Kwame's Final Conference

You guys are the best. Thanks for feeding us news during this dry period.

Thanks BK!

With comments like that I'm looking forward to good things. It also tells me that he has his head on straight...that's good ;-)

Go The Kwam!

As difficult as this season was, I am still optimistic for 2006-2007. I don't know if any significant players can be acquired, but hopefully Lamar and Luke will be more consistent, and Kwame, Smush, Sasha, Ronny, and Andrew Bynum will continue to improve.

Very good interview. One question i wished you had asked was "Kwame what are you going to do about catching the ball?" I think he should focus on catching a ball by doing some drills. Nonetheless geat interview. Will we be getting a Kobe interview soon too? I do not know what he will try to work on in his game because he is so good at everything as it is. I think the best thing for him would be just to watch game tapes, and find a way to distribute the ball efficiently.

Thanks BK, as much as I like making fun of you, you do somewhat of a quality job.

"I don't know. I'm going to get in and work on my jump shot, and come in expecting to play the four. If they make changes, then I'll be ready for that, too."

We'll see if he can do it. I like his post defense more than Mihm's but just like what Mike T says, if he can hit those jumpers like he did during the first 4 games of the playoffs, I think he can actually play PF. We'll just see how much we works in the offseason. I hope that he works out alot with Kareem and improve his hands as well as the things he said above. If he can do that, well, look for more "What did Brown do for you?". I do know that if Brown and Mihm are on the court at the same time and both are productive that defense will be even better since you got practically 2 centers to clog the hole and Kwame has the ability to defend against other PF like Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett. If those 2 big men defend and score in double figures, combined with LO and his triple doubles, along with Kobe doing his playmaking and scoring we will be great. In a previous post I supported a notion to put Smush in Golden state for Derek Fisher and I think that our PG woes could be over. And when Mihm's contract expires, Bynum will be most likely be ready for the NBA. We will also have great 2nd tier reservists in 3 other positions with Walton backing up Odom, Cook backing up Kwame or Ronny, Mihm being backed up by Bynum or Ronny, and Sasha backing up whoever is our PG. Will most likely be Smush but I could see a great trade for good old Derek F. Resign Profit or sign Rush as Kobe's backup. Draft a SF and a better SG in the 2nd Round than Von Wafer and I think we'll have a very great team with a great coach at the helm.

The 2005-2006 season was a comeback stage, the next should be the championship one.

thanks for the interviews.

I'm kind of shocked that he said getting 10 rebounds would be harder than getting 15 points. The guy is a seven footer and if he gets 30 minutes a game there is no reason for him to not average 10 points a game. Also, why didn't he mention anything about being more of a presence in the paint defensively? I don't care if he wants to get quicker so he can guard more people, 0.6 blocks per game is HORRIBLE!!

Something about Kwame doesn't sit right with me, I don't know what it is.

Also, I've said it before, but he better learn to play the four if he wants to stay in LA because our 5 was drafted last year and will be looking to move into the line-up about the same time Kwame's contract is up. Practice that mid-range jumper Kwame, practice hard.

If Kwame can make a jump shot, can he also manage to learn to hit the 3 point one? Hitting the 3 or not will not instantly make you a great Power Forward but if Kwame can do that, it'll be a great assett. LO as a PF could do it, KG did it. If Kwame really works out even more, I think the word "bust" will be forgetton just as much as MJ early in his career had the term "ball-hog" in his name. It took a legendary coach to do what 1 underachieving and 1 mediocore at best couldn't do: help Kwame Brown understand his potential and use it.

A strong defensive team, combined with a great player like Kobe, an all star caliber LO, and a hopeful rising Kwame could make this team go further in the playoffs. We will just have to see how much further.

Man these exit interviews give you a good feeling!!! I loved hearing Kwame say something like "he owes it to the team"!! Sounds like Phil doesn't know yet if they'll be putting Mihm & Kwame but if they continue to work over the summer, the teams should come together nicely!!

Anybody can answer this,

Are starters forbidden from summer league? I think Mihm & Kwame should get some "practice" time on the floor together in the summer in live game situations.

Seriously, Andrew and Brian, you guys should be very proud of what you have built here with the Lakers blog. I've been a participator from day one and it honestly keeps getting better and better. I see this blog as a virtual living room. A place to celebrate victories with your Lakers brethren (and sistren) or be consoled after tough losses. I wanted to thank you guys for being true fans and putting in so much work to make this so more than just a blog.

-Romy

Let's hope Kwame puts it all together. The guy's built like a beast, it's time for him to consistently play like one.

BK,

Thank You very much, I still have hope you can find Kobe's coference,

I like Kwame and I think he will improve next season. Kwame has more confidence, he likes playing with the Lakers and I think that's motivating him to play better.

KAH WA MEE

To help him succeed, we need to put him positions where he is not pressured to excel. Like maybe the fourth scoring option. He seems to do better when expectations are lowered.

marvellous piece, kudos, k bros! i said i was going to stop reading this blog until the summer, yeah right, i held up for one day, after the game 7 loss, since then i have been visiting religiously everyday! it's addictive, i need help.

promising if he want to work for 15 and 10.
not just told.
the fact than he knows he is late is good too.
i feel like we might have a litle jermain thing going over here he only needs to block more.

I love this blog.

I really like Kwame's attitude. When it came out that he was working with Kareem, it was music to my ears.
I'm a little worried about him hiting 15 footers at the 4 spot. If he only had Mihn's jump shot.
But underneath the basket, it seemed like Kwame had less shots blocked than Mihm. If they could just switch those abilities...

GO THEIF!!!

Kwame really gets a bad rap from the media. He's young, and apparently, MJ and Doug Collins did a number on his psyche. They pushed all the wrong buttons and got all the wrong reactions.

He's got the tools to be productive as a rebounder and defender.

Phil has shown a great ability to get something out of him. If he can sustain that motivation, then maybe down the line he and Bynum can make a great tandem down low.

He seems to have the right mindset going into the offseason.

I wonder if Kwame's foot injury somehow messed up his 'ability' to catch a baseketball!?

It seems that his head is in the right place; that he has got the right work ethic. It would be great if someone (say Magic or Kareem, maybe even PJ) were to take him aside and say, 'you have the opportunity to be an incredible basketball player, but you are going to have to nearly kill yourself if you want to live out that possibility!' It seems to me that that is what he needs; to work harder at being a basketball player than he ever has. Being the first pick in the draft clearly messed him up a bit (that and having MJ screaming at him). He must have made the unconscious calculation that his talent would get him by.

I think Kwame has the potential to be a great player, but he is going to have to want to be great. That is clearly the issue for KB...it will be interesting to see what happens with this guy.

Ideally, wouldn't you want Chris and Kwame, and eventually SOCKS to be able to play/understand both the four AND the five? Then they can sub in and out for each other, and between all three they could cover all 48 minutes. 15 fouls, jump shots, hook shots and maybe even some consistency! (Sounds appealing, doesn't it?)

Speaking of Laker Centers, I'm suprised AK/BK never linked to Kareem's exciting new project:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgmyaSPFSnA&search=stephen%20colbert

Good plan Kwame,take vacation and come back earlier. Kwame should improve in shooting the ball from outside, catching the ball, and finishes it, improve low post defense, he will be very good player, he has the bright future but it depends on how strong of his will.

Man... Kwame's going to start jacking up shots from the wing? I don't know about this plan. Maybe he can work on a sick bank shot like Duncan, he needs just one shot that he knows he can fall back on. If this happens, we can get a scaled down "twin towers" action going on with Mihm and Kwame out on the floor. Should be interesting if Kwame can really get a decent shot... considering everyone else on the roster (expect Kobe) has a hard time being consistent.

On a side note, with Odom and Kwame (to some degree) coming around and playing the way we envisioned them to play... they are shaping up to be pretty decent "trade bait." Now there is a lot of rumors, more like wishful thinking, of KG coming to town, with the best offer being Odom/Kwame/Bynum. Do you think KG is worth losing our "only" playmaker, decent defender and big body in Kwame, and most importantly our future superstar center (assuming Bynum actually pans out)? It seems that by trying to trade for KG, we might actually be taking a step back. Yes, we will have a great... I mean AWESOME duo in Kobe and KG, especially since both of the player's personalities will allow them to coexist with Kobe's being the "dominator" while KG doesnt mind sharing the ball. But we lose depth, which we were already short on, and what happens once KG's age starts to take effect on his play? I think KG has a good 4-5 years of all star game in him... then I dont if he's going to be able to keep the same intensity level going. In the meantime, Kobe will be getting older, he'll still have a few years left in him but who'll be there to help him out then? We dealt our future "star" away to get an aging vet. Just a thought... but while the idea of having Kobe and KG play together sounds great... if we lose Odom, Kwame and Bynum... we're still in a position where we have gaping holes, especially at the SF spot. Thoughts?

Will,

I think it'd be great if Kwame did develop a bank shot. It allows guys who aren't great shooters to shoot a higher percentage. Bank shots were the first basketss I ever made until I praciced enough to make em otherwise.

I love the bank shot adding that would make Kwame a real player in the league.

Is there anyone else out there who thinks Kwame is a horrible excuse for a presence in the land defensively? There wasn't one person who was afraid to take the ball to the hole against the guy. At least with Chris Mihm we had a guy who was quick off his feet and challenged shots. Sure, he doesn't have the sheer size of Kwame, but his skill level and heart and leaps and bounds ahead of Kwame. In my eyes Kwame has a long way to go before I start thinking he's worth anything. I think he played so crappy in the beginning of the year that the rest of you, lowered your expectations so far that you thought he was the next Kareem because he stopped dropping every pass thrown his way (which he picked back up in the playoffs by the way). He's obviously going to be back next year because he's a year away from being worth anything as trade bait, but I'm not ready to give him any starting spot in our line-up just yet.

Lakofan-

Dude, sorry to string you along, but I wasn't in the building for Kobe's interview, so unless it's posted somewhere else (and I'm pretty sure we're the only people masochistic enough to transcribe these things), you're out of luck. Sorry. I had to choose between Kobe and Von Wafer, and figured more people would want the Vonnanator.

Just kidding. Not about not having the Kobe interview, but the part about Wafer.

BK

Maybe it's just me, but it didn't sound like he was really into getting into shape, and working on his game. Yeah it's cool that he wants to achieve the goals the coaches/team have set for him, but what about the goals he wants to set for himself. Wanting to get healthy is good, but he really didn't seem to know what he wanted to do other than get healthy. My point is, if he's really not motivated to do the things the coaches ask, he won't be successful. He has to have a voice somewhere inside of him willing, and pushing him to get better, or all this talk will be for nothing. I hope i'm wrong and he is motivated, but if not he is a waste of talent, and our time.

arthas -

If inside presense is a focus of your role on the team, then I think that hitting the three-pointer can actually hurt a power forward. I think of guys like Antoine Walker and Rasheed Wallace - players who could be monsters on the inside, but have fallen in love with the three to the point that it hurts their team. Kwame should be banging inside, posting up, getting boards, and getting second-chance points. He shouldn't be waiting out on the perimeter hoping that someone will toss him the ball so he can throw up another three.

Another thing about Kwame, why do the coaching staff, management, and fans have to put the guy in lower pressure situations so he doesn't fail? He's a professional athlete at the highest level, at this point he shouldn't be handled like a teenager anymore.

Which brings me to another thing, during these exit interviews does it bother anyone else that the coaching staff has to tell these guys to work out in the offseason? Should we be so amazed that Kobe Bryant trains, practices, and prepares as much as he does or should that be the norm? I'd like to hear the one interview where the guy says "we didn't win the title so I'm going to take a two week trip to Hawaii and then I'm going to work harder than ever to hang the next banner in Staples. There's my offseason for you." Now that would get you some fan support.

Hey BK,

Anyone else yet to be transcribed? I think I remember you saying that you had Mitch. What about Bynum?

Regardless, great job!

Andrew Z,

Sad to say but I think that is the norm. That's why you see players all over the nba that aren't fundamentally sound (it's not just because they didn't go to college or whatever). It's also important to remember that great players always have their own "drive" and that drive leads them to perform/practice and play at a much higher clip than anyone else. We're not asking Kwame to be great, just to not be a bust ;-)

I'm not saying work ethic is outdated, I think for the most part, in the nba work ethic, individual work ethic is rare (which is why I personally like Kobe as much as I do). Other players simply do as they're told (not sure if there's anything really wrong with that).

Weave-Man,

I couldn't agree more. Something about that interview didn't make me think "man, Kwame is going to work his butt off to be awesome next year!". I always think back to how Brian Shaw said that KWame thinks nothing is his fault. That's a bad sign.

Jon,

Rasheed Wallace is probably one of the best all-around power forwards in the league. What makes him so good is that he can bang down low but also step out and nail the three. Do I agree that Kwame should work on being a 3-point shooter? HELLS NO!! some people have that ability and some don't. He is definitely one of the "don'ts". If we're looking for a pure banger, like a Dennis Rodman, I think Ronny Turiaf fills that role. he's got the size, the energy and the willingness.

Faith,

I guess I just didn't want to admit that. And I agree, it's why I like Kobe so much. I also think that's why I get a sense of trust when i watch a game and he's on the floor, because you know he prepared and worked harder than anyone else out there. Obviously it shows.

I think the funniest line I've heard in awhile (other than Michael T saying this current Laker team could win 72 games) is "We're not asking Kwame to be great, just to not be a bust ;-)"

I now know how my parents felt about me.

Weave-Man,

I picked up on the same thing. There is something about the language he is using that stinks of complecency. It's not that I don't think he is going to work hard. It's just that there is something about this guy that feels a little souless (hope that's not too harsh). In that way he reminds me a bit of Elden Campbell (aka; 'deer in headlights') but without the 15 and 10 averages and decent mid-range game.

So again it comes down to this guy having to really go beyond himself if he is going to be a great player. You can understand now why Doug Collins and MJ ripped him; and at the same time why PJ and Kobe have been nursing him. But at some point in the future somebody is going to have to put their foot in his a$$! For if he doesn't find some passion he is always going to be at best a mediocore player

Santa Monica,
I agree. He was quoted after game 4 saying that he was surprised when Phil had said that the Lakers needed to be play like they were in a must-win situation. In a lot of ways he just doesn't seem to understand the game, and he should by now.

SantaMonica4Ever,

You nailed it, he's totally the new version of Elden Campbell. Uh oh..

Andrew Z
"Which brings me to another thing, during these exit interviews does it bother anyone else that the coaching staff has to tell these guys to work out in the offseason?"

Shaq's name ring a bell here?

To everyone who loves the way Kwame "plugs the hole".

In today's league, with the recent rule changes on what is and isn't allowed on defense, that is not nearly as important as it once was. Big men absolutely NEED to be able to defend on the perimeter against the mid-range jump shot.

And "plugging the hole" also involves beinga being able to block/"alter" shots. Something Kwame is NOT good at.

On this team, with the double coverage that Lamar and Kobe get, Kwame (or Mihm) ought to be able to get 20 points a game. At this point Mihm is more capable of that (if he continues to cut down on his fouls). Kwame hasn't shown that he is yet.

Andrew Z - You are totally on target with your 3:26 post.

If everyone on the team prepared as well as Kobe did for the games, we'd still be talking about the Lakers' playoff chances right now.

I know it sounds like a great idea, and it would help the team tremedously. For Kwame to all of the sudden develop a consistent 15 foot J. I agree that he should work on it, like he should work on just about every other aspect of his game. But I don't think our team should expect that he's going to become the outside threat we've been looking for.

I wouldn't mess with a good thing with Kwame. We know he's a good defender and he gives us a presence in the middle. Not every team has a presence in the middle like Kwame can provide. I say keep him at center, with Mihm as the back-up. Although he should work on shooting the ball, I don't think the team should expect him to all of the sudden be able to make the open j. Throw Mihm at the power forward if we need to match up big. Otherwise, let Kwame be the best center he can be.

Kwame shooting 3s? cmon man. thats a joke right? whos going to try to rebound for miss shots? whos dumb enough to let kwame take a 3pters at end of game.... or anytime during the game for that matter? how can you compare kwame with lamar or kg? they're not even the same type of players. you think shaq doesnt know how to do a cross over? SURE HE DOES!! why doesnt he do it and try to juke ppl out? cause he's not a moron. kwame's got to utilize his strength.

"Adversity introduces a man to himself
That which is bitter to endure may be
sweet to remember."

- Thomas Fuller 1732

That was a nice interview, BK and we appreciate the honesty of Kwame to improve himself. In perseverance, there is nothing impossible. We are with him if he keeps his promise to work harder this summer in preparation for next season. It not too late to heal and learn what is to be learned. Just keep up with the flow, both in offense and defense, hopefully, someday we'll swallow our own criticisms.

Lamar Show,

The only thing that would scare me more is my girlfriend telling me she has something to tell me as she places an EPT box on the counter.

jon
- Rasheed Wallace hurt his game by shooting the 3? Once in a great while he'll jack up too many, but all in all he's still abusive in the post and (to me) the most underrated cog in the piston's wheel.

As far as Kwame's D, while he isn't a shot blocker, or especially quick on recognition and rotation, he was very effective in 1 v 1 defensive situations against some good competition. For starters he played great against Shaq, he was quick enough to secure good position and strong enough to stand his ground. More importantly Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett gave him props for Ding them up this season. If that's not a glowing review i don't know what is.

IMO, part of why he fumbles the ball is he's too busy trying to move or do the right thing, but can't look up or follow the rock. That usually means he's late to see a pass coming, or even expect one in his direction. When he found some flow in the offense he was much better catching the ball. He does have small hands so I wouldn't expect a miracle but I think we saw some, although a bit inconsistent) improvement.

I would like to see Kwame and Mihm coexist at the same time, and for Kwame to play the 4 he needs that baseline jumper ala Haslem. If he works this summer he can keep the opponents 4 honest and out of the lane for post players to work.

Reality is Mihm will be in foul trouble quickly in most games and Kwame will probably have to slide to 5. Unless Bynum has an awesome summer, it'll be a work in progress all year with Socks.

much <3 Lakers and the K bros. can't wait next season.

i just wanted to throw this in. there is no way for kwame to work on his ball dropping. this isn't soccer or football, in basketball that is a result of nervousness, either thinking too much or not expecting the ball. when you make a move in your head before getting the ball, most likely you will travel or not catch it. with confidence comes rythym. as for kwame playing 4 or 5, doesn't matter, the real issue is being on the court with mihm at thesame time. cos' when mihm is posting low sometimes, he would be open at the elbow for a 15 footer, he can either do two things from there, 1, hand off, or 2, shoot a jumper. that's why he wants to go work on that jumper.

ANDREW Z.!!!!!!!!
to answer your question about, why do the coaches have to remind this guys. i played 4 years of d1 basketball. at the end of every season, it is imperative for the coach to call each player into his office and ask 'em what their goals are for the coming season. it's the same everywhere. now you might say this guys are professionals,they should know better, true but, every athlete works out during the break, but not all work out hard enuff, or work on the right stuff. we spend so much time working out during the season that when the season is over, we can't believe it, we don't play any hard pick up games, so as not to get hurt, and before you know it the season is here again, you really didn't do much, you rested too much. that's why they drill the living day light out of you, when you get back, regardless of how your break went. for the simple fact that you had that conversation withthe coach, you would make a conscious effort to work on what you said. most of the time players don't see what they wrong(that's why they make you watch films, after every filsession, you feel like sh!t, you are embarrassed, and the tape is long too). i hoped i answered you question.

It really baffles me all these professional players on the blog how many here ever played basketball and truely understand the dynamics of the game because most of you is full of hot air and have the nerve to judge someone else and proberly under 6ft I read the comments for a whole year and I see this is where all the non basketball playeing people come to ask like they know basketball how many of you cant get 15 and 10 a nite in the NBA?????????

Lebron was just named co-MVP by The Sporting News. That's the MVP award that's voted on by coaches and GM's. They're the ones who know what they're doing, right? How you like dem apples?

(p.s. - Lebron was co-MVP with Nash, of course. Kobe was tied for third with Nowitski. There was no ranking system - it was straight-up first place votes.)

Rocky,

I believe Kwame will always be in the 5 spot on the defensive end. I think his desire to get his jump shot thing going is so that Mihm can play the 5 spot on the offensive end alone. If Kwame doesn't get the jump shot down I think the Lakers are going to go with Kwame at the 5 spot all the way around, at least, for next year. PJ asking Mihm about playing "the wing" is an indication that it's for the offensive end purposes alone.

mike

practice kwam, practice with kobe

hope kobes work ethic rubs off to the other lakers

GO LAKERS!

I've read a couple people say that Kwame is working with Kareem, but when BK interviewed the Cap, he said the Kwam didn't work with him because he considered himself more of a face up player as opposed to a back to the basket player. Which is it? Personally, if you're a basketball player and don't take the opportunity to be schooled by the greatest scorer and proven winner on every level the game has seen, you're a moron. Maybe he changed his mind on that?

The Kwam always looked as if he was looking for permission to make a move. He looks hurried and uncertain a lot of the time. Hopefully next year he'll be confident enough to just play. Other than Howard and Yao, there aren't any big men around Kwame's age that dominate. Amare may not come back from the surgery as the same player and he's not as big as those 3. I'm not putting the Kwam in that class but I am saying that you could make a case for him being not bad in comparison to what other teams have to suffer through with.

He's got a great NBA physique and he's a load on the block that even Shaquille had trouble moving. Still, I never understood his game. Don't know what his "go to" move is. Don't know why he doesn't block more shots. Don't know why he doesn't get all the rebounds; that's just effort and determination. Don't know why he can't catch; I've got smaller hands than him and don't ever remember dropping a pass.

You can work on your shot but changing the way you think is tough but doable. Turning into a confident, driven competitor is what the Kwam needs to work on. Meditate, cogitate, commiserate but git her done.
We got championships to win.

Phil called MJ and they both decided thumbs up on the trade for the Kwam. I bow to their expertise but I'm still waiting for the flower to bloom as are we all.

BK,

Oh well a girl can only wish. I thought you could find it somewhere with your connections and all,haha, but what can you do? Still I enjoyed these conferences, thank you for taking the time to post them.

Mike-

I don't think they're planning on putting Mihm out on the wing, and certainly not defensively. But yeah, on offense, they might encourage sets where Mihm is nominally the five but plays further away from the basket, but on D, there's no way they think he can guard 4s. If they're out on the floor at the same time, Mihm won't be on the opposing team's PF. That's the impression I got.

BK

Will Mihm even be back BK?

when KOBE came into the league and everyone started saying he was the next MJ people took offense to that....and since then people have always tried to find ways to rip his game or his personality to prove that he is not close to MJ...I think that KOBE is getting so close to MJ that people are just looking for reasons to talk bad about him.... "

Wow.

You're rewriting history quite a bit there.

First of all, when Kobe came into the league, you didn't have "everybody saying he was the next MJ". Not even close. If everyone thought he was the next MJ, why did he get drafted where he did? Why was Charlotte willing to trade him away? What did he do his first season to even remotely look like Jordan?
Just take a look at Kobe's career trajectory and compare it to Jordan's career trajectory. They're a little different, because Jordan had to carry a team while Kobe got carried through by a dominant player for a while. But even then, it's easy to see that Kobe hasn't even come close to doing what Jordan did.

So why do people hate Kobe so much? I'll give you some of the reasons. Now, you may not think these are legitimate reasons, but they are really are the reasons why people don't like him, whether you agree or not.

1) Before he was even drafted, he was generally a jerk to several teams and let it be known that he didn't want to play in several places. He refused to even work out for Charlotte.

2) He came off as cocky both on and off the court. Part of this was the "I'm a better baller than you" kind of cockiness, but there was a taste of the sophisticated "I'm a better person than you" cockiness as well.

3) He seemed to hog the ball in inappropriate situations early in his career, such as the air-balls episode against Detroit and the taking-on-Jordan episode in the all-star game.

4) After the Lakers won their first championship with the offense clearly running through Shaq, Kobe seemed to try to take control and wanted to get declared the top man. He started taking more shots than Shaq despite shooting the ball 10-15% points worse, hitting his lowest point in the 02-03 season when he got 23.5 spg and Shaq only had 18, and the Lakers failed to make the finals.

5) His "I'm better than you" sophisticated image got rocked when everyone found out that he was cheating on his wife with multiple women over long stretches of time and had possibly raped someone. Not only were the accusations horrible by their own merit, they made him look fake in many people's eyes in light of the image he had conveyed. On top of that, his initial statement to the accusations was something to the effect of "you all know what kind of person I am", which made him look even faker when the truth came out. And then he just threw Shaq under the bus with the "I'm not the one paying women" comment, which was so ridiculously unnecessary it was embarassing.

6) He didn't respect his teammates. He publically insulted Shaq several times, even calling him fat, he punched Samaki, and he drove Malone off the team.

7) He had the Sacramento game where he didn't shoot in the first half, to make some sort of point about the complaints that he took too many shots. I think this was the last straw for some people - under no conditions do you tank a game to prove a point.

8) He manipulated several teams in order to become the lone superstar on the Lakers. He used the Clippers as leverage (by some accounts, lying to them about his intentions to join the team), and managed to get Shaq shipped off for less than he was worth and force Jackson to leave, thereby dumping the Lakers from a title contender to straight out of the playoffs.

9) Phil Jackson, his coach during every successful season he's ever had, described him as uncoachable.

10) The Lakers absolutely sucked in the first season with him as the only go-to guy.

11) During his second season with the Lakers, he started jacking up more shots than anyone in the NBA had in close to 20 years (that's only by my recollection, but I can't think of any who put up that many shots a game since baby jordan).

12) At the end of the series where he was finally showing that he could play team ball and compete against the best, he responds to adversity by giving up in game 7, (no matter what you say, three jump shots, with 1 point and 1 assist, and no defense whatsoever, is giving up), thereby recalling the Sacramento game that cemented his immaturity several seasons ago.

Hopefully I have just written the definitive Kobe-hater post. It has nothing to do with how good he is (except that no one would have cared as much if he wasn't good), and it has nothing to do with the media (except that many of them agree with the public). Now you can't claim that you don't know why people dislike him anymore.

LakeMan-

Good question. Like I posted before, I'd move him for guard help, and I think there's a good chance that will happen. Mihm is one of the few guys they have with value. So yeah, he could be gone and render this whole Kwame/Mihm thing moot.

But until it happens, we'll work under the assumption that he'll be back.

BK

Pangit

You are offically the most stupid poster and are offically 'Ignored'

Please go to the Cavs or Sun or Heat posts and spread the word of "TJ Simmers" and leave us here to worry about that useless player Kobe. We need to repent and when we are ready on day we could join society as offical Kobe Hater

All praise saint 'Pangit' for showing us the light brother!!

Amen!

Laker_Uk

More great stuff, guys.

Seriously, if it wasn't for you guys I might turn to another paper's sports section.

Kwame seems to have the right goals and it committed to them. That's all we can ask.

GO KWAME!

GO LAKERS!

I hate the Suns.

BK/AK,

Any feel on who on the Lakers will be on the summer league team?

People have this warped memory of Michael Jordan.. This guy was one of the most immature and selfish players the league has ever seen. He has pouted in games just as Shaq has pouted when he thought he didn't get the ball enough and would stop rebounding, playing defense. Remember the "guard the yard" stuff? People act as if Kobe is the devil and ignore these other players' acts. I don't think he pouted in Game 7, but that Sacramento game, Kobe did respond immmaturely to all the criticisms from the previous game.

Jordan changed his "image" when he and his team started winning. Winning is the only thing that's going to help Kobe, nothing else. He needs to continue to become a better leader on the floor and the lakers organization needs to have a sense of urgency that they do not seem to have right now to build this team. Their attitude seems to be to sit on their hands for the next couple years and assume they will hit the jackpot in 2008. They might want to think about Kobe wearing down because of having to carry that load, playing so many minutes till then. Our bench is weak.

By the way, here is Sam Smith of Chicago Tribune commenting about this whole Game 7 drama and comparisons to Jordan:
[Sam Smith]:
This is what I think happened and it is Jordanesque. I don't buy that sabotage thing. Bryant had 23 by halftime and was on the way to 50 and the Lakers were in trouble, down 15 and going nowhere. So knowing Phil Jackson, he told Bryant the first four games they went inside and distributed the scoring and got up 3-1, that was their only chance. Kobe has been buying in and did so early in the series. So he does in Game 7 and the plan doesn't work and they're down 30 and can't guard the mop kids. It's over, so Kobe packs it in. If he shoots crazy now they lose and he's blamed for being selfish. So he shuts it down. Jordan did something similar in the 1989 conference finals against the Pistons. The Bulls were losing and the Pistons were double and triple-teaming Jordan, so Doug Collins told Jordan to move the ball and not shoot so much. OK, you think those guys can win! Jordan took eight shots in 46 minutes. Michael Jordan could get eight shots off on anyone getting off the bus. The Bulls couldn't recover and Jordan just stopped shooting. It was Game 5 of a six-game series loss. But Kobe is a villain and lightning rod too so much of the blame goes to him. I don't think he was deserving of so much criticism.

LINK: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/askthewriter/cs-060510asksamsmith,1,3324192.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines

BK/AK,

What's also going on with the Lakers picks in the draft?

I forget. Do we have Miami's pick or something?

Jon,

That would be correct. 26th pick.

AK

In the ideal world, you'd like to have your 7-footers do what Nowitzski does - be a presence on the block AND be able to step back and hit 20 to 24-foot jump shoot. But, unfortunately, that is European style of basketball and I do not think Kwame at 24 could transform himself so completely over the course of one or two summers.

Nevertheless, Kwame can and should learn to CONSISTENTLY hit a jump shot at 10 to 15 feet. He also needs to improve on the foot work in the post. If he can improve a little in each of those areas over the course of next two seasons, he would be a very solid player. He would also haver versatility to play either the center or the power forward position. Given Mihm's particular skills and Bynum's development, I would expect most of Kwame's minutes would come at the 4. He could play some at center, at times, but he would be a monster as a power forward.

As to defense, the best one could hope for is that Kwame continues to improve on moving his feet (he got better at it towards the end of the season) and improves his timing on block shots. Again, given his size and athletic skills, even an incremental improvement should produce some tangible results.

I completely agree that Sheed is a great player. I completely agree that he is underrated. I completely agree that he has a monster all-around game. But in his last couple years with Portland and his 2.5 years with Detroit, he's diminished his effectiveness by spending too much time on the perimeter. He pulls down 3-4 fewer rebounds a game than he could, and he scores less in the paint than he could. Duncan called his turnaround jumper "unguardable", so why does he need to open things up with the three-ball? If he stayed inside he could easily be a 20-10 man and be drawing more double-teams to open up Detroit's perimeter players. Plus, fewer missed threes (he missed almost 300 of them this year) leads to fewer fast breaks for the other team.

Thankx BK/AK

Bigchil

right on. I am one of those under 6', hot air, and never play in the NBA. Yet I think I do know something about basketball.

Have you ever been to the moon? but you do know something about it. do you? ;)

peace.

I don't think kwame should be worried about developing an outside shot. What we liked about him in the playoff series was his presence in the post. He already does a nice job of getting good position in the post, what he needs to become better at is finishing in the post.
Also think lamar is actually very good at bringing the ball up and posting his man up. Add Mihm to the equation, kobe/smush driving being a positive thing and the paint is looking cluttered. For that reason I don't think we need Mihm/Kwame to play extended minutes on the court together. Lamar in addition to his ball handling skills should look to be in the post more simply because his good at it. Kwame hinted at lamar being a great rebounder, another quality that says the post suits lamar. So I think we should look to see Lamar and Kwame on the court togehter doing damage in the post, Lamar and Chris doing damage at the post, plus Chris has the 12-15 feet range so he can step outside.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but shouldn't Kwame at least develop an inside shot before there's any talk of him stroking it from behind the arc? I think people are getting a little ahead of themselves.

AK

AK,
Yes, it would be nice if he would develop a layup and a dunk shot. Then he can start on a 5-8 foot hook shot. Then a 10 foot jump shot. But first things first!!

great interview. with phil was a good too.
about kwame. i believe in this guy. hi will be very good player.15-10? very possible.
it's really beutifull think to be a lakers fan now:) we got young team, great coach and kobe. believe me. 2-3 years, 2 better role players more expierience and we will be the champs again.

greetings from poland!!!!
rafiq

Someone PLEASE tell Smush to work on his outside jumpers! Lakers need consistency on their outside game!