March 2004 Los Angeles Lakers Wiretap

Buss on Malone: "I Am Confident That If He Plays, He'll Be A Laker"

Nov 29, 2004 5:28 PM

Karl Malone had microfracture surgery on his right knee back in June and is expected to finally decide in about a month whether he will play this season.

Malone's agent recently said his client would prefer to stay in the Western Conference, which gained increased attention from teams such as San Antonio and Minnesota.

"I think every team in the league could use him and would want him?. He's getting offers, probably two or three a day," Buss said. "I am confident that if he plays, he'll be a Laker. He has said that publicly in the papers, and he has told me that personally as well."

The Lakers could offer Malone $1.8 million, and the Spurs could offer the veterans' minimum of $1.1 million. The Timberwolves would be in the neighborhood of the Lakers' $1.8-million offer.

All signs point towards Malone remaining with the Lakers, as he has been frequently spotted at the Staples Center.

LA Times

Tags: Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

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Dr. Jerry Buss Offered Shaq 2 Years For $45 Million

Nov 28, 2004 9:11 PM

Dr. Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, said in a rare interview that he regrets the anger Shaquille O'Neal expressed after being traded to the Miami Heat.

"I have not spoken to him," Buss said before Sunday night's game against the New Orleans Hornets. "I did call his agent and asked if we could have lunch before he left town. I plan on doing that again."

O'Neal has repeatedly expressed anger at the Lakers, general manager Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant since being traded to the Miami Heat in July.

"Right now, his statements indicate he's not in a very good mood," Buss said with a smile. "He's bigger than I am, so I guess I'll wait a little bit."

Buss confirmed that O'Neal was offered around $45 million for two more years, meaning he would have been under contract for over $100 million over the next four seasons had he accepted the offer.

"Do I wish he had taken that? I wanted him to take it," Buss said. "Whether or not I would have still traded him or not, I'm not sure. It's hard to go back in history."

Buss said he eager awaits the Christmas Day game between the Lakers and Miami Heat -- O'Neal's first against the Lakers since the trade.

"I can't wait. I think that's going to be one of the biggest games in sports," Buss said.

SF Chronicle

Tags: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA

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Odom Cries Foul On Constant Whistles

Nov 28, 2004 6:07 AM

Back out West this season new Laker Lamar Odom doesn't mind playing the power forward position and banging against the likes of Elton Brand, Chris Webber and Carlos Boozer on a nightly basis, but according to Ross Siler of the Los Angeles Daily News Odom is having a hard time understanding the way the referee's decisions have been going against him all season.

For the fifth time in first 13 games, Odom picked up five fouls in the Lakers' 109-106 loss Friday night to the Sacramento Kings. Only nine NBA players have been called for more fouls this season than Odom, who is averaging 3.8 per game.

"A lot of my fouls are really ticky-tack," said Odom, who was limited to 34 minutes Friday. "I'm definitely right now a little frustrated about it. But I just have to keep playing.

"Sometimes it takes my aggressiveness away from me, which I can't help because you're thinking that 'I must be too aggressive if I keep fouling."'

Odom said Saturday that this is the first time in his pro career he can remember being called for charging against bigger players. He also said he was stepping aside for Brad Miller when he picked up his fourth foul.

"When I foul, I raise my hand (to say) I got him," Odom said. "When you're trying to get out of the way and they get you for fouls and things like that, it's frustrating. But it's part of the game. (The referees) have the hardest jobs out there."

L.A. Daily News

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Lebron Youngest To Reach 2,000-Point Plateau

Nov 28, 2004 2:31 AM

As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to win and Lebron James continues to dominate, NBA records are beginning to be broken by the league's young superstar.

James added 26 more points to his season total against the lowly Chicago Bulls as the Cavaliers cruised to a 96-74 victory at home.  James is averaging 32 points a game in six home games this season, making things very difficult for the Bulls.  James wasn't needed to play in the fourth quarter, but that didn't stop him from earlier surpassing 2,000 career points, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to do so.

James, who turns 20 on Dec. 30, reached the milestone faster than the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who was 20 years, 183 days old when he scored his 2,000th point.

"It's a great feeling," James said. "I didn't even know ? it came so quick. I don't notice things like that, I just notice I'm playing better."

The Cavaliers are 9-1 in their last 10 games after starting the season 0-3.

"We worked as a team, the unselfishness was just great," James said. "We got everyone into the game and came out with a victory."

James' scoring average of 26.6 is second to Bryant's league-leading average of 29.0 this season.

USA Today

Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA

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Michael Redd Shut Down By Kobe, Scoring Just 6 Points

Nov 24, 2004 5:18 AM

Michael Redd scored just six points on Tuesday night thanks to the shut down defense of Kobe Bryant.

"I just tried to chase him and stay focused on him," Bryant said. "We could have played much better defense at the end and not made it a free throw shooting contest."

Not only did Bryant play stellar defense, he also scored 30 points.  

It was, however, a team effort on the defensive end for the Lakers.

"What I really like about this game is we had some defensive stops in the fourth quarter and shook some balls loose where we didn't have to work so hard to go through their defense," Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "That's the way you do it, you close it up with stops."

Yahoo!

Tags: Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA

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Kobe Sees The Silver Lining in Chicago

Nov 22, 2004 6:06 AM

Over the summer when Kobe Bryant was still a free agent, he met with Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager John Paxson to hear their sales pitch.

"They're going up," Bryant said. "They're just determined to get this franchise back on top. Paxson, his experience speaks for itself. He knows so much about the game and we had a great conversation just talking about the game of basketball, styles of play and so forth."

Kobe was then asked if he would have considered joining the Bulls if they had salary-cap room.

"Yes, definitely," Bryant said. "I was considering them anyway."

It's tough for Chicago fans to be too optimistic about their future, with no victories in the win column.

Daily Herald

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Bryant Misses Monday Practice, Might Be Limited in Upcoming Games

Nov 16, 2004 6:36 PM

Persistent pain in his left foot forced Kobe Bryant to be a spectator at practice Monday. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich also didn't dismiss the idea that the ailment would force Bryant's minutes to be restricted during upcoming games.

"I don't know," Tomjanovich said. "We'll see how he feels in a couple days."

Tomjanovich had hoped Monday and today would provide the Lakers a chance to become more cohesive, since their practice time has been limited by a hectic schedule this month. But it's hard to imagine how much the Lakers can accomplish in practice with their leader watching, not playing.

Bryant, diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot, averaged 39.5 minutes during last week's four-game trip. But he made just 37.5 percent of his shots from the field to fuel discussion as to whether he might need time off to rest.

L.A. Daily News

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Divac Expected To Begin Practicing This Week

Nov 15, 2004 6:04 AM

The Lakers are expected to have an old face back onto the practice court this week when center Vlade Divac is expected to start practicing.  Divac, traded straight up for Kobe Bryant in 1996, has been sidlined by a back injury since attempting an ill-fated spin move before training camp and could be back as early as today.

"He feels good," Laker spokesman John Black said. "His conditioning is not ready yet, but his back's feeling good.

"We're hoping that Vlade will be able to practice this week. It could be as early as [today]."

L.A. Times

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Kobe Suffering Plantar Fasciitis in His Left Foot

Nov 11, 2004 8:07 PM

Kobe Bryant struggled on Wednesday night, in the Lakers' 110-87 loss to the Grizzlies, and worse yet, he needed nearly 45 minutes of postgame treatment for plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Bryant told the Los Angeles Times that he's been struggling with the painful condition, which is caused by connective tissue in the arch becoming inflamed.

"It's one of those things you have to jump on early so it doesn't linger," Bryant said. "My body heals fast."

ESPN

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Bryant Accuser Looks Into Filing Suit in California

Nov 8, 2004 2:17 PM

Attorneys for the woman accusing NBA star Kobe Bryant of rape might switch her civil lawsuit from Colorado to California state court because of Colorado's strict limits on financial damages.

Lin Wood, one of the attorneys representing the 20-year-old woman, said Monday he and attorney John Clune are still doing research but they believe California does not limit civil-case damages.

"I am assured by lawyers I have spoken with in California that California law would provide our client with a significantly greater opportunity to be fully compensated for the injuries she suffered," Wood said.

He and Clune expect to make a decision by the end of November. Bryant's attorney Pamela Mackey, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The civil case accuses the Los Angeles Lakers star of raping the woman in his room at the Vail-area resort hotel where she worked in June 2003. A felony sexual assault charge against Bryant was dropped September 1st after the woman decided she could not participate in a trial.

Wood said if the attorneys file a lawsuit in Orange County, Calif., where Bryant lives, they still could pursue the lawsuit filed in August in Denver federal court. However, Wood said it was more likely they would drop the Colorado case because state law makes it difficult for a plaintiff to win more than $733,000 in damages.

Wood described that limit as unfair, though he and Clune have not determined how much they believe would fairly compensate their client.

"I firmly believe it is in excess of the Colorado cap," he said. "Well in excess of the Colorado cap."

Colorado law limits non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, at $366,500. That amount can be doubled if the judge and jury believe the evidence justifies it. There is no limit on losses for economic damages including lost wages.

If a plaintiff can prove that punitive damages are justified, those damages cannot exceed the total award for economic and non-economic losses. State law requires a plaintiff to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant's conduct was willful, wanton and malicious. That is a more difficult standard of proof than necessary to win a civil case, which calls for a plaintiff to prove it was more likely than not that the defendant caused the harm.

A civil lawsuit can be filed either in the jurisdiction where the alleged harm occurred or where the defendant lives. If the case is filed where the defendant lives, the defendant does not have the right to move the case to federal court.

Wood, who described the possibility of switching venues first to The Denver Post and the Los Angeles Times, said he and Clune believed they needed to file a civil lawsuit before the criminal trial and they chose Denver because it had to be done quickly.

At the time, he said, they were considering withdrawing from the criminal case.

"We felt that it needed to be clear that this young lady was going to pursue a civil case regardless of whether there was a guilty verdict, a not-guilty verdict or a withdrawal, and that needed to be clear before any one of those events occurred," Wood said.

AP/FoxSports.com

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George Looks to Return in Two Weeks

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LA Times