change in the air all right, as the purple and gold walked in with a dominant stride. Jordan Farmer took the microphone before the game and referenced last year’s six-game flameout in the NBA finals, “Everyone in this building knows we left on the wrong foot last year. So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 29, 2008 - Post a comment

Lakers Loss Fuels Fire for Redemption

The Lakers will play against Portland in a season opener tonight and with their loss to the Celtics (Celtics 131, Lakers 92) still fresh on their minds (not to mention last season’s championship loss) the team will undoubtedly try to redeem themselves. Although the media has already predicted that the Lakers will take home the 2009 NBA title, Kobe Bryant isn’t taking the predictions serious. In an interview with the L.A. Times Bryant was frank, saying that he doesn’t feel the present-day Lakers can be compared to the three championship teams earlier this decade. “No it’s not a fair comparison at all. Talent-wise, we probably have more talent on this team, but what we had on that team was inner toughness. That’s something that we have to prove still.”

Bryant, who is back after winning his first MVP award, also weighed in on the Celtics win: “Boston obviously was a big challenge, a test for us that we failed. But we’re going to be getting better at it. The team that we had in the past, that was just a tough, tough team. That came through experience. That came through trial and error. Hopefully we can get there soon.” Coach Phil Jackson returns for a fourth season in his second tour with the Lakers and told the Times, “I think this is the hardest I’ve worked guys in preseason in the re-emergence of my tenure here. I think they understand that there’s a serious challenge out to them from me, about going into the season with dedication.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 28, 2008 - Post a comment

Pau Gasol Powers Forward

Lakers power forward Pau Gasol is seamlessly adapting to his new NBA position after a summer of international play that included the Olympics. It has been a tumultuous few months for the Lakers, with Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic suffering injuries and Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom engaging in contract squabbles. For Pau Gasol, however, it has been smooth sailing, with a 10.5-point average in 18.8. minutes per game and consisten shooting (64%) as well. Gasol isn’t on the contract chopping board either; he is locked in until July 2011. All Gasol has to worry about currently is the remodeling of his Redondo Beach home.

The Lakers acquired Gasol in February and he was a center before learning the triangle offense as a power forward, a position which he is assuming flawlessly. In his new post, Gasol will shoot more from the outside, guard slightly smaller players and won’t be the main focus in the post anymore. Gasol told the L.A. Times “The center position’s pretty easy to figure out in our system. Playing [on the] wing is definitely more complicated. There’s a lot more options on the wing, with more mobility. It’s been a challenge, but I’ve been enjoying it.” Coach Phil Jackson previously expressed concern that Gasol and Bryant would have tired legs after such a short off-season (due to the Olympics) but it seems they are getting on just fine.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 27, 2008 - Post a comment

Contract Decisions for Kobe

All of the focus has been on Andrew Bynum’s contract status recently, but Kobe Bryant will also be making some contract decisions after this season. Bryant will be financially secure no matter what option he chooses, and there are a lot on the table. He stands to earn $21.3 million this season, after which he will have two years left on his Lakers contract for an additional $47.8 million. One possible option for Bryant, although it is unlikely that he will choose it, would be to play out the remaining years on his contract and become a free agent in July 2011, at which he would by 33-years-old (and want end-of-career job security).

What is more likely to happen would be for Bryant to terminate his contract next July and become an unrestricted free agent, which would enable him to sign with and NBA team for up to five years. At that point other teams in the NBA could offer about $129.5 million over five years, while the Lakers could offer Bryant about $135 million over the same time period. Bryant could also sign a four-year contract with the Lakers worth $112 million (with an average yearly salary of $28 million), or $1 million more per year than if her terminated his contract for after this season. The Lakers want to keep Kobe in the fold and he is entering his 13th season with the team.

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

Update on Kobe’s Injury

Lakers Kobe Bryant injured his knee at Tuesday’s exhibition game but is reportedly feeling better today and is expected to play in Tuesday’s season opener against Portland. Bryant told the L.A. Times that the injury instilled fear in him that the Lakers would fail to win the NBA title, saying “I saw the ring flash before my eyes.” While chasing a rebound in Tuesday’s exhibition against Charlotte, Bryant’s right knee banged into teammate Josh Powell’s knee and he heard a crack. “My knee just went back and I felt a little crunch, a little pop. I was worried,” Bryant told the Times, “That’s the scariest part, is just sitting there for five or 10 minutes and waiting to see what’s going to develop.”

Bryant was able to walk to the locker room on his own power at the San Diego Sports Arena and discovered he only had a hyperextended knee. There is a chance Bryant will be able to play in tonight’s exhibition rematch against Charlotte in Anaheim, as he told the Times, “If I’m good enough to go, I’m going to go. I don’t see why not.” The injury wasn’t considered serious enough to warrant a visit with a doctor the morning after the incident and although Bryant reported experiencing some soreness, he is able to distribute some weight on the knee and crouch down low was well. Yesterday Bryant sat out practice and iced his knee at the team’s training facility.

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

Kobe Bryant Injured in Exhibition

Lakers Kobe Bryant sustained a hyperextended right knee after banging knees with Lakers forward Josh Powell in the second quarter of last night’s exhibition game in San Diego. Although the Lakers triumphed 102-98 over the Charlotte Bobcats, Bryant was injured while going for a rebound off Sun Yue’s missed shot from the wing and was listed as day-to-day. A timeout was called with 3:08 left in the second quarter after Bryant signaled to the bench that he was injured. Bryant was able to walk over the to bench to rest before heading to the locker room with trainer Gary Vitti.

Bryant, who will be re-evaluated today, did not return for the second half of the game although the injury is not considered serious and he will not undergo an MRI unless he is still experiencing pain. In a brief interview with the L.A. Times, Bryant offered a few words: “We’ll see how it feels [today].  It’s sore.” Bryant has never experienced a hyperextended knee before and told teammates he was relieved that the injury wasn’t serious. Veteran Derek Fisher said he expected Bryant to play in Tuesday’s season opener against Portland although Bryant may sit out the Lakers’ rematch against Charlotte Thursday in Anaheim. The preseason concludes Friday in Ontario when the Lakers face off against Oklahoma City.

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

Bynum and Gasol Improving Each Game

Lakers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol seem to be improving as a team on a game-by-game basis, although don’t expect any comparisons to the Shaw-Shaq Redemption quite yet. The Twin Towers continue to work on feeding each other around the basket and looked for each other several times during Sunday’s exhibition game against Toronto. The pair were moderately successful: Bynum drew fouls two times while going for lobs from Gasol but Bynum failed to connect with Gasol on one play, instead passing up a short jump hook by unsuccessfully trying to pass through two players to Gasol.

Bynum told the L.A. Times, “We definitely have a lot more high-low post action going on. I think you’re going to see more of that as I get my legs back to 100% and everything. I’ll be able to throw some of those dunks down.” Bynum converted two dunks (one from Kobe Bryant and the other from Vladimir Radmanovic) on alley-oop passes on Sunday; he is still getting into NBA-level shape while recovering from a knee injury. As for contract extension talks, Bynum and Gasol remained separate. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Bynum’s agent, David Lee, met Friday to discuss Bynum’s contract but no deals were made.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 21, 2008 - Post a comment

Test of the Twin Towers

Sunday night the Lakers were up against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center and it was a test for Lakers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The 7-foot “Twin Towers” faced off against the Raptors’ giants, Chris Bosh (6-10) and Jermaine O’Neal, on Sunday’s exhibition game and everyone was watching to see how the pair of Lakers would fare. Gasol and Bynum did their job playing against the two frontcourt Raptors and helped lead to Lakers to a 112-98 victory. Bynum has nine points and four rebounds while Gasol had seven points and seven rebounds.

Bynum told the L.A. Times, “It’s a great guage. There definitely are two All-Star players on the other side. It’s definitely a good test.” A test which Bynum and Gasol passed. O’Neal, a six-time All-Star who the Raptors acquired from the Pacers in July, had 12 points and four rebounds. O’Neal only played 42 games last season due to an assortment of injuries. As for Bosh, the three-time All-Star was a member of the gold metal-winning U.S. Olympic team and had 11 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson weighed in on the situation, saying “Both of those players have been All-Stars so they certainly are top-notch players in this league individually.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 20, 2008 - Post a comment


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