Pre-Season Grade
•December 21, 2011 • Leave a CommentLakers lose final Pre-Season game. 108-103
•December 21, 2011 • Leave a Comment
Blake Griffin scored nine of his 30 points in the final 5:18, and the Los Angeles Clippers wrapped up their two-game preseason sweep of the Lakers with a 108-103 victory on Wednesday night. Kobe Bryant did not dress for the Lakers because of a torn ligament in his right wrist. A MRI revealed the extent of the injury, which occurred Monday night in the third quarter of a 114-95 loss. Caron Butler and reserve guard Mo Williams each scored 16 points, and Jordan added 14 for the Clippers, who open their season Christmas night at Golden State. Chris Paul finished with 10 assists and seven points. Andrew Bynum had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who also begin their schedule Sunday against Chicago.
Magic: Gasol & Bynum must have the best seasons of their careers
•December 20, 2011 • 1 Comment
“What Kobe has to do now is really look to get Gasol and Bynum going and then pick and choose when he should dominate,” Johnson said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. “Because he’s going to need help, especially more this season than any other season, for them to be really one of the best teams and win a championship.” “Those two guys got to have banner years — Gasol and Bynum — because Kobe can’t carry the load,” Johnson said, noting Bryant was entering his 16th season. “You can’t expect him to be carrying the load night-in and night-out. They’re going to look to those two big men to control the paint, give Kobe a break.”
Kobe Offered $600,000 a Game in Italy
•September 20, 2011 • Leave a Comment
The Italian League’s Virtus Bologna team has put up an offer of $600,000 per home game for Kobe to sign on with their team. If he accepts, the contract would begin November 13 and run throughout the NBA lockout. If the lockout ends while he is playing for the Italian team, he would have a “get out of jail free” clause that would give him the ability to opt of of his contract.Kobe’s Italian roots may play heavily into this decision. He lived in Italy for some time while his dad played there and he speaks fluent Italian. The real question is, will Kobe risk a possible injury and a $25 million NBA profit to stay in the game? Meanwhile, Kobe has been weighing his options but is ready and willing to lend money to players during the lockout if necessary. According to an interview with the National Basketball Player’s Association director Billy Hunter, top salaried players are willing to loan money to help players dealing with financial difficulties get through the lockout.
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/09/20/report-italian-club-offers-kobe-bryant-600000-per-game/related/
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