Laker Nation

Hope he can have speedy recovery for the begging of the 2008-2009 season… L.A. Times: The Lakers announced today that center Andrew Bynum will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee this week. The procedure is scheduled for Wednesday in New York and involves cleaning some rough spots and fraying on the underside of his kneecap. It will be performed [...]

Thanks to Ajay Virk for e-mailing us this article that he found on the net. Again, if you find an article that you think deserves to be on TLN, please e-mail it to us at Articles@theLakersNation.com. HOOPSWORLD: Informed NBA sources say the Chicago Bulls are down to two real candidates for their head coaching job, the first is Tyrone Corbin, [...]

Seems like Mamba is back just the way we want him… Healthy. Philly.com: Bryant said following Friday’s game that he was his “normal 100 percent.” So the back spasms that recently plagued him apparently won’t be an issue.

HOOPSWORLD: With so few teams having cap space, the most Calderon can expect is a mid-level offer, which is expected to be in the neighbourhood of $5.6 million US, doubling his stipend from last season. Sign-and-trade scenarios are possible and teams conceivably can clear space, factors that could lead to a more lucrative offer for Calderon. But the fact remains [...]

It’s close, but Ainge becomes the first member of Celtics to win the award. L.A. Times: Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak finished second in the vote for NBA executive of the year, a near-turnaround from an off-season in which he presided over a franchise that teetered on the edge. Boston General Manager Danny Ainge won the award, announced by the [...]

Sportaphile: Everyone knows Snoop Dogg is a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, he may not be attending as many games as Jack Nicholson but he reps the purple big time (in more ways than one). Snoop includes names of just about all of the Lakers in the song, complete with shout outs to the late Chick Hearn. There’s [...]

ESPN: Kobe Bryant said the back injury that sent him to the locker room, dropped him to his knees and had him wincing in pain throughout the Lakers’ loss to Utah in Game 4 won’t keep him out of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night. “I’ll play,” Bryant said. “I can’t imagine it being worse than what [...]

CBS2: Here’s why I’m not worried about the Lakers, even after watching them lose game three in Utah: –Kobe Bryant had a terrible first half, scoring six points on one of six shooting from the field. For the game, he was 0 of 6 from behind the three-point line. –Lamar Odom had a decent game (13 points and 12 rebounds), [...]

Good news or bad news? Whatever the case might be, they better be ready on Sunday! InsideSoCal.com: I came across a couple interesting stats today. According to Stats LLC, when the Lakers lead a playoff series 2-0, they are 35-1. The only time the Lakers have won the first two games of a series, then lost was 1968-69, when they [...]

Thanks to Carlos Batres for e-mailing us this article that he found on the net. Again, if you find an article that you think deserves to be on TLN, please e-mail it to us at Articles@theLakersNation.com. ESPN: The shot Derek Fisher made with .4 seconds remaining in a 2004 playoff game in San Antonio still resonates, drawing huge cheers when [...]

ESPN: Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum might undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his injured left knee if there is no significant improvement in the next three to four weeks. Lakers spokesman John Black said Bynum was examined Wednesday by Dr. Steven Gecha in Princeton, N.J. Black said the team was told there had been some improvement in the 20-year-old [...]

ESPN: Only with this team and this player could an outcome as predictable as Kobe Bryant’s receiving the Most Valuable Player award at a Laker playoff game be considered a surprise ending. It seemed inevitable once his career took off a decade ago and he was clearly on his way to becoming the best player in the NBA. Yet it [...]

What makes the Lakers guard so difficult off the court is precisely what makes him so great on the court. L.A. Times: I had to ask him. Kobe Bryant had just accepted the most meaningful, coveted most-valuable-player award of any sport, gripping it tight amid a hotel ballroom teeming with legends and love. But I had to ask him. Now [...]

A few years ago, way back when, the Lakers handed out gold shirts. This was the G7 of the WCF’s in 2000. It was known as the Lion’s Den. Well it looks like they will once again hand out gold shirts tomorrow night… L.A. Times: “I think we will be giving out gold T-shirts to the fans for Wednesday’s game,” [...]