Lakers in News July 5/July 6, 2012 Lakers will be fascinating to watch after breaking the bank for Steve Nash (Page 2)

LA_Lakers_Rule · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:21 am Post subject:

I don't think anyone should be complaining about a lack of commitment to the Kobe window after this.... The Lakers by giving up 4 picks in the next 3 years, 2 of them first rounders was far more than the Knicks were willing to give up.... AND it is very important to keep in mind that the 3 year 27M contract for Nash was made possible by the trade exception gained when the Lakers traded forward Lamar Odom so the Lakers FO is still clearly committed to winning.... Clearly the Buss family is more than willing to both shell out the money and focus on the present by giving up a bunch of picks in order to keep a title contender for the present time.... Fans should have more faith in this Lakers franchise commitment to winning NOW during the Kobe title window instead of the frequent complaining we would often hear about this in the past such as referring to the Laker franchise as "cheap" and unwilling to use the Odom trade exception.... Clearly these kinds of allegations certainly ring hollow now....
_________________
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TooMuchMajicBuss · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:55 am Post subject:

CP3 and Steve Nash in the space of 7 months. Keep in mind the Stern veto came out of nowhere and should not be held against Jim or Mitch. They still engineered both these trades. Considering the talks with Orlando it appears Drew isn't as untouchable to Jim as a lot of posters here believe either. OK the Brown decision looks for the moment like a mistake. Still, I'm starting to think Jim, Chaz, Mitch, and old Doc in the background are collectively worth some respect at this stage. Saying the right things in interviews with the press is one thing, but actions talk louder than words and I'm liking their trading style.

Oh, and I guess now we see there really WAS a Plan B for Odom. Just took a few months.

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

pure speculation but it's that time of year and I found this interesting.

Jakeness23's Blog

LA Lakers rumors
Posted on July 5, 2012 at 07:46 AM.
(0)
So with the signing of Steve Nash, I am still seeing rumors about the Lakers. Grant Hill is apparently a possibility and they are also meeting with Antawan Jamison this week. I also see 2 trade scenarios where LA trades Pau Gasol (and maybe someone else) to Atlanta for Josh Smith. I don't necessarily see Atlanta doing that, but it's out there. And then trading Bynum and MWP to Orlando for Dwight Howard and possibly Jason Richardson. That would make their lineup look like this:

PG- Steve nash
SG- Kobe Bryant
SF- Grant Hill
PF- Josh Smith
C - Dwight Howard

http://www.operationsports.com/Jakeness23/blog/19006-la-lakers-rumors/

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Lakers will be fascinating to watch after breaking the bank for Steve Nash

Here are some things we know about the Lakers after their blockbuster heist of Steve Nash:

• They will be fascinating to watch on offense. The Lakers have four mammoth stars, and regardless of who the fifth starter is and how awkwardly some parts might mesh, this should be a top-five offense from the minute it takes the floor. The Lakers were an inconsistent offensive team last season, but they took off after the Ramon Sessions deal (how’s that look now, by the way?) and finished a strong 10th overall in points per possession. A finish outside the top five next season would mean that either one of those four stars suffered a long-term injury or that the players and coaching staff suffered a near-complete failure in integrating the roster.

It will be a challenge, though, especially as the Lakers compete against the league’s very best teams. The Lakers now have two stars, Nash and Pau Gasol, whose default mode on offense is to move quickly — fast dribbling (Nash), smart cuts, passes a step ahead of the defense and shots that come on the move (Nash) or immediately upon receiving a pass (Gasol). Those are generalizations, of course; Gasol is a gifted post-up player who can play the back-it-down game if needed. But these guys play with pace and movement, even if one of them (Nash) has the ball most of the time.

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/07/05/steve-nash-lakers-suns-trade/

ReaListik · Star Player Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6574

Laker_Dynasty · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:49 am Post subject:

It's all making a lot more sense now:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nba-star-steve-nash-will-345580

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Steve Nash says trade to Lakers caught him by surprise

By Ben Bolch
July 5, 2012, 11:55 a.m.
Calling it “too good an opportunity to pass up,” Steve Nash talked about becoming the newest Laker, being recruited by Kobe Bryant and how his skill set might improve an already impressive core of players Thursday morning during a wide-ranging interview with Max Kellerman and Mychal Thompson on ESPN radio 710.

“Basketball-wise, it makes a lot of sense,” said Nash, who on Wednesday agreed to a three-year, $27-million deal with the Lakers as part of a trade in which they sent a bevvy of draft picks to the Phoenix Suns.

Nash acknowledged his surprise at the deal, which came about 10 days after the veteran point guard had said it would be hard for him to wear a Lakers uniform after having been a longtime rival of the franchise.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-steve-nash-radio-interview-20120705,0,3310158.story

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Steve Nash called Kobe before deal

Before two-time MVP Steve Nash agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers, he wanted to make sure the team's five-time champion was on board.

That meant a phone call with Kobe Bryant.

Scott Van Pelt

Phoenix Suns forward Josh Childress says it stings a little more to lose Steve Nash given that he went to the Lakers. Childress says Nash is a great guy and you have to respect him.

"For me, it was important to speak to him and make sure he was completely on board, and that he could kind of visualize this as being a good fit, and being excited about it. So I spoke to him," Nash told Max Kellerman and Mychal Thompson on 710 ESPN. "Kobe, he was great. He was excited, and explained to me how he thought it would help, and why he thought it would be great, and I think a lot of the reasons he had were ones I could already envision before speaking to him."

The Lakers and Suns agreed on a sign-and-trade sending Nash to Los Angeles, where he will be given a three-year deal worth an estimated $27 million. The Lakers, well over the salary and luxury tax levels, can absorb Nash into the trade exception created when they dealt Lamar Odom to Dallas last December.

Phoenix will receive four picks from the Lakers -- a pair of each in the first (2013, 2015) and second (2013, 2014) rounds.

Ultimately, Nash chose the Lakers both because they provide him the best opportunity to win a title of the teams interested in acquiring him, and because it allows him to stay in close proximity to Phoenix, where his three children live.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8132773/steve-nash-called-kobe-bryant-agreeing-sign-trade-deal-los-angeles-lakers

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Five things to take from Steve Nash acquisition by the Lakers

By Mark Medina
July 5, 2012, 9:24 a.m.
Despite all the limited assets he conceded the Lakers had, General Manager Mitch Kupchak still let out hope last week that the Lakers could hit a "home run."

The organization is accustomed to success after winning 16 NBA titles. The Lakers refused to concede that their championship window had closed with their core roster. And even if the Lakers admitted there's more emphasis to keep costs down to avoid the more punitive tax penalties stemming from the new labor deal, they still insisted that wouldn't be distracted from their goal of upgrading the roster.

All those elements came together Wednesday when the Lakers acquired elite point guard Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns through a sign-and-trade. Here are five reasons why the Lakers set off their own fireworks on the Fourth of July.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-la-five-things-to-take-from-the-lakers-acquiring-steve-nash-20120705,0,6318592.story

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Nash Lands With Lakers

J.A. Adande on the Lakers landing Steve Nash from Suns in sign-and-trade.

This is the week Kobe Bryant went from acknowledging his advancing age to accepting it. Yes, there is a difference. It's one thing to say and joke that you're old; it's another thing to let that fact dictate your actions. I can't imagine Bryant teaming up with Steve Nash as recently as, say, 2010. But that's what two more years and two early playoff exits will do. They create urgency, which creates unlikely alliances.

So now Kobe is down to playing with Nash. The same Steve Nash who walked away with the most valuable player award in 2006, the year Kobe averaged a career-high 35.4 points per game. The same Nash whose Phoenix Suns put Kobe's Lakers out of the playoffs in back-to-back years.

Kobe always held it against him. Even though there was turnover on those Suns teams from the front office to the roster down to the guy in the gorilla suit, as long as Nash wore that uniform, Kobe sought revenge against the Suns. Do you really think it's a coincidence that Kobe's two highest-scoring games since March 2009 both came against Phoenix?

"I won't let it go," Bryant vowed after dropping 48 on Phoenix Jan. 10.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/story/_/id/8131653/nba-kobe-bryant-steve-nash-rivals-no-more

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Projecting Lakers with Nash

Point guard makes L.A.'s and Kobe's numbers go up ... on paper
Updated: July 5, 2012, 2:30 PM ET
By Bradford Doolittle | Basketball Prospectus

In some ways, our notion about what a championship window looks like has changed over the past five seasons. The concept -- championship window -- became an oft-discussed idea back in the summer of 2007, when the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to form a powerful new core trio, albeit one that appeared to be long in the tooth. How big was Boston's title window? One year? Two? Five years later, we're still asking that question.

Between the Celtics hanging in contention, the San Antonio Spurs posting the best record in the league last season and the Mavericks winning the 2010-11 championship, it seems like once-great teams are having plenty of success by keeping aging cores intact. That's been true as well for the Los Angeles Lakers, the league's second-oldest team according to average age in 2011-12. Despite coaching changes and personnel hits, Kobe Bryant & Co. have won the fifth most games in the NBA over the past two years, and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals both times.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story?id=8132353&_slug_=nba-projecting-los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant-steve-nash&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fstory%3fid%3d8132353%26_slug_%3dnba-projecting-los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant-steve-nash

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Odds are, Lakers just became a better bet to win NBA title

Steve Nash gives the Lakers a better chance to win an NBA title next season, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images / July 5, 2012)

By Ben Bolch
July 5, 2012, 10:53 a.m.

The Lakers just got more popular in Southern California — and Las Vegas.

Getting Steve Nash can do that for a team.

The odds of the Lakers winning the 2012-13 NBA title improved in several sports books in the wake of their acquiring the two-time most valuable player from the Phoenix Suns.

RJ Bell of Pregame.com changed the Lakers’ championship odds from 12-1 pre-Nash to 8-1 with Nash agreeing to a three-year, $27-million deal. The only teams with better odds, according to Bell, are the defending champion Miami Heat (2-1), Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1) and Chicago Bulls (3-1).

The Las Vegas Hotel and Casino has also made the Lakers a better bet to win the title. The Lakers are now getting 8-1 odds as opposed to 12-1 before the Nash trade. Their odds to win the Western Conference title have improved from 11-2 to 7-2.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-lakers-odds20120705,0,40330.story

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Lakers Trade Rumors: Grant Hill, Antawn Jamison on L.A.'s Radar?

By WALKER LLEWELLYN: Subscribe to Walker's RSS feed
July 5, 2012 3:49 PM EDT
Franchises interested in reaching the NBA Finals realize the importance of having a wise, crafty leader on the floor. These veterans are not always necessarily the best players on the court, but the ones that come with invaluable experience from their lengthy careers. These types of players possess high basketball IQs and ooze confidence.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/360009/20120705/lakers-trade-rumors-hill-jamison.htm#.T_X7USqF-K4

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Decide on Trade for Pau Gasol?

July 05, 2012 03:21 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Lakers have been involved in NBA trade rumors since the team got eliminated from the 2012 playoffs. After trading to acquire Steve Nash though, the team may be done making moves this offseason

It appears that Los Angeles want to keep Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant together for a run at another NBA title. Bringing in Nash must have convinced the front office that Gasol was worth holding onto again, because the team is pulling back from negotiations.

At the beginning of the NBA offseason, it seemed like the surest bet was that Gasol wouldn't be playing for Los Angeles next year. Now it looks like the addition of Nash has steered the team in a new direction again. The team did give up a lot to get him though, so there won't be many new players coming to Los Angeles over the next few seasons.

http://sports.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981454337

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Report: Howard denies 'blackmail,' will only sign with one team

By Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY
Updated 3d 12h ago

CAPTIONBy Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
Never mind that July 1 was the first day for teams to pursue NBA free agents.

Forget that LeBron James captured his first NBA title with the Miami Heat.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dwight Howard wants a trade. And the flamboyant center's on-again, off-again requests are dominating NBA headlines.

It was reported Saturday night that Howard told new Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan that he wanted to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, a team trying to keep All-Star point guard Deron Williams in town.

On Sunday, Yahoo! Sports reported that the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets had interest in making a deal in an attempt to land Howard. The Magic were reportedly open to discussing proposals on packages for the All-Star center.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/07/report-lakers-rockets-going-after-dwight-howard-/1#.T_X9ICqF-K4

wolfpaclaker · Retired Number Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 58424

Thanks Ch*an awesome work.

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Lakers, Clippers rivalry stays interesting in wild offseason
Published 3 hours and 44 minutes ago

By Sean DeveneySporting News

Prior to December 2011, there was only one moment in the history of Southern California when there was even an inkling that the shabby operation run by Donald Sterling could take some of the shine off of the Lakers’ apple. Sterling has annually run the Clippers on a shoestring budget, assuming the shoes in question are, in fact, sandals. Still, in 2006, the Clippers were the talk of the Western Conference, finishing with 47 wins and getting to within one game of the conference finals. Across the Staples Center hallway, the Lakers were two games worse than the Clippers, and suffered the indignity of blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Suns in the postseason’s first round.

But within two years, the Clippers were back in their familiar neighborhood, where “227” isn’t an apartment building on a TV show, but a win percentage. The Clippers went 23-59 in 2007-08, while the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol and made it back in the Finals.

Then, before this past season, the Clippers traded for Chris Paul. Picking through the scraps of the Lakers’ failed attempt to acquire Paul from the Hornets, the Clippers grabbed Paul, giving budding star forward Blake Griffin a reliable veteran anchor. The Clippers would, again, steal some Laker spotlight—they finished just one game behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division last season, and probably would have won the division had Chauncey Billups not been injured. There was reason to think a real tussle was brewing in L.A.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-07-05/lakers-steve-nash-trade-kobe-bryant-clippers-chauncey-billups-jamal-crawford

Cha*n · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 7233

Steve Nash will attempt to convince Grant Hill to sign with the Lakers

The impact of the Steve Nash trade has been felt all over the league after the Los Angeles Lakers pulled the trigger on the sign-and-trade that has made the squad a force to be reckoned with in the backcourt.

As if Nash’s impact isn’t enough to make the Lakers legitimate title contenders moving forward, the two-time NBA MVP is recruiting former teammate Grant Hill to Los Angeles.

As reported Paul Coro of AzCentral.com via Twitter on July 5, Nash intends to recruit Hill to the Lakers:

Nash to ESPNLA 710 on luring free agent Grant Hill to L.A.: "I'll do anything I can, if the Lakers are open to that, to make it a reality."

There’s no question that the appeal of winning a championship will intrigue Hill to sign with the Lakers and may be enough to fend off other suitors already showing interest in the veteran forward like the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns.

http://www.examiner.com/article/steve-nash-will-attempt-to-convince-grant-hill-to-sigh-with-the-lakers