Tex plans to attend ring ceremony

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Oct 13, 2009, 11:27:45 PM10/13/09

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Tex Winter plans to attend Lakers' ring ceremony

The longtime consultant, who suffered a stroke in late April, wants to be
there for the opening game against the Clippers on Oct. 27.

By Mike Bresnahan

8:05 PM PDT, October 13, 2009

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-fyi14-2009oct14,0,2582530,print.story

The Lakers are planning a big celebration for their ring ceremony on
opening night, but one person's appearance might mean the most.

Longtime Lakers consultant Tex Winter is planning to attend.

Winter, 87, spent most of the summer in an assisted-living apartment in
Oregon after suffering a stroke in late April while attending a basketball
reunion in Manhattan, Kan.

The modern-day architect of the triangle offense has slowly been
recovering, demonstrating good comprehension and an ability to say
specific words, though he still has trouble formulating sentences.

The Lakers are hopeful he can make it to their Oct. 27 opener against the
Clippers.

"Tex has been a vital part of our success over the last decade and is
obviously a very important person to Phil Jackson," team spokesman John
Black said. "It would mean a lot to us to have him present for the
ceremony."

Jackson visited Winter in Oregon shortly after the Lakers won the
championship in June.

Last season marked the 63rd year of earning a basketball-related paycheck
for Winter, who played at Huntington Park High and USC before taking his
first coaching job as an assistant with Kansas State after World War II.

Winter suffered the stroke while getting ready for a reunion at Kansas
State, where he coached the men's basketball team that advanced to the
NCAA Final Four in 1958.

There will be other Lakers at the ring ceremony, including a member from
each of their previous nine championship teams in Los Angeles.

The former players are Jerry West (1972 team), Norm Nixon (1980), Jamaal
Wilkes (1982), James Worthy (1985), Michael Cooper (1987), Magic Johnson
(1988), A.C. Green (2000), Rick Fox (2001) and Robert Horry (2002).

"In tying it in to our 50th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles, which
we'll be doing events throughout the year, we thought this would be a way
of making this ring ceremony unique, special and different from other ring
ceremonies," Black said.

73-9?

The Lakers went 65-17 last season with Andrew Bynum missing 32 games
because of a knee injury. Can they come close to the Chicago Bulls'
record-setting 72-10 season in 1995-96?

"I don't want the players to set that as a goal. That's not a goal," said
Jackson, who also coached that Bulls team. "The goal is to go through the
season in orderly fashion and build momentum to the end of the year."

Jackson has often said that a centrally located team such as Chicago has
the best chance at regular-season success because of shorter flights than
a team on the West or East coasts.

Regardless, the Lakers figure to get off to a good start with 17 of their
first 21 games at home.

Quick hits

Forward-center Pau Gasol sat out practice Tuesday because of a strained
right hamstring. Forward Luke Walton sat out because of a sore back. Gasol
said he hoped to play Thursday against Sacramento in an exhibition in Las
Vegas. Walton's availability was unclear. . . . The Lakers ended practice
with a scrimmage in front of about 200 season-ticket holders at the team
training facility in El Segundo. Jackson's assessment? "Adam
[Morrison]shot the ball really well. 'Drew [Bynum] obviously played hard
and had some success. Shannon [Brown] had a few moments that ignited the
crowd, as he will. Kobe [Bryant] was good out at practice today,
entertained the folks."