Read More: Gerald Green (F – LAL), Troy Murphy (F – LAL), Matt Barnes (F – LAL), Metta World Peace (F – LAL), Derek Fisher (G – LAL), Steve Blake (G – LAL), Pau Gasol (F – LAL), Andrew Bynum (C – LAL), Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), Luke Walton (F – LAL), Jason Kapono (F – LAL), Josh McRoberts (F – LAL), Devin Ebanks (F – LAL), Derrick Caracter (F – LAL), Chris Daniels (C – LAL), Andrew Goudelock (G – LAL), Darius Morris (G – LAL), Zach Andrews (F – LAL), Malcolm Thomas (F – LAL), Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday trimmed their roster down to 15, the maximum per NBA rules, heading into the regular season opener on Christmas Day against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. The Lakers waived five players on Thursday. Gerald Green, Zach Andrews, Chris Daniels, Elijah Milsap, and Malcolm Thomas were let go by the Lakers.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the players cut by the Lakers was Green, who was a first-round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2005, then included in the package that sent Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston. Green has averaged 7.5 points and 16.0 minutes per game in his 181 NBA games.

The Lakers’ roster now stands at 15 players:

Guards: Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, Darius Morris, Andrew Goudelock

Forwards: Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, Josh McRoberts, Devin Ebanks, Derrick Caracter, Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, Troy Murphy

Center: Andrew Bynum

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Lakers, please visit Silver Screen and Roll.

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The Chris Paul era in New Orleans isn’t over — yet. A proposed blockbuster three-team trade of the New Orleans Hornets’ point guard involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets was nixed Thursday, according to league sources.

Apparently, several owners in the league thought the deal was too beneficial for the Lakers, who would have paired Paul with Kobe Bryant. There was concern the Lakers, who have won two of the past three NBA championships, would get an unfair competitive advantage.

NBA Commissioner David Stern apparently stepped in after hearing complaints from several owners attending the league’s board of governors meeting Thursday in New York to ratify the new labor agreement. The NBA has owned the Hornets for nearly a year and is seeking local ownership.

But an NBA spokesman denies that owners killed the deal. The Paul trade wasn’t even discussed at the board of governors meeting, spokesman Tim Franks said. He said the league office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons.

Had Paul gone to the Lakers, the Hornets would have acquired guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic and forward Luis Scola of the Rockets and Lakers forward Lamar Odom in addition to a draft pick.

In turn, Houston would have acquired Lakers forward Pau Gasol, filling their need for a big man after Yao Ming’s retirement.

After the league kiboshed the deal, Paul tweeted “Wow.”

Now Friday makes for an awkward moment.

General Manager Dell Demps didn’t want Paul’s uncertain future to cast a cloud over the season as the Carmelo Anthony saga did last year in Denver. Ultimately, Anthony got his way and was traded to the New York Knicks.

Training camp opens Friday, but Paul isn’t expected at the Alario Center in Westwego, according to league sources.

With Paul staying put, the Hornets still have only five players under contract. Demps is expected to address the news media Friday for the first time since the lockout began July 1.

Sources said Demps will continue to seek trade partners for Paul, who wouldn’t commit to the team after he was offered a five-year deal worth $100 million. Paul can opt out of his contract, which will pay him about $16 million this season.

The Hornets have had serious trade discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. Some teams have been scared off from entering the Paul sweepstakes because of the threat he might not sign an extension. If Paul signs an extension with another team, he would be forfeiting $26 million, as the most a competing team can offer him is $74 million over four years.

Paul could file a grievance against the league through the players union.

Apparently, there is a faction of owners who continues to push for competitive balance even though the labor agreement is designed to help foster it.

The Hornets had been listening to offers for Paul since last week, and they began to proceed more intensely after Paul indicated in Monday’s meeting with Demps he was not interested in signing a long-term extension to remain in New Orleans, sources said.

Paul has been with the franchise for six seasons and was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft.

Paul has been pushing for the Hornets build more talent around him since 2009-10 season when they failed to make the playoffs. The Hornets made a surprising playoff run last season but were ousted by the Lakers in the first round.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

THE LOS ANGELES Lakers will play games on the first three nights of the NBA season, the first of 42 back-to-back-to-back sets teams will face during this lockout-shortened season.

The NBA announced the compacted, 66-game schedule last night, one that will require every team to play on three consecutive nights at least once. And it will force every team to navigate demanding stretches that are never seen during a full season, such as the nine games in 12 nights the Atlanta Hawks face starting with their Dec. 27 opener.

The league’s 66th season begins with five games on Christmas, including the Lakers hosting the Chicago Bulls. Los Angeles then visits Sacramento the next night before returning home to host Utah on Dec. 27.

Teams will play 48 conference games and 18 against the opposing conference, meaning they play only three nonconference opponents home and away. The league did preserve its most storied rivalry, with the Lakers traveling to Boston for a Feb. 9 matchup before the Celtics open a stretch of eight road games in 13 nights in March with games on back-to-back nights at the Staples Center against the Lakers and Clippers.

Dallas and Miami also will meet twice, following their Christmas NBA Finals rematch with a March 12 game in Miami. The Heat and Lakers also play twice.

The 50-game 1999 season featured 64 sets of back-to-back-to-backs and was plagued by sloppy basketball being played on fatigued legs. The NBA faces a similar predicament now after failing to reach a new labor deal in time to save the Nov. 1 start to the season.

Instead, a tentative agreement was reached on Nov. 26. Lawyers for the owners and players are still finalizing the rest of the deal, with both sides expected to vote on it tomorrow before training camps and free agency open on Friday.

Miami will appear on ABC or ESPN 16 times, the most allowable, followed by 15 appearances apiece for the Lakers and Bulls. The Lakers and Celtics each appear a league-high 10 times on TNT.

The regular season is scheduled to conclude April 26 and the playoffs will open 2 nights later. The last possible date of the NBA Finals is June 26.

In other NBA news:

* Bob Vander Weide is retiring as Orlando Magic chief executive officer and team president Alex Martins is being promoted to his position, a source told the Associated Press.

Thanks for reading! .

Heidi Watney is leaving Red Sox Nation for Hollywood.

Multiple media sources reported Wednesday that the popular in-game reporter for NESN is returning to her native California. The University of San Diego graduate will become a sideline reporter for the Los Angeles Lakers for Time Warner.

Reached by Chad Finn of the Boston Globe via text message while on vacation in Australia, Watney wrote: “Nothing is final and not dealing with it until I return at [the] end of the month.”

The 30-year-old Watney was the 2002 Miss California runner up. She began her broadcast career in Fresno with local radio stations, the ESPN radio affiliate and the local FOX television station before joining NESN.

Reported Brian Rabuffetti for Boston Red Sox Examiner:

Watney took over as host of The Ultimate Red Sox show in June of 2008 and soon after also became the host of the Red Sox Report. Since her early days with NESN, Watney has been one of their biggest stars. She has been in numerous commercials, supported charities and even had a bobble head day in Lowell. Unfortunately with her fame, she was subject to rumors involving her personal life.

Yahoo!Sports offered the following analysis of her work in Boston:

Initially regarded as just another pretty face along Fenway Park’s foul lines, Watney became a regional favorite as she worked hard to improve her game over her four seasons … More importantly, she was active in Boston charity, making several appearances at area children’s hospitals.

On the last night of the regular season, Watney famously – or infamously, if you’re a Sox fan – appeared on NESN when Dan Shaughnessy predicted Boston would advance to play at least one more day.

The Sox, of course, coughed up a lead to the Baltimore Orioles, then watched the Tampa Bay Rays rally from a 7-0 deficit to defeat the Yankees in extra innings and edge Boston for the American League wild card.

Watney’s job with Time-Warner will begin with the 2012-13 season, according to CSN New England’s Sean McAdam. That’s assuming, of course, that the NBA and its players reach agreement on a new contract.

McAdam also reports that Red Sox lay-by-play announcer Don Orsillo has signed a four-year contract extension with NESN. He’ll again be teamed up with analyst Jerry Remy.

Comment Below!.

Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson recently roasted LeBron James(notes) during a talk at the University of Albany. If you read some of Magic’s zingers about the Miami Heat superstar out of context, you might think that Magic was ripping LeBron apart. That’s simply not the case.

LeBron James started a trend from which the New York Knicks greatly benefited in the 2010-11 season.
Wikimedia Commons

In fact I’m going to show you a really easy way to figure out how basketball writers covering this topic feel about LeBron James, personally. Type in “Magic Johnson rips LeBron” in Google and I’d bet that 8 out of 10 writers who used the word rip in their headline dislike LeBron James. If you don’t like the King, now you’ve got more reading options. If you’re tired of the witch-hunt, you’ll know who to avoid.

Why, you ask? Because Magic definitely wasn’t ripping LeBron. Rip is a strong word. Skip Bayless rips LeBron. Ric Bucher rips LeBron. Magic Johnson was in roast master mode.

Check out the video for yourself. Listen to Magic’s tone and observe his body language.

It looks like he’s about to break out the Hulk Hogan crazy ear-cupping thing after every joke he makes.

But even if it was just a stand-up comedy routine, of which I have little doubt, we all know that roasts live off of the half-joke. The fact there’s usually some grain of truth behind what’s said is exactly what makes the roast so delicious.

So here are the two bombs Magic dropped during his routine:

1. LeBron will never be a champion

“There’s going to always be great players in basketball. There’s going to always be guys who win championships in the NBA, except LeBron…”

I mean you have to watch the video, if only for this part. Magic was discussing minority scholarships and responding to a question about HIV survival when he randomly just busts out with this grenade in the middle of the sermon, takes two thrilled steps forward, a few more to the side and looks like he’s about to howl at the Hulkamaniacs. It’s awesome, but definitely a joke.

2. Kobe is better than LeBron

“Everybody’s always asking, ‘Who is better between Kobe and LeBron?’ I’m like, Are you kidding me? I’m like, you’re kidding me… Kobe, five championships; LeBron, zero.”

Here’s the half-truth part. Told like a joke, but the double “are you kidding mes” and the fact that he’s worked with Kobe Bryant(notes) his entire career leads me to believe that there’s a chance Magic might actually believe this.

Before I point out the hypocrisy here, I just want to say that Magic is my favorite baller, ever. His Topps rookie card hangs proudly on a plaque in my house, I consider him a top five player in history and his infectious personality makes him one the most likeable athletes in all of sports. When he made his comeback in 1996, every nationally televised Lakers game was basically the Super Bowl for me.

Respect and admiration aside, what the heck is the magic man thinking?

Did he use this same logic in the late 80s to convince himself that he was better than Michael Jordan? Back then, Magic had five rings and Jordan had zero, just like Kobe and LeBron. And yet, Magic’s greatest rival, Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird, was already calling MJ the most awesome player in the world in only his second year and added the memorable: “I think it’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan.”

Reality is that I don’t even need to ask Magic that question. I clearly remember when Bob Costas interviewed Johnson during the 1993 Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns. Magic was already proclaiming that His Airness was the best of all time.

High praise, considering the 2 to 5 drawback.

It seems that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird both had a sense that individual player greatness could exist outside of team victories. That winning six titles put an appropriate cherry on top MJ’s career, but that he didn’t need any to be best -he was that good.

And you know what? I’m certain that Magic realizes that it’s not as easy as five to zero. He realizes that for a while Jordan’s best teammate was either Charles Oakley or Bill Cartwright. That LeBron James’ was Mo Williams(notes). That even Kobe didn’t win the first year the Lakers got Pau.

And that not everyone is lucky enough to play for nearly a decade with either Kareem or James Worthy, or Shaq in his prime.

In fact I’m sure that deep down inside Magic knows that LeBron is the best in the NBA right now, late-game and playoffs woes or not.

He’ll just never say it out loud.

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Top 5 Reasons LeBron James is still better than Kobe Bryant

Why Dwyane Wade is better than Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s 7th Place Rank on the ESPN Top 500 is Fair

LeBron James’ girlfriend blamed for Dallas Mavericks victory in NBA Finals

Top 5 Reasons Dwight Howard will join the Los Angeles Lakers next year

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

During his illustrious playing career, Jerry West was often thought of as a hard-luck case. Celebrated, sure, but always a bridesmaid as his Los Angeles Lakers routinely fell short in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics. Fans at the time, mindful of his frustration, often allowed what was categorized as “moodiness” from West. Why wouldn’t he be, after coming so close but failing to get a ring year after year?

It turns out that “moodiness” doesn’t quite cover it. West revealed to HBO this week that he was suffering with depression throughout his NBA career as a player, coach, and executive. And the genesis behind his condition is terrifying.

From the Associated Press:

West says his West Virginia childhood was devoid of love and filled with anger as a result of his abusive father, who left him feeling tormented and worthless.

“I would go to bed feeling like I didn’t even want to live,” West says in a segment airing Tuesday on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

“I’ve been so low sometimes and when everyone else would be so high because I didn’t like myself.”

In the HBO interview, West describes his father beating him with a belt, saying, “It was brutal.”

He says he never knew what would set his father off. It wasn’t until his father hit his sister that West found the courage to stand up to the man that had abused him. At 12, West kept a shotgun under his bed and threatened to use it on his father if the abuse didn’t end.

That edge continued on from childhood and into his NBA career. West may have had a starting role in the NBA’s all-time backcourt until Michael Jordan came along, but his drive never let up, even into his time as a coach and then Laker executive. Never easy with his nerves, West famously was too mentally exhausted to watch the Laker dynasty he constructed win its first NBA title in 2000, preferring to spend the deciding Game 6 in a movie theatre watching the film “Gladiator.”

Since leaving the Lakers later that summer following clashes with then-head coach Phil Jackson, West helped put together a winner as Memphis Grizzlies GM before retiring from day-to-day operations to become an adviser for the Golden State Warriors. According to the HBO interview, West has declined therapy but does take medication for his illness.

The Hall of Famer’s book, “West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life,” is in stores on Wednesday.

Related: Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies

That’s all the news for today.

April 23
	   1950 -- The Detroit Red Wings edge the New York Rangers 4-3 in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup.
	   1954 -- The NBA adopts the 24-second shot clock.
	   1969 -- Jerry West scores 53 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers over Boston 120-118 in the opening game of the NBA finals.
	   1993 -- The Dallas Mavericks avoid matching the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers as the worst team in NBA history, beating Minnesota 103-100 for their 10th triumph of the season.
	   1996 -- An NHL single-game record crowd of 28,183 watch the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. Tampa Bay set the previous single-game mark of 27,227 in its first regular-season game in the Devil Rays' baseball stadium.
	   1999 -- Fernando Tatis hits two grand slams in one inning to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 win over Los Angeles. Tatis becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one inning and sets the record with eight RBIs in an inning.
	   2002 -- Brent Johnson of the St. Louis Blues ties an NHL record with three straight shutouts in the playoffs. That had not happened in 57 years. Johnson reaches the milestone with a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
	   2005 -- Alex Smith is the first pick in the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He's the fifth straight quarterback to be taken first overall and seventh in the last eight years.
	   2007 -- Alex Rodriguez is the first player in major league history to hit 14 homers in the first 18 games of a season. He also ties the record for April homers, connecting in the second and ninth innings of the New York Yankees' 10-8 loss to Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
	   2008 -- The Chicago Cubs win their 10,000th game, joining the Giants as the only franchise to reach that mark with a 7-6 victory in 10 innings at Colorado.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

FILE – In this May 3, 2010 file photo, then Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown screams at his team in the third quarter of Game 2 against the Boston Celtics in the second round of an NBA basketball playoff series in Cleveland. A person with knowledge of the discussions says the Los Angeles Lakers are in serious talks with former Cleveland coach Mike Brown about their coaching vacancy. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, on condition of anonymity because the Lakers’ coaching search isn’t complete yet. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File) (Mark Duncan)

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Mike Brown will be introduced as the Lakers’ head coach today. Mark Duncan/Associated Press (Mark Duncan)

Lakers To Introduce Mike Brown as Coach Today

The Los Angeles Lakers hiring of former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has drawn heavy criticism from the media and fans and today team executives will explain to the public for the first time the reasons Brown was selected.

Brown will be introduced as the successor to Phil Jackson an afternoon news conference at the team’s El Segundo headquarters. Jackson retired after coaching the team 11 of the past 12 seasons, guiding it to five NBA championships.

In a column headlined “Lakers’ hiring of Mike Brown is the wrong move,” Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke wrote of Brown, “He guided (LeBron) James and the Cavaliers to consecutive league-best records in 2009 and 2010.

“But he is best known for being badly outcoached in postseasons as the Cavaliers failed to take the top seeding into the Finals, last season losing in the conference semifinals to a Boston team that made them quit.

“He also led the Cavaliers to a surprise appearance in the Finals in 2007. But he is best known for getting schooled by his former mentor Gregg Popovich in a four-game sweep by the San Antonio Spurs.”

A letter in Saturday’s Los Angeles Times from Erik Schuman of Fountain Valley called Brown, “the single worst non-interim head coaching hire in Lakers history.”

“The Lakers will not only not win an NBA title under Brown, they will be lucky to make the conference finals,”

Schuman wrote.

Josh Davidson of Baton Rouge, La. wrote on his Twitter page Monday, “I’m still in mourning over the whole Mike Brown hiring. It’s really haunting my sleep. Brown is a joke who rode others’ coattails.”

Davidson wrote that he would have preferred that Brian Shaw, a Lakers assistant coach since 2005, be hired as coach.

“He has the players’ respect and trust, plus he’ll run a similar system,” Davidson wrote.

Jim Buss, the Lakers executive vice president, player personnel, told Times columnist T.J. Simers he was surprised by the reaction to Brown’s hiring.

“I wish people heard him speak,” Buss said. “Let him show you what he showed us.”

Buss told Simers that Shaw and former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman also were interviewed for the position by him, general manager Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss, the team’s owner and Jim Buss’ father.

Jim Buss called Brown, Shaw and Adelman “all fantastic coaches.”

“When the three of us talked later, we all came back to Brown,” Jim Buss told Simers.

Brown, 41, coached the Cavaliers for five seasons before being fired following the 2009-2010 season. He spent the past year as an NBA studio analyst for ESPN.

When several news media outlets reported last week that Brown would be hired, former Laker star guard Magic Johnson, now a team vice president wrote on his Twitter page, “For Jim Buss, this is a bold move hiring Mike Brown and I hope it all works out.”

Laker guard Derek Fisher wrote, “Will miss Phil but excited to start a new chapter under Mike Brown. Looking forward to a different style and energy!!”

On his Twitter page in response to a question, Laker center Pau Gasol wrote, “I’m excited about our new coach. I hope he can lead us to more titles.”

Los Angeles Clippers guard Mo Williams, who played for Brown for two seasons in Cleveland wrote, “Lakers won’t be sorry for that hiring.”

Brown had a 272-138 record with the Cavaliers, and was named as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2008-2009 season, when he coached Cleveland to a franchise-best 66-16 record.

Brown graduated from the University of San Diego in 1992 and began his NBA career that year with the Denver Nuggets as a scout and video coordinator.

Following five seasons with Denver, he became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards in 1997, remaining there until 2000 when he began a three-season stint as an assistant coach with San Antonio. Brown was the Indiana Pacers associate head coach in the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons.

What are your opinions.

AROUND the LEAGUE

From Our Press Services

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement in principle with former Cleveland coach Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson, the team said Wednesday.

“We’ve met with Mike and are very impressed with him,” said a statement issued by the Lakers. “In addition, we have an outline for an agreement in place and hope to sign a contract within the next few days.”

Brown will get a four-year deal worth roughly $18 million, The Associated Press reported.

With a strong interview last weekend, Brown jumped to the front of the line of candidates for the daunting challenge of succeeding the 11-time NBA champion Jackson with one of the NBA’s iconic franchises. Brown will be the 22nd coach of the Lakers, whose 16 NBA titles trail only the Boston Celtics’ 17 in league history.

Rather than promoting one of Jackson’s assistant coaches, the Lakers are changing course after an abrupt end to their two-year title reign and the long-anticipated departure of Jackson, the coach with the most championship rings in NBA history.

After nearly quitting last summer, Jackson retired earlier this month after the Dallas Mavericks swept the defending two-time champion Lakers out of the second round of the playoffs.

A respected young tactician with a strong coaching pedigree, Brown also has ample experience with big games and big stars, even if he couldn’t guide LeBron James to a title.

“I think it’s great,” James said in Miami, where he’s preparing for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The 41-year-old Brown led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and went 272-138 in five years with Cleveland, becoming the most successful coach in franchise history while compiling the league’s best regular-season record in each of his last two seasons.

But the 2009 NBA coach of the year was fired last spring following the Cavs’ dissension-filled exit from the second round of the postseason, and James left for Miami a few weeks later.

IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Bulls’ Asik out: Chicago Bulls backup center Omer Asik will miss the rest of the season because of a broken left fibula.

Asik was injured in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami. The team says an MRI and CT scan taken before Game 4 on Tuesday confirmed the injury. He tried to play anyway, but lasted just two minutes.

The Bulls say the injury will not require surgery and that the recovery time is about six weeks.

A rookie, Asik averaged 2.8 points and 3.7 rebounds during the regular season and appeared in 15 playoff games. The Bulls trail Miami 3-1, with Game 5 in Chicago today.

Warriors’ Stephen Curry has ankle surgery: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry had surgery on his right ankle but is expected to be ready by training camp in the fall.

The Warriors said Wednesday the surgery was performed by Dr. Bob Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. Curry missed eight games last season because of multiple sprains on his right ankle.

Gotta run!.

By
Erik Matuszewski
-

Wed May 25 23:14:12 GMT 2011

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.