Lakers Assistant Coach

Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who has become a hot candidate for a few head-coaching vacancies in the NBA, including his current team, has gotten the OK from management to interview for the Golden State Warriors head coach opening. "Yes, we have been given permission," Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said in a text message Thursday. He said the Lakers also gave assistant coach Chuck Person permission to talk to the Warriors. Shaw, a candidate to replace Phil Jackson with the Lakers, also had been given permission to interview for the opening with the Houston Rockets.

When TNT announces Monday the participants for the 2010 NBA All-Star game dunk contest, Lakers guard Shannon Brown said that's when he'll know if he was selected. Brown has had his Lakers teammates, Lakers fans and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard , who won the dunk contest in 2008 and was the runner-up in 2009, all say they want to see him in the contest that will be held Feb. 13 of All-Star weekend at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Brown has become a YouTube sensation because of his dunking exploits, and there has been a groundswell of support on Facebook called "Let Shannon Dunk."

Reporting from New Orleans The goal for the Lakers is to push the New Orleans Hornets to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference first-round playoff series. The goal for the Hornets is to pull even with the Lakers in the best-of-seven series. They are two teams with the same goal, which is to win Game 4 on Sunday night at New Orleans Arena. Only one of them will accomplish that goal. "Sunday's game is the most important game of the series — for both teams," Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons said after practice Saturday.

Maybe they're finally over it, a strange malady that sometimes seeps into the Lakers when they play bad teams. It's been a weird occurrence since they were winning championships with Shaquille O'Neal but also posting clunkers on any given night in the regular season. Last season, on the long road to the franchise's 15th championship, the Lakers lost to Indiana, Sacramento and Charlotte (twice), not to mention mediocre Miami and Philadelphia teams. The year before that, they had humbling losses to Milwaukee, New Jersey, Sacramento (twice)

Pau Gasol has been the overlooked star of the Lakers, the one always taken for granted, if not slapped with a reputation of being soft from time to time. He struggled mightily in the NBA Finals last season against the physically intimidating Boston Celtics but has been nothing short of strong against the Orlando Magic in the Finals a year later. He had 24 points and 10 rebounds Sunday in Game 2, yet another contribution toward the Lakers' cause. He also changed assignments numerous times throughout the game, from three-point marksman Rashard Lewis to bull-like center Dwight Howard because Andrew Bynum was limited to 16 minutes because of foul trouble.

Several memories will be shared, followed by plenty of bling and then, well, an NBA game. The Lakers begin the season tonight against the Clippers, but not before they receive their championship rings from last season's successful playoff run. It will be loud at Staples Center, perhaps even emotional, and then the Lakers will have to play. "It's always one of the toughest games that you'll play because of the emotions," Kobe Bryant said. "You're in such a great space, feeling happy and content with what you've accomplished, and now you have to turn around and understand that this team is coming for your head."

Brian Shaw smiles. Or maybe it's a grimace. It wasn't that long ago that he was the one who had to work his way through back-to-back games. The Lakers assistant coach knows all too well the pratfalls that await, the 24-hour endurance checks lingering in the very near future for a team that has fattened up on home games. The Lakers coasted through the first month and a half of this season, mostly sleeping in their own beds, strolling through game after game at Staples Center, experiencing only three situations in which they played on consecutive nights.

Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen stood by his work on the whiteboard in the team's locker room before a recent game against Sacramento, viewing all the lines, numbers and diagrams for that night's game plan. When Derek Fisher strolled by, Hamblen pulled him aside. "How did we say we were going to play" Beno Udrih, the Kings' point guard, Hamblen asked. Fisher eyed the board and answered, "We're going to go over the top of the screen" to force Udrih into the paint.

Are the Lakers too kind, too nice, too accommodating? Brian Shaw would be a good place to start with that question. He earned three championship rings last decade with the Lakers, showing up at clutch times and often acting as a coach during games ? in huddles, on the court, whatever it took. The Lakers have won three consecutive titles only once since moving to Los Angeles, and Shaw was there, his three-point shooting in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals bringing the Lakers back from the brink of elimination.

Are the Lakers too kind, too nice, too accommodating? Brian Shaw would be a good place to start with that question. He earned three championship rings last decade with the Lakers, showing up at clutch times and often acting as a coach during games ? in huddles, on the court, whatever it took. The Lakers have won three consecutive titles only once since moving to Los Angeles, and Shaw was there, his three-point shooting in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals bringing the Lakers back from the brink of elimination.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , the NBA's all-time leading scorer, likes what he sees from the Lakers. He's not so sure, though, about those Las Vegas oddsmakers. Ever since the Miami Heat became the favorite to win the NBA championship next June, Abdul-Jabbar has been shaking his head. "I think it's crazy," he said Friday. "Miami doesn't have a team yet. They're still trying to find their identity. They've got a long way to go before they establish themselves. "Orlando and Boston, they've been there, and they want to get back.

This is it —- Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers and the Celtics. The NBA's two most dominant and historic franchises playing for the right to be named champions. Both teams know what's at stake when the Lakers and their hated rival Boston lace up their sneakers for the final time in the 2009-10 season at Staples Center on Thursday night. "I think our guys know the importance of Game 7," Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen said after the team's final practice of the season Wednesday.

Traditionally, Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen said, Game No. 2 in the playoffs has the potential to be the trap game. The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series against the Utah Jazz, 1-0, and play Game 2 Tuesday at Staples Center. But Hamblen, in charge of putting the Lakers' game plan together against the Jazz, doesn't want his team to be comfortable, even if the Lakers are playing at home. Why? "I think the visiting team has a better comfort level [for Game 2]

When TNT announces Monday the participants for the 2010 NBA All-Star game dunk contest, Lakers guard Shannon Brown said that's when he'll know if he was selected. Brown has had his Lakers teammates, Lakers fans and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard , who won the dunk contest in 2008 and was the runner-up in 2009, all say they want to see him in the contest that will be held Feb. 13 of All-Star weekend at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Brown has become a YouTube sensation because of his dunking exploits, and there has been a groundswell of support on Facebook called "Let Shannon Dunk."

Brian Shaw smiles. Or maybe it's a grimace. It wasn't that long ago that he was the one who had to work his way through back-to-back games. The Lakers assistant coach knows all too well the pratfalls that await, the 24-hour endurance checks lingering in the very near future for a team that has fattened up on home games. The Lakers coasted through the first month and a half of this season, mostly sleeping in their own beds, strolling through game after game at Staples Center, experiencing only three situations in which they played on consecutive nights.

Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis has agreed to become coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, accepting at least a three-year deal. A news conference will be held early this week announcing the deal. Rambis' agent, Lon Rosen, was not available for comment. Rambis, who made a name for himself with his rugged play during the Showtime era of the 1980s, spent the last 10 seasons as an assistant to Phil Jackson. The Lakers will have to decide whether they'll fill the vacant spot, which leaves Jackson with three assistants: Frank Hamblen, Brian Shaw and Jim Cleamons.

Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who has become a hot candidate for a few head-coaching vacancies in the NBA, including his current team, has gotten the OK from management to interview for the Golden State Warriors head coach opening. "Yes, we have been given permission," Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said in a text message Thursday. He said the Lakers also gave assistant coach Chuck Person permission to talk to the Warriors. Shaw, a candidate to replace Phil Jackson with the Lakers, also had been given permission to interview for the opening with the Houston Rockets.

It looked as if Kurt Rambis never left town. He stood on the Lakers' practice court Thursday in El Segundo and cracked jokes with Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, whittling away the time as players shot free throws after practice. In a window behind him, up over his right shoulder, stood a row of championship trophies, many of which he helped win as a player and later an assistant coach with the Lakers. Then Rambis turned to a guy wearing a wolf logo on his shirt and asked him to text some information.

Maybe they're finally over it, a strange malady that sometimes seeps into the Lakers when they play bad teams. It's been a weird occurrence since they were winning championships with Shaquille O'Neal but also posting clunkers on any given night in the regular season. Last season, on the long road to the franchise's 15th championship, the Lakers lost to Indiana, Sacramento and Charlotte (twice), not to mention mediocre Miami and Philadelphia teams. The year before that, they had humbling losses to Milwaukee, New Jersey, Sacramento (twice)