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Los Angeles Lakers

March 22, 2012 by · Comments Off on Los Angeles Lakers 

Los Angeles Lakers, Championship teams usually know how to play on the road but neither of the last two NBA kingpins are accomplishing much away from their safe havens.

With only nine road wins apiece, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks still have some work to iron out before the playoffs and the former will get first crack at it tonight in the conclusion of a Texas tour in Big D. The Lakers had won three in a row away from Staples Center until dropping a 107-104 decision in Houston on Tuesday to fall to 9-15 as the visitor.

The Lakers blew a 17-point lead early on and also a 12-point advantage late in the fourth quarter, as the Rockets used a 17-2 burst to stage a 100-97 edge before closing out the game with a much-needed win. Kobe Bryant had a chance to tie the game at the end, but his shot didn’t fall and the five-time champion finished with 29 points on 10 of 27 shooting.

“They got a lot of rebounds. There was one stretch where they got three or four cracks at a possession, and that changes the momentum of the game,” Bryant said on the team’s website after the game.

Bryant did not wear his protective mask for the first time since Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade broke his nose on a hard foul during the All-Star Game last month. Bryant is averaging an NBA-leading 28.7 points this season.

Pau Gasol finished with 21 points and Andrew Bynum contributed 16 before being ejected late in the third quarter with two technical fouls for Los Angeles, which has lost two in a row since winning five straight and raced out to a 40-25 lead after the first quarter. The 40 points in the period were a season high. LA still maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over the Clippers in the Pacific.

The third-seeded Lakers will play six of their next seven games at home following Wednesday’s tilt with Dallas. They lost for only the second time this season (10-2) when scoring at least 100 points and for the first time in 2011-12 (7-1) when shooting at least 50 percent overall (50.6).

Lakers Trade Rumors

March 1, 2012 by · Comments Off on Lakers Trade Rumors 

Lakers Trade Rumors, Citing the luxury tax that would accompany the addition of Michael Beasley, the Los Angeles Lakers have decided against adding the small forward to their team.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were said to be asking for an upgrade in first-round picks, eying this year’s loaded draft as a possible opportunity for snagging a premier player at a discount in the middle round. That’s smart, because though Beasley himself was a #2 overall pick coming out of Kansas State, he has yet to live up his potential and the guys that could be available in the middle of the first round have talent tantamount to Beasley’s.

And yet, that wasn’t why the Lakers chose to hold off. They must have realized, as most of us did a long time ago, that Beasley isn’t worth much outside of some scoring, which he does at a low efficiency rate anyway, hitting just 44 percent from the floor and posting an EFF FG% of 48 percent. A guy who is listed at 6 feet 10 inches (but stands far closer to 6-7) should get easier shots and finish more around the rim, grab more rebounds, and play tougher interior defense. These deficiencies all limit Beasley’s value.

The Timberwolves knew when they obtained him that they were getting damaged goods. Viewed as little more than a pothead at the point the Heat dealt him for a mere second-round pick (in a move that cleared the salary cap room to sign Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Mike Miller), Beasley has blossomed a little, but still has a long way to go before he realizes the kind of potential people thought he exhibited at Kansas State. The Heat figured, after all, that bringing Beasley aboard would give Wade the much-needed second fiddle required to get out of the first round of the playoffs. That didn’t happen, of course.

Lakers Trade Rumors

February 8, 2012 by · Comments Off on Lakers Trade Rumors 

Lakers Trade Rumors, According to some investigative speculation by HoopsWorld writer, Eric Pincus, Mitch Kupchak might have just given his tell on what the Lakers are looking for and planning to do in these upcoming months.

Based on a conversation that Lakers sideline reporter, Mike Trudell, had with Mitch regarding potential moves, Kupchak replied with:

“Well, if there were a way for us to get a 25-year-old, All-Star, ball-handling guard we’d love to do it but that’s not likely in February. So you look at other alternatives, and see if it’s better than what you have. That’s all.”

Scouring his database of birthdays, Pincus found that there is only one man that fits that description and that man is the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics – Rajon Rondo.

Rivalry aside, this seems to be a great trade for the Lakers and a so-so trade for the Celtics. Boston is already stacked up front with Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal and Brandon Bass. Also, who knows what KG would do to Pau if they were ever in the same locker room together.

For the Lakers, adding Rajon Rondo to the team would be as good as it gets if both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams choose not to come to LA. Rajon has the competitive fire that team leader, Kobe Bryant, craves for. Rondo has the ball handling skills and playing making abilities to create shots for his teammates. Finally, the biggest asset that Rondo brings is the defensive tenacity that will wreak havoc on opposing guards.

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