Lakers Sign Sun Yue

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms on a two year contract with Sun Yue of China, the Lakers' second round pick in 2007. Sun, a 6'9" guard, is known as the Chinese Magic because of how his flashy play and size is similar to Magic Johnson. Sun will play with China's team against Kobe and Team USA in the first game of the Olympics for both teams on Sunday, so Laker fans will get to see Sun in action against a soon-to-be teammate.

More on the signing here.

Full Los Angeles Lakers 2008-09 Schedule

The NBA released the full schedule today for all 30 teams for the 2008-09 season, including the Los Angeles Lakers schedule. In the coming days, I will be posting a more detailed look at the schedule, so stay tuned. For now, here is the full Lakers schedule below (all times are Pacific time zone):

October

Tue 28 vs Portland 7:30pm
Wed 29 @ LA Clippers 7:30pm

November

Sat 01 @ Denver 6:00pm
Wed 05 vs LA Clippers 7:30pm
Sun 09 vs Houston 6:30pm
Tue 11 @ Dallas 5:30pm
Wed 12 @ New Orleans 5:00pm
Fri 14 vs Detroit 7:30pm
Tue 18 vs Chicago 7:30pm
Thu 20 @ Phoenix 7:30pm
Fri 21 vs Denver 7:30pm
Sun 23 vs Sacramento 6:30pm
Tue 25 vs New Jersey 7:30pm
Fri 28 vs Dallas 7:30pm
Sun 30 vs Toronto 6:30pm

December

Tue 02 @ Indiana 4:00pm
Wed 03 @ Philadelphia 4:00pm
Fri 05 @ Washington 4:00pm
Sun 07 vs Milwaukee 6:30pm
Tue 09 @ Sacramento 7:00pm
Wed 10 vs Phoenix 7:30pm
Fri 12 vs Sacramento 7:30pm
Sun 14 vs Minnesota 6:30pm
Tue 16 vs New York 7:30pm
Fri 19 @ Miami 5:00pm
Sat 20 @ Orlando 4:00pm
Mon 22 @ Memphis 5:00pm
Tue 23 @ New Orleans 5:00pm
Thu 25 vs Boston 2:00pm
Sun 28 vs Golden State 6:30pm

January

Fri 02 vs Utah 7:30pm
Sun 04 vs Portland 6:30pm
Tue 06 vs New Orleans 7:30pm
Wed 07 @ Golden State 7:30pm
Fri 09 vs Indiana 7:30pm
Sun 11 vs Miami 6:30pm
Tue 13 @ Houston 5:30pm
Wed 14 @ San Antonio 6:00pm
Fri 16 vs Orlando 7:30pm
Mon 19 vs Cleveland 7:30pm
Wed 21 @ LA Clippers 7:30pm
Thu 22 vs Washington 7:30pm
Sun 25 vs San Antonio 12:30pm
Tue 27 vs Charlotte 7:30pm
Fri 30 @ Minnesota 5:00pm
Sat 31 @ Memphis 5:00pm

February

Mon 02 @ New York 4:30pm
Wed 04 @ Toronto 4:00pm
Thu 05 @ Boston 5:00pm
Sun 08 @ Cleveland 12:30pm
Tue 10 vs Oklahoma City 7:30pm
Wed 11 @ Utah 6:00pm
Tue 17 vs Atlanta 7:30pm
Wed 18 @ Golden State 7:30pm
Fri 20 vs New Orleans 7:30pm
Sun 22 @ Minnesota 4:00pm
Tue 24 @ Oklahoma City 5:00pm
Thu 26 vs Phoenix 7:30pm
Fri 27 @ Denver 6:00pm

March

Sun 01 @ Phoenix 12:30pm
Tue 03 vs Memphis 7:30pm
Fri 06 vs Minnesota 7:30pm
Mon 09 @ Portland 7:00pm
Wed 11 @ Houston 5:30pm
Thu 12 @ San Antonio 5:00pm
Sun 15 vs Dallas 12:30pm
Tue 17 vs Philadelphia 7:30pm
Thu 19 vs Golden State 7:30pm
Sat 21 @ Chicago 5:30pm
Tue 24 @ Oklahoma City 5:00pm
Thu 26 @ Detroit 4:30pm
Fri 27 @ New Jersey 4:30pm
Sun 29 @ Atlanta 12:30pm
Tue 31 @ Charlotte 4:00pm

April

Wed 01 @ Milwaukee 5:00pm
Fri 03 vs Houston 7:30pm
Sun 05 vs LA Clippers 6:30pm
Tue 07 @ Sacramento 7:00pm
Thu 09 vs Denver 7:30pm
Fri 10 @ Portland 7:00pm
Sun 12 vs Memphis 6:30pm
Tue 14 vs Utah 7:30pm

Lakers Sign Dwayne Mitchell

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Dwayne Mitchell, a participant on the Lakers summer league team. He averaged 6.7 points and 61.9% shooting in 15 minutes a game with the summer league.

More on the signing here.

Lakers Will Play FC Barcelona In Preseason Game

Three Euroleague teams will be playing in the NBA preseason this year, including the Los Angeles Lakers playing a game against FC Barcelona. The game between the Lakers and FC Barcelona will take place on October 18 at the Staples Center.

FC Barcelona, which is the major basketball team in Spain, will see a familiar face on the Lakers. Pau Gasol played for FC Barcelona before he came to the NBA in 2001. This will be the first game FC Barcelona has ever played in the United States.

Click here for the full article...

Lakers Resign Sasha Vujacic

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms with guard Sasha Vujacic for 3 years, $15 million earlier today. Vujacic busted out last season, averaging a career high 8.8 points a game, and was one of the top three point shooters in the league. The Lakers set their sights on resigning Vujacic after losing restricted free agent forward Ronny Turiaf to the Warriors. The signing will officially be announced on Monday at a press conference at the team headquarters.

Walton Surgery Successful, Turiaf Headed To Warriors

Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton had successful surgery on his right ankle Friday. Walton had bone spurs and scar tissue removed as well as pieces of cartilage being cleaned up. Rehab will take about six weeks, and Walton is expected to be ready for training camp.

In other news, the Lakers did not match the Golden State Warriors' offer for forward Ronny Turiaf in the 7 days given to match the offer, meaning that Turiaf will be heading to the Warriors. The Lakers and Mitch Kupchak had wanted to match the offer, however, they are already way over the salary cap, and with the team already having Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, and Chris Mihm in the frontcourt, Turiaf probably wouldn't have gotten much playing time. Laker fans will definitely miss Ronny Turiaf's energy, shotblocking, and of course, his dancing.

Get To Know Lakers Draft Pick Crawford

Joe Crawford, the second round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers, debuted in the summer league Friday scoring 9 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. Lakers.com has a video interview with Crawford on his whole experience with the Lakers so far.

Lakers Interested In Garbajosa

Former Toronto Raptor forward Jorge Garbajosa has gotten an offer from the Los Angeles Lakers according to MARCA (note: site is in Spanish). For the Lakers to get Garbajosa, they would have to work a sign and trade since they are over the salary cap. Rumored players involved in the sign and trade are Vladimir Radmanovic and Lamar Odom. Garbajosa is good friends with Pau Gasol, another Spainard, and they both play on Spain's national team. Will they get to team up together on the Lakers?

Lakers Summer League Starts Today

The Las Vegas Summer League starts today at 5pm, and the Lakers will be playing their first game of the summer league against the Detroit Pistons. We'll get our first look at Joe Crawford, the Lakers second round draft pick. See the Lakers summer league roster here.

Site Update

This site will be updated soon. Stay tuned!

Lakers 2007-08 Regular Season Preview

[Quick note: the fire here has been affecting things, and I wasn't able to post for a bit, including a recap for the last two preseason games. To update, the Lakers lost against Utah 102-81, and won against the Kings 101-97.]

The Los Angeles Lakers regular season is about here! On October 30, the Lakers open up the regular season against the Houston Rockets at home, followed by their first road game on November 2 against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers schedule to start will be tougher than last year, when they started 26-13.

This season will be an interesting one, with many questions about the team. It remains to be seen what will happen with situations around Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and others. And experts from ESPN are split about the Lakers making the playoffs, with 5 saying they will make the playoffs, and 5 saying they will miss them. The Los Angeles Lakers always have a lot of drama surrounding them, and this season will definitely be no different.

Catching Up With Mitch Kupchak

Lakers General Manager, Mitch Kupchak, talks about who he thinks is the most improved after last season, Javaris Crittenton's development, the depth chart of the team, the possibility of eligible players getting sent to the D-League, and more in part one and part two of his interview.

Excerpts:

"Where is Javaris' development compared to a typical rookie? Too early to tell. We thought he had a good summer league and he has played well out here in pick-up games, but that is totally different than what he's going to be exposed to starting next season in Hawaii. We are pleased to have him, we didn't think we would be able to get him at 19, we thought he'd be gone in the top 15. He shows flashes of being a true point guard, which is a player that makes the other players around him better. He looks to make a pass first, although he can score, but that is not what he looks to do first."

"With regards to Larry Turner, Elton Brown, and Coby Karl, what are we looking to get out of them? Right now we have 14 guys on our team based on their contractual status that will probably make the team. You’re allowed to have 15, so there is a spot open. We may or may not carry the 15th spot. It depends on what happens in training camp. I think the players you mentioned, Karl, Turner, Brown, and perhaps another player we’re going to add in the next day or two, will be trying to impress us to make that 15th slot their slot. So one of those guys could make it, one of those guys could make it for a month or two, or one of those guys can make it and spend time between going up and down between the D-League the whole season. We just don’t know right now, but we do have space for one more player if we want to carry that player."

Catching Up With Jordan Farmar

Last season's first round draft pick, Jordan Farmar, talks about his goals for the season, what he's worked on in the summer, and his role. Check out the full interview here.

Excerpts:

"What are your goals for this season? Just to come in and contribute, to help the organization any way I can, doing whatever the coaching staff and the front office want me to do. Just play my role."

"What have you specifically worked on over the summer? A lot of catch and shoot and defensive stuff. In this offense, the triangle, you get a lot of opportunities to just catch and shoot, but you don't get a lot of time to play with the ball and do stuff off the dribble. So I've really been working on my shot, making it more consistent and more efficient. We'll see how it works out."

Catching Up With Luke Walton

5th year forward of the Los Angeles Lakers, Luke Walton, talks about his summer, his new contract that he signed, last season's ankle injury, how far he thinks the team can go this season, and more. You can check out here, and here for another interview.

Excerpts:

"Talk about your brief period as a free agent. It was nerve wracking. Even though it was short, it was the whole time period leading up to that. L.A. is where I wanted to stay, I made that clear to my agent, but we had backup plans with other teams. Meetings setup and stuff like that. My agent and Mitch called me that first day and we agreed on that offer that I felt was something I was satisfied with and something the Lakers were happy with then we might as well sign it and get it done as opposed to going and looking somewhere else.

I was actually in Las Vegas when I got the call at a good friend of mine’s bachelor party. We were all packing up, getting ready to get on a plane to fly back home when I talked to Mitch and my agent. We ended up cancelling our flights and staying for an extra night. It ended up being a pretty fun evening."

"If you guys stay healthy this year, how far can this team go? I think we can go all the way. I don't see why there's a reason we can't win a championship with the team we have now. He got [Derek Fisher] back, who is a very experienced point guard who has won before. We got young guys who have a lot more experience. We have the coaching staff that knows what to do. We have Kobe who is the best player in the league."

Catching Up With Javaris Crittenton

The 19th pick in the first round in the 2007 NBA Draft of the Los Angeles Lakers, Javaris Crittenton, talks about the similarities of his home of Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles, the coaches, the transition to the NBA, what he's been working on, and other things in an interview here, and another one here.

Excerpts:

"What kind of things have you been doing off the court? Man, I’ve just been in the gym you know. I went to some of my teammates' houses, Andrew Bynum & Jordan Farmar, hanging out with those guys. I’ve been hanging out with Brian Cook, we did a commercial for Amare Stoudemire’s video game together. Hanging out with Kwame (Brown).

I’m just trying to get adjusted to my teammates and the city. I also had a little 'Welcome to LA' party, but that’s about it besides being in the gym and getting ready for training camp and the season. It’s a big season for me, it’s the NBA, there’s no room to take breaks like that."

"Are you looking forward to playing against him and practice and learning from him (Kobe)? Yeah, I'm a competitor. I compete with anybody. I'm looking forward to that. He's a great player - the best in the league in my opinion. I'm looking forward to competing against him and also playing with him."

Will Phil Jackson Sign An Extension?

Will Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson sign an extension? Will he still be here after this season is over? These have been the questions of people that are wondering about Phil Jackson's future with the Lakers. The main consideration of Jackson to return is about his health. He has had each hip replaced in the last two offseasons. He is still walking with a cane after his last hip replacement surgery.

Tex Winter, the triangle offense guru and Lakers assistant, says that Jackson is feeling a lot better. "He feels a lot better," Winter said. "He's much more animated this year than he was last year. He really came into the season last year not feeling very well. He is enjoying it now. He seems back to his old self." Winter thinks that the Lakers wouldn't necessarily have to be a championship contender for Jackson to sign an extension. "To a great extent, it depends on his health," Winter said.

According to Jackson himself, he told the media that he will decide within 4 weeks if he will sign an extension or not. Reasons from the article above that Jackson will sign the extension include him needing to scratch the competitive itch of coaching, staying for Jeanie Buss, and the possibility of winning a record 10th championship. Reasons that he will not sign the extension include his health, being able to spend more time with family, not needing the money, and his age. We will hopefully as soon as possible find out Jackson's decision.

Sights From Preseason

Plenty of things going on with the Lakers as everyone is together for training camp and preseason. Always nice to see the Lakers playing again after the offseason.

Lakers correspondent John Ireland thinks the new plan for the Lakers to do more running to get more scoring opportunities will be fun to watch, although he's not sure how well it'll work. He's also surprised by Ronny Turiaf getting more time, thinks Chris Mihm looks the best out of the centers, and says Derek Fisher seems more confident than his last stint with the Lakers.

Javaris Crittenton is learning the ropes and adjusting to the NBA life with the Lakers, and Jordan Farmar can relate. Just last year, Farmar was a rookie in the same position. He has given Crittenton some words of advice to help him out.

Vladimir Radmanovic has put last season out of his mind, and is focusing on this season. Radmanovic had career lows across the board after starting last season with an injured shooting hand, and later separating his shoulder during the All-Star break in a snowboarding accident. He was fined $500,000 for lying about it and doing something that his contract says he cannot do. His hand and shoulder have healed, and his shots are falling, giving the Lakers another shooter that they need and the reason they signed him for. He led the team in scoring in the first preseason game, scoring 20 points and hitting 5 three pointers. Phil Jackson was not upset with the one point loss, and liked Radmanovic's contribution in the first preseason game, telling him, "You redeemed yourself."

Lakers Preseason Begins

Lakers preseason begins tonight! For all those that have been waiting to see an idea of what this team is capable of, we will see the Lakers competing starting tonight against the Golden State Warriors in Hawaii. The pregame report for tonight suggests the Lakers will have a starting lineup of Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Vlad Radmanovic, Ronny Turiaf, and Chris Mihm. The Lakers will also play the Warriors again on Thursday. Let's hope for a nice showing by all of the Lakers!

More On Position Battles And A Possible New Starter

As I recently posted about, the starting center and first point guard off the bench are still being battled for. Andrew Bynum is reportedly looking good with his rebounding and blocking, and Chris Mihm is able to play after missing all of last season. Kwame Brown is being held out of contact drills, but will have a chance to fight for the starting center position before the season opener on October 30.

All of the backup point guards, namely Jordan Farmar, Javaris Crittenton, and even Sasha Vujacic, who was used last season mostly as a shooting guard, went through shooting/rebounding drills in which one point guard would shoot, and the next in line would rebound the ball. The point guards have been pushing each other to get the best out of everyone, and trying to earn their spot to be the first point guard off the bench after Derek Fisher sits down for a rest.

News about a possible new starter has been reported. Phil Jackson has been reported saying that Ronny Turiaf may get the start at power forward. "I plan on starting him," Jackson said. "I really am seriously considering starting him. Those positions are so wide open. He's a guy that can bring energy to the game, the kind of start we need to have with a physical front. He's a guy that can block some shots." Turiaf starting would mean that Lamar Odom would shift to small forward, and Luke Walton would come off the bench, bolstering the second unit.

With Fisher Returning, Different Role Awaits

Derek Fisher returns to the Lakers this season after a three season hiatus. But things will be different from his last appearance with the Lakers. Fisher will no longer see the familiar faces of such players as Robert Horry, Rick Fox, and Shaquille O'Neal. Horry and O'Neal are now with the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat respectively, and Fox is retired. Instead, he'll see a team that hasn't made it out of the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons.

Fisher probably won't be as big of a scorer as he was last time with the Lakers, but he still has the ability to knock down the big shots which he has done many times. Laker fans will never forget the huge, game-winning buzzer beater that Fisher hit in the 2004 NBA Playoffs against the Spurs. This will give the Lakers another option besides Kobe Bryant to hit big shots when needed. And Fisher is a big upgrade over Smush Parker, who was very inconsistent. The Lakers will have a more stable force at point guard, which will help the team in the long run.