Read More: Matt Barnes (F – LAL), Baron Davis (G – CLE), Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Barnes says Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Baron Davis “want to be here” with the Lakers via free agency or trade. According to Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles, Barnes said “I’ve talked to both of those guys and they wanna be here.”

Barnes and Howard have a relationship from Barnes’ one season with the Magic in 2009/10. He most recently played alongside Howard in a celebrity basketball game Howard staged in November. Further, the two used to share an agent, Aaron Goodwin, and Howard helped broker Barnes’ signing with Orlando in the summer of 2009, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time. Howard has since left Goodwin for Dan Fegan.

The Lakers are among the most frequently mentioned potential destinations for Howard.

For complete Magic coverage, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog. For the Lakers perspective, please visit SB Nation Los Angeles and Silver Screen and Roll, SB Nation’s Lakers blog.

So far, the excerpts from Shaquille O’Neal’s book (“Shaq Uncut: My Story“) that have gone public have been amusing and opinionated, if a bit loose with the truth.

But this latest bit about his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers could not have missed the mark more.

It comes from Mark Medina at the Los Angeles Times Lakers’ blog.

According to the book, Kupchak promised to grant Shaq a contract extension following the 2003-04 season and not to discuss their contract negotiations publicly. Once the 2003-04 season ended, however, O’Neal was disturbed by an apparent interview in which Kupchak revealed the Lakers’ plan to hold onto Bryant while keeping their options open with O’Neal.

“That was it. That was the end of me in a Lakers uniform. Mitch broke our agreement. How could I trust him again?” Shaq writes in the book. “For months, I kept waiting for Mitch to come to me and say, ‘Shaq, you’re getting older, we need some new players. Mr. Buss doesn’t want to pay you and Kobe doesn’t want you here.’ But that conversation never happened. So that was when I demanded a trade. I couldn’t trust Mitch anymore and it was clear Kobe was now the one with all the power.”

Shaq has to realize that owner Jerry Buss made the call to trade Shaq and Kupchak was the guy forced to execute the deal then take a lot of pubic heat from Lakers fans for it, right? Kupchak had about as much to do with this decision as he did with the decision to invade Iraq.

If Shaq wants to blame someone for his exit from the Lakers, he can blame himself for running up the court in a preseason game in Hawaii that season yelling “pay me” at Buss. That was the day the cord started to be cut. Kupchak may have said he would do all those things for Shaq, but the decision was ultimately taken out of his hands. Kupchak, ever the good soldier, would never throw his boss under the bus (so to speak) for that.

Not that the Lakers or Buss really had much of a choice. Kobe Bryant was not going to play with Shaq anymore, he would have left as a free agent if Shaq wasn’t traded. So the Lakers had to choose between a 32-year-old Shaq who had a questionable work ethic or a 26-year-old Kobe about to enter his prime. It wasn’t a popular move with fans — Shaq was better liked — but there was only one basketball decision to make.

But among all the people Shaq can blame for his departure from Los Angeles (to Miami, where he won another ring with Dwyane Wade), Kupchak is about the last guy he should.

The NBA season isn’t starting anytime soon, which means Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant(notes) won’t be getting those whopping paychecks in his mailbox. So he may turn to another source: Virtus Bologna.

According to Sportando, Il Resto del Carlino is reporting that Bryant “is close to accepting the single-game proposal made by Claudio Sabatini, owner of Virtus Bologna.” For that bit of work, Bryant could make $2 million, the site notes.

The word is that the two sides were negotiating a deal that would have Bryant in Italy for four days and playing in one game, the site reports. “Kobe Night” has “sponsors and networks ready to cover the event,” Sabatini said, according to Sportando.

Bet Bryant wishes he made $2 million a game in L.A. Last season, he appeared in 82 games for the Lakers and averaged 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest.

Don’t forget to follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: Sportando

Related: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Michael Jordan is amongst the most vocal of NBA owners when it’s come to initiating a better revenue-sharing system, as his Charlotte Bobcats struggle to compete financially with the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. In terms of stylish, personalized air travel, though, it’s safe to say that MJ has just about every owner beat. Even you, Mark Cuban.

This, via Yardbarker, is the guy’s plane. It features a North Carolina-blue tail fin, the “6″ and the “23″ in its tail number refer to the amount of NBA championships he won and Jordan’s number, and it has his own logo on it. Just in case MJ gets confused on the tarmac:

Perhaps those familiar with the wonderful world of aviation (especially as “PanAm Fever” grips the country) can help us identify the type of plane it is in the comments section. All we can tell is that having your initials worked into the plane’s identification (as you can see by the “N236MJ” on the plane’s left jet engine) is pretty dope.

(And, no, “PanAm Fever” is not a real thing.)

Related: Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks

By SportsDirect

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Javaris Crittenton was taken from a Los Angeles lockup to Georgia Thursday to face a murder charge stemming from the shooting death of a 22-year-old woman in Atlanta last month.

The Atlanta Police Department’s Fugitive Unit was tasked with transporting the 23-year-old former NBA player to Fulton County Jail, according to Atlanta police.

Crittenton agreed Aug. 31 not to fight extradition to Atlanta, two days after he was arrested at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Atlanta-based attorney Brian Steel told reporters in Los Angeles last month that he hoped his client would be transported quickly “so we can begin defending him and clearing him from the false allegations.”

Crittenton, of Fayetteville, Ga., is accused of shooting Julian Jones outside her home on Aug. 19. Georgia law enforcement officials allege Crittenton was actually targeting someone he thought had stolen jewelry from him earlier in this year.

Crittenton was chosen by the Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft, but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 1, 2008 in the deal that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers.

Crittenton is not currently on any NBA team roster.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

When Phil Jackson disappeared to Montana last May, leaving a disappointing Los Angeles Lakers team behind, nobody would have predicted that the next time we’d take in the musings of the Zen Master would be on opening night of the NFL’s football season. Heck, back in May few knew when the opening night of the NFL season would actually take place due to their own lockout, so who would guess at something nutty like that.

Phil is back, though, and via ClutchFans.net, he’s behind the wheel of an Audi A8, and coming to the aid of beleaguered servers everywhere:

Again, we’re not typically keen on showcasing advertisements here at BDL, but it’s Phil Jackson and Audi. They gave us the Quattro, which short of the triangle offense is the greatest thing ever.

And it’s good to see Phil again. Even if he’s giving us the first #Humblebrag of the fall television season.

Related: Los Angeles Lakers, Video

Until this week, it hasn’t seemed like there was a way the NBA and its players would get a deal done, last minute or not, that would get the season underway without at least a number of games being missed.

However, Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest(notes), who will likely be known soon as Metta World Peace, gave NBA fans a reason for hope Wednesday when he appeared on 710 ESPN Los Angeles radio Wednesday night. “A week ago I expected us not to play until January [or] February, but now I have a good feeling we might have one on time,” Artest told the station, according to ESPN Los Angeles. “It seems like we might possibly have a season. I’m hearing progress in these last couple days. I haven’t heard this all summer. I’ve heard people not even talking, going to meetings, showing up. But now I’m hearing some very good things and I’m very excited.”

Those good vibes are coming out of the meetings occurring in New York between league execs and the players union. Meanwhile, Artest, who will be seen on the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars,” is planning to join the Cheshire Jets in England after Thanksgiving if his vision of NBA ownership and player harmony doesn’t occur, the Los Angeles Times reports.

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Source: ESPN Los AngelesLos Angeles Times

Related: Ron Artest, Los Angeles Lakers

Javaris Crittenton, a former National Basketball Association athlete who once played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards, is wanted on a murder charge over the death of a woman in Georgia, the FBI said on Monday.

Crittenton, who is believed to be in Los Angeles, is being sought for the August 19 shooting death of 22-year-old Julian Jones in Atlanta.

Witnesses said Jones was shot with an assault rifle by someone driving a dark-colored SUV, the FBI said in a statement.

Several days after the woman was shot, Crittenton, 23, of Fayetteville, Georgia, purchased a one-way airline ticket from Atlanta to Los Angeles, where he has friends and family, the FBI said.

Crittenton has been charged by Atlanta police with murder, and on Monday the FBI issued an arrest warrant for him for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Crittenton was drafted by the Lakers in 2007 and ended his career with the Wizards after a stint in Memphis, according to the league website. He played college ball at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

In January 2010, the NBA suspended Crittenton and Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas without pay for the rest of the season for bringing guns into the locker room after a dispute over a poker game on a flight home from a game.

Crittenton pleaded guilty to a criminal charge and received a sentence of one year of probation over that incident.

Javaris Crittenton, a former
National Basketball Association athlete who once played for the
Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards, is wanted on a
murder charge over the death of a woman in Georgia, the FBI
said on Monday.

Crittenton, who is believed to be in Los Angeles, is being
sought for the Aug. 19 shooting death of 22-year-old Julian
Jones in Atlanta.

Witnesses said Jones was shot with an assault rifle by
someone driving a dark-colored SUV, the FBI said in a
statement.

Several days after the woman was shot, Crittenton, 23, of
Fayetteville, Georgia, purchased a one-way airline ticket from
Atlanta to Los Angeles, where he has friends and family, the
FBI said.

Crittenton has been charged by Atlanta police with murder,
and on Monday the FBI issued an arrest warrant for him for
unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Crittenton was drafted by the Lakers in 2007 and ended his
career with the Wizards after a stint in Memphis, according to
the league website. He played college ball at Georgia Tech in
Atlanta.

In January 2010, the NBA suspended Crittenton and Wizards
teammate Gilbert Arenas without pay for the rest of the season
for bringing guns into the locker room after a dispute over a
poker game on a flight home from a game.

Crittenton pleaded guilty to a criminal charge and received
a sentence of one year of probation over that incident.

Eric Musselman is the new coach of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team made the announcement Thursday. Musselman, former
Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings head coach, has now
worked in some capacity for every NBA franchise in California. He
also has worked in the Clippers organization. He is currently
coaching the Venezuelan national team and using crutches for an
Achilles injury.

The D-Fenders are returning to the D-League this season following a one-year hiatus. Musselman spent last season with the Reno Bighorns – affiliate of the Warriors and Kings – and guided them to the D-League playoffs.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read More: Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), JaVale McGee (C – WAS), James Harden (G – OKC), Brandon Jennings (G – MIL), Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is considering joining Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee and the Drew League all-stars in their “Capital Punishment” exhibition game in Washington against D.C.’s Goodman League team. Your ears should be perked.

This comes after Kobe made a guest appearance in a Drew League exhibition game on Tuesday and dropped 43 points, including a game-winning buzzer beater from 17 feet over Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden, in a 129-127 victory. 

After the shot, Bryant was serenaded with “Kobe! Kobe!” chants from the LA crowd. 

Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley asked Bryant to participate in Saturday’s showcase in DC once it became clear that the five-time NBA champion was interested in playing in LA’s pro-am league: 

“We asked Kobe and he smiled at it, but he didn’t commit,” Smiley told Yahoo! Sports. “But if he comes, we will have a uniform waiting for him to represent Los Angeles – not D.C. Who knows? He likes drama and maybe he’ll show up to play for the Drew League.

“He saw the atmosphere today. He enjoyed it. All he has to do is get there.”

Having Kobe there would balance the rosters and add even more starpower to the game.