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      <title>PE.com - Professional Sports: NBA</title>
      <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/</link>
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      <copyright>Copyright 2011</copyright>
      <lastBuildDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:49:41 -0800</lastBuildDate>
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      <item>
         <title>Clippers: Trying to add to a developing culture</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers don't figure to have too long to work with the newest members of their roster -- but team executive Neil Olshey believes they've chosen players who can handle that situation, as well as bring skills to the roster.</p>

<p>Second-round picks Trey Thompkins, a power forward chosen at No. 37, and Travis Leslie, a guard taken at No. 47, arrived Sunday night for what figure to be a few very intense days of work and learning. The club will have them through Thursday, but after that, they're likely to be on their own. The NBA's current labor agreement expires Thursday night, and a lockout is expected to begin Friday.</p>

<p>If Olshey, the team's vice president of basketball operations, is correct, the team's increased focus on character and chemistry should help carry the new players through that period.</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/clippers-trying-to-add-to-a-de.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/clippers-trying-to-add-to-a-de.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:49:41 -0800</pubDate>
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      <item>
         <title>Lakers: Kupchak on Artest name change</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>One leftover note from Thursday's NBA draft: At the end of the evening, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was asked about forward Ron Artest's petition to legally change his name to Metta World Peace.</p>

<p>"I'm not surprised," he said. "Beyond that, I don't have any comment."</p>

<p>Kupchak was then asked if, assuming the change went through, he'd prefer to see "Peace" or "World Peace" on the back of Artest's jersey.</p>

<p>"I'm an advocate of World Peace," he said.</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-kupchak-on-artest-name.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-kupchak-on-artest-name.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:45:25 -0800</pubDate>
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      <item>
         <title>Lakers: Guards will have shot to make roster</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>EL SEGUNDO -- It's far too soon to know if Andrew Goudelock will ever see a minute of action with the Lakers, let alone have any kind of impact. But he's already provided one quote that should probably live in Lakers lore.</p>

<p>"Unless something happens, unless I get some kind of disease where I forget how to shoot, I'll be shooting til the day I die," said Goudelock, taken by the Lakers with the 46th pick in the NBA draft, during a short teleconference with reporters.</p>

<p>Goudelock and Darius Morris, the team's pick at No. 41, will have legitimate shots to make the roster this fall -- or whenever the NBA next convenes, given the lockout that's expected when the current labor agreement expires July 1.</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-guards-will-have-shot-t.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-guards-will-have-shot-t.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:42:59 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Lakers: More on draft pick Darius Morris</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>From the University of Michigan website, here's a little more on guard Darius Morris, selected by the Lakers with the 41st pick:</p>

<p>-- He spent two years at the school. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists. A third-team All-Big 10 selection, he set a school single-season record for assists with 235. He shot 48.9 percent from the field, 71.5 percent at the foul line, playing 34 minutes p[er game. As a freshman, he averaged 4.4 points, 2.6 assists and 2.6 assists.</p>

<p>-- A four-year varsity player at Windward High, the L.A. native averaged 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists, and was the CIF-SS Division V player of the year as a senior.</p>

<p>Check back later for comments from general manager Mitch Kupchak.</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-more-on-draft-pick-dari.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-more-on-draft-pick-dari.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:01:56 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Lakers: Brown staying out of draft process</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>EL SEGUNDO -- Lakers coach Mike Brown is on hand at the team's training facility for tonight's draft, but freely admits he has very little involvement in the process. He said he and one of his sons are sitting in his office, eating pizza and watching the draft coverage on TV, while he occasionally sticks his head into the draft room.</p>

<p>His detachment from the process, he said, reflects his newness in the organization.</p>

<p>"Mitch (Kupchak) and his staff have been doing this the whole year," Brown said. "They have a plan, they know the direction that they're going to go, and I've watched them from afar. They seem extremely organized and methodical in their approach. ...</p>

<p><br />
</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-brown-staying-out-of-dr.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-brown-staying-out-of-dr.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:28:42 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Clippers extend contracts of Griffin, Aminu, Bledsoe; make offer to Jordan</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>LOS ANGELES -- In moves of absolutely no surprise whatsoever, the Clippers have exercised contract options on Blake Griffin, Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, while making a qualifying contract offer to DeAndre Jordan.</p>

<p>The move adds a fourth year to Griffin's contract and a third year to the contract of Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, meaning all three are under contract through the 2012-13 seasons. With the offer to Jordan, the center becomes a restricted free agent, allowing the Clippers the right to match any contract offer the player may receive from another team.</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/clippers-extend-contracts-of-g.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/clippers-extend-contracts-of-g.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:49:20 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Lakers: D-League affiliate D-Fenders to return</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>After a one-year hiatus, the Lakers' wholly owned and operated NBA Development League franchise, the D-Fenders, will return for the 2011-2012 season, the team and league announced today.</p>

<p>The D-Fenders, who previously played their games before or after Lakers games at Staples Center, will play at the Lakers' practice facility, the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.</p>

<p>"We are excited to continue our investment in the NBA Development League as it continues to evolve into a basketball and business asset for NBA teams," D-Fenders Chief Executive Joey Buss said in a press release.</p>

<p><br />
"We're thrilled to welcome the Los Angeles D-Fenders back to the NBA Development League," said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. "The Lakers have been an outstanding partner with the NBA D-League for years, and their return further reinforces our growing significance to the NBA - especially considering they are now one of seven NBA teams with a 'one-to-one' affiliation. We're excited about the terrific fan experience they plan to provide at Toyota Sports Center."</p>

<p>The D-Fenders are one of seven teams affiliated with single NBA franchises. Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Houston, New Jersey, New York and Dallas also have D-League affiliates.</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-d-league-affiliate-d-fe.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/06/lakers-d-league-affiliate-d-fe.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:02:01 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Clippers release preseason schedule</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>LOS ANGELES -- Three games at Staples Center and two previously announced contests with the Lakers highlight the Clippers' 2011 preseason schedule, released Wednesday.</p>

<p>The Clippers will face Atlanta, Utah and Golden State at Staples, while providing the opponent for Lakers home games in San Diego and Bakersfield.</p>

<p>The full preseason schedule (all times Pacific):<br />
</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/05/clippers-release-preseason-sch.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/05/clippers-release-preseason-sch.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 15:56:39 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Lakers: Phil Jackson&apos;s farewell</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/assets_c/2011/05/phil-59369.html" onclick="window.open('http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/assets_c/2011/05/phil-59369.html','popup','width=640,height=480,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false"><img src="http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/assets_c/2011/05/phil-thumb-480x360-59369.jpg" width="480" height="360" alt="phil.jpg" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></a></span></p>

<p>After Dallas completed its second-round sweep of the Lakers on Sunday, Phil Jackson told reporters he was relieved the season was over. That should not, he said, be taken as a sign he was frustrated with the team.</p>

<p>"I'm always relieved when the season is over," he said.</p>

<p>Still, there is a degree to which his final Lakers team perplexed Jackson to the end.</p>

<p>"This team just had an ability to get into a funk and not be able to resurge, to find a common thread and come back and turn things around," he said Wednesday, in his final media session before heading off into a planned retirement from coaching. "I never really had a team like that, that couldn't make adjustments and learn from mistakes."</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/05/lakers-phil-jacksons-farewell.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/05/lakers-phil-jacksons-farewell.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 15:34:06 -0800</pubDate>
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         <title>Lakers: Odom learns individual rewards don&apos;t compare to title</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/assets_c/2011/05/PICT0046-59366.html" onclick="window.open('http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/assets_c/2011/05/PICT0046-59366.html','popup','width=2442,height=2442,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false"><img src="http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/assets_c/2011/05/PICT0046-thumb-480x479-59366.jpg" width="480" height="479" alt="PICT0046.JPG" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></a></span></p>

<p>Individually, it was a good year for Lamar Odom -- good enough that he was the only player general manager Mitch Kupchak was willing to single out for playing well.</p>

<p>But after two championships, Odom found that individual success was fairly hollow when the Lakers crashed out of the playoffs in the second round.</p>

<p>"It's funny, but on the plane, on the way back (from Game 4 in Dallas), that's what kind of broke me down," Odom said. "When I was with Derek (Fisher), and I was talking to him about individual success, but after experiencing championships, to Hell with it.<br />
</p>]]></description>
         <link>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/05/lakers-odom-learns-individual.html</link>
         <guid>http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2011/05/lakers-odom-learns-individual.html</guid>
         <category>NBA</category>
         <pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 14:19:19 -0800</pubDate>
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