November 2007 Archives

Wow, what a turn-around. Denver led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but the Lakers blitzed them in the second half. Kobe Bryant had 24 points, 7 assists and six rebounds, but didn't even play in the fourth quarter.

Another big night from Andrew Bynum, who posted his ninth double-double of the season and fifth in the last six games.

Sasha Vujacic had a career-high 22 points and seemed to be shooting like the basket was a hula hoop.

Rookie Javaris Crittenton made a push for more playing time, or at the very least, a case against a D-League assignment with an explosive five minutes of garbage time play. Crittenton had seven points in five minutes, including the play of the night. He went behind his back twice on a fast break, then found Vujacic for the lay-up.

Lakers head off to Utah for a game tommorrow night, so it was nice to get the starters some rest in the fourth quarter.

The team comes back to Staples for a game against Orlando on Dec. 2. Here's looking forward to the Andrew Bynum -Dwight Howard matchup!

It took a while for both the Lakers and the Nuggets to get started Thursday night. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Denver got untracked a lot faster.

Denver jumped out to a 33-21 lead at the end of the first quarter behind nine points from All Star guard Allen Iverson.

The Lakers had a hard time hitting shots and hanging onto the ball, committing six turnovers in the first seven and a half minutes, but managed to keep the game close because Kobe Bryant hit 5 of 8 shots in the quarter.

It didn't hurt that Dever's leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony picked up two early fouls and played just eight minutes.

Both teams came into the game looking to build some momentum after an up-and-down first month of the season. Like the Lakers, Denver opened the year on a roll, going 7-3 out of the gate, only slip back a bit after bing hit by a variety of injuries.

The Nuggets got one of those injured players back Thursday. Oft-injured forward Kenyon Martin was back in the starting lineup after missing Tuesday's game against Indiana.

Unlike most of the country, they get the NFL Network here. Great game between the Packers and 'Boys going on. For those of you without Dish Network, it's 27-24 Dallas with 1:44 to go in the third quarter

Unlike most of the country, they get the NFL Network here. Great game between the Packers and 'Boys going on. For those of you without Dish Network, it's 27-24 Dallas with 1:44 to go

Here's tomorrow's story on the signing of Phil Jackson to a two-year extension:

Phil Jackson was asked whether this two-year extension would be the last contract he ever signed, which was a clever way of asking him whether he planned to retire after the 2010 season, when he'd be 64.

Phil, as usual, didn't take the bait.

``Maybe the 60s in this era are the 50s in another era. Maybe I can go on into my 70s, but I don't think so. ... I can hardly keep up with these kids anymore. I can hardly speak their language as it is.''

Hey folks,

Ramona Shelburne here, filling in for our fearless blogger Rich Hammond, who has moved up a chair tonight to give Elliott Teaford a much-deserved night off before the Lakers hit the road.

The big story this evening was Phil Jackson's decision to sign a two-year contract extension and everyone had an opinion.

Lamar Odom called the news, ``awesome.''

``He's a championship coach,'' Odom said. ``He's got a lot of insight, a lot of wisdom. His record speaks for itself.''

Asked whether he was surprised Phil decided to coach another two years after all the health issues he's dealt with the last couple of years, Odom said, ``It makes sense to me. His mentor (Tex Winter) is 80-something years old and he's still got a lot of energy.''

The Lakers have assigned rookie guard Coby Karl to the D-Fenders, their team in the D-League. It's no surprise at all, given that Karl appeared in only two games this season. The bigger question is, what happens to Javaris Crittenton? He's been on the floor for a total of 19 minutes this season. Even though he certainly learns a lot by practicing with the Lakers, is he really being best served by sitting at the end of the bench in a suit? I guess we'll find out...

No real news from Phil Jackson's pregame media session, other than that Kwame Brown is making faster-than-expected progress in recovering from his ankle and knee injuries. There is no firm date, however, on when Brown will return.

Jackson touched on something that I also mentioned in today's Daily News article. Kobe Bryant was stone-cold from the field for three quarters Sunday against New Jersey, but he still took 16 shots. Meanwhile, Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom were hot and they only had 13 shots between them for the game. There's nothing new here. The idea of teammates standing around, watching Kobe -- or, perhaps, Kobe not passing enough -- has been a theme since the late 1990s.

``The other night, everybody shot the ball well except Kobe,'' Jackson said. ``One of the things we have to look at is our distribution of shots. If he's not shooting well, somebody has to pick up the slack.''

Seattle, which is 2-12, wouldn't figure to present a problem for the Lakers, but there is one potentially rough matchup. In Durant and Wilcox, the Sonics have two big, quick post players.

``It's a tough matchup,'' Jackson said. ``They have two power forwards, one at center and one at power forward, who run very well. Andrew (Bynum) is going to be challenged to get back on defense but he's going to have an advantage offensively.''

Check out www.dailynews.com/sports for quarter-by-quarter updates on tonight's game.

A long practice for the Lakers today, not shocking since a) they've lost three in a row and b) their practice time has been limited of late by travel. Today was a good opportunity for Trevor Ariza to get used to his new teammates on the court. Much of the post-practice conversation today centered around Lamar Odom and what the Lakers need to do to stop this three-game skid.

Here's what Odom and Phil Jackson had to say today...

The question about Phil Jackson's future with the Lakers came up again tonight, before the game against New Jersey. Jackson had previously indicated that he would make a decision about accepting a contract extension some time around Thanksgiving, but dodged the question after Friday's loss to Boston. It came up again tonight, and not only did Jackson not give an answer either way, he indicated that he wouldn't be giving a public answer anytime soon. Jackson stuck to his familiar refrain, which is that his decision will be based on how he feels and whether or not he feels he is the right coach for this team. It seems as though Jackson wants to buy himself a little more time and see how this season plays itself out...

The Lakers acquired forward Trevor Ariza from the Orlando Magic on Tuesday in exchange for reserve forwards Brian Cook and Maurice Evans.
Ariza, a 6-foot-8 native of Westchester who played one season at UCLA, has mostly been a bench player during his three-plus year NBA career with New York and Orlando
Ariza appeared in 11 games for the Magic this season, all off the bench, and averaged 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.5 minutes. Last season, Ariza averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22.4 minutes.

It's a swap of players looking for more-defined roles.
Cook, the Lakers' first-round pick in 2003, never made much of an impact with the Lakers. At 6-9 he had obvious physical gifts but never played good enough defense to earn the trust of coach Phil Jackson.
Evans, acquired from Detroit in a trade before the 2006-07 season, was supposed to serve as a versatile backup but never found a defined role and had been slowed this season with lower-back pain.
In six games this season, Cook averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.7 minutes, while Evans, in seven games, averaged 4.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.
In a press release, Orlando general manager Otis Smith said, ``Trevor is a great talent and we certainly wish him well. ... Brian helps bolster our frontcourt. He is a power forward who shoots the ball extremely well, while also bringing added toughness to our roster. Maurice is a tremendous athlete, a solid defender and capable of playing multiple positions.''

X-rays on Kwame Brown's injured left knee and ankle were negative. Brown is expected to accompany the Lakers on their upcoming four-game road trip, but his short-term status remains unknown for now.

Kwame Brown has suffered moderate sprains to both his left knee and left ankle and will not return to tonight's game against Chicago. With 8:28 remaining in the first quarter, Bulls center Ben Wallace tumbled to the ground and hit the side of Brown's left leg, bending it awkwardly. Brown fell to the ground in pain and clutched his left knee. He had to be helped off the court, and to the locker room, by two teammates.

Some notes and quotes from Phil Jackson's pregame media session...

-- As expected, Ronny Turiaf will not play tonight, because of his sprained ankle. Coach Phil Jackson said Sunday's game is ``a possibility'' if Turiaf shows some improvement by tomorrow.

-- Kobe Bryant was limited to 19 and 18 points, respectively, in last season's games against the Pistons. Jackson called Tayshaun Prince ``a really good matchup for Kobe'' because of Prince's long arms and range.

-- Jackson also took note of Bryant's defense this season, particularly with blocked shots, but said Bryant has to be careful not to try to be a one-man gang tonight on defense. ``He's taking it upon himself to be a one-man defensive show. He can't do that tonight. He has to take care of (Richard) Hamilton.''

-- Jackson said of the Lakers' periodic troubles on defense this season, ``Some nights are pretty good. The speed, sometimes, at point guard gives us problems.''

For live game stories, at the end of every quarter tonight, check out www.dailynews.com/sports.

Phil Jackson apologized tonight for the comments he made last night following the Lakers' loss to San Antonio.

Jackson said, ``We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts. It was one of those games.''

It should be noted that none of the four beat writers who travel with the Lakers included the quote in their stories. It was an off-the-cuff joke by Jackson, who often works, um, creative phrases into his discussions with the media, for better or worse. You might remember when Jackson, last week, said he decided to make Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher co-captains while ``sitting on the john.'' Phil, it seems, is big on creating mental images.

Anyway, the folks at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) didn't take kindly and issued a statement. President Neil G. Giuliano said, ``Phil Jackson's been coaching long enough that he should be able to talk about the Lakers' performance without resorting to cheap gay jokes.''

Before tonight's game against Houston, Jackson said, ``I wanted to thank all the journalists and the TV people who thought it was humorous last night in the moment for their support and laughing, but in retrospect it wasn’t really funny. When you take it out of context, it’s not funny. It’s a poor attempt at humor, and I deserved to be reprimanded by the NBA. And I said to them that if I’ve offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I apologize.''

Never mind, it seems, that comedians spent months running ``Brokeback Mountain'' jokes into the ground. Jackson indicated that there's a time and place for certain jokes when he added, ``It's societal right now. Some people can do it. Some people can't. That's something that's appropriate for certain categories.''

Before tonight's game, coach Phil Jackson said there wasn't any chance that the Lakers would be looking past Minnesota, which is winless through three games this season.

``It's just too early in the year,'' Jackson said. ``Milwaukee, last year, ended up second or third from the bottom and they beat us both times. We have to play well enough against these types of teams, to not be surprised.''

As expected, Lamar Odom returns to the starting lineup tonight. Luke Walton heads to the bench as the Lakers go with a modified lineup that will include Odom at small forward and Ronny Turiaf at power forward.

This, of course, will be Odom's first game action of any type since May 5, when the Lakers were eliminated by Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs. Shortly after, Odom underwent shoulder surgery and did not appear in any of the Lakers' preseason games. He was cleared to play by doctors Friday morning.

``It's great news. It's about time,'' Odom said. ``I just have to take my time. It won't all come back in one day.''

Here's what Lamar Odom had to say after practice today...

On when he knows he's ready to play...
``You just try to get as strong as you can and throw yourself into the fire a little bit and mix it up with the guys. I got banged around a couple times today and I feel OK. I go all out. That's how I play. It's the college football mentality, right? Just go out there. We're athletes, so we have to play in pain sometimes. It took me some time to come back from this injury but I feel like I'm ready.''

On whether he believes he will think about the shoulder while playing...
``Not really. I just put my helmet on and tighten my chin strap and just go out and play.''

On what he takes away from the Lakers' first four games this season...
``We understand that if we play consistent defense and we move the ball and we execute offensively, probably there isn't a team we can't beat in this league. I think we've proved that. It's just about playing consistent, playing the same way all the time. Once we do that, we'll be OK.''

One thing I forgot to mention earlier...Phil Jackson indicated that he will make a decision about his future sometime around Thanksgiving. Jackson is deciding whether to accept the Lakers' contract-extension offer and coach the team beyond this season. Here's the quotes from Jackson today...

On Lamar Odom's day of practice...
``Lamar looked good. He looked really good. There's still some things that he's going to have to get adjusted to, as far as offensive things and just being in sync with the rest of the guys, but he's doing well.''

On whether he has decided to play Odom on Friday...
``I haven't decided yet, but my intentions are that he should. ... He will probably start, all things being equal.''

On whether he knows who will go to the bench...
``I do, but you (reporters) don't.''

On the possibly of Luke Walton going to the second unit...
``Maybe. He'd be really good to help that second team too.''

On the recent strong play of Ronny Turiaf...
``There's some things Ronny is doing that are very good for our team. His energy is good on the floor. Sustaining it is not easy for him. It's a lot of work and he's not in the kind of condition yet that he can sustain that, so it's great to have Lamar coming back, who can come in and play a couple different positions.''

On the idea of going for steals, and when it's OK to take risks...
``I wish I knew. I wish they knew. At certain points of a ballgame, there's elements of (it being) a good time to gamble. The end of the quarter or any time a player breaks down spacing on the floor. Any time we trap or double team. The aspect of chasing the ball on the offensive board to leave a defensive mismatch, those are things we don't like. I thought we made real poor choices last night. We went to (Morris) Peterson all the time and we left Stojakovic. I would venture to guess that Stojakovic is just a teeny-bit better 3-point shooter than Peterson, but they're both good 3-point shooters.''

On how team chemistry is going...
``They're working really hard, practicing hard. All of that seems to be going real well. I don't see guys hanging their heads out there.''

On the progress of Kwame Brown...
``He was mostly in a relaxed position today. He did stand upright a couple times and came up to the court, but most of the time he's been laying down.''

On the likelihood of Maurice Evans missing Friday's game...
``This is a good time, when we have a limited amount of games, to quiet things down for him.''

On whether he is any closer to determining his future with the Lakers...
``I've yet to experience a two-game road trip, or something like that, to just know that I can get out of bed, get my clothes on and make it to breakfast in the morning. People that have been through this kind of thing kind of warned me about the tell-tale signs of fatigue from operations that kind of wear on you. Hawaii went OK. That was a sustained amount of time, where it wasn't always the best restful area, or the best environment for me to recover in. All things going are very positive for me. I'm feeling very good about it.''

On when he expects to make a final decision...
``It will probably be before Thanksgiving, or around Thanksgiving time. That's a good time period.''

First, an account of the Lakers' walking wounded. Lamar Odom went through a full practice today and, unless he suffers some setback over the next 48 hours, he will play Friday night against Minnesota. Kwame Brown did not practice today and is considered day to day. At the end of practice, he was on a table, getting some type of electro-stimulation on his injured right heel. Maurice Evans did not practice and is considered doubtful for Friday.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher went through partial practice, but that was just to give the ``old guys'' a rest.

The question now becomes, who goes to the bench when Odom returns. The answer, most likely, is Luke Walton. Phil Jackson wouldn't say, but when Walton's name came up, Jackson listed the virtues of Walton being a sub. Ronny Turiaf has certainly helped himself with the way he has played in the first quarter of recent games.

Jackson said he's getting close to making a decision about whether to accept a contract extension. Jackson said he wanted to go through a longer road trip, to see how he responded, health-wise. Jackson estimated that he would make his decision sometime around Thanksgiving.

More notes and quotes to follow this afternoon...

The game looked as though it was heading for an exciting finish until Peja Stojakovic took over. Then it was pass, shoot, 3-pointer, repeat. Peja's shooting rattled the Lakers, who nonetheless kept leaving him open for good looks. Perhaps they forgot all his years in Sacramento?

All in all, not a real great effort for the Lakers. This was one game in which it was evident how much they miss Lamar Odom's all-around game. With him out there, it might have been a different result. But the Lakers' offense just never looked totally in sync, and give credit to the Hornets for an efficient offense that never let the Lakers' defense get settled. Make no mistake, New Orleans has the ability to make some noise in the NBA this season.

Stojakovic finished with a game-high 36 points and Chris Paul had 19 points and 21 assists in a tremendous effort. Kobe Bryant had 28 points for the Lakers but their other four starters combined for only 39 points. Derek Fisher had foul trouble throughout, Chris Mihm looked overwhelmed early and where was Luke Walton tonight? Ronny Turiaf was solid with 15 points and Andrew Bynum once again had his great moments, with eight points and 13 rebounds, but he also left a couple easy baskets on the rim. Jordan Farmar fared well, with 11 points, but he also went 5 of 12 from the field and seemed to be forcing things at times.

The Lakers return to the court Friday against Minnesota at Staples Center. Odom and Kwame Brown are likely to be back but Maurice Evans is expected to miss that game.

It's the Peja Stojakovic show out there right now. He's getting open for 3-pointers and knocking them down consistently, and he has 30 points through three quarters. The Lakers will have to tighten up their defense and get some inside play going on offense. Otherwise, they will fall to 1-2 at home and the Hornets will be off to a 4-0 start. Then again, this is the fourth quarter so you can bet Kobe Bryant will have something to say about the outcome. The Lakers are actually outshooting the Hornets at this point, 46 percent to 45 percent.

The teams exchanged the lead seven times in the first three minutes of the third quarter before the Lakers went on a run and built a 68-63 lead. Good ball movement and high percentage shots, but the Hornets have rallied with a West 3-pointer and a West short jumper. The game is tied 68-68, midway through the third quarter.

Word out of Chicago is that, with the Bulls so far wilting under big preseason expectations, fans in the United Center have taken to chanting Kobe Bryant's name during games. The Bulls are 0-4 after tonight's loss to the 3-0 Clippers.

It’s not natural to think of New Orleans as an NBA powerhouse team, but it might be time.

The Hornets, who started this season with three consecutive victories, looked solid on both ends of the court Tuesday night and held a 57-55 lead over the Lakers at halftime at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant had 11 points and was the only Laker to score in double figures in the first half. Andrew Bynum had four points and nine rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.

Peja Stojakovic led the Hornets with 13 points.

The Lakers, playing without both Kwame Brown and Maurice Evans, played with little offensive rhythm in the first quarter. Much like in the last two games, the second unit came in and provided a boost, but every time the Lakers staged a mini-rally, the Hornets had an answer and maintained a slim lead.

The Lakers scored six points in the final 33 seconds of the first half, and thought they had tied the game just before halftime. With 1.1 seconds left, Luke Walton’s full-court pass found Ronny Turiaf, who scored on a layup, but a video review showed that Turiaf released the ball just after time expired.

Brown is out with a heel injury, but is expected to return for Friday’s game. Chris Mihm started at center in place of Brown. Evans, who has a sore back, might also miss Friday’s game.

The Lakers missed Brown, particularly since Mihm was in effective in eight first-quarter minutes. Coach Phil Jackson was reluctant to start Bynum, under the theory that Bynum would be more effective with his minutes limited, but Bynum clearly outplayed Mihm in the first half and provided a boost.

New Orleans, which led by 10 after one quarter, saw its lead trimmed to four on Vladimir Radmanovic’s 3-pointer three minutes into the quarter, but the Hornets quickly regained a 42-32 lead.

The Lakers twice more cut the Hornets’ lead to four points. The Hornets led 55-49 with one minute remaining, but Walton hit a 3-pointer and then Bryant was fouled on a 3-point attempt.

Bryant made all three free throws but Chris Paul made a layup with 1.1 seconds left for a 57-55 lead.

Injuries couldn’t be totally blamed for the Lakers’ slow start. Ball movement, a key part of their success in consecutive victories over Phoenix and Utah, was lacking in the opening period Tuesday.

The Hornets made three of their first four shots, took an early 7-2 lead and never trailed for the rest of the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Lakers bogged down on offense and could generate little rhythm.

Bryant didn’t take his first shot until 3:24 remained in the quarter. He made it, but by then the Lakers were down by seven points. The Hornets extended their lead to its biggest point, at 32-19, in the final minute when Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer and Melvin Ely made two free throws.

Jordan Farmar eased the Lakers’ pain a bit when he took an inbounds pass with one second remaining, hit a turnaround jumper and drew a foul. Farmar made the free throw to narrow the Hornets’ lead to 10.

The second unit did its job again. Jordan Farmar looks stellar and Vlad Radmanovic hit two 3-pointers to bring the Lakers within 36-32, but the Hornets responded with the next six points to rebuild a 10-point lead. Give these Hornets some credit. It's not an ultra-talented group but they don't get rattled, they move the ball well and they play solid defense, although the starters play much better defense than the second unit. The Hornets lead 44-35 with 6:51 remaining in the first half.

After an ineffective start by Chris Mihm, Andrew Bynum entered the game to a large ovation from the Staples Center crowd. Mihm's contributions were limited to a nice put-back and an awful long pass, intended for Kobe Bryant, that was easily picked off. As for Kobe, he didn't take his first shot until 3:24 remained in the first quarter. The Lakers are playing slightly better but still trail 22-17 with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter.

The Lakers' heralded ball movement has crawled to a stop and the Lakers have missed eight of their first 12 shots from the field. When the offense is going through Mihm and Turiaf, that's not a good sign. Meanwhile, the Hornets are controlling the pace and hitting open jumpers. The Hornets have made 7 of 11 shots and lead 18-8 midway through the first quarter.

Chris Mihm will start at center in place of Kwame Brown, who is on the inactive list tonight with a heel injury. It's a big night for Mihm, who is finally healthy after his season-long ankle problems last year. Coach Phil Jackson said he was confident that Mihm could handle major minutes tonight.

``He had a couple starts in the preseason,'' Jackson said. ``He should be ready to play.''

Phil Jackson was asked before the game, in a general sense, if he was surprised the Lakers are this good.

``That's not a term I would use,'' Jackson said.

Good? He wouldn't call his team good.

``If we were 30-5, I would use that term,'' Jackson said.

Well, there's a coach for you. Jackson would allow that he was pleased with his team's development after the season-opening loss to Houston, and cited a team meeting that took place the following day.

``We had to talk about the ball stopping and not moving,'' Jackson said.

There was news from the Lakers' pregame media access, and none of it was good. Maurice Evans will miss tonight's game with a sore back and likely will be out Friday as well. Kwame Brown is out as well, with some sort of a heel injury.

Brown's absence means a start for either Andrew Bynum or Chris Mihm, and Jackson seemed to be leaning toward Mihm, under the theory that Bynum plays better with his minutes limited.

On the recent strong play of Andrew Bynum...
``I like the fact that his teammates recognize his strengths and they're willing to get the ball to him in situations that are real positive. We ran the court well and got a couple easy (baskets) on the run.''

On keeping Bynum in the game after he picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes remaining...
``With the momentum there at the end of the game, it seemed like a good time to keep going.''

On the reasons for the Lakers' 2-1 start...
``We made a little switch. We tried to put Fisher on the ball in a delivery kind of thing, and put Kobe in a position where he can be an offensive-minded player rather than a distributor. It's helped us in a lot of ways, because it's kind of clarified guys' roles. I think the team is playing with a lot better enthusiasm. Defensively, they're hustling, even though a lot of things are still happening. They're hustling.''

On if that hustle makes errors easier to deal with...
``It makes up for a lot of errors. Guys work hard and knock the balls loose and something good happens.''

On the challenges posed by New Orleans...
``They have a unique way of playing the game. A lot of their stuff is generated by Chris Paul. They're a screen-roll kind of team that's oriented towards, if the fast break is not there and penetration is not there, then screen rolls are going to happen, multiple screen rolls. So it puts a lot of pressure on your big guys and your guards to try to match up.''

On the recent play of Vladimir Radmanovic...
``He's a little more comfortable with what's going on out there. Obviously last year he had a terrible start and a terrible end, so he didn't have an opportunity to really perform the way he wanted to. He's a good athlete. He's a good active player and he can do a lot of things.''

On the strong play of the second unit...
``I think that has really helped a lot, because when you have the middle part of the game, sometimes players ease up and they don't play as hard. We have guys coming out to work hard and push the ball at the other end of the court. Particularly when teams have played the night before, that makes a difference. It puts pressure on their ability to recover defensively and to just run the court.''

On the challenges of integrating Lamar Odom back into the offense...
``I don't think we have to do anything. We just have to understand what his role is, the fact that he's going to penetrate and the fact that he's going to look for those opportunities and then he's going to find open men in that process too. They have to have a spot-up position and know where they have to go, those things.''

Vladimir Radmanovic, through his charity foundation, will be hosting a benefit event Wednesday at LA Farm in Santa Monica. The event, which includes dinner, an auction and live music, benefits vocational programs at orphanages in Serbia and Montenegro. Individual tickets cost $200. For more information, contact Matthew Wade at 206-227-9387.

On his return to practice today...
``It was good to practice and get up and down with the guys, get blocked a couple times, make some shots, miss some shots, grab a rebound. My basketball timing was off a little bit but hopefully in every practice I'll get it back.''

On whether the Lakers' 2-1 start makes it easier for him to ease in...
``It's only three games, but even if we were 0-3 I wouldn't really rush it. It's a long season and I have to be as strong as possible to go through a season and make it all the way through. I have to take my time.''

On what he saw watching the Lakers' last two victories...
``The energy was up. ... We played at a fast pace last night and everybody was defensively aware. We just did a good job as a team, all around. If we keep it up, there's not a team we can't beat.''

On his plan for the next few days in practice...
``I'll go at it harder and harder every day. Right now I'm just going to ice it and take it easy. After tomorrow's practice, I'll probably lift (weights) after practice and try to prepare myself to play on Friday. Hopefully the doctor will clear me.''

Lamar Odom made a surprise appearance at today's practice. He said he felt good and is actually targeting a return for Friday's game. Notes and quotes from Odom and the rest of the gang to follow shortly...