Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant favorite players of 2015 rookies despite injuries

Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant had injury-marred seasons to forget in 2014-15, but this year's rookie class still counts the stars of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers as its favorite players.

Durant, at 21.2 percent, won the vote, edging out Bryant, at 18.2 percent, in an annual survey of rookies conducted by NBA.com.

LeBron James finished third at 15.2 percent to complete a top three that was identical to the choices of the 2014 rookie class. Reigning league MVP and NBA champion Stephen Curry finished tied with Dwyane Wade in fourth, each earning 9.1 percent of the vote.

The voting was conducted at the Panini Rookie Photo Shoot at the New York Knicks' practice facility earlier this month.

In addition to being asked questions about their expectations entering the league, the rookies were asked to evaluate their fellow 2015 draftees.

According to the rookies, No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor is No. 1 when it comes to this year's class; the Philadelphia 76ers center was voted most likely to be named rookie of the year and most likely to have the best career.

Okafor, who was drafted behind Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves and D'Angelo Russell of the Lakers, earned 41.9 percent of the vote for rookie of the year predictions. The vote for best overall career was closer, with Okafor, at 24.1 percent, winning by just 6.9 percentage points over Towns, who got 17.2 percent of the vote.

Among the other survey winners, Russell was voted the best playmaker in the draft, and Brooklyn's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (44.3 percent) was considered the funniest by a wide margin over Charlotte's Frank Kaminsky (25.7 percent).

Source: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13471941/kevin-durant-kobe-bryant-favorite-players-2015-nba-draft-class

LeBron voted NBA's most popular player; Rose fourth

Kobe Bryant, take a backseat because LeBron James is once again the most popular NBA player.

According to an ESPN fan poll, the Miami Heat forward has unseated the Los Angeles Lakers star for the first time in four years.

Nearly 13 percent (12.9) of NBA fans said James was their favorite player this season, while 12.5 percent said Bryant was their favorite.

The Bulls' Derrick Rose placed fourth in the poll.

James had been the most popular player until "The Decision," when he announced he would leave Cleveland and be "taking my talents to South Beach."

Two NBA championships and a couple of Finals MVP awards have changed fans' perceptions, although casual followers still don't like him as much as when he was with the Cavaliers, according to the poll.

Rounding out the top five in the poll are: Kevin Durant, Rose and Dwyane Wade.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-lebron-james-nba-most-popular-player-20130727,0,3327032.story

Kobe starts, then sits with ankle injury

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Kobe Bryant played 12 minutes Friday after starting for the Lakers at Indiana, missed all four shots and then went to the bench for good.

It was all his severely sprained left ankle could take.

Bryant spent two days trying to fight his way back after landing on the foot of Atlanta's Dahntay Jones in the waning seconds of Wednesday's loss at Atlanta. Throughout the day, he looked better and after going through warm-ups, the Lakers put Bryant in the starting lineup.

He wasn't the same. His four shots all came up short and when he went to the bench at the end of the first quarter, he never returned. It was only the 15th time in Bryant's 17-year NBA career he was held scoreless in a game.

Original post @ http://www.nba.com/2013/news/03/15/bryant-ankle-warming-up.ap/index.html

Lakers' Bryant, Gasol team up to buy horse

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are more than just teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA stars have partnered in owning a racehorse.

Bryant and Gasol bid against each other for an ownership stake in a 4-year-old gelding named Siempre Mio as part of a Lakers Foundation fundraiser at Riviera Country Club on Tuesday night.

Santa Anita Park chief executive officer Mark Verge donated a 25 percent stake in the gelding along with a day at the races as part of a live auction.

"Pau Gasol bid first, but then he and Kobe got into a little bit of a bidding war. Kobe won the bidding at $8,000," Doug O'Neill, who trains the gelding, said Wednesday.

Verge then offered Gasol a chance to buy a 25 percent interest in the horse in exchange for a donation to the Lakers Foundation. Part of the deal was that the new owners pay no expenses in the horse's care and training.

O'Neill said he spoke to Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, about having silks designed similar to the Lakers' jerseys.

"Pau was really excited," O'Neill said. "He told me he loves horses and it was just a matter of time before he bought a racehorse. Kobe can't wait to see him run, barring playoff conflicts."

Siempre Mio has two wins and a second in five career starts, including winning his most recent race on March 31 at Santa Anita. The gelding is also owned by Verge, who owns WestsideRentals.com and Chris Quinn, vice president of sales and marketing at Santa Anita.

Bryant and Gasol aren't the first among the Lakers organization to be involved in thoroughbred racing. Jerry Buss has co-owned horses over the years, while son and team executive Jim Buss was a licensed trainer for several years in California.

Source: http://www.nba.com/news/

NBA TITLE CONTENDERS

The abbreviated NBA season has been somewhat of a surprise in certain cases, and I have a short list of true title contenders for June.

It breaks down quite easily between a two tiers - true contenders and pretenders.

True contenders:

Chicago: There really isn't anyone in the league that is in the class of the Bulls. With Derrick Rose injured, the Bulls still managed to keep pace and have the best record in the NBA. Look for them to be in the Finals this year.

Oklahoma City: A huge step forward from last year, the Thunder are playing extremely well on the road. As always Kevin Durant is a go to guy and they are sitting where everyone myself included expected them to be after last year's breakout. If they keep pace they should win the west.

Miami: There are some holes in this roster after the big three, which are relied upon by this team almost solely. I believe they will reach the conference finals but their true character will be tested in the clutch, and particularly LeBron James.

Los Angeles Lakers: I don't believe this needs an explanation. Despite LA's struggles this year they are still in a contending position, and still trump the Thunder in experience, and have a motivated Kobe Bryant on their side. If the role players step up, they could make some noise. Coach Brown is a great playoff coach.

Elite:

Orlando: I don't believe Orlando is a true title contender this year, however there isn't anyone else in the Eastern Conference that can stop Dwight Howard. Ryan Anderson is dangerous from the outside. If Hedo Turkoglu can find his 2009 form they will make some noise as he is a very difficult player to defend. The Magic live and die by the three-pointer and if they don't go down, I see an early exit.

Boston: The Celtics continue to prove me wrong and modestly sit in the top half of the Eastern Conference yet again. If this team is healthy they will make some noise as their experience will trump any of Philadelphia, Atlanta, or Indiana.

San Antonio: I can't remember a time where the Spurs weren't competitive. Third in the NBA in point differential, 9-1 in their last 10, and the second best home record in the league. The Spurs will be a tough matchup for anyone in the west.

On the cusp:

Los Angeles Clippers: Beware the Clippers. As of now they are seeded against the champs and they will certainly have their hands full with the young talent on this team.

Dallas Mavericks: Don't count out the Mavericks, but I simply don't think they are going anywhere. I really dislike Lamar Odom's lack of drive on this team, and Dirk Nowitzki needs help if they are going to pull out another trophy.

Honourable mentions: Philadelphia. Playing inspired and loose basketball. Likely a first round exit, but an excellent bounce back season from the 76ers.

Should be another great June.

Source: http://www.sportsnet.ca/fanfuel/2012/04/03/nba_finals_title_contenders/

NBA: Lakers beat Warriors 120-112 behind Kobe’s 40

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points and Pau Gasol added 26 as the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves rallying for the second straight game against one of the Western Conference’s worst teams, beating the Golden State Warriors 120-112 on Sunday night.

Ramon Sessions added 23 points in his best game since being traded to the Lakers two weeks ago. Gasol and reserve Troy Murphy had 11 rebounds each after All-Star center Andrew Bynum sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the Lakers’ eighth consecutive home win against the Warriors.

David Lee led six Warriors in double figures with 27 points. Klay Thompson added 18, Nate Robinson 17 and Richard Jefferson 16 for Golden State, who lost their fifth in a row and 10th in their last 12.

THUNDER 92, BULLS 78 

In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook scored 27 points, while Kevin Durant added 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder used a dominating third quarter to beat Chicago.

The Thunder pulled away by outscoring Chicago 31-12 in the third quarter, allowing the Bulls to make only five of their 21 shots.

Oklahoma City clinched a playoff berth in the process, with the help of tiebreakers over the teams fighting for the Western Conference’s final spot in the postseason.

The Bulls played without All-Star point guard Derrick Rose for the 10th straight game, falling to 14-6 this season without the reigning MVP and 7-3 during his current absence with a groin injury.

CELTICS 91, HEAT 72 

In Boston, Rajon Rondo had a triple-double as Boston handed Miami their biggest loss of the season.

The Celtics outscored the Heat 31-12 in the third quarter, turning a five-point halftime lead into an 80-56 advantage. They stayed ahead by at least 19 the rest of the way for their fifth straight win.

Miami’s past three losses have been by at least 15 points and their previous worst defeat of the season came just one week earlier in a 103-87 setback in Oklahoma City.

Rondo finished with 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his fifth triple-double of the season.

The Celtics increased their Atlantic Division lead to one game over idle Philadelphia.

In other NBA action, it was: 

. Raptors 99, Wizards 92

‧ Nuggets 104, Magic 101

‧ Pacers 104, Rockets 102, OT

‧ Suns 92, Hornets 75

‧ Blazers 119, T-Wolves 106

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2012/04/03/2003529377

NBA Capsules: Thunder win fouth straight, 109-95 over Trail Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. - Russell Westbrook had 32 points and eight assists, Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder won their fourth straight with a 109-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Reserve James Harden added 21 points for the Thunder, who built a 65-47 lead by halftime and led by as many as 20 points.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland fell to 3-4 under Kaleb Canales, who took over as interim coach when the Blazers fired Nate McMillan at the NBA trade deadline.

The Blazers, who were coming off a 90-87 victory over Golden State on Sunday, have not had back-to-back wins since Jan. 23-24 against Sacramento and Memphis.

LAKERS 104, WARRIORS 101

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Bryant, two days after getting benched late in a home loss to Memphis, made a pair of jumpers in the final 64 seconds and finished with 30 points to lead Los Angeles past short-handed Golden State.

Bryant missed his first two shots in the final period before twice rising over a pair of defenders for difficult fall-away jumpers from the corner.

Former Warriors forward Matt Barnes had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 17 rebounds to give Los Angeles its third win in four games.

David Lee had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors.

SPURS 107, SUNS 100

PHOENIX (AP) — Tony Parker scored eight points in a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter, helping San Antonio win its fifth straight and eighth in nine games with a victory over Phoenix.

Tim Duncan scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Spurs, winners of 12 of their last 14 road games. Parker scored half of his 24 in the fourth quarter.

Shannon Brown, starting because Grant Hill was a late scratch with right knee inflammation, scored a career-high 32 points for the Suns. Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 14 rebounds in just the second home loss for the Suns in 10 games since the All-Star break.

MAVERICKS 90, ROCKETS 81

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Terry scored seven consecutive points in a minute to start a game-turning run for Dallas, finishing with 12 points and four assists in a win over Houston.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points despite shooting 5 of 17, Rodrigue Beaubois had 14 points and Brandan Wright added 13.

The Mavericks won 101-99 in overtime on Saturday night in Houston, which played at home again Monday and needed overtime to beat Sacramento.

Luis Scola had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, while Goran Dragic scored 17 points. Chandler Parsons had 15 points and nine rebounds.

76ERS 103, CAVALIERS 85

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jodie Meeks scored a career-high 31 points and Jrue Holiday had 19 to lead Philadelphia over Cleveland.

Evan Turner scored 12 points for the Sixers, who moved a half-game ahead of Boston and back into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sixers have held the top spot in the Atlantic for all but a few days early in the season.

The Sixers romped without Andre Iguodala, who missed his second straight game because of left patella tendinitis. Meeks started in his place and was 7 of 10 from 3-point range.

Anthony Parker scored 14 points and Kyrie Irving had 12 for the Cavaliers.

BUCKS 108, HAWKS 101

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Monta Ellis scored 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and had eight assists to lead Milwaukee to a win over Atlanta.

Brandon Jennings added 18 points for the Bucks, who moved within two games of the idle New York Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ellis, who has struggled since coming over in a trade from Golden State on March 14, tied a season low with four points against the Knicks on Monday. On Tuesday, he made 15-of-24 shots, including 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter, sealing it with a 15-foot jumper with 1:27 left.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 30 points and 18 rebounds.

GRIZZLIES 93, TIMBERWOLVES 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Rudy Gay scored 21 points, and Dante Cunningham added season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead Memphis over Minnesota.

Cunningham, inserted into the starting lineup after All-Star centre Marc Gasol sat out with a sprained right ankle, was 6 of 9 from the field as all five Memphis starters finished in double figures.

Marreese Speights had 18 points, Tony Allen finished with 13, and Mike Conley had 12 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies won their second straight.

Kevin Love led Minnesota with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

Source:http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/nba-capsules-144496695.html

L.A. Lakers: Are Gasol, Bynum, and Odom the NBA's Top Postseason Advantage?

Kobe Bryant may lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2010-11 NBA Finals, but if the team hopes to capture their 3rd consecutive title it will be because of the play of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.

Gasol, Odom, and Bynum give the Lakers one of the biggest, most talented, and productive front lines in the NBA, and it may be an advantage that no other team can match in the postseason.

The only other trio that even comes close to matching the production of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom is the Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson.

The Lakers' players average 44.8 points per game and 27 rebounds, while the Bulls' trio averages 37 points and 25.3 rebounds.

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Impressive Lakers roll past Orlando in 2nd half

LOS ANGELES – By the time Kobe Bryant talked himself into a little confidence in his swollen ankle in the second half, Andrew Bynum and the Los Angeles Lakers' reserves had already taken care of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

Pau Gasol scored 23 points, Bryant added 16 while playing on a sprained left ankle, and the Lakers roared away in the second half for their 10th win in 11 games, 97-84 Monday night.

Bynum had 10 points, a career high-tying 18 rebounds and four blocks while hounding Howard into nine turnovers — four more than the entire Lakers squad — in another eye-catching low-post game for the Lakers' young center.

It all added up to a rather easy night of work for Bryant, who decided to play despite seriously rolling his ankle during the third quarter of Saturday's win at Dallas.

"It was more mental," said Bryant, who went 7 for 19 and missed eight shots in the first half. "It affected my bounce a little bit just because of the trust factor, just trusting it in the first half. Then at halftime, I just gave it a little pep talk."

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Bryant struggles and still leads Lakers over Mavs

DALLAS – Kobe Bryant overcame a sore ankle to score 16 points, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 96-91 on Saturday night.

Bryant shot just 6 of 20, but scored six points and assisted on the other basket in a 9-0 run by the Lakers late in the second quarter. That snapped a tie and put them ahead to stay.

After Bryant came down awkwardly on his left ankle late in the third quarter and left the game for a bit, the Lakers immediately scored eight consecutive points to stretch the lead to 10.

The Mavericks (47-19) are only a half-game ahead of Los Angeles (47-20) for second place in the Western Conference.

LA Lakers A Long Way From Repeating

Despite Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade’s utterance that the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to repeat as NBA champions, Kobe Bryant’s team shouldn’t just be handed the trophy now. The road as a defending champion is always longer and more difficult than the previous one.

There are more expectations and thus more pressure. The mentality of fans is “If the Los Angeles Lakers won the title last year and kept every significant piece on their roster, why can’t they do it again?”

The answer is twofold. For one thing, a bullseye is inevitably placed on the back of each defending champion. It’s now squarely affixed between the numbers of the purple and gold jerseys. Especially on the back of Kobe Bryant’s 24.

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Kobe Bryant has surgery on right knee

Kobe Bryant has surgery on right knee.

Kobe Bryant has had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is expected to be fully recovered by September 25.

The two times defending NBA Finals MVP had the procedure last week and is currently undergoing rehab to be ready prior to the start of the Lakers' training camp.

Last season, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a second-straight NBA title despite a number of niggling injuries throughout the team's championship run.

Kobe Bryant still managed over 29 points per game during the 2010 NBA Playoffs but it is his influence on teammates which also makes him such an invaluable player for the LA Lakers now.

LA Lakers point guard Derek Fisher recently revealed that it was Bryant who played a big role in his decision to re-sign with the team.

"I definitely feel like I made the right decision," Derek Fisher said.

"Kobe and I worked extremely hard to be in a position where we’re now in our careers. Obviously he is much more accomplished than I am, but we have a bond that I just didn't want to break. I think we can lead our team to another championship this season and that was a big motivating factor."

Derek Fisher said he "seriously considered" his other free agency options before ultimately choosing the LA Lakers based on a few factors including his relationship with Kobe Bryant, the community and the city of Los Angeles.