Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 124 – NBA Blog

Lakers sign Trey Johnson

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Trey Johnson, it was announced today.

Johnson rejoins the Lakers after spending the 2010 preseason with the team before being waived on October 21, 2010. In five preseason games, he averaged 2.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 8.8 minutes.

A 6’5” guard out of Jackson State, Johnson has spent the last four seasons playing for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. A 2011 D-League All-Star West Team selection, Johnson did not play in the game after being called up to the Toronto Raptors and signing a pair of 10-day contracts with the team. In seven games with the Raptors this season, Johnson averaged 4.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11.6 minutes.

With Bakersfield this season, Johnson ranked second league-wide in scoring (25.5 points per game) while handing out 4.5 assists (25th league-wide) in 35.9 minutes. For his D-League career, he has averaged 20.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 36.0 minutes.

Johnson will join the Lakers for tonight’s season finale in Sacramento.

Chris Webber wants to help keep Kings in Sacramento

Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reports (via blog):

A short while ago on TNT’s post-game show, analyst Chris Webber and cohorts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley devoted an interesting (and potentially significant) segment to the Kings’ possible relocation to Anaheim. I transcribed the tape and will include most of the conversation below, the significance of which includes this: Webber saying he is engaged in talks with individuals intent on keeping the Kings in Sacramento; Barkley (jokingly?) saying he will invest “$10-15 million” to assist; Smth, also a former King, saying that, on the Kings worst nights, the fans were as lusty as they were during the years they contended.

Though Webber refused to be specific on-air about the extent of his commitment, after making a few late-night phone calls, I reached original Sacramento Kings executive vice-president Greg Van Dusen, who offered a few specifics. According to Van Dusen, Webber is willing to facilitate a deal – headed by Roger Stewart of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to “restructure” the city’s $77 million loan to the club. Van Dusen, who is working with Arco I and II architect Rann Haight.

FBI investigating University of San Diego basketball point-shaving scandal

The AP reports:

The NCAA plans to conduct its own investigation into an alleged gambling ring at the University of San Diego but will wait until the FBI completes its work.

On Tuesday, NCAA vice president of enforcement Julie Roe Lach called the allegations sad, acknowledging the serious nature of the charges that were unsealed one day earlier in San Diego.

The accused include Brandon Johnson, the school’s career scoring leader who is now playing in the NBA’s Developmental League, former assistant coach Thaddeus Brown and ex-player Brandon Dowdy.

Federal authorities have charged them with running a sports betting business to affect the outcome of games.

“The FBI is leading the investigation and we will stand by and let them do their work because they have more tools in their tool boxes to get at what’s going on than we do,” Lach told The Associated Press. “After they conclude their investigation, we will begin ours.”

Lach said FBI officials contacted college sports’ largest governing body before the indictments were made public Monday. She declined to say when the NCAA learned of the case.

Point-shaving scandals have occurred before in college sports, but they are rare.

Lakers re-assign Derrick Caracter to D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned forward Derrick Caracter to the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam for the second time this season, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Caracter, who was originally assigned to Bakersfield on March 29, played three games with the Jam, including one start, averaging 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20.0 minutes. Caracter was the second Lakers player to be assigned to the D-League this season, with Devin Ebanks also being assigned to the Jam for six games from December 27 – January 9.

Selected by the Lakers in the second round (58th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, Caracter has appeared in 40 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.3 minutes.

The 6’9’’ rookie out of UTEP will be available to play for the Jam in their playoff game against Rio Grande Valley on Friday in Bakersfield.

Lakers recall Derrick Caracter from D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers have recalled forward Derrick Caracter from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Caracter, who was assigned to Bakersfield on March 29, played three games with the Jam, including one start, averaging 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20.0 minutes.

Selected by the Lakers in the second round (58th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, Caracter has appeared in 40 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.3 minutes.

Hot Nuggets deal Lakers a rare loss

The AP reports:

Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points, Kenyon Martin scored six of his 18 in the final 3:24, and the Denver Nuggets hung on for their sixth straight win, 95-90 over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for the Lakers, who snapped a nine-game winning streak to fall 2 1/2 games behind San Antonio in the Western Conference. The NBA-leading Spurs beat Phoenix 114-97 earlier Sunday to end a six-game slide.

Los Angeles has six games left to try and overtake the Spurs and earn homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers face the Spurs for the fourth and final time this season on April 12 in their next-to-last regular-season game…

Pau Gasol had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, and reserve Lamar Odom chipped in with 17 points and seven boards. Andrew Bynum had 16 rebounds and reserve forward Matt Barnes returned from a one-game suspension with five points in 18 minutes…

Nuggets sixth man J.R. Smith picked up three fouls in less than 5 minutes after reporting into the game. He played 16 minutes and finished with only four points.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Nuggets are a more balanced team since the Melo trade. And they’re a good team to watch. I’m not sure how high their playoff potential is, but Denver is a team to watch next season.

Lakers are 17-1 since All-Star break

Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports:

The Lakers are 17-1 since the All-Star break, and have won nine in a row.

The Spurs have stumbled, losing six straight, the latest an overtime defeat to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

That pulled the Lakers to within 11/2 games of the reeling Spurs, whom they trailed by nine games at the break. With seven regular-season games remaining, the Lakers can put more pressure on the Spurs, who have six games left.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum said what Coach Phil Jackson would not.

“Yeah, that’s the goal. We want to get the best record in the league,” Bynum said. “We want to be in first place. We still have a game against them [April 12], too, which is really big.”

As for Jackson, he pointed to Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, then to Tuesday’s game against the Jazz at Staples Center, and then the trip to Golden State on Wednesday and to Portland next Friday.

Jackson said if the Lakers get through those games, then he’s willing to talk about the last three, which will be against Oklahoma City, San Antonio and the regular-season finale at Sacramento.

Lakers eliminate Jazz from playoff race

The AP reports:

Kobe Bryant scored 21 points, Lamar Odom added 16 and the Los Angeles Lakers erased a 17-point first-half deficit Friday night to beat Utah 96-85 and eliminate the Jazz from the playoff race.

Utah (36-40) becomes the first team in NBA history to start 15-5 and 27-13 and not make the playoffs.

The Lakers outscored the Jazz 52-35 in the second half to win their ninth straight game, and pull within 1 1/2 games of first-place San Antonio in the Western Conference.

C.J. Miles scored 24 points for Utah, which started its 17th different lineup and had only nine healthy players, including one who just joined the team two days earlier and was playing out of position.

The game in all likelihood was the last in Salt Lake City for Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who has said this will be his final season.

Bryant scores 28 to lead Lakers over Mavs

The AP reports:

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points, Andrew Bynum had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 110-82 in a testy affair in which four players were ejected Thursday night.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Lakers’ Matt Barnes and the Mavericks’ Jason Terry and Brendan Haywood were thrown out following an altercation under the basket. Los Angeles’ Shannon Brown was later ejected in a separate incident.

InsideHoops.com notes: The Lakers shot 44.7 percent from the field; the Mavs only hit 36.1 percent. The Lakers hit 28-of-39 free throws; the Mavs 16-of-23. For Dallas in the loss, Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 13 rebounds, but no other starter scored more than nine points. Off the Dallas bench, Peja Stojakovic scored 13 while Jose Barea had 10.

LeBron thinks D-Rose is MVP

Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Derrick Rose

derrick rose

Kid is ballin’

Earlier this season, James backed New York Knicks center Amar’e Stoudemire for league MVP. With a few weeks left before the playoffs, things have changed.

James said Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is his choice. Rose is generally regarded as the top candidate, with the Bulls on pace to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Rose has kept the Bulls afloat despite injuries to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.

“I think Derrick Rose,” James said. “What he’s done for that team, with all the injuries they have and them being first in the Eastern Conference. They’re playing some really good basketball.”

James said he was leaning toward Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki until he was injured. Now, he’s in full support of Rose.

“You’ve got some guys here that have done their job also,” James said. “But Derrick Rose definitely has gotten a lot of the exposure and a lot of the media attention because of the work he’s done. He’s playing some unbelievable basketball.”