Kobe's Fitting His Neck for Future Bling

he should go to charlotte. . .cause they need to spend some money

. . .stupid agent. . .even i knew that haha

I can't wait for someone to rip Kobe for those comments and Taliq to go nuts about it.

Random prediction of the day.

I see Kobe Bryant as the head coach of the Lakers in 2021.

We have all see him mature into more of a leader in the last couple of years. He has always been a leader, but recently he is turning into the kind of leader that we saw flashes of his whole career, on a very consistant bases. I don't know if anybody has ever posted any such idea on the blog before, but with his competitivness, thats where I honestly see him in 15 years.

Look at JellyBean!

>_<

AK,
Damn, why do you have to put my country man on blast like that, we both nigerian. Then again I think we've disowned him ( or it's in the works )and now he claims britain, surely he's the worst #1 pick in the history of the nba.

Andrew Z,
We've got to protect ours right?

In Kobe we Trust,
Go Lakers

dan:

Interesting thought about Kobe the coach. I think it might end up being a competition between Kobe the coach and Kobe the announcer. Kobe has always come across to me as a very articulate and intelligent guy who could easily handle coaching or announcing when his playing days are over, which ex and Andrew expect to happen any day now.

On the other hand, with all of the new advances in medicine, we may well have bionic knee replacements and Kobe may still be playing in 15 years, shooting for his fifteenth championship.

Tom

AK:

Actually, Kobe's jewelry collection might include two more rings before he has a chance to add a "Gold" necklace. That would also take care of the anti-Kobe contingent who would be trying to push one of their 2003 bronzers to be captain. There will be no tri-captains for the USA in Beijing. Just one captain and leader - Kobe Bryant, the greatest basketball player in the world.

Tom

06-07 LAKERS schedule

last year we started HARD ended EASY. the year before started easy finished hard. BUT, this year its kinda the SAME all around the year. There are no SWEET spots (in November we have most home games but not REALLY easy ones) and no TOUGH streaks (in FEB we'll have a 7 or 8 game east coast SWING). NO we won't have all our WOLVES games at the second night of the back to back and the back to back games look to be FAIR (we'll have the SPURS-MAVS back to back like always). ALLnALL the schedule is a PRETTY ok one this year. I think its good enogh to help keep the guys FOCUSED on the mission. I grade the 06-07 LALs schedule a A-, were the last year's was a B and the year before was a D+

Kobe steals away Blazer blogger

To quote the Blazer Blog:

"Forgive me Marentette
Posted by OregonLive.com Sports September 11, 2006 14:10
Blazers Blog Index Print | Email

I know there has been considerable amount of complaining visa-a-vis the lack of new posts since I officially took over for Eric at 8 am this morning. My sincerest apologies, though it was not without reason.

I've been torn as to whether or not I should convey the sad, sad truth about what has become of my beloved friend, idol and sometimes mentor Eric Marentette. My responsibility to you, the public, and he, someone I deeply respect, has left me torn. Duty or honor; which to choose?

After going back and forth all morning, I've come to the conclusion that no good relationship can begin with a secret. If we're to have meaningful, positive interaction about the Blazers, then there should be nothing between us, no closet-dwelling skeletons waiting to destroy the trust that I hope we can come to foster though this medium of the blog. So before you hear it from somebody on the street, I want you to hear it from me first.

Eric has gone to work, in Los Angeles ... for Kobe Bryant. KB is starting up his own company to market himself, since there's currently a severe lack of Kobe-related products and information, and he's hired away Eric to head up his new website, which supposedly will have something to do with Kobe's number change. Eric will be working hands-on, with Kobe Bryant, on all things Kobe Bryant.

Let me say that I've very happy for Eric, as it's a great opportunity for him, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt a little. Granted, Kobe is the best player on the face of the Earth, and probably quite charming in person, but for some reason, that doesn't stop me from hating him. The Lakers have already stolen so many things from me; pride, sobriety, the 2000 Western Conference Finals, so I guess I should be accustomed to it, but I'm not. Did Kobe have to steal away the most prolific provider of Blazer information on the Internet? Is it possible that Kobe hates Portland so much that he wants to take away one of the few bright points in an otherwise dark Blazer fans' existence? It's probably got more to do with the fact that Eric is a heck of a guy and a hard worker to boot, but still.

So now you know. I would ask that you still think kindly of Eric, as any one of you would no doubt throw your mother under a burning garbage truck to have the chance to work with one of the most recognizable people on the planet. Let's remember Eric as the journalist and Blazer fan that we all came to know and trust, not the Eric that has been incorporated by the devil in purple and gold.

--Casey Holdahl"

Taliq,

i wouldn't expect anything less, and you do it well, so protect on.

LakerTom,

I don't think Kobe's playing days are near being over, I just think he's got a lot of mileage on those 28-year old legs and won't be able to play many more seasons like last, where he carried the whole team most of the time. Either people on the team step up or Kobe's back is going to give out.

Great article on Luke Walton in Africa

Luke is in Africa with NBA's Basketball Without Borders camp in Johannesburg. The NBA contingent is led by Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo, a native of the Republic of Congo. The instructional camp is temporary home to 100of Africa's most promising players.

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4313950

Tom

We could use Olowakandi on the Lakers.
That'd silence all the complaints about Mihm and Kwame :-)

Jay Jay,

"We could use Olowakandi on the Lakers. That'd silence all the complaints about Mihm and Kwame :-)"

Now that is funny. Kudos.

AK

HA, "we could use khandi-man on the Lakers."

Yea right! Khandi-man is a softie. Both Mihm and Kwame are much better than him.

Without a doubt, kwame will finally shed his "#1 pick bust" status by the end of this season.

Andrew:

I know. I was just giving a friendly tug on your chain to make sure you will still hanging on. I agree we need to make the season less arduous for Kobe if we are going to maximize his career.

The way to do that is to move him to the 3 in the Triangle like MJ so he gets easier shots and fewer double teams. But as Tex says, to do that we need improved guard play, which is one of the reasons I keep pushing starting Farmar.

Of course, you already know that but I don't mind repeating it. You know, tell 'em what you are going to say, say it, and then tell 'em what you said. Always worked for me before.

Let start camp tomorrow. Why wait any longer.

Tom

Jay Jay:

Be careful what you joke about. You know how some of the bloggers hate Chris Mihm and love underachieving former Clipper players.

How about then Raiders? 27-Zip. Wow. Charger's foot up the knee in the Raiders black hole. Say, who's buying the beer for that Lakers/Warriors game? Want to up the ante? Maybe I can even get some free parking out of this. haha. JK.

Tom

I like that in the Kobe article, the hyperlink to Indianapolis goes to India. Same thing, basically.

By the way, how long do you think it would take Olowokandi to play his way into Phil Jackson's doghouse, if he ever were to wear the purple and gold? I put the over/under at 3 seconds. And I'm taking the under.

BK

Andrew Z-

Way to wrap it back to hoops.

BK

Tom -

Dang. After last night I was hoping you'd have forgotten the bet.
Well never let it be said on this blog that Jay Jay is not willing to admit when he's wrong. GOD the Raiders SUCKED!
But I still think the Niners are at least as bad.
And I SO agree we need camp to start and this to turn back into a LAKER blog!

BK asks, " how long do you think it would take Olowokandi to play his way into Phil Jackson's doghouse, if he ever were to wear the purple and gold? I put the over/under at 3 seconds. And I'm taking the under."

In "The Last Season," PJ praises McHale's '04 moves/acquistions (Sam, Spree, Madsen) and says "I would vote for McHale as executive of the year, except for the questionable acquisition of former Clipper center Michael Olowokandi, the first overall pick in the 1998 draft. A lot of pundits were high on Olowokandi, including Jerry Krause. "He'll be as good, if not better than Duncan," he told his coaches. Jerry can fall so deeply in love with certain players that he loses any connection with reality."

Sounds like an "under" to me. haha

AK

Everyone knows Steve Nash is the best player in the world. He's the one who could have helped Team USA... um, or would have if he wasn't so fatigued, I guess.

We all know that if Kobe would have been on Team USA we would have got the gold. Period.

Secondly, (as a Clippers fan) Olowokandi Sucks. Remember when Shaq dumped 60 points on his ass? I sure as hell do.

GO LAKERS!

Actually the main benefit I could perceive of having Olowokandi on the Lakers is that it might distract some of Michael T.'s hatred for Mihm and get him to focus it on a well-deserved seven footer.

GO LAKERS!

GO MIHM!

Kobe's Asia Tour is a big success. Glad that fans/media there showed him much love.

The days to Training Camp are counting down....

I am getting excited about the upcoming basketball season. I really feel like the Lakers have a great shot to really do some great things next season.

I must admit that I am still a bit puzzled by the pro-Farmar and pro-Pinnock posts on here. Neither has been proven to be effective in the NBA yet, some are entertaining the thought that they deserve spots and playing time over returning NBA players and experienced players. I can't see the reasoning behind that.

It isn't like Farmar was a top 5 draft choice with NBA potential oozing out of his body. He has potential to be successful, but it isn't strong enough to throw him in as an automatic starter on opening night or even during the first season period. Kobe Bryant had ridiculous talent and even he wasn't an istant starter. For those that would cite players like LeBron or Chris Paul, they were coming to non-playoff teams that had serious needs to be filled at the positions they play. The Lakers on the other hand, don't necessarily need Farmar to be an instant success at point guard for their season to be successful. The bigger issue for them concerns the growth of their already present point guards plus they contribution of Shammond Williams. I repeatedly state that Farmar will be fighting just to make the active roster this season. When you are competing against players with 1 or several years of NBA experience plus, players with experience in the specific offense being utilized, competing is difficult. I'm not saying Farmar won't make the active roster. I'm just saying it won't be easy. Think about it. Most teams don't hold more than 2 or 3 active point guards tops. The Lakers have 2 returning point guards in Smush and Sasha - yes Sasha did play point for the Lakers. They added Shammond who is another experienced point guard. I can't figure the Lakers adding him without the intention of playing him. That means that 3 point guards are already on the roster. For Farmar to make it, he will have to convince the coaching staff, namely Phil, that he is a better choice than one or more of them. That doesn't seem easy to me.

As for Pinnock, i will admit that i never had the opportunity to watch a summer league game to see him play. However, it would surprise me that as a shooting guard he would be considered a probably player to get any playing time. In years past Kobe has led the league in minutes played. Even if the Lakers manage to find a way to cut his minutes this season, I suspect that he will still average at least 30 or more a game. Who will get the other 18 minutes or so a night? Maurice Evans.....That's why the Lakers acquired him. He can and will fill the void left when Kobe was on the bench last season. Whereas he isn't as much of an offensive threat as Kobe, he is a reasonable fill in for defensive purposes. If he takes most if not all of the remaining 18 minutes, that leaves no room for a third shooting guard, or even a need for one on the active roster. At best Pinnock would be one of the 3 players not dressing each night. To be honest, I would rather McKie get that spot because of his veteran leadership and influence in the lockerroom. McKie is the kind of supporting player that the Lakers, namely Kobe, needs in the lockerroom. McKie has played with AI, and thus he knows how to play with a dominant player. He would be a strong allie for Kobe.

The bottomline is that when the Lakers didn't pursue AH hard, that basically said that they were conceding to keep things the way they are for now and see what happens. That is not a bad choice considering that they improved with the early changes that they made. How much they improved won't be seen in preseason or even early in the season. It will be seen in the post season right in the middle of a tough series where mental toughness will be most important.

It's amazing that after watching the Lakers win those 3 titles, most of the people on here still didn't get it. The fact that the key elemnts remained constant each of those 3 seasons, was the greatest factor for why the Lkaers kept winning those titles. I can still recall the comments by Rick Fox during the series against the Sixers. Or the on court stability offered by Robert Horry during the season against the Kings the following season. The Lakers had about 7 or 8 guys that knew each other better than they knew their own families. They grew together and won together. When that togetherness broke apart and players were traded, or left, that's when the dyansty ended.

This season the Lakers will have a majority portion of their team that will have played together for 1 to 4 seasons. Luke Walton, Brian Cook and Kobe Bryant know each other. Lamar, Sasha, and Chris have been here for 2 seasons now. Smush, Ronny, Kwame and Andrew have a season under their belt. That's 10 returning players. That means alot. You can afford to add in a few new guys when you have so many returning guys, yet it wouldn't make sense to let the returning guys go in order to bring in a bunch of new guys like that. If the Lakers are going to keep an extra guard, it should been Green because at least he has been here for a season and played a few minutes plus practices. Pinnock should go.

McGarnagle,

Or if he wasn't Canadian.

Candy Man on the Lakers - woooahhhh there is some funny stuff! But then again, that guy was in the same league as Kwame last year. I couldn't believe we picked up Kwame. The dude has to improve greatly to ever live up to his draft status. Kobe needs a ton of help this year, and the biggest contributor might be Kwame.
Kobe hires a PR guy, hmmm so maybe some of you will agree he is rebuilding his image and will recover every penny he might have lost due to the one stupidest night of his life in Colorado. Be careful though that Portland team is going to have a lot of talent soon. Brandon Roy is probably going to be Rookie of the year. (sorry LakerTom) The other 2nd year guy Martell Webster is a great talent and as long as they don't start listening to anything Darius Miles says those guys could be something else in a few years. They have some true talent in Big men and their youth movement is probably the best in the NBA, besides the Lakers of course- uh, ... I hope. Kobe stealing pride, sobriety, and Conference Championships – whew, now that hurts, just ask any of the Sacramento Kings fans. Lucas, Sorry for your loss, it sucks to lose a great talent. I am saddened also by the loss of one of my favorite radio guys, Rick Barry, HOF’er up here in the Bay Area. A true All-Star and a nice human being that had a lot of strong opinions, but because of his intensity and intelligence, I often think he was misunderstood. The hack that still has the show makes it hard to even listen anymore, bummer. He was the only guy who could somehow relate to the scrutiny of Kobe and Bonds and still go on with supporting their play in the games they are so talented in. He has never been truly given a chance as an NBA coach and it is a shame, this guy understands the game better than most.
Props to Kobe24 and his new quest to develop anything he wants to make a buck. I don't really care much about his image, all is forgiven. I just want to say 'JUST WIN BABY' in the words of the now insane Al Davis of the Raider Nation. Raiders, wow that was sad.
Kobe as a coach, Tough job for players that good to do. I like that and believe he would be great at it. Magic, Bird, Isaiah, Jerry W., the list goes on, players that good are used to changing the game and become really frustrated pretty quickly. I doubt he runs the triangle if it ever happens. Might take the high road and bump John Salley out of his seat on Best Damn, nah too many hotties on that show, Vanessa ain't having that! Unless she becomes the next Brooke Burke herself, hahhahaha! She could do it too!
LakerTom - never pay for parking, BART Station has free parking across the bridge and you are in! But hey if you want to squeeze him, whatever.

Taliq:

I fully understand your wanting to come to the aid of Michael Olowokandi since you are both Nigerian. I think all of us react in the same manner with certain players in the league.

I find it fascinating that where we came from, where we lived, where we went to school, what sports and positions we played, how long we have lived, and so on really affect how we respond to different teams and players in the league.

My father came from China and my mother’s family from England, I went to school at NYU, UCLA, and UCR. I played point guard on my high school and JC basketball teams. I grew up in Wisconsin and Illinois, then moved to SoCal and now NoCal. I am obviously one of the elders. All of these things affect the teams and players that I root for.

Because of my dad, I will always have a special place in my heart for Bruce Lee, Yao Ming, and Chien-Ming Wang since they are Chinese. Because of my biracial background, I also am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods since they also have mixed backgrounds. Because I am married to an Irish-American, I also love Bruce Lee, Barry Bonds, and Kobe Bryant, all of whom had or have mixed marriages. Because of UCLA, I am a big fan of John Wooden, Gail Goodrich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Ben Howland, and – of course – Jordan Farmar. And since I am one of the elders, I obviously am “old school” about both the game of basketball and its greatest players.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I only am a big fan of players who are Chinese, of mixed backgrounds or mixed marriages, or from UCLA. At any rate, I am interested in anybody else who has similar ties to NBA players and are would like to talk about something other than football during these dog days.

Tom

JJ,

Watch out, here comes LakerTom.

In mentioning the 3 latest Laker Championships and the players, you have to put a huge asterisk by that because they had arguable the best duo of all time in Kobe and Shaq. Hell, me, AK, and BK could have rounded out that starting five and beat the Nets and Sixers.

Of course! Nash is Canadian... which would explain why Canada so thoroughly dominated the tournament, crushing each and every opponent. Or failing to qualify. Whatever. The point is, Nash is great (when he's not tired, which I believe would be never).

One more thing....What's up with the Center talk???

Am I missing something or is all of this talk about dominant centers a little outdated? I could see this discussion being relevant during the 1990's and even at the beginning of the 21st century, however, it is no longer true or current. Name me 3 players, that are TRUE centers, that are currently OFFENSIVELY dominant? Outside of Shaq and Yao, who else in the league is an offensively dominant center? What has happened is that undersized power forwards or even small forwards are being positioned at the center spot and that is clouding the view of people as to the strength of that position. What you fail to realize is that the very fact that the Suns could get away with having Boris Diaw play center for an entire season was more a knock on the league than a testament to his talent. He shouldn't have been able to compete successfully at that season. He doesn't have the height or sheer bulk to be able to bang with the traditional center. Sure his abilities on offensive would pose a mismatch for the taller, bigger, and ultimately slower traditional centers. Yet, his inabilities on the defensive end against these same big men should be so overpowering that the other end would even be an issue. The problem is that there isn't much to look at on the other end. This is why the Lakers or any other team can compete successfully with a Kwame or Chris Mihm as the main big men. Who are they matching up with on a given night? Run down the 29 other teams in the league and tell me how many of those teams have a center combination which Kwame, Chris and even Andrew, should feel intimiated against when playing. Like I said, you will see, outside of Miami, Houston and maybe Chicago and Detroit, no ther teams have strong centers. Instead, the forward positions are the key front court positions to concentrate on. That is where the Lakers have beefed up themselves by adding Vlade to the lineup. He makes an instant impact because he allows the rotation to change, minute distribution to change and positions on the court to change. He provides a strong tandem to go along with Lamar very similar to how he was a solid tandem alongside Rashard Lewis. If both of them average 30 minutes a night, look at what that does to the minutes at the forward position. That leaves a total of 36 minutes left to be filled at the forward positions. Between Luke, Brian, Ronny and even Chris Mihm or Kobe, those 36 minutes will be filled very quickly.

I understand everyone wanting to have certain players get playing time and all, but when you start to break it down in terms of available minutes you see that the minutes are going to be taken up very quickly. If you starters average 25 - 35 minutes a night, that leaves 23 or less reserve minutes PER POSITION left to be filled each night. That is why a focus on having strong benches is only necessary when working with injury prone or old players. When you have young players which the Lakers do, which should be able to maintain their health throughout an entire season, it lessens the need for a strong bench. The only reason a bench is very crucial then is if the starters get into foul trouble.

That is why when the Lakers had Shaq, they never worried about (seriously) about not having a strong backup center. The fact that the Heat put so much focus on having a healthy Mourning is a clear indication that Shaq isn't his old self anymore. The old Shaq was a solid 40 a night player with the occassional 43-45 minute game thrown in. How many reserve center minutes do you need in that situation?

Andrew Z,

That isn't true and it was proven the 4th year.

We also skip from the 3rd year right to the 5 th years and in doing so we quickly state that the reason for the change in those seasons was the fact of disunity. However, the unity was still seemingly there the 4th season, yet the Lakers lost to the Spurs in the second round. It was not a case of Kobe and Shaq not playing their hardest, it was a case of a serious drop off in production by the remaining players on the roster. You say that you or someone else could have filled those spots, but it wasn't and shouldn't be considered to be that easy.

The Heat can tell you that it takes a full roster to win. The Lakers, Spurs and Pistons can tell you that. Even the Bulls with MJ and Pippen can tell you that a Paxson and Kerr were in fact VERY important to those championships. To discredit that is more a sign of your ignorance towards what it takes to win than it is a sign of their inability to demonstrate their worth to those respective teams.

on KANDI man
(I am going to make this short)

Frist, AK/BK if you talk to Mr.Abul JABBAR, you should ask him what he thinks of KANDI. He'll tell you he is a CANCER.

Second, the difference between KANDI and ELDEN (Campbell) is that ELDEN had some SKILLS but didn't CARE. KANDI has NO skills and doesn't CARE.

JJ,

I agree that it takes a team to win, not just the superstars, but continuity doesn't mean jack if the guys you have playing together for years aren't that good. Then you're just building mediocrity. I also believe that you need at least two All-Star level players to do some damage, and all the teams you listed would agree to that. The Pistons didn't have a "superstar" per se, but they did have a few All-Stars. The Spurs had three guys in Duncan, Manu, and Mr. Longoria, and the Heat had D-Wade and Shaq (who even with diminising skills changes the game).

We have Kobe. Period. Lamar has yet to step up, god only knows about Kwame Brown, and if Vlad Radmanovic is our savior then we are up crap creek without a paddle.

LakerTom, ya said:

"I fully understand your wanting to come to the aid of Michael Olowokandi since you are both Nigerian. I think all of us react in the same manner with certain players in the league"

Umm actually you must have misread my earlier post to AK, in that same post I said the candy man was probably the worst #1 pick ever. Don't think that qualiefies as coming to his aid.

Anyway just so there's no mis-understanding, let it be said that I wouldn't even put in my vote for the candy man to play with our nbdl team.

In Kobe we Trust,
Go Lakers

Dan the Man, LakerTom,
I think it would be a huge disappointment to see Kobe as a coach. He needs to be more entrepreneurial and become an owner. Maybe own the sorry Clip joint and turn their disgusting franchise around. :)

Taliq,

Actually, for the priceless comedy that would come from the Kandi Man inevitably falling out of yet another rotation, I would go ahead and give him a roster spot on the D-Fenders. But that's just how I roll. haha

AK

Does anyone know if Kobe is gonna have his own shoes this year? If so, what's the design like?

kandi- man sucks..bla bla bla...please hurry training camp

JJ great posts!!
There aren't anymore dominant centers left. Shaq & Zo started together there both on the way out, yao is still soft(however still puts up ok #'s for 7'6" ??) no one else even averages about 15 and 8 at that spot !!! Kandiman is a Cancer that was so funny but true!!

About Mihm and Kwame, Mimh was injured but Kwame plays 2 scared fumbles to much balls(dunk the damn things)!!!!! (Smush choked also in the playoffs).

Anyhow back 2 the center thing Andrew B he needs more time, compare him 2 kwame or even Mihms performance whatta u got 2 lose.(remeber a certain home game against a certain Fl team Andrew did'nt do much but he got dunked on by Shaq but he threw one down back on Shaq , remeber shaq was so embaressed he wanted t2 fight him.
Andrew B may well be a sleeper(don't forget about J Oneal or even T-mac as a matter of fact)Both came out of high school and were overlooked then traded, now there both superstars.

Your other post about year four was good 2,
The lakers never made the proper modifications 2 continue the dynasty, and in year 5 the legends they added were just that (old)!!!!!!!!!!

The one guy that I don't understand not getting any interest is DeMarr Johnson. For cheap he would be a solid addition.

KANDI MAN IS AUDITIONING TO BE ONE OF THE CONES PLAYERS DO DRILLS AROUND IN PHOENIX. THATS ABOUT ALL THAT STIFF AND DO...IS BE A STIFF. KANDI MAN IS AN UNMOTIVATED, UNCOORDINATED, NO WORK ETHIC HAVIN, POOR MAN'S BENOIT BENJAMIN, NO SHOE CONTRACT HAVIN YINKA DARE, MAKES TRAVIS KNIGHT LOOK LIKE AN ALLSTAR, LOSER.

FOR CRYIN OUT LOUD START TRAINING CAMP ALREADY AND BRING THEM SUNS ON HALLOWEEN. KANDI MAN CAN PUT ON A SKIRT AND CHEER.

Taliq:

My fault for not being clear. I DID get that you didn’t think too much of Olowokandi and weren’t supporting him – even though he WAS your countryman. That wasn’t the point that caught my interest. I was interested in the natural bias we all acquire as a result of our heritage and background that have us favor certain players on the Lakers and in the league. It’s why, despite all of us being rabid Laker fans, we always seem to disagree more than agree on where the Lakers are or where they’re going. It’s probably why I like a short UCLA point guard whose father is African-American and mother Jewish who is extremely talented, motivated, and driven to become the best player he can – not like Mike, but like Kobe.

We all have a bias towards certain groups or types of players based on what our race or family heritage is, where we went to school, what position we played, where we grew up, etc. This is one of the things that I love about the blog. The blog is a great melting pot of fans from different countries, races, sexes, religions, and generations to join to chat about their Lakers. My brother-in-law, who is Mexican, loves Eduardo Najera, my dad, who is Chinese loves Yao Ming, a friend who from Argentina, loves Manu. And for some reason Mike T. loves Kwami, dan loves Smush, you (and all of us) love Kobe, and believe it or not, there are even fans that love Sasha (they must all be Slovenians, J/K) and Von (BK). So I was just wondering how much this heritage background thing really affected who were each rooting for on the Lakers and in the league. You know, a basketball social studies topic.

Tom

I recently read an article from ESPN criticizing Kobe's lack of awareness of the team concept, citing his use of pronoun "they" in describing the US team. It's interesting how some people can justify their observation with personal dislike toward a player like Kobe.

People should remember that many players backed out of the national team with outright refusals, not legitimate reasons such as a surgery. And there is always this dilemma, one that as a fan, it is easy to resolve, but for a player, to choose loyalty to an NBA team, to which he is more attached, or to the national team that carries the weight of more than competitive sport: it becomes competitive nationalism, or in proverbial term, patriotism.

So here is something for outsiders like us to think about: how much motivation can we develop to pursue a goal that is certainly praiseworthy in competing for the nation but is also at the same time a bit distant? Then we can ask, what actions must a basketball player undertake to prove his loyalty to his nation?

The obvious answer is winning. But like politics, things get more senstive in the international stage. So to some, it makes sense for Kobe to "create an excuse" and devote his attention more to the Lakers not because of selfishness, but because his connection to this team is more personal, more urgent. On the other hand, many think Kobe is being selfish by not playing because he neglects the love for his country or team.

I wonder where you guys stand on this issue? And maybe what we could learn from our loss at the world's?

mirage:

Sorry. Give me a Laker championship over a gold medal in Beijing any day.

Tom

AK,

Now that's just mean ... you want him to get signed to the defenders just so you can laugh when he gets cut and we both know he would too ... lol ... I think lakertom is right, i feel guilty for finding it funny ... AK i'm mad at you, really i am .... no seriously take back everything you said right now

LakerTom,

Chuckle ... amazing how you're able to link everything back to Famar ...

In Kobe we Trust,
Go Lakers

mirage ...

ditto on what lakertom said, we'll try and fit in that gold medal in between our road to 5 straight championships ... besides shouldn't 3rd time be the charm for lebronze

In Kobe we Trust,
Go Lakers

Laker Tom,

"There will be no tri-captains for the USA in Beijing. Just one captain and leader - Kobe Bryant, the greatest basketball player in the world."

I really admire how you put things in their proper perspective. I just don't know how the tri-captains will react if they are not made co-captains. They might lose their desire to play and it will be blamed on Kobe.

Just curious, do you speak Chinese?

Lysander

Mirage,

Great post, but one thing you failed to mention is fatigue and injury. And the fact that these players are volunteering their efforts and possibly jeopardizing their paying jobs in the process. Most players who participate in the World's spend the first couple of months of the NBA season getting their legs back under them.

I know Kobe is aware of this and he was weighing missing part of the NBA season to deal with the surgery or the World's. That seems like an awfully easy decision to me.

But, it’s clear that we would have won had he been there. No one on this planet would have been able to stop him.

The Lakers are at such a fragile position right now. He is trying to get his team of young players over the proverbial hump into real play-off contenders and grow them into championship contenders. The Lakers need him healthy this year more that any other in his career. He is aware of that. And so am I, so I am glad he decided as he did.

--Fearless.

Lysander:

Got to remember that Kobe will have won two more rings by then so they better respect him.

Unfortunately, I don't speak either Cantonese or Mandarin. How about you? Are you Chinese? My father speaks a Cantonese dialect that I used to know as a little boy some and I did take a year of Mandarin in college but basically I am the typical son of an immigrant who is prety Americanized and can't speak the native language. As you might guess, a big mouth and no accent.

I grew up during the generation when everybody wanted to be "American." Because my mother was American, my dad always insisted that we always spoke English, except when the cops pulled him over to give him a ticket, at which point he would speak Chinglish, as we called it. We were always the only Chinese family in the small towns in the midwest where I grew up in the backrooms of my dad's Chinese restaurants. Unless there was a laundry family.

I am sorry that I never learned to speak Chinese. In fact, I spent 10 years of my career importing apparel from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and was always embarassed to be the only person at every meeting that only really spoke English.

Tom

Tom,

Why be embarrased? Fix it. Learn Cantonese or Manderine (whichever is easier). You'll feel better about yourself.

--Fearless
PS: Plus, if you learn to write, you can wow and amaze your friends at dinner parties!

:0

Peter:

I agree with you 100% on Rick Barry. Frankly, the Warriors were fools not to give him a shot at head coach. He is one of the smartest analysts on the NBA today, just as he was one of the smartest guys on the court as a player.

I was listening the other day to Ralph and Tom on 1050 and Ralph was trying to convince people that he really missed Rick when the truth was that he actually hated him. The reason? It was typical Rick Barry. During a debate on a basketball point, Rick basically said that he didn’t think the point Ralph made was valid and that if Ralph had played the game he would have known that. Ralph, of course, took great umbrage at that and never forgave Rick for the remark. Rick later clarified it to say that he didn’t mean that only guys who played the game could analyze it but Ralph would never budge from being upset. Like you, one thing I loved about Rick is that he always shot down the anti-Kobe stuff as media bias. I hope he shows up somewhere where I can still follow him.

Why don’t you join Jay Jay and I for a Lakers vs. Warriors game later this year. It would be fun. If the Raiders do well next week, maybe you can get another free ticket out of Jay Jay. Go, Lakers.

Tom

taliq:

"Chuckle ... amazing how you're able to link everything back to Famar ...
"

Like it or not, it's sort of become my handle for this season. I sure hope my boy Farmar comes through or I will be taking a hell of a lot of flack.

Tom

Tom,

"I sure hope my boy Farmar comes through or I will be taking a hell of a lot of flack."

You and me both, Brother!

--Fearless

LakerTom:

I always find it disheartening when an ABC(American Born Chinese) or any other race loses their language. If you want to start learning mandarin here is a great website to look through.

http://www.mandarintools.com/

Good luck! If you pay me I'll even tutor you! ^_^

LakerTom,
Yeah the other guys on that station are OK but it was a huge loss to me- No More Rick Barry! Sheesh and I thought the show really was going downhill due to Rod. Why would you pick a clown like that guy with no real opinion except his loudmouth Steven A** attitude and then to follow with another joker likw Ralph, I don't know but if either of those guys were working for me they wouldn't be for long. Radnich is horrible too. Not a lot of other places to go though.
You are killing me with "I grew up in the backrooms of my dad's Chinese restaurants. Unless there was a laundry family." Funny the way you put it. I see a lot of help here for you to go after your Chinese dialect. I am sure you will be proud of it! I had to learn Spanish to get anywhere in my kitchens-(I cook for a living, by the way)and if you know anything about kitchens in California- you better be able to speak Spanish!
Well, good luck, and damn your suggestion for a football thread was awesome - thanks. I like this place more all the time!
I think you may be the only one who knows that what that 75 Warriors team had is just what we need out of our team this year! Rick/Kobe, Jamal/ Lamar, Smush-Farmar-Shammond/Smith-Williams- Dudley and the rest - well, lets just hope we can get some good developing talent to exceed our expectations along with theirs. A team that plays together is what I want to see, I hope Kobe and Farmar can introduce that style and trust in the others.

Laker Tom,

No,I'm not Chinese. I'm Texsian (Asian in Texas).
My friend though is of Chinese-Spaniard combination. Western body and facial features with Asian eyes and smooth complexion. A combination of the best of East and West genes. I surmise you also have the same appearance.

Back to Lakers, I often visit relatives in Orange County who are Laker fanatics (one reason I'm a Laker than a Maverick). They always bring me to Laker games when I'm there. Pity you are in NoCal. Would have been great to see you at the Staples Center and meet my proclaimed MVB (Most Valuable Blogger). Hey, should you get to the Dallas area, give me a holler.

Lysander

its funny, just a year ago we all said all this stuff about what was Mitch think when he brought kwame into camp now some people seem to love the move, who knows Kandi man might be the next kwame to come in lol.

But really though, cant we bring him in ona non guaranteed contract so he works his behind off until the january ** deadline before we have to guarantee his contract then dump him if he isnt working out?

Maybe be im biased lol, but he is just as much of a cancer as some of the people that were suggested on here (D. miles, Spree).

Ok i give up, i cant keep up the front anymore, i think we should stay with the group we had last year minus Von wafer, JJ and Mckie

Steven Lim:

I know what you mean about us ABC’s. Every time I have to visit my Dad’s side of the family, I feel like a real outsider.

I have a son who is 1/4th Chinese but doesn’t look it and a grandson who is 1/8th Chinese and just looks white. My daughter-in-law speaks Spanish so my grandson is learning to be bilingual. I have actually been thinking of passing on some of my lost Cantonese and Mandarin to my grandson won’t totally lose track of his heritage. Thanks for the link. I will check it out. Although, you know it is hard for us elders to pick things up what with Alzheimer’s and senior moments and all. HAHA.

Tom

Lysander:

Texsian, pretty cool. What’s your racial background?

I actually have a nephew who is 1/2 Mexican and1/4th Chinese but who just looks very exotic. People are never quite sure what his racial background is.

People always have the same problem when they meet me. When I lived in New York City, the Puerto Rican’s spoke to me in Spanish. When I went out for football in high school, the coach asked “who that fast little Mexican kid was?” When I traveled in Asia on business, I had people speak to me in Chinese, Korean, and even Japanese. I figure in another 100 years, we will all end up looking the same. It seems as if everybody I meet today, has some racial twist in their heritage. Maybe then there will be a better chance for Peace.

I used to live in the OC – I had a store in South Coast Plaza – back in the day. OK, just as long as you can see the ocean. Thanks for the props.

Tom

Peter:

Man, do I ever agree with you about Talk Radio in the Bay area. There is nowhere else in the country today that goofy clowns like Gary Radnich and sanctimonious boobs like Ralph Barbieri would actually be successful talk radio hosts.

Barry basically left because of the cheap new owners of the station: “I was always concerned that when you get new ownership, you never know what's going to happen. I was told they were thinking of doing something with my contract. I was looking for some other things to do. We said it was time to say goodbye."

I am actually very proud of my heritage. It took some time, though, growing up in the days of Hop Sing and being the only Chinese kid in town. Thank God for Bruce Lee. He was my first Chinese hero and know lots of Chinese friends who say the same thing. One of the reasons why I dislike Charles Barkley, besides his dumping on Kobe, was his humiliating comments about Yao when he first came onto the scene. Today, its great to see Jet Li and Chow Yun Fat be major motion picture stars and Chien-Ming Wang being the ace of the New York Yankees pitching staff. One of my best friends is an African-American and he says that we owe it all to the Black Power movement which made heritage something to be proud of rather than ashamed. I believe he is right.

Back to the Lakers, I think your comparison of this team to the great 75 Warriors team is pretty right on. They were one of the biggest underdogs ever in the NBA Finals against the Bullets (never should have changed the name to the Wizards) and then swept them 4-0. How? 1 superstar and great teamwork.

Tom