The Lakers have requested waivers on Corie Blount, clearing the path for both Laron Profit and Devin Green to make the final 15. 

In other (totally expected) news, LA has officially exercised next season's option for Brian Cook. 

In the spirit of the day, it's time to choose your scariest Lakers costume. 

I'm thinking of going as Randy Pfund. 

BK

Devin Green is officially stoked!  Apparently, he's the winner in the Green v. Profit sweepstakes for the 15th spot on the roster.  Rooks on a Phil Jackson squad typically have to bust tail to get any court time, so Green will have to continue to practice at a high level to stick around.  But Mike Bresnahan of the Times reports that in the end, it could be Corie Blount who gets the squeeze, despite having missed all 8 Lakers preseason contests.  While Jackson had said he wouldn't cut a player hobbled by injury, the quality play of Green and Profit may force his hand. 

From the Washington Times: Singer-actress Brandy has ended her 15-month engagement with NBA star Quentin Richardson and transformed her tattoo of him into a cat. The New York Knicks player presented the 26-year-old single mom with a $1 million engagement ring last July, the World Entertainment News Network noted. But the couple split last month and since then, Brandy has undergone the painful process of having her back tattoo changed into a cat, WENN said.

Maybe I'm cynical, but I have a feeling that no matter how talented the tat artist she's employed, Brandy's gonna be stuck with some lousy ink.

AK

The relationship between student Andrew Bynum and teacher Kareem Adbul-Jabbar seems to be going well. That's good, since there's a lot riding on this for both. Longtime concerns that Kareem isn't communicative have caused him to struggle for coaching opportunities. Bynum developing nicely under Kareem's tutlege could help ease those worries, not to mention worries about whether or not the kid could realisitically be the franchise center of the future. Bonus: He likes Kareem the author, too.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The Lakers put the finishing touches on a disconcertingly positive 6-2 preseason (the closest thing to bad news was one guy nobody had ever heard of getting punched by another guy nobody had ever heard of) with last night's 105-103 Vegastacular over the Kings.  Normally, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I'm sure most fans are hoping whatever they were doing last night makes its way to LA. 

Before everyone freaks out, remember the Lakers went 6-2 during the '04 preseason and were buying lottery tickets by the end of the season (coaching changes, crippling injuries, horrible defense and lack of depth will do that to a squad). 

Still, it's always better to win than lose, so with that in mind, let's look at what the Lakers have in store this week.

A little background about our mom, Phyllis Kamenetzky, and her connection to the Lakers.

When I moved to L.A. in 1990 to attend USC, I had no real interest in basketball, having grown up in a city (St. Louis) with no pro team and attended a high school with a perennially terrible squad. Plus I'm 5'8". Thus, hoops wasn't a sport I naturally gravitated towards. But once a part of this city, I found myself drawn in by its unbridled Lakers energy. By '94 or so, I was obsessively following the Lakers, even more than teams I grew up rooting for.

Phil's always on the lookout for signs that Kobe and Odom are on the same page. And while these indications haven't been commonplace this preseason, they did emerge a few times last night, especially in crunch time. A lethal two-man game between #8 and #7 could be the difference between the Lakers dictating their season or simply looking to scratch and survive. 

From Ken, in response to Extra! Extra! 10.28, regarding who should be kept, Green or Profit:

"I think we should keep both of them and waive Slava M. who had not shown any improvement over last few years. He will cost 3 milliions, though.  Maybe lakers can trade him to the bobcats."

That made me laugh. I think Ken may have come up with an interesting strategy, too. Trading every player who's not working out to the Bobcats. First Rush. Then Jumaine Jones. Heck, we even gave Charlotte Jamal Sampson during the expansion draft. It could also be a good method for keeping players who are underachieving, dogging it, or throwing around attitude in check. All they have to hear is "Bobcat" and they'll get their act together ASAP.

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From this point on, they all count, kids! The Lakers closed out the preseason on a high, taking out the Kings 105-103 while playing in Vegas. (No word yet as to whether or not Bynum managed to play a few hands of blackjack) On one hand, the Lakers let the Kings back in this one, allowing them to make a game of it.  On the flip side, they did gut it out for a W, which might have not been the result last season, when the tendency was to fold like a guy asked to call an all-in with a 6 high. Glass half full or half empty? You decide. Either way, the Lakers went 6-2 this preseason, certainly better than fans or Phil Jackson (his teams traditionally suck around this time) could have possibly expected.

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