February 2011 Archives

MINNEAPOLIS -- Matt Barnes played several full-court games of four-on-four today as the Lakers held a limited practice at the Target Center. Barnes said he wouldn't be ready to play in Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but added that Friday's game against the Charlotte Bobcats might be his first since right knee surgery Jan. 11.

The Lakers on Tuesday will try for their 14th consecutive win over the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves' Kevin Love has 46 consecutive games with a double-double.

Some of the national reporters who cover the league for ESPN and its various platforms seem to be amazed that the Lakers don't want to add Mike Bibby to their roster because of salary-cap and luxury-tax concerns. Why is that so strange? Bibby was bought out of his contract by the Washington Wizards and probably will sign with Miami.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Lakers held the Oklahoma City Thunder to 31 points on 12-for-40 shooting (30 percent) in the second half today and won their fourth consecutive game. Kobe Bryant scored 17 points and passed Elvin Hayes for seventh place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Bryant has 27,320 points in his career. Pau Gasol scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Lakers. Andrew Bynum scored 16 points, took 10 rebounds and had five blocked shots. Ron Artest scored 10 points and held Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant to 21 points on 8-for-20 shooting, well off his season average of 28.6 points on 46.6 percent shooting. Next: at Minnesota on Tuesday.

Bryant on watching Hayes on videotape: "Oh yeah, yeah, he had an incredible fallaway. He was one of the first guys to have that baseline fallaway jump shot. His baseline fallaway was incredible, so I learned quite a bit from him, from that shot."

Artest on Durant: "I don't mind somebody scoring 50 on me. It hasn't happened yet. If another player busts me up on the court, kind of destroys me, great game. It doesn't happen often. In my career, in 12 years, I don't know what other player can say that."

Matt Barnes said today he feels he's ready to play again, but that it's up to Lakers coach Phil Jackson as to when the small forward is fit enough to return to the active roster. Barnes, who is recovering from right knee surgery, is scheduled to practice Monday, participate in Tuesday's shootaround and then practice again Wednesday and Thursday. He wasn't immediately certain whether he could play Friday against Charlotte, however.

Said Barnes: "It's just to be back with the team and to get out of the house a little bit. My progress is very good, but now it's up to Phil. I feel good. I want to be in it for the long haul. When I'm back I want to make sure I stay back. Everybody wants to make sure it happens. I definitely going to have to catch my wind. There's no additional swelling to my knee. Just got to be ready when I'm back. It's not up to me, but hopefully soon. It feels great to be back around the guys and feel like I'm part of the team again. It's been rough. It was my first injury."

Matt Barnes was scheduled to travel with the Lakers for their two-game trip to play Oklahoma City and Minnesota, but he's not expected to play in either game. Barnes, recovering from right knee surgery, plans to practice with his teammates Monday in Minneapolis and to participate in Tuesday's morning shootaround. If all goes well, and Barnes doesn't suffer any setbacks, it's possible he could play Friday against Charlotte.

Kobe Bryant scored 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the third quarter after Pau Gasol scored 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting in the first half for the Lakers tonight. Bryant finished with 24 points and Gasol scored 22 as the Lakers won their third in a row. Randy Foye scored 24 points for the Clippers and Blake Griffin had 22. Next for the Lakers: a two-game trip to Oklahoma City and Minnesota. Next for the Clippers: Boston at Staples on Saturday.

The Lakers led the Clippers by a narrow margin tonight at Staples Center despite only six points from Kobe Bryant, who left the game late in the second quarter after smacking his funny bone in his right elbow. Pau Gasol scored 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Randy Foye had 17 for the Clippers. The Lakers shot 48.8 percent in the first half; the Clippers shot 34.1 percent. The Clippers outrebounded the Lakers by 26-16 in their first game since trading Baron Davis to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Lakers didn't make a deal before the trade deadline today, but plenty of other teams did. Some were some real head-scratchers, especially the Boston Celtics' decision to trade center Kendrick Perkins and team mascot Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green. The Celtics' strength was their size, comparable to the Lakers' height and weight as evidenced by a split of the two regular-season games. Now what have they got? The Thunder got bigger with Perkins, perhaps big enough to knock off the San Antonio Spurs if they should meet in a No. 1 versus No. 4 matchup in the second round. OKC also could give the Lakers big trouble if they meet in the next round.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Lakers rallied from an 87-79 deficit in the final four minutes tonight to force overtime and then edged away from the Portland Trail Blazers in OT. It was their 40th victory of the season, but also perhaps a turning point in their season. Sometimes these things turn on a small victory. The Lakers got a big one tonight at the Rose Garden.

"We don't really get too hyped over teams," Lamar Odom said. "But our record hasn't been good up here over the last couple of years, so it was fun to win. It's experience. We just gave ourselves a chance to win by getting stops. We've been in games like this before."

Kobe Bryant scored 37 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added six assists. Ron Artest had a season-high 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Pau Gasol scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Odom had 13 points in a reserve role.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points for Portland, none after the start the fourth quarter. He missed three key layups in the closing minutes, including one at the regulation buzzer, which could have won the game for the Trail Blazers.

Next: the Clippers on Friday at Staples Center.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Lakers bolted to a 10-2 lead and everything seemed right in their world tonight. Then it all seemed to go haywire as it often does for them at the Rose Garden. The Lakers ended a hideous nine-game losing streak in Portland last season, but didn't seem as if they had any designs on a victory tonight after their fast start. LaMarcus Aldridge torched them for 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Ron Artest had 12 points to lead the Lakers. Kobe Bryant had nine on 4-for-15 shooting. Portland shot 12 free throws; the Lakers only three.

The East rallied from a 17-point deficit to make it interesting in the closing minutes, but the West held on to win. Barely. After the East's Ray Allen sank a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 146-143, the West's Kevin Durant made two free throws to seal the deal with 5.2 seconds remaining. Kobe Bryant scored 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and earned MVP honors for the West, his fourth MVP honor. LeBron James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the East. The West led, 117-110, going into the fourth quarter. Durant scored 34 points for the West. Amare Stoudemire added 29 for the East.

Said Bryant: "I wanted to come out and play hard. I feel like we have a sense of responsibility and we are voted in for what we do during the season, which is play hard. And we come here. That's what the fans want to see. They want to see us go at it and see us compete and that's what I try to do, and that's what my teammates try to do."

Said James: "Just tried to showcase my talent on both ends of the floor: defending, rebounding, scoring. Tried to help lead our team to victory. We came up short and you know for me, I'm just about winning, so just a little disappointed in our game. Disappointed that we didn't win."

Kobe Bryant dunked on LeBron James on a breakaway in the opening minutes of the third quarter. He didn't take anything for granted and James didn't let him have a free one. Moments later, Bryant drilled a 3-pointer for his 30th point. Derrick Rose was the fastest player on the court when Westbrook wasn't out there at the same time. Incredible displays of fast-twitch muscle fibers whenever they had the ball in their hands. This looked very much Bryant's game, however. He scored 34 points after three quarters. The Celtics' foursome and the Miami Heat's trio were afterthoughts going into the fourth.

Russell Westbrook's soaring dunk to cap a fast break made it 45-37 early in the second. Westbrook and Kevin Love give the West a UCLA flavor. West coach Gregg Popovich called a timeout after LeBron James dribbled through the paint and flipped the ball into the basket to cut it to 49-43. This must be serious. Kobe Bryant guarded James late in the half. Bryant dunked, then Chris Paul (a future Lakers point guard?) stole the inbounds pass, drove and lobbed a pass to Kevin Durant for a dunk and a 70-58 lead for the West. East coach Doc Rivers called a timeout with 1:05 left in the half. This must really be serious. Bryant scored 21 points in the opening half, taking the early lead for MVP honors.

There were plenty of cheers for Kobe Bryant during the opening quarter tonight at Staples Center, especially after he unleashed a a driving reverse dunk from along baseline. Blake Griffin replaced Bryant late in the quarter, a nice touch from West coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. Griffin scored his first basket on a lob from Utah's Deron Williams, which made it 33-25 in final minute of the opening quarter. There were plenty of boos for the Celtics foursome upon entering midway through, especially Paul Pierce. This is Los Angeles, after all. Bryant led all scorers with 11 points.

Lenny Kravitz playing his stuff. Sounds good. Stevie Wonder just walked by my seat. Big cheers for Blake Griffin. Bigger cheers for Kobe Bryant. Some boos for Inglewood native Paul Pierce. Josh Groban sings the U.S. anthem. Nice. Griffin, Bryant and Pau Gasol welcome the fans to the game, with Gasol saying a few words in Spanish.

CLEVELAND -- Well, wasn't that nice of the Lakers? Their loss to Cleveland made it possible for the Cavaliers to avoid matching the Philadelphia 76ers' immortal total of nine victories in a season. Cleveland won its 10th in its 56th game. The Lakers (38-19) made sure it happened by shooting poorly and playing defense as if they were nailed to the floor. Pau Gasol scored 30 points and grabbed a season-high tying 20 rebounds. Otherwise it was another game that exposed the Lakers for their lackluster effort and efficiency. Ramon Sessions led Cleveland with a season-high 32 points.

CLEVELAND -- The Lakers were halfway to their most embarrassing loss of the season tonight in the final game of their seven-game trip. Pau Gasol scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but Andrew Bynum scored two points on 0-for-7 shooting. Kobe Bryant scored six points on 3-for-8 shooting. Ramon Sessions scored 16 for Cleveland. The Lakers defeated the Cavaliers by 55 points when they played Jan. 11 at Staples Center.

CLEVELAND -- If you're looking for a hint as to how Kobe Bryant and the Lakers might respond in tonight's game against the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers after loses Monday to the Charlotte Bobcats and Sunday to the Orlando Magic, take a hint from Bryant's pregame mood. "(Ticked)," he said when asked about his emotions. "Next question." He went on to say the Lakers' goal was to "Take care of business and go ahead and win the game."

CLEVELAND -- No practice today. Coach Phil Jackson called off today's scheduled practice after the team arrived from Charlotte and made it a voluntary workout. Reporters weren't invited and probably wouldn't have shown up to watch the rookies and the backups play pick-up games. Andrew Bynum was spotted in the food court buying pretzels. But that's about it for highlights one day after the Lakers' lost by 20 points to Charlotte.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Lakers suffered their worst loss of the season tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats, one of only two teams they have losing records against in their history. The Boston Celtics are the other, which is understandable. But the Bobcats? Charlotte has won eight of 13 games against the Lakers, including eight of 11 while Phil Jackson has coached the team. This loss might have had more to do with the schedule more than anything else. The Lakers played for the fourth time in five days. Kobe Bryant was ill and didn't participate in the morning shootaround. He scored 20 points on 8-for-20 shooting. Gerald Wallace had 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting for the Bobcats. After winning the first four games on their seven-game trip, the Lakers have dropped two in a row. Their final stop is in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Lakers started out fine then went into one of their funks in the second quarter tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. They led by scores of 8-2 and 10-4 in the opening minutes, but couldn't sustain their momentum. Meanwhile, the Bobcats stuck around and gained confidence and soon enough they led by as many as 11 points. Kobe Bryant did not attend the morning shootaround because of an illness. He scored nine points on 4-for-13 shooting. Pau Gasol had 12 points and seven rebounds in the half.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Lakers signed a 20-year agreement with cable giant Time Warner starting with the 2012-13 season, the team announced today. They will leave their longtime homes with Channel 9 and Fox Sports Net. Time Warner will launch two new regional sports networks in HD to showcase Lakers games. You won't have to have Time Warner as your cable company to get the new channels, however. They will be available on other cable and satellite outlets.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Matt Barnes could return to the practice court Feb. 21, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said today. Jackson wasn't immediately sure what Barnes might be able to do next week, but he was hopeful the backup forward could participate in some drills. Barnes has been sidelined since undergoing right knee surgery Jan. 11. He said via Twitter that he ran at full speed during Sunday's workout. He did not join the team for its trip, saying behind in Southern California to continue his rehabilitation and recovery.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Lakers capped today's clunker by scoring 34 points in the second half. They shot 39.3 percent for the game (33 of 84), including 12.5 percent on 3s (2 of 16). Kobe Bryant scored only 17 points and sat out the final 3 minutes, 43 seconds. Andrew Bynum also scored 17. Next stop: Charlotte, the sixth stop on their seven-game trip. They are 4-1 so far. Dwight Howard scored 22 of his team-leading 31 points for Orlando in the second half. He made all nine of his shots. The Lakers scored only 34 points after halftime.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Both teams played a little too quickly for their own good in the first half today, with the Lakers ditching their usual methodical offense in favor of hurried shots, hurried passes and scrambling defense. Lakers coach Phil Jackson wasn't happy with Andrew Bynum's defensive work and let him know about it during a timeout late in the half. What exactly were the referees watching when Jameer Nelson grabbed Kobe Bryant with 2 seconds left in the half, when Orlando had a foul to give? You expect indifferent work from Rodney Mott, but Danny Crawford is a real pro.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- After some pretty cold days in Memphis, Boston and New York, the Lakers landed in central Florida and felt the warm embrace of the sun. They looked pretty tired as they trudged from the practice court to their bus this afternoon, however. The Lakers meet the Orlando Magic, the team they defeated in the 2009 Finals, on Sunday afternoon. Orlando has had a struggle recently. The Magic have lost nine of 18 games, including eight in a row against teams above .500. Said Orlando's ever-quotable coach Stan Van Gundy: "If you just look at the results, the bottom line is we can't beat a good team. that's the bottom line." The Lakers are 38-16, by the way.

NEW YORK -- The Lakers won their fourth consecutive game to start their seven-game trip. After a day of practice in Orlando on Saturday, they finish with games Sunday against the Magic, Monday against the Charlotte Bobcats and Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in tonight's victory over New York, topping his career average of 30.4 points at Madison Square Garden. Bryant didn't play a minute in the fourth quarter as the Lakers won their eight in a row over the Knicks. They also are 2-0 while wearing their 1971-72 throwback uniforms.

NEW YORK -- Kobe Bryant seemed bound and determined to present Phil Jackson with a victory tonight in his last visit to Madison Square Garden as coach of the Lakers. Bryant scored 19 points in the first quarter before finishing the half with 23 points, eight rebounds and two assists. The New York Knicks had no response. The Lakers trailed early, but led by as many as 17 points in the final minutes before halftime. Two seasons ago, Bryant set a Garden record with 61 points in a Lakers victory. He seemed headed that direction again after making seven of his first nine shots.

BOSTON -- The Lakers were too big, too strong and too determined when it mattered most while defeating the Boston Celtics for their third straight victory to start their seven-game trip. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, including 20 in the second half. Pau Gasol scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 16 points and nine rebounds and Lamar Odom had 10 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds. The Lakers outrebounded the Celtics, 47-36, and had more points in the paint, 50-32. Ray Allen had 20 for Boston.

BOSTON -- Andrew Bynum showed in the first half tonight exactly why the Lakers should not trade him for Carmelo Anthony. He and Pau Gasol each scored 12 points to keep the Lakers from getting blown out by the Boston Celtics. Bynum made 4 of 6 shots and 4 of 5 free throws and also grabbed three rebounds. The Lakers outscored the Celtics, 28-16, in the paint. They also had 10 second-chance points to only two for Boston. So why were they trailing? They weren't as good as the Celtics on the perimeter. Ray Allen scored 12 of his 14 points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer that gave him an NBA-record 2,561. Reggie Miller, who held the previous mark,was courtside as a TNT commentator. Allen and Miller embraced during the break after the first quarter.

BOSTON -- The Lakers insisted after today's practice that the trade rumors about an Andrew Bynum-for-Carmelo Anthony deal would not be a distraction. But it already was one. After all, hardly anybody asked anything about the Lakers' game Thursday night against the hated Boston Celtics. The usual questions about matchups and rematches and all that stuff never got asked. Bynum said he considered it nothing more than a rumor. Anthony told the Denver Post pretty much the same thing. Kobe Bryant had the best zinger, saying, "I don't talk about unknowns. We might as well talk about UFOs, too."

BOSTON -- There are probably more than a dozen reasons why the Lakers won't deal Andrew Bynum to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony before the NBA's Feb. 24 deadline, but here are five good ones:

1. You can't coach size. Bynum is a 7-footer and when he's not recovering from a knee ailment, he's perhaps the most promising big man in the game today. He's got more offensive moves than Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, to whom he's frequently compared. His length when coupled with Pau Gasol's gives the Lakers a dominating duo in the paint. How many other teams have two 7-footers like the Lakers? None.

2. Despite what you might have read elsewhere, at the moment the Nuggets are just shopping Anthony around. They've got to do this to gauge the interest and field offers. You don't go buy the first car you test drive, do you? Or the first house you stroll through with the real estate agent, do you? The Nuggets are simply calling around to see what teams might offer. If they haven't called all 29 teams by now, shame on them.

3. Now is not the time for the Lakers to make a major roster shakeup. They have shown some signs of life in recent games. Even during their loss last week to the San Antonio Spurs, they played the grinding defensive style that helped them win the last two NBA championships. Against the Memphis Grizzlies the other night they clogged the paint with Bynum and Gasol and Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Co. forced turnovers. They've got a good thing going, and this season is not the time to mess with it.

4. What does Anthony bring to the table in what is Phil Jackson's final season as the Lakers' coach? He needs the ball in his hands to be successful. He needs shots. He needs a lot of shots. But isn't that Kobe Bryant's role with the Lakers? Personally, I'm always suspicious of duplication on NBA rosters. Years ago, I covered the Clippers when they had three or four of the same player at several positions. They didn't win because they were young and immature, but they also had too much duplication on the roster.

5. If you're the Nuggets' management, do you really want to deal your best player to your worst enemy? Trading Anthony to the Lakers could be the Nuggets' worst nightmare for years to come. Bryant has led the Lakers past the Nuggets twice in the last three seasons during the playoffs. Now imagine Anthony sticking it to his old team again and again and again during the postseason. The Nuggets know they shouldn't make the Lakers better and they won't trade Anthony to another team in the West.

BOSTON -- Our friends at ESPN have reported this morning that the Lakers and the Nuggets have talked about a trade that would send Carmelo Anthony to Los Angeles and Andrew Bynum to Denver. Will it happen? A team spokesman denied comment. But consider that general managers talk all the time, particularly in the days before the trade deadline. it makes sense for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that Anthony is one of the league's best players and Bynum's progress has been stunted by a string of knee injuries. It doesn't make sense for other reasons, including the fact that the Lakers would be giving away one of their two 7-footers. Their size is their biggest strength.

Anthony would have to agree to a contract extension of $65 million over three seasons in order for the trade to happen, according to ESPN. Of course, the same people reported recently that an Anthony to the New Jersey Nets deal was on the final lap and it ended up collapsing in a very public heap. Over the weekend, the network also reported a Denver-New York-Knicks-Minnesota Timberwolves swap was in the works.

The trade deadline is Feb. 24. Stay tuned.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kobe Bryant led six Lakers in double figures in tonight's victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 19 points. Pau Gasol added 17 points and nine rebounds. The Lakers mucked up the game pretty good in the fourth quarter, holding the Grizzlies to 16 points on 7-for-21 shooting. Sam Young had 22 points for Memphis.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Lakers looked like they might be in big trouble in the first half tonight, but they rallied from an early nine-point deficit and led by as many as seven. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol scored 10 points apiece and Andrew Bynum had nine. The key was keeping the Grizzlies from gaining momentum after they started quickly. The Lakers couldn't contain Sam Young, however. He had a team-leading 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The Lakers had five turnovers in the opening half, one more than they had for the entire game Saturday against the New Orleans Hornets.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Coach Phil Jackson made it clear tonight he likes the game of power forward Zach Randolph, who seems to have found a home with the Memphis Grizzlies after a number of NBA stops, including the Clippers. Jackson planted his tongue firmly in his cheek when asked why Randolph is so successful: "He's left-handed. The other side of the brain is working hard there. He's clever. He's got a great shooting touch. He's actually 6-foot-11, but because God chose not to give him a neck he only measures 6-9 or 6-8 1/2. So, with his long arms, he can get a lot of offensive rebounds."

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- This question always comes up from time to time: Why is Andrew Bynum on the bench for the end of the Lakers' games? The short answer is that Lakers coach Phil Jackson prefers Lamar Odom's experience and versatility to Bynum's size and relative inexperience during crunch time. Bynum grumbled about not finishing games a few years ago and Jackson snapped, "What does he know? He's just a kid." In time, Bynum probably will move into the coveted position of finishing games. That time is not now, however.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Lakers kicked off their seven-game trip with a solid victory tonight over the New Orleans Hornets. They committed only four turnovers, one shy of the franchise record. Pau Gasol scored 34 points on 13-for-17 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds and Kobe Bryant added 32 points on 10-for-22 shooting and nine rebounds. Andrew Bynum had 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting and seven rebounds. The Lakers shot 27 free throws to only four for New Orleans, one of the bigger gaps you'll ever see.

Here's TNT commentator Charles Barkley on Lakers center Andrew Bynum: "What's frustrating and disappointing for me is Andrew Bynum. You keep waiting for him to take that next step and we haven't even mentioned him (and) the All-Star team. You think about his potential and people talking about him becoming a great player. You have to wonder if he's as good as he's going to get. By this point, he should be an All-Star every year."

Manu Ginobilii missed a 3-pointer, then Tony Parker missed a runner, then Tim Duncan missed and it looked like the Lakers might hang on for a victory tonight over the San Antonio Spurs. But the Lakers failed to box out Antonio McDyess for the third time in the closing seconds and McDyess swatted Duncan's miss into the basket with 0.1 seconds to play for the winning basket. The loss dropped the Lakers to 7 1/2 games behind the league-leading Spurs with 32 games remaining in the regular season. It might not be enough time for the Lakers to catch up to the Spurs or as Andrew Bynum put it, "We needed to win this game. It sucks that we didn't." Now the Lakers hit the road for a seven-game trip, their longest of the season.

The Lakers looked like they were on their way to a healthy halftime lead tonight, moving to a 40-33 advantage over the San Antonio Spurs late in the second quarter. Then the Spurs surged, outscored the Lakers, 9-2, and pulled even by the halftime buzzer. The Lakers started the night 6 1/2 games behind the league-leading Spurs, so in many ways the game carried a little more weight than Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics. The Lakers have had the best record in the West the last three seasons, advancing to the Finals each time. Catching the Spurs and securing home-court advantage would be helpful if the Lakers hope to reach the Finals for the fourth straight season.

Pau Gasol was selected as a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star team today, the fourth time he's been selected. Gasol joins Kobe Bryant, who was the leader in voting by the fans and will start for the 13th consecutive game. Lamar Odom did not get selected, however. Gasol's stats were just a little bit better than Odom's. Gasol went into tonight's game against the Spurs averaging 18.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Odom was averaging 15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Ron Artest denied a story posted on ESPN.com today saying he wished to be traded from the Lakers. "No, definitely not," he said. "When you lose a lot of games, all the stories start coming out and all the turmoil starts coming out. That's all a part of being the back-to-back champions. ... I'm never frustrated. No matter what happens. ... I feel the same way every day. I feel good every day. We've got a chance to win multiple championships here, so whether it's a major story or a minor story, I'm not going to let it affect what we're trying to do here. ... Whatever happens, everything is all good."

Asked what he did when he heard about the story, he said, "I just wanted to get some breakfast and go to practice. I can't worry about it. We won (Tuesday over the Houston Rockets), but we didn't play great, so we've still got a job to do here. We've just got to try to work towards another (championship) banner."

Asked about his brother, Daniel, a frequent Tweeter, Artest said, "My brother, I love my bother. I spoke to him the other day. ... I said watch what you Tweet. My brother is more frustrated that me because I'm not playing well. I keep trying to tell him I've grown. I'm not worried about that anymore. My brother wants to see me play and average a bunch of points and everything like that. So, he's frustrated. It's kind of funny."

"I think he's trying to get his media thing, so you'll have to call him and interview him. ... He's, like, screaming for attention out there."

Asked about his poor play this season, Artest said, "It's not a problem. It's about winning. We don't have the best record in the NBA. It's the same thing as last year. I came off a great season. I came here and my first words were, 'I'm going to play a role.' So, you know, it's different. It's an adjustment. It's nothing that's not worth the challenge. The playoffs, I had games when I had no points, then I stepped up in the big games. Time will tell what this season is going to be made of. We're sticking together. We're moving forward. That's all that matters."

Asked about his play in the last few games, he said, "I'll let other people judge. I don't like to make excuses. I got hit in the first quarter against Boston. Paul (Pierce) had 30 and all the media started saying how I can't stop Paul Pierce. He's a great player, I guess. ... I've had a lot of good games against Paul. I've had good games. I think I've won the majority of the battle. I took a big hit. I never get hurt by anybody, but Shaq (O'Neal) accidentally kneed me in my thigh. I couldn't move and I'm still feeling the effects. ... Unfortunately, it happened in a big game on ABC on Sunday."

When told Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he would be surprised if he wished to be dealt, Artest said, "We've got a great team. Just because you're not comfortable doesn't mean you're not happy, you know? Obviously, when I was on other teams, I got a lot of touches. I'm playing with the greatest player (Kobe Bryant) in the history of the game. I'm playing with All-Stars. Hopefully, Lamar (Odom) is an All-Star. I don't have a problem with looking bad on the court for the benefit of the team."

Asked if he was happy in L.A., Artest said, "You've got to ask a better question than that. We're having a great time here. That's a horrible question. You've got ask something better than that."

Asked if it's been difficult to keep a positive outlook and fight some of the feelings he had when he was with Indiana, he said, "That transition has been made. It was a cakewalk. You all saw what I went through last year, with the bad games and the ups and downs in the playoffs and what happened? I rose above everybody. I started floating in the air while everybody started talking trash. I was floating and all you media guys was down here. I was floating like an angel above everybody. We rise above occasions. When an occasion rises above, and that's what we're going to do here."

Lamar Odom, during an interview with NBATV, had this to say when asked what being picked as an All-Star for the first time in his career would mean to him: "It would be an exclamation point on a long career. I love the game and it has done so much for me and my family. It's shown me so many things and taken me around the world. I've won NBA championships and a World Championship last summer. I've dedicated myself to the game and to be named an All-Star, it would be pretty sweet."

The All-Star reserves will be announced Thursday.

The key to effective defense is chatter, according to Lamar Odom. He said after tonight's overtime victory over the Houston Rockets that the Lakers aren't talking enough on defense, calling out picks and advising each other on the whereabouts of the opposition.

"If you pass a park in my neighborhood (in New York City) and you see the guys playing 3-on-3, all you hear is chatter," Odom said. "That's what they call it in baseball. We don't have any chatter right now and it's hurting us defensively. ...

"Yeah, communication, you know. Things are always better when you communicate. If you have a girlfriend, you know that. You know what I mean. We need to communicate with each other better. It just makes us stronger."

The Lakers needed a bounce-back game tonight against the Houston Rockets, and they were halfway to getting it. Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 16 points, replacing injured center Andrew Bynum (bone bruise, left knee). Kobe Bryant added 10 points, three rebounds and seven assists. Ron Artest and Derek Fisher scored nine points apiece. Kevin Martin had 12 points for the Rockets. The Lakers tried to end their two-game losing streak.

Andrew Bynum was ruled out of tonight's game because of a bone bruise in his right knee. You can expect Pau Gasol to shift to center from power forward to replace Bynum and for sixth man Lamar Odom to join the starting lineup to fill Gasol's spot. Bynum got hurt during Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics and did not practice Monday.