Here is Part Two of our interview with Ken Miller, longtime basketball writer and the Sports and Entertainment Editor at the Los Angeles Sentinel. Part One sparked a lot of conversation, which we were happy to see. Hopefully, the next installment will do the same. Enjoy.

Andrew Kamenetzky:  In terms of bringing back Phil Jackson, to me it seemed to be an odd decision if the strategy is to prepare for two or three years from now.  To bring in a guy like Phil, who carries expectations of championships or close to that level, when the team isn’t anywhere near that?  What’s your opinion on that hire?

Ken Miller:  I think the hiring of Phil Jackson was solely a reputation hire.  The Lakers as a franchise, their reputation is in the toilet.  When they made the blockbuster trade with Shaquille O’Neal and they sided with Kobe Bryant, they had to bring Phil Jackson in.  He was the only guy that they could have brought in that could have given the organization a bona fide reputation.  There’s no question that Phil brings that kind of reputation to the Lakers, and I think that he takes a lot of the negativity away from Kobe Bryant.  The fact of the matter is that when Phil Jackson is done in three years- if he’s done, because we really don’t know when Phil is going to be done- but if he’s done in three years, I think what they’re going to do is to move Phil Jackson into a decision making capacity upstairs, so that he can attract the players in.  Because Kobe Bryant cannot attract the players and they are not guys who are willing to come and play for Mitch Kupchak.  So Phil Jackson is going to have to be the magnet to get one of those superstars over here.

          I just don’t see it happening.  I don’t see it happening, because I think the level of players they’re going to go after, they’re going to be guys who have probably won a championship with their existing team, and are going to want to play for a team that has an opportunity to win a championship.  You talk about the marketing base and expanding your personal profile, but that hasn’t helped Kobe Bryant.  Why would it help another solid superstar?  I don’t even know if it’s going to make a difference.  There’s not a guy out there like that.  Probably the next superstar is gonna come from the high school and college ranks.  You’re talking 2010, 2011 before the Lakers can get that kind of player.  I really don’t see the Lakers winning another NBA championship in the next twenty to twenty five years.

AK:  Really?

KM:  Really.

The kids were alright Tuesday night in San Antonio, but the score wasn't.  While Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Sasha Vujacic contributed their strongest games of the season, Kobe Bryant was locked down by Spurs defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, forcing shots on his way to a 9-33 night.  Kobe, discussing a critical miss late in the game, is still trying to balance the need to score with his teammates lack of experience in the O, believing in the good ol' days, players would have been in the right spots to receive a pass. 

As part of his longest on-court stretch of the season, Andrew Bynum had the chance to match up against his idol, Tim Duncan.  In what can only be seen as a positive sign, Bynum hopes to pattern his career after the steady, fundamentally sound Spurs big man (god forbid the words, "I want to be just like Jerome James" pass through his lips).  While he played big (6 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks in 21 minutes), he's still a rook:  after the game, he forgot to remove his mouthpiece at the start of a post-game interview.  He'll have time to adjust, since it looks like he won't be visiting the D-League this year. 

Make no mistake, the Zen Master is doing plenty of coaching this year, although he had a chance to reminisce on better times in San Antonio (hello, Derek Fisher!) when the Spurs-Lakers rivalry had a little more tooth to it.  No matter what's going on, Jackson will have plenty of chances to talk about it on his new radio show. 

(photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty)

Some think there's no such thing as a good loss, but I disagree in the case of the Lakers 90-84 loss to the Spurs. Put that first quarter aside (a tempting offer, considering how ugly L.A. played) and I think this was the best The Lakers have looked in a while. The Spurs are a team they have no business beating. Seriously, their bench smokes the Lakers' starting five. By miles. And the Lakers are missing Devean George, Kwame Brown and Slava. The Laker Nation should actually feel pretty stoked about this one, despite clocking another "L." It was far from perfect, with that "Okay, for real... Can Kobe and LO actually play together?" matter still a bigger mystery than the Iraq exit strategy. But the team was more energetic, more so than the usual Kobe-watching strategy. Keep up that kind of effort on a regular basis, and they'll inch themselves closer to .500... And maybe further.

Anyhoo, the game...

Even in San Antonio, Kobe's high shot totals are news.  All part of an outsider's view of the purple and gold in anticipation of tonight's game against the Spurs.  Look for the Bruce Bowen vs. Kobe matchup to be key. 

Lamar Odom's inconsistent play is starting to concern Phil Jackson (making him just like you, we suppose).  According to Odom, it's not for lack of effort.  He's spent extra time in the gym, and is trying to gain more confidence in his shot.  Odom has had greater success passing the ball, which is more than you can say for the team, currently 18th in the league in assists. 

Despite the gap in scoring between Bryant and Odom, Kobe has a ways to go before setting the NBA record for largest gap between leading scorers on one team.

Recently, we had a chance to speak with Ken Miller, longtime basketball writer and the Sports and Entertainment Editor at the Los Angeles Sentinel, who shared some interesting views on the state of the Lakers. This is the first part of our discussion.

Brian Kamenetzky: What was your impression of the team going into the season, and have they performed how you expected?

Ken Miller: I think it’s been about what I expected.  The Lakers are about where they should be considering the talent level on the team.  I think that Kobe Bryant is truly, I think he’s the best player- the best talent in the league, bar none.  There’s not anyone in the league that’s more talented and determined than Kobe Bryant. Lamar Odom is a very good role kind of player who can be a leader, but he can only be a leader if Kobe is not on the court. And they need him to coexist with Kobe. They need dynamic play from Lamar Odom when he and Kobe Bryant are on the floor, and I don’t think that Lamar Odom can perform that way. I think that he’s the kind of guy that when Kobe is out there, he’s not going to put up the same kind of numbers than when Kobe is not out there. I don’t know how to explain that.  I don’t think that he’s Kevin Garnett.  I think that he’s a real solid player.  He’s not as versatile as some people give him credit for- I don’t think I’ve ever seen him go to his right.  But he’s 6’10”, and you can’t teach height, and you can’t teach athleticism. 

It's the first Monday after Thanksgiving.  Nobody really wants to be at work, everyone's looking forward to the days off they get at Christmas.  Something has to get us to the day end whistle. 

All the talk of holiday travel got me thinking... What Lakers player would you most like as your road trip wingman? We'll call it an 8 hour trip from LA to wherever is 8 hours from LA.  No 24 hour, "you take one shift while I sleep, I'll take over and you take a nap" stuff.  It's not about finding the best driver of the bunch. 

And for the sake of argument, the trip is taken in a hypothetical car, the Nissan Pathfinder.  Roomy enough for everyone, but you don't get to choose Kobe because he's the richest guy on the team, and therefore must have the most pimped out ride.   And no trolling for a lift in the Smushcalade.

My choice?  8 hours with Kobe could be either the most revealing or completely awkward 480 minutes of my life.  A real crapshoot.   Can I take that kind of risk?  Bynum?  Too young.  Same with Devin Green.  Slava?  Language barrier.  Odom?  Not a bad choice.  Solid guy, pretty funny.   But in the end, it's all about tunes.  I think I'd have the fewest arguments over the stereo with Luke Walton.  He's probably got some huge stack of old Grateful Dead bootlegs from his dad, and the miles just roll by when you're jamming to some Fillmore concert from '71. 

Justify your answer.

BK

Kobe went off for 46, but again the Lakers suffered from a lack of balance, falling to the New Jersey Nets in OT Sunday 102-96.  Bryant dominated the offense, taking 36 of Los Angeles' 95 shots, making only 14.  Still, his 39% shooting bested the Lakers team total, an ugly, rim clanking, child scaring 34%. 

Lamar Odom chipped in 10 boards and 5 assists, which was good because he didn't do much else.  Coming off his best stretch of the season against Seattle, Odom's 1-11 showing from the field, including 0-4 from beyond the arc, was good for only 8 points (thank god for free throws). The Lakers got off to a horrible start, digging themselves a 16 point deficit after 1 quarter that they spent the rest of the game trying to overcome.  Bryant brought the team back in the 3rd and 4th to force OT... and the rest is (unpleasant) history. 

T.J. Simers gets away from mocking us to mock far more important people, like Phil Jackson. 

This week, Mark Heisler discusses the dilemma of Kobe's shot totals.  How do balance the need for Bryant to take over a game (it's part of what makes him such a great player) with the need to keep his teammates involved... especially when most of those teammates are offensively challenged?  What Lakers player will demand some of those shots from Kobe?

That synergy, especially between Bryant and Lamar Odom, has to happen if the injury riddled, talent thin Lakers squad is going to make the playoffs.  The Lakers best two players must start playing better together.  It's noteworthy that Odom had perhaps his best stretch of the season- the 1st half vs. Seattle- with Kobe on the bench.  It's a fix that needs to happen, and fast. 

Kobe Bryant wants to go down not just as a great scorer, but a great defender as well.  His performance against Ray Allen this week will help, but Bryant is looking for more challenges.  He'll have another chance tonight when Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and the New Jersey Nets visit Staples. 

Meanwhile, Lamar Odom may find himself returning to the frontcourt, at least for a game, since Brian Cook has the flu.  His availability for tonight's game is in question.  Luke Walton, on the other hand, should be active for the first time this season. 

Charley Rosen checks in on Phil (scroll down, although it's always fun to read about Ruben Patterson). 

Okay, here's the deal.  I'm not a Mitch Kupchek apologist.  You'll never hear me say the guy is the best thing since sliced bread (or Jerry West).  But this "Cupcake" thing?  Not working for me.  I'm not sure it's as biting or clever as intended (more like an 8th grade put down where someone then says, "Ooooooh, burn, sizzle, fry.").  And by now, repetition has taken any wit and totally thrown it out the window.  While I believe it's completely possible to slag on a guy while using his actual name, I also have an appreciation for comic name change as a form of satire.  If that's your M.O., use it.  But 11 games into the season, Cupcake has run its course.  It's time to do better.   

So for the anti-Mitch faction out there, here's the challenge:  Find a new derogatory or mocking name for the Lakers GM.  Something.  Anything.  Use Kupchek as your template, or don't.  I believe in the creativity of the Lakers Blog family of readers.  Just remember our rules- no cursing, no inappropriate sexual content (that's right, keep your dirty Mitchnames to yourself), and no slander/libel. 

Then go to town.  Extra points for being clever.  Explain your name, if need be.   

(Pro Mitchers?  Feel free to chime in as well with positive monikers.  This neither a condemnation nor commendation of Kupchek's work, merely an attempt to improve the quality of Lakers Blog banter.  And if you guys dig Cupcake, than so be it.) 

BK

Brian Cook was stoked just getting into a game with his mom in the house. The Lakers were pretty psyched about those 17 points and 7 boards. Whether or not he'll continue starting is up in the air, but between the strong effort and the rash of injuries, Cookie's guaranteed some big minutes for the time being.

If you're gonna drive something called "The Smushcalade," your game better be up to snuff. Smush agrees, which is why he's looking to step up his (Devean has spare SUV's lying around? Must be nice.). In fact, the Sonics game could be a template for the kind of night both Smush and LO would like to have in the future. 

FYI: Walton hopes to dress on Sunday to face the Nets, and close bud Richard Jefferson.

Steve Kerr of Yahoo! Sports discusses the Lakers' dependence on Kobe offensively, but notes they've become a better defensive squad this season (hey fans, it's all relative), and that Phil Jackson sees encouraging signs for down the road. 

Finally, a fun Saturday afternoon time killer, the CBS Sportsline NBA Basketball Player Ratings.  Scroll down to find most of your favorite Lakers...