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Mike D'Antoni declared at his introductory news conference that he envisioned a "Showtime: 2" for the Los Angeles Lakers under his watch and the team should average 110-115 points per game.

He has had to adjust those expectations, obviously.

The Lakers have won six out of their last seven games and have cracked 110 points just twice in that stretch, proving they can grind games out to get the victory even if it goes against the style D'Antoni is known for.

Things could get even slower for the Lakers offense with Pau Gasol out indefinitely and Dwight Howard still sidelined because of a sore right shoulder. L.A. will likely turn to the less-mobile Robert Sacre, whose game is suited for a plodding type of play, to plug up the middle in their absence.

D'Antoni claims he has already adapted to fit the Lakers this season and is ready to continue to do so in light of the injury news.

"We had a system that we ran in Phoenix that was different and it was really successful and I liked it obviously," D'Antoni told the Mason & Ireland Show on ESPNLA 710 radio on Wednesday. "It was fun to play that way, but I don't have a system. I just think we try to play what's best for our personnel and what's best for the game of basketball that's kind of evolving in the last few years. A lot of teams are going a lot smaller, they're spreading the floor more, they're using the 3-point shot a lot more. Basketball has changed and it's changed how you can't guard with your hands on the perimeter and the players have changed -- much more skilled, better shooters, better passers. So, that's where it is today."

D'Antoni's point about the direction the league is heading was evidenced by last year's NBA Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder that was dominated by wing players on both teams and marginalized the use of back-to-the-basket big men in their approach to the game.

"I can play any way," D'Antoni said. "I don't care if we run, if we slow it down, we want to win and we want to try to get the best out of every player and I do believe that opening the floor up and playing at a faster pace is a lot better for a lot of players.

"Now, we've struggled with that and we weren't built to be the Phoenix team. We weren't built to be real fast. I would like to get there some day, but we're trying to play at the speed that is more conducive to how we are. But, I do believe in a certain way and I do believe certain things in basketball do not change -- that's sharing the ball, spreading the floor, playing great defense, everybody playing for everybody else and not being selfish. I think every coach is more or less the same. I don't think coaches are that much different. It's just how you get your message across and can you get it across."

The Lakers are sixth in the league in points per game this season at 102.12 points per game and eighth in offensive efficiency, averaging 105.3 points per 100 possessions. The Lakers are the only team in the top 10 in the NBA in offensive efficiency with a sub-.500 record, suggesting that while D'Antoni's offense gets most of the attention when figuring out what's wrong with the Lakers, their defense is probably the real culprit.

Geez. Again?

It just keeps raining on the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Wednesday's news that Pau Gasol had indeed torn the facia in his right foot and will be out at least four weeks is just the latest cold front to blow through town.

From the jump it seems as if the Lakers have been snakebit. First Steve Blake stepped on a metal grate and punctured his foot right before camp, then Kobe Bryant hurt his foot and missed half the exhibition games, then Steve Nash broke his leg in the second game of the year, then Blake suffered an abdominal injury that kept him out for months.

Heck, the Lakers couldn't even hire a coach who was healthy as Mike D'Antoni was heavily medicated for his first two weeks on the job as he recovered from knee surgery.

By the time Gasol went down because of a hamstring injury, Jordan Hill was lost for the season because of a hip injury, Dwight Howard tore the labrum in his shoulder and Gasol suffered a concussion, Lakers fans had grown weary of injury news.

But the hits just keep on coming. So often, and so much so, that you almost have to laugh to keep from crying.

What makes this latest development so difficult to digest is that it comes at a time when the Lakers had finally started looking like the fearsome, overly-talented team people thought would roll through the league when it was first assembled over the summer. Their 92-83 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night was one of their best of the season, and marked their sixth win in seven games.

But alas, there was no glow to bask in after the game. Just another ice bath of bad news.

NEW YORK -- No Dwight, no Metta, no problem.

"Hopefully, the players will know that you can’t take a play off," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said of the team's predicament before the game. "You got to go out there and you got to win games. We put ourselves into this situation where every possession is important and every play. It’s not bad if they can get that mentality, because it does make you sharp, but again, you don’t want to be in this position -- but we are, so, so be it."

The Lakers didn't have Dwight Howard for the third straight game and they won for the third straight time, withstanding World Peace's one-game suspension in the process thanks to some unlikely heroes.

How it happened: After a sluggish start when the Lakers scored just 18 points in the first quarter on 8-for-21 shooting, Mike D'Antoni used a bench-heavy lineup of Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Robert Sacre, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark to start the second quarter. And it paid off, as the reserves went on a 10-2 run to get L.A. going. The Lakers' lead would swell to as many as 13 in the third quarter before the Nets rallied to make it a three-point game heading into the fourth. Pau Gasol (right ankle) left the game with 3:50 remaining, but L.A. was able to hold on thanks to some clutch plays by Clark and a momentum-seizing dunk by Kobe Bryant on Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries down the stretch.

What it means: This isn't a fluke. The Lakers legitimately have some momentum going, winning six out of seven games and three straight on their "Grammy Trip." Better late than never. The end to this road trip will be crucial.

Hits: Playing with his mom, dad and sister in the building, Clark -- a New Jersey native -- played the game like it was in his backyard. Clark finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds and not only hit a clutch jumper and two clutch free throws one game after missing two late freebies in Detroit, but he also played center and guarded Lopez after Gasol went out.

Bryant had a rough shooting night (9-for-24) but filled the stat sheet with 21 points, 4 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and a block.

Misses: The Lakers were dominated on the boards, particularly on the offensive glass, getting outrebounded 52-39, including 20 offensive boards for Brooklyn.

Stat of the night: Duhon had a plus-minus of plus-6 in six minutes of playing time.

What's next: The Lakers are past the midway point of their seven-game road trip, going 3-1 to start things off and reversing the trend they set through their first 20 games on the road this season, when they lost three out of every four away from Staples Center to go 5-15. They'll try to keep the momentum going Thursday against a surprising Boston Celtics team that's been playing great basketball ever since Rajon Rondo went down with a season-ending injury.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Metta World Peace was hit with a flagrant foul 1 in the Lakers’ 98-97 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday for getting tangled up with Pistons guard Brandon Knight, and Knight doesn’t believe that punishment was severe enough because he was hit with a fist.

“The play needs to be reviewed because he definitely threw a punch,” Knight told reporters after the game. “It felt like he threw a punch. That’s why I reacted the way I did.

“The play was over and he grabbed me around the neck. If someone grabs you around the neck, you’re not just going to let that happen. You do what you need to get that person off you.”

World Peace and Knight tussled under the hoop with 1:43 remaining in the second quarter while going for the rebound after Greg Monroe was called for a shooting foul on a shot attempt by Pau Gasol. Play was stopped and an official timeout was signaled so the referees could assess the situation, no doubt bearing in mind the “Malice at the Palace” incident that World Peace was involved in as a member of the Indiana Pacers in 2004.

"He's a small guy," World Peace said after finishing with eight points and nine rebounds in the win. "(Knight) was trying his hardest to keep me off him. He worked hard, man. That kid, I don't know where he's from, I don't know what school he went to, because he was guarding me and I was crashing the boards. He's a tough kid, man. He tried to keep me off the glass and he did a good job. That's all I can say. He's a tough kid, very great. He's a tough point guard or shooting guard or whatever he is."

It was the first flagrant foul of the season for the sometimes volatile World Peace, who was suspended for seven games last season for an elbow to the head of Houston Rockets swingman James Harden, who was playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time.

"They got tangled up and they determined that he was a little bit more aggressive than the other other guy," said Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni. "It happens."

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Mike D'Antoni stared idly out onto the court where Steve Nash was putting up jumpers at the end of practice Saturday and muttered, almost wistfully, "You know, these are the games that he never lets us lose."

He was referring to the Lakers' game against the decidedly sub-.500 Detroit Pistons, remarking that the guy who won two MVPs under his watch in their days in Phoenix together does whatever it takes to make sure his team takes care of business.

There have been very few easy games for the Lakers this season; even recent wins against cellar dwellers like New Orleans and Minnesota became nail-biters because of poor execution down the stretch.

On Sunday, Nash did his part with 11 points, 10 assists, a clutch jumper with just more than three minutes remaining to double L.A.'s lead from two to four and later a defensive rebound with 2.7 seconds left that should have sealed the game as he went to the foul line. But the man who missed two foul shots in 41 attempts all season long inexplicably went 0-for-2 from the line.

No, this was more of a survivor win as a collective unit than Nash leading them to the promised land.

It might never be as easy as D'Antoni simply having faith in Nash to rally the troops, but the Lakers simply have to win games by any means necessary these days.

If it's ugly, so be it.

How it happened: For the fourth straight game, the Lakers ran out to a double-digit lead with relative ease and for the fourth straight game, they saw that lead disappear faster than a magician's assistant. The Lakers led by as many as 18 in the third quarter, but Detroit came all the way back to tie it in the fourth. Four straight missed free throws from the Lakers in the final minute gave Detroit a chance, but Kyle Singler couldn't convert an inbounds alley-oop to Andre Drummond at the buzzer and L.A. held on.

What it means: Pau Gasol can still play like an All-Star when he's featured like an All-Star. Gasol started at center with Dwight Howard sidelined with his shoulder injury for the second straight game and filled in quite nicely, following up his 22 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks against Minnesota with 23 and 10 against Detroit. For a guy who has struggled to find a rhythm all season long, Gasol must be engaged over the final 34 games as L.A. tries to turn its 22-26 record into a playoff-qualifying mark.

Hits: Kobe Bryant had the dual plays of the game with a nasty dunk on Brandon Knight in transition and a crucial and-1 layup late to help fend off the Pistons.

Misses: After grabbing the defensive rebound following a frantic possession by Detroit in the final minute, Earl Clark (17 points, 10 rebounds) was put on the foul line with a chance to extend L.A.'s one-point lead to three and boinked both.

Metta World Peace was called for a flagrant foul for tying up Pistons guard Knight in a headlock in the first half. It was a charged moment at The Palace as the Detroit fans have no doubt remembered what happened when World Peace came to town with the Indiana Pacers in 2004, but thankfully, it didn't escalate from there.


Stat of the night: The Lakers had just 0.4 seconds left on the clock before halftime when Bryant connected with Clark for an inbounds alley-oop dunk that put L.A. up 62-51 heading into the locker room, bringing back fond memories of Derek Fisher vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

What's next: L.A. has gotten its road trip back on track, going 2-1 through the soft part of the seven-game jaunt. Now the Lakers travel to New York City to play the Brooklyn Nets for the first time since they moved from New Jersey, followed by a rivalry game against the leaving-it-all-out-there-without-Rajon Rondo Boston Celtics, a game in Charlotte where the Bobcats always play them tough and finish it off with a game against the defending champs in the Miami Heat.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Lakers might have won four out of their past five games, but they have another negative trend going for them these days.

They're having about as much luck holding on to double-digit leads late in ballgames these days as kids have grabbing on to greased pigs at the county fair.

An 18-point lead against New Orleans was cut all the way to one before L.A. held on to win by five. A 13-point lead against Phoenix was completely erased and then some as the Suns made a fourth-quarter comeback to win by six. A 29-point first half lead against Minnesota was whittled all the way down to four before the Lakers woke up and went on to win by 11.

Why has it been happening?

"I think the biggest thing is, and we talked about it, we have a habit when we’re scoring easily to let down defensively," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said after practice Saturday. "That’s kind of a universal thing, it’s not just us, but instead of being up 20-25 [points] and knocking them out, you’re only up 12 or so."

Kobe Bryant blamed only one of the lapses on the Lakers and credited their opponents for the other two.

(Read full post)

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It was fitting that of all the players Kobe Bryant could have passed to move into third place on the all-time free throws made list on Friday, it was Oscar Robertson.

Bryant is playing a lot like "Big O" these days.

Robertson famously averaged a triple-double in the 1961-62 season for the Cincinnati Royals, putting up 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game.

Bryant has been in triple-dip territory lately, averaging 16.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 11.2 assists over the past five games.

He finished one rebound shy of a triple-double against both Utah and Oklahoma City, two rebounds shy of the mark against the Hornets and two assists short against Minnesota on Friday -- but he insists he doesn't have anyone tracking his stats throughout the game for him (however, most NBA arenas display players' stat lines in real time somewhere during the game).

"Sometimes it comes to you, sometimes it don’t," Bryant said after practice on Saturday in preparation for the Lakers' game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. "I mean, I’m in there with a bunch of trees. I’m not the tallest guy in the world, so sometimes it’s just kind of luck of the bounce."

Bryant took care of the rebounding category early against the Timberwolves, grabbing six of his season-high 12 boards in the first quarter.

"I knew Dwight [Howard] obviously wasn’t going to be there, I think we all did, so we knew we all had to get in there and pick up the slack a little bit on the boards," Bryant said, referring to Howard flying back to Los Angeles to receive treatment on his sore right shoulder and missing the game. "Plus, there was more room to get boards. When [Howard] is in there, he takes up a lot of space."

Of course, with the rebounds taken care of, Bryant's assists dropped down to eight as the Lakers' shooters went cold against Minnesota's zone defense in the second half. Even with that happening, the 56 assists Bryant has racked up over the past five games is still a career high for any five-game span in the 17 seasons he's played.

"I’m not tripping," Bryant said, laughing when a reporter suggested he didn't want to become like Ricky Davis and miss a shot on his own basket to pad his stats in pursuit of a triple-double. "It’s one of those things where you could probably string together a streak of consecutive triple-doubles, you just never know when the ball is going to bounce your way."

Bryant has just 18 triple-doubles in his career.

"I’ve never tried to get them," Bryant said. "The times that I have tried to get them, I’ve gotten pretty close [or] where I’ve gotten them."

While Bryant claims to not be chasing triple-doubles, they seem to be on his mind. When a reporter asked him if he remembered the one game in which he got a triple-double this season, he immediately answered, "Houston," recalling his Nov. 18 game against the Rockets when he finished with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a Lakers victory.

Boston's Rajon Rondo led the league is assists this season at 11.1 per game before going down with a season-ending knee injury. The Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul is second at 9.7 per game. It may be a small sample size of five games, but Bryant has pretty much gone from leading the league in scoring for the first 42 games of the season, to leading the league in assists as soon as he decided to take on that role.

It brings to mind another all-time great, Wilt Chamberlain, who incredibly decided to lessen his scoring in 1967-68 and wound up leading the NBA in assists as a center.

"That shows that I’m versatile, obviously," Bryant said. "If I put my mind to it, I can do it. It just comes from playing the game at an early age, I guess. I’m able to do a myriad of things."

MINNEAPOLIS -- Friday had the feeling of a layup, with the Lakers heading into the night against the Timberwolves winners of 19 straight against Minnesota, but you never know with these kinds of games.

"I don’t think this team has ever played that team," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni warned before the game. "I think this is the first time they’ve ever played."

There was the streak, and the fact that the Wolves had lost 10 of 11 going into the night, and the fact that Kevin Love was out of the lineup for Minnesota going for L.A. But then again, the Lakers were without Dwight Howard, who flew back to L.A. to receive platelet-rich plasma therapy on his sore right shoulder, and they had lost their past eight straight away from Staples Center to drop their road record to 5-16, so it wasn't like a win was guaranteed.

After blowing a 13-point fourth-quarter lead in Phoenix, the Lakers hoped to never let Friday become a competition.

But things are never that easy for the Lakers this season, are they?

At least they got the win.

How it happened: The Lakers led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter and 29 in the second, as they went 9-for-11 from 3 as a team to start the game. Ricky Rubio (nine points, seven assists) led a mini Wolves charge to get L.A.'s lead down to 15 by the half. That hot start from 3 turned out to be fool's gold for the Lakers, as Minnesota settled into a zone on defense and dared L.A. to keep it up from the outside. The Lakers finished 12-for-32 from deep and saw their lead cut all the way to four in the fourth before pushing ahead by double digits again at the end.

What it means: That the Lakers have continued to stay committed to sharing the ball -- picking up 27 assists on 39 field goals -- but their defense was still lackadaisical against the Wolves. They need to be more consistent on that end.

Hits: Steve Blake scored all of his 10 points in the first half. His season high going into Friday was just eight points.

Blake was one of six Lakers who scored in double digits, led by Pau Gasol's 22. Antawn Jamison (18 points) kept up his streak of four straight games of 10 points or more off the bench. Earl Clark (13 points, 10 rebounds) picked up his fifth double-double of the past 13 games since his breakout night against the San Antonio Spurs.

Kobe Bryant just missed a triple-double again, this time coming up short on assists with eight to go with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Misses: Minnesota went into the game shooting less than 30 percent as a team from 3 -- by far the worst accuracy in the league -- and shot 10-for-22 against L.A.

Metta World Peace shot just 2-for-11 from the field, and Jodie Meeks finished 2-for-7 from 3 after starting 2-for-2.



Stat of the night: Even though Bryant shot just 4-for-13 for the game, he tied Hakeem Olajuwon for seventh place on the all-time made field goals list with 10,749 for his career.

What's next: The Lakers will practice in Detroit on Saturday as their trip rolls on and play the Pistons in a day game Super Bowl Sunday. L.A. should be able to get past Detroit without Howard, but the Lakers sure would like to have him back against Brooklyn on Tuesday.

PHOENIX -- They say you can't go home again, and nobody knows that more than Steve Nash this season.

Less than two weeks after the Los Angeles Lakers returned to his native Canada and laid an egg against the Toronto Raptors, L.A. had a similar fate against Nash's former team, the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers should have had everything to play for to try to get a win for Nash against the team he was a part of the past 10 seasons. Instead, they let him down and continued to let their season slip away from their postseason goal.

How it happened: After a sloppy first half when neither team could get going and went to the locker rooms tied at 41-41, the Lakers turned it on in the third, scoring 32 points in the quarter and pushing their lead up to as many as 13. Phoenix surged back in the fourth after Dwight Howard went out after re-aggravating the labrum injury in his right shoulder, the Suns taking a four-point lead with a late 9-0 run. Bryant was able to tie it up again with four points of his own, but in the final minute, Michael Beasley made a layup and Bryant missed a layup and the Suns were able to salt it away with free throws.

What it means: To borrow a line from a recent column by J.A. Adande, Bryant continues to prove that his fancy passing is not a passing fancy, racking up nine assists after averaging 13 in his previous three games, but we also learned that Bryant's passing isn't a cure-all for this team. There are still problems lurking under the surface, despite the recent three-game winning streak.

Hits: Antawn Jamison had 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting.

Misses: The Lakers had 19 turnovers compared to just 11 for the Suns. The main culprits were Bryant with six and Pau Gasol with four.

Metta World Peace shot just 6-for-17 on mostly wide-open looks and let Beasley (27 points on 12-for-20 shooting) have his way with him on the defensive end.

Stat of the night: The Lakers are now 5-16 on the road, including losses in their past eight in a row.

What's next: The Lakers have an off day in Minnesota on Thursday before continuing their seven-game trip against the Timberwolves on Friday. We'll see if the day is enough for Howard to get his shoulder back in order in time for the Wolves.

LOS ANGELES -- We still don't know exactly what went down at that team meeting in Memphis for the Lakers, but maybe it was like that episode of "Seinfeld" in which George Costanza decides to do everything the opposite way.

"It's not not working, Jerry," George says. "It's just not working. … Why did it all turn out like this for me? I had so much promise. …"

Sounds like the Los Angeles Lakers, right? At 17-25 heading into that air-it-out session, the promise of a Lakers championship run that once seemed destined when the team came together seemed all but impossible.

As George begins to commiserate with Jerry about how poorly his life has gone, he comes to a sudden realization: If every instinct he has is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.

We're joking here, of course, but how else can one rationally explain Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Hornets, when Steve Nash grabbed four rebounds to Dwight Howard's four; Earl Clark scored 20 points to Kobe Bryant's 14; Bryant dished 11 assists to Nash's five; the Lakers' bench scored 38 points to the Hornets' bench's 32?

The Lakers (20-25) are climbing their way back and their team cohesion certainly is the opposite of what we've seen for most of this season.


How it happened: The Lakers ran out to an 18-point lead in the first half, thanks to hot starts from both Howard (10 points in the first quarter) and Clark (eight in the first). The Hornets cut the lead to four with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter before L.A. used a 9-3 run to end the quarter and head into the fourth back up by double digits. A Ryan Anderson 3-pointer (his second in a row) with 2:40 remaining in the final frame cut the Lakers' lead back to three; this was followed by a Greivis Vasquez floater that cut it to one shortly thereafter. But a Clark layup and Nash 3 stopped the run, and L.A. was able to hold on.

What it means: If the Lakers can get it done on the road, they will have a chance to be back in the playoff race before the All-Star break begins.

Hits: Howard shot 9-for-13 from the field and Clark wasn't far behind at 8-for-11.

Bryant was two rebounds away from a triple-double after totaling nine rebounds in each of his previous two games.

Misses: Metta World Peace shot 1-for-8 (1-for-6 from 3) from the field.

L.A. allowed Anderson to score 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets almost pulled off the comeback.

Stat of the night: Bryant finished with 11 assists on the night, bringing his total for the past three games up to 39 -- the most he has ever had over a three-game stretch in his 17-year career. It was the fifth time in his career he has had 10-plus assists in three straight games, and the first time it has happened since Jan. 14-21, 2009, when he did it in four straight.

What's next: The Lakers head to Phoenix for the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday, starting a seven-city, 12-day road trip. It should be an emotional return for Nash, who played eight seasons with the Suns and won two league MVPs with the franchise. The Lakers will test their current three-game winning streak against their terrible road record of just 5-15.

In a previous post, we talked about how the Lakers’ earlier trades affected the team’s first round draft pick this June. Today we’ll wrap-up the discussion by looking at this year’s second round and their picks in future years.

First a primer on the league’s rules regarding the trade of draft picks. As I cover in the CBA FAQ, teams may trade their draft picks up to seven years in the future (the Seven Year rule), and are allowed to protect picks based upon their position. For example, a first round pick that is protected 1-14 will be kept if the team ends up in the lottery and conveyed if the team makes the playoffs (receiving a pick from 15 to 30).

Pick protection may extend for multiple years, so a pick might be protected 1-14 this year, 1-10 in 2014, 1-3 in 2015, and be unprotected in 2016. Such a pick would be conveyed in the first year it falls outside the protected range. The pick must already be in the trading team’s possession at the time of the trade -- for example, a team can’t trade the lesser of any pick in the team’s possession on the date of the 2016 draft, and subsequently acquire a lower pick to send.

Pick protection must be structured in a way that ensures the Seven Year rule is not violated. For example, a team can lottery-protect its pick for up to six years, but in the seventh year must convey the pick unconditionally or send something else in lieu of the pick, such as second round picks or cash.

The Ted Stepien rule (named after the former owner of the Cavs who engineered a series of disastrous trades, including the one that resulted in James Worthy becoming a Laker) restricts teams from trading first round picks in future consecutive years. For example, if a team trades its 2013 pick it cannot trade its 2014 pick until after the 2013 draft (when the 2013 pick is no longer a future pick).

The combination of the Seven Year rule, pick protection and the Ted Stepien rule often results in draft pick trades that are extraordinarily complex, as I described in this article discussing the Clippers’ trade of the draft pick that became Kyrie Irving. As we’ll see below, many aspects of the Orlando trade for Dwight Howard depend on what happens to the picks the Lakers send to the Suns as part of the Steve Nash trade.

With that out of the way, let’s look at the Lakers’ second round picks in 2013. Here are the trades that affect the Lakers in the second round of this year’s draft:

February 18, 2009: The Lakers send Chris Mihm to the Memphis Grizzlies for a protected 2013 second-round pick.

Remember Chris Mihm? He played five seasons with the Lakers, but was injured for much of his tenure. At the time of the trade he was a shadow of his former self, averaging 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game. The trade was essentially a giveaway in order to get Mihm off the Lakers’ books, as reflected in the pick protection -- it is top-55 protected, so Memphis keeps it unless it is one of the last five picks in the draft. If the pick isn’t conveyed this year, then the Grizzlies don’t owe the Lakers anything.

December 11, 2011: The Lakers trade Lamar Odom and a 2012 second round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for future draft considerations.

In this trade the Lakers sent away Odom (who asked out after being included in the aborted Chris Paul trade) and what turned out to be the 55th pick in the 2011 draft. The pick was used to select Darius Johnson-Odom, whom the Lakers reacquired for cash in a subsequent trade. The Lakers received a first round draft pick (protected 1-20 through 2017 and unprotected in 2018) which they later sent to Houston along with Derek Fisher in exchange for Jordan Hill. Dallas also received the right to swap its 2013 second round pick with the Lakers’ second round pick.

In summary, while the Lakers won’t have a first round pick in this June’s draft, they will have the lesser of their own and Dallas’ second round pick, and also will have Memphis’ pick if it’s one of the bottom five.

Shifting our focus to future years, the following trades affect the Lakers’ draft picks:

July 11, 2012: The Lakers traded a 2013 first round pick, a 2015 first round pick, two second round picks and cash to Phoenix for Steve Nash.

In the trade, which brought Steve Nash to LA and ensured that the Lakers will not have a first round pick in this year’s draft, the team also sent a future first round pick and two second round picks to the Suns. The first round pick will be conveyed no sooner than 2015 due to the Ted Stepien rule. It is protected 1-5 in 2015, protected 1-3 in 2016 and 2017, and unprotected in 2018.

The Lakers will also give the Suns the second round pick it acquired from the Denver Nuggets in 2011 for Chukwudiebere Maduabum, which is top-40 protected in 2013 and unprotected in 2014. Finally, the Lakers own 2014 pick goes to Minnesota, after the Suns subsequently traded it to the Timberwolves.

August 10, 2012: In a four-team trade, the Lakers acquired Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark from Orlando, sending out Andrew Bynum, Christian Eyenga, Josh McRoberts, a future first round pick and a future second round pick.

The first round pick can be conveyed no sooner than 2017, and no sooner than two years following the conveyance of the pick to Phoenix due to the Ted Stepien rule. It is also protected 1-4 in 2017 and 2018, and unprotected in 2019.

Since the Phoenix pick may not be conveyed until 2018, and the Lakers could not trade their 2020 pick due to the Seven Year rule, the first round pick to Orlando is replaced with second round picks in 2017 and 2018 if Phoenix doesn’t get its pick by 2017.

The second round pick is protected top-40 in 2015. If the Lakers keep this pick then they no longer owe the Magic a second round pick.

Putting it all together, the Lakers’ future draft obligations read as follows:

*2013: Whatever first round pick the Lakers end up with will go to Phoenix. It will have the lesser of its own and Dallas’ second round picks, and will have Memphis’ second round pick if it falls 56-60.

*2014: The Lakers will have their own first round pick, but will not have a second round pick.

*2015: The Lakers will have their own first round pick if it is in the top five, otherwise it will go to Phoenix. The Lakers will keep their second round pick if it’s 31-40, otherwise it goes to Orlando.

*2016: The Lakers will have their own first round pick if they sent their 2015 pick to Phoenix or the pick is 1-5, otherwise it goes to Phoenix. They have their own second round pick.

*2017: This pick goes to Phoenix if the Lakers haven’t already sent a pick to the Suns and it’s not in the top three. If they sent a pick to Phoenix in 2015 then this pick goes to Orlando if it’s not in the top five -- otherwise they keep it. If the Lakers don’t send a first round pick to Phoenix by 2017 then Orlando gets the Lakers’ 2017 second round pick; otherwise the Lakers keep it.

*2018: If the Lakers haven’t yet given Phoenix a first round pick then the Suns get it unconditionally. If the Lakers sent a first round pick to Phoenix by 2016, haven’t yet sent a pick to Orlando, and the pick is not in the top five, then Orlando gets it, otherwise the Lakers keep it. If the Lakers don’t send a first round pick to Phoenix by 2017 then Orlando gets the Lakers’ 2018 second round pick, otherwise the Lakers keep it.

*2019: If the Lakers sent a first round pick to Phoenix by 2017 and Orlando has not received a first round pick then Orlando gets their first round pick, otherwise the Lakers keep it. The Lakers have their own second round pick.

LOS ANGELES -- Thought Mike D'Antoni's offense was a bad fit for these Lakers? Guess what. They're not running it.

This shouldn't be a huge secret, considering that the person best fitted for running D'Antoni's sets, Steve Nash, has been playing off the ball the last two games.

When the Lakers hit their breaking point this week with a pathetic 0-3 road trip that brought them eight games under .500 at just past the midway point of the season, D'Antoni was taking just as much heat as anybody for being unwilling to change his system.

Well, playing Kobe Bryant, one of the top shooting guards ever to lace them up, at point guard is as drastic a change as they come.

"This isn't necessarily any offense," Nash said after the Lakers' 105-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. "This is bringing the ball down, calling over a pick and playing the game and because we have good players on the floor, when (Bryant) distributes we can make them pay for leaning too much to Kobe. When they lean too much to us, he makes them pay."

Bryant has excelled at running the point, picking up 28 assists in the two Lakers wins against Utah and Oklahoma City -- and so has the Lakers' offense as a whole. They're averaging 103.5 points per game while shooting a combined 84-for-154 from the field (54.5 percent) and had five players with 14 points or more against the Jazz and six players in double figures against the Thunder.

Only three times through the first 1,203 games of Bryant's career had he played more than 30 minutes and tallied more assists than field-goal attempts. Now, he's done it two times in a row in games Nos. 1,204 and 1,205.

"I think we played easy," D'Antoni said. "Everybody can contribute and Kobe starts it, just sharing the ball and he hasn't forced a shot."

Even more efficient than the Lakers offense as a whole has been Bryant's individual output. He's 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) in the last two games.

D'Antoni was asked if Bryant can keep this up.

"Oh yeah," D'Antoni said. "This is easier than the other way. This is much easier, I think. This is great. I hope he's having fun, that's the biggest thing and understanding this is the way to go."

The "fun" part of that answer can't be overlooked, because everyone knows how much Bryant enjoys scoring points. There's a reason why he became just the fifth player in league history to reach the 30,000-point plateau earlier this season. Bryant was averaging 28.7 points per game coming into Sunday, third best in the league and in striking distance of Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant who is No. 1 with a 29.6 average.

There was a thought that Bryant's streak of four straight 40-point games early on last season messed up that campaign from that point on because it left him not only chasing wins but also gunning for a third scoring title. He is averaging just 17.5 points per game in the last two games. He'll have to be OK with scoring in that range if this will have any chance of working.

It sounds like Bryant has accepted it willingly.

"I'm just open up to all possibilities," Bryant said. "You just try to lay in bed at night and think about how we'll attack this thing and what are we going to do, what I can do to help us win ballgames. It seems like I kind of got my finger on the pulse a little bit."

L.A. was close to flatlining before this change came about. When things got bad in Memphis, D'Antoni likened the Lakers to a mismatched All-Star team.

"Have you ever watched an All-Star game? It's god-awful," D'Antoni said. "Everybody gets the ball and goes one-on-one and then they play no defense. That's our team. That's us."

The thing about All-Stars, however, is they're also really good at their sport. They're talented enough to play a slight variation of the way they're used to and still be just as effective. They're also intelligent enough to realize that individual sacrifice can benefit the group. The problem is, being superstars, they're usually stubborn enough that it can take time before a change can really take place.

It's taken some sacrifice from the coach who can be stubborn, too. D'Antoni has had to relent to what his players wanted. But was it his idea? What inspired Bryant to grab control of the wheel is a little clouded.

"(D'Antoni is) telling us to go but sometimes you can't get those engines to start up that fast," said Dwight Howard, who has been the most vocal critic of D'Antoni's offense this season, clamoring for more post-up opportunities.

Are the Lakers listening to D'Antoni's direction?

"We listen," Howard said. "But we're the guys out there playing. We see things that sometimes the coaches may not see. We're an opportunity fastbreak team right now because we don't have a lot of speed. When we get the ball in the half court, we still can move and do all the things out of the offense. He wants us to stay spread, which for the most part we do."

Insubordination? Inmates running the asylum? Maybe for a team without the talent that the Lakers have. But not for these guys. It has worked because D'Antoni has let go a little and the players have committed to being on the same page.

It shouldn't matter who should get credit for the change, because it's in everybody's best interest associated with the Lakers to simply win games by any means necessary.

"Finally we hit rock bottom and who knows why things stick (but) it does and they decided to do this," D'Antoni said. "And, it's good."

If you think of the only other part of the season when the Lakers looked this good, it was their 4-1 record under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff. The reason they looked so good under "Bernie Ball" was because the veteran coach basically rolled the ball out and told them to trust their instincts. They're doing that again now even better because that air-it-out meeting in Memphis seems to have built trust in one another to go along with those instincts.

D'Antoni's been praised by Bryant himself as an "offensive genius," but he's had to sacrifice his ego to realize his system wasn't ideal for this group, just like Bryant's had to cool down his individual scoring, and Nash has had to deal with not always having the ball in his hands for the first time since Jason Kidd was his teammate, and Howard has had to adjust to less shots, and Pau Gasol has had to accept coming off the bench.

"There is an adjustment but I think the key for us is to not look at the past and how we played in the past individually and say, ‘Hey, I had success doing it this way,'" Nash said.

Just like D'Antoni has had to bend from how he's coached in the past.

LOS ANGELES -- The restarted season actually seems to have worked this time.

After a winless preseason, coaching change and injuries galore, the Los Angeles Lakers' 2012-13 season finally has some momentum moving in the right direction.

The Lakers still have a lot of work to do at 19-25 to fully get back in the playoff picture, but if they play like this on a consistent basis and stay healthy, that shouldn't be a problem.

How it happened: Quite simply, the Lakers battled. They battled for rebounds (winning the boards 43-39). They battled on defense (holding the Thunder to 44.4 percent shooting overall and 25 percent from 3-point range). They battled all the questions and doubt that has surrounded them to put together their best game of the season.

What it means: If the Lakers stick to the game plan they've employed in their past two games against Utah and Oklahoma City -- digging in on defense and sharing the ball on offense -- playoffs, here they come. They still have a major challenge ahead of them -- taking their 5-15 road record on a seven-game road trip starting Wednesday -- but they have clearly found something that works and have the momentum they need to get some wins away from Staples Center.

Hits: Kobe Bryant (21 points, 14 assists, 9 rebounds) just missed a triple-double for the second straight game and matched his 14-assist total against Utah.

Six Lakers scored in double figures including Bryant, Metta World Peace (15 points), Steve Nash (17), Pau Gasol (16), Earl Clark (11) and even Antawn Jamison, who chipped in 12 points in 13 minutes.

Misses: Dwight Howard got saddled by five fouls and had trouble finding his rhythm, finishing just 3-for-7 from the field and 2-for-10 from the foul line for eight points to go along with 10 rebounds.

Stat of the night: Russell Westbrook shot just 6-for-22 from the field after starting the game 1-for-13.

What's next: The Lakers host the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday and expect to get Steve Blake back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 11 before they head out on the road.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake practiced with the team Saturday and could return to game action as soon as next week.

"He's going to play pretty soon," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said when asked about Blake after practice. "I don't know when that is, but he's working his way back. I think he wants to get in some running (Saturday) so we'll see how that goes. Everyday will be a test for him. If he keeps passing those barriers, then you’ll see him on the court pretty soon."

After practice, Blake took to Twitter and was specific about his return: "The #RoadtoRecovery was long, but I'm back for the @Lakers Tuesday night #GoLakers"

Blake has been out since Nov. 11 and underwent abdominal surgery in early December. While rehabbing his abdomen, Blake began to experience pain in his groin and has received a platelet-rich plasma injection as well as a cortisone shot to his groin area in the last several weeks to try to combat the pain.

The Lakers play host to the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night before beginning a seven-game road trip Wednesday against Phoenix.

"I think he’s got a shot," D'Antoni said of the possibility of Blake making his return Tuesday at home against New Orleans.

Blake finished practice by participating in a half-court game of 4-on-4 and was matched up against Darius Morris.

Blake has played in only seven games this season, averaging 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals.

While it was a sight for sore eyes to see Blake back practicing with his teammates, it was also notable to see Blake's freshly-shorn face.

"He shaved," D'Antoni said. "Look at him, he looks 20 years old out there. He’s ready to roll."

LOS ANGELES -- First and foremost, Friday was a reminder.

Yes, there is a formula for these Los Angeles Lakers players and their coach to win games. They can be dominant and lead an entire game from start to finish without firing Mike D'Antoni or trading Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard.

That was evident in their 102-84 shellacking of the Utah Jazz.

If they share the ball and work together on defense and come out with a burst of energy to be the team playing from ahead the entire game rather than expending precious mental and physical energy always trying to claw their way back from behind, the game can actually come pretty easy to them.

But Friday's stop-the-bleeding win will mean nothing if they don't commit to the blueprint they've mapped out for themselves.

In other words, the most important thing about the Lakers' win over the Jazz on Friday is how it gets them to play in their game Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When a win brings you only from eight games under .500 to seven games under .500 and it's past the midway point of the season, you're not allowed to celebrate it. But there's still time to learn from it.

"I thought the energy was great, the sharing of the ball, the rhythm that we had on offense and the defense was solid all night," D'Antoni said. "You could tell there was a better feeling out there. We've been here before, and now it's up to us to keep it that way. Obviously, tonight is one step in a series of many, but I was just really pleased at how good it feels offensively and defensively."

D'Antoni should feel good, if only temporarily, for sticking to his principles. While his team was in the midst of a terrible slump, losing four straight and 10 of its past 12, he maintained the offense could and would work with this group and that defense was the real issue that had to be shored up.

The offense hummed against Utah, with Kobe Bryant taking on yet another adjusted role to help the team move forward. Just as Bryant provided a jolt on the defensive end by guarding the opposition's primary ball handler and not only disrupting things, but helping Steve Nash from unfavorable 1-on-1 matchups, this time Bryant shouldered more of the ballhandling duties and was the one initiating the pick-and-rolls part of the time and helping Nash get more favorable looks at the basket to call his own number.

"Sometimes maybe we rely too much on Steve and we have to get Kobe involved," D'Antoni said. "He's one of the best pick-and-roll guys in the league."

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