Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 90 – NBA Blog

Chris Douglas-Roberts appreciated his overseas basketball experience

Q: You were overseas the entire year. What was the calculation behind that decision, considering the labor situation the NBA faced at the time?

Chris Douglas-Roberts: It was actually great for me, because during the lockout — I’m was a fairly young player, I (had just finished) my third year — so it was about basketball for me. It wasn’t about money, I just wanted to play basketball. But I went over there, and made that commitment to stay. It definitely made me a better basketball player, and it made me a better person.

It made me more appreciative, because some days I didn’t have heat. The living conditions were terrible. I had to heat up water to give my daughter a bath, some days. If you had the microwave on and the washer on, the electricity may go out in the whole house. It was very small. The shower at the gym that we practiced at, it was filthy. There was mold everywhere. You couldn’t put your feet on the ground, barefoot. Guys were getting staph infections. It was basically back to when I was growing up in Detroit. But when I look at it, it just made me a better person and a player.

Q: Did you know what you were getting into?

CDR: Not at all. I had no clue. When you think of Italy, you think of beauty. You think of good food, great people. Which was the case, but it’s a different game over there. They look at basketball different, they look at the athlete different. You’re practicing two times a day, regardless. Very hard practices, two hours both sessions, and there aren’t any days off, really. It’s more about the organization, really. It’s not about the athlete, really.

— Reported by Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles

Will Derek Fisher return to Lakers?

No less an authority than Kobe Bryant announced this week that he’s convinced longtime teammate Derek Fisher will not have to wait forever to remove himself from the list of free agents still looking for work.

“I’m pretty confident,” Kobe says, “he’ll find a team.”

It might even be the Los Angeles Lakers, believe it or not, if more dominoes fall fortuitously for the team that has already annoyed the rest of the league with its good fortune this offseason.

It’s not feasible for the Lakers to bring back Fisher now, with a payroll approaching $100 million, but sources with knowledge of their thinking say that the team has made it clear to the rest of the league that Chris Duhon and/or Steve Blake are available via trade to any interested party willing to absorb their respective contracts.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Dwight Howard back injury was affecting his leg

Dwight Howard knew something was wrong when he couldn’t feel his left leg. His back hurt him for most of last season, but when his leg went dead and he couldn’t perform a simple calf raise, he decided it was time to seek medical help.

“I had some issues early in the season and I just kept playing through it, some back spasms,” Howard said Thursday in his comments about the extent of his back injury since he was acquired by the Lakers from the Orlando Magic on Aug. 10.

“I really didn’t say anything. With all the stuff that was going on, I just didn’t want anybody thinking that I was trying to quit on my team or anything. Instead of sitting out, I just wanted to keep playing and how everybody I was still with the team.”

— Reported by Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News

Kobe talks about Dwight Howard toughness

Kobe Bryant suggested this week that fun-loving Dwight Howard needs to bring out the “dog” in him night in and night out, the quality that earned him three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

“It’s there, it’s just a matter of him digging deep and pulling it out. It’s already there. .It’s just a matter of him having it become habit,” Bryant said Tuesday.

Howard said he wasn’t offended by Bryant’s statements. After the Lakers’ second exhibition loss Wednesday, the All-Star center said he understood where his new teammate was coming from.

“I heard about what he said,” Howard said. “People might take that the wrong way. He’s not saying be a jerk or an a-hole to people, he’s basically saying, ‘On the court, he loves the way I play but I can be more of one of those people.’ ”

— Reported by Janis Carr of the OC Register

Kobe Bryant disses Smush Parker

“I almost won an MVP with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown on my team,” Bryant said before Wednesday’s 93-75 exhibition loss to Portland. “I was shooting 45 times a game. What was I supposed to do? Pass it to Chris Mihm or Kwame Brown.”

Bryant was referring to 2005-06 when the Lakers’ roster included Brian Cook, Stanislav Medvedenko, Devean George and Parker, Mihm and Brown.

Bryant continued, taking aim at his favorite whipping boy, Parker, calling him “the worst. He shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him walk on.”

— Reported by Janis Carr of the OC Register

Kobe Bryant uncertain when NBA retirement will come

The 34-year-old Lakers star addressed his retirement after practice Tuesday, saying he remained uncertain if he would play beyond his contract that expires after the 2013-14 season.

“We’ll see where it goes,” Bryant said. “It will be a lot of basketball being played.”

Bryant has logged 1,161 regular-season games and 42,377 minutes in his career. He has two years and $58.3 million remaining on his contract and probably would have to take a steep discount to return for an additional season.

What might there be left to play for at that point? One possibility would be catching or surpassing the number of championships won by Michael Jordan, who has six titles on a resume widely considered the best in NBA history.

Bryant has won five championships.

What would it take for him to come back after his contract expires?

“How the hell do I know?” Bryant said. “It’s three years from now.”

— Reported by the Los Angeles Times

Pau Gasol discusses near-trade from Lakers

“It’s very different to be in a situation where you are not in the middle of the hurricane as far as rumors, where there’s a big chance of you not being part of the team you’ve been through so much with,” Gasol said in a quiet moment Sunday before the Lakers’ exhibition opener. “With all that now aside and the addition of great players, it makes it much more enjoyable.”

Gasol didn’t have fun last season. He was shoved outside the key more often than not to make way for Andrew Bynum’s less-fluid presence down low. It was great for Bynum, not so much for Gasol. His three-year run as an All-Star ended.

“We all know how competitive and how hard it is to make the All-Star team, but we weren’t doing great as a team,” Gasol said with a sigh. “Obviously, I like to make the All-Star team every single year because I like to consider I’m one of the best players in the league and the world.”

Even the Lakers seemed to sympathize last March. “This has been a really hard, hard period for Pau,” said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak, who was put in the awkward position of welcoming Gasol back after the Paul trade fell through. — Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times

Lakers forward Jordan Hill has herniated disc in back

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill was diagnosed today with a herniated disc (L5, S1) in his back, it was announced by the team.

Hill, who scored 10 points in last night’s loss to the Golden State Warriors in Fresno, was examined by back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins Jr.

Hill will be re-evaluated in a week and an update on his condition will be given at that time.

Dwight Howard strikes back at Shaq

After all this time, everybody still falls for Shaq’s Don Rickles act.

I mean, everyone: Shaq’s intended target, the media, the fans.

O’Neal said when he broke into the league making outrageous statements and jabbing opponents that it was all “entertainment,” like pro wrestling.

Shaq continues to throw barbs, especially Dwight Howard’s way. He says Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez (Brook Lopez!) are better offensive players than Dwight.

“I don’t care what Shaq says,” Howard said. “Shaq played the game and he is done. It’s time to move on. He hated the fact when he played that older guys were talking about him and how he played. Now he’s doing the exact same thing. Just let it go. There’s no sense for him to be talking trash to me. He did his thing in the league. Sit back and relax. Your time is up.”

— Reported by Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel

Dwight Howard progresses to 5-on-5 limited contact

Dwight Howard is getting closer to full clearance in his recovery from spinal surgery, taking part both Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon in some 5-on-5, limited-contact action in Lakers practice.

Howard still is not approved to advance to full-scale scrimmaging and won’t play in the exhibition opener Sunday night in Fresno against the Golden State Warriors, Lakers spokesman John Black said Thursday.

That’s in keeping with the careful rehabilitation from April 20 back surgery that the player and team agreed upon, but the Lakers don’t see much that Howard can’t do already.

“Doesn’t look like he’s hurting a bit,” Lakers forward Pau Gasol said.

— Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register