Laker Nation

O.C. Register: The Olympics is the world’s biggest stage for athletes. It also can be for politics as well. Yet several members of Team USA said they will try to keep the two separate when they arrive in Beijing, where China’s policy on human rights is expected to play a prominent role. “We’re coming to play basketball,” LeBron James said. [...]

“I’m sad about it. I wish we could have kept him,” Bryant said. “I love him as a person. I love him as a basketball player and I hate to see him leave. I just wish him all the best.

Looks like we might dealing with Artest to Lakers news ‘maybe ’til February. Awesome! Sound-off. ESPN: The Ron Artest to the Lakers talk is more media- and fan-driven than it is Lakers-driven. A source close to the situation told me, “L.A. hasn’t decided that it needs to go out and get Ron. It’s not really committed to making a Ron [...]

Sign-and-trade, eh? What are you willing to give up for a chance to see Deng in Purple & Gold? Sound-off! HOOPSWORLD: Reports yesterday suggested that Chicago Bulls’ forward Luol Deng and his agent were ready to issue an “ultimatum” to the Bulls, basically saying if Luol did not have a deal done by September 1st, that he would back away [...]

Three weeks? Not too shabby… O.C. Register: Bryant said he doesn’t know the extent of his finger injury, whether he has a torn ligament, and he won’t until the Olympics are finished. He said Monday that recovery time following surgery would take about three weeks.

HOOPSWORLD: If imitation truly is the highest form of flattery, then Lakers Basketball Consultant Tex Winter certainly must be the subject of much blandiloquence. As the innovator of basketball’s Triangle Offense, Winter has changed the way thousands of coaches see the game as they utilize his system for their own success. “I’m pleased to see the Triangle have the impact [...]

L.A. Times: Sasha Vujacic, the reserve guard nicknamed “The Machine” because of his proclivity for cranking up shots, is, like Ronny Turiaf, a restricted free agent. Vujacic has yet to come back to the Lakers with an offer sheet and, in recent days, General Manager Mitch Kupchak has been negotiating with Rob Pelinka, Vujacic’s agent, about a new contract. “I’m [...]

O.C. Register: Kobe Bryant has won games and NBA titles and fans along the way. He has a lucrative contract, money-spinning endorsements and moves envied by players around the world. Now Bryant is going after the one thing he doesn’t own, something that could earn him, and the other 11 members of the U.S. National basketball team, the respect it [...]

The Voice of the Nation Podcast with Andrew Rafner (varsityoptimism) and David Brickley (DBricks) will guide you through the capillaries and ventricles of the Lakers Nation. Andrew checks in from Dallas, TX to chat with David about the loss of Ronny, the burning Bill Artest question and Summer League fun! Playlist - Camera Obscura – If Looks Could Kill Electric [...]

Should the Lakers sign-off on $5 million per? Sound-off! Press Enterprise: With the Turiaf situation behind them, Kupchak said the Lakers will turn their attention to negotiating with restricted free agent Sasha Vujacic. Vujacic recently changed agents, from Bill Duffy to Rob Pelinka, and “that slowed things down for obvious reasons,” Kupchak said. “I’ve been talking to his representatives a [...]

Two weeks ago we posted an article that Bynum was cleared, and all was well in Lakers Nation. Six days later, Mitch came back to the spotlight and said, “I’m saying he (Bynum) has not been cleared.” Well today, that changes… L.A. Times: Bynum was cleared by his therapist Friday to expand his rehabilitation program to include light work on [...]

HOOPSWORLD: As Amick suggests, the Lakers might need to “engage a third team in the deal.” While multi-team trades are extremely rare, the Lakers would need to get a lot more than the unpredictable Artest if they’re to give up Odom. One player who the Lakers sought out when the Chicago Bulls had called for Kobe Bryant last summer was [...]

L.A. Times: Like other NBA players, Jordan Farmar will head overseas this summer, only with a different mission — to facilitate peace in the Middle East. The Lakers’ guard, who is Jewish, will travel to Israel to run basketball camps for Israeli and Palestinian children in association with the Peres Peace Center. The goal of the camps, which take place [...]

The people over at Nike Basketball got in contact with the Lakers Nation since their reaching out to the blogs and sites frequented by fans of Nike Basketball. So if you have “mad-skillz” with the mic be sure to sign-up! Oh, and don’t forget to name-drop the Lakers Nation in your rhyme. Our good friend Evan Mack submitted this to [...]