Extra! Extra! (12.12)
One quarter of the season is gone, and the Lakers are exactly what many predicted they would be
: average. Literally. At 10-10, they're still finding the rhythm and trust in each other and the offense, and still evolving as a team. L.A. is currently a half game out of the 8th playoff spot, one good streak from moving up a slot or two... and one bad one from falling into a serious hole.
Phil Jackson sees some good, but notes there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly in the offense. As for the big offseason acquisition, there is no guarantee Kwame Brown will reclaim his starting gig at power forward once completely healthy. Brian Cook has played steadily in his absence.
The good news is that the big worries going into the season (Phil, Kobe, egos, and juicy passages from books) haven't been a story at all. With the dynamic changed from maintaining a championship team to building one, coach and player are on the same page. It helps that ego #3 is in Miami, says the Dallas Morning News.
The Lakers head into Dallas tonight to face a team that's on a roll, and has improved this year in many important statistical categories, especially points allowed. Coincidentally, the Lakers are also looking to improve their D as of late, with Smush in particular being asked to step it up.
Scottie Pippen sat down with ESPN.com Insider's Chris Sheridan, and had some very interesting things to say about Phil Jackson, his return to the Lakers, and Lamar Odom. Here's a sample:
"ESPN.com: On Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach a couple weeks ago took a mild swipe at Phil by saying he picked his spots. What's your opinion on how much credit Phil Jackson should get for those six titles? Could any coach have won those six titles with those teams that he had?
Pippen: Well, first of all, I think we all pick our spots. No one wants to step into a bad situation, and I think Phil has done a great job at doing that. But I can't say that he exactly picked his spot in Chicago. It was a spot that he landed in, and he was able to be very successful in it.
I can't say anyone could. Doug would've, but he didn't. He took the greatest player in the game from taking 35-40 shots a game and got him to buy into his offensive system, got him believing in his teammates. I mean, I don't see a lot of coaches that can do a lot of the things that Phil has done from a coaching standpoint. Take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq and Kobe. How many years were they together before Phil showed up? There was no success there. You know, picking your places is good, and you've got to pick the right places, but you've also got to be able to perform when you get there. I think Phil has been able to do that wherever he's been.
ESPN.com: What about with this year's Lakers? Is there too much going on there for Phil to be able to use his same formula to get that team back to that level again?
Pippen: I still see him using the same formula. I think Phil's formula of really using five players on the basketball court, utilizing that triangle offense, is something that is going to be very successful in this game for a long time. He has Tex Winter, his mentor, doing all the teaching day in and day out, and it's just a very special situation to be in, to really have the experience to really understand it. Look back at Kobe, he's the one guy that's young enough that he's having an opportunity to relive the best time of his career, with Phil Jackson. You don't get that no more, that you can go back and grab hold of something that was good for him. It's worked out good for him, and I think it's going to be something that he can move forward in his career and appreciate.
ESPN.com: Who's the next Scottie Pippen, as far as guys in the league now?
Pippen: I think there's a lot of good, young talented players. If you want to say (Lamar) Odom, you can throw him out there, but I do believe it's going to take him a little more time to adjust to Phil's offensive system, but he will continue to get better. You've got Tracy McGrady, and there's a lot of young players out there that have the potential. It's the fact that you want to see them get in the gym, put the work in, then show up come postseason.
ESPN.com: Can Lamar become a lock-down defender?
Pippen: I think he can, if he keeps working at it. He has the size, he has the speed, he has the ability and he has the will. And that's the most important thing: if you're willing to put forth the effort to play defense, then it's no harder than the offense."
Kobe is still the #1 rated shooting guard on CBS.Sportsline.com's positional power rankings. Lamar Odom is 5th in small forwards (hey, he has to be somewhere). For everyone else, scroll down.
(photo by CRAIG LASSIG/EPA)
Once Lamar masters (not "becomes comfortable", but MASTERS) the Triangle, the Lakers will be unstoppable. Seriously, once Lamar masters the Triangle, Kobe will be able to control his inner "teammate distrust monster" that causes him to throw up too many shots instead of passing the ball AND the game will open up for Smush, Sasha, and Mihm.
Forget all this negative talk about Kwame. The Lakers success hinges on Lamar Odom. Period.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 12, 2005 at 09:20 AM
Taken from Dallas Morning News: "Jackson has a lot at stake as well. The coach/author has now branched out into the radio world with his own show on Sirius.
"Hell no," O'Neal said when asked if he's caught Jackson's show. "I'm not going to listen to that crap." "
Aaarrgh. What the hell is wrong with Shaq? Can't he just be a normal respectful human being for once? He used to call Phil Jackson his "white father", now he calls his basketball wisdom "crap".
I don't get it.
I'd like to forget about Shaq but its hard when a 350 pound creature like him keeps rampaging through the press world shouting out random stupid things.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 12, 2005 at 09:29 AM
Born and raised in SoCal, but living in Miami for the past five years, I have been enjoying all the ex-Lakers play and coach for the Heat. Last night I was fortunate enough to attend a game against the Wizards and watched a couple of additional ex-lakers (Butler and Atkins) put up 28 and 26 respectfully.
I do think Kwame's a beast and with time he might become a significant inside presence, but does he have the upside potential of Butler...I think not.
Please recall that Kobe personally spoke with Butler during the Shaq trade, telling him that he really wanted to play with him...now Butler's gone and Kwame's not even starting...
I hope that Kwame just needs more time, but if Phil cannot even get him to live up to his "potential", then we Lakers fans truely got the shaft from last summers trade.
Posted by: Ryan Williams | December 12, 2005 at 10:03 AM
What ever happened to being patient???
The Lakers are gradually becoming a better team with each day. The offense is starting to resemble the triangle as it should be played. They have showed spurts of strong defense, especially on the perimeter. They are moving in the right direction. Why can't people be patient? Who changes overnight? It takes time. The key is that you are there by playoff time.
As for Kobe, I am tired of the discussions. It is clear that he will NEVER do enough of the right thing to make people not mention any bad that he may do. He can have a triple double night with the Lakers winning by twenty....but if he comes down and shoots a 3-pointer, it will be criticized and the whole game performance will be forgotten. The best thing for him is to stop reading the newspaper, and sell his televisions. He doesn't need to garbage.
As for Lamar, the guy is having the BEST year of his career yet it still isn't "good enough".
Another thought about Kobe Bryant. Isn't it interesting that he is the ONLY shooting guard that is critiqued for his number of assist each game more than his point total? I never heard people asking after MJ played.....How many assist did he get? How many assist does Ray Allen get a night? How about Michael Redd? Did Reggie Miller get a lot of assist?
No other player in NBA history has been held to the standard Kobe is being held to now.
Nobody every told World B Free that he shot too much?
This is just my 5 cents.
Posted by: JJ | December 12, 2005 at 10:07 AM
Response to Ryan Williams.
First, all trades cannot be evaluated on a short term basis only. The Lakers traded Shaq for 3 guys. Several things need to be evaluated in a trade like that. First, Shaq. Most will say that he is still the MD player this season, but he isn't. He is getting worse instead of better, and in a year or two, he won't be worth even 75% of what he will be paid. The Lakers would have been saddled for a very long time, if they had kept him. Imagine how he would have performed if they had chosen him over Kobe? You think he missed a lot of games and was lazy in the summer before.......it would have been worse. Besides, he has already shown this year that he is very suseptible to injuries and because of his age and wear, he can't recover very quickly. With him, the Lakers would have never had a strong backup. They never did during the championship years either.
Next, Lamar was the main piece of the trade for the Lakers to acquire, no Butler. Butler played well, and a part of me wanted to see him stay, but there just wasn't enough room. They are already logged heavy with small forwards/shooting guards. With him and Chucky......room would have been gone. Besides, you take risk sometimes and they work out sometimes. Kwame, may still work out, or he may lead to something better. The Lakers traded Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell for Glen Rice and JR Reid. Reid was gone that summer, and Rice only lasted one more season. He did help them win a title, but then he was gone. Was it worth it to trade Eddie and elden? Who can say, because they did win. Plus Rice was traded for Horace which was a strong pickup for one or two more titles.
All I'm saying is just be patient.
Posted by: JJ | December 12, 2005 at 10:16 AM
JJ,
"No other player in NBA history has been held to the standard Kobe is being held to now."
You're right. I think a lot of that has to do with what happened in Colorado. A lot of it has to do with the Shaq-Kobe soap opera that dominated Los Angeles sports news for four years. But, you're right.
It won't end until he wins another championship. Only then will he get redemption in the eyes in the general public.
He'll get it.
As Lakers fans we need faith and patience... but he'll get it.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 12, 2005 at 10:30 AM
What is the consensus about Lamar as a defender? I haven't heard PJ or many others discuss it, but if you want him to b the next Pippen, his D has to be something you look at. I've tried watching him in a couple games, and to me, he seems like a better team defender than man to man defender. He's definitely not as good as Pippen, but not many are. He seems to plays more like a big man, often sinking down off his man to prevent drives and get rebounds. Anybody got deeper analysis?
Posted by: mannie | December 12, 2005 at 10:31 AM
Does anyone have a list of the books that Phil gave each player. I read that Lamar got the Art of War and Kobe got Blink by Malcom Gladwell. I would love to see the rest of the players' books.
Posted by: Hassan | December 12, 2005 at 10:33 AM
we did get the short end of the stick with Kwame, he's totally ineffectual. As for his potential, if he had any, it would have shown by now. His problem is not that he doesn't udnerstand the triangle, the problem is that he is incapable of being a high impact player at the NBA level. He does not rebound or catch passes in the post, which is a real problem in a post player.
All that aside, let's hope they can get back a groove and put down the Mavs tonight.
Posted by: dustin burr | December 12, 2005 at 10:35 AM
Hassan! Totally! I would love to see that list.
Mannie,
As to turning Lamar into the next Scotty Pippen, I hate that kind of talk. I don't want a Lakers championship team that is some kind of poorly made sequel to the Jordan/Pippen teams of the past. Kobe is his own man. Lamar is his own man. As fans we need to let them be who they are, not hope they mold themselves into someone they're not.
Lamar is going to start to truly shine before this year is over. Next year he is going to be a fricken monster. I can't wait.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 12, 2005 at 11:01 AM
Kobe, Kobe, KOBE!
There's nothing he can do to redeem himself....
Am I the only one to notice that when Kobe score 50 and the lakers loses "he's a ball hog" but god forbid Lebron scores 50 and the Cavs loses he's MJ's teacher!!
Talk about Double Standard...
I have a conspiracy theory. I believe Kobe was set up in Eagle Colorado. Did anybody notice that The demise of Kobe coincided with Lebron James rise to fame...Honestly...if Kobe didn't get that "Colorado" thing do you really thing Lebron would have been this big!! They needed to bash Kobe so they can boost Lebron!
People forget that Kobe was untouchable and "most experts" seriously believed he was better than MJ at the same age!
KOBE WAS THE FACE OF THE NBA...and the media siding with shaq on all accounts didn't happened but after "Colorado"!!
The more they bash Kobe the more at the same time the hyped Lebron James...
SERIOUSLY all that happened the same summer...isn't it kinda odd?
As for Shaq being most dominant in the NBA, I dare anybody to tell me when was the last time Shaq averaged at least 27 and 12 over a 7 game period???
because that's what I call DOMINANCE.
Posted by: Chosen#23 | December 12, 2005 at 11:12 AM
chosen#23,
youre conspiracy theory is the biggest load of crap i have ever heard. The media always needs to hype things up. And the media usualy responds to what the audience wants to hear. Or in Lebrons case, give them something to talk about. Lebron is an amazing player. straight out of highschool he was putting up amazing numbers. it is simply how marketing and the media works. No kobe was not set up by any means. the only thing that i see correct in your post is shaq dominance.. but everyone knows that, they are just scared to admit it.
Posted by: sylvain peltzer | December 12, 2005 at 11:42 AM
Conspiracy theories can be fun, but I don't think this one works out.
Kobe made a huge mistake in Colorado: cheating on his wife. He's no criminal, but he made a huge mistake, and I'm sure he's learned from it, but at quite a cost.
He'll always be held up to this impossible standard until he wins a championship. Who know? He might even be held up to this impossible standard until he wins at least a COUPLE of championships. It's just the way it is. As Lakers fans its our duty to see things as how they are and not to get caught up in the madness.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 12, 2005 at 11:52 AM
Lol i bet the Wizards GM got a real kick out of the Lakers this summer. I could see it now the GM and the Owned trying to figure out a way to dump Kwame, and come up with the idea lets call the lakers and get a brilliant talent in Butler for a washed up first round pick(as they laugh uncontrolably)
Posted by: steve | December 12, 2005 at 12:14 PM
Seems like every thread on this BLOG must have some Kwame bashing, regardless of the subject header.
I liked Caron, and he and Kobe seemed to develop an affinity for each other's game. The team desperately needed help in the front court though, and Butler was our only trade bait. We had no cap space. Kwame represents a huge gamble, but one that could possibly come up huge. If it doesn't, Mitch can still look to move him after next year and save the cap space in accordance with the 2007 plan he has been talking about (smokescreen?). The Lakers do not play to "make the playoffs". They play to win championships. I keep talking about how favorable a situation Jerry West took over as GM. Mitch had practically the opposite: Trading one of the 50 greatest, no cap space, complete roster wipe. This organiztion is making moves to contend for a championship, not "make the second round". It will not happen overnight. Every time I read another post suggesting Mitch's removal or Kwame's lack of whatever, I lose a little more respect for the fans of this team.
It's easy to talk about what might have been, or trades that will never happen. What I see is an organization as committed to winning as ever. We just went on a 4 game winning streak, something we haven't done since Shaq left. Three of those wins came on the road, two were back to back nights. I am excited to see this team improve, and I think knowledgable fans see what I see: a team that can contend sooner than the naysayers think. From top to bottom, the players are improving, contributing and gaining confidence. Thier identity is emerging; opportunistic and energetic. Consistent is next on the list, and I can see it coming, even if "haters" can't.
J-
Posted by: johnnyb | December 12, 2005 at 12:21 PM
Amen
johnyb
Posted by: todd | December 12, 2005 at 01:33 PM
Hey Laker fans
That was an excellent comment by "jj" about Kobe being held to an impossible standard. The focus continues to constantly circle around Kobe especially if the Lakers lose.
Ironically a lot of it comes from local media, especially the Lakers beat writer Mike Breshnahan.....who is this clown? It is as though his mission in all his articles is to criticize Kobe. If anyone read his article in the LA Times after the Lakers lost to Minnesota he points out in the article that Kobe only had 3 assists after shooting 11/20 from the field. Would someone tell this clown that assist totals is not an accurate assessment of your passing in any particular game!
Kobe passed the ball just as well against Minn. but Mike never mentioned that Smush Parker was 0 for 7 from the field and Brian Cook was 2 for 7.
I had to ask myself was that oversight an accident or was it by design? Is Mike Breshnahan consistently trying to paint Kobe in a bad light purposely?
By comparison when other local papers write about their stars i.e. Allan Iverson, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade etc. you never see this constant scrutiny from that media or that stars head coach. Why does this consistently happen in regard to Kobe?
Has anyone else noticed this?
Posted by: Pfunk36 | December 12, 2005 at 01:54 PM
Guys, there are several articles that list all the books Phil handed out - check the LATimes, OCregister etc.
As far as Lamar as a defender, he can definitely grow in that respect, but he'll never have the foot speed to lock down really athletic, quicker swingmen, but on the other end his height causes a big mismatch for other teams to deal with. During the Olympics Larry Brown raved about Lamar and complimented his defense many times - he's already a good team defender and has shown that his long arms can reach around high screens making it difficult for the offensive player to get a clean look, he just needs to work on his man to man out on the perimiter a little bit and find a way to stay in front of the quicker 3's a little better.
Posted by: Kevin | December 12, 2005 at 02:06 PM
I agree that the Laker organization is committed to winning, and that it's coming together now, but, while us loyal fans are waiting, how 'bout a Holiday special? Half off the $4900 floor seat, or, this week only, 50 dollars cash back on any seat around "see" level. We're subsidizing the "salary cap" strategy for 07 / 08. How 'bout a Blogger Night at Staples so we can all gather and rant about Kwame?
Posted by: Vman | December 12, 2005 at 02:19 PM
I agree that the team needed help up front in the way of a big man. But Mitch made a huge mistake when he traded one of our few assets in Caron Butler for a totally useless big man. Once again, Mitch managed to make the team worse, something he's done each and every year while he's been in charge.
Posted by: Johnnie Conga | December 12, 2005 at 02:25 PM
Caron butler is a nothing player. He is a six feet seven atheletic swing man who plays bad defense that just signed a big contract. Players like him are dime a dozen in the NBA,and if your goal is to be entertained and play at .500 level,he is great on your team,but these are the lakers. You play for a championship or you get a players that might contribute on a championship team. Caron Butler will never be that type of player. Kwame on the other hand,although stiff on offense, might develop into a defensive big man that every championship team needs.I don't know if he ever will,but at least he has a chance. Butler never will be a good defensive player;he just simply has horrible lateral quickness.Defense wins championships,and I think if you keep that in mind, and stop focusing on how many points are scored alone,one would see it as a good trade on Brown's defensive potential alone.
Posted by: tomwu | December 12, 2005 at 03:08 PM
"Mitch managed to make the team worse, something he's done each and every year while he's been in charge."
Really? Funny, I don't remember having a 4 game winning streak last year with Caron and Chucky on the roster. Barring injuries to Lamar and Kobe we will certainly have a better record this year than last - the Lakers are going through the heavier part of their schedule now and hanging in there. Last season their tough stretch was at the end and they were nowhere near .500 ball during that time.
I love Caron, he's a great shooter and not afraid of the drive, but he's a liability on defense and can't slide around stationary defenders making him succeptible to offensive fouls. The truth is, Caron had to go, he's due to make big money after this year, and the lakers would've ended up with nothing b/c they wouldn't have signed him to a big contract. At least this way we end up with a big man with a short term contract, who despite his troubles on offense, does a decent job on defense. If we had kept Caron for '05-'06, we would've ended up with NOTHING for '06-'07. We now have a good athletic (albeit delicate in more than one way) big man with nothing but upside. To me, Mitch made an easy choice on this one.
Posted by: Kevin | December 12, 2005 at 03:24 PM
Johnnie Conga,
Considering the team needs, who would you have gotten for Butler. "Once again, Mitch managed to make the team worse " Is it your assesment that this years team is worse than last years team? I disagree, I think this years team is better than last years team. Further, because of the good decisions made by the organization we will be better able to pick up an impact free agent should one become avialable. Not to mention the fact that we have a big man with potential vs and average guard/forward.
Posted by: todd | December 12, 2005 at 03:25 PM
Pfunk,
I agree with you. Stats and box scores are often misleading. 11-20 is exactly the kind of shooting night we want from Kobe. There seems no middle ground, either Kobe "has no help" or he "is a selfish ballhog".
Let's face it, sometimes Kobe is a selfish ballhog. But sometimes he has no help.
Either way, Kobe can only control Kobe. To that end, he should never take 35 shots in a game unless they are all under the basket. As long as he is doing that, the opinions of hype jockeys and bandwagoners won't mean a thing. And in time, the spin will change and Kobe will again be recognized for his quality instead of his frailty.
J-
Posted by: johnnyb | December 12, 2005 at 03:26 PM
Regarding Butler-Kwame Trade: There is NO REASON to complain. If the trade was not done, we would be left with neither of them after this season. Caron's contract would expire after this season and he would want a long contract that the Lakers couldn't give him because of the 2007 plan. He might have a better season that Kwame this year, but at least we will have Kwame next year and who knows, he might turn out to be great. What happened was for the best and there was no other option.
Posted by: Yonatan | December 12, 2005 at 03:44 PM
I've noticed that nobody on this Blog seems to be acknowledging that Chris Mihm is really coming along. He looked quite shaky at the beginning of the year, but he's becoming more aggressive, is not as foul-prone, AND his shot seems to have a bit more finesse.
I like what I see.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 12, 2005 at 03:55 PM
kwame has a lot of upsides poeple are over looking its easy to point out all the negative he plays very good D he an buyum are the future he's going to be better off the bench anyways plus phil might use that to his advantge to get kwame to play harder to get back into the starting line up
Posted by: samieza | December 12, 2005 at 04:18 PM
haha thats a pretty interesting conspiracy theory. i dont believe it, but its interesting. i have always thought there were decision makers behind the curtains making moves to create the NBA into the "perfect league". refs making horrible calls and throwing games. refs giving "homecourt advantage" to the home team. (is that even fair?) trades that would have been veto'd if it were a fantasy league. ron artest surprising everyone that he all of a sudden doesnt want to be a pacer? tell me that didnt catch everyone off guard. i just read in sports illustrated about how ron ron was so well-liked and was the ultimate team player. didnt care about his shots and time. he just wanted to win. and that swhy larry bird loved him so much. i guess some people decided to spice up the nba a little and throw ron ron to the big apple. cuz in 2-3 years, no matter where hes traded, thats where hes gonna end up.
haha ive always jokingly called david sern, "god". because, in a sense, he runs the league. the nba, for most of us nba fans, is our world away from the world. for those 2 hours, our attention is primarily fixed on what our favorite team is doing. the outside world is no longer priority #1. the players union, as much as it thinks has some control over what happens in the league, has no power over "god". to think kobe was setup in colorado is ridiculous because the lakers still had kobe and shaq. its possible. they could have send a girl over to his room in colorado that fit his fantasy girl's description. they could have done a lot of things. but why would they? the lakers still had 4 future hall of famers on their team and they were well on their way to a 4-peat. after derek fisher's 0.4 shot, you dont think stern didnt want them to win it all? it wouldve made for a great championship dvd. you think the nba got more money with detroit spanking LA and it would have the other way around? the nba is a business. and the business is to entertain. you dont think "god" would have wanted the lakers to 4-peat and create as much noise around sports as its ever had? no team has ever 4-peated since boston. but sadly, everyone knows karl got hurt and the rest is history. i honestly believe the lakers were given every opportunity to beat detroit. its a conspiracy theory nonetheless. but it wasnt as if the lakers got all the calls or if detroit got all the calls. detroit just played THAT much better than the lakers. if the lakers played anwhere near a decent game, they would have won. david stern would have orchestrated it beautifully, and everyone would be talking about a 4-peat, going on 5. the nba caught a break in lebron and wade emerging into superstars. with new faces in the league, i think the league decided it could afford to stop protecting kobe, and started leaning towards making lebron the face of the nba. kobe was untouchable until he made his mistake. now every little thing he touches turns to crap. no one wants to play with him. kobe just oozes with negativity.
i agree, and i commented earlier about it too. kobe is held on a different standard. lebron can do no wrong because he's being protected by the nba. i agree with the guy who posted about how if kobe put up 50 and the lakers lost he would be a ballhog. lebron putup 50 and joked about how he never wanted to score 50 again. what kinda crap is that? and hes a hero for trying? time to face reality...
king james is now the league's new savior...
kb8 has been dumped to become the league's new villain...
like kobe said: its gotten to the point where its the "in" thing to do when you boo kobe bryant. i'm sure half the people booing dont even know what theyre booing about. they just see no.8 or hear kobe's name and they boo. everyones gone "philadelphia" all of a sudden. speaking of phili booing kobe everytime he pays a visit to his hometown. i dont get it. are they booing kobe because phili didnt draft him no.1? are they booing him because he said he was going to "step on their throats" and go for the jugular when they met in the finals? maybe he should have said i'll take it easy on them since its my hometown. do they know that everytime they boo kobe, its a knock on allen iverson? its as if theyre booing because they would rather see kobe in phili instead of iverson. someone help me understand this. maybe its a philadelphia thing?
anyways, anyone else share my little conspiracy theory? do you honestly think the refs can consistantly screw teams over again and again with bad calls? granted, most of the calls went against laker opponents, but im sure you get what im saying. haha im telling you, theres a group of decision makers behind the scenes putting words in david stern's mouth.
***
and before i get bashed for blasphamy, i know david stern is not "god". it is just a figure of speach demonstrating how much power stern has over the league. see the quotation marks???
Posted by: Lefty | December 12, 2005 at 04:22 PM
Hey i'm a big kobe fan, but has anyone noticed this about him? He seems to be committed to either just scoring or passing. Like he can rack up 8 assists in the 1st half, then in the 2nd half, once he's committed himself to scoring, he tries to drive in or shoot no matter who's defending him. Do u guys reckon this gives an element of predictability to his game?
Posted by: chris | December 12, 2005 at 04:35 PM
why are we talking about the butler-kwame trade like that was the biggest mistake in lakers history we gave up nick the quick for nothing we traded away eddie jones an elden for glen rice who lasted a year imagine the 96-97 lakers under phil jackson with kobe coming of the bench
Posted by: samieza | December 12, 2005 at 04:50 PM
Jon K,
I'm not as impressed with Mihm. While I see strong potential, he has yet to show me consistent improvement. To me, he makes the same mistakes over and over. He reaches all the time on D, and gets boxed out way too often. The guy's footwork is marginal at best on offense, and can be downright awful on defense. What makes it frustrating is that he occasionally shows some incredible alilities. With his mobility and height, he should be dominating guys like Sweetney...I mean, really...Sweetney?
J-
Posted by: johnnyb | December 12, 2005 at 04:57 PM
Johnnie Conga, steve, & dustin burr...
Kwame is horrible? No upside?
I'm sure if you saw tonights game vs. Dallas, you might be eating your words right now. That trade was a very good one and Mitch will walk away looking like a genius in the long run here. Kwame was BEGGING for the ball tonight and only got it 6 times. What did he do those six times? He went strait to the hoop and scored every time. He was a monster in the post. 6/6 fg's.
Lakers didnt need Butler this year, they had countless small forwards and his contract was up at the end of this year. they didnt need atkins either. They DID need a big body for the front court in Kwame Brown.
All the Kwame non-believers will be eating their words at the end of the year.
Posted by: Derek | December 13, 2005 at 04:47 AM
One game does not a player make...I'm not a Kwame hater, in fact I don't hate anyone...I'm simply a critic...and Kwame is far from being consistent.
Did I love Kwame's layup and rebounds at the end of the game...Yes...do I love Kwame's FG%...yes...did Butler have to be traded because he will require a large contract soon...Maybe...
But...Do I think Kwame currently has the same impact on the court as Caron Butler...No...All I was saying is that I saw Butler play a better game last Sunday night than I have ever seen from Kwame. Period.
Kwame please for the sake of the team and our ego's as Lakers fans....prove me wrong and play like you did last night...every night.
Posted by: Ryan Williams | December 13, 2005 at 10:30 AM