Los Angeles Lakers

ALL
OUTSIDER

John Stansberry: Lamar Odom is not cashing in like he thought he would

By John Stansberry | July 9, 2009 | Stone Cold Sports

Professional sports are by no means a recession proof endeavor, something that Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers are both coming to grips with. I've had people who vehemently disagree with me, but I think Odom is a fantastic talent with a very unique skill set. He's consistently shown the ability to morph into any type of player the Lakers have needed him to be, and as a result, he might be the most valuable Laker not named Kobe. In a better economic climate, the demand for Odom would be much, much greater. But for only the second time since it was introduced back in 1984, the NBA reduced the salary cap for the upcoming season to $57.7 million, about $1 million less than this past season. The league will reduce the cap even further for the 2010-11 season. As a result, a lot of teams are coming to...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Blazers, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Hedo Turkoglu, Jerry Buss, Kobe, Lamar Odom, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, luxury-tax, NBA, Ron Artest, salary cap

Could The Hornets' Interest in Glen Davis Lead To Something Bigger?

By Celticsfanatic | July 9, 2009 | Celtics 17

McDyess headed to San Antonio.Wallace officially signs.Andersen re-signs with Denver for five years.I love Glen Davis. No, wait -- I LOVE Glen Davis. And apparently, so do the Hornets. New Orleans is reportedly keen on the restricted free agent, but is tied up with money issues which push them further behind in the race for (Big) Baby.From Marc Spears:According to an NBA source this morning, Davis is receiving interest from Boston, San Antonio, Detroit and New Orleans. San Antonio and Detroit are pursuing Detroit free-agent forward Antonio McDyess. The team left without McDyess could immediately turn its attention to Davis. While the Hornets are very interested, financial concerns limit them to only a possible sign-and-trade deal for Davis. Now who on the Hornets could we possibly be interested in? Well, here's a not-so-subtle hint from one of the first commentators who offered thoughts on the Spears article:"Sign and deal for...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Celtics, Eddie House, Glen Davis, James Posey, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace

NBA Talk: Thabeet Didn't Come To The Grizzlies to Be a Scorer

By Josh Dhani | July 8, 2009 | Pacers Pulse

With the second pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Hasheem Thabeet, center out of UConn. Rudy Gay said in ESPN The Magazine that he wants another Husky added towards the squad and Thabeet would be the man. Gay got his wish. Thabeet was a star out of UConn and took control over many players with his size, athleticism, and his durability. This guy looked like a center every NBA GM would definitely go after. Now here is Thabeeet, being on the Grizzlies and many talks have already been heard of him being a potential bust. Click here to finish this article at MemphisBlueBears.com....

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Andrew Bynum, Chris Andersen, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Dikembe Mutombo, Erick Dampier, Hasheem Thabeet, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Marc Gasol, Miami Heat, Mike Conley Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Draft, O.J. Mayo, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Ricky Rubio, Ron Artest, Rudy Gay, Shaquille O'Neal, Tyson Chandler, UConn, Zach Randolph

Lamar "O-done" with the Los Angeles Lakers?

By Brandon Ribak | July 8, 2009 | Fantasy NBA Zone

In what has turned out to be an unexpectedly exciting NBA offseason thus far, the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to sign a three-year $18 million deal with the bada** Ron Artest, leaving behind two main pieces to their defending championship title roster. During the initial start of the NBA offseason, news arose regarding to whether or not Los Angeles would re-sign Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, or both. But after the shocking Artest signing, Trevor Ariza giving the Houston Rockets a "verbal agreement," and Lamar Odom and L.A. supposedly "far apart on negotiations" (RealGM), it seems more and more likely that the Lakers will end up not re-signing either player that they planned to this offseason. Is Lamar Odom officially done with the Los Angeles Lakers, or will they somehow re-sign him before he gets a higher offer from another organization? At first, it was said that Odom would receive...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: cleveland cavaliers, dwight howard, dwyane wade, fantasy, Fantasy NBA, fantasy nba, kobe bryant, Lamar Odom, lebron james, Los Angeles Lakers, nba, NBA Finals, NBA Playoffs, portland trail blazers

Los Angeles Lakers Vs Boston Celtics: If The Finals Were Today, Who Would Win?

By Brandon Ribak | July 8, 2009 | Fantasy NBA Zone

At this very minute, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are the two strongest overall teams in the NBA. Agreed? Before I begin to answer the question asked in the headline, I want to dig in about which team actually ranks above the other. As of right now, the Lakers starting lineup consists of PG- Derek Fisher, SG- Kobe Bryant, SF- Ron Artest, PF- Pau Gasol, C- Andrew Bynum. The teams bench is truly depleted, consisting of Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Sun Yue, and Adam Marrison. On the other hand, the Celtics starting five looks something like this, PG- Rajon Rondo, SG- Ray Allen, SF- Paul Pierce, PF- Kevin Garnett, C- Kendrick Perkins. Their bench has Rasheed Wallace, Eddie House, Tony Allen, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, and Brian Scalabrine. When comparing the starting five's of each team, it can arguably be in favor of either...

Read more | 9 Comments | Tags: boston celtics, cleveland cavaliers, derek fisher, doc rivers, dwight howard, dwyane wade, fantasy, Fantasy NBA, fantasy nba, kevin garnett, kobe bryant, lebron james, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, nba, NBA Finals, NBA Playoffs, Orlando Magic, pau gasol, paul pierce, phil jackson, rajon rondo, ray allen

Everybody Loves Slam Dunks!

By Zach Harper | July 8, 2009 | Talk Hoops

With all this depressing talk today of people stealing tapes, me pimping out my own writings, and salary caps and economic woes destroying the memories of millions of fans, I figured I'd pass along this video from Ethan Jaynes at NESW Sports. It's the Top 10 Slam Dunks of the past year. Here are my thoughts on each and every dunk (I know you were dying for them):10. Westbrook alley-oop off the backboard from Earl WatsonIf you're a European player, DON'T EVER STAND UNDER THE BASKET EVER! Someone is going to try to embarrass you. 9. Dahntay Jones yaks on Erick DampierI'm pretty sure Erick Dampier was reclassified as European five years ago.8. Tracy McGrady dunks on Tyrus ThomasTo borrow a line from Doc Holliday in Tombstone for T-Mac, "the tales of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." Okay, no they haven't but that was still nice to see from...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Dahntay Jones, Dwyane Wade, Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith, LeBron James, Mike Taylor, NBA, Russell Westbrook, Top 10 Dunks, Tracy McGrady

Here's Some Self-Promotion (Like Always)

By Zach Harper | July 8, 2009 | Talk Hoops

I don't know if you know who I am but I'm kind of a small deal. I recently started spewing my usual basketball nonsense over at one of the greatest basketball websites ever created -- Hardwood Paroxysm. I know what you're thinking, "What blackmail-type evidence do I have over Matt Moore?" Wouldn't you like to know?!?ANYWAY, I had my first article posted on the old HP on June 29th and Matt Moore gave me this introduction: Zach Harper is the author of TalkHoops.net and Cowbell Kingdom. He has difficulty (as most people do) with how fast I speak in real life. He's a former male gymnast who won gold at the 1994 Bel-Air gymnastics tournament. That last part is a lie. He's our newest contributor to Hardwood Paroxysm. That part is not a lie. Revel in him. He opens with a discussion of hoops junkiehood, and the joys of young...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Hardwood Paroxysm, Marcus Haislip, NBA, San Antonio Spurs

The Salary Cap Hates Your Team

By Zach Harper | July 8, 2009 | Talk Hoops

Remember how the attendance was supposedly on par for NBA teams and the impending financial apocalypse of the NBA small market teams was not as dire as the crazy media made it out to be? Remember how everyone was overreacting and the NBA was going to be just fine? Well, maybe we should take a look at this report from ESPN.com: In a memo announcing next season's salary cap and luxury-tax threshold, sent out shortly before the league's annual July moratorium on signings and trades was lifted at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, NBA teams also received tentative projections from the league warning that the cap is estimated to drop to somewhere between $50.4 million and $53.6 million for the 2010-11 season.The official league memorandum, obtained by ESPN.com, forecasts a dip in basketball-related income in the 2009-10 season of 2.5 percent to 5 percent, which threatens to take the 2010-11 cap...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Financial Ruin, NBA

NBA Outsider: Memphis Grizzlies Draft Follow Up

By Staff Report | June 30, 2009 | MVN Outsider

3 Shades of Blue tells how this years draft picks are not super stars but certainly upgrades.WHEN THE DRAFT GIVES YOU LEMONS..... The Memphis Grizzlies exercised all three of the picks with which they entered the 2009 NBA draft-nos. 2, 27, and 36, selecting Hasheem Thabeet, Demarre Carroll, and Sam Young. Sure, when the year 2020 comes around, the potential for this year's draft crop to be viewed as one of the best ever is pretty low-but as the title states, the draft might give you lemons...and sometimes the lemonade takes a bit longer to make and isn't quite as good as Grandma's on a 90-degree day, but it should still be pretty tasty. What Michael Heisley has stated many times is that he wants to field a more defensive-oriented team (a philosophy with which I heartily agree), and this draft bears his mark in bold ink. Thabeet, Carroll, and...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, NBA Draft, NBA Outsider

The Lakers Will Keep Ariza and Odom Next Season

By Adam Sweeney | June 14, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The drama of the NBA Finals is all but over. In actuality, it was a very boring series, no matter how many overtimes the teams went to. The defense? Nearly non-existent. Officiating? As poor as MC Hammer. This Finals match-up didn't show greatness as much as it revealed two flawed teams. Orlando ultimately will lose the series because they are the NBA equivalent of the Memphis Tigers. Tons of talent, but no experience or focus on the little things, like free throws for example. Now that we have preemptively crowned the L.A. Lakers the champions, the biggest question for them is how they will be able to sign both Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. Both forwards have expiring contracts and will demand attention, especially since they each had significant impacts on the postseason success of the Lakers. With $74 million in salary committed for 2009, and a penalty for luxury...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Finals, Orlando Magic, Trevor Ariza

NBA Crystal Ball: The Orlando Magic Won't Win More Than One Game in The NBA Finals

By Adam Sweeney | June 7, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Maybe I am jumping the gun but it became crystal clear to me that the Orlando Magic are out of their league in this NBA Finals contest, if you can call it that. So where else would such clarity be appreciated other than in the writing of one who owns the NBA Crystal Ball? You're right, nowhere. I was convinced when the series started that L.A. would win in 6. Now I am getting visions that this series won't go past 5 games. In Orlando's defense, part of Game 1 was a statistical anomaly. The Magic had been hot-handed almost all of the Playoffs. To see them shoot 29.9% was disgusting. But it made some sense. When you don't utilize your big men it is difficult to get high percentage shots. The Magic got some good looks, they just didn't sink them. Will that change? Probably, but not enough to...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Finals, Orlando Magic

David Aldridge on Kobe Bryant vs. Dwight Howard, Officiating and 2009 NBA Finals Predictions

By Staff Report | June 4, 2009 | MVN Outsider

In preparation for the NBA Finals coverage on NBA.com, veteran NBA journalist and television analyst/reporter David Aldridge conducted an NBA Blogger Q&A session where he addressed the upcoming NBA Finals, key match-ups between the Lakers and Magic, pending NBA Draft and off-season, as well as colleagues at TNT and NBA.com. David has served as the TNT and NBA.com Insider for the network's NBA coverage since 2004, appearing both in the studio as well as on the sidelines. Prior to his time at TNT, he spent eight years at ESPN reporting on the NBA and writing for ESPN.com. He has also written for the Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Magic seem to have a more balanced attack while the Lakers are all about Kobe. What team do you see having the edge? Do you think it's more important in the finals to have an insane scorer like Kobe Bryant...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Orlando Magic

NBA Crystal Ball: Denver Nuggets Will Win 2009 NBA Finals

By Adam Sweeney | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

In February, long before the Playoffs started to shake out, I predicted that the L.A. Lakers would win the NBA Finals. Now that I've seen them play in person against the Houston Rockets for 3 games, and had the good fortune of breaking them down the past two series, I think I'm not along in saying that my faith in the Lake Show is fading. (Yeah, the real Lake Show had Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. Would you rather me call this team The Half and Halfs?) The Lakers have consistently proven that they will only rise to the occasion when it is necessary. Apparently 3-1 leads are too much to ask for this team, one that Kobe Bryant himself called bi-polar. The Lakers of now look nothing like the team we watched in February and the same goes for the Denver Nuggets. Both have had a reversal of...Read more

Read more | 5 Comments | Tags: Carmelo Anthony, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Crystal Ball: In Spite of Injuries, Yao Will Finish His Career with Rockets

By Adam Sweeney | May 10, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Last night after the Houston Rockets' Game 3 loss to the L.A. Lakers, there was a somber mood in the media room as Yao Ming walked in. We had heard rumors that his foot was injured, so everyone wanted to know what was up. Yao told us that it was really sore. It turns out it was more than just sore. The Rockets' franchise player is out for the season with a hairline fracture, a horrific blow to a Rockets team that was giving L.A. all they could handle. After having the 2007-2008 season cut short by a knee injury, there is now talk that maybe the Rockets can't base their team around the 7-foot-6 center. What used to be a promising foundation of Tracy McGrady and Yao has shifted into the walking wounded, and surprisingly enough Ron Artest has become the most reliable Rocket. Who saw that coming? Be...Read more

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Playoffs, Yao Ming

NBA Great Debates: Spurs, Jazz Disappoint

By Staff Report | April 30, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NBA Outsider's Joe Boikess and Adam Sweeney debate the issue: Which team was a bigger playoff disappointment, the San Antonio Spurs or the Utah Jazz?Joe Boikess believes San Antonio failed to live up to expectations:The Mavericks' wide array of scorers frustrated the Spurs, who lacked a lot of punch on offense because of the absence of Manu Ginobili. The Jazz fought hard during the two games in Salt Lake City to forge a split, but they needed to play at their best in Game 5 in L.A., and that's not an easy task for a team that's been pretty bad on the road all year long.It's hard to believe that two teams who had legitimate championship aspirations before this season could be ousted so quickly, but this week it became a reality. So which team was the bigger disappointment? It has to be the Spurs.Entering the season, the Lakers...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Playoffs, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

Five Questions: Talking NBA Playoffs with The Lakers Nation

By Anthony Hall | April 18, 2009 | MVN Outsider

As they get set to open their first-round series against the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers enter the playoffs as the clear favorites to come out of the Western Conference -- they did, after all, finish the season with a whopping 11-game advantage over the Spurs, Nuggets and Blazers in the Western Conference standings. We wanted to delve into what, exactly, the road to the NBA Finals looks like for the Lakers, and who better to ask than the guys at The Lakers Nation? We recently sat down with Jonny of The Lakers Nation to talk playoff matchups, MVP speculation, and postseason predictions in the latest installment of NBA Outsider's "Five Questions" series: 1. Do you see any chance of Kobe "upsetting" Lebron in the MVP balloting? Does he deserve MVP honors more than Lebron does? Lebron is the consensus pick this year and, like a lot of...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs

MVN: Most Valuable Network