I gotta figure Ali would have pulled this out, but it's hard to bet against Wilt in anything. Even out of his element. But nonetheless, I'm giving it to the G.O.A.T.

I have no doubt, however, as to which fighter would have... um, "celebrated"... bigger after the match, regardless of who actually walked away with the title.

AK

Seriously, can we knock it off with all the Lakers going under the knife these days? Vegas is probably about to offer "Next Purple and Gold Surgery" as an official prop bet. Folks will be at Bally's laying down 20 bucks on a three-team parlay of "The Mets, the Over and Luke Walton's Shoulder."

But if there's gonna be operations going down left and right, at least the news keeps coming back positive. Chris Mihm underwent successful arthroscopic ankle surgery today. No mas scar tissue. He should be ready for training camp come Oct. 2.

—AK

Otherwise, I seriously question the credibility of those in charge of rehabbing Chris Mihm.

It also just dawned on me that I have absolutely no clue as to the golfing skills of anybody on the Lakers roster. That feels like something I should know, because golf tends to be a huge deal among professional athletes. I've actually been on a few assignments where I accompanied athletes swinging the wrenches. Jocks talk woods and irons all the time. But yet I've never heard squat about purple and gold golfers. I didn't even know Mihm played (although now that I think about it, I seem to recall seeing a photo of him at a past charity tourney).

But that aside, not a clue as to anybody else's enthusiasm for the sport. Thus, it got me to speculating about a day of Lakers golf, should they actually hit the course outside of my knowledge. Here are some random thoughts.

I posted this article (thank you, Faith!) for two reasons. One, a new thread is more than in order. Two, to remind some folks that when it comes to using SPL play to as definitive proof of Jordan Farmar's readiness to man the starting point guard spot... slow down. We still gotta see the kid play against guys who actually know what they're doing. I saw enough of the Summer League to know that a) the majority of Farmar's competition wasn't NBA bound and b) Farmar occasionally had trouble with those cats.

Don't get me wrong. I liked what I saw in the four games I watched. A lot. I think Farmar will get some PT this season, regardless of whether he starts or not. And it's absolutely not out of the question that Farmar could eventually start. His competition is hardly world beater caliber. He's got great court vision. He's got skills. He's confident. But those qualities also describe just about everyone the kid will be squaring off against, many of whom have forgotten more about hoops than Farmar has ever learned.

And when it comes to learning, anybody who says Farmar already knows the triangle is mistaken. He knows the abridged playbook quickly taught for the purpose of SPL. There's plenty more where that came from. Does the quick success theoretically fare well for his future? Absolutely. Again, like what I've seen quite a bit. But the NBA road ahead is considerably more complicated than one traveled in Long Beach.

But as long as Wednesday's arthroscopic ankle surgery and subsequent rehab go well for Chris Mihm, he'll probably be content looking at the bigger picture.

—AK

AK will be along shortly to pitch in with his observations, but here's what I saw at the 111-108 loss to Memphis:

First of all, Bynum didn't play because of what was described, I believe, as a bruised right knee suffered in yesterday's big win over the sort-of Wizards. He finished last night's game but apparently experienced some discomfort and rather than risk serious injury on a game that registered about a -59 on the Meaningful Scale, he sat. Nobody seemed concerned.

Strong night once again from Farmar. 23 points on 7-15 from the field, including 2-4 from beyond the arc. Three assists against four turnovers — not so good — but he again displayed a knack for getting into the lane. That's the good part. Unfortunately, he almost seemed to get there too quick and/or penetrate too deeply and didn't leave himself in position to finish. As a result, he had a couple fairly wild layup attempts. But overall, he was strong. It wasn't his best showing of the series, but like I said at the start of the league, you want your No. 1 to be one of the best guys on the floor. Again, Farmar was tonight.

One thing's for sure. You wouldn't label today's 132-123 win over the "Wizards" a "slugfest." Entertaining game, for sure. But the phrase "lockdown" didn't enter my head a whole lot. Still, a few guys did look pretty good as I enjoyed myself in an atmosphere heavy on Laker family, both immediate (I talked a while with Andrew Bynum's brother and sat in front of Devin Green's dad during the second half) and extended — I met Marcus Douthit's agent and ran into Laron Profit, who was medically cleared about a week ago and would have played in the SPL, but wasn't in good enough shape yet. In the meantime, he's been working out hard. He said the time since the injury "flew by... real slow."

Anyhoo, the rundown...

As a couple of folks have already noted, Brian Cook underwent surgery on his thumb last night. I talked to a Lakers media relations rep during today's SPL game (more on that later) and apparently, he hurt it playing pick up ball in West L.A. In medical speak, Cookie suffered an open dislocation of the interphalangeal joint on his right thumb. Dr. Steve Shinn, who did the cutting at Centinela Hospital Medical Center, can probably explain what that means better than me. But please refrain from actually calling the doc. (And if you just can't restrain yourself, please don't tell him you got his name from the blog. Blame it on the "Loose Cannons" show, or something like that.)

Should all go as planned, Cook will be splinted for about three weeks, ready to play again in about eight weeks and fully recovered in about 12. We're hoping he has a speedy recovery.

—AK

Some thoughts on the Lakers from Hoopsworld regarding the roster having potentially reached maximum occupancy. And when it comes to guards in particular, being on the bubble may result in some unpleasant news.

Of course, you never know. Perhaps Kobe ends up the odd guard out. Mitch likes what he sees in Pinnock and rolls the dice. Not counting on it, certainly. But again, you just never know.

—AK

Harp... Shaw... Wafer?

Also, a little background on Marcus Slaughter. I wish the guy luck, but I don't care what he says. Reeeeeally should have stayed in school.

—AK

I like the kid's focus, heart and determination. Not to mention his grounded outlook. But Danilo, even if you're understandably trying to save cash, 100 bucks a day can go a little further than TV dinners. You need nutrition if you wanna play your best, my man. Hit a Subway on one those "three sandwiches for seven bucks" days. Stock 'em up.

And for the record, BK and I both remember John Celestand.

—AK

Or specifically, knee. More specifically, Kobe's right knee. The one that's been cut before and on Saturday was cut again. So Kobe will be on the shelf for 8 to 12 weeks, making the World Championships a serious long shot. But more importantly, he ought to be fine by the time Lakers training camp rolls around.

He's the fourth big name to pull out of this summer's ball-a-thon, joining J.J. Redick, Paul Pierce and L.O. Fortunately, USA Basketball still has a couple decent players trolling about. Of course, the same could have been said last year too.

—BK

And to reader "Nyla," for pointing out this article about Kobe helping a kid with leukemia.

—AK

The paperwork now makes it official. Vladimir Radmanovic and Shammond Williams are hereby purple and gold family. If you're happy about Vlad's roster status, show your loyalty by switching your cell phone service to whichever long distance carrier he uses. The Lakers are counting on the 6-foot-10 shooter to, among other things, hit oodles of treys and stretch the court so Kobe and LO have a little more operating room. As for Williams, he's been out of the "L" a couple seasons, but he's still got more NBA point guard experience than Smush, Sasha and Farmar combined. A little know-how certainly can't hurt the mix.

—AK

I'm not gonna lie. The namesake of my All-Lakers fantasy team has some issues.

—AK

A nice piece from ESPN.com on how Lamar is coping with the loss of his son, and the extensive support system of friends, fellow players, and family who are helping him do it. Your contributions have been noted as well.

—BK

(By the way, we were out yesterday covering the ESPYs, which explains any blog update slowness. Things will be back to normal on Thursday.)

A couple of you have already pointed this out, but I thought the news merited its own post. Prosecutors have officially rejected sexual assault charges against Kwame Brown, who can now move forward with his life and career. I can't say this is terribly surprising, given that the investigation was announced during the first round of the playoffs and there hasn't been a single word since, other than today's announcement that it's over. Generally speaking, cases that will eventually go somewhere tend to produce an overload of details, as opposed to flying under the radar. But either way, it has to be a relief for Kwame.

—AK

I didn't actually attend yesterday's SPL opening fiesta, but the general consensus seems to be that most guys looked somewhere between average and nondescript. Even more troubling (for those who like to press the panic button after one SPL game) was that Jordan Farmar aside, the cats whom you actually know and love (Andrew Bynum, Von Wafer, Devin Green) were especially unimpressive. Well, going off said sentiment, I imagine today's game, a 97-69 smoking of the "Dallas Mavericks," was a decided improvement. In particular, last year's rooks (who are this actually squad's vets, relatively speaking) made their presence felt.

Before I get into the game itself, a brief side note. The Mavs squad features a guy named DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood High. I had completely forgotten about this kid, but once I saw the name, I instantly remembered the articles about him getting into all sorts of trouble (not to mention going undrafted out of high school). I had no idea what had become of him, but all kidding aside, I'm relieved to see he's actually alive. Best of luck in what appears to be a life on track.

Anyway, your rundown, mostly focusing on last year's holdovers...

Just kidding. Thanks for the updates from all who attended Saturday's intense battle between the sort-of Lakers and the sort-of Grizzlies. The more information the better. Like a few of you, I was down in Long Beach for the opening of the Summer Pro League "season." Now, I'm not one for making wild declarations or reading too much into a summer game but I think a few things are already clear.

First, I don't know who Ed Fobbs is, nor do I know where he came from. But according to my scoresheet, he played 2:03, logging three personals and a turnover. I just don't see the Lakers carrying a guy named "Ed Fobbs" on the roster this year. It doesn't scream, "Showtime!" Frankly, I hope the kid — assuming he is one — proves me wrong.  I'll be the first to apologize and jump onto the Ed Fobbs bandwagon. Considering that I couldn't find him in a Google search, it would be such a massive Cinderella story the whole concept would be renamed an Ed Fobbs story.

Second, and this is not so much Lakers news as general Western Conference info, but it's abundantly clear that No. 1 picks Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry are already in trouble down in Memphis. Two highly touted rookies with DNP CDs? Hola. Bienvenidos a Doghouseville, poblacion dos. I'm not going to let the fact that neither one was in uniform (or in the building, as far as I could tell) sway me on this one either. The writing's on the wall! I say we make the Cook-for-Gay offer now, before the Logo comes to his senses.

Anyway, on to the Lakers...and back to reality.

As most of y'all know, the Long Beach Summer Pro League kicks off today. BK will be in the LBC for this afternoon's game (I'll be making the trek tomorrow), so I imagine you'll be getting an update as your Saturday progresses. But for now, here's a little perspective (courtesy of the OC Register's Adam Maya) on the July mini-season nearly underway.

—AK

I thought y'all would be amused by Bill Simmons' annual NBA Trade Value Index column. Funny stuff. Believe it or not, Aaron McKie didn't crack The Sports Guy's Top 40.

AK

But it's not hip to be Phil's hip, as Roland Lazenby points out. Jordan Farmar and Mo Evans, however, are hip choices in Tex Winter's book.

—AK

Jordan Farmar has signed. Not that there was any alternative (this isn't football), but still. Thought we'd pass it along, and give a new thread for arguments that have nothing to do with the kid. 

—BK

And while this may not qualify as Lakers-specific news, it's pretty gosh darn big. And it certainly could influence the overall trade market, a leaguewide mix the Lakers theoretically want to be a part of. Do you see this as a good, bad or neutral thing when it comes to the Lakers making moves?

—AK

The following comes from Jamie Sangouthai, a close friend and business partner of Lamar Odom. As you may remember, Jamie left a comment a couple days ago thanking everyone for their support of Lamar and his family during this difficult time. Here is some information regarding donations that can be made in Jayden Odom's name.

In Loving Memory of Jayden Joseph Morales Odom
Dec. 15, 2005 – June 29, 2006

As many of you know, Lamar and his family suffered a terrible loss on June 29 with the unexpected death of Lamar's infant son, Jayden Joseph Morales Odom.

In lieu of cards or flowers the family is requesting a donation be made to Lamar's foundation, Cathy's Kids, which focuses on positively impacting the lives of underprivileged children, as well as targeting a disease that has significantly impacted Lamar's life, cancer.

The means for making online donations are in the process of being set up. In the meantime, feel free to send a tax-deductible donation in the form of a check made payable to: Cathy's Kid's, Inc.

Cathy's Kids
c/o Annie Civetz
Excel Sports Management
10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 2550
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Federal Tax ID # 201037784

Lamar, Liza, and their entire family thank everyone for their support in this time of great sadness.

Sick of watching various Lakers clank outside shots? Well, that problem just got solved. Should things go as planned, the Purple and Gold have used their full midlevel to sign Vladimir Radmanovic to a five-year, $31,000,000 deal. I say "should things go as planned," because the sharpshooting Serb had apparently agreed to terms with the Clips, then reneged at the 11th hour, opening the door for a Kupchak pounce. And if you recall, Radmanovic's contract dealings with Seattle were pretty testy, which is what led him to the Clips in the first place. Something nutty may be going on in Clipperland, because Sam-I-Am reportedly balked on his own previous agreement (which keeps things interesting for the Lakers). Cassell, however, is still labeling Club Sterling as the front-runners. And frankly, when it comes to contract time, who knows with Sammy? But unless stuff gets kooky over the next 11 days, the Lakers have a pretty good small/power forward on their hands.

And FYI. Mark my words: The Clips will seriously regret inking Tim Thomas. There's not even the slightest doubt in my mind. That's a cat you never want on more than a one-year deal. "Long term security" has historically equaled "lazy and satisfied" when it comes to TT.

—AK