Los Angeles Lakers

By Kelly Dwyer Coach of the Year Did you know that the Los Angeles Lakers are second in defense thus far this season? Having Ron Artest(notes) around helps, but after losing his top assistant and second-best player for the first three weeks of the season, Jackson still has this team defending with one of...

By J.E. Skeets 1st Q, 1:50 — Turiaf air-balls a jump shot. "Mikey's been sitting too long!" 4th Q, 11:06 — Steven Hunter(notes) fouls Gasol. F.A.B. to Radmanovic: "Go ahead, get your Laker jersey! You're still a Laker!" 4th Q, 6:17 — F.A.B. to Lamar Odom(notes): "Run it up, Kardashian! Run it up!"

By J.E. Skeets NBA Twitter Top 10 is the new NBA Power Rankings. (Or something like that.) Combining advanced algorithms with your comments, BDL's NBA Twitter Top 10 cuts through the fat (see: lottery teams) to determine the best of the best on a weekly basis. Want to get involved? Follow the yellow brick ro...

By J.E. Skeets The Oklahoman recently conducted an interesting, albeit basic poll among players and coaches to determine who has the highest basketball IQ in the NBA. 1. Kobe Bryant(notes), Lakers 2. Jason Kidd(notes), Mavericks 3. Steve Nash(notes), Suns 4. Chris Paul(notes), Hornets

By J.E. Skeets We previously offered up Delfino's smacktastic swat, so it only seems right to show a little love to Jordan Farmar's(notes) spectacular come-from-behind block on Rafer Alston's(notes) lay-up attempt during Sunday's Nets-Lakers gong show.

By Kelly Dwyer Los Angeles Clippers 98, Memphis 88 Los Angeles outscored the Grizzlies 33 to 7 in the fourth quarter. That's a bit of an advantage. Detroit 94, Atlanta 88 Boston 93, Miami 85 San Antonio 97, Philadelphia 89 Minnesota 106, Denver 100 Los Angeles Lakers 106, New Jersey 87

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By J.E. Skeets Paul J. Weber, AP: "Allen Iverson is generating plenty of talk about a possible return to the Philadelphia 76ers, but coach Eddie Jordan said yesterday that's all there is to it right now. 'I have not been oversaturated with Allen Iverson(notes) in my mind or in conversations with our front...

Kobe Bryant sat at his locker and praised Pau Gasol, both of Bryant's feet in an ice bucket and two more bags numbing each knee. On a night when Bryant was far from his dominant self, Gasol showed what a key piece he is for the Los Angeles Lakers despite being overshadowed by superstars. They dea...

By J.E. Skeets PF: L.A. Times. Lakers' small guys ("fairies") pummel big guys ("goons") in "Turkey Trot" scrimmage. 7th: Associated Press. "Larry Brown has a message for Allen Iverson(notes): don't give up." 8th: Pippen Ain't Easy. Chicago Bulls fans are none too thankful right now.

By Kelly Dwyer Marc Spears just confirmed the news that Allen Iverson is set to retire. This follows an ignominious attempt at shopping himself on the open free-agent market, with the season having already started. That followed an ignominious three-game turn with the Memphis Grizzlies, which follow...

By Kelly Dwyer 90 points per 100 possessions for New York, the team couldn't handle Los Angeles on the glass (the Lakers pulled in 15 offensive rebounds), and the Knicks couldn't take advantage of Los Angeles' pitiful 25 turnovers. The Lakers out-rebounded the Knicks 60 to 36. Decisive.

By J.E. Skeets Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald: "Just to be clear on this, Allen Iverson(notes) is not walking through that door. But the possibility is something the Celtics have considered — and could revisit. Danny Ainge always has been a fan of Iverson, and he tried very hard to get him here in the summer o...

By J.E. Skeets So, Lakers forward Ron Artest(notes) was a guest on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" program Monday night. In his underwear. With Kimmel's name shaved into the back of his head. In his underw— wait, I already said that. "Shout out to David Stern!" I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! Revel in the madnes...

By J.E. Skeets Marc Berman, New York Post: "Eddy Curry is so enthusiastic these days, the Knicks center volunteered to defend a certain Lakers guard tonight at Staples Center. 'I'm so happy to be back, doesn't matter to me,' Curry said. 'I'll guard Kobe [Bryant].' Curry has gotten lighter, but not that lig...

By J.E. Skeets On today's show, Skeets and Tas detonate the TNT double-header. How big was the Hornets win over the Suns? What effect is Coach Bower having on his team? Has Pau's return made the Lakers the team to beat? All that, plus Tas starts a Twitter war with Stephon Marbury(notes), a Celtic "wins" Wan...

By Kelly Dwyer It should be brought up, again and again and again. San Antonio is missing its second and third-best players. And unlike any other time in Tim Duncan's(notes) career, save for his rookie season, there isn't that much of a gulf between TD and the second, or third-best players. This isn't like L...

By Kelly Dwyer Still, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Lakers could welcome back Pau Gasol(notes) tonight, while the Bulls might finally welcome the struggling Derrick Rose(notes) back to the status he enjoyed as a rookie last season. Any bit of improvement from Rose - and fellow backcourt mates Kirk Hinri...

By J.E. Skeets We are asking you, as fans of this team [...] please release Mike Dunleavy of his coaching duties. Too many players have complained of his coaching, and even players who aspired to become coaches, i.e. Sam Cassel, who wanted to study under others (George Karl). What does this say? Dunleavy has nev...

By J.E. Skeets As promised, Lakers forward Pau Gasol(notes) made a guest appearance on "CSI: Miami" on Monday for about, oh, 10 minutes before getting killed off by a deadly car crash instigated by a wandering alligator. I think he got injured on CSI and he's not telling us the truth," Jackson joked befor...

By Kelly Dwyer Denver 130, Toronto 112 New Orleans 110, Los Angeles Clippers 102 Phoenix 111, Houston 105 Los Angeles Lakers 106, Detroit 93 Andrew Bynum(notes) came through with 17 points and 12 rebounds, but this was more or less on Kobe offensively. Los Angeles also dominated on the glass, 44-32.

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By J.E. Skeets The idea of bringing a fast break Lakers dunk to the Staples Center received no support at the Jason Maxiell(notes) council meeting last night.

By J.E. Skeets PF: The Association. Is Kobe Bryant's(notes) low-post game hurting the Lakers offense? SG: Hugging Harold Reynolds. Magic Johnson addresses those book statements about Isiah. 6th: CelticsHub. Boston sports fans are kind of dramatic, huh?

By J.E. Skeets And after reading the final paragraphs of Kevin Ding's Orange County Register column, I'm going to guess Lakers forward Ron Artest(notes) is a big Yogi fan. Artest was one of the few Lakers to have a decent game Sunday night but still missed 3 of 6 foul shots. He has made 17 for 33 this season: 51....

By J.E. Skeets Marc Stein, TrueHoop: "There is some hope, according to NBA front-office sources, for a three-way deal that is currently in the exploratory-discussion phase. Sources told ESPN.com that the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings, in considering the feasibility of a Samuel Dalember...

By J.E. Skeets On today's show, Skeets and Tas pick this weekend's big winners and losers. Did anything beat Brandon Jennings'(notes) cool 55? Are the Hawks an elite East team? Do we need to worry about the Lakers and Celtics? All that, plus the Hornets' woes continue, semi-clutch Hedo and a peak at Dwayn...

By Kelly Dwyer Houston 101, Los Angeles Lakers 91 Kobe Bryant(notes) is still learning how to work out of the post. Derek Fisher(notes) is pretty bad, right now. Dallas 95, Detroit 90 Why? Los Angeles Clippers 101, Oklahoma City 93 Phoenix 101, Toronto 100

By J.E. Skeets Funny and/or unsportsmanlike moment from Sunday's Rockets-Lakers game, depending which laundry you cheer for: Trevor Ariza(notes) loses his red ruby sneaker during an early defensive possession. Ron Artest(notes), always looking to capitalize on others' wardrobe malfunctions,...

By J.E. Skeets Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle: "Rockets guard Trevor Ariza(notes) received his Lakers championship ring, along with a duplicate for his 19-month old son Tajh, from Los Angeles stars Kobe Bryant(notes) and Derek Fisher(notes) in a ceremony before Sunday night's tip-off at Sta...

The Los Angeles Lakers have been waiting for a while now for Pau Gasol's hamstring to heal up and he...

By J.E. Skeets Mike Bresnahan, L.A. Times: "The Lakers won another game but might have lost another big man. Pau Gasol(notes) is a little closer to returning, but Andrew Bynum(notes) was injured toward the end of the Lakers' 103-102 overtime victory Wednesday over the Houston Rockets. Bynum was fouled ha...

By J.E. Skeets Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer: "Shaquille O'Neal raised a few eyebrows after practice Thursday by declaring this Cavaliers team 'the best team I've ever played on. On paper, anyway.' Some might take the 1999-2000 NBA champion Lakers with Bryant, Glen Rice, Robert Horry(notes), R...

By J.E. Skeets RealGM/Los Angeles Times: "Kobe Bryant's contract extension negotiations were not a central issue at Lakers' media day, even though Bryant declined to answer questions about it. Informal negotiations have already begun, and the Lakers are secure in their belief that a new deal will b...

By J.E. Skeets Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "The wait on the expected release of Sasha Pavlovic(notes) turned out to be worth it for the Suns. The Suns and Pavlovic, acquired from Cleveland in June in the Shaquille O'Neal(notes) trade, agreed to a buyout that would save $500,000 more than the Suns stood...

By J.E. Skeets Former Lakers' great Magic Johnson congratulates Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie during her "Farewell Game" on September 11 at the Staples Center. Best caption/imaginary conversation wins a Sun Yue poster. Good luck, friends. After the jump, Kobe laughs in your general direction.

By Kelly Dwyer Los Angeles Lakers 107, Oklahoma City 89 So the Lakers came out full of fire, Oklahoma City competed and actually outscored the Lakers in the second half, but this thing was long over by then. The Lakers made sure of it. Utah 99, Houston 86 Chicago 99, Detroit 91

By J.E. Skeets Rufus On Fire: "Here's the dirtly little secret behind the Adam Morrison for Vladimir Radmanovic trade: The Lakers didn't do it to get Morrison. They did it to get Shannon Brown, and AmMo provided the salary necessary to trade VladRad. Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson are no dummies. They know...

By Kelly Dwyer Los Angeles Lakers at Boston I don't doubt that, in a calendar year, the most remarkable thing about the NBA is that it churns out a schedule every season that goes almost without a hitch, in relative terms. Minnesota playing in Minneapolis a day after playing in Indianapolis? That's the NB...

By Kelly Dwyer Los Angeles Lakers 126, New York 117  What can we say about Kobe beyond what we tried to scrawl down last night? I'm just pleased beyond belief that I get to witness two different players in my lifetime with the work ethic, drive, and talent that Bryant and Michael Jordan possess.

By J.E. Skeets 1. Los Angeles Lakers — 1st in offense, 5th in defense, and Mssrs. Bryant, Bynum, + Gasol have enjoyed their best stretch of individual ball over the last month. And you can’t tell me that Chris Mihm isn’t glowing right now. [Kelly Dwyer]

By J.E. Skeets Mike Bresnahan, LA Times: "The Lakers have been carrying only 14 players, one under the league maximum, though head coach Phil Jackson said nothing was decided yet as far as adding another guard. 'We still have to find out what the deal is going to be with Jordan,' he said. 'This is something t...

Scanning the blogs and beats following the Celtics' 97-91 comeback win over the Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals ... Rob Peterson, NBA.com: "In trying to describe what I witnessed at STAPLES Center on Thursday, one thing comes to mind: Animal House.

Boston Celtics 98, Los Angeles Lakers 88 So, I've been at this post for a while, and I've found that there are two ways to take this.  On the Celtics side, yeah, lots of "expected." That's to be expected, from Boston, and that likely won't let up.

“Lakers in five” seems smarter, but that would involve Los Angeles beating Boston four times in five games. Does anyone see that happening? I’d pick “Boston in six” before I’d pick that. And yet, for the “six” to come through, that road win for the clincher has to happen. We’re calling it, but i...

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe: "A year ago, maybe on this same day, Paul Pierce was home in Southern California, playing ball at UCLA, talking with another disgruntled superstar named Kobe Bryant. They made a small wager concerning who would be traded first. Tonight they'll face off in Ga...

Kobe shoot over 20 times = Lakers bad. Here's why it doesn't work, even forgetting that we're talking about Kobe Bryant: The fact that Denver didn't guard Pau Gasol in the first round, and that Kobe had ice on his knees by the fourth quarter, limiting his shot attempts?

Voila. Western Conference champs. When the Lakers dethroned the Spurs on Thursday night, it came on the one-year anniversary of Bryant's infamous meltdown, when he nuked Kupchak and the Lakers on several radio programs and sent fans into a frenzy by demanding a trade.

The Los Angeles Lakers made the first major waves in advance of the NBA trade deadline, acquiring Pau Gasol from Memphis.