Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

Lakers blog – Los Angeles Lakers blog

Anthony Davis reportedly selling his house in Los Angeles

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News with some NBA-related real estate news:

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, scheduled to become a free agent this summer, has listed his contemporary Mediterranean-style home in Westlake Village.

The asking price is $7.995 million.

Set atop two-plus acres in guard-gated North Ranch Country Club Estates, the five-bedroom, 15,815-square-foot house was built in 1996 and recently expanded and remodeled.

And more from the New York Post:

Dealt to the Lakers last summer, the 27-year-old Chicagoan can become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he declines his player option for 2020-21. Back in January, Davis turned down a maximum contract offer from the Lakers worth $146 million over four years, as he would be eligible for a larger contract with the Lakers by first becoming a free agent. The Lakers at the time maintained optimism they would be able to retain Davis, according to USA Today, while the superstar has danced around questions about his future.

And the Los Angeles Times:

The contemporary Mediterranean mansion sits behind gates with a guesthouse and a $1-million infinity-edge swimming pool complete with dual waterslides, a baja deck and a spa. But perhaps even more impressive: an attached basketball gymnasium featuring its own viewing box.

Custom-built in 1996 and later expanded, the roughly 16,000-square-foot house features a two-story entry with a curved staircase, a wood-paneled office and a movie theater. The kitchen is equipped with two islands. There are five bedrooms and seven bathrooms including a multi-room master suite.

The house is a bit small for our tastes, but feel free to place a bid if you don’t mind a cozy lifestyle.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will buy the LA Forum and build new arena near it

Big moves that Clippers ownership have focused on for a while now have taken a major step forward. Here’s the OC Register:

The owners of the Los Angeles Clippers will buy The Forum concert venue in Inglewood for $400 million as part of a settlement agreement with Madison Square Garden Co..

The agreement ends years of legal battles that threatened the feasibility of a proposed $1.2 billion Clippers arena in the city that soon will be home to an adjacent $5 billion NFL stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. That 18,000-seat arena just south of the new NFL stadium will still move forward.

Here is info straight from the Clippers:

CAPSS LLC has reached an agreement with The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE: MSG) to purchase The Forum in Inglewood, which will continue to operate as one of the premier live-music venues in the United States. The formation of CAPSS LLC and the acquisition of the Forum were driven by L.A. Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer and L.A. Clippers Vice Chairman Dennis Wong.

By reaching an agreement with MSG, CAPSS LLC will acquire the Inglewood venue, simultaneously resolving litigation surrounding plans for the new NBA arena. As part of the agreement, all of MSG’s current Forum employees will be extended employment offers by the new owner.

This transaction, which remains subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the second calendar quarter of 2020. CAPSS LLC is purchasing The Forum for $400 million in cash.

The new Clippers arena project would be a privately financed, state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat basketball arena, team headquarters complex and community center located on West Century Boulevard between South Prairie Avenue and South Yukon Avenue. The project is currently undergoing an environmental review by the City of Inglewood. Public hearings to approve the project are expected to be held later this summer.

“This is an unprecedented time, but we believe in our collective future,” said Ballmer. “We are committed to our investment in the City of Inglewood, which will be good for the community, the Clippers, and our fans.”

Having The Forum and the new Clippers arena under the same ownership will allow for coordinated programming between the two venues, improving traffic congestion around basketball games and concerts.

More from the Register:

Madison Square Garden Co., which bought The Forum for $23.5 million in 2012 and invested $100 million in renovations, has waged an all-out war to try to stop the Clippers from coming to the city. MSG sued Inglewood and its mayor, James T. Butts Jr., in 2018, alleging he tricked the company’s executives into giving up their rights to the land needed for the proposed arena.

The Forum’s owners claimed their fight was not about stopping the competition and instead was an attempt to protect Inglewood residents from a project that would “inflict severe traffic congestion, pollution and many other harms” on the city.

And, the Los Angeles Times reporting:

The deal is expected to close during the 2020 second quarter. The new ownership group has no plans to tear down the Forum, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and will keep it operating as a concert venue…

The Clippers’ billion-dollar arena would sit less than two miles away from the Forum on West Century Boulevard, and be part of a larger Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Complex that would house team offices, a practice facility and public outdoor spaces.

Two Lakers players test positive for coronavirus

STATEMENT FROM LAKERS

Following four Brooklyn Nets players testing positive for COVID-19, because Los Angeles Lakers’ players were exposed to them during our game against the Nets on March 10, our team physicians and public health officials recommended coronavirus testing for the players.

We learned today that two Lakers players have tested positive. Both players are currently asymptomatic, in quarantine and under the care of the team’s physician.

All players and members of the Lakers staff are being asked to continue to observe self-quarantine and shelter at home guidelines, closely monitor their health, consult with their personal physicians and maintain constant communication with the team.

The health and well-being of our players, our organization, our fans, and all those potentially impacted by this situation is paramount. As always, we appreciate the support of our fans, family and friends, and wish everyone affected by this virus a speedy recovery.

Lakers players will reportedly be tested for coronavirus, then self-quarantine

Sports-related coronavirus news continues, now with the Lakers reportedly set to be tested, and entering 14-day quarantine. Here’s the Los Angeles Times reporting:

The Lakers plan to get their players tested for the coronavirus Wednesday and have asked their players to self-quarantine for 14 days, according to people familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.

The information was relayed to players during a conference call Tuesday and follows an announcement by the Brooklyn Nets that four players tested positive for the coronavirus, three without symptoms. The Athletic reported that one of those players was injured Nets star Kevin Durant, who was on the trip to Los Angeles last week.

Unfortunately, stories about coronavirus will be dominating the news for the near future.

But we’ll be sure to get fun, regular basketball content to you on a daily basis again — at least on weekdays — starting any day now.

Norman Powell wins NBA East Player of Week

A surprise member of the Toronto Raptors stepped up and got himself named Eastern conference NBA Player of the Week today.

Over in the West, Lakers forward LeBron James, who averaged 29.0 points (.519 FG%), 10.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks as the Lakers finished the week 3-0 with victories over Philadelphia, Milwaukee and the LA Clippers, won the honor yet again.

James continues to lead the league in total assists (627) and assists per game (10.6), while ranking 13th in scoring (25.7). The 16-time NBA All-Star owns an NBA-record 64 career weekly awards, and he is the first Lakers player to earn three weekly honors in a season since Kobe Bryant in 2012-13.

But in the East, Powell earned the honor for the first time in his career. He became the 10th player in franchise history, joining Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Jalen Rose, Mike James, Lou Wiliams, Pascal Siakam and Kawhi Leonard.

Powell helped lead Toronto to a 3-0 record this past week, scoring an Eastern Conference-best 31.3 points. He also posted 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting .561 from the field. Powell began the week with 26 points during Toronto’s 123-114 win Mar. 3 at Phoenix. He then scored a career-high 37 points Mar. 5 at Golden State and tied a career-high with six three-pointers Mar. 8 at Sacramento.

Powell was selected 46th overall by Toronto in the 2015 NBA Draft and is the second-longest serving player on the team behind only Kyle Lowry. He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April 2016.

Nuggets sign Troy Daniels, who played for Lakers earlier this season

The Denver Nuggets signed guard Troy Daniels today.

Daniels, 6-4, 205, is a seven-year NBA veteran who has appeared in 41 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, averaging 4.2 points and 1.1 rebounds, shooting 39.2% from the field and 35.7% from three in 11.1 minutes per game.

Daniels has played in 333 career games (20 starts) for Houston, Minnesota, Charlotte, Memphis, Phoenix and Los Angeles, holding career averages of 6.6 points and 1.3 rebounds on 40.1% shooting from the field and 39.7% from three-point range.

The 28-year-old went undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft after spending four seasons at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Daniels will wear #30 for the Nuggets.

Coby Karl named G League Coach of Month for February, 2020

South Bay Lakers Head Coach Coby Karl was named NBA G League Coach of the Month for games played in February, it was announced today. The award is the second of Karl’s career and his first since November 2017.

Karl led South Bay to a league-best 7-2 (.778) record in February, their best month of the season and best since November of 2017. For the month, South Bay led the league in points (130.8), points off turnovers (27.3), fast break points (23.2) and points in the paint (62.4). The team also ranked fifth in steals (9.8) and sixth in field goal percentage (.469).

Of South Bay’s seven wins in February, five came against teams currently in the top seven of the Western Conference. The team had their largest win in franchise history when they beat the Texas Legends, 140-98, on February 19 and had their best comeback win of the season when they overcame a 21-point deficit en route to a 152-148 win over the Iowa Wolves on February 23.

Lakers sign Markieff Morris, waive DeMarcus Cousins

The Los Angeles Lakers signed forward Markieff Morris and waived center DeMarcus Cousins today.

In 623 career games (347 starts) for Phoenix, Washington, Oklahoma City and Detroit, Morris has averaged 11.6 points (.449 FG%), 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.7 minutes per game. He played in 44 games (16 starts) for the Pistons this season, notching 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.5 minutes while shooting a career-best 39.7 percent from three-point range.

The Kansas University product owns 46 career double-doubles and has scored 20 or more points on 78 occasions. In 24 NBA Playoff games (19 starts) for the Wizards and Thunder, Morris has totaled 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 block per game.

Anthony Davis injury is minor

Good news for the Lakers. Anthony Davis has not suffered a real injury. He’ll be back on the court very soon. Possibly as early as tomorrow. The OC Register reports:

The Lakers announced Wednesday morning that an MRI revealed that Davis had a gluteus maximus contusion – in layman’s terms, a bruised backside. He’s expected to travel with the team for a Friday game against Dallas, where he’s listed as questionable…

The new medical findings mean Davis (27.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.6 bpg) could play in Dallas on Friday or in Oklahoma City on Saturday. The Lakers are 1-1 in games when Davis hasn’t been available, and they blew out the Knicks 117-87 after Davis left the game Tuesday.

The Lakers have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, and Anthony Davis has been outstanding, putting up huge stats but also performing as well as anyone in the league on the defensive side of the floor.

LeBron James misses first game of season, Lakers lose to Nuggets

LeBron James finally missed a game this season, as the Lakers fell to the Nuggets Sunday. Here’s the Denver Post reporting:

The Nuggets strode into the Staples Center and rocked the Lakers 128-104 on Sunday night, improving to 20-8 and stretching their winning streak to six. They’ll go for seven on Monday night in Phoenix against the Suns.

Though James was ruled out with a rib injury — the first game he has missed all season — the Nuggets put together a fantastic collective effort that might have won them the game had he been healthy.

Paul Millsap scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but his dogged effort on Lakers superstar Anthony Davis was arguably more valuable. Though Davis finished with 32 points, Millsap chased him around the court and hounded him as the Lakers fought fruitlessly to get back into the game.

And the OC Register:

Unlike his trademark unibrow, Anthony Davis does his best work in a pair.

That’s not to say that the 26-year-old’s 32-point, 11-rebound, four-block game on Sunday night didn’t make him look like a star. But the performance came without a win, which has become the ultimate bottom line in a Lakers (24-6) season with renewed championship aspirations.

It was telling that even as Davis checked back in to start the fourth quarter, the visiting Denver Nuggets (20-8) kept on pulling away. In a 128-104 loss — the Lakers’ third straight and the largest margin of defeat this season — it was clear that Davis sorely lacked his running mate, LeBron James.

The Lakers have gotten national attention all season — quite justifiably — but the Nuggets deserve big praise as well. They’re 20-8 this season and their win Sunday was their sixth straight victory.

They’re being led in scoring this season by Jamal Murray (17.5 ppg), Nikola Jokic (17.3 ppg), Will Barton (14.6 ppg), Paul Millsap (13.0 ppg) and Gary Harris (11.3 ppg). But defense is why the Nuggets are having an excellent year. They’re second best in the league in that department, only behind the Bucks.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on