The Los Angeles Lakers have officially signed small forward Ira Newble to a 10-day contract. Mitch Kupchak should get some praise for this signing simply because he lured a player into LA that was choosing between a new team and returning to his existing team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he could’ve reunited with Lebron James.

Newble has made the wise decision of teaming up with Kobe Bryant. Perhaps by season’s end Mr. Newble will be capable of determining who the league’s MVP truly is.

Either way, Newble is an eight year NBA veteran who has played for the Cavaliers and for a few games with the Seattle Supersonics. Newble was involved in the trade between the Cavs and Sonics that sent Delonte West and Wally Sczerbiak to Cleveland. Newble went to University of Miami, then played in the International Basketball Association followed by a three year stay in the CBA.

Newble has averaged 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in a cool 15 minutes of game time. He is better known for his key role player contributions than his shooting or actual statistics.

With this signing, the Lakers roster is officially at 15 (for the next 10 days), and the Lakers cannot add another player, unless they decide to rid of Newble after his short term contract.