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Lakers Sign Thomas KelatiThe Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard Thomas Kelati, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released. Kelati, a 6-5 guard out of Washington State, spent last season playing for Unicaja in Spain where he averaged 11.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes. Prior to his stint in Spain, Kelati played for BOT Turow Zgorzelec (Poland-DBL) for two seasons (2006-08) where he helped lead the team to consecutive Polish league finals appearances. As a member of Zorzelec, Kelati appeared in 77 games, averaging 15.43 points and 2.96 rebounds. Kelati started his professional career in Belgium in 2005, playing for Dexia Mons-Hainaut. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Kobe Mum On Extension Talks
Informal negotiations have already begun, and the Lakers are secure in their belief that a new deal will be signed. Bryant is under contract this season for $23 million and next season for $24.8 million. He can become a free agent by opting out next July, an unlikely possibility because of the expected success of the Lakers and the unpredictable NBA economic climate, where there might not be enough palatable offers for a player scheduled to earn as much as Bryant in the 2010-11 season. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Jackson: Winning A Second Title Is Tougher Than First
"I've been telling them [this players] that it's always harder to do it twice," Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "It's a challenge physically, it's a challenge mentally because everybody's prepared for you, and you're coming off a long season. "You've done extraneous things and the drive's not there. But we are perfectly capable of doing this again." Jackson has won consecutive titles on multiple occasions in his career. Overall, he has successfully defended six out of eight championships. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Lakers Sep 2009 Archive
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Kobe Bryant's contract extension negotiations were not a central issue at Lakers' media day, even though Bryant declined to answer questions about it.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson has warned his team that winning a second straight title is tougher than capturing the first.