July 5, 2009
Coach Phil Jackson has confirmed he will return as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. Jackson’s return was in question due to his declining health over the past few years. Since his inception as coach of the Lakers Jackson has had several health issues, including an angioplasty, two hip replacement surgeries, and gout. This past regular season Coach Jackson elected to stay home for a road series due to swelling in his lower leg. Jackson’s decision to return for the final season of his contract was incumbent on health tests he had scheduled for after the finals. With a clean bill of health and an improved Lakers team (with the addition of Ron Artest), Jackson will have a great chance to win back-to-back championships and earn an 11th championship ring.
Click on the link below to see his official press release:
http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/090703philjackson.html
July 2, 2009
Ron Artest has verbally agreed to sign with the Lakers. According to various reports Artest will receive the full MLE, which will be for either 3 or 5 years and worth $18M to $30M respectively. Details will be hammered out and Artest will be officially signed after the moratorium ends on July 7th. Mitch Kupchak, GM for the Lakers recently confirmed the agreement through a press release stating, “We have entered into discussions with Ron Artest and it is our intention to sign him to a contract at the conclusion of the moratorium period.”
By signing Ron Artest the Lakers are hoping to strengthen their pursuit in repeating as Champions.
June 15, 2009
The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2009 NBA World Champions and I was there to see it!
February 2, 2009
The jury is out, Bynum will be out approximately 8-12 weeks with a torn medial collateral ligament. According to the Lakers PR spokesman John Black, Bynum will rest the knee for the next 7-10 days and then begin rehabilitating the knee. The injury does not require surgery and on this timetable Bynum is expected to miss the last 27 of the Lakers 36 games and should be back in time for the playoffs.
