Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

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Lakers agree to purchase land for new training center and offices

Lakers buy land for new training center

The Los Angeles Lakers announced today that they have entered into an agreement with CDC Mar Campus, LLC for the purchase of an approximately five acre undeveloped portion of the development known as Elevon at Campus El Segundo located in El Segundo, CA.

The site is at the northwest corner of Mariposa Avenue and Douglas Street.

The site is intended to be the future home of a brand new training center for the Lakers and its Development League team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

The facility will also house the business operations offices for both teams.

The completion of the purchase is subject to various conditions, including the approval by the City of El Segundo of the proposed use of the property by the Lakers.

Lakers score 51 points in 3rd quarter vs Knicks

Xavier Henry scored 22 points, Nick Young hit five 3-pointers while scoring 20 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers dropped a franchise-record 51 points in the third quarter of their 127-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Kent Bazemore scored 18 points as the Lakers won consecutive games for the first time in more than three weeks with a phenomenal offensive effort against the Knicks, who have lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak.

Knicks President Phil Jackson watched his new team and his former club from a luxury suite high above the court.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points for the Knicks, who couldn’t stop the Lakers’ patchwork roster from hitting 18 3-pointers in the opener of New York’s five-game West Coast road trip.

Young hit five 3-pointers, and Jodie Meeks added four as Los Angeles finished one 3-pointer shy of the single-game club record.

— Associated Press

The Knicks had talked about needing to go 5-0 on this West Coast trip to put themselves in good position but instead they look like a team destined to go 0-5. It gave Jackson ammunition to blow up this thing after the season. They face the Kings in Sacramento Wednesday.

The 51 points was a franchise record for futility for most points allowed in a single quarter. Mike D’Antoni’s Lakers (24-46) could set their worst record since moving to Los Angeles in 1960, but the Knicks made them look like the Showtime Lakers.

— New York Post

Brandon Costner, Willie Reed named D-League Co-Performers of Week

Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Brandon Costner and Springfield Armor forward Willie Reed were today named NBA Development League Co-Performers of the Week for games played Monday, March 17- Sunday, March 23. The award is the first for both players this season.

Costner (6-9, 235, North Carolina State) led the D-Fenders to a 2-1 week, including wins over the Austin Toros and Santa Cruz Warriors. For the week, Costner averaged 27.0 points on 59 percent shooting from the floor to go with 11.3 rebounds. He recorded a season-high 38 points and 14 rebounds in the team’s 140-121 win over the Warriors on March 22. For the season, he is averaging 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 26.7 minutes.

Reed (6-10, 220, St. Louis) helped the Armor record a 2-2 week, securing wins against the Erie BayHawks and Canton Charge while averaging 18.3 points on 56 percent shooting, to go with 19.3 rebounds, including 7.5 offensive rebounds. His 24 rebounds against the BayHawks on March 17 tied the Armor’s franchise record. On the year, Reed is averaging 14.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 31.8 minutes.

Other top performers considered included Austin’s Flip Murray, Iowa’s Moses Ehambe and Othyus Jeffers, Maine’s Frank Gaines, Santa Cruz’s Cameron Jones and Sioux Falls’ Tre Kelley.

Lakers beat Magic, who have now lost 9 straight games

Here’s the Los Angeles Times Blog reporting on the Lakers, who helped the Orlando Magic maintain their losing ways:

Jordan Hill had a career-high 28 points to help the Lakers end their four-game losing streak with a 103-94 victory over the Orlando Magic.

In an outcome that likely ended any hope the Lakers had for the third lottery position of the 2014 NBA draft, the Lakers gave Orlando their ninth straight loss.

Playing on the second night of back-to-back games, the Magic got a double-double from rookie Victor Oladipo (21 points, 10 assists). Orlando owned a 46-34 rebounding advantage but couldn’t overcome 20 turnovers.

Pau Gasol sat out the second half because of dizziness and nausea after scoring six points and getting two rebounds in 18 minutes in the first half.

Nick Young helped carry the offensive load for the Lakers. He finished with 26 points off the bench. Hill had 13 rebounds. Jodie Meeks also scored in double figures with 13 points and he had six steals.

Nick Young set to return for Lakers

Here’s the Los Angeles Times blog with some good news for the Lakers:

Nick Young set to return for Lakers

Nick Young said he expects to play Friday night when the Lakers (22-45) host the Washington Wizards (35-22).

“I’m feeling good,” Nick Young said. “Ain’t too much Swaggy can’t do out there.”

Young, who gave himself the nickname “Swaggy P,” fractured his left patella (kneecap) on Feb. 5 in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After returning Feb. 23, playing 19½ minutes against the Brooklyn Nets, Young went back to the sideline after feeling discomfort in the knee.

NBA makes sure Lakers, Knicks will not have conflict of issues

Here’s ESPN.com reporting that the NBA wants to make sure that no funny-business happens between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks:

phil jackson

An NBA official has acknowledged that the league has put parameters in place to make sure that the high-profile relationship between Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson doesn’t create any issues.

“The Knicks’ hiring of Phil Jackson is subject to the league’s conflict of interest rules,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN.com. “To avoid even the appearance of a conflict, we have addressed the issue with the Knicks and Lakers to ensure that the relationship between Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson will not affect how the teams operate.”

Buss, the Lakers’ president and representative at board of governors meetings, and Jackson, who was named the Knicks’ president on Tuesday, got engaged in December 2012. They’ve been dating since 1999.

Since the engagement, sources say the league has gotten more serious about the two being on the up and up.

Shawne Williams named D-League Performer of Week

Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Shawne Williams was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, March 10 – Sunday, March 16. The award is the first for Williams, who becomes the third Los Angeles player to be honored as Performer of the Week this season, joining Manny Harris and Terrence Williams.

Williams (6-9, 225, Memphis) led the D-Fenders to a 3-0 week, including road wins over the Tulsa 66ers and Canton Charge. For the week, Williams averaged 26.3 points on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 46 percent shooting from three-point territory to go with 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. His 34-point performance on March 15 at Canton was his NBA D-League career high.

A six-year NBA veteran who played in 36 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, Williams is averaging 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 30.6 minutes in 13 games for the D-Fenders.

Other top performers considered included Austin’s Austin Daye, on assignment from the San Antonio Spurs, Idaho’s Kevin Murphy, Maine’s Frank Gaines, Rio Grande Valley’s Tony Bishop, Santa Cruz’s Cameron Jones, Sioux Falls’ Henry Walker, and Springfield’s Khalif Wyatt.

Phil Jackson reportedly will earn around $12 million per year with Knicks

Here’s the New York Post reporting on the Knicks and Phil Jackson:

Phil Jackson

The Knicks have announced a Tuesday morning press conference at the Garden during which they will announce the hiring of Phil Jackson as team president, bringing his Hall of Fame career full circle as he looks to win his third championship ring as a Knick.

Jackson’s Chicago-based agent, Todd Musburger, and Knicks officials, including James Dolan lieutenant Barry Watkins, were in Los Angeles with the former Lakers coach to sign the contracts Friday, according to a source. A source confirmed an ESPN.com report Jackson will be paid approximately $12 million per year. The report also said the deal’s length is five years, which would make it worth about $60 million.

“But he’s not doing it for the money,’’ one Jackson confidant said.

During Jackson’s coaching negotiations with the Lakers last season that fell apart, he asked for $12 million a year. He made $12 million in his second-to-last season coaching the Lakers in 2009-10, but took a “pay cut’’ to $10 million in 2010-11, his final season.

Kobe Bryant will not return to play this season

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who is recovering from a fractured lateral tibial plateau of his left knee, was examined today by team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo, who determined that Bryant’s injury has still not healed. With this diagnosis, Bryant will not return to play this season, it was announced today by the team.

“With Kobe’s injury still not healed, the amount of time he’d need to rehab and be ready to play, and the amount of time remaining in the season, we’ve simply run out of time for him to return,” said Athletic Trainer Gary Vitti. “However, Kobe will have the entire offseason to heal, rehab and prepare, and we look forward to him being 100% for the start of next season.”

“Obviously this has been a frustrating and disappointing season, but I appreciate all the support I’ve received from the Lakers and the fans, and look forward to being back and ready for the start of training camp,” said Bryant.

According to ESPN.com News Services, “In all, Bryant played six games this season, averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 42.5 percent shooting from the field. The Lakers are 22-42, tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. Los Angeles signed Bryant to a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension in November. The five-time NBA champion called his recovery “a slow process” during a news conference in New Orleans at All-Star Weekend last month.”

Also according to ESPN.com News Services, “The Lakers still must pay Bryant his entire $30.453 million salary for the 2013-14 season, and an insurance policy will cover only 15.6 percent of it ($4.75 million). After a player misses 41 consecutive games because of an injury, the league’s insurance policy kicks in. Starting with the 42nd game, the insurance pays for 80 percent of the player’s salary for games missed.”