laker basketball

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no shame in being number 2

oklahoma thought the same thing

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LAKERS REPORT

Jackson Shows Up at Practice

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer

October 10, 2006

Coach Phil Jackson stopped by Lakers practice Monday morning, accepted handshakes from his players, and launched right into a lecture on an element of the triangle offense  with discussions of feel-good reunions and hip-replacement surgery left for another time.

Jackson was more than a passive participant in returning to a part-time role less than a week after last Tuesday's procedure. He is still up to three weeks from returning full time and will not join the team tonight in Fresno for its first exhibition against Utah, but he sat in on the coaches' meeting and then watched more than two hours of Monday's practice.

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He also watched Sunday night's two-hour scrimmage that was closed to the media.

"You can see that he's getting better and he's feeling better," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. "He was sprier [Monday] and barking out commands to the guys. You can tell the itch is there and he's eager to get back.

"One of the elements of the offense that I've been holding on to because I didn't feel like the team was ready for it, he shoved it right down their throats this morning, so he got them going on that part of the offense."

Said forward Lamar Odom: "He's our leader. I just want to see him well. That's first. Captain Kurt has done a great job. It's a learning week. We have so many people to learn from."

Jackson, walking with the assistance of a cane, did not stay around to talk to the media.

"That just shows you his thought processes are very clear too," Rambis said jokingly.

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Jackson said last week that he hoped Kobe Bryant would be back in a week or two. There's one more week before it gets to that point.

Rambis suggested he wasn't a magical healer when asked if Bryant and Chris Mihm would return soon.

"The last miracle I performed was getting my wife to marry me," Rambis said. "Kobe's been out going through dry runs with no defense or anything like that and he looks good, but when he's coming back, I have no idea."

It's not great news for Lakers fans, but it's not necessarily a bad thing for the rest of the team.

"We'll turn that into a positive instead of a negative, that other guys will learn to run the offense without Kobe," Rambis said. "So many times last year in ballgames, guys would throw Kobe the ball and then they would stop going through with their cuts and they'd just stand around and watch him."

Said Odom: "Kobe's so good that you can't help, especially when it's your first time playing with him, to pass him the ball and move out of his way."

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With Mihm still recovering from off-season ankle surgery, Andrew Bynum is expected to get more playing time in the exhibition season.

There have been some subtle improvements in his game, but he is still only 18.

"He even showed some things in scrimmage [Monday]," Rambis said. "He used his left hand on a move and that was something that we've all been begging him to do. He used his left hand for the first time in practice and he's been here for a year already, so that lets you know how slow the process is. He's done some good things in practice and he's just got to continue to develop them.

"We would love for him to go out there and play great and get as much time as possible. That would be good for him and good for us, but realistically he's probably going to fail more than he's going to succeed when he gets playing time out there."

[Triple B]

no shame in being number 2

Number 2 is the best of the losers...

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LAKERS REPORT

Evans Earns Good Reviews

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer

October 12, 2006

It was a draft-day footnote, falling well below Toronto's selection of top pick Andrea Bargnani and the seemingly never-ending barrage of trades by Portland.

The Lakers' acquisition of Maurice Evans from Detroit for the rights to Cheik Samb barely registered amid the draft-day hubbub, but the Lakers are satisfied with what they've received.

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Samb, a Senegalese center selected 51st overall by the Lakers, was not invited to the Pistons' training camp and probably won't be for another year or two. Evans, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise in El Segundo, arriving with a defense-first reputation and showing more of an appetite for offense than expected.

He views it as a more palatable situation than another year in Detroit, where his playing time and scoring average dropped in the playoffs because the Pistons' rotation was shortened. After a sour end to the Pistons' season in the Eastern Conference finals, Evans and his agent, Roger Montgomery, appealed to team President Joe Dumars.

Evans averaged only 3.3 points and 6.3 minutes in the playoffs, about half his regular-season averages.

"We were very hopeful that some changes could be made, whether we could expand our role there or get into a better situation," Evans said. "And they put us in a better situation."

When Evans received the news he had been traded to the Lakers, he called Dumars and thanked him. He is expected to back up Kobe Bryant at shooting guard and get time at small forward as well.

"I definitely welcome an expanded role," Evans said. "The thing I like about our offense is it kind of highlights your talents. If you're a versatile player, then you can really show off your skills and your talents.

"You might be in position to shoot three-pointers one moment, the next moment you might be slashing or cutting to the basket."

Evans signed a two-year, $3-million contract with the Lakers, but the second year is a player option, allowing him to test the free-agent market after the season if he wished.

The Lakers hope he fills a need as one of the first players off their bench.

Starting in place of the still-recuperating Bryant, Evans had 12 points in 21 minutes in an exhibition opener Tuesday against Utah.

"We just kind of viewed him as a board-crasher and an occasional three-point shooter, but he's shown us that he can do more than that," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. "He's done a good job."

Evans will do about anything to ease the transition from Detroit.

"I wouldn't say unhappy like I was a problem, but they understood I was looking to be more a part of that team than what I was," he said.

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It was only an exhibition, but Lamar Odom showed few effects of a long layoff from basketball during a tumultuous summer.

Playing more from the wing position than his usual spot near the top of the key, Odom had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists against Utah.

"It's good for him and it's good for us really that he shows that he has the stamina to go out there and play," Rambis said. "He did a lot of good things for us offensively.

"He got a little winded a couple times, but other than that I thought he played very well and very hard."

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IN BRIEF / REAL ESTATE

Canyon-Johnson, MFM to Build Miami Complex

From Bloomberg News

October 12, 2006

Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, started by former Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and partner MFM Construction Corp. said they would build a housing and retail complex in Miami's Little Havana community.

Most of the 395 condominiums in the development will be priced from $240,000 to $380,000, Los Angeles-based Canyon-Johnson said.

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LAKERS REPORT

Rambis Comes Full Circle

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer

October 13, 2006

The game-worn eyeglasses were hung up a long time ago. The Clark Kent references have also been retired.

Kurt Rambis looks at those days and smiles, employing a pop-culture analogy to describe his past life as a Lakers power forward.

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"Wham! was still big," he said, a reference to the former George Michael--led pop-music duo that peaked in the mid-1980s.

Rambis, now 48, has long since shifted into the coaching part of his career, entering his ninth season as a Lakers assistant. He is guiding the team while Coach Phil Jackson recovers from hip-replacement surgery.

He has been in charge before, taking over in the interim for Del Harris 12 games into the strike-shortened 1998-99 season. He tied a league record at the time by winning his first nine games, but then the season began to unravel.

Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell were traded to Charlotte for Glen Rice, B.J Armstrong and J.R. Reid, a move that failed to bring the desired results. Then Dennis Rodman was signed. The Lakers were swept by San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals.

Rambis could not shed his interim tag. Jackson was hired before the 1999-2000 season.

"The way I look at it, it was a great opportunity for me," Rambis said. "I was thrown into the fire and just about every bad thing that could happen to a coach during a season happened to me that year. It was just unfortunate I didn't get an experience to have my own team, run my own team and come back with the Lakers, but if I'm sitting in the Laker business office at that time and Kurt Rambis is your interim coach and Phil Jackson is available, it becomes a very easy decision about which coach you're going to take."

Jackson did not pick Rambis for his staff, so Rambis became a consultant for the Lakers.

"He obviously had a tremendous amount of success here with this organization, but it did kind of push me to the back side," Rambis said. "It was disappointing, but I understood it. It was probably a good break for me too, to get me away from the team. He brought me back later and has meant an awful lot to me as a coach and a mentor."

Rambis was asked to join Jackson's staff before the 2001-02 season, the result of a budding friendship. The players have reacted favorably to him.

"He has a high basketball IQ," forward Lamar Odom said. "The guy played on championship teams with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He looks younger now, with the shaved mustache, contact lenses … those glasses were kind of thick."

Eventually, Rambis wants another chance as a head coach.

"I definitely want to be a head coach in this league, as long as the team has realistic expectations," Rambis said. "If you go to a less-talented team and the owner and general manager are expecting you to win a championship, that's just completely unrealistic. As long as there's support from management and realistic expectations and a realistic timetable for a team to improve, it would be enjoyable to coach just about anywhere in this league."

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The Lakers defeated Seattle, 104-101, in an exhibition at the Honda Center. Brian Cook had 16 points on seven-for-10 shooting and Ronny Turiaf had 15 points. Rookie Jordan Farmar had 10 points and five assists.

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Guard Sasha Vujacic did not play Thursday and will be out three or four days because of a strained muscle in his left foot…. Andrew Bynum sustained a slightly sprained left ankle and left in the third quarter…. The Lakers waived forward Marcus Douthit and center Mamadou N'Diaye. They now have 18 players, three more than the league maximum.

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Lakers Can't Stop the Pain

Brown to miss 3-4 weeks because of shoulder problems as injuries continue to mount, raising concern less than two weeks before opener.

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer

October 20, 2006

The pregame scoreboard montage showed Kobe Bryant dunking, Kwame Brown lifting weights, Vladimir Radmanovic running sprints, Chris Mihm flipping in a hook shot and Phil Jackson yelling orders from the sidelines.

Then the Lakers began their exhibition game  otherwise known as reality  and there wasn't enough room at the end of their bench for all the players wearing suits.

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The latest to fall in an injury-ravaged October was Brown, who will be out three to four weeks because of a bruised rotator cuff and bursitis in his right shoulder.

Joining him on the bench Thursday against the Clippers were Mihm, who is looking more and more likely to miss the start of the regular season because of a slow recovery from off-season ankle surgery; Brian Cook, who came down awkwardly on a ball and sprained his ankle during pregame layup lines Tuesday in Las Vegas; Radmanovic, who is out at least one more exhibition game because of a sprained ligament in his right hand; Shammond Williams, who is day-to-day with an abdominal strain; and Bryant, who has done only light scrimmaging since off-season knee surgery but might play Sunday against Phoenix, the only bit of acceptable injury news for the Lakers.

Not on the bench but not forgotten in the NFL-style injury report the team sent to media members Thursday afternoon were Aaron McKie, out at least two more games because of disk irritation and inflammation in his back, and Von Wafer, out because of a bruised heel.

And, of course, Jackson is still not coaching games while he recovers from hip-replacement surgery. The Lakers are 11 days from their season opener against the Suns.

Their pride might have been injured after surrendering a 3-1 series lead against Phoenix in May. Now they're simply injured, period, eight men and a coach out of Thursday's game, a 91-90 Lakers loss.

Further frustrating them is a friendly top-heavy schedule, 15 of their first 20 games at home and a 16th designated as a road game against the Clippers.

"It's definitely a setback, yes," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. "We don't even have our secure starting lineup out there. It does hamper the development of the team, but this is what you have to deal with. These are things that come up in any physical sport."

Bryant will not play tonight against New Orleans, but a team official said he might play Sunday against the Suns in San Diego. The Lakers have one more exhibition game after that, Thursday against Denver in Anaheim.

Bryant is normally known to be a quick healer, but his recovery period from arthroscopic knee surgery was estimated to be eight to 12 weeks after the July 15 procedure. Saturday will mark the beginning of the 15th week.

Bryant has felt soreness in his knee and said it was "ginger" on Wednesday. He felt better Thursday and said he would "be back shortly."

As shortly as Sunday's game?

"Hopefully," he said. "It would be nice. It's feeling all right. It's just getting over that last hurdle. That last little bit takes the longest sometimes. We're just making sure we stick to the script and get that done."

Brown, who played well at the end of last season, was knocked back awkwardly by Andrew Bynum while attempting a shot at practice last week. The injury was initially diagnosed as a sprain, but a second opinion showed the rotator cuff bruise and the presence of bursitis, the painful swelling of small sacs that help joints throughout the body move more easily, including those in the shoulder.

"I'm having trouble lifting my arm," Brown said. "They told me it was going to get weaker and weaker if I didn't sit out. I'd rather sit out now than try to play and push through and sit out later."

The Lakers are still without Mihm, meaning Bynum could be their starting center for the season opener four days after his 19th birthday.

"He's going to have to learn by fire," Rambis said. "Right now he's going to get some significant time just because other people are hurt. But now he's got to step up to that challenge."

Other alternatives are Ronny Turiaf, Cook or even Lamar Odom. Cook's sprained ankle is a day-to-day situation.

Mihm, the starting center the last two seasons, has had to dial down his rehabilitation work in recent days because of pain and swelling in his surgically repaired right ankle. Mihm missed 24 of the Lakers' last 25 games after landing on the foot of Seattle forward Rashard Lewis and sustaining a severe sprain. He underwent surgery July 26.

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A. Adande:

Stakes High as Walton Steps In

October 19, 2006

Maybe there's a big-picture message at work here, life reminding us that when you put others first, rewards come to you.

There isn't good news in the Lakerland medical report, but injuries to Kobe Bryant and Vladimir Radmanovic might wind up benefiting Luke Walton.

ADVERTISEMENTBryant describes his surgically repaired knee as "ginger" and Radmanovic has had trouble because of a strained ligament in his shooting hand, developments that Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis says put "a damper on things." (Between ginger and damper, the Lakers roster sounds better suited to hauling Santa's sleigh than winning NBA games right now.)

In either case, it probably means an increased role for Walton until both are at full strength. This is an important time in an important season for Walton, who isn't quite sure where he'll fit in this lineup or where he'll be next year.

It's doubtful Radmanovic would have left the Clippers to join the Lakers if he didn't have reason to believe he would start in the small forward spot occupied by Walton late last year.

And it's just as unlikely that Walton would ever make this a divisive issue. Not his style. He can address the same topics we hate to hear from athletes  such as money and status  and it just sounds different. He isn't pushy or bossy. He's not the type to make demands. It's hard to even imagine him giving orders at a restaurant. He probably just looks at the waitress and asks, "What do you recommend?"

But he is a professional basketball player, and they all have two things in common: They want to play as much as possible and get paid as much as possible.

This is a contract year for Walton, who's finishing up a two-year deal that will pay him $1.25 million this season. He might be laid back  he was literally lying back on a chair as we talked  but his pending free agency remains an issue.

"It definitely is," Walton said. "Obviously, you're supposed to play every year as hard as you can. I try to do that. But the thought of knowing that there's a contract year coming up, there's no way that's not going to be in your head.

"It's not like I'm more motivated this year than I was last year. I love playing in the NBA. I make a very good amount of money. Really, I just want to win. That's what I use as my motivation. I figure the rest will take care of itself."

Walton will have more to do with how much the Lakers win than most people think. His understanding of the triangle offense and his ability to create scoring chances for his teammates comes into play when Bryant, the league's top scorer last season, isn't in the game.

When playing with Bryant, Walton's ability to make the open shot will determine how much opponents can double-team Bryant. The jumper has been a weak spot in Walton's game, and the three-point threat posed by Radmanovic is the reason he could claim Walton's starting spot.

Walton started the final five games of the regular season. The Lakers won them all.

"I like to start," Walton said. "I had a great time at the end of last season when I was starting. Now that I've done that and came off the bench, I definitely like that more, in the starting role. But if coach decides to go another way, I'm comfortable coming off the bench. I've been there before too. If it was up to me, I'd start. But I'm not going to sit around and pout if I don't."

He started in the playoff series against the Phoenix Suns  and unlike some other Lakers he didn't appear scared by the moment. Walton went down fighting with 16 points and five rebounds.

If you go back a couple of seasons, Walton was at the heart of the Lakers' last victory in the NBA Finals. Phil Jackson threw him in during Game 2 against the Detroit Pistons, and Walton worked his way to eight assists, somehow keeping the Lakers involved in the game long enough for Shaquille O'Neal to get a late put-back and Bryant to make a last-second three-pointer to send the game into overtime.

To Walton, the NBA postseason is like playing NCAA tournament games when he was at Arizona or state championship games when he went to University High School in San Diego.

"I just always love playing when all the pressure's on, and knowing that it's win-or-go-home type games," Walton said. "Those are the most fun for me to play in."

If you like the team aspect of the game, it's fun to watch Walton as he spins through the lane and zips passes to teammates. It's fun for the other players because he gets them the ball.

But the business side of the NBA is never too far away. And for Walton, this season will be one long job application.

J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read more by Adande, go to latimes.com/adandeblog

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Clippers Edge Lakers, 91-90

By Mike Bresnahan

October 20, 2006

Cuttino Mobley's 26 points were just enough to get the Clippers past the depleted Lakers, 91-90, in an exhibition Thursday at Staples Center.

Eight players sat out for the Lakers, including Kobe Bryant and centers Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm.

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Elton Brand had 20 points and made all 10 of his free throws for the Clippers, who moved to 3-1 in exhibition play. The Lakers are 2-3.

"Pitiful performance by us," said Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy, who did not like the team's ball movement or its defense until late in the game. "As far as I'm concerned, pretty disappointing game. We did not play anywhere near the standards we want to play at."

Andrew Bynum had 15 points in 29 minutes for the Lakers. His playing time has increased in the absence of Brown and Mihm.

"It's kind of like trying to cram a Ph.D. down his throat in a few short weeks," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said.

Lakers rookie Jordan Farmar had 14 points on five-for-six shooting but was stripped of the ball on a drive in the final seconds of the game.

Tim Thomas had five points on one-for-11 shooting for the Clippers.

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LAKERS REPORT

'Pain-free' Jackson ends silence

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer

October 25, 2006

Phil Jackson stood up straight, something he hasn't been able to do in years, and expressed disdain.

Not for the new ball, or the city of Sacramento, but, rather, his metal cane.

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"I hope to throw it away next week," he said.

The Lakers' coach is close to full-time duty after undergoing hip-replacement surgery Oct. 3. He won't be at the exhibition finale Thursday in Anaheim but said he was still on track for Tuesday's season opener against Phoenix.

Jackson, 61, elected for surgery after years of walking uncomfortably, the decades-delayed result of 12 seasons as an NBA power forward. Looking more upright, he said he was "pretty much pain-free" and said he was glad he had surgery.

"Without a doubt," he said in his first public comments since the surgery. "I had trouble sleeping at night, had to find a position to just go to sleep. That was difficult because of the radiating pain. There's a lot of things that are different for me now."

Jackson has been attending Lakers' practices on a part-time basis over the last two weeks.

Plenty of work awaits Jackson, who has never missed the playoffs in 15 seasons as an NBA coach. The Lakers are in various states of disrepair, seven players having missed Sunday's exhibition victory over Phoenix.

Kobe Bryant scrimmaged lightly Tuesday but said he would not play in Thursday's exhibition. Centers Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown are out until at least mid-November.

Compounding the need to deliver quickly: Fifteen of the Lakers' first 20 games are at home, and a 16th is a designated road game against the Clippers.

"If you're playing the right kind of ball, you're going to be fine, and that's what we'll get across to this team," Jackson said. "Yes, we'd like to get off to a good start, but it's an 82-game season and when you want to end up playing well is in April and May."

There were other items on his list. He designated Andrew Bynum as the opening-night center, picked at two shortcomings  too many turnovers and missed free throws  and found praise for a few players.

"You could see that Sasha [Vujacic] is playing good basketball, [Maurice] Evans is a sparkplug and does things defensively," Jackson said. "Jordan Farmar's given us an inspiration when he's come in. So right away you know that there's been three players that would normally come off the bench that you could be looking to give important minutes to out on the floor."

One of the Lakers, in turn, complimented Jackson.

"He looked good to me," Bryant said. "He had his armor on today, which is the Laker sweat suit. When he puts that on, it's time for business."

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Nether Bryant nor Jackson seem concerned about Bryant's knee  yet.

"I don't want to push this," Jackson said. "He's stalled out a little bit on his rehab. I really want him to be healthy when he comes back because a lot is asked of him and he plays heavy minutes. If things don't go right, there could be a setback. I don't want to have that happen."

Bryant scrimmaged lightly last week but eased up after experiencing soreness in the knee. He said Tuesday he "should be ready" for the season opener.