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Congratulations to Lakers owner Jerry Buss for his induction to the NBA Hall of Fame.
It is a well deserved honor for a man that has brought TEN World Championships to Los Angeles over the course of 30 years.
Jerry has owned the franchise since 1979 when he bought it for $67.5 million dollars in what was the largest transaction in sports history to that point. The value of the Lakers franchise today is over $600 million. Under Jerry’s guiding hand, the Lakers have only missed the playoffs twice. His commitment to winning should be a model for every professional sports team owner. He was quoted recently as saying, “This is the best team we’ve ever had” referring to the additions of Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff and the return of Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown. Buss has seen his share of great teams, so who are we to argue with his assesment?
Magic Johnson announced that he would be willing to leave the Lakers (He is a 5% owner) to run a franchise of his own. There is speculation that his home state Pistons are a possibility but so far that hasn’t happened. Should Magic leave, I wish him all the luck in the world…if he runs a franchise the way he ran an offense, it should be successful. No matter what happens, Magic will always be a Laker.
Ron Artest used Twitter to respond to Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers’ radio show claim that the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics starting five. I won’t post the text here because it’s mainly just typical rambling, non-coherent thoughts from Ron but the fact that Doc is still in denial cracks me up. It’s probably a ploy to instill confidence in his Celtics team for the upcoming season but the Lakers haven’t exactly been healthy over the course of the last few years either, which is I think Ron was trying to say. Artest also announced that he will ditch the Thriller inspired #37 jersey he wore last year in favor of #15 which he wore in college at St. Johns and his first three years in the NBA as a Chicago Bull. 15 is a fitting number for Ron-Ron in that the police code for an insane person is 5150...putting #15 (5150) smack dab in the middle of Looney land.
Shannon Brown not only re-signed with L.A. but joined the long line of Lakers players that delve into the entertainment world for love. This month he tweeted, “Monica is my woman…now mind your business” referring to the R&B singer. I guess she meant it when she sang The Boy Is Mine.
Lamar Odom is busy playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Championships. The Lakers versatile forward is starting at the center position lately due to the lack of size on the squad. So far so good, America has yet to lose. GO USA! He also has filmed some footage with wife Khloe Kardashian in what they hope will become their own reality series, Keeping Up With The Odoms. Good grief…really? Half the time I can barely stomach watching him with his half-assed efforts on the court let alone with his attention-whore wife, but that’s why God invented the channel changer right?
Matt Barnes hasn’t made the news since his infamous slapping of opposing assistant coach Rick Lewis during a San Francisco Sumer Pro Am game over two weeks ago. Hopefully, he’s in anger management class working on that temper. If not, this is California so some medical marijuana might calm him down.
…Seems to work for Lamar.
Pau Gasol didn’t suit up for his Spanish National Team for the first time in three years which is good news for the Lakers. The wear and tear of year round basketball can be brutal on even the most physically gifted athlete. Pau has been spotted out and about jogging to stay in shape with girlfriend Silvia Lopez Castro, a former cheerleader.
Yeah, I’d say she’s worth running after.
Derek Fisher has been quiet since re-upping with L.A. though he released this statement regarding his free agency: “I took time to consider all my options, many not reported in the media. I listened to every coach, every general manager, even potential teammates in order to make the right decision and I thank every one of them. At the end of the day, there’s one person I could not turn away from. Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me when others had doubts. We have won five championships together. I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles. While this may not be the most lucrative contract I’ve been offered this off season, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin…”
Lakers loyalty…Gotta love it.
Phil Jackson, after mulling retirement this off season decided he couldn’t walk away just yet and will return for one “last stand”, was spotted in Beverly Hills this weekend getting fitted for his 11th ring…
Kobe Bryant, fresh off ankle surgery, was recently named America’s favorite sports star by a Harris Poll (He tied with Tiger Woods for the top spot) is looking to expand that title into Asia, specifically, The Philippines via a hoops academy on-line. After his performance in Beijing during the 08 Olympics, the kid named after a city in Japan might just be the biggest star in the sports world period, let alone Asia and the U.S.
Steve Blake is spending the off season working on his outside shot, his ball handling skills and building his fan base here in L.A. By the time the season starts he hopes to have his own cheering section at Staples…
 
Luke Walton is still struggling with back problems. There has even been talk of him possibly retiring before the season starts, but I highly doubt that will happen. He’s on the books for another three years and $17 million…Would YOU walk away from that kind of scratch? I have a feeling Luke will be around awhile.
Andrew Bynum had arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear of his lateral meniscus in his right knee a few weeks after winning the title. It was his third such procedure in three years…the second on that knee. The team expects him to be ready for training camp but on a limited basis. Drew averaged a career high 15 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last year and played through the pain during the playoffs and Finals but will find himself in an all too familiar situation to start the season.
Sasha Vujacic was shopped around the league by general manager Mitch Kupchak this off season to try and free up funds when it looked as if Shannon Brown might walk as a free agent. Not surprisingly, there were no takers for the Slovenian gunner and his $5.4 million dollar contract though that could change as the trade deadline approaches during the season, expiring contracts are always attractive to teams looking to clear cap space. “The Machine” never lived up to that payday but he did refuse to wear green after losing to Boston in the Finals in 2008 and ended up hitting two crucial free throws late in game 7 vs. the Celtics last year to help his cause. Who knows, maybe he can rediscover the outside stoke that earned him that nickname and utilize it in game situations rather than being an all star on the practice court. If not, once his contract is up, it’s sayonara Sasha.
Both Lakers draft picks have earned a spot on the roster and have been awarded contracts keeping them in purple and gold for the 2010-2011 season. Congratulations to both #43 pick Devin Ebanks out of West Virginia and #58 pick Derrick Caracter from the University of Texas El Paso on joining the World Champions.
 
Theo Ratliff has laid low since signing with the Lakers. The veteran backup center will bring to the Lakers bench what he has done since coming into the NBA in 1995 and protect the rim like a pitbull with his established penchant for defending the rim. Current Olympic team member Rudy Gay found out last season that Theo may be creeping up on 40 years old but still comes to play. The old dog with three Defensive Player of the Year Awards still has some bite on defense.
The man Theo replaced at the end of the Lakers bench, DJ Mbenga, is still a free agent. Recent internet rumors had him re-signing with Los Angeles for the veterans minimum but so far, they are just rumors and unconfirmed. Bringing everybody’s favorite DJ back for another spin with the Lakers might not be a bad move. You can never have enough seven footers. I hope the rumors turn out to be true, DJ is a good guy and whether he returns or not will take his rightful place amongst the legends that manned the middle for the purple and gold.
…Or not.
I’m counting the days until the season kicks off…and looking forward to a new Lakergirl on Tuesday.
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