Guarding

Did Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the accused gunman in Thursday's rampage at Ft. Hood, Texas, commit mass murder because of a mental breakdown or because of hatred for his own country fueled by Islamic radicalism -- or some combination of the two? We don't know yet, but whatever the explanation turns out to be, we do know this: The carnage is not a reflection on all the other Muslims serving in the U.S. military. President Obama made that point on Saturday, albeit obliquely, when he noted that those who have fought for this country include "Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers."

SEATTLE -- The trip that means little to UCLA's immediate future was full of postcard moments Thursday. Jordan Adams had a career night. Freshman Zach LaVine had a triumphant, and chatty, return. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero even dropped by the locker room. All part of a 91-82 victory over Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena. What did it mean to the Bruins in the big picture? Absolutely nothing, at least as far as tangible returns. The chance for a Pac-12 championship is in the past.

I read with great interest (Oct. 7) an article in the View section about Alexander Haagen. One thing caught me eye, however, that caused me to choke on my bacon and eggs. Mr. Haagen said that he was an All-City running guard at Los Angeles High School. Since he graduated in the Winter, 1938, class, that would have meant that as a senior he played on the 1937 team. I was a starting end on that team and I can state unequivocally that there was no one on that team by that name--or any other L.A. High football team.

 To say that Trey Dickerson is good at adjusting to his surroundings might be an understatement. He came to Los Angeles from Queens, N.Y., as a sophomore and was a starting guard at Van Nuys Montclair Prep when the school dropped its sports program. Then he went to L.A. Price, where he was a standout on the 2011-12 team. Colleges wanted him but he wasn't an NCAA qualifier, so he went to prep school, God's Academy in Dallas, Texas. He committed to Murray State last year and was taking summer classes, then reversed course and enrolled at a junior college, Williston State College in North Dakota, where he has become one of the top junior college guards in the country, with scholarship offers from Washington, Washington State, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas and St. Louis.

Sheriff's deputies chasing a group of gang members shot and killed a pit bull guarding a stash of rock cocaine and weapons in a doghouse, officials said Tuesday. The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. Monday when a man flagged down a sheriff's patrol car and said he had been robbed of $20, Deputy Roger Hom said. The victim said the muggers had fled to a house at in the 11100 block of New Hampshire Avenue in Los Angeles, where deputies entered the rear yard and encountered a man and four teen-agers.

The advertising campaign you will never see: Grampa Shaq is sitting with two grandchildren on his lap, one playing with his gray beard. "Grampa, how did you get so old?" one will ask. "Guarding Hakeem, my child, guarding Hakeem." MO SCHWARTZ Los Angeles

Gunmen killed an anti-terrorism policeman guarding a witness in central Athens in a brazen escalation of domestic militant attacks prompted by massive riots in December. The death of 41-year-old Nektarios Savvas was the first killing attributed to terrorism in Greece in several years. The officer had been guarding the home of a key witness in the trial of the now-defunct far-left Greek terrorist group Revolutionary People's Struggle, known by its Greek acronym ELA.

'I couldn't believe he wasn't first team. Ben Wallace was the defensive player of the year? No offense, but who is he guarding in the Eastern Conference? Bruce checked everyone with game.' -- Nick Van Exel, Dallas Maverick guard, on San Antonio Spur forward Bruce Bowen's making the NBA's all-defensive second team

I would like to commend Dan Medina of Channel 9 news on his investigative reports. I particularly enjoyed his reports on gangs, traffic violator schools and machine guarding. His reports have been extremely professional, thorough and informative. Douglas H. Hinesley, Westminster

Re: "Medical bills tied to more bankruptcies," June 4: A spokesman for private insurers said that "private insurers were in a better position to rein in spiraling medical costs and that the industry had a plan for protecting people from being forced into bankruptcy." Our present healthcare economy makes that hard to believe. His statement is a vivid example of the wolf guarding the henhouse. Wayne Muramatsu Cerritos

PHOENIX - It is still uncertain when starting shooting guard J.J. Redick will return to the court for the Clippers. Redick is sidelined by a bulging disk in his lower back. He has missed the last 11 games, including Tuesday's game at Phoenix. When the Clippers disclosed the nature of the injury on Feb. 18, Redick had already missed four games with what the team had been calling a hip injury. There still is no timetable for his return, and Clippers Coach Doc Rivers was asked Tuesday night if he feared that Redick could be out for the rest of the season.

PORTLAND, Ore. - There was a gust of certainty Monday, a rarity in one of the most uneasy seasons in Lakers history. Steve Nash clearly wants to return next season. "I want to come back for sure," he said Monday. It's a longshot he'll even be back this season from recurring back soreness, but he's already looking to the future, where he's scheduled to earn $9.7 million in 2014-15 as the final part of a three-year, $28-million contract. The Lakers have until Sept. 1 to determine whether they want to waive Nash via the "stretch provision," in which his salary is spread out over the next three years.

On Dec. 30, the Clippers got rocked by the Suns at Staples Center, a surprising turn of events because Los Angeles didn't see that coming from a Phoenix team few expected to be that good. Now the Clippers and the rest of the NBA are fully aware of how good the Suns are, L.A. knowing first-hand after that 19-point beat-down. The Clippers get to see the Suns again when the two teams meet Tuesday night in Phoenix. So when asked if there was a revenge factor for that game, Coach Doc Rivers smiled and replied, "No, I don't think so. " "I mean, they just only came to our place and beat our butts," Rivers said.

 One day, Lorne Currie of Fairfax has the chance to be considered one of the best basketball players in the City Section. It's up to him, and there are signs he understands that. The junior guard is back playing for the Lions, though he's suffering some knee pains that are limiting his playing time going into Saturday's City Division I semifinal game against El Camino Real. But he really seems to have learned valuable lessons after becoming academically ineligible at Fairfax last season, then transferring to St. John Bosco in January of 2013 trying to start over.

INDIANAPOLIS  - Count Kendall Marshall among those dragged down by the Lakers' woes. He was a surprisingly successful pick-up from the NBA's Development League, churning out double-digit assists almost immediately when signed in December. Now, though, the guard is like the rest of the Lakers. And he's not enjoying it. "It's not fun at all the way we're playing," said Marshall, scoreless with only four assists in the Lakers' 118-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

There was a typical start, and the usual finish, to a USC basketball game at the Galen Center earlier this month. Trojans guard Byron Wesley wasted little time doing what he does best: driving hard through the defense toward the basket. After being fouled, he sank two free throws to boost USC into an early lead. By the end, Wesley had again led the Trojans in scoring, this time with 20 points against Utah. Yet the result was all too familiar - another loss in a Pac-12 Conference game.

It has come to my attention that Judge Kathleen O'Leary just received a promotion to Superior Court. However, judging from her recent unjust jail sentence of Edward Allan to jail, I fail to see why she did not receive a demotion. This former chief of police spent his whole life guarding our rights and now in his senior years, this is his reward. Does Judge O'Leary really think he is a threat to society? DOROTHY M. ALLEN Placentia

They share a common bond because of the point guard position. That has helped strengthen the relationship between Clippers All-Star Chris Paul and Coach Doc Rivers . Paul is widely considered the best point guard in the NBA, and Rivers played point guard throughout his 13-year NBA career, and so the two of them often think the same way when it comes to running the Clippers' offense. "We obviously are starting to get a better feel for each other, and our communication," Paul said after Monday night's game in New Orleans.

Kent Bazemore used to be known for two things. He was the guy with the comically over-the-top celebrations on the Golden State Warriors' bench, spinning his arms wildly or punching the air with his fists. He was also the rookie who found his car filled with popcorn as part of a prank last year. His basketball life has changed considerably in the span of a week. Bazemore, 24, keeps getting points and playing time with the Lakers, scoring a career-high 15 on Friday against Boston and upping it two days later with another career high, 17 points against Brooklyn.