Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 57 – NBA Blog

Nick Young out a few games

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles with an update on yet another Laker who is banged up. Unlike other injuries that kept key players out for long stretches, this time it’s minor and short-term:

Nick Young still is experiencing pain in his left knee and will not play on the Los Angeles Lakers’ two-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies.

Young, who suffered a non-displaced fracture of the patella and a bone bruise in his left knee Feb. 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, played 20 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday but did not participate in shootaround Tuesday morning in Indianapolis.

“I’d say I was playing through adrenaline,” Young said of the Nets game, when he scored 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting. “[Monday] I felt more pain once I settled down.”

The Lakers are officially listing Young as day to day because of soreness in his knee.

Dwight Howard in LA to play the Lakers tonight

The Los Angeles Lakers are having a rough season, with a limited roster as well as nonstop injuries, but that won’t stop Laker fans from voicing their opinions in L.A. tonight as the team hosts Dwight Howard and the visiting Houston Rockets. If you enjoy hearing boos, watch this game. Here’s the Los Angeles Times with more:

Dwight Howard knows what’s coming. Ear plugs would be a good start.

His dress rehearsal didn’t go well a few months ago at Staples Center when he was booed incessantly and his team lost badly to the Clippers. Now he faces his past in his first road game against the Lakers since spurning them last July for a four-year, $88-million deal with the Houston Rockets.

It’s easy to predict the most popular three-letter word Wednesday at Staples Center: b-o-o.

“I’m going to get a lot of boos,” Howard said Tuesday after the Rockets practiced at UCLA. “I know I’m going to hear it the whole game — ‘Coward,’ whatever.

“Thank God, this year I’ve been through it a lot in every city. There’s Lakers fans everywhere. So I think I’m a little bit prepared for it.”

Lamar Odom signs overseas, in Spain

Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has agreed a two-month deal with Spain’s Laboral Kutxa with an option to extend the contract to the end of the season in June, the Basque club said on Tuesday.

Odom, 34, won two NBA championships with the Lakers and also played for Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat. He represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and the 2010 world championships in Istanbul.

— Reuters

Laboral Kutxa Vitoria reached an agreement with versatile forward Lamar Odom, who signed a two-month deal with an option to extend it for the remainder of the season, the club announced Tuesday. Odom (2.08 meters, 34 years old) had a long, successful NBA career and is set to make his Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut.

— Euroleague.net

Bobcats, Lakers discuss deal for Pau Gasol

Here’s the Charlotte Observer blog with a report on the Bobcats being interested in veteran Lakers power forward Pau Gasol. Doesn’t sound like anything will happen, but here’s the discussion:

The Charlotte Bobcats have been in contact with the Los Angeles Lakers concerning veteran big man Pau Gasol, but a source familiar with the discussion downplayed the likelihood Gasol would end up a Bobcat by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

Gasol makes over $19 million in this, the final season of his current contract. Superstar Kobe Bryant is hurt and the Lakers have fallen out of the Western Conference playoff race, so getting something for Gasol – like a first-round pick – is something the Lakers have explored.

While adding Gasol could give the Bobcats the short-term boost to make the playoffs, giving up a first-round pick would make Gasol more of a long-term investment. That’s where the Bobcats would have pause.

Kareem Rush not retired from basketball just yet

I know you were all wondering about the status of Kareem Rush, so here’s the Los Angeles Times blog with an update:

Kareem Rush not retired from NBA just yet

According to the NBA Development League transactions page, former Lakers guard Kareem Rush retired last month.

In a recent phone interview with The Times, Rush said that’s not the case.

“I’ve retired from the D-League,” he said. “[I’m] not retired from basketball completely.”

Rush, 33, last played in the NBA for the Clippers on Nov. 17, 2009, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Lakers fail to sell out another game at Staples Center

Here’s the Los Angeles Times blog reporting on the Lakers, who usually sell out their games. But this isn’t your average Laker season.

The most compelling number to watch in the Lakers’ box scores the rest of the season could be home attendance.

The Lakers failed to sell out a game Tuesday for the second time this season when they drew a season-low 18,209 against the Utah Jazz, ending a 17-game sellout streak dating to November. The previous non-sellout against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 12 ended a far more impressive streak of 270 consecutive regular-season games (and 320 including the playoffs) going back to December 2006.

The Lakers rank eighth in the NBA in home attendance, averaging 18,937 fans per game. The Clippers have sold out every game this season and rank seventh in league attendance, averaging 19,196 fans. The Chicago Bulls lead the league with an average of 21,639 fans.

Steve Nash now dealing with nerve irritation in his left leg

The story of the Lakers season has been injuries, injuries, and some more injuries. At this point, it’s safe to assume that some part of veteran point guard Steve Nash will be bumped or bruised. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog with more:

Steve Nash left the Lakers’ game Sunday against the Chicago Bulls mid-way through the third quarter because of nerve irritation in his left leg, according to the team.

Nash suffered the same damage last season when he fractured his left leg Oct. 31, 2012 against the Portland, an injury that sidelined him for 24 games. The subsequent nerve damage eventually affected his back and hamstrings, sidelining him for eight games, including two playoff appearances. He had just played in the past two games following a three-month rehab surrounding the nerve irritation in his back, which kept him out for all but six games. The Lakers plan to reevaluate Nash on Monday.

Chris Kaman does not care if Lakers keep or trade him

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on center Chris Kaman, who hasn’t been used much by the Lakers this season, even with their imperfect roster and constant injuries:

After receiving consistent playing time in all three games of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2-1 trip, Chris Kaman admitted that it was the first time he had fun playing basketball in a long time.

But he also admitted that if he doesn’t make it past the upcoming Feb. 20 trade deadline and finish out the season as a Laker, it won’t faze him.

“I don’t care, I honestly don’t care,” Kaman said when asked if he has thought about the possibility of the Lakers trading him. “It’s not something that I want to do, but it’s not going to make me go to sleep at night and have to stay awake all night tossing and turning thinking about it. I don’t care. If they want to trade somebody, trade me, trade the next guy, it don’t bother me. It’s part of the business. The sooner that you realize it’s a part of the business, the better off you’re going to be. Just let it roll and let it happen. I’m not going to try to stop anything.”

Terrence Williams wins D-League Player of Month

Los Angeles D-Fenders guard/forward Terrence Williams was today named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in January. The award is the first of Williams’ career.

Williams (6-6, 220, Louisville) averaged 21.5 points on 42 percent shooting from the floor to go with 6.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds in January, appearing in 12 of the team’s 13 games. For the month, the D-Fenders were an NBA D-League best 10-3.

Williams scored in double figures 10 times in January and set a D-Fenders record with a 50-point outing against the Idaho Stampede on Jan. 31.

For the season, Williams is averaging 21.8 points, good for seventh in the NBA D-League, along with 5.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 36.9 minutes in 13 games, 12 starts. His 50-point outing was the second-highest single-game point total this season.

Additional players considered for the award included Austin’s Josh Howard, Delaware’s Tiny Gallon, Idaho’s Pierre Jackson, Maine’s Frank Gaines, Rio Grande Valley’s Troy Daniels, Santa Cruz’s Cameron Jones, Sioux Falls’ Justin Hamilton and DeAndre Liggins, Springfield’s Darius Johnson-Odom, Texas’ PJ Hairston and Tulsa’s Reggie Williams.

Pau Gasol trade rumor: Suns may seek deal for Gasol from Lakers

The Phoenix Suns weren’t supposed to be good this season. Or so most people thought. But with a 29-18 record, good offense, decent defense, an excellent young coach and a fun, versatile roster, the Suns have been the surprise of the league this season. And now they can aim higher. Lakers forward Pau Gasol’s best days are behind him, but if used properly he can still make a team like phoenix better. Here’s ESPN.com reporting on a Pau Gasol trade rumor:

The Phoenix Suns have emerged as a potential trade suitor for Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Suns, among the options being weighed as part of their well-chronicled desire to acquire an established player as they make an unexpected playoff push this season, have been exploring the feasibility of trading for the Lakers’ four-time All-Star.

One option for the Suns, by virtue of their $5.6 million in available salary-cap space, is swapping the expiring contract of injured big man Emeka Okafor for Gasol, even though Okafor’s $14.5 million salary this season falls well shy of Gasol’s $19.3 million.

The Lakers engaged in similar trade discussions in late December and early January with Cleveland in a proposed deal that would have sent Gasol to the Cavaliers for the partially guaranteed contract of ex-Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who then would have been waived to help L.A. save roughly $20 million in salary and luxury-tax obligations.