AM NOW BACK

Had a nice little holiday and I thank

you for allowing me this coastal trip.

It was sorely needed as I lost my husband

last July and this helped me so much

taking the time off to go down Memory Lane.

Was such fun however then on Monday eve. I

got to watch our Lakers play in Philly.

They won (barely) in O.T. against '76'ers.

End score was 113-11. Both teams have been

gaining some momentum but both teams

have been fighting a mostly losing battle.

Jordan Clarkson certainly showed us all

his worth making 26 points and then he

had a game winning basket with 0.7 seconds

left to play in overtime besides.

Well, actually, our Lakers have won in their

last three games in Philadelphia. Carlos

Boozer was active but did not play for the

5th. straight game. Seems he has been

dealing with an upper respiratory  infection.

Jeremy Lin was averaging 21.2 points in his

last four games before getting sick. This

included a 29-point outing in the Lakers' 101-87

win over the 76'ers back on March 22.

With our back-to-back games, the one just

before our playing in Philly, we were in 

Brooklyn playing against  the Nets. With

this game, we did lose, score being:

107-99.. Now, some fans may care about

the team's NBA draft lottery odds more than

Coach Byron Scott's contention that the

final 10 games will heavily influence

which players he decides to return next

season.. With our Lakers (19-53)

holding the NBA's fourth worst record,

they have a 10.4 % chance to

land the no, one pick as well as an

82.8 % chance to retain their top-5

protected pick otherwise owed to

Philadelphia.  

As I already stated once before, Jordan

Hill would like to remain a Laker player.

So anyway, we shall just have to wait

it all out and see. Our next game will

evidently show us just where the 

players stand . And yes, we shall wait it out.

BABS WELLS

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM?

Road trip coming up but first must report

on Sunday nights great game at Staples 

Center against the Philly 76'er's. Yup,

we won!! How about that though?

Our Jeremy Lin out-did himself too

having a career high of 29 points.

Ending score was: 101-87.

Sad note is that coach Byron Scott's

mother, Dorothy, passed away March 15th.

at age 72 so our coach will be missing the

following two games of our next road

trip. He will hopefully be joining the team

in Toronto on Thursday. The last time

that our Lakers faced the 76'er's was Feb.

7, 2014, when Steve Nash scored 19

points on his 40th Birthday in a 112-98

win at Philadelphia. Nash, then played in

only 15 regular-season games for Scott.

We now learn he announced his career

is a done thing & is going to retire.

He announced this fact  on Saturday

and it ends his 19 year NBA career that 

included two MVP awards. He states that

yes, it is bittersweet & he already is missing

playing but feels it is time that he looks

into doing something else, having missed

so many games because of his back issues.

Nash was born in South Africa but grew up

in British Columbia and starred in college

at Santa Clara. His success led to a pro-

liferation in Canada, which has produced 

a stream of top-level players who grew up

watching his success. Another former Laker

player, Derek Fisher, now coach of the N.Y.

Knickerbockers, has filed for a divorce from his

wife of 10 years and they have 4 children.

And yet, another sadness that is seen out

on the courts, is the grief of our Laker player,

Wayne Ellington. He shows us with his shoes 

being his symbol of respect and honor 

in the notice of his father, Wayne Sr. that, was

murdered on November 9, 2014 at age 57

in Philadelphia, Waynes' shoes depict all of

this loss with inscriptions on them of: WRE

and also some saying "RIP POPS". He gets

pretty emotional in all of this realization of

loss, but had some family members in attendance

during the 76'er's game that did give him

some forms of comfort. He has averaged

12.3 points per game since beginning as

a starter. At 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, we

play against the O.K.C. Thunder. and then

on Wednesday (back to back) we play

against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This writer is going to be absent for a week

as on holiday but will take up my blog writing 

once again beginning first part of April.

Spring is here, enjoy the games!

BABS WELLS

JAZZ DID A NUMBER ON US

Even with Nick Young's brand new hair-do

it appeared that for the ending of last nights'

game, we just could not come through. Poor

Nick got a tad embarrassed when the camera

fell upon him sitting on the bench, (Still another

week probably before he will be able to play).

His knee has been so swollen for him. Anyway,

a bit too much attention, he walked to the lockers.

At least, a C/T revealed he would not be needing

surgery. He is averaging 13.4 points on a career

low 36.6 % shooting. The views between Lakers

coach Byron Scott and guard Jeremy Lin featured

a new element of disagreement, if that seems

possible.  Their varying philosophies on offen-

sive systems remain well documented. But after

committing two costly turnovers that both con-

tributed to the Lakers' loss to Golden State

on last Monday, and a subsequent benching,

Lin's miscues became a point of contention

as well. Lin actually offered a "no comment"

when questions were posed to him by media.

He defended what he terms his "high risk,

high reward" style of play. He claims he drives

to the rim and to the basket really hard and

then puts his head down the majority of the

time and realizes one often must take risks.

Scott and Lakers general manager Mitch

Kupchak talked after the Utah game on

whether they would grant Jabari Brown a

second 10-day contract that's expiring.

Brown entered last nights' game averaging

seven points on 60 % shooting and 20

minutes off the bench through 3 games.

In training camp, he posted a combined

5 points, two rebounds and an assist in 22

minutes through four exhibitions. The un-

drafted rookie from the University of Missouri

then averaged a league-leading 24.4 points

per game with the D-Fenders, (The Lakers'

Development League Affiliiate.) Yes, we did

lose last eve's. game against the Utah Jazz

and that makes now 50 lost games for us.

Final score was: 80-73.

Another loss too was the passing of  former

Laker player, Jack Halay who died at the 

age of 51. He also played for UCLA and on

Monday he lost his life. A moment of silence

was given at last nights' game in memory of

him. He evidently had heart issues. He was

father to 5 sons and will be so missed.

R.I.P. Jack. Our next game will be on Sunday

against the '76'ers playing in Staples, L.A.

BABS WELLS

ONE TERRIFIC GAME FELLA'S

Sorry the ending was not victorious but all

the same, you gave us watching a mighty

great game to see. Thank you for it too.

Jordan Clarkson and Wayne Ellington

each scored 17 points, Wesley Johnson

added 16 and Jordan Hill had 15 points

and 12 rebounds .The usual sprinkling

of Lakers fans in the Bay area roared

as our team raced out to a 22-17 lead

in the opening minutes of play. For the

most part, I would have to say that yes, 

there were certainly good vibes during 

last night's game against the Golden State

team. We did lose with our score being:

108-105 at the closing minutes of play.

The Lakers, (who have tormented

Golden State for most of the last 3 

decades) are now the team trying to

climb out of the Pacific Division cellar

right now. LA sure did keep the game

close but it did not go too well in the

final minutes. Sorry about that fans.

Maybe our next game will fare better.

So I'll be keeping you informed.

BABS WELLS 

WAS NOT MEANT TO BE

Lost to the N.Y.Knicks and now have

lost to the Atlanta Hawks, so

our lads still must pass muster in

a far different way in order to win,.

Home court did not seem to even

enter into the fray, apparently.

Wondering just what would become 

a better way to not make loss repeats?

In last nights' game, Carlos Boozer

and Ryan Kelly each scored 13 points.

This happened to be our 23rd. loss

in 28 games. The Lakers entered the
fourth quarter trailing 69-58 with no

players in double-figures scoring.

Final score last night was:91-86.

Reserve swingman Nick Young is

scheduled to have a CT scan done

today on his swollen left knee.

This injury has forced him to miss the

last 10 games. The last win that the

Hawks managed to do against us was

at Staples Center on Feb. 15, 2006.

Something we did notice though, was that

Jabari Brown made 9 points on 4-of-5

shooting in his second NBA game after

starring all season with the Lakers'

Development League affiliate.....

the D-Fenders. Jordan Clarkson

recorded a near triple-double

with 10 points, a career high 8 re-

bounds and 6 assists. His shooting

clip marked the 2nd. consecutive

game he shot below 50 %. It was noted

that Clarkson set up Carlos Boozer for

a jumper that cut the Hawks lead at

one time to 84-80, with 1.03 remaining.

Yes, at  games end, the Hawks secured the

victory and on that note, we are sorry.

Wondering how it might go tonight though

playing the Warriors.(Back to back game).

Saw by the paper that the broadcaster

of sports, Joe McDonnell, age 58, has

died. He got the nick-name of the

"Big Nasty" during his radio sports days.

The cause of death was not mentioned.

Known for his brutally honest coverage, he

will be sorely missed by many. R.I.P. Joe.

BABS WELLS

GREAT FOR THE KNICKS

Sorry, even though we played well, we

actually did lose the game down at 

Staples Center last night and yes, did

get a glimpse of former Lakers Coach

Phil Jackson as well as a nice look-see

at now NY Knicks coach (formerly a

Laker) Derek Fisher. Our team and

the fans gave him a very nice welcome.

Good to see that type of loyalty too.

It was a rare road win for the N.Y.

team, as they had lost 13 of 15 games

and were 0-12 on the road vs Western

Conference competition. They had lost 

their last seven road games. This time,

a 35-point second quarter stacked the

Knickerbockers to a 6-point halftime

lead which held the rest of the way.

Byron Scott (our coach) did not seem

to be particularly upset at the outcome.

He stated that we seemed to be playing

rather selfishly and it showed in our

shooting percentage and of course it

showed in the final score which was:

101-94. We recorded assists on

only 18 of the 38 held field goals.

Lakers forward Jordan Hill, who

has a $9 million team option, had 19 

points and 10 rebounds. Our rookie

guard, Jordan Clarkson, experienced

a rare off night with 11 points on a

4-of-12 shooting and one assist.

Our center, Tarik Black posted 10

points and a career high of 11 rebounds.

Lakers guard Jabari Brown finished

with 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting in

what marked his first appearance 

since the team acquired him from

the Development league. Our players

maintain that short-term deals do not

have the affect of "not trying to win".

There seems to not be any selfishness 

that often comes with guys having only

one year on their contract and wanting

to get paid. Some players concede their

uncertain future does affect them mentally.

Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Julius Randle,

and Ryan Kelly have guaranteed contracts

for the 2015-16 season, but we still need

to fill up to 11 roster spots. We have 4 

unrestricted free agents with 18 games

left to maximize the next contracts. Carlos

Boozer, Jeremy Lin, Wayne Ellington and

Wesley Johnson. They have one free 

agent who hopes his season-ending

right elbow surgery will not derail his

NBA future (Ronnie Price). Guess for now

we shall just be waiting it all out. We play

again on Sunday against the Hawks.

Hopeful for another great game (& a win!)

BABS WELLS

YES !!!!!!!

Granted for the Dallas Game we came up short

right at the game's ending. Was ever so great

however in seeing Kobe right there on the

sidelines encouraging our players like he

always does. His shoulder injury must be

healing pretty well as he looked good. His

attitude also, seemed serene and poised.

There is little doubt that the frustration eats 

at him. He still exuded an aura of calmness

surrounding all the adversity around him.

He is optimistic about  returning for the

2015-16 campaign in what will mark his 20th.

NBA season and final year of his contract

that will pay him $25 mil. "I'll be ready to go"

he told the Daily Newspaper. "Ill do my regimen

and then be ready to go".

Having known all of this, general Manager

Mitch Kupchak recently said he will not 

squander the team's financial flexibility &

youth for more established  veterans

just to strengthen Bryant's chances of

securing his sixth Championship in what

might mark his final NBA season.

Nick Young could be facing a more 

lengthy absence with his left knee

injury. He did not play when we hosted

the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday at 

Staples Center and lost that game too.

Rarely have Byron Scott and Jeremy

Lin ever agreed on much regarding

both his early-season struggles and

his recent success following the All-

Star break. Scott says Lin is now

far more comfortable and argued that

his pick and roll plays have helped.

Our win against the Detroit Pistons

on Tuesday evening was a great game

to watch. It snapped our 5 game skid

and helped the moral of our players.

Jordan Hill led seven Lakers in

double figures with 16 points and

L.A. beat them 93-85. On Thursday

we will be able to see our former Laker

player as coach. Derek Fisher, when

we play against the N.Y. Knicks.

Wonder if we will get a glimpse too of
our former coach here, Phil Jackson.?

See you then on Thursday?

BABS WELLS     

SAME OLD, SAME OLD

Reading the paper, I see that the memorabilia

in Jeanie Buss' office provides a visual

reminder on where the Lakers' storied

franchise once stood. All 11 of the Lakers' 

NBA trophies they won in L.A. sit on a shelf

in Buss' office that remains adjacent to the

window overseeing the teams' practice court.

As the paper states, those images contrast to

the Lakers' presently dire state. The Lakers

(16-44) are now entering the second consecutive

year a month away from missing the NBA

playoffs for the 7th time in franchise history.

Ahead by most of the Memphis game on Friday,

and tied many times, we again lost. Losing to

the Grizzlies, our score was 97-90.

The Memphis Grizzlies used their defense

to fuel a late fourth-quarter push and

avoid an upset against us. We held an 87-84

lead with 3 minutes left before Memphis

closed the game on a 13-3 run, including 

seven straight to start the rally. In fact, we

had control for most of the game until the

final 4-5 minutes. This scene is looking very

familiar to us by now. It is noted that our team .

played well on both ends of the floor.

We did some great things but at the very

end we came up short. During the game, 

the most notable miss involved Lakers'

forward Jordan Hill attempting a 21 ft.

jumper that rimmed out as the Lakers'

railed 89-87 with 27 seconds remaining.

We play against the Mavericks on Sunday

in L.A. at the Staples Center, 6:30 p.m.

We have just learned that Shaq 

(Shaquille O'Neal) has had a Birthday.

He now is 43. Happy Birthday to you!

BABS WELLS

WINS AND LOSSES

Of course we always like to watch a game that is

going our way and yes, we did win three games 

in a row and yes, it was great and even the next

game in which we lost by only one point. That

too was a fun game to witness. Our players are

going strong for their individual talents getting

the ball down the court, making rebounds and

making baskets. Their individuality shows.

Ryan Kelly is adjusting to a new role this year.

It both excites him and it frustrates him too.

The Lakers signed him to a two year contract

this summer worth around $3.5 mil. after he

showed promise his rookie season as the

48th.. overall draft pick. He also married

his longtime girlfriend, Lindsay Cowher, the

daughter of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach

Bill Cowher. After starring at Duke where he

went 111-15 through four years, Kelly's 2

seasons with the Lakers will feature 2 missed 

playoff appearances and among the team's

worst records in franchise history. He nursed

overlapping hamstring injuries that kept him

out for 30 games this season. Coach Byron 

Scott has now changed Kelly's position in hopes 

of expanding his game. We do have plenty of

front court options, including Carlos Boozer,

Jordan Hill and Ed Davis, that make the power

forward position crowded, yet, Scott is still

planning on playing Kelly at power forward.

This last played game was held  on Wednesday

eve. against the Miami Heat and we lost that game

as well. The final score was:100-94. Right about

here too I suppose is a good time to remind 

my readers, that I made a mistake when

writing about the Charlotte team. I said they

were the bobcats and that was wrong.

Their team is called the Hornets. Sorry about

that. Anyway, the game against Miami Heat

was a well played game, to be sure. Our team

did an outstanding job on the court. We tied

many times and were ahead some as well.

That game was played in the  American Airlines

arena.  We just plain folded in final moments.

Now the following game to be played will take

place on Friday. We'll be playing against

the Memphis Grizzlies. We'll have to wait

and see just how this next game will go.

BABS WELLS

WINNING STREAK HISTORY

Yes, we really did. We won three games in a row.

Was fun too and our players deserve a hand of applause.

The first two games were reported on but not so yet for

that third winning game. That took place against the Bucks.

We hosted Milwaukee and beat them with score of: 101-93.

Jordan Clarkson defended during the first half of the game.

This was the first time we won three games in a row since

Dec. 12-14. Guard Nick Young missed his second straight

game with a swollen left knee. Our team had lost 7 games

in a row up until this last current winning streak.

When we went to Oklahoma City, we played against the

Thunder and even though we often tied and we  were

able to get a tad ahead at times, we still lost the game.

That final score was: 108-101. So you can readily see

we were on our best behavior. Jordan Hill tried a block

with a layup that did not work for him. and, please do not

even take into consideration the draft lottery.. We were

sorry to to learn that Tarik Black was not to play and

missed his third consecutive game because of the

decision by coach Byron Scott. Scott also mentioned

that he feels he will stick with the current lineup

for Tuesday's game. This next game will be against

the Charlotte Bobcats. So it would appear then to be:

point guard Clarkson, shooting guard, Ellington, Small

forward, Kelly,power forward Carlos Boozer, and 

Center, Robert Sacre . Of course anything could

change any of that pending injury or illnesses.

Lakers guard, Jeremy Lin made a good showing 

on the court Sunday as he showed us his prowess

shooting baskets. As a Lakers' guard, he has really

shown such promise to my way of thinking.

Now on to Tuesdays' game and Good Luck too!

BABS WELLS