LAKERS BASKETBALL UPDATE

Lakers coach Mike Brown, hired Darvin Ham
as an assistant Monday.
Ham, who played for six NBA teams during
an 8 season career, served as the coach of
the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the NBA's
developmental league last season.
Ham joins a crowded bench with Brown
having already hired John Kuester, Ettore
Messina, Chuck Person and Quin Snyder as
assistants. Brown said last week he would
very likely be hiring two or three more
assistants. Ham is the first of the new
hires.
Brown worked in the Denver basketball
operations department when Ham signed
with the Nuggets as a free agent in 1996.
Ham also played for the Indiana Pacers,
Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks,
Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons.
Coach Mike Brown always tells people
that ask him, that yes, he does go into
his office most every day even though
there is still NBA lockout.
He goes over plays and plays of different
versions tried and of terminology of
practice plans, with hand-written notes
on what worked and what did not.
Over the past few months, he and his assistants
have compiled new offensive and defensive
schemes for the Lakers, ones they will use
when the labor impasse ends and the players
and coaches get back to the work of preparing
for and playing games. With help from game
films and the aid of assistant Chuck Person,
the one holdover from Phil Jackson's staff,
Brown gauged the strengths and weaknesses of
each player on the roster. The coach says that
it is time consuming work and granted, some days
are far busier than others, but for the most part,
Brown has been preparing for the next season.
Yes, it is any body's guess just when that may be.
November the 1st., we understand is pay day..
Looks as if the Lakers coach is doing his job
so the rest seems up to everyone else!
Babs Wells

AND THE BEAT GOES ON........

Negotiations, mediator talks, discussions,
compromises, arguments, more talks...and
the fans are left to suffer the loss of
games. Perhaps this is really the worst
loss of all. It looks like it will be
the federal mediator, George Cohen, who
will meet again with the players and
owners to make attempts at an agreement.
Without any forms of an agreement, we already
realize there will be no games on Christmas
Day and possibly beyond. For two months
these talks have been hindered by dis-
agreements at the risk of even the season.
People are really getting mighty tired
of it. Seems that the entire economics
of these sports and what the athletes
and owners are making is certainly not
resonating with fans. Not when so many
fans are out of work and looking for jobs.
Millionaires and billionaires are squabbling
over millions and billions and it is really
not in most peoples minds to sympathize with
them. Both sides met on Wednesday for 15 hours.
The longest time frame yet for these meetings.
Large gaps remain, with both sides seeking
53% of basketball revenue and players are
opposed to owners attempts to change the
salary cap system. Both sides seemed to have
plenty to talk about. After an 8 hour meeting
Wednesday brought time together to more than
24 hours over these past two days, federal
mediator George Cohen said they would still
be needing to resume bargaining this afternoon.
Today then is the first time meeting for three
consecutive days and becomes the first time
during the 111 day lock out. Hopefully it will
turn out to be constructive, direct and able
to reach an agreement.
And......the beat goes on.
Babs Wells

SAME OLD, SAME OLD, SAME OLD

AND...once again seems we are being given
the bums' rush. Now a mediator has been
allowed in to fence with the meetings
of all parties concerned. This is the
very same mediator that was assigned
to aid the NFL when they were negotiating.
Commissioner David Stern stated
that in "his gut" he is afraid nothing
much will come of the talks planned
for next Monday. He said that it may even
turn out that we will not be viewing any
Laker games, even at Christmas time.
Now on Tuesday talks resume.
Owners and players are scheduled to meet
with the federal mediator and then have
board meetings on Wednesday. Stern continues
to say that he thinks even further cancellations
are coming. The labor relations committee
and Billy Hunter having brought in his
executive committee, think it is time to make
this deal. If we do not make it then,
Stern feels there is just no way that
any playing could possibly be happening
until after Christmas. Christmas is
traditionally the first big day of the NBA
season. This year's three-game schedule
features the Lakers hosting the Chicago
Bulls at Staples Center and the NBA Finals
rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and
Miami Heat. Yes, the sides will certainly
have to act quickly to save it. The talks
have stalled over the structure of the
salary cap system and the division of the
revenues between owners and players.
The mediator chosen, is George Cohen.
When asked if Cohen had the ability to
move the sides toward a deal, Stern said:
"I am hoping he does because I think that
if we do not make some deal that can be
accepted, I really do despair".
Having lost already the two weeks for sure
on our own, it will take agreements on both
sides to not let the entire season slip away.
Both sides will have to also decide on how
to divide up about $4 billion in annual revenue.
Why does there seem to be the word greed
entering into this I wonder? Such large numbers
in monies and yet there is a real stalemate,
just boggles the mind for most of us.
It would seem to me that this is the crucial time
to make a lasting deal.
Think so too?
Babs Wells

PRAYERS WERE OFFERED BUT ..

.. evidently, seems not enough.
NBA owners and players continue
discussions. And this means no games
for us spectators to see. All
the periphery basketball incomes
that ordinarily would be coming in
are also being placed "on hold".
parking attendants, security guards,
eatery concessions, t-shirt sales,
etc., not to mention that the entire
basketball players teams are not receiving
paychecks. Negotiators for both
sides met for more than 5 hours on Sunday
before breaking for the night. Neither side
offered many details although union officials
confirmed they had scrapped a planned
meeting with membership in Los Angeles so
instead, remained in New York. David Stern
and Adam Silver, deputy commissioner, along
with Peter Holt of San Antonio, Glen Taylor
of Minnesota and senior vice president & deputy
general counsel Dan Rube, met with the union
executive director Billy Hunter, Derek Fisher,
president of the Lakers & vice president Maurice
Evans of the Washington Wizards plus attorneys
Jeffrey Kessler and Ron Klempner before the
L.A. regional meeting took place in L.A.
As of right now however, there is a work stoppage.
NBA Commissioner David Stern canceled the first
two weeks of this season after players and the
owners were unable to reach a new labor deal
to end the lockout. With every day that goes by,
Stern said, I think we need to look at further
reductions to what is left of the season.
This then is the first work stoppage since the
1998-99 season was reduced to playing only 50 games.
With another work stoppage, the NBA risks
alienating a fan base that sent the league's
revenues and TV ratings soaring during the 2010-11
season. The cost of cancellations would be
staggering, Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said.
The league would lose hundreds of millions of
dollars, while union executive director Billy Hunter
estimated players' losses at $350 million for each
month that they were locked out. Hunter did say that
he didn't think the full season was in jeopardy yet
and stressed it would be a mistake for the NBA to
risk it coming off a season when revenues and T.V.
ratings had soared as they had. To kill the entire
season would be foolish as it really is the very
best season in history of the NBA and to lose our
audience would be a shame with our economy as it
is today, most feel. This is because it
did take quite a while to recover from the '98
lockout and could be even longer to recover for
this time around.
And so dear friends - the waiting game continues!
Babs Wells

WELL FOLKS - THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING

Come to the table...and then find no winners.
It is sad but true. All the past negotiations
and meetings so far have proved futile.
Seven more hours of talk and players and
owners failed to reach a new labor deal.
Monday they met again and were offered
a 50/50 contract but the owners would not
agree to that either. There had been some
optimism on Saturday when union vice president
Maurice Evans said things were going along
pretty good as he left to go catch a flight.
No vendors, car attendants, gate security
people, and others earning monies from
basketball related items are also awaiting
the players and owners decisions and agreements.
The NBA shelved the rest of its exhibition
schedule Tuesday and will wipe out the first
two weeks of the regular season if there seems
to be no getting the sides to come to a labor
agreement.Unable to make the progress required
on both sides, David Stern, Commissioner, and Deputy
Commissioner Adam Silver refused the terms
that have been formally proposed to them.
The NBA talks had gained some power when LeBron
James showed up to take part in the discussions
and some tell us he became quite agitated so
disappeared in the final moments.
The owners claim that they have lost a combined
$300 million last season, which is why they need
to restructure the salary cap system and take a
greater share of the BRI (basket ball related income)
in the next CBA. The players have disputed the
owners' losses from the beginning. The Lakers president
of the NBA, player Derek Fisher, along with teammate
Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce
of the rival Boston Celtics, were in attendance
also speaking of the BRI.
Laker Pau Gasol, along with his brother Marc of
the Memphis Grizzlies, would begin workouts soon
then with FC Barcelona, their former Spanish club
team. Kobe Bryant, is probably going
to sign a 10 game contract with Virtus Bologna
arranging a deal to play in Italy. He has been
offered $3 million to play with them and they are
right now trying to work out all of the details.
It all hinges on other clubs changing their schedules
to ensure Bologna has five home games during the
span. Also, they are considering opening five road
games in Italy's biggest arenas. Smaller clubs
Cremona and Varese, are reluctant to alter their
schedules. They all do agree however that having
Kobe come and play in Italy would be of key importance
for the greater awareness of Italian basketball.
On a far softer note, this writer has become a
great grandma twice over this year, 4 months apart!
Saige Ella was born in April and Jordynn Marie was
born in August. How fortunate can any gal get anyway?
Both girls are both so completely different in their
appearance. Saige, darker hair and huge brown eyes,
Jordynn, fair with blue eyes and reddish auburn
hair. My pride runneth over! My happiness brims with
smiles and heartfelt joy over these two small imps.
Just felt maybe you might also like to share in my
private life a teensy bit so forgive me for gloating
but thank you for your indulgence!
Lakers, we are sorry to realize we will be missing out
on some fun games but hopeful to not lose the entire season.
Stay close to the sports news to find the outcome.
Babs Wells