This season marked the final career playoff appearance of Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.
During this season, the Lakers were supposed to acquire Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets in a three-team deal that would send Lamar Odom, Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and a 2012 1st round pick to the Hornets and Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets, but then-NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade.
In his first game back against the Denver Nuggets, he scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Lakers to a 92–89 win.
[3] On April 11, 2012, Bynum further showed why he should be an all-star when against the San Antonio Spurs he recorded a career high 30 rebounds and helped the Lakers win the game 98–84.
[7] His emergence as an all-star and career high numbers sparked a debate of whether Bynum was the best center in the league or Dwight Howard.
Kevin Durant hit the go ahead bucket with 18.6 seconds to go and Steve Blake missed a three-pointer in the corner resulting in a 75-76 Laker loss.
Ultimately, the eventual Western Conference Champions Thunder proved too much for the Lakers, winning the next game at Chesapeake Energy Arena 90–106, wrapping up the series 1–4.
Power Forwards Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, and Guard/Forward Jason Kapono, who was later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Derrick Caracter In December 2011, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed a proposed three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets, and Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets.
The league had acquired the Hornets from former owner George Shinn, and the commissioner's office had final authority over all management decisions.
They also traded longtime Laker and co-captain Derrick Fisher and a 2012 first-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill.
Although Hill did not play immediately, he later planted himself as a key bench player after his breakout game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After Metta World Peace was ejected for elbowing James Harden, the shorthanded Lakers called upon Hill.
In his first game with significant minutes for the Lakers, he scored 14 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots.