AGRI Biz

Okay, so they're not really new.á Mitch Kupchak hasnÆt pulled the trigger on any trades thus far.á Maybe I should have called them the "new look" Lakers. However, one thing is for certain: They are a completely different team without Kobe Bryant and, to a lesser extent, Andrew Bynum. Before the All-Star break, the Lakers played three games some might have expected them to lose without the two. They went into Portland ...

The Lakers sport the NBAÆs best record to date at 25-6, but it is a deceiving one. Out of their first 31 games, the Lakers have only played 12 games against teams that are over .500, and have only won half of those games. In the six games they've lost, their losing margin has averaged a whopping 15 points. That is not representative of an NBA champion, or of an NBA ...

On Dec. 4, Kobe Bryant banked a miracle three-point shot at the final buzzer to give the Lakers a 108-107 win over Miami at the Staples Center. Now, almost two weeks and one avulsion fracture of the index finger later, Kobe Bryant has done it again.  This time it was a step-back fall away 15-footer on the road to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 107-106 in overtime. Bryant’s ...

Along with Ron Artest, the Lakers have added something brand new this yearùDEFENSE! Maybe itÆs due to the fact that Ron Artest has long been considered one of the best lock-down defenders in the NBA. It might also be that the coaching has finally gotten through to the players. It could also be that knowing they are the DEFENDING NBA Champs and knowing that they must DEFEND their title, the players themselves have ...

The sky was overcast and the weather damp and chilly. áThe threat of rain had been in the air all morning. áYet it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the fans that had begun lining up outside the Best Buy store in Atwater, CA at 1 a.m.á Many were decked out in Lakers gear. áSome wore the familiar number 33. They were there to have their photos taken with a LakersÆ legend, ...

The first time the Suns came into the Staples Center nearly a month ago, they were sporting a four-game winning streak and had a chance to tie the best 10-game start in franchise history (9-1). More importantly, they had a chance to add to their list of impressive victories that included wins over the Celtics and the Heat. áAt the time, the Suns were averaging 112 points, the best in the ...

Between the Lakers' victories last Thursday against the Chicago Bulls and Sunday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they had two practice sessions. This was unusual because Phil Jackson will normally give the team the next day off when games are three days apart. áBut he decided to hold practice on Friday because he felt the Lakers were ôon the brink.ö On the brink of what, Jackson didnÆt say. áBut seeing how ...

What do an NBA team and a college basketball squad have in common? They donÆt show up to finish a game. The LA Lakers have unfortunately taken a page out of the USC book over the past week, allowing their opponents to do whatever they want in the second half. The Lakers had the same problem in games with the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets over the weekend. áThen, last night, ...

á Christmas cannot come too early for the Lakers this year. áThatÆs the latest timetable for Pau GasolÆs return to the team according to Phil Jackson. á GasolÆs hamstring injury, which had been a day-to-day then a week-to-week issue, has just turned into a month-to-month wait and see. á Hamstrings can have a very complicated healing process, and GasolÆs is one of the more peculiar. á á Having played all the way through the 2007-2008 NBA season ...

á Things have gone from bad to worse for the Lakers Bench Mob. áJust how bad are things? Things are so bad that Phil Jackson benched the bench last night in their game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was the first night of back-to-back road games. áNormally you would expect the reserves to see a good number minutes in that first game to give the starters a breather. But would you believe ...