Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 115 – NBA Blog

Will Ron Artest be on Dancing With the Stars?

I never watch Dancing With the Stars. But if Ron Artest was on it, I’m pretty sure I’d roll with it for at least an episode or two.

TMZ reports:

Ron Artest has a back-up plan in case the NBA lockout torpedoes next season — we’re told, Mr. World Peace is currently in talks with “Dancing with the Stars” … and is seriously thinking about competing.

Nothing’s official yet — but sources tell us, both Artest and “Dancing” producers have been in touch to hash out a possible deal … and Ron’s pretty excited about the prospect.

But here’s the catch — “Dancing” won’t end ’til November and basketball season typically starts in October … which means if the lockout ends early, Ron could be S.O.L.

The Orange County Register reports:

The popular TV show is scheduled to finish taping in November, while the NBA season is set to begin in October — that is, if the lockout ends early and the season begins on time.

Athletes have done well on DWTS. NFL star Hines Ward won the mirrored trophy last season, while Emmitt Smith, Apolo Ohno, Helio Castroneves, Kristi Yamaguchi and Shawn Johnson all have won in the past.

Artest has kept busy since the Lakers were eliminated in the second round by Dallas with a reality show, possibly playing basketball in England, a name change, numerous TV interviews and stand-up comedy.

We’ll see if this idea really materializes.

Read NBA fan opinion and discuss your own views in this forum topic.

NBA Rookie Transition Program postponed

The NBA Rookie Transition Program, scheduled for August 9-11, has been postponed. The program, which provides first-year players with the skills and information necessary for a successful transition to the NBA, is run jointly by the NBA and the Players Association.

“Without a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union, we will be unable to hold RTP as originally scheduled,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said. “This is an important educational program for our incoming players, and it will be rescheduled once the parties agree on a CBA.”

Kobe, Durant, D-Rose were well-paid for playing in Philippines exhibition game

Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reports:

There are marketing opportunities to discuss and negotiations to be had over possible jersey sales that would almost certainly result in players getting a significant slice of the financial pie that they don’t in their agreement with the NBA (although some expect the NBA would challenge the players’ ability to sign such deals). There is a fact that seems to always be forgotten, too: playing overseas means not paying taxes. While there are taxes to be paid, several agents with experience doing international deals said they typically negotiate for the team to cover those payments as part of the contract.

So considering Williams’ salary with the Turkish team, Besiktas, has been reported as a one-year, $5 million deal, that’s the approximate equivalent to a $10 million NBA deal for the player who stands to lose $16.3 million if the entire season is lost because of the lockout. There won’t be enough jobs for the masses, but the players, their agents, and union representatives clearly hope the threat of losing elite players strikes some fear in the owners’ hearts.

Star-studded exhibition games like the two taking place in the Philippines this weekend are proving to be quite profitable as well, with one source with knowledge of the deals saying the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Chicago’s Derrick Rose are being paid more than $400,000 apiece for their weekend of work (reminder: tax-free). Worthwhile ventures like these are a less-explosive strategy on the labor front, though there is — as reported by Yahoo! Sports on Saturday — an impatient contingent of agents who is pushing for a more aggressive approach that involves the decertification of the union and subsequent antitrust lawsuits.

Yet despite the worst-case scenario fears of some agents that the league’s owners could be willing to lose two seasons to get the hard salary cap and monumental rollbacks they’re seeking, NBPA officials still appear to be more inclined to let the clock keep ticking and the pressure keep building.

Update: Game organizers deny reported figures. Interaksyon reports:

But MVP Sports Foundation executive director Chot Reyes denied the figures cited by Amick, hinting that the real numbers were much lower. “Every player had a different contract as well,” Reyes added.

While Reyes would not divulge the exact figures, he was earlier quoted as saying that the event cost “between expensive and very expensive.”

Bryant is estimated to make around $25 million from the Los Angeles Lakers this season, which would amount $300,000 per NBA game. The difference, though, is that Bryant’s earnings in the Philippines would be tax-free as opposed to his regular NBA salary.

Read more and see video: NBA exhibition game in Philippines.

Ex-UCLA center Carl Kraushaar dies

The AP reports:

Carl Kraushaar, starting center for the late John Wooden’s first two years as coach of UCLA, has died, the school said Saturday.

Kraushaar died of natural causes surrounded by his family in Newport Beach on Thursday, UCLA spokesman Marc Dellins said in a statement. He was 84.

Transferring from Compton College the same year the coach later known as the Wizard of Westwood arrived from Indiana State for the first of his 27 seasons, Kraushaar began what was to become a storied spot — center at UCLA under Wooden. The position would later be filled by Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Ronnie Lester angrily speaks out as Lakers cut longtime employees

Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports:

His demeanor always has been quiet, low-key and professional, always the loyal Lakers employee for 24 years, the last 10 as the team’s assistant general manager.

Now Ronnie Lester is speaking out — and not just for himself, but also for other longtime Lakers employees who must find jobs after the team parted ways with them because of the NBA lockout.

Some were told their contracts would not be renewed and some were laid off. All told, about 20 Lakers employees are, or soon will be, looking for jobs, including some of Phil Jackson’s former coaching staff.

It was the manner in which they were let go by one of the most successful and profitable franchises in the NBA that bothered Lester.

“You think of the Lakers and you think they are a great organization,” Lester said. “But if you work inside the organization, it’s only a perception of being a great organization. It’s probably not a great organization, because great organizations don’t treat their personnel like they’ve done.”

Lester’s contract runs out at the end of this month. He said he has sold his house in Los Angeles and plans to move out of the city while he seeks another job in the NBA. Lester said he will hire an agent…

Rudy Garciduenas had been the Lakers’ equipment manager for 26 years before he was laid off.

Other Lakers employees who will be unemployed at end of the month include scouts Irving Thomas (10 years with the team), Adam Filippi (10 years), Gary Boyson (six), Gene Tormohlen (43) and Kevin Grevey (10).

Read NBA fan reaction or discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Billy Hunter tells InsideHoops that NBA lockout meetings may not resume until August

By Jeff Lenchiner

Wednesday evening in New York City I paid a visit to Dyckman Park for some streetball action. It was a big matchup of some top teams that has been anticipated for weeks, so the park was packed. Included in the crowd were rapper Jadakiss, Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington, and the head of the NBA Players Union, Billy Hunter, among others.

Before the game, Hunter, bravely attempting to communicate as some top-notch rap music blasted from the park’s booming speakers at full volume, gave InsideHoops.com a very quick update on the current NBA lockout situation:

InsideHoops.com: What’s the latest?

Billy Hunter: We’re trying to find some way to re-open the negotiations. We’re not making very much progress. It looks like we’re going to be where we are, I would assume probably [until] August before we actually end up getting back together.

InsideHoops.com: How long might the lockout last?

Hunter: It’s unpredictable. It’s hard to say how long it’s going to go.

It sounds like NBA fans should not hold their breath waiting for positive developments just yet.

NBA 2K12 covers: Jordan, Bird and Magic

2K Sports announced today that NBA 2K12, the next installment of the top-rated and best-selling NBA video game simulation franchise, will offer three separate covers for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system featuring three of the NBA’s greatest legends of all time, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

The new stylized NBA 2K12 covers are a unique, one-time departure from the traditional 2K Sports brand artwork, and will spotlight each legendary athlete on his famous team: the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. The covers featuring Bird and Johnson will be available at launch in a limited quantity.

“Bringing Michael Jordan to the virtual hardwood last year was a huge success for NBA 2K11; however, we didn’t want to stop there,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “We’re bringing ‘His Airness’ back to the NBA 2K franchise as part of a multi-year extended partnership, along with two other legendary icons – Larry Bird and Magic Johnson – for a special cover athlete collection representing the NBA’s greatest heroes.”

Here they are:

Have a reaction? Read video game fan opinions in this forum topic.

Union plans player meetings as NBA lockout drags on with no progress

Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reports:

There will be labor-related meetings in the near future.

They just aren’t the kind that typically lead to collective bargaining progress.

According to sources close to the situation, the National Basketball Players Association is planning a series of player sessions in as many as six cities over “the next month or so,” as a way to help with its planning during the lockout and update players on the state of negotiations with the NBA. Unless things unexpectedly change, there won’t be much to report on that front.

While mid-level staffers from both sides met on Friday to finalize the numbers related to basketball-related income (BRI) for the 2010-11 season, no negotiating sessions involving commissioner David Stern or NBPA executive director Billy Hunter have been scheduled. Sources said the BRI numbers were not finalized Friday and more similar sessions are forthcoming to that end, but the union is focused on fortifying from within rather than exchanging proposals with the owners, who are pushing for a hard salary cap as part of a drastic overhaul to the current system.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Basically, the two sides are considering their various options and possible proposal changes, amongst themselves. There’s no way of knowing if either side plans to make any changes the next time they make offers to each other, when they do eventually meet again. I’m just guessing here but it sounds like the earliest the NBA lockout could even possibly end is early August. But that’s not expected, because it sounds like both sides remain pretty far apart.

Indiana Pacers hire Brian Shaw, Jim Boylen, Dan Burke as assistant coaches

Indiana Pacers Head Coach Frank Vogel announced his coaching staff, naming Brian Shaw as associate head coach and Jim Boylen and Dan Burke as assistant coaches.

“This is a well-rounded, experienced staff,” said Vogel. “Each individual brings something different, yet collectively they all fit. Everyone will contribute, whether it’s offense, defense, player development or game preparation. All three are very capable of handling any responsibility. There was a lot of interest from other teams in all three of these coaches. The fact they chose to be here is indicative of what we’re building.”

Shaw comes to the Pacers after being an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2004. The 45-year-old Shaw played with Boston, Miami, Orlando, Golden State, Philadelphia, Portland and the Lakers in his NBA career. He was part of five championship teams with the Lakers, three as a player and two as a coach.

Boylen is 46 years old with a wealth of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels. Collegiately, Boylen was an assistant at Michigan State and most recently, head coach at the University of Utah. In the NBA, he was an assistant at Houston, where he was part of two championship teams, Golden State and Milwaukee.

Burke will be entering his 15th season with the Pacers after joining Larry Bird’s coaching staff in 1997. The 52-year-old Burke has 22 years of NBA experience, getting his start in Portland where he worked for eight years before coming to Indiana.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Brian Shaw learned he did not get Lakers coaching job by watching TV

ESPN Los Angeles reports:

Brian Shaw, the former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach once thought by many to be the heir apparent to Phil Jackson, said the way he learned he didn’t get the job to replace Jackson was by hearing about it on TV.

Shaw, in an interview with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky on “The Mason & Ireland Show” on 710 ESPN Radio on Friday, said he first learned that Mike Brown had been hired as the Lakers coach during a television interview with Brown on ESPN at halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

“I wasn’t really told anything,” said Shaw, who had the public backing of players Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, among others, to take over for Jackson. “Unfortunately, I found about not getting the job and who was hired for the job on ESPN. I didn’t really talk to anyone for about three weeks after that.”

Just this week, Shaw was hired by the Indiana Pacers to be their associate head coach. He will work alongside Pacers coach Frank Vogel, a man he knows from their days on the Lakers staff together during the 2005-06 season.