Author Archive for Shane Bien

Help us donate to the PVA

Published by Shane Bien on November 9, 2008 in Announcements. 2 Comments

pva


As we approach Veterans Day, TLN will be involved in raising money toward The Paralyzed Veterans of America. AM570 will be holding a commercial free RadioThon this week to raise awareness for this cause, and we want to help them reach their goal of $50,000.

We would like our members to help with their generous contributions. Donations of any amount is accepted. TLN will be making one large contribution with all the members names who donated attached.

AM570 KLAC proudly joins hands with The Paralyzed Veterans of America to shed light on a worthy cause.

The week of Veterans Day, we need your generous contributions as we try to “Help A Hero”. On Thursday, November 13th, KLAC will be commercial free from Noon-7pm, as we conduct a radiothon and auction (on AM570radio.com) to benefit The Paralyzed Veterans of America. The PVA is dedicated to providing rehabilitation, access to medical services, and continuing research in finding a cure for spinal cord injury and disease.

KLAC needs your help to reach our goal of $50,000.

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Using Stats to Predict the Bynum-Gasol Tandem

Published by Shane Bien on October 5, 2008 in User's Take. 19 Comments

The Lakers Nation would like to thank Jon Nichols for sending us this original article. If you have any ideas for statistical discussion, let us know and we will see if we can have Jon Nichols from Basketball-Statistics.com crunch some numbers!

The Lakers will be good next year, and there’s very little doubt about it.  The question is: how good?  The easiest way to answer that question would be to determine how the Lakers’ two dominating big men, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, will work together.  They’ve never had to play along side each other, and it’s easy to see why some people wonder how it will work out.  Although their games aren’t exact replicas of each other, they don’t appear to be perfect compliments either.  Both need to be near the basket to score, and a crowded interior would hurt both of them.  The Lakers can try to stagger their minutes so that they each have time in the paint for themselves, but they will have to play with each other quite a bit.

The good folks at The Lakers Nation have assigned me the mission of predicting how Bynum and Gasol will play next to each other, and so I’m going to give it my best shot.

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“Vittiz” on Sale Now! – Kobe’s Pinky Sleeve

Published by Shane Bien on September 29, 2008 in Announcements. 26 Comments

From the creators of the Kobe/Gasol 08 bumper sticker.
TheLakersNation.com is proud to exclusively present the “Vittiz”.

When the fans found out about Kobe Bryant deciding to sacrifice pinky surgery to repair his hand for a shot at the NBA championship, we wanted to reciprocate the dedication right back to the reigning league MVP.

For the fans, from the fans, we have created the Vittiz. Exclusively made by Gamer’s Gear LLC and available only at TheLakersNation.com, the Vittiz is a way for you to show the love, honor and support of his decision to play this upcoming season.

Sport the Vittiz in appreciation for the man who helped lead and give respect back to USA Basketball!

Note: This is a pre-sale, Vittiz will be shipped out before the season begins.

You can purchase the “Vittiz” and get more details at the new TLN Store!

The Lakers Nation = Exclusive “Machine” Videos

Published by Shane Bien on August 28, 2008 in Announcements. 18 Comments

The Lakers Nation is very proud to announce that we have created a partnership with Lakers-Fan.com. This partnership will enable TLN to exclusively feature and release the “Machine” videos before any other site. We will also be posting more exclusive original articles contributed by Lakers-Fan.com.

We would like to thank Lakers-Fan.com for deciding to work with TLN, and providing our members with the best Lakers comedy videos on the net.

This partnership is another step in providing our members a home for everything Lakers.

We have big plans for the season, and we thank you all for your support.

TLN/AM570 Radio Las Vegas Package RAFFLE!

Published by Shane Bien on August 23, 2008 in Contest. 6 Comments

Hey, guys!

The Lakers Nation has been able to work out a BIG promotion with AM570 to get our members an exclusive package.

ONE AVAILABLE. I’m bringing you guys this FIRST at this price because all of you deserve it with all your help to make this the best Lakers site on the web.

Price: $570 for 2 ($285 each person).

“Party at the Top” Package – 4 on-site grand prize giveaways.

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Q & A with Kobe Bryant

Published by Shane Bien on June 30, 2008 in Kobe Watch and USA Basketball. 5 Comments

L.A. Times: The game is the same, as is the goal: win it all and bring home a gold medal from the Beijing Summer Games. Kobe Bryant sat down with The Times on Sunday to talk about Team USA before departing for New York, where he and his U.S. teammates — including Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — will be formally introduced during a promotional tour.

Question: On a team full of stars on their respective teams, how does each find his individual role?

Answer: It’s actually pretty easy. It’s not necessarily about roles or what have you. It’s just playing basketball. A lot of philosophies that we play with on the Lakers is the same thing we do here. Just hit the open man when you have the opportunity, make it quick. If not, you just move the ball and try to get an open shot.

Q: Is it up to each player to find his own role?

A: Everybody’s offensively talented, so whatever situation you find yourself in, you can make something out of it. So it’s just about, if you’re open and you have the opportunity, you take advantage of it. We all have well-rounded offensive games where we can take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

Q: What did it mean to you when Coach Mike Krzyzewski at the start of Saturday’s practice played the video of Marvin Gaye performing the national anthem?

A: I had seen it many times before, being in L.A., because that’s where it took place. I had seen it time and time before, but to see it in that context, as far as us using it as our song, it put it in a little bit of a different light because you have more of an appreciation and it hit home a little bit more.

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Lakers will aim to sign Vujacic, Turiaf

Published by Shane Bien on June 30, 2008 in 2008 Off-Season. 1 Comment

Will Sasha and Turiaf look for a better offer? Sound-off in the comments…

O.C. Register: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is expected to be on the phone shortly after 9 p.m. Monday when the NBA free agency period begins.

First he will call Sasha Vujacic’s agent. After getting some idea of which way the restricted free agent is leaning, Kupchak then will dial Ronny Turiaf’s agent.

Both players are restricted free agents, meaning the Lakers can match any offer sheet they sign with another team. Kupchak is hoping to avoid that scenario by re-signing the two.

“A lot of it’s going to depend on the progress we make with Sasha and Ronny” Kupchak said last week. “I think we feel if we can bring those two players back, and we get Trevor [Ariza]and Andrew [Bynum]back, we’d be happy going into training camp with that group. If we run into a roadblock … then we’ll have to look in other directions.

“But right now, based on the free-agent market that’s out there and our existing free agents, we think it’s in our best interest to sign back our free agents. It’s not a great group of players to choose from when you’re comparing them against Sasha or Ronny.”

The Lakers, who are well over the salary cap, will pay nearly $5 million in luxury taxes for last season and aren’t expected to look much into other options beyond Vujacic and Turiaf. The Lakers can only offer a free agent the mid-level exception between $5 million and $6 million.

Restricted free agents can talk with teams but cannot officially sign until July 9.

For Magic Johnson, the NBA was only halftime

Published by Shane Bien on June 30, 2008 in Articles. 2 Comments

L.A. Times: Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced his arrival as a businessman 13 years ago, when he took part in an unusual meeting with gang leaders from the Bloods and the Crips.

At the time, Johnson was building a movie theater in Baldwin Hills. Would the gang members, Johnson asked, be kind enough not to shoot it up?

“I just laid it out to them that I’m building this theater for the community,” Johnson, the former Lakers basketball standout, recalled from his seventh-floor office in Beverly Hills. “You can’t have anything happen at this theater because we’re going to hire your cousins, your mothers, your sons and daughters. You come in here and shoot up the place, it might be your own relatives inside.”

The theater stands peacefully to this day, largely untouched by violence. And these days, Johnson meets with corporate CEOs, institutional investors and elected officials nationwide who want a piece of his growing collection of businesses and properties in 21 states.

The orchestrator of the Lakers’ highflying “Showtime” teams in the 1980s, which netted five NBA championships, has crafted a second career by investing his time and, in many cases, other people’s money in long-ignored urban neighborhoods through his Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund.

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