Luke Walton

Luke Walton was back in his element, the place he spent more than 81/2 NBA seasons. Security guards came over to greet him on the Cleveland Cavaliers' bench an hour before tipoff Sunday at Staples Center. Lakers publicists too. And reporters. A link to the good old days, Walton reminded Lakers fans that this season wasn't necessarily done. "One thing I learned from playing here: Never doubt Kobe [Bryant]," said Walton, in his first full season with the Cavaliers. "They obviously have themselves in a pretty big hole, but I still wouldn't be surprised if they figured things out and made a late-season run to get into the playoffs.

SACRAMENTO -- It almost had to happen this way. The cowbells were long gone and Phil Jackson hadn't zinged the local folks up here in years, but the Lakers reached way back into their rivalry with the Sacramento Kings and rode away with a 103-98 victory Saturday. It might have been the last time they ever meet here, the Kings possibly ticketed for Seattle, and if so, the Lakers grabbed the final edge again. Kobe Bryant played almost all 48 minutes, sitting out only 23 seconds at the end of the third quarter.

Lakers veteran forward Luke Walton did not make the team flight to Memphis because of intestinal flu, the team said Tuesday. He will not suit up tonight against Memphis. It is unclear if Walton will join the Lakers for their game Wednesday in New Orleans. Walton, in his ninth season with the Lakers, has hardly appeared on the court this season under Coach Mike Brown. Walton has played only 65 minutes in nine games and is averaging 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds a game. ALSO: Mitch Kupchak: Jim Buss "gets way too much criticism" Dwight Howard, Deron Williams unrealistic targets for Lakers Times' Mike Bresnahan: Don't expect Pau Gasol to be traded

The Cleveland Cavaliers are midway through a difficult 21-42 season. The team has one of the brightest young players in the league in point guard Kyrie Irving, but a shoulder injury may keep him out for the rest of the year. Last season, the Lakers and Cavaliers made a deal that sent point guard Ramon Sessions to Los Angeles for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and draft considerations. As part of the deal, Cleveland gained the right to swap their lowest 2013 first-round pick with the Lakers -- lottery protected.

Luke Walton made a brief stop in Los Angeles recently, visiting the Clippers with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. Walton was traded to the Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions last year after 8 1/2 seasons with the Lakers. So far this year, through three appearances, Walton is averaging just 0.7 points per game on 14.3% shooting. In the final year of his contract, Walton said after the game that he'll play "as long as my back will let me.  If I'm feeling good, I want to play.

The Lakers have acquired a point guard to help them in their playoff push, trading for Cleveland's Ramon Sessions, according to an NBA official. The Lakers sent forward Luke Walton, forward Jason Kapono and their 2012 first-round draft choice to the Cavaliers for Sessions and forward Christian Eyenga. Sessions became expendable in Cleveland after the Cavaliers made rookie Kyrie Irving their starting point guard. Sessions, who turns 26 next month, was averaging 10.5 points and 5.2 assists for the Cavaliers.

Lakers forward Luke Walton sat out Sunday's game against Portland because of a sore right foot and will see foot specialist Kenneth Jung today to determine the extent of his injury. Walton is believed to be experiencing sesamoiditis, a condition in which there is irritation in the sesamoids, which are small bones bundled with tendons that run to the big toe. The condition typically requires a to-be-determined rest period but not surgery.

Reporting from San Antonio Not that a team needs a lift while riding a seven-game winning streak, but the Lakers might find one on their injury report. Andrew Bynum and Luke Walton both hope to come back quickly after the Lakers' five-game trip, either April 2 against Utah or April 4 against San Antonio, both at Staples Center. Bynum said his strained left Achilles' tendon was feeling better Wednesday, and Walton practiced for the first time Tuesday, doing some non-contact scrimmaging with the team before joining them on their flight to San Antonio.

For the Lakers' Luke Walton, a peak weekend might consist of wrapping up an NBA title, but with that still a work in progress, we asked the 6-foot-8 forward to consider activities off the hardwood. Walton, 28, lives in Manhattan Beach during the season and Rancho Santa Fe the rest of the year. He's single with a girlfriend. SOUTHERN EXPOSURE Around San Diego, I'd spend Friday at Petco Park for a Padres game. They'd probably lose, but I'd still be there.

The doors opened at the Lakers' training facility and tons of players spilled through them Thursday, joyously embracing the apparent end of the lockout. Not really. Metta World Peace ambled around in street clothes for a little while but didn't take part in the first day of voluntary workouts. The only Lakers to hit the court were Devin Ebanks, a rookie last season, and Darius Morris, a second-round pick in June. Training camp isn't scheduled to start until Dec. 9, but the Lakers haven't exactly reassembled.

The ring's the thing Kobe Bryant's disapproval brought a smile to the face of Derek Fisher on Friday when the newest member of the Oklahoma City Thunder was told his former teammate was miffed Fisher had become another impediment to a sixth championship ring. Fisher is also going for his sixth ring, so let the chase commence. "I think at this point that's what it's about," said Fisher, 38. "I think I heard him say it a couple of days ago and it's no different for me. That's why we play, to win. "For me personally and for this team, of course we want to win a championship.

Coach Mike D'Antoni will continue to have Kobe Bryant defend opposing point guards. The Lakers have struggled throughout the season defensively. On Sunday, D'Antoni put Bryant on Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving, helping the Lakers break a six-game losing streak with a 113-93 win. Irving finished with 15 points in the game, well below his season average. As a team, the Cavaliers struggled to score against the Lakers' improved defense. "Kobe starting on Kyrie and some of the other matchups they had, they came out much more aggressive," said Byron Scott, coach of the Cavaliers.  "They didn't just sit back.  They were the initiator, and I thought that was the biggest difference.

Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the Lakers are considering applying for a disabled player exception for Jordan Hill. Hill is expected to have surgery to fix a possible labral tear and remove "loose bodies" from the joint.  Recovery is expected to take six months and Hill would miss the remainder of the season. The Lakers are eligible to apply for the exception, which would give the team an additional $1.78 million in spending power. "We'll look into it," said Kupchak.

Luke Walton was back in his element, the place he spent more than 81/2 NBA seasons. Security guards came over to greet him on the Cleveland Cavaliers' bench an hour before tipoff Sunday at Staples Center. Lakers publicists too. And reporters. A link to the good old days, Walton reminded Lakers fans that this season wasn't necessarily done. "One thing I learned from playing here: Never doubt Kobe [Bryant]," said Walton, in his first full season with the Cavaliers. "They obviously have themselves in a pretty big hole, but I still wouldn't be surprised if they figured things out and made a late-season run to get into the playoffs.

Lakers VS. CLEVELAND When: 6:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Time Warner Cable Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 15-21; Cavaliers 9-29. Record vs. Cavaliers: 0-1. Update: Cleveland will be without center Anderson Varejao, who underwent surgery to repair a torn leg muscle. But the Cavaliers have two things the Lakers hate - backcourt speed (Kyrie Irving) and youth (Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson)

The Lakers have until Tuesday to apply for a "disabled players exception" for Jordan Hill. It was announced on Friday that Hill will miss the remainder of the season with a hip injury that will sideline the forward-center for six months. According to the Larry Coon's NBA Salary Cap FAQ , the Lakers can apply for an exception worth half of Hill's $3.56-million salary.  There's no guarantee the league will approve the exception if the Lakers even apply for it, but if granted, the Lakers would gain about $1.78 million in additional spending power.

Luke Walton is out indefinitely because of a partially torn ligament in his left ankle, an injury that sometimes takes several weeks to fully heal, though the Lakers reserve forward said he planned to return sooner than that. Walton was hurt after stopping to pivot on a third-quarter play Saturday in Game 4 against the Utah Jazz. An MRI exam Monday morning showed the extent of the damage to Walton's deltoid ligament.

The Lakers were in a foul mood after getting eliminated from the playoffs in a shocking sweep by Dallas in May, but some players remembered to make financial considerations before scattering for the off-season. Kobe Bryant insisted on giving some of the team's playoff bonus to two members of the Lakers' video department whose contracts were not renewed after the season. Chris Bodaken and Patrick O'Keefe split about $65,000 of the Lakers' playoff bonus. Bodaken started with the Lakers as a ball boy in 1986 and spent the last 10 seasons as their director of video services.

The walk to the team bus was short but still left eons for Steve Nash to ponder the imponderable. Will the Lakers miss the playoffs? "I think about it every day," he said in a quiet moment after their latest loss, Wednesday in San Antonio. "We've got to make some serious ground up here quickly. We're in deep, and we've got to find a way to scratch and claw and get to 48 wins. " He chose 48 because it was tossed his way by a reporter. It's the average number of victories claimed by the eighth and final team in the Western Conference playoffs the last five years.

CLEVELAND - These are the Lakers, for worse or for worse. No defense, boring offense, few victories, little entertainment. They took another beating Tuesday night, setting a new standard for lowly losses this season by falling to the already fallen Cleveland Cavaliers, 100-94, at Quicken Loans Arena. They tumbled to 12th in the Western Conference - 12th? 12th! - after losing to a team that was 4-17. They've lost three straight and five of six and are 9-13, two games behind Denver for the suddenly coveted eighth spot in the West, though they'd have to fight through Minnesota, Houston and Portland to get there.