Artest Formally Introduced as Laker

Last night at 9 o'clock, free-agents were allowed to officially sign with teams. The Lakers wasted no time, making deals with Ron Artest and Shannon Brown as the clock struck nine in Beverly Hills. Artest was introduced at a press conference earlier today, and fielded questions from the press. His jersey number was also revealed; Artest chose 37 after fans requested it via Facebook and Twitter to honor the late Michael Jackson, whose album "Thriller" was number one on the charts for 37 weeks.

Lakers Resign Brown

The Los Angeles Lakers resigned PG Shannon Brown to a two-year, $4.2 million contract with a player option for the second year, according to the LA Times. Brown was acquired mid-season in a trade with Charlotte that sent him and Adam Morrison to LA and Vladimir Radmanovic to the Bobcats. Brown initially sat on the bench for most of the season, but his minutes increased in the playoffs after Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar struggled. He reportedly turned down more lucrative offers from other teams to take this deal.

NBA Free-Agency Begins

At 9 o'clock tonight, free-agency began in the NBA, and no one faces a more daunting task than the Lakers. The Purple and Gold must try to resign Lamar Odom (left), Trevor Ariza (right), and Shannon Brown. It will be a long and bumpy road as owner Jerry Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak try to bring all three back while still not going too high above the salary cap. Ariza is a young small-foward who showed his incredible athleticism in the playoffs, grabbing steals and hitting three-pointers almost automatically. Odom came up big after Andrew Bynum went down with a knee injury, and was a force off the bench. He is capable of playing all five positions, and is a rebounding machine. Brown was a sign of stability at the point-guard spot as Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar both began to underperform. As Fisher gets older, Brown might be needed to split time with Farmar. It's not an easy task to have all three men return, and even with the extra cash from selling their draft picks, the Lakers have a lot to think about.

Game 4: Lakers Go Silent in Loss

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Houston Rockets 99-87 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals, evening the series at two games apiece. The Lakers were quiet right from the start, exiting the first-quarter trailing 29-16, and entering halftime down by 18. Only a 33-16 fourth quarter made the final score respectable. LA was only 11-for-18 from the free-throw line, and Houston was 17-for-20. Both teams were evenly matched in shooting percentage, turnovers, and blocked shots, while the Rockets won in rebounds, assists, and fouls. Pau Gasol dominated with the absence of Yao Ming, scoring 30 points, and Kobe Bryant was quiet with just 15. Shannon Brown added 14 off the bench. Without Yao Ming, the Rockets took advantage of their back-court offense as Aaron Brooks scored 34 points. Shane Battier had five 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, and Luis Scola added 11 and 14 rebounds.

Fisher Suspended

Derek Fisher was suspended for Game 3 of the series with the Houston Rockets. Fisher was issued a flagrant-2 foul, which meant automatic ejection from the game. It also meant his play would be reviewed by the NBA to see if a suspension was in order. Fisher received the foul after pushing Luis Scola near the end of the third quarter. Fisher will either be replaced by Jordan Farmar or Shannon Brown in the starting lineup.

Game 3: Return of the Kobe

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 108-94, giving them a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Lakers shot .519 from the field, as well as 8-for-19 from 3-point range, and out-rebounded the Jazz 46-39. LA used a 40-point second-quarter to overpower Utah, and never looked back after halftime. The Jazz were just 22-for-32 from the stripe, and finished the game shooting .442 from the field. Kobe Bryant delivered a blow of amnesia to anyone who questioned him after Game 3, scoring 38 points on 16-for-24 shooting. Lamar Odom had his first start of the playoffs, relegating Andrew Bynum to the bench, putting up 10 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. The Laker bench did its part, out-scoring Utah 30-24, as Shannon Brown continues to stun opponents off the bench with 9 easy points. Deron Williams had 23 points and 13 assists for the Jazz, and Carlos Boozer also added 23 points and 16 rebounds.

Game 2: Escape from LA

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 119-109 in Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Los Angeles leads the series 2-0. The Lakers used a mega 41-29 first-quarter to hold the lead throughout the game. LA shot 60% from the field, including 11-for-20 from three-point range, while Utah used 29 free-throw opportunities to keep the game close. The Jazz shot a shade under .500 and grabbed 13 steals, ultimately forcing 21 Laker turnovers. LA out-assisted Utah 33-25, and the Lakers' bench defeated the Jazz's 37-28. Kobe Bryant had 26 points and 9 assists, and Pau Gasol put up 22 points. Lamar Odom scored 19 off the bench, and Trevor Ariza had 13, 9 assists, and was a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. The entire Laker starting five scored in double-figures, and Shannon Brown added 12 points off the bench. Deron Williams had a monster game, leading all scorers with 35 points and 9 assists but also 7 turnovers for Utah, and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Game 1: Ariza, Lakers Dominate Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 113-100 in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Lakers kept a deep Utah offense in check for most of the game, entering the second half with a 22-point lead. LA finished with a .556 shooting percentage and 9 blocks, while the Jazz shot just .391 from the field. Utah remained in the game though, using 20 offensive rebounds to stay close. Kobe Bryant led LA with 24 points and 8 assists, and Trevor Ariza scored 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, the most points Ariza has scored in the playoffs. Pau Gasol added 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Lamar Odom had 13 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, and Shannon Brown had 9 points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 27 points for Utah, and Deron Williams added 16 points and 17 assists.

Lakers Still Find Portland a Thorny Place

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Portland Trailblazers 106-98, their 8th straight loss to Portland in the Rose Garden. Despite going into halftime leading by 4, the Lakers lost the second half by 12. Portland went to the charity stripe 37 times as LA ended the game with 31 fouls. The Blazers turned the ball over just 6 times. Kobe Bryant had 32 points, and Pau Gasol added just 12. Andrew Bynum had another solid game after his return, scoring 13 points and collected 6 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Shannon Brown was a perfect 4-for-4, finishing with 10 points. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 24 points and 8 assists, and LeMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Rudy Fernandez scored 15 points.

Lakers Reach Nifty 50

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-90, becoming the first team in the NBA to reach 50 wins. Every Laker who suited up got to play, including Shannon Brown and Adam Morrison. The T-Wolves shot just %33 from the field, and LA committed just 4 turnovers and had 14 blocked shots. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 23 points, and Pau Gasol had 21 points with 9 rebounds. Josh Powell had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots off the bench. DJ Mbenga had a stellar night, scoring a career-high 10 points to go with 4 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Ryan Gomes led Minnesota with 20 points, and former UCLA-star Kevin Love had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Lakers Crush Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-106, their 48th win of the season. LA finished shooting .574 with a season-high 38 assists, and scored 31 points off turnovers. Every Laker played in the game for at least 5 minutes, including DJ Mbenga, Shannon Brown, and Adam Morrison. Lamar Odom scored 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead LA, with Kobe Bryant adding 22 points. Pau Gasol finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Mbenga had 8 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 2 blocked shots. The Suns were without Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash, and relied on 18 points from Leandro Barbosa and 12 points from Shaquille O'Neal.

Lakers Get Back on Track

The Los Angeles Lakers started the second half of the season by defeating the Atlanta Hawks 96-83, their 43rd win of the season. Atlanta shot a meek .369 from the field, and only sank 2 three-pointers. The Lakers out-rebounded the Hawks 67-39 and blocked 9 of Atlanta's shots. No player from either team scored more than 15 points. Trade-acquisitions Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown both played in the fourth quarter, and combined for 1 point, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. Lamar Odom continues to rip up the backboard, scoring 15 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Pau Gasol had the third triple-double of his career with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Derek Fisher scored 14 points, and Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, and Jordan Farmar each had 10. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 14 points.

Lakers Acquire Morrison for Radmanovic

The Los Angeles Lakers traded forward Vladimir Radmanovic to the Charlotte Bobcats for forward Adam Morrison (above) and guard Shannon Brown. Radmanovic began the season as a starter, but was relegated to the bench so Luke Walton could start. Since then he has had low minutes, including staying on the bench in Thursday's victory over Boston for the entire game. Radmanovic averaged about 6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Morrison has struggled with the Bobcats, averaging just 4.5 points while shooting 36%. Brown has played very few minutes with Charlotte, and has averaged 4.5 points per game as well. Both Morrison and Brown will not be available for Sunday's game against Cleveland.