Those Worried that Cutting Von Wafer and J.R. Pinnock Robbed the Lakers of a Chance to Represent in Vegas

Yay for the Farm and Socks!

Did Ronny get in?

That is cool, I hope they both do well. I would like to see Mo Evans in the slam dunk competition, I think he could do well at it, but I think Phil loks down on that competition and discourages players from entering it, of course I have no proof of that, just a hunch.

I was just going to ask if you guys heard anything about this. I guess the last 2 years for Mitch have been really good as far as the draft goes.

I'm very happy they Socks and The Farm (and Kobe)are representing the Lakers in Vegas! Hopefully they can pick up some positive tips about the game and the NBA life from the All-Star veterans that will be in around Vegas. Let's get LO in there next year!

AK, you beat me to the punch. I just saw the announcement on NBA.com and have the article open in another window, about to paste the link on today's EXTRA! EXTRA! Anyway, I'm stoked to see Jordan on the team but even more stoked to see Drew. Nobody knew this kid last year; even at the draft two years ago, people were a little shocked at the pick and then nobody made anything of it. I hope whoever coaches the team plays bogut at the 4 and lets Drew start at the 5, that'd be awesome. I'm pretty sure Jordan is coming of the bench with Marcus Williams, Foye, and Roy all playing the 1 and all playing more than Jordan; nonetheless, good to see him get some recognition as well, although the last two years draft classes have been pretty weak, except Drew and Jordan of course.

I hope Farmer get player of the game!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are the Lakers joining the Shooting Stars this year as well? Haha, remember Kobe's half court shot still:P

Congrats to both Farmar and Bynum. They deserve ths shot however, what's up with Ronny Turiaf. Could he at least make the cheerleading squad...he makes one h*ll of a dancer.

And when are they gonna announce the rest of the dunkers?

Never mind, Sprite Slam Dunk contest competitors will be announced on Monday, Feb. 5.

Aaaah, i forgot. Congrats!!!!

Love from Ice-cold Norway

On a side note:

It's nice to hear Chris Mihm making a probable early comeback this year. He is much needed at this time of the year.

Stuggle-Time:

This is the time of the year where NBA teams "pump up the volume" as they begin to position themselves into the playoffs. Unfortunately, our Lakers must have misplaced the volume control as they evidently haven't played too well lately. Much of it to blame is on our timely injuries however, some of it has a lot to do with freethrow shooting and rebounds. And lets not forget....David Stern's "out of the blue" suspension on Kobe Bryant.

The return of Lamar:

So far the Lakers are 0-3 with Lamar back, but I can't really shoulder the blame completely on him. But I can see that team chemistry has been a problem since his comeback. Our rebounding has improved a little bit but it isn't enough if we want to be looked at as a serious contender.

Playoff Contendership:

Yea Right!

Free Agency:

Former Laker Guard Eddie Jones will be available to sign with any team of his liking after he clears waivers on Thursday. ESPN has reported that Eddie has already chosen Miami as his top choice however, Eddie has recently stated that he hasn't made a decision yet. Apparently, Eddie wants to join a playoff contention team and so he also has his eyes on the Mavericks and yes, our L.A. Lakers.

Playoff Contendership:

If Eddie decides to join back with the Laker fam-LAY, I say our teams image improves...especially on the defensive end. Maybe Kobe can cough up a few extra dollars to acquire him before Miami does and EJ will fit nicely at the small forward position. Hate him or love him, the man still has some game.

Last Thoughts:

The Lakers play Boston tonight and if I don't see any excitement before the first half, I'll have another early night in the sack!

GO LAKERS!

AK,

You idiot. It's sponsored by T-Mobile! Duh.

That's what working for ESPN and hating Kobe Bryant will do to you. In fact, I think the only reason you moderate this board is to be at the forefront of the Kobe conspiracy. Admit it already.

S.Tan,

"You idiot. It's sponsored by T-Mobile! Duh."

Clearly, you've proven who the idiot is. Kudos.

AK

Is there anyway we can watch tonights game live on computer? Please help!

well deserved!

congrats, boys

Did we seriously lose to the Knicks last night? I'm still in shock. I dont give a damn if Kobe is there or not, you dont lose to that sorry ass team. Millions and millions of dollars are put into your pockets and you still cant make a G-D DAMN FREE THROW and you cant grab a G-D DAMN REBOUND!!! Every laker loss this year has been because they have been out-rebounded or made less free throws. I'M SICK OF THIS. If I wanted to watch people miss free throws, I'd go to the park down the street and watch 5 year olds play. I swear there was a sequence last night that went something like this: Knick player shoots the ball, Ronnie and Lamar are jumping for the rebound and after trying to fight each other for the ball, David Lee grabs it and puts it back. YOU GUYS ARE ON THE SAME TEAM!!! Its called communication. Please look it up in the dictionary because it's obvious you dont use it.

What? Kobe didn't play last night? How come? He LOVES New York. No wonder he wasn't in the box score or the TOP 10 Tuesday Night Plays. That's really strange, I wonder what happened.

God damn it. I asked you guys one question and you guys cant answer it?

Where can I watch the tonights LIVE game online?

get eddie! please!

test

Xtro,

I feel your pain man, but EJ is more and likely going to Miami. Now maybe AK or BK can shoot Eddie an E-mail expressing how much L.A. misses him and maybe...just maybe we will have a chance.

To sum it all up, that's how much of a chance we have.

Mel,

Kobe was suspended for elbowing Ginobli during the Lakers/Spurs game on Sunday. The league called it intentional and above the neck which equals to an automatic suspension. What I was furious about was the timing of the decision.

Sunny,

If you have NBA League Pass online, you should be able to watch it.

GO Lakers!

Ron,

I do not have the pass. Do you have one? Any one got one? Can 2 people at the same time watch the game from different comps? If yes, can I log into account using your info?

Please?

AK,

OK, so it's not a conspiracy. But it's a definite bias. Ever since the rape allegations, somehow Kobe is less honorable in the eyes of the public. He was never proven guilty in any court of law (unlike O.J. Simpson). And last I checked, you're innocent until proven guilty in the United States.

Instead of watching the game objectively and judging his game from a technical standpoint, there is a horde of journalists and bloggers who judge his play from a personal and emotional standpoint, making personal criticisms of Kobe's character based on his play, using terms like "selfish", "ball-hogging", "egotistical". In their eyes, any positive thing he does must have a hidden agenda. The man just does not get the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they believe that is the price for being accused or rape, or the price for being perceived to be to the Lakers what Yoko Ono was to the Beatles (read Lazenby's "The Show" for the real story on that).

Case in point: Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers blew out the Golden State Warriors without their superstar Lebron James, who sat out with a sore toe. They are also 8-2 on the occasions that LeBron has not played, since his rookie year. Today, I read this on Truehoop.com in regards to the Cavaliers' win without James:

"Would someone please write an essay about the complex effect a superstar has on role players? Stars can make them so much better. They can also make them stand around and watch."

Now I have too much respect for LeBron's game to say that the Cavs are better without him. But don't you think - actually don't you know - that if this were Kobe, there would be a large contingent of reporters writing about how this proves that Kobe stunts a team with his "selfish" play? Why is it that when it happens to Lebron, all of sudden it's a "complex effect"? It doesn't seem so complex to the haters when the Lakers get a win without Kobe.

He just doesn't get a fair shake. Now admittedly, the Kobe boosters are a little overboard, and the Kobe haters are just as ridiculous. But that's to be expected of fans. I'm talking about reporters and legit bloggers here. A large portion of reporters and respected bloggers have a negative bias towards Kobe, and it is palpable, even if it isn't provable.

I guess I have to watch Yahoo Game Channel thing.

Thanks all!

NICE PASS KOBE! NICE DUNK BYNUM!

Eddie Jones and Shaq?

Isn't it funny that Eddie Jones apparently wants to sign with the Heat so he can play with Shaq, who was the player who basically ran Eddie out of L.A. when they both were with the Lakers. You would think that EJ would bear some ill will towards Shaq and prefer to return to the Lakers so that he could extract some vengeance. Sounds as if the fire has diminished so much that he basically is ready to eat humble pie and go to Miami. With that kind of attitude, the Heat can have him as far as I am concerned. Add another over-the-hill Vet to Miami's roster.

Tom

Niceee!!!! I'm so excited for them that's great! WHens the last time a Laker played in the rookie/soph game?

LakerTom: Do I sense some bitterness in your tone?

In all honesty, EJ still does have game. To me, he never developed into what he could have been, but he's always been a solid player.

As a backup, EJ is a dangerous player still. Maybe he can't drive it to the hoop like in his Laker days, but he still has quick feet, his D is still decent and he can shoot.

Sure, his play this year hasn't been all that great, but Memphis was a terrible situation. Just last year he was still averaging: 11.8ppg/3.7rpg/2.4apg/1.8spg

He's a solid vet and unfortunately (since he's not coming to the Lakers) will be a solid role player. Much like the mold of Michael Finley. If you look at this year's number, their numbers are close, albeit Fin's got the edge.

But yeah, the whole Shaq/EJ thing is bull. He was run from the Lakers when Shaq was there, and the same thing happened when Shaq went to Miami. If I were EJ, I'd sign with a Western Conference powerhouse/2nd tier team.

socallife:

I guess Miami has sort of become the elephant burial grounds for over-the-hill NBA vets. I agree that EJ can still help a team, especially on defense. We could have used him so, yeah, his decision to go back to Miami really baffles me. It's a belittling decision for Jones in my opinion. Hope his tank is emptier than we think.

Tom