Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 172 – NBA Blog

Why is Kobe delaying finger surgery?

Kobe Bryant needs surgery to fix ligament damage in his right pinkie finger. This has been known for a long time.

For reasons I cannot even guess, he still hasn’t had the surgery, and is instead just making announcements. First he made an announcement as to when he’ll announce what he’s doing to do about the surgery. Now he’s announced that he will have the surgery, and announced that he will announce a date, sometime soon.

What the hell is going on?

Am I missing something?

Is there a medical reason for not having the surgery as quickly as possible? If so, I haven’t seen it mentioned by anyone covering this. It’s just weird.

Training camps open in a bit over three weeks.

–Jeff

Lakers sign Joe Crawford

InsideHoops.com editor says: I like this dude. I think he’s got the competitive ability to help a team’s deep bench. I’ve seen him play just enough to feel he’s worth a shot. Here’s the news release:

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Joe Crawford, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Selected by the Lakers with the 58th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Crawford, a 22 year-old native of Detroit, Michigan, played four seasons at the University of Kentucky, averaging 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 127 games (76 starts).

As a senior, Crawford ranked fourth in the SEC in scoring with a team-high 17.9 points per game, scoring 20-plus points 13 times while topping 30 points on three occasions.

Earning Second Team All-SEC honors from league coaches as a senior, Crawford finished his collegiate career as Kentucky’s 19th all-time leading scorer with 1,438 points while ranking seventh all-time in three-point field goals made (186).

Additionally, the 6’5” Crawford started all six games for the Lakers Summer League entry in Las Vegas this past July, averaging 11.3 points including .455 (5-of-11) shooting from behind the arc, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32.7 minutes.

Shaq and wife staying together

The Miami Herald (Joan Fleischman) reports: It’s official: Shaq and Shaunie will remain a team. NBA star Shaquille O’Neal’s attorney Ira Elegant wrote to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Roberto Pineiro: “The parties have reconciled.” Pineiro signed the dismissal order on Friday. ”A happy ending,” says Shaunie’s lawyer, Marsha Elser. Elegant agrees. “An excellent result.” Shaq filed last September, when he played for the Miami Heat.

Lakers sign Sun Yue

The Lakers have officially added “the Chinese Magic Johnson” to their 2008-09 roster, but don’t expect anything remotely similar to Magic. Not on the court, and no bad late night talk-show hosting, either – unless that’s a hobby of Sun’s I don’t know about. As for Yue as a player, I’ve seen him in limited doses, enough to recognize that he’s versatile and pretty good. But I think the Lakers will only expect minor contributions from him this season. If they get anything more than that, it’ll be considered a nice surprise and a bonus. –Jeff

Here’s the full news release:

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Sun Yue to a multi-year contract, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (40th overall) of 2007 NBA draft, the 6-9 guard started for the Chinese National Team this past month in the men’s basketball tournament at the Beijing Olympics. In six games, Sun averaged 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.33 steals in 28.0 minutes.

Playing for the Beijing Aoshen Olympians of the American Basketball Association for the past three seasons, Sun, 23, was named First Team All-ABA in both 2007 and 2008 while earning Second-Team All-ABA honors in 2006.

Posting a 12-point, 14-rebound, 12-assist, 8-block, 4-steal triple-double against the L.A. Aftershock during his rookie season in the ABA (2005-06), Sun averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 10.5 assists in 2006-07 when the team played its home games at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA before moving to Singapore for the 2007-08 season.

Web viewing of NBA games may soon exist

The Oklahoman (Mel Bracht) reports: Say you’re working late and can’t make it to the Ford Center to watch Oklahoma City’s new NBA team play its game that night. Instead, you log on to your computer and watch streaming video of the team’s game broadcast. Sound far-fetched? Not if the NBA has its way. The league is aggresively promoting three new Internet elements — video streaming in home markets, interactive TV and video-on-demand — for the upcoming season. Ed Desser, a media consultant for Oklahoma City’s team, said many details have yet to be worked out, and didn’t expect the team to offer the Internet elements anytime soon.

Lakers sign Josh Powell

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent Josh Powell, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Powell, a three-year NBA veteran, spent last season with the Los Angeles Clippers where he averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 64 games. After going undrafted in 2003, the 6-9 forward spent two seasons overseas where he played in both the Italian and Russian basketball leagues. Prior to the 2005-06 season, Powell was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Mavericks where he averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 37 games. The North Carolina State alum was traded to the Indiana Pacers in July of 2006 and played in seven games before being acquired by the Golden State Warriors in a midseason trade. Powell finished the 2006-07 season with averages of 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 37 games.

Powell has career averages of 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 138 games with Dallas, Indiana, Golden State and the Clippers.

Kobe took stupid, forced shots against Greece

The title really says it all. I don’t care what the stats or scoreboard says. The majority of Kobe’s shot attempts were tough, forced, stupid shots that shouldn’t be taken.

Why does he feel a need to shoot when there’s a defender right on him? Why not drive, and if defenders approach, dish off? And only shoot when open?

He’s been doing this throughout the tournament so far. Stop it, Kobe.

Four teams are without any Saturday home games

The Oklahoman (Darnell Mayberry) reports: Oklahoma City will be one of only four NBA teams without any Saturday home games. The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, the runner-up Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors are the only other NBA teams without any Saturday home games. “I don’t like it at all,” Hill said. “It’s hard to make it down to Oklahoma City to go to a game during the week.” The NBA compiled Oklahoma City’s schedule from a list of available Ford Center dates submitted to the league by arena management as agreed to by the team. Teams play 41 regular-season home games, but out of the 75 possible home dates submitted to the NBA, only one was a Saturday, according to schedule maker Matt Winick, NBA vice president of operations.

Rumors Talk: LeBron would go overseas

Would LeBron James play in Greece, Russia or some other European country if it meant making dozens of millions per season? Why not? I doubt he, Kobe Bryant or any other star would leave the NBA for years, picking their entire life up and going to another continent for a long time. But for a season or two? Sounds possible.

What if LeBron, in a couple of seasons, finds himself a free agent, and the select few NBA teams with salary cap space to sign him at the time, are losing teams that offer him no real shot at a championship anytime soon. And then he has a chance to see a new part of the world. Why not consider it? LeBron could probably bring a bunch of his friends for company. They work for him, so that’s no problem. Teams in Europe play fewer games than NBA teams, so it’s less “work.”

Again, I don’t see it being a long-term thing. I doubt Kobe, LeBron or any top star would agree to go overseas for more than a season. If the deal was longer, they’d surely want an opt-out option at the end of each season, like Josh Childress reportedly received.

You’d go vacation in Greece for a year, right? What if you could work there for a year, at double your current pay? You’d consider it. So would anyone else.

– Jeff

Talk bball on the InsideHoops basketball message board.

Pistons sign Kwame Brown

The Pistons have added Kwame “Shut up about the ‘Bust’ stuff already” Brown to their roster. He’ll provide bench depth and help play backup to Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace. Here’s the news:

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed free agent center Kwame Brown to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to add Kwame Brown to our roster,” said Dumars. “Kwame is a player that gives us depth at the center position and we feel that he will have the opportunity to grow within our system.”

Brown, 26, appeared in 38 games (15 starts) last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies averaging 4.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.8 minutes per game. He was acquired by the Grizzlies on February 1 from the Lakers along with Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to Marc Gasol, two future first round picks and cash considerations in exchange for Pau Gasol and a 2010 second round pick. He scored in double figures four times a year ago, including a season-high 11 points at New York (4/2). Brown grabbed 10-plus rebounds on three occasions, including a season-high 11 rebounds vs. Denver (1/21) and New York (1/29).

The former No. 1 overall draft pick by the Washington Wizards (2001) has career averages of 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 23.7 minutes in 404 NBA games. He averaged a career-high 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds during the 2003-04 NBA campaign as a member of the Wizards. Brown has posted 40 career double-doubles and 12 20-plus point performances.