Los Angeles Lakers 2012-2013

[calvinzero]

Ano kaya sa palagay nyo kung sino yung sinasabing home run ni Kupchak??

[almostthere]

Gasol has lost the fire within. Anyone else who thinks that Kobe needs to "trust" Pau more has obviously never watched a Lakeshow playoff game in the last two years. No doubt about it, I would pull the trigger on the Josh Smith deal. Sessions-Smith on the open-court?

[Gooner]

Sessions and Smith in the playoffs?

[gerald23]

Ano kaya sa palagay nyo kung sino yung sinasabing home run ni Kupchak??

Brader, dami nagagalit, kaya't minsan ayaw ko ng mag-react, hehe, o.k. lang pagkakaalam at pagkakabasa ko ng ilang mga sports news and reports that Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak wants faster team roster na puwedeng makipagsabayan sa Oklahoma City Thunders at Miami Heat.

Lakers have acquired the draft rights to Darius Johnson-Odom (55th overall pick) from Dallas in exchange for cash considerations and have selected Robert Sacre with the 60th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

Sabi nila si Darius Johnson-Odom na kanilang pinili sa pamamagitan ng pagbayad sa Dallas ng 500,000 dollars ay kahawig ng the bearded man oklahoma city thunders James Harden and considered off the bench scorer and hard nosed defender.

At si Robert Sacre ay hindi masyadong effective na rebounder kahit may taas siyang 6-foot-11 closely to seven feet sa US standard athletes height measurement, pero marunong itong si Robert Sacre na gumamit ng kaliwa't kanan na hook shot sa shaded area at may galaw din itong si Robert sa ilalim.

At katulad ng sinabi ko dati dito na may nag-react sabagay nasa kanila iyon, open naman ang media sa mga reactions, lalo't pa dito sa forum, "everybody is entitled to their own opinion and anything goes here sa forum."

Sa aking napag-alaman gusto ng Lakers na bilhin ang ilan sa top draft pick, ngunit none negotiable ang ibang draft picks ng ibang team(s), at mas gusto nila sa mas batang players kaysa ipalit kay Pau Gasol na mas lamang na sa experiences sa paglalaro sa NBA.

Ang gusto sana ng Laker ang draft ng Charlotte Hornets na puwede makuha ang power forward sensation 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis, ngunit hiningi ng Hornets linggid sa kaalama ng ilang sports media sa US si Andrew Bynum upang matuloy ang trade, at hindi ang trade bait nilang si Pau Gasol, kaya't umatras ang Lakers.

Sumunod naman na nangyari sa hindi pagkuha kay Anthony Davis at wala silang masyadong ini-offer sa ibang team(s), hanggang may natunugan sila at medyo nagkaroon ng pag-asa muli nilang sinubukan sa pamamagita ng trade kay Pau Gasol o pagbili ulit ng rookie draft pick sa Boston.

Ngunit muli naman silang nabigo sa pagkuha ng draft pick kaya't nakuha ng Celtics sina Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, sa kabilang banda Boston is growing taller sa kanilang line-up para sa darating ng season.

Sa ngayon tinitignan pa ni Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak kung anu ang nasa free agent mukhang buhay naman ang pag-asan nilang makakuha ng magandang trade ngayong off-season.

[gerald23]

Muling binuhay ang maingay na balita last season sa palitang Andrew Bynum at Dwight Howard, ngunit ayun sa mga balita gusto ni Dwight Howard sa iisang team na napupusuan niyang maglaro ang Brooklyn Nets, at ayaw niyang pumirma sa ibang team kung sakaling i-trade siya ng Orlando.

Dwight Howard: I'll re-sign with only one team

Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard told Yahoo! Sports he will not re-sign with a team outside his preferred list that trades for him, and emphatically denied that he ever used the term "blackmail" to describe how Magic officials convinced him to waive his early termination option.

Dwight Howard says he's told the Magic several times he still wants a trade. (Getty Images)As the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and other teams prepare possible trade offers for him, Howard told Yahoo! by phone that, "There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I'll play the season out and explore my free agency after that."

Howard wouldn’t specify the team, but multiple league sources believe that it is the Brooklyn Nets.

Howard also denied an ESPN report that he had told people Orlando Magic officials had “blackmailed” him into forgoing the early termination option on his contract that ultimately cost him his free agency this summer.

"I never used the word blackmail in reference to any of my dealings with the Magic," Howard said. “I never said that. It’s defamatory and it’s inaccurate. I know what blackmail means and any report that I used the term incorrectly is inaccurate."

[Related: Magic entertaining trade offers for Dwight Howard]

Howard met with new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan on Friday in Los Angeles, and said he told Hennigan of his desire to be traded. However, Howard insisted he was merely repeating a position he had made clear to Magic officials since waiving his ETO in March.

"This was not the first time [that I asked for trade]," Howard said. "I communicated this to [Magic president] Alex [Martins] and [former general manager] Otis [Smith] way before Friday that I wanted to be traded – months before this meeting with Rob Hennigan. That was all way before Stan [Van Gundy] got fired."

Howard is rehabilitating from back surgery, and wouldn’t speculate on whether he could be prepared to return for the start of the regular season. Howard had a herniated disk repaired, and sizable fragments of bone removed on April 20. Before the diagnosis that Howard would require season-ending surgery late in the Magic's regular season, Howard had heard the suggestions inside and outside the organization that perhaps he wasn’t truly injured, that maybe he had bailed on his team.

Dwight Howard denies he faked his back injury, saying "I'm a man. I bleed. And I have bones, too." (Reuters)"I’ve never faked anything," Howard told Yahoo! Sports. "I’d never fake a back injury to not play for my team. I played a lot of games in a lot of pain, and there were times that I was crying in the locker room afterward because I was so seriously hurt. But I kept fighting. I’ve played with a cracked sternum in the past, and played with a lot of different [injuries].

"This time, I couldn't play. Regardless of what people say, 'Hey, you’re Superman,' I'm a man. I bleed. And I have bones, too. And something happened that I couldn’t control.

"It really upset me that anyone would say that I was doing something out of spite for my team or my city. I have the utmost respect for the Magic organization, for the people of Orlando. Everything I did was from my heart, and I would never do anything to betray my city."

[Related: Nets discussing possible trade with Hawks for Joe Johnson]

Howard discussed something else that had become synonymous with his season, and that was the bizarre April 5 shootaround in Orlando when his former coach, Stan Van Gundy, told reporters that Orlando management had informed him that Howard had requested his firing. The video of Howard walking into a scrum of reporters, unaware of what Van Gundy had said, went viral. Ultimately, it became a flashpoint of criticism toward Howard.

When asked if he felt set up, Howard told Yahoo! Sports: “I did. I had no clue about what had happened, about what he had said. I wanted to clear it up that this was not what was happening behind closed doors, and I stepped into something that I didn’t know how to handle. It hurts me to this day, thinking about how people were saying these things about me, calling me, "a coach killer," and all this crazy stuff. It upset me, it hurt a lot."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--dw...-one-team.html

[gerald23]

Muling tinignan ng Lakers ang mga free agent list sina playmaker Deron Williams ng Brooklyn Nets at 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert ng Indiana Pacers ang kanilang napupusuan.

Maugong ang mga bali-balitang na patuloy ang mga negotiations sa kanilang mga respective team(s), option na ng Lakers kung kukunin nila ang dalawang manlalarong nabangit.

Tiyak na magkakaroon sila ng problema sa salary cup ngayong darating na season, kung hindi sila magbabawas ng mga players, kahit pinalaki pa ng NBA ang salary cup per team.

Ayun kay Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, "we want our team to be faster and taller and can be on the top of things next season," kaya't iyon ang gusto niyang mangyari sa darating na season.

Samantalang si Hibbert ay masugid na liniligawan ng Dallas Mavericks at si Deron Williams naman ay gustong mapanatili ng Nets sa kanilang line-up next season.

Ngunit galing na sa kanyang bibig "I want to play two or more seasons with Indiana, unless that they wanted me out," ayon sa pahayag ni Hibbert.

Maraming nagsasabi na isa itong 'fantasy trade' kung makuha ng purple and gold jersey sina Deron Williams at Dwight Howard sa darating na season.

Matira ang matibay, tignan natin kung alin sa mga free agent players ang makuha ng Lakers ngayong off season.


The Nets will offer the lure of starting fresh in Brooklyn with a shiny new arena and a deep-pocketed owner who says he'll do whatever it takes to make them a championship contender.

If Williams goes to the Mavs, he's back at home playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki, who's got enough All-Star years left in him to put Dallas right back into the title mix.

But in a perfect world Williams finds his way to the Lakers, where he gets to ride with Kobe Bryant for a couple years and then makes the transition with either Andrew Bynum or -- could they pull it off? -- Dwight Howard for the next great era of the purple and gold.

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1

[almostthere]

Looks like there's a fire sale in Atlanta. I won't be surprised if we get Josh Smith soon.

[gerald23]

Looks like there's a fire sale in Atlanta. I won't be surprised if we get Josh Smith soon.

Brader, It's no surprise if our admired team will not acquire Josh Smith recent news that Atlanta Hawks turned down the offer because L.A. wanted more. Please read the following details;

Report: Hawks turned down Pau Gasol - Josh Smith trade due to Lakers' high price

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ey...ers-high-price

By Matt Moore | Senior NBA Blogger
July 1, 2012 6:16 pm ET

The Hawks have known Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta for some time, but haven't really aggressively approached any deals until the last month or so. New GM Danny Ferry is interested in remaking the roster and so he's opened the phone lines finally.

One such offer reported a few days ago involved Pau Gasol. On Sunday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the reason the deal fell apart was due to the pricetag the Lakers are putting on Pau Gasol.

In addition to Johnson, the Hawks have been open to moving forward Josh Smith though they've resisted offers so far. Apparently the Hawks balked at a potential deal with the Lakers for Pau Gasol because L.A. wanted another major piece to go along with Smith. That would leave the Hawks with less than six players under contract, less talent, and no short-term cap relief because of the $38 million and two years remaining on Gasol's contract.

via Atlanta Hawks: Danny Ferry focused on salary cap ‘flexibility' with trades | Atlanta Hawks.

We'll examine this from both sides.

From the Hawks' perspective: The problem remains the same for the Hawks. Smith is too valuable to move for a loss on talent return, and not good enough to do what is necessary to placate him as a star. It's a tricky puzzle that the Hawks have found themselves in. Smith has honestly played worthy of an All-Star appearance the past two seasons.

He also has wanted a trade these past two seasons.

But it's good that they haven't just executed a trade for trade's sake. With Joe Johnson on the books, they have to be careful in not staying in a position where they have to still try and compete after giving up Smith for peanuts. They have to get good return.

Whatever the Lakers were seeking in return, Gasol is the one that is far more considered damaged goods while Smith's best years are in front of him. Wherever they move him, they seem to be invested in not simply giving away the farm.

The Hawks have never really put Smith at the top of their priorities list. When he entered restricted free agency a few years ago, they simply waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, the Grizzlies, with a few bucks left under the cap, threw out a moderate offer for Smith that was below maybe his true value. Smith signed it, hoping the Hawks wouldn't match.

They did.

They've been neither excited to have him, nor willing to part with him, ever since. Whether that's due to his maturity, his game, or his contract value is unknown. But Ferry has entered, and as Ken Berger notes, been aggressive in reshapig this team. The trick now is to find that delicate balance between ensuring they move him and not moving him for too little.

From the Lakers' perspective: Same old Lakers, expecting the highest price for whatever they've put out on the lawn.

It's not enough that they would get a younger, more athletic, more aggressive, All-Star worthy power forward entering his prime for a player that has been absolutely eclipsed in the past two playoffs, the Lakers have to demand that they get an additional piece. And in a lot of deals in the past, that's worked.

It's exerting maximum leverage to get the kind of sweetheart deal that has long kept them at the top of the league. In short, the Lakers are attempting to revamp their teams with All-Stars in exchange for, maybe not their trash, but their unwanted items. Their Craigslist star, so to speak.

If the Lakers really want to get a replacement for Gasol, they can do that pretty easily and get a quality player. But they can't get a haul. Gasol was considered at that tier 18 months ago. No longer.

The Lakers have made a lot of noise about keeping their team intact. It seems more and more like exertion of leverage. The Lakers are interested in reshaping their team, they're just very good at getting the absolute most out of whatever they put on the table.

[doslaos]

HANG TIME


Howard For Bynum Up Next?
by:sekou smith



HEADQUARTERS – You had to know we’d get to this point sooner or later in the ongoing Dwight Howard trade demand saga.

For the player without a true peer at his position, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Andrew Bynum is the closest thing to Howard when it comes to low-post operators.

With the Orlando Magic fielding calls from all over the league about potential deals, it only makes sense that they dial up the only other team in league with a big man capable of wearing the title of best big man in the game.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, that’s exactly the idea the Magic have as they plot the exit strategy for Howard:

The Lakers and Magic have had talks about a possible deal, and plan to talk further about constructing a trade. No deals are imminent, and the process has remained fluid as teams have begun to inquire with more serious offers for Howard.

Sources say there is one other trade scenario for a significant player that intrigues Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, but that target is unclear. Before the Magic would agree to consummate a trade for Bynum, they would need to know they could sign him to a contract extension, sources said. Bynum is entering the final year of his contract in the 2012-13 season.

What’s more, Bynum wouldn’t nearly be enough to satisfy Hennigan’s desires for a return on Howard. The Lakers would need to send draft picks and absorb long-term money off the Magic’s payroll, sources said.

They’ve had this conversation before, several times actually. The last time was at the trade deadline, before Howard signed away his right to enter free agency this summer. Bynum was experiencing arguably the best stretch of his NBA career while Howard’s season was just days away from ending with a back injury that required surgery.

There’s also that bit about Howard not wanting to play in Los Angeles or as second fiddle to Kobe Bryant. That would need to be addressed before any potential deals could get rolling. (The Lakers were initially on Howard’s preferred list of teams to play, along with the Nets and Mavericks, but disappeared after rumblings about a rift between Howard and Bryant began to spread.)

And the Magic will need some assistance from the Lakers in making this deal work:

However positively the Magic feel about Bynum, they still need the Lakers to take back one of their expensive veteran contracts — Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson — as part of any proposed trade. With Bynum, Orlando could use cap space to quickly retool its roster around him and become an Eastern Conference. Bynum is coming off his best season for the Lakers, averaging 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. Still, his immaturity at times still left Lakers coaches and officials unsettled about his disposition to be an every-night dominant player.

Any conversation about maturity regarding either Howard or Bynum right now would get nasty. Both of them have made some questionable moves throughout the course of the past seven months.

What’s undeniable for both players is their talent and their standing among big men in basketball. By most any reasonable measure they rank 1-2 and the order is an argument we can have later (or just leave to TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal).

And speaking of O’Neal, does anyone else find it to be just a bit interesting for the Magic and Lakers to engage in talks about swapping superstar big men after the way O’Neal bolted Orlando for Los Angeles years ago?

WHAT????? BYNUM for HOWARD..papayag ba tayo mga lakers fans..

[Gooner]

I'm open to trading Bynum but for Howard. Move him for a quality big and a point guard.

[Winter05]

nag-aalangan ako sa back injury ni Howard eh.. maraming nagsasabi na baka maging T-Mac siya..

[katorze]

Bakit hindi ka din nagaalala si Knee Injury ni Bynum? Career threatening yun

[KG21]

Ayaw pa kasing pumayag ng Lakers sa offer ng Minny eh...

[gerald23]

Steve Nash to Lakers?
by Cody Glass - July 4, 2012 - 0 Comment(s)



http://lakernation.com/

Reports have begun to surface that the Lakers would be interested in acquiring the All-Star Point Guard. Nash, 38, was still very productive last season, averaging over 12 points and 10 assists per game. Sources state that Suns owner, Robert Sarver, would be reluctant to trade Nash to a division rival.

Lakers are limited in free agency and would only be able to offer Nash the mini-MLE at $3M per season. However, the Lakers could try to acquire Nash with the $9M trade player exception that they received from the Lamar Odom trade last December.

Nash was recently quoted as saying “…it would be hard to put on a Lakers jersey”

[gerald23]

Magic interested in Bynum for Howard Trade
by Cody Glass - July 3, 2012 - 11 Comment(s)



http://lakernation.com/

According to sources, the Orlando Magic are targeting Andrew Bynum as a possible swap for Dwight Howard. With a package focused on the Second team All NBA center, the Lakers would most likely have to take contracts off the Magic’s books and provide future draft picks.

The Magic would need a guarantee from Bynum that he extends to sign an extension, and right now it is unclear whether Dwight Howard would re-sign long term with the Lakers if traded. It is no secret around NBA circles that the Brooklyn Nets are still Howard’s first choice, but the Lakers are trying to hit a home run and maximize the last years of Kobe Bryant’s career.

Nation: Is it worth risking losing Dwight Howard after one season? Is the possible reward too great to pass up?

[gerald23]

BILL PLASCHKE

Let's make a deal, again: Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard

Don't stop him if you've heard this before. This is the time for the Lakers to pull the trigger. And, Magic fans, it works for you as well.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...7226033.column

[gerald23]

Report: Howard For Bynum Up Next?
July 3, 2012 · 1:46PM

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/0...bynum-up-next/

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – You had to know we’d get to this point sooner or later in the ongoing Dwight Howard trade demand saga.

For the player without a true peer at his position, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Andrew Bynum is the closest thing to Howard when it comes to low-post operators.

With the Orlando Magic fielding calls from all over the league about potential deals, it only makes sense that they dial up the only other team in league with a big man capable of wearing the title of best big man in the game.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, that’s exactly the idea the Magic have as they plot the exit strategy for Howard:

The Lakers and Magic have had talks about a possible deal, and plan to talk further about constructing a trade. No deals are imminent, and the process has remained fluid as teams have begun to inquire with more serious offers for Howard.

Sources say there is one other trade scenario for a significant player that intrigues Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, but that target is unclear. Before the Magic would agree to consummate a trade for Bynum, they would need to know they could sign him to a contract extension, sources said. Bynum is entering the final year of his contract in the 2012-13 season.

What’s more, Bynum wouldn’t nearly be enough to satisfy Hennigan’s desires for a return on Howard. The Lakers would need to send draft picks and absorb long-term money off the Magic’s payroll, sources said.

They’ve had this conversation before, several times actually. The last time was at the trade deadline, before Howard signed away his right to enter free agency this summer. Bynum was experiencing arguably the best stretch of his NBA career while Howard’s season was just days away from ending with a back injury that required surgery.

There’s also that bit about Howard not wanting to play in Los Angeles or as second fiddle to Kobe Bryant. That would need to be addressed before any potential deals could get rolling. (The Lakers were initially on Howard’s preferred list of teams to play, along with the Nets and Mavericks, but disappeared after rumblings about a rift between Howard and Bryant began to spread.)

And the Magic will need some assistance from the Lakers in making this deal work:

However positively the Magic feel about Bynum, they still need the Lakers to take back one of their expensive veteran contracts — Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson — as part of any proposed trade. With Bynum, Orlando could use cap space to quickly retool its roster around him and become an Eastern Conference. Bynum is coming off his best season for the Lakers, averaging 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. Still, his immaturity at times still left Lakers coaches and officials unsettled about his disposition to be an every-night dominant player.

Any conversation about maturity regarding either Howard or Bynum right now would get nasty. Both of them have made some questionable moves throughout the course of the past seven months.

What’s undeniable for both players is their talent and their standing among big men in basketball. By most any reasonable measure they rank 1-2 and the order is an argument we can have later (or just leave to TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal).

And speaking of O’Neal, does anyone else find it to be just a bit interesting for the Magic and Lakers to engage in talks about swapping superstar big men after the way O’Neal bolted Orlando for Los Angeles years ago?

[gerald23]

Ewan ko lang sa Lakers kung itong klase na player ang gusto nilang i-trade because knee problem, career threatening ba ang knee injury or much worse kung iyong isang player na ipapalit ay dapat lunasan sa pamamagitan ng back operation?

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/0...bynum-up-next/

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nb...mp_block_a.nba

[ely_tista]

OMG...

[rational]

Marc Stein just tweeted that Nash is going to the Lakers for draft picks.

:O