Los Angeles Lakers

Luke Walton Hopes To Play Next Month | Wed 10 Mar

The pain in Luke Walton’s back is easing up, he said, and for the first time he’s set an ETA for his return. “Maybe by the beginning of April,” he said, noting his back pains are lessening as he increases his work. “I’ve gotta’ start amping up the work,” he said.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant Calls Raptors’ Win “Garbage” | Wed 10 Mar

Even though Los Angeles will spend Tuesday night resting in the win column for the first time in a week, they don’t feel like winners. “I’m throwing this [expletive] in the garbage,” Bryant said. “Our defense in Orlando was much better.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Bryant: Team Is “Upset”, “A Little Edgy” | Tue 9 Mar

Kobe Bryant described the Lakers as “upset” and “a little edgy.” Asked if he was feeling better a day after stomach issues forced him to miss the team bus to Amway Arena in Orlando, Bryant said, “I’m getting a stomach virus now with all these questions.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant Gives Lakers An ‘A’ For Effort | Mon 8 Mar

Kobe Bryant said the Lakers’ effort and intensity were vastly improved after their losses to the Heat and the Bobcats. “If we play with this type of effort, it will be hard for a team to beat us four times in a (playoff) series,” he said. “Here, we competed.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol Says Bryant Took Too Many Shots | Mon 8 Mar

Pau Gasol believes the Lakers have been thrown out of sync because Kobe Bryant again has become too dominant in the offense. “We need to find some balance with our interior game, develop it a little more, moving the ball and changing sides,” Gasol said.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant Talked To His Teammates | Sun 7 Mar

Did Kobe Bryant talk to his teammates, as he pledged to do in the wake of an embarrassing loss Friday? “A little bit,” Bryant said. How was it perceived? “I don’t give a …” Was he kind? “Always.” (Said with sarcasm.) What was your message? “That’s for my teammates.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol Feeling Low As Lakers Lose Again | Sat 6 Mar

As good as it has been for Pau Gasol as a Laker, this is as bad as it has ever gotten. “I would say so,” Gasol said Friday night. “We’ve been pretty inconsistent overall on the road this year. That has been a fact,” Gasol said. “We’re staying that way.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Brown Likely To Opt Out Of His Contract? | Fri 5 Mar

Shannon Brown and his representative wouldn’t talk about his future plans. But both Brown, his agent Mark Bartelstein and the Lakers know that it would be wise for Brown to opt out and get another deal before this contract is up after the 2011 season.

Los Angeles Lakers

Ron Artest Is Warning Everybody: Beware | Fri 5 Mar

“I’m feeling really good; I feel really, really positive,” Ron Artest said. He suggested that if he could hang this well with Wade, imagine what he will do as the season moves on against anyone “who is not as quick.” “Beware,” he said. “To everybody, beware.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Ron Artest Wants To Show A New Person | Wed 3 Mar

“I sensed that everyone was making so many trades, and we didn’t make any trades [this season],” said Ron Artest. “So, I wanted to make sure I was a whole new person after the trade. Kind of like a new trade. [Getting] Ron Artest twice, hell of a deal.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Are Lakers Interested In Michael Finley? | Tue 2 Mar

Michael Finley is a free agent yet again, and the short list for his next destination reads as follows: Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Cavs, Celtics and Jazz. Finley was a surprise buyout recipient when he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

Los Angeles Lakers

Vujacic Back Next Week, Walton In Playoffs | Tue 2 Mar

Luke Walton’s back is better, he said Monday, after some vigorous work on the step machine. I’ve had plenty of injuries but never in my back,” Walton said, agreeing that it isn’t unlike the back problems his father, Hall of Famer Bill Walton, has suffered.

Los Angeles Lakers

Pau Gasol: Nuggets Talk “Way Too Much” | Mon 1 Mar

“They talk too much,” the normally reserved Pau Gasol said after the game about the Nuggets. “Way too much. I don’t listen to things that don’t make sense. I’m a player that likes to play and that’s how I talk, by me playing. Other players can’t do that.”

Los Angeles Lakers

Ron Artest Pulls Out The Defensive Stops | Mon 1 Mar

Ron Artest was acquired last summer by the Lakers to put the clamps on All-Star small forwards such as Denver’s Carmelo Anthony. And Artest did, using his strength and defensive acumen to hold Anthony down to the point the Nuggets’ star fouled out.

Los Angeles Lakers

Does Lebron James Want To Be A Laker? | Mon 1 Mar

The greatest NBA free agent of all time, LeBron James, is quietly making overtures to the Los Angeles Lakers. He wants to play for them. “LeBron wants to win. He’s a smart guy,” explainsone of my best inside sources, a close Jackson associate.

Los Angeles Lakers

Phil Jackson: Ilgauskas Situation A ‘Sham’ | Fri 26 Feb

Phil Jackson called it a “sham.” He dubbed it “disrespect for the league.” He called it “charades.” With Ilgauskas most likely to return to the Cavaliers after having his contract bought out, FanHouse asked the Lakers coach his thoughts on the situation.

Los Angeles Lakers

Bynum Fined For Criticizing The Referees | Fri 26 Feb

Andrew Bynum was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for criticizing referees after the loss Wednesday at Dallas. “It’s hard to win when it’s five against eight,” Bynum told reporters after the game, a thinly veiled reference to the three referees.

Los Angeles Lakers

Artest Retools Diet To Increase Speed | Fri 26 Feb

Ron Artest felt slow and sluggish, very much unlike the defender he used to be. “I’m trying to get my defense back to what it was a couple of years ago,”he said. Artest was slowed this season by plantar fasciitis but also took a look at something else: his diet.

Los Angeles Lakers

Andrew Bynum Critics Referees After Loss | Thu 25 Feb

The Mavericks were 23 for 26 from the free-throw line, and the Lakers made 15 of 16. At least one Lakers player felt those numbers could be attributed to the officials. “It’s hard to win,” Andrew Bynum said afterward, “when it’s five against eight.”