A while back, we asked if you'd rather take Kupchak and the Lakers or Isiah and the Knicks.  Some of you actually chose the Knicks.  Any chance you'd like to reconsider?

Note:  This is not homerism, by any stretch.  I'd take just about any roster in the league over the Knicks, considering their cap issues, goofy roster, and (oh yeah) their 14-29 record.

BK

I didn't even realize it, but All-Star voting ended nine days ago. And for a while, Kobe Bryant making the All-Star Team felt like a long shot. A pipe dream. A young man with a quest facing impossible odds. But according to the NBA's latest announcement, the guy managed to scrape together 1,891,205 votes to take 2nd place among all players (Yao's "winning"). Talk about your shockers.  Unless some freak oddities went down during the last 3 days of voting, the guy's even gonna start! Must have been the free lemonade and pony rides he promised to everyone that punched his name. In addition, Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom have managed respective 4th and 10th place tallies among Western Conference players at their positions. And while I'd be stunned to see either make the actual team (barring injury-replacement), congrats to all three for representing. No word yet as to how many votes Devin Green has racked up.

It's a given that All-Star voting is something of a joke, but there are results that nonetheless manage to shock me each year. Being named a Western Conference forward is always a tall order, with worthy folks guaranteed to get the shaft. I mean, damn, that list is stacked! But shouldn't Shawn Marion's 21 and 12 have beaten out Amare Stoudemire's nada and zilch? And were Ron Artest and Grant Hill's brief appearances this year really so spectacular that they merited bigger props than Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard? Gary Payton's having an All-Star season, but Michael Redd isn't? Oh, well. I suppose certain elections are destined to remain one big popularity contests. I just wasn't aware David Wesley and Erick Dampier are such popular players.

Anything else on that list strike you as odd? Snubs or unusually high finishes?

AK

Good thing the Lakers play the Knicks in NYC tonight. A high profile venue like MSG might finally prompt people to start talking a bit about Kobe's scoring ability. A stop in the Apple has predictably turned into an 81 ring circus.  As Larry Brown thwarts Kobe's "quest" for 82, #8 would love if the chatter revolved around shutting down LO, Smush or Mihm.  Or the team's push for the playoffs. Or the sunny weather in L.A.. Anything but himself and the 81. Good luck with that one, buddy. Outside of that writer who lied to Oprah, there's nobody the nation would rather analyze right now than Kobe Bean Bryant. Think Isaiah Thomas isn't enjoying a brief break from the spotlight? 

In the meantime, there's an actual game accompanying the hype, one that features a couple Lakers coming back to their roots. On one hand, Smush Parker arrives with the city hailing his conquering of the odds, a playground legend finally landing a little stability. It's the mirror opposite of Lamar Odom, who's unquestionably better career has been mired in a slump as of late. Maybe a night back where it all began will juice LO's game a touch.

The Lakers road trip began on Sunday in exactly the way everyone figured it would.  The superior skill, depth, and defense of the Detroit Pistons were plenty for the Mowtowners to deliver the Lakers a 102-93 thumping at the Palace.  All in all, while this Lakers team may be different than it was in Phil Jackson's last visit, the result was the same.   Kobe Bryant's 25 points in the first half were enough to keep things interesting, but a rough third quarter put the Lakers in a hole, while Detroit's defense, led by Tayshaun Prince, put the clamps on #8 in the final two quarters.  Is there any lingering rivalry from the '04 Finals?  Not in Bryant's mind.  His team needs to improve- a lot- before that kind of talk can begin again.

Really, there's no shame in losing to Detroit.  A decade after his '95-'96 Chicago Bulls won 70 games, Phil Jackson believes this Pistons team has a chance to do the same.  It's not just their depth and balance (evidenced by last night's box score), but the superior play of Chauncey Billups, who P.J. calls an MVP candidate.  He's not the only one who thinks so. 

Is Kobe Bryant just a traveling sideshow of scoring?   It wouldn't hurt for the team to have to rely less on him for points. 

The recent stretch of low scoring/high turnover play (always a rough combination) from Lamar Odom is a real concern for the Lakers, but in true Jackson fashion, he'll let L.O. work through it.  Odom's poor show landed him in ESPN's Daily Dime, and not for positive reasons.  There's a little Ocho talk in there as well. 

(photo by Duane Burleson/AP)

With the Lakers roadtripping on a seven game stretch, fans will have to make the best of not seeing them live for another 13 days. So where's the next best option when it comes to Lakers-watching venues? It's obviously impossible to make up for 18,997 screaming voices, but some spots give it more than a college try. Let's hear about the best of the best.

Is there an L.A. sports bar you guys think is king? Or maybe a restaurant with a killer big screen? A dive where everyone roots Lakers? For all I know, there's a Chuck E. Cheese where the Laker Nation gathers to cheer... and win stuffed animals. Provide your fellow bloggers with the prime destination for Purple and Gold nirvana. Who knows? Some of y'all may end up bumping into each other. Sweet!

Serious suggestions only, please.

Note: AK, BK, the L.A. Times, our advertisers, the Internet itself and anybody else remotely affiliated with this blog (including Mom) would like to make it perfectly clear that if you're not 21, you have no business being in 99.999% of the places that will be suggested. So don't go. At all. Under any circumstances. And if you do ignore our decree and enter said premises, we strongly state that you should ONLY indulge in a Coca-Cola, an iced tea, a steaming mug of coffee, healthy fruit juice, low-fat milk, or any multitude of refreshing non-alcoholic, age appropriate beverages that the establishment will gladly provide. That's what you should be drinking. Period. No questions asked. End of story. And those of legal age should designate a driver to also partake in a non-booze diet. Chip in and buy your chauffeur some Buffalo wings. He or she earned it by driving your butt around.

We're now officially lawsuit proof, so any stupid behavior is on you and you only.

AK

Apparently, The K Brothers will never be done linking articles about 81. Despire the apples and oranges nature of his and Wilt's achievements, the "who was better" debate continues to rage. Trying to predict Kobe's potential for 100 has replaced baseball as America's favorite past time. Assuming you think it was that monumental at all, considering he waxed the all-mighty Raptors to do it. A polarizing event, indeed, with two perspectives under examination. Or one and one only.

Press the play button on the answering machine...

"Hey Andy. It's me. You know what I tell you. It's the last ten minutes of the game that counts. No matter what. And how about my boy Smush? Wasn't he terrific? And here's the big question for the blog: Why did he take off his headband and is he better with or without it? What do people think? I think I've never seen him play without it. Maybe I've missed it. Talk to you. Bye, hon."

If the team picked up on the little things the way Mom does, they'd be 42-0 instead of 23-19.

So what do we think? Is Smush better with a piece of cloth wrapped snugly around his melon? Or without? And is there a method to the madness when he occasionally removes it?

AK

Friday night's big win against Golden State was a big one for the Lakers (Was it ugly?  Sure, but the only thing worse than winning ugly is losing ugly...).  By finishing the week 2-0, they gave themselves some breathing room heading into their seven game roadie, beginning tomorrow in (gulp!) Detroit.  Even better for the Lakers, they were in position to lose both games, but managed to pull them out in unconventional (81) and somewhat more typical (big 4th from Kobe) fashion.  But by winning the games they're supposed to win, the purple and gold have built a 2 1/2 game lead on Minnesota and Utah for the 8th spot.  Not exactly a runaway, but it most likely means that even if things go bad on the trip, let's say 2-5, they won't end up joining the Warriors down in playoff purgatory.  23-19 makes that easier than 21-21. 

If the Lakers can play near .500 over the trip, it'll go a long way towards solidifying a postseason berth.  They'll spend a lot of time at home over the last third of the season.  A winning trip would be massive.   

Here's what's on tap.   

Kobe didn't follow up the 81 with another 81 against Golden State. He actually spent the first three quarters looking like he'd struggle to hit double figures (5 points? Kobe?). But then came the fourth and OT, and Kobe's 25 points were the difference maker in a 106-105 victory. Failing to capitalize on the injuries of Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy, the squad flirted with a harsh kickoff to a seven game roadie.  But as #8 has shown a zillion times, it's not a matter of "if" his points are coming, just "when." Kobe's explosion, along with large contributions from Smush Parker and Devean George, kept the team on a roll as they get their motor running. 

The last local box score until 2/11.

As promised, here's the second part of my interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Like I said in Part I, so much to talk about, so little time. A staggering array of athletic, intellectual, and cultural significance, to say the least. Ridiculous understatement of 2006: "The Captain" has done a little living. But it's better hearing him describe it than me, so let's get right to it.

Andrew Kamenetzky: In terms of your coaching career, it's been a pretty tough road for you to get where you're at, especially for a guy with your credentials. How hard was it to persevere and believe you'd eventually get where you wanted to be?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: For a long time, I thought it wasn't going to happen. And then I had the opportunity in 2002 to coach in the the USBL (the Oklahoma Storm). And everything went the way it was supposed to be. You win a championship (in the first season). I had never been an X and O guy, but I did know how to keep the team together, keep them focused and do the things that they needed to do to win... That really gave me some confidence that I could handle an assignment if I got the opportunity.

AK: You're known for taking a very intellectual approach to life in a way that's different from a lot of sports figures. Did it bother you to see your communication skills questioned on such a level?

KAJ: It bothered me, but a lot of it was my fault. Just because of my whole history. I was just naturally suspicious. That's just something that I had to overcome. I was always felt that the less said, the better. You can't do that. And getting a head coaching job in Oklahoma really helped me see that... You really see how the coach is the interface for so many things. The team with the press. The team with the public. The team against other teams. You're right there in the middle of it and you have to be able to communicate and lead and make sure that certain things happen. That really made me understand what I hadn't been doing.

We're almost done as a mass media conglomerate talking about 81... but not quite. And per usual, a few people still didn't dig it. Apparently, kids today so at risk that a guy putting up 81 will somehow  lead them down the wrong path. And folks jonsing for a team effort (or Kobe to just change his game) weren't amused. But ESPN's Greg Anthony thinks these people are missing the point.  And hell, you might as well hop on the 81 bandwagon, because the imagery ain't going nowhere.  Good thing it's all on tape, too, since Kobe's not dead set on trying to recreate the moment tonight against Golden State. FYI. Phil Jackson's just peachy with that.

Former Laker Update: Anyone hoping the team might bring back AK's man Isaiah Rider on the cheap as a second scorer, look elsewhere. He won't have nearly the same explosiveness dunking in leg irons.

Put yourself in the way back machine, and set it to October.  You know, back before the season had started.  Before we saw that Kobe would average around 9,000 points a game, McKie would be hurt, and Kwame doesn't really know how to catch.  Back when we were all scrambling to figure out Smush Parker's given name.

It's William, by the way.   

If I had told you then that the Lakers would hit the halfway point of their season at 22-19, holding down the 7th spot in the conference, would you have taken that?  I know I would have.  And short of the super die hards with the optimism to construct a 57 win season out of ifs- "If Kwame can _______*, if George can ________*, plus if Bynum can _________*, and Cook does ________*, the Lakers can easily win the Pacific." (* = insert totally unrealistic scenario here)- I think most of you would have, too.  Yeah, they could be better, no question.  But while I figured they'd win around 46-47 games (feel free to look it up and correct me), it wasn't hard to imagine scenarios in which the team would have, if not buried themselves by now, at least hit the Home Depot to buy shovels and picks.   For the most part, they've been exactly what most of us expected.  A marginally talented team with enough superstar power to hang in the playoff battle.  Honestly, we should be thankful this group has managed to make the season as interesting as they have.  There are very few just-above-.500 teams that can be as intriguing as this bunch.  Of course, most teams don't have Kobe around, and no team is quite like the Lakers. 

Here are some first half observations.

Here at Lakers Blog, we like to think of ourselves as a place to go to educate yourself on what's happening in Purpleandgoldland.  A school of sorts (stick with us, we promise the metaphor has a point).  And what do they give out at school?   You know, aside from steady doses of angst and humiliation (Or at least that's how it was for BK).

That's right.  Grades. 

So with that in mind, it's time for the First Annual Lakers Blog Midseason Player Report Card (FALBMPRC for short).  We'll both be giving each player on the roster a grade, A-F, including Incompletes. 

Will guys be posting theirs on the fridge, or stealing them from the mailbox before their parents get home from work (an AK high school specialty)? 

Going alphabetically (and without any of this grading on a curve crap.  C means average)...

There's less stuff these days about 81... but there's still stuff. Who do you like more, Wilt or Kobe? Still the argument about whether it's good basketball (this cat obviously wasn't entertained). Others say you can score 81 without having character. Of course, you may get called a hater even if you don't. Vince Carter insists his previous comments were being blown up of context, and he's got nothing but love for the 81 (For what it's worth, AK was at the Nets-Clips game last night and heard Carter addressing this. He sounded sincere. It doesn't remove the undeniable irony of Vinsanity even fretting team play's future, considering how he admittedly often dogged it during his Toronto dog days. He'd have been smarter not to even go there, but likely was never trying to diss Kobe.) And with that in mind, read Jalen Rose's comments carefully before crying "Kobe-basher!"

Done deal. All the principles are moving forward with their lives. Lakers fans should do the same.

Food for thought: March 2003. Artest picks up the umpteenth flagrant of his career on then-Blazer Bonzi Wells. Now the two share a locker room. Fortunately, a level-headed guy like Bonzi doesn't strike one as the kind of guy who carries a grudge.

Guess it's just up to the league now. If I'm David Stern, I'm checking out the box marked "yes" ASAP, then reading the actual details of the trade later.

Everybody's favorite wacky forward has apparently decided he's cool with Sacto. Now it's up to Sacto to decide they're cool with him. And really, what's not to like?

Wow. Where to begin this introduction? 38,387 points? 3 NCAA titles? 6 NBA titles, matching the league MVP tallies? 50 Greatest Players status and HOF membership? Or just the classic "Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes." Any way you slice it, summarizing the career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into a neat little paragraph is no walk in the park.

Fortunately, that won't be necessary, since "The Captain" was kind enough to put much of it into his words for the blog. I sat down with Abdul-Jabbar last week (Brian needed to be in San Fran for an ESPN The Magazine assignment we're working on) and discussed everything from Andrew Bynum's potential to Kareem's friendship with Bruce Lee. Needless to say, I wasn't hurting for questions to ask. Here is the first of two parts. 


Andrew Kamenetzky: Well, your pupil Andrew Bynum had a heck of a night against Miami.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yeah. He got intense and he rose to the occasion. I was happy to see him respond like the way he did. I thought it was real competent and competitive response.

AK: How's he progressing thus far, in your mind? Before the season started, there was talk about him spending time in the NBDL and he's actually been capable in spurts of getting actual minutes. Is he further along than you guys thought when you drafted him?

KAJ: I don't know what the thinking was when they took him, because he got here before I did. But I certainly think he's starting to reach that point where he can handle the minutes. I don't know how quickly they want to bring him along, and that's totally up to Phil, Mitch and those guys. But he's learning the things that he needs to learn and I think it's good for him that there's not all that pressure on him to come in and be the savior right away.

AK: What specifically are you looking to work on with him, at this level?

KAJ: Basically, right now, we're just doing mechanics. And I try to get as much context that I can, but until he can get into the game and play and see what it's like on the court, that's difficult. We can set up things in practice more or less mimicking real situations. But it's not the real thing... But that's (still) good, because it gets him thinking about the reality of it. And when it occurs during game time and he's in there, he's shown that his responses are definitely improved.

Getting a little 81-ed out? We certainly are (you try linking all these articles). Our media colleagues, however, are still getting their rocks off. Thus, our work here isn't done. For starters, there are some who feel that Kobe's not getting enough love for his trouble. Or at the very least, a thumbs sideways. Some say it's ball hoggy. Others would look for idols elsewhere, especially since the performance is indicative of what's wrong with today's NBA. One guy even made a rather forced attempt at being profound. All in all, though, the press has been overwhelmingly positive, with the yay's trumping the nay's.

Apparently, Ron Ron doesn't want to live in Sacramento for the next two years, and the deal (as a couple of our crack readers have reported) to send Artest west for Peja is off. 

So Artest doesn't want to live in Sacto?  Maybe he's not crazy after all. 

Seriously, though, is this a guy to which the Lakers should hitch their wagon?  Shouldn't he be willing at this point to spend two seasons in the esteemed yellow and green of the CBA's Albany Patroons if it would mean rehabbing his image?   I was actually pretty excited when I heard he was on the move, because it meant all this nonsense was over. 

BK

And there you have it. Artest ain't wearing the purple and gold, but will be facing them a couple more times each season. I remember hearing heavy Peja-Artest swap talk last season, so it's a little odd that it took so long to actually complete this deal.

So what's the over-under on how many games before the incessant Arco cowbells cause Ron Ron to snap and slug a nacho vendor? 46 sound good?

AK

Pardon the late post, but there was a lot of Lakers (well, Kobe) news to sift through this morning.  If you have one of those jobs where the boss pays attention to how much time you spend surfing the web, this might be the day to avoid the patented Lakers Blog, "Extra! Extra!" post.   With one full news day in the books since 81, everyone (and we do mean everyone) who didn't get a chance to opine in their papers is doing so today.  Kobe is literally everywhere this morning.  Stop and read it all and there's a good chance you'll be pink slipped. 

The best news?  Put all of these articles together, and everyone gets something to make them happy, from the Kobe conspiracy theorists to the haters to the walks on water crowd. 

The first question that 81 begged was obvious.  Can Kobe hit 100?   One guy who saw Wilt do it says no.  It seems unlikely, but then again, so did 81. Now it seems like anything is possible.   But was it better than Wilt's legendary game?  It's hard to say, because the games, and "the game", were so different.  It was among other things, higher scoring era, though Kobe was more prolific relative to his (and just for fun, another 77 Friday against Golden State would give Kobe the highest two-game total in history).  In the end, though, Kobe vs. Wilt is not an apples to apples comparison.  But really, that Wilt game was just one game.  Isn't it more fun to compare Kobe to Jordan (do you think it matters that he asked us to stop doing that?)?   Some argue he doesn't stack up, at least for now, and that the answer isn't as cut and dried as it used to be (you know, in the long forgotten days before Sunday). 

Surely, though, the game has helped Kobe further rehab his image among people who aren't Jay Mariotti (see link above).  And if he wasn't there before, Kobe needs to be on any short list for MVP.   At the very least, we should let the guy have some unqualified love for a day or two. 

At least David Thompson is back in the news again. 

Fun Sunday numbers.

Had enough?  Stick with it.  But so this post gets online sometime before tomorrow, below are the rest of your links to today's Smorgasbord of Kobe. 

An email from reader James Hastings:

"The Mavericks and Trailblazers went into overtime last night tied at 79. In other words, this time Kobe outscored the Mavs through four quarters."


One way or another, it's always about embarrassing Cuban's boys for #8.

When Brian Cook and Kobe Bryant combine for 83 points, there's not much the opposition can do. 

Down 14 at the half, Kobe took a potentially season crushing loss at home to the Raptors and turned it into a 122-104 win... and history.  81 points, the second highest total in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 in '62.  55 in the second half, before leaving to a standing ovation and a hug for Phil Jackson with 4.2 seconds left, capping a performance that even he couldn't have dreamed up.  And unlike 62 (you remember 62, right?), this time Kobe wasn't coming out of the game.  Sam Mitchell tried every defense he could think of, but none of them helped as Kobe took a game the Raptors had in hand and made it his.  The explosion took (some) of the sting away from the ending of his consecutive free throw streak at 62.  To cap off the evening? How about a call from Magic?

There may be critics of 81 (don't know who yet), but they're misguided, says Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports.  Kobe is rewriting the rules of what's possible, even if it means overshadowing NFL championship Sunday- no easy feat.  Exact comparisons to Chamberlain are tough to make, but it's very possible Kobe's feat was more impressive. 

Either way, save the box score.  It's a keeper.

In other news (seriously), Phil Jackson would like to see more production from the post, and it's looking like Aaron McKie (remember him?) won't be back until sometime in February. 

(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Reuters)

Aside from further strengthening U.S. and Canadian relations through friendly competition, tonight's match against the Raptors marks the official halfway point of the season. As it stands, the Lakers are guaranteed to finish above the .500 mark (whether by one or three games remains to be seen). Either way, it's all about the postseason, and if the season ended right now (totally unfair, by the way), L.A. would own the 7th spot, gearing for a rumble against the Suns. Given the team's recent "success" battling Phoenix, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to climb up a few spots on that ladder.

Try to get behind this concept: Kobe for MVP.

A week that started with a bang- a big win against Golden State and a bigger win against Miami- ended with a thud- losses at Sacramento (the horror, the horror) and Phoenix.  So one game away from the season's halfway point, the Lakers stand two games over .500.  Maybe not where they'd like to be, but currently good enough for 7th in the conference with a chance to move as high as 5th (although 6th is more realistic), and two very winnable games this week.

On the flip side, they're only 2 1/2 games out of 12th and pulling food out of garbage cans with the Sonics, Blazers, and Rockets.  So maybe it's early to put down non-refundable deposits for playoff tickets. 

This week is one of rest for the purple and gold before they hit the road for a 7 game, nearly two week road odyssey that will have them traveling more than those dudes in the Paris to Dakar Rally.  Here's what's on tap. 

Sunday, January 22 vs. Toronto (6:30, Fox Sports West)-

A couple months ago, this would have been a laugher.  Not anymore.  After a 1-15 start, the purple dinosaurs have gone 13-11.  Not exactly setting the world on fire, but it's a hell of a lot better than 1-15.   Chris Bosh has been sick, sick, sick over his last five, averaging 26/9/54% FG, including a 29 point, 13 rebound effort Friday in Seattle that included a Kobe-esque 17-17 from the free throw line.  No wonder Phil is so fond of him.  Point guard Mike James has quietly put up near All Star numbers, averaging nearly 17 points and over 5 assists per game.  Toss in Mo Peterson and Jalen Rose, and Jose Calderon (9 assists per 48 minutes) and the Raptors may not be champs, but they're not so crappy, either.  A game the Lakers should win, but they'd better show up ready to play.

Friday, Jan. 27 vs. Golden State (7:30, Fox Sports West)-

For a month or so, the Warriors seemed to overcome the natural gravity that annually yanks Golden State towards the bottom of the conference.  Not so much anymore.  A 2-6 January has them at .500 going into a home and home against the Clippers (didn't this look like a marquee matchup in November?), and a home game against Dallas before they travel to Staples.  They're no different than the team the Lakers beat last Saturday in Oakland, except perhaps more desperate.  Word is the Ron Artest to Golden State rumor mill is heating up. 

Blame poor shooting and defensive lapses if you want, but Lamar Odom says not to pin Friday's 106-93 blowout loss in Phoenix on fatigue, or the fact they didn't arrive in Phoenix until 3 am.   He's right.  The Suns are just better. 

Coming off perhaps their most disappointing loss of the season Thursday in Sacramento, the Lakers stuck with the Suns for a quarter before Phoenix's depth and quickness (problems for the Lakers even at their freshest) began to take their toll.  To illustrate the point, with 19 points, Phoenix reserve Eddie House outscored the Lakers bench by himself.  Kobe picked up 37 (and ran his consecutive free throw streak to about a million), but the box score shows his worst shooting night in nearly a month.  All in all, Friday illustrated the talent gap between the purple and gold and the squad currently taking lunch money from the rest of the Pacific.

Phil Jackson says that while Lamar Odom has made two crucial errors in crunch time this month, it would be wrong to respond by removing him from pressure situations.   

While Odom hopes to make the Olympic basketball squad, and met in Phoenix with USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo to discuss just that, Kobe is already in, and he's excited.  He's even willing to play the point, if that's what's needed.  Still, Jackson worries the three year commitment for Olympians will take its toll on the players, perhaps even shortening their NBA careers. 

This morning on ESPN.com, the Daily Dime gang weighed in on last night's loss to Sacramento, and more importantly the state of the relationship between L.A.'s top two players. 

It was pretty clear watching the broadcast that Kobe was ticked at how the last 35 seconds went down.  That puts him in solid company with just about every Laker fan watching the game.  There's no question that Kobe doesn't exactly work to hide his disgust when his teammates don't perform well- or, perhaps, if they don't give him the ball in crunch time. Yes, I know he passed out to Lamar for the clutch 3 that put them up by 5, but there's no question #8 likes crucial possessions to start with the ball in his hand.   Nor is there any question that Odom's brain lock charge helped give the game away... not that he didn't have help (how can you give up a wide open three to tie?  Put five guys at the arc, and let them walk in for a layup if you have to, but don't leave men wide open downtown!)

It seems true as well that Kobe and Odom don't click the way two guys with that kind of talent should.  But why?  Is it because, as the article suggests, that Kobe and Lamar don't like each other?  Or is it something else?

There are good losses and there are bad losses. Last night's 118-109 OT collapse against Sacto would fall into the latter. Up by 5 with 35 seconds left in regulation, the Lakers were set to board the place to Phoenix with their 22nd win. Instead, mental errors, bad D, and a botched final possession (set up for Odom instead of Ocho) reared their ugly noggins, and the Kings capitalized.  Odom in particular wasn't at his best during crunch time, pointing the finger at himself before anyone else can. The team's inability to close the deal wasted Kobe's 51 point effort, which unfortunately included more misses than makes in OT. The cast of characters may not be the same (no Shaq, Fish, Fox, Horry, C-Webb, Divac, Jackson or Christie), but the rivalry still remains in the eyes of the Arco faithful.

Your box score. Read it and weep.

AK/BK,

A request. Could we have a blog subject in which we can vent our hatred for Lakers OPPONENTS? Something like "Most Hated Lakers Opponents" or "Greatest Laker Rivalries"?

Nice call, Jon. Have at it, kids. And below is a look at Jon's top 10 most despised squads, just to get things started.

1. Sacramento
2. Detroit
3. Knickerbockers
4. Celtics
5. Portland
6. Toronto (How I hate than damn mascot! I lose all sense of reason.)
7. Utah
8. Miami
9. Philadelphia
10. Dallas

The feud lasted 10 seasons, so forgive the media if it takes longer than 4 days to stop analyzing it. For starters, who came out on top after the smoke cleared? Shaq, for finally swallowing his pride and being an adult? Or do you chalk up a "W" for Kobe. Then again, you could just look at this entire thing as a testament to the everlasting respect carried by Bill Russell.  In the end, maybe everybody won.

Ronny Turiaf passed his first test as an official Laker: Practice. They gave the kid a little taste on his first day as opposed to working him to death. But the urgency will likely heat up soon for Turiaf, mirroring the mind set shared by the team right now.

Tonight, So Cal battles Central Cali at Arco. Instead of being the blood n' guts rivalry of yore, it's now simply a game the Lakers should obviously win, even on the road. The skinny as hell Kevin Martin better eat an extra bowl of Wheaties, as he'll be chasing Kobe around all night. It's also safe to assume Suns coach Mike D'Antoni will be flipping the channel to TNT.

Approximately 36 hours have passed, but the basketball world is still buzzing over the Southern Californian Peace Talks. The handshakes and hugs shared by Kobe and Shaq puts to bed one of the biggest personal feuds in recent sports history. The two were able to share their recent good fortunes (both are expecting new children) and can now just concentrate on leading their teams. Of course, it ain't all peaches and cream, as the NBA will now need new ways to pump up Christmas Day games (Ray Allen v. Keyon Dooling, anyone?).

It's official. The man now wears purple and gold. 

Best wishes to roster casuality Laron Profit for a speedy recovery (along with a spot on an NBA team next season).

It's hard to believe, but a big-time Lakers win over Miami- complete with a Kobe/Shaq hug out, a near triple-double by LO, a few D-Wade thunder dunks (Give the dude credit,folks... He can play) and #8's typical late minute "money ball"- managed to get completely upstaged. Entirely. By a lightning in a bottle kinda thing. Lotta stuff went down that night, but there's one moment that will remain with me for quite some time. With approximately three minutes left in the first half, I watched Andrew Bynum officially lose the title of "rookie" and take on a brand new label:

Rock Star.

His three first half minutes head to head with Shaq electrified Staples in a way I haven't witnessed in person since the first PJ era. It felt like a concert. You'd have thought Bono was playing center, the way that kid had the crowd on their feet and in the palm of his hand. To watch him battle the Big Fella was absolutely awesome. Everything about it, from start to finish. Even the part when Shaq severely posterized him, which I was terrified would leave Bynum with a broken neck. He looked somewhere between helpless and dead. It was like watching the roof collapse on a wheelchair bound puppy. But the kid got up, brushed himself off, sprinted down court, and on the very next possession, faked the Diesel on a spin move for a buoyant dunk. Bouncing like a Super Ball and stoked outta his skull, he even gave Shaq a little elbow action on the very next possession, which was met with a forearm shiver that would have intimidated many an Ultimate Fighter. And just for good measure, their little scuffle gets broken up by Kobe Bryant, the man who spent his first eight seasons feuding with Shaq! Are you kidding me?! You could bring together a team of Oscar winning writers and still not come up with that script.

That, my friends, is a full three minutes!

It reminded me of that scene in Goodfellas, when the young Henry Hill gets pinched selling black market smokes, but gets through his trial without saying a word or giving up any of Paulie's crew. As he leaves the court house with Jimmy Conway (who just slipped him a roll of Hundys), all the wiseguys are outside, whooping it up, and Paulie yells out "You broke your cherry!" That's what the night felt like with Bynum. You couldn't have squeezed a bigger gut check into three minutes, and he passed with flying colors. I'm not saying he's the second coming of Shaq in his prime. I'm not even declaring him a future All-Star yet. The kid's still raw, got a lot to learn, and would currently get crushed by Shaq if they battled 30-40 minutes. Sorry, but it's true. And that's no biggie. As a teenager, Henry Hill wasn't quite ready to organize the Lufthansa heist, either. But during those three minutes, Bynum displayed charisma, energy and major, major balls. And everyone in the audience is now dying to see an encore.

What else do you need from a rock star?

AK

What a night! So much to talk about. Beyond all the drama, there actually was a game involved, one where the Lakers took down the Heat 100-92. And as far as the highlights, take your pick. You could talk about Kobe Bryant's 37 points, complete with the usual late minute heroics and buried jumpers. You could hit on Lamar Odom's near trip-dub. You could yap about Devean George's 17 bench points, which nicely complimented his D on Wade.  But the big story was Andrew Bynum, whose three first half minutes stole the entire show. Matched up for the first time ever against Shaq, the kid bounced back from a serious posterization to fake the Diesel with a spin of his own, then exchanged elbows as opposed to backing down. Whether jousting with Shaq means the same thing now as then is up for debate (an argument Phil won't touch). But either way, Staples hadn't been that loud since that third title was won.

The box score don't lie. The "Miami Monkey" is officially off L.A.'s back.

Hey everyone,

Just got home from the Miami victory, and as I expected, there were TONS of comments waiting. We apologize for that, but unfortunately, the comments all have to be screened first for language, sexual content, and libel before going through. L.A. Times rules, not mine or B.K.'s. And if we're at the game getting y'all info, interviews, comments, etc.,  we can't be in front of the computer at the same time. Thus, the lag time in your posts appearing. We're aware that can be a drag, but there's nothing we can do about it. Just know that we feel your pain and aren't blowing y'all off. We always try to get everything up as quickly as possible.

Thanks. Sweet win tonight!

A.K.

Heeeeeee's baaaaack...

Shaquille O'Neal returns (once again, this time in uniform) to a Lakers game, tonight at Staples Center.  Yeah, it's big news.  Yeah, the game will be played on national television.  Yeah, we'll all be watching to see if Shaq and Kobe shake hands before the tip (Phil Jackson would like to see it happen, but isn't holding is breath).  But maybe it's because we just did this less than a month ago (even the media machine gets fatigued sometimes), or maybe it's because the players aren't trading barbs in the media, but Shaq/Kobe IV lacks the hype of previous versions. 

While the Shaq or Kobe debate still has some legs, the other matchups in tonight's game have more heft.   There's always Kobe vs. Wade (two guys who will actually be guarding each other.  Then Payton vs. Odom (Lamar says he won't be giving The Glove any fuel for his fire, and G.P. says it was over when they left American Airlines Arena Christmas Day).  Oh yeah, Riley vs. Jackson.  Are we forgetting something?  Kapono vs. George?  Gerald Fitch vs. Von Wafer?  Trainer Ron Kulp vs. Trainer Gary Vitti?

The Heat have plenty to deal with as it is.  Namely, a red hot Kobe Bryant.   Heat assistant coach and Lakers legend Bob McAdoo, himself no stranger to scoring binges, understands the zone where Kobe is currently living.  No doubt, it's a great show, that even some critics of Kobe's game can't help but admire.

There may be a big game Monday, but the Lakers refused to pull a Portland and look past Golden State Saturday night.  Jason Richardson went off for 37 and Baron Davis registered a triple double, but the Lakers scored more points, taking down the Warriors 110-106 in Oakland, where they traditionally have found it tough to win. A check of the box score shows Kobe scored 38, but the there were plenty of game balls to go around, starting with Gary Vitti, who fitted a pad on Bryant's right wrist that allowed him to play.  On the court, strong efforts from Smush Parker and Kwame Brown helped push L.A. over the top, as did some tinkering of the lineup by Phil Jackson.  By coming through in the clutch, the Lakers moved Golden State to within spittin' distance of Sacramento and the bottom of the Pacific. 

The Lakers, meanwhile, are now a stronger 7th in the conference, and slowly rising in Mark Heisler's NBA Rankings.   

As we expected, part one of our interview with basketball journalist and frequent commenter Roland Lazenby sparked plenty of blogosphere yapping. Lazenby (whose books include Mad Game: The NBA Education of Kobe Bryant, Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey, and Blood on the Horns: The Long Strange trip of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls) has a new work on stands, The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It. It’s an A-Z look at the franchise’s history, from Mikan’s past to Kobe’s future. Here’s the second part of our discussion.




Brian Kamenetzky: One of the great things for me, as someone who grew up in a city without pro hoops, was reading about the league in the 50s and 60s, when it was, to say the least, very different than it is now.  How much fun is it for you to go back to that era?  Do you look back on it with a kind of romantic view?

Roland Lazenby: Not all that much. The NBA was gritty, but not very appealing then. The Celtics won championships but couldn't even sell out their home opening each season. I have those feelings for the Magic/Bird era, an exceptional time. And I love the Bulls era. (Michael's heroics put some money in my pocket as a writer). But those Bulls teams played the right way, and were just so damn good. Those Laker teams were just starting to warm to that level, but they never got there. Too much conflict.

Andrew Kamenetzky: How much do you think the Showtime era did for the NBA?

RL: The same thing the doctor did for me when he smacked me on the fanny. It was a complete rebirth. Showtime was so great. Then the Magic and Larry thing got going. I've written before that it was Camelot. The greatest running team of all time? Magic Johnson? Kareem? Norm Nixon? Coop? Worthy? Byron Scott? McAdoo? Rambis? I sometimes get more excited watching reruns of those guys on ESPN Classic than I do a live game. Not always. What Kobe is doing this season is dramatic. But those Showtime teams were golden.

BK: I know it was basically my introduction to pro basketball.  Bird vs. Magic, what seemed like every Saturday on national television.

RL: That's true for most of America. Fact is, many people have some memory of pro basketball. Seeing an exhibition game when it came to their town. Or watching a dim old broadcast on ABC. But in the early days pro basketball was a mostly northeastern game. People who lived in that area of the country comprised a small core of loyal fans. But basketball today is a global game. I've written for a Japanese magazine for the last 10 years. Magic and Larry and Michael made people care. Everywhere.

Thursday night, we all saw why Lamar Odom is such a tantalizing talent for fans, coaches, and GMs.  For perhaps the first time this season, the flow of a Lakers game (or at least the first 47 minutes of it) was controlled not by anyone named "Kobe" or "Bryant," but by #7.  One dime short of a triple double, Odom was clearly the best player on the floor for the purple and gold (again, at least for 47 minutes).  They got it right, but I'm surprised the guy responsible for the "Carl's Jr. Star of the Game" thing on the Jumbotron didn't cue up Kobe highlights out of habit. 

Fans look at his stat line, especially the 20 points, and say, "Why not every game, Lamar?"  AK and I have spent a lot of time talking L.O. on this site, and we both agree, that role of a pure #2 scorer just isn't him.  In his own words, he's a pass first guy (that, by the way, is not an insult, especially on this team).  After the Cavs game, Lamar talked about the need to pick up the scoring, since LeBron was covering him.  "I really had to be aggressive, because we were crossmatched, with LeBron on me, and Kobe's checking LeBron," he said. "So if I don't be aggressive, then Kobe has a really hard task because LeBron's not working on defense and he just has to play offense." 

You're more likely to see nightly repetition of the 9 assists and 10 boards. 

Kobe's gotta take some extra precautions for his wrist tonight against Golden State. He'll be wearing a brace specially designed by trainer Gary Vitti, which won't allow him full range of shooting motion but will keep the sprain from aching. Of course, #8's been playing physical ball since he was a youngster trying to D up on Pops, so this ain't nothing he can't handle. After all, this is the man with the killer instinct that makes LeBron sit up and say "damn!" Truth be told, there's plenty about Kobe's game that King James respects.

In a tight division like the Pacific, every game matters. The warriors are currently on a slide,  making it doubly important for the Lakers to capitalize. A loss tonight could come back to haunt them if the race for a lower playoff seed is close enough for a photo finish.

This week was filled with plenty of good (wins over Cleveland and Indiana), not much bad, but a whole lot of ugly (pasted by Portland?).  Still, if every week is a 2-1 week, the Lakers will easily be able to punch their postseason ticket.  This week, it'll be hard to equal that mark, mostly because they play four games, not three.  Three on the road (two very winnable), and Monday's TNT game highlighting Jason Kapono's return to his old collegiate stomping grounds.   

Here's what's on tap...

Who knows whether Kobe or LeBron (Or both. Or neither) is the second-coming of Jordan. But a couple of things are stone cold facts. Both can ball. And Kobe's team took out LeBron's 99-98 last night at Staples. Kobe was the last second hero, hitting a flurry of jumpers in the closing seconds for the umpteenth time in his career.  But Kobe also clocked some serious bench minutes nursing a wrist injury (apparently unable to play Cleveland at home without getting hurt), and the sidekicks contributed their share. Lamar Odom had a near triple double, with Smush and Chris Mihm joining him and Kobe in double figures.  If any true rivalry exists, for the time being, it's clearly Advantage: Kobe. But that doesn't take away from the admiration Kobe's got for the youngster (and especially vice versa).

Your Box Score

Tonight's victory against the Cavs was a great win for the Lakers. And by the the Lakers, I mean, the Lakers. All of them. Everybody who stepped on the floor tonight made a difference. Yeah, Kobe put the game on ice, showing yet again why he's the NBA's clutchest cat. But there was a long stretch where Bryant's wrist kept him on the bench, and the supporting cast put everything on their shoulders. Odom was an assist shy of a triple double. Devean and Sasha hit some huge shots. Kwame pulled down nine boards. Four Lakers in double figures. Good stuff indeed, and proof positive that everybody in the rotation can be held accountable. And should be, for that matter.

But does it begin with Kobe or the other dudes? They can't step up regularly unless Kobe dominates the ball less. But until they step up regularly, Kobe will (and perhaps has to) dominate the ball. Catch freakin' 22, indeed. From the outside looking in, it appears like a difficult balancing act. Talking a bit with Mihm confirmed that theory. But he's determined to do his part in evening the scales, a mission the entire squad needs to accept if they want to find themselves in the playoffs.

Looks like Steve Francis is done in Orlando after being suspended by the Magic.  Forget Artest, am I the only one who thinks Stevie Franchise would fit in perfectly with the purple and gold?   The perfect- perfect- compliment to #8. 

(just kidding)

BK