Showtime

It has begun. The show is under some duress, but if it doesn't break them...

Things to ponder:
Will Kobe be traded and for what?

Can the Spurs repeat?

Can Boston stay healthy?

How are the refs going to be this year?

Is this Phoenix's last chance with that line up?

Will Dallas finally get to the finals?

Who from the east? Does it matter?

The Show Report:
Kobe for #0 is the rumor since Chicago, etc., aren't bringing real offers to the table. I say no trade. Wait for a desperate team to either get another all star to play with Ocho or trade for one super and some draft picks.

We lost tonight. Shoulda coulda... Kobe went off for 45 and had 18 in the 4th, but he missed 9 free throws. Fish is helping, but no one else is. Shows that Kobe's competitiveness overshadows his frustration. If we lose him, that potential Kidd for Bynum deal will continue to haunt. Especially since if we had gotten kidd, then less drama and a real shot at KG. Oh well. Too bad I don't run the team.

Nothing to worry about Laker fans. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

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gear02

Go Rockets!

No idea how we folded in the last minute, but thank goodness for Battier!

Cheesypuff

i say...battier for mvp! clutch!

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Jah Rulez

Being in NJ, I will say that J. Kidd looks to be in amazing shape. With Kritic back I see good things happening for NJ. Hopefully we can avoid that dreadful start that has been our demise the past few years. This forces them to play 'out of your mind' hoops to get to the playoffs.

Jefferson is healthy
Vince hopefully with be Vince
Kidd is back and easily a top 3 PG in the NBA right now.

I see a good season.

PS>..nothing better than laying those 20pt butt whoopings on the Knicks in MSG.

zenbooty

Seriously, I turned off the tube and went to bed when Yao put Houston up by 12 with like 1:08 to go. Woke up this morning, saw the score line on espn.com and was like, "WTF happened?"

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Common sense is what tells you the Earth is flat.

GraingerGuy

What happened is that we decided to look lost and inept with the ball for the final 5 minutes of the game. It was just ugly out there until Battier shot that 3 for us.

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-Welfareloser
4/13/05

Time to switch to AMD now I guess... (just kidding... )
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5/23/05

I don't think this'll stop anything though - the better you idiot-proof a system, the more impressive the idiot becomes.
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5/30/08

TofuNinja

Lame Laker fans booing Kobe.... without Kobe they'd have no one to watch..... ungrateful fans.... I am currently a Laker fan only because of Kobe... sheesh. He needs to leave LA.

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zenbooty

From the Sport's guy on ESPN:



TOP 20 RANDOM PREDICTIONS FOR THE SEASON

1. The Lakers do NOT trade Kobe unless it's for T-Mac.

2. Ricky Davis and South Beach turn out to be the single worst NBA match since P.J. and Spree.

3. Cassell tanks in L.A., gets bought out and signs with Denver over Boston.

4. Phoenix kicks off with an insane stretch of basketball (something like 24-2) before Grant Hill and/or Amare Stoudemire go down for a few weeks.

5. You will never get tired of those "The NBA is amazing" commercials.

6. Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston play fewer than 20 games combined.

7. Both Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley announce they're retiring after the season.

8. Jermaine O'Neal recants his trade request because he's drinking the Jim O'Brien Kool-Aid.

9. Isiah Thomas gets fired between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

10. A writer or broadcaster finally convinces Stan Van Gundy to throw Pat Riley under the bus.

11. Baron Davis gets shopped around but NOT traded.

12. The Celtics break the records for "most amount of time the bench guys stood up clapping and cheering during an 82-game season" and "most times the other four guys immediately ran over to pick up a teammate who got knocked down."

13. Anderson Varejao signs a lucrative one-year deal in Europe.

14. After narrowly missing the All-Star team, a slightly perturbed Kevin Durant averages 28/9 after the break.

15. The Atlanta Hawks draw more than 11,000 people to a home game.

16. Not only will Phoenix NOT trade Shawn Marion, but stories will start trickling out that Grant Hill defused the entire situation, took Marion under his wing and did everything short of legally adopting him.

17. Stevie Francis is either traded or bought out before the end of February.

18. LeBron asks to be traded, then recants the request and claims he was misquoted.

19. The whole "Yi Jianlian needs to get 20 minutes" promise becomes a complete debacle and nearly undermines Milwaukee's season after it becomes clear the Chairman isn't even remotely ready.

20. John Thompson gets Dirk Nowitzki to cry during a TNT interview.

GraingerGuy

I would just like to say....

I LOVE THE ROCKETS!!

I think TMac had a chip on his shoulder from losing last year. He sure did take it out on the Jazzholes this game.

Showtime

A couple of weeks into the season...

Lakers look great! Watch and see why somebody will try to make that trade for Kobe. Or maybe the Kid will get it finally and see that injuries were just as much to blame as the front office last season. Bynum has made some strides and I can't wait to see him and shaq go at it again. Fisher was a great acquisition so far. Too bad we couldn't get him back 2 years ago. Lamar is back. Kwame is back. Is there any chance of Lakers vs Boston finals?

Speaking of which, Boston is the real deal as long as they stay healthy. Of course they haven't played anyone, but that doesn't matter imo. They can only play the teams they were scheduled to play and should improve as the season goes by. It just shows how crazy the Show would have been with KG in the lineup. Dont get me wrong Ray and Pierce are doing their thing, but KG is the MVP right now and no one will touch him at this rate. Well kobe is close...

Last years teams with potential are starting to shine. Houston, jazz, Hornets, Orlando, Clippers, etc. are looking good so far.
There seems to be an early shift, but we'll see how it unfolds..

Marquee teams like Phoenix, Dallas, Heat (lol), Detroit, Cavs, Bulls, etc, all look like they have peaked or regressed. Some due to uncertainty, roster changes/chemistry, getting older, injuries, etc., but you'd think their collective records would be much better.

Crappy teams are still crappy. Sonics, Knicks, Bobcats,Bucks, Kings (Artest was suspended 7 games), etc. just continue to not do much.

It's way to early to tell, but so far it's been nothing like what people expected. Except maybe San Antonio, the always consistent Spurs. They still haven't done the back to back thing and I am starting to think they will fail again this year.

LA fans, grab your tickets. Might the last chance to see the kid in action, while in our uniform. He is still the best show in all of sports.

TofuNinja

Well put Showtime

TofuNinja

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...v=st&type=lgns

Lakers trade Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to Magic for Trevor Ariza. Maybe Kobe is staying longer than we think, if so TOfu is a Laker fan for a bit longer

BTW great game by kobe scoring 32

YellowCoffee

I liked Evans, but I could not stand Cook. I say, as long as they got rid of B. Cook, I'm happy with the decision. That guy made the worst decisions and was way too soft considering his size and position.

GraingerGuy

Wow...the Knicks just got used.....

104-59

CornMonkey

I saw the game... it was the saddest thing to see.

Showtime

speaking of the knicks... the show just beat them after giving up a fat lead. kobe put up a rare (lately) 35+ point game is now the youngest player to reach 20,000 points in the histroy of the NBA. he has been working through a groin injury and lost a (1 on 1) game against LeBron this past week due to it. the show is showing signs. they are still frustrating to watch at times and lose games they shouldn't, but that is true with lots of teams. the good news is the team is playing well as unit and basically healthy from what kobe has shown today. lamar is coming around and bynum is a top 10/5 center now. best bench in the league? probably at this point.

anyways, boston continues to shine, but detroit has shown that they can be one of the main teams stopping them from getting through the playoffs. orlando has been inconsistent, but has a lot of potential. the heat... well they are closer to NY than one of the elite teams in the east or west.

spurs have been fighting through injuries and is still the team to beat imo. manu was a monster and picked up a lot of the slack when td & parker went down.

dallas, phoenix & jazz are playing solid ball.

wth is happening to houston? they suck now.

wth is happening with portland? they are getting it done with their #1 pick on the IR. similar to what washington is doing without #0.

well all i want for christmas is the team to stay healthy and to continue to get better. then, believe it or not, we have a shot.

merry christmas all!

Jah Rulez

Bynum has come a long way since I saw him play in fall HS bball league before his Sr. year. Shed all that baby fat and becoming a nice player.

I'm guessing he didn't want to be on the wrong side of anymore Black Mamba attacks and got his butt in shape.

Funny thing is the 6'10" he was going against who was equally rated is doing absolutely nothing right now.

I thought on draft day and still say. The Rockets should have kept Rudy Gay. His proverbial "upside" was way higher than Battier's. He's 10x the athlete Battier is.

Gay, T-Mac and Yao.....scary...

TofuNinja

YEs I have to admit that Bynum is a lot better than I thought he would be this year. When I am wrong I am wrong. But Kobe, the Lakers ALWAYS have a shot

Maarchk

I think the show need to make 1 trade. Don't know what it is but i think we need one more solid not amazing piece... Happy holidays all.

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CornMonkey

A HUGE game by Bynum today against the Suns. I have to admit, he's made a believer out of me. I guess it turned out for the better that the Lakers didn't trade him for Kidd. By next year, he's definitely going to be in the All-Star game.

And Ariza, can we talk about Ariza? What a steal the Lakers got from Orlando. The slasher is like a shot of adrenaline to the team. Did anyone see his jam on Grant Hill?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6OIFNme6w

I heard in the post game interview that someone in the stands shouted out to Hill after the jam, "Hey Hill, can you come here and sign my POSTER?"

The Lakers bench is also the most exciting as I've ever seen them. I hope Farmar isn't traded. He seems like the glue for the 2nd squad.

Maarchk

I think this team is solid all the way around. I just don't like Vladie... But everyone else has a good role and is finding their fit. Bynum is truly coming on. I still would have been pleased with Kidd. I think we'd be right there. But then again, we got Fish. We didn't know that was going to happen and I think his steady leadership has really helped out the 1st squad and i bet he's helped farmar and the new kids be more confident. He's a vocal leader and that helps because Kobe is a quiet leader.
And Ariza is good. He just needs to learn to not shoot the 3. Take a step in and bury something a little closer, or drive to the hoop cause Oh Man can that guy get up! I was very excited about his posterizing.
I think nash has a point. He's been calling out people for not trying and i think he means Amare. I can't tell if he's just not as explosive but he doesn't seem to be quite as dominant as he used to. I'm curious if others have thoughts on that. I'm going to the Clipper/Phoenix game tomorrow. So i'll check it out and report my findings.

YellowCoffee

I agree here. I wouldn't mind getting rid of radmonovic & sasha. I actually wouldn't mind getting rid of odom as well. I think Odom's a great player, but I don't think it's a great fit on the lakers. I don't know, just my thoughts. Fish has been pivotal to running the triangle (through execution and leadership), and Kobe has completely impressed me this year. His effort more than anything is undeniable.

CornMonkey

Yeah, I agree on Odom. Although Odom is a good all-around player, he's best on the run, or at the very least as a point-forward he played last season. Unfortunately, the Lakers aren't a running team, though they've shown more of that this season.

If the Lakers can trade Odom + Kwame + fillers for a solid PF, I say do it. But then again, now that Kidd trade rumors are heating up again, maybe a passer like Kidd is the type of guy to help Odom produce more.

Showtime

The Good: Lakers are in 1st place in their division!
The Bad: Lakers lose to the Celtics... twice.
The Ugly: Bynum will be down for 2 months due to a knee injury.

So things were going well... too well. The only hiccups coming from 2 losses to the Celts. Even with Kwame, Mihm, and Sascha out of commission, the Show was doing their thing and getting better every week. They went from having no bench to having one of the deepest teams in the league despite all the injuries. I was really looking forward to having most everyone back and then running fools off the court. Everything was cool and with one bad landing... Now for a very tough stretch and without our dominant center. Bynum should be a candidate for most improved player and an all-star. Oh well. Things looks bad again, but I see it as a chance for kwame and some of the other Lakers to get more pt and to get better for our playoff run. If Bynum comes back healthy and no one else goes down I like our chances against anyone.

The 30 win Celtics have finally hit the wall! Well maybe not, but they are starting to lose games. With them it will all be a matter of luck or timing or both. If they can just be healthy for the playoffs, they will probably go deep into the playoffs. That is unless they get the Wizards early on. If one of the big 3 drops, they will not get past the 2nd round. Every team has to go through that, but Ray and Pierce are some what injury prone. KG is still doing his thing and will probably beat out Kobe for MVP this year.

Lots of stuff going on the west. Dallas is starting to shine. Charlotte has a very nice squad. San Antonio will be there unless there continue to be injuries to key pieces. Portland has been getting it done without their #1 draft pick. Phoenix will be a factor for other teams, but not the Show.

In the east there is basically Celtics and Detroit. I still like what Orlando can potentially do, but several teams are playing better than them. The Wizards in particular are getting it done without their star (#0) and might be a dangerous playoff team once he's healthy.

Have a look at this...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/powerRankings

I am not saying I agree with the rankings, but it's been a while since anyone has had us 1st and we probably won't be there next week.

CornMonkey

Yeah, I saw the rankings yesterday and I was like "What? 1st?? Let's see how long that will last." Definitely good to see the Lakers back on top again...even if it's temporary.

When I heard Bynum was going to be out 8 weeks, my heart sank. But rumor has it the Lakers are interested in Webber (ack) or PJ Brown. Though neither can replace Bynum, they should add some more value to the bench. Speaking of the bench, a player that no one really talks about is Coby Karl...coach George Karl's son. He's got some potential too.

The next several games are gonna be really crucial for the Lakers. While everyone will need to step up their game, expect to see the return of last year's Lakers for the next 8 weeks...for the good or for bad.

Showtime

Guess who had 8th row seats last night?
parking + tip: $32
dinner and drinks: $0
being close enough to tell dick bavetta it's time to retire: PRICELESS!!!!!

The good news is that now I am 7 seats away from basketball mecca! The bad is that I don't know if I can go back to the normal seats.

Anyways here's more on the old geezer. I swear he's on the take and has been the cause of more fights than any other ref besides maybe salvatore or whatever that a-holes name is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Bavetta

Old turd missed 3 or 4 calls in one stretch and I heckled him til he got it right.

YellowCoffee

Lakers are having a rough time w/o Bynum. The Spurs game results came out as expected, although I was suprised to see the Lakers up by 9 at the half. Today they play the Mavs, and will definitely miss the low-post presence of Bynum. I think the game will come down to how well both benches play and if the Lakers can tighten up their defense (on the picks and transitions).

Mavs' bench looks a bit more solid w/ Terry and Stackhouse. Kobe's going to be Kobe tonight; hopefully we can have a big game by Fish or Odom or both. And hopefully we can get some good contribution from farmar and turiaf. Honestly, I won't put any hope in Kwame. The dude just doesn't care. Offensively, he is not a threat. The Lakers are lucky that the Mavs don't have too much of a low-post game or an agile big-man. Otherwise Brown and Turiaf would be in foul trouble.

Bottom line: Dallas is healthy, Lakers are not. I'd be suprised to see Dallas lose, or even win by less than 8.

Maarchk

i think the lakers got flow and when they shoot with confidence they are still a solid team. Dallas has not been so solid this year and i think it will be closer than you think. I'm gonna take Lakers on this one.

Showtime

Another 3rd quarter meltdown. I gotta blame PJ and #24. Phil has never been a teacher so much as a philosopher, but with a team this young he needs to be more of teacher and along with Kobe, a better motivator. They should know that the kids lack focus and intensity coming out of the break. Kobe needs assess and adjust while out there. He doesn't have the talent around him to give up so many points and then lead the team back like he used to. PJ needs to call a damn timeout and reprimand or explain what's what to whoever is missing their spots or not d'ing up. Of course, I still think Bynum fixes most of their recent woes, but they could have beaten the spurs and dallas (pending).

YellowCoffee

I was talking to a buddy of mine and he was telling me how the Lakers' performance in the 2nd half severely deteriorated from the first half against Dallas and San Antonio last week.

Maybe it did a little bit, but I think more than that, those two teams really stepped it up and "woke up". I think it's evident how important Bynum has been by looking at the performance of the team in his absence. Opponent's defenses can help out on the perimeter at will because there's no low-post presence or any threat of any offense coming out of Kwame. Hopefully the Lakers can just hold on until the big man comes back.