The league's dead period comes to an end Wednesday, with teams able to sign free agents.Nothing has changed in the last few days for the Lakers, whose plan going into the July 1 negotiating period was to re-sign guard Sasha Vujacic and forward Ronny Turiaf, two valuable reserves on their Western Conference championship team last season.
However, there appears to be a backup plan in place in case GM Mitch Kupchak can't get deals done with Vujacic and Turiaf, who are restricted free agents.
Kupchak reportedly has expressed an interest in signing unrestricted free agent Brent Barry in case he can't get a deal done with Vujacic. Kupchak also has talked with the agents for swingman James Posey and forward Kurt Thomas in case he can't retain Turiaf.
Kupchak also hopes to sign Chinese guard Sun Yue, a second-round draft pick in 2007.
The next few days could be busy ones for Kupchak.

Andrew Bynum expects to resume his workouts "pretty much full bore" next week, Sean Zarzana, his personal trainer, said Tuesday afternoon. Bynum was in New York completing his rehab work on his surgically-repaired left kneecap, but he and Zarzana will travel to Atlanta to start their offseason routine "sometime next week."
Bynum has no lingering pain or inflation in his kneecap and there are no limitations on what he can do, Zarzana said.
Bynum hired Zarzana last summer in the wake of criticism from teammate Kobe Bryant. Bynum arrived at training camp in the best shape of his career and was averaging career highs of 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds when he injured his kneecap Jan. 13.

A quiet holiday weekend has turned into a quiet Monday afternoon. The Lakers have been talking to the agents for restricted free agents Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, but there's nothing significant to report so far. The Lakers can re-sign Vujacic and Turiaf starting Wednesday.
The Lakers also can sign outside free agents.
Word from Boston is that unrestricted free agent James Posey isn't happy with the Celtics' attempts to re-sign him. The Lakers are one of a number of teams that have shown an interest in signing Posey, a key backup on Boston's NBA championship team.
Also, I left a phone message with Andrew Bynum's personal trainer this morning to see when they might start their offseason workouts. Bynum has been cleared to resume his workouts after missing the second half of last season because of a left kneecap injury.
Haven't heard back, but will post an update when I do.

The Lakers' summer league roster won't be finalized until Thursday, but they gave us a sneak-peak this afternoon. Here's a look at some of the names on the list:
Cedric Bozeman ... Former UCLA guard.
Joe Crawford ... Second-round pick in last month's draft from Kentucky.
Davon Jefferson ... Forward from USC.
Coby Karl ... Backup guard with the Lakers last season.
Marcelus Kemp ... Undrafted guard from Nevada.
Yi Li ... Forward from China.
Lorenzo Mata-Real ... Undrafted forward from UCLA.
Here's the Lakers' summer league schedule (all games in Las Vegas):
Friday vs. Detroit, 5 p.m., Cox Pavilion.
Sunday vs. Memphis, 5 p.m., Cox Pavilion
July 15 vs. Philadelphia, 5 p.m., Cox Pavilion
July 16 vs. Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., Thomas and Mack Center
July 18 vs. Toronto, 5:30 p.m., Thomas and Mack Center
July 19 vs. Denver, 3:30 p.m., Thomas and Mack Center

Have a safe and sane Fourth.
More posts on Monday.

Today I join with Seattle fans in mourning the move of the SuperSonics from the Emerald City to Oklahoma City. I'll miss the mist and fog and rain of Seattle. I'll miss the rare sunny days in mid-winter. I never had a bad meal in the city. I always enjoyed the crowds at the KeyArena. There wasn't a bad seat in the place. It just didn't have enough luxury suites to make the team as profitable as new ownership would like. New ownership that hails from Oklahoma, by the way. Not since the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis has there been such a bad trade.

The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat are expected to be among the teams interested in obtaining Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings once the NBA's dead period ends July 9. Kings general manager Geoff Petrie figures to receive plenty of calls about Artest and his expiring $7.4 millon contract, according to the Sacramento Bee newspaper. No reason to think Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak won't call, too.

Two days, two conspiracy theories.
First, with the Clippers having reached an agreement with Baron Davis, their next move is to strike a deal with Elton Brand.
If so, that will reinforce speculation that Davis opted out of his deal with Golden State because he already had an agreement to sign with the Clippers, which would be against the rules. Brand opted out of his deal with the Clippers because it would clear salary cap space for the team to do a deal with Davis. Brand could then re-sign with the Clippers, joining Davis and giving the franchise a marquee one-two punch.
Second, Ron Artest decided against opting out of his contract with Sacramento on Monday, then said Tuesday he might have made a mistake and wished he had decided to become a free agent.
Now, he can play the part of the disgruntled employee all summer and force the Kings to trade him to the Lakers, where he can play for a title contender and give his new team the physical presence they lacked during their loss to Boston in the NBA Finals.
For the record, there's no actual evidence for either theory. Just plain old speculation.

The Lakers are pursuing Marcelus Kemp, a shooting guard from the University of Nevada. Kemp's agent, John Grieg, told a Reno newspaper he expected a deal to be struck soon.
Kemp averaged 20 points as a senior last season at Nevada. He also was a two-time all-Western Athletic Conference first team selection. He was not drafted, but can sign with the Lakers as a free agent once the dead period ends after July 9.
Here's one possible scenario: The Lakers will sign Kemp and then put him on their summer league team July 11. If all goes well in Las Vegas, then they would bring him to training camp in October. It's the same thing they did with Coby Karl after signing him as a free agent out of Boise State last summer.

Andrew Bynum suggested a couple of weeks ago he might be willing to re-sign with the Lakers for less than a max, 5-year, $80 million contract. Hold on just one minute says his agent, David Lee:

Two events stand out in the first hours of free agency.
First, Golden State's Baron Davis opts out of the final season of his deal, which prompts the question: Will the Clippers go after the former UCLA standout? Signing Davis certainly would be a sign that the Clippers are serious about winning. It might also persuade Elton Brand to sign a long-term deal with the Clippers. Brand opted out of the final season of his deal with the Clippers, but is expected to re-sign with the team.
Second, Sacramento's Ron Artest decides to stick with the Kings for the final season of his deal (worth almost $8 million). Question: Does that mean there's now zero chance he'll end up with the Lakers? The Lakers sure could have used his muscle in the Finals against Boston. He was a visable presence in the arenas during the Finals, openly rooting for the Lakers and his longtime friend Lamar Odom. Artest and Odom played together in the famed AAU program at Riverside Church in New York as young men.

Elliot has a nice story laying out the Lakers priorities for this offseason. Basically, the plan is to get Sasha and Ronny back into the fold as soon as possible, and cross their fingers no other team offers them big money.

As for the rest of the free agent scene, nbadraft.net has a nice primer. Things obviously got a lot more exciting Monday night with Baron Davis and Elton Brand opted out of the final year of their contracts. But since only Memphis, Philly and the Clips have cap-space, I'd expect the fireworks to be at a minimum.

Two guys that may not seem like big names, but could end up playing vital roles for a contender next year are: Quinton Ross of the Clippers and Mickael Pietrus of the Warriors. Both are young, athletic, lock-down perimeter defenders made all the more popular by the exploits of guys like James Posey and Bruce Bowen in recent years.

The Lakers have extended qualifying offers to Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, who are restricted free agents. Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet with another team, but the Lakers then have the opportunity to match the offer.

In some alternate reality, Kobe Bryant would've played his college ball at Duke for Mike Krzyzweski --it's where he committed out of Lower Merion High -- but instead he jumped directly to the pros.

Bonus points to anyone who can name (without looking it up) where Bryant was drafted...

Eleven years later, they're finally on the same team. Coach K being the head coach of Bryant's USA Basketbal squad. Here's what Kobe had to say about it as Team USA began its training camp in Las Vegas this weekend.

``It's everything that I thought it would be, and more,'' Bryant said. ``When I was in high school, he was my number one choice, but I had to wait about 11 years or so to play for him. He is a great guy and an incredible coach. I've learned a lot from him already. He has a passion for the game, a respect for his players and above all else, he wants to see his players play well. And he wants to win. He communicates that beautifully to his players. He's very clear on what he wants.''

Here are a few things to know about guard Joe Crawford, the Lakers' lone pick in the draft:
He's from Detroit.
He's got good range on his jump shot, out to the NBA 3-point line.
His favorite movie is "The Shawshank Redemption."
His favorite TV show is "Nip/Tuck."
His dream dinner party would include actress Ashley Judd and Michael Jordan. (Judd is a fellow Kentucky alum and a former Wildcats cheerleader).
He is not related to veteran NBA referee Joey Crawford.

GM Mitch Kupchak said late Thursday night, long after the draft had ended, that he would call the agents for restricted free agents Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf at 9:01 p.m. Monday, when the negotating period begins.
That wasn't much of a surprise. Kupchak has made it clear he wants Vujacic and Turiaf back for next season and beyond.
But then Kupchak said he would start talking to the agent for China's Sun Yue, the Lakers' second-round pick from 2007. Sun, a 6-foot-9 guard, will play for China at the Beijing Olympics in August.
"We're very optimistic we can get him on the roster next year," Kupchak said. "We feel (signing him after a one-year wait) is a better opportunity for him."

Wow, what a weird turn this Monday afternoon took. Earlier today, the gossip website TMZ.com posted a video of Shaquille O'Neal freestyle rapping at a New York club, and absolutely ripping his former teammate Kobe Bryant. The video
feels kind of like a scene from 8 Mile, and contains explicit lyrics, so if there are sensitive ears in the room, consider yourself warned.

The overriding theme of the freestyle is that Kobe can't win without Shaq, but among the highlights and/or lowlights: "I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out, that's why I'm getting divorced."

Later on, Shaq did an interview where he backtracked quite a bit, and said it was all in good fun. Basically: ``the rap made me do it'' defense. No word yet on how Kobe is taking the verbal smackdown

Here's the latest from Shaq-fu:

"I was freestyling. That's all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever. That is what MCs do. They freestyle when called upon. I'm totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all. And by the way, don't forget, six albums, two platinum, two gold. Anybody who knows me knows I'm a funny freestyler. Check the NBA DVD when I was rapping about Vlade Divac during my first championship run. Please tell everybody don't make something out of nothing."

I almost didn't post this, because it's been assumed for so long. But the official announcement came down today. Here's a link to the roster:

Here's what Kobe said last week about his role on the Olympic team:

``I don't have as many responsibilities (on the Olympic team). There's still a leadership component, but in terms of basketball execution, my role is to defend and if they need to get points, I can do that too. But I don't have to do as much work because the USA obviously has a deep team.''

In the days that have passed since the Lakers season ended in Boston, more than a few people have drawn comparisons between these Lakers and the 1984 Lakers, who lost to Boston in an eerily similar NBA Finals. Remember that clothesline?

Here's what general manager Mitch Kupchak had to say about it:

`` In 1984, I sat basically in that same building, in that same cubicle when we got beat by the Celtics. So I know how they feel,'' Kupchak said. ``I also know as time goes on they will feel better. There is something to be learned through defeat. You learn a little bit about yourself, you learn about what you have to work on during the offseason. ... I think there's a learning process here that may benefit us in the future.

``It's my job to have some vision and I don't live in the trenches with the players and the coaches. I take the losses hard, but I do have to take a step back and look at the future. Of course, it all came to a screeching halt on Tuesday night, so the last two or three days there have been a lot of down players walking through our offices. They're starting to see some players smile a little bit and work there way through a tough time. I will say I do know how they feel.''

It's one of the oddest, least expected pairings you could think of, but Kobe Bryant is actually pretty tight with young shooting guard Sasha Vujacic. In years past, he's invited him to train with him during the summers, and seems to respect Vujacic's passion for the game. Now that Vujacic is a restricted free agent, here's the advice Bryant said he'd give his young disciple.

``With Shi-shi (Sasha). He should do what's obviously best for himself and his family. Obviously as a big brother, that's the best advice I could give him,'' Bryant said. ``I would love to keep him around for selfish reasons, because of his defense, his passion, and his shooting was obviously something that was invaluable to us this year. So for my own selfish reasons, I would love to keep him here, but as a big brother, he has to do what's best for him and his family.''

Then a reporter asked Bryant: ``If it got down to couple hundred thousand, would you kick in for it?''

Bryant, similar to the look he got used to giving when we'd ask whether he'd be picking up the tab for the Lakers team meals throughout the playoffs again, quipped, ``I'm not the richest one in this building homey, I don't know what you're looking at me for.''