Posts Tagged ‘ESPNLosAngeles.com’

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Kobe Bryant’s Inspiring Work With The Homeless In Los Angeles

September 13, 2012  ·  9:49AM

In 2011, Kobe Bryant announced the formation of the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps youth and families in need.

 

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – We spend an inordinate amount of time during this part of the offseason detailing things like what sort of workouts a player is going through and where they’re vacationing.

What doesn’t garner as many headlines is the work they do off the court: conducting free camps for kids, donating their time and money to charitable causes and getting outside of their comfort zone every now and then to use their stature as some of the world’s most recognizable face to a worthy cause.

And as Lakers star Kobe Bryant highlighted earlier this week while walking the downtown streets of Los Angeles with his wife, Vanessa, wading into the midst of that city’s homeless community. Sometimes, as ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Arash Markazi makes clear, it takes the bright light that only certain celebrities bring to draw attention to a particular cause:

While Bryant was there he met a 58-year-old man, who has been in and out of the mission for the past year.

“He was extremely articulate and he had a great life and he made a poor choice and ended up on the streets,” Bryant said. “He came to the L.A. Mission weighing 135 pounds and now he’s healthy and his weight is back up. He’s 58 but he’s in better shape than I am. … You get to hear their stories and you get to find out first-hand what’s going on.

“This issue gets pushed into the backburner because it’s easy to put the blame on those that are homeless and say you made that bad decision and that’s the reason why you are where you are and it’s your fault. We all make mistakes and to just sit back and watch this and to wash your hands of it by saying that’s your fault, that’s not right and it’s not fair.”

On Wednesday Kobe and Vanessa Bryant arrived at My Friend’s Place, a drop-in center for homeless youth in Hollywood, which annually serves about 1,700 individuals between the ages of 12 and 25. They were there to announce the completion of the center’s renovation, which was funded by the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.

“This isn’t a popular topic or a popular issue,” Bryant said. “It’s one where you have to get your hands dirty a little bit. It’s not something celebrities easily rally around but this is something that we wanted to change. This something we’re all going to have to fight, it’s going to be a long fight but I’m in it for the long haul.”

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Report: Lakers Not Interested In Roy

June 28, 2012  ·  10:16AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – You can cross at least one team off the list of potential suitors for Brandon Roy as he makes his return from a seven-month retirement from the NBA.

Roy is apparently not on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com:

According to a source familiar with the team’s thinking, the Lakers are not interested in Roy, the former Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard who retired last December because of knee troubles. Roy, who turns 28 next month, has been working out in L.A. this summer in hopes of returning to the league.

While certainly respecting the player who Roy once was, the Lakers are skeptical that Roy’s body would be able to make it though the grind of a full 82-game season, according to the source. The prevailing thought within the organization is that Roy misses the game and is going through the natural longing process that many competitors deal with shortly after retirement. They aren’t convinced that Roy will be able to physically return to the form that allowed him to average 19.0 points and 4.7 assists over the course of his five-year career. With many holes to fill on their bench and only the mini mid-level exception and veteran minimum contracts to use in free agency to fill them, Roy carries too big of a risk.

The Lakers might not be interested, but there are several teams — the Warriors, Timberwolves, Bulls, Pacers and Mavericks — with legitimate interest in Roy.

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Posted in 2012 NBA Draft, Free Agency 2012 / Comments (38) /

Metta Not Interested In Peace

May 13, 2012  ·  10:51AM





HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – So much for world peace!

Lakers forward Metta World Peace has no intention of making peace with Thunder sixth man James Harden when the Lakers travel to Oklahoma City for the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals.

After outlasting the Nuggets Saturday in Game 7 of the first round series, World Peace was asked if he would make any sort of gesture to move past the elbow he threw at Harden in an April 22 games that resulted in a concussion (for Harden) and a suspension (seven games for MWP).

No dice!

“I don’t shake substitutes’ hands,” World Peace told reporters.

Outside a statement of apology issued shortly after the incident, World Peace steered clear of anything close to genuine remorse for his actions, which will no doubt make him an object of the eye of Thunder fans filling Chesapeake Energy Arena for Games 1 and 2.

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Making Sense Of The World Peace Mess

April 25, 2012  ·  9:34AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The NBA’s deans of discipline handed down a most appropriate fine for Metta World Peace‘s elbow to James Harden‘s head that caused a concussion and 48 hours of on unnecessary pain and suffering for the game of basketball.

Lakers fans might not feel that way, but if they remove those purple-and-gold-colored glasses for just a minute, they’ll realize that justice was served in this instance.

Unlike some hardliners, we saw no reason for World Peace to suffer through a 10-game suspension or the lifetime ban some were calling for (yes, we’ve read all of your comments and emails on the subject). That would have been excessive, even for a player with as checkered a past as World Peace.

It’s clear the league took into account all of the good deeds he’s done and the way, up until Sunday at least, he’s conducted himself within the lines the past few seasons. NBA Commissioner David Stern could have dropped the hammer on World Peace this time and met with little resistance in the court of public opinion outside of Lakerland.

Unlike World Peace, someone took the time to consider all of the options instead of just reacting in the heat of the moment. Instead of listening to the tide of discontent surrounding this latest act and using his extensive history of running afoul of the league’s code of conduct for all players, someone at the league office decided not to make an example of World Peace when they so easily could have.

Seven games might seem harsh to some, but in this day and age of bounties in the NFL and the like, seven games seems more than appropriate. And the Lakers’ acceptance of the penalty (and their continued support of World Peace) would indicate that they recognize as much and ready to try to move on from this incident.

And to his credit, World Peace did the classy thing and apologized to the Thunder and their fans for what happened on his website. Despite suggestions to the contrary, he is fully aware of what went down and seems genuinely contrite for allowing his emotions to get the best of him yet again. We’re not here to condemn the man for that. In fact, we applaud him for recognizing that and handling himself the right way now.

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Lakers Executive Jim Buss Clears The Air On Kobe, Phil And More …

April 18, 2012  ·  10:43AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The relationship between Jim Buss and Kobe Bryant was discussed incessantly in the days after Phil Jackson departed the premises and before Mike Brown was hired to replace him.

But we never had a full grasp of exactly what that relationship was like for either man. Buss didn’t speak on it, and neither did Bryant. That left us to our own devices to imagine what that dynamic was like, a dangerous thing for folks looking in from the outside during such a pivotal time for the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans.

Buss was an easy target for those who didn’t like the choice to replace the legendary Jackson. And Bryant’s seemingly cool reaction to the choice and the fact that he had little input on the process (or the choice) only fueled the grumbling about Buss and his role in shaping the Lakers’ future.

Well, we finally have some extended answers from Buss about all that and more, courtesy of Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin got it all in during this thorough two-part Q&A with Buss, the Lakers’ executive and heir apparent to Hall of Famer Dr. Jerry Buss.

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Clippers Get Money’s Worth From Paul

April 12, 2012  ·  11:14AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The best investment of the year, in basketball or anywhere else, has to be Chris Paul.

He’s a one-man bailout, a market-changer for a franchise that needed one and the true game-changer the Los Angeles Clippers thought he was when they snatched him out from under the nose of the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of this season.

On a floor filled with MVP candidates last night, it was Paul who decided things, dropping the game winner on the Thunder in Oklahoma City and spoiling the night for Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Paul’s 31 points are more impressive when you break it down by half (24 in the second) and by quarter (11 in the fourth). And then there’s the capper, that crunch-time layup with 8.8 seconds to play that turned out to be the game winner. We’re talking about a player who is arguably the league’s best big-moment performer joining a Clippers team that, aside from a plethora of Blake Griffin highlights, had no identity before his arrival.

Now they appear to be a legitimate threat to wreak some serious havoc in the Western Conference playoffs. That wasn’t the Kings (no offense) Paul hit with the last-second dagger last night. That was the Thunder, the team many pegged to come out of the West this year and that was 21-0 at home this season when leading after three quarters.

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Cousins: Clippers’ Griffin Is “An Actor”

April 6, 2012  ·  11:43AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – When you have served up as many facials as Blake Griffin has in his still young NBA career, you don’t make many friends on other teams.

So it’s no surprise that Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t appear to be particularly fond of Griffin. But he took it to another level after the Clippers slugged past the Kings last night. Cousins had choice words for the Clippers star, calling him out and calling him names after they had some physical exchanges during the game.

Griffin declined to discuss it after the game. Cousins, however, did not. More from Pedro Moura of ESPNLosAngeles.com:

“Of course that’s what Blake is going to say because he’s in L.A., where actors belong,” Cousins told reporters in Sacramento. “He’s an actor, so of course he would say that.”

Cousins fouled out in only 18 minutes of play, finishing with just eight points and three rebounds. Griffin was only whistled three times in his 38 minutes and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

“If they’re going to let it be physical it’s usually physical on both ends,” Cousins said. “You saw the game so I don’t really have to say much.”

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More Lakers Drama: Bynum Fined?

April 3, 2012  ·  6:38PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Lakers All-Star center Andrew Bynum is making headlines in Los Angeles again, but for all the wrong reasons.

On top of last week’s benching, it appears that the Lakers fined Bynum for a number of transgressions that have occurred recently, per published reports in Los Angeles. Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com provides some details:

Bynum recently was fined an undisclosed amount for “numerous infractions,” multiple sources confirmed to ESPNLosAngeles.com. One of the stunts that warranted the fine from the team was Bynum blowing off a meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

Bynum told ESPNLosAngeles.com he was unaware of the fine before getting into his car outside the Lakers practice facility and driving away after the team’s shootaround in preparation for their game against the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.

Bynum did tell the website, though, he will not play in Tuesday night’s game after suffering a moderate sprain of his left ankle in the first quarter of a game against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

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Del Negro Firmly On Hot Seat

March 23, 2012  ·  11:03AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The last time we heard about some coach “losing his team”, Mike D’Antoni was out of a job a few days later in New York.

So if Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro is a feeling a little uneasy this morning after hearing about this ESPN report from Chris Broussard that he has indeed “lost his team,” we should all understand his plight:

With the Los Angeles Clippers in free fall, tensions are high in the club’s locker room, most notably in the relationship between coach Vinny Del Negro and his players, according to several sources close to the situation.

“Vinny has lost the team,” one source said. “They don’t want to play hard for him.”

With the Clippers having lost 11 of their past 18 games to turn this once-promising season into a mess, Del Negro’s job security would certainly seem to be in jeopardy. As it is, Del Negro is in the final guaranteed season of his contract. The Clippers hold a team option for next season.

Most of the players, according to sources, believe it’s time for a change. They cite the uncertainty of Del Negro’s rotation as a major problem. With the front office adding several players to the roster throughout this shortened season – Reggie Evans, Kenyon Martin, Bobby Simmons and Nick Young – plus Eric Bledsoe‘s return from injury in February, players’ minutes have fluctuated from game to game.

We went through plenty of this yesterday, highlighting the fact that the Clippers were at the crossroads of their season. But that was before the Clippers got sideswiped in New Orleans, losing to the Hornets in Chris Paul‘s return trip to the Big Easy that turned into the Big Ugly.

It’s hard to see anything saving Del Negro’s skin if the Clippers’ season bottoms all the way out. We’re talking about a coach who is working on his second stint with one of the league’s elite point guards (he had Derrick Rose in Chicago, before the Bulls took off under Tom Thibodeau) and couldn’t make that work.

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Sessions Gets Kobe Seal Of Approval

March 22, 2012  ·  9:26AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Everyone seems to be moving on quite nicely.

Derek Fisher is in Oklahoma City and is already embracing his role there as elder statesmen and veteran leader. Ramon Sessions is quickly earning his stripes as the Lakers’ newest point guard addition, even earning the early Kobe Bryant Seal of Approval after his work in the Lakers’ win over the Mavericks last night.

And at the end of the day, after all of the drama that accompanied the trade that sent Fisher to Houston and ultimately to free agency and the Thunder, and the other trade that brought Sessions from Cleveland to the Los Angeles, it really is about getting Kobe’s seal of approval, isn’t it?

Sure, Sessions still has some work to do in order to get completely comfortable in his role with the Lakers. And we’re still not sure how this works — Steve Blake is the starter but Sessions is the Lakers’ point guard with the game on the line … ?

But when you hear Bryant speak about his point guard the way he did about Sessions last night, to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, you know something good is cooking:

“We just let him handle the ball,” Bryant said of Sessions. “You saw me off the ball a lot, more than probably you’ve ever seen me. As a result, my night was a lot easier. I really didn’t have to work. I had, what, 30 points? I didn’t have to work for any of it because he’s doing all the penetrating and I was getting great screens.”

Sessions finished with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench and was even more accurate than Bryant, shooting 7-for-8.

“He definitely takes pressure off of me,” Sessions said of Bryant. “He lets me do what I do: be aggressive.”

… “I’ve been extremely impressed,” Bryant said. “He takes a lot of pressure off of me. I can be a legitimate 2-guard now. Know what I mean? He can play-make for others. Before, I had to score and play-make for others, as well. I don’t have to do that. I can be on the receiving end of those plays.”

Sessions referred to Bryant as “Kob,” which is another sign that the two of them are quickly developing a rapport that could have a solid and lasting impact for the Lakers down the road, this season and beyond.

Bryant torched the Mavericks for 30 points, shooting 11-for-18 from the field. It’s his first game shooting 50 percent or better in his last 11 games. Sessions was spectacular, finishing his night with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds in just 29 minutes.

That’s a sweet line for a guy who is admittedly still trying to figure it all out, on and off the court, in his new environment. Sessions said as much to Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News:

“I’m definitely not up to speed yet,” Sessions said. “I’m not comfortable like I would like to be just because I don’t know exactly where everybody is supposed to be out on the floor. I’m starting to know more plays for myself as where I’m supposed to go.

If this is Sessions when he’s not even up to speed yet, the Lakers might very well have snagged the prize of the trade deadline!

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