The Lakers turned up the D last night as they held the Knicks to 31.3% shooting from the floor and they also outrebounded them 40-32!  The Lakers were also sharp offensively last night as they hit 52.1% of their shots from the floor.  Kobe Bryant led the way again last night for the Lakers with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Pau Gasol also had a solid game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots.  Steve Blake (11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists) and Josh McRoberts (10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots) also pitched in for the Lakers in this game.  The Lakers are now 2-2 on the year.

The Lakers turned up the D last night as the Jazz only shot 32.2% from the floor and it was a big reason for their impressive first win of the season.  Kobe Bryant (26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Pau Gasol (22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 5 blocked shots) led the way for the Lakers last night.  Metta World Peace filled up the stat sheet off the bench with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  The Lakers are now 1-2 on the year.

The Lakers just couldn’t keep up with the Kings last night.  Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers in this game with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.  Metta World Peace filled up the stat sheet off the bench with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Pau Gasol pitched in with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.  The Lakers are now 0-2 on the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers really choked yesterday at home.  With an 87-86 lead, Kobe Bryant got a pass stolen by Luol Deng that led to a Derrick Rose game winning shot with 4 seconds left in the game.  Until that awful pass, Kobe played a great game…showing no real signs on the court that his shooting wrist was hurting.  Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.  Pau Gasol pitched in with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots in this game.  Steve Blake had  a decent game off the bench with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes.  The Lakers are now 0-1 on the season.

The Lakers have signed 31-year old power forward Troy Murphy to a 1-year deal.  Murphy played in 35 games (4 starts) for the Celtics & Nets last year and he averaged 13.3 minutes, 3.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has now played in 656 games (481 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 28.5 minutes, 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  Murphy is an outstanding shooter for a player his size as he has made 38.9% of his shots from three point range in his NBA career.  If healthy, Murphy is going to really help the Lakers off the bench.

The Lakers have signed 24-year old power forward Josh McRoberts to a 2-year, $6.2 million dollar deal.  McRoberts played in 72 games (51 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 22.2 minutes, 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.  He shot 38.3% from three point range which is pretty solid for a guy his size.  McRoberts has now played in 155 games (54 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 15.7 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  McRoberts will help replace Lamar Odom a little bit.

The Lakers will be without 23-year old power forward Derrick Caracter for about two months due to surgery on his left knee.  Caracter played in 41 games (0 starts) for the Lakers last year and he averaged 5.2 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.2 assists per game.  This is a bad break for the second year player, as Caracter was in line to see a nice bump in P.T. in 2011-12.

The Lakers have dealt 32-year old forward Lamar Odom and a 2nd round pick in 2012 to the Dallas Mavericks for a first round pick in 2012 and a $8.9 million dollar trade exception.  Odom played in 82 games (35 starts) for the Lakers last year and he averaged 32.2 minutes, 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  He played in 519 games (382 starts) in his seven years with the Lakers and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 13.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.  The money the Lakers saved by dealing Lamar Odom will allow them to make a legit run at acquiring center Dwight Howard from the Magic.

The Lakers have invited 25-year old SG/SF Gerald Green to training camp.  Green hasn’t playing in the NBA since the 2008-09 season with the Dallas Mavericks.  He has played in 181 games (41 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.0 minutes, 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Green is known for his high flying dunks, so he might be able to provide Lakers’ fans some entertainment when he gets on the court….if he can make the team.

UPDATE:  (12/22/2011) – The Lakers have waived Gerald Green.

The Lakers have signed 30-year old SG/SF Jason Kapono to a 1-year contract worth the veteran’s minimum.  He played in 24 games (2 starts) for the 76ers last year and he averaged 4.6 minutes, 0.7 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  Kapono has now played in 482 games (87 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 18.3 minutes, 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Kapono was inked because of his long range shooting prowess as he has nailed 43.7% of his shots from beyond the three point line in his career.