Ron Artest plans to abstain from alcohol for the 2010-11 season

The celebration never seemed to end and the alcohol seemed to keep on flowing.

Moments after Lakers forward Ron Artest entered the locker room, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant poured champagne on his 2010 NBA Finals championship hat. As Artest gleefully recounted to reporters the circuitous route he's taken in his 11-year career before finally winning a title, Lakers backup center DJ Mbenga poured beer on his head. And once he finally made it to his own locker, Artest's family popped open a bottle of champagne and asked him to take a sip.

Artest showed afterward how he loved the taste of winning a championship. But the post- Game 7celebration also apparently demonstrated how Artest's acquired taste for alcohol had significantly waned.

"It was weird. I didn't even want to drink it, really," Artest said after practice Saturday at the team's facility in El Segundo. "It was fun at the time. But I didn't have the stomach for alcohol, anymore."

That's because Artest said he had abstained from drinking since January of 2010 in hopes that the decreased carbohydrates and increased mobility could ensure consistent defensive performances. Even as Artest celebrated the Lakers' title with non-stop appearances at night clubs the next few weeks, he said he managed to force himself to stop drinking alcohol by the end of July. It also served as a key variable, Artest said, in ensuring the same mobility for the 2010-11 season.

"It paid off so much," said Artest, who says he currently weighs about 250 pounds. "I've been drinking alcohol since I was 17 years old, or 15 years old."

But he says he doesn't plan to drink at all this season. I only wonder what was Artest's name on his fake ID as a teenager and how will the alcohol industry fare in the next quarter assuming he follows through on abstaining from drinking all season. And for those wondering what might happen should California legalize marjuana? "Even if they legalize marijuana," Artest said, as he left a group of reporters, "I won't be smoking marijuana."

Those are questions for another day, but here's the most pressing one: How does Artest's slimmed down figure affect the Lakers this season?

The way Artest explains it, the weight loss could largely determine how well he fulfills his duty as a lock-down defender this season. Though he entered the pre-season with a hamstring issue, Artest has looked through two games incredibly mobile and displayed the sure-fire intensity that's defined his defensive toughness. That reputation warranted Artest to garner high accolades from the league's general managers that say this in a preseason survey: Artest is tied with Bryant as the NBA's best defensive player, second as the league's top defensive player on the perimeter and third as an on-the-ball defender.

That recognition doesn't just point to Artest's physical bulk. It also points to his quick footwork and relentless conditioning, marking the reason why he hopes to weigh 245 pounds for the NBA Finals (assuming the Lakers make it, of course).

"I shed all the unnecessary weight," Artest said. "I worked hard this summer to get rid of the weight. I'm able to maintain smaller and quicker guys. I know with Kobe's knee, he's going to need the reinforcement. I'm going to have to be able to guard quicker guys."

That includes covering Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, whom Artest held under his season average during the Lakers'first-round matchup with the Thunder. Though Artest expressed uncertainty as to whether Carmelo Anthony would remain in Denver, the Nuggets All-Star is another opponent that Artest frustrated during a February regular-season matchup. There, perhaps, could be one exception he'll make in determining how much weight he wants to lose or gain.

"When we get to the championship, I'll worry about the big guy later -- LeBron," Artest said. "He's not losing weight."

But for now Artest will worry about shedding the pounds so he can stay active. He'll continue to run on the treadmill. He'll continue to be strict with his diet, which last year consisted of plenty of protein, fruits and vegetables. And he plans to stay away from alcohol.

"It's kind of cool," Artest said. "It's worth it, though, because it helps keep the weight off, too. All those extra carbohydrates aren't on me."

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Lakers back in town, and back to work, in a big way

A day after the Lakers' return flight from Europe, Coach Phil Jackson works the players three hours in practice. He says he's just trying to make up for lost time.

They're back.

And if the Lakers needed any proof that Coach Phil Jackson wasn't pleased with how their European excursion went and that it was time to get serious, they got it Saturday at practice.

Jackson worked his players for three-plus hours at the team's training facility.

He said it was because his team "is not playing well" after two exhibition losses in Europe, because the Lakers were "out of focus a little bit" and because they didn't "have a lot of practice time" while in London to play the Minnesota Timberwolves and in Barcelona, Spain, to play FC Barcelona.

So after an 11-hour flight Friday from Spain to Los Angeles, Jackson had his players at work Saturday before he gave them Sunday off. They will practice again Monday.

"For a long day yesterday, a long flight, I think the guys played pretty well," Jackson said after practice.

Kobe Bryant, still recovering from right knee surgery that limited his time and effectiveness in Europe, didn't practice Saturday. Neither did Andrew Bynum (right knee) or Luke Walton (right hamstring).

Jackson said he was "heartened" by Walton's progress.

After watching Bryant go two for 19 while playing 31 minutes in the two exhibition games, including 25 in Barcelona, Jackson said his star guard has a ways to go.

"I didn't like the way he looked on the floor, personally," Jackson said. "He wanted to be competitive and try to keep the game competitive. He's decidedly not ready yet to play. And yet he went out and gave an effort, which is nice. But I'm going to have to talk to him about some of the progress as we go through this training camp."

Jackson talked about what he needs to see from Bryant.

"Right now, he just doesn't have the power," Jackson said. "He just doesn't have the strength. I think he's doing OK, but he's going to have to find that strength, and he will.

"But obviously right now, he still can't get his shot off to the point where he wants to get it. And the rest of the game has got to be coordinated with the team and these players so he's in sync with what we're doing."

Slimmed-down Artest

Last season, Ron Artest came to camp weighing over 265 pounds. This season, he said, he came to training camp at "250 to 260 pounds."

His goal is to weigh "245 by the playoffs."

"I feel I'm able to maintain some more with the quicker guys," Artest said. "I knew with Kobe's knee, he is going to need reinforcement so I'm going to have to be able to guard quicker guys.

"I guess when we get to the championship I'll worry about the big weight guy later, LeBron [James]. He's not losing weight. Right now we're in the West, and Kevin Durant, all these guys, they are getting better. We're getting older, but they're getting better and older. So, I didn't want to be 260, 270 when I have to go up against the All-Stars like Carmelo [Anthony]."

Artest said he stopped drinking alcohol at the end of July and that helped him lose weight.

He talked about other diet topics and the Food Network before he left the media with this little nugget.

"Even if they legalize marijuana, I won't be smoking marijuana," Artest said, smiling.

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5 things to take away from Lakers' 92-88 pre-season loss to FC Barcelona

I'll say this for every pre-season game. The result doesn't matter. Sure, the Lakers' 92-88 loss Thursday to FC Barcelona ended the team's European trip at 0-2. There were a few areas in which the Lakers sorely lacked. And the showing wasn't exactly what Lakers forward Pau Gasol hoped to get in his hometown in Barcelona.

Still, it's the pre-season. Below are a few nuggets on what stood out.

1. Why did Kobe Bryant play heavy minutes? After clocking only six minutes Monday in London because of concerns regarding his surgically repaired right knee, Bryant logged a much heavier load against FC Barcelona. He played 25 minutes this time, but his 15 points on two-of-15 shooting clearly shows that the knee remains an issue. This isn't a long-term cause for concern. Many of his shots, especially early on, showed that Bryant wanted to test his knee so he could accurately read how much lift he could get from it.

What should be a cause for concern involves the question of why Bryant played 25 minutes. Whatever happened to the plan to limit his time during this European trip? Lakers Coach Phil Jackson told reporters afterward that Bryant asked to come back for the second half after he sat for the final 3:05 of the first quarter and the entire second quarter, adding that he trusts how Bryant assesses his health.

Sure, this speaks to Bryant's competitive level and Jackson's willingness to defer to Bryant, two qualities that will surely pay dividends during the season. But this is an exhibition game. Bryant's shooting clearly demonstrated that his rehabilitation on his right knee remains a work in progress, so why take the risk? Fortunately for the Lakers, nothing bad happened.

2.Gasol had an up-and-down showing. Gasol had called the Lakers' exhibition against FC Barcelona a "very special game," for understandable reasons. The Barcelona native returned to Spain for the third time as an NBA player and wanted to put on a good showing before the home crowd.

His stat line of a team-leading 25 points and 10 rebounds appears impressive. But his shooting (seven of 21) and inconsistency (he dipped after scoring 13 of the Lakers' first 18 points) further clouded his performance.

At first, Gasol appeared brilliant in the post. Bryant and Gasol showcased their chemistry when the Black Mamba retrieved a loose ball and darted a quick pass inside to Gasol. He displayed his high basketball IQ when he and Derek Fisher ran a textbook give-and-go, with Fisher drawing a double-team from Ricky Rubio and Boniface N'Dong. And Gasol demonstrated his length and footwork when he used a quick first step past N'Dong and then finished with an up-and-under one-handed dunk over Roger Grimau.

But Gasol also seemed consumed with trying to do too much. In the third quarter alone, Gasol missed four shots within four to six feet of the basket. With the score tied at 76 with 4:30 remaining in the game, Gasol couldn't convert a bank shot as FC Barcelona played help defense.

3. The Lakers' shot selection was questionable. You really only have to look at the box score to know this was an issue. The team went 29 of 85 from the field (34.1%), zero of 14 from three-point range and featured only two players -- Fisher (12 points on four of five shooting) and Ron Artest (10 points on five of 10 shooting) -- to shoot at least .500.

The problem isn't so much the numbers as it was the consequences. Too often, the Lakers settled for open shots instead of running the offense. For how poorly they played against Minnesota in London, at least then the Lakers showed a willingness to get everyone involved and ensure that the newcomers understood the concepts.

The bad shot selection also arguably decided the outcome of the game. Steve Blake missed a three-pointer with 8:26 remaining, when the Lakers trailed 72-70. Artest missed a 19-footer a minute later. Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes each missed a gimme. With the score tied at 76 with 4:52 remaining, Bryant missed a three-pointer, as did Artest two minutes later. As the Lakers trailed 86-83 with 1:09 left in the game, Bryant missed another trey.

FC Barcelona didn't shoot much better from the field, going 30 of 78 (38.5%). But its 12 of 38 mark from three-point range (31.6%) directly correlated to quick ball movement leading to open shots.


4. The Lakers and FC Barcelona were chippy. As Bryant walked toward the free-throw line, FC Barcelona's Pete Mickeal yapped a few words to him. There were plenty of reasons for Mickeal to talk trash. He eventually finished the night with a team-high 26 points, the Euroleague champs wanted to see how they could measure up to the NBA's best and Bryant had just made his first field goal of the night. Mickeal's trash-talking after Bryant's pump fake led to a jumper from the right block and a foul, but it also epitomized how aggressive these teams were with each other.

Artest picked up two of his three fouls barely a minute into the game, and also exchanged some barbs with Mickeal. Barnes knocked Juan Carlos Navarro to the floor on a three-point attempt with 4:41 left in the first quarter. And the teams combined for 56 fouls.

Clearly, the officials called this game fairly tight. But it also spoke to just how much a win would mean for FC Barcelona, and it revealed the Lakers actually took this game more seriously than their loss to Minnesota.

5. Fisher is quietly playing well this pre-season. You can't draw anything definitive from the pre-season. But it is necessary to point out that Fisher has had quality showings against Minnesota (12 points on four of nine shooting in 15 minutes) and FC Barcelona (12 points on four of five shooting in 30 minutes) for a few reasons. Fisher shot poorly in the regular season last year and it's a good sign that his shooting stroke hasn't dropped off from his impressive playoff run. Obviously the Lakers bolstered their bench this season, partly so Fisher could get more rest and so the team could better absorb any offensive inconsistency he experiences. But so far Fisher has held his end of the bargain.

More importantly, Fisher looks very fluid and well-rested. Fisher is cognizant of his age (36) and puts in the extra work in the off-season to stay healthy. Obviously there's going to be times he won't be able to keep up with the fastest guards out there. But so far he looks as healthy as you'd expect from a player who's played in all 82 games for the past five seasons.

Stat of the day: 0 of 14. Nothing epitomized the Lakers' poor shooting than their woeful mark from three-point range.

Quote of the Day: "He’s not ready to play. He’s going out there to help the goodwill and to show the fans his presence." -- Jackson on Bryant (quote via Lakers.com's Mike Trudell)

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GMs pick Lakers to win NBA title

The Los Angeles Lakers will win the NBA title and LeBron James won't win the NBA Most Valuable Player award -- at least if a survey of NBA general managers is accurate.

The annual NBA.com GM Survey, released Wednesday, says the Lakers are the team to beat, according to 63 percent of the 28 general managers who responded.


TrueHoop on the GMs survey

ESPN.com TrueHoop blogger Henry Abbott takes an even deeper look at the NBA GMs survey. Blog

The Miami Heat, which picked up James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade during the offseason, was picked to win by 33 percent of the respondents.

The Boston Celtics were the pick of 4 percent.

In the MVP race, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was the overwhelming pick, getting 67 percent of the votes. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers was second with 26 percent.

James, last year's league MVP, picked up just a single vote, as did Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

Other winners included John Wall as the league's rookie of the year (68 percent); Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz as the league's best point guard (60 percent); Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Pau Gasol of the Lakers as the top power forward (29 percent); Howard as the league's top center (96 percent); James as the best small forward (68 percent); and Bryant as the top shooting guard (86 percent).

Nowitzki also was voted the top international player and Durant as the player the GMs most would like to start a franchise with. Howard was named as the league's top defensive player on 79 percent of the ballots.

Bryant (79 percent) was the pick of the GMs as the player they'd rely on to take a shot with the game on the line.

The Heat are the pick as the most improved team (39 percent), followed by the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards (14 percent).

The Thunder was picked as the "most fun team to watch" by 52 percent of the respondents, while the Jazz was picked by 46 percent as the team with the best home-court advantage.

Phil Jackson, who returned to the Lakers, was voted the league's best coach (39 percent).

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How do you feel about limited minutes for Andrew Bynum this season?

There's plenty of incentive for Lakers center Andrew Bynum to rehabilitate his surgically repaired right knee as quickly as possible.

It would show that he can quickly recover from an injury and help silence the criticism surrounding his decision to delay off-season surgery until after the World Cup. And a speedy recuperation would surely improve his chances to secure his first-ever All-Star berth.

After the Lakers' practice Tuesday in Barcelona, Coach Phil Jackson gave him another reason to get better soon.

"We're hopeful that this is the time he's able to start playing consistently through a season," Jackson told The Times' Mike Bresnahan. "If not, we're going to have to look at Andrew as a short-minute guy, somebody like Yao Ming, who's going to be limited in the amount of minutes he plays."

Yao has suffered numerous bone-related injuries and missed significant chunks of the last five seasons. After he played in at least 80 games his first three seasons, he dipped to 57 games in 2005-06, fell to 48 in 2006-07, rose slightly to 55 in 2007-08, increased to 77 in 2008-09 and then missed the season altogether in the 2009-10 season. Lakers fans may recall Houston pushing L.A. to seven games in the 2009 semifinals despite Yao suffering a season-ending hairline fracture in his left foot in Game 3.

Lakers fans are also well aware of Bynum's deep medical history: He had surgery on a dislocated left kneecap in 2008, suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in the right knee in 2009, strained his left Achilles' tendon in 2010 and, weeks later, had torn cartilage in the right knee that limited him in the postseason and resulted in his second knee surgery in three seasons.

With Bynum's controversial decision to delay his surgery so he could go to the World Cup and his expectation that he won't return until December, any news regarding Bynum often comes with increased frustration and further doubt that he's worth the investment. Jackson's latest assessment seems practical, but it also could be a motivational message.

Jackson stood up for Bynum in the immediate aftermath of his decision to delay surgery and news of his longer-than-expected recovery, saying the team thought it was OK that Bynum attended the World Cup and pointing out that his original surgery date (July 18) was delayed 10 days because Bynum's personal doctor, David Altchek, didn't have an appointment available.

Since then, statements from Jackson and from Bynum have been at times contradictory. Bynum initially said he'd return toward the last week of November but recently changed his timetable to December. Meanwhile, Jackson said he expected Bynum to return within two to three weeks after the regular seasons started Oct. 26 against Houston. Bynum expressed confidence that the off-season procedure would finally take care of any long-term concerns involving his knee. Yet Jackson seems wary.

"If his knee doesn't hold up after having this process, then we'll have to think about what kind of minutes he can play in a career," Jackson told Bresnahan. "This would be a [fourth] consecutive year that things didn't go well. We're concerned. That's why we're giving this extra time, or the doctors asked for extra time for this to heal, so when this heals, his career can go forward instead of having these stops in the middle of the season."

Jackson considering limiting Bynum's minutes isn't entirely new. When asked at his preseason news conference whether he'd ever consider playing Bynum in a limited capacity, Jackson said he'd probably follow that approach once Bynum returned to the lineup and caught up on his conditioning. Bynum also played that role during the 2010 playoffs and actually helped the team in a utility role. But Jackson's latest remarks frame the issue in a new way, as a long-term strategy for Bynum's career.

As much as I've said Bynum would put up a good effort despite any physical setbacks this season, I'm thinking having him play a utility role for the rest of his career wouldn't sit well with Lakers fans. And it really would be a waste of the team's resources. There's no question it would diminish his standing with the Lakers.

Of course, at this point, it's all hypothetical. But Jackson's worry is apparent. Just before Bynum strained his left Achilles' tendon, the coach predicted Bynum would land on the NBA All-Star team, assuming he stayed healthy and said he believed Bynum had overcome the psychological hurdle in worrying about becoming injury-prone. He had nothing but praise for Bynum during the 2010 post-season run, when he won great respect in the locker room. Jackson staunchly defended him just as training camp opened. And now this.

Jackson's statements might just end up being a great motivating tactic for Bynum. Or they might be spelling out his future.

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Michael vs. Kobe: Who's better?

Coach Phil Jackson gets asked the question every once in a while and is often reluctant to go into great detail with his answer.

Who's better: Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?

It came up again thousands of miles from Los Angeles, after the Lakers practiced in Barcelona, Spain, on Day Six of their eight-game European trek.

"Well, I guess I'd be about as good a judge as anybody on that, having been able to coach both those players," Jackson said. "Great competitors. Similarities in their game are great. Perhaps the eras have changed a little bit...."

Then he got a little less politically correct.

"We love the idea that it could happen, that Kobe could win a sixth ring. I'm sure Michael is watching with great anticipation as to how it's going to come out too."

It was one of many developments Wednesday, which included a practice session at Palau Sant Jordi ... sort of.

"We're doing pretty good in the 'NBA Cares' clinics, but we're not doing so great with our own practices," said Jackson, who has maintained all along that the Lakers' exhibition season would be ruined because of the trip to Europe.

"I had five guys miss the team bus this morning. I blame Pau [Gasol] for that, but we won't hold it against him. He took them out last night and showed them some of the sights of Barcelona. We got a little bit behind the eight ball on this trip."

Bryant said he would play in Thursday's exhibition against Regal FC Barcelona but did not say how long he would stay on the court. He played only six minutes in the team's exhibition opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in London.

Bryant also said he would strongly consider playing for FC Barcelona after his NBA playing days were behind him.

"At the end of my career, if I really sat down and thought about coming over to Europe and playing, Barcelona has to be [up there]," he said. "It's just such a beautiful place, a beautiful oganization."

There were some injury developments as well. Reserve forward Derrick Caracter sustained a sprained ankle at Wednesday's practice, said Jackson, who also acknowledged limiting reserve center Theo Ratliff's practice time because of knee tendinitis.

Finally, Jackson was asked yet again if he would be back next season. He said no but left just enough of a small opening, as he has done since the season began.

"I really don't have any intention of coaching," he said. "Of course, you can never say never in this game. There's just too many opportunities."

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Kobe Bryant's knee still healing

LONDON -- The Lakers traveled halfway across the world to officially open their three-peat bid with a haphazard 111-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Los Angeles' first exhibition game of the season, and suddenly it seems Kobe Bryant's surgically repaired right knee might be a world away from being fully healed.

"I'm probably about 60 percent," Bryant said.

Bryant
Clive Rose/Getty ImagesKobe Bryant played limited minutes vs. Minnesota in London and says the plan will be the same for the Lakers' game in Barcelona on Thursday.

Bryant's knee was operated on in late July for the third time since 2003. He had to have the knee drained in between Games 4 and 5 of L.A.'s first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder last spring. After the Lakers beat the Celtics to capture the championship in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Bryant claimed that removing the excess fluid in the knee improved his health for the rest of the postseason.

"I drained my knee, and all of a sudden reeling off 30-point games like they're 10-point games and everybody said how young I looked," Bryant said. "I was hurt."

After Monday's loss, Bryant revealed just how hurt he was, even after having the knee drained.

"During the NBA Finals, it was extremely, extremely, extremely painful," Bryant said. "Now, not so much."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson told the Los Angeles Times over the weekend that he expects it to take the first two weeks of the regular season for the knee to continue to strengthen before Bryant is back in top form.

Bryant wore a yellow protective sleeve over the knee and played only six minutes against Minnesota, missing his three shots to finish with zero points, two assists, one steal and one rebound after checking out for good midway through the first quarter.

Jackson said he had originally planned to play Bryant for an additional 6-8 minutes to start the second half, but Bryant decided to "ice down" at halftime.

"A lot of people were calling for Kobe to go back in the ballgame," Jackson said. "We had plans to hopefully play him two segments, but one was enough."

The pro-Lakers sellout crowd of 18,689 inundated O2 Arena with cheers of "Ko-be! Ko-be!" in the second half, tempting Bryant to abandon his plan and go back in the game.

"I wanted to get up [off the bench] and get in, but ... the shoes were unlaced, ice on the knees, knees were frozen and at that point I couldn't get back in," Bryant said. "But it felt good to still get out there and play and run around a little bit."


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Jackson quipped that he probably should have informed the P.A. announcer that Bryant would not be returning to the game when the team came back after halftime, so the announcer could assuage the crowd's expectations.

Had the game been played in the U.S., Bryant most certainly would have taken the night off completely. The Lakers have had 10 practice sessions since the start of training camp a little more than a week ago and Bryant has played in full-court contact drills in only two of them.

"It's really the only reason why I played," Bryant said of the international fans' presence. "I didn't need to measure and see where my strength was at. I pretty much knew from the practice that I had a couple days prior. I just felt like I had a sense of responsibility to get out there and play. We fly all the way out here and fans come out here to watch the game and I had a responsibility to go out there and play a little bit.

"It's all about spreading the message about the sport, about the game. I'm very thankful for it because I grew up under the influence of the NBA coming overseas so I'm a product of that, and I think it's very important to continue to spread the word about the game of basketball as much as we can."

The Lakers finish their Europe Live trip with an exhibition game against Pau Gasol's former team, FC Barcelona, in Spain on Thursday, and Bryant says he does not intend to push the knee in that game either.

"Minimum," Bryant said. "It will be the same thing -- minimum."

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