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Lakers to Play Exhibition Games In China The NBA announces that eight teams will take part in a comprehensive global games schedule which will include two exhibition games with the Lakers next season. The Lakers will travel to China for the first-time ever to play in two games against the Golden State Warriors. The teams will play on Oct. 15 in Beijing, and then travel to Shanghai for a game on Oct. 18. The Lakers, who will join the Thunder, 76ers, Pacers, Rockets, Wizards, Bulls and the Warriors on the NBA global games schedule, most recently...
(EDITORfS NOTE:) Tributes to Jerry Buss in the last week have focused on his vision in bringing a brand of basketball that made the Lakers and the NBA popular all over the world. An example of this is provided here by Observer sports columnist Bosmat Eynav Sports Columnist Picture this: a remote desert town in Southern Israel, home to 20,000 people; three banks, one high school, one cinema, one market, one pub and me. Everyone knows your business and every untoward step you take is reported...
(EDITOR’S NOTE:) Tributes to Jerry Buss in the last week have focused on his vision in bringing a brand of basketball that made the Lakers and the NBA popular all over the world. An example of this is provided here by Observer sports columnist Bosmat Eynav Sports Columnist Picture this: a remote desert town in Southern Israel, home to 20,000 people; three banks, one high school, one cinema, one market, one pub and me. Everyone knows your business and every untoward step you take is reported d...
Senator Curren Price’s Statement on Death of Jerry Buss “I join the residents of Los Angeles and sports fans throughout the world in mourning the death of Jerry Buss, the great owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and other sports teams in our city. Who can match the legacy of such a man who gave Los Angeles 10 NBA championships and great players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant, and coaches like Pat Riley and Phil Jackson? Few people, if any, have done more to turn exceptional African Ame...
Lakers’ Owner Dies At 80 By Mitch Chortkoff Sport Editor Jerry Buss hadn’t owned the Lakers yet when I drove to his Santa Monica office in the ‘70s to discuss World Team Tennis. That was Buss’ first venture into sports and as sports editor of the now-defunct Santa Monica Outlook I wanted to ask if we could arrange a tradeout – he’d pay travel expenses for one of our writers to cover the LA Strings in exchange for advertising in the newspaper. I was nervous but he put me at ease. I stammered a...
What’s Next For The Lakers? Uncertainty The family of Jerry Buss issued a statement Monday saying they would honor their father’s wish to keep the team in the family rather than selling it following his death. I admire Jerry Buss for his many accomplishments and the fact he was a strong family man. But keeping the team in the family brings concern to Laker fans because nobody in the family has emerged as an obvious choice to maintain the Lakers at a championship level. Jim Buss, in his fir...
Lakers Haven’t Been Fair to Gasol In addition to other blunders that have plunged the Lakers into a sub-.500 team there’s the matter of how they’ve mistreated Pau Gasol the last two years. We’re talking about one of the premier big men in NAa history, a thoroughly accomplished inside player who’s been shuffled into a position he never had to play before. First, this was to accommodate Andrew Bynun last season. And now Dwight Howard this season. Let me submit the theory that Gasol is a better ba...
Suddenly the Clippers Lose, The Lakers Win By Bosmat Eynav Sports Columnist The Lakers have a tough lesson to learn. They need to rise above the frustration of humiliating loss and turn it into a new vision. As we all know, it takes a long time to transform anger, pride, and the ravages of ego into a feeling of unity, humility and efficacy as individuals and as a team. Under the microscope of the media, every misstep is magnified and the pressure is exponential. This only serves to make it more difficult to find that still center from which...
When Frank McCourt owned the Dodgers I could never envision myself writing a column like this. But now it’s appropriate. The Dodgers have such a huge payroll for the upcoming season they’ll have a heck of a time managing it. The Dodgers have the largest player payroll in the major leagues and it’s likely to reach $220 million. Then there’s another $25 million in luxury tax. They’re also obligated to pay some guys who are no longer with them, including Andrew Jones and Tony Gwynn Jr. You may h...
LA Clippers Are Finding Out Observer Editor When the Los Angeles Clippers built a training facility on the Westside four years ago they were happy with the location. “Most of our players live within 10 minutes,” said team spokesman Joe Safety. “It’ going to be really convenient.” It is, but there’s one hitch. The site at 6951 South Centinela Ave. between Jefferson and Sepulveda originally had a Culver City address with the city’s 90230 zip code. With the emergence of Playa Vista, that changed...
By Bosmat Eynav Sports Columnist One recent night after a Lakers game a panel on the post-game Time-Warner television show discussed the fact Dwight Howard smiles a lot. It was mentioned that previous great Lakers centers Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal were more serious. I guess in this season when the Lakers are struggling everything is open for discussion. What is all the fuss about Howard’s smile? Why can’t people let him be? Now all this talk has wiped the smile off Dwight’s face. Are you all satisfied? Claims...
While concentrating on the Lakers and Clippers the last few months I didn’t see many of UCLA’s basketball games. So, when UCLA played Oregon Saturday for the Pac-12 Conference lead I watched carefully. It was a day to form opinions about a Bruin team that got off to an embarrassing start this season but then went on an impressive winning streak. How good is UCLA? Unfortunately, the Bruins lost to Oregon, 76-67, and were crushed on the backboards. The outcome confirmed what I had thought abo...
It has been in the back of the minds of fans and some in the media throughout the early part of the NBA season. It has been a problem magnified by recent developments. Now it’s out in the open. The Lakers are in danger of failing to qualify for the playoffs which they’ve dominated so often through the years. The franchise which has won 16 championships and acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash prior to this season is stumbling through one dismal defeat after another. The loss at home to Den...
The Lakers aren’t among the four elite teams who figure to get the coveted top Western Conference seeds for the NBA playoffs this season. The Clippers are performing at an astonishing pace, but doubts remain about their ability to make their high-flying act succeed at playoff time. But on Christmas Day, both teams entertained sellout crowds at Staples Center and brought their fans a lot of holiday cheer. I arrived early for the Lakers’ noon tipoff. At 9 am there was already a lot of act...
‘Where’s The Brotherhood?’ (EDITOR’S NOTE: Bosmat Eynav is a passionate observer of basketball. She has spent much of her life in Israel, where she watched the great Maccabi Tel Aviv teams. She then moved to Northern California where she focused on the Golden State Warriors. Now a resident of Marina del Rey, she has watched the Lakers and Clippers with considerable interest. We welcome her as the newest contributor to the Observer editorial department.) By Bosmat Eynav Special to the Observer A lesson in humility to the Laker players. Do you...
Lakers guard Steve Blake underwent laparoscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn abdominal muscle. The surgery was performed by Dr. Craig Smith and it is expected that Blake will miss a minimum of six to eight weeks. Blake was originally diagnosed with the abdominal strain on November 12 and has missed the last 10 games with the injury. In seven games this season (five starts), Blake is averaging 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.29 steals in 26.0 minutes....
A vote of confidence for a coach doesn’t often carry much weight. There are many examples of coaches being told they were safe only to be dismissed a short time later The latest example is Mike Brown, the Lakers’ coach who recently received a vote of confidence from owner Jim Buss. Two days later Brown was fired. Now we have USC athletic director Pat Haden giving Trojan football coach Lane Kiffin a vote of confidence. Haden says Kiffin will again coach USC next season. This vote of con...
If you follow the Lakers you’ve probably heard every theory about the selection of Mike D’Antoni over Phil Jackson as the team’s new coach. I can simplify the matter for you. Owner Jerry Buss decided not to remove power from his son, Jim Buss, when Jackson asked for some authority beyond coaching. I think that’s the whole story – not that Jackson asked for too much money or asked to miss some road trips for health reasons. Jackson did want a salary in the range of $10 million per season, but tha...
I’m impressed by the way the Clippers built their roster for this season. Recently, I was explaining to a friend that the Clippers could be a championship contender. I made a strong case. I pointed out the Clippers have the best set of guards in the NBA with Chris Paul, Chancey Billups and reserves Eric Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford and Willie Green. I said Blake Griffin is close to becoming a superstar, Caron Butler is a pure marksman, DeAndre Jordan has improved, Ryan Hollins is a 7-foot backup c...
When the Oklahoma Thunder traded NBA Sixth Man of The Year James Harden last weekend, many fans were shocked. How could the Thunder send away such an important player? The answer is that economics have become increasingly important to NBA owners because the new collective bargaining agreement with the players includes harsh financial penalties for spending more than the salary cap. Harden is the latest example of this reality. The Thunder have several huge contract extensions coming up, led by...
The Lakers didn’t draft Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain. All three came to the Lakers after they hsd established themselves with other teams. Combined, they won nine NBA championships with the Lakers. Today, Dwight Howard is the Lakers’ center and he similarly has arrived from elsewhere. Following a soap opera stretch in which Howard demanded a trade from the Orlando Magic, changed his mind and opted to stay there another year, then agreed to a trade with the Laker...
After all Laker exhibition games didn’t become available on Laker-sponsored television, more of the same looks likely as the regular season begins. The Lakers’ season opener Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center will be nationally televised on TBS, which is available on most local cable outlets. But starting with the next night’s game at Portland fans who used to watch on Channel 9 will be shut out. Time Warner owns the new station that will televise the majority of Laker...
If you’ve been to a Lakers’ game in the last 28 years you’ve heard the voice of Lawrence Tanter on the public address system welcoming the crowd and announcing the lineups for both teams. Tanter has signed a new two-year contract. “That will make 30 years and I’m extremely proud of that,” he said. Tanter has also been a radio disc jockey best known for his appreciation of jazz. He was on the air for many years on The Wave when it operated in Culver City. He has also been a regular on the Lake...
Lakers’ Jordan Hill Injured Jordan Hill, a productive reserve for the Lakers last season, suffered a herniated disc in the team’s first exhibition game last week. Hill, who had scored 10 points in the loss to the Golden state Warriors, isn’t likely to be available for the Lakers’ remaining exhibition games and may miss the season opener Oct. 30 against Dallas at Staples Center....
Lakers guard Steve Blake suffered a puncture wound to his left foot after stepping on a spike strip in a parking lot, it was announced Monday. Blake will be prohibited from participating in any impact exercises for approximately three weeks and will miss workouts when the team opens training camp.. He is expected to back up starting guards Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash this season....
