EASY DOES IT !!

With ease, our mighty Lakers
played last nights game against
the N.Y. Knicks and what a score
it was .. 99 - 82. What fun to be
able to not be in a lock out situation
and to have the exhibition games behind
us. Fun going out on those courts at Staples
and play to our hearts' content! Even
with some injuries, the plays and the
joy were there for all to see.
Quite a lovely present for us all I
do believe. Beginning these games
with 3 consecutive games to play
one would think the bodies might
become very tired. Coach Mike Brown
had them practice for 2 hr's one day
and gave them the next day off so
the eagerness to win was the correct
potion evidently last night. Now with four
games played, our Andrew Bynum
will also be able to join his team
mates out there on the courts. It
was nice seeing Matt Barnes playing
once again. Kobe scored a team leading
28 points on 10 for 14 shooting through
three quarters. Pau Gasol and Josh
McRoberts took turns throwing lobs to
each other. All in all, the Lakers
shot 72% from the floor in the first
half of the game which is the best
24 minutes of marksmanship in 12 years.
The Lakers beat the Knickerbockers
for the ninth straight time dating
back to February 13, 2007.
We'll be watching now for this coming
Saturday matinee at Staples playing
the Denver Nuggets.
Our Lakers seem to really be on the right track!
Babs Wells

WE FINALLY WON THE PRIZE!

Back to back to back and losses to Clippers
during those two exhibition games plus
with two more losses too.
Namely Chicago Bulls and also with
Sacramento..but Tuesday night we
strutted our stuff. We are the Lakers!
Matt Barnes still unable to play due
to bursitis and Andrew Bynum has yet
one more game to sit it out before
joining his team mates on the court.
Utah came out pretty strong last eve.
and we were neck to neck there for awhile.
Meta World Peace (AKA) Ron Artest,
made 14 points, Pau Gasol added 22 points,
(even with a bad shoulder) & injured
Kobe Bryant (Right wrist) scored 26 points.
L.A. ran away with a dominant third quarter,
making a 27-8 surge out of halftime in the
club's first win for the new coach, Mike Brown.
Utah missed 17 of its first 19 shots in the
second quarter while the Lakers made a 13-0
run capped by a one-handed dunk by World Peace.
The Lakers blew out the Jazz after halftime,
jumping to a 68-39 lead with a 12-2 run.
Finally our back to back to back series
are out of the way and even though not getting
(still) no consecutive days off until mid-
January, we can only hope for another set
of good plays like we witnessed last night.
New York Knicks visit Staples Center on
Thursday night and we heard last evening
the loud chant calling for Matt Barnes, so
we can only hope that the bursitis lets up
for him to be able to play soon.
Well, Our Lakers have four games to play within
the very next seven days.
Up and at 'em!!!!
Babs Wells

GIDDY-YUP !!!!!

GIDDY-YUP !!!!!
Instead of a handful of practice
sessions and exhibition games,
we find only a few practices and 2
exhibition games. One last night,
and even on home court, we lost
to the Clippers: 114-95.
It was mighty nice to watch all
the same. Derek Fisher was not
suited up (or) playing, this time.
Meta World Peace (AKA) Ron Artest,
tried his hand at making baskets,
Matt Barnes and Steve Blake too.
Kobe Bryant hurled balls that made
their mark easily as did Pau Gasol.
A new face was seen on our Laker team.
Namely Darius Morris. Of course we
all are aware of the new face on
the Clipper team...Chris Paul.
Chauncey Billups of the Clippers
did his level best to help them win.
De Andre Jordan and Blake Griffin
lent their expertise too.
Missing Lamar Odom (who is now with
Dallas), we saw some good plays
with Andrew Bynum, so very tall
out there on the court, but he
will not be playing for 5 games
during our regular season beginning
on Christmas Day with a total of 66
games, due to an infringement of
character during a past game so thus
the penalty was given to him.
It is not certain whether or not
the Lakers are favored to win the
Western Conference, let alone
return to the NBA Finals after
last Spring's second-round exit.
At least there has been a 16 day
training camp for preparation
with the regular season looming.
Coach Mike Brown acknowledged the
lack of time to experiment with
players he is just beginning to
know in a system they are now
learning to play. A former Odom
spot to play, we saw free agent
Josh McRoberts filling in. In fact,
McRoberts could possibly be a starter
while Bynum serves out his 5 game
suspension. On a personal note, we
noticed a tattoo on Kobe's arm with
his wife's name: Vanessa. News tells
us that they just recently have filed
for a divorce last Friday.
Wednesday evening finds us glued to the
set once again - also from Staples
Center - with our Lakers playing the Clippers.
Be fun to win this one, wouldn't it?
Babs Wells

LISTEN UP

No Chris Paul for our Lakers.
Do you think we will be able to get
Dwight Howard ?
Kobe Bryant is not especially
happy right now with the Clippers'
new acquisition.
We have lost Lamar Odom to
the Dallas Mavericks.
Brand new NBA Lakers coach,
Mike Brown, now has to
start his beginning of climbing
the ladder but also must deal
with the players unrest.
David Stern, why?
Wondering just where the placement
will be for Ron Artest (AKA) Meta
World Peace, Luke Walton and Andrew
Bynum with a visibly disgruntled
Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant to
open our 66 game season, supposedly,
on Christmas Day.
Reading sports news in the paper
really does not let any one of
us know honestly of just
what is going on right now.
A note I read, tells us that for
the time being Orlando Magic's
general manager, Otis Smith,
says the teams' goal remains to
keep Dwight Howard in a Magic
uniform as long as they possibly
can do so and that the trade talks
could easily go clear to the end
of the season".
We'll keep in touch as soon as
we do know anything else.
Babs Wells

WHICH REPORT DO WE LISTEN TO

Well, seems our Lamar Odom will soon
be another memory for the Lakers team.
Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant are still
stunned by hearing this and voiced their
opinions on T.V. the other night.
What amazes me is that David Stern was
once a brilliant leader and seems to
have sunk into an oblivious St Patricks'
well here. As the newspaper tells it,
sems like an aging leader too proud and
stubborn to realize he may have overstayed
his effectiveness. Stern has either become
a paranoid control freak or a puppet for a
group of owners who mistakenly think they
can control parity by hindering star players
abilities to move freely about the league.
Looks as though Stern is making a mockery
actually of the kingdom he helped to build.
If this is not happening, then why did he put
out his hand to squelch deals that would have
been so profitable? For example,
reasonable trades that would have brought the
New Orleans Hornets star either to the Lakers
or to the Clippers? This would have also improved
the Hornets and the Houston Rockets.
In the span of less than a week, Stern completely
undercut a good and talented man in Hornets
general manager Dell Demps by overruling
Demps' sound decision making and telling him
that his work was unacceptable. Appears tyrannical!
Collateral damage seems to be just about everywhere.
Meanwhile Kupchak insisted it was not a salary
dump, but acknowledged it gives the players on our
Laker team financial flexibility under the new
collective bargaining agreement. Kupchak also
made it clear he had not given up hope of acquiring
Chris Paul (and/or) center Dwight Howard of the
Orlando Magic. Howard has actually asked the Magic
to trade him to the Lakers, the Mavericks (or) to
the New Jersey Nets. By the way, Kupchak did
apologize to Pau Gasol during a meeting on Friday.
The bottom line here is that if there seems to be
a way to improve the team, then that is what is
to be attempted. Kobe Bryant is one player
that has a no-trade clause in his contract.
That then is just the way it is.
Babs Wells

GET WELL, JERRY BUSS

Having a hospital stay due to
blood clots in the leg, Jerry Buss
is so far doing fine.
Expectations are that only another
day or two will find him hospitalized.
Buss has owned the Lakers team ever
since 1979 and because of extensive
travel, it is believed these clots
began as a result.
On another note, we see that tickets
will be going on sale for the Lakers
individual games! Sales start this
Saturday at 10:00 A.M.
Only four tickets per person per game
is being allowed. Tickets can be found
by going to Ticketmaster online.
www.ticketmaster.com or
Phone 800-4-NBA-TIX.
Pau Gasol of the Lakers has been
approached regarding some chatter concerning
possible trades. Andrew Bynam's name has
also been mentioned. Trades for Orlando
Magic's center Dwight Howard, and for
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul,
are the contenders names that keep coming up.
Pau shrugs it all off and says he is just
eager to get back out on the courts and play
and we are eager as well, to agree with him.
Babs Wells

STARTING THE COUNTDOWN.......

Nothing helps out a new coach more
than championship-caliber talent.
Therefore Mike Brown ought to be
just fine. The core of Kobe Bryant,
Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum,
Derek Fisher and Ron Artest (AKA
Metta World Peace) remains from
the team that won the 2010 title.
Brown's pedigree is defense but his
arrival signals we think, the end
maybe of the vaunted triangle
offense in L.A. Yes, they do
really need a longer training
camp, for starters, as the new
system used to implement, or
perhaps some anti-aging cream?
Fisher is now 37 and the mileage
on Bryant's legs goes beyond
his 33 years. Folks have sort
of wondered if perhaps a deal
for Dwight Howard or Chris Paul
might average it all out some.
It is still championship-or-bust
here, so a slow start could spark
a few major changes. This then will
be a very different challenge for
Brown, who reared a teenage LeBron
James, but must now gain the con-
fidence of Bryant, who is as strong
headed as they come.
Lakers coach Mike Brown shared a
laugh with general manager Mitch
Kupchak last Friday at their news
conference. In fact, Brown just
might use elements of the triangle
offense that always used to be
employed. This happened during
the NBA winning title for the Lakers.
However, we will very likely be seeing
far more pick and roll which might
make it more difficult for Fisher
to be effective against some of the
league's speedsters, including Derrick
Rose of the Bulls on opening day
December 25th. At any rate, on that
Sunday, many of us will have our
eyes pealed on the T.V. set.
Feels so good to be almost ready
to once again root for our Lakers!
Babs Wells