Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived Chris Douglas-Roberts and Greg Somogyi, it was announced today.

Douglas-Roberts, a three-year NBA veteran out of the University of Memphis, was originally selected by the then-New Jersey Nets in the second  round (40th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft. Douglas-Roberts has appeared in 155 NBA games (53 starts) for the Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, recording career averages of 7.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 20.6 minutes.  The 6-7 forward spent the 2011-12 season playing for Virtus Bologna of the Italian League, where he averaged 12.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes. Douglas-Roberts played in four preseason games for Los Angeles where he averaged 4.0 points and 0.8 rebounds in 8.3 minutes.

Somogyi, a 7-3 center out of UC Santa Barbara, played all four years for the Gauchos where he posted career averages of 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 12.2 minutes. In three preseason games with the Lakers, Somogyi averaged 1.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.7 minutes.

The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 16 players.

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson, it was announced today.

Aguilar, a 7-1, 250 pound center, played two seasons at Colorado State University before transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he also played two seasons.  Aguilar played in six games for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League during the 2011-12 season, averaging 2.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.  In four preseason games with the Lakers, Aguilar averaged 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.50 blocks in 7.8 minutes.

Nelson, a 6-8 forward out of UCLA, was also a member of the 2012 Lakers Summer League team, where he averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16.3 minutes. Named to the All-PAC 10 First Team following his sophomore year, Nelson played in 68 games for the Bruins averaging 12.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 27.0 minutes.  In three preseason games with the Lakers, Nelson averaged 1.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 11.0 minutes.

The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 18 players.

The Lakers’ reserves have been a disappointment so far in training camp, but the club got an encouraging boost when power forward Jordan Hill returned to practice.

Hill has a herniated disc in his back, though he said with core-strengthening work his situation shouldn’t prevent him from playing regular-season games. Hill took part in all but the contact portions of practice Thursday, and Brown was impressed by how Hill was able to run nearly full speed in one drill.

Brown said Hill will do more work today and be re-evaluated then. Hill projects to be the backup power forward, playing with either Howard or Gasol in the paint. Power forward is one of the more important positions in Brown’s new offense, so he said Hill needs practice work “to learn specific routes and reads.”

— Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register

Exactly when Dwight Howard will debut with the Los Angeles Lakers is still a matter of debate within the organization, but Howard is eyeing Sunday evening’s game at Staples Center, according to a Lakers source.

The source explained to ESPNLosAngeles.com late Thursday night that Howard has told teammates and friends that he’s hoping to take the court in the Lakers’ exhibition game against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

Yahoo! Sports reported late Thursday night that the Lakers have targeted Sunday for Howard’s debut and are hoping he’ll play in two of their final three exhibition games after Friday, barring any setbacks.

— Reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles

Coach Doug Collins said Sunday that 76ers center Andrew Bynum will receive another injection in his right knee before the season begins.

Collins was not exactly sure of the specifics of the injection, but Bynum’s agent, David Lee, spoke about the treatment later in the day.

“Just look at it as lubrication for his knees,” Lee said of the Synvisc-One injection that Bynum will receive. The drug is used to treat knee osteoarthritis.

“He’s had them in previous years,” Lee said.

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Time Warner, the Lakers’ new $3 billion TV partner, is locked in negotiations with other area providers – including DirecTV, Charter, Dish, Cox, Verizon and AT&T U-verse – to pick up its two new Laker-centric channels, SportsNet and Deportes.

The asking price is reported to be $3.95 per subscriber per month. The providers, however, are holding out for a better deal in hopes of keeping rates low for customers.

This is still just the preseason – the Lakers play Utah on Tuesday night at Honda Center – but fans who can’t find their team on their TV are, in some cases, a bit uneasy and, in other cases, flat ornery.

During the Lakers exhibition Saturday at Staples Center, fans booed every time a Time Warner commercial was shown inside the arena.

— Reported by Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register

Ron Artest once went into the stands with gruesome results. That was a long time ago, though.

Metta World Peace went into the stands Saturday night at Staples Center with hilarious results.

World Peace, who won the NBA’s 2010-11 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and changed his name a year ago, was displaying his regained agility with a nifty block as Utah guard Gordon Hayward drove toward the basket. Then World Peace displayed his usual wacky sense of humor.

After his momentum carried him under the basket and out of bounds, World Peace fetched the ball — and then took the hand of a nearby female fan and kissed it.

— Reported by Kevin Ding of the OC Register