The Official Los Angeles Lakers thread

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Odom meter at full speed

BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/11/2006 09:54:04 PM PDT

EL SEGUNDO - It was the first exhibition game and the second week of October, but Lakers forward Lamar Odom didn't look like a player who went weeks this summer without picking up a basketball.

Odom led the Lakers with 18points, six assists and fiverebounds in 28 minutes of Tuesday's 94-79 win over Utah in Fresno, a reassuring performance considering he once wondered if he would play this season in the wake of his infant son's death.

For eight minutes at the start of the third quarter, Odom was the best player on the floor. He took Utah's Carlos Boozer off the dribble for two layups, connected on a 3-pointer in transition and set up forward Luke Walton for another 3.

Odom also grabbed four rebounds and pushed the ball the other way after each one. It was no coincidence the Lakers took a 12-point lead in what had been a close game at halftime.

"It was good for me individually to have a game like that to start the season off," Odom said Wednesday, "being aggressive, attacking, things like that."

After the game, Odom said he was "playing with the spirit of two people in me," referring to his son, Jayden. The day before, Odom said he wished training camp would last "four or five more days" for the sake of getting him in shape.
Odom also said the game was a learning experience in how to play without Kobe Bryant, who is recovering from knee surgery. The only blemish on his night came in missing three free throws in the fourth quarter as he tired.

Even with the tragedy in his life, Odom has retained his sense of humor. With Kwame Brown teasing him as he answered questions Wednesday, Odom declared that Brown could lead the team in rebounding.

The laughter grew as Odom adjusted those expectations upward.

"He can lead the league if he really wanted to," Odom said.

"That dude right there steals so many rebounds," Brown fired back.

"Now it's almost like, `Just box out and let him get it."'

Slap happy: The lowlight for teenage center Andrew Bynum came in the third quarter Tuesday as he showed off a great spin move only to come up short on a point-blank shot at the rim.

Bynum was so upset he smacked himself in the head a couple of times, to everyone's surprise.

Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis said: "I told him at the timeout, `Andrew, I was going to chew you out for not using your left hand but I saw that you already beat yourself up, so I let it go."'

Listen up: Rookie guard Jordan Farmar was so excited to play that he got up and went to check in when Ronny Turiaf's name was called in the third quarter. Farmar had to save face and sit down as quickly as possible, squeezing in next to assistant Brian Shaw.

Farmar did play the last 4:19 and gave the Lakers a jolt of energy, finishing with three points and two steals.

The coaches have taken to counting the number of times Farmar gets his hands on the ball in practice. His record so far is seven, which counts deflections and steals. Farmar is committed to moving his hands as much as he moves his feet on defense.

Jackson sighting - almost: Lakers coach Phil Jackson watched gamefilm and stayed for all of practice, but left before reporters were allowed in the gym.

[GangstaBoogy]

when the hell did we get  Mamadou N'diaye?


   
 2006-07 Roster
NUM    PLAYER    POS    HT    WT    DOB      FROM    YRS
54    Kwame Brown    F-C    6-11    270    03/10/1982      Glynn Academy HS (GA)    5
24    Kobe Bryant    G    6-6    220    08/23/1978      Lower Merion HS (PA)    10
17    Andrew Bynum    C    7-0    275    10/27/1987      St. Joseph HS (NJ)    1
43    Brian Cook    F    6-9    258    12/04/1980      Illinois    3
30    Marcus Douthit    F-C    6-11    233    04/15/1980      Providence    R
6    Maurice Evans    G    6-5    220    11/08/1978      Texas    3
5    Jordan Farmar    G    6-2    180    11/30/1986      UCLA    R
11    Devin Green    G-F    6-7    210    10/25/1982      Hampton    1
24    Jim Jackson (FA)    F-G    6-6    220    10/14/1970      Ohio State    14
2    Aaron McKie    G    6-5    209    10/02/1972      Temple    12
31    Chris Mihm    C-F    7-0    265    07/16/1979      Texas    6
15    Mamadou N'diaye    C    7-0    255    06/16/1975      Auburn    5
7    Lamar Odom    F    6-10    230    11/06/1979      Rhode Island    7
1    Smush Parker    G    6-4    180    06/01/1981      Fordham    3
25    J.R. Pinnock **    G    6-5    207    12/11/1983      George Washington    R
10    Vladimir Radmanovic    F    6-10    234    11/19/1980      Serbia & Montenegro    5
21    Ronny Turiaf    F    6-10    249    01/13/1983      Gonzaga    1
18    Sasha Vujacic    G    6-7    195    03/08/1984      Slovenia    2
23    Von Wafer    G    6-5    210    07/21/1985      Florida State    1
4    Luke Walton    F    6-8    232    03/28/1980      Arizona    3
3    Shammond Williams    G    6-1    201    04/05/1975      North Carolina    6

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

when the hell did we get  Mamadou N'diaye?


   
 2006-07 Roster
NUM    PLAYER    POS    HT    WT    DOB      FROM    YRS
54    Kwame Brown    F-C    6-11    270    03/10/1982      Glynn Academy HS (GA)    5
24    Kobe Bryant    G    6-6    220    08/23/1978      Lower Merion HS (PA)    10
17    Andrew Bynum    C    7-0    275    10/27/1987      St. Joseph HS (NJ)    1
43    Brian Cook    F    6-9    258    12/04/1980      Illinois    3
30    Marcus Douthit    F-C    6-11    233    04/15/1980      Providence    R
6    Maurice Evans    G    6-5    220    11/08/1978      Texas    3
5    Jordan Farmar    G    6-2    180    11/30/1986      UCLA    R
11    Devin Green    G-F    6-7    210    10/25/1982      Hampton    1
24    Jim Jackson (FA)    F-G    6-6    220    10/14/1970      Ohio State    14
2    Aaron McKie    G    6-5    209    10/02/1972      Temple    12
31    Chris Mihm    C-F    7-0    265    07/16/1979      Texas    6
15    Mamadou N'diaye    C    7-0    255    06/16/1975      Auburn    5
7    Lamar Odom    F    6-10    230    11/06/1979      Rhode Island    7
1    Smush Parker    G    6-4    180    06/01/1981      Fordham    3
25    J.R. Pinnock **    G    6-5    207    12/11/1983      George Washington    R
10    Vladimir Radmanovic    F    6-10    234    11/19/1980      Serbia & Montenegro    5
21    Ronny Turiaf    F    6-10    249    01/13/1983      Gonzaga    1
18    Sasha Vujacic    G    6-7    195    03/08/1984      Slovenia    2
23    Von Wafer    G    6-5    210    07/21/1985      Florida State    1
4    Luke Walton    F    6-8    232    03/28/1980      Arizona    3
3    Shammond Williams    G    6-1    201    04/05/1975      North Carolina    6

We signed him as a free agent to our training camp roster, he will NOT make the final team.

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

The Laker game is going to be On TV tonight..Can't wait  

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

The Laker game is going to be On TV tonight..Can't wait  

 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

LMAO@Lakers record 0-0 on NBA.com and Seattle's is 1-0

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Some new interviews:

Lamar Odom

Shammond Williams

[LAKERS_FAN89]

finals score 104 to 101

G    L KERS

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Yea...This game was pretty coo. Jordan really tore shit up, I think he's gunna be getting some significant minutes under Phil standards this season if he keeps it up.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Box Score

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

Jordan Farmar is that Nigga    ...I didn't know he was so quick and so fast..And i also didn't know he was such a great passer..He was the reason Lakers won tonight...In the 2nd quarter Lakers were down by 10 or 12 points and when JF came in for wack ass A.Mckie the Lakers came back..JF was fucking amazing...and in the 4th quarter the Lakers were down by 3 points and when Farmar came in he was doing the same shit he was doing in the 2nd quarter and the next thing you know Lakers are up by 7 points with 40 seconds left...Great game 

S.Williams and Mckie are probably going to get cut..

Vlad has not played good yet..he needs to wake up...

B.Cook still can't play defense...he was getting killed in the 4th quarter

Luke , Kwame & Turiaf are playing real good 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Jordan Farmar is that Nigga    ...I didn't know he was so quick and so fast..And i also didn't know he was such a great passer..He was the reason Lakers won tonight...In the 2nd quarter Lakers were down by 10 or 12 points and when JF came in for wack ass A.Mckie the Lakers came back..JF was fucking amazing...and in the 4th quarter the Lakers were down by 3 points and when Farmar came in he was doing the same shit he was doing in the 2nd quarter and the next thing you know Lakers are up by 7 points with 40 seconds left...Great game 

You shoulda' known, I've been talking about him for years now...Look three years back when I made a thread proclaiming him the next NBA star.

S.Williams and Mckie are probably going to get cut..

Shammond Williams will not get cut, he has a guaranteed contract and we brought him here from overseas (where he was a star) and signed him for $1.1 mill, it wasn't for nothing.

Vlad has not played good yet..he needs to wake up...

Pre-season.

B.Cook still can't play defense...he was getting killed in the 4th quarter

Cook lit it up, he's obviously an offense-first player coming off the bench. But like I said, it's only pre-season. Nothing we see in these games should concern us, Phil Jackson ALWAYS had a losing record in the pre-season with the championship Lakers.

Luke , Kwame & Turiaf are playing real good 

Yea, Turiaf will get significant minutes this season...PeACe

[Doggystylin]

why the hell was aaron mckie playing so much? his old ass needs to get cut hes good for nothing on this team

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

why the hell was aaron mckie playing so much? his old ass needs to get cut hes good for nothing on this team

He probably will get cut, pre-season is pretty much a trial to test out some of the players and their capabilities...PeACe

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Lakers: Cook extension in the works
BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/12/2006 11:32:55 PM PDT

ANAHEIM - There might not be a better big man in the NBA than Lakers forward Brian Cook when it comes to shooting the ball, at least in general manager Mitch Kupchak s opinion.

Whether that will lead to a contract extension has yet to be determined.

The deadline to reach an agreement with Cook is Oct. 31, the same day the Lakers open the regular season against Phoenix. Cook s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Thursday that talks are ongoing and interest is mutual.

Cook is eligible for an extension that could add up to five seasons to his rookie contract. He recently bought a house in the area and said he is comfortable with the Lakers, who drafted him in 2003.

"It s somewhere that I d love to be," said Cook, who will make $1.8 million this season. "We ll see how it goes."

If no deal is reached, Cook would be a restricted free agent next summer, with the Lakers having the right to match any offer made to him.

"I don t think there s any doubt that Brian s an NBA player," Kupchak said. "He may be the best shooting guy his size in the NBA. There are some things he doesn t do as well as others, but I don t think there s any doubt in the last two to three years that he s established himself as being an NBA player with great size and a quick release with the ability to shoot the ball with range.

"And guys like that in this league are hard to come by."

The most difficult thing may be determining Cook s value in a league where forwards Caron Butler, Mike Dunleavy and Tayshaun Prince all signed $40 million extensions last October.

Cook, 25, averaged 7.9 points in 19 minutes last season, shooting better than 50 percent overall and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

The Lakers also have until Oct. 31 to exercise the fourth-year option in guard Sasha Vujacic s contract as well as the third-year option for center Andrew Bynum.

Vujacic would be an unrestricted free agent next summer if the Lakers do not exercise the option, which would pay him $1.75 million for the 2007-08 season.

Second act: The Lakers played with a lineup of Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf, Maurice Evans and Cook in the fourth quarter and beat Seattle 104-101 in their second exhibition game.

Cook had 11 of his 16 points in the fourth and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining off a pick-and- pop play with Farmar.

"He s pro-ready," forward Lamar Odom said of Farmar. "That s what they call guys like him."

Farmar finished with 10 points and five assists - four in the fourth quarter - in 19:23 of action. The Lakers outscored the SuperSonics 53-41 with Farmar on the court.

"I definitely feel I can contribute in a lot of ways," Farmar said. "But that s not my call. I can just control the things I can control, go out there and play the way I know how to play."

Farmar and Walton had back-to- back steals leading to baskets in the quarter. Turiaf (15 points) converted two free throws with 8.2 seconds left after previously missing five of six.

Bynum suffered a mild left ankle sprain in the second quarter and didn t return. Vladimir Radmanovic, who sustained a hand injury before Tuesday s game in Fresno, missed 7 of 8 shots and finished with six points.