Gasol goes off

From The Associated Press story:

SIAULIAI, Lithuania — Lakers center Pau Gasol scored 29 points to help defending champion Spain beat Poland 83-78 on Wednesday in its opening match at the European Championship…. Gasol and his brother Marc, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, dominated inside for Spain. They grabbed a game-high seven rebounds apiece and Marc added 16 points. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 23 points for Spain, while Ricky Rubio, the guard signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves, missed all of his five field-goal attempts in 16 minutes of play, with two steals and two turnovers.

Artest: ‘I just can’t dance’

Ron Artest said recently on 710-AM that he turned down “Dancing with the Stars” because “I just can’t dance.” He also said, “They asked me, but I just didn’t feel comfortable wearing a leotard.” He also said he had hoped to act in “a couple of sitcoms” this summer, but he couldn’t get away because he had other commitments. In addition, he said he planned to go to England “for a couple of weeks,” keeping alive the idea that he will sign to play with the Chesire Jets. He has said he will play, but hasn’t signed a contract yet.

UPDATED: Artest agreed to be on the show, anyway.

Welcome back D-Fenders

You know ’em (kinda), you love ’em (vaguely), the D-Fenders (the Lakers’ developmental team) are back after a one-season hiatus. And just in time, too, since the big-league team (the Lakers) might not play a game this season because of the lockout. The D-League announced its schedule today, with the D-Fenders opening the season with a pair of road games against Dakota on Nov. 25-26 and two home games against Reno on Nov. 28 and 30. Home games will be played at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. Don’t have any ticket infomation as yet, but the D-Fenders web site promises more info next week.