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Author Archive for The Nugget

Prosecutor seeks information on Donaghy investigation

Published by The Nugget on August 28, 2008 in News. 2 Comments

ESPN: A Phoenix prosecutor is seeking the federal files in the investigation of disgraced ex-NBA official Tim Donaghy, who was sentenced in July to 15 months in prison in a gambling scandal.

In sentencing Donaghy, the judge said he’d let the sport down by taking thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on games — including ones he refereed.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas asked a year ago for access to information from the FBI’s investigation of Donaghy. Thomas said he wanted to know whether Donaghy broke any Arizona laws while officiating two Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Lakers playoff games in 2007.

Thomas was told he’d have to wait until the investigation was concluded. Now that it has, Thomas has sent a follow-up letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Meet the 2008-09 Laker Girls

Published by The Nugget on August 28, 2008 in Random. 12 Comments

The Lakers have just released the names, bio and better yet, the pictures of the new Laker Girls that will be dancing their way to your heart in Staples Center. Check them out!

Hello, Lisa!

Lakers sign Yue

Published by The Nugget on August 25, 2008 in 2008 Off-Season. 48 Comments

Lakers.com: The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Sun Yue to a multi-year contract, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (40th overall) of 2007 NBA draft, the 6-9 guard started for the Chinese National Team this past month in the men’s basketball tournament at the Beijing Olympics. In six games, Sun averaged 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.33 steals in 28.0 minutes.

Playing for the Beijing Aoshen Olympians of the American Basketball Association for the past three seasons, Sun, 23, was named First Team All-ABA in both 2007 and 2008 while earning Second-Team All-ABA honors in 2006.

Posting a 12-point, 14-rebound, 12-assist, 8-block, 4-steal triple-double against the L.A. Aftershock during his rookie season in the ABA (2005-06), Sun averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 10.5 assists in 2006-07 when the team played its home games at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA before moving to Singapore for the 2007-08 season.

Update: According to HOOPSWORLD.COM…

Sun is getting the standard minimum two-year contract for a second-round draft pick; however his entire contract is fully guaranteed ($1.2 million - ~$442k and ~$736k). He was chosen by the Lakers with the 40th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

(A quick note - it’s proper to refer to Sun Yue as Sun - as it’s correct to use Yao for Yao Ming.)

Sun: ‘I Want To Show Myself To The World’

Published by The Nugget on August 24, 2008 in 2008 Off-Season. 15 Comments

RealGM: Sun Yue helped make a name for himself while leading China in this year’s Olympics and hopes to show himself to the world in the NBA, according to China Daily.

Yue was selected with the fortieth overall pick in this June’s NBA Draft by the Lakers, and the team has reportedly agreed to terms with the point guard on a deal.

“I want to show myself to the world,” said Sun. “I tried to do my best and play my part on the court. For me, every second counts at the Olympics, so I want to take the chance to let people know me.”

Sun played against his future teammate Kobe Bryant, during China’s opening round loss to the United States.

“I met Kobe and told him I’d like to play with him next season, he said ‘OK’, and ’see you in training camp’,” Sun added.

The league’s MVP appears to be impressed with his newest teammate, as well.

“I think he’s very talented, actually,” said Bryant. “I was very impressed by him. I think he has great size, great length, good shooting touch, good ball handler, good vision, good pace.”

“I was surprised at his size right off the top. He was able to handle the ball. I tried to test him a little bit, see if he could go left, go right, that sort of thing. So I like him.”

FB&G: Gold Medal Game Time

Published by The Nugget on August 23, 2008 in Forum Blue & Gold and USA Basketball. 15 Comments

Forum Blue & Gold: Here’s my prediction - not only is the USA going to win the gold in Beijing, it will win it in London in 2012, too.

I’ll explain the second prediction first. One thing has been pretty clear in these Olympics and said by Kelly Dwyer among others - the USA is the best NBA-style team in this Olympics by a mile. It’s not a gap that other countries are going to close completely in the next four years.

And in four years (actually in two), the international game is going to look more like the NBA game.

The 3-point line will move from 20 feet, 6.1 inches to 22 feet, 1.7 inches. The NBA line is 23-9…..FIBA also will reconfigure the three-second area to match the NBA shape, going from a trapezoid to a rectangle.

FIBA is also throwing in a charge circle under the basket, as in the NBA. These rule changes favor the NBA players. For example now Dwight Howard can post deeper on the low block, and what player in the world can move him off that? All those changes will move the game toward more of an NBA style - there still will be no defensive three seconds and other key differences, but it will be more in the comfort zone of the NBA players.

Continue reading ‘FB&G: Gold Medal Game Time’

Podcast: Voice of the Nation - Episode #9

Published by The Nugget on August 22, 2008 in Voice of the Nation. 11 Comments

The Voice of the Nation Podcast with Andrew Rafner (varsityoptimism) and David Brickley (DBricks) will guide you through the capillaries and ventricles of the Lakers Nation.

David and Andrew get together after a prolonged absence and unveil the brand new FABULOUS FIVE segment, talk about Sun Yue and Josh Powell and in a startling twist, David is revealed to be a Communist spy.

Playlist -
Park Ave. - All Boy Band
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - It Will Stand
The Blossoms - That’s When the Tears Start
#Poundsign# - Tiny
The Besties - Prison Song
The Association - Goodbye, Columbus
Dear Nora - When the Wind Blows
The Germs - Communist Eyes

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Download Link: Voice of the Nation - Episode #9

Continue reading ‘Podcast: Voice of the Nation - Episode #9′

U.S. men beat Argentina to reach Olympic basketball final

Published by The Nugget on August 22, 2008 in USA Basketball. 7 Comments

ESPN: The climb back to the top is nearly complete. One more win and U.S. basketball is golden again.

The Americans ended their streak of final four flops and Argentina’s hopes of an Olympic gold-medal repeat, starting fast and finishing strong in a 101-81 semifinal victory Friday.

All that’s left is what the U.S. players came for: a gold medal. The United States scored 21 of the first 25 points, got a big break when Argentina star Manu Ginobili reinjured his left ankle, and surged into its first gold-medal game in eight years.

There’s still 40 minutes to go, but this U.S. team looks good as gold. All the Americans have to do now is beat Spain, who they clobbered by 37 points in pool play, on Sunday to win their first gold in a major international event since the 2000 Olympics.

What followed was a frustrating and embarrassing stretch in which they couldn’t even make the podium in the 2002 world championships, then managed only bronze medals after losing in the semis of the 2004 Athens Games and ‘06 worlds.

Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James were part of those bronze busts, and vowed they’d leave China with gold. Anthony scored 21 points and James added 15, 13 in the second half.

Luis Scola scored 28 points for Argentina, which didn’t relinquish its title without a fight. Even without Ginobili for the final 3½ quarters, the Argentines cut a 21-point lead into single digits and frustrated the Americans with their physical play, but they didn’t have enough depth or firepower without their best player.

Continue reading ‘U.S. men beat Argentina to reach Olympic basketball final’

Mbenga workin’ out with Heat

Published by The Nugget on August 22, 2008 in 2008 Off-Season. 24 Comments

OH NOES!!! Not DJ Mbenga! Not him! What would we do without him? Sound-off…

Miami Herald: Center D.J. Mbenga has a workout slated for Monday, his agent, Bouna Ndiaye, said Thursday.

Ndiaye said that if all goes well, Mbenga will choose between signing with the Heat and Lakers.

”There is interest,” Bouna said of the Heat. “I’m not sure how strong the interest is in signing him but they want to get a look at him first.”