OH NO !! NOT ANOTHER INJURY

Even though our Kobe has made so many

points, we still have lost these first two

new season's games. Also, the injury

list is mounting. How is coach Byron Scott

ever going to deal with all of our players

out with a variety of injuries?

In 1996, A 17 year old Kobe, was signed

on to be a Laker & Jerry West in the wings.

He mentored him and had faith in his ability.

Now, in 2014, Kobe states that he is looking

at the game differently but yet wants to be

more efficient without hurting himself

physically. He has already played more

games (214) than Michael Jordan and entering

this season ranked 35th. in most games

played in league history.Saying that he will not

sacrifice his standards, he realizes that

perhaps he is asking too much of himself.

The Lakers lost to Houston at Staples with

score being: 108-90. Tough to relate, yes,

but we have just begun and hopefully will

be starting to win more games down the road.

The draft pick Julius Randle, left the floor

on a stretcher in pain. It is now believed

that he has broken his right leg. It now is

encased in a cast. In his December 17th.

game, he scored 19 points on 17 shots. 

Jeremy Lin and Jordan Hill have shown us

all what great players they are out on the

court. During the Houston game, Boozer

scored 8 of his 17 points  which led us all

to fully realize his great worth as well.

Unfortunately Houston led for all but 21

seconds of the first quarter. Another of

our players to watch carefully is Wesley 

Johnson along with teammate Wayne

Ellington. Injuries we surely still have

to contend with but with  new younger

legs, we ought to "get our act together".

That is if no further big injuries come along.

A strong season from Bryant this year

will likely enhance the Lakers' chances

of landing one of coveted free agents

next July. The Lakers' plan to file a

disabled-player exception to the NBA worth

$1.5 million. They are also still awaiting

league approval for a disabled-player

exception on Nash. That is worth about

$4.9 Million. The Lakers can use both

of those tools to acquire two separate

players through trade or free agency at that

allotted amount. Their loss playing the Suns

at score of: 119-99, on Wednesday, at

U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix was another

loss we had to live through, tough as it was.

Lets' be in the frame of mind hopefully, to

try hard to bounce back with fewer injuries

for future games. May the Force be with us.

Babs Wells

ANOTHER SEASON DAWNS

We will no longer be seeing Steve Nash dashing

about with our Lakers team. At age 40, it looks as if

he will be hanging it up. His back is just too difficult

to deal with but who knows? Perhaps next year 

he just may decide to go into a coaching position.

At any rate, the pre-season games have been

fun to watch and now it is the 28th. Our very

first new season game! Granted, new faces

will be there for us to try and negotiate as part

of our team, still our new coach has already

been there and seen it all before. Byron Scott.

It also seems that our Kobe Bryant will be with

us and tackling the courts with his very own

individual manner..sometimes even he has

been known to coach his buddies and he

never ever lets us down with his slam dunks.

Jeremy Lin will be making his first career

start in the Lakers' season opener today 

against the Houston Rockets, a franchise that

stripped away his starting position and traded him.

Nick Young will be among the missing for right

now as he is nursing a right thumb injury.

Xavier Henry has an injured right knee.

Ryan Kelly is bothered too, with his right

hamstring and Wayne Ellington suffered a

concussion. Jordan Hill is listed as "probable"

after having a neck strain but Lin may have 

showed his true feelings when he paused

for 6 seconds when asked if he thought

Houston offered him a fair shake. He was

not able really to answer that question.

Scott will conserve Bryant's minutes after

the star guard played in only 6 games last

season because of his injuries. The coach

would only say it will fall between 35-40

minutes. This will enable Bryant to play

at a high level, yet still keep him fresh

in March and April. Kobe averaged 26

minutes in the last two exhibitions. He

averaged 38 minutes for the 2 last

seasons but that was before injuries.

Bryant is the Lakers' best hope for a

bright season but he is also fighting

the cumulative wear of 18 NBA seasons.

Kobe is famous for checking himself

into games and playing for however many

minutes he wants. He and Scott have

discussed this aspect at length.

After last years' bitter ending, the Lakers'

are likely to slow things down somewhat.

Scott is implementing a multifaceted 

approach with elements of the Princeton

offense which should show all our players

to be able to play at their own strengths.

One thing here to note is Julius Randle. Both

Kobe Bryant and coach Byron Scott shared

he could become an NBA All-Star if he is

willing to mimic Bryant's work ethic.

An article telling us we have lost Wayne McCain,

says at only age 59, he died at a hospital in Urbana

after a brief unspecified illness, losing his life

last Wednesday. He had been a former Illinois assistant

men's basketball coach and standout high school

coach. Bob Knight, Basketball Hall of Fame, just turned

74. And with these announcements we anxiously

Await tonight's' game with anticipation. Go Lakers!

Babs Wells

A WIIN SURE IS NICE

The Jazz played against our Lakers in a preseason

game on Sunday. We won by score of: 98-91.

The Lakers of course depended on Kobe Bryant.

His 26 points on 7-of-22 shooting and 9-of-11

clip from the foul line in 31 minutes marking his latest

progression after playing in only 6 games last

season because of overlapping injuries to his

left Achilles tendon and his left knee. This happened

a day after Bryant threw down a one-handed dunk

in practice. But the Lakers also fueled a third-quarter

rally, outscoring Utah's second unit 31-18 with a

heavy dose of contributions from veteran forward

Carlos Boozer (19 points) training camp invitee Wayne

Ellington (9 points) Rookie forward Julius Randle ( 8

points) and versatile swingman Wesley Johnson (8

points). For only the second time in 5 exhibitions,

the Lakers also held an opponent under 100 points. Coach

Scott plans to play Bryant in the Lakers' 3 remaining

pre season heading into the 2014-15 season opener October

28th. Scott believes Clarkson will return either Tuesday

against Phoenix at Staples Center or Wednesday

against Portland in Ontario. Scott also added Lin's

possible return on Tuesday. This hinges on if he can
participate in a  full-contact scrimmage Monday 

that includes cutting and changing direction without

having additional strain on his left ankle.

Steve Nash is now back on the practice floor.

His presence actually was a rather rare sight. He 

spent the past week mostly in the trainers' room

dealing with back spasms and nerve irritation that

have plagued him for the past two yeas.

Nash spoke with reporters and seems to be

optimistic he can overcome his injuries that have

kept him sidelined. With all the work he has been

doing he said, he felt he would be in a position

to bounce back. He played in only 15 games last

season because of the  nerves affecting his back 

and hamstrings. After reporting feeling fully healthy

this off season and the first two weeks of training

camp, Nash played only the first quarter of the Lakers'

exhibitions when playing against Golden State and then

said he had to get out.

Jordan Clarkson could return either Tuesday or Wed-

nesday after missing a week with strained left

calf muscle.

Xavier Henry will be seeing Dr. Keith Pyne in N.Y.

City for his opinion and if necessary may be flying on

to Germany for additional treatment, ensuring that

he will stay sidelined for the Lakers remaining

pre-season games. The Lakers estimate Henry

will return on Friday.

So much for this roster right now. Time will tell.

Babs Wells

BUILDING THE TEAM

Coach Byron Scott has always been about the X's and the O's.

So the fact that the game in which the Lakers lost to the

Golden State Warriors at Citizen's Business Bank Arena in Ontario

for an exhibition game was no extenuating circumstance.

He stated that he was not about to dismiss anything about the

preseason because if they are scoring then he expected a win.

Scott, himself, a 3-time NBA champion back in the '80's, has always

been of the mind that he is hopeful to establish a vigorous daily

norm for their practices. When top draft pick Julius Randle had

a tough time keeping up at the outset, Scott publicly questioned

his fitness and level of conditioning. Scott is a realist, after all.

He knows for example that 7-footer in the middle is Robert Sacre,

not Kareem Abdul-Jamar. Scott is adamant that this is the version

of a senior league team he wants to run.

In first game action since his knee injury last season, Kobe made 13

points in the game against Denver with scores of: Lakers 98, Nuggets 95.

Playing at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego represented

the first of 8 preseason games so that the roster can be sorted out.

Their following schedule reads this way: Rockets at Lakers,

October 28 at 7:30 p.m. TNT, Lakers at Suns, October 29 at

7:00 p.m. TWCS, Clippers at Lakers, October 31, 7:30 p.m., ESPM Prime.

and then on November 1st, Lakers at Golden State, 7:30 P.M.,NBATV

and TWCS. Lakers guard Steve Nash, missed his second consecutive

practice after playing only the first quarter of the Lakers' preseason

loss last Sunday, before he felt forced to go sit down. He actually

played only 15 games last season amid back and hamstring injuries.

Right now, it would seem that Scott might start either Jeremy Lin or 

Ronnie Price instead of Nash..at least as of this writing today.

Lakers forward Xavier Henry practiced this wk. for the first time

during training camp, though he is still limited with back spasms.

And so it seems our Laker team is still a work in progress.

BABS WELLS

MANY THINGS NOW TO CONSIDER

Jeremy Lin has already caught the injury bug. Seems

he was stepped on in practice and suffered an

ankle injury. His left ankle became sprained.

Depending on Lin's status, both Steve Nash

and Kobe Bryant may be called upon to play

against Golden State at Citizens Bank Arena

in Ontario. Jordan Clarkson has suffered a

strained left calf muscle. Happened last Thursday.

Xavier Henry returned to practice after missing

a week due to back spasms. Seems Henry

was unable to be available last evening, but

Byron Scott (coach) said it was encouraging

to see him go through drills and 5-on-5

workouts. I guess he was a bit rusty and it 

obviously had been awhile since being out there

on the basketball court, but he did look able.

Nick Young looked like his usual self bouncing

around Lakers practice save for the sling on

his right arm that forced him to shoot and dribble

left-handed. He had torn the radial collateral

ligament in his thumb while guarding Kobe

earlier this week. He ran sprints with the 

team following their scrimmage but was mostly

on the sidelines practicing on his own. He said

"I can't even tie my own shoelaces or put

my clothes on with out help" and that of course

could become un-nerving.

Julius Randle has exhausted his bod during training 

camp with the Lakers."It was tough" he says, "But 

I have been preparing for this throughout the summer".

Yet, the 7th overall pick from this year's Laker

draft has faced a sobering reality. No amount of

preparation can ensure a smooth transition

from posting a nation leading 24 double-doubles

in Randles lone season at the University of

Kentucky to thriving under a purple and gold

backdrop. He actually did play behind 12-year

veteran Carlos Boozer at power forward and

competing for minutes with Ed Davis.

Two other notations this time are as follows:

Basketball Hall-of-Famer, Marques O. Haynes

just had a Birthday and turned 88! Great!!

Another player and an All-American guard

at Tennessee who later worked as an

assistant coach and broadcaster for his

alma-mater, has died. He was 71..R.I.P.

And now...for me? My own Birthday

about to come around again on the 23rd.

Oh my,  (84)...age..it catches up to us all!

Babs Wells

STILL AWHILE BEFORE 28th

At 40 something, Steve Nash is telling us that he

will "hang it up" after this season is over with.

Of course this will depend on a few variables.

He seems to like the LA area as well and is

not looking to move his family elsewhere.

With all that said, Nash's post-retirement life

sounds uncertain. Nash made the statement

that if he is mobile and moving well, he thinks

he can play at a good level but will wait it out

to see and hopeful for a good run at it and will

try his best.

Nick Young, on the other hand has suffered a

torn ligament and will not be able to play it

seems for about another 6 to 8 weeks.

Byron Scott earlier had hoped that Young 

could win the NBA's sixth man of the year

award. The injury leaves the team thin at

small forward. Also Ryan Kelly has strained

his left hamstring and Xavier Henry has been

having back spasms. Scott now is leaning more

toward Wesley Johnson, a move that seems

more than likely due to Young's injury. Because

of this, it will very likely open up playing time 

for second-round draft pick Jordan Clarkson

and shooting guard Wayne Ellington.

It seems that Kobe Bryant has embraced

Clarkson, calling him "a steal of the pick".

This said after the Lakers paid $1.4 million

to the Washington Wizards to draft him

with the 46th. overall selection of this years

draft. Three months after Clarkson led the

Lakers Summer League team, averaging 

15.8 points and 5 rebounds, Bryant gushed 

about what Clark has shown with his play-

making, shooting and driving through the

first week of training camp.

Mitch Kupchak has lofty expectations

for our team. That is of course due to the

awful season just behind us. That was 

hard to handle having finished with a 25-

57 record, their worst season in L.A.

Franchise history. The injury bug really 

did a bad number on our playing up to snuff.

Plenty of work awaits, which Kupchak said 

starts with ensuring that Bryant, Nash and\

veteran forward Charles Boozer stay healthy.

And so, another season is very near.

Babs Wells

SO YES, IT IS NOW OCTOBER

Bryant-Scott bond goes back a long time.

Bryant won 5 NBA championships

and climbed to fourth place on the NBA's

all time scoring list. Scott recalls seeing "some-

thing special" in Bryant during those early-

morning workouts during the 1996-97 season.

He was much different than anyone I had

ever met, Byron Scott (Laker coach now) said

in an interview with The Daily News paper.

He was already extremely focused on what

he wanted to be in this league. So, Scott says

that they sort of gravitated toward each other.

One quality they both share is that they pave

their way working so hard to achieve and do

remain very focused in practice. They both

know full well what they want to accomplish

and therefore each one sets that tone.

In recent practices it appeared that there

has been a calming presence. Now that the

2014-15 season is nearly here there are

almost conflicting emotions. I suppose that

is because  the fact that last season, due 

to injuries, he played only a short time on court,

namely 6 games total. Granted there is excitement.

But along with that is almost a rage..something

within Kobe that states he is trying to see if he can

prove to himself that he can do the job he is so

trained to do and do it well. I think we all feel quite

optimistic regarding the upcoming games though.

Scott absolutely gushed about Bryant's shooting

accuracy and post-up moves. Also in his rebounding

and passing, even if perhaps he did not get a dunk.

Scott went on to say he is expecting Kobe to play

82 games and to play them well.

The positive vibes lasted all summer long for Steve

Nash. He has been able to train and play basketball

without nerve root irritation flare-ups in his back.

Unlike the past 2 years where he missed a combined

99 games because of root damage with his back

and his hamstrings, Nash practiced all summer un-

scathed. Yes, Nash is well aware that his positive 

spirits and health may sour as quickly as one of 

his nifty no-look passes, and yes, that  certainly

was a bad run with that nerve that he had to be

a bit cautious about but he is forecasting good plays.

More later then about some of the other players

in a future blog. Okay?

Babs Wells