"The Show" report

[Showtime]

Hello Laker fans (and all ha.....). This is that most wonderful time of the year when baseball is about to have it's World Series, College BCS rankings is out/midway through their season and the NBA pre season is in full swing!

Not that the preseason means much, but the Lakers are 2 and 1 so far. The 1 loss came to a Suns team that played all their starters for most of the game. For some reason they don't look much better with Amare back. I don't think he is 100% like he claims and I look forward to the rematch.

After a dissappointing 1st round loss to the Suns last year, the Lakers made some changes. So far I am very impressed with the new and improved squad. A lot of other teams also got better this year and it will be interesting to see how we match up with them now.

The roster has some new faces, but more familiar ones and more playoff experience than last years squad. Overall it's still a very young team with a lot of potential. They are looking better in the triangle offense, but it will take a while to get eveyone on the same page especially with Kobe back in the lineup.

Guards:
Rookie Jordan Farmar (from Ucla's 2nd place squad last year) is much better than I expected him to be at this point. He could become the starting point guard this year.
Williams is a vet and should provide some solid play.
We lost SF George (to Dallas), but SG Maurice Evans is a better defender imo.
Smush is still that high energy point guard. We will see how much he worked his D in the off season.
Aaron McKey is back after being injured all last year. He might get some playing time, but is mostly there to mentor the younger guards imo. He could also join the next group.
Sasha, Green, Pinnock and Von Wafer are all fighting for one of the final spots. Sasha has a slight edge due to experience, but if he doesn't show improvement from last year will be let go at the end of the year for sure. It's a shame he couldn't shoot in games like he did in practice.
Scoring champ/ phenom Kobe Bryant is starting to practice and might even get in a game or 2 before the season starts on Halloween eve. Nuff said.

Forwards:
Odom is back and looks even more focused this year after falling out in the playoffs and the tragedy of losing his infant son. I'd like to see him at the 3, but he'll still play a lot of 4. Luke is a very smart player and looking like a seasoned vet now.
The jury is still out on forward Radmanovic, but he has a sweet shot and will improve our offense. He and Brian Cook will help spread the floor and should come through in the clutch.
Turiaf is an aggressive player and will bring a lot of energy off the bench. Nice to see him doing so well after open heart surgery his rookie year.

Centers:
Kwame looks poised to have that 15 and 10 season that he was brought here for.
2nd year Bynum is now almost 19 years of age has grown an inch and put on a solid 20 pounds of muscle. He is now 7'1" and weighs 280! IF he developes, I may have to take back about 30% of the things I've said about Kupchak.
Mihm should be back and ready to back up Kwame in a little while. I wouldn't mind seeing them both in at the same time doing a twin towers thing.
I haven't even seen Mamadou N'diaye, but I wanted to write his name. I will check to see if he plays tonight and what he looks like out there.

Coach Jackson should be back on the bench soon. Rambis is doing a decent job in the interim. There are no lawsuits, criminal investigations, coach or player controversies to distract the team this year. :) This should be a fun season for all Laker fans and may be the return of Championship basketball.

GO LAKERS!

:cheers:

[CornMonkey]

i like how the lakers got mo evans for pretty much nothing. and i'm impressed with farmar. liked watching him at ucla, and is quite impressive in preseason play thus far. i thought he made a mistake by making himself eligible, but he's proving to be a real smart PG. his might be my very first lakers jersey. :)

i say get rid of green, pinnock, and von wafer, or at least send them to the d-league. keep sasha for his experience. plus, seems like he gain some muscle too.

[GraingerGuy]

What makes you think that Kwame will actually try this year? He's always just seemed like a really lazy player in general.

[MikeD]

I'll say one thing for you Showtime: you're a great fan. You're an optimist, you're upbeat, you support your team.

I don't know how improved the Lakers will be, and the West will be tough again. We'll see how some of the changes pan out.

[Showtime]

What makes you think that Kwame will actually try this year? He's always just seemed like a really lazy player in general.

You didn't watch him after the all star break last year. He hasn't been the guy you're describing since he left the Bullets imo.

We will make the playoffs and won't miss that key rebound this time so I would say we got as good a shot as anyone. Especially after seeing a weak team like Dallas go to the finals and choke.
Btw, KG's contract will be up and guess who will have the money and cap to go after him after this season? :)

[Showtime]

It begins!

Halloween Eve: The rematch

Lakers vs. Suns

and guess who's back? bwhahaahaaahaaaaaaaa!

Laker report:

Phil is back on the bench though he may be using a cane. Kobe will most likely play tonight. Practice went well and he says he is feeling better.

Several Lakers are still injured, but that could be good for the younger players. Centers Mihm and Brown won't be back until mid November. Radmanovic has a torn ligament (will need surgery) in his shooting hand, but will try to play through it this season.

Injuries might help the team over the long term as it will allow the younger players more playing time. Bynum and Turiaf have a ways to go, but have potential. Bynum who just turned 19 years old, is 7'1, 285 pounds and growing.

I am hoping to see Phil play Farmar more than he normally plays rookies. This kid can play and should be developed imo. I am looking forward to seeing Farmar to Kobe a lot in coming years.

Btw, Jerry Buss got a well deserved star on the walk:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers31oct31,1,200064.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

[MikeD]

Btw, KG's contract will be up and guess who will have the money and cap to go after him after this season? :)

Didn't you say that about Yao, too? Maybe even Amare?

Ain't gonna happen...

[Showtime]

Didn't you say that about Yao, too? Maybe even Amare?

Ain't gonna happen...

Yeah and I said the same thing about Shaq and 3 rings later....

[MikeD]

Yeah and I said the same thing about Shaq and 3 rings later....

OK. While on the subject, you also said Shaq wouldn't win in Miami.

Ain't gonna happen.

[bachviet]

Mark my words: The Lakers ain't going to win anything anytime soon. My Clippers will be a better team again this year.

[verve247]

Goddamn!!!! The lakeshow looked good out there. All they need now is some superstar on their team playing and they are set.

[MikeD]

Bynum had a nice game. Then again, Mihm blew up in the season opener two years ago, and we all know how that turned out.

Lakers are an interesting team this year. They could do some damage, or they could implode. We'll see...

[Showtime]

OK. While on the subject, you also said Shaq wouldn't win in Miami.

Ain't gonna happen.


Miami's championship was an aberration and should have an apostrophe next to it like the spurs. Dallas shouldn't have rep'd the West and Detroit tanked it. They won't repeat despite what Shaq said and that will be that.


Mark my words: The Lakers ain't going to win anything anytime soon. My Clippers will be a better team again this year.

Been marking your word since Shaq left town and if you guys couldn't get over in year 1, you're not getting over in year 3.
I don't think you guys improved and will probably fold in the 1st round this year. Lets see if your fully loaded Clips can beat the Suns like we did.


Goddamn!!!! The lakeshow looked good out there. All they need now is some superstar on their team playing and they are set.

One game doesn't mean much, but the Show has a lot of potential. Bynum may end up being the missing piece and hopefully gets a lot more playing time so that everyone can see how he is developing under the tutelage of the greatest center of all time.
"...say ooh and ahh when I jump in my car, people treat me like Kareem..... Abdul.... Jabbar." -PE


Bynum had a nice game. Then again, Mihm blew up in the season opener two years ago, and we all know how that turned out.


Lakers are an interesting team this year. They could do some damage, or they could implode. We'll see...

Apples to Oranges and you know it. With Mihm, anything around a double double would be great. With Bynum, the potential is much much higher and he just turned 19. Did you catch LO's superstar stats? 34 and 13 and 5 or so dimes. :)


It seems to me that Show is leaning towards greatness. Best coach in the game. Best player in the game. A defensive minded team with a big upside. The only question is how well they all jel together when everyone is healthy. If we don't go big this year.... Next year we go after KG.

[Freelance Superhero]

i've recently come to a conclusion about the lakers.

despite the fact that i was a celtics fan when i was a kid and the fact that i'm from sacramento so i've always been a kings fan, i didn't really dislike the lakers until shaq came along. i've never liked shaq and i never will.

that said, i don't really dislike the lakers like i used to. in fact, i kinda like them now. Farmar's a bruin, so i'm already on his side. but i liked mo evans when he played for the kings; i was sad to see him go, but i'm glad i'll get to see him play on tv quite a bit again. i also like vlad-rad, and i've been a fan of kobe ever since the world discovered how much of a headcase the guy is in his private life. and, as i mentioned, no more shaq = huge boost in my esteem for the team.

now, i don't like kwame at all, i don't really like smush, and i'm liking lamar less and less, but i like the other guys enough that i don't mind these dudes as much.

so, for once, while i may not root for the lakers, per se, i won't have to shake my head at everything showtime says any more. :)

[MikeD]

Miami's championship was an aberration and should have an apostrophe next to it like the spurs. Dallas shouldn't have rep'd the West and Detroit tanked it. They won't repeat despite what Shaq said and that will be that.

I was with you until this point. Even went out of my way to say the Lakers could do some damage. But hey...winning the ring is winning the ring. There was no "aberration". If that's the case, I could say the Lakers taking the Suns to 7 games was an "aberration".

That's crap...put your dislike of Shaq aside and accept that he went to Miami and won gold. Kobe will have to wear that monkey on his back until he gets his next ring, too (if he does).

Give credit where it's due. When you don't, you come off like a homer fan.

[bachviet]

Been marking your word since Shaq left town and if you guys couldn't get over in year 1, you're not getting over in year 3.
I don't think you guys improved and will probably fold in the 1st round this year. Lets see if your fully loaded Clips can beat the Suns like we did.




Were the Clippers better than the Lakers over the last 2 seasons? I never said anything about the Clippers winning the NBA tittle unlike someone else here talked about the Lakers four-future-hall-of-famers won it all three years ago.

Your rants about your beloved Lakers are getting old.

[Showtime]

2 and 0 without Kobe.

The Show is looking pretty good lately. At this rate we could end up with a nice starting 5 and a really good bench. Porbably too early to tell, but if Kobe can come back and not disrupt the flow, we will have a nice season. All the injuries could end up being a blessing if we can keep winning.

Kobe still hasn't played in a game, though practice has gone well. Looks like he'll start Friday, but.... :shrug:

LO almost had a triple double last night. He would have gotten it if it wasn't a blow out.

Bynum is starting to shine. It's still to early to know for sure, but he is definitely the best 19 year old in the league. :P

Turiaf has been a monster. 14 in the 3rd last night. I like him off the bench, but he'll have a few more opportunities to start and shine.

Rad was really nice last night. He is really mobile for a big man and goes to the hole more than cook, who is also shooting/playing well.

Mo Evans has impressed me more than Butler did early in the season. He has some ups and his D is as good as advertised. .

Smush's D has gotten better. His shot selection still isn't great, but it's good see some growth. Farmar may already be a better choice in big game situations.

Farmar needs more experience and could end up as a starter is Smush doesn't to continue to improve.

Walton is much more aggressive and probably the smartest player on the court whenever he is out there.


Other news:


I was with you until this point. Even went out of my way to say the Lakers could do some damage. But hey...winning the ring is winning the ring. There was no "aberration". If that's the case, I could say the Lakers taking the Suns to 7 games was an "aberration".

That's crap...put your dislike of Shaq aside and accept that he went to Miami and won gold. Kobe will have to wear that monkey on his back until he gets his next ring, too (if he does).

Give credit where it's due. When you don't, you come off like a homer fan.

Miami got lucky last year, but now everyone sees how easy it is to run on them. We both know it's not if, but when the Show will get another ring. And that will definitely be before the heat does again. Looks like Shaq is dragging already and not even wade can save them. I also see a complaining or a very silent diesel in the locker this year and his guarantee of a repeat washed out by the all-star.


Were the Clippers better than the Lakers over the last 2 seasons? I never said anything about the Clippers winning the NBA tittle unlike someone else here talked about the Lakers four-future-hall-of-famers won it all three years ago.

Your rants about your beloved Lakers are getting old.

No one ever ever ever said anything about the clippers winning a title, but you did claim you had a better team than the Show. Not true then and not true today. I still think you don't even watch bball and just hate on the show because you think that will make you unique or special. :)

The only one ranting around here is Mr. Mark my words.....

Btw, how could you lose to the suns? We beat them with half of our starters and the best player in the game on the bench.

[bachviet]

...



No one ever ever ever said anything about the clippers winning a title, but you did claim you had a better team than the Show. Not true then and not true today. I still think you don't even watch bball and just hate on the show because you think that will make you unique or special. :)

The only one ranting around here is Mr. Mark my words.....

Btw, how could you lose to the suns? We beat them with half of our starters and the best player in the game on the bench.
Yawn... Who advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year? Who got a better record? Not your Fakers that for sure.

[MikeD]

Bynum is starting to shine. It's still to early to know for sure, but he is definitely the best 19 year old in the league.

He's one of the only 19 year olds in the league. :shrug:


We both know it's not if, but when the Show will get another ring.

I already know your answer to this question, but do you think Kobe will get another ring?

If he does, he better do it soon. Time is running short. Those knees have already accumulated a ton of miles.

BTW, the correct answer to my question is "no". :hihi:

[MikeD]

Quick update:

*Lakers are 4-4, but have lost 4 of their last 6.
*One of those losses (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=261019013) was to the (gasp!) Clippers.
*Mihm is out forever with an ankle injury.

In brighter news, Bynum has looked good.

Moral: it's a long season. The time to get excited is after 82 games, not 1 or 2.

[ray]

Moral: it's a long season. The time to get excited is after 82 games, not 1 or 2.

Would it matter if we got excited now or later? The same people will say the same thing regardless. The way I read it is, we're all haters and we don't actually watch basketball.

Haha. :rolleyes:

GO REDSKINS! #1 pick in next year's Draft whooo!!!!

[hijacks thread]

[MikeD]

GO REDSKINS! #1 pick in next year's Draft whooo!!!!

[hijacks thread]

Can a brotha get a 35 yard FG? Or some hands on the star WR? Or some decent OL blocking? :hihi:

[Showtime]

Quick update:

*Lakers are 4-4, but have lost 4 of their last 6.
*One of those losses (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=261019013) was to the (gasp!) Clippers.
*Mihm is out forever with an ankle injury.

In brighter news, Bynum has looked good.

Moral: it's a long season. The time to get excited is after 82 games, not 1 or 2.

Oh wise and enlightened one, what else will you teach to us?

I always thought that people could post whatever they want as long as it fits the guide lines here at GA. Are you offended by the positive attitude or do you honestly think the Lakers are that bad a squad this year? I could go and talk about your avatar, but we both know an easy mark is just that so I'll just move on. :wavey:

Early report:
The show has been crappy late, but I am more than happy about Lakers' prospects this year. They look great at times and very inexperienced at other times, but the upside is big....huge this year. When they gel, it is a thing of beauty. The young guys don't/won't get the calls yet and Kobe is around 70% imo. That compounds a lot of errors that will be lessoned with time/experience. They are still having more problems with physical forwards than they should. Phil needs to play the younger guys more and put Turiaff in whenever teams get physical. Kwame will be back and that will help the rotation and take some pressure off the the 19 year old prodigy. I can't wait to see teams try muscle up when Kwame and Turiaff are both playing.
Odom is showing more passion this year than all of last year and it will hopefully become contagious.

Moral: Expect the clippers/your prediction to get smoked and for some to get nervous as the Lakers make a deeper run into the playoffs this year.

[MikeD]

I always thought that people could post whatever they want as long as it fits the guide lines here at GA. Are you offended by the positive attitude or do you honestly think the Lakers are that bad a squad this year? I could go and talk about your avatar, but we both know an easy mark is just that so I'll just move on.

Even though you didn't answer my question, I'll answer yours.

Nah, don't think the Lakers are a bad squad. In actuality, I think they've got a good young core. Great coach to build that talent, too. And as I've also said before, I admire your attitude. I think I called it "...being a true fan".

With that said, the problem is Kobe. No rings until he leaves. His attitude and behavior have killed that team before. Their best chance to build another version of the "dynasty" would have been to move him and accumulate multiple building blocks. You may not agree here, but a guy who appears to know as much as you do about bball knows it to be true.

I'm simply a Lakers realist. Heh, I can afford to be since I'm not a fan (nor a hater, for that matter). They're not gonna get Yao, they're not gonna get Amare, and they're not gonna get KG...all predictions that have come down the pipe. The hatred of Shaq may be deserved, but hating on Miami for what they accomplished is also above someone who knows as much as you do.

Take that for what it's worth. You want to talk basketball, let's talk. When the conversation turns silly (see notes above), that's when people tune you out.

Oh yeah, football? Let's talk that too. Bring your A game. Shouldn't need to, though, since it's such an easy mark. :hihi:

[Showtime]

Even though you didn't answer my question, I'll answer yours.

With that said, the problem is Kobe. No rings until he leaves. His attitude and behavior have killed that team before. Their best chance to build another version of the "dynasty" would have been to move him and accumulate multiple building blocks. You may not agree here, but a guy who appears to know as much as you do about bball knows it to be true.

I'm simply a Lakers realist. Heh, I can afford to be since I'm not a fan (nor a hater, for that matter). They're not gonna get Yao, they're not gonna get Amare, and they're not gonna get KG...all predictions that have come down the pipe. The hatred of Shaq may be deserved, but hating on Miami for what they accomplished is also above someone who knows as much as you do.

Take that for what it's worth. You want to talk basketball, let's talk. When the conversation turns silly (see notes above), that's when people tune you out.

Oh yeah, football? Let's talk that too. Bring your A game. Shouldn't need to, though, since it's such an easy mark. :hihi:

Didn't you answer your own question? I suppose you'll want me to know what you are thinking next. :) See the problem is that I didn't make this thread when we were 3 and 1 or 2 and 0. I made it before the season started and said that the team looked good. They went out and won a few and that must have made you nervous or something because after they dropped a few you wanted to call me out and say that I shouldn't do this or that because it's a long season and 82 blah blah blah. That would be akin to only watching sports center to get the scores and then saying that I knew which team would win or lose. I originally said that they are better than people think, are fun to watch and will probably surprise a lot of people. So far that has been the story and if you are expecting a .500 team, you should go look somewhere else like Florida.
Kobe's attitude has been great and if you watched, you would know that he didn't kill the team, Shaq did. No doubt about who showed up out of shape and who said it was the kids team after the 2nd championship, but later changed his mind. Shaq is now an anchor and will drag his new squad down for the rest of his contract. You better hope he gets in shape before the playoffs or it will be a 3 and out this year. Teams like the Cavs, the Bulls, Orlando, New Jersey will run all over them.

Your sure the Show won't be getting anyone. I'm saying we could, but we might not need to. KG is definitely up for grabs and will fit with 24 no problem. He is also looking for a ring and the Show is one player away (at most). Remember which team went out and got Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Kobe and Malone and then think how hard could it really be to get KG. The trade could go down this summer or he could get here for nothing after the next season.

There's a lot to offer here besides Hollywood. Our bench will be as good as any in the league now that Kwame is back and the starting 5 is better than most imo.

As far as your cowboys.... it's funny that you would talk about Kobe when your team went after the biggest problem in all of sports. 3 QB's, no rings, lots of dropped passes, but it's ok because he'll help you guys stay at .500. Yeeaaa! :)


Quick report:

Laker's beat the Griz after leading the whole game. They couldn't keep the 23 point lead they had in the 1st half, but it never got closer than a half dozen points. They are getting better every week imo. I didn't care for Phil's rotation at 1st, but I think he is getting a better feel for the squad and is getting the right players in now. He still needs to play turiaf a bit more and run more play for bynum. 5 and 3 with 4 days off and Kwame back in the line up. Things are looking up!

[MikeD]

I thought you wanted to talk? All I read was one long ramble. You backtracked, said the same things, then "talked" football.

Niiiiiice.

Good luck to your squad. Like I said, could be an interesting year.

[Showtime]

Actually you came here and wanted to talk to me, but now it seems you are at a loss for words. Np and gl getting to the playoffs.

[ray]

Can a brotha get a 35 yard FG?

The Redskins got a field goal this weekend. But that was it. We suck as badly as the Celtics.

[Showtime]

Man, that was a terrible game by the Lakers. 6 minutes 22 seconds/ half a quarter+ without scoring a single point, horrible free throw percentage and poor defense until the last few minutes of the game.

The Kwame/Bynum rotation is working out nicer than I thought it would at this point and Smush has been playing better, but still has poor shot selection. I think his game got better after he realized how close Farmar (injured) is to taking the starting spot. Kobe had his best offensive game since the surgery. 40 points with several and 1's and circus shots. Utah will be a very good test, but I don't think many teams are prepared for what the Show is bringing this year.

[MikeD]

Nice win last night. Bryant obviously brought his game, and the rest of the guys did too.

Lakers flying under the radar now, but that won't last for long. West doesn't appear to have a dominant team as in previous years. LA should be right there.

[verve247]

I liked how Kobe drops 20 in the first quarter, and then is like "Oh damn, I get to make sure my teammates score too" and got all passive until the 4th.

[PlayBoyWorld]

I'm impressed that the Lakers have had such a strong showing so early in the season. I think Kobe was a bit rusty the first few games because he didn't get any action during the pre-season because of his surgery. I'm really excited about our chances this year, and I agree with Showtime that Luke is a smart player, and Bynum is fun to watch because you can almost SEE him improving his game right before your eyes.

I just stumbled upon this thread today--glad to know it's here. Showtime, love that you're a fan who stands by his team, and that you're not a "Kobe hater" like so many out there. Shaq was excess baggage, and Miami's going to feel it soon--isn't he already on the IL with another bogus injury? I was really hoping he'd play the Christmas game, just to watch him match up with Bynum again.

Go Lakers! :)

[Showtime]

Mark my words: The Lakers ain't going to win anything anytime soon. My Clippers will be a better team again this year.

2 and 0 vs. the "other LA team". Now you are playing for the series tie at best.

OK so the Show is almost on a roll. They almost beat Utah, barely beat Jersey, lose to the Bucks (?!?!) and then smoke Utah and the clippers. The front line is still getting out muscled at times and that is just sad. We should be rebounding better. We are having a harder time with zone d' than we should and not passing as much as before. The good news is that when our defense is on, we can beat anyone in the league. The offense is getting better and Farmar could be the starting point guard of the future.

[Showtime]

THE LAKERS ARE STILL IN 1st PLACE after beating the Spurs last night.

How is that possible? Read some of my early posts... especially the part on surprising people. The injuries actually helped and the friendly home schedule didn't hurt.

They still keep loosing to these weak teams (Bucks, Hornets), but play the good teams well and basically manhandled the Spurs last night. Once again a good 1st half, completely dominant 3rd and decent 4th quarter minus the lapses a young squad will have.

Big road trip! We are off the conquer the rest of Texas. Yao will be a great test for both our true centers and I can't wait to see what Kobe goes for in Dallas.

Back on the cover:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/

Daily Dime:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-061211a

[Showtime]

The NBA is going back to the Leather ball on Jan 1st!

This should help with the turnovers but might hurt teams shooting percentage. I've seen some shots stick that should have bricked.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2694335

[MikeD]

Iverson heading to L.A.? ESPN ran an article on it...


The Los Angeles Lakers wouldn't even generate a mention in the Allen Iverson Sweepstakes if Phil Jackson, when asked about it over the weekend, hadn't gently tossed them into the derby.

A few days later?

There's really no new evidence to suggest that the Lakers are in this, or that they want to be, but Jackson isn't exactly backtracking from his original disclosure that he "wouldn't outright say we have no interest."

Without revealing whether L.A. is still contemplating a serious play for the league's top scorer, Jackson did insist Wednesday night that he had little doubt Iverson and Kobe Bryant could flourish in the same backcourt, not just co-exist.

"When I was with New York, we had a really good basketball team, [but] the chance to pursue Earl Monroe came to the Knicks ... which would give us [Bill] Bradley, [Dave] DeBusschere, [Willis] Reed, [Walt] Frazier and [Earl] Monroe," Jackson said.

"The natural assumption is, 'How are you going to accommodate a guy who scores 26 points a game and takes that many shots?' [But] when I expressed concern to Bill Bradley, he said, 'Oh, we'll fit him in, he's a good team player.' And we did.

"I think Allen's of the age," Jackson continued, "where he's ready to do [something similar]."

Well, then.

What's stopping the Lakers from making a run at the 31-year-old who scores 31 a game?

Why couldn't they join the leaders of the Iverson chase in Denver ... and the clubs (Minnesota, Boston and Indiana) trying to hang in?

They'd almost certainly need the help of a third team to acquire AI, but there are worse pieces to start building a package with than Andrew Bynum and future draft considerations.

There is likewise no coach in creation who'd have a better chance of getting Iverson's best.

The answer? The Lakers really don't need The Answer.

This isn't December 2005, when the Lakers' situation looked desperate. When it looked like they had to jump at any risky trade possibility in search of a home run.

This also isn't Ron Artest, whose defensive gifts and multi-position potential -- provided Jackson would have harnessed it -- could fill in some of the holes around Bryant better than Iverson.

L.A. already has a dynamic scorer. The Lakers also have a good bit more hope than they had this time last year, when Artest was made available by Indiana, because the shared ability of Jackson and Bryant -- and Phil's system -- has taken them so far in a year's time.

You used to hear D-League jokes about Kobe's supporting cast. Now? The Lakers have been sufficiently united, organized and lifted by the Jackson-and-Bryant tag team that -- despite doomsday predictions from yours truly after a nightmarish training camp -- they'll stay competitive in the West until the right trade opportunity presents itself. One that brings a better point guard than Smush Parker ... or the outside shooting L.A. still needs to open up the floor for Bryant ... or maybe more dependable size.

I'd be surprised to hear that Bryant went to his bosses to lobby for an Iverson trade, like he did for Artest, but not only because he's waiting for something better or the likelihood that he's less-than-thrilled with the idea. It's also because he takes an almost fatherly pride in the development of this crew.

How proud?

Kobe never shows public concern, even when it's understandable or when he probably is fretting, but he went out of his way Wednesday night to sound unworried, happily engaging in Iverson hypotheticals despite the seriously bad news confirmed just hours before: Lamar Odom will miss at least a month, and much of it on the road, with a sprained knee.

(Kobe's pre-game calm, incidentally, didn't look out of place when the Lakers, on the second night of a Texas back-to-back and in their first full game without Odom, guarded almost no one and still managed to rattle the reigning Western Conference champs with some execution and poise after halftime in Dallas' unconvincing 110-101 triumph.)

"It'd be interesting," Kobe said of an Iverson-Bryant backcourt. "It'd be a lot of competitive juices flowing. I don't mind it. I'm sure you [media] guys would have fun with that.

"I can't see [the Lakers] entertaining that, but for your column's sake, let's entertain that."

Thanks, Mamba.

"I got you," he said. "I got you."

He's got a rough month ahead, too, but I'd say the Lakers needn't go any farther in discussing The Answer. They've shown enough in the first quarter of the season to wait for Odom to heal and watch the Iverson race from the fringes.

No link, due to the story being a pay article via ESPN Insider.

[Showtime]

That same scenario is being ran more convincingly for 5 other teams. I don't see it happening and neither do any of the "experts".

The Lakers aren't missing any pieces besides LO and he'll be back in 6 weeks. All the other players are growing in talent/experience. The next month is key for most of them and will dictate who is kept and who will be traded as we rise up for the next dynasty. They played almost well enough to beat the Mavs yesterday and just ran out of gas. I seriously don't think Buss will mess up the growing chemistry for anything less than a KG or LB type player.

[Showtime]

This is pretty cool.

It lists what all the teams are making and breaks it down player by player. Is Starbury really worth 17 million a year? Lakers are 3rd on the list, but thats because of Grants 15 million.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/nba/team.salaries/index.html

[Showtime]

So my friend and I went to game last night. Not any game, an amazing double overtime, come-from-21-points-behind Lakers victory. :)

The Lakers came out soft... They scored 10 points in the 1st quarter and all was not well at staples. They get into the 2nd half down by 18 or so and start chipping away, but the rockets kept finding yao. Bynum and Kwame played him well but 7'6 yao's half fade away is almost as unguardable as the sky hook. The Show cuts it to 6 and things look much better but it basically takes the whole quarter to tie it and get it to OT. The grind had staples buzzing and you knew something special was about to happen. It goes to OT and in the 1st one Kobe misses a last second shot ftw and it's a 2nd over time. In the 2nd one the Show does it's thing starting with a sick kobe reverse jam on yao. One of those patented where-did-that-come-from kobe dunks.

edit:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4908135673101215518&q=kobe+yao

not a very good video, but you get the idea.


That set the tone and that was that. One of the best games I ever been to and the best individual performance of the year so far with 53, 10 and 8.

Note: Starting with the 2nd half of last year, I thought Yao was the best center in the league and he looked it last night. I don't think any other center will get close to the 35 points, 15 rebounds and 8 block he served our decent, but young, centers. 19 year old Bynum got some blocks and a pretty sick dunk on them, but it both centers to "contain" him. TMAC DNP (back) and neither did Lamar Odom (1 month/sprained knee at last rockets game).

[Showtime]

Another wild ot game and it looked like it would end like fridays, but gilbert arenas erupted for 60 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds. Wth! Most points scored on the Lakers since Wilt in the 60's. Gotta give it up to the overlooked 2nd round draft pick, aka #0.

Both weekends' games were amazing. I think Kobe (45, 8 & 10) was a little pissed about the free throw disparity and look for him to do something special in their next meeting.

Got to love this game.

[Showtime]

What does maya (singer), lil jon, oscar delahoya, shaq and myself all have in common?

We all had good seats at staples and got to watch the Show handle their business last night. Of course their seats were a little nicer than mines, but... :)

I guess shaq is going to milk this injury as long as he can and hope his team makes the playoffs in the weak east. He was in a baby blue suit and got booed pretty good when they showed his 350lb tired mug on the jumbo. He seemed to like it with his hands cupped around his ears asking for more.

Anyways, it was one of the worst ref'd games I've seen. Wade went to the line 9 times in the 1st half which was more than all the lakers combined. It reminded me of the time we played houston and francine got all the calls. Dwade is good, but it's terrible what the officials let him get away with and D'whistles averages would drop severely if they called him like they do kobe. Kobe got no love and the heat took advantage of it putting on his back several times. Staples let the officials know that if we saw it, so did they. Despite the calls and a groin injury, #24 D'd up on Wade and took care of business on the other end. In OT wade hammered him on a jumper and took the ball the other way for a dunk. There was no way you could have missed calling the foul, but the refs let that and the other times kobe hit the floor go. Still we got the last laugh. Wade was all pissed at the end and all of staples laughed at him. All those bad calls and his 2nd rate squad still lost.

There is no rhyme of reason to what the lakers will play like in any game. They beat Dallas one night, the next, they lose to memphis. 2 very bad losses last week, but the good news is that the Show is taking care of business without 1 1/2 starters. LO and Kwame should be back in a few weeks and the Show will be rolling again.

Chris webber was on the market and ended up in detroit. It seemed to be a 2 team race (LA/Detroit), but he probably felt the road to a championship was much easier in the east.

Lastly, I got a free Lakers tshirt last night for the all star balloting. Go vote for Lamar and Kobe 24/7 for the all star game. I doubt kobe will need any help, but some might forget about LO.

[Showtime]

*The All-Star report*

KOBE = MVP!

Back to the Show report. After a terrible month, I've figured out the glue that makes the Show go and that is Mr. OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH or BOOOHHHHH or LOOOUUUUUU or anything but his name, Luke Walton. Lamar was injured and the Show went well over 500. Kobe was rehabing at the beginning of the year and the team was winning. Luke goes down and the Show continues to lose to weak teams and starts losing to good teams. The Lakers are on a horrible 5 game losing streak going into the break. Most of the problems are hustle/rebounds and mental/stupid mistakes. I've said these words just about every game, "Box out, board... Rebound...Please rebound. For the love of anything holy and pure, rebound the mother****ing ball!" Thank God for the All-Star game because they needed a break. Heck, I needed a break. It's been pathetic to say the least. We lost twice to the Knicks! The Knicks!!! Kobes D has been worse and worse. Lamar is playing at maybe 70%. 19 year old Drew is still getting no love from the refs. Smush has found some D, but is still inconsistent and takes bad shots. Farmar hit that rookie wall hard. Cook is upset about his minutes and it looks like this will be his last year in a Lakers uniform unless something happens between now and next season. Rad still hasn't found consistancy. Even Turiaf is lagging at times. The good news is that Luke, Kwame and Mihm are all walking around and just waiting for their injuries to get a little better. We may have a full squad and some momentum going into the playoffs. Kobe's numbers are down, but he becoming more dangerous as a team player. Hopefully, the team starts rebounding and playing hard nosed defense again.

Go Lakers!

[Showtime]

the good: luke and odom are close and should both play Thursday (Denver).

the bad: another injury. cook injured himself doing drills. doing dills?!?!?!! wth!?!?

the UGLY: just completed 2nd 6 game losing streak.

besides that, the lakers are doing great. :) if you had told me that there would be this many injuries to several starters for long stretches of time and that we were still in the hunt/ahead of the clippers, i wouldn't have believed it. but here we are. getting everyone back just in time for a run.

the main thing that's worried me about the losses has been seeing the frustration on kobes face. and what's with this flagrant foul bull ****? kobe gets fouled more than anyone else in game and gets a call for maybe 2 out of 3 hits and sometimes much less. d-whistle doesn't have to get physically touched and the refs send him to the line. now the league wants to punish kobe for doing something that no else is calling flagrant. he's tired, he's starting to lose trust and it's like watching game 7 of last years playoffs sometimes. now we will have to see if the team can mend and gel like they did at the beginning of the year.

closing thoughts:
"Jesus Christ could come back and we still wouldn't have a chance" - Phil Jackson

Jesus has better things to do. KG on the other hand.... :)

[Showtime]

1 Month ago....

Things looked ok. The team was getting healthy, starting to look good again, and kobe was doing some amazing things...
Now, the team is still battling a lot of injuries, looking terrible to mediocre at times, and kobe is still doing amazing things. There was a time that I was upset that the Lakers played down to the level of their competition. They'd still win games, but not blow out teams they were supposed to or even win some games they were supposed to. Lately they have been playing just well enough to be in games, but to still lose them. I don't know if it's the coaching or the players, but I think it's both. Kobe's amazing scoring runs are something to see and that is the problem. Too much watching. The Lakers need another dominant player who will continue to play no matter how much kobe goes off for. Hint: KG will be a Laker if they lose in the 1st round. LO, Farmar & Bynum or Kwame will be one of the better offers they will get for him. Lakers are a team KG would play for. The bulls are the only other team I see him wanting to go to.
Going 500 against the clippers is embarrassing despite the poor calls tonight, but so was losing twice to Denver, memphis, etc. A lot of games should have been won, but like tonight, they didn't finish. Kobe was out of gas and that is going to make tomorrows game either very painful or a nice surprise.

As far as our chances.... It's very simple. Who do we match up with in the 1st round. I actually wouldn't mind dropping to 8th and playing Dallas in the 1st round. If the Lakers pulled off the upset they would have a good chance of going to the conference finals vs the Spurs or a very beat up Suns. The Suns is my next choice just because even if we lose the series, we will punish them and hurt them in their 2nd round matchup.

3 more games and it's my favorite time of the year again.

Go LAKERS!

There was a thread about who is the greatest scorer. I actually wrote a little something, but when I posted it, it got lost. You know the sign in thing after you are logged out and then it should post what you wrote, but for whatever reason, sometimes it doesn't. Anyways, my take on greatest scorer is this.

There are only 4 players to consider. Kareem, Wilt, Michael and Kobe. Kareem is the greatest scorer in NBA history. He dominated for 2 decades against good competition and has the most points. He had an unstoppable shot. Wilt could score like no one else, but the level of competition was lower. Not that that's his fault. It's just that he wouldn't average 50 points a game in todays NBA. While MJ was playing, he was the greatest scorer in the game. He probably would have passed Wilt if he didn't take those 2 years off, but we will never know. MJ's level of competition had also dwindled slightly and since he was the best and newest breed of guard there was little defense against the things he brought to the table. Now for the latest and greatest... Kobe. He is by far the best scorer playing the game right now. You will not see any of those others go for 62 in 3 quarters or 81 points in a game. None of them will average 40 points for a month or 5x for 4 or 5 straight games. He's doing this against defenses designed to stop him. He has very little help. He plays against guards like Bowen and Bell who's only job is to D up on him. It doesn't matter if they score a point as long as they hold kobe to 30 or less and no one else on the Lakers goes off. Kobe can do anything mj did and he's a better defender, but I digress... As far as pure scorer, I would give a very slight edge to kobe, but until #24 passes #23's point total, he will be after mj on my list.

Ongoing list:
1) Kareem (LAKER) 38,387!
2) MJ (BULL) 29,277
3) Wilt (LAKER) 31,419
4) Kobe (LAKER) 18k and counting.
5) Karl Malone (Jazz) 30,599
The reason Karl is not really in this discussion is despite his point total, he never dominated the game. He was just healthier than anyone else on the list and brought it year in and year out. It deserves an honorable mention, but throw John in there too since he facilitated lots of those points.

If Kobe has another 5-6 seasons like this, he will pass MJ, Karl, Wilt, and then he'll be #2 on my list. If that happens LeBron or someone will be the next kid to be mentioned with the top 5 before catching the top 10.
Oh and if #24 passes Kareem, he will be #1 on my list, but that's not going to happen. :)

[Showtime]

The Lakers are once again in the Playoffs. 7th seed with a solid 2 game win streak going into this weekends match up against the Suns.

GO LAKERS!

[Showtime]

So I'm wearing my Lakers jersey at the gym. Hearing all the talkers talk. It motivates me, but also makes me smile. Everyone is talking about sweeping 2 games into the series. I guess they forgot that we almost won game 1 and that if kobe didn't go 1 for 10.... Very uncharacteristic of the kid to do that btw. The game started and it was ugly. 11 to nothing, Phoenix or some bs. Lakers climbed back into it and now...
LA is buzzin'!

45 from 24 and a dub. Kwame just made a lot of fans and worked Amare like he should have the 1st 2 games.

Did I mention that the weather has been perfect the last few days. :)

GO LAKERS!

[Showtime]

Well another disappointing end to another disappointing season. I am starting to feel like a cubs or celtics fan. :eek:
Things looked so good the 1st few months... What could have been, ended before the playoffs started with a string of injuries/bad luck. There's always next year, but Kobe won't wait much longer and Buss already said he'd pay the cap for the right player.

06-07 Grades for the Lakers:

PJ - B
Hardest person to grade imo. On one hand, he doesn't develope young talent and doesn't seem to make good adjustments during games. On the other hand, he got the Lakers to play far beyond their abilities (according to writers) and took a hobbled team to the playoffs and was in every game except one.

Kobe - A
It would have been higher, but there were times where his d was far less than it should have and he should imo know when he is physically too tired and adjust his game a little.

Lamar - A-
His stats won't show it at the end of the year, but he played through injuries and losing his son. He played like an all star before getting hurt and never did heal completely. The truth is that he would probably play better with someone other than #24.

Luke - B
He grew as player/playmaker. He was the glue and his injury coincided with our worst stretch. He will probably never be an A player because of his D', but he, like odom, was playing some good ball before his injury.

Kwame - C+
People are down on him, but he was good for double double on many nights and his d' was mostly good to great. Injuries showed him a lot and his offense suffered, but his D' was still decent and not as inconsistent. He grew a little bit, but should have performed better. He's not a bust, but neither is he worth 7 mil or whatever he made this year (next/final year he gets 9 mil).
Because of his expiring contract, he is very good trade bait believe it or not.

Smush - D
I was generally more disappointed with him than almost any other laker. He did not improve over last year. I don't think he works on his game or watches tape in the off season. If he does, he only does the exact same things instead of changing/fixing bad habits. Terrible shot selection. He chucked so many shots that had me scratching my head. Those might be ok for 2, but for point... Also not a good passer. His D' is pathetic which is sad because he looks built like he should be quick. Mental errors are the only thing consistent about him. Good bye.

Bynum - C
I don't know who to blame. He is the youngest player currently in the NBA. Reports are that he's lazy. On the other hand, PJ doesn't know how to develope players and Kobe doesn't want to wait for him to grow. Whatever happens, he has potential and at the very least will make great trade bait.

Radmonovich - F
We are paying this guy how much? If we keep him, I hope to see him in the running for most improved player next year. His game is similar to cooks (jump shooting big man) except he can handle the ball a little better and go to the hole once or twice a year.
He got injured snow boarding and fessed up later, but was a no show the rest of the year. I originally didn't care for the pickup, but thought maybe he'd bring something to the table. This year he didn't.

Farmar - B+
Experience and some work on his jump shots and D' will get him the starting job next year. He already plays better d than smush and doesn't jack up as many bad shots. The high grade is because he's a rookie, not because of his stats. He was the only rookie starting in the playoffs and it's too bad we didn't just start him all year long. Some potential and decent trade bait.

Turiaff - A+
This isn't just for the last game. This is because he's the only laker besides Kobe to give 100% and a regular basis. His game is very..... unpolished, but I love hustle and it looks like he works on his game in the off season. His jumper was looking better this year. Pj is starting to use him a lot more, not because this guy should be starting, but because we don't have anyone that works harder at the 4. He's the closest thing we have to an enforcer and no one in the league wants to tangle with him.

Cook - D
This guy can shoot. He can't play d. He kinda hustles, but mostly just complains. He would be decent on a team that could utilize his talents and should have been a factor this season. Unfortunately, his attitude and poor d kept him on the bench. Adios.

Mo Evans - B+
This guy hustles, plays D, goes to the hole, and doesn't make a lot mistakes or noise. I don't know why he doesn't get more playing time, but pj is starting to come around. If he works on his d and jumper, he could be a big asset next year. Good bench player who has the physical skills to start.

Williams - C
Dude hardly played, but showed his d was decent against the Suns. I don't know if more playing time would have improved or hurt the team, but I know that I would have liked to see him play over smush in a lot of close game where we were getting burned at point.

Sasha- C-
What happened? Dude regressed and I can't say it's all his fault (see pj review), but he's not a rookie anymore and should be out there whenever we need a 3 or another jumpshooter. I seriously can't tell if he got better at anything. I was hoping to see that hyper defense and sweet 3 point shot start dropping, but he didn't get much pt. Reminds me of the Slava experiment. Maybe it's time to to end it and let him try with another team here or in Europe. It's sad because they say he is our best shooter in practice...practice... what are we talking about? practice?!?! ;)

McKey - D
Bust. Not his fault, but because of injuries we never got to give the veteran leadership at point guard that was lacking all year long. It might have hurt us the most since point was our weakest position by far. That's saying a lot in conference with 2 or 3 very good centers and several great power forwards.

Mihm - No grade
He didn't play. Sometimes I wonder how teams like the Suns seem so stacked and we have Kobe, lamar and.... :shrug:
It's partly because of his contract. Not that he would have made a big difference, but we might have been able to put together different trade scenarios or had one more option if he had been healthy.


Next year!

People say it's "unpossible" to go after KG. McHale won't do it. McHale might not have a choice and the same was said when we got and when we lost Shaq. KG's contract is up next year. He can force a trade to any team, but has shown interest in only 2 other teams beside Minnesota, and that is Chicago and the Lakers. It will be the same situation as it was with the shaq trade. Whatever we give them won't be worth what KG is worth, but it will be what they can take now or they can gamble, piss him off and get nothing later. Remember, no one initially thought the Lakers got the better end of the deal with that shaq trade (though we did).
The starting line up could look like:
Kwame
KG
Walton
Kobe
Farmar

:)


Jkidd and Jermain O'neal are also up for grabs. I don't want Oneal. I doubt he has it in him to do a lot more and will only regress in the near future. Kidd is old, but I have more faith in his abilities/chances, especially after seeing what Nash is able to do this late in his career. The problem is the offense. Kidd and kobe running the floor would be beautiful. Kidd and #24 stopping setting up a triangle would be nice a times and such a waste at others. Whoever we get, I'd like to see a hybrid offense with more running off of fast breaks and some pick and rolls,etc, mixed in to the triangle.

The Lakers will make trades this year. The only problem is that with this offense and coach, too much change could take too much time for the team to gel.

Now for anyone who thinks that the shaq trade was a mistake, you are wrong. He forced it. You can not hold on to an unhappy player. He would have came in at 375+ and not played. He only got a ring cuz he got motivated and lost a lot of weight. Then he went through the weak east and ended up playing the soft mavs in the finals. Here he would have stayed fat, complained, and ate up all of our cap space for < 20 and 10. We'd be a top 5 team, but wouldn't be able to compete with any of the running teams. This was proven by the Bulls and shaq was giving it his all. Wade makes shaqs team go, not shaq and his ring was a fluke and deserves and asterisk imo. ;) I could go on...

I AM GLAD SHAQ'S FAT ASS IS GONE!

Have no fear Laker fans, we have the best owner in the game and the best player. Our GM is so so, but coming around and the coach is supposed to be one of the best ever. Buss said he would pay the cap and that means that we could end up with 1 or 2 more stars next year. We will definitely get one and hopefully it will be enough. :cheers:

Go SHOW!

Now for some baseball. Go Blue!

[ohukuo]

Well another disappointing end to another disappointing season. I am starting to feel like a cubs or celtics fan. :eek:
Things looked so good the 1st few months... What could have been, ended before the playoffs started with a string of injuries/bad luck. There's always next year, but Kobe won't wait much longer and Buss already said he'd pay the cap for the right player.

06-07 Grades for the Lakers:

PJ - B
Hardest person to grade imo. On one hand, he doesn't develope young talent and doesn't seem to make good adjustments during games. On the other hand, he got the Lakers to play far beyond their abilities (according to writers) and took a hobbled team to the playoffs and was in every game except one.

Kobe - A
It would have been higher, but there were times where his d was far less than it should have and he should imo know when he is physically too tired and adjust his game a little.

Lamar - A-
His stats won't show it at the end of the year, but he played through injuries and losing his son. He played like an all star before getting hurt and never did heal completely. The truth is that he would probably play better with someone other than #24.

Luke - B
He grew as player/playmaker. He was the glue and his injury coincided with our worst stretch. He will probably never be an A player because of his D', but he, like odom, was playing some good ball before his injury.

Kwame - C+
People are down on him, but he was good for double double on many nights and his d' was mostly good to great. Injuries showed him a lot and his offense suffered, but his D' was still decent and not as inconsistent. He grew a little bit, but should have performed better. He's not a bust, but neither is he worth 7 mil or whatever he made this year (next/final year he gets 9 mil).
Because of his expiring contract, he is very good trade bait believe it or not.

Smush - D
I was generally more disappointed with him than almost any other laker. He did not improve over last year. I don't think he works on his game or watches tape in the off season. If he does, he only does the exact same things instead of changing/fixing bad habits. Terrible shot selection. He chucked so many shots that had me scratching my head. Those might be ok for 2, but for point... Also not a good passer. His D' is pathetic which is sad because he looks built like he should be quick. Mental errors are the only thing consistent about him. Good bye.

Bynum - C
I don't know who to blame. He is the youngest player currently in the NBA. Reports are that he's lazy. On the other hand, PJ doesn't know how to develope players and Kobe doesn't want to wait for him to grow. Whatever happens, he has potential and at the very least will make great trade bait.

Radmonovich - F
We are paying this guy how much? If we keep him, I hope to see him in the running for most improved player next year. His game is similar to cooks (jump shooting big man) except he can handle the ball a little better and go to the hole once or twice a year.
He got injured snow boarding and fessed up later, but was a no show the rest of the year. I originally didn't care for the pickup, but thought maybe he'd bring something to the table. This year he didn't.

Farmar - B+
Experience and some work on his jump shots and D' will get him the starting job next year. He already plays better d than smush and doesn't jack up as many bad shots. The high grade is because he's a rookie, not because of his stats. He was the only rookie starting in the playoffs and it's too bad we didn't just start him all year long. Some potential and decent trade bait.

Turiaff - A+
This isn't just for the last game. This is because he's the only laker besides Kobe to give 100% and a regular basis. His game is very..... unpolished, but I love hustle and it looks like he works on his game in the off season. His jumper was looking better this year. Pj is starting to use him a lot more, not because this guy should be starting, but because we don't have anyone that works harder at the 4. He's the closest thing we have to an enforcer and no one in the league wants to tangle with him.

Cook - D
This guy can shoot. He can't play d. He kinda hustles, but mostly just complains. He would be decent on a team that could utilize his talents and should have been a factor this season. Unfortunately, his attitude and poor d kept him on the bench. Adios.

Mo Evans - B+
This guy hustles, plays D, goes to the hole, and doesn't make a lot mistakes or noise. I don't know why he doesn't get more playing time, but pj is starting to come around. If he works on his d and jumper, he could be a big asset next year. Good bench player who has the physical skills to start.

Williams - C
Dude hardly played, but showed his d was decent against the Suns. I don't know if more playing time would have improved or hurt the team, but I know that I would have liked to see him play over smush in a lot of close game where we were getting burned at point.

Sasha- C-
What happened? Dude regressed and I can't say it's all his fault (see pj review), but he's not a rookie anymore and should be out there whenever we need a 3 or another jumpshooter. I seriously can't tell if he got better at anything. I was hoping to see that hyper defense and sweet 3 point shot start dropping, but he didn't get much pt. Reminds me of the Slava experiment. Maybe it's time to to end it and let him try with another team here or in Europe. It's sad because they say he is our best shooter in practice...practice... what are we talking about? practice?!?! ;)

McKey - D
Bust. Not his fault, but because of injuries we never got to give the veteran leadership at point guard that was lacking all year long. It might have hurt us the most since point was our weakest position by far. That's saying a lot in conference with 2 or 3 very good centers and several great power forwards.

Mihm - No grade
He didn't play. Sometimes I wonder how teams like the Suns seem so stacked and we have Kobe, lamar and.... :shrug:
It's partly because of his contract. Not that he would have made a big difference, but we might have been able to put together different trade scenarios or had one more option if he had been healthy.


Next year!

People say it's "unpossible" to go after KG. McHale won't do it. McHale might not have a choice and the same was said when we got and when we lost Shaq. KG's contract is up next year. He can force a trade to any team, but has shown interest in only 2 other teams beside Minnesota, and that is Chicago and the Lakers. It will be the same situation as it was with the shaq trade. Whatever we give them won't be worth what KG is worth, but it will be what they can take now or they can gamble, piss him off and get nothing later. Remember, no one initially thought the Lakers got the better end of the deal with that shaq trade (though we did).
The starting line up could look like:
Kwame
KG
Walton
Kobe
Farmar

:)


Jkidd and Jermain O'neal are also up for grabs. I don't want Oneal. I doubt he has it in him to do a lot more and will only regress in the near future. Kidd is old, but I have more faith in his abilities/chances, especially after seeing what Nash is able to do this late in his career. The problem is the offense. Kidd and kobe running the floor would be beautiful. Kidd and #24 stopping setting up a triangle would be nice a times and such a waste at others. Whoever we get, I'd like to see a hybrid offense with more running off of fast breaks and some pick and rolls,etc, mixed in to the triangle.

The Lakers will make trades this year. The only problem is that with this offense and coach, too much change could take too much time for the team to gel.

Now for anyone who thinks that the shaq trade was a mistake, you are wrong. He forced it. You can not hold on to an unhappy player. He would have came in at 375+ and not played. He only got a ring cuz he got motivated and lost a lot of weight. Then he went through the weak east and ended up playing the soft mavs in the finals. Here he would have stayed fat, complained, and ate up all of our cap space for < 20 and 10. We'd be a top 5 team, but wouldn't be able to compete with any of the running teams. This was proven by the Bulls and shaq was giving it his all. Wade makes shaqs team go, not shaq and his ring was a fluke and deserves and asterisk imo. ;) I could go on...

I AM GLAD SHAQ'S FAT ASS IS GONE!

Have no fear Laker fans, we have the best owner in the game and the best player. Our GM is so so, but coming around and the coach is supposed to be one of the best ever. Buss said he would pay the cap and that means that we could end up with 1 or 2 more stars next year. We will definitely get one and hopefully it will be enough. :cheers:

Go SHOW!

Now for some baseball. Go Blue!

Liking the reviews Showtime. I'm hoping Mihm will be gone so we can pick up a decent center.

[Markel]

Well another disappointing end to another disappointing season. I am starting to feel like a cubs...fan. :eek:
Just wait 100 years, then you'll really feel like a Cubs fan! :D

[CornMonkey]

I AM GLAD SHAQ'S FAT ASS IS GONE!

Not to mention he was asking for 30mil a year. The situation in Miami right now should shed a brighter light what LA had to deal with during his later years here. Lazy. Unmotivated. Fat. Anyhoo...

I fear the day Jerry Buss retires and his son Jim takes over. I really do fear it. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. My confidence in the Lakers front office will be restore once the Lakers acquire J.O'neal or J.Kidd or KG during this offseason.

Throughout this whole season, there has been only 1 Laker I truly enjoyed watching...yes, even more than Kobe (though Kobe had some crazy streaks going). That person is Rony Turiaf. So much heart and so much hustle. He really stands out when he's on the floor. I truly hope he stays on the squad for next year.

[Showtime]

Yeah, Shaq will now become that anchor I predicted unless he has surgery or something to lose weight. If I were him, I'd do whatever it took to come in at under 300 pounds. That is only the way he will be able to really help his squad for a full season. The other thing to do would be to take a pay cut. They need help already and teams like the bulls, orlando, cleveland, washington are getting better. Detroit is locked in for a couple more seasons... He won't do either, so they won't win. I hope D'whistle didn't get too comfy with the idea of building a dynasty. :) It was still a good move for miami. They got a ring, though if they had gotten it with Wade, Odom, etc., they would be in better shape to get another one.

Rony is the perfect kind of bench player. Hustle, hustle, hustle. Hopefully his post D gets a little better.

Jim has some vision and might be able to guide Show almost as well as his dad. Lets face it, it will be almost like trying to replace West. Not possible, but give it some time and it might be ok. I think kupchak did ok now. Bynum and farmar are great trade bait if nothing else and were late picks. I don't like the trade for Kwame, but that's mostly because we got bynum. Rad was a waste, but if plays well next year, it will make up for this one.

At one point we had the best GM, best owner, so called best coach, and 2 best players. We did it again 10 years later with again with Shaq, kobe and phil. ;) We were/are close to one more run. If we trim some the fat and exchange it for some muscle, we will get one more run in with the kid. He says he feels like he could play at this level for another 7-8 years, but that to me is like him saying he wasn't tired in those 4th quarter meltdowns.

[TofuNinja]

A Laker Team without Smush Parker is a better laker team imho

I still don't see KG coming over and if he did I don't think he will be lone reason we win another title. It is foolish to keep hugging this false hope that KG is the savior of the Lakers.

What I see more likely to happening is that the management doesn't do crap to help Kobe out, he gets mad, and forces a trade just like Shaq did within a year. Kobe ain't going to stay a Laker if the Lakers don't help him in his quest for a title.

[Freelance Superhero]

Nice reviews, Showtime.

I agree with pretty much all of it, with maybe the exception of your assessments of Turiaf and Mo Evans. I agree that Turiaf hustles, and he's a strong presence, but I don't know that he quite deserves an A+. Maybe a B+ at most, for effort, because after all that hustle, let's face it, he's still a scrub. And Mo Evans... don't get me wrong, I loved him when he was on the Kings and I was sad to see him go, but that kid needs to find a jumpshot! I've also seen him make his fair share of bonehead plays this year, but more so than that, I can't begin to count the number of times I've thought to myself, "MO! How could you miss that?!" He did that a lot in Sacramento, and it doesn't look like he's gotten much better. Still got love for that guy, tho.

And I wholeheartedly agree with the Shaq statement. I've always liked Kobe more than Shaq, and when Shaq left, that made the Lakers a lot more likeable for me.