Luke Walton has long carried the perception among detractors (which constitute somewhere between 95 and 195 percent of Lakers fans) of being Phil Jackson's "pet." The coach has affectionately referred to the small forward as "his son," and in the eyes of the Laker Nation, used Walton's triangular acumen as an excuse for minutes far beyond what would be appropriate -- somewhere in the neighborhood of "none.
I am an admirer of Phil Jackson as a coach. I like the triangle. I like the defensive adjustments he's helped implement over the last few seasons. I like his "big picture" approach to coaching. I like the way he empowers players and assistant coaches through massive amounts of trust.
During our ESPN LA.com Media Day broadcast, there may have been no more interesting -- and potentially controversial -- exchange than one involving Andrew Bynum. By then, it was old news his offseason knee surgery revealed more damage than expected and his anticipated absence during the preseason could extend into the regular season.
And hopefully, a look ahead as well. It feels like about 1976 since Kobe Bryant last missed a game due to injury, but in reality, it's been a still-impressive Dec. 8, 2006. And upon returning -- oddly enough, from a sprained ankle-- in a 106-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Kobe barely missed a beat over 39 minutes.
ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher reports Kobe Bryant won't be suiting up. The news represents a shift in developments presented yesterday by the L.A. Times. Kobe, unavailable to the media after participating in practice, didn't provide a personal thumbs up, but Phil Jackson thought 24 would be able to play, even though his ankle wasn't back to peak strength.
It's been a while since Ron Artest has provided some choice copy and I was beginning to worry the insanely quotable (pun intended) small forward may have been losing his touch. Or worse, was losing interest in this highly entertaining skill.
During yesterday's practice, Phil was naturally asked about Pau Gasol's injured hamstring, which naturally led to the whole "How did it happen?" issue. A pretty standard line of questioning, but Phil's response was oddly clandestine: "It happened before the game, in a very unusual way, and I'll let Pau explain that to you when you see him.
So reports Lakers.com's Mike Trudell, who says Ron Artest completed ten minutes of walking on a treadmill this afternoon, but remains prone to dizziness. Artest, for the benefit of Lakers fans who follow the team from under the rock they call "home," has been sidelined ever since sustaining a Christmas Day concussion after a tumble on his stairs.
Just got word from the Lakers Media Relations Department: "LAKERS FORWARD RON ARTEST SUFFERS INJURY AT HOME EL SEGUNDO- Lakers Forward Ron Artest was injured last night at his home when he tripped over a box and fell down a flight of stairs, suffering an injury to his head and left elbow.
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