Evans is a good pick up. Hope he stays here a while.

steve nash should believe in karma, because after all the things he gets away with, hitting people, kicking them, collating with parker was not an accident, poor tony. Those are not accidents he does it on purpose and now it came back at him.

Mo Evans is someone I actually like. I think he'll do good for the Lakers next year.

I applaud Kupchak for getting Evans. It may have been Kupchaks best move. From Evans regarding Garnett: "I would love to benefit from some of his totally unselfish passes." Sounds like he didn't get the ball enough and may be a little angry about that. This guy loves to shoot, but his hussle makes up for it.

From LA Times: "You are the Lakers general manager. Do you cut or keep Aaron McKie?" Man, they got to give us more credit than that.

I take back my rant on Shammond. I didn't know the grades were based on impact, and though not his fault, then yeah, he had very limited impact on the team/season. So then I do agree with your grades....cept for Cook....who I'd give a D. I just don't like his game at all, and I think his offense is like De La Hoya throwing a flurry of punches at Mayweather in this last fight. They look good to casual fans, but in essence its effect is fairly small but what people fail to see is those flurries actually tire Oscar more than they hurt Mayweather. Cook's lack of basketball IQ on offense and horrendous defense actually hurts the Lakers overall.

Vlad: I actually like his game. I thought his defense and passing were underated (not saying they were spectacular, but showed enough where he isn't JUST a shooter.). He looked completely lost on O at times but picking up the triangle isn't easy for most players. I still can't believe we lost him cuz of snowboarding though.....sigh. Anyways, I wouldn't hate if he were part of a trade to help bring a star in, but I'm also curious as to what he will do next year if he remains a Laker. I actually think he can be a good fit.

Mo: Ditto. Looked completely lost in terms of the triangle....still gotta love his energy and hustle and D. Can't really afford to lose this guy as we are fairly short on really athletic guys. Again, looking forward to seeing how he does with a year of the offense under his belt and completely healthy.

Bynum: Agree 100%. So much potential....and yet, still some worry too. At the same time, theres a lot to be hopeful about. In the past 2 years, Bynum has at least significantly improved from the start of the season compared to the end. His stats on a 40min per game basis are actually fairly good (even after compensating for the fact that you can't extrapolate the ratio proportionately, but still his numbers were solid.) The key will be, "Will Bynum improve enough this summer where he can be reliable as the starting C playing starter mins?" This would make Kwame very expendable as after Lamar (and obviously Kobe is hands off), Kwame is our best trade asset in terms of value on our side.

I like Mo's energy but he has to pick some easy spots for his shooting. He is a good post player but depended too much on perimeter shooting when he joined the Lakers. If you want to communicate with KG, there are two lines of communications within the Laker players through his friend, Mo and first cousin, Shammond. I like them both to be retained if we do not have any players in mind better that is better than them & costwise too.

With regards to Oscar's pick, I'm not too excited in moving Odom just to get Hinrich and Selofosha, I think Kwame or Bynum + Luke then that would be OK. When you trade Odom, you should get a Superstar not just an average star or else we'll be regressing rather than advancing. With regards to Knicks how about Curry and Lee for Kwame.

Did you guys have a Report Card/interview on Kobe and Lamar?
Did I miss it?

This is funny, just read Steve Kerr on yahoo sports. He is feeling sorry for tracy mcgrady, it appears tracy cant win with that line up and needs some serious help. How do you think kobe would do running with Yao and shane battier? I mean is he serious? maybe they can add kg at power forward and nash at the point, maybe tracy can win a series with those additions. And the haters blame kobe for not winning it all with our line up? maybe having the right players make a difference after all.

Oscar, oops, I didn't read your scenario carefully.. that does sound possible now that Ive read it carefully... still I don't think the Knicks would be dumb enough to give up David lee.. he is one of their bright spots on that miserable roster.... also, you like to bring white people to the team huh? haha.. keep luke and chris, trade the rest for white people... not accusing you of being racist or anything but it just looks that way.

OSCAR......I like magloire and i like Hinrich,David lee as well.......BUT what i would do is trade that lottery pick and Quentin richardson(you forgot to mention bad back....really bad back)as well as his bad contract for a point guard with a brain because at times this year it seemed like we didnt have one to run the point....Farmer did improve but like MIKE T has said before we need help at the 1 and 3 ......im not sure what position Thabo sefolosha plays but he could be a good player or chip to have....Then again we are going to be over the cap so that pick could be used in the draft for a guard as well..cheers

Oscar I like your zeal but the only person I would conceivably trade LO
for is KG and we would have to include Kwame in order to balance the pay.
But good ideas in any case.

I thought there were two different Maurice Evans this year. Pre and Post injury. He just never found a way to contribute with the bum knee. Here is to hoping htat htis is not a chronic thing and the Lakers see a full year of healthy Maurice next year.

Good to hear he wants to work on something inthe offseason worthwhile. Take a hint Cook...

Oscar,

Why trade away two young players (two excellent defenders and an excellent overall one in Heinrich) for a guy (Odom) who only occasionally shows up to play?

Faith- I agree with your assessment of Evans taking too many 3's( I said it all year on this blog) but since he kept shooting them I have to believe the coaching staff told him to shoot them, or at least didnt tell him to NOT shoot them.

Bad coaching either way.

i am really happy to read that kobe & phil feel the same way i do.

changes need to be made. and they need to be made THIS summer.

it is finally time to give phil & kobe some better ingredients to cook with.

props to kobe for FINALLY speaking his mind.

nice to know our best player wants to contend for titles as much as i do (if not more).

c'mon lake show.

change for the better.

AK/BK,
Does the team give players recommended off-season workout programs, and specific areas of their games that they want them to work on? I assume that the contract with the union doesn't allow them to require anything during the off-season, but do they give suggestions? Or do they just leave that up to the players?

And are the team practice facilities available all summer to team members?

Ex-

I know the organization will talk about areas they want players to improve upon. They'll talk to L.O. for example about strengthening his right. As for the facility, most players who are in town over the summer will work out there at some point. They can definitely come in and use it. As far as requirements, I believe you're correct that there are no required workouts, etc. (like a mandatory mini-camp in football, or something). Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but there isn't any such thing in hoops- the closest might be summer league ball, which isn't compulsory.

BK

In a Dallas newspaper, they are arguing if they would trade Nowitzki for KG. They author's answer was NO since KG will just be a slight upgrade over Nowitzki.

They're questioning Nowitzki's leadership. They want him to be the Alpha Male. One who can take over on close games. One who will get on teammates to do more. One who would carry the team on his shoulders when the team is faltering. One who would demand and shoot the ball often. Is this not what Kobe is to the Lakers? How come people still questions Kobe's leadership? In essence, Dallas would prefer Kobe's style of leadership than a laid back one like Nowitzki's. Everything is really on one's perspective.

On another point, I hope the Spurs will sweep the Suns. That will put their pretentious asses in place.

Pfunk,

Having already talked with Mo on several occasions, I think I know his feelings on the triangle and the dynamic of the team, which is why I didn't see Mo's answers as "coded." From our talks, he doesn't have any problems with the offense, which is why I think he was putting those issues on himself (the guard skills he says he's working on), not the triangle. But even if he did have a problem with the offense, do you really think he's going to just publicly trash it, especially if he wants to remain a Laker? Do you really think Evans is going to appreciate me trying to pry uncomfortable answers from him on the record (especially if, according to you, he's bothering to "code" responses)? Think for about 3 seconds and that should be pretty obvious.

As for me asking Evans if adding defensive minded players would help a defense, the answer is such an clear "yes" that it seems too dumb to ask. How WOULDN'T that help? But Mo's not a GM (as he pointed out during the interview), so I doubt he has much interest in answering that fairly pointless question.

Like I've said before, go ahead and write your journal bashing Jackson. You keep bringing this up like I have some personal stake in it. Like it's a threat. I couldn't care less if you shred the guy. I may not agree with everything you say, but either way, I'll be fine. Just do it and stop talking about it.

AK

Pfunk,
You don't realize that "How's your knee?" is code for "Let's have some fun. Make sure that you don't say anything that could be construed as negative about the triangle, because I guarantee that there will be at least one fool who will think that you are trying to hide something."

I still can't believe that people are putting it on Kupchek to get KG...He can only call Minnie and say "you can have anyone not named Kobe, all our near future draft picks, cash, or whatever you want." That's all he can do. Kevin McHale will laugh at him and that will be it.

The T-Wolves will not willingly trade KG - he is their only draw in a tiny market and they've repeatedly stated that they don't want to do it. He would need to demand a trade (which he still may not do, based on his character, no matter how unhappy he is) in which case he would go to Boston or Chicago. That is, somewhere in the east with young pieces, cap space, etc. Those two teams and perhaps others could make comparable/better offers for KG than the Lakers. So, unless KG pulls a Shaq and gave them a short list of places where he wouldn't opt out, he will never come near LA. McHale would then say, "please don't make us trade you in conference" and do you honestly think KG would say "screw you, I want to live in Malibu"??

Kupchek has been a mediocre GM but to base his legacy on getting KG to say that to the T-Wolves is just unfair. Because that's what it will take to get KG to LA.

I think it is more likely that JO could want to come here and whatnot, although, again, he would have to put pressure on Bird to create the desperate circumstances that would get a favorable deal for us (as opposed to providing an opportunity for the Pacers to take all out chips and dump their bad contracts on us), and I'm not sure that will happen.

At any rate, I suppose no one really knows what will happen, but we need a little divine intervention (that is really disgruntled players who love LA) to make a big trade like this work. Kupchek cannot magically make this happen by working smarter or working harder.

GO LAKERS

The mother of all blaming.

A old latin thinking say:

"Since excuses were invented, nobody is guilty of anything."
It's the first way to justify everything for people who are on fault.

--Since the stupid Kobe is blamed in the press for everything, we can use him to excuses our deficiencies or poor perfomance.--
Think the smushes, the bynums, the Lamars and everybody that comes to the Lakers.

What the lakers have are underachievers. Marginal talent players without heart. Just paychecks collectors. Guys that want's just dress in games on till summer comes. They don't care about legacy, pride, press or fans opinions.

Of course, add that to a GM without leadership, one that nobody respect. Different from Jerry West who had leadership. He would aproach Shaq in his epoque of tantrums and infantilism and quiet him, because he commands respects. Mitch in the other side is looked like a unsecure guy, going with the wing, without any power or decisition making

I think most of the players started to react negatively when Phil, coachees and Kobe demanded better perfomance.

Kwame will never take responsability for his failures.
Smush is a lost soul, lost in his own vision of who he is.
Lamar is a enigmatic guy, that you never know what's he is thinking or hiding. Also remember he didn't like it to be traded here.
Bynum think that everything come easy. Since everybody was putting him in a pdestal, he started to reacts like a primmadonna, like a superstar.
The problem is...he is another lamar. He showis randomly in the court, he never find a way to be at the court and play defense without fouling .
Do you thing next year will be different?
Vla is a vagabond. This guy look like lost in a eclipse.

Verdict: full unconsistent squad equal a unconsistent team.

REPOST
Tim-4-Show,

“KL Zero,
We get the point. You're not fond of Kobe and his ability (or inability) to lead the Lakers to titles all by himself (or the way you argue, even if he had a team).
Ok. Fine. I give up. I cave in. Kobe's not the answer.”

Tim, I like the KLZero nickname, but “the beast” from Mamba24 still is the best insult yet. As neurotic as I am about kobe being a jerk, I actually think the boy can change and convince players of stature that playing in LA (as kobe being the lead) can lead to championship opportunities, but I think kobe’s gotta to own up to his past with shaq and company. That’s my main problem with kobe-lovers who won’t even admit that kobe did wrong deeds in the past and that just being a great INDIVIDUAL player will bring us a championship. That not how it works in my humble opinion. B-ball will ALWAYS take 5 guys. I see Lebron and his development as a player, leader and teammate and I’m more impressed everyday. LBJ’s making names out of Sasha, Varajao and has the support of all-star caliber player like Hughs and Z (can’t spell his name). That’s what I would like to see kobe transform from player-first to teammate-first. I think the humiliation of this year might actually spark a change. we’ll see.

Faith,
“Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? haha, jk.”

Faith, I’m honored to be on speaking terms with you again. Please believe me that I’m playing most of time. it’s actually funny how kobe-lovers get so riled up. Good analysis on Cook. I actually think Cook can be a great role player. I’d like to see kobe instill some confidence in Cook to play defense, get rebounds and make spot-up J’s. That in my most humble opinion is a good role for Cook.

Michael h,
“But if you watched the games earlier in the season and dont believe this team could not have won 10 more games if healthy you are a complete moron”

“Moron” is a complement for me. I’ve been called worse. My point is that the core of the team, the team philosophy, team leadership is lacking………..even when healthy. I’ll admit, early in the season, I was very surprised, but I knew when things get difficult, kobe will be back to the same old kobe with jacking up bad shots instead of trusting his teammates and trusting the system. My most humble opinion is that leaders build the team during adversity, not when things are going well. it’s easy to be happy-go-lucky when things are going well. kobe-ball towards the end of the season was the doom for the lakers’ season. it basically said that lakers as a team can’t win without kobe scoring a bunch of points, that’s a great way to develop confidence and team “camaraderie” before a playoff matchup with a legit title contender (I’m being facetious). But, who care what this “moron” has to say, right??

“I cant remember every trade thats been made but I cant recall a trade where the team trading a super star became better, remember how great the bucks became after trading Kareem?”

Michael h, great point. Remember what happened to the 2005-Present lakers after trading shaq………oops did I just say that? sorry kobe-lovers, shaq’s a big fat lazy ass who took credit for the lakers championships and kobe’s Finals MVP awards. my bad, I was thinking out loud again. Mike, if I offend with the “take your head out of kobe’s ass comment”, I apologize. One could argue (I’m talking to you Mitchell) that I’ve got my head up Shaq’s big, fat ass. I was just talking trash.

Exiled,
“Unfortunately, none of those excuses are holding sway as the Bryant Era is playing out basically as scripted, with the exception that Coach Jackson has saved it from being a complete disaster.”

We’re very lucky to have PJ in the mix. I have a lot more respect for PJ now than I did when he was winning the 9 titles.

“If KL is wrong, Kobe will be completely justified, Kobe critics like KL and I will be lining up for an all-we-can-eat Crow Buffet, and and the Lakers will get back on top.”

I want to eat crow. I want to be wrong about KB81.

“Despite my distaste for Kobe. I told someone the other day, the cruel irony is that the athlete I dislike the most plays for the team I love the most.”

Exiled, you just summed up my opinion of kid kobe and the laker franchise. good stuff.

Fatty from AZ,
“Like I said, nothing wrong with the debate, but I just have a problem with people who lie, deny, and try to mislead others purposely. If you want to convince someone your view is right, don't you feel telling the truth should be part of it?”

Do any of us really know the truth? isn’t this blog just a big hearsay, speculation forum. That’s what dumbass fans (like myself) do, we speculate, comment, give uninformed opinions about subjects that we know little about. I’ll have you know “fan” is short for fanatics. Please, I’m not trying to lie, deny for justify (sounds like a hip-hop lyric), all I’m doing is stating my opinion (albeit is a controversial way) to stir up conversation. that’s all. Fatty, the more I read your postings, the more I respect your opinion………I’ll admit. BTW, I’m not some punk-ass kid (if you’re wondering). I’m a long-time laker fan who works in the professional world and happens to not like where the lakers are going under king kobe’s reign.

Fan of Mamba, "Checking in With LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW"
Right back at you FOM:
LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW LAKERS FOREVER
GO LAKESHOW GO

KL BEAST, "Mamba24, we cool. "
Thank god, you had me worried for a minute there. lol
i'm just messing with you man. lol