Lakers’ week in review

On Monday, Kurt Rambis tweeted that he was officially back with the Lakers as an assistant to Coach Mike D’Antoni.

Rambis said he would like to help improve the team’s defense. The Lakers also rounded out D’Antoni’s staff with new assistant Johnny Davis.

In a previous stint with the Lakers under Phil Jackson, Rambis coached Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar. He’ll also reunite with Wesley Johnson, who played for Rambis in Minnesota as a rookie.

Rambis isn’t quite sold on the notion that the Lakers can be a traditional D’Antoni-style running team.

Gasol took time to visit Syrian refugees in Iraq as an ambassador for UNICEF. He was moved by the plight of the people, especially the children, who were forced to flee their homes in Syria.

The two-time NBA champion said he holds no grudges after a difficult season during which he was forced into an uncomfortable role next to Dwight Howard. He also said he’s looking forward to a bigger role in the Lakers’ offense, now that Howard has moved on to the Houston Rockets.

D’Antoni is optimistic about the Lakers’ chances, saying on local radio that he believes the team “can be better than most people think.”

Of course, that might be wholly dependent on the return of Bryant from an Achilles’ tendon injury. Steve Nash said he thinks Bryant can defy the odds because he’s a “freak.”

Meanwhile, Bryant took in a Dodgers game with Magic Johnson, while Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig stopped by the Lakers’ practice facility.

Free agent forward Marcus Landry suggested, via Twitter, that he and the Lakers might be nearing an agreement.

Finally, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban released the animated video his team used to try to help sway Howard to sign with Dallas. Obviously, it didn’t work....

Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.