Last night’s 111-82 victory over the Rockets could be the game that sends a message to the Western Conference. After giving the visiting team a 16-point lead, due to eight first quarter turnovers (rust anyone?), the Lakers dominated and ended up a 29-point win over a team that many think will be their main competition this season. Let’s be fair, Houston wasn’t at 100%, and the combined record of the Lakers opponents so far this season is 12-23, but a 5-0 start and average margin of victory of 22.4 ppg ain’t too shabby.
Pau Gasol found motivation for a 20 and 15 night after taking a couple elbows to the chops. Sasha Vujacic got back on track, making all three shots he took including two from behind the arc. Could this be the reason? It’s gotta have something to do with it.
Lakers owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, sat down for his annual meeting with the beat reporters and answered a wide array of questions. We’ll have more to come on that later this week, but here’s a transcript of the proceedings. Main themes from the conversation:
Buss fully supports Kobe Bryant and doesn’t expect him to go to Europe.
No one likes to pay the luxury tax but if that’s what it takes to win then that’s what it takes.
His relationship with Mitch Kupchak is solid.
A peek at the Lakers shot chart.
TODAY
The team is set to practice this morning before boarding a plane and heading to Dallas for the first of this season’s ten road back-to-backs.
Here’s some light reading to tide you over until tonight’s game at 7:30:
In the LA Times, Mike Bresnahan breaks down the Lakers-Clippers rivalry and how the Purple & Gold have taken control while Brad Turner talks to Phil Jackson about how players getting less minutes can contribute.
Here are some bullet points from Phil Jackson’s post-practice media session (and supporting video).
TODAY
The Lakers meet the Clippers tonight for the second time this season. Last time was a walk over, but the team is expecting tonight to be tougher with the Clippers finally pairing Baron Davis and Marcus Camby together. Check out the Lakers Gameday Preview for all your game info and an interview with Clippers radio voice Brian Sieman. Also read Lakers.com Projects for a little political take off on tonight’s action.
We’ll be heading over to shootaround this afternoon and have a report and some video from there. Talk to ya then.
With a couple days off until their Wednesday’s game against the Clippers the Lakers were able to celebrate Saturday’s 104-97 win with a day off yesterday.
Kobe Bryant did a lot of Kobe Bryant type things in the fourth quarter. 14-points in the final quarter carried the team, while Andrew Bynum (and pretty much everyone else) struggled with foul trouble. In the “news to no one” category, defense has been the key early.
No one on the Lakers is averaging more than four-assists per game through the first three contests, but they have four players (Farmar, Bryant, Fisher, Gasol) are averaging 3.3 or more. Kevin Ding asks the question, who will lead this team in assists?
More Andrew Bynum extension talk.
Jordan Farmar’s game is maturing on the court… as well as off.
Pau Gasol has been great so far this season. Mainly in the first half though and Phil Jackson would like to see some of that greatness translate into the second half. Here’s Gasol talking about Saturday’s game.
Also, take a listen to Sasha Vujacic outlining some of the differences between Slovenia and the USA. Strangely, Sasha taught me something about the states that I hadn’t thought about. When I go to In-N-Out I usually tack on a chocolate shake to my double-double and call it a day. But if you were to ask them to put all three available flavors (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry) in the same cup, you’ve got a neapolitan. Of all the off-menu items you can get at In-N-Out this is one I had never heard of. The more you know.
We’ll probably have an on-going piece of what it’s like to travel in the NBA as Mike Trudell hits the road with the team this season… here are the first pieces. Mike talks to Chris Mihm about his post-practice/pre-flight routine and then talks with radio play-by-play man Spero Dedes while in transit to Denver.
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The team will practice at the training facility. Reports and videos to follow.
Before the Lakers could get out on the practice court yesterday they had to do some housekeeping in the roster department. Coby Karl didn’t survive to see his second season as a Laker, being waived just hours before the roster deadline. On the flip side, guard Jordan Farmar had his fourth year option picked up by the team, ensuring that they will control his rights though the 2009-10 season.
It wasn’t a roster move, but Andrew Bynum turned 21-years old yesterday and some people have some wishes for him.
Phil Jackson wasn’t ready to reveal his starting lineup after yesterday’s practice, but there is a good chance that Vladimir Radmanovic will hear his named announced by Lawrence Tanter while the lights are down. As for the rest of the rotation… don’t even ask.
Kobe Bryant’s marketing might is picking up once again, as demonstrated by the latest Guitar Hero World Tour commercial. Here he talks about how he go out of wearing “chonies.”
After a summer filled with bitter memories it’s finally time to get the real thing going tonight at STAPLES. Here are some keys to the season, one final preview and some fun facts.
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The Trail Blazers roll into town with great expectations for a young team looking to erase memories of darker times. The game tips at 7:30pm and will be seen exclusively on TNT. Listen to all the action on AM 570 KLAC and ESPN 1330 in the LA area or check out the NBA’s Audio League Pass to listen for free.
Lakers Gameday has all your game info and an interview with Blazers beat writer Jason Quick. We’ll be on hand at STAPLES Center with pre-game, in-game and post-game coverage, so check back later in the day.
Not a lot of news to go around when the team takes a day like they did yesterday. A couple things playing up a Lakers-Celtics rematch and the “championship or bust” mentality (you ready to hear those themes all season… good, because it’s going to happen). The LA Times takes a look at Pau Gasol’s forward march and the Daily News reiterates that the Lakers are coming together at the right time.
We’ve got our position-by-position season preview up on the main site. Check it out.
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After Sunday’s off-day, the team will return to the practice facility and get in one more session before tomorrow’s season opener against Portland.
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The Lakers will have their first day off of the season Sunday. The team has practiced or played everyday since training camp opened September 30th so a day off before Tuesday’s opener is deserved.
Here’s some reading to tide you over in lieu of practice news.
Andrew Bynum and Phil Jackson talked to the media after yesterday’s practice.
NBA.com spent a day tagging along with Andrew. Mike Bresnahan breaks down Bynum’s game from Friday night.
More on Lamar Odom coming off the bench.
Mark Heisler makes some predictions and he thinks a Lakers-Celtics rematch “would rock.”
This team is coming together at the right time, as they look ahead to the regular season.
Hear what an opposing scout thinks about the Lakers and the Western Conference.
Enjoy the off day.
And finally the pre-season is over and the games can start to count again.
The Lakers closed out their annual pre-season tour with a 6-2 record after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-94 on Friday night in Ontario’s brand new arena.
The Lakers closed their eight-game slate with a six-game winning streak to equal their best pre-season record since the 2005-06 season.
After a dismal defeat to the Clippers in Fresno everything started to click for the team’s second unit. Led by Jordan Farmar and Trevor Ariza, the reserves started running other team’s backups off the floor (kinda like the end of last regular season). Farmar ended up as the team’s leading scorer in the pre-season, averaging 12.3 points in just over 21-minutes per game. “He was really a spark plug for us this pre-season,” said head coach Phil Jackson.
Other pre-season notes: (ones off the top of my head, if you have others send us an email)
As the pre-season went on Andrew Bynum continued to find his rhythm, getting better with each contest. He looks ready for the season to start.
Pau Gasol shot a silly 64% from the field, actually lowering his percentage by going 3/5 last night.
Sasha Vujacic got his one game in. After going out on the first day of training camp, and subsequently being shut down for a week, it was nice to see the Slovenian sharpshooter get in some live action before the real thing starts. He also dominated the crowd before last night’s game. Don’t give Sasha a mic unless you want him to rock it.
Lamar Odom settling in with the second unit has been fun to watch. Only Phil Jackson knows what the Lakers rotations will look like on opening night and beyond, but if Lamar comes off the bench six-minutes into the game he’s going to cause a lot of problems for the opposing squad. His abilities shines in the open floor game that Farmar and Ariza have been leading and Odom’s overall talent is head-and-shoulders above most of the players he’ll be matching up with.
Bynum and Gasol have been starting together and getting better, but as Mike Trudell pointed out last night, the ability to rotate the two talented bigs in-and-out with different lineups is a “nasty” option to have.
More than anything, NO MAJOR INJURIES… Kobe bumped a knee, but showed last night that he’s good to go. Sasha returned and is ready for the regular season. Josh Powell should be ready to go for Tuesday after being held out of the past two games with a tweaked hamstring. Jackson said that this is the hardest he’s worked a team since he returned to the Lakers and pretty much everyone has come away better for it.
Sasha also told Mike Trudell last night that he elected himself President of the training room during this pre-season…
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Even though they’ve played five games in the last seven days, the team will return to the training facility for practice today.
The Lakers cruised to their fifth straight pre-season win last night, defeating the Bobcats 88-77, in Anaheim. The play of the second unit, once again led by Jordan Farmar, has made all the difference in the wins. It reminds me of last year when the second unit would inherit a slight lead and push it to a significant lead that the starters could then pad down the stretch.
Kobe Bryant did not play because of swelling in his knee, but according to the LA Times, could still play tonight if the swelling subsides. Sasha Vujacic also sat out last night, he expects to play tonight, and Josh Powell is day-to-day with a strained left hamstring.
More on Kobe: A look back and a look ahead. One I don’t remember fondly and the other I’m not really looking forward to hearing about.
GM Mitch Kupchak talks to NBA.com about their recent survey of General Managers that had the Lakers has heavy favorites to take the title.
TODAY
The Lakers christen the new Citizens Business Bank Arena tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30pm on KCAL/9 HD and ESPN. The Inland Empire is fired up about seeing the Lakers (and their new arena) and the game is expected to be a sellout.
Check the Lakers Gameday Preview for all your game info.
This will be the team’s final pre-season game. They open the regular season against the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday.
Kobe Bryant didn’t practice yesterday, opting to receive treatment on the knee that he hyperextended against the Bobcats Tuesday night, but said that he expects to play Thursday night in Anaheim. “If I’m good enough to go, I’m going to go. I don’t see why not,” he said. Bryant also went on to say that the injury was scary because it was something he had never experienced before. (Click here to watch Bryant’s post-practice media session)
The Lakers’ roster is down to 15 after the team waived Joe Crawford and CJ Giles Wednesday morning. The team does not have to submit a final roster until Monday so there could be more changes ahead, but they could also stand pat and go into the season with this lineup.
Without a doubt the standout player of the pre-season has been Jordan Farmar. His game continues to grow as he has started doing things the coaches’ way.
Kurt Streeter explores the enigma that is Lamar Odom.
TODAY
Sasha Vujacic will see a foot specialist in the morning in the hopes of getting the final go-ahead to get back on the court. Vujacic has said that he wants to play in at least one of the Lakers final two exhibition games before Tuesday night’s season opener. The Lakers once again face the Charlotte Bobcats tonight, this time at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Check out Lakers Gameday for all your game information.
Kobe bumped knees with Josh Powell at the 3:08 mark of the second quarter last night and that set off alarms all over Lakerland. The official diagnosis is that Bryant is day-to-day with a hyperextended knee. He’ll be reevaluated today. Kevin Ding is once again preaching patience and most of Kobe’s teammates aren’t worried about him missing any time. Phil Jackson didn’t have much to say about it post-game, but you can watch it here.
Has the SI Cover jinx translated over from football?
The Lakers also won a game last night. It became a little bit of a side note after #24 left the game but the 102-98 final gave the Lakers their fourth pre-season win in a row and kept the Bobcats winless this pre-season. The balanced attack was led (once again) by training camp standout Jordan Farmar, who had 17-points and four assists. Andrew Bynum was also impressive and Trevor Ariza played well except for some unnecessary turnovers.
If you’re a fan of “The Office” or “Extras” then you’re probably a fan of Stephen Merchant (or at the very least you should be). Sunday’s pre-season game against the Raptors was Stephen’s first pro basketball game and he scored some choice seats right next to the Lakers bench. Mike Trudell caught up with him during the second half to talk some hoops and some Hollywood. He also calls Mike a nerd.
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Kobe will be reevaluated and we’ll get that news to you as soon as it’s officially released. We’ll also be doing our normal practice stuff… which will probably devolve into all things Kobe anyway.
