As Paris Hilton always says...

Intresting stuff.

Compare Kobe's with Wade's.

AK&BK

I have a question for you guys and maybe if any of you have the time would love to read an article on this topic.

I have tried watching both games of the east finals and just could not get through any of them. I was absolutely shocked at the poor level of play by both teams. I mean if those two teams are the best the east can offer than I think basketball has a big problem. I find it strange that the media is endlessly talking about whether Lebron should have passed or whether he should have gotten a foul or not, but seems to be avoiding the real issue: The level of play being displayed on the court by both teams is totally unacceptable. People call the Spurs boring (I totally disagree, I think they are playing incredible basketball and people who call it boring must not like the game) but Spurs basketball in contrast to this is like attending a game between Phoenix and Golden State (hahaha).

My question is what happened to the east? How could things get so bad? When you look at the west you have monster teams like the Suns, Mavericks, Houston who are already out of the playoff picture but any of those teams, if in the east, would easily be in the finals. Did the west just have more luck in the draft in prior years (like this year) or are they doing something different than the east teams? Is the east so horrible because of poor management ? Can they not hire the right coaching staff to come up with teams that are playing good ball or is it a lack of talent? If it is a lack of talent, how much do you guys think it has to do with the new salary cap rule? The cap rule seems to be very good at creating equality but does it also hinder the NBA from putting together multiple star players, with skill sets complimentary to each other, on the same teams, thus creating such legendary teams as the past Celtics, Bulls, Lakers?

I feel really sorry for most of the West teams. It is a marathon to get to the playoffs in the west and the road to the NBA finals from thereon is like a triathlon. At the same time the east is a joke. How big a problem do you guys think this disparity between the conferences is for the NBA and its marketability? I think it will be very hard to keep interest in the NBA up, so long as one Conference is in such a bad state. Do you guys think that this problem could be solved? What measures were responsible for the emergence of such a weak conference? Is the NBA thinking of new measures in order to fix it? And most importantly what would your opinions be?

I know this is a big question but I would really like your insights on this topic

Comments from other bloggers who all have genuinely great insight on various topics would also be most welcome.

Cheers!!

we should not trade brian cook. he can hit em up on any spot on the floor.

or better yet, we should send this link to the wolves management, maybe they would trade garnett to us and well send them brian cook plus salaries to match.

Here the indication that the remaining playoffs are boring when the news of Paris Hilton is more important that the chances of Boozer and AK beating the Spurs. It is a foregone conclusion. Even Stern is watching the American Idol last Tuesday and Wednesday and plan to invite Blake and Jordin to attend the playoffs.

With regards to Paris Hilton, I was informed by my neighbor who is a Detention officer at Lynwood that Paris will be given a private celebrity cell separated from unknown prisoners. In fact, she added that Paris would only stay in prison for only a week while the rest of her sentence will be commuted as a result of good behavior. Perhaps, her lawyer had known this advance so they shelved the planned appeal.

They should have given Paris Hilton three months. Fricken brat.

AK, I think you're right. We should have run the offense through Aaron McKie this year. That's what was missing.

GO LAKERS!

KL Started his early long weekend this morning and went somewhere, I hope he won't be able to find his way back, so I don't have to see his negative post ever.

hey, sasha is shooting 53% in the paint! That's only cause it's when he dunks on people.haha

Fatty,

My suspicion hovers around the name LA guy for couple of reasons:

>He usually responds to others and very seldom has his own topics.

>Most of the time, his responses are nasty and I don’t think anybody could be in such a bad mood all the time unless it’s just the angry side of a different person.

I respect and like AK and BK, but like all of us, they have to deal with the complexity of their emotions too. They couldn’t possibly always behave in a politically correct mode. Sometimes they need to release the steam of anger somehow. And in their position, using a different name could be a logical and relatively safe solution.

What you think?

Ventriloquist

I dont know if you meant to address me instead of fatty or he asked you the question too....

I hear what you are saying...Im not sure they really need to release anger exactly but it could be a useful tool to make points that they might not feel comfortable making but think might be interesting to raise...me? Id do it more for a giggle but that said Ive never been one for working and not getting credit for it LOL...

Im not a hundred percent certain but Ive got a feeling Ive gotten into it with LA guy before and there wasnt much substance behind what he was saying.I think the K's could hold their own better than that playing devils advocate...but I will keep an eye out on LA guy in the future haha

What about this guy?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/the_bonus/05/24/jared.jordan/index.html

Sounds like a good gamble with one of our second round picks?

Hey AK and/or BK,

Do you know of a particular website that lists whether or not players are right-handed or left-handed? I tried NBA.com and others, but none of them list that info on the players' profiles...

This is actually for a math project. Who would've thunk it?

PS remember when Kobe hit the trey from the left corner left handed? against Dallas? and Cuban was actually applauding him? TREMENDOUS...

Gilzero-

Interesting question. I don't know of any particular site that would have that info, but you might find it if you look through all the different sources of player information (ESPN, cbs, cnnsi, etc...) It's not something people typically pay a lot of attention to, because unlike baseball where lefty righty matchups are a big deal, the hand a shooter uses isn't conventionally thought of as a point of strategy.

But it's interesting information, and worth knowing about a player. Let me know if you find it. Sorry I can't help.

BK

iksaglam-

I agree with you- both of those Cleveland/Pistons games have been ugly and not particularly entertaining. And I do think it's interesting how the balance of power in the East- basically that there are no really good teams beyond maybe the top two or three at the most, favors those teams in the playoffs. The path to the finals for a top team in the East is so much easier, because the level of teams they ahve to beat isn't as high.

As for your larger question, I'd have to really go through it and check the history, but off the top of my head, I think you've hit on all the big points. Bad management by a lot of E.C. teams, bad drafting, etc. If you go squad by squad, there's just far more talent in the West right now. More good players mean more good teams. It doesn't help that the legendary teams of the E.C. are horrible right now. The Knicks are a mess, the Celtics are a mess, the Sixers are improving, but aren't far off a mess. It's just not a good situation. It seems like talent has migrated out of there, too. Ray Allen and A.I. to the W.C. Shaq in his prime to the W.C. Jermaine O'Neal would be an example of guys going the other direction, I guess.

Then there's some luck- Tim Duncan going to the Spurs, for example, basically because David Robinson got hurt and the ping pong balls bounced the right way. Some bad luck- Grant Hill getting hurt, for example, which took a star away from the E.C.. I'm sure there are plenty more reasons.

It would probably be a great subject for a post- maybe we'll post this one.

BK

Thanks BK,

I appreciate the answer and your insight very much. I for one really miss the good old days when the NBA finals was a thing that was truly anticipated. Like the Lakers-Celtics or Bulls-Utah matchups. It seems as if in the last decade or so (atleast for the majority of the years) the west conferance finals are more important that the actual finals. Its a shame really that there are no more legenday cross-conference rivalries to look forward to.

Would love it if you guys made a post about this!!

Cheers

Kiwi,

It was for you too. Or anybody.
Maybe it's just my contempt for that laguy that makes me think that way. But as you said; lets keep an eye on him.
Do you know if anybody using the name " LAjerk"? .hahahahahah.

I read your post to me on the previous page and I liked it a lot.LOL

Ventriloquist

AK and BK,

Thank you for the fun and useful toy you're giving us.
It's a great tool for our fantasy GMs.

iksaglam

The West has become so strong that many teams are eliminated early from contention and the fans don't support the local team.

If you were out of the playoffs this year, these are the teams you must pass to get in next year.
Dallas, PHX, Spurs, Houston, Utah, Denver, Lakers, and GS.

So KG with Minn. must improve remarkably just to qualify. Add to that list, NO, Clippers, Sac, Port, Seattle, Memphis, and the Kings, and it looks impossible to qualify for them.
Its all about parity, or Stern's vision of parity.

A suggestion:

Make the West the real NBA Premier League. Every year, the two worst teams are bumped out to the Eastern conference. Top two Eastern teams are allowed to play with the west. The two worst Eastern teams are sent to NBADLeague while the two best NBADL teams move up to the Eastern Conference.

Or we have a supplemental draft, the west teams can only protect 8 players and the east drafts all the west extra players.

And think of it, these suggestions came with only one glass of Scotch. Imagine what I could do with two?

Fatty, or is it? Only my hairdresser knows for sure.

Ventriloquist with a doll named cyrus,

You mean to tell me that LAGuy was carrying on conversations with himself using different handles??

It wouldn't surprise me if some of those people who came out of the woodwork (fakerz, judith) were all one person or a few posting as many.

I know KL is carrying on conversations with himself right now, because as far as I know, no one is responding... or at least, it seems that way since I don't pay any attention.

You guys know "What's hot?" The WEST is hot. I'm disappointed the top 2 picks went to the West, it's going to be more boring East playoffs for years to come.

KG, J'Nealie or Paul Pierce will be a Laker next year...mark it down!

Guys to keep: Kobe, LO, Turiaf, everybody else is expendable although I'd like to keep Sasha.

Tim-4-Show

I am impressed, somebody knows what "Ventriloquist' means.

"I know KL is carrying on conversations with himself right now, because as far as I know, no one is responding... or at least, it seems that way since I don't pay any attention." LOL
I don't read his stuff either.

Have you been to Yahoo Lakers message board? They have a feature called "ignore user" on board, when you click it and put in the user's name to be ignored, you will not see any of his/her messages. It would be really useful here.

Hey everyone,

Did you guys here that on Fox West they will be talking about the Lakers season this year? Also did anyone see Smush of "Mind of Mencia" it was pretty funny

Mike Tucker

How's this for a classic NBA double standard....who was it that said, "It's not a matter of fairness. It's a matter of correctness."? The @zz...

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/basketball/nba/cleveland_cavaliers/17278878.htm

ventriloquist...was the name 'ventriloquist' symbolic of the fact we were talking about people posting with other peoples names?

that is pretty fricken clever if so...

KL is doing more than conversing with himself.

Hariyahu

Jared Jordan, Where is projected in the draft?

Fatty

Fatty,

Hahaha. Great post man. You had me going there for a while.

But the way things are going nowadays there is quite some chance that in the near future the NBA might seriously consider your proposal!!

cheers

About East and West, same thing happened to NFL, first you must have lucky to pick super star, and you should have good coaches , good owners, smart ways to build teams, the West will continue to have good teams for a long time. If you look at the East, most of the teams have only on super star, young coach, young players,...,it's a long way to go for them.

I don't know guys, I think the K Bros are cookie enough to not post to agree, or defend themselves. It may come to pass that they're the ones hating on themselves! haha.

Kiwi,

I am just smoothening my way into holidays with one glass of scotch on the rocks or maybe two or... .
I am beyond "smoking" age. 20 years ago maybe.

You know, I started using the "Ventriloquist" name after writing a comment about Kupchack, comparing the relationship between Jimmy Buss and Mitch to a ventriloquist (Jimmy) with the wooden doll (Kupchak) on his lap.
I liked the idea of having the GM on my lap and voicing my will through the doll.....boy this becoming complicated........ anyway, the idea of the name came from that comment. Also, A while ago, David Letterman had this Ventriloquist week with all the Ventriloquism performers.... it was pretty funny. So that's why.

Cyrus is my real name and maybe boring to me. So, I changed my screen name to Ventriloquist. Hell, it beats LA jerk or KL or.....

As far as abuse for complimenting you: Let them bring it on.
LOL
Ventriloquist.

iksaglam

Cheers is a most appropiate expression for a Friday evening in Arizona.

For dinner: A large T-bone Steak, a side of frites or fries as the locals call them, a side of sourdough bread, and a tall glass of Scotch to wash them down. Add to that, some Laker talk and life can not be any better.

Cheers, iksaglam

Fatty, your new friend in Arizona

Mike Tucker

"Mind of Mencia" Is that a Fox sports West Show?

Fatty

I agree. The East games are really awful basketball. No wonder Stern is looking at revamping the lottery.

It was a lot more fun when the Knicks were a power house. They have one of the largest fan base, comparable to the Lakers. And their fans did not abandon them. It looks like they me be on their way up the ladder as they could't get any lower.

Baywood

Fatty,

The fox sports west is doing the year in review for the Laker now,

Smush was on Mind of Mencia, I saw that last Sunday. They had him playing against little people

Mike Tucker

bad news about kwame brown DAMN!!!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers26may26,0,3428500.story?coll=la-home-sports

Mitchell/AK,

I know you have agreed to disagree on the Kobe conspiracy issue, but let me put forth another theory that falls some where in the middle. It has more to do with the timing of Kobe’s “incidents” in relation to some other things. If you look back you will see that there were some grumblings around the league about the preferential treatment D.Wade was receiving from the refs. There was also some talk about how Lebron expressed his goal to become (I really don’t remember but it was something like) the richest or most popular athlete on any continent. Stern’s so called “good guys” were getting negative press. He needed a diversion and miraculously they got what they need when Kobe’s arm made contact with Manu’s face in a nationally televised game. Kobe had been receiving some positive press but Stern knew there was a faction of the media that would jump at a chance to again portray Kobe in a negative way. They made a decision to “use” Kobe to deflect criticism from Wade and Lebron. The media reacted as they anticipated. Stern could sit back and relax thinking “mission accomplished”. So what did they think about what they did to Kobe? They most likely felt; “He survived negative press before and can probably do it again.” To save face with Kobe fans and show how they are not against Kobe, they named him as a judge in the all-star slam dunk contest. They certainly did not anticipate the second incident and the pressure from the media to suspend Kobe a second time. After the first incident Stu Jackson intimated that the action was intentional almost to the point of malicious intent. This fed the media hype. After the second incident, he tried to down play it saying he was not in a position to read what was in a players mind.

Business can be cut throat and the NBA is in the end a business. They want to sell their product by portraying it in the best possible light. They did what they felt was best for the NBA. If they tarnished one of their own in the process, so be it, as long as the end result was accomplished. Notice you haven’t heard as much about the Wade and Lebron issues mentioned above.

KL

I truly worry about you and those around you; family, friends (if you have any) and every other living thing in your vicinity. The intense hatred you spew forth unrelentingly makes me question your sanity. Please get some professional help before it’s too late and may God send his guardian angels to protect those close to you.

"I don't know guys, I think the K Bros are cookie enough to not post to agree, or defend themselves. It may come to pass that they're the ones hating on themselves! haha."

Nice try, AK, but we know that's you!

O.E.

Damn !!

Fatty

O.E.

Its not bad enough he hurts in the regular season, but he has to do it in the offseason. Sounds like he wants to screw us for the future as well.

Damn!!!!

Fatty

Fatty,

He's not listed as anywhere in the top 60 - yet. It would be cool to have two Jordans running the point :)

"In tune with London Bridge....."

Laker team is falling down, falling down, falling down
Laker Team is falling down
My Fair Lady.

Laker players are made of wood and clay, wood and clay, wood and clay
Laker players are made of wood and clay
My Fair Lady

Take away Cupcake, lock him up, lock him up. lock him up
Take away Cupcake lock him up
My Fair Lady

Jim Buss is all about silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold
Jim Buss is all about silver and gold
My Fair Lady

Gold and Silver fans have none, fans have none, fans have none
Silver and Gold fans have gone
My Fair Lady

Note: Have fun will travel with the Lakers.

David Stern said on The Best Damn Sports Show period a while ago that he wasnt even concerned about the West becoming loaded and the East getting more weak, he said suff like that always happens through time and it evens out by itself.

Go Spurs Go!!! GGGGiinnnoobbbillliiii!!!!

Hi, how I can send PM?