Los Angeles Lakers show interest in Knicks' Iman Shumpert, Tyson Chandler

With Pau Gasol struggling again and their backcourt hit by the injury bug, the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly called the New York Knicks about possible reinforcements.

ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that the Lakers have inquired about Knicks guard Iman Shumpert and center Tyson Chandler.

Shumpert has been getting the cold shoulder from the Knicks after enjoying a solid season last year. With the Lakers short on point guards and Kobe Bryant playing with the ball in his hands a little more, the Lakers are looking to Shumpert to help hold the fort until Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake, or Steve Nash comes back.  

The Denver Nuggets and Tornto raptors have also been discussed as possible trade partners for Shumpert.

As far as Chandler goes, the Knicks say they aren't willing to move him but anything is possible, especially of they find a sweetheart of a deal. Why the Lakers would want to take on Chandler's contract and his health concerns are beyond me, unless they would take on Gasol.

5 NBA players I feel sorry for

It's difficult to feel sorry for professional athletes given how much money they make. As a fan you do feel sorry for a few. Not because of something semi tragic that might've happened in their lives, but you know they'll never come close to winning a championship. I compiled a list of 5 NBA players that I actually feel sorry for. Even though you'll never know these players on a personal level these players seem like good guys who'll never win.

1. Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers- I made this list specifically for Nash. After being on good teams that seemed to get  stonewalled in the playoffs (Suns, Mavericks), it looked like Nash would finally get a chance to play for an NBA title when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Right now it looks like that assessment was wrong. I know there's another half of basketball to be played, the Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs. Nash has to be thinking "I didn't sign up for this". The Lakers are under .500 and have been filled with drama from the word go.

I feel sorry for Nash because he is a good team guy and it looks like he'll never get a chance to play for a championship. He doesn't have too many seasons left and I hate to see him go out like this.


2. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz- Jefferson is a good player. Not a major star, but could be a solid number two on a contender. Problem is, Jefferson has never been on a team resembling a contender ( bad Celtics teams, Timberwolves, Jazz). And you can always look for him to get hurt.  

Jefferson seems like an everyman. He just goes and does his job in a workmanlike fashion. He's not spectacular but he finds a way to get his numbers, even though the team loses more than it wins. I have no problem with Jefferson, but if he gets traded again I'm afraid it'll be to another bad team that has no clue on how to build a team.


3. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers- See Al Jefferson. More athletic but just trapped on a Blazers team trying to build with young talent. At one point it looked like the Blazers had a team of the future until injuries ravaged them and they were forced to start over.

The rebuilding project in Portland seems to be off to good start with Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard riding shotgun. The Blazers will need a few more weapons to get Aldridge off this list.


4. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls- Looks like his path to an NBA title will forever be blocked by the Big 3 in Miami.


5. Chris Bosh, Miami Heat- Not much to say here. It's hard to feel sorry for someone with a championship on their resume. But Bosh will always be known as the third wheel in Miami.

     

Nash thinks it's good that Gentry was let go by Suns

Players or coaches are generally sad to see a coach go when he's fired. There's always someone within the organization that marks this as a happy occasion. The Phoenix Suns recently fired Alvin Gentry from his post  and I'm sure that there were some sad to see him go. Former Suns guard and current Los Angeles Laker, Steve Nash is glad that Gentry was set free.

Nash and Gentry got along well and reached the Western Conference finals back in 2010. The franchise has gone in a different direction since then and haven't been a threat to make the playoffs since the run they had two years ago. Nash was traded prior to the start of the season and says it's actually a good thing that the Suns fired Gentry.


"Obviously, I'm sad for Alvin (Gentry), but in some ways maybe this is a good thing for him," Lakers guard Steve Nash said after practice Friday. Nash was coached the last four years by Gentry, reaching the Western Conference Finals together against Los Angeles in 2010. "He's a great coach, a really good coach and any club would be lucky to have him as a coach, that's for sure. He'll land on his feet for sure because he can really do a good job." 

"I think the writing's been on the wall," Nash said. "It looks like it to me ... They wouldn't extend his contract. They just gave him the year to kind of play it out. It looked like they wanted to get their own guy in there." 

That statement is more of an indictment of the Suns' franchise and their decision making. The team that is currently constructed has no chance to win right now or anytime in the near future.

I kind of feel sorry for Gentry, since he seems to be a good guy, he always get stuck coaching bad teams.

Steve Nash Throws Up The White Flag

Phoenix Suns point man Steve Nash seems to be setting up his fans for a letdown this year. Before the season even begins he's picking the Suns not to make the playoffs. Come on Steve, your supposed to be optimistic. Even Rodney Stuckey and Michael Beasley say things like "on paper we're the best". And you come out with this statement: "To be honest, if I was outside this picture and a betting man, I would probably pick us to be outside of the playoffs considering all the changes and the new guys."

"Maybe we need to take a step back, regroup, be a little bit more patient, build a really good team and see how good we can be later in the year instead of jumping out of the gate and be like, 'Oh, we've got to finish top two or three in the West and give ourselves a chance to win the West and go to the Finals.' That stuff can come if we really improve, but we can't put that type of pressure on ourselves right away because we are a new team."

He's basically telling the fans, even though we made the Western Conference finals last year, we lost one key guy (Amare Stoudemire), we have some new guys and some young ones. We might not be that good, so please support us. It could be a cry for help or a backhanded way to force a trade. Nash isn't getting any younger and I suppose he would like to compete for a title. But don't sell your team short before the season begins.