Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

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Lakers have big roster decisions to make

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on the Lakers, who didn’t even come close to making the NBA playoffs this season, and face a challenging future:

The chants started midway through the fourth quarter, near the end of a rare Lakers blowout victory.

“Keep Gasol!” a motley group of a dozen or so out-of-place Lakers fans repeated rambunctiously Monday at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Twenty rows down from the purple-and-gold revelers on the visitors’ bench, Pau Gasol sat in a trim brown suit. The pending free agent looked up, smiled and offered his Utah-based fan club a thumbs up.

A two-time champion, Gasol will be the face of the Lakers’ tough offseason decisions, but he is only the most high-profile of the Lakers who will find himself on the open market after the season concludes here Wednesday.

It’s likely that a majority of the players on the floor for the Lakers at the AT&T Center will be in their last game. So embrace it now: Nick Young’s celebrations after 3-pointers; Jodie Meeks’ calm and even play; Jordan Hill’s work on the offensive boards.

Only Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre have guaranteed contracts beyond this season.

Xavier Henry had both wrist and knee surgery today

xavier henry surgeries

Los Angeles Lakers guard Xavier Henry underwent successful surgeries today to repair both a torn ligament in his left wrist and the cartilage abnormality in his right knee. The wrist surgery was performed by Dr. Steve Shin and the knee surgery was performed by Dr. Steve Lombardo, both at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Henry is expected to make a full recovery by the beginning of training camp.

In 43 games (five starts) this season, Henry averaged career-highs across-the-board with 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.1 minutes.

Lakers give GM Mitch Kupchak a contract extension

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on the Lakers:

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a multiyear extension with general manager Mitch Kupchak.

The Lakers, in response to an ESPN.com report earlier Tuesday night, confirmed the new deal for Kupchak to reporters late in the fourth quarter of a 145-130 loss to the Houston Rockets.

Kupchak has presided over four NBA championships since succeeding Jerry West as the Lakers general manager in 2000. He has been with the organization since retiring as a player in 1986.

Details of Kupchak’s current contract have never been released, but he had at least another year on his current deal.

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.