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.