February 18th: Francis to the Lakers?

 
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:36 am    Post subject: February 18th: Francis to the Lakers?

Report: Lakers mentioned as team that could trade for Francis
BY BRIAN SCHMITZ
The Orlando Sentinel

HOUSTON - Steve-O in the same backcourt with Kobe?

Add the Los Angeles Lakers to the list of possible suitors for Orlando Magic guard Steve Francis.

The Lakers are "aggressively" pursuing a trade that would send forward Lamar Odom to the Magic for Francis in a multiplayer deal, NBA sources told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday.

Odom, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward, is an all-around player lost in Kobe Bryant's immense shadow with the Lakers. He was acquired in that megadeal involving Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat.

Odom, who is averaging 13.9 points and 9.2 rebounds, has four more years remaining in a contract worth about $51 million.

Francis, who has three more years and about $48 million left on his deal, is in Houston, where he has a home and is attending the festivities involving NBA All-Star Weekend.

Francis' agent, Jeff Fried, said on Friday that the Magic haven't informed him that a trade was pending. The trade deadline is Thursday.

"There's no change in Steve's situation that I'm aware of," he said.

Asked whether Francis was resigned to being traded, Fried said, "No."


Last edited by Phil on Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:14 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:39 am    Post subject:

Bryant is reborn star

By John N. Mitchell
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 18, 2006

HOUSTON -- Think Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is hard on his fellow NBA players? Think again, because it's nothing compared to Bryant's approach to games with his 3-year-old daughter, Natalia.
Whenever he can, Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer, balls up pieces of paper and shoots them into a wastepaper basket, challenging his daughter to keep up.
"I try to show my daughter that you have to compete at everything," Bryant said with a serious look on his face yesterday. "You can't back down. I want my kids to understand that so when somebody puts an obstacle in front of you and says you can't do something, you don't back down. You push through that to get something accomplished. I tried to set that tone for her even at an early age. She's competitive already at the age of 3. Seriously."
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:45 am    Post subject:

Keeping it light

[snippet, Shaq's comments about Kobe's 81]

Southern California reporter: "Are you surprised a Phil Jackson-coached team is 26-26?"

O'Neal (long pause): "I don't know."

Reporter: "Do you pay any attention to the Lakers?"

O'Neal: "No, not really."

Reporter: "But you said you were watching the Lakers on TV when Kobe Bryant scored 81 points."

O'Neal (quickly): "I actually was watching. I ain't even gonna lie; I was watching."

O'Neal fielded many more Yao questions than Bryant questions Friday, a distinct departure from recent All-Star sessions. O'Neal's only extended comment about Bryant - whom O'Neal embraced for the first time as an ex-teammate a month ago - was praise for that 81-point game, even though the day after it happened, O'Neal refused to meet with reporters.

"It was a fantastic game," O'Neal said. "I actually saw it. He shot the ball well, and he was feeling it. And whenever a guy is feeling it, he should go for it. It was a fantastic, historic performance."
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:47 am    Post subject:

Bryant has optimistic view

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register

HOUSTON – Kobe Bryant consistently had the largest crowd of reporters around his table during the NBA All-Star Game's media session Friday.

Popular lines of questioning were Bryant's 81-point game and the next Team USA, but there was also interest in how he is handling playing for a mediocre Lakers team with an uncertain future.

Bryant said he and Coach Phil Jackson aren't that uncertain about it.

"When Phil and I have talked about the future of this team, we both feel like we're not that far away," Bryant said. "One piece, two pieces, maybe. So the vision that we have for the team may be a little different from the direction other people may see us going in. As long as we're on the same page, we're fine."
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:48 am    Post subject:


It's a celebration of Bryant at All-Star festivities

Players, media, fans laud Lakers superstar for first-half performance
By Ross Siler, Staff Writer

HOUSTON - Just when Kobe Bryant thought he had heard every question about the possibility of a 100-point game, a foreign reporter surprised him with a new one Friday at the NBA All-Star Game media session.

The writer told Bryant about a trend no one had noticed. He scored 43 points Nov. 20, 62 points Dec. 20 and 81 points Jan. 22. At the same time every month, it seems, Bryant draws closer to Wilt Chamberlain and Hershey, Pa.

Then the man pulled out an article in which he predicted that Bryant would score 100 on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. What else could he expect for a game Feb. 21?

"Is it in the stars? Is that what you're telling me?" Bryant said. "That's the most compelling case I've ever heard for 100 points."
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:51 am    Post subject:

Finalists Named for Hall of Fame
By Mark Heisler, Times Staff Writer

HOUSTON — Former NBA stars Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars, Dominique Wilkins, Chet Walker, Adrian Dantley and Ralph Sampson were announced Friday as finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.


Other finalists are former coaches Don Nelson and Gene Keady; former St. Louis Hawk owner Ben Kerner; former Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt; commentator Dick Vitale; women's coaches Geno Auriemma of the University of Connecticut and Van Chancellor of the Houston Comets; international coaches Sandro Gamba of Italy and Pedro Ferrandiz of Spain, and John Isaacs of the New York Rens.


The 2006 inductees will be announced April 3 in Indianapolis before the NCAA title game.

Barkley, Auriemma and Gavitt are finalists in their first year of consideration.



Also appearing at Friday's news conference were Hall members Oscar Robertson, Moses Malone, Clyde Drexler and Gail Goodrich.

"This is a great day for me and my family and great friends," said Barkley, a former MVP and 11-time All-Star.



"Also, I want to give a special thanks to Moses. I've said many times, Moses has been probably the most influential person in my NBA career. He taught me how to work hard, got me in some shape and I always appreciated that."

Nelson, the NBA's first three-time coach of the year in 25 seasons in Milwaukee, Golden State, New York and Dallas, was at home in Maui and got the news via cellphone from his former Dallas assistant, Del Harris.

Harris, who is still on the Mavericks' coaching staff, said Nelson's cellphone is usually dead — "Nellie's always losing the chargers" — but Harris also keeps the number of a neighbor for situations like this.
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:17 am    Post subject:

Magic could deal Francis to Lakers
Among several trade scenarios being discussed is one to bring Lamar Odom to Orlando.

Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted February 18, 2006


HOUSTON -- Steve-O in the same backcourt with Kobe?

Add the Los Angeles Lakers to the list of possible suitors for Orlando Magic guard Steve Francis.


The Lakers are "aggressively" pursuing a trade that would send forward Lamar Odom to the Magic for Francis in a multiplayer deal, NBA sources told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday.

Odom, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward, is an all-around player lost in Kobe Bryant's immense shadow with the Lakers. He was acquired in that megadeal involving Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat.

Odom, who is averaging 13.9 points and 9.2 rebounds, has four more years remaining in a contract worth about $51 million.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:25 am    Post subject:

What can Kobe do in a game with no ‘D’?

By BRIAN MAHONEY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON - Even when it’s only an exhibition, everyone wants to ask Kobe Bryant about point totals.

Bryant won’t make any predictions about how many he’ll put up Sunday night in the NBA All-Star game, even though scoring has made him the biggest attraction in the league during the first half of the season.

‘‘I just look forward to going out there and winning the game, playing defense, believe it or not, doing whatever we need to win the game,’’ he said.

Uh, sorry Kobe. People in more than 200 countries aren’t tuning in to watch you block shots.

The possibilities seem endless. After scoring 81 points in a game this season, imagine how many Bryant can get in a game where there is little defense played.

‘‘I think it’s fun to have the discussions about Kobe,’’ NBA commissioner David Stern said. ‘‘I think it’s a terrific water cooler subject. Can he go for 100? Can he outscore a team by himself?
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Phil
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:44 am    Post subject:

Putting the 'I' in the Lakers

By OSCAR ROBERTSON

Cincinnati

TOMORROW'S N.B.A. All-Star Game is a time to take stock of the league, and thus far the "highlight" of the season was Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scoring 81 points. That certainly created a buzz. Could he someday break 100, and eclipse Wilt Chamberlain's record from 1962? Possibly. But what's the point? However much he scores, he plays on a team that will have difficulty staying above .500, let alone making the playoffs.

All the attention given to Kobe's feat exemplifies the focus of the N.B.A. today — from the news media, the fans and the players — on individual statistics instead of team success. And there are so many more stats than ever before. Not just scoring, but turnovers-to-assists ratio. Steals and blocked shots. Most technical fouls. And the most important statistic of all: who sells the most jerseys.

As far as I'm concerned, the only stat that counts is the win column. To be on top in that category, you have to play team basketball. You can't have just one or two players taking all the shots. When you get into the playoffs, you're going to need everyone to score.

The Lakers have already been through this once, when they first had Shaquille O'Neal playing alongside Kobe. When they needed other players to step up, they ran into difficulty. Now Kobe is being asked to carry the load by himself.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:36 pm    Post subject:

Bryant could soar to new heights

By Brian Mahoney, AP Basketball Writer
Saturday, February 18, 2006 11:30 AM PST
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant answers reporters’ questions during the NBA All Star basketball availability Friday in Houston. Associated Press Photo.

HOUSTON - Even when it's only an exhibition, everyone wants to ask Kobe Bryant about point totals.

Bryant won't make any predictions about how many he'll put up Sunday night in the NBA All-Star game, even though scoring has made him the biggest attraction in the league during the first half of the season.

“I just look forward to going out there and winning the game, playing defense, believe it or not, doing whatever we need to win the game,” he said.
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