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Western Notes: Kobe, Roy, T’Wolves, Hollins

November 6th, 2012 at 6:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Expectations are high in Denver as the new-look Nuggets stand as one of the most talented team in the Western Conference.  However, they've yet to notch their first win this season after losing to the Sixers, Magic, and Heat.  Tonight, Andre Iguodala & Co. look to secure their first W of the year as they take on the Pistons.  Here's more out of the West..

  • A report out of Turkey recently suggested that Kobe Bryant wants to play until he is 40, but Bryant's comments earlier today to reporters including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLA.com (via Twitter) imply that he didn't necessarily mean playing in the NBA.  "Playing till I’m 40 is not beyond the realm of possibility,” Bryant said with a smile. “There’s always YMCA games. There’s always pick-up games. So, I’ll probably be playing. As long as I’m living, I’ll probably be playing.”  In the past, Bryant has suggested that he won't play in the NBA when he can no longer perform at a high level.
  • Brandon Roy hasn't looked strong so far in his comeback attempt with the Timberwolves, opines Zach Harper of CBSSports.com.  Of course, Roy is only three games in to the 2012/13 campaign, but Harper wonders if his knee troubles could keep him from playing closer to his old form.
  • Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins says that he isn't going to change his approach even as he faces uncertainty in his walk year, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal.
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Lakers Notes: Howard, Kobe, Blake

October 27th, 2012 at 8:47pm CST by Sean Highkin

A roundup of the latest news around the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night:

  • Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports that Dwight Howard has been working hard this summer to improve his free-throw shooting.
  • Bresnahan also reports that Kobe Bryant may miss the Lakers' Oct. 30 season opener against Dallas with lingering foot pain.
  • Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that Mike Brown is sticking with Steve Blake as his backup point guard, citing Blake's familiarity with the offense as his reason.
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Lakers Notes: Kobe, Hill, Howard

October 25th, 2012 at 9:57pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Lakers star Kobe Bryant didn't make the trip to San Diego tonight for their pre-season finale against the Kings because of a sprained right foot, and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN Los Angeles points out that the 34-year-old guard might be out for the season opener as well. Here are a few more team-related links from tonight: 
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NBA Execs Looking Ahead To Post-Kobe Lakers

October 18th, 2012 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Lakers' payroll hovers around the $100MM mark this season and could potentially be even higher next year, the team doesn't have much long-term salary on its books. Kobe Bryant's contract ends in the summer of 2014, along with many of the other major Lakers deals. At the moment, Steve Nash is the only player the Lakers have under contract for 2014/15, at $9.7MM. Considering Kobe has talked about retiring after his current contract expires, opposing executives looking to the summer of '14 believe L.A. has big plans in store, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

"It's not a mistake that all those deals end the same year Kobe's does. They have probably been planning for their next phase for a while," one general manager told Windhorst. "The Busses and [Lakers GM] Mitch [Kupchak] are always thinking about the next big deal."

According to Windhorst, many executives around the NBA think LeBron James could be the Lakers' top target in 2014 if Bryant is really ready to retire. James is under contract through 2016, but has an opt-out clause that he's expected to exercise in 2014, even if he wants to remain with the Heat.

"LeBron is the best player in the league and he's making less than the max, so unless he's seriously hurt he's going to opt out in 2014, if only because I would assume he wants and deserves to get a true max," said one league executive. "Even if the Heat win the next two titles there's a feeling that LeBron is going to become a free agent in two years no matter what."

We're still nearly two years away from 2014's free agency period, so it's far too early to start seriously speculating about which players will land with which teams. However, as Windhorst writes, rival executives looking at long-term plans for their respective franchises are expecting the Lakers to be a significant threat in the summer of '14.

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Kobe Stresses No Set Timetable For Retirement

October 10th, 2012 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant suggested once again to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that he's not leaning toward continuing his NBA playing career once his contract expires in the summer of 2014. As expected, Lakers beat reporters followed up on the topic yesterday, with Kobe stressing to the media that none of his decisions are set in stone.

"Oh my God," Kobe said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. "You guys want to ask me a million questions about what I'm going to do three years from now. I don't even know in two minutes."

As Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes, Bryant noted that there's still plenty of basketball to be played between now and 2014. The 34-year-old said he still feels strong physically, but added that the "mentality of preparing year in and year out" was more taxing every offseason, and that he wasn't sure yet how he'd feel about it in '14. After speaking with the media, Kobe also took to Facebook to make a statement on the constant retirement rumors, redirecting focus to the coming season:

"As far as retirement, I'm not sure how many years I have left but know this: IF and When I announce my retirement, I will do so directly to you first. Let's focus on getting this season taken care of. It should be a fun one. I feel strong, light and quick. I can't wait till Oct 31."

Bryant is due to make about $27.85MM this season and about $30.45MM in 2013/14, the final year of his deal.

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Kobe Bryant Speaks On Retirement, Union

October 8th, 2012 at 8:02pm CST by Michael Pina

In a talk with CBSSports.com NBA reporter Ken Berger, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant reiterated a point he's made several times in the past: once his contract expires in 2013/14, he will retire from the NBA. For the 34-year-old Bryant, who averaged 38.5 minutes per game last season, the decision to project the end of his career is not solely based on physical health, but mental well-being. 

"It's about 'Do I want to do it? Do I have that hunger to continue to prepare at a high level?' ", he said. 

Later in the conversation, Bryant and Berger spoke briefly about the ongoing rift that exists inside the player's union between Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter. Bryant was clearly on the side of his former teammate.

"You can always hire new people to come in and manage the situation. But as players, if we don't stick together and rely on our unity, then we have nothing."

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Lakers Rumors: Howard, Bryant, Nash, Jackson

October 8th, 2012 at 11:07am CST by Chuck Myron

It's unclear exactly when Dwight Howard will make his debut in purple and gold. Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports the All-Star center has backed off earlier remarks that he was hopeful he would play in the preseason, and though Lakers coach Mike Brown in impressed with the way Howard looks in practice, there's still no timetable for his return from back surgery. Howard quipped with reporters who asked if he might sit out the regular season opener, saying, "You're not going to trick me into that one," Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. While we await word just when he'll be playing, there's other news surrounding Howard and his new teammates.

  • About the blockbuster trade that brought him to Los Angeles, Howard said, "This is one of the best things that has happened in my life," SB Nation's Mike Prada notes, via Twitter (hat tip to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel).
  • Howard had a relationship with Kobe Bryant long before the trade that brought the big man to L.A., as SI.com's Sam Amick writes. "What people don't know is that this is one of the guys who I've been talking to for about four years now," Howard said of Bryant. "And he has been an amazing help to me, just pushing me in ways — secretly because we played in the Eastern and Western Conference. But it's been him just talking to me, showing me how to do certain things with my team and things like that."
  • Steve Nash is forming a bond with Bryant as well, who says he's happy to let the former Sun manage the Lakers offense, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports. "He just makes the game easy," Bryant said. "It's a joy for me. I've had to facilitate and score my entire career. I don't have to do that now and I'm pretty happy about it." 
  • Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register takes a look at how Nash is already making his new teammates better.
  • Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson hinted that he'd like to return to the NBA in a front office capacity on ESPN Chicago's Waddle and Silvy radio show, saying that coaching would be too taxing on his 67-year-old body (transcription via Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews). 
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Odds & Ends: Kobe, Nets, Deron, Anderson

October 2nd, 2012 at 9:55pm CST by Zachary Links

After getting media day out of the way on Monday, the Lakers took to the floor for their first full open practice.  While they're not in full scrimmage mode yet, press in attendance did get to see the early stages of the Princeton Offense with one of the system's biggest proponents, assistant coach Eddie Jordan, overseeing everything.  The new scheme won't be the only big change this year as head coach Mike Brown says that he wants to cut down on Kobe Bryant's minutes in 2012/13, tweets Mike Trudell of NBA.com.  The 34-year-old was asked to play 38.5 minutes per game, but Brown says that the team's improved depth will allow him to give his star guard more rest.  More from around the Association..

  • Despite the frustrations of last season, Nets point guard Deron Williams is confident that the team will turn things around thanks to their offseason upgrades, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday.  Coach Avery Johnson added that Williams seems more focused now that the distraction of free agency is in his rear view mirror.
  • Former Wizards forward Andray Blatche is grateful for his new opportunity with the Nets, Boone writes.  "Last season with the Wizards, the whole situation that happened there was really a wake-up call to show me that the job of my life, the job I love doing, can be taken from me in an instant. So to see what happened to me, to see that I have another chance, I don't want that to happen again," Blatche said.  The Wizards amnestied the 26-year-old and absorbed the remaining $23MM owed to him earlier this year.
  • Hornets rookie Anthony Davis already sees the benefit of new arrival Ryan Anderson being on the roster, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune.  The sharpshooting forward has the ability to knock down shots from the outside and take attention away from the No. 1 overall pick on the inside.
  • The 76ers have hired former Nets scout Jordan Cohn as their new pro personnel scout, writes John Finger of CSNPhilly.com.  Cohn spent the previous eight seasons covering the NBA, D-League, and NCAA games in New Jersey.  The club is also set to hire an analytics guru in the near future, according to General Manager Tony DiLeo.
  • Celtics summer league standout Stephane Lasme has signed with Greek team Panathinaikos Athens, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com.
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Lakers Notes: Howard, Kobe, Douglas-Roberts

October 2nd, 2012 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

After the Lakers' biggest offseason in years, more than 300 media members attended the opening of the team's camp yesterday, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. With expectations high for the Lakers' new-look roster, there were plenty of highlights from media day to round up….

  • Dwight Howard is hoping to play on opening night, but isn't guaranteeing anything yet, as Spears writes. "It’s a goal, but I’m not rushing it," Howard said. "Everybody wants me to play on opening night. But we are not going to rush it."
  • Also within Spears' piece, Kobe Bryant said yesterday that he still expects to be the Lakers' leader, but that he's prepared to hand the team over to Howard within the next few years. "It’s my team," Bryant said. "But I want to make sure that Dwight knows that when I retire this is going to be his. I want to teach him everything I possibly know so this organization can ride as if I never left."
  • Bryant also told the media yesterday that he urged executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss to try to acquire Howard this summer if the possibility arose. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details and quotes.
  • Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside believes a stint with the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders could benefit Lakers camp invitee Chris Douglas-Roberts.
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Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Nets, Daniels

September 27th, 2012 at 10:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque
There's a chance that Minnesota could bring Hassan Whiteside into training camp, but Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 believes that it would have to be a non-guaranteed contract. Wolfson also covers a few more miscellaneous notes surrounding the Timberwolves, including the status of Nikola Pekovic, other players under consideration along with Louis Amundson, and that Chicago businessman Richard Chaifetz has been "kicking the tires" on the prospect of owning the team. Here's what else we've heard from around the league tonight:

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