A RAD DAY FOR LAKERS WILL SIGN CLIPS' FORWARD TO DEAL.Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer With Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. , Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. , Magic Johnson “Earvin Johnson” redirects here. For the Milwaukee Bucks center, see Ervin Johnson. Earvin Effay Johnson, Jr. (born August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan), nicknamed Magic and Vlade Divac Vlade Divac (Serbian Cyrillic: Владе Дивац, pronounced [ˈvlaːdɛ ˈdiːvaʦ] all on the phone, Vladimir Radmanovic had a wake-up call to remember when the NBA's free- agent negotiating period opened a little after 6 a.m. Saturday in his native Serbia. Not even 24hours later, the Lakers had reached an agreement with Radmanovic, a 6-foot-10 forward and career 38.1 percent 3-point shooter, in their big free- agent move of the summer. After playing last season for Seattle and the Clippers, Radmanovic will sign a five-year contract for approximately $30million. The contract is for the full mid-level exception and is the maximum the Lakers could offer under league salary-cap rules. In a conference call with reporters, agent David Bauman said Radmanovic, 25, had a half-hour conversation with Jackson that ``probably sealed the deal.'' According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Bauman, Bryant also told Radmanovic, ``You're our guy. You're the shooter we need and want. You're going to make us better and we're going to make you better.'' Radmanovic had the same contract offer from the Clippers, with Bauman saying general manager Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16, 1934 in Washington, D.C.) is a retired American basketball player who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers. Baylor was a gifted shooter, a strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer. , coach Mike Dunleavy Mike Dunleavy is the name of two notable persons in basketball, father and son:
The Clippers quickly found a replacement for Radmanovic, reaching an agreement Saturday with free-agent forward Tim Thomas Tim Thomas may refer to:
The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks  The introduction of this article is too short.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, it should be expanded. also were interested in Radmanovic, who turned down a six-year, $42-million contract last summer in order to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end Season's End are a British band based in Hampshire. They describe themselves as playing Progressive symphonic metal[1], although they are often tagged as a gothic metal band by reviewers and reference sources[2][3]. . ``Most people at the time thought he was out of his mind for doing so and thought he was being greedy,'' Bauman said. ``The situation wasn't about the money last summer. He wasn't comfortable long-term with the fit for him (in Seattle).'' Radmanovic will be counted on to stretch opposing defenses with his outside shooting. He was able to find the starting job -- likely at small forward, replacing Luke Walton -- that wasn't always there for him in Seattle or with the Clippers. The NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= has a moratorium on signings until July 12, with teams prohibited from commenting until then. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak confirmed the signing, saying, ``At the conclusion of the moratorium period, the Lakers intend to enter into a contract with Vladimir Radmanovic.'' Bauman described the free-agent market as being a game of ``musical chairs'' and said Radmanovic wanted to make a decision quickly before teams committed their mid-level exceptions to other players. Radmanovic can be an unstoppable shooter (when he is on) or a one-dimensional player (when he isn't). He connected on a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points against the Lakers in January2005 at Staples Center. After signing a one-year, $3.2-million qualifying offer last summer, the Sonics traded Radmanovic to the Clippers in February for Chris Wilcox, another soon-to-be free agent. Radmanovic was a key player for the Clippers in the second half of the season and the playoffs. His departure to the Lakers could change the dynamic of the cross-town rivalry, competitive for the first time in years. The Lakers had been reluctant to offer long-term free- agent contracts since the Shaquille O'Neal trade, preferring to maintain salary-cap flexibility going forward. That all will change with the Radmanovic signing. Now the Lakers could have nearly $45 million committed to four players alone -- Bryant, Lamar Odom, Radmanovic and Andrew Bynum -- for the 2008-09 season. The Lakers still could use their bi-annual exception ($1.75 million) to sign a free agent this summer to a two-year contract. The signing of Radmanovic does little to address the areas of speed and defense Jackson has said he wanted to see improved. What role Brian Cook will play for the Lakers with Radmanovic on the roster also is unclear. Cook, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, has an almost identical game to Radmanovic as a perimeter shooter. In addition, the Lakers are unlikely to bring back forward Devean George, an unrestricted free agent.George's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said about half the league's teams expressed interest in George, mentioning Cleveland, Denver, Washington, the Clippers, SanAntonio and Phoenix. ross.siler@dailynews.com (818) 713-3610 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) RADMANOVIC (2) VLADIMIR RADMANOVIC (3) BRIAN COOK Box: SEPARATED AT BIRTH Separated at birth, usually phrased as a question, is a light-hearted media device for pointing out people who are unrelated but bear a notable facial resemblance. "Separated at Birth?" was a feature in the now defunct Spy Magazine, a monthly publication that published ? |
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