Mitch Kupchak’s coupon book filled with hometown discounts is about to expire at 9:01pm pacific time tonight.
Free agent to be Trevor Ariza, a Los Angeles native, is not going to give his boyhood team a cut rate price for his services or at least his agent, David Lee, isn’t.
According to various outlets, including Slam Online, Lee has stated that his client is not going to drop his asking price despite Ariza’s desire to remain a Laker.
The former Westchester High grad and UCLA Bruin wants nothing more than to continue wearing purple and gold. However, his clutch play in the postseason [...]

Just read this little blurb over at RealGM:
“Free agency officially opens on Wednesday, and the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Celtics, Knicks, and possibly even the Lakers are expected to show interest.”
I have no idea where they got their source, but I’m pretty sure that every Laker fan on earth hopes that this is only being considered if both Ariza and Odom are offered unmatchable contracts from other ball clubs and we’re stuck with the money we saved for them.
With the prospects of Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar backing up a still-relevant Derek Fisher, should we really even consider wasting cap space [...]

The name’s Alex and as a Lakers’ fan, I look forward to contributing to Lake Show Life from time to time. To check out my other work, head over to NBAtipoff.com.
Andrew Bynum made it through the playoffs without getting hurt. That was one big hurtle he was able to cross. What other ones face him now?
Consistency
Bynum did his job when he got good starts. He contributed by getting offensive boards and second chance points and changing the way the opponent penetrated to the basket. What held him back was foul trouble. There were a countless number of games where he’d start [...]

Faced with a new city and new co-star, the former “Big Diesel” and former “Big Cactus” (among MANY other things) settled on “The Cleveland Steamer” as his new nickname according to non-existent sources.
“I wanted a nickname that conveyed my dedication to Cleveland and showed that I’ve got an engine in me that is capable of literally pulling this team to a trophy,” Shaq was not quoted as saying.  “I thought about ‘The Cleveland Rocket’ first, since rocket engines are more powerful than steam engines, but I didn’t want to use another NBA team name in my nickname,” he also didn’t [...]

In an effort to get a little more coin for the luxury tax that Dr. Buss will have to pay in 2010, Mitch Kupchak has delt the 29th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft to the New York Knicks. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers will get a second round pick in 2011 and $3 million in cash. The Lakers still have two picks in the second round, numbers 42 and 59 overall respectively.
With a thin talent pool in the draft and little to no room for any floor burn to be found for a rookie in the Laker [...]

The FanSided.com Sports Network proudly presents our first ever network-wide live NBA Draft blog. That’s right; NBA bloggers from around the league will be checking in to discuss the 2009 NBA Draft and all the news and rumors that go along with it. If you want knowledgeable, real-time commentary on the entire draft, then this chat is for you. Thanks for joining us, and keep the comments and questions coming (but clean and respectful, please).
NBA 2009 Draft>

The only certainty in basketball would seem to be Shaq being traded in the last year of his contract and Blake Griffin becoming Dunleavy’s latest challenge in making athletic ballers look pedestrian.
The 2009 NBA Draft is just hours away and Griffin is the only lock. After that, it’s a massive game of toss up. Let’s examine a few mocks and their picks for the Lakers at number 29.
Raptors Rapture Mock 8.0 – Austin Daye, Gonzaga, 6-10/192, SF/PF (sophomore)
Austin is a local guy who attended Woodbridge High in Irvine before heading north to play for Mark Few. He’s a good [...]

We’re just a little over a week removed from the culmination of dramatic Laker postseason yet the real drama is only beginning.
Forget about Mitch Kupchak’s Odom/Ariza sized headache for a minute. Let’s get into how the Laker general manager will handle the new dilemma of Phil Jackson’s dabbling with working part-time as the head coach during the 09-10 season.
First things first: We’re talking about Phil “X” Jackson here. PJ is the only human being not named Dean Smith capable of telling Michael Jordan how to do his job. Coach Jackson was the only person who had enough rings and stones [...]

While everybody else in Los Angeles is basking in the afterglow of a 15th NBA title, Mitch Kupchak is in bed by 10pm in order to get to the office by 9am. Its business as usual for the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luckily, through a source that will remain unnamed, I was able to sneak a peek at his daily diary.
9:07am – First call of the day is to David Lee (Trevor Ariza’s agent). Trevor is due a raise and I’m not about to be the guy linked with Jerry Krause as the greatest dynasty destroyer ever.
9:19am – Just [...]

Sorry Shannon Brown, but as much as we love your attitude and athleticism, you’re not the talk of the free agent market right now. Both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom are extremely talented players who pose a serious problem for the Lakers this off-season because of their free-agency. Mitch Kupchak and Dr. Buss have an interesting little conundrum to deal with here. LakeShowLife.com breaks it down for you.
In the finals, both players played brilliantly and had equally important roles in the series:

PLAYER NAME
GP
MPG
PTS
FG%
3P%
FT%

Lamar [...]