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The Derrick Caracter Weight-Loss Contract
09.07.10
So apparently the Lakers have a new way to motivate rookie forward Derrick Caracter to stay in shape, “keep your weight down, and we’ll pay you.”
According to a report on ProBasketballTalk.com,
Caracter has a $473,000 contract this year with $250,000 guaranteed. If Caracter weighs 275 pounds or less on Sept. 10, the contract becomes fully guaranteed.
There is a future for Caracter in “Laker Land,” especially with the team letting both DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell go this off season. If Caracter can keep himself in shape, there is some playing time to be had. And it seems the Lakers are willing to reward him financially for doing so.
This writer knows that for $177k, he’d surely keep himself under 275 pounds. Of course it would take two of him to equal that weight, but I digress.
Maybe the Lakers should have thought about employing this when Shaq still wore purple and gold.
Lakers Keep The Machine!
07.25.08
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Lakers have signed restricted free-agent guard Sasha Vujacic to a three year contract, worth $15 million.
The signing comes just one week after the Lakers failed to match the Warriors’ 4-year, $17 million deal for their other restricted free-agent, forward Ronny Turiaf. There were also serious rumblings from Vujacic’s camp that he may return to Europe for more money.
The Lakers originally offered a 3-year, $12 million deal that Vujacic and his agent turned down, and then threatened to accept an offer from a team in the Europe if they didn’t get a better one from the Lakers.
“The Machine” had his best season last year, as he averaged 8.8 points and 43.8% of his 3-pointers off the bench for the Western Conference champs. He also had a very memorable Game 3 of the NBA Finals, where he scored 20 points and nailed a clutch 3-pointer in the final minutes to give the Lakers the victory.
Management’s goal this offseason was to keep both Turiaf and Vujacic, and after they lost one, they wanted to make sure they kept one of their top bench players, and their most prolific long-range shooter. They did.
It’s Official: Lakers Don’t Match Offer For Turiaf
07.18.08
It’s finally official. Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf, is now former-Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf, as the team declined to match his 4-year, $17 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.
According to ESPN.com, the contract the Warriors offered would have pushed the Lakers further into the luxury tax for being over the salary cap.
Turiaf spent three years as a Laker, his best being this past season where he played in 78 games and averaged 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.38 blocks per game off of the bench.
His enthusiasm and energetic play will be missed, but it had became apparent this week that his days with the Lakers were numbered.
Lakers Beat Spurs Again, 90-86
12.04.03
For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have rediscovered their winning ways against the San Antonio Spurs. This time, they beat the champs 90-86 at the SBC Center in San Antonio on Wednesday night.
The Lakers used a stifling fourth quarter defense to turn a nine-point third quarter deficit into a four-point victory. The Spurs shot only 16.7% (3-of-18) from the field in the final quarter, and Shaquille O’Neal contributed five of his game-high nine blocks in the quarter to seal the win.
Devean George, who kept the Lakers in the game with some early hot shooting, finished with 18 points on 7-of-13 from the field, and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Karl Malone scored 16 and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Gary Payton added 16 points and six assists.
The Spurs led the game in the first half by as many as 15 points, but simply could not hold the lead as the Lakers applied defensive pressure throughout the second half. After shooting over 50% from the field for most of the game, the Spurs finished at only 41.7%, the Lakers at 42.3%. The Lakers also forced 20 San Antonio miscues, turning them into 22 points.
The win was the Lakers seventh in a row, and they now own the season series against the Spurs, who dropped to 9-10 with the fourth consecutive loss. The Lakers are an NBA-best 15-3, 5-3 on the road.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 30 points and 15 rebounds, but he missed all five of his shots in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers finish up their two-game Texas trip tonight at Dallas, where the Mavs will most likely be without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitski, who is nursing a sore ankle.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Phil Jackson Named NBA Coach of the Month
12.01.03
Phil Jackson, along with Indiana’s Rick Carlisle, were named NBA Coaches of the Month for games from October 28th through November.
The Lakers were 14-3 through November, and have won 25 straight home regular season games, including a 10-0 start this year. They’re also currently on a 6-game winning streak and have impressive blow-out wins over Indiana and San Antonio in the last week.
The Lakers are second in the league in scoring at 103.1 points per game, and in field goal percentage at .472.
Link: NBA.com – Carlisle, Jackson Named Coaches of the Month
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