Walton Surgery
Luke Walton had surgery to remove bone spurs and scar tissue as well as clean up cartilage debris from the right ankle that bothered him the majority of the season.
The recovery process is expected to take six weeks, which would be the last week in August, giving Luke plenty of time to be right for training camp in October.
Full Press Release
Turiaf a Warrior
As was widely suspected, the Lakers did not match the lucrative offer sheet extended to Forward Ronny Turiaf meaning that #21 will be suiting up as a member of the Golden State Warriors next season.
All the things Turiaf brings to a team can not be summed up in the 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, but the dollars (a reported $17 million over 4 years) were just too much.
Ronny becomes apart of the new look Warriors who acquired free agent Corey Maggette after losing face of the franchise point-guard Baron Davis to the Clippers.
Ariza Working Out
Forward Trevor Ariza visited the team’s training facility this afternoon to get some shots up and run a few drills.
Since the season ended Trevor has been focusing on strengthening the ankle that caused him to miss time during the season and relaxing, recently returning from a trip to the Bahamas.
Contract Status: Player option exercised
Acquired in the November trade that sent Maurice Evans and Brian Cook to Orlando, Ariza blossomed as a backup small forward for the Lakers before breaking his foot shortly after the New Year. After coming to the Lakers, the L.A. native averaged almost seven points and four rebounds per game while showing jaw-dropping athleticism as evidenced by his Dunk-of-the-Year candidate leap over Grant Hill in the Lakers’ victory over the Suns on Christmas Day. However, where Trevor most took advantage of his athletic prowess was on the defensive end as Coach Jackson immediately entrusted the forward with guarding some of opposing teams’ most prominent wing players.
With Ariza expected to be back with the Lakers after returning from injury during the Western Conference Finals, L.A. has a logjam at the three spot with Radmanovic and Walton also occupying the post. However, neither player is particularly adept at defense so Ariza figures to see a lot of playing time next season as the team looks to improve its overall defensive game. His role could expand even more if the improved stroke from outside that he showcased during the playoffs continues into next season.
… in the 2008 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select…..
Barring any trades that will be the only time you hear NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver speak the Lakers name (Silver normally announces the second round picks after David Stern wraps up the first round).
The Lakers first round pick this year was conveyed to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the deal that landed Pau Gasol. Thus the Lakers hold only the third to last pick in the draft, a situation that has made it tough on the front office in trying to evaluate players.
“Because we don’t have a first round pick, agents will say, ‘Well why are we going to send him to work out for you when you don’t even have a pick.’ So it’s difficult for us,” explained General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “We really have to scramble to get players to come in, we have to look at a lot more tape and film, and then we have to travel to workouts to hopefully see these players.”
Good fortune has found the Lakers in the second round. Key bench contributors Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf were both drafted after Stern had left the stage.
Continue reading ‘And With the 58th Pick…’
During his exit interview today, Trevor Ariza reflected on the mid-season trade that sent him from the Magic to the Lakers and so to, back to his hometown. According to the athletic forward, he’s planning on being in L.A. next fall, noting that the Lakers are a good place for him. “It’s a dream almost, playing here. I don’t want to wake up from it,” said Ariza.
Physically, Trevor said he feels rejuvenated after missing more than four months with a broken foot. “It was a breath of fresh air for sure,” said Ariza, after getting to play a few minutes in his first NBA Finals. Even in small doses, his taste of extended NBA post-season action has left him wanting more.
“I know its not easy getting there…It’s going to take a lot of hard work,” said Trevor, noting that the team must take what they learned during this playoff run and apply it to next season.
Overall, Trevor said he feels fine physically and is experiencing no pain in his foot. In the next few months, the forward said he plans on focusing primarily on his ball-handing skills and shooting while hopefully adding 10 pounds to his lanky frame.
The Lakers manhandled San Antonio in Game 2, outscoring the Spurs 55-34 in the second half on their way to a 101-71 win. For L.A., all 11 players who stepped foot on the floor scored, led by 22 from Kobe Bryant.
Lamar Odom rebounded from a poor Game 1 effort, scoring 20 points to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, the Lakers held the Spurs to just 35% shooting and only 26% from beyond the three point line.
After the game, Coach Jackson said the poor shooting night was a combination of the Lakers’ defense and the Spurs simply missing good opportunities.
“I think they had an off night,” said Jackson. “I think they had some tired legs and I think that’s what happens sometimes. You get to playing a lot of playoff games back-to-back. We’re every other day here in this situation. Kind of crept up on them perhaps.”
Spurs Coach Greg Popovic said that the second game in the series was the one in which fatigue finally caught up to them, not Game 1.
Continue reading ‘WCF Game 2: Lakers vs Spurs Post-Game’
Before game 2 tonight, Coach Jackson said that there is a chance that Trevor Ariza will see playing time, noting “He’s going to be dressed in uniform tonight.”
Jackson said the athletic forward displayed the necessary level of energy in practice this week, but he is still working on getting back in sync with the rest of his Lakers teammates.
After today’s practice session, Coach Jackson said that he expects to use Trevor Ariza at some point against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
“He played well today,” said Jackson. “I think there’s a good chance Trevor will be available and ready to play.”
Jackson declined to comment on whether or not Ariza would see playing time in Game 1 tomorrow.
Trevor Ariza’s second practice since being cleared to resume basketball activities went better than the first.
Trevor was back on the practice court Thursday afternoon working with the teammates that have been without him for almost four months as he recovered from a fractured right foot.
“I definitely feel more comfortable because I had a lot of time off so I’ve had a lot of time to watch and a lot of time to do everything,” said Ariza as the team finished up practice and hopped a flight to Salt Lake for Friday’s Game 6.
“I can’t even describe how happy I am. I’ve been out for almost four months, this is big for me.”
There is no definitive timetable for the Forward’s return and Head Coach Phil Jackson is looking for incremental improvement before throwing Ariza back into the fire of playoff basketball.
“We’ll just go a day at a time with this,” said Jackson. “By his own admission, he thought it take him a week. I was kidding about it probably taking two or three weeks to get ready to play and he said maybe a week.”
Getting back in the groove after missing so much time won’t be an easy task. “My foot feels fine, I don’t feel any pain in my foot, but as far as my wind and conditioning, that’s going to be the tough part,” said Ariza.
When asked if he had told Jackson of his desire to play Friday Trevor answered, “He knows how I feel and if he decides to play me I’ll be ready.”
After today’s practice, Lakers spokesman John Black said that Trevor Ariza has been cleared for full-contact practice. Although the broken bone in his foot has yet to fully heal, Ariza is not at risk for further injuring his foot.
After participating in his first practice today, Coach Jackson said, “He got out there today a little bit and tried to shake off three months of rust, maybe even more…three and a half months…and he’s got time to work at his game and this will give him a little edge about going forward.”
With Ariza potentially available should the Lakers advance in the Western Conference playoffs, Jackson said he isn’t sure yet when he’ll be able to use the athletic forward in live game play.
“We really can’t put a timeframe on it,” said Jackson. “I said a week or two and he said one week so we’ll just see what it’s going to be.”
Continue reading ‘Trevor Ariza Injury Update’
Lakers Forward Trevor Ariza used this trip to Utah to get a second opinion on the injured right foot that has kept him off the floor since January 20th.
The prognosis: conflicting.
“There’s a fault line there, I’ll use that term, there’s a small line in that break. There’s been some suggestion that perhaps this is as good as it’s going to heal,” said Phil Jackson. “Perhaps he doesn’t have to be as cautious as was suggested before.”
Jackson went on to stress Ariza’s long term importance to the team.
“This is a territory of the anatomy that you don’t just go in and put a screw in and it heals itself. He’s had a break there once and we’re trying to be real cautious because he’s a young guy.”
Because of the differing opinions the team will likely seek a third opinion before deciding on a course of action.
Ariza originally injured the foot after coming down awkwardly on Derek Fisher’s foot in practice.
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