The Official Los Angeles Lakers thread

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Lakers remaining in guarded condition

BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer
10/05/2006 10:45:37 PM PDT

EL SEGUNDO - About the only thing Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis can say with respect to the ball-handing guards competing in training camp is that everything will be sorted out by opening night Oct. 31.

The Lakers have four such guards in Smush Parker, Sasha Vujacic, Shammond Williams and Jordan Farmar, and only 48 minutes to divide each game between them.

Parker started all 82 games last season and established himself in the league after failing to stick with three previous teams.

Vujacic, meanwhile, averaged 17.7 minutes off the bench and knocked down 9 of 15 3-pointers in the playoffs.

Williams has the most experience of the four, having played for six NBA teams before spending the last two seasons in Europe. And Farmar is the team's first-round draft pick who impressed during summer-league play.

"We're going to let them (sort) that out for themselves," Rambis said. "If they're playing well, they'll deserve and earn time. If they're not, then situations will have to be adjusted, whether that's the D-League or moving players on."

Parker was back on the court Thursday after sitting out practice the day before with a sprained shoulder. He spent the off-season working on his
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mid-range game and trying to forget about his playoff slump against Phoenix.

"We're going to be a better team this year because of it," said Parker, who missed 22 of 26 3-pointers in the first-round series, "and I'm going to be a better player because of my experience last year."

Vujacic worked out in the mountains outside of Belgrade, Serbia, for part of the summer and weighed in for training camp at 205 pounds, up from 193 as a skinny rookie two years ago.

But Vujacic will find competition in Williams. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak approached Williams' agent about signing him before last season but the two sides couldn't work out a deal. Williams led FC Barcelona to the Euroleague Final Four.

Williams is a career 36.3 percent 3-point shooter and can defend small guards. He has spent the early days of training camp picking up the triangle offense.

"What I've been taking pride in is trying to create shots for other people," Williams said. "I feel confident that I'm capable of doing that, getting people in position where they can get open shots."

Feeling better: Rambis said he heard from Jeanie Buss that coach Phil Jackson is walking with a cane and doing well after undergoing hip-replacement surgery Tuesday.

Jackson also was described as being "more upright" by Buss.

"Now he's like 7-foot-5," Rambis said, jokingly.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Still New Kid on This Block

Broderick Turner
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, October 5, 2006

EL SEGUNDO - When Von Wafer drove to the basket and had his shot rejected by Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown yelled, "Yeah 'Drew, get that (shot)!"

If Bynum is to find a steady role with the Lakers this season, defense likely will be his ticket.

Bynum won't turn 19 until Oct. 27, and his body still is developing, but he has grown an inch to 7-foot-1 and has the long arms to be a good shot-blocker.

"I'm playing defense a lot better, which I think surprised a lot of people," Bynum said after practice Thursday. "My offense, I'm working on that, but I'm just focused on playing defense and getting rebounds, and I'm doing that pretty well."

Bynum didn't play much last year as a rookie, but that could all change early this season.

Chris Mihm had right ankle surgery in July, hasn't been able to practice and has no timetable for his return. That could leave Bynum backing up Brown at center.

"I knew Chris had his surgery in late summer, so I prepared for the back-up center role," Bynum said.

Kobe Bryant walked past Bynum, grabbed his biceps and joked, "Look at that boy. He's eating all my pancakes. He's getting bigger."

Actually, 15 pounds bigger.

"I lost a lot of baby fat and then gained some muscle," Bynum said. "I feel stronger. My initial off-the-block, as far as getting up and down the court, is better from all the squats I was doing. I'm able to contest shots that I couldn't get to last year."

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

New Ball? Who Cares?

For the first time in 35 years, the NBA has introduced a new basketball, and it has caused an outcry from many players. But not in Lakersland.

Bryant and Lamar Odom both noticed the difference between the old leather ball and the new microfiber composite ball, and both like the old ball better. The new ball apparently is especially slippery, and even more so when wet.

But Bryant and Odom grew up playing on the playgrounds and don't see what the big deal is.

"It's just a ball," Bryant said. "Growing up, I played with all kinds of balls. I rolled up tape and used tape as a basketball. I played with a sock. I think I can play with this one."

Odom said it's possible that an early-season game will be lost because a player loses his grip on a slick ball. But he wasn't too worried.

"For guys like me who had to play in the park and shovel snow (and) played with a handball, a tennis ball," Odom said, "it doesn't make a difference."

[Vegasmac25]

damn if you thought Kwame had butter fingers now imagine with this new ball....j/k.

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

4 more days 

[LAKERS_FAN89]

3 MORE DAYZ L'UP

[GangstaBoogy]

How many different shots can one player make in a single game?



The shots barley touch the net!

Fast forward to 4:30

[Teddy Roosevelt]

McKie May Not Make Roster

EL SEGUNDO - His health remains a concern, so much so that Aaron McKie has many wondering if he'll be a Laker this season.

McKie missed most of Friday's practice with a sore back, fueling speculation that he may not be up to playing a 13th season. McKie, 34, missed 50 games last season, his first in LA, with a slight tear of the left quadriceps.

The Lakers may have to buy McKie out of his $2.5 million contract, especially considering they have a group of younger, healthier guards.

McKie wasn't the factor the Lakers figured he'd be after they signed him to a two-year, $5 million deal last year. He played in just 14 games and never quite got comfortable with the triangle offense, averaging less than a point in 8.6 minutes.

The Lakers like McKie's maturity, his leadership qualities and his professionalism. But that may not be enough.

"He shows all those good instincts that good defensive players have," assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. "He understands this offense, and now it's just physically whether or not he's able to keep up with it if he's going to compete for a spot."

Kobe Bryant, Smush Parker, Sasha Vujacic, Shammond Williams, Maurice Evans and Jordan Farmar all appear assured of making the Lakers.

Devin Green, who signed a non-guaranteed contract, also will push for a job. His chance of making the Lakers may be tied to McKie's performance.

Mihm Update

Chris Mihm, still recovering from right ankle surgery, said he has increased his activity but that he's not ready to practice.

Mihm said his goal remains to be ready for the Oct. 31 opener, but that it's possible he'll be able to play in the final exhibition Oct. 26.

Practice Gets Physical

Friday's practice became a little rough at times. There was some trash-talking, pushing and shoving.

"Everybody wanted to prove that they could play," Lamar Odom said. "Right about this time, you don't really get to show your individual stuff. Everything is so systematic. We've got to learn things together, as far as defense, offense -- even running the fast break is systematic.

"Guys get a little testy, especially the one time they get the ball and they get fouled, and then it's, like, an elbow."

Rambis wasn't happy with how the players reacted, how they got physical with each other.

"Our players were fouling way too much in practice," he said. "It's always frustrating for players when that happens ...

"Part of their learning the concepts that we're trying to get across to them defensively is being able to trust that your defensive teammate is going to be there so that you don't have to foul. You know that the support is there so you're not going to have to grab and reach and pull somebody, because somebody is going to be there to help you.

"Hopefully that aspect will eliminate a lot of fouling."

[LAKERS_FAN89]

2 more day

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Jackson May Stay Around After Successful Surgery

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
October 7, 2006

Coach Phil Jackson has been reluctant to commit to the 2007-08 season for the third and final year of his $30-million contract with the Lakers, but longtime companion Jeanie Buss said his future is more clear than ever after the success of his hip replacement surgery.

Next season now looks to be a strong possibility for Jackson, with perhaps more to come.

"I look at him for the long haul and I, of course, hope that he's here longer than his current contract," Buss said Friday.

"He has suffered for many years with a lot of pain, and my understanding is that the radiating pain he had in his leg is gone. I think that will make him do things based on his passion as opposed to not being able to coach because he's physically unable. He can now do it as long as he's interested in doing it."

Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of business operations, said Jackson's return date remained unclear, but he is expected to be back by the Oct. 31 season opener. He has been recovering at his Playa del Rey home, watching the baseball playoffs and talking to assistant coach Kurt Rambis before every practice.

"He's walking better than I've seen him in the last few years, even though it's very slowly," Buss said. "His posture looks so much better. He's feeling better. Now he needs the stimulation. He needs to be around the guys."

Jackson, 61, admitted earlier this week he had stubbornly denied the need for surgery, but then came an incident while he was watching tryouts for the Lakers' development league team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, on Sept. 23 in El Segundo.

"He sat in the bleachers at the training facility, and after an hour and a half literally couldn't walk," Buss said. " … That's when he knew he had to get answers because he wouldn't have been able to function in the NBA season. I've never seen him like that before."

Surgery became the only solution. Along the way, he received good news regarding his heart, which required surgery in May 2003 to open a blocked artery. As part of the preparation for hip surgery, a CT scan of his heart was promising.

"His cardiologist couldn't have been any more pleased," Buss said. "His heart's as strong as ever."

Jackson's hip surgery was a newer, less-invasive technique performed by Lawrence Dorr of the Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center in Inglewood. The surgery began with a four-inch incision instead of a typical 10- to 12-inch incision. In addition, muscles in the area were peeled back instead of cut through, Buss said.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Mihm & Mckie Still Injured?

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
October 7, 2006

Center Chris Mihm felt pain in his surgically repaired right ankle after beginning his running regimen a few days ago. Mihm sat out 24 of the team's last 25 games last season because of the ankle.

"The more activity that's done on it, the more it gets to be a sharp pain," he said Friday. "It's a matter of working it as intensely as we can in a certain range, and when the pain spikes, icing it down."

Mihm, who averaged a career-best 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, is at least two to three weeks from returning.

Guard Aaron McKie sat out the second half of Friday's practice because of a sore back. McKie, who played only 14 games last season primarily because of a quadriceps tendon injury, practiced Saturday.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Mihm, slow to recover, targets late exhibitions

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
EL SEGUNDO – The one Laker who faces the most realistic threat of not being ready for opening night Oct.31 is center Chris Mihm, whose surgically repaired right ankle continues to give him pain.

Mihm had arthroscopic surgery July 26 and was expected to be ready for the start of training camp, but his recovery has been slow. He is increasing his running on a daily basis, yet can't do much without the ankle bothering him.

"If it feels good enough, maybe I can get in one of the last preseason games, and that'd be great," Mihm said.

Mihm averaged a career-high 10.2 points last season, but missed 17 games with a severe sprain of that ankle before struggling through the regular-season finale and missing the playoffs.

It was a major loss given the Lakers' plan to pound the ball inside against Phoenix. But Mihm's injury, as Kwame Brown still says to this day, changed the scope of Brown's first Lakers season - and what Mihm called "by far my best season."

Brown stepped up to replace Mihm at center and started to show the skills that made him the No.1 overall pick in 2001. It altered the Lakers' vision to the point that as the summer began Coach Phil Jackson asked Mihm, who has a better jumper than Brown, to think about playing more power forward.

Even though the Lakers would like Brown to be flexible enough to play power forward, too, he has been slow to learn the wing aspects of the triangle offense despite playing that position much of last season. Brown has said repeatedly that he prefers the post, the easiest position in the triangle.

Brown has been impressive in early training-camp scrimmages, being properly patient and aggressive with his offensive attacks. He has improved his leg strength, which was lacking last season because of his 2004 broken right foot.

"My legs faded on me late in the season," Brown said.

But while Brown has been active, Mihm has been inactive. Jackson said Monday that Mihm's recovery "is a lot slower than we anticipated" and noted how important a healthy Mihm will be for the Lakers' interior depth, as Andrew Bynum remains in the developmental stage.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

McKie Trying to Find Role

BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/06/2006 10:48:43 PM PDT

EL SEGUNDO - While the Lakers scrimmaged at the end of practice Friday, Aaron McKie sat on a giant inflatable ball on the sidelines, a sore back leaving him watching instead of playing once again.

There is no doubt that the Lakers benefit from the presence and professionalism of McKie, who is entering his 13th season and turned 34 on Monday. The issue is whether McKie is healthy enough to make a contribution on the court.

He played in only 14 games in his first season with the Lakers, suffering a torn left quadriceps tendon that wasn't fully healed until this summer. McKie has a guaranteed contract for this season paying him $2.5 million.

Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis was asked whether McKie - the oldest player on the roster - was a known commodity to the coaching staff, given how many games he missed last season.

"We have a lot of faith in his leadership capabilities," Rambis said. "He did a great job when he wasn't playing or when he was dealing with injuries last year in working with the younger guys and showing them how to be professional and how to train and how to keep working hard. He was fantastic in those areas.

"In terms of playing out there on the court, he shows all those good instincts that good defensive players have. He understands this offense. Now it's just physically whether or not he'll be able to keep up with everything that's going on and compete for a spot."
McKie was signed to a two-year, $5million contract in August 2005 after he was waived in a luxury-tax saving move by Philadelphia, which still owes him more than $12.5 million through the 2007-08 season.

The Lakers originally hoped that McKie would be their finisher, on the court for crucial late-game situations. But he averaged only 8.6 minutes in the games he played and had only threebaskets all season.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Turiaf- The Enforcer

BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/06/2006 10:48:43 PM PDT

After undergoing open heart surgery in July 2005, forward Ronny Turiaf attended the first part of training camp last October in Honolulu. He was around the team, but not quite on it, and returned to Spokane, Wash., to continue his comeback.

Turiaf made it back to the NBA only four months later and played in 23games for the Lakers. Now he is happily taking part in his first full camp - calling it a "dream for me" - and trying to win a spot in the rotation.

"I definitely feel part of this team, feel part of what we're trying to accomplish here," Turiaf said. "I'm trying to have some fun and play hard, play tough defense, and hopefully when I'm on the court, the offense runs smoothly."

The Lakers have put an emphasis on defense, which plays to Turiaf's strengths. He said he wanted to be a communicator on the floor as well as an "enforcer," setting screens, boxing out and doing the dirty work not in the box score.

"I know for a fact my teammates will appreciate the work that I do," Turiaf said.

He played this summer for the French national team, which finished fifth at the World Championships in Japan. It was another step in coming back from a surgery that once was feared could end his career.

"I regained my confidence in myself," Turiaf said. "Everybody was kind of doubting me as far as me making the team and all that stuff. They thought, `Ronny Turiaf hasn't played many games this year, we don't know what he can do.' So I went out there with a chip on my shoulder to show them that I could do it."
 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

It's Better for Brown This Time

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
October 8, 2006

Kwame Brown smiles.

"Yes," he says after exhaling, he is definitely feeling more relaxed these days.

He was trying to do everything in a hurry a year ago, moving at a painfully blurry speed whenever the ball came his way in the post. If he actually managed to secure the ball instead of fumbling it — a 50-50 proposition at times — he would begin his post moves awkwardly and rapidly, often ending with an off-balance shot.

He has now been handed the title of the Lakers' starting center, one he hopes not to drop. He says he has changed, calling the difference from a year ago "like night and day."

"Just not thinking as much, not as anxious," he said. "You can't do nothing without the rock. I'm just basically trying to slow down. I'm not as wide-eyed as I was last year."

Brown would have been an important key to a successful season before it became apparent Chris Mihm would not be ready for the start of training camp. Now, many eyes will be on Brown, who delivered in Mihm's absence toward the end of last season and will be expected to do so even more this season.

Brown averaged 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in the team's final 13 regular-season games, following it up with a slightly less exemplary 12.9-point, 6.6-rebound average in the playoffs.

A day after last season ended, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak challenged Brown by saying, "My understanding is that he has not put as much time into his game during the off-season as he should."

So Brown became a fairly frequent visitor to the team training facility, although he wished he could have done more.

"I understand that he wanted to see us in here, but there were no guys in there playing," Brown said. "That's the one thing I wish that we could change. If you want us to be here, try and get some games going because there's not a lot of games going here. You can work out, you can do all the shots and skill work, and you're still behind the eight-ball because there's no playing."

Now in his sixth season, Brown can't afford to fall behind if he is going to be a meaningful post presence for an entire season.

"You can tell that he's much more relaxed out there," Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis said. "He has a better understanding of what we want to do. We just need him to keep growing as a ball player. Part of his job is to make sure that he controls the lane for us — defends, rebounds — and starts expanding his offense."

As for his hands?

"He's doing a good job of catching the ball," Rambis said. "To be honest with you, I don't think that I've noticed him dropping the ball in training camp, which is good, considering that most of this is a hack-fest out there. You've got grabbing and holding and they're smacking and slapping."