Laker Tom - I cross my fingers that your wish would become reality.( i.e. The lakers will reach the playoffs finals.)

Shady - I choose KG. Whatever happens to his knees, this guy would stay strong in head. Some games are won by your mental strength. And I sure the LA's climate would have a incedible effect on him. I say: with KG, in tree years, why not, at least, two conference finals?
For this coming season, someone needs to talk to him regularly to move here by acccepting a cut in his salary. Let's talk to Kobe!

GO

Hello dudes. I'm looking for some personal information about Devean George. Maybe some of you can help me. I already know that his parents names are Carol and Eddie, but I'd like to know is he married, does he have chidren, and so forth. Is it true he's going to give up the No. 3 in favour of 40?

Sonny,

I just went to the Kings blog on the sac bee site to talk some smack, and now I realize why you are always on our blog. The Kings blog sucks! I couldn't find a forum in which the average reader can post a comment.

BK and AK,

Thank you for giving us a real blog!!

Daniel,

Why the sudden interest in George?

>__<

LakerTom,

Your reasons for believing that PJ will start Farmar are certainly very pursuasive. I also think that they are right.

Farmar led a big time program. Not any big time program, but the storied UCLA all the way to the championship game at least one, if not two years before everyone thought they were ready. Pressure? This kid KNOWS pressure. I think the only detriment to his game is the length of an NBA season. I hope he's doing a lot of roadwork to increase his stamina.

Plus, he was the only Bruin who showed up for the championship game. No one can deny these things. He is an upgrade for us, we just got to get him through the season, that's all.

--Fearless

nonsense-

i doubt the sixers would only take odom, smush and a pick. it aint gonna happen. they want more of AI.

greekdude-

youre right. PJ wont start farmar but there is a chance he can play significant minutes if he can
A) consistently hit his shots
B) harrass the quick guards of the nba better that sasha
C) do what he did in the summer league and make guys like SOCKS look good by feeding them the ball.

NONSENSE

Tradign for AI is, well, NONSENSE.

To all the FELLAss:
STOP trying to find a way how KG wouldn't make it to LA. KEN, you say KG is out of reach? KG is 30. No 30 year old player in the league is out of reach. heck KOBE is not out of reach. LBJ is out of reach, DWADE is out of reach and DWIGHT HOWARD is out of reach adn thats ITTTTTTT. maybe DIRK and NASH too. a SUPERSTAR in a team thast not doing good is NEVER out of reach. Here are KB and KG STATS:

KOBE 05-06 STATS:
MPG:40.9 FG%:45 3PFG%:34.7 FT%:85 RPG:5.3 SPG:1.84 BPG:.38 APG:4.5 PPG:35.4

KG 05-06 STATS:
MPG:38.9 FG%:52.6 3P%:26.7 FT%:81 RPG:12.7 SPG:1.37 BPG:1.41 APG:4.1 PPG:21.8

in KG and KOBE's case you can ADDDDDD all these numbers, add a couple to each STAT and you'll have what they'll do together.

please TRUST it when I say KG will be a LAKER within 18 month. C'MON believe in RAYRAY. The only and again ONLY reason KG won't be a LAKER, would be if the WOLVES have an UNPREDITABELY STRONG season in 06-07. Thats it. KG's made enough money. Not that he wont make it in LA but he wants RINGS. For KG at this stage of his CAREER RINGS will make him more money than his yearly salary difference if he moves out of MINNY.

Ken,
Its really hard to look at KG and say with any certainty how many years he has left. Unlike Shaq at that age, KG is a motivated player and keeps himself in really good shape, a lot like Kobe. However, KG, like Kobe, came directly out of high school (the year before Kobe did), so he has a fair amount of milage.

Certainly agree with you that Minnesota will keep him as long as they can. Its in their best interest to do so. If KG is just after the money he will remain with Minnesota, because I am sure the team will offer him an extension before his current contract expires.

But Minnesota has put themselves in a difficult position. The organization is basically clueless and incompetent. They are just holding on to KG because he is the most important player they have. In reality Minnesota could move KG right now and get a ton of young players and draft picks for him and begin rebuilding back to a formidable team. But I don't think they have that kind of vision. They will play it hard and not give up KG until they are forced to, even if it means taking less. They are not a smart organization.

Shady,
"How much are you willin to pay Artest and how much for Garnett? If they are both the same price, which would you take?"

That is the question I pondered all night. You are correct in most of what you are saying about KG. He is by all measurable standards, a better player than Artest. Also a better citizen in the community. Artest as we all remember-carries considerable baggage. That said, we would be fortunate to acquire either one. If we were able to bring both to the Lakers, I would probably die and go to heaven. But I just cannot envision, KG coming as cheaply as RA. As I said yesteday, I think RA (if he opts out) will ask for Nene-type money (6yr-60mil). I could envision the Lakers offering him 3yrs-30mil)with lots of behaviour clauses in the contract. In my opinion, KG would probably ask for around 12-15 mil, although I have nothing factual to substantiate that opinion.

That is the primary reason why I recommended in an ealier post, that we push for Artest. Assuming they both opt-out, we have a good chance of obtaining RA as a straight up Free Agent (without any trade). And I just dont see Garnett coming down to that price. Therefore, getting KG would involve a sign and trade and some loss of current players. In any sign and trade, the other team is going to ask for our best players. KG, therefore, would be coming to a partially depleted team, while Artest would be added to our existing team. Our current team appears much improved, although we wont really know until after training camp and maybe not to mid-season. I like the team as it is currently constructed by MK and hope that he can add the one missing piece that would put us over the top. By looking carefully at the roster, I think Artest could be that piece.

If I have overlooked a key point, please let me know. I welcome your opinions.

LakerAl

WHy would anyone who has paid the least bit of attention to the NBA the past five years want to stake their hopes for a championship on acquiring Ron Artest? He is NOT someone you want on your team, because he is just an explosion waiting to happen.

And there is a reason that Farmar was available at 26 in the draft. HE IS NOT READY TO START YET. He can't shoot consistently from the outside, he is turnover-prone, he is short, and is still learning to play defense. And all those were apparent IN THE SUMMER LEAGUE!! He is at least a year away from being a significant contributor. DOn't force the issue with him.

I can't be certain, but it seems like I read somewhere very recently that Ron Ron wants to retire in Sacramento.

He was out performing his community service (I think in N.Y.) where he made the remarks.
I have been unsuccessful thus far in locating a link.

Go Kings!

Go Monarchs!

Go Niners! (ouch)

Sixonezero,

Current D-league rules allow a team to place up to two players at a time in the d-league. The length of time down is not defined, but they can be brought back up to play on the parent team only 3 times in one season. That would seem to already allow for the injury factor, should it happen, and would no doubt be maintained. My recommendation would be to allow any team to send down up to five players, an increase over the two that are currently allowed.

It looks like we are moving ever slowly toward having a minor league system. which is probably not a bad idea. But like always, the smart teams will use it well while the less competent teams will struggle with the concept.

Shady,Ken,
We are all in agreement that Mckie has no realistic future with this team. But with over a month before trainig camp, MK is probably taking a business-like approach and is trying to move him to another team. McKie's expiring contract has value to teams who are near the cap and dont want to pay the luxury tax. Frankly, although I would like to see some of our younger players get playing time, it may be best to keep McKie for trade purposes, especially if his expiring contract will help us be far enough under the cap at the end of the year to acquire Artest.

Let's see if AK/BK can interview Mitch again before training camp and see what his assessment is of the current roster. Again, I suspect MK is making every effort to find another home for McKie, and doesn't want to just eat his salary by releasing him. If history repeats iself, there will be more trades just before training camp as teams prepare for the preseason. That will be following by another period of player movement as teams pare down their rosters in preparation for opening night. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

LakerAl

Shady,
"By the way, PJ has not said he will extend his contract. So after this season, we might be throwing away the triangle..."

Unless I misunderstood your statement, to my knowledge PJ has two more years remaining on his original 3-yr contract. Nevertheless, the question has been raised as to whether his health (back/hip issues)will allow him to finish. But at $10 mil per, and a chance to win his 10th, I think its highly unlikely that he leaves before the end of his current contract.

LakerAl

RayRay,

I am in full agreement with Laker Al's last comment about Minnesota's organization. To clarify, he is out of our reach because I don't believe they will trade him to the Lakers. I think they would rather keep him until they fall deeper and deeper into oblivian. Look who their G.M. is! It would be nice but, it ain't happening in 18 months, no way. If they really cared about building their organization, they would fire their g.m., trade K.G. and move on.

Sixonezero,
With a 15-man roster, even if the Lakers let five rookies go down to the d-league, they would still have a solid 10-man veteran rotation, which I think is more than adequate, barring injuries.

LakerAl

LakerAl:

Thanks for the props. I’m really fine if nobody agrees with me. All I really am trying to do is get others to open their eyes and see the logic and reason behind my “optimism.”

I agree with you that training camp this year will be more competitive than prior years. I think that bodes well for the Lakers. The competition should push everybody to up their game, especially guys on the bubble who played a lot of minutes last year but now must earn those minutes again. Smush, Luke, Cook, and Mihm should all be pumped up to hold onto the playing time they got last year while Farmar, Evans, Vlade, Shammond, Ronny, and Andrew will be looking to take those minutes and make them their own. It would be great if AK or BK could regularly attend practices and give us the inside scoop daily on how everybody is playing. That’s the kind of insider info that the blog really needs.

You are also right that our “all-rookie” team could be pretty good in a couple of years. There is a chance down the road after Kobe has retired that Farmar and Bynum could anchor their own string of Laker championships. I really like the dynamics of the roster that Mitch has put together. It really has a great blend of youth and experience. Even though we have several “projects,” they are the types of projects that have great upsides: Kobe as a leader, Lamar as an all-star, Kwame as a top-10 center, Andrew as a top-10 center.

I like your ideas about the D-League but you have to remember that it is still a step-child of the CBA and cannot be modified without both the players and the owners agreeing. As it is presently structured, I don’t really think it has much benefit for the short term. It would need to be overhauled and transformed into a true minor league as you have suggested before I think it will help. In the meantime, I would rather see our fringe players practice against the real deal working with our coaching staff than being sent down to the D-League, especially Andrew Bynum who I believe needs to be challenged every day by Kwame, Mihm, and Turiaf.

Tom

the only way the young guys on the lakers will get playing time is if the first unit is able to gel in training camp. running the triangle to a crisp would make it so that kobe and LO would not have to labor through over 40 minutes per game. maybe with a little bit more firepower we can actually keep leads and finish off the lesser teams that we play through the season. PJ would have a little bit of breathing room to experiment with different lineups. maybe then farmar and socks and contribute 10-15 mpg. i know everbody has high hopes for those two young guys but the reality is that they probably are a year or two away from making playing significant minutes. i think the d league would be good for SOCKS. farmar is more of a cerebral player who can benefit sitting on the bench to learn the wrinkles of the triangle.

Shady:

You have to include salaries when comparing Kevin Garnet and Ron Artest as possible Laker free agent targets next year. Garnet is going to demand at least $20M per year whereas Ron will probably go for $10M to $12M per year. Considering that you already are paying over $20M for Kobe, then it is obvious that Artest would be the better option for the Lakers as he will leave you with enough cap space to build a better supporting cast and is younger and will be with you longer.

Tom

The Kobe interview is being replayed in xtra sports 570

if you don't have local radio...you might be able to listen to it here:
http://www.xtrasportsradio.com/pages/streaming.html

Shady:

The salary difference between Artest and Garnet makes it much more difficult for the Lakers to get Garnet than Artest.

First, we will have $15M from Brian Grant’s expiring contract next year that would enable us to sign Ron Artest as a free agent and still stay under the salary cap. With a $20M salary there would be no way we could sign KG as a free agent.

Second, Garnet is so important to the Wolves that they would have to trade him before he becomes a free agent if he advises them that he is going to opt out of his current contract. This means that they will be looking to trade him to the Eastern Conference and to get some star players in return.

By the same token, Sacramento may just let Artest become a free agent since he is not as critical to them, in which case they can try to re-sign him or work out a sign and trade deal with another team.

Either way, I do not see the Lakers trading for either guy as the price would be too great. Can you say "Lamar Odom?" And since we cannot sign KG as a free agent due to the salary cap, our only realistic option is to sign Artest as a true free agent, where we do not have to give up any of the pieces of the team we have put together.

Tom

Fearless:

The Start-Farmar Bandwagon to the rescue. Thanks.

Tom

"Sacramento may just let Artest become a free agent since he is not as critical to them"

You spoofing right?

Only if he explodes in the wrong way will the Maloofs part with Ron Ron.

Faith:

Excellent point about the hesitancy to shoot that some of our players demonstrated last year, especially considering how much scoring load Kobe has been carrying.

I have to confess that my descriptions of Farmar as a pass first point guard are not really correct. I used the “pass first” comparison to contrast Farmar against combo guards like Smush, who are really just shooting guards that can handle the ball OK but don’t have the passing and floor general skills that Jordan has. In reality, Farmar is a point guard with great penetration and passing skills who is just as willing to take the shot himself as he is to pass it to an open player. I think you saw much of that during the summer pro league. In fact, I think you will find that Farmar will turn out to be a strong scorer as well as distributor as the starting point guard.

I think that it is this balance of “true” point guard skills combined with a very competitive desire to “take the big shot” that makes Farmar a unique prospect at point guard. In this way, he really reminds me much more of Steve Nash in that he can score or assist equally well. He will never be the hesitant shooter than Smush and Luke became during the Suns’ series. I would expect that Farmar would become the team’s next best clutch option after Kobe. He has that kind of confidence and mental toughness. Having the ball in Farmar’s hands at the end of the game with Kobe running off of screens just might be the closing strategy we will see by the playoffs.

I also think you are right that Farmar has the best defensive potential of our point guards. I think you will see him really add some fire and desire to our guard defense. I believe that he and Kobe can become a feared pair of terrific defenders in the backcourt for the Lakers.

Tom

Peter Macguire:

This is what I love to hear. Thanks.

"I am almost buying into the Farmar dream. Sometimes there are fairytales that come true! Keep up the great posts."

Sometimes we can't see reality happening because it appears to look just like fantasy. Like Showtime. Like Kobe and Shaq. Like Farmar and Bynum.

Tom

Faith,

This year's training camp is in El Segundo. We should have no trouble getting there, but we appreciate the offer to help. And if I ever decide to drink too much before heading to practice, I'll be sure to call you for a safe ride. haha

Laker Tom,

I agree with you that Farmar will be a good player (perhaps not as quickly as you do, but good nonetheless), but to say he knows the triangle better than Smush based on SPL play is quite likely a serious reach. He was playing in a very abdridged version of the offense. Rambis and Farmar himself both told me that. There's plenty left to learn that he may not have even been exposed to yet, so it's hard for me to believe he knows the triangle better than Smush, who spent 82 games as a starter in the system.

I love your enthusiam, but hope you're not setting yourself up for expectations too high. It might be better to let the kid walk first before declaring that he's already running.

AK

Laker Tom,
1. "Smush was essentially a rookie"-but he wasn't a rookie, that's why PJ played him-he played for three teams before the lakers. So PJ refused to play Bynum last year when we only had one center left, yet a year later he is so desperate when we have like 164 point guards?

2. "Actually, Farmar probably knows the triangle better than Smush as I think he demonstrated during the summer pro league."-Wow, I'm impressed. You saw every single SPL game, with Smush being out-triangled by Farmar? Smush could be an idiot, and after 82 games plus the playoffs, he knows the triangle better than someone who played in it for a few SPL games without the real players.

3. "The NBA is a business and the team will start the player who will help them win"-You're right on this one, but I think it kinda is part of #2

4. "Putting the ball in Farmar’s hands and having Kobe play the 3 and Lamar the 4 in the triangle makes the Lakers’ offense much more efficient"-By putting the ball in Farmar's hands, we take the ball out of Kobe and Lamar's hands. I think at all times, we must have one at the facilitator, and one at the post. They are the only two players capable of running the offense.

We pay kobe and Lamar to score and facilitate the offense, we don't pay them to be finishers. Actually, Lamar is terrible finishing with his right hand. Farmar, although I really think he can be good, just isn't ready to become Steve Nash yet. I actually think that Farmar with be a spot starter at the end of the season, but expecting a rookie to lead the way and make all the decisions on our team is unreal and crazy. Lamar and Kobe are our decision makers on the court, and will be this season.

sonny:

Tough game for Niners.

I think the Kings will be in a tough situation with respect to Artest. He will opt to be a free agent but will still consider the Kings. Much like the situation that the Lakers faced with Kobe, which makes it really tough. Since there is a chance that he will re-sign with you, you don't want to trade him so you take the risk and try to compete to get him back as a free agent, where you have the ability to overpay him since he is your own free agent. That is the crux of the problem. The Kings never like to overpay, as they have shown with Bonzi this year. That is why I believe he will end up on the market and the Lakers may have a better chance to get him than the Kings to re-sign him.

tom