NER: Check yourself

On this week's New Era Radio ... Pasqual's back from South Africa; what's wrong with Cam Newton; Marcas laments the Giants in the World Series; why don't more athletes and celebrities vote Republican?

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Kobe...He's Fancy Huh..Nails Done, Hair Done Everything Did

Kobe has been putting in work in this league for 15 years, so it should come as no surprise that he needs to get pampered once in awhile.

So after the Lakers big lost to the Celtics last Sunday he was prepped at the nearest nail salon in Newport Beach, Ca. Maybe this is the key to having successful career and being one of the top athletes in the world.

Artest Wants Out Of L.A. ?

Posted by the L.A. Times's Mark Medina:

Ron Artest's agent, David Bauman, refuted an ESPN report that said Artest hoped the Lakers traded him.

"Ron is not looking for a trade," Bauman said. "The frustration is there among everyone on the team. But Ron is a Laker, and he just wants to win. Ron is frustrated with the losing, as everybody is."

After the Lakers' 109-96 loss Sunday to the Boston Celtics, General Manager Mitch Kupchak told the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner and NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper he was considering making a trade. The Times' Mike Bresnahan highlighted the limited trade options the Lakers had because of their "aging roster and cumbersome salaries," noting that Artest's trade value was low because of his season-long inconsistency, his age (31) and because he had three more years left on his contract after this season worth $21.8 million. And though both Ron Artest's brother, Daniel Artest, and the report itself said Daniel wasn't the source, he suggested on his Twitter account during the Lakers-Rockets game Tuesday that he was frustrated.

The ESPN report stressed that it was likely Artest could change his mind given his fickle personality and the fact that his relationship with Lakers Coach Phil Jackson had improved ever since a Yahoo! sports report in December on a confrontation during practice between Artest and Jackson in which Artest voice his frustrations with Jackson publicly criticizing him. Said Bauman: "Ron and Phil have definitely seen each other eye to eye better."

Ron Artest REALLY Loves In-N-Out Burgers

I need a Double-Double, Animal Style. NOW!

For the second time this month, the NBA has rescinded a technical foul called against a Los Angeles Laker. This time, it's Ron Artest who was T'd up after the Lakers and Clippers got into a shoving match late in their game on Sunday. The decision means Ron-Ron gets to hold onto $4,000 he otherwise would have been fined if the technical remained in place. What does that mean to Artest? Lunch, of course.

"I could've bought 10,000 In-N-Out Burgers," Artest told the L.A. Times. "I rather would've done that than give it away. I'm going to get 10 burgers [after Monday's game]. I love In-N-Out. It's addicting. It's the only reason I'm here in L.A. If it wasn't for In-N-Out Burger, I probably would've gone to Memphis or something."

Really? That's all it took to get him to Los Angeles? Somewhere Donald Sterling is tearing his hair out wondering how the Lakers get all the breaks. Well, we're sure he would be tearing his hair out if we believed he was ever paying attention to anything that happens in the NBA. Meanwhile, everyone else in Los Angeles is busy trying to figure out exactly which In-N-Out sells 40-cent hamburgers.

Looks like the Lakers nutritionist is back on the case. And after they'd gotten Lamar Odom's sweet tooth under control...