Los Angeles Lakers

Jim Buss is the owner and the man in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers. Mitch Kupchek, as general manager, is the one whose job it is to make roster moves and develop the team for the future. But Kobe Bryant may be the most influential man on the Lakers. Already we’ve seen Kobe Bryant sub himself into games and run the offense with more say than head coach Mike D’Antoni at many times. Other times, it doesn’t seem that Bryant has the say in big decisions that it seems like he does. Last fall, it was all-but-decided that Phil Jackson would succeed Mike Brown as the Lakers coach–a move publicly supported and requested by Kobe Bryant–but as you know that wasn’t the case and D’Antoni was hired. Monday evening, Kobe tweeted this: Interesting off season looming.. Will spend time with d12 #stay and talk with the Buss family in hopes that Pau stays as well #my2cents — Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 21, 2013 He points out his plans to discuss the future with Dwight Howard and ask the Buss’s that Gasol stays as well. Bryant was just reinforcing his position on this issue. He’s mentioned his hope to keep the two big men before. It’s nice to know that nothing has changed though. Many seem to think that this tweet improves the Lakers chances of retaining these players, as Kobe typically gets what he wants. It really brings up an interesting question… Who do YOU think is the most influential person in the Lakers organization? Share your thoughts in the COMMENTS section below. To fulfill all your Laker fan needs, don’t forget to LIKE our Lake Show Life Facebook page. Also, you can FOLLOW the website or the author of this article on Twitter.

May 18, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forwards Paul George (24) and David West (21) high five each other as they defeat the New York Knicks in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports It’s been 17 years in the making, but I finally made it to my first playoff game. No, it was not a Lakers game, sadly. If the Lakers had played in Detroit or Indiana, you could have counted on me being at one game, at the least. Maybe if I lived in California, I would have gone to one of their playoff games, but I haven’t lived in California for six years. So, here I am in Michigan, about three hours away from Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis. I’m not complaining, though. I had an awesome time. I arrived at Banker Life Fieldhouse an hour early so I could watch some shoot-around. I was able to stand court side and watch the likes of Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, Steve Novak, Lance Stephenson, and David West. I took quite a few pictures that you can see on Twitter (@Caleb_Cottrell) as well. My seats weren’t fantastic — they were up in the nosebleed area. Even though they weren’t great seats, they were cheap and I could see everything just fine. I would sit in that exact spot every game if I could. I was at an NBA playoff game, that’s all I can ask for. A lot of people tend to say that college games have a better atmosphere than NBA games — that was not the case on Saturday night. Bankers Life Fieldhouse was absolutely rocking throughout the night, especially in the fourth quarter. But, we’ll get into that a little later. Being able to watch Carmelo Anthony play in person is quite a site. In the first quarter, I could have sworn he was having a bad shooting quarter, but when I looked at the stats, he was 3 of 5 from the field (5 for 8 in the quarter). I also saw him get an assist! Those seem to be pretty rare these days. I also got to witness the Lance Stephenson takeover, which was pretty exciting. The third quarter was a blast. Iman Shumpert got HOT. At one point in the quarter he hit back-to-back-to-back threes. Right after Shumpert hit his, JR Smith came down and hit a three to make it four in a row; the Knicks were right back in the game after being down by double digits earlier in the quarter. Melo went on to shoot five of six from the field in the quarter to go along with Shumpert’s five of seven (four of four from three). The game was tied at 81 after three. This was exactly what I was hoping for. The fourth quarter of a close-out game: Where excitement happens. A tied game going into the fourth quarter of a knockout game — what else could I ask for? Okay, I could ask for Michael Jordan to walk through the door and suit up, but that’s not realistic. The arena was one of the loudest places I have ever been to; I couldn’t hear my dad talking to me even when he was talking into my ear. With five minutes left and down by two, the Pacers went on a 9-0 run that put them up 99-92. Who was behind the run? None other then Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson. He had seven of the Pacers nine points. The rest is history. All the Pacers had to do was hit some free throws to win the game — and that’s exactly what they did. With about 20 seconds left, the chants started to break out. One of them happened to be “Beat the Heat”. I heard this chant at least three times as I was leaving the arena that night. It was amazing to see how much support a “small market” team got from their fans. I hope this is one of many playoff games I attend in my lifetime because I had an amazing time. As a matter of fact, I just found out today I will be going to the Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers game on Sunday. I already know that game will as a good, if not better, if only for the fact that I get to watch the one and only

To be completely honest, I can’t find the strength to get worked up over any report regarding what Dwight Howard will or won’t do when it comes to his impending free agency. I just can’t do it. We’re still only in the middle of May and free agency doesn’t begin until July 1st…there’s simply too much time left in the process to get worked up over this stuff. That said, the very well regarded Ken Berger of CBS Sports is reporting that Dwight Howard will explore his options in free agency and that teams like the Rockets and Mavericks “intrigue” him. These are teams with good players, cap space, and other desirable traits that should intrigue Dwight. I can’t blame him, I’d be intrigued too. Again, though, I can’t get too caught up in this stuff. Not only is it early, but this is Dwight’s call to make and he can do so on his timeline. He’s earned that right. So, rather than focus on where Dwight may (or may not) go, let’s look at a different aspect of Berger’s report. One interesting thing he mentioned was the point about compensation and Dwight’s next contract. Here’s the relevant passage: The clear advantage for the Lakers in their effort to re-sign Howard is the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, which allows LA to give Howard a five-year deal with annual increases based on 7.5 percent of his first-year salary in a new deal — which will be in excess of $20 million. Another team with cap room to sign Howard could only give him a four-year deal with 4.5 percent annual increases — the same arrangement Howard would be limited to if he agreed to leave via a sign-and-trade. But Howard is only 27, and barring a career-ending injury, he’ll clearly get one more max deal after this one. A four-year deal with an opt-out after three years, for example, would in some ways be preferable to Howard because he’d hit the open market again at age 30 and could then secure his five-year max deal. The mechanics that Berger mentions are 100% spot on. The Lakers can offer a longer and richer contract. The annual raises would be larger and that 5th year in the contract the Lakers offer would be around $30 million dollars. That’s nothing to sneeze at. However, Berger is also correct in stating that Dwight Howard is in his prime. In 4 seasons, barring any serious injuries, he will still be in his prime (though maybe nearing the tail end of it) and should still command a max salary. So, as Berger implies, if Dwight were to leave the Lakers he’d likely recoup that lost 5th year represented in the Lakers’ deal he turned down in the 1st year of his next contract (whether that’s with the same team he signs with or another when he tests free agency again). I don’t really disagree with what Berger is saying here at all. If Dwight is performing up to his normal standard, he’s a max player and someone will likely pay him as such. However, my question is: should they? The new CBA is only two regular seasons old but it’s already showing us the influence it has on team’s mindsets about roster construction. The penalties against tax paying teams are real and maneuverability under the cap via flexibility in the contracts teams have on their books is looking more important than ever. We’ve already seen the Thunder trade their 3rd best player (and a legitimate star) with an eye on the future payroll implications. The Miami Heat may only have one more full season together before the prospect of being a repeater tax team chokes out their ability to field a roster with 3 max players. You can also zoom in and examine the circumstances the Lakers are facing this summer as a tax paying team. They can’t accept players in sign and trade deals. They can’t spend the full mid-level exception to acquire free agents. The bi-annual exception isn’t available to them either. Instead

Let’s be honest for a few moments: the Lakers were a failure last year. They had immense expectations, and none of them were as putrid as an 7th seed captured on the last day of the regular season, followed quickly by an uninspired sweep in the first round. Blame injuries, blame chemistry problems, blame the coach, but the Lakers failed. If this was any other season, this would, and maybe should, lead to a cleaning out of the house. The Lakers would rebuild and reload for the future. But this season was certainly an anomaly: injuries led to 171 games missed to injury, with 81 of those coming from the starters. To put that into comparison, the Spurs had a total of 86 games missed, with 50 of those from the starters. Sorry Timbewolves, but no one was unluckier with injuries than the Lakers. To put all this into context, the “Dream Team” lineup of Nash-Bryant-Metta-Pau-Dwight played just 189.2 minutes this season, which is the equivalent of 4 games. The Thunder’s starting lineup played 1306 minutes and the Pacers with 1218 minutes. Hell, the Lakers had lineups with Darius Morris and Earl Clark that played together more than the original starting five. Jan 27, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12), shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24), point guard Steve Nash (10), small forward Metta World Peace (15) and power forward Pau Gasol (16) during a stoppage in play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports So what does all this mean? Well, as the Lakers said themselves, plan A this off-season appears to be keeping this team together. Without a doubt, this team did not get a fair shake at showing what they are capable of. Whether you believe in this starting five or not, the argument that they deserve another chance has a strong case. In their limited time together, the starting five, who were never 100% healthy when together, were one of the Lakers top lineups. However, all of this hinges on the fact that Dwight Howard returns, and this is far from a guarantee. Most experts and writers believe the Lakers are the leader in the clubhouse, but Howard has shown that loyalty means very little to him. While there is arguably no situation better for his future than the Lakers, resigning with them is far from a sure thing. But what happens if the Dwight spurns the Lakers for the Rockets or Mavs? Where do the Lakers go from there? Do they continue without Dwight or blow the team up? Do they give up on the idea of a Super Team after one season much like the Gary Payton-Karl Malone days, or do they try to salvage with what’s left. Or what if Lakers management changes their mind about plan A and decide they want to look into blowing the team up. Let’s take a look at some of the options the Lakers will have in this off-season. Player/Team Options Firth things first, the Lakers are over the cap limit, which will be roughly $70.3 million. Including a player option with MWP and a team option with Jodie Meeks, the Lakers sit at $78.1 million. If the Lakers turn down Meeks’ $1.5 million option, that brings them closer to the limit. I do, however, think they’ll bring back Jodie Meeks as he provided a solid spark off the bench and has a very affordable contract. There’s some hope that the Lakers may be able to turn down MWP’s $7.2 million option and sign him for less, which is something he said he’d be comfortable with. As is, I can’t see a way the Lakers’ keep MWP at over seven million this year and we. If he does accept his option, the likelihood of amnestying him becomes very real. Final say: MWP comes back on a 2 year, $6 million deal. Meeks’ option is picked up. Cap Number: $73, 459, 350 Amnesty Clause The amnesty clause was created following the lockout to help rid previous idiot owners of their stupid contracts. The catch was that

We here at Silver Screen and Roll try our best to provide you with everything you could possibly need to be the best Lakers fan you can be, and with your help, we have created one of the best Lakers communities on the web. And since the off-season is here, now is right time to make improvements to our roster, so we need some help from you to make this site the best it could possibly be. We're looking for folks to assist with our daily links post (The Credits) and with community moderation. If you have any interest in helping out with The Credits or becoming a moderator, please let us know. You don't need experience of any kind to join the team, although active commenters are preferred for the moderator position so that we know you have the proper temperament and mentality to maintain our community standards. What do you say? Do you want to join the team? If so, please reach out via email to C.A. Clark, Drew Garrison or SoCalGal at the emails listed below. C.A. Clark - C.A.Clark.SSR@gmail.com Drew Garrison - DrewGarrisonSBN@gmail.com SoCalGal - nutz4shoes@gmail.com Thanks! We here at Silver Screen and Roll try our best to provide you with everything you could possibly need to be the best Lakers fan you can be, and with your help, we have created one of the best Lakers communities on the web. And since the off-season is here, now is right time to make improvements to our roster, so we need some help from you to make this site the best it could possibly be. We're looking for folks to assist with our daily links post (The Credits) and with community moderation. If you have any interest in helping out with The Credits or becoming a moderator, please let us know. You don't need experience of any kind to join the team, although active commenters are preferred for the moderator position so that we know you have the proper temperament and mentality to maintain our community standards. What do you say? Do you want to join the team? If so, please reach out via email to C.A. Clark, Drew Garrison or SoCalGal at the emails listed below. C.A. Clark - C.A.Clark.SSR@gmail.com Drew Garrison - DrewGarrisonSBN@gmail.com SoCalGal - nutz4shoes@gmail.com Thanks!

From Drew Garrison, Silver Screen: Dwight Howard will finally be a free agent July 1. After a few years of breaking up, then making up, with the Orlando Magic front office he was finally sent out of Florida and into Los Angeles, becoming aLaker. Howard joined a star-studded lineup featuring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash. They were going to pick and troll the entire league. We all know how the season played out. Injuries stacked, expectations crumbled, and the Lakers were swept out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. Nothing has changed since. Bryant continues to rehab his Achilles, and the Lakers front office continues to hold their collective breath as their two superstars’ statuses remains in the air. From Jovan Buha, ESPN LA: Those expecting a major upheaval from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason are likely to be disappointed. Unless Dwight Howard bolts in free agency or Pau Gasol is traded, the primary cast of this season’s underachieving squad is all but certain to remain intact as the Lakers look to preserve cap space for the summer of 2014, when only Steve Nash and Howard would be on the books and the team would be in prime position to reload. Heading into the 2013-14 season, the Lakers have five players under guaranteed contracts:Kobe Bryant, Gasol, Steve Blake, Jordan Hill and Nash. While Metta World Peace has an early termination option, he’s likely to remain with the team and not opt out. Jodie Meeks has a team option, meaning the Lakers decide his future, but he’ll probably return since his salary is relatively inexpensive ($1.5 million). Chris Duhon has a non-guaranteed deal and can be waived by June 30 to alleviate cap space. From Suki Thind, Lakers Nation: For our second edition of historic box scores, we’ll take a look back at Magic Johnson’s legendary performance against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA Finals. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the Lakers’ leading scorer and rebounder at the time–badly injured his ankle during Game 5 of the Finals. Although he returned to the game to score 14 points in the fourth quarter and lead the Lakers to a close victory, he simply couldn’t go in the potential championship clinching Game 6. That set the stage for then-rookie Magic Johnson, who shifted his role from playing point guard to starting at center. Not only did he start at center, but he ended up playing all five positions! In one of his greatest performances–and certainly his most memorable–Magic Johnson led the Lakers to the 1980 NBA championship by putting up 42 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. From Eric Pincus, LA Times: On Sunday night, Kobe Bryant announced “Kobe up Close,” an Aug. 15 charity event to be held at Nokia Theatre. “I’d like to officially announce that I’m partnering with the Sports Spectacular to help eradicate homelessness,” said Bryant in a pre-recorded video, aired at the Sports Spectacular 2013 gala at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. “You can learn about my past, present and future,” said Bryant of the event, which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. “It’s for an incredible cause.” From Zach Harper, CBS Sports: Internet rumors can spread like wildfire and lots of people will believe them without considering the source. A hoax Twitter account got the ball rolling on the idea that Kobe Bryant was going to say goodbye to the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA by retiring this summer. Bryant did have a major announcement this past weekend for his fans, but it had nothing to do ending his basketball career.

Dwight Howard will finally be a free agent July 1. After a few years of breaking up, then making up, with the Orlando Magic front office he was finally sent out of Florida and into Los Angeles, becoming a Laker. Howard joined a star-studded lineup featuring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash. They were going to pick and troll the entire league. We all know how the season played out. Injuries stacked, expectations crumbled, and the Lakers were swept out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. Nothing has changed since. Bryant continues to rehab his Achilles, and the Lakers front office continues to hold their collective breath as their two superstars' statuses remains in the air. Howard's free agency is going to be the story over the Summer. The man can finally decide which uniform he wears for 82 games a season and however many playoff games his team will play in. Make no mistake, if the Lakers made the playoffs battered and broken with a less-than-100-percent Howard, wherever he goes will consistently be in the playoff mix. The reality of the situation, however, is that there's a distinct possibility it will not be in purple and gold. Howard can do whatever he wants The centerpiece of all future plans for the Los Angeles Lakers can leave the franchise hanging and walk away for nothing. No matter what he does, it will be the best thing that can happen to the franchise. There will be pressure from every direction for Howard to deal with once his contract expires. Just a quick glance at his Twitter mentions reveals the many sides of fandom. There are Lakers fans attacking Howard for disgracing Jerry Buss and the franchise's legacy. There are neutral fans who say they are interested with Howard joining the Rockets from a basketball perspective. This is after an early report from Ken Berger, before he is actually a free agent, indicating he is "intrigued" with teams besides the Lakers. He has yet to begin his free agency tour and there's already a frenzy. He finally holds the power to decide his future after trying to force the Magic to trade him to a selection of teams he was interested in. No team can hold that over Howard now. During exit interviews he repeatedly dodged questions regarding his future and stated that he needed to take a step back to evaluate everything before making another commitment, to another franchise, for another X amount of years. No, he did not gush about staying with the Lakers. No, he did not indicate he wants to be a Laker for life. And, quite frankly, it's a good thing that he didn't. This Summer could be the best thing that has happened to Howard on an individual level. For the last four years Howard has wanted to be somewhere else while trying to be the "good guy" with his current franchise. Eventually, Magic fans saw through it and by the end of the "Dwightmare" it was clearly time to move on. Sure, there were Magic fans who wanted Howard to stay, but he had to go. He wanted to go. And he went. The "I love yous" are empty and full of resentment. There's nothing worse than being in a relationship that isn't working. It's awkward. It's tedious. It's exhausting. The time you spend together is laborious, and all those words you want to say about how it isn't working out almost feel like they're dripping off your lips. The "I love yous" are empty and full of resentment. Perhaps not with the "other" person, but with yourself for not being able to break free from the ball and chain. Worse, if the other person isn't aware of your feelings they continue to invest into you. Continue to believe in you. Continue to build for you, around you. Howard can't do that again. He ran his course with the Magic and made the mistake of letting false love extend his contract an extra year -- a year in which he played no games for the Magic in the end mind you. It was over, but he couldn't admit it. Once Howard makes his decision there will be no questions left abo

Lakers News Were the (somewhat healthy) Lakers Elite? " Lakers Blog Phil Jackson compares Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in book - ESPN Los Angeles Kobe Bryant announces August event to help eradicate homelessness - latimes.com Kobe Bryant: Comparison with Michael Jordan is ‘apples to oranges’ | The Point Forward - SI.com Report: Dwight Howard will consider multiple teams in free agency, is said to be most intrigued by the Rockets | ProBasketballTalk Staples Center, LA Live to offer free Wi-Fi - latimes.com Lakers paid $129.5 million in salary, luxury taxes for early exit - latimes.com 2013 NBA Playoffs Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs - Recap - May 19, 2013 - ESPN New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers - Recap - May 18, 2013 - ESPN 2013 NBA playoffs -- LeBron James responds to Frank Vogel's comment on Miami Heat as 'just the next team' - ESPN Spurs limit touches to make Z-Bo a no-go - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN Gasol, Splitter key to what teams do best - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN Spurs rout Grizzlies 105-83 in West finals opener - Yahoo! Sports Built to win now, Knicks didn't get close - Yahoo! Sports Pacers will try to leverage size advantage over dominant Heat | NBA.com Z-B0000000 Leaves Grizzlies Feeling Empty " NBA.com | Hang Time Blog Blogs and Other Links Mayor says deal to sell Sacramento Kings has been signed - ESPN Charlotte Bobcats may become Hornets again - ESPN 5/18/13 Daily Dime - ESPN 5/19/13 Daily Dime - ESPN The view from Seattle - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN Phil Jackson: Zen Master timeline - NBA - ESPN 2013 NBA playoffs: Examining Golden State Warriors' playoff run - ESPN Skiles emerges as Nets coaching candidate - Yahoo! Sports Larry Bird's faith in Lance Stephenson pays off for Pacers in vital moments against Knicks - Yahoo! Sports Sources: Raptors targeting Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri to run organization - Yahoo! Sports Thunder season fades fast after Westbrook injury - Yahoo! Sports Captivating season gives Warriors hope for future - Yahoo! Sports Grizzlies GM Envisioned A Future With Marc Gasol As A League Laughed " NBA.com | Hang Time Blog Spurs have changed a lot since 2011 loss to Grizzlies | ProBasketballTalk LeBron takes offense to something that Pacers’ head coach Vogel didn’t actually say | ProBasketballTalk J.R. Smith, likely entering free agency, says he ‘wants to retire a Knick’ | ProBasketballTalk Thunder GM says team won’t amnesty Kendrick Perkins | ProBasketballTalk Report: Bulls guard Nate Robinson unlikely to return to team next season | SI Tracking Blog Greg Oden reportedly ‘looks unbelievable’ as he continues to attempt NBA comeback | The Point Forward - SI.com Multimedia ESPN LOS ANGELES Video: Can Lakers Compete With Current Roster? Metta World Peace does the weather, talks Lakers season - latimes.com 1on1: Mark Madsen | video | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS Jay-Z’s agency buys Skylar Diggins a Mercedes as a graduation present | SI Tracking Blog

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Will Dwight Howard make his way from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Houston Rockets or Dallas Mavericks? Free agency does not begin until July 1, but a report has surfaced that Howard does have interest in taking his talents to Texas. Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports that Howard is "intrigued" with the Rockets and Mavericks: With six weeks to go before Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent, the team that is said to intrigue him the most is the Houston Rockets, according to multiple people briefed on internal conversations surrounding Howard's free-agent decision. --- The Mavericks represent another franchise that intrigues Howard, and Dallas is a minor transaction or two away from having enough room to sign Howard outright as an unrestricted free agent. Howard plans to explore all such options, and a person briefed on his plans told CBSSports.com that there are "several" teams the free-agent center is "going to take a hard look at." It's no surprise that Howard has already been linked to the Mavericks and Rockets specifically. They represent the handful of teams that have the cap space to make an effort to sign Howard and have always been expected to make a run at the big man. Of course, it was just over a week ago that the Atlanta Hawks were reported as having interest in bringing Stan Van Gundy on as their new coach with the notion that Howard's old coach could help lure him to his home town. Teams are clearly preparing to make their pitch to Howard. The Lakers will be able to offer Howard the most guaranteed money this Summer (which will be repeated often during his free agency), but much of that comes from the extra year L.A. can tack on to his contract. Expect a long, drawn out free agency period for Howard, who appears ready to listen to multiple teams around the league before making his decision. For once, however, he can make his decision as a free agent. - Drew - Follow this author on Twitter @DrewGarrisonSBN