This is the eleventh in a series grading the Lakers’ efforts on the 2012-13 season.

Player: Chris Duhon

How he performed: Averaged 2.9 points on 38.2 percent shooting and 2.9 assists through 17.8 minutes in 46 regular-season games; averaged 5.5 points on 36.4 percent shooting and 3.5 rebounds through 34 minutes in two playoff games

Verdict: Duhon was nothing more than a throw-in as part of the Lakers’ deal that brought them Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. But he suddenly was asked to do more. A slew of injuries to Steve Nash (fractured left leg) and Steve Blake (fractured left leg) thrust him into the starting lineup for nine games where Duhon averaged 6.9 points, 5.4 assists and a 42.1 percent mark from 3-point range. It also helped that Duhon thrived under Mike D’Antoni in New York, averaging a career-high 11.1 points on 42.1 percent shooting and 7.2 assists. But Blake’s return in late January and D’Antoni’s want for a tighter rotation pushed Duhon out of the lineup.

Grade: C. Duhon could hardly match the void Nash and Blake left with their respective injuries. But Duhon fulfilled his role always in a professional manner, regardless of whether he was on the court. It’s likely the Lakers will buy out his $3.5 million contract by June 30th.
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Kobe Bryant and an auction house that wants to sell memorabilia from his high school days and early pro career are heading for a trial in Camden, N.J., next month, unless they can work out a deal before then.

U.S. District Judge Renee Bumb set June 17 as a trial date, but also set a court-guided mediation session for Friday in a case that’s the manifestation of an ugly family dispute that all sides seem to want to resolve quickly.

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com

As a reminder of both the Lakers’ star power and the challenges the front office faces dealing with a bloated payroll, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol rank among Sports Illustrated’s list of the 50 highest-earning American athletes.

Kobe Bryant ranked fourth overall with $27.85 million in salary and $19 million in endorsements. Dwight Howard finished 31st with $19.5 million in salary and $2.4 million in endorsements. And Pau Gasol slid in at 37th with $19 million in salary and $2.1 million in endorsements.
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Don’t read this while you’re at the breakfast table. It might cause you to spit your cereal out or choke on a piece of toast.

Providing yet another reminder of the severity of his torn left Achilles’ tendon, Kobe Bryant tweeted out a graphic picture on Instagram receiving surgery on it exactly a month ago.

Bryant’s come a long way since then. He arrived at the Lakers’ practice facility Tuesday to receive treatment on his Achilles, an injury the Lakers believe will keep him sidelined for at least another five to seven months.

Former Lakers forward Mark Madsen, who was introduced Tuesday as the new D-Fenders coach, also spent time at the facility catching up with Bryant.

“His injury was a freak thing,” Madsen said. “The one thing I know about Kobe is if they say he’s going to get back in nine months, he’ll get back in six months. If they say it’s going to take five months, it’s going to take 2 ½ months. That’s the type of dedication and professionalism that Kobe approaches this game with. I’m excited for him to get healthy and excited for him to come back.”

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com

Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford plans to meet with Charlotte Bobcats officials next Monday and Tuesday regarding their vacant head-coaching position, according to a league source.

Clifford had interviewed Monday with the Milwaukee Bucks for their head-coaching spot, according to league sources. No offer was made and a follow-up interview wasn’t immediately scheduled. But Clifford could still be in the mix. According to one league source, Milwaukee also interviewed Nate McMillan and Houston Rockets assistants Kelvin Sampson and J.B. Bickerstaff.

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As he begins rehabbing from a procedure that reduced the tendonosis in both of his knees, Lakers forward Pau Gasol has immediately penciled himself out of the Spanish National team during the FIBA European Championship taking place Sept. 4-22 in Slovenia.

“My priority aim is to recover myself [of] next season [with the Lakers],” Gasol said on his personal website. in the next season and to be ready, if I’m asked to, for the next challenge with the national team, the World Cup of Spain 2014.”

The Lakers expect Gasol to stay sidelined at least for 11 more weeks before participating in basketball-related drills. He underwent the so-called “Fast Technique” procedure Thursday, involving a probe going into both of his knees to eliminate scar tissue without damaging the healthy tissue. Gasol missed 33 games due to various ailments, including knee tendinitis that sidelined him for eight contests in early December. Gasol, who’s slated to earn $19.3 million in the final year of his contract, averaged last season a career-low 13.7 points on 46.6 percent shooting and 8.6 rebounds.

Gasol led Spain to a silver medal after losing to Team USA in the final of both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. He also guided Spain to three gold medals (2006 FIBA World Cup, 2009 and 2011 FIBA European Championships), two silvers (2003 and 2007 European Championships) and one bronze (2001 European Championship). Gasol last sat out of competition with the Spanish national team in the 2010 FIBA World Championships where it finished in sixth place, opting for rest because of fatigue and injury concerns.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com

Before he’d gush about becoming the D-Fenders’ head coach, former Lakers reserve Mark Madsen had a score to settle.

Madsen fondly recalled first driving to the Lakers’ practice facility in 2000 in a Toyota minivan and sporting khakis, only for Shaquille O’Neal to rip his fashion choices and force him to go shopping. Apparently, the tables have turned after Madsen saw O’Neal recently on set as a TNT analyst.

“Shaquille, I saw that last suit you were wearing on TNT,” Madsen said Tuesday at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. “Let’s just say your wardrobe needs a fresh set of eyes. I’m happy to be that guy.”

Madsen sounded more than happy to earn his first head-coaching gig after spending two assistant coaching stints both at his alma mater Stanford (2012-13) and with the Development League’s Utah Flash (2009-10). But considering he became a fan favorite during the Lakers’ 2001 and 2002 championship runs partly because of his goofy dancing in team parades, it was inevitable plenty of the press conference would center on that facet.

Namely, would Madsen dance again if the D-Fenders win a championship?

“I’m not going to divulge what’s going to happen,” Madsen said with a smile. “That is the goal to win a championship with the D-Fenders. But if I see some media members out there dancing, it could motivate the coaching staff more.”

Or perhaps backup center Robert Sacre could convince him. It’s likely the Lakers will resign the second year center because of his cheap price tag. If he returns, Sacre would likely play in at least a few D-League stints. He became a fan favorite this season for his colorful celebrations on the bench.

“He’s at a nice level,” Madsen said. “I’ll have to text my contacts with Dancing at the Stars and send them along to Robert.”

RELATED:

Lakers report card: Jordan Hill’s injury derails a promising season

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Kobe Bryant’s parents say he lied about memorabilia

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com

This is the tenth in a series grading the Lakers’ efforts on the 2012-13 season.

Player: Jordan Hill, Lakers forward

How he performed: Averaged a career-high 6.7 points and career-high 5.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes through 29 regular-season games; Averaged 3.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in only 10.3 minutes per game through three playoff games

The Good:When Hill was actually on the court, he fulfilled the exact job description that made him a pleasant surprise in the Lakers’ 2011-12 season. Hill provided tons of energy on the boards and on defense. He became a critical piece in giving the Lakers’ frontline in Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol some rest. Hill even showed some signs he could expand his mid-range game.

But those good signs suddenly evaporated once Hill injured his left hip in the Lakers’ loss Jan. 6th against the Denver Nuggets, keeping him out for nearly the entire season. Hill conceded in his exit interview that it’s possible he will only recover to about 90-95 percent because of the seriousness of an injury that required surgery. But assuming he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think Hill can’t duplicate what he’s consistently provided in the past 1 1/2 seasons for the Lakers. After all, Hill initially convinced a skeptical Mike D’Antoni to convince him to play after siting out for three consecutive games in December.

The Bad:It’s impossible to tout Hill’s season as successful when he missed 53 regular-season games because of his injury. He returned for the Lakers’ Game 2, 3, and 4 losses in their first-round matchup against San Antonio. But Hill appeared in only limited minutes and remained a non-factor. Hill also hasn’t shown a consistent track record that he can become the mid-range player he’s aspiring to become.

Grade:B. Hill showed plenty of promise. But like everything surrounding the Lakers, injuries derailed his season.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com

This is the ninth in a series grading the Lakers’ efforts on the 2012-13 season.

Player: Jodie Meeks, Lakers guard

How he performed: Averaged 7.9 points on 38.7 percent shooting from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range in 21.3 minutes through 78 regular-season games; scored four points on 25 percent shooting in 20 minutes through one playoff game.

The Good:Even on a veteran team where shots are hard to come by, Jodie Meeks never showed any hesitation to shoot. That mindset had its consequences. But it also helped Meeks provide the service that he was supposed to provide when he signed a two-year, $3 million deal last offseason. That enabled him to score in double figures in 25 games. He shot above 50 percent from three-point range in 14 games. Even on off shooting nights, his mere presence significantly spaced the floor better, making it easier for Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol move more inside. It also helped that Meeks kept a positive attitude and showed hustle on defense.

The Bad: Meeks’ gun-slinging mentality hurt him more often than it helped him. He went through 25 games where he shot 25 percent or worse from the perimeter. Meeks’ fast-breaks usually ended in catastrophe. And he didn’t appear willing to temper his shot selection or his fast-break execution despite the results usually going against him. It didn’t help that Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni openly encouraged him to take such an approach.

It would’ve been possible for Meeks to diversify his shooting by finding opportunities on mid-range jumpers or looking more for Howard and Gasol inside. Even if he had done that, it wouldn’t have compromised his rhythm or confidence to shoot the ball. But that didn’t happen.

He also proved to be a non-factor in the playoffs, missing the last three games of the Lakers’ first-round sweep to San Antonio because of a partially torn ligament in his left ankle.

Grade:C. Meeks had the potential to be an X-factor every game. But he was too unreliable with his streaky shooting. The Lakers will likely bring Meeks back by exercising his $1.6 million team option. So it’s imperative that Meeks alters his shooting approach so he becomes more consistent.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com

Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford interviewed Monday with the Milwaukee Bucks for the vacant head-coaching position, according to a league source familiar with the discussions.

It wasn’t immediately clear if any offer was made or if Clifford will have a follow-up interview. But ever since the Bucks decided not to retain interim coach Jim Boylan, Milwaukee has also interviewed Nate McMillan and Houston Rockets assistants Kelvin Sampson and J.B. Bickerstaff, according to a league source.

Clifford also plans to interview soon with the Charlotte Bobcats for their head-coaching spot.
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