Day Two at Vegas, and it looks like the Lakers' two draft picks are impressing people.

(Also, seeing George Karl made me happy. Glad to see him healthy and on the sidelines coaching.)

Check out the NBA Rookies Ladder page that also has a couple video features on Devin Ebanks here.

The NBA Rookies Ladder placed Devin Ebanks as their #1 rookie for his play yesterday:

Ebanks grabs the top spot after his second straight game topping 20 points. In his debut, the No. 43 pick had 21, then followed it up with 24 on Saturday. "It's just a tremendous opportunity for me," Ebanks said. "Coming from a great program like West Virginia, I'm used to winning, so I just hope to continue that."
-- July 10, 9:08 p.m. PT

It's eerily similar how much he resembles Trevor Ariza. With time, once he's improved defensively and he makes the roster, he really does have, with his skill sets and potential, the blueprint to succeed in the Lakers' system. And he's wearing #3!

Derrick Caracter moved up the ladder to the #3 spot.

Caracter had his second straight double-double in Vegas with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Lakers' 92-74 loss to the Nuggets on Saturday. "Nobody can stop him in the block," said teammate Devin Ebanks.
--July 10, 7:30 p.m. PT

First, I'm liking that our two draft picks have already established a pretty decent chemistry on-court. Some nice plays between the two. And praising each other is a good thing. Hearing Ebanks talk about how they've played on teams before during high school so they both know each other's game is a definite plus. If they both make the team (and I really do hope so since both look a lot like first round picks - steals by Mitch!), they'll most likely develop a good friendship off-court and could push each other and motivate themselves to succeed in the triangle.

Continue reading this post »

In light of the criticism Lebron's been getting over his decision to change his jersey number, a lot of media members are saying Lebron is full of crap when he says the entire NBA should retire Jordan's number and that's why he's not wearing it anymore next season. They say Lebron's real reason is to claim the top of the jersey list so that he can be the top dog in the NBA and not be behind Kobe Bryant (in terms of jersey sales). By following Kobe's footstep in changing his jersey number, he is effectively guaranteeing himself the #1 spot in jersey sales next season, just like what happened when Kobe changed his jersey number from 8 to 24. The media has called Lebron out on it, but they also cite that when Kobe changed his jersey number, he never gave any other intentions except that he knew it was about jersey sales and popularity.

Well, I seem to remember a different story involving Kobe's jersey change. I remember he gave his reason as wanting to go back to an old jersey number he had worn in high school and wanted to wear in the Pros but couldn't at the time because it was unavailable. Later on, he also wanted 24 to show his 24/7 dedication to the game and what not.

A lot of the media members criticized Kobe for changing his number to 24 because he wanted to be better / greater than Jordan, hence 24 > 23 and said his "personal" reasons were insincere. No one ever really mentioned Kobe doing it for the jersey-selling-money-motive thing. And I find it curious now that LBJ is switching numbers, all of a sudden it's because Kobe did it too for money / popularity reasons.

I always saw the change of number from 8 to 24, as a way for him to "shed" his old image, or at least try to distance himself from his old image. Yes, the #8 was associated to 3 chips and 81, but they were also associated to a lot of downs in his life, being Shaq's "sidekick," Colorado, Round 1 playoffs, etc. It never really crossed my mind he did it for the popularity and money ... I mean, who's to say his image had really changed that much by 2007, 3 years removed from Colorado? His jersey sales for 2006 were at #4. But of course, after 81 pts, Kobe's popularity did re-surge and and after changing his number in 2007, he has been the #1 jersey ... thereby proving he may have done it for money / popularity reasons.

I'm just curious to how a lot of people here view Kobe's jersey number change. So many people, with the exception of Cleveland fans and Lebron fans, are viewing his reasons for the number change as insincere (well, the Jordan # retiring suggestion is insincere) but I thought Kobe's reason for changing numbers (the whole 'it was my high school #)  was not entirely truthful either (though I didn't really hold it against him either, after all, that #8 was a culmination of his youth's success and his indiscretions).

Lebron's changing his number definitely for money and popularity reasons, in order to be "King" he needs to dominate the jersey charts. When Kobe changed his number to distance himself from his old image, inadvertently, his jersey became the most popular jersey for like 3 years straight.

So why did Kobe change his numbers? Was it to honor his old  high school #? Or was it to show his dedication to the game? Or was it to one up Jordan's number? Or did he change his number to tie in with his re-imaging process? Or was it just simply for jersey rankings and money? Or was Kobe just a Nostradamus and changed his numbers for all the above reasons knowing he'd get not only a "new" image, but more money + jersey rales, one uping MJ, honor his old high school #, be called the new Jack Bauer, thereby effectively killing a billion birds with one name change?

It may sound like I'm playing the devil's advocate, but I really do believe that Kobe changed his jersey number simply for image reasons. And of course re-inventing your image is about what the public thinks of you and that correlates to popularity (and jersey sales). Now that's not a bad thing I'm accusing him of, because like I said before, I can't really blame him for wanting to distance himself from his old image, especially when he's in a process of "reinventing" himself, but I do find it irritating that the media that criticized Kobe's # change (or at least the ones that found fault in his # change) are suddenly using it in a different light. And make no mistake, most media members did think Kobe did it to one up himself over Jordan, and not really for the popularity and money reason they're saying he changed his jersey number for now.

I didn't think about this question before and I was really surprised when ESPN's Pardon the Interruption asked this question of what are the chances of the Lakers being Happier without Kobe.

Both Michael Wilbon and the other guy said 100% the Lakers are happier without Kobe depending on the circumstances.

Basically, the Lakers want Kobe for the playoffs only because having him will make them a Finals contending team, but during the regular season, they're not happy to see him because he shouts/yells at them and they can shoot the ball. So it seems like this question is being directed at the Laker players being happy with Kobe on and off the court.

Now I know ESPN has always had a negative perception of Kobe and they'll try to perpetuate anything Kobe does negatively, but I really didn't think so many of their "analysts" would use his injury to lampoon him for being a "bad teammate" and suggest that he hasn't been with the team on the road trips. Kobe's definitely not the fuzziest marshmallow teammate in the world, but it's interesting how because the Lakers have won 3 without him, all of a sudden it means that Kobe's the reason they lost 13 games and that he didn't attend the road trips to Portland or Utah. Like he's pouting at home because the Lakers have won 3 without him. But we all know Kobe has gone with his teammates, staying in the locker room to get treatments.

It's also really surprising how they've used this time to basically insinuate the only reason Kobe's teammates put up with him is because they're using to get to the chip. Now, I'm not saying everyone on the team has to love/worship/respect Kobe, but it's always seemed like Kobe's current/past teammates like him enough to ask him to participate in dunk contests (Shannon), view him like an older brother figure (Trevor and Caron), etc.

In my opinion, these questions seem to be trying to push the team into the same old drama the Shaq/Kobe teams went through. Basically, Kobe hogs ball. Team not happy. Everyone hates Kobe.

Only Jalen Rose seemed to disagree with their assessments. I'm curious to what everyone else here thinks of this. Are the Lakers truly happier without Kobe (both on the court and off the court)? Or is this just another story/angle for the media to lampoon Kobe with and perpetuate that not all things are happy in Lakerland?

For fun. which Los Angeles Lakers player has not been bitten by the acting bug?

Recently, Pau Gasol, made an appearance on CSI: Miami:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iy-qaX564M

Not too long before that, Jordan Farmar made a guest appearance on Numb3rs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWM5acvxJbM

A year before, both made a guest appearance as themselves on Numb3rs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4afVoSX1PQE

We all know LO loves the entertainment industry, with his own clothing line, music label, and appearance on his wife's reality tv show, not to mention his cameo appearance on the Busta Rhymes/Linkin Park "We Made It" music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s8jy4djs24

Then this gem popped up of Shannon Brown (who looks waaaay too young to be Toni Braxton's lover. I thought he was playing her son at first. But he looks pretty hot) appearing in a Toni Braxton music video where he plays Toni's cheating boyfriend (with Brooke Hogan of all people) and Ron (who, like LO, is already into the entertainment business) also appears shirtless in it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y6AexL7o6A

And this got me thinking, if Shannon Brown, one of the players I thought on the Lakers that wouldn't go anywhere near the entertainment industry, would agree to be in a music video then which other players have also and which haven't?

Luke Walton's turn on soap acting was painful and thankfully, it doesn't seem like he'll be venturing in that realm again and Kobe used to when he first arrived in LA (remember his guest appearance on ALL THAT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fV1FP38ecI) though he hasn't recently, but what about players like D-Fish? J Mbenga? J-Peezy? Drew? Sasha? AMMO?

So who still has a date with Hollywood? Commercials and advertisements don't really count, or should they? That would scratch D-Fish off the list. I think TV Drama / Show appearances, music videos and movies count because at least those require some degree of acting, bad or good.

(I do recall Trevor Ariza appearing in a music video, no?)

Okay, well, so Mark Cuban didn't really say that. I made that part up.

But what he did say to a ESPN Dallas radio station was, and I quote, "I tell you what, now that they've got Ron Artest, I couldn't think of anything better."

No, don't be silly, he's not throwing compliments.

He continues, "If you would have said, what one player—and I'll get killed over this—what one player would you like to see on the Lakers? Ron Artest."

Actually, wouldn't that be Shaq? Imagine the Kobe/Shaq feud all over again. Delicious.

So it sounds like he's saying what everyone else has been saying, except, as the Dallas Maverick's owner, he's very grateful to the Lakers for signing Ron.

"Could you imagine? Ron Artest has got the ball, and Kobe's standing there, 'Throw me the ball.' Thank you, Ron Artest."

Hmmm, sounds like a possibility, I guess. But just remember, the Mavericks' road opener is against the Lakers on Oct. 30. Who's going to be thankful then?

So, do you think Mark Cuban is right in assuming that Ron Artest will destroy the Lakers' team chemistry or should he just focus on being the owner of the Mavericks and shut up and keep his thoughts to himself?

(Btw, since there really isn't any Laker related news besides LO's marriage, Ron-Ron's acclimation onto the team, Kobe's contract extensions, the PG Situation, Fish's getting older, Laker's chances of repeating, Sasha's haircut, Jordan Farmar guest starring on Numbers again, Pau's legs after the Eurochip, Phil possibly missing the first Anaheim preseason game against the Warriors, Reggie Miller thinks the Lakers will challenge the 72 win Bulls record but will lose to Boston in the Finals, Drew's knee brace and less time with Kareem, and trying to get AMMO to shave on his stupid pornstache.

So, let's have fun making fun of Cuban or agreeing with him, because let's face it, there is legit reason for Laker fans to be worried about Ron. Or we can spend the rest of the weekend counting down until til I go to London or when preseason starts.)

News tip from: Sporting News

A huge congratulations to Pau and the Spanish team for finally winning the gold medal after being runners ups for the last six tries.

Pau won the well-deserved tournament MVP for his outstanding play.

After the first few awful games that saw Spain lose to Serbia and Turkey, Spain proceeded to dominate their last five oppoents by an average of 21.2 points.

In the championship game, led by Pau's ridiculously efficient (and dare I say dominating) stats, Spain routed Serbia, 85-63, a far cry from their first game against (also ironically) Serbia, which Spain lost. So, Spain opened the European Championships with Serbia (with a loss) and ended the championships with Serbia (with a win). Funny how things come full circle.

Pau's line was 18 points, 11 rebounds (4 offensive), and 3 blocks for the gold medal game. A huge reminder on why Pau is so valuable to the Lakers. Just look at the numbers he put up during the entire Euro tourney:

18.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 1.2 apg, 66% FG%, and even four-of-nine from 3pt. range. He led the tourney in scoring and blocked shots, and finished second in field goal pct. and rebounds per game.

From the Painted Area

I guess you can say the 2009 year has been a year of redemption of sorts for the Lakers and their players.

The Lakers redeemed themselves from their 2008 Finals defeat by winning it all in 2009.

Kobe and the Redeem Team were able to show the 2004 USA Olympic Team how to win the Gold Medal.

And Pau was finally able to redeem himself from the 2007 European Championship when his Spanish team was upset by Russia.

So all around, it's been a very good and happy year for Laker players and their fans.

In context of Pau's recent achievements and his (relatively still young) career, does he deserve to be or will he be in the Hall of Fame? And is he currently or will be the best European player ever (and no, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, and Hakeem Olajuwon don't count)?

Alright, Pau, you've got your gold medal, now get some well deserved R&R and bask in your success over the last year or so.

Below are some links to read regarding Pau and the European Championships:

The Painted Area - Eurobasket 2009: Road to Redemption Complete for Golden Gasol, Spaniards

Forum Blue and Gold - Pau Dominates with Spain, Too

The Associated Press - Gasol, Spain beat Serbia to win Eurobasket title

And (because I love these commercials) a little funny video featuring Pau and Rafael Nadal :)

I'm not sure if anyone's seen this yet. Good news? I'm not too familiar with Gelabale. Athleticism is good right? Maybe he might be like TA? Still, it's only a "make-good contract" during training camp, so we'll see.

From the LA Times Blog:

Mickael Gelabale to sign with the Lakers September 18, 2009 | 11:24 am

Don't go upping the opening day roster from 13 to 14 quite yet, but Jorge Sierra of Hoopshype.com reports the Lakers have reached an agreement with former Sonics swingman Mickael Gelabale that will give the 6'7" Frenchman, 26, a chance to make the team out of training camp on a "make-good contract" (meaning there's no commitment financially until he makes the squad).

Gelabale, who dropped out of the NBA after tearing his right ACL in 2008 during his second season in Seattle, played six games with the D-Fenders last season in the NBDL, averaging 16 points and 4.3 boards a game.

He tells Sierra his health is ducky, which will give him the necessary quickness and pop on the defensive end, where Gelabale sees his opportunity:

 

 

“The knees are very good. It’s 100 per cent,” Gelabale said. “We had some tests in Los Angeles and both of my knees are very, very strong. I’ve been working out a lot and now I’m even able to do things I couldn’t do before.” The 6-foot-7 Gelabale has relied a lot on his athleticism throughout his career, so being completely healthy is key for him in order to have a chance to make the Lakers’ opening nigh (sic) roster."... I chose the Lakers because I think I can make the team. I can bring my defense to the Lakers. I remember there have been times when I played against Kobe that he would congratulate after the game for being such a good defender. I know it’s going to be hard to make the team, but you have to start somewhere.”

Indeed. Gelabale's diagnosis that it'll be tough to make the roster is spot on, but his build and profile as a player does make the move at least somewhat interesting, assuming you're willing to acknowledge that interesting is a sliding scale. While limited offensively, assuming he's healthy Gelabale is long and athletic, and plays aggressively on defense with good mobility. He is, in some ways, a Trevor Ariza for the very pauvre homme.

If there was a downside to the Ron Artest deal, it's that the Lakers lost the contrast in their primary small forwards. Ariza and Luke Walton were very different players. Artest and Walton are more similar (not in talent, just in profile). If the Lakers' roster/payroll can accommodate a 14th player- a big if- it could be on the wing, for a guy with a style that adds a true change of pace and play a little D. Gelabale could to be that guy. At the very least, he could enter camp with an edge over the rest of the chaff.

I still don't think he, or anyone else the Lakers bring in, will make the team unless an established player gets hurt, but Gelabale is an interesting name to watch. Plus, the Lakers seem to have a soft spot for energetic, braided-hair types eligible to play for the French National Team.

This is a question out of mere curiosity.

This is also for fun.

Since the basketball offseason is so droll and dreary, I just wanted to see what other team, besides basketball teams, Laker fans enjoy rooting for.

Is it the Angels in baseball? Or perhaps the Dodgers?

Or is it the Ducks in hockey?

Rams, Raiders for football?

I realize this question will feel like I'm excluding our non-Laker fan readers/commentators but if you all feel like answering, feel free to. 

So write down first

1. Are you a Lakers fan? Y/N

2. Do you live in SoCal/California? Y/N

3. Do you like baseball? If so, what's the team you support?

4. Do you like hockey? If so what the team you support?

5. Do you like football? If so what, what's the team you support?

6. Do you like soccer? Which team do you support?

7. Any other teams you support? College teams? etc.

And add any additional comments you feel like adding.

I also included a baseball poll just for kicks because baseball season is starting to get interesting.

Here's mine:

1. Yes, I'm a Lakers fan

2. Yes I live in SoCal

3. I support the Anaheim Angels oops Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

4. Anaheim Ducks Quack quack!

5. No football for me

6. Not much of a soccer watcher either

7. I suppose I root for UCI Anteaters since I'm an alumni there lol we defeated USC for the Volleyball title, so that was fun and our baseball team has been pretty great these past three years. No football team for us though. And our basketball team is meh.

Every year there is only one team that wins it all.

The NBA Title. The Glory. The Championship.

But what of the other teams that couldn't reach basketball immortality?

Which of those teams in this past decade was so good that they should have / could have won an NBA Championship, but they didn't?

Of course, as Lakers fans we might say all the Lakers teams should have won a chip. But removing all biases aside and tipping our hats to those that deserved it, honestly assess the top 10 teams in this decade that should have / could have won a chip, but didn't.

This fanpost was inspired after reading the list Kelly Dwyer came up with on Ball Don't Lie.

However, I disagree with his list, especially his #1 Team he thinks was the best team that could have / should have won.

He thinks the best teams to not win it all were:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (2008-2009)
2. Sacramento Kings (2001-2002)
3. San Antonio Spurs (2003-2004)
4. Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2000)
5. Dallas Mavericks (2006-2007)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (2003-2004)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (2003-2005)
8. Phoenix Suns (2004-2005)
9. Detroit Pistons (2005-2006)
10. Miami Heat (2004-2005)

Now, I think a lot of those teams up there could have won the title, but putting last year's Cleveland Cavaliers is baffling. As a Laker fan, I can admit that the 2001-2002 Kings team was a hella lot scarier and better than the 2008-2009 Cavs team. Sure the Cavs has LBJ and won 66 games. However, that 2002 Kings team was not shabby either. That team also finished with a league-best record of 61–21, winning 36 of 41 games at their home (kinda like the Cavs winning the majority of their games at home too), yet they took the 2002 Lakers team to 7 games that were too close for my Laker fan's heart for comfort. That same Kings team featured a lineup of Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson that would have easily taken the 2009 Cavs team (even with LBJ and Mo Williams on it). Sure 66 wins is a lot, but then that would mean the 67 win 2007 Mavs team should have been #1, not the Cavs. Anyway you cut it, that 2009 Cavs team is a lot worse than most of the teams on that list.

Thus, my top 10 list would look like:

1. Sacramento Kings (2001-2002)
2. Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2000)
3. Dallas Mavericks (2005-2006)
4. Dallas Mavericks (2006-2007)
5. Indiana Pacers (1999-2000)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (2007-2008)
7. San Antonio Spurs (2003-2004)
8. Phoenix Suns (2005-2006)
9. Phoenix Suns (2006-2007)
10. Los Angeles Lakers (2003-2004)

I already made my case for the Kings. Their series with the Lakers was basically the Finals since the actual Finals was well ... less interesting.  i would have put the Blazers first but they were a bunch of headcases, nevertheless, they were a really good team for a bunch of headcases. I put the 2006 Dallas team ahead of the 2007 Dallas team despite the difference in wins (60 vs 67 - not much of a difference really) because that 2006 Dallas team was 2 freaking wins away from an NBA chip and they had a meltdown of epic proportions. Much much more epic meltdown than the 67 win 2007 Dallas team because at least in 2006, they were ahead in the series by 2 games and lost 4 straight. ouch. 5th, Overshadowed by much of the Bulls and the Jazz in the late 90s, the Indiana Pacers were the top dogs in the East after Jordan "retired." They had a steady, albeit aging superstar in Reggie Miller, but this team was in constant contention for most of the mid to late 90s and probably would have made more trips to the Finals had Jordan not been in the way. The 2008 Lakers were the underdogs, yet for some reason they were heralded as the favorites as they breezed through the WC, even though the team had had only half a season to gel and was missing its starting center. It's a shame they couldn't hold on to Game 4's 20 something point lead, but in the end, they really did lose to the better team at the time. They were truly the 2nd best team by the end of the 2008 season. Had they not been missing a healthy Andrew Bynum and a healthy Trevor Ariza, they most likely would have been the champs and the best team.  In 2003-2004, as glad as I was that the Lakers won, I truly believed the 2004 Spurs team should have gone to the Finals and would have beaten the Pistons, but 0.4 happened and we know the rest. As much as I hated the Phoenix Suns from 2005-2007, they were a really good running and gunning team. Had a series of unfortunate events not happened like Robert Horry's hipchecking of Steve Nash or Amare's suspension, this team would have / could have defeated the Spurs and gone on to the Finals, but to win it all? Possibly. And lastly, I chose the 2003-2004 Lakers team only because after their miracle series against the Spurs, I really thought the Lakers had a good chance to win it all, but the team imploded, Malone was injured and well ... it just wasn't pretty.

Hence, I have come up with this post to ask, list your Top 10 Teams this Decade that should  / could have won, but didn't.
Do you disagree or agree with Dwyer's list? Or do you agree or disagree with my list?

Sound away in the comments below!

Enjoy this amazing tribute video by a Laker fan living in Poland.

SMGS24 has created a beautiful video highlighting the history of the Lakers. From Jerry West to Kobe Bryant, it's a fantastic video that is a must-see for all Laker fans.

Keep in mind, this video is made by a polish fan, so there will are some spelling errors, but if you overlook them, it's still an amazing video. I got chills watching it. Made me love being a Lakers fan.

Hope you all enjoy!

I'm bored, it's the offseason and as Laker fans, basking in the championship afterglow is fun and all, but talking about Kobe's membership fee or Lebron's handshaking scandal can get TEDIOUSLY boring, so let's have some fun.

In light of Chaucer's fanpost poll of "Who is the Greatest Laker player of All-Time?"

Let's have a poll of "Who is the Worst Player of All-Time to Don a Lakers jersey"?

Below are a list of players that have caused a lot grief from fans. Lots of fingernails and hair were lost everytime these players stepped on the court. Some more than others, but that's for you to decide.

Most importantly, have fun with the poll and vent in the comments!

(Keep in mind, this is for fun and yes, while there are players that are on that list that may or may not belong there, they did get votes, so it's not like I'm making this stuff up. Bear in mind that I also made the poll at 2 in the morning so some players were left off because I forgot about them - more like I tried to forget them).

According to this Spanish website, Pau Gasol was injured while practicing with the Spanish team.

Pau hurt his finger when trying to block Felipe Reyes during today’s practice with the Spanish team. He was sent to a hospital in Seville for testing and X-rays in order to determine to extent of the injury.

http://www.marca.com/2009/08/10/baloncesto/seleccion/1249928780.html

It seems like a minor injury (and even if the x-rays are positive, it's just an injury on his hand), so hopefully, this will give him some time to rest (both he and Kobe have been playing basketball nonstop since 2007). We need a very healthy Pau Gasol if we want any shot at repeating next year.

Another day has passed in summer league (well actually, 3, but more importantly, the "Lakers" have played 2 games and are so far a fabulous 2-0.

Here's the boxscore for Game #2 of our "Los Angeles Lakers" against the Cleveland Cavaliers:

	1	2	3	4		T
Lakers	17	26	23	22		88
Cavaliers	15	22	20	25		82

Again, another solid outing for Adam Morrison. 33 minutes, 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-6 shooting behind the 3 and 50% shooting overall. Ben McCauley and David Monds had another good game. Monds is quietly providing offensive efficiency in 15 minutes. Why he doesn't play more is a wonder. McCauley is efficient, I like that and while he didn't rebound like crazy like the other game, 7 rebounds in 25 minutes is good. Elonu had a much better game than the last one, although that 1 for 5 free throw shooting needs to change. Then again, last game, all "Lakers" who shot freethrows made them, but in this game, our freethrow shooting was a wretched 15-27 for 55.6%, our biggest culprits being Elonu and Monds.

Star players and players of interest from the "Lakers":

	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	pts
C.Elonu	F	22:31	4-6	0-0	1-5	1	4	5	0	6	0	3	2	9
B. McCauley	F	25:19	5-6	0-0	0-1	4	3	7	1	3	1	2	0	10
A.Anderson	C	28:30	3-11	1-2	5-5	1	2	3	2	5	1	0	0	12
A.Morrison	F	32:20	8-16	4-6	2-2	0	4	4	3	3	0	4	0	22
T. Rochestie	G	19:25	4-6	1-1	0-0	1	2	3	3	3	1	4	0	9
D.Monds		15:23	5-5	0-0	2-6	2	2	4	0	3	1	1	0	12

Still, this was a game the "Lakers" coasted through. We outshot the "Cavs" 51% to 43%, out rebounded 39 to 32, assisted more 12 to 10, blocked shots 4 to 1. We also had a scorching 3 point shooting, 7-12 for 58.3% compared to the "Cav's" 5-13 for 38.5%. The only blemishes was in turnovers, free throw shooting and steals. The "Lakers" are still really foul-happy. Not sure what's going on there, it's been like that two-games in a row. That being said, feels like this game should have been won by more than 6 points - again, they were up by 14 at one point in the 4th quarter, reminds us of the real Lakers doesn't it?

Anyways, here's the recap:

Lakers Coast Past Cavaliers

LAS VEGAS, July 11 – The Los Angeles Lakers trailed only once during their 88-82 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second day of the 2009 NBA Summer League.

The Lakers led nearly the entire game except for a 17-second span early in the first quarter. Los Angeles slowly extended its lead throughout the game from two points at the end of the first to six at the half. The third quarter witnessed them increase the cushion to as much as nine in the third and then to a game-high 14 in the final frame.

“I thought everyone played hard, we were able to play really physical I thought we did a great job,” Lakers Summer League Head Coach Chucky said after today’s game. “We need to sharpen up our defense a little bit more and I think we’ll be alright.”

Los Angeles finished the game shooting .508 percent, as the team had four players reach double digits. Adam Morrison led the way with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. David Monds and Alan Anderson chipped in 12 apiece, while Ben McCauley closed out the foursome with 10.

Cleveland, on the other hand, shot .426 percent from the field, which was greatly aided by a .475 percent effort in the second half. After the first 20 minutes of action, the Cavaliers had made more free throws (15) than field goals (10). They closed the game with 29 field goals and 19 free throws made.

The Cavaliers had double-digit outputs by four players. Danny Green led the team in a losing effort with 16 points. Christian Eyenga and Leo Lyons pitched in 14 apiece, while Darnell Jackson had 11.

So the "Lakers" play the "Los Angeles Clippers" on the 4th day of Summer League: July 13th.

What are your impressions so far?

The Laker's Summer League first game was tonight against the Toronto Raptors.

The "Lakers" won 85 - 84. Not bad for a team whose only actual NBA player was Adam Morrison compared to the Raptors that had Quincy Douby, Roko Ukic, Patrick O'Bryant, and Smush Parker (guy did play with the Lakers for god knows how long *I've tried to erase this from my memories).

Box Score:

Teams	1	2	3	4		T
Lakers	16	15	31	23		85
Raptors	20	20	21	23		84

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2009/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=1520900003

I also included the stats for players of interest like Adam Morrison and Tonlu. I threw in Ben McCauley because his stats impressed me. He could be a decent backup to Drew. Dude was a rebounding vortex, but also a TO machine. David Monds surprised with a pretty great performance. 17 points in 14 minutes at 70% shooting! Morrison's stats weren't too shabby, Ammo had two blocked shots that I'm digging. And just another nugget, the "Lakers" were perfect from the free throw line. That's something I can live with and something I wish the actual Lakers would do more often.

	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	pts
A.Morrison	F	32:47	9-17	1-3	5-5	3	2	5	3	1	0	1	2	24
B. McCauley	C	32:02	12-19	0-0	0-0	5	10	15	1	3	0	4	0	24
C.Elonu	F	14:20	0-1	0-0	2-2	0	3	3	0	1	1	1	0	2
D.Monds	F	14:47	7-10	0-0	3-3	1	2	3	0	3	1	0	0	17

Actually, looking at the boxscore, you'd think the Raptors would have won, overall they shot better, had more assists, had less fouls, but I guess the little things like missing a billion free throws (Hye smush parker!), getting outrebounded and turning the ball over was the ending decider. The "Lakers were down by 9 at half time and had a great 3rd quarter to turn things around.

Overall, I'd say it's a good gut-it out win for the "good guys." Especially guys like Ammo who really need this to get themselves back in playing shape. He just might have to work on defending more, I don't know if its because of his knee injury/surgery, he's not moving quick enough.

Here's the recap:

Morrison and McCauley Lead Lakers Past Raptors

LAS VEGAS, July 10 - Adam Morrison and Ben McCauley scored 24 points a piece as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 85-84 at the 2009 NBA Summer League.

“It was a good win for us, it’s really good to be out on the court playing.” said Lakers Morrison.

A see-saw game that saw 16 lead changes and 12 ties, the game went down to the wire. The teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter, knotting in ties at 66 with just over eight minutes to play, at 75 with just over four minutes to play and at 81 with just under one minute left in regulation.

With the game tied at 14.7 seconds, Los Angeles' Ben McCauley hit a fade-away jumper to give the Lakers an 83-81 edge. Toronto scrambled to foul, with DeMar DeRozen committing his fifth with 7.6 seconds, and Roko Ukic picking one up on Adam Morrison with 4.8 seconds remaining. Morrison hit two clutch free throws coming of the foul to put his team up 85-81. But, the Raptors weren't done - Ukic ran the court and hit a too-little-too-late long-range three-pointer at the buzzer.

The Lakers jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, but Toronto's Quincy Douby snapped the streak and unleashed a 20-8 run that took the team through the end of the quarter. The Raptors led by 4, 20-16, at the end of one.

“It was a good win for us, it’s really good to be out on the court playing.” said Lakers Morrison.

A see-saw game that saw 16 lead changes and 12 ties, the game went down to the wire. The teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter, knotting in ties at 66 with just over eight minutes to play, at 75 with just over four minutes to play and at 81 with just under one minute left in regulation.

With the game tied at 14.7 seconds, Los Angeles' Ben McCauley hit a fade-away jumper to give the Lakers an 83-81 edge. Toronto scrambled to foul, with DeMar DeRozen committing his fifth with 7.6 seconds, and Roko Ukic picking one up on Adam Morrison with 4.8 seconds remaining. Morrison hit two clutch free throws coming of the foul to put his team up 85-81. But, the Raptors weren't done - Ukic ran the court and hit a too-little-too-late long-range three-pointer at the buzzer.

The Lakers jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, but Toronto's Quincy Douby snapped the streak and unleashed a 20-8 run that took the team through the end of the quarter. The Raptors led by 4, 20-16, at the end of one.

The LA Time's blog reports:

 

The Lakers officially sign Ron Artest and Shannon Brown

Got an email from the Lakers Media Relations Dept. that pen and paper were united for both Ron Artest and Shannon Brown.  We've officially entered "no give backs" territory.  Not that any hitch was expected, but it's always nice to know the proceedings went down without one.

http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/07/the-lakers-officially-ink-ron-artest-and-shannon-brown.html

Still no report on LO though.