to move up and down
We know you have been dying to see the rock Phil Jackson gave to his girlfriend, Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, and HERE IT IS.
JUST kidding. Jackson and Buss are engaged, and she tweeted a photo of the ring here. The pair has been together since 1999. Buss later confirmed the engagement to ESPN.com, saying she received the ring at Christmas and she’s “beyond happy.” (Photo: Bill Kostroun/The Associated Press/Files)
Kobe Bryant was not feeling so hot last night, except for the fact he scored 40 points vs. the Pacers, with the flu. Kobe outscored the rest of his team combined.
He missed the Lakers’ morning shootaround on Tuesday when he fell ill. He spent the day in bed, drinking fluids and listening to Bob Marley, before giving another high-scoring performance, albeit with 10 turnovers and 12-for-28 shooting.
In news that surprised no one, Lakers coach Mike Brown has reportedly been fired after posting a 1-4 record to start the season. The Lakers, who picked up Canadian guard Steve Nash and forward Dwight Howard in the off-season, went 0-8 in the pre-season.
Now you know it’s real: Last week, Steve Nash was traded to the L.A. Lakers. This week, he tried on his new jersey at a news conference in California. It’s all happening so fast.
Well, they tried: Toronto was a little disappointed yesterday when Steve Nash ended up with the Lakers. The Post’s Bruce Arthur writes on why the Canadian star doesn’t owe Toronto anything:
Someone will call him a traitor. Some people already have. Steve Nash is a Los Angeles Laker today, as far from Toronto as he ever was; he will not come and save the Raptors, even though they asked. Someone will boo him when he comes to Canada to play, wearing purple and gold. Sadly, it’s inevitable.
And they will be wrong. Nash’s entire career is based on two overriding instincts: Smart decisions, and unselfishness. He has led the league in assists five times; he has been responsible for a higher percentage of his teams’ total assists over his career than Magic Johnson was for his. Nash has altered his passing technique in certain situations because he figured the ball would get there a tenth of a second faster. If Steve Nash is on your team, he’s here to help.
But he was never overly interested in helping the Toronto Raptors, even if he would have been handsomely paid to do so. The team’s three-year, US$36-or-so-million offer was plunked on the table on Sunday, and sat untouched and lonely as he negotiated with New York and then unexpectedly approved a sign-and-trade to the Lakers on Wednesday night, along with a reported three-year, US$25-million deal. He did this despite a reported plea from Wayne Gretzky to do what he could never do, which was come back to Canada. He left the Raptors, and general manager Bryan Colangelo, to fend for themselves.
And that’s OK. It really is. Lord knows there are those who have lashed out at him before — primarily for leaving the Canadian national team after a decade of year-in-year-out service, and after they fired his friend and mentor, Jay Triano. Because Nash didn’t sign with Toronto there are going to be some who will blast him for a lack of patriotism, even after he has accepted the job as GM of Canada Basketball.
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant goes head over heels during Game 1 of their first round NBA Western Conference basketball playoff game against the Denver Nuggets. Photo: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Professional sports do not house compassion very well.
Metta World Peace, nee Ron Artest, seems to have attempted to legitimately better himself in recent years, especially since the Malice at the Palace in November 2004. The world in which World Peace grew up in should not be forgotten when considering the player and his actions.
It would be nice to be able to place this under consideration when World Peace’s vicious elbow to the side of James Harden’s head on Sunday is evaluated. Unfortunately, you cannot. Regardless of the reason World Peace acted with such force — whether it was a malicious shot to Harden or a celebration gone awry — he must be punished sternly.
Kobe Bryant broke his nose at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. Ouch.
With 4.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Raptors trailing by one point, Rasual Butler failed to inbound the ball before being called for a five-second violation. Both Butler and coach Dwane Casey believed they had signalled for a timeout before the call was made. (Photo: Tyler Anderson/National Post)
Everybody had a different take on the play.
Butler: “I asked for (Foster) to count out loud a bit for me to help me out. He did. I heard, ‘four.’ I called (a) timeout. He felt like it was five seconds.”
Casey: “I like my money. What little bit of money I make, I like it, so I’m not going to comment on it. We’ll send it to the league and let them review it. We were all calling timeout. Scott Foster saw differently.”
Lakers star Kobe Bryant: “No, (I wasn’t surprised) because it was five seconds. I didn’t go to college, but I can count.”
