Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 105 – NBA Blog

NBA ticket prices rise for first time in 3 years

The NBA’s average ticket price increased for the first time in three years, up 1.7 percent to $48.48, the Team Marketing Report said Wednesday in its annual survey.

New York Knicks’ tickets cost more than double the league’s average and five times as much as seats for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Knicks tickets averaged $117.47 after a 32.5 percent increase – and these figures don’t even include premium seats.

The Los Angeles Lakers were second at $99.25 after a 4.2 percent hike, and Boston third at $68.55 while leaving its average flat. Chicago was fourth at $68.37 with a 3.3 percent increase, followed by the Miami Heat at $67 following a 10.7 percent jump.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Lakers may have interest in Ramon Sessions

Ramon Sessions has been traded once in his career and, to hear him tell it, he’s been linked to one rumor or another for the past three years.

So, the Cavaliers point guard was hardly shocked to learn of a Yahoo Sports report that states his club has discussed dealing him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Since the Cavaliers used the first overall pick to draft Kyrie Irving last June, there’s been speculation concerning Sessions’ future in Cleveland.

“It’s been like that for me for a few years now,” said Sessions, 25, who was dealt to the Cavs from Minnesota in the summer of 2010. “There’s always something with that. [I] haven’t been traded yet. Cleveland now, Cleveland later. I’m not really into all of that.

“I try to block it out. It’s tough at times, but you have to be mentally prepared to play basketball.”

— Reported by Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Phil Jackson is writing a book

Phil Jackson’s next title will be on the cover of his new book.

Penguin Press says Tuesday that Jackson, the Hall of Famer who won 11 NBA championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, is writing his memoir called “Eleven Rings.”

The book is tentatively scheduled to be out next year.

The 66-year-old Jackson is a 1,155-game winner whose career .704 winning percentage is the best in NBA history.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kobe Bryant is a Ricky Rubio fan

Rubio has been a revelation for the Timberwolves as their rookie point guard, with Lakers coach Mike Brown pointing out that the athletic NBA game with fewer zone defenses to expose Rubio’s shaky jumper is well-suited for him.

Rubio had flashes Sunday night but shot 2 of 13 from the field, finishing with five points and eight assists.

Kobe Bryant has been impressed by Rubio in the NBA.

“He’s fantastic,” Bryant said. “He has great court vision, great poise.”

About Gasol, though, Rubio had this to say to Joan Niesen of Fox Sports: “A lot of people say that Pau is soft. I can tell you, he’s not. I practiced with him a lot this summer, and he’s tough. I mean, he plays hard, and one of the best things is, he’s a leader. A leader can’t be soft because if not we couldn’t win or get to the silver medal in the Olympic Games.”

— Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register

Mark Cuban reportedly eliminated from Dodgers bidding race

Blake Griffin

Dunked Kendrick’s face off

The owner of the reigning NBA champions will not be the next owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mark Cuban was eliminated from the Dodgers’ ownership sweepstakes Friday, along with baseball executive and former agent Dennis Gilbert, according to two people familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it.

At least eight bidders advanced to the second round Friday, including a group led by Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten and another headed by local developer Rick Caruso and former Dodgers manager Joe Torre.

East Coast hedge fund giant Steven Cohen, former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley and St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke also are believed to have advanced, as well as a joint bid between investor and civic leader Stanley Gold and the family of the late Roy Disney.

— Reported by MCT Wire / Los Angeles Times

Metta World Peace was bored with defending everybody so easily

After game after game of uninterested play, World Peace suddenly was the same tough, defensive-minded small forward that the Lakers signed in 2009 and helped them win an NBA title.

“I had gotten bored with defense because it was so easy to stop people over the years,” World Peace said. “I mean, I got real bored with it. When you are stopping guys every single time, what else are you going to do? It caught up to me.”

So World Peace slacked off and let his focus wander and his conditioning slip in his role as the team’s sixth player. His shooting percentage fell off and his defense suffered. He said, though, that he feels “almost back to where I want to be.”

“I played 38 minutes yesterday and didn’t come out of the game and I was like ‘Wow’,” he said. “I was able to play hard and help the defense. … I didn’t think I would be able to play 38 minutes this early.”

— Reported by Janis Carr of the Orange County Register

Chris Paul and Pau Gasol trade barbs

If the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers didn’t have a rivalry before Wednesday night, they certainly appear to have one now.

After Clippers forward Blake Griffin fouled Lakers forward Pau Gasol with 1.1 seconds remaining in the Lakers’ 96-91 win, Clippers guard Chris Paul tried to grab the ball from Gasol’s hands as the two began jawing at one another. Gasol and Paul continued to talk while Lakers guard Kobe Bryant got in front of the two as Gasol walked to the free throw line.

Before Gasol stepped to the line, he smiled and put his hand on top of Paul’s head. Paul immediately shoved Gasol’s hand away and tapped Gasol on his head.

“He tried to touch the top of my head. I don’t like that,” Paul said after the game. “I got a son of my own. I don’t know if Pau got kids, but don’t touch the top of my head like I’m one of your kids. I don’t know what his intentions were, and it doesn’t matter. I don’t know if he’s got kids, but I’m not one of them.”

— Reported by Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles

And according to the Associated Press, “Gasol, who has no kids, insisted he was misunderstood. “I’m sorry he felt that way,” the Spanish 7-footer said. “I do that all the time with my teammates. Nothing mean about it.” When asked what Paul yelled at him after the game, Gasol called it “just trash.”

VIDEO OF PAU GASOL TOUCHING CHRIS PAUL’S HEAD

Lakers assign Derrick Caracter to D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned forward Derrick Caracter to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Caracter, who underwent surgery on December 14th to remove part of a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, originally sustained the injury two days prior during Lakers training camp.

Selected by the Lakers in the second round (58th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, Caracter appeared in 41 games last season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.2 minutes.

The D-League assignment is the third of Caracter’s career, having twice been assigned to the Bakersfield Jam last season. In three regular season games with Bakersfield a year ago, Caracter averaged 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 19.7 minutes. In two playoff games with the Jam, he averaged 7.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.50 blocks in 21.5 minutes.

The 6’9” forward out of UTEP will be available to play tomorrow night when the D-Fenders go on the road to face the Bakersfield Jam.

This is the first Lakers’ player assignment of the season for the D-Fenders, who at 17-8, currently have the third best record in the D-League despite having three players (Jamaal Tinsley (Utah Jazz), Malcolm Thomas (San Antonio Spurs) and Courtney Fortson (Los Angeles Clippers)) called up to NBA teams.

Pau Gasol wants ball more in low post

“I would like to get a little more inside, myself,” Gasol told reporters after the game. “‘I always like to have different looks and be able to attack from different angles. The second half, I didn’t have one chance to attack from the post, so I was more of a facilitator.

“I got two jumpers, open, that I missed, and that was all the opportunities that I had.”

In this new offense (i.e. not the triangle), Andrew Bynum sits in the low post and Gasol further away from the basket and his job is to facilitate plays. All of which is fine for the soft-spoken Spaniard, but he wants a few more touches inside the paint.

— Reported by Janis Carr of the Orange County Register Blog

Metta World Peace having a forgettable season

Friday marked a typical night for Metta World Peace. He missed all four of his shots against Orlando. He was scoreless. And he was benched in the second half.

Typically exuberant and optimistic, he sounded fine.

“I feel good. I feel awesome. Just because my numbers [stink] don’t mean I don’t feel good,” he said. “I can’t control everything. I can’t control not starting. All I can control is going out there and playing hard. I can’t control not being in a rhythm, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel good.”

World Peace, 32, averaged a career-low 8.5 points last season. Through 15 games this season, he’s averaging 5.1 points and 19.8 minutes. He is shooting 32.3% overall and a woeful 12.1% from three-point range, making four of 33 attempts.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times