Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

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Timberwolves want to trade for Pau Gasol

pau gasol

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying hard to land Spanish forward Pau Gasol.

If they have to part with the highest draft choice in franchise history after just one season, the Wolves appear ready to do it.

That much became clear leading up to the NBA draft on Thursday, when Minnesota offered Derrick Williams in hopes of landing the second pick from the Charlotte Bobcats to help get Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.

The people requested anonymity because the talks were meant to remain private. The deal never came together before the draft, and the Bobcats stayed at No. 2 and took Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The Timberwolves are expected to continue their pursuit of Gasol in hopes of putting the four-time NBA All-Star with fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love on a revamped roster aimed at returning the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Mavericks trade Darius Johnson-Odom rights to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired the draft rights to Darius Johnson-Odom (55th overall pick) from Dallas in exchange for cash considerations and have selected Robert Sacre with the 60th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, it was announced today.

Johnson-Odom, a 6-2 guard out of Marquette, averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 105 career games. As a senior, the Raleigh, North Carolina native led his team in scoring (18.3ppg) and earned First Team All-Big East honors in addition to being named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.

Sacre, a 7-0 Center from Gonzaga finished his career with the Bulldogs ranked second all-time in school history in career blocks (186) while averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 135 games. As a senior, Sacre was named the 2012 WCC Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-WCC First-Team honoree while averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Hawks reportedly offering Josh Smith to Lakers for Pau Gasol

josh smith

The Atlanta Hawks have aggressively tried to trade power forward Josh Smith to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, initially expressing interest in Gasol shortly after Oklahoma City eliminated the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, The Times has learned.

Smith has been unhappy in Atlanta for more than a year, his dissatisfaction starting after the 2010-11 season because he felt he was an unfair target of criticism by coaches and media members.

In separate activity leading up to Thursday’s amateur draft, the Lakers are also open to trading Gasol to a team with a high first-round pick because they covet Kentucky freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Atlanta holds the 23rd pick and cannot help in that area.

No deals were imminent for the Lakers, who hold only the 60th and final pick in the draft. They have not had a first-round pick since taking Javaris Crittenton in 2007.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times

Clippers in trade talks for Lamar Odom

lamar odom

The Los Angeles Clippers have engaged in trade discussions to bring Lamar Odom back to the L.A. team that drafted him, according to sources close to the situation.

Yet the deal, sources said, could hinge on the willingness of a third team to take on the contract of Clippers veteran guard Mo Williams, which would allow the Dallas Mavericks to send Odom to the Clippers with no significant money coming back to the Mavericks.

With a Friday deadline looming for the Mavericks to buy out the final year of Odom’s contract for $2.4 million, Dallas officials have green-lighted Odom’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, to try to find a new home for Odom this week via trade. The Mavericks and Schwartz also have discussed pushing the deadline back into July if an Odom trade can’t be struck before Friday.

The Mavericks’ interest in an Odom deal, though, is purely to gain financial flexibility, which likely necessitates a third team to take on Williams. If no trade can be struck, either this week or before an adjusted deadline, Dallas is expected to eventually buy Odom out and make him a free agent, with big-market teams such as Miami and New York also planning to pursue him in that scenario.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Phil Jackson not looking to coach Knicks

phil jackson

Phil Jackson views the Knicks as a flawed team and says he would have turned down the franchise had it offered him the head coaching job, according to a transcript of a coming segment of “Real Sports” on HBO.

“There’s just too much work that has to be done with that team,” Jackson said in the interview with Andrea Kremer, which is set to be televised on Tuesday. He added, “It’s a little bit of a clumsy team.”

But there was never a decision to make because the Knicks “never called,” Jackson told Kremer. The remarks could be viewed as an odd sort of vindication for Knicks officials, who were widely criticized for failing to reach out to Jackson.

— Reported by Howard Beck of the New York Times (Blog)

Explaining what he meant by clumsy, Jackson said, “Well, they don’t fit together well. Stoudemire doesn’t fit well with Carmelo. Stoudemire’s a really good player. But he’s got to play in a certain system and a way. Carmelo has to be a better passer, and the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands. They need to have someone come in that can kind of blend that group together.”

When interviewer Andrea Kremer said it sounded as if Jackson was the perfect person to blend the talent because of his résumé, Jackson said, “Yeah, well, it never happened.”

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Horse co-owned by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol set to race

A horse co-owned by Los Angeles Lakers stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol is set to run in Sunday’s first race at Betfair Hollywood Park.

[Siempre Mio] is trained by Doug O’Neill, who guided I’ll Have Another to recent victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

[Siempre Mio] will take on five other older horses at six furlongs in the $12,500 claiming race. He will be ridden by Joy Scott. The 4-year-old gelding won his March 31 start by 2 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita.

Bryant and Gasol are part-owners along with Santa Anita CEO Mark Verge, who says Gasol has been a regular visitor at O’Neill’s barn since the Lakers lost in the second round of the playoffs.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant divorce is off

kobe bryant

Vanessa Bryant will NOT sign documents to make her divorce final … at least for now … because TMZ has learned, she and Kobe are working on a full reconciliation.

We’ve learned Kobe and Vanessa are trying to work out the issues that caused her to file for divorce back in December. They spend a lot of time together but he has not officially moved back in with her.

Under California law, Vanessa has to wait 6 months before she can file final docs making the divorce official. The 6-month mark hits this weekend, so Vanessa could end the marriage as early as Monday … but we know she won’t.

— Reported by TMZ

LeBron James not Most Hated in OKC

ron artest

Despite what might happen in other cities, there is a zero-percent chance LeBron James will ever be the most hated player in the eyes of Thunder fans.

The current titleholder likely will never relinquish the crown. Man by the name of Metta World Peace. Nobody elbows “The Beard” without suffering the consequences.

Folks around here have zero reason not to like Bron-Bron, other than he plays for the opposing team.

James invited Kevin Durant to his hometown last summer for a “Hell Week” of training sessions in Akron, Ohio. James’ team beat Durant’s team 70-63 in a flag-football game, but James immediately offered a rematch.

— Reported by John Rohde of the Oklahoman

Deron Williams to Lakers not likely

deron williams

Will Lamar Odom join the Lakers? Probably not. What about Deron Williams? Ditto.

Lakers fans won’t want to hear it, but their off-season remodeling project remains as difficult as ever.

Williams, a likely free agent this summer and one of the NBA’s top point guards, was cognizant of the Lakers’ limited purchasing power. They have very little to spend on free agents because they are so far over the luxury-tax threshold. Their biggest tool is the $3-million “mini” mid-level exception.

“I know they don’t have any money to just go out and sign me. It’ll have to be some kind of [trade],” Williams said Wednesday at the E3 Expo, where he promoted the video game “NBA Baller Beats.”

Williams, 27, has a player option for $17.8 million next season with New Jersey. He averaged 21 points and 8.8 assists this season.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan and Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times