| 2006–07 Los Angeles Lakers season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Phil Jackson | ||
| President | Jim Buss (vice) | ||
| General manager | Mitch Kupchak | ||
| Owner | Jerry Buss | ||
| Arena | Staples Center | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 42–40 (.512) | ||
| Place | Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 7th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | First Round (lost toSuns 1–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | FSN West,KCAL | ||
| Radio | AM 570 KLAC | ||
| |||
The2006–07Los Angeles Lakers season was the 59th season of the franchise in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and the 61st overall. The season ended with the Lakers being eliminated in five games in a rematch against thePhoenix Suns from the2006 playoffs (which the Suns won in seven games) in the First Round of theplayoffs. It was the first season thatKobe Bryant switched from jersey number 8 to 24.
The Lakers finished in second place in the Pacific Division, 7th seed in the playoffs. Ultimately, even though team captain Bryant was the leading NBA scorer with 31.6 PPG, the Lakers were defeated in five games by the Suns. This was the second consecutive season where the Lakers had their season ended by the Suns.
In the NBA draft, the Lakers, as expected, chose young talent. In the draft, the Lakers selectedJordan Farmar, the PG forUCLA with 26th pick. Los Angeles also traded their 51st pick (Cheick Samb) to theDetroit Pistons for SFMaurice Evans. The Lakers also had a trade with theDallas Mavericks, trading away a future second round pick forJ. R. Pinnock.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Jordan Farmar | Guard |  United States | UCLA |
| 2 | 51 | Cheick Samb | Center |  Senegal | WTC Cornellà (Spain) |
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
Roster |
Besides the signings, L.A.'s most notable move was the injury bug.Kobe Bryant, the reigning scoring champion had successful surgery on his knee and would decline playing for Team USA at the 2006 World Championship, where they finished 3rd, with bronze.[1]
Center Chris Mihm, who was the starting big man before having an ankle injury, also underwent successful surgery and was not expected to play at all in the upcoming season.[2]
The Lakers started their season opener hosting the Phoenix Suns, the team who knocked them out of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant was out, allowingMaurice Evans to play in his place. CentersKwame Brown andChris Mihm were out on injury, forcing Bynum in their place.
Even with two of their starters out on injuries, it didn't seem to affect the team, as Odom led the team until Bryant recovered. The next night atOracle Arena against theGolden State Warriors, Odom had stats, almost recording his first triple-double of the season, 22 points with nine rebounds and nine assists. Ronny Turiaf, known for his sideline celebrations, had career-highs in almost every category, including 23 points and nine rebounds for a 110–98 win. Bryant also sat this out.
By March, the Lakers were in disarray. Radmanović was fined $500,000 for lying to the organization about his injury, Walton, Brown and Odom were playing on injuries, and despite some 40-point games, Bryant was unable to stop the Lakers fall. Coach Jackson suffered his first seven-game losing streak of his career in result. It seemed impossible for the Lakers to make the playoffs. Bryant decided to step his game up even further.
In the March 16th game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Bryant recorded his second-highest outbreak of his career with 65 points, single-handedly winning the game after being down by 12 with four minutes in regulation.
He continued by getting 50, 60, and another 50 in games against theMinnesota Timberwolves,Memphis Grizzlies andNew Orleans Hornets respectively. By doing so, Bryant recorded the second-longest streak of scoring 50+ points in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain. Two days after his game against New Orleans, Kobe ended his streak in a game against theGolden State Warriors in Los Angeles with 43 points. Bryant's high scoring month continued. He scored 53 in an overtime loss against the Houston Rockets two games later.
But Bryant's scoring binge, which led to the team's five-game winning streak, was followed by the aforementioned seven-game losing streak. Throughout the season, the Lakers were 14–6 in games where Bryant scored 40+ points.
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Phoenix Suns | 61 | 21 | .744 | - | 33–8 | 28–13 | 11–5 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 19 | 25–16 | 17–24 | 10–6 |
| x-Golden State Warriors | 42 | 40 | .512 | 19 | 30–11 | 12–29 | 6–10 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 40 | 42 | .488 | 21 | 25–16 | 15–26 | 8–8 |
| Sacramento Kings | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 | 20–21 | 13–28 | 5–11 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Dallas Mavericks | 67 | 15 | .817 | - |
| 2 | y-Phoenix Suns | 61 | 21 | .744 | 6 |
| 3 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 58 | 24 | .707 | 9 |
| 4 | y-Utah Jazz | 51 | 31 | .622 | 16 |
| 5 | x-Houston Rockets | 52 | 30 | .634 | 15 |
| 6 | x-Denver Nuggets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 22 |
| 7 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 25 |
| 8 | x-Golden State Warriors | 42 | 40 | .512 | 25 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Clippers | 40 | 42 | .488 | 27 |
| 10 | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 28 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 33 | 49 | .402 | 34 |
| 12 | Portland Trail Blazers | 32 | 50 | .390 | 35 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 32 | 50 | .390 | 35 |
| 14 | Seattle SuperSonics | 31 | 51 | .378 | 36 |
| 15 | Memphis Grizzlies | 22 | 60 | .268 | 45 |
| 2006–07 game log Total: 42–40 (home: 25–16; road: 17-24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–0 (home: 1–0; road: 0–0)
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November: 9–5 (home: 8–2; road: 1–3)
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December: 10–6 (home: 5–2; road: 5–4)
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January: 8–7 (home: 5–2; road: 3–5)
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February: 5–7 (home: 1–3; road: 4–4)
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March: 5–9 (home: 3–4; road: 2–5)
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April: 4–6 (home: 2–3; road: 2–3)
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| 2006–07 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 playoff game log Total: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2007 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwame Brown | 41 | 28 | 27.6 | .591 | .000 | .440 | 6.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 8.4 |
| Kobe Bryant | 77 | 77 | 40.8 | .463 | .344 | .868 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 1.4 | .5 | 31.6 |
| Andrew Bynum | 82 | 53 | 21.9 | .558 | .000 | .668 | 5.9 | 1.1 | .1 | 1.6 | 7.8 |
| Brian Cook | 65 | 24 | 15.7 | .453 | .400 | .723 | 3.3 | 1.0 | .4 | .4 | 6.9 |
| Maurice Evans | 76 | 10 | 22.8 | .432 | .361 | .787 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .2 | 8.4 |
| Jordan Farmar | 72 | 2 | 15.1 | .422 | .328 | .711 | 1.7 | 1.9 | .6 | .1 | 4.4 |
| Aaron McKie | 10 | 0 | 13.1 | .647 | . | . | 1.8 | 1.3 | .4 | .0 | 2.2 |
| Lamar Odom | 56 | 56 | 39.3 | .468 | .297 | .700 | 9.8 | 4.8 | .9 | .6 | 15.9 |
| Smush Parker | 82 | 80 | 30.0 | .436 | .365 | .646 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .1 | 11.1 |
| Vladimir Radmanovic | 55 | 15 | 17.9 | .424 | .339 | .726 | 3.3 | 1.2 | .5 | .3 | 6.6 |
| Ronny Turiaf | 72 | 1 | 15.1 | .549 | .000 | .664 | 3.6 | .9 | .2 | 1.1 | 5.3 |
| Sasha Vujacic | 73 | 4 | 12.8 | .392 | .373 | .878 | 1.5 | .9 | .6 | .0 | 4.3 |
| Luke Walton | 60 | 60 | 33.0 | .474 | .387 | .745 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 1.0 | .4 | 11.4 |
| Shammond Williams | 30 | 0 | 11.5 | .407 | .400 | .667 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .4 | .0 | 3.1 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwame Brown | 5 | 5 | 26.6 | .528 | . | .556 | 5.6 | .2 | .2 | .8 | 8.6 |
| Kobe Bryant | 5 | 5 | 43.0 | .462 | .357 | .919 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 32.8 |
| Andrew Bynum | 5 | 0 | 11.0 | .533 | . | .400 | 4.6 | .0 | .0 | .4 | 4.0 |
| Brian Cook | 5 | 0 | 10.2 | .333 | .429 | 1.000 | 1.2 | .0 | .0 | .2 | 3.6 |
| Maurice Evans | 5 | 0 | 16.4 | .385 | .385 | . | 1.6 | .6 | .4 | .0 | 5.0 |
| Jordan Farmar | 5 | 5 | 22.8 | .429 | .200 | .857 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.2 | .2 | 6.4 |
| Lamar Odom | 5 | 5 | 38.4 | .482 | .273 | .500 | 13.0 | 2.2 | .4 | 1.2 | 19.4 |
| Smush Parker | 5 | 0 | 11.8 | .154 | .167 | 1.000 | 1.4 | .6 | .6 | .2 | 1.8 |
| Ronny Turiaf | 4 | 0 | 12.0 | .357 | . | .700 | 3.0 | .3 | .5 | .3 | 4.3 |
| Sasha Vujacic | 4 | 0 | 10.8 | .556 | .250 | . | 1.0 | .8 | .3 | .0 | 2.8 |
| Luke Walton | 5 | 5 | 25.6 | .389 | .417 | .750 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | .2 | 7.2 |
| Shammond Williams | 4 | 0 | 20.0 | .400 | .250 | . | .8 | 1.8 | .0 | .3 | 4.5 |
In their most notable move, L.A. signed three-point specialist PFVladimir Radmanović to a five year/$31 million contract from cross-town rivals Clippers.[6] Addressing the need for veterans, they also signed PGShammond Williams for a one-year, $5 million deal.[7] To make ties with existing players, L.A. signedBrian Cook to a 3-year extension.[8]
Devean George, who won three titles with the Lakers in the early 2000s declined FA and signed with the Mavericks, leaving Bryant the remaining player from the glory days.[9]
Most of the signings the Lakers did was sign and cut/trade. Pinnock,Mamadou N'diaye,Marcus Douthit, andDevin Green were all cut before the season started.[10][11]
