REMEMBER EARLIER RE: THE PAINTED TURTLE?

Well, The NBA Lakers were instrumental in helping

fund different aspects of this camp at Lake Hughes, CA.

They are now sponsoring a de Tour Turtle Bike Ride.

It is scheduled for October 19 to ride through the

beautiful Angles National Forest. For additional information

please call Julie Helmes at #310-451-1353 ext. 112.

This camp is especially for children with serious

health conditions and is a year-round camp.

To register you can go to www.teamseriousfun.org/

tourdeturtle13. The riders will be going on fully

supported routes: 62, 36,or 18 miles.

May 28 Hall of Famer Jerry West (NBA) just turned 75.

Remember Ron Artest? He changed his name to:

Metta World Peace. He plays basketball with our

NBA Lakers team and was in the news recently for

having written some childrens books. His latest one

is "Metta's Bedtime Stories". It is a 34-page illustrated

book geared for 4-10 year olds. It sells for $12.95 (soft

cover) and $14.95 (hard cover). A portion of those

proceeds benefit the World Peace Foundation. Xcel

University which is noted for raising monies to help

support various mental health charities and programs.

Metta sometimes goes to visit local schools or UCLA's

Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. He is 33 years old

and is often very much the child himself so is really

enjoying the ability to write for the younger set.

Lakers legend, Elgin Baylor, Hall of Famer, is now

auctioning off some of his momentos for various

charities. The prized items bring back so many

memories of his playing during 1971-72 when he

received the Championship ring that rests behind

a glass cage. His Lakers warm-up jacket rests on

a rack on one side of the memorabilia room. He 

has agreed now to auction them off. Even the

wooden chair Baylor sat on when the Lakers

honored him on March 22, 1969. That night

was dubbed "Elgin Baylor Night" at the Forum.

He even has his NBA Rookie of the Year Plaque

for sale. Baylor first started playing for the

Lakers in Minneapolis, Minnesota before they

headed west to play in L.A. Baylor became

one of nine Lakers to have their jersey retired. 

He made 11 NBA All-Star game appearances.

Warm weather here in Southern California

right now and finally drastic winds have abated.

Our thoughts and prayers though go out to

Oklahoma where another set of tornadoes

have touched down. May God give the residents

some strength to endure all of this hardship.

Babs Wells

SOME NEWER NEWS

Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford,

will become Charlotte Bobcats head coach.

League sources claim to have agreed on

an interview for the teams head coaching

position. He will become the Bobcats 8th

coach in the organization's history.

This being the case after the firing of

Mike Dunlop following a 21-61 record.

Clifford is seeking NBA head-coaching

experience and his departure from the

Lakers marks another shift in which

D'Antoni's coaching staff has drastically

altered since the end of the 2012-2013 

season. Lakers assistant coach Eddie

Jordan took the Rutgers men's basket-

ball position shortly before the NBA players

started. D'Antoni informed Bernie Bickerstaff

and Chuck Person they would not be

retained a week after the Lakers' first round

playoff exit to San Antonio. The players

development coach Phil Handy joined Mike

Brown's coaching staff with the Cleveland

Cavaliers. Person and Clifford were considered

close to Dwight Howard, who will become

an unrestricted free agent July 1st. Clifford

was well respected on the Lakers team for his

defensive expertise and amenable personality.

He might try to add Lakers assistant coach

Darvin Ham to his coaching staff. D'Antoni

currently has his brother Dan, and Ham

as assistants. Some possible replacements

could include Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillan.

Both of the hirings hinge on whether they

would receive head coaching positions else-

where. D'Antoni does not plan to fill all of

the vacancies I guess, as he seems to prefer

a smaller staff than Mike Brown had.

An interesting article caught my eye in the

latest Time magazine. It is about Lakers

former coach, Phil Jackson. He speaks of

his fantasy team and the love/not so..of

Lakers player, Kobe Bryant. Phil is out

tooling about telling others of his latest

book "Eleven Rings". He says that the most

critical ingredient for a championship is

love. Yes, teams must get along together

and often hang out together, but mostly

it must be that they have to know how

to deliver the ball so that players can get

a good shot. Each one has to have the 

knowledge to move outside of himself 

and think about others. Phil believes

in Christian mysticism, Zen Buddhism 

and Native American beliefs. Where 

there is a higher power, being in harmony

with the moment is a must. Without that,

he thinks players can actually feel lost.

His pick for that "fantasy team" would be

Bill Russell. Bill won 11 championships

as a player. He does claim that the Lakers

were very likely the most talented team

that he ever had the opportunity to coach.

Before  winning 11 rings as a coach,

Jackson had won two rings as a player.

This was with the New York Knicks.

His Montana Ranch life seems to fit

him these days but yes, we do miss him.

Babs Wells

A LAKER MEMORY

Flynn Robinson, age 72, has passed away.

Flynn was a Laker in the 1970's. In fact

he was the sixth man on the LA Lakers

team back in 1971. After a two year battle

with cancer, he has left his wife Nancy

Pitts Robinson behind. Flynn died Thursday

at Keck Hospital in LA They used to call

him "Mr. Instant Point" back when the

broadcaster was famed Chuck Hearn.

Flynn was over a 6 footer and averaged

9.9 points and 2.2 assists in 64 games

during 1971/72. He helped the Lakers

win an NBA-record 33 consecutive games

and the franchise's first title in L.A.

Jeanie Buss, (Lakers' executive vice-

president of business operations),

said Flynn played an important

role as an asset for the team during

1971 and 1972. Flynn had played

with other teams as well and in 2005

was named to Wyoming's All-

Century team.

On another note, it seems wise to

say that very likely we will be getting

Dwight Howard to sign with the

Laker team once again at a 5 year

playing contract. He has been 

offered other choices to consider.

However the other places thought

of seemed to be able to offer him

only a 4 year contract instead of 5.

New CBA rules limit the amount of

monies players can receive in a sign

and trade. In that sort of a deal,

the maximum number of years

offered would be four. So, with this

in mind, Dwight would be making 

considerably more money by staying

with the NBA Lakers team. And, NBA

players rarely pass up considerably

more money..........right?

We shall wait it out and see.

Babs Wells

COVET YOUR OWN PROPERTY

Kobe Bryant has evidently had not really all that

cozy of a relationship with his mother, Pamela

Bryant. This is what we are hearing via the news

print. Not to pry but it is not always a viable for

a parent to confiscate anothers' property even

if that other person happens to be your child.

Back in High School, our Lakers star Kobe,

had kept his old jerseys from that era

along with trophies. Since then other

memorabilia has been kept. Some from

his earlier Basketball playing days. All, 

like most of us, find good memories so

we are very sensitive to relinquish momentos.

These then, are from Kobe's early professional

ball playing career and have a very 'special

meaning to him therefor he cares not to have

them sold. Recently Kobe's mother has

sought out N.J. based Goldin Auctions

and has received $450,000 monies paid

to her in advance of auctioning off many

of these old and familiar items.

According to court filings, Pamela Bryant

struck a deal in January with Goldin.

Earlier this year they sold a rare Honus

Wagner baseball card for a record $2.1 million.

With a sometimes icy relationship, this

mother and son have not seen eye to eye

on matters and now especially so with the

property (all be it older) of our Kobe's.

It is now with reading of all of this that it seems

he is playing one of his toughest defense

yet, in demanding his mother keep her

hands off his personal merchandise.

Hopefully the outcome will be in Kobe's favor.

Babs Wells