July 2009 Archives

Now that Odom has been re-signed, Kupchak said he and his staff will now ``turn to the future, beyond this season.''

He wouldn't specify whether that meant he'd open talks with Kobe Bryant's agent Rob Pelinka on a contract extension, but all indications are that discussions about that very issue will begin immediately.

Earlier this summer, Bryant said he was content to let the organization take care of unrestricted free agents Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown and Odom before beginning extension talks with him.

``Mitch has a lot on his plate,'' Bryant said during an interview in early July. ``I'd rather him take care of those pieces first. But he'll get around to me.''

A lot closer than previously realized.

What seemed on paper like a predictable, if not protracted resolution to the negotiations between the Lakers and power forward Lamar Odom was actually a surprise ending.

Odom officially signed a new four-year contract worth between $32-33 million on Friday afternoon in front of the television cameras and reporters assembled for a press conference at the team's practice facility.

But for the second half of the 31 days it took to come to that agreement, Friday's outcome was very much in doubt. Much more in doubt than previously realized.

When negotiations between the two sides broke down two weeks ago, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss was so frustrated, many people in the organization doubted talks would restart.

Odom said that he had to personally lobby Buss to revisit contract talks and worried, for the first time, that he might not return to the Lakers.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak described the tense two-week period after the Lakers withdrew their offers to Odom as, ``at its best case, a time out.

``We had an offer on the table and we took it off,'' Kupchak said. ``Sometimes you revisit those things, and sometimes you don't. Early on there was not an indication that we would revisit it.''

The Lakers have decided not to pick up their option on guard Sun Yue, according to his agent Charles Bonsignore.

The team was intrigued by the 6-foot-9 point guard from China, but due to its already-stiff luxury tax burden, and the depth on the team's roster, both sides agreed it would be in their best interest to let Sun go and pursue other opportunities in the NBA.

``We really appreciated the opportunity the Lakers gave Sun and the way they approached the entire situation,'' Bonsignore said. ``They were all class. But because of the depth on their roster, we both knew that even if he made the team there wouldn't be a lot of opportunity to play. And the Lakers didn't want to hold him back.''

Sun appeared in just 10 games for the Lakers as a rookie, but the coaching staff was said to be intrigued with his potential. On a team that won the NBA championship, with three other point guards on the roster, there wasn't a lot of playing time to go around.

Bonsignore said he expects that Sun will find another opportunity in the NBA this year.

``He's an NBA player,'' he said.

The Lakers had until today to decide whether to invite Sun to training camp. Doing so would've guaranteed $100,000 of his $736,420 salary for next season. The rest of the salary would've become guaranteed had he made the opening-day roster.

It's a good thing July is one of those months with 31 days in it.

Finally, mercifully and somewhat predictably, the protracted negotiations between the Lakers and free-agent forward Lamar Odom came to a happy conclusion Thursday afternoon, before the calendar flipped to another month.

Lakers spokesman John Black confirmed that the team had agreed in principle with the free agent power forward who averaged 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds during the post-season, as the Lakers won their 15th NBA title.

That was June 14. Odom became an unrestricted free agent at midnight on July 1st.

It took nearly all of July for the two sides to come to terms on a contract a source with knowledge of the negotiations said was worth between $32-33 million over four seasons, with the first $27 million and three seasons guaranteed.

``We've said from the end of the season when we had exit interviews that signing Lamar was a priority of ours,'' Black said. ``The process took 30 days. It was a long and arduous process, but all's well that ends well. We're very happy to have him back.''

Black could not comment on the specifics of the deal. Odom's agent Jeff Schwartz did not return messages left on his cell phone.

Odom revealed a little of his sentiments via his Twitter feed late Thursday afternoon: ``I'M BAAAAAACK!!!!,'' Odom wrote.

Fans that had nervously followed the negotiations the past month -- as Odom toyed with the idea of returning to the Miami Heat -- flocked to the popular social networking site.

The word ``Odom'' became one of the top trending topics on the site. A fact that did not go unnoticed by Odom.

``Phone is going crazy but I think my friends are more excited about me being a top trending topic,'' he tweeted.

Odom made $11.4 million last season, but said at the end of the season he was willing to take a pay cut to remain with the Lakers.
Still, negotiations between the team and Odom did not go smoothly. Two weeks ago, he did not respond to the team's offers of three years and $30 million or four years and $36 million. The fourth year of that deal was a team-option.
Frustrated, the Lakers pulled both offers and were prepared to walk away.
The team is well over the dollar-for-dollar luxury-tax threshold of $69.92 million with approximately $91.7 million committed for next season. That figure can be cut to $90.9 million if the team does not invite guard Sun Yue back before Friday's deadline.
With the luxury-tax penalty of either $21.8 million (with Yue) or $21 million (without Yue), the Lakers' payroll would be approximately $113.4 million or $112 million.
That was a tremendously difficult financial pill for Lakers owner Jerry Buss to swallow. For days he wondered whether it was better to just let Odom leave and see if newly-acquired Ron Artest and a healthy Andrew Bynum could fill the void.
In the end, Buss' competitive nature won out. With Odom the Lakers are a heavy favorite to repeat as champions. Without him, they are vulnerable.
Other contenders have added key pieces this offseason. Boston signed power forward Rasheed Wallace. Cleveland traded for Shaquille O'Neal. Orlando traded for Vince Carter and the San Antonio Spurs traded for Richard Jefferson.
A source close to Odom said he had an emotional reaction to the Lakers' initial stance and seriously considered the Miami Heat's five-year, $34 million offer.
His agent Jeff Schwartz encouraged him to keep emotion out of the decision and consider the financial picture the Lakers faced, as well as bleak predictions for the the league economy.
Odom reached out to Buss, during the Lakers' owner's vacation Hawaii to try and smooth things out, which went a long way, a source said.
Still, it took another two weeks for the sides to come to terms.
As of late Thursday night, Odom had not officially signed his new contract. He is expected to do so sometime this morning.
Now that Odom has been retained, the Lakers are expected to begin contract extension talks with Kobe Bryant.

By Ramona Shelburne
Staff Writer

The Lakers and free agent forward Lamar Odom have agreed on a four-year deal, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said Thursday afternoon.

The fourth year of the contract is the team's option. ESPN.com reported that the contract is worth $33 million over four years. However the source said that figure is a bit high.

Odom's agent Jeff Schwartz did not return messages left on his cell phone. Lakers officials refused to comment on the matter.

The 6-foot-10 power forward was a key part of the team's championship run. He averaged 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds in the playoffs, while coming off the bench.

Odom made $11.4 million last season, but was quoted as saying he was willing to take a pay cut. Still, negotiations between the team and Odom did not go smoothly. Two weeks ago, he did not respond to the team's offers of three years and $30 million or four years and $36 million.

Another source close to Odom said that Schwartz had advised his client to accept one of those offers. Instead he spent two weeks negotiating with the Miami Heat, who could offer no more than a five-year, $34 million contract, because of salary cap restrictions.

The Lakers and Odom's representatives stayed in contact throughout the process, but it became clear the team's offer would decrease, not increase the longer the process went on.

Laker fans, I'm curious how you all are feeling. Please leave some comments or e-mail me what you're thinking. I'm just trying to get an idea of where the fanbase's head is at.

Hear that? No, don't turn the volume on your computer up. It's just in the air.

Crickets.

Loud, persistent crickets.

As the world turns ... As Lamar Odom watch continues into its 29th day.

I called up Lakers spokesman John Black this afternoon just to get an on-the-record quote of the day. In the offseason, few sources are willing to speak on the record except for guys like Black, who are paid to do just that.

We both had a hearty laugh when I asked if he had any updates today.

``There's absolutely nothing new I can tell you on that,'' Black said.

Well, can you tell me if the Lakers and Odom's camp have continued to talk?

``Yes,'' he said. ``They've been talking on a regular basis. That's all I can say.''

And there, ladies and gentleman, is your daily Lamar Odom update. Officially speaking.

I should mention that Dwyane Wade posted a photo of Odom in a Heat uniform on his twitter feed with the accompanying comment : ``the beginning..look who's jersey is waitn for them in mia(no 7)''

And that Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald has a pretty good summation of things from a South Florida perspective.

But at this point, most of what you read is just speculation based on conversations with team and league sources that are speculating to varying degrees. Really, the only person who knows what's going to happen is Odom himself, once all the facts are in front of him and all possibilities have been exhausted.

Odom has made no public comments since July 13.

There have been rumblings the summertime series known as the Lamar Odom contract negotiations is nearing a conclusion.

Rumblings.

After the way this thing has played out since July 1st, I'm tired of rumblings. But these do have a shred of truth to them, based on conversations I've had in the past couple of days.

CBS 2's Jill Hill reported this afternoon that Odom will meet with Miami Heat president Pat Riley and superstar guard Dwyane Wade tonight.

Wade has been publicly campaigning for Odom to return to South Florida via his Twitter feed for weeks.

As we mentioned a couple of nights ago, Riley has a home in L.A., so it wasn't clear if he was coming out West to meet with Odom or just to spend some time in his former haunts.

I still believe, based on recent conversations I've had with people who haven't taken the vow of radio silence some of the principals in the negotiations have, that Odom will be back with L.A.

The Miami gambit is merely his best leverage at getting the Lakers to sweeten their offer. But financially, he can still make the most with the Lakers.

Earlier today, I spoke with a league source who said Odom may be toying with the idea of signing with Miami and testing free agency again in three years. If he thinks he can get a new contract after that third year, for more money, the financial picture starts to match up better.

With the way the league's finances are going though, and the fact Odom will be 32 in three years, I can't see him getting a better offer later. Which makes that idea a huge gamble.

The only other reason I can see Odom bolting is if he's emotionally disappointed by how the Lakers handled the process. If he's hurt they didn't give him what he asked for, and merely likes the public courting the Heat have done.

Odom is a loyal guy, and an emotional guy, so it's hard to know his state of mind. But he's also a businessman, who has been successful in several different fields. I think that wins out in the end.

The Los Angeles Lakers announced today that an additional game has been added to their preseason schedule. The Lakers will host the Golden State Warriors at 7:00pm on October 9 at the Forum in Inglewood, CA.

As part of the Lakers 50th Anniversary in Los Angeles, fans will get an opportunity to see the 2009 NBA Champions play in the arena which was home to the Lakers for over 30 years (1967-1999) and was the site of six NBA Championships (1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988).

Tickets for the game will go on sale at 10:00 am on Wednesday, August 12. Tickets will be sold at Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com, and available by phone at 1-800-4-NBA-TIXS. Tickets are priced at $13, $24, $34, $40, $58, $85.50, $103 and $133.

When I left town on Wednesday I had a strong feeling the Odom situation would be resolved by the time I got back Saturday afternoon. Just a feeling.

Much like the first few rounds of the Lakers playoff run, I no longer will be having any hunches, predictions or feelings about the L.O. situation until it's finally settled.

Mostly this process has been like listening to an endless loop of ``nature sounds and crickets'' on one of those noise machines that help you sleep, interrupted by flurries of activity at unpredictable moments.

Saturday's main developments included a pitch from Miami frontman Dwyane Wade via his Twitter feed which (unlike the bogus Kobe Bryant twitters that have caused some buzz this week, is actually a verified account): ``This is for Lamar Odom...come back to where it started for the both of us..the franchise u help build back up wants u to End it all here.''

That preceded by a couple of hours a report from Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski that Odom was ``leaning strongly toward accepting'' the Heat's five-year, $34 million offer and leaving the Lakers.

Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel (Fla.) has a nice breakdown of the situation from a South Florida perspective, but doesn't go out on as long of a limb as Woj.

At this stage in the search though, everyone would be better off hiring `The Mentalist' or bringing Gil Grissom out of retirement to figure out how this is all going to turn out. Theories and facts change from day to day.

Will Dwyane Wade's pleas work?

Does Odom just want to feel wanted?

Does the fact that Heat president Pat Riley was heading for Los Angeles mean anything? Or was Riley just heading home?

Odom mentioned during the Finals that he likes humidity... does that mean he likes South Florida better than L.A.?

As you can tell, this whole saga has been dragged out so long even us sportswriters are at a loss for words.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Lamar Odom programming for a brief update on Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis' advancement in the Minnesota Timberwolves coaching search.

According to a source close to the situation, Rambis will have his second interview with the T-Wolves early next week.

As previously reported, Rambis is one of four known finalists in the search.

Here are a few lines from a Yahoo story on the Minnesota Timberwolves' coaching search:

"The Timberwolves are expected to begin interviewing finalists for their head-coaching position this weekend, league sources said. ABC-TV analyst and former NBA point guard Mark Jackson, Houston Rockets assistant Elston Turner and Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis are widely considered to make up the finalists pool with Portland Trail Blazers assistant Monty Williams a long-shot possibility. Jackson has been long thought to be the leading candidate for the job."

I spoke with someone inside the Lakers organization who said Mitch Kupchak and Lamar Odom agent Jeff Schwartz have been in steady contact since the Lakers pulled their latest contract offer to Lamar last week.

Although the Lakers insider didn't describe the contact as "negotiations" obviously they aren't talking about summer vacation plans.

This jives with reports that talks have heated up in recent days, although the insider did say he didn't sense anything had significantly changed.

On the other hand, the fact that they are talking means both sides are open to a resolution, and when two sides are motivated things can come together quickly.

In any event, I should be getting an update later this afternoon, and if anything is cooking I'll post it as soon as I can.

Kobe Bryant said he's optimistic the Lakers can still re-sign Lamar Odom.

"I'm optimistic that he'll be back," Bryant said today at a news conference in Singapore, one stop on his six-country Asian tour. "He makes us a much, much stronger team." The Lakers yanked their contract offer off the table as talks broke down with Odom's agent Jeff Schwartz last week. The Lakers and the Miami Heat have made offers to Odom.

Meanwhile, Bryant said the Lakers' signing of Ron Artest will aid the team next season. "I think Ron's going to be a great addition to us," Bryant said. "It's about how well we play together. No matter how much talent you have, it's about how you put those pieces of the puzzle together."

According to a story in the New York Daily News, Ron Artest said he has reached out to fellow Queens standout Lamar Odom, who remains a free agent after turning down the Lakers' twin offers last week of $30 million over three years or $36 million over four. Artest said he hopes their neighborhood connection will persuade Odom to re-sign with the NBA champions.

"I hope that helps," said Artest, who was interviewed after playing for his neighborhood team in a outdoor tournament in the Bronx. "I hope he comes back to play with us. I already reached out to him and will (again)."

Artest signed a five-year deal worth about $34 million earlier this month. He and Odom have played with and against each other since they were youngsters growing up in New York.

We know two teams are bidding for the services of Lamar Odom, the Lakers and the Miami Heat. What we don't know, as of this morning, is which team has the best shot at signing Odom. My guess is that he will spend the weekend deciding whether to take the Lakers' offer of either $30 million over three years or $36 million over four or the Heat's offer of the full mid-level exception ($34 million or so over five years). There's no third option as far as I know. Portland isn't in the picture at present, although the Trail Blazers could jump into the fray after losing out on signing Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap. Dallas apparently isn't in the mix despite Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's expressed interest in Odom. So, it's an either or situation for Odom, who must decide between the Lakers and Heat.

Our good friend Jim Hill over at KCBS is reporting that Lamar Odom personally called Lakers' owner Dr. Jerry Buss Thursday to try and rebuild any bridges damaged by Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, during contract negotiations.

Dr. Buss pulled his last offer to Odom off the table earlier this week after Schwartz didn't respond back. Looks like Lamar might be taking charge of the negotiations, or at least trying to bring Dr. Buss and the Lakers back to the table.

Stay tuned.

Here are a few lines from an Associated Press story from Miami: "The Miami Heat, who traded Odom to the Lakers five years ago in the trade that brought Shaquille O'Neal(notes) to South Florida, have made the free agent forward an offer to return and help Dwyane Wade once again. The team has not revealed terms of the offer, although it's believed to be a five-year package that could be worth around $35 million."

Wade, who was a rookie when Odom played his one and only season in Miami in 2003-04, told the AP in a telephone interview: "I want Lamar to do what's best for him and his family because we love him as family, but on the other hand, we want him back home, to come home. His house is still there. It'd be exciting to see what happens."

Wade also told the AP he doesn't need to call Odom in order to recruit him.

"Lamar already knows how I feel," Wade said. "I really don't know how to feel. He's really taken time to deal with it, sit back. It's a very important decision in his life. It could be about where he ends his career. ... Lamar and I always had a great relationship. He's always been the guy, one of the guys, that I thought really helped me as a young player."

Miami team president Pat Riley hasn't spoken to South Florida reporters since the NBA draft on June 25, but he took time to talk with Heat season ticket holders Thursday night. Some of what was said about courting Lamar Odom was picked up by our friends at the Sun-Sentinel. According to a reporter for the Ft. Launderdale newspaper:

"What was made clear in Riley's private session was that the Heat's interest in re-acquiring forward Lamar Odom from the Lakers is legitimate, with numbers being discussed that would approach the current Lakers' free-agent offer that Odom has rejected, when accounting for Florida's lack of state income tax and other options regarding payments."

The Heat can offer Odom the mid-level exception, which works out to about $34 million over five seasons. It's the same deal Ron Artest signed with the Lakers and Trevor Ariza took to replace Artest with the Houston Rockets.

Kobe Bryant was asked earlier this week on ESPN radio: Have you called Lamar Odom? What do you say to teammates who are going through free agency?

Said Bryant: "I have. How I handle this situation is, I communicate to them how much I care for them; our team in particular has grown extremely close, so we all have a very close bond. First and foremost, I wanna look out for them as a person, so it's always important to me that they do what's best for them and their family. At the same time, it's important that they know how much I want them back, and how much I enjoy playing with them. And, I would love for us to come back and give another shot at this thing, but it's very important for me that they do what's right for them and what's right for their family as well."

It seems likely that Lamar Odom could sign a five-season deal with the Miami Heat at the mid-level exception ($5.8 million for next season and $34 million or so for the length of the contract) by the end of the week. The Dallas Mavericks also are interested in giving Odom the same deal, but he seems less likely to land in Dallas. Reports out of Miami indicate the Heat are trying to sign Odom and trade for Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz in an attempt to satisfy Dwyane Wade's demands for a beefed up roster next season.

Odom wants a five-season deal somewhere north of $45 million, which so far the Lakers haven't offered to him. Talks have ceased for now after owner Jerry Buss took the Lakers' offers of four years, $36 million or three years, $30 million off the table Monday. It's certainly possible the Lakers could resume talks with Odom and his agent, but it seems just as possible that Odom could be headed to South Florida soon.

What happens next depends on whether the Jazz decide to match the Portland Trail Blazers' $32 million offer sheet to forward Paul Millsap, a restricted free agent. Nearly everyone around the league believes Utah will match and keep Millsap by the deadline at week's end, which could trigger a frantic final round of negotations for Odom's services..

After spending a few days and nights at the Las Vegas summer league, a few things became perfectly clear. Kinda. Sorta.

First, the Lakers' decision to pull their offer(s) to Lamar Odom off the table can be viewed as nothing more than a negotiating tactic. But it's in their best interest to take another run at Odom in the next few days. They're a championship team with him on the roster, but it's unclear how good they can be without him. I don't think this is dead yet. Then again, Odom played one season with Miami after leaving the Clippers as a free agent in 2003 and had one productive season before returning to L.A. in the Shaquille O'Neal trade.

Second, Adam Morrison is doing a great deal to turn his career around while playing with the Lakers' summer league team. He is averaging a team-leading 20 points through four games. He's not shooting as well as he would like, but he's moving well and his surgically-repaired left knee is not giving him any problems. I don't think he is the answer to the Lakers' problems if Odom decides to sign elsewhere, however.

Third, there's no one else on the summer squad who can make the team.

Fourth, the Clippers' Blake Griffin has a chance to be an impact player in his rookie year.

Fifth, there really is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I watched all or part of five games over the course of two days and nights and after a while it all blended together and it was difficult to keep straight. Who are all these players? Why are they here? And why are so many people watching them play? Then again, it was 105 degrees outside, but nice and cool inside Thomas and Mack and the adjacent Cox Pavilion.

LAS VEGAS -- Adam Morrison scored a team-leading 17 points in the Lakers' victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. Morrison made only 5 of 18 shots, but faced strong defensive pressure from Oklahoma City's Kyle Weaver. James Harden led the Thunder with 23 points. The Lakers are 3-1; OKC is 0-2.

The Lakers' pursuit of unrestricted free agent Lamar Odom has ground
to a halt, an NBA source said Tuesday afternoon. After raising their
offer to Odom to more than $9 million per season, the Lakers have
pulled the offer from the table because they failed to receive a
response from Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz.
Jerry Buss, the Lakers' team owner, gave the OK to raise the ante to
more than $9 million from more than $8 million last week. Buss became
upset that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak did not get a yea or
a nay from Schwartz, the source said.
Plus, Buss was said to be miffed that Odom's representative has
started negotiations with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat,
neither of whom can offer the versatile forward more than the
mid-level exception ($5.8 million for next season).
It's been reported that Odom seeks a deal that averages $10 million
per season.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban told a reporter from NBA-TV that he spoke
with Schwartz on Monday. There also have been persistent rumors that
the Heat is interested in Odom, who signed a six-season, $65-million
deal with Miami in 2003.
The Heat dealt Odom to the Lakers in the Shaquille O'Neal trade in
2004.

--Elliott Teaford

Monday Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said that he wasn't sure the organization and Lamar Odom's representative were ``on the same page.''

Now it looks as if the Lakers offer to the free agent forward has been taken off the table, according to our Elliott Teaford, who is attending the Lakers summer league game in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS -- Here are the first few lines from a story posted at ESPN.com: "The Minnesota Timberwolves' deliberate coaching search will soon move into its next phase with ESPN/ABC analyst Mark Jackson, Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis and Houston Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner expected to progress to the deciding round of interviews, according to NBA coaching sources." Rambis previously turned down a job with the Sacramento Kings and did not make the final cut with the Philadelphia 76ers.

LAS VEGAS -- What do you do when you're picked second-to-last in the NBA draft by the league champions, who have a stacked roster and have nowhere to stash you while they determine whether you're a decent player? Well, if you're Chinemelu Elonu, you pack your bags for Vegas, put on your widest grin and try to impress the Lakers. Elonu is a 22-year-old forward/center who averaged 10 points and seven rebounds last season for Texas A&M. If he's worried about his future with the Lakers, he's not admitting it publicly.

"Just being drafted by them is exciting," Elonu said. "Summer league has been a blast, a blessing from God. We (Elonu and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak) haven't talked much. I'll just try to hustle and play good defense and rebound and run the offense the right way.

"Oh man, I was with my family and friends watching the draft on TV. I heard the dude call my name and I was numb. I was very overwhelmed. There's nothing better than to get drafted by the world champions.

"I hope the Lakers invite me to training camp (in October). Mitch told me they look for guys who bust their butts. I've only been playing ball for six years now. I still have a long, long ways to go. But I'll go out there and work on my post moves."

Elonu was born in Nigeria, but picked up the game when he moved with his family to Texas. He attended high school in Houston and was a fan favorite at Texas A&M.

I've had a few hours to process the strange turn of events that took place in negotiations between the Lakers and Lamar Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz on Monday.

I first got wind of the foul winds blowing in the air around 6 p.m., when I got a text message from Las Vegas, right after Mitch Kupchak arrived for the Lakers summer-league game vs. the Clippers.

After weeks of saying he was ``hopeful'' he could bring Odom back and indicating Friday that the talks appeared headed to a successful resolution sometime this week, Kupchak looked spent.

The negotiations with Schwartz had not gone well on Monday and Kupchak acknowledged for the first time that he could see a scenario in which the talented 6-foot-10 forward is not back with the team next season.

When asked if he was at a point of throwing up his hands, Kupchak said, ``Perhaps.''

Just a few days ago, sources on both sides of the negotiations said they thought a deal could come as soon as early this week. Kupchak was so confident in the deal's ultimate resolution, he noted in a radio interview that ``there is no replacement for Lamar Odom.''

Back in Los Angeles, Odom was running late to the premier of the Lakers championship DVD at LA Live. Players were due to arrive between 6-7 p.m.. Around 7, organizers got a call saying Odom wasn't going to make it.

Around 7:30 though, Odom showed up, apologizing for being late but clearly interested in visiting with teammates and checking out the DVD.

To his credit, he didn't duck the media that stuck around even though there clearly wasn't much good news to report on this day.

When I joked that we all thought he was going to bail on the premier because of the negotiations, he laughed and said, ``Well then it's a good thing I showed up.''

He clearly did not want to drive any wedge between himself and the organization. Several times he simply pointed to the footage of the championship season when asked if he felt unappreciated or regretted coming off the bench last season.

``I mean, we won a championship,'' he said. ``This is what it's all about.''

Odom has enjoyed his time with the Lakers organization and genuinely wants to stay with the Lakers, which is why he and his representative have been so quiet and lowkey during the protracted negotiations.

Still, this is a business and at age 29 with 30 on the horizon later this year, Odom realizes this is likely the last long-term contract he will be able to sign.

LAS VEGAS -- Terrific debut for No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin, who beat up on the Lakers during the Clippers' victory tonight in summer-league play at the Thomas & Mack Center. Griffin had 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting in 29 1/2 minutes. He also made his first eight shots and grabbed 12 rebounds against a Lakers team that wasn't nearly as talented as the Clippers' squad. Eric Gordon added 21 points and DeAndre Jordan had 16. Adam Morrison had a fine game for the Lakers, scoring 20 points and taking six rebounds. The Lakers are 2-1 and play the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 5:30. The Clippers are 1-0 and play the New Orleans Hornets tonight at 7:30.

The negotiations between Lamar Odom's agent and the Lakers took a turn for the worse Monday afternoon, but it didn't stop Odom from attending a celebration at the Nokia Theater for the release of the Lakers championship DVD.

Odom was about an hour and a half late, but said he wanted to attend to because ``These are my brothers. We have a whole DVD about our season, it just seems surreal. You don't ever know when or how or if you're going to experience this again.''

It's hard to say if it was the traffic on the way to downtown L.A. that was causing the change in mood, but it Odom certainly didn't seem as calm or cool as he normally does.

Absolutely no one expected the negotiations to take this long and while he clearly wants to return to the Lakers, it was clear the process has worn on him.

``It's business, you know what I'm saying,'' he said. ``It takes a little bit of the fun out of the game, but it's part of it.''

Asked whether he felt at all unloved or unappreciated by the Lakers, Odom paused and said, ``Ummm, it's just the way it is. It'll pay off.''

He did however acknowledge a bit of disappointment the negotiations haven't gone as well as he'd hoped.

``It's crazy because if you think about my career and playing basketball and somebody trying to do all the things to help a team win a championship, I felt like I've done that you know,'' he said. ``But it'll pay off. It'll pay off.''

Odom said he'd been laying low since the season ended and had made a point of not negotiating through the media because it was his intention to return to the Lakers and he didn't want to influence the process taking place between his agent and the Lakers.

LAS VEGAS -- Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said tonight he was "not as hopeful" of re-signing unrestricted free agent Lamar Odom "as I was Friday." Asked why, Kupchak said, "It's just a feeling you get. You have conversations with the player's representative and, right now, I'm not sure we're on the same page."

Asked during halftime of the Lakers-Clippers summer league game, if he was the point of throwing up his hands in frustration, Kupchak said, "Perhaps."

Kupchak said he had no further plans to talk with Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz.

"I understand it's a process. I am surprised it's taken us so long to get to this point."

It's believed the Lakers have offered Odom a deal of more than $8 million per season. It's also believed that there are no other teams currently courting Odom, who made $11.4 million last season in the final year of a six-season deal he signed with Miami.

I'm in Las Vegas to watch Adam Morrison and the Lakers' summer league team take on No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin and the Clippers tonight at Thomas & Mack. Ramona is set to cover a special screening of the Lakers' championship DVD at L.A. Live. Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton are expected to attend. Odom remains unsigned and hasn't spoken publicly about his lack of a contract in more than a month. Check back later. There should be some interesting stuff from Vegas and L.A.

OC Register's Janis Carr bumped into Lakers assistant GM Ronnie Lester at summer league in Las Vegas and he revealed that the Lakers offer to free agent forward Lamar Odom is now a``little north of $8 million'' and he expected a deal to get done early next week.

That would seem to jibe with reports out of Portland (one of the two teams with the requisite cap space to beat the Lakers offer) that the Trail Blazers had signed Utah power forward Paul Millsap to a four-year, $32 million offer sheet. Millsap is a restricted free agent, so Portland's cap space is now tied up for seven days, while the Jazz decide whether to match the offer.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak did an interview today with KSPN-AM (710). Here's some of what he said, all of it addressing contract talks with free agent Lamar Odom:

"I'm not quite sure how it's going to play out right now. We'll have to just wait and see, but we would like to have some closure soon. I think they would, too. You'd kind of like to know where you're going to be. Our options if we don't sign Lamar back would be limited, so if we're not going to have him back we would like to look at our options and try to fill around the team we have at this point in time. So, the sooner the better, but I'm hopeful it doesn't drag on too much longer."

Question: Is there a deadline in place?
Answer: "I think that deadlines are never really constructive or productive unless it's a last resort kind of a thing. We're not there right now. You know, the playing field has kind of leveled out a little bit. I think both people, in terms of the organization and Lamar, they're aware of what their options are, so everybody deserves a little time to work through the issues. But once again, things like this can't continue to drag on forever. At some point in time, you have to know where you stand individually as a player and, of course, we need to know what our team is going to look like as some point in time. So, I'm not going to say there is going to be a deadline, but I think we're working towards a conclusion."

Q: Are you worried Portland is interested in signing Lamar?
"I think Lamar has options. Certainly, Portland is a team that has options beyond what the other teams that are over the (salary) cap. They have cap room. I don't know what Portland's plans are. I don't know if they're talking to Lamar or not. I really believe Lamar wants to be in Los Angeles, and it's a process he has to play out with his representative on a daily basis, asking questions. What are my options? Where do we stand? Let me think about this. It's a process. It's not something that takes five or 10 minutes. I think Lamar is in a position where he kind of knows what the landscape looks like. He just needs some clarity and he needs to work through the issues. That's all."

Q: Do you take a step backwards if you don't re-sign Lamar?
A: "I don't know. It's certainly possible. We've been in situations as an organization where we've had to make tough basketball business decisions. About five years, Derek got an offer that just didn't make sense for us in terms of trying to field a competitive group and make good decisions. And last year it happened with Ronny Turiaf, who just got a wonderful offer from Golden State. So those kinds of things happen. As an organization we seem to be able to work our way through it and put ourselves in a position to compete. I think that began with Dr. (Jerry) Buss, when he bought the team in the last 1970s. He has the ability to recognize what's a good decision, what's a good acquisition and when also to fold and say, 'Listen, you've got to take that deal. We can't match it. And we'll figure out a way to replace you and, hopefully, keep this team competitive.' And we've been able to do that; his history, since he's owned this team, has been pretty good."

Q:What do you do if you can't re-sign Odom?
A: "You always have a contingency plan. That's how we ended up with Ron Artest. Going into free agency we felt we had a better than even chance that we could keep this group together; that was Lamar, Shannon (Brown) and Trevor (Ariza). When you go into free agency, it's really a beast. You don't know how it's going to turn out. A lot of times, you have to do a 180-degree turn within 24 hours. You have to have a backup plan. We did have a backup plan, to have Ron. We didn't know he would be available. We knew he would be a free agent, but I think due Yao Ming's injury, Houston decided not to get aggressive with Ron Artest because they might be in a position where they might have to re-build if Yao Ming misses the season. We didn't know if that would happen. We put our calls in and lo and behold, the next day when the negotiations with Trevor didn't go the way we had hoped, there was Ron Artest. So, yes, we do have contingency plans, but you're not going to find a Lamar Odom at the end of August sitting around waiting to be signed by the Laker or anybody else. Those types of players, they're commodities. We'll do the best we can and we'll move on, but there is no replacement for Lamar Odom."

Adam Morrison did an interview with a Las Vegas reporter on the eve of the Lakers' summer-league opener tonight against the Toronto Raptors at Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. Tipoff is 5 p.m. Here are a couple of interesting quotes from the story:

"I think (about it) a little bit," Morrison said of his future in the NBA. "Having not played much last year, I have to see if I can fit in. I don't think I'm starting over necessarily. I still have confidence in myself. My knee feels pretty good right now, and I'm as close to 100 percent as I can get. I'm trying to learn the triangle (offense) and go out and play. I'm going to use the summer league as a positive."

Morrison missed all of the 2007-08 season after tearing a knee ligament and played only eight games with the Lakers after they acquired him and Shannon Brown from the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 7. This could be a make or break season for Morrison.

The Lakers open summer-league play Friday in Las Vegas. Here's the schedule:
Friday vs. Toronto, Cox Pavilion, 5 p.m.
Saturday vs. Cleveland, Cox Pavilion, 3 p.m.
Monday vs. Clippers, Thomas & Mack Center, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City, Thomas & Mack Center, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday vs. Houston, Cox Pavilion, 3 p.m.

Here's the roster:
Alan Anderson, G/F, 6-6, 223.
Aron Baynes, C, 6-11, 270.
Dominique Coleman, G, 6-3, 190.
Chinemelu Elonu, F, 6-10, 240.
Tony Gaffney, F, 6-8, 220.
Terrel Harris, G, 6-5, 190.
Justin Hawkins, F, 6-7, 220.
Ben McCauley, F, 6-8, 235.
David Monds, F, 6-8, 240.
Adam Morrison, F, 6-8, 205.
Taylor Rochestie, G, 6-1, 185.
Luke Schenscher, C, 7-1, 260.
Mustafa Shakur, G, 6-3, 190.
Coach: Chucky Brown.
Assistants: Bill Bertka, Rasheed Hazzard.

Jordan Farmar says he's a beginner at poker. Which means he's great at bluffing, or a really, really quick study. The Lakers point guard, was invited to the event by PokerStars.net, has made it to the serious part of the tournament along with established pros like Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth and Joseph Hachem.

He's currently in 69th place with 110,000 chips. Nearly half of the more than 5,000 players have been eliminated.

Ron Artest held his introductory press conference today. Among the highlights:

He started by asking with a laugh, "Where's TMZ?"

He put his arm around Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and said, "Once again, I'm underpaid."

He also said, "At the end of the day, if you can't live on $33 million, you can't live."

Asked about attending Finals games at Staples Center, he said, "I was there as a star. I had my shades on. I had to get my L.A. on. I love L.A. I love the bright lights."

Asked about maturing, he said, ""I was a bad teammate when I was in Indiana. Over the last couple of years I learned how to be a good teammate. That was more important than my game, learning how to be a good teammate. I think that year off when I got suspended (2004-05), I was able to reflect and see how I didn't want my career to end."

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said today he's hopeful of gaining a sense of clarity in his talks with Lamar Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz. "I'm hopeful there will be some clarity in the next couple of days," Kupchak said. "I think Lamar probably needs to work his way through. Maybe it's helpful for him to see other players sign and sign for whatever they signed for. Maybe it's easier to see yourself in that group." Odom spent several days in Malibu and Las Vegas, unwinding after helping the Lakers win the NBA title last month.

The league set the salary cap for next season at $57.7 million, which is down from $58.68 last season. The luxury tax for 2009-10 will be $69.92 million, down from $71.15 million. Any team whose salary is over the $69.92 million figure for next season will have to pay a $1 tax for each $1 it is above the luxury tax threshold. The Lakers are already north of $80 million for next season and they haven't re-signed sixth man Lamar Odom yet. The Lakers paid $7.1 million because they were that much over the luxury tax threshold last season.

Just got word that the Lakers signed Ron Artest and Shannon Brown to contracts tonight. Brown signed at 9:01 p.m., the first minute he could actually put his name to paper. His deal is worth $4.2 million over two seasons. About 40 minutes later, the Lakers signed Artest to a five-season, $33-million contract. Artest will wear uniform No. 37 in honor of the number of weeks that Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" was No. 1 on the charts. No, really.

Some seriously conflicted reports out of Portland in the last few days about the Trail Blazers' level of interest in Lamar Odom. By one account, the Blazers have zero interest in any free agents now that Hedo Turkoglu has spurned them for the Toronto Raptors. By another, the Blazers are ending their pursuit of the Knicks' David Lee and focusing on Odom. The Blazers have about $7 million or so in cap room, which might not be enough to sign Odom. The Lakers can sign Odom for whatever owner Jerry Buss is willing to pay, although there are indications that might only be around $7 million or so. Stay tuned.

OVERVIEW: Backup forward Luke Walton's biggest contribution this season might have been telling Coach Phil Jackson that the Lakers were better off with Trevor Ariza starting. Walton took a seat on the bench in March and Ariza sparked the Lakers as their starting small forward. Walton averaged five points and 2.8 rebounds in 64 games, including 34 starts. He also averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in the playoffs. Walton's statistics declined for the second consecutive season, after he averaged career-bests of 11.4 points and five rebounds in 60 games, all starts, in 2006-07. Jackson likes Walton's passing ability, relying on him to help the second unit stick to the triangle offense. Jackson also counts on Walton to play a solid defensive game.

QUOTEWORTHY: "To make sacrifices and to see it play off, it's really sweet."

STRENGTH: Has a high basketball IQ, as the coaches might say.

WEAKNESS: Mid-range jump shot isn't as sharp as it should be.

GRADE: B.

CONTRACT STATUS: Signed through 2012-13.

Wow, just came across this hilarious press conference with Ron Artest and Yao Ming after the Houston Rockets beat Portland to advance to the Western Conference semis vs. the Lakers.

A reporter asks Artest about a play in which his momentum from chasing down a loose ball carried him into the stands and whether he soaked in the love from the home folks. Artest quipped, ``Well, I've been in the stands before.''

The room erupts in laugher and Yao Ming laughs so hard it looks like he's about to fall out of his chair.

Kobe Bryant will be one of the honorary guests invited to Michael Jackson's funeral at Staples Center tommorrow. At first I assumed it was just a courtesy invite, but it turns out Kobe and the King of Pop developed a good friendship over the years.

``I was one of the 65 million people that bought the Thriller album,'' he said.

But their friendship goes a lot deeper than that.

``It's and honor to be a part of it,'' Bryant said. I think Michael was extremely misunderstood. Extremely misunderstood. He was so generous, extremely giving and caring. Aside from us talking about work and how he tried to prepare and train for things, he introduced to movies that I would never ever watch, like `American in Paris,' or `Breakfast at Tiffany's.' Like I would never watch those. But he introduced those to me and opened up a whole other side of things. Appreciating Fred Astaire's talent and things like that. Seeing how that relates to basketball. We used to have those conversations all the time. He's just such a giver, and such a beautiful person.''

We had a chance to catch up with Kobe Bryant today as he did a media session at the start of his annual basketball camp at LMU. Unlike some superstar athletes, Kobe actually teaches at his own camp and genuinely seems to enjoy it. ``I wouldn't do it if I couldn't be here myself,'' he said.

Of course catching up with him at his camp also provided us to get his thoughts on some of the recent player personnel moves the Lakers have made. You know, that Ron Artest thing...

Asked whether the Artest signing makes the Lakers a better team, Bryant said:

``I think it makes us a different team. It's tough to say whether we'll be a better team or not. We haven't won a championship with that unit yet. Trevor brought his style to us, which was very effective obviously. And Ron will bring his style to us. We'll just be a different team. Every year we adapt and we adjust. I'm sad to see Trevor go, because everybody knows that he's like my brother. He still is. ''

Kobe then confirmed the now infamous shower scene story, and noted that, ``This is something we've both been trying to make happen for a while.''

``I've known him for a long long time,'' Kobe said. ``It's one of those things, and he'll tell you this story too... After we lost to the Celtics, he came in the locker room, and I was in there, just by myself. And he just came in the locker room and said, `This is not going to happen to you again. I'm going to come there and I'm going to help you out. He wound up being in Houston, then the next year took us to Game 7. But he's here now.''

That said, the way it went down has been hotly debated in recent days. This columnist loved the move, thinking the Lakers showed a lot of guts, and will be rewarded with another round of champagne glory next June.

Others felt like the Lakers walked away from Trevor Ariza a bit too quickly.

Bryant said he was fine with how the business end played out, but noted he didn't have any official input on the situation.

``I don't think it was something where we picked Ron Artest over Trevor,'' Bryant said. ``I think with Trevor, we made an offer, and his representative felt like he could look elsewhere a little bit. And during that time, the Lakers talked to Ron and Ron was ready to go.

``I think it's either/or. I think if they went with Trevor, or with Ron, either way we'd be fine this year.''

But what about that chemistry stuff?

``Where is that concern coming from?'' Bryant asked. ``Because he ran in the stands and kicked somebody's (butt)? You talk to anybody that played with him, he's a great teammate. He's never been a problem in the locker room. He had that one incident in Detroit, which was unfortunate. But outside of that, it's not a problem at all. ''

Shannon Brown has agreed to a two-season contract worth $4.2 million, his agent said today. Brown turned his back on more lucrative offers from other teams to return to the Lakers, agent Mark Bartlestein said. "The Lakers did a tremendous job of recruiting him to stay," Bartlestein said. "And he really wanted to stay." The Lakers acquired Brown and Adam Morrison in the Feb. 7 trade that sent Vladimir Radmanovic to the Charlotte Bobcats.

With Brown back in the fold and Ron Artest coming from Houston to replace Trevor Ariza, plus Kobe Bryant deciding against opting out of his contract and Phil Jackson announcing he would return for at least one more season, there's only one deal still to be struck. Lamar Odom still needs a new contract. There's been no public statement from Odom or his agent Jeff Schwartz, which means whatever you take it to mean.

OVERVIEW: Reserve guard Sasha Vujacic spent most of the season looking for his absent shooting touch. It went missing not long after he suffered a sprained ankle during training camp, and he never could find it. Vujacic averaged 5.8 points on 38 percent shooting, down from an average of 8.8 points on 45 percent shooting in 2007-08. He averaged three points on 26 percent shooting in the playoffs, when his playing time dropped from an average of 16 minutes during the regular season to only 11 minutes. The Lakers suggested that Vujacic spend some time away from the gym during the offseason. They thought it would be a good idea for him to clear his head. He plans to play for his native Slovenia in the European Championships in September in Poland.

QUOTEWORTHY: "I make no promises now, but I'm going to do it (improve his overall game next season) on the court."

STRENGTH: Has the ability to be an above-average perimeter shooter.

WEAKNESS: Seems to be in too much of a hurry to launch his jump shot.

GRADE: C.

CONTRACT STATUS: Signed through 2010-11.

Finally: Luke Walton.

So much for traditional media and press conferences. So much, for Twitter.

Over the holiday weekend, Ron Artest released two videos documenting some behind the scenes footage of his whirlwind courtship with the Lakers.

Here's a link to the first, most revealing video:

In it Artest shows us a conversation he had with his wife as negotiations with the Lakers start heating up, and a rather riveting conversation with his agent, David Bauman, who relays the Lakers interest in his services. Hard to tell exactly which night this is, but it is most likely Wednesday night, since Artest reached an agreement in principle with the Lakers on Thursday afternoon.

After getting off the phone with his wife, Artest places a call to Bauman, who asks how some of his meetings with (producers and record executives) have been going, then relays how the first hours of the free-agent negotiating period have gone:

Bauman: I just got back home and I have a message from the Rockets and they want to talk tommorrow. And I just spoke to Mitch Kupchak for a half hour, the general manager of the Lakers.

Ron: What'd he want?

DB: What do you think he wants? He wants to get you a championship ring next year.

Ron: Wow

DB. The only problem is money. There's just no clean, easy way to do it. ... So he understood.

What he's going to do, he's not going to do anything with other players right now. He wants me to figure out where the lay of the land is on Houston for you. And he wants me to call him everyday with some updates.

Artest doesn't react much, but seems to be listening intently as Bauman goes on to give a brief survey of the free agent landscape. He talks about Detroit's plans, how Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur didn't opt out, which means Detroit won't use its cap space on Boozer. That, Bauman says, ``is good because it takes two guys off the market.''

He mentions Utah's restricted free agent Paul Millsap, who will now ``kind of squeezed,'' and that (Trevor) ``Ariza will probably get some offers, Mitch thinks around 35 or 42 total for a five or six year deal, like seven (million) a year. And Turkoglu is probably going ot Portland, which the word on the street.''

``The Rockets are in a really tough spot. They really don't know what the prognosis is for Yao, and a lot of what they offer...''

Just when it's really getting good though, some random guy walks up to Artests car and starts trying to sell him some magazine or something. Artest politely tries to get rid of him, but Bauman keeps talking on a speakerphone.

Finally, we get back to the conversation.

DB: Did you ever hook up with LeBron?
Ron: I'm speaking to LeBron as we speak right now. He called me. He's a real cool dude.

DB: Of course he is. Was he talking to you about getting you there?

Ron: We haven't talked about no teams or anything. I've spoke to him periodically. My cousin was in jail with his Pops, you know. My cousin did ten years, his Pops did some years too. They was in the (Feds) together. But um. So I spoke to him periodically about, um, that. He didn't speak about nothing (business wise), he just just said you know, `You're a great player and he kind of would like for me to be on his team,' and stuff like that.

DB: OK, well feel him out. Find out what's up. And I put a call into the GM, Danny Ferry already. Things are going well. It's going to be a very slow process, just so you know.

Bauman was right about a lot of things in the conversation, except the last part. Within 24 hours of the video being shot, Artest had agreed to terms with the Lakers.

Here's an interview Ron Artest did with ESPN.
Thanks to Ramona for transcribing it.

Q: How did (a three-year, $18-million agreement with the Lakers) come about?
A: "I thought i was going back to Houston, but when Yao (Ming) got hurt and my Bird rights were with the Houston Rockets it kind of messed up my chance of going back to Houston. I was a little disappointed Houston offered me a one-year deal, then said, 'David (Bauman, his agent), let's see what options we have and L.A. was the first team to step up and I'm so happy to be here."

Q: On taking a pay cut.
A: "I've made money over my time in the NBA. I lost some money when David Stern suspended me (for 73 games for his role in the 'Malice in the Palace' brawl in 2004-05). That kind of hurt. But I'm playng to win, I'm not playing for the money no more."

Q: What do you need to do for Lakers?
A: "Just fit in and do exactly what's asked of you from coach, and it'll work. That's what I did last year and that's why we were able to exceed all the expectations of everybody and all the doubters out there in Houston."

Q: On his relationship with Kobe Bryant.
A: "Kobe's cool. He reached out to me a couple times. On the court is different. Especially in your opponent. There's no friends out there, no helping anybody up off the floor. I get a chance to play with him, it's going ot be a good feeling. I think it'll develop, but it's been there. It's been there for quite some time. Now that we've got the same purple and gold on, it's going to make it that much better. So I'm looking foward to playing with all the teammates."

Q: Are you confident Phil Jackson will be your coach?
A: "He's my coach. Phil Jackson is my coach. He spoke to my wife earlier. That was a good thing. I appreciate him for doing that. He gets me some cool points with my wife."

Q: Can you win a championship in L.A.?
A: "We can definitely win a championship. Oviously, we have to put that work in and do what it takes to win during the season, build that momentum going towards the playoffs."

Phil Jackson will be back next season. Here's the first few lines of a breaking story from our friends at Lakers.com:

"After receiving results of medical tests, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson has announced he will return to coach the team for the 2009-10 season. 'After consulting with Lakers team internist Dr. John Moe, I feel confident that I can gainfully pursue an NBA season with another long playoff postseason. All things point to go!,' said Jackson.

"Jackson, who just completed his 9th season as head coach of the Lakers and 18th overall as an NBA head coach, concluded the 2008-09 season by leading the Lakers to the NBA championship. With his most recent title, Jackson won his 10th NBA championship, surpassing the late Red Auerbach for most in NBA history. In addition to his most recent title, Jackson won three consecutive championships in his first three seasons (2000-02) as head coach with the Lakers. The fastest coach to reach 1,000 career victories, Jackson's total of 1,041 wins ranks 6th all-time. His .705 winning percentage ranks 1st in league history."

OVERVIEW: Backup guard Sun Yue had a limited impact in his rookie season, averaging 0.6 points and 0.2 assists in 2.8 minutes in 10 games. He also played six games in two stints with the D-Fenders, the Lakers' developmental league team, and averaged 9.8 points and 3.7 assists in 33.3 minutes. Sun then suffered what turned out to be a season-ending sprained left ankle. He is playing with the Chinese national team this summer, rather than joining the Lakers' summer league team in Las Vegas. The Lakers have an Aug. 1 deadline to decide whether to terminate his contract for next season. It's possible they might exercise that option and allow Sun to sign with a team that might give him a better chance to play next season. The Lakers' roster is loaded with talent.

STRENGTH: He's still a relatively young player (23) with obvious skills.

WEAKNESS: Hard to tell since he hardly played at all in 2008-09.

GRADE: Incomplete.

CONTRACT STATUS: Signed through 2009-10 (not guaranteed).

Next: Sasha Vujacic.

Just got a statement from Ron Artest's agent David Bauman.

Washington, DC (July 2, 2009) -- NBA Agent David Bauman announced today that his client, Ron Artest, has agreed to join the NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers. "I am pleased to announce that my client, Ron Artest, has reached a verbal agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers on a free agent contract. It is Ron's intention to sign a long-term contract with the Lakers on July 8, 2009, once the NBA's signing moratorium has expired, pursuant to the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement," said agent David Bauman.

"I am very excited to finally be going to L.A. For years now, the Lakers have expressed interest in having me play for them, but we could never get the stars to align. I'm finally a Laker and I can't wait to get on the court with Kobe, Pau and the rest of the team, and play for Phil," said Artest. "The Lakers really made me feel wanted. I had a great talk today with Phil. I'm a huge fan of his and I can't wait to show him what I can do. I also spoke with Magic Johnson last night. In addition, my agent (David) has been in constant contact with Mitch Kupchak. I made my decision after I had lunch today with Dr. Buss, and I realized what a great organization I'm joining. I'm very, very excited to be a Laker. I look forward to helping the Lakers defend their championship, and it will be great to finally not get booed in the Staples Center."

Check this video out. Ron seems downright giddy and excited to be interviewing Bryant, whom he calls ``one of my idols.''

Free agent Ron Artest has agreed to sign with the Lakers. Don't have many more details, but his agent said he would have a more formal announcement later this afternoon. Artest could fit nicely in the void created by Trevor Ariza's apparent desire to seek a contract elsewhere. Artest probably will play for the $5.6 million mid-level exception. Now, does an agreement with Artest make it easier for the Lakers to re-sign Lamar Odom? Artest and Odom are childhood friends from New York City.

UPDATED: The deal reportedly is worth $18 million over three seasons. There might be an option for a fourth season (and maybe a fifth, too) that might take it to $35 million or so. Details are still a little hazy. Anyway, Artest leaves Houston and Ariza joins Houston.

Trevor Ariza is scheduled to meet with Houston Rockets officials today in Las Vegas as he seeks a new contract. David Lee, his agent, said this afternoon that the meeting with Coach Rick Adelman and General Manager Daryl Morey was "taking place probably as we speak." Lee said his phone has been "ringing off the hook" with teams asking about Ariza. Many had assumed Ariza would re-sign with the Lakers, but that hasn't happened yet.

"The Los Angeles Lakers never offered Trevor a contract," Lee said. "Their response was, 'Go out and find what someone else will pay you and then come back to us.' I don't think he felt appreciated."

Lee said he last spoke to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak on Wednesday afternoon. He said the Lakers aren't in the picture at the moment, but acknowledged that could change.

OVERVIEW: Backup power forward Josh Powell stepped into a void created when the energetic, funny-loving Ronny Turiaf signed last summer with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. It was a difficult role to fill, one that wasn't nearly as large as it was while Turiaf was with the Lakers, but the more sedate Powell had his moments. He averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 60 games after signing as a free agent in the summer of 2008. He made one start while Lamar Odom was suspended for a game and scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Lakers' victory March 11 over the Houston Rockets. He also averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 14 playoff games.

STRENGTH: Nice, soft touch on his mid-range jump shot.

WEAKNESS: Needs to find ways to get more shots because he's a fine shooter.

GRADE: B.

CONTRACT STATUS: Signed through 2009-10.

Next: Sun Yue.

OK, maybe it's not that late, but there's lots of stuff going down at this hour, none of which I can properly pin down. For starters, it looks like Ron Artest has agreed to a contract with somebody (Cleveland perhaps?), based on a tweet on his Twitter feed. It also looks like Detroit has landed Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. Boston and Cleveland are chasing hard after Rasheed Wallace. ESPN is reporting that the Lakers' Trevor Ariza is on the verge of leaving the team, with an unnamed source saying the small forward is unhappy that the first round of talks hasn't been fruitful. Umm, OK. We'll check more on that one tomorrow. It's been a very long day. Good night.

From a story posted this afternoon by our friends at Lakers.com:

Power forward Josh Powell and center D.J. Mbenga will remain on the Lakers' roster for the 2009-10 season after L.A. opted not to terminate their respective non-guaranteed contracts by the July 1 deadline, according to Lakers spokesman John Black. Powell and Mbenga each had a year left on their contracts, and since neither was acted upon, the 6-10 and 7-0 post players are guaranteed through the coming season.

Powell averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.7 regular season minutes and 2.1 points with 1.2 boards in 5.2 postseason minutes during L.A.'s championship run. He showed his value when afforded ample playing time, highlighted by a 17-point, 9-rebound performance on March 11 at Houston when the Lakers were without Andrew Bynum (injury) and Lamar Odom (suspension).

If you missed free agent Trevor Ariza on the radio this afternoon, you didn't miss much. Ariza was interviewed by A Martinez and Steve Lavin on KSPN-710. They tossed a few softballs Ariza's way and he did his best to answer. Nothing earth-shattering.

"It's a business," Ariza said, acknowledging the negotiating process. "It's a business and I have to do what I have to do. It's exciting. I'm learning a lot as I go."

Asked if he would agree to a $50-million deal to stay with the Lakers, Ariza laughed and said, "I'd jump on that in a heartbeat."

Asked if he considered Phil Jackson to be the greatest coach in NBA history, Ariza said, "In my eyes, he'll always be the best because he's the first coach to give me a chance to play (regularly) in the NBA."

Asked about Kobe Bryant's comment that reporters shouldn't worry about Bryant's future with the Lakers but should focus instead on new deals for Ariza and Lamar Odom, which would make the team stronger, Ariza said, "It means a lot to me. I appreciate it."

Free agency began last night and today is the first full day teams can negotiate new contracts with players. But before things really get going and and the jargon starts to get in the way of what really is a simple process, let's take a moment now to note the difference between restricted free agents and unrestricted free agents.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Let's say I have just completed my rookie contract, spending four seasons with the team that drafted me in the first round. My contract expired last night and now I'm a free agent. Other teams can make me an offer and I can agree to sign an offer sheet. My former team can then do one of two things: it can match the offer because that is its right and retain my services or it can say goodbye and good luck with my new team.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Let's say I have just completed my second contract with the team that drafted me (or another one, it really doesn't matter in this scenario). My contract expired last night and I'm a free agent for the second time in my career (or third or whatever). Other teams can now make me an offer and I can agree to it and sign it. My former team does not have the right to match it and cannot retain my services. I am now a member of a new team.

That's about as simplistic as I can make it. But you get the idea.

OVERVIEW: Sixth man Lamar Odom accepted a lesser role in order to help the Lakers be a deeper, stronger team. He moved from a starting spot to a backup role to start the season, and then returned to a starting job when Andrew Bynum injured his knee Jan. 31. Then he went back to the bench when Bynum returned to the active roster with four games remaining in the regular season. Odom is nothing if not versatile. He averaged 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 78 regular-season games. He then averaged 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 23 playoff games. His scoring average was the lowest of his career, but he was never more valuable to the Lakers than in 2008-09. He is an unrestricted free agent and the Lakers hope to re-sign him as soon as possible.

QUOTEWORTHY: "It (the last five seasons) seems like it went by so fast, from not making the playoffs to winning the championship to being an unrestricted free agent with the opportunity to move (to another team). It feels a little surreal."

STRENGTH: Capable of playing all five positions in any given circumstance.

WEAKNESS: Too willing to let others dictate play when he should do it himself.

GRADE: A.

CONTRACT STATUS: Unrestricted free agent.

Next: Josh Powell.

Quick follow up that I was worried would get lost in all the free agency news.

Lakers rookie Sun Yue is playing for the Chinese national team this summer and will not participate in the Lakers summer league.

The Lakers have until the first week in August to extend a training camp invite to Yue. Though they clearly would've preferred to see what Yue could do in summer league, they seem to understand his commitment to the national team.

If Yue is invited to training camp, there is a $100,000 kicker in his contract. If he's on the opening day roster, his contract becomes guaranteed for next year. Though the team is still intrigued by Yue's talent and sees him as a three-year project, that essentially makes it a numbers decision. Roster spots and dollar signs, that is. A lot will depend on just how much they Lakers have to shell out in free agency to keep Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown.

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has said that it's more likely the team will go with 13 players next year to help ease the luxury tax burden. If all three free agents are retained, and no trades are made to clear a roster spot, Yue could be left out.