www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRTWNETrj4E

Bryant scored 14 of his 18 points in the decisive third quarter and was one of five Lakers to score at least 17. Ron Artest scored a season-best 19 as did Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom had 18 and Andrew Bynum 17.  “Every one of their big guys had a big game,” Nuggets coach George Karl lamented.  After frittering away double-digit leads in their previous three games, the Lakers never let up after grabbing a 10-point advantage in the third quarter.

Anthony led Denver with 23 points after missing shoot-around to attend to a personal matter. Arron Afflalo chipped in 22, but the Nuggets repeatedly failed to find him in their second-half rotations and Bryant went off in the third quarter, helping the Lakers take control.  Bryant said his quiet first half was by design.  “It’s important for me to keep my guys involved, and build their confidence. I know I can score at any moment or get looks at any moment,” he said. “The third quarter I was able to do that.”

The Nuggets had won seven of their previous nine regular-season games against Los Angeles at the Pepsi Center, but the Lakers’ size bettered Denver’s speed as the Nuggets lost for just the fifth time in 24 home games. Led by Gasol’s 13 boards and 10 from Odom, the Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets 47-27.  “They’re trees down there,” Anthony said. “And they bring Lamar, another 7-footer, off the bench, and he does the same thing: Attack the offensive glass, put-backs.”

Bulk beat the break on this night. Although speedy Ty Lawson managed 15 points, the Lakers held the Nuggets to just four fast-break points and most of the time they got back to set up their defense before Denver could beat them to the basket.  “Size won tonight,” Karl said. “Even when we did some good things defensively, we didn’t rebound the ball. The hope of playing with speed is you’ve got to rebound the ball and get more than four fast-break points.”  Chauncey Billups said the Nuggets didn’t push the pace like they should have in the third quarter, “but that was because they were kind of scoring every time. It’s tough to get a fast break when you’re taking it out.”

Bryant, who gets booed in Denver every time he touches the ball, called out the Nuggets fans who have been jeering Anthony over his trade stance. On Thursday, he said they were stupid for booing Anthony after his 35-point performance against Oklahoma City this week, and on Friday at shoot-around he called them idiots.  “Melo’s a good friend of mine and it’s the truth,” Bryant said after the game. “It’s stupid. You don’t boo him. It’s silly. You boo him the first time, let him know how you feel and get over it.”  Bryant suggested that if Anthony were at all waffling about his desire for a trade, the Nuggets fans’ hostile treatment might just push the All-Star forward out of Denver.  Anthony has been the subject of trade talk since refusing to sign a three-year, $65 million extension last summer. Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri said after the New Jersey Nets halted negotiations on their latest blockbuster proposal Wednesday that he was still in talks with several other teams about a possible trade for Anthony. Afflalo’s fourth 3-pointer of the night gave Denver a 52-49 lead at the break. But Bryant helped the Lakers surge ahead, taking an 82-72 lead into the fourth quarter that was never challenged.

Before tip-off, Karl said he’s kept a sense of humor about the never-ending Melo Drama out of necessity because his doctors have told him to keep his stress levels low after battling throat and neck cancer last year. He said his blood pressure is good, his blood work fine and his sleep patterns good.  “Two things I used to do is drink too many beers and eat in excess. Now, I don’t do either, so I’m fine in that area,” Karl said. “And I think I’m actually laughing at situations a little bit, trying to laugh with it and joke with it.”  With Ujiri and team president Josh Kroenke keeping a low profile, Karl has been the point man for the organization on all matters involving his star.  “I can’t deny that in the last two or three weeks it’s gotten a little tiring,” Karl said. “But in the same sense, I’ve had fun with it. There’s some laughter going on.”  Asked if he thought this spectacle might last right up to the Feb. 24 trade deadline, Karl said, “I think it could go farther than that. I’ve definitely written some thoughts about it on paper, if that happens, what I need to do, what I need to prepare for.”

The Nuggets wouldn’t necessarily risk losing Anthony to free agency without compensation next summer because they could still trade him between the end of their season and June 30. Karl said he’s spoken with Ujiri about all the possible scenarios but wanted to keep those conversations between the two of them.

Bryant will join actors such as Marilyn Monroe, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith, Harrison Ford and John Wayne in receiving the cement distinction in front of the theater located on Hollywood Boulevard. “To be a part of such elite company is a tremendous honor. I’m proud to be the first athlete to be recognized,” Bryant said in a statement.

Before the Lakers practiced at the Pepsi Center on Thursday in preparation for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, Bryant added that the ceremony will be “cool” and he has yet to visit the theater as a tourist since moving to Los Angeles in 1996.  It will be a busy NBA All-Star weekend for Bryant, who leads all vote getters after the fourth round of ballot returns. Bryant will appear in the 13th All-Star Game of his 15-season career on Sunday, Feb. 20. The hand and foot imprint ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 19, preceding a gala hosted by Bryant that is expected to include more than 1,200 guests. The Rodriguez mini-movie (it’s eight minutes long, according to Entertainment Weekly) will debut sometime during All-Star weekend as well.

Karl is a friend of Coach Phil Jackson, and Karl’s son, Coby, played the 2007-08 season with the Lakers, perhaps a reason he seemed to downplay the Lakers’ on-again, off-again tendencies this season. “I just think it’s incredibly tough to try to defend a championship for two or three years,” he said. “They get the team they’re playing’s best shot every night. They’ve probably got to play playoff-intensity basketball more often than we do. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to get to that mental level of commitment.”
Along those lines, Karl didn’t want to hear that Kobe Bryant was slowing down at age 32. “I know the ball is in his hands a lot more,” he said. “He’s still one of the top-five most difficult guys to prepare for because of his power, his influence. Right now he’s playing like a point guard because they are running a lot of pick-and-rolls for him.”
Bryant had 21 points and 10 assists in the Lakers’ 109-100 loss to Dallas on Wednesday. He also had three turnovers in the game-turning third quarter.

Ron-Ron time
Numerous Lakers had bad defensive games against Dallas — mainly Ron Artest, Shannon Brown, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol — but Artest wasn’t bothered by it. “As long as I play Ron Artest-type basketball and apply it to the team, we’ll be OK,” he said There’s nothing really to worry about.”  Jackson wondered whether Artest failed to be challenged by the thought of defending Mavericks forward-guard Sasha Pavlovic, who beat the Lakers for 11 points a week after signing a 10-day contract with Dallas. “I thought [Wednesday] night he had a little bit of a setback,” Jackson said. “Sometimes I worry about whether Ron’s intrigued by the game because of the quality of the player he has to play against.” So then Artest will have a solid game Friday against Anthony in Denver, no? “It depends upon whether he can stay on the floor,” Jackson said. “A lot of times they call fouls on Ron against Carmelo.”

Bynum is fine
Andrew Bynum practiced Thursday despite sustaining a hyperextended right elbow against Dallas. He wore a large wrap on the elbow Thursday, the latest creation by longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti. “Gary loves to make those kind of bandages and stuff like that,” Jackson said. “It’s a whole construction. He’s kind of like a carpenter.” Bynum is expected to play against Denver.  The article was written by Mike Bresnahan for the LA Times.

Kobe led the way with 23 points, Gasol had 21points and 13 rebounds. and Lamar Odom shot 6 for 7 from the field for 17 points and 8 rebounds. The bench sparked the Lakers again as Shannon Brown had 13, Steve Blake had 10 and Matt Barnes had a season high 16 points played solid defense and hit their shots behind the arc.  The rookies looked good as Derek Caracter had 6 points and Devin Ebanks had 4 points and a nice dunk late in the 4^th quarter.

Steve Blake to Devin Ebanks -- Dunk vs Memphis Grizzlies -- 11/2/2010

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N80bPxqYiiE

Selected by the Lakers with the 43rd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Ebanks, a 20 year-old early entry candidate out of West Virginia University, played two seasons for the Mountaineers, averaging 11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 69 games. 

Ebanks was named to the Big East All-Rookie and All-Tournament team as a freshman and selected All-Big East Third Team as a sophomore, the 6’9” forward posted 16 career double-doubles at West Virginia and led the team in rebounding during each of his two seasons.

Additionally, Ebanks started all five games for the Lakers 2010 Summer League entry in Las Vegas, averaging 15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 33.3 minutes.

Watch Shannon Brown Alley-Oop from Pau Gasol Game 6 NBA finals

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW5BDtEQimY

With all of the talk about Wade, Bosh, and LeBron taking less money to play together, a guy like Shannon Brown is taking a more significant pay cut. The big 3 in Miami may have left $50 million dollars on the table but they all signed contracts worth over $100 million each. They shouldn’t be in the poor house any time soon. The chance to win means more than cashing in for Shannon Brown.

The Lakers are pretty much set and ready to defend their championship. L.A. lost Jordan Farmar, Adam Morrison, Josh Powell, and D.J. Mbenga and replaced them with Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff, Derrick Caracter, and Devin Ebanks. Quietly the Lakers have had the best summer of any NBA team not not named Miami and Chicago. Article was written by Sherron Shabazz.  —Sign up for Lakers News Alerts!

The Lakers also signed veteran center Theo Ratliffon Thursday.  Barnes announced earlier in the week he was signing with the Toronto Raptors, but a sign-and-trade deal that would have paid him $9 million over two years fell apart.

The five-time NBA champion said he considered contract offers from several teams in the past two weeks after playing a key role in the Lakers’ championship repeat. He spoke with the Heat in South Beach last weekend, entertaining the prospect of running an offense for LeBron James Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who all left free-agent money on the table to sign teammates of Fisher’s ability.The idea was enticing, but not enough to uproot his family and career from Los Angeles, where he has spent 11 of his 14 NBA seasons. “At the end of the day, there’s one person I could not turn away from,” Fisher said. “Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me even when others had doubts.”  While Miami has commanded the basketball world’s attention in the past week, Fisher’s decision is the second positive development already in July for the Lakers’ ‘threepeat’ hopes: Coach Phil Jackson also decided to return for another season 11 days earlier.

Fisher likely isn’t bluffing about larger offers from other teams. The Lakers’ payroll already is stretched to the limit of the salary cap with the rest of Los Angeles’ veteran core signed to multiyear contracts, including Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest and Lamar Odom.  But Fisher decided he valued winning and consistency over a late-career cash grab—and the other time he left the Lakers for a big-money deal, he endured two miserable seasons in Golden State and one better year in Utah before returning to the Lakers in 2007.

Fisher first joined the Lakers in 1996, when Jerry West drafted the unsung guard from Arkansas-Little Rock and the franchise nurtured him into a consistent playmaker and occasional scorer. Since his return to Hollywood, he has started every regular-season game for the Lakers over the past three seasons. Fisher averaged 7.5 points and 2.5 assists last year. Although he sometimes struggles against quicker point guards, Fisher still has the veteran guile and poise necessary to perform at important moments—and that’s the quality Bryant values most in his longtime teammate.  “We’ve got to have him back,” Bryant said last month shortly after the Lakers’ victory parade. “Fish knows we need him, and we know we’ve got to keep him.

Fisher raised his game in the postseason, starting all 23 games and averaging 10.3 points and 2.8 assists to help the Lakers win their second straight title. He was particularly effective in the Western Conference semifinals against Utah’s Deron Williams, and he largely matched the efforts of veteran Steve Nash(notes) in the conference finals against the Phoenix Suns.  Fisher’s return means the most significant parts of the Lakers’ championship roster will return this fall. General manager Mitch Kupchak now must hunt for bargains and unsung players to fill in the gaps on his bench, which wasn’t particularly deep last season.

Los Angeles let free agent Jordan Farmar leave for New Jersey on Monday after signing Steve Blake last week. Blake, likely to be Fisher’s backup, is overjoyed to join a talented veteran team, while Farmar is convinced he should be an NBA starter after four inconsistent seasons with the Lakers.  High-flying backup guard Shannon Brown opted out of his contract to become a free agent, but says he hopes to stay with the Lakers.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwdQOEzuVYQ