Sorted by date Results 101 - 119 of 119
Since the Lakers have a grand history – 16 NBA championships – they are associated with success. When the playoffs begin, fans tend to believe the Lakers will prevail, regardless of what happened in the regular season After all, these are the Lakers. So, when the Lakers were driven out of the current post-season tournament by the younger, faster Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night, four games to one in the second round, a lot of people were jolted. They shouldn’t have been. The Lakers’ season...
Sixteen years after I met Derek Fisher at the Lakers’ training camp in Honolulu I am writing about his departure from the team and his move to Oklahoma City. If the rest of the second round NBA playoff series goes like Game 1 – when the Thunder routed the Lakers – this will be a story of how Fisher outsmarted his former team. They essentially decided they needed a younger, faster point guard and they obtained Ramon Sessions late in the season. That’s fine. But instead of keeping Fisher as a back...
Last Friday evening Lakers employees joined 100 seniors at the Culver City Senior Center for dinner and Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs series between the Lakers and Denver Nuggets. Upon entering the dining/viewing area of the Senior Center, the patrons were greeted by Lakers staffers and given a “ONE AT A TIME” t-shirt and raffle ticket to be entered in to the halftime prize raffle. Once fully inside the multipurpose room the patrons could see that purple and gold was everywhere, from table decorations to the Lakers’ 16th Larry O’Brien Trophy...
Andrew Bynum has been known for erratic behavior throughout his seven years with the Lakers. It appears as if he’s getting worse, and some members of the media and current and former players are wondering if the matter will come to a head before long Quite simply, Bynum is 24, acts younger and tests the Lakers with behavior that could become a serious issue. The subject was addressed Sunday night at Staples Center before the Lakers played the Golden State Warriors. Several of us wondered why the...
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Cy Young Award, was presented with the 2011 Sportsman of the Year award during the seventh annual LA Sports Awards, presented by AT&T U-verseon March 15 at Club Nokia at L.A. Live. The LA Sports Awards are presented annually by the Los Angeles Sports Council to celebrate the greatest moments of the year in sports in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Although the Dodgers are in spring training in Arizona Kershaw flew here to accept the award. The...
When I attended the Lakers’ game against Utah Sunday night I focused on Ramon Sessions, the team’s new point guard. Immediately, he made an impression with his speed. Session’s presence changes the personality of the 2012 Lakers from a slow-moving team to a team that wants to run. He gets the ball upcourt quickly and teammates better keep up. I don’t dispute the fact that the 25-year-old guard is an upgrade from 37-year-old Derek Fisher. But it’s possible the Lakers are going to regret cu...
Following a late start due to labor negotiations the National Basketball Association is rapidly approaching mid-season. With only 66 games instead of the standard 82, as we get around 30 it’s already time for my annual halfway evaluation. My first observation is this is the strangest season ever. That’s because of new labor rules which led teams to dump salaries, only one week of training camp, only two exhibition games instead of eight and even elite teams bringing in a batch of new pla...
In the 23 years when I traveled with Laker teams I can count on one hand the times we writers socialized with the players. I flew on the team’s charter plane, but it was understood there were strict guidelines when the players would be available for interviews. And I didn’t violate that trust. I don’t travel anymore but I understand the restrictions are even greater now. There’s more media and more need for media control. I recall that once Coach Pat Riley and the four traveling writers (LA Time...
When the Lakers lose three in a row, as they did last week, everyone you know has a theory. I have mine and to me it all comes down to one reality. The roster is deficient. This is not a roster up to Laker standards. The question is why. That’s the question which management will ultimately have to answer. If fans and media members can see it, management certainly can too. What seems to be happening is the Lakers are sacrificing the season in order to position themselves financially for the n...
The new-look Los Angeles Clippers were put to the test this past week by two elite teams – the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers – and passed the test by defeating both teams at Staples Center. These important wins certainly give the Clippers the nod to join that elite circle and now own bragging rights against their cross-arena rival Lakers. The Clippers tenacity so frustrated the opposing head coaches that the Heat’s Erik Spoelstra got ejected from the game and Lakers’ Mike Brown received a te...
In all the years I’ve covered the National Basketball Association I’ve never seen anything like this. Neither has anyone else. Prolonged labor negotiations occurred in 1998 but when they ended there wasn’t turmoil. This time, with new rules guiding teams about money, there was utter chaos. Trades and free agent signings were announced every hour all weekend and into the new week. The Lakers thought they had acquired Chris Paul, then found out the deal wasn’t approved. Then the Clippers thought...
The NBA lockout is beginning to bring on new worries to club owners. Their players are heading to foreign countries. I see nothing wrong with this choice because basketball is their profession and if NBA teams won’t pay them teams from other leagues will. Kobe Bryant seems serious about playing elsewhere. At this writing a team from Turkey appears to be losing interest but China is a strong possibility because Bryant is extremely popular there. Pau Gasol is leaning toward playing for his n...
When I was traveling with Laker teams for many years we used to pass idle time by discussing a variety of basketball topics. One time Jerry West told me it was important to make changes, usually among the reserves, every season regardless of how successful the team had been. He thought it was best to do that for team chemistry. Mitch Kupchak is the general manager now and it’s obvious he was well trained by West. The Lakers have won the NBA championship the last two years but they’ve rec...
The Lakers have completed half of their 82-game regular season schedule with the best record in the NBA. The defending champions look good again, but there are some reasons to doubt their greatness – a few issues to deal with in the second half of the season. The Lakers’ 32-9 record is predictable considering that they have outstanding players and have had a ridiculously favorable schedule. They’ve played 26 home games and only nine well-spaced road games. Considering that, nine losses at this...
It will be a festive occasion at Staples Center Christmas Day when Kobe Bryant and LeBron James oppose each other. National television. The NBA’s two biggest stars facing off. I’ll eagerly arrive at my seat in the press box. That’s the glamour. But now the reality. The key to the Lakers’ chances of stringing together a succession of championship will be how Andrew Bynum progresses. If the 22-year-old kid matures and becomes dominant on a consistent basis the Lakers will be close to unbeata...
It’s staggering to realize what’s been going on with Kobe Bryant lately. He’s the reigning MVP of the NBA playoffs, which means he’s been recognized as perhaps the best basketball player in the world. Only LeBron James would have a legitimate claim otherwise. But in the first few weeks of the Lakers’ season Bryant has done something even he never did before. He’s a guard who has taken on the challenge of being an almost unstoppable post player. In the absence of injured centers Andrew Bynum and...
In the Lakers’ first four games they won twice, were non-competitive in a home loss to Dallas and required overtime to defeat Oklahoma City Reminded that the Lakers aren’t playing anywhere close to their championship form of last season. Kobe Bryant explained. “We’re not at full strength,” he said. “We’re missing one of the best players in the world.” The absence of Pau Gasol with a hamstring injury is a legitimate reason for the Lakers’ slow start. I just wonder if that’s the only major prob...
The Lakers have had so many championship celebrations they’ve gotten very good at putting them on. On Tuesday night they brought back key players from past championship teams before raising the newest banner and receiving their rings. It was the highlight of the opening night at Staples Center when the legends came onto the court, waving to the sellout crowd. There they were – Magic Johnson, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, amo...
Something happened a few days ago that happens almost every year at this time. Lee Hamilton called. Hamilton is the long-time sports talk guy in San Diego who annually puts me on the air to begin the Lakers’ season. I’m focusing on high school and college football, the Dodgers and my editing duties at The Observer. But when he calls my mind clicks in on the Lakers. As we talked on and off the air it became clear to me that the Lakers’ toughest opponent in defense of their NBA championship will b...
