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The Lakers’ head coaching vacancy is a polarizing topic, as the opportunity to work for one of the NBA’s most historic franchises gets a bit offset by an aging roster with little to no wiggle room in cap space for free agency and trades. Add that to the fact that they have no draft picks this season and the options to improve the roster are limited at best aside from the superstar tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis getting healthy for next season....

Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are expected to play on Wednesday against the Clippers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin. James missed a game for the first time this season on Sunday with a thoracic muscle strain and discomfort in his groin; Davis hurt his right knee in that game, a 128-104 loss to the Nuggets. MORE: SN’s NBA Athlete of the Decade Both James and Davis were listed as questionable on Monday for the Christmas showdown with the Clippers, but the All-Star forwards pushed for an impromptu practice on Christmas Eve, per Wojnarowski and McMenamin....

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Buss plans on making home games a celebration of Kobe Bryant’s longevity and loyalty to the franchise. Bryant will be entering his 20th and perhaps final season with the Lakers. MORE: Blazers’ Matthews emotional after injury | Bird takes shot at Wilkins statue | Shaw interested in coaching Magic Per the L.A. Daily News, Buss said the organization is “talking about a bunch of different things” to honor Bryant at home games and promised, “we will make it special....

A sign of their patience is evidence in their approach to practice. The Lakers have no preconceived expectations for what Bryant will bring to practice on Tuesday. The team can't say whether he will raise the bar for his activity on Tuesday. “If he’s feeling up to it,” Lakers spokesman John Black told the L.A. Daily News. “The ball in his court so to speak. If he wants to, he can....

“I’ve been following Houston for a while now,” he said, via the Houston Chronicle. “I know in this offense, they get their running backs involved.” MORE: Free agency winners and losers | Best, worst RB moves in free agency Did you catch that last part? The Texans actually use their running backs. In two years under Bill O’Brien, Houston has ranked first (2014) and fifth (2015) in total rushing attempts....

“He gets better a little bit every day,” a source told US Weekly. “He took a few steps without the walker. It’s very slow and he’s supposed to go to the rehab any day now.” MORE: Lamar Odom photo gallery | Odom still struggling in recovery According to the report, Odom also recognized a hospital employee, which is a positive sign for a patient feared to have significant brain damage....

A Japanese study, yet to be peer reviewed, found that mutations of the variant, which has been reported in more than 40 countries, may resist vaccines. Experts have been warning for months about the potential for a new mutation that can evade vaccines. If that worst-case scenario plays out, drug companies will have to come up with new vaccines and revaccinate everyone. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, acknowledged on Wednesday that the mutations in Lambda’s spike protein are concerning because any time the virus changes, there’s the threat that it will not be neutralized by a vaccine....

No English team has reached the final of Europe’s top club competition since the 2011-12 season when Lampard won the competition with Chelsea. Blues 16/1 with dabblebet to win CL Real Madrid reasserted their dominance after two successive titles with a UEFA Super Cup win over Manchester United on August 8, and Lampard expects to see improvement from English sides this season after several years of failure in the competition....

As schools prepare to reopen and the debate continues regarding safety for teachers, staff and students amid the coronavirus pandemic, the largest teachers’ union in the United States said it would support its members striking over health and safety conditions in educational institutions. The National Education Association (NEA), which boasts over 3 million members provided a statement from NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia. “Nobody wants to see students back in the classroom more than educators, but when it comes to their safety, we’re not ready to take any options off the table,” García wrote....

The College Football Playoff selection committee has faith in Cardale Jones. Las Vegas has its doubts. After Ohio State’s 59-0 shellacking of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game, the Buckeyes moved from fifth to fourth in the playoff rankings, a high enough standing to secure a spot in the Sugar Bowl, a national semifinal date against Alabama on New Year’s Day. Ohio State has been as high as a 10-point underdog against the top-seeded Crimson Tide since betting opened in Vegas on Sunday....

A few themes stand out: there's a split of opinion among the guys running the books, while The Linemakers crew is unanimous in laying the short number with the Broncos. Also, the majority of our prognosticators, no matter which side their money is on, is predicting a close game, with one calling it “one of the more difficult Super Bowls to handicap in recent memory.” Denver is the 2.5-point favorite, with a total of 48, at most Vegas bet shops as Friday morning....

On the day of your surgery, your eye will be numbed, and a specialized device will be used to correct the problem while you lie awake. It’s a quick procedure—usually taking only 30 minutes—and patients will be able to go home the same day. Before the Surgery In initial consultation and evaluation, the doctor will already have carefully assessed and measured the thickness of your eye’s cornea and determined a plan of attack....

-OSCAR WILDE Emily Post, meet Animal House. With graduating seniors facing the toughest job market in years, universities from coast to coast offered etiquette classes this spring to finish students off as they finish school. Some fraternities, academic societies and job-placement offices hosted workshops and extravagant banquets. The popularity of the programs has even spawned a cottage industry of entrepreneurs who sell etiquette seminar packages to groups for $500 to $6,000 a day....

Bush, who been frequently been referred to as a new member of the Congressional group informally known as “The Squad,” was elected to represent Missouri’s First Congressional District on November 3 after pulling off an upset victory in the Democratic primary months earlier. Prior to entering politics, the congresswoman-elect was a prominent Black Lives Matter activist and community organizer. “I am proud to have been named to a committee with the power to bring about justice for all,” Bush said in a statement obtained by Newsweek....

Mounting anger has so far only foiled Fox’s plans for economic reform. But four of the 18 democratically elected governments in Latin America have fallen to protests fueled by economic discontent since 2000, one every year for the last four years. The tumult began with the surprise victory of a self-styled heir to Simon Bolivar, Hugo Chavez, whose reign in Venezuela has turned politics into a running street fight. It brought down four presidents in Argentina alone in two riotous weeks in 2001....

While doctors told her she wouldn’t make it past the holidays in 2014, she’s still here, spreading awareness and raising money to battle DIPG, a terminal brain cancer that primarily impacts children much younger than her. MORE: Photos from Lauren Hill’s college hoops debut Hill took that message of hope and awareness to “The View” on Friday. Despite battling through obvious effects of medication to combat her pain, she’s still looking for your help to raise funds....

The NCAA granted Mount St. Joseph special permission to move up its game to allow Hill to participate. Then, the freshman surprised her teammates and suited up for a second game. On Saturday, Hill got to play on her home court for the first time this year. Hill scored the first two points for Mount St. Joseph in its home opener against Franklin College. Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV MORE: Hill’s second game | Photos from ‘One Last Game’ | Hill exchanges jerseys with Devon Still...

The brown pet, whose name is Ollie, has a bedroom to rival any luxury-loving adult, and it looks incredible. In footage posted to the social media app by Good.boy.ollie, we can see that the family pet took over his owner’s sister’s room when she moved out. The video, which has gone viral with over 17.8 million views, begins with a clip of a girl walking towards a car and waving as she puts her suitcase in the trunk....

Tiffany Lopez, formerly Tiffany Thomas, filed the lawsuit against Nassar and Michigan State in Los Angeles County Superior Court. In 1998, when Lopez was a sophomore on the Spartans softball team, the university sent her to Nassar to be treated for chronic lower back pain. Lopez alleges that Nassar sexually abused her during medical exams more than 10 times during a three-year period. Nassar used a treatment he called “inter-vaginal adjustments” on Lopez, according to the lawsuit....

On Sunday, the three-time Pro Bowler Bell will face the Steelers for the first time since switching to the Jets in March. Bell signed a four-year, $52.2 million deal with the Jets following a contract dispute in Pittsburgh, where he spent his first five NFL seasons. “I’m happy where I’m at,” Bell said Thursday. “The way things are going, obviously it’s not ideal with the way our record (5-9) is....