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Lakers Honor A Very Good Guy -- Shaq When people find out I traveled with Laker teams for 23 years they often ask about the players’ personalities. They wonder how it is to be in the company of famous athletes on a regular basis. It would be like being close to any group of people. Some are good company, some would prefer that journalists didn’t exist. It would serve no purpose to reveal the ones who didn’t co-operate with the media. I prefer to focus on the good guys. Number One on my list...
‘I’m Not Going Anywhere’ – Kobe There’s been a lot of speculation about Kobe Bryant’s basketball future when his contract with the Lakers expires after one more season. Will he retire from playing in the NBA? Will he play in Italy, a possibility he has raised in several interviews? He grew up there because his father was a professional player and Kobe speaks Italian. Would he consider coaching? Or how about signing another contract to continue playing for the Lakers? Bryant made one pronounceme...
Pau Gasol is close to returning to the Lakers. And, according to Coach Mike D’Antoni, Gasol will regain his starting position in place of Earl Clark. Gasol has missed 20 games with a foot injury and had a most interesting weekend. I had a private interview scheduled with him last Saturday, but Gasol was troubled by the fact he had experienced pain in the right foot after playing in a two-on-two game that morning. For the previous week he had said there were no setbacks in his training. But by S...
Charles Barkley thinks San Antonio and Memphis are the Western Conference teams that might beat Miami in the NBA Finals. Both are strong on the inside. But he doubts that either could beat Oklahoma City to reach the Finals because the Thunder has a faster team. Shaquille O’Neal thinks the Lakers would be eliminated right away if they finish seventh or eighth in the West. But he sees hope for them if they can rise to sixth. That could happen if Golden State keeps slumping. I’m not sure he...
(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...
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...
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...
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...
By Bosmat Eynav Special to the Observer The 17-game winning streak is over but the party lives on at a Clippers game. The ambiance of the Staples Center is a living breathing thing; Jimi Hendrix in the air, sliced with electronic trance music to get you in the mood. Anticipation builds in the players and live audience before the moment of that first whistle. It’s official. Party on. Team spirit is at an all time high. High fives are everywhere to be seen. The Clippers move with one purpose, one goal. It is a pleasure to witness such harmony in...
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...
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...
Like a lot of you, I’m anxious to see how the Lakers will look with Steve Nash and Ryan Howard in their lineup. But I’m equally anxious to find out something else – something, in fact, that may be just as important as the acquisition of these star players. With the start of training camp just a few days away, there’s a lot of speculation about what’s happening in regard to the team’s offense. John Kuester was the assistant coach last season who was in charge of the offense. Last week the La...
A day I’ve been dreading for awhile has arrived. It’s time to think about the Lakers’ life without Kobe Bryant, which is probably two years away. Bryant has two years left on his Lakers’ contract, and he has said he intends to leave the NBA around that time. In London for the recent Olympic Games Bryant told reporters it would be logical that he’d end his playing career in Europe. He grew up in Italy because his father, Joe (Jellybean) Bryant played there. Kobe speaks Italian and a few other...
The Lakers have created headlines by acquiring Steve Nash and pursuing Dwight Howard. But quietly, the Clippers have been doing everything right, and right now they have a superior roster. It’s only the beginning of August, so expect more changes. But take a closer look at what the Clippers have done in this off-season. They’ve brought in four-fifths of a second unit, acquiring the quality depth they lacked last season. And they’ve re-signed starter Chauncey Billups, who is recovering from the i...
If you’ve read this column the last two weeks you know I’m not encouraged by the Lakers’ recent movements, which have left them out of salary cap room while needing roster changes. But in the NBA off-season maneuvering surprises can happen. Last week the Lakers used up their final salary slot that could reward an elite player by acquiring Steve Nash in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. The acquisition of Nash made some Laker fans and even some news outlets speculate on whether the Lakers could win...
Vinny Del Negro will coach the Clippers again next season and that’s the right decision. The Clippers have had a dismal history which includes replacing coaches too often. But owner Donald Sterling appears to be on a winning streak lately. Clippers President Andy Roeser and general manager Neil Olshey went to Sterling and said they were in agreement that Del Negro should be retained. Sterling listened and agreed. There was considerable speculation late in the season that Del Negro was in trouble...
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...
