Los Angeles Lakers Rosters, Statistics, Records, News, and More!
Lakers News
Turiaf Headed to Warriors?
07.09.08
Lakers’ restricted free-agent forward, Ronny Turiaf has agreed to a reported 4-year $17 million deal with the Golden State Warriors today. The Lakers now have seven days to match the offer.
Turiaf agreed to the contract a little more than a week after the Lakers extended him a qualifying offer of around $1 million. Turiaf had his best season as pro averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in nearly 19 minutes per game last year.
Should Turiaf depart, the Lakers will undoubtedly be looking for another big body up front to replace the team’s most-emotional player. Journeyman forward Kurt Thomas’ name has come up as someone who could replace Turiaf, with not nearly the same price tag.
Turiaf’s deal also clouds Sasha Vujacic‘s return to the Lakers, as he will probably command even more money than the French-born forward. He may get mid-level exception offers, which is around $5.8 million, from other teams. It is unknown if the Lakers would use their exception to keep him.
While Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak has repeatedly said he very much wants to keep both Vujacic and Turiaf in purple and gold, the Lakers are already over the salary cap, and owner Dr. Jerry Buss does not like paying the league luxury tax for exceeding it. So it remains to seen what happens with both players, and if the Lakers will match Turiaf’s deal with the Warriors.
Stay tuned.
Joe Crawford Summer League Interview
07.08.08
The Lakers only pick of the 2008 NBA draft, Joe Crawford from Kentucky, sat down today with Lakers.com and gave his first real interview wearing the purple and gold.
Follow the link below to watch it!
Bynum Ready to Resume Full Basketball Activities!
07.04.08
A quick note on some great news for Lakers center Andrew Bynum.
According to the Lakers blog at OCRegister.com…
Andrew Bynum did indeed receive medical clearance from doctors Thursday and will begin training in earnest by mid-July. His agent, David Lee, said the Lakers center did not have any pain or swelling in his surgically repaired left knee and will be ready to go by training camp in October.
Something about Bynum to finally be excited about again. He’s back!
SI.com: Kobe 5th Highest-Earning Athlete in US
07.01.08
Further proof that Kobe Bryant‘s marketing image is in a huge upswing, the Lakers’ guard is the fifth highest-earning athlete in the US, according to an article on SportsIllustrated.com.
Bryant, who won the NBA’s Most-Valuable-Player Award this season and led the Lakers to an improbable NBA Finals berth, earned $35.5 million last year, including $16 million in endorsements. Tiger Woods leads the list at over $127 million. The only NBA player in the Top 5 besides Kobe is Lebron James at number three, at nearly $41 million.
Kobe’s marketing image had taken a hit after rape allegations five years ago, then his openly-pubic feud with former-teammate Shaquille O’Neal, and ultimately the Lakers’ struggles on the court. This season has served as vindication for Bryant.
He silenced his critics this yea as he had arguably his best team-oriented season, leading a group most figured would struggle to make the playoffs, to within two wins of an NBA title. He also did it after tearing a tendon in his pinkie that will require surgery before next season.
After last year’s off-season turmoil where he demanded a trade from the Lakers, this summer should be much quieter for the content MVP, who hopes to bring home an Olympic gold medal for the US in Beijing in August.
Lakers Select Kentucky’s Crawford in 2008 Draft
06.29.08
The Lakers, who only had one pick in Thursday’s 2008 NBA draft, selected Kentucky guard Joe Crawford with the 58th pick.
Crawford, who stands 6’5″, averaged 17.9 points on 47% shooting in 30 games during his senior season at Kentucky. Those numbers earned him 2nd team All-Southeastern Conference honors.
Crawford was delighted to be drafted by the Lakers, and will take part in the team’s summer league schedule, which starts on July 11. “It’s something you’ve waited for all your life, when you started playing basketball,” Crawford said. “To go to one of my favorite teams, to go to L.A., it’s a feeling I can’t explain. I had a great workout in L.A. I felt they were pretty interested in me after my workout. I’m excited about playing for a
championship-contending team.”
Should he play well, Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak has said the team will sign him to a contract. But Crawford might be hard-pressed to make the roster this season, especially if the Lakers re-sign Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf as they are planning to do once free-agent signings are allowed on July 1.
Recent Chatter