Extra! Extra! (2.22)
Want to start the second half of the season on a positive note? No better way to get things rolling than inviting the Portland Trailblazers over to play a little hoop. From start to finish, the Lakers had this 99-82 victory in hand. Kobe got silly in the 4th, pouring in 15 of his 27 points to help seal the deal. Devean George's 13 off the bench, his 4th straight double digit game, also helped make things easy for the Lakers. But Lamar Odom took home the Yeoman trophy, and damn well deserved it after a 20 point, 17 board effort. LO came out swinging from moment one, finding an often elusive combo of aggressiveness and coolheadedness. Actually, the game featured a nice ratio of just about everything, suggesting that proper balance and W's may not be pure coincidence. The return of Chris Mihm, wearing what appeared to be a bullet proof vest under his jersey, enhanced that balanced feeling even more. Even Kwame Brown got in the act with a solid 9 and 7. A few more nights like these might even get T.J. Simers off this back (well, probably not, but the kid's gotta have a dream). And in a nice change of pace for L.A., it was the other guys who were unable to sink a free throw.
The box score don't lie. The Lakers have not lost since the All-Star break.
The trade deadline is fast approaching. When it's all said and done, Mitch Kupchak will probably end up with a honkin' big cell phone bill (he'll just write it off, so no worries), but without any new players for his troubles. Stevie Franchise, reportedly (then quickly denied) to be of interest to the Lakers, may very well end up in NY with Starbury. Good luck with the other three guys on the court ever touching the ball again.
Based ON what I saw during last night’s game plus what I believed beforehand, I have put together some ending totals for the teams closest to the Lakers in respect to W/L records. As I stated in a post yesterday, the Lakers must win in order to secure their playoff positioning. However, that is not the total picture as; the individual performances of each of the other teams will also greatly impact the final standings. The top 4 teams will shake down seemingly like they currently sit right now. With that being said, here is what I believe we will find over the next 30 or so games.
Final 30 or so games….
LA Clippers 21 9
LA Lakers 20 9
Sacramento 20 8
Memphis 16 13
NOK 16 13
Utah 13 16
Final Standings for the lower bracket….
5) LA Clippers 51 31
6) LA Lakers 47 35
7) Memphis 46 36
8) NOK 45 37
9) Sacramento 45 37
10) Utah 38 44
I based my totals in large part on road/home games and which teams are being faced. I know some are going to look at the number I have for the Lakers and criticize it right away. However, if you look at who they are playing and where they are playing them, it isn’t totally out of the question. In reality the Lakers have to win 2 out of every 3 games played to get that total by the end. They can and have done that in stretches during the season. In looking at their schedule, they can do that with an increase in effort and focus. As for the others, I was surprised when I looked at their schedules. Most of the teams around the Lakers have had poor road success and have quite a few road games left. Based on the numbers, they may have a much rougher time than the Lakers. However, the Clippers and Kings should perform even when facing a tougher schedule. I predict that they will get stronger with each game. I’m not for sure who has the tiebreaker, so I put NOK and Sacramento respectively. I would rather see NOK make it for Byron Scott’s benefit. However, Sacramento with Artest would be an interesting first round opponent for either Dallas or San Antonio. I wouldn’t want to face them in the first round.
I want feedback so please supply some. I will respond a little later.
Posted by: JJ | February 22, 2006 at 09:43 AM
I can't believe the LA Times article, that said the Lakers were considering trading Odom because he had been slumping lately. They give him absolutely no credit for playing hurt. When you can't fully extend one arm, of course you are going to "slump". Are they going to say that Chris Mihm is in a slump, now? Give the man some credit.
Roger
Posted by: Roger B. | February 22, 2006 at 09:44 AM
[Begin unrepentant irrational Laker fanatic babble now]: It's happening! It's really happening!!!
Wow. Has the Lamar we've been dreaming of all this time finally emerged from his cocoon? 20 points! 17 rebounds! 6 assists! THAT'S what I'm talking 'bout, baby!
Wowsa plus seven! Yes!
Maybe, just maybe the months of annoying babble from the Lamar Show have been right after all! Maybe Lamar really is the man!
[I know he'll probably blow the next game by trying to drop kick the game winning basket with only 6 seconds on the game clock, only to see the ball fly in the nosebleed section, but right now I'm going to ignore that possibility.]
Woohoo! The REAL Lamar has arrived. Thank God. At last, at long last.
Seriously, guys, if Lamar can keep up just a semblance of last night's game in terms to focus and consistency, we're an easy 6th seed.
It was Portland last night, but Kobe played team ball, and his passing game continues to improve.
Kwame played tough last night. Sasha's becoming aggressive (which is all we can ask of a young, second year, European player). Smush look very good (at times). Mihm is back on the court. George is upping his contribution.
Things are looking up!
Keep the focus going, Phil!
Jon's irrational playoff predictions:
First round: Lakers versus Denver -- Lakers 4-1
Second round: Lakers versus Dallas -- Lakers 4-3
Conference Finals: Lakers versus San Antonio -- San Antonio 4-2.
Lakers are back, baby!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | February 22, 2006 at 09:46 AM
JJ,
It looks good, a lot better than my irrationally enthusiastic babble.
It'll be interesting to see who get's the 8 seed. Definitely.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | February 22, 2006 at 09:48 AM
I can't wait for the trade deadline to see how badly the Knicks can further cripple themselves.
Expect for them to give away their draft picks through 2017.
Isiah Thomas is a mouth-breathing idiot.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | February 22, 2006 at 09:53 AM
I have a little higher expectations than u do. I feel as if the Lakers can win 24/30 games. I want us to win 50 games, and I feel as if we will take that 5th spot from the Los Angeles Clippers. Friday will be a big game against them. It will give us a a chance to gain back a whole game away from them. We are 3 and 1/2 games back right now. It seems far strectched but it is definitely possible. I don't want us to have to the 6th seed in the playoffs b/c most likely we will be matched up against the Suns, and I don't like that as a 1st round matchup. If they change the playoff format, as they are talking about doin, we will face Denver in the 1st round instead. If we win 50 games, get the 5th seed in the West, win the 1st round of the playoffs, Kobe will win MVP! This is my goal for the remaining 29 games of the season.
Posted by: Wizzle | February 22, 2006 at 09:54 AM
JJ
if we go 20 and 9 I'm not worried about the other guys. I've been ranting all year that the league in general isn't all that strong. We see the potential of the Lakes but it doesn't come out to play every night. We'll know a lot more about the big picture after the Sac and CLippers games. We pull those off, our posts are going to be lost among 200 new bloggers.
Posted by: Vman | February 22, 2006 at 09:56 AM
Let's all relax guys, I know the Lakers played well last night but let them do it for more than one game against a lousy team. Hopefully Odom has gotten over his lack of aggression and propensity to take 3's. If that is the case I like the Lakers chances of making a run at the 6 seed and pulling an upset of Denver.
If Kwame can continue to give the Lakers decent production, the Lakers will be dangerous. 10 and 8 is all I ask of him. If other guys can step up ane be a threat that will open up things for Kobe and allow him to work one on one more often.
My one beef is the three point attempts the Lakers are still taking too many. Kobe shoots way too many, with his mid-range game he shouldnt take more than 2 maybe 3 a night, that goes for Lamar as well. Smush is another guy that needs to jack up less shots. He's athletic he should be driving the lane much more often. You're not B.J Armstrong or Steve Kerr so drive the lane!
Posted by: Xodus | February 22, 2006 at 10:10 AM
Is Kobe the facilitator now? Was there a disturbance in the Force? Looked like that was what was going on last night till the 4th quarter. I like it. Lamar is a nightmare matchup for teams if they get him in the right position and that postition is mid range. If Phil would just read the BLog he'd know these things.
Posted by: Vman | February 22, 2006 at 10:20 AM
TrueLakerFan,
I was reading your earlier post and it indicates you are a true clippers fan. Why you want to hide? There is nothing wrong with being fan for both clippers and lakers, is it?
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | February 22, 2006 at 10:25 AM
Vman
HAHA, that's one of the funniest things I've ever heard on the blog. "If Phil would just read the BLog he'd know these things."
It is true though coaches are a bit too stubborn sometimes, trying to fit a player into their system, instead of adapting their system to the players.
Posted by: Xodus | February 22, 2006 at 10:26 AM
Dude, I LOVE the way that Phil Jackson rips into T.J. Simers to his face. Awesome.
Also, how can T.J. Simers say he doesn't know defense? Does he close his eyes during half of the game? In that article, Kwame defended himself nicely. He's playing the game that Phil is asking of him. Cool.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | February 22, 2006 at 10:30 AM
well sizzle i like your optimism but you are wron the 6th seed will play denver now phx is the 2nd seed thus playing the 7th seed the 5ht seed is worse than the 6th because they would play either dallas or san antonio on the other hand if they did change the format (which stern never would midseason) then the 6th seed would play phx just wanted to help you out with the facts
Posted by: great8 | February 22, 2006 at 10:31 AM
I definitely agree with JK's post that one of the main reasons why the Lakers won last night was due to Kobe's passing game. If I remember correctly, Lamar took 21 shots, a few more than Kobe did. Perhaps this is what it will take for the Lakers to get back on track? (Kobe giving up a few shots and dishing out to the likes of Lamar and Smush (5/15)?) Let's just hope Lamar, Smush, etc can actually hit the shots .
Posted by: JhK | February 22, 2006 at 10:40 AM
Xodus
Thanks for the nod. If enough people type long enough, there's bound to be a solution to the laker puzzle in there somewhere.
Posted by: Vman | February 22, 2006 at 10:40 AM
Lakers looked real good last night, and JJ, I don't think you are that far off on your predictions, PROVIDED that Lamar and the rest of the team can continue to step up.
I just hope that against a team like Sacto (that is going to give us a little trouble at the PG posistion) that the Laker team understands situations and mis-matches that are provided for them. Bibby is good, but, we can exploit his lack of defense, and Brad Miller is NO shot blocker. If Kawme can continue his strong play (see 4 out last 5 games) than we should be more than OK.
I sure hope what we saw last night will continue, but lets face it, some of these youngsters need to realize what a serious and delicate playoff position we have.
GO Lakers!
Posted by: Dave | February 22, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Kobe and Lamar alternating roles.....
Phil hinted to making these changes a few weeks ago. I guess most people missed that message. He is known for instituting a few wrinkles unexpectedly to catch opponents off-guard. If Kobe becomes the facilitator for 2 or 3 quarters, he will totally change the offensive flow for the team. Most teams are trying the double-team approach right now. It is totally destroyed when Kobe is the facilitator. You can't afford to double team a ball distributor. You double team a scorer.
Also, I'm not worried about Kobe's minutes because he only played about 20 serious minutes, as the other minutes were playing as a facilitator. He uses far less energy when passing the ball. That is why his defense has increased. He has more energy to move around and play off the ball.
One last thing is that the Lakers are a sleeping giant. They have a bad habit of playing down to their competition. Kobe, Shaq and boys use to do that during the championships too. However, they were good enough to turn it on at the right time and still win most games. This team has that mentality but hasn't been able to turn it on consistently. However, as they continue to become more concistent with each other and the system, they will continue to become more dangerous. By playoff time, they could be one of the hottest teams in the West.
Posted by: JJ | February 22, 2006 at 10:52 AM
I was very happy with the lakers performance last night. It seems like the 20 bucks dropped on NBATV is starting to pull it's weight, living on the east coast.
It was lightly touched on in this blog, but did you guys see the ridiculous no look passes Kobe was nailing perfectly? I would love to see that out of him more, because he clearly has the highest basketball IQ on the team...... and if he gets the other stiffs involved, they might thaw over time and build up confidence/morale.
Kobe doesn't get any better railing on losers like the blazers, but I'm sure his teamates do. I think it was avery smart move to play shooting point for three quarters.
While it might have been tempting to jump back in and jack up forced shots to will the lakers back into the game at certain points (face it, it looked bad until the third quarter - barely staying tied with a horrible team), he didn't until the fourth quarter when everyone had participated.
But anyways, long time reader - first time typer. Glad to be on board with the lakers blog.
Posted by: Evan | February 22, 2006 at 10:56 AM
Sure the Lakers the win. It's been awhile since they've won a game and LO show for the game. Hence, it was only the struggling Portland. I won't jump over heels on this game. I want to see them 8 out of the next 10 games. I don't care much about a win against the Clippers cuz they're struggling. Or maybe, the Clippers are losing games intentionally so they can go down to 6th seed. Therefore, they don't have to play Dallas or SA on the first round. They haven't beaten either teams. I'm sure the Lakers wouldnt mind playing the Mavs on the first round.
Posted by: Kobe2Shaq | February 22, 2006 at 10:59 AM
JON
DAMN RIGHT I'M RIGHT. lol
Posted by: the Lamar Show | February 22, 2006 at 11:01 AM
I have a dream. I have a dream.
Lakers in Playoffs:
Lakers Vs. Denvor: 4-2
Lakers Vs. Dalls: 4-3
Lakers in Finals:
Lakers Vs. San Antonio: 4-0
Sounds good? I have a dream.
Posted by: Sunny | February 22, 2006 at 11:03 AM
I am glad the Lakers won last night, but the true tests come on Thursday (Queens) and Friday (Clippers). The Lakers should be able to defeat both teams, but I am worried that they will jump off to a strong lead and let it slip away in the 4th quarter. Kobe will handle Artest and Lamar should have no problems getting to the basket because of his quickness. As far as the playoffs go... the Lakers have the opportunity to earn the 5th spot. This is what the Lakers need to do: 1) Play team defense. Kobe has been given the free safety position,(good analogy from football), that means that hw will get some steals;However, there are going to be times when he doesn't get the steal and the player is free to drive down the lane. This is the time the Lakers defense should stop the player from driving down the lane and scoring. 2) Kobe needs to trust his teammates. It may be difficult because none of these players are consistent and lack confidence. I hate saying this, but this includes Lamar Odom. Kobe should drive to the hole and pass the ball out to Smush or Odom and let them shoot. Kobe's assists have gone down the last few years, but the reason why is because his teammates are not making open shots. 3)Lamar Odom please drive to the basket. Lamar has such an advantage over smaller forwards that he can drive to the basket at will. Yes, at will. He needs to maintain that aggresiveness and drive to the basket and then either shoot it or pass it down to Kwame for the dunk. 4) Smush please stay in front of your man. I have been analyzing the last 4 games and noticed that the gaurds were flying right by you. If the player gets by you go to the player that is left opened once the big guys try to bail you out. Don't just stand their looking at what is going to happen next. Play some defense. If the Lakers win 50 games, then Kobe will be the MVP and the Lakers should advance to the 2nd round. Go Lakers!!!!!!!!
Posted by: David Moncayo | February 22, 2006 at 11:09 AM
TrueLakerFan:
"TrueLakerFan,
I was reading your earlier post and it indicates you are a true clippers fan. Why you want to hide? There is nothing wrong with being fan for both clippers and lakers, is it?"
This is not my post.
The K Brothers deleted my last post noting this and attacking Khan.
So much for freedom of speech.
I'm glad Khan is allowed to use my name, but I'm not allowed to use my own. Great.
Go Lakers!
People who boo Kwame are selfish idiots.
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | February 22, 2006 at 11:10 AM
Dallas or Denver are good first round match-ups for the Lakers, so they should make a push for 6th place (to play Denver) or stick around in 8th place and hope that Dallas beats San Antonio for tops in the West.
Lakers can go 19-10 or 20-9 ... but they have to play as good as they're capable of playing (for the full 48!!) and not just play to the level of their opponents.
Posted by: am | February 22, 2006 at 11:10 AM
How about this trade... http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=981~267~543~2027~261~366~1726~1713~465~515~1027&teams=20~20~7~16~13~7~13~16~16~16~20
every trade that we try... brings KG to L.A...
Posted by: Jorge Delgado | February 22, 2006 at 11:14 AM
check out espn.com . . . looks like the knicks pulled the trigger on the Steve Francis trade. What a bunch of idiots. Francis and Marbury make the highest paid backcourt in NBA history, and they'll probably have 25 wins to show for it. . . . hahaha
Posted by: Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 11:15 AM
i agree with JJ. Phil mentioned he's going to change kobe and LO's role more often to give odom more scoring opportunties. It showed last night when Odom was free to do his things in the post while kobe confused portlands double-teams strategy by passing.
i was disgusted with that white chick's end game interview with lamar. she asks the worst questions. same thing when kobe scored 81, she asked inappropriate questions with smush.
"so where you impressed with kobe's 81?"
"yes great game by kobe. It also helps that our defense picked up"
"no but seriously... you were impressed right? i mean he's the only reason you guys won... no?"
"well we played much better defense in the 2nd half and that helped too"
"are you going to take him out to dinner for winning this game for you guys?"
"our defensive .."
"kobe is a god to you huh?"
i mean i dont mind her asking some questions like that, but she just grills the players over and over by asking they dont want to answer. no one's gonig to want to have interviews with her anymore if she keeps this up.
Posted by: the Lamar Show | February 22, 2006 at 11:18 AM
JJ,
I do agree that the Lakers can be one of the hottest team in the West come playoff time. Phil Jackson did recently say that, all they need to do is make the playoffs and they will do some damage to be a top contender. See, if I heard that from any of the players, it won't be as credible and I will be wooried. But coming from the Zenmaster, I will just have to sit and wait for the better times to come. Who else know better than a coach with 9 rings? Who best prepare his team for the playoffs and palying for the ring. Ready or not, here come Lakers. I hope they play and beat the Mavs in the first round. That will put the icing on the cake.
Posted by: willn2win | February 22, 2006 at 11:18 AM
The Lamar Show -
that's exactly what i was thinking during her post-game "interview".....her questions are glib and her comments detracting (kobe excluded)....
i wouldn't be surprised if someone just walked away in the middle of the interview.....
Posted by: befuddled | February 22, 2006 at 11:35 AM
Great move for the Magic!!!!
The Magic organization may be just about ready to take off as an organization. Dwight Howard is the franchise. Now with Arroyo, Darko, and some of the other pieces already there, they have a decent team to make things interesting until they start bringing in new free agents. The next thing that they need to do is bring in a higher quality coach to lead the team. They need a young minded coach that will allow his team to play lose and free. Some one LIKE D'Antoni would be a great fit. I would like to see Michael Cooper get a shot at coaching in the pros. He'd be a great one to step down there and try to build a solid team. They have some really young exciting players to work with.
As for the Knicks.....what can I say. They have made ANOTHER one of those moves that make you say.....HUH???? I mean, a few years ago, the thought of Stevie and Stephon sounded like an interesting and entertaining proposition. However, both have lost so much as players the past few years that their collective stock is worth a little less than a sheet of recycled paper. Maybe they can prove me and everyone else wrong. If they do, they will be dangerous. However, I don't believe Larry Brown is the right coach for them. They need an OPEN-minded coach that is flexible. Larry is neither with his "These Kids......" attitude. It will be interesting though, to see a potential lineup of Steph, Stevie, Jalen, Channing and Jerome James.
Posted by: JJ | February 22, 2006 at 11:44 AM
if we can pull into that sixth seed we can sneek into the second round, and might ewven hold homecourt on the nuggets in the first round because of the stupid seedings that the nba throws down with their divisions. The big thing for the Lakers to get to that 47 to 50 win mark is for them to play solid defense for the rest of the season.
Posted by: Zach Z. | February 22, 2006 at 12:05 PM
We can all be positive but let's also be realistic. The Lakers are good enough to get to the playoffs but lack the abilities to go forward beyond the 1st round. There's no way they can beat Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio 4x in 7 games. That's the reality based on the quality of players we have. We need Bynum to develop as fast as we can, to create threat on the shaded area and apply control on uncontested layups and get all offensive and defensive rebounds. Analyze any championship team, the focal point in the "Center". Do we have good centers? In Portland game, you can see that high leaping Patterson could outjump Mimh and Kwame. We also need accurate and consistent three-point shooters like what Showtime Lakers used to have in Michael Cooper, Bob McAddoo, Rice, Fisher and Fox, they are shooters par excellent and defensive specialists. What we have in Vujacic and Parker are raw and crude in their positions as point guards, they are addictive to stealing balls and an empty running game prone to committing turnovers and letting their fast guards slipped through. What do you expect they are mere babies in the NBA, perhaps in two or three years they could be legitimate point guards. They have too much respect on Kobe and dependent on the moves of Kobe, making them tentative in shooting or passing the ball. Have you noticed our forwards are too small like Devean, Walton and Bryan Cook? How can you compare them to Duncan, Horry, Nowitski, Jayson Terry, Merion & Amare? In the end, we really need to develop our draft picks and get the needed energy from Turriah and Bynum not tomorrow but immediately. I may also suggest let's drop the other three non-contributors like: Green, McGee and Von Wafer. Get help from the pool of veterans who are not signed but reliable streak shooters. This is all the job of Mitch but he has been silent in polishing the rough edges of this team and appears to be just a messenger of Jerry Buzz and Phil (monkeys say, monkey do) What we really miss is Jerry West's brilliance who is always on the go, open to all possibilities and has an eye for clutch shooters with right chemistry to the team. He could convince journeymen like: Rice, J R Rider, and Mitch Richmond to join the team. He has the ability to gain respect from the great ones like: Magic, Worthy, Scott, Kareem, Coop, Kobe, Shaq, Fox and Horry.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | February 22, 2006 at 12:13 PM
Chill out Laker fans!!!!
We should be lucky if we get to no 8 spot. Why don't you all look at what experts are saying. Lakers are not going to make playoffs this year.
JJ, what makes you think Lakers will win 20 of 30 games?
Lamar Show, don't be dreaming. Lamar is a 1 in 10 games show. so look for a slump in next 10 games.
Had we won extra 5 games befor all star game, we would have a playoff spot. now its too late.
ITS TOO LATE FOLKS.
Posted by: Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 12:34 PM
Sunny,
I put 20$ on the Lakers winning the western conference.
If your dream comes true, I get a FAT check.
But its not going to happen. I concider that money spent and gone. :)
Posted by: frank rizzo | February 22, 2006 at 01:14 PM
Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan,
Pretty funny post!
We are in the 8th spot right now. You talk like we are trying to come back from the 10th or 11th.
We can easily make the playoffs if we just win the games we should win, and learn from the games we loose.
Posted by: frank rizzo | February 22, 2006 at 01:27 PM
Jon K...
dont trip i knew it wasn't your post...khan your a dumbass...
i can't wait for this back to back coming up is going to be a great test for this laker team, i hope that odom could keep his aggressivness up, and honestly whats wrong with phil now a days? "Jackson said pressing Odom to score is not the key"? i dont get it...anyways i think he shold make odom a primary scorer like he was yesterday and stop bullshitting with these "oh he needs to faciliate" instead give those responsibilites to smush, 9 assists yesterday, i think that counts as faciliating, seriously somebody needs to talk to phil, knock some sense into him and make luke the towel boy...other than that i think phil is doing a great job with this team...
Go Lakers...
and F#$K no i aint no clipper fan, never have been, never will, and if someday im caught wearing a clipper jersy, SHOOT ME!!!!
Posted by: TrueLakerFan | February 22, 2006 at 01:31 PM
There are only 5 upper level teams in the NBA right now. Of that total, the Lakers have beaten 2. They play the other 3 a few times over the next month.
The remaining teams are all in the same category for the most part. The Lakers are not far from being a serious playoff threat. Development is the key for them.
Posted by: JJ | February 22, 2006 at 01:40 PM
Question for the Brothers' Bloggers:
Next year, just like the Knicks did with Penny's deal this year, can the Lakers trade Brian Grant's expiring deal? I always thought "yes", but have seen nothing indicating one way or the other.
If the Lakers can do it, this will be one way to bring in a player with a high contract (at the expense of the 2007 plan, of course). If not, then then they just get cap relief at the end of 06-07 season.
Posted by: akr_68 | February 22, 2006 at 02:24 PM
akr 68-
My understanding of the amnesty rule (by which the Lakers released Grant) is that teams cannot trade players that aren't on their roster- i.e. the Lakers can't trade Grant's cap figure to another team. They just have to wait until it comes off the books.
The benefit to the Lakers was that his salary didn't count against their luxury tax figure.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | February 22, 2006 at 02:38 PM
frank rizzo,
Just because we are in no 8 spot does not mean we are holding to that. you should know that we were in 6th spot before and fell down to last spot. this shows me falling trend. And also Utah, Sac town also coming strong for the last spot. If we were holding to 5th or 6th spot at this time then we would be ok. even we slip we could get last berth.
you said
"We can easily make the playoffs if we just win the games we should win, and learn from the games we loose."
are we really winning games we suppose to win? nope.
you are talking about ideal situation. just grow up and be practical.
There is something called "pressure factor" and lakers are not strong enough to withstand the pressure this season.
Posted by: Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 02:48 PM
AK or BK,
Lakers should have used one time luxury tax situation with SHAQ in first place. anyway we got crappy players in shaq trade. what do you say?
Posted by: Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 02:51 PM
you cant trade grant's contract because we waived him. why do you think the knicks didnt waive penny when ppl were calling the amnesty rule "Penny rule"? everyone thought the knicks would waive him. but guess they rather pay the luxury tax and use it as a trade commodity.
Posted by: the Lamar Show | February 22, 2006 at 03:03 PM
BK,
Thanks for the quick response. However, if my memory serves me correctly, how could Toronto have been trying to trade Mourning's deal after he was bought out last year and signed with Miami?
I'm just trying to figure it out and no one seems to have any concrete answers.
Your explanation makes perfect sense, however.
Thanks.
Posted by: akr_68 | February 22, 2006 at 03:12 PM
Disgruntled:
Even with Shaq's salary coming off the books, the Lakers would still not be under the salary cap. Plus, Kobe would have gone somewhere else.
Let it go already. It's over done with and nothing anyone says will change it. Plus, with Shaq's recent significant decline, it's pretty clear that trading him was the right thing to do.
Other opinions may vary.
Posted by: akr_68 | February 22, 2006 at 03:15 PM
Ok there DFLF,
Just because I know basketball, and call it like I see it, now I need to grow up??? That post was even funnier than the first.
I am being very practical.
Do you think we are in the same position as we were last year during the meltdown? NOT EVEN CLOSE!
We have had a bad string of games, but we have had some injuries. Guys are getting healthy, getting more comfortable w/ the system, and starting play team ball.
Im sorry, but you obviously don't know your stuff. When we make the playoffs in the 7th seed, you can send me an e-mail and say sorry for your silly comments (frank1rizzo@yahoo.com). I'll be sitting in my staples center seat watching the Lakers thinking... "I'm all grown up now!"
Posted by: frank1rizzo | February 22, 2006 at 03:16 PM
frank rizzo,
how old are you kid? 12, 13 14? LMAO what do you mean you are "all grown up NOW" LMAO go to momy kiddo.
Q. Why will lakers not make it to players?
Answer: we lost too many close games and its too late to recover. PERIOD. we have chance next year.
here is the content of email I would send to you "KISS MY A**"
Posted by: Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 06:18 PM
akr_68,
you are right. no point talking about shaq's trade. its over now. I don't like Shaq anyway. The ego Beef Cake sucks!!!
Posted by: Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 06:20 PM
Disgruntled,
why are you so convinced that we will not make the playoffs, is it that hard to believe that we will acheive something with the squad we have, take into account that we have beaten all the teams in the league with better records than us except, san antonio, phoenix, detroit and new jersey. How many teams in the league have beaten both dallas and miami.
we are alot better than our record suggests, our only problem is that we usually play to the level of our competition, thus we lose some games we should win and win some we should lose. This is as a result of our youth but as the season goes along we have matured more. we have won 4 of our last 6 that were decided by 6 of fewer points so i would say we have come a long way.
Give the kids a chance, the are doing ok, which is better than alot of people predicted. yes our last win was against the awful blazers but its still a win. Give them some credit.
Posted by: ose | February 22, 2006 at 06:24 PM
ose,
29 games left. lakers should win 18 to make playoffs. so we can only lose 9 games.
That means team CANNOT have
1. another slump like the last one.
2. Lamar odom cannot go into depression.
3.Kwame should not fumble at all and the list goes on and on.
Practically its not possible for lakers to show above list of things
Posted by: Disgruntled, Frustrated Laker Fan | February 22, 2006 at 06:57 PM
lakers will be in 6th spot...and start from there.....wait until playoff comes, we'll see what lakers need in the future....
Posted by: edodgreat | February 22, 2006 at 07:47 PM