Speak for yourself, Flea.

I am a Laker fan first and foremost. As long as you're wearing my Purple & Gold, you are an ally. The second you take my colors off, you are my enemy. Period.

Unlike the rest of these "fans", I will continue to root for the mighty Purple & Gold - even if we're 42-40, 30-52, 15-67. I may fuss. I may cry. But I'll be rocking my Lakers T-shirts every Saturday afternoon as usual.

WE ARE THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS. 1 Man Don't Make No Team!

Coby Karl link
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nba/article/0,2777,DRMN_23922_5613398,00.html

What exactly does Mitch Kupchak do?

Paralysis by analysis... FIRE KUPCHAK NOW - and bring happy days back to Los Angeles.

Does anyone have any news on the Lakers Summer League roster? The first game is in 4 or 5 days, I'd think some news would be out about it.

A link would be appreciated, thanks.

Wow,

Sorry man, I am not taking sides between you and KL. We had our fair share of "discrepancies." and now we are at peace for the sake of this blog. I was just trying to bring some peace to the previous thread in respect to Derek Fisher. LOL

Vent.

Maybe Mitch cut a deal with Karl, we take his son and they give
us Camby for Kwame!

MH

Jorema:
Nice post and a very informative article on the real decisions that make champions.

[[JOREMA’S POST FROM THE PREVIOUS THREAD REPOSTED BELOW FOR REFERENCE: The Jordanaires

"Let’s just summarize the Jordan and the Jordanaires story. MJ was an amazing player. In the book we argue that he might have been the best ever (although one could argue for Magic Johnson, a story I might get to tomorrow). But without Pippen and Grant – and later on, Pippen and Rodman – Jordan could have been Kevin Garnett, part one.
Jordan was fortunate to play with players who were extremely productive. These players all posted outstanding numbers without Jordan, suggesting it was not Jordan who made them better (and as detailed in the book, the Law of Diminishing Returns tells us that Jordan did not make them better). And Pippen and Grant were both acquired by Krause in the 1987 draft.
Yes, Krause was given a huge building block in Michael Jordan. But other general managers – like Kevin McHale – have been given similar building blocks and yet failed to build a championship contender. Again, one player cannot win a title. Teams win titles. And on the Bulls, it was the team of Jordan, Pippen, and Grant that dethroned the Bad Boys and won three titles. Two-thirds of this trio was chosen by Krause, and for that he should be given a substantial amount of credit (even if it was all just luck, but that’s another story of another day)."
http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/06/24/defending-jerry-krause/

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE POST]]

Pro-Kobers and Anti-Kobers should agree on one thing: having Kobe on the Lakers represents an amazing opportunity. We differ on how the Lakers can best realize that opportunity.

I feel that Kobe represents the most direct path to glory. I also think that we will not receive the pieces representing an equivalent path in exchange for Kobe. As such, I think the Lakers have to design and assemble a team around Kobe.

Others think that Kobe has incredible abilities, but is flawed in a way that will prevent him from ever leading a championship team. This contingent believes we should trade Kobe while his stock remains high and plan for future, sucking it up for the rebuilding years in the process.

As a pro-Kober, I agree 100% with Flea. I think the fatally flawed Kobe theory is wrong for two reasons: 1) Champs generally need two All-Stars or more, and Kobe has not played with even one All-Star since Shaq left, so we don't know how he'd play on a contender and 2) Kobe's clutch performances in the championship runs were far greater than any ordinary "second fiddle" type player has had with the possible exception of the Showtime Lakers who seemed to trade the MVP amongst their greats.

At any rate, we cannot have it both ways, Lakers fans. We are in the age of Kobe or we are post-Kobe. Our attempt to avoid this hard choice is probably what has landed us in the present situation. The problem with my position is that it requires a lot of FO competence in building a team. The problem with the opposite position is that it requires a lot of FO competence in getting a trade for an impossible to trade
player.

Bottom line: as Jorema's article implies, the future of the franchise depends, for better or worse, on FO competence.

Yikes.

The D - Thank you for not recognizing Caron Butler's illegitimate Eastern All-Star. Caron's a good player and all, I really like him. But it's the East, and even then he only got a selection due to an injury to the first (coach voted) selection.

Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant

This Article Just Published on Foxsports.com
Full article:http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6986202#1

Here is part of it about KG and Kobe:

"6. Item: Most of the talk heading into the draft wasn't about the rookie class at all. It revolved around what was going to happen to All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, who is finally on the same page as Minnesota Timberwolves management -- they all agree he should leave.

What this really means: The ineptitude of general manager Kevin McHale has been apparent for nearly a decade, and yet owner Glenn Taylor keeps supporting him. Well, Garnett has had enough, setting an NBA record of six consecutive seasons of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, yet only once (2004) in his 12-year career have they advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs. And they haven't been back to the playoffs since. He is a fabulous player and just because he isn't a closer, he has been bashed from coast to coast. Still, on the right team, he will raise everyone's level of play, and that's what the Lakers are hoping if they can acquire him to appease Kobe Bryant. Garnett already said he didn't want to go to Boston when Ainge put together a package, and a mega-player deal with multiple teams that would have sent him to his desired destination of Phoenix, crashed when Atlanta killed the deal.

That's why it seems most likely he'll end up with the Lakers as an ancillary option in the Kobe Bryant soap: "The Young and Ruthless." It's difficult to know how it will all shake out for Garnett, but sooner or later he will land somewhere else. Maybe he'll end up in Oakland as Chris Mullin continues to reshape the Warriors. Maybe the Suns will coerce the Hawks to revisit the draft day deal that fell through, sending Amare Stoudemire to Atlanta. Or perhaps the Lakers will figure something out as Bryant continues to squawk. At least Garnett doesn't make this painful -- he just wants to get it resolved. So do we.

7. Item: Whereas Garnett is more restrained in his approach to leave, Bryant has been about as subtle as a Shaquille O'Neal slam dunk considering the incessant whining and finger-pointing at the Lakers organization. That would be the same organization that made no bones about supporting Bryant despite the ugliness of rape accusations in Colorado that were eventually dropped.

What this really means: The Lakers can't afford to deal Bryant because they won't get value in return, plus Phil Jackson just had his second hip replacement surgery and is entering the last year of his contract. It just proves what everyone thought all along that: Bryant was nothing more than an extraordinary talent who has little respect for anyone other than himself. Everywhere he turns now, it's another attack on the organization whether in a microphone of the electronic media, a video camera and any number of writers.

In many ways, he is right about the mess there. But he also had something to do with why it fell apart in 2004 when they appeared on their way to a fourth title in five years. Instead O'Neal and Jackson left and Bryant was there to pick up the pieces. More disturbing is how he vacillates from doing the right thing to doing the wrong one -- and with malice. Obviously, there is a problem between Jerry Buss, his son Jim and Jackson, who happens to be the love interest of Jeanie Buss. You see, this would only play with the Lakers, and without Bryant, there would be no interest at all. And yet what everybody seems to forget is that the Lakers started the season 30-20 and looked like a team destined for at least the fifth seed before injuries crushed them. But if it requires dealing Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom for Garnett, they should reconsider what it takes. They can't trade Bryant, so they'd better figure out a way to appease him -- at least for a year or two."

wow,

"KL does not want to see me in the streets. He better hide behind that computer."

LOL, I love the enthusiasm. I'm not a KL defender, or trying extra hard to give him some love. I honestly try to spread equal love to everybody. I like to go back and forth with people, I just want to do it in a respectful way. Can I get down and dirty if I have to? HELL YEAH!!! I just choose to be "The Nice Guy" around here. But if anyone chooses to take my kindness for weakness I can pull an Anakin and flip to the dark side LOL!!!!

J-Cool,

Dang man, how do you keep up with all the news? Are you the 3rd K bro?

P ang

No I Not The Third K Bro I Just Born To Do This.

Repost

wow
"This is my last post to the two of you ever. We will let the work on the bball court do the talking. You two are great motivators for people that love challenges. You say so much smack that you inspire your opponents to come back stronger"

TAKE A KIT KAT AND GO TO YOUR ROOM!

jorema = Kobe Publicist
"Shaq...Most dominant ever (his own calling)
Kobe the best basketball player( Entire league opinion)"

AND YOU FORGOT ONE MORE THING...

SHAQ - 4 RINGS
KOBE - 3 RINGS

HEY FELLOW BLOGGERS,
Have you seen the video of Kobe Bryant talks a little at his basketball camp (where he greeted the crowd wearing red, the same color the Bulls play in) He does'nt wear any Laker gear and doesn't say the word "Lakers"

Laker Bloggers.....been awhile since I last wrote.......I was out geting a new job!

Ok....Kobe has been told to keep his mouth shut.....by both the Lakers & by his agent. The best thing Kobe can do, and now he realizes it, is to just stay quiet and wait.

July 20th, expect to see Kobe downplay the media. I am confident he will say that the media has hypd everything up. He will also disclose that he was frustrated and disapointed about his season, and he was just ranting and raving. My prediction is that he will acknowledge that he made a mistake. He won't apologize, but he will admit the mistake. He will once again, blame the media.

Kobe is also now aware of the financial implications if in fact he leaves the LA market. Endoresment deals will fall dramaticaly, and the reality that he would only land in an East Coast team will be even more frustrating. Sure, Kobe can probably lead a team into the East Coast finals......but the results will be the same as they were for Cleveland. The West is just too strong...bottom line. At that point, Kobe's image and reputation may never be the same.

As much as I would love to see KG in a Laker uniform......I think it is very unlikely. If KG wanted to come....he would say it. I also believe the price tag is just too high for him. I think Lamar needs to stay as a Laker. This guy had an emotional roller-coaster of a season......but his heart was always there....and nobody can question that.

Outside chance Fisher comes back.........but I don't really believe that will happen either. The Lakers should spend a majority of their MLE on a guard....and I think they are thinking the exact same way. The Lakers know what they are doing. Many teams are looking for the fool to pay.....and the Lakers know it. As it gets deeper into the summer.....bigger deals are going to transpire.

So lets enjoy our summer. Break out the BBQ, open a 12-pack......and play a little Jimmy Buffet in the background! It's summer time Laker fans.......we need a break.....next year wll be stressful enough.

All my best goes out to D Fish, his family, and mostly his baby daughter. He is a man among men. I met Derek in the summer of 2003 when I sold my home to his then girlfriend, now wife, Candace Patton and her son, Marshall Faulk, Jr..

D Fish was always one of my favorite Lakers and it was really refreshing to be able to spend a little time with him. I suppose my claim to fame could be that I beat him 3 straight games of one-on-one ........ darts.. LOL

Derek is a deeply religious young man and certainly a team leader. If he plays b-ball again I would love to see him in LA, if he doesn't play, I'd still love to see him in LA. Derek would make an amazing assistant coach, or even a Laker announcer. He is multi-talented and will be successful wherever he goes and whatever he does. It would definitely benefit our community if Derek and his family were to return as permanent residents of Los Angeles.

HEY FELLOW BLOGGERS,

You can see the video of Kobe and his basketball camp in ESPN.com

WOW
"Shut up. I consider you to be below KL, so no need of worrying about you. Nobody on ths blog seem to care what you say seriously.

OBVIOUSLY, I HIT A NERVE BECAUSE YOU KEEP REPLYING. THANKS FOR SHOWING YOUR SUPPORT OF ME. BTW, GUNNER STANDS FOR THE EXCESSIVE SHOOTING OF THE BALL HOG BRYANT SO I TAKE IT AS A DISRESPECT TOWARDS THE PERSON WHO'S HURTING THIS FRANCHISE.

NICE CHATTING WITH YOU.

One reason Mitch is not yet signing Mihm could be that he might be part of a trade package. Signing him would prevent him from that now. For a PG or KG?

Fish fits here

http://blogs.ocregister.com/lakers/archives/2007/07/fish_fits_here.html#more

Fisher might be a possibility for Lakers

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-lakers-crittenton-fisher&prov=ap&type=lgns

Interesting column by Marty Burns on free agents:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/marty_burns/07/03/darko/index.html

"But with so few quality centers on the market (Chris Mihm, Jamaal Magloire, Brian Skinner headline the rest of the group), Milicic is expected to command a multiyear deal starting in the $7 to $8 million range. Some say that's optimistic, given that there are so few teams with any cap room. But if Milicic can find the right suitor, he could get big money from a team willing to overspend to find the next Jermaine O'Neal."

See why Mihm's agent is starting at the MLE level in his discussions with the Lakers? ANd why the Lakers gave Walton the contract they gave him?

Guys ive had it !!!!!! Who the Hell are the lakers going to get? Shttttttttttttt there'e not going to be anyone left. I don't blame kboe for being pissed off. I'm pissed and not even apart of the team. How frustrating !!!! Get somone in here that has Balllllllls to get something done. NoGrant Hill, No Francis, No Artest, no Garnett , No Oneal, No karem Rush (Would of been cheap and a good shooter) and No kidd. Do I need to say more. Can anyone out there tell me different.

I'm out,
CrzyFan

"Can you say, Lebron James? Exactly what he did with his big men this year. Rewarded Varejeo and Gooden and they played harder for him. You're right on the money my fellow blogger."

Yeah... the Cavs really played well against the Spurs.

crzyfan
" I don't blame kboe for being pissed off. "

dude, kobe's the reason nobody wants to play in LA. what do you mean "don't blame kobe"? it's all kobe, all the time. let's see how the olympic team does with kobe leading the way. i'm sure it'll be a pissing contest between kobe and any other guy on the team trying to win. you'll see, kobe dribble 7-10 times, then jack up a 30 footer.

Flea is the best. You can tell this guy is a true fan. Now I'm jacked for the season to start. How many days? What's the countdown. It's time for tip-off!

C'mon, guys, if Bynum's here, he'll be a monster this year. If he's not, we'll have a great player in his place. And Kwame's hands just keep getting bigger and stronger. Let's hear it for the boys. Let's give the boys a hand. Who's on the 55-win bandwagon with me? Nobody? Okay, how about 50. Certainly I'll have takers with 50.

It's a purple and gold horizon...

Lebron James just passed the ball and played in a JV eastern conference. Golden State would have won the Eastern Conference. Gooden didn't do crap in the finals nor did Varajeo. Lebron only had one good game in all of the series they played in and that was in the Detroit series. Lebron didn't do crap in the finals or against the Wizards. I would prefer to have championships than money, but before you say that Kobe shoudl have thought of that let me remind you that Shaq was demanding over $20 million and if you look at NBA salaries Kobe does not make $20 million.

Even with all the KLBEASTs, Gunners and other poisonists nick names of the worlds spelling heat and bigotry from their mouth, Kobe still the most popular player in the NBA.

Forbes Magazine, say it so.

If the Colorado atomic bomb news couldn't finish him, some out of line whining jerks with their despicable reasoning, short sided blunders, asinine arguments, monotony reciting, childish envy, hallucinated revenge, rampart despotism, can change the unequivocal ascend to greatness and fame of the already legendary Kobe.

They sound like prophets that claim in the desert.

Of course, you can't have Batman without Jokers and Cat womens.
You can't have Jekyll without Hide.
Or Ying without Yang.
In this era, heaters can also help to catapult a legend.
and solidify his fame.
There isn't God without Lucifer.
Terminator without that melted and relentless robot persecuting and destroying.

ex:

For once we are in agreement. The price of talent in the NBA has just gone up. By the time all the free agents have signed, Luke’s contract might end up being a bargain. lol. Part of the reason why the new contracts are bigger is the increased competitiveness in the league today, especially in the West. Every team realizes that they need to improve or fall back. Another part of it is the new CBA with its lower max contracts, which leaves more money on the table for players who are valuable contributors but not superstars, as you once pointed out.

It’s in our favor that Chicago and Phoenix are both interested in Chris Mihm. (Of course, nobody is interested in Kwame Brown.) But the Lakers need to be sure to stay in the loop so that we can re-sign Mihm to keep him or use him in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls, either for young talent like Thabo, or as part of a multi-team deal to get Artest, KG or JO. The last thing we need to see happen is for Mihm to sign somewhere as a straight free agent. Hopefully, he will be more loyal than that. At any rate, I just hope we are talking to Chris right now.

If there is anything that I am disappointed with in the Lakers front office’s recent performance, it’s the decision to NOT go after Ron Artest. Or maybe they did but the Kings said flat out that they would not deal Artest to the Lakers. AK, have you heard anyone on the Lakers mention Artest? I mean here is a player that Kobe has come out and said he would love to have on his team. If Kobe was pissed that we didn’t get Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, or Ron Artest, then why in the hell are we not trying now to get one of those guys – Ron Artest. It’s the quickest and easiest way to placate Kobe AND improve the team defensively in one fell stroke.

It seems like years ago that we were beating everybody and rising in the overall team rankings for the NBA. Obviously, some of that success was due to the schedule, but then injuries, Smush, and the failed Kidd trade caused the team to self-destruct down the stretch. There was a point where we were one of the best passing teams in the league. We don’t need to throw out everything because of how last year ended. We just need to get some better pieces to fit into the scheme. Fisher and Artest to replace Smush and Luke in the starting lineup is a pretty good upgrade in itself. And I am sure that a year older Bynum and healthy Chris Mihm will give us better productivity from the center position.

Anybody ready for 55-Wins? JK.

To

It was a really good letter. Exactly how I feel. Stay Kobe, stay!

I wonder how he feels about the front office. I know he said that they haven't exactly followed JWest's tenure well...and that really who can...but I'd like to know more.

P.S. Thanks for the new topic.

Aloha Laker Tom

I have read on more then once that the Malooff bros will not will not sign off on any deal with the Lakers. Last trade deadline guess they went ballistic when they found out that the Lakers were in conversations about Bibby. I think the only way we could get Artest would be to severly over pay.

MH

Ray,
"Shaq was demanding over $20 million and if you look at NBA salaries Kobe does not make $20 million. "

Well, if I was the GM and Shaq was the key to winning us 3 NBA Finals, and 3 Finals MVP and an almost dynasty that has now been destroy by the Kobester, I would have paid Shaq that money in a heartbeat and told Kobester to shut his mouth and deal with Shaq.

Or

If i was the Kobester, i would have called Buss up as soon as i found out he was trying to shop shaq and said, "are you idiot" (since he's already use to calling Buss and idiot) then told Buss to keep Shaq because we need to keep moving towards a dynasty.

Don't you think Magic would have done the same if he knew Buss was trying to ship Kareem out?

BYNUM / MIHM / GASOL
ODOM / TURIAF / cook
WALTON / VLAD / SUNYUE
BRYANT / EVANS
FARMAR / CRITTENTON / Vujacic

BYNUM-COOK-RADMONOVIC-BRYANT-VUJACIC ........ 3 pt shooter squad!

kobe drives in... no double team, bynum gets a pass, slam dunk!

No more changes! SMUSH is gone! KWAME almost gone!

Laker Tom,

A really good point about bringing in Artest to shore up the defense. Whether it is Artest or someone else, the re-signing of Luke was a blow against solid defense, and we absolutely need another piece to neutralize that factor. Once the Lakers are able to play some sort of solid defense, the offense will be there. There is no doubt that better defense will improve the team's W-L%.

Hopefully, defense is one thing Jordan Farmar really worked on hard this summer. That's the one thing that could ultimately cost him the starting role to Crittenton.

I think that fellow bloggers who believe D-Fish could be our starting PG underestimate how much time he needs to devote to his daughter, right now. I would really be surprised to see him on the court for any team before the All-Star break. Cancer is serious stuff, and it would appear that it is very touch-and-go at this stage. Fish's family needs him very badly right now and I admire him for putting family first.

DanDan,
Good reality check about Kobe thinking any Eastern Conference team has a chance in the short term to win the NBA title. Already strong Western Conference teams have bulked up, making even the very best team in the East unlikely to win a Finals series any time soon.

ex
"Of course, you make that valid statement and then try to twist it to be against Kobe; in fact had you pursued that statement to it's logical conclusion you would find that it is appropriate for Kobe to be taking the number of shots he is, because as a group the rest of the team is relatively weak offensively."

THAT'S THE MENTALLY OF A BALL HOG. YOU SEE YOUR TEAMMATES AS A WEAK OFFENSIVE UNIT BEFORE TRYING TO LIFT THEIR LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE BY ATTACKING THE DEFENSE AND GETTING TEAMMATES IN BETTER POSITIONS TO MAKE HIGH % SHOTS.

Not Kobe! Ball moves across court to Kobe and what the ball hog do? He dribbles back to the other side of the triangle where 3 other teammates or standing and the spacing is jack up then and guys are standing wondering what he's going to do next. So, no confidence or reaction from his teammates because their are only 4 seconds left on the shot clock and the offense is out of sync.

END OF STORY.

The hating on this blog is just out of control. Kobe is hardly perfect, and I doubt any but the most rabid Kobe fans would claim otherwise, but to constantly restate the same garbage without solid basis over and over is just asinine.

If you don't like the guy, fine, it's not like anyone is forcing you to, or that it means you can't be a great contributor to laker talk. Just please stop with the outright false accusations and horrible exaggerations. They really hurt any chances of you being taken seriously, and just bring more people to naturally defend Kobe than consider his weaknesses as a player/person/leader/whatever.

For instance, the comments about no one wanting to play here because of Kobe is just completely false without any backing whatsoever. The ONLY player of any stature who obviously didn't want to play here because of Kobe was Shaq, and one could argue that was also due to him not getting his money and respect from FO in his eyes. Jason Kidd was excited at the prospect of joining the Lakers at the trade deadline. Ron Artest when moving from Indy was interested in coming to the Lakers. Jermaine O'Neal right now would like to play for the lakers. Even the buzz right now about KG not wanting to come to the lakers is just hater talk. He nixed the deal with the Celtics. He did not nix the deal with the Lakers. Sure, he probably wants to go to the Suns more, wouldn't you? The Lakers are in serious limbo right now, and the suns are an incredibly talented team.

Also all this talk about free agents not coming to the lakers. Kobe has spoken about players that he has recruited who wanted to come to LA but we didn't make the deal. And part of that is that we DONT HAVE MONEY. It doesn't matter if a player wants to come as a FA to the lakers because we don't have any money to sign them. Our salary decisions from management are beyond bad. Especially the Brian Grant contract we took in the Shaq deal.

Also all this talk about kobe can't pass, can't play team ball, can't make his teammates better. Sorry, but thats just total crap. No, he is not the best at that in the history of the league, far from it, but to say that he can't do it is ignoring his accomplishments. During large portions of the title winning playoffs, Kobe ran the team, and played amazing team ball. No, he could not have done it without Shaq down low, but Shaq could not have done it without Kobe at the guard either. Kobe on those teams most times was a very good team player.

In more recent memory, consider last year's playoff series vs the suns, and the first portion of this past season. Kobe played excellent team ball and was HAPPY to do it because his teammates were playing well alongside him. The team excelled and some pretty marginal players stepped up. I'm not giving all the credit to Kobe, but you can't honestly say he wasn't a part of it.

Also, as many others here have pointed out, who is he going to pass to? I don't know what team some of you haters are watching, but the lakers I watched went through long stretches where no one could hit an open shot, and their main big man couldn't catch a ball, or lay it up/dunk it when he did to save his life. Kobe averaged 5.4 assists per game this season and that number would have been higher and his shot attempts lower if the players around him were capable of producing offensively, which they weren't. Kobe often times was taking the better opportunity sadly, as even Phil knew.

Now, you can argue that Kobe somehow should have made these other players able to hit open shots, or Kwame to not have bricks for hands, but that really isn't going to go too far. Blaming Kobe for not continually passing to players who can't get the job done when passed to is pretty lame.

Bottom line is, Kobe is hands down and far and away the best player in the NBA at this time. BUT it doesn't mean he's perfect, or that there aren't things he needs to work on to improve. For instance his D this year was below what we expect from him, and he sometimes got too jump-shot happy instead of driving/kicking or otherwise making the offense dynamic. And it also doesn't mean he can lead a team to a championship as the main guy, but he hasn't had the chance, so no one can say for sure.

If you skipped the whole thing, this is my plea to the haters. Hate all you want, just stop repeating the same arguments with no merit over and over. If you are going to hate on the guy, at least don't just make stuff up.

"Kobester"?? Dude. Are you looking for a job as TJ Simers' butt boy?

This team can contend:

PG: Farmar/Jarvis
SG: Kobe/Evans/Sasha
SF: Rad/Walton/Cook (this is the weakness, BIG TIME)
PF: Odom/ Turiaf
C: Kwame/Brynum

Farmar/Jarvis will be better than anyone not named Fisher that can be brought in. This position will not be a problem. There is talent there.

Brynum is due for a breakout year. So is Odom. KG and JO are on the downside. Two for one?

Weakness is at SF: with too many unathletic type guys. No speed there. Need some quickness at SF, especially on defense. Hello? Is Kupchak in love with slow white guys?
Kupchak has once again messed up and tinkered to go the other way. Cook and Vlade are the mistakes.
And Sasha. As usual, Kupchak big time mistakes.

The ONLY player you would give up Odom/Brynum for is KG. and this would be a fair trade. Odom can match KG numbers and Brynum would fill their center spot/ Blount??? In the long run this is a Minn advantage. But not JO. No way. How old is KG?

Kupchak has shown he has no balance.

He needs guidance, which is bad for a GM.

Lee,

I agree, except I would want a vet at the guard for some minutes, and a good upgrade at SF. Ron Artest would fit the bill wonderfully, as would someone like Shane Battier or Andrei Kirilenko.

The problem is that this really puts a lot of pressure on Bynum to be a low post offensive threat, as well as greatly improve his D. If Bynum really improves, which is possible considering just how raw he is and the flashes we have all seen, it could be a sleeper team with some help at the 3.

McGarnagle,

I'll answer your question with a question.

Are you looking for a job as TJ Simers' butt boy?

"dude, kobe's the reason nobody wants to play in LA. what do you mean "don't blame kobe"? it's all kobe, all the time. let's see how the olympic team does with kobe leading the way. i'm sure it'll be a pissing contest between kobe and any other guy on the team trying to win. you'll see, kobe dribble 7-10 times, then jack up a 30 footer."

-- is this based on facts? or a personal point of view?

Its always good to put the blame on someone - specially someone you guys personally hate. but the truth remains... we cant trade for good people because of this damn salary cap and of course no one wants our scrubs... even McHale whos a dumb GM doesnt want our pieces... thats how hopeless this roster is...

btw, free agent movement and trades: Lewis to Orlando, Allen to Boston, Randolph to New York; VC stays with Nets; looks like Billups is staying with Detroit - the East is getting all the players except for the two first picks in the draft- if this trend continues, perhaps Garnett goes to the Bulls - maybe a subtle shift is emerging...

Edwin,
What are your recommended trades for the Lakers to make? And remember that the other team has to agree to do it.

K & Gunner24L,

In an earlier discussion, I was saying that I had a problem with the Lakers Front Office.

This paragraph describes the front office perfectly.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The Utah Jazz agreed to release Fisher from his contract Monday so he can concentrate on finding the best care for his 11-month-old daughter, who has cancer in her left eye.

"Yesterday is a new development that will be addressed as well," Kupchak said. "We don't know what Derek's intentions are. I really have not sat down and addressed the Lakers' needs in regard to Derek. Our prayers and best wishes are with Derek and his family."
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Is there 1 blogger here, who did not *immediately* think of signing D-Fish? I appreciate their kindness
& respect for his family. It's the right feeling to have. As you *immediately* speak to everyone of
importance about the situation! Is it actually possible to get a better point guard to mentor Farmar
&/or Crittendin ?

And can someone please tell me why they're obsessed with a pg instead of getting a big man to help the juvenile in the center?

Gunner,
Apparently the only time you have played basketball is on your computer, where you can make all the teammates have exactly the same capabilities. Then you can pretend that they should all take the same number of shots, dribble the same amount of time, etc.

Nothing against Fisher, but even when Fish was here, I remember many times people saying that he was OK, but too slow to stop the fast point guards of the league, and that we needed someone better. But I liked him as did many of us, so having him on this team wouldn't hurt. I just saying that I don't think he is the solid answer the Lakers need at the point.

Socrates,

The Lakers options are very limited, because they really have very few pieces that other teams might want. Bynum is underpriced, since he is still on his rookie contract. Kwame is overpriced, because even at his best he is not worth 8M, plus he is coming off of surgery. Putting both of those in one trade leaves the team weak at center, especially since Mihm is coming off of surgery and (IMO) is still a question mark. Lamar is not worth his salary, and is comng off of surgery, so to get a team to take him you probably need to include Bynum, which leaves the team thin overall, because the salary cap is limiting them from signing more than one decent player. Of course, you could go with Farmar and Crittendon as the only PGs, but that is questionable thinking. (I am assuming that teams are not interested in Vlad, since he has a long contract, and is coming off a very poor year.)
The Lakers should re-sign Mihm for the shortest contract they can get (since his ankle is still questionable), since he won't count against the cap. Under the circumstances, I think that the only other moves that are somewhat realistic, and will help the Lakers more than hurt them, are a Lamar for Gasol trade, or a Kwame for Artest trade. If those teams aren't interested, then the Lakers would be better off not doing anything, rather than making a trade just for the sake of making a trade.

Crittenton:

"You think of all the great players who have played for this organization -- from Magic [Johnson] to Kobe. I hope to play with Kobe. I hope whatever they need to keep him happens. I feel like I can get him the ball."

Of course cynics...will just read that last part:

"I feel like I can get him the ball."

His mother is very diplomatic too:

"I'm very excited," Ms. Dixon said. "I've never been to Los Angeles. I love Kobe, I love Phil Jackson. I think he's going to do well here."

Seriously, I cannot believe some of you suggest pairing Kwame with Darko for the Laker's front line. I joked around about this with some friends this morning. We agreed it would be the worst, most unmotivated and unproductive front line in basketball. But really it would be quite unique - the Lakers would have the worst 1st pick in the draft ever and the worst second pick in the draft ever. Yeah, maybe you should rethink wanting another big stiff. Darko would be just another player for Kobe to whine about.

Ajax,

Thanks for sharing a YouTube about Theo Papaloukas. I wish we have him and Da Fish as well Javaris Crittenton and Farmar. They are all PG's but they can always adjust their games into shooting guards as long as we have a fast tempo that will compete with the speed of Tony Parker/Manu or Nash/Barbosa or Jason Terry/Harris. Once we achieve that competitiveness, Kobe will be smiling especially if we have a bonus in the center that is named KG or JO. See, by mentioning these names everybody gets awaken and excited unlike the news re-sign Luke or re-sign Chris Mihm....whoaaa! J/k only OK before I'll be accused as another hater. lol!

This is the plan, now let's roll our sleeves, roll our pants. make it happen.

JJ,

I am not pessimistic. You are vey unrealistic. I have been reading all your essays during the season that we're coming around. When did we come around? We got eliminated on the first round. What do we get from you. EXCUSES, more unrealistic rationale. You are supposed to be the Bull's expert, you klnow all the players, the strategies but the results are empty. Lakers expert but up to now I can't see any light from what you have proposed. In the first place, did you join the 55 wins bandwagon last year? If I talk, I accompany with action and commitment not purely analysis.....paralysis!