Lakers Hope Dwight Howard Stays in Los Angeles

Harry How/Getty Images(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) -- Dwight Howard will officially become a free agent on July 1.  Howard and the Lakers cleaned out their lockers on Tuesday, and now the team will focus on re-signing him.

Howard had a disappointing first half of the season, but rebounded in the second and played much better defense down the stretch.

"I want to get away from everything and focus on me and making the decision for me, and that's not happening today," Howard said after meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak.

Kupchak believes that Los Angeles is the place where Howard should call home for a long time.

"I know in my heart that this is a place where I think he should be," Kupchak said. "We have a great legacy, great history of great players in this city dating back to when the franchise came here in 1960, and he certainly fits the mold."

The Lakers will have the most money to throw at Howard, but in the end, it's his decision.  Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant would like Howard to return, along with Pau Gasol, who has one-year remaining on his current contract.

"It's just a matter of what he feels in his heart and what he wants to do," Bryant said of Howard. "He's reached a crossroads in his career, and I think L.A. is the perfect spot for him to assert himself and have his career take off."

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Metta World Peace Defends Dwight Howard

NBA via Los Angeles Lakers(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) -- After a disappointing season, Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace has taken it upon himself to defend center Dwight Howard, saying he's not to blame for the team's poor season.

"I think we put a little too much pressure on Dwight and as responsible leaders, we gave him a little too much responsibility," said World Peace.

"Kobe (Bryant), Paul (Gasol), and myself weren't responsible enough," he added. "We should have been louder voices. So, I take a lot of responsibility and I'm sure Kobe and Pau do also. So next year, we definitely will. We have to be the voice in the locker room consistently."

During the offseason, the Lakers acquired Howard along with point guard Steve Nash, and many thought the Lakers would make a serious playoff run and challenge for an NBA title.

Instead, the team struggled to even make the playoffs. They wound up with the eighth seed while dealing with injuries to Howard, Nash, Paul Gasol, and Kobe Bryant among others. Over the weekend, the Spurs finally put an end to the team's misery.

Howard is a free agent at season's end, and can sign with any team that can afford him.

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Spurs Bash Lakers 103-82 to Complete Series Sweep

Jeff Gross/Getty Image(LOS ANGELES) --  Just like that, it was the end of a tumultuous season for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tony Parker scored 23 points as the San Antonio Spurs completed its first-round sweep of the injury-plagued Lakers with a 103-82 victory in Game 4.

The Spurs led by as many as 25 points in the win and never trailed.

"Obviously, it wasn't a fair fight," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you're a competitor, you want to compete on an even basis, and the Lakers weren't able to do that...Even though it wasn't a fair fight, we still want to win the series, and I'm glad we did. Our focus was great."

Dwight Howard had seven points and eight rebounds for the Lakers before getting ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul.  Pau Gasol paced the team with 16 points.

Howard said after the game that the season was "like a nightmare. It's like a bad dream, and we just couldn't wake up from it. That's what it felt like."

Tim Duncan added 11 points for the Spurs, who will face the winner of Golden State's series with Denver in the Western Conference semifinals.

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Rutgers Introduces Eddie Jordan as Men's Basketball Coach

Rich Schultz/Getty Images(NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.) --  Rutgers University introduced Eddie Jordan as its new men's basketball coach on Tuesday, the next step in moving forward from a scandal that forced the firing of coach Mike Rice and the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti.

"We have to regain our pride and our dignity and our integrity for our university," Jordan said at an evening news conference. "I'm honored and proud to be part of that."

The 58-year-old Jordan played for Rutgers from 1973-77 and was a member of the 1976 team that reached the Final Four.  He won an NBA title in 1982 with the Los Angeles Lakers and was an assistant coach for the team this season.

Jordan told reporters that the job isn't just about rebuilding.

"It's not just healing, not just building relationships. It's not just getting the program back, but winning is always in the equation," he said. "There's some healing that has to be done. But we have enough talent to exceed expectations."

His contract is for five-years and $6.25 million.  The Scarlet Knights went 15-16 last season.  They will play in the American Athletic Conference for one season before joining the Big Ten in 2014.

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Spurs Knock Off Lakers in Game One

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images(SAN ANTONIO) -- Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each scored 18 points, as the San Antonio Spurs leveled the Los Angeles Lakers 91-79 in Game 1 of their first round playoff series Sunday.

Veteran Tim Duncan had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

"We didn't have a great end of the season," Duncan said. "Injuries and trying to rest guys to be in the right state coming into the playoffs. It's good to be here, good to turn it up and good to have everybody into form."

Manu Ginobili, who had missed nine straight games with a hamstring injury before playing in the last two, shot 6 for 13 from the field and hit 3 of his 5 threes.

The Lakers Steve Nash returned from a nine-game absence due to hip/hamstring injuries to score 16 points.

Dwight Howard had 20 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.

Game 2 will take place Wednesday in San Antonio. Start time is set for 9:30 pm Eastern time.

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Nash Plans to Play Sunday

Los Angeles Lakers/NBA(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) -- Steve Nash, who has missed the last eight games with an injured right hip, hamstring and lower back, says he plans to play Sunday in Game 1 of the Lakers playoff series against the Spurs.

The 39-year-old Nash received two epidurals this week to try and calm his pain. He also sprinted for the first time in weeks. Still, Nash says he will depend on coach D'Antoni to grade his production.

"He's got to coach this team to win the game and if I'm not helping, and I'm not capable, he's got to get me out," Nash said. "Bottom line: There's no time to be sentimental or to give me too long of a leash. If I can't get it done, I shouldn't be out there."

Nash has averaged 12.7 points and 6.7 assists per game this season.

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Lakers Clinch Seven Seed in the West

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Pau Gasol recorded his seventh triple-double of his career helping the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Houston Rockets, 99-95 in overtime Wednesday night. The win clinches the Lakers the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Lakers (45-37) almost won the game in regulation but Rockets forward Chandler Parsons hit a 34-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

Gasol finished the game with 17 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists.

"It was satisfying because we got another great win," Gasol said. "The way we've been playing lately has just been great. We just got to keep the momentum going...see if we can carry it over to the first round of the playoffs."

There the Lakers will meet the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers entered the night with a chance of not making the playoffs at all. A Utah win coupled with a loss, would have had the Lakers on the outside looking in. Instead Utah lost, and the Lakers won the seventh seed with Houston getting the eighth seed.

Lakers guard Steve Blake scored a team high 24 points in the win.

"No one was expecting this that's for sure," Blake said of the team getting the seventh seed. "We've been through a lot as a team from coaching changes...to players being hurt....to our owner passing away. I mean you name it we've gone through it in one year. I think in some ways it's made us stronger and hopefully it will help us out in the long run."

Houston (45-37) will now take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

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Lakers Top Spurs In First Game Without Kobe

NBA Via Los Angeles Lakers(LOS ANGELES) --  Even without Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers still find themselves just one win away from a trip to the postseason.

Dwight Howard scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 91-86 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.  The win increased their lead to 1 1/2 games over the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

"It definitely gives us confidence that if we play as hard as we did tonight, we can beat anybody," said forward Pau Gasol, who had seven points and 16 rebounds.

The Lakers (44-37) were playing in their first game without Kobe Bryant, who will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery Saturday to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

San Antonio (58-22) made a late run to get back into the game but came up short.  They are battling the Thunder for the top seed in the West.

Los Angeles will play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night and will clinch a playoff berth if they win.

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Kobe Bryant Out 6-9 Months With Torn Achilles

NBA Via Los Angeles Lakers(EL SEGUNDO, Calif.) -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will undergo surgery on Saturday afternoon to repair the torn Achilles tendon suffered in Friday night's win over the Golden State Warriors, according to team trainer Gary Vitti.

Recovery time is expected to be anywhere from six to nine months.

"It's gone," said Vitti, referring to Bryant's Achilles. "So, it has to be sewn back together."

Vitti added that Bryant would be immobilized for up to a month after the surgery.  If all goes well for Bryant in the recovery period, he could be ready to play at the start of the 2013-2014 season.

The Lakers are currently one game up on the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  If the team does in fact make the postseason, they will be without their best player and leader.

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Lakers Say Kobe Bryant has Probable Torn Achilles

Jeff Gross/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- The Los Angeles Lakers say guard Kobe Bryant has suffered a probable torn achilles during the teams 118-116 win over the Golden State Warriors, Friday night.

The Lakers said Bryant will have an MRI Saturday to confirm the injury.

Bryant was injured while driving to the hoop with just over three minutes to go in the game. Bryant attempted to drive, but he just collapsed to the floor.

"I can't walk," Bryant said when asked if he could play again soon. "I tried to put some pressure on my heal to see if I could do it that way, but there is just nothing there."

Bryant also believes his achillies is torn.

Bryant is currently 34-years-old and is playing in his 17th NBA season.

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