C.J. Miles, according to a source, is drawing serious interest from the Lakers.
Miles, who has already met with the Mavericks and Cavaliers, could make a decision within the next 2-3 days.
The Lakers still have the $3 million mini mid-level exception available to sign an incoming free agent.
At the suggestion of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will run the Princeton offense next season.
"It's a great offense," Bryant said. "It's exactly what we need. It takes us back to being able to play by making reads and reacting to defenses. It takes a great deal of communication, but that's where we're at our best: Reading and reacting as opposed to just coming down and calling sets. Calling sets make you vulnerable.
"There's so many threats, so many options, it's very tough to defend. Against the type of defenses that teams play nowadays, they load up on one side and are constantly coming with help from the weak side. The Princeton offense makes it very, very tough to lock in on one particular player.
"From my experience, those types of principles – ball movement, changing sides on the floor, everybody being involved – those are championship principles. That's championship DNA."
The Lakers are close to adding Eddie Jordan as an assistant coach.
Jordan learned the Princeton offense under Pete Carril and implemented it as an assistant and head coach with the Nets, Wizards and Sixers.
Kobe Bryant said he will not chase a sixth NBA championship.
“I’m just going to, like, hold on for dear life?” Bryant said when asked if he would stick around till he won another title. “I’m not the type of guy to do that. I’ll give you the great effort, my best effort, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.
“But I’ll be damned if it doesn’t.”
Bryant, 33, again hinted that he may retire after the 2013-14 season.
“That’s what I’m thinking, but I haven’t had any serious thoughts about it,” he said
Pau Gasol described his health and mindset as the Spanish National Team approaches its first game of the Olympic tournament on Sunday against China.
"I'm a beast," Gasol said. "Yeah, I feel pretty good. I feel strong."
Gasol led Spain with 19 points in an exhibition game loss to the United States on Tuesday.
"I have been preparing myself and working to get better this summer," Gasol said. “First for the Olympics and to perform at a high level to be able to achieve our goal, and then when the Olympics are over, take a little break and continue to prepare myself for what's going to be a very demanding (NBA) season, a season where we (the Lakers) want to get back on top as a team."
The Lakers still have the $3 million mini mid-level exception available to sign an incoming free agent, though Mitch Kupchak would be surprised if the team uses it.
“We look to add value,” Kupchak said. “We have a mini mid-level still available but I think it’s unlikely we’d use it unless there’s an incredible value out there.”
The Lakers may not be done tinkering with their roster.
“You can always get better,” Kupchak said. “We still feel we have another roster spot or two to look at it. Maybe a back court player.”
The agent for Andrew Bynum refuted comments made by Mitch Kupchak that the Lakers have engaged in contract negotiations with his client.
"We talk all the time, but we've never had a conversation about an extension," Lee said of his dialogue with Kupchak. "(We haven't talked) about anything of any substance regarding next year or the following year or the following year."
Bynum is unlikely to agree to an extension with a new team this summer, sources with knowledge of the player’s thinking confirmed Wednesday.
The Lakers have not granted the Cavaliers, Rockets, or Magic permission to speak directly with Bynum or his representatives.
Orlando Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan met with the franchise’s disenchanted superstar Dwight Howard on Wednesday in Los Angeles, sources have confirmed to RealGM.
Hennigan traveled to Los Angeles to have a face-to-face discussion with Howard with the hopes of persuading him to back off his trade request and allow the organization more time to build a championship contender. Hennigan, however, was unsuccessful in his pitch as Howard reiterated his desire to leave Orlando as soon as possible, according to sources.
Hennigan’s pitch to Howard had a heavy focus on the two men developing a relationship that would be valuable to the Magic moving forward. He expressed a sincere interest in getting to know the six-time All-Star and working with him to improve the team. Howard, however, was expecting an outline of how the team planned to improve and get back to a championship-contending level, something he didn’t receive during the hour-long meeting, according to sources.
Howard was staunch in his stance and again made it clear to Hennigan that he has no desire to return to Orlando. He told the 30-year-old general manager that he would “never sign another contract with the Magic,” according to sources that spoke with RealGM.
During the meeting, Howard informed Hennigan that he would be willing to re-sign with the Lakers at the end of the 12-13 season if the two teams were able to complete a trade.
The scenarios Howard was open to during the meeting were: An immediate trade to the Lakers, a January trade to the Brooklyn Nets or a clean break at the end of the 2012-13 season. But he was clear that he would not return to the Magic, choosing to leave as a free agent after the season, sources told RealGM.
Hennigan informed Howard that he didn’t have any deals in the works and wasn’t quite sure how to respond to what he was told, according to sources. Hennigan was noncommittal on any of the discussed scenarios as the meeting ended.
Hennigan’s noncommittal approach has only frustrated Howard more as it’s believed that several acceptable offers have been presented to the Magic only to be turned down due to a lack of a true intent to trade him, sources said.
There is now a belief that Hennigan and the Magic have half-heartedly entered into trade talks, resulting in frustration among the many teams rumored to have been included in the ongoing negotiations.
Trading Howard, however, is a process the Magic won’t rush as they understand his value on and off the court and aren’t willing, at this point, to lose him without acceptable compensation.
Mitch Kupchak spoke to Andrew Bynum's agent on Wednesday about a contract extension.
Bynum, who is represented by David Lee, is scheduled to become a free agent in 2013.
Bynum has been linked to trade rumors involving Dwight Howard.
Kupchak doesn't see an extension as being imminent even though talks were "positive and productive."
"The next day or two? The next week or two?" Kupchak asked. "No I don't think so. Hopefully it progresses."
Kobe Bryant shed 16 pounds to prepare his body for the Olympics followed by another run at his sixth NBA title.
"With summer basketball leading directly into the season – and I'm expecting to play until next June – I have to take some load off my knees,” Bryant said. “I've got to shave some of this weight."
Bryant talked about the experimental treatment he underwent to remedy his ailing knee.
"It did wonders for me,” he said. “It's not just for your knees, but anything arthritic. So, the doctors came up with this [Orthokine] procedure which can act as a replacement of cartilage. For me, the results have been astonishing. I can run. I can train. I can do everything that I wanted to do without limping, my knee getting swollen or anything of that nature."
Bryant, 33, was at first slow to accept the nature of aging and now has come to embrace it.
"I actually enjoy it," he said. "I have some grey hairs on my head, but the problem is that my hair won't grow any more. The ageing thing is something I really enjoy. It's a challenge because you have to adjust some things. You have to change your diet. You have to change the speed with which you play. It's fun to approach that bridge."
The following 36 NBA players are currently under contract for the 12-13 season and are on their respective country's Olympic rosters:
Atlanta Hawks - no players
Boston Celtics - no players
Brooklyn Nets - Deron Williams (USA)
Charlotte Bobcats - no players
Chicago Bulls - Luol Deng (Great Britain)
Cleveland Cavaliers - Anderson Varejao (Brazil)
Dallas Mavericks - no players
Denver Nuggets - Timofey Mozgov (Russia)
Detroit Pistons - no players
Golden State Warriors - no players
Houston Rockets - no players
Indiana Pacers - no players
Los Angeles Clippers - Chris Paul (USA)
Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe Bryant (USA), Pau Gasol (Spain)
Memphis Grizzlies - Marc Gasol (Spain)
Miami Heat - LeBron James (USA)
Milwaukee Bucks - no players
Minnesota Timberwolves - Kevin Love (USA), Alexey Shved (Russia)
New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis (USA), Al-Farouq Aminu (Nigeria)
New York Knicks - Carmelo Anthony (USA), Tyson Chandler (USA), Pablo Prigioni (Argentina)
Oklahoma City Thunder - Kevin Durant (USA), Russell Westbrook (USA), James Harden (USA), Serge Ibaka (Spain)
Orlando Magic - no players
Philadelphia 76ers - Andre Iguodala (USA)
Phoenix Suns - Luis Scola (Argentina)
Portland Trail Blazers - Nicolas Batum (France), Victor Claver (Spain), Joel Freeland (Great Britain)
Sacramento Kings - no players
San Antonio Spurs - Tony Parker (France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Boris Diaw (France), Tiago Splitter (Brazil), Patty Mills (Australia), Nando De Colo (France)
Toronto Raptors - Jose Calderon (Spain), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Linas Klezia (Lithuania)
Utah Jazz - no players
Washington Wizards - Nene (Brazil), Kevin Seraphin (France)
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