December 2011 Archives

A sneak peak at tomorrow's notebook tonight ...

Lakers coach Mike Brown maintains a special fondness for the Denver Nuggets.

After all, they gave him his first job in the NBA.

Actually, his first job wasn't a job at all.

Brown served as an unpaid intern during the summer of 1992, before he finished his final course work at the University of San Diego. Then-Nuggets general manager Bernie Bickerstaff then hired him as the team's video coordinator.

"All I can remember is he offered me 15 grand," Brown said today. "In my head I was, like, 'Sucker, I got you fooled. All you had to do was offer me a couple pairs of sneakers and some sweat suits.' He paid me 15 grand and I thought I was rich."

Brown turned down the job initially in order to finish school. Bickerstaff held the position open for him until he completed his final semester Dec. 15, giving several assistant coaches the tasks of breaking down game film until Brown arrived.

Unlike today's video coordinators around the league, who don't work with tape anymore, Brown worked with two clunky decks. If he needed to make a tape of all the Nuggets' fastbreak baskets, he watched the game tape and put it together.

If he needed to make a tape of all their plays when throwing the ball inside to their big guys, he had to watch the whole tape over again and put together that tape. It was arduous, time-consuming and thankless work.

Patrick O'Keefe, the Lakers' video coordinator, works with a laptop and DVDs.

"It's so advanced now, I have no clue how it works," Brown said.

A sneak-peak at tomorrow's notebook ...

The only thing Kobe Bryant hates more than losing is talking about his many injuries, so after a mob of reporters descended upon him before the Lakers' faced the New York Knicks tonight at Staples Center, he asked for a little help from a team official.

"This is a long five minutes, isn't it?" he asked media relations czar John Black.

Bryant spoke for the first time about his offseason trip to Germany to have a relatively new procedure called Orthokine performed on his ailing right knee. It is similar to platelet-rich plasma therapy, an increasing popular blood procedure among athletes.

In Bryant's case, it helped ease the pain in his arthritic knee, restoring his explosiveness. Last season, he described his knee as "pretty much bone-on-bone," because of the loss of cartilage and the onset of arthritis.

"I'm 95 percent better," he said. "It has to make sense. You can't just try it to try it. It has to be something you come back with research and study. It's my job to know these things. You have people you pay to know these things.

"You sit them down and talk to them. You listen to their opinion."

Tomorrow's game story tonight ...

The Lakers finally got it right tonight.

No muss, no fuss, no reason to panic about a winless start to the season either.

The Lakers hammered the Utah Jazz 96-71 in front of a relieved sellout crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center. They looked coolly confident while playing for the third time in as many days to start the lockout-delayed and shortened 2011-12 season.

Order restored?

Crisis averted?

Well, that remains to be seen.

The Lakers did take a few determined strides in the right direction, however. They played their first cohesive game, their first complete game after disjointed efforts in losses Sunday to the Chicago Bulls and Monday to the Sacramento Kings.

Maybe back-to-back-to-back games helped them find their rhythm. They certainly filled in the gaps in their play while building a 29-point lead in the second half and improving to 20-4 all-time against the Jazz at Staples Center.

"I'm glad that's over," a smiling Kobe Bryant would later say of playing three games in three days to start the season. "There were a lot of positives. We were a lot more consistent (Tuesday) and we didn't have to think as much out there."

Late in the game, Bryant stuck out his tongue in a child-like celebration after swishing a 3-pointer over C.J. Miles that gave the Lakers an 86-62 lead with a little more than six minutes to play. It was clear they were having fun again.

Bryant scored 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added five assists in 30 minutes, 51 seconds. Pau Gasol had 22 points and nine rebounds in relief of suspended center Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace scored 14 points in a reserve role.

Paul Millsap scored 18 points for Utah, which shot only 32.2 percent (29 of 90). Josh Howard added 10 points, but he and Millsap were the only Jazz players to score in double figures as the Lakers held them to only 31 points in the first half.

"It's hard to hold a team to 71 points and 32 percent shooting, I don't care who you're playing," Mike Brown said after his first victory as the Lakers' coach. "It was exciting to see. ... It was a fun game for me to watch."

SACRAMENTO -- Lakers coach Mike Brown was a happy camper after they gave the Chicago Bulls fits with their defensive pressure in their season opener Sunday. He wasn't as pleased with their effort during tonight's 100-91 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

After all, the Kings shot holes in Brown's defensive scheme, making 9 of 18 from behind the 3-point arc (50 percent) and 35 of 75 overall (46.7 percent). The Kings broke down the Lakers' defense with drives and passes to the perimeter.

More often than not, the Kings had easy paths to the basket.

"We were trying to get stops," Brown said. "We were trying to limit the amounts of straight-line drives that they were able to do. We were able to do that for a while, and that got us back into the game."

In fact, the Lakers rallied from a 15-point deficit to cut the Kings' lead to 89-87 with 4:24 remaining, but then failed to box out at the free throw line and Sacramento was able to hold on for its first home victory over the Lakers in six games.

"Teams are going to get 3-point shots against us if we let them drive past us during the game and kick it out," Brown said. "We allowed them to get past us. When we would collapse on defense, they would kick the ball out to the open man for the 3.

"Anybody will be able to knock those shots down."

The Lakers-Bulls game Sunday drew a 6.5 overnight rating nationally, making it ABC's third-highest regular-season game behind the Lakers-Miami Heat game on Christmas Day in 2004 (7.9) and the Dec. 25 contest between the Lakers and Heat last year (7.3).

ESPN's game between the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors on Sunday had a 2.3 overnight rating. But the Clippers couldn't come close to the Lakers' rating in Los Angeles, drawing only a 3.4 rating compared to 12.1 for the Lakers.

What's more, the Lakers-Bulls game attracted a higher overnight rating that even the Boston Celtics-New York Knicks game Sunday on TNT, which produced a 3.4 rating to make it the fourth-highest regular-season game in cable history.

Tomorrow's notebook tonight ...

Kobe Bryant made it through Friday's practice without aggravating his injured right wrist, Andrew Bynum had his suspension lowered to four games from five and Lakers coach Mike Brown announced Devin Ebanks would start Sunday.

Some day, huh?

After two weeks of non-stop bad news and disappointment, the dark clouds that seemed to be hovering over the Lakers finally lifted as they went through the next-to-last practice of their lockout-shortened 16-day training camp.

Of course, they still have issues, starting with the torn ligament in Bryant's wrist, the fact that Bynum must sit out for four games and the notion that the inexperienced Ebanks is the best they could do at the small forward position.

The Lakers' starting lineup for the season opener Sunday against the Chicago Bulls will be Bryant and Derek Fisher at the guard spots, Ebanks and Josh McRoberts at the forward positions and Pau Gasol at center.

It's unclear how effective Bryant will be Sunday, after he injured his wrist in a fall midway through the third quarter of the Lakers' exhibition loss Monday to the Clippers. He didn't play in Wednesday's defeat to the Clippers.

"I'm just really ignoring it," he said.

The Lakers' athletic training staff will make a special brace to protect him.

"I didn't see anything different," Brown said of Bryant. "He's good to go. He's tough. He's a tough, tough, tough man. He did not sit out of anything. If he did (make adjustments), I didn't notice it. I don't think he did. ... He looked as good as ever."

Bynum will be eligible to return to the lineup for the Lakers' game Dec. 31 against the Denver Nuggets. He can't play Sunday against Chicago, Monday against Sacramento, Tuesday against the Utah Jazz and Thursday against New York.

"Hey, hey, way to go NBA, yes," Brown said when asked for his reaction.

Brown then gave a fist-pump in case anyone misunderstood his happiness.

"I am greedy," he added. "I would have taken zero, but four is better than five."

Bynum was suspended for clobbering J.J. Barea on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' embarrassing 36-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the decisive Game 4 of their second-round playoff series last May.

"The only reason it was reduced is because the season is shorter," Bynum said, referring to the fact that the lockout reduced the schedule from the standard 82 games to only 66 in 2011-12. "It makes sense."

The Lakers' Chicago-Sacramento-Utah slog to start the season is their only stretch of back-to-back-to-back games. However, it's only part of a grueling start to the season, when they play six games in the first eight days.

McRoberts, a newly signed free agent, will replace Bynum. Gasol will then shift from power forward to center and McRoberts will start in Gasol's spot. Gasol is adept at filling in for Bynum during his frequent absences because of injuries.

McRoberts' accession is something new, however.

Lamar Odom usually stepped into the starting power forward's role whenever Bynum was sidelined. Odom ceased to be an option after the Lakers dealt him to the rival Mavericks for a first-round draft pick and a trade exception earlier this month.

McRoberts signed Dec. 14 and has been playing catch-up ever since.

As for Ebanks' move to the starting lineup, Brown decided some time ago he wanted to have Metta World Peace on the bench to spark the second unit. The competition for the starting position was between Ebanks and Matt Barnes.

"Rebound, play defense, hit the open shots and run the floor," Ebanks said of his instructions from Brown for only his 21st NBA game.

Ratings bonanza

The Lakers' exhibition losses Monday and Wednesday to the Clippers were the two most-watched preseason games in NBA TV history, the network announced. The first game attracted 509,000 viewers and 556,000 watched the second.

Kobe Bryant said today he plans to play in the Lakers' regular-season opener Sunday against the Chicago Bulls despite suffering a torn ligament in his right wrist Monday. He did not participate in today's practice and wore a protective brace on his wrist.

"I should be fine," he said.

Bryant was hurt when he fell to the court after DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers blocked his shot on a drive to the basket midway through the third quarter of Monday's exhibition. Bryant continued to play in the game and practice for a while Tuesday.

"It just swelled up," he said. "It got real big. In the morning, it felt a little better and I tried practicing and I couldn't do much. It still got worse. That's why I knew we had something else going on. I'll just try to take care of it. It's always been in my nature to try to figure out a way to play.

"The injuries I've had I've been fortunate enough to be able to play through. I haven't had injuries where it could get worse. I've had tears of ligaments and they're just not there anymore, so it's not like it's going to get any worse. So, if you can play through the pain, if you can catch a basketball, you should be fine."

Bryant referred to pinky and forefinger injuries he has suffered in recent seasons.

Said coach Mike Brown: "You talk about a guy with a high tolerance for pain, it's Kobe. Nothing would surprise me at this point in terms of him playing or not playing. I've coached some tough guys. ... He's got to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest."

It's uncertain what the Lakers might do if Bryant can't play for an extended period. It's certainly possible they could take a run at free agent guard/forward Mickael Pietrus, whose contract the Phoenix Suns bought out this afternoon.

Tomorrow's notebook tonight. ...

The Lakers led the Clippers by 11 points in the second quarter of their exhibition game tonight at Staples Center, but lost it all in the third. The Clippers led the Lakers by 13 points in the fourth, but wouldn't let it all get away.

Blake Griffin scored 10 of his team-leading 30 points in the final period, leading the Clippers to a 108-103 victory over the Lakers in front of a boisterous sellout crowd of 19,060 in the final tuneup for both teams.

The regular season begins Sunday, with the Lakers playing host to the Chicago Bulls and the Clippers visiting Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors. After two exhibitions, it looked like the Clippers are a little more ready than the Lakers.

Mo Williams and Caron Butler added 16 points apiece for the Clippers, and DeAndre Jordan scored 14 points. Newly acquired guards Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul scored eight and seven. Paul also had 10 assists in a little less than 34 minutes.

Andrew Bynum scored 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds in 31 minutes for the Lakers. Pau Gasol had 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes and Metta World Peace scored 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

Kobe Bryant didn't play because of a torn wrist ligament. Derek Fisher did play after sitting out Monday's game and the Lakers' scrimmage Friday at USC because his conditioning was lacking. Fisher had seven points and eight assists in 24 minutes.

Kapono steps in

Lacking a legitimate 3-point threat for the better part of last season, the Lakers signed free agent Jason Kapono before training camp started. Lacking a true backup for Bryant, they turned to Kapono as a replacement tonight.
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"It's a good opportunity," Kapono said before the game.

It might have been the understatement of the night.

Bryant's value to the Lakers cannot be underestimated.

Kapono's value to them is still to be determined.

"I don't think about what it means to start or anything like that," Kapono said. "I'm just glad I'm here and have a chance to play and try to use my skill set and help this team win. My goal is to blend my talents in here."

Shooting from the perimeter is Kapono's best skill. After all, he begins the 2011-12 season with the sixth-highest shooting percentage from 3-point range in league history, a scalding 43.7 percent. He won the 3-point shooting contest in 2007 and '08.

Shannon Brown served as Bryant's backup the last two-plus seasons, but he signed with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent and the Lakers had to find a replacement. Brown made only 34.9 percent of his 3-pointers last season, so an upgrade was in order.

Kapono won't deliver the kind of highlight reel-caliber dunks that Brown did, but the Lakers aren't asking for a high-wire act. The Lakers want 3-pointers and baskets from the perimeter from him, and maybe some solid play while Bryant nurses his injury.

Kapono was scoreless in 12 minutes Wednesday.

Ebanks impresses

Coach Mike Brown gave second-year forward Devin Ebanks a start Wednesday while he continues his search for a starting small forward. Brown wants World Peace to move to the second unit in order to strengthen the bench.

Matt Barnes is likely to be the starter in the Lakers' regular-season opener Sunday against the Chicago Bulls, with World Peace and Ebanks serving as his backups. It's one spot in the starting lineup that could be in flux as the season progresses.

Ebanks had eight points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first quarter Wednesday, but then didn't score the rest of the way, playing 13 minutes total. Barnes started in the second half and scored three points in 11 minutes.

Lakers coach MIke Brown criticized Kobe Bryant's poor defensive play during Monday's exhibition loss to the Clippers. Bryant said today he had no problem with that, and would be upset if Brown didn't take him to task for trying to get by with a lackluster effort.

"They're the coaches," Bryant said. "We're here to be coached. I'm here to be coached just like everybody else, you know what I mean? It's important for everybody to understand that. If I make a mistake, it's the coach's job to correct that. You can't be sensitive or a baby. You're here to win. That's his job. I would upset if he was just letting me skate through things. You make mistakes, it's the coach's job to point that out. If he can't point that out to me, he has no chance of pointing it out to anybody else."

Bryant said he's been surprised by Brown, who hasn't lived up to his reputation.

"What I heard about him was he was a pushover, doesn't say what he's thinking," Bryant said. "I haven't seen that at all. He's been the complete opposite. He's been detail oriented. He's been up front and open and honest. He praises guys when they do well. He jumps on them when they're messing up right away. He does that me. He does that with Pau (Gasol). He does that with (Devin) Ebanks. There's no difference. I've been extremely, extremely surprised and very, very pleased about that."

The Lakers who lost tonight to Chris Paul and the Clippers by 114-95 looked a lot like the team that got bounced from the playoffs in the second round by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks last May. They were slow and didn't play adequate defense.

New coach Mike Brown noticed. "It was an ugly game for us," he said

Brown was especially upset about the Lakers' inability to cover the perimeter.

"Lack of focus and lack of effort," he said. "If we had more timeouts, I would have used them all. I wanted to call timeouts because of all the uncontested shots we gave up. We didn't do our job, which was to get better tonight. We took a step backwards."

Brown did not spare Kobe Bryant in his postgame critique.

"Kobe was just as guilty as everybody else in not contesting shots," Brown said.

The Lakers have agreed to terms on a one-season, $1.3-million contract with veteran big man Troy Murphy, according to a report on Yahoo Sports. The Lakers said they would have no signings to announce today, however.

Murphy would give the Lakers depth in their frontcourt in the wake of the departure of Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers look a little thin beyond Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, their 7-footers.

The Lakers did sign Josh McRoberts last week, and he might be the starting power forward while Gasol moves to center while Bynum serves a five-game suspension for the first five games of the season.

"He's a good player," Gasol said of Murphy. "He has a lot of range shooting the ball. He's experienced. I'm not sure how much playing time he'll get here or how much the coaching staff will use him. We definitely could use more depth. I think it's really important when you're trying to stay healthy throughout the year. If we can do that, it's going to be a huge plus for us."

Murphy, 31, averaged 3.1 points and 3.2 rebounds last season, playing 18 games for the New Jersey Nets and 18 games with the Boston Celtics. He has averaged 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds during his 10-year career.

Matt Barnes heard all the talk during the offseason, after the Lakers got booted from the playoffs in the second round by the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. He didn't like what was said one bit and he predicted things would change.

"You're going to see a different Lakers team," Barnes predicted after the Lakers played three 12-minute periods during a scrimmage today at USC. "There's going to be attention to detail after being embarrassed last year and talked about all summer.

"People said, 'This is a terrible team. They're horrible. They need to trade everybody.' Everyone has a chip on their shoulder. We're going to come out here and run through walls this year. No more soft Lakers this year."

Barnes scored 10 points in the scrimmage.

There was no winner or loser today since several players moved between the purple and gold teams. Barnes played with the starters in the first period, joining Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Steve Blake. Derek Fisher sat out to rest.

It was hardly a surprise, given that Metta World Peace didn't play with the starters in the scrimmages reporters were allowed to view, but Lakers coach Mike Brown made it official today. World Peace will move to the second unit when the season begins on Christmas Day. Matt Barnes probably will start at small forward, although Brown didn't rule out using Luke Walton or a third option he didn't name after today's workout.

World Peace had this to say, 'It's going to be good. I get a chance to come in and have more responsibility, which is good. It's going to make the other team off balance. Kobe, Pau and Bynum are going to be out and you're still going to have to double-team me. You can't leave me alone on the block by myself."

Brown approached and interrupted the scrum.

Brown: "If that second unit ain't rolling, who's fault is it going to be?"

World Peace: "Me."

Brown: "It's on you. We've had this discussion a couple of times. If the second unit ain't rolling, who am I going to come to first?"

World Peace: "Right here."

Brown: "We're going to get it straight."

We'll know more about Brown's rotation after Friday's exhibition at USC.

Josh McRoberts hustled through his first practice with the Lakers today after signing a two-season contract worth $6.2 million this morning. He answered the burning question right off the bat, saying he has no plans to replace Lamar Odom.

When Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday it created a void that McRoberts will be asked to fill. He might even start on Christmas Day because Lakers center Andrew Bynum will be suspended for the first of five games to start the season.

"That's not the way I'm looking at it," McRoberts said after his first practice after signing a two-season, $6.2-million contract. "I'm sure that's the natural thing for fans to look at. I understand that. But that's not what I'm going to try to do."

McRoberts and Odom are both 6-10, they're both left-handed and they're both very athletic players who can play multiple positions. There are plenty of differences, however, starting with their statistics last season.

McRoberts averaged modest totals of 7.4 points on 57.4 percent shooting and 5.3 rebounds over 22 minutes in 72 games last season with the Indiana Pacers. Odom averaged 14.4 points on 53 percent shoot and 8.7 rebounds in 32 minutes in 82 games.

Odom was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 2010-11.

"I don't think any of my teammates are expecting me to do that," McRoberts said.

Pau Gasol admitted it hasn't been easy to focus on basketball since the Lakers tried and failed to trade him Thursday in a multi-player three-team deal. But sounded determined to make the most of whatever happens to him, especially if he remains with the Lakers.

"It's a business of numbers," Gasol said today. "With a lot of financial decisions to make (under the new collective bargaining agreement), a lot of teams look at it that way. I don't know if it's the total approach here, but you have to keep it in mind."

Gasol said he believes GM Mitch Kupchak is still trying to make trades.

"I think there are still talks," he said. "Mitch said it clearly (Tuesday). The franchise is looking to make moves. One has been made and that just leads to another one, for something else to happen."

Gasol couldn't compare the days leading up to his trade to the Lakers from Memphis.

"It was confusing and unexpected at the time it happened, but in that particular situation I wanted out," he said. "I was ready to move on. I had been demanding or asking for a move for two years or a year and a half. It happened at the least expected time. ... So this is a little different."

Also, the Lakers signed free agents Gerald Green and Malcolm Thomas and are expected to add Josh McRoberts soon. McRoberts could be a valuable addition, especially if Derrick Caracter is out for an extended period after undergoing surgery on his left knee Wednesday. We'll know more about Caracter's recovery after surgery.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks because Odom asked to be dealt. Kupchak said he, team owner Jerry Buss and team executive Jim Buss "went back-and-forth about it," but agreed to grant Odom's wishes when Odom's agent called Saturday and asked that his client be sent elsewhere. Kupchak said he and the Buss family were in agreement to do the deal.

"To have waited two or three weeks would have just prolonged an environment with Lamar that ... would have sucked energy away from the team and we might not have had a better opportunity," Kupchak said of pulling the trigger so quickly.

"Lamar is probably more sensitive and more emotional than most people, in particular our players, and it's a plus more than it's a minus, but in this case he couldn't get over the fact that something like that could take place," Kupchak added.

"I spoke to him Thursday or Friday, and I was hoping things would change in a day or two. But I spoke to his representative, he called me on Saturday and said it's not going to change and he wanted to be traded and we worked together to find a spot that would give us the most flexibility going forward.

"There are a lot of teams in the NBA that would take a player like Lamar and you could probably do it in a day, but you would probably have to take back players and you might not like the players you're getting back and there might be long commitment's going out. ... That's not something we were interested in doing.

"All that does is handicap us going forward."

Kupchak said the Lakers can use the first-round draft pick and the $8.9 trade exception it got from Dallas to strengthen the team down the road. He also said he "expected" Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol to be here for the rest of the season, but didn't rule out making deals involving Bynum or Gasol. Bryant has a no-trade clause.

In addition, Kupchak said he didn't expect to use the amnesty clause to kick a bad contract to the curb by Friday's deadline. Candidates on the roster could have been Metta World Peace, Steve Blake or Luke Walton. All three will be on the roster.

The Lakers traded forward Lamar Odom and a second-round draft pick tonight to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-round pick and a $8.9 million trade exemption. "Lamar was a fine player for us in his seven years with the Lakers," general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. "In addition, he always conducted himself with class and professionalism and we wish him well in the remainder of his career."

After the Lakers tried and and failed to trade Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol for New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul on Friday, a team source said Odom was so upset he asked general manager Mitch Kupchak to trade him. Kupchak told Odom he would "think about it." Jeff Schwartz, Odom's agent, then phoned Kupchak on Saturday to say the versatile 6-foot-10 forward still wanted to be dealt. The team hasn't completed the proposed trade to the Dallas Mavericks, but the source indicated Kupchak was merely attempting to comply with the wishes of an unhappy player.

Kobe Bryant had his say about the Lakers' decision to trade Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-round draft pick late Saturday night:

"I don't like it. To be honest with you, I don't like it. I've known Lamar for a long time and for the team itself, he's meant a lot. From a team chemistry standpoint, he was great at bringing guys together and things of that nature. I trust that management knows what they're doing. I'll let them do their jobs. I won't get in the way of it.

"It's tough. You're talking about the Sixth Man of the Year last year. He played lights out. I don't understand the criticism of the reality shows and this and that. I don't get it. I don't understand that. He had his best season last year. It clearly wasn't a distraction. He played his ass off. I don't get where that comes from. Now, I'm getting pissed off. Especially (trading Odom) to them (Dallas). We were supposed to get them back. Do I think we got too little? Who did we get? I don't think Mark Cuban is protesting this trade.

"You've got to let Mitch (Kupchak) do his job (as the Lakers' general manager). Mitch has proven himself over the course of the years that he's been able to build a great team here. We all have to trust that he's going to do that. That being said, it's still hard to see one of my friends and one of our great players go somewhere, especially to that team seemingly for nothing. Now whether they have something else going on, that's on them. But it's tough. It's tough. I talked to (Odom) a little bit two nights ago. I haven't spoken to him since this latest news, but I will.

"It's tough to lose Lamar. Pau (Gasol) is still here and we're thankful for that. It's hard when you've been through so many battles to see them go someplace else. It's tough. It's tough. It's the nature of the business and we all understand that. At the same time it still hard."

Lakers forward Matt Barnes said today he has been in touch with Dwight Howard, his former teammate with the Orlando Magic. Barnes said he hasn't had to make a pitch to Howard in an attempt to persuade him to ask the Magic to trade him to the Lakers. Here's more:

"I have spoken to him. He has a tough decision to make. There's teams pulling at him every way. We just have real talks. He's got to do what's best for him and his family. Not necessarily pitches. He knows the opportunity he has here, the opportunity that awaits him. With that said, it's not about what we want, it's about what's best for him and his family."

The Lakers' attempts to acquire All-Star point guard Chris Paul of New Orleans in a three-team trade with the Hornets and Houston Rockets has collapsed, multiple outlets have reported tonight. ESPN.com is now reporting the Lakers will instead trade Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks into the trade exception created when Tyson Chandler was traded to the New York Knicks. Not sure what the Lakers get in return. Or whether it's part of a bigger deal with another team. Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

UPDATE: Unidentified team executive tells Yahoo Sports the Lakers will turn their attention on acquiring Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic, which makes sense.

Unidentified source tells the Los Angeles Times that the Odom deal was a straight salary dump, which is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Pau Gasol practiced with the Lakers today for the first time in training camp, but perhaps for the last time in his career. He acknowledge the awkwardness and also the uncertainty surrounding him, what with the proposed three-team trade re-submitted to the NBA. Gasol sat out Friday because of a strained right quadriceps.

Lamar Odom did not attend the practice in order to undergo his physical.

Question: What it's been like for you the last few days?
Gasol: "It's not been easy. Mentally and emotionally, it's a hard situation to deal with because the situation is out of your control. Even knowing that it's still hard. You come in and you're excited about a new challenge, a new season, a new coaching staff, pretty much the same teammates. Obviously, all these talks are on. It was very close to happening two days ago. They got stopped for some reason, but if the NBA hadn't stopped it I would be gone. I wouldn't be here.
"It's tough to keep your balance. At the same time I'm happy it hasn't happened because my heart is here, my mind is here. I want to be here. That's the reality. I heard it was back on the table again. Everything is possible again. So, I guess I have to be patient and whatever happens, hopefully, it'll happens quick, so I can adjust to the idea, to either idea, whether it's staying here and preparing myself for a very challenging season full of goals and exciting. Or a change in scenario, the whole thing.
"I haven't been able to reach Lamar. I'm sure it hasn't been easy at for him either. He has been here longer than I have. You try to make the city you play in your home, but it's hard to do it because once you get established and comfortable and settled, anything can happen. It's part of the business, as we know. It's always hard.

Q: What's it been like in practice with a new coach?
"I've always been a committed and respectful person, and I will continue to be. From what I know, I'm here and paying attention to every detail. I had a lot of fun today being able to practice with my guys. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to do it again tomorrow."

Q: In Houston, they kept Kevin Martin and Luis Scola out of practice today, what went into the decision for you to practice?
"Because I love to. This is what I love to do. I've been through so much here. We won two championships in 3 1/2 seasons. I was looking forward to winning another one, making another run. So, I love practicing with my teammates. It was hard for me to sit down with my quad and just watching and sitting. Today, I wanted to try it and I was able to go and practice without too much soreness."

Multiple reports indicate the Lakers' three-team deal with the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets that would send point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles is back on. It has been re-submitted to NBA commissioner David Stern, the de facto owner of the Hornets. The league bought the team from George Shinn last season and has been running it.

More details soon.

The Lakers announced today they have signed free agent 3-point specialist Jason Kapono and draft picks Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock. Kapono's deal is for one season at the veteran's minimum for a little more than $1 million. Kapono, a former UCLA standout, gives the Lakers the 3-point threat they have lacked in recent seasons.

UPDATED: The Lakers also signed Chris Daniels, a 7-foot center, Zach Andrews, a forward, and Elijah Millsap, a guard who is Paul's brother.

Daily News sports columnist Vincent Bonsignore wrote this breaking item on Lakers Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol out of El Segundo, where the team is practicing. We are posting it so you'll know the latest on the two players who are part of a rumored trade:

By Vincent Bonsignore, Daily News Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO -- Lamar Odom came to the Lakers training camp on Friday at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, met with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and left shortly after.

Pau Gasol also came to the practice facility but did get out on the floor, one day after he and Odom appeared destined to be part of a three-way trade that would have brought point guard Chris Paul to the Lakers.

Gasol would have been shipped to Houston, which would have sent Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a first-round draft pick, along with Odom, to New Orleans.

Within hours of the trade reportedly being agreed upon, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal Thursday.

In a statement released Friday, Stern said the "final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the commissioner's office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling.

The Lakers are suppoed to practice until 2 or 3 p.m., at which point the Lakers will be available to the media. Stay tuned as to whether Odom or Gasol have anything to say.

The NBA released the following statement today from commissioner David Stern on his reasons for vetoing the Lakers' trade for Chris Paul on Thursday:

"Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of the trade."

Here's what NBA commissioner David Stern said in an interview this morning with Bloomberg: "The decision was taken that Chris Paul in New Orleans was more valuable than the trade that was being discussed. I don't want to speak on the basketball side, but that particular one was weighed against Chris Paul's continued presence in New Orleans.''

So, he used his authority as the de facto owner of the Hornets to block the deal? Or was he acting as the commissioner? Furthermore, does he intend to block any and all trades for Paul in the future? If so, how does that make the franchise stronger if Paul ends up leaving as a free agent at the end of the season and the Hornets get nothing in return?

Here's a copy of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's email to NBA commissioner David Stern, first obtained by Yahoo Sports. It leaves little doubt that at least one owner asked Stern to veto the deal, contradicting the league's official statement that the trade was not blocked by owners but by the league office for "basketball reasons."

Commissioner,

It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed.

This trade should go to a vote of the 29 owners of the Hornets.

Over the next three seasons this deal would save the Lakers approximately $20 million in salaries and approximately $21 million in luxury taxes. That $21 million goes to non-taxpaying teams and to fund revenue sharing.

I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn't appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard. (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (at the time considered an extremely lopsided trade) they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol who may become a max-salary player).

I just don't see how we can allow this trade to happen.

I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do.

When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?

Please advise....

Dan G.

Multiple outlets are reporting now that the NBA, which owns the New Orleans Hornets, has pulled the plug on the proposed three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol from the Lakers to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom from the Lakers to the Hornets. The league has owned the team since George Shinn sold it last season, creating a sticky situation in which deals would have to be approved by the NBA.

Last season, now retired coach Lakers coach Phil Jackson predicted big problems when it came time for the Hornets to make a trade with Paul. Jackson accurately pointed out the possibility that the league would be criticized by unhappy suitors if Paul were to be dealt. Paul can become a free agent at season's end and the conventional wisdom suggests it would be smart for the Hornets to trade him rather than have him walk away without gaining anything in return.

"Wow," Paul tweeted within the last 15 minutes.

The Lakers will get Chris Paul, settling their point guard issues, but will lose Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets also will get Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and a first- and a second-round pick. The Lakers also could be getting big man Emeka Okafor from the Hornets, which would address the losses of the 7-foot Gasol and the 6-10 Odom.

The deal can't be finalized until the official end of the lockout Friday at 11 (PST).

It's a huge deal anyway you look at it, but particularly if the Lakers move ahead and attempt to acquire Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic for Andrew Bynum and perhaps another player or two. Howard would give the Lakers a dynamic presence that Bynum gave them on occasion, but not as consistently as the team would have liked.

This is the first time the Lakers have overhauled their roster after a playoff loss. They traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat after the Detroit Pistons defeated them in the 2004 NBA Finals. It took time, but a re-tooled roster led by Gasol, Bynum, Odom and Kobe Bryant reached the Finals three consecutive seasons and won two titles.

The Lakers could end up with point guard Chris Paul if a report on SI.com is accurate. The Lakers reportedly are engaged in talks with the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets. The Lakers could end up with Paul, the Rockets would get Pau Gasol and the Hornets would get Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and draft picks.

Jerry Buss, the Lakers' longtime owner, has been hospitalized because of blood clots in his legs likely caused by extensive traveling, a team spokesman said this evening. "He is doing well and is expected to be released in the next day or two," said John Black, the Lakers' vice president of public relations. Black declined to say where the 77-year-old Buss was hospitalized or his course of treatment, but Black did not believe Buss had suffered from blood clots in the past. Buss has owned the Lakers since 1979, winning 10 NBA titles.

Since they can't even agree on a handshake deal until Friday, it would be premature to say the Lakers will sign free agent 3-point specialist Jason Kapono. Friday also is the first day free agents can sign contracts, but it's a pretty safe bet that Kapono will be signed and on the court by the time the first of two practices begins that day. Kapono's addition would give the Lakers a bona fide 3-point threat, something they lacked after they dealt Sasha Vujacic to the New Jersey Nets for Joe Smith last December. It also will be interesting to learn how new coach Mike Brown plans to use Kapono in his offense.

Also, the Lakers' appeal of Andrew Bynum's five-game suspension for thumping J.J. Barea of the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the playoffs was turned down by the NBA. Bynum also can appeal directly to the league himself, but it's unlikely it will grant his appeal after denying the Lakers'. So, expect him to sit out the Lakers' first five games of the 2011-12 season, starting with the Christmas tilt against the Bulls.

Pau Gasol stopped by the Lakers' practice facility today and talked with reporters about the flurry of trade rumors, including some involving him and fellow 7-footer Andrew Bynum. He also spoke about the difficulty of rebounding from a poor performance in the Lakers' second-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks last May. And he said he hasn't said he hasn't seen any details on the new collective bargaining agreement, but expects the players to vote in favor of it and for camps to open Friday as scheduled.

Of the rumors of a breakup of the Lakers' roster and the possibility he could be traded, he said: "There's a lot of speculation, a lot of rumors going around. It creates attraction. It's good for the fans to have this kind of attention, good for the NBA, too. So, as long as nothing happens and we have the guys we have and we're completely fine with that, we'll go to work with the team we have. Well, you can't control that. You can't really avoid it, so you're going to hear your name every now and then here and there. Again, I guess after the way the season ended last year, it's kind of expected. It happened also at the end of the season. I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor and playing hard and playing my best. After that, I'm sure my name won't be brought up again."

Of learning from the Lakers' early playoff exit, he said: "It was a rough time because things weren't clicking in different ways, so you take it and analyze all that and you analyze what happened during, before and after and you take your conclusions and you try to learn from all that. So, you're ready for all that. You, hopefully, can improve your individual level."

Of the new CBA, he said: "The uncertainty of the lockout, that was kind of uncomfortable and discouraging at times. It seems like it's finally going to get to an agreement and everyone's going to get back to work and do their usual thing. That's positive. I still haven't seen the proposal. I don't know what's on it. We're supposed to get that today and tomorrow is supposed to be the voting. Everybody takes it for granted that everything is cool and we move forward, which is what everybody wants. It's funny how there's nothing specific about it. (Any chance it doesn't pass?) I don't think so. I think everybody is ready to move on and accept, not just anything, but what's on the table."

Leon Powe, Rashad McCants and Marcus Banks worked out at the Lakers' practice facility today, according to my spies. Not sure if any of them will end up signing with the team Friday, but Powe is an interesting character who could add some brawn up front. McCants might be an option, too. Derek Fisher, Devin Ebanks and unsigned rookie Darius Morris also worked out today, according to a Lakers spokeswoman. None of them talked to reporters. Chances are better for interviews Wednesday or Thursday. Or so I've been told.

ESPN.com, using unnamed sources, reported late Monday that the Lakers are willing to trade anyone on their roster except Kobe Bryant in order to get Dwight Howard away from the Orlando Magic and/or Chris Paul away from the New Orleans Hornets. Question isn't whether it can be done. Anything is possible. Question is would it be wise to break up a team that failed in its bid last spring to win a third consecutive NBA championship? Does it make sense for GM Mitch Kupchak to tear up the roster and start over? Does anybody remember what kind of magic Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom produced during back-to-back championship runs? Is Howard really superior to Bynum?

Personally, I'd like to see Paul in a Lakers uniform because I think their biggest weakness is at point guard. Derek Fisher and Steve Blake didn't impress last season, showing their age. Paul's addition would address a need. Trading for Howard would address a want.

Here's what new Lakers coach Mike Brown said the other day when asked about his plans this season for Kobe Bryant:

"We have play-calls for him that will put him right off the post. I have different areas of the floor that are named, and the area we feel he likes not necessarily on the post but in what we like to call the Karl Malone area. It's a few feet off the post. We have sets. We have automatic stuff that will get him to that area. We know he likes the ball (just off) the elbow. We have sets and automatic stuff that will get him to the elbow. Some of the stuff we have will get him in that area will give him a choice. ...

"We'll also use him in some pick-and-roll. Whenever we've coached against him, you pretty much have to double-team him because he's a very effective pull-up jump shooter. When I see that, anytime anybody gets double-teamed, if the floor is spaced correctly, if you move the ball, you can make teams pay when they commit two guys to the ball. We'll put him in some pick-and-roll situations some to facilitate for other guys."

Brown won't be running the triangle offense, but it's also likely the Lakers won't play the same sort of scheme he used when he coached LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers since he has far more options with his new team than with his old one.

The Lakers' general manager and their new coach conducted their first mass visit with reporters since the lockout began July 1. Kupchak was a little vague about what his plans are to bolster the roster, but that was to be expected since that's his normal method of operation. He acknowledged the backcourt's lack of depth and youth was a concern as was the need for backup big men if Joe Smith and Theo Ratliff move on as expected. Kupchak said because the Lakers' payroll is already so high, it was unlikely he could do much beyond signing a free agent to the new mini mid-level exception of about $9 million over three seasons. He wouldn't touch a question whether the Lakers would entertain a trade for Orlando's Dwight Howard. "That would be tampering," he said.

Brown said because training camp is going to be shorter, he might have to present his offensive and defensive schemes in measured doses and there might not be enough time to fit it all in before the regular-season opener Christmas Day against the Chicago Bulls. The team will play exhibitions on Dec. 19 and 21 against the Clippers at Staples Center. The rest of the regular-season schedule will be announced Tuesday. Brown was a little vague on how he might best use Kobe Bryant his season, and he declined to commit to naming Derek Fisher as his starting point guard.

How's that for burying the lead?

The Lakers' general manager and their new coach will talk with reporters this morning at 11:30. The first question I have for either or both is: Are they satisfied with the roster as it stands today? The second is: Where does it need improvement? The third is: Can they sign a quality free agent given that their options are limited by the new collective bargaining agreement to the new mini mid-level exception of about $9 million over three years?

Check back here later and/or at twitter: @ElliottTeaford. I'll have the answers.