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The Lakers’ injury problems continued when reserve forward Ryan Kelly suffered a torn right hamstring in a loss to the Golden State Warriors last week. Kelly is expected to miss at least six weeks....
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor The NBA season began only two weeks ago but already there have been numerous surprises. The biggest one is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 1-3 start and apparent friction between LeBron James and the Cavaliers’ talented point guard Kyrie Erving. When James left the Miami Heat and signed with his hometown Cleveland team and the Cavaliers then acquired Kevin Love, Shawn Marion and others the team became the favorite to reach the NBA Finals. Instead the Cavaliers lost the...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor The father of Laker guard Wayne Ellington was shot to death in a car in Philadelphia last week. Ellington has been granted a leave from the team. “He needs time to grieve and he’ll be welcomed back whenever he decides to return,” said Coach Byron Scott. On Sunday night, November 9, shortly after the Lakers earned their first win of the season, Ellington learned of his father’s death as he was about to depart from Staples Center. “He had the support of teammates...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter The stage was finally set for the Los Angeles Clippers home opener on the day before Halloween. The NBA strategically chose the Oklahoma City Thunder, a great rival who eliminated the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs last season, to kick things off. Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance...maybe to make sure that former banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling didn't crash the party. Sterling's former wife and co-owner, Shelly, was sitting...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor He’s 19 years old, one of the most talented players the Lakers have and on the NBA season’s opening night Julius Randle broke his right leg. The Lakers figured to have a difficult season. Now it looks more difficult. Randle drove to the basket in the fourth quarter of a 108-90 loss to the Houston Rockets, his leg buckled and he grabbed it. Team doctors on the scene at Staples Center said Randle suffered a broken tibia and a six-month recovery would likely be req...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Many NBA coaches experiment with new players and new on-court ideas during exhibition games. The theory is that in the eight practice games permitted to each team it's a good time to see what improvements might be made over last season. But not every coach feels that way. The purpose of this column is to point out the differences without deciding which plan is better. How each team performs over the upcoming 82-game schedule and the playoffs will provide the...
Xavier Henry, a key reserve on the Lakers last season, will be out while a current knee injury is receiving attention. Henry has gone to New York to receive a second opinion following knee surgery. He will then go to Germany for treatment and is unlikely to be ready when the regular season begins Oct. 28....
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor On the day Byron Scott became the new coach of the Lakers this summer three surprise guests attended the press conference. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Jamaal Wilkes were there to support their former teammate. "I was very surprised and deeply touched," Scott told me last Thursday night prior to the Lakers' exhibition game against the Golden State Warriors. "I didn't know they were coming to the press conference. It meant so much to me." Granted a solo...
The Clippers lost their exhibition opener, 112-94 to the Golden States Warriors Tuesday night at Staples center. Blake Griffin had 24 points and 12 rebounds including four shots from more than 18 feet out. Chris Paul contributed 14 points and nine assists. The Clippers returned from a week of training camp in Las Vegas. All NBA teams are permitted to play eight exhibition games....
- The National Basketball Association announces that three top international teams, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Flamengo, will travel to the U.S. and Canada for nine preseason games against nine NBA teams this October. The nine games are the most ever played by international teams on North American soil during one preseason. The games will tip off with Maccabi Tel Aviv taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 5 at Quicken Loans Arena, followed by a matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 7 at Barclays Center. Flamengo, which...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Doc Rivers has proven himself over the years, most recently as coach of the Boston Celtics and then the Clippers. Obviously, new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer appreciate having Rivers here. It was announced this week that Rivers has signed to remain with the Clippers until 2019. Ballmer has said he'll provide support for Rivers and his staff as the team, on the brink of reaching the NBA Finals the last couple of years attempts to reach that goal. "We're moving...
The Lakers will tip-off the 2014-15 regular season with a home game at STAPLES Center on October 28 against the Houston Rockets, it was announced today. Highlights of the Lakers’ home schedule include a Halloween game against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 31; the NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs on November 14; LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 15; the Boston Celtics on February 22; and the New York Knicks on March 12. The Lakers are scheduled to appear on national television a total of 28 times during the 2014-15 season,...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Now that the Clippers have a new owner, a proven outstanding coach and two of the NBA's best players they seem equipped for an outstanding season. Where does that leave the Lakers, who were targeting Kevin Love until he decided to sign a five-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers? The Lakers made a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer but were saving salary cap money for next summer's free a agent class, led by Love, the former UCLA star. They were counting...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter Steve Ballmer, Clippers new owner, approached the stage at Staples Center today like a boxer making his way to the ring as all of his adoring fans lavished him with praise and high-fives. It's his first-ever Fan Fest, but you wouldn't have known it – he handled it like a champ. The only thing missing was the "Rocky" theme. After subtracting his bank account by $2 billion in order to buy the team from Donald and Shelly Sterling, the former Microsoft CEO a...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor The San Antonio Spurs are not only NBA champions they have the reputation of frequently being a few steps ahead of opponents in a variety of ways. I admire the Spurs for adding someone to their roster every season, usually a relatively unknown player from Europe or a U.S. collegian who wasn’t an All-American. Frequently these players become key additions to support Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Mano Ginobli. So it didn’t surprise me when last week the Spurs bec...
In recognition of Steve Ballmer becoming the new owner of the Clippers the team will hold a Fan Festival Monday from 12”30 pm to 1:30 at Staples Center. Ballmer and Coach Doc Rivers will then meet with the media AT 1:30....
The National Basketball Association announced that the Salary Cap has increased by 7.5% to an all-time high of $63.065 million for the 2014-15 season. The tax level for the 2014-15 season increased by 7.1% to $76.829 million. The Salary Cap and tax level went into effect on July 10, when the league’s “moratorium period” ended and teams could begin signing free agents and making trades. The minimum team salary, which is set at 90% of the Salary Cap, is $56.759 million for the 2014-15 season. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement provi...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Byron Scott said Tuesday the Lakers' organization is all about winning championships. The former backcourt partner of Magic Johnson has become the Lakers' head coach But don't expect a championship in the upcoming season. There are too many better teams in the NBA right now. What fans should expect is a far better Laker team than last season and, at best, a chance of making the playoffs. There was very little defense last season when Mike D'Antoni was the coach....
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter Every July, there is summer excitement brewing at the Toyota Sports Center, the Lakers headquarters and practice facility in El Segundo. No, it wasn't the news that Jeremy Lin was just traded to the Lakers from the Rockets. There were over 450 capable young women trying out to become a dancer for next season's Laker Girls dance team. And one capable male was even in the mix this time. It was an open audition, a cattle call. The only requirements - be 18...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter After a recording of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist remarks was released in April, he was fined $2.5 million, banned from NBA games for life, and forced to sell the team along with all of his ownership rights in the franchise by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Sterling's inflammatory remarks to girlfriend V. Stiviano spawned outrage among NBA fans, players and executives -- especially Clippers players, who at one game, as a sign of...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor As Donald Sterling prepares for a lawsuit against the NBA that could last for many years he has dismissed his longtime council and chosen an old ally. The firm of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips is out. Veteran anti-trust lawyer Maxwell Blecher is in. Sterling is 80. Blecher is 81. Blecher last represented Sterling when he moved the Clippers from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984. Blecher sent a letter to the NBA last week that said Sterling will not pay the $2.5...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Donald Sterling, the disgraced owner of the Clippers, went on the Anderson Cooper television show over the weekend and apologized for racial remarks that have the NBA attempting to force him to sell the franchise. “I said a terrible thing but I am not a racist,” he said. “I feel so sorry for the people I’ve hurt.” Despite the apology, Sterling is investigating the possibility of suing the NBA for $1.7 billion. In a related development, Sterling’s wife Shelly...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor The Lakers have indicated they plan a long search for a coach to replace Mike D’Antoni, who resigned last week following two unsuccessful seasons. The Lakers are in the difficult position of being without a coach or many players. Only three players, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre have a Laker contract for next season and Nick Young has a player option. It is believed the Lakers may interview as many as 20 coaching candidates. Two college coaches, John C...
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor Magic Johnson issued the following statement concerning rumors he might buy the Clippers. ´I am not going to buy the Clippers," he said. The NBA is attempting to force disgraced owner Donald Sterling to sell the team soon. Unlike Johnson, Oprah Winfrey has expressed interest and has two highly qualified partners....
By Mitch Chortkoff Sports Editor What other news, what other developments could there be from the Clippers’ bizarre week as they await a deciding Game 7 of their opening round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors? Well, there is one more development. The New York Post reported that 80-year-old ousted Clipper owner Donald Sterling has been battling prostate cancer for several years. Most Clipper players and Coach Doc Rivers said they weren’t aware of the situation. “I hope it isn’t...
