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Lakers, Gasol Have Yet To Discuss Extension

September 29th, 2013 at 7:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Lakers big man Pau Gasol has dealt with trade rumors for years and as he enters the final season of his contract, he’s no closer to getting an assurance of job security.  The Spaniard told reporters today that the Lakers have yet to approach him about a contract extension, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

“If the team is interested, they will approach me and at some point there will be some kind of meeting,” Gasol said. “But I’m not sure when or how. I think it’s going to depend on how I perform during the season. The better I perform, I’m sure the more interested they will be to try to sign me, I guess.“

Gasol averaged a career-low 13.7 PPG last year and his 46.6% rate from the floor was his worst of any season.  He didn’t fare much better on the boards, averaging 8.6 rebounds per game, his lowest average since 2007/08.

On the plus side, Gasol reports that his knees feel a whole lot better after undergoing treatment for tendonitis.  The veteran will earn $9.3MM in the final year of his contract.

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Lakers Notes: Bryant, Nash, D’Antoni, Gasol

September 28th, 2013 at 6:02pm CST by Spencer Lund

The health status of Kobe Bryant's Achilles' tendon has been the focal point this summer and that didn't change as the Lakers went through their annual media day this past Friday.

After getting off a transcontinental flight from a promotional trip to Dubai, Bryant told ESPN LA's Dave McMenamin, "I don't think we really have a particular timetable as far as where I should be right now, but I'm feeling good."

Here is more from the Lakers, including updates on  Steve Nash and Pau Gasol:

  • Bryant also told McMenamin, "Everybody was really concerned about this injury, and so was I, but the procedure and the therapy right afterwards and things like that really got me ahead of the curve." Bryant added, "so it feels like the hard part's over."
  • As to whether Bryant will play in the preseason or even make the opener on October 29th against the Clippers, head coach Mike D'Antoni wasn't sure. "I'm not expecting anything," D'Antoni told ESPN on Saturday. "I don't know. He's going to do everything he can to try to get back as soon as he can. No one knows. He's day to day."
  • D'Antoni will be under a lot of pressure this season in his first full year as the head coach. When asked by Los Angeles Daily News scribe Mark Medina whether he felt he was on the hot seat this season, he answered "Hopefully I can make it to practice this afternoon" (Twitter).
  • D'Antoni also told Medina, via Twitter, that in an attempt to keep Nash rested and healthy this season he's been debating between resting him on back-to-backs or limiting his minutes all together. 
  • McMenamin also found time to speak with Pau Gasol, who told him his knees will be fine despite being unable to participate in the start of Lakers' training camp next week. Pau is continuing to recover from procedures he underwent on both knees this offseason: "We're going to get into practices and get a feel of how the knees react and get into training slowly," Gasol said. 
  • The Lakers big man was cleared by Dr. Steve Yoon of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic this week to continue to "ramp up" his workouts. Gasol told McMenamin, "I haven't done really a lot of basketball stuff. I haven't done a lot of contact yet. So we'll see how it feels. But the goal is to be ready for opening night, and whichever way it takes to get there, that's what we're going to do."
  • D'Antoni told McMenamin, "Pau's probably the best offensive center in the league." The Lakers' coach added  that "[Pau is] the most talented big guy in the league. So, all of a sudden he's in his natural position where he'll feel good about it."
  • The Sporting News' Sean Deveney spoke with new Lakers center Chris Kaman about Bryant's health. “With a healthy Kobe, if everybody stays healthy, I think we have a great opportunity to make a run at the playoffs,” Kaman said. 
  • Kaman added, "Are we going to be one of the top three or four teams? I don’t know. The big thing—obviously everybody knows, everybody is talking about it, and they’re going to continue to keep talking about it until he comes back—everybody knows a big part is when Kobe returns. That’s a huge added bonus, and the quicker the better.”

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Western Notes: Aldridge, Kanter, Gallinari, Pau

September 26th, 2013 at 7:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge relays a portion of the transcript from a radio interview between Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and John Canzano of 750 AM The Game as it relates to trade rumors surrounding LaMarcus Aldridge. Wojnarowski believes that while the circumstances could change, he can't imagine Aldridge leaving Portland in the foreseeable future and adds that the team hasn't shopped him. He's also not sure if the market is currently presenting anything worth trading for and doesn't think Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is likely to deal the 6'11 big man for pennies on the dollar. Here are more miscellaneous notes out of the Western Conference tonight, including a handful of injury updates:   

  • Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW thinks that while the Mavericks could be okay this year, he's concerned about two to three years down the line when the team might not have any young stars to build around. 
  • In a piece for The Oregonian, Canzano says that he wants someone from the Trail Blazers to step up and guarantee a playoff berth. 
  • Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Jazz big man Enes Kanter has looked great in workouts, has had no issues with his shoulder, and participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages today for the first time since his injury (Twitter links). 
  • Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw wouldn't commit to any projected recovery timetable for injured forward Danilo Gallinari, saying that it isn't "anything that anyone can determine at this point" (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post). 
  • Mark Medina of InsideSocal passes along an injury update from Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who looks to be fully healthy heading into this season after a summer of much-need rest and rehab. 
  • In a piece for Sports Illustrated, Ben Golliver made note that Rockets guard James Harden believes that he is a top-10 player (hat tip to Comcast Sportsnet Houston): "For sure. Last year I got a chance to prove it, I kind of broke out of the shell a little bit. Even though it was my first year (as a starter), I've got a lot more to prove. I've always kind of been the underdog, always been looked over, so it's nothing new." 
  • Sean Meagher of OregonLive.com provides season previews for the Thunder and Jazz with help from Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune, respectively. 
  • Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com continued his list of reasons to be excited about training camp in New Orleans, listing a fresh start for Tyreke Evans at number five. 

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Kupchak On D’Antoni, Kobe, Nash, Lakers’ Future

August 15th, 2013 at 7:43pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak participated in a radio interview with ESPN's Colin Cowherd earlier today to discuss a few topics surrounding the franchise. He acknowledged that the transition from Mike Brown to Mike D'Antoni last season was "clumsy" and admitted that there was some feeling that Phil Jackson would coach the team during 2012-13 before eventually handing over the job to D'Antoni. We'll relay more of Kupchak's noteworthy comments, and you can read them below (credit goes to ESPN Los Angeles' Ramona Shelburne and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times): 

On the health of Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant: 

"Steve, to my understanding, is close to 100 percent, but he's not as young as he once was and Kobe's a big question mark. We're very optimistic, he's getting treatment every day, he's in the facility right now, but he hasn't been on a basketball court. Uncertainty going forward, I guess with our health status would be the biggest question mark."

Regarding any talks of a contract extension with Kobe: 

"There really (have) been no discussions beyond next year for obvious reasons…You have a player who is up in age and just had a devastating injury. Obviously, we created an environment with our team where were looking to have financial flexibility a year from now, so that plays into it."

On the possibility of Pau Gasol remaining a Laker beyond this season: 

"We're in a cycle…We're hopeful that within a year from now, we'll have enough flexibility. We're hopeful that Pau and Kobe can continue to play and we'll have options to rebuild the team."

Thoughts on the idea of tanking for a lottery pick in 2014: 

"The ping-pong lottery thing, even if you have the very worst team in the NBA, you're not guaranteed to get the first pick…I'm not sure getting into the lottery and ending up with 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 is going to give us a top one or two pick in the draft…We still may end up drafting 12, 13 or 14, which is not a great place to draft if you just look back on drafts in this league." 

More comments about the 2014 offseason:

"We'll have a lot of financial resources a year from now…I don't know if we'll get a star player to leave his home team to come here like (Dwight Howard) did to go to Houston. He took a huge financial hit just to do that…We have a pick next year, which is going to be a very good draft. We're very comfortable with the flexibility…It just doesn't mean you get free agents you can take players [via trade].  There are a lot of things you can do with cap room."

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Pacific Notes: Pau, Rambis, Suns

August 5th, 2013 at 6:02pm CST by Spencer Lund

Kurt Rambis, the recently hired assistant to Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, sat down with the Sporting News' Sean Deveney to talk about meshing with the new Lakers' staff despite many who consider him a part of the old guard under former head coach Phil Jackson. 

The differences stem from Jackson's slowed down Triangle offense, which Rambis used when he coached the Lakers and the Timberwolves, but which contrasts with D'Antoni's run and gun offensive style. Rambis tells Deveney the connection between him and Triangle is far from absolute, and he was probably overreacting when he said he was "shocked" at the assistant coaching offer.

Back in November Rambis had spoken out about the Lakers while doing analysis at ESPN, and the comments led to D'Antoni crossing him off his list for potential assistant coaching hires. But by mid-July, D'Antoni was already warming to the idea of bringing the former Lakers player and coach back to the bench.

Here's what else is happening around the Pacific Division, including more on the Lakers…

  • Pau Gasol will have a lot more opportunities with the ball in the low-block for the Lakers this coming season now that Dwight Howard has headed to the Rockets, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Steve Nash seconded the notion that the offense ran more smoothly when it was just he and Pau while Dwight missed time with an aggravated shoulder last year.
  • According to Eurobasket2013.org, Suns center Marcin Gortat has received permission from the Polish National Team to fly back to the United States to have his foot examined (hat tip: CBSSports.com's Zach Harper).
  • According a source, Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports that Dwayne Davis–the Warriors' summer league guard–elected to sign a one-year deal with Murcia of the Spainish ACB rather than accept various training camp offers he'd received from NBA teams. His deal with Murcia does not have an opt out clause, so he'll try to make an NBA roster again next summer.
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Pacific Notes: Redick, Clippers, Gasol, Kings

August 3rd, 2013 at 9:01am CST by Zachary Links

Antawn Jamison is one of the top names remaining on the free agent market and Doc Rivers hopes to steer him to Clipperland.  Tonight, the 37-year-old will meet the Clippers coach/president of basketball ops for dinner and the club hopes it will vault L.A. higher on his list than the Bobcats, Grizzlies, and Bulls.  Here's more out of the Pacific Division..

  • Agent Arn Tellem was five minutes from closing a deal for J.J. Redick with another team when Suns exec Lon Babby convinced Tellem that the three-team deal that sent Redick to the Clippers could work, reveals Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Coro's piece, running in the USA Today, contains plenty of detail on that swap, and portrays former GM Lance Blanks as a poor fit in the Phoenix front office.
  • Pau Gasol tells Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times that he doesn't hold a grudge against Mike D'Antoni for his decreased role on the team this past season, and hinted that he'd like to re-sign with the Lakers next summer. "I would love to play for the franchise that I love playing for, that I'm proud to be a part of," Gasol said. "It would be great to continue to play for the Lakers."
  • Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee has the latest on a group's effort to challenge Sacramento's plan to fund a new arena for the Kings.
  • The Kings hired one of their former players Friday as an assistant coach, bringing University of Central Arkansas head man Corliss Williamson aboard, the team announced.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Post Dwightmare Reactions: Shaq, Lakers, Howard

July 7th, 2013 at 10:36am CST by Spencer Lund

Dwight Howard's decision to spurn the extra $30MM the Lakers could offer in order to join the Rockets has led to some revelations around the rest of the league. With Dwight as the big free agency coup of the summer, he's turned into the first domino as other teams have made moves in the wake of his announcment. 

But the fall-out from Dwight's decision is just starting to expand in scope, and there have been reactions all over. Perhaps most notably, are the words from another former Lakers and Magic star, Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal has been critical of Dwight Howard in the past, but he was a bit more condescending when he called Dwight's decision the "safe move," while speaking to assembled media Saturday. But O'Neal's reaction to Dwight's decision wasn't the only fall-out from D-12's move to Texas. Here are more Dwight Howard links now that he's finally made up his mind on where he's going next year:

  • A year ago, Howard's camp warned the Rockets that he wouldn't re-sign with Houston if he were traded there. This summer, other Howard suitors tried to convince the big man that James Harden is a selfish teammate. Still, the Rockets persevered, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
  • Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy thinks Orlando got the better end of the deal when they dealt Howard in the blockbuster trade involving the Sixers, Nuggets and Lakers this past fall. Van Gundy spoke with Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson about how the Magic ended up on top after the initial response had them losing the deal badly.
  • There's video of Shaq talking about Howard and the decision, via NBA.com
  • ESPN.com columnist J.A. Adande writes about the flummoxing decision by Dwight to leave the Lakers and the extra money, especially when considering his stated motivation to win now.
  • The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen sat down with the best Rockets center since Hakeem Olajuwon to get Howard's side of the story about what brought him to Houston.
  • Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News offers a sobering insight for Lakers fans after Howard's decision: Kobe Bryant might have lost his last chance at title number six.
  • Finally, we have Mike Bresnahan at the Los Angeles Times on the sketchy Lakers future after Dwight's decision to leave. Their first decision appears to have been not to amnesty Pau Gasol before the last season of his contract.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Lakers To Keep Pau Gasol

July 6th, 2013 at 9:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Lakers got some difficult news last night as they learned that Dwight Howard will be taking his talents to Texas.  However, there might be a silver lining in it for Lakers veteran Pau Gasol.  With D12 out of the equation, there will be no talk or discussion about using the amnesty provision on the Spaniard anymore, a source with knowledge of the team's thinking told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

If Howard re-signed with the Lakers, Gasol, who will make $19.3MM in the final year of his deal, was an amnesty candidate as the Lakers want to ease their luxury tax burden.  However, no firm decision had been made, according to the source, as the team's preference was to look for ways to keep Gasol. 

Gasol will likely move back over from power forward to center and be featured in that role, as he was on the 2009 Lakers team that defeated Howard and the Magic in the Finals.  Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill, and rookie Ryan Kelly are all candidates to man the four in that scenario.

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Odds & Ends: Kings, Lee, Martin, Cavs, Bulls

July 1st, 2013 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyreke Evans is being courted by the Pelicans and Andre Iguodala is reportedly drawing interest from several teams, but the Kings are expected to make a pitch to both players today. Bryan May of News10 in Sacramento reports (via Twitter) that Sacramento brass is scheduled to meet with Evans and Iguodala in Los Angeles today.

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:

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Kobe Thinks Howard, Paul Stay Put

June 19th, 2013 at 7:28pm CST by Alex Lee

In an interview on 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant said he expects Dwight Howard to stay with the Lakers and Chris Paul to stay with the Clippers, writes Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times.  Bryant, citing the franchise's past success with centers, said the Lakers have to find a way to retain Howard, who Bryant fully expects to meet with other teams. 

From Bryant: "Those guys are hard to find, they don't grow on trees.  When you have someone like that with his talent level, you have to be able to keep him and lock him in with this franchise." 

Bryant called the Lakers the "perfect spot" for Howard, and said that he would have been a "fool" to leave L.A. in 2004 when he had a chance to become a free agent himself.  Despite the recent migration of superstars, Bryant, when asked about Howard and Paul, seemed to think that there wouldn't be a ton of movement this offseason: 

"There's always so much talk going on, especially with big-name guys going here, going there, but that happens once in a blue moon.  I think at the end of the day, everybody stays."

Meanwhile, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com gives his take on the four realistic summer options for the Lakers that revolve around Howard and his frontcourt mate Pau Gasol. 

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