Lakers News & Rumors Recap: Lakers Back In Playoff Picture

The 2012-13 NBA season has been an absolute nightmare for the storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise. The team brought in superstars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the off-season to play alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, but the combination of all this talent and experience simply didn’t produce results earlier on leading to the firing of head coach Mike Brown.

Once Mike D’Antoni was chosen as Brown’s successor over Phil Jackson, the team had officially headed into another direction. The move to hire D’Antoni instead of the 11-time NBA champion for a third stint has also backfired as the team has struggled ever since bringing in the former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks coach.

Even though it has been a rough road up to this point in the season with D’Antoni, there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel with the team finally back in playoff contention in the Western Conference. After thrilling come-from-behind victories over the New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors, the Lakers may be back on track as they were able to get the best of the Chicago Bulls at the Staples Center on Sunday afternoon in order to move into the eighth spot in the Western conference playoff picture.

There’s still plenty of basketball yet to be played for Kobe and company, but the team appears to be headed in the right direction moving forward. It remains to be seen if the team can continue to play with renewed sense of purpose and a never-give-up mentality, but hope has returned to this team that seemed destined to miss the playoffs.

Lakers Nation News

Dwight Howard Leads Lakers to Win Over Bulls, Third Straight Victory 

VIDEO: Orlando Magic’s “Forget You” Parody Leaves Dwight Howard In All Smiles

Lakers News: Dwight Howard Opens Up About His Relationship With Kobe

Top 10 Videos: Practice Footage, Highlights, Kobe Dunks And More

NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Will Pursue Howard, Bynum And Smith

Metta World Peace Declares ‘Lakers Will Be No. 1 At Season’s End’

Lakers News: Forward Earl Clark May Have Hit A Wall

Lakers News: Despite Clutch Shooting, Kobe Unhappy With Turnovers

Lakers Play Of The Week: Dwight’s Block That Saved The Game

VIDEO Recap: Dwight Howard’s Drama With Former Orlando Teammates

Lakers News: Kobe’s New Teammates Happy To Be On His Side This Time

VIDEO: Kobe Misses Three, Tackles Guy, Dribbles Around, Then Dunks

Lakers News

Lakers Move Into Playoff Position With Third Consecutive Victory [LA Times]

For Lakers Trainer Gary Vitti, A Season Of Twists And Turns [LA Times]

Andrew Bynum Seems To Have Lost His Standing With 76ers [LA Times]

It’s Never Over For Lakers Until Kobe Says So [LA Times]

Kobe Bryant Says On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Career Will End ‘Soon’ [LA Times]

Dwight Howard Inspired By Kobe Bryant’s Dedication [LA Times]

Howard Too Valuable To Bench Late In Games [OC Register]

Miller: After All The Restarts, Lakers Are Finally A Winner [OC Register]

Bryant Saves The Lakers Again [OC Register]

Ding: Power Of Howard’s Positive Thinking Is Growing [OC Register]

Gasol Better But Return At Least Two Weeks Off [OC Register]

Dwight: Kobe Will Make Me A Better Man And Player [Silver Screen & Roll]

Tweetbag: Dwight Calls 4th Quarter “Kobe Time” [Silver Screen & Roll]

Lakers Forward Earl Clark Slowing Down After Fast Start [LA Daily News]

Lakers Center Dwight Howard Shaping Up After His Slow Start [LA Daily News]

VIDEO: Watch Kobe’s Game-Winning OT Dunk For 118-116 Lakers Win Over Toronto [LA Daily News]

Lakers Forward Pau Gasol Continues To Progress [LA Daily News]

Workmanlike Effort Downs The Bulls [Forum Blue & Gold]

NBA News

Source: Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire To Miss Six Weeks With Knee Injury [Sports City]

NBA Dunk Of The Week: Blake Griffin, Lob City Does It Again! [Sports City]

Report: NBA Close To An Agreement For HGH Testing [Sports City]

Report: Bulls’ Derrick Rose Medically Cleared To Play [Sports City]

VIDEO: Ex-NBA Player Renaldo Balkman Flips Out, Chokes Teammate [Sports City]

Jazz Waive Veteran Guard Raja Bell [Pro Basketball Talk]

George Karl Shoves Wilson Chandler Out Of The Way To Complain To An Official (VIDEO) [Pro Basketball Talk]

Andre Igoudala Gets Way Up To Block A Floater From Luck Ridnour (VIDEO) [Pro Basketball Talk]

Kendall Marshall With The One-Handed Bounce Pass Through The Legs Of Omer Asik (VIDEO) [Pro Basketball Talk]

Break Up The Nuggets [SB Nation]

What Stern Really Said About The Kings [SB Nation]

‘Hot As Fish Grease’ [SB Nation]

Prokhorov’s Luxury Tax Bill: $12.8 Million [SB Nation]

Four Teams Clustered Around No. 4 Seed In East [SB Nation]