JUST TO KEEP IN TOUCH

Lakers veteran point guard Steve Nash juggled

a soccer ball with Inter Milan, here for the U.S. 

tournament. He grew up playing soccer and still

has deep ties within the sport. He did not develop 

into a basketball player until he became an 8th

grader. His father, John, played professional

soccer in South Africa and England. Nash remains

an avid soccer fan and is part of the ownership

group for the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major -

league soccer. His "real" job shows him encouraged

for the upcoming NBA season. He is working his

way back to being 100% fit physically. His first season

with the Lakers was rather grim, limited to 50

games because of a broken leg and a strained hamstring.

An area I have written about before, is the camp out

at Lake Hughes. It is called the Painted Turtle and

was partially funded by our NBA Lakers team.  

The recent fire in San Francisquito Canyon that spread to

the SW Antelope Valley's hillside caused damages to

this wonderful camp and also to surrounding areas.

Gratefully, structures were not destroyed but smoke

damaged the ventilation and other systems and caused air

quality concerns. Those systems had to be thoroughly

cleaned and while much of the work is, in fact, already

done, the reseeding and replanting cannot occur until fall.

Therefore 5 fall family weekend programs have been

scratched in September, October and November, Executive

Director Blake Maher has said. The camp which opened

in 2004, serves hundreds of children ages 6-17 who suffer

from chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The camp allows

them a fun and friendly camp experience where they also

get the medical attention that they need.

Having the Lakers girls dancing during timeouts is a lure.

Certainly playing for the Lakers team itself, is a no-brainer.

Obtaining Steve Nash, Robert Sacre, Jordan Farmar, Chris

Kaman, Wesley Johnson and Nick Young to play alongside

our hero Kobe Bryant, is all we need to complete our roster

and with such good players we cannot help but feel blessed.

Pau Gasol will help to complete our team willingly along

with Steve Blake so we as fans can sit back and sigh

with relief for the upcoming October series to begin.

Yes, fellow readers, it is indeed going to be fun this season!

Do please touch base with me for any more details too!

Babs Wells

A FEW LAKER TID-BITS

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni is telling us that

they are trying to get more athletic, speaking

down at the training facility in El Segundo.

With a summer to prepare, having a training

camp, a healthy roster, content with Dwight 

Howards' decision to leave, a unified team, a

roster that fit his preferred style of play, the

backing of the fans and the non-threatening

shadow of the Lakers former coach. I think that 

most of us are excited to be able to continue

having Pau Gasol with us and returning to

his former position should mesh far better

with the recently signed center of Chris

Kaman to hit outside shots. The Lakers also

have high hopes for Wesley Johnson being

now part of our team. He has signed a one

year contract with the Lakers. It appears all

parties seem convinced that Johnson will

be providing outside shooting perimeter

defense and athleticism. He readily admits

to be lacking assertiveness but is hopeful

he has erased some of this. He grew up

cheering for the Lakers partly because

his mother rooted for Magic Johnson.

He also was in awe of Kobe Bryant and

having the same agent as Kobe, is perhaps

a factor besides. Wesley claims that indeed

he is ever so gratefull to be able to be a Laker.

Jordan Farmar smiled and held up a no.1 Lakers'

jersey Friday with cameras documenting the

return he has long sought. He claims he has

been watching the Lakers play ever since he

had left them. He would stay up until  two, three

o'clock in the morning while overseas to see the

Lakers play. Lakers court is home for him and he

longed so to be back playing with them feeling

that is really where he belonged. His return adds

depth to a point guard rotation that is headed by

two-time MVP Steve Nash. Former Laker Andrew

Bynum has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 7 footer missed all of last season with knee

problems after being allowed to change teams 

from the Lakers in a four team trade.

Our roster keeps on getting better and we are

anxiously awaiting the fall lineup with future games.

Babs Wells

ODDS AND ENDS

Without a doubt our Lakers seem

to continue being in the papers for

various and sundry items to report.

Yes, Ron Artest (AKA) Metta World Peace

has indeed left our fold. He is now to

be playing with the N.Y. Knicks team.

For now he is attending the NBA 

summer league in Las Vegas. Having

been reared in N.Y. at Queensbridge,

it is a homecoming for him.

Another item of interest is that Wesley

Johnson will be a Lakers addition for

at least a one year contract, having

played before with the Phoenix Suns.

He is an athletic 26 year old known to

be a worthwhile player & a nice kid.

Both Kobe Bryant and Wesley Johnson

share the same agent, Rob Pelinka, 

so it is thought that our Kobe was

probably a big influence in acquiring

Wesley. Seemingly quite skilled he

should then be a real asset for us.

And yes, as I have already mentioned

in an earlier article, Steve Nash played

along with his own foundation, "Showdown".

This charity soccer event was held Sunday at

Red Shield Community Center in Los Angeles.

Many NBA players joined him knowing

the event was for a good cause. The

foundation aims to foster health in kids

by funding projects that provide services

to children affected by poverty, illness, abuse

or neglect and creates opportunities for

education, play and empowerment.

So, finally we say farewell to a former

NBA player that defied racism on the

basketball court. Leland Mitchell died

at age 72 on July 6th.

In 1963 Leland and his Mississippi State

teammates had to sneak out of their state 

to compete in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Gov. Ross Barnett and other hard-core

segregationists were worried that their

all white team might compete against 

blacks, a step the governor said he feared

might lead to integration across the land.

Well readers, we now know the outcome

of these years ever since, do we not?

And with this goodbye to a brave soul,

I bid you goodbye today as well.

Babs Wells

GUESS WHAT????

It is the latest news today that CA Taft

High School graduate, Jordan Farmar

is returning to play with our Lakers!

YES!!! Mighty glad hearing this news.

We really did like seeing this vibrant

player out on our home court! It is also

a sure deal that Lakers signed on Robert

Sacre as well and rumored that it may

become a possibility we will even be

getting Lamar Odom back again to play

for Lakers too. All these changes and am

now being able to share this news with

you. It now is a certainty though,

that Ron Artest (AKA) Metta World Peace

is not going to be on our Lakers roster

any longer. He is going over to play in

China. He will be playing with Yao Ming's

team and is leaving soon for Shanghai.

We have now signed on a 6'7" player.

His name is Nick Young. He is a former

USC student and a former HS student at 

Cleveland High School in Reseda, CA.

Most recently, Young appeared in 59

games for the 76er's last season, averaging

10.6 points, 2.2 rebounds in 23.9 minutes.

We wish Metta World Peace all good things

and eagerly await our new Lakers players.

Kobe Bryant is recuperating extremely well

from his injury to his Achilles heal and following

surgery. He played recently with his kids club

and was seen sprinting down the floor as if

he was already healed. What a trooper he is!

Glad to see that, Kobe, get all well for this fall!

Babs Wells

CHRIS KAMAN???

Wasn't he with the Clippers?

True..for 8 years in fact.

However just for a one year contract,

the L.A.Lakers have now hired

this tall player to be with our team!

It appears that along with Pau Gasol, 

we will have this out-doors fellow on

our courts at Staples for the Lakers team!

Kaman was a star with the Clippers

in 2009-10 He then averaged a career

high of 18.5 points. Chris is 31 years old.

In fact, he has just barely now sold his

house in Manhattan Beach, (prior to being

a team member with the Lakers that is!) 

Kaman is renowned as being a hard worker

and dependable. He appears to have a deft 

touch near the basket. As I mentioned, he

seems to be quite the outdoors-man. He once

rented a recreation vehicle and drove from his

native Michigan to Alaska for a summer fishing

expedition. He played for Germany during the

2008 Beijing Olympics, taking advantage of his

dual United States/Germany citizenship. If

Metta World Peace comes back to play, then it

would probably be Kaman at center, Gasol at

power forward, Metta at small forward, Steve

Blake at shooting guard and Steve Nash being

point-guard. Well this then introduces you to

our newest hired player. This 7 footer ought to

do very well and we wish him all the best.

Babs Wells

ADIOS AND FARE THEE WELL

It is a certainty, now that the Lakers

have lost Dwight Howard for their team.

He has decided to join the Houston Rockets.

He made his choice and it becomes a reality

July 10th so we bid him goodbye and continue

on with our selections of whom so ever might

become a Laker that will hopefully enable us

to win another Championship in our future.

To quote another writers words, those of Daily

News writer Bob Keisser: " There are no hurrahs

for Howard here. He arrived with great expectations

and left it with expectorations after being ejected

in his last game. During the course of the year, he

complained in his unique way----passive aggressive,

smugly, always the victim---he was hurt, he was 

being ignored, the coaches did not understand him, 

and Kobe did not want to share. He complained

about everything except his parking spot at Staples".

Well, granted we wanted it to work with our team 

but many of us questioned Kupchak's adoration

of this former Orlando, Florida player right from

the get-go. It even almost seems time to question

his decisions all the way around. With the President of

the LA Lakers, Jeanie Buss, who is engaged to former 

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, it might behoove us to 

consider Phil taking Kupchak's place? 

It may be a very shrewd move all the way around.

Keeping Howard would have meant 5 more years of his

being the 'victim' and without any real idea if he would

ever man-up and become a team player. Yes, the Lakers

will now have to find someone other than Bryant to build 

around, but D. Howard simply was not ever a good candidate.

And so we venture on toward the fall playing field with some

questions vexing us but still better off it would seem with out

Dwight Howard on our Laker team. Be fun to watch & see.

Babs Wells