AK & BK,
Whats your thoughts on the Lakers as far as additional signings go? Will they make a run at a Chris Webber or Dale Davis or PJ Brown or someone like that or are they going to stick with their 14 man roster plan they have been talking about in the off season?

Go Cardinals!!!!!! (thank God we are in the weak NL Central!) : )

BK/AK

Well, seeing as how you guys are the bloggers, shouldn't you guys be coming up with the idea? No offense.

How about one your famous off-the-wall-something-to-do-with-laker basketball questions?

I can't wait to see D Fish draining them 3's for purple and gold again.

Your break out player this year will be Lamar. Even without the injury last season, it wasn't going to be his year. This season will be.

If you go anywhere at all this season, it will be because Lamar, along with a maturing Andrew, and solid play from Walton and Farmar will take you there.

Just pray that the man-child doesn't throw too much interference.

Sonnybelfast

I'd love to read some words from Andrew Bynum. He is the second piece to the Laker puzzle. He's arguably the second most important player.

How about an interview with Joel Myers?? Stu Lantz.

Actually, I know you're bloggers trying to stay unbiased, but if you were Kupchek what would you do? What would be the first move you would? I'd love to hear you guys speak some sense into these Kobe worshipers. I know AK has tried and people call him a Kobe Hater.

im with micheal H. I want to know more about andrew bynum and the rest of our young prospects (farmar, crittenton). How are they workouts going? have they improve? do you guys know anything or have heard anything about that? man i hate the offseason...

Slow NBA news day. . . why not hound Kobe some more? Chris Sheridan's recent article on Kobe and his "water under the bridge" statement about his earlier trade demand doesn't hold much water with me. It's something to discuss, I guess. Is he coming to training camp?

More info on Bynum would be good, and the breakout question is a good one. Really though, the big question is what will Stern do about this ref scandal, especially if Donaghy names other people as gambling. What will he do? Will he fire a large number of refs?

This is going to impact this year big time.

Kam-Brothers,

Would you guys do us a favor and interview Kobe? Not that Jimmy Kimmel held back interview. Kobe should be open questions considering his tirade. I feel like you two would do a great job!!!!

Respect

Charles

Who's in worse shape??

1. The LA Lakers
2. Clippers
3. Our mortgage market

They are all looking pretty crapy right now....

I'd love to hear what Vlad Radmanovic is doing. Last I heard he was staying in the states and taking his training seriously. This is another "x" factor guy who despite how bad things went last year, could do some good things for us this year - IF he is motivated. Also... could somebody tell him to cut his hair? It's ridiculous!

Hobbitimage...I think one of our biggest problems (in years past) is that we used talented but young players but didn't fill positions by position. I don't think the lineup should be Carmelo, Kobe, Lebron...for the simple reason that all three of them drive the paint exclusively, and (outside of Kobe) have to have the ball to be effective. However there is something to be said with putting your money on talent lol.

I think the lineup should include players who fit in well with each other, with what they can do. For example, I'd play Chauncey, with JKidd (though both 1s can bring different games), with Kobe (playing 3, we know what he can do), Miller (outside shot), DHoward (rebounding). Guards can be switched around...there would be games when I would actually play Lebron at the 1...unconventional but I think he would do well. Then again, I would have benched GP for Fisher back in 04 lol.

BK, the Lakers magazine would be a good conversation piece. It's where I read that Jim Buss was actually officially a "personnel" director thingy lol. But if there's nothing, no worries. We know you guys are out there looking, night and day lol.

very interesting ESPN article just up, is what I've thought the whole summer, Kobe and the Lakers have an understanding about what the future holds......

(btw this Angels/Yankees game is fantastic).......

Bryant: 'The Lakers know exactly where I stand'
By Chris Sheridan
ESPN

LAS VEGAS -- It was a simple yes or no question, and Kobe Bryant could have ended much of the speculation over his future simply by answering it.

"Do you still want the Lakers to trade you?"

As we walked toward the team bus some 40 minutes after Team USA's practice ended Saturday, this was his response:

"I'm not going to answer that question. The Lakers know exactly where I stand, and they've known exactly where I stand since the beginning of the summer."

The Kobe story might have regained some legs, thanks in large part to an on-camera interview Bryant gave to ESPN colleague Rachel Nichols in which he seemed to give an indication that things between him and the Lakers had smoothed over.

Here's a section of that interview:

Nichols: "You said one day you wanted to be traded, you said you wanted to be a 'Laker for life.' There were different phone calls back and forth."

Bryant: "I think a lot of people misinterpreted it. But that's water under the bridge to me, because going forward, we're handling our situation between ourselves, meaning the Lakers organization and myself. If things, if things were to be different, we both would have handled the situation a little differently."

"Water under the bridge," he said to Nichols. So I asked him exactly what he meant by that.

Bryant explained that what had washed under the bridge were the emotions and the frustrations he had been feeling earlier this summer when he first said publicly that he wanted the Lakers to trade him.

When I opined that people were going to hear "water under the bridge" and perceive that he was speaking of his trade request, he shook him head in response, frowning, and said that is why he is so reluctant to speak on the subject, because every time he opens his mouth, people walk away with a misperception.

Of course, that's because Bryant has made it difficult to understand what he wants.

It's been almost three months now since that crazy day in late May when Bryant was all over the board in interviews with Stephen A. Smith, Dan Patrick, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times and Vic "The Brick" Jacobs of KLAC radio in Los Angeles, first saying he wanted the Lakers to "do the right thing, just do the right thing, man" and then saying he had always wanted to be a "Laker for life."

And just a few days ago, when Nichols asked Bryant how he was feeling about the Lakers at the moment, he replied with another answer that's open to interpretation: "It's my team. It's the team I play for."

Around the league, most people seem to think it boils down to this: Kobe still wants out, but the Lakers won't trade him -- at least that's the impression being left by Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, who was unavailable for comment because he is not due back from a European vacation until Friday.

But if Bryant holds out, what choice would the Lakers have?

If Bryant were to stage a holdout (which would be his only leverage) and put his image at a colossal risk, the Lakers could try to wait him out, withhold his salary and hope he changed his mind after missing his paychecks. But would the Lakers honestly believe that would work? They know better than anyone that we're talking about perhaps the most stubborn player in the entire NBA, a guy whose competitive instincts take over any time he is challenged.

Is Bryant all of a sudden going to lose that quality simply because the Lakers tell him they're not going to trade him? I think not.

And I'd further argue that any money Bryant lost through a holdout would be recouped by the 15 percent trade kicker in his contract, assuming he could retain that after forcing a trade. When I spoke to Bryant, I told him a "yes" or "no" answer to the question of whether he still wanted to be traded would clear up a lot of confusion for a lot of people, and he explained again that he does not want to propel his status back into the spotlight and steal the focus from Team USA.

So what we're left with is a somewhat cryptic explanation of the "water under the bridge" quote … and little else to go on as we try to figure out what will happen six weeks from now as the Lakers open training camp.

And despite Kobe saying now that the Lakers know exactly how he feels, what is going to matter much more is how he feels then.

Will Kobe be there when the Lakers report to camp in Hawaii? After looking him in the eye and getting a bit of a fresh mid-August reading of his mood, I'm not so certain he will be.

Hugo-

I believe it was two and an option, but I'll look it up to make sure.

Incidentally, the winner right now is the all time Lakers roster. Not necessarily the best players, but if you had to construct a roster that would have the best balance, chance to win, etc. who would be on it? We've already got some feelers out to get a couple interviews before camp. Hopefully those come through soon.

BK

Yeah, slow news day (Laker news that is).

I would love to know more about all the above mentioned Laker updates that everyone asked for. For instance...

1) Chris Mihm and his health

2) Kwame Brown and his health

3) Vlad Rad and his health (what happened to his shooting finger? Did he ever get a surgery?)

4) Bynum's development

5) More on Crittenton

6) What is Phil Jackson upto these days?

So, that would be my Laker related curiosities.

Slightly changing the topic, I read about Michael Vick's guilty plea and saw a bunch of videos and articles on some of the details of the case. I'll just say that I was beyond appalled. Vick had the potential to be the Michael Jordan of the NFL. And now Vick became a sure fire first ballot Losers Hall of Fame. It was a really sad day for me being a big sports fan in general. I just hope that we don't have to deal with too many of these pitfalls of superstar athletes.

Showtime07

Hobbit Image,

As I reiterated before, you guys who LOVE to use Stats to back arguments WAAAY overate those things as Facts.

As I've stated before:

Bynum led the team in blocks
Smush led the team in Steals
Smush scored the second most points of anybody on the team second to Kobe
Kobe had the most turnovers by FAR.
Odom Led the team in rebounds
Odom scored more and had more rebounds that Jermaine O'neal

But does that mean Bynum is an enforcer?
Is Smush a shut down defender?
Is Smush a big time scorer?
Is Kobe the worst ball handler/decision-maker on the team?
Is Odom really an inside presence??

Okay I hope you know that all of those questions the answer is a RESOUNDING "No".

So STATS MEAN JACK SO STOP USING THEM PLEASE. IT DOES NOTHING FOR YOUR ARGUMENTS.

AK/BK,

Please set it up. I want to do the interview with Kobe for ya'll.

Sonnybelfast

AK/BK,

Really, I could work it in.

Sonnybelfast

Hobbit Image,

More great stats,

NBA FINALS MVP

2007 Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs

2006 Dwyane Wade Miami Heat

2005 Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs

2004 Chauncey Billups

2003 Tim Duncan

2002 Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers Averaged 36.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.75 blocks to lead the Lakers to a sweep of the New Jersey Nets and the franchise’s third consecutive NBA Championship. O’Neal’s best Finals performances came at the STAPLES Center with 36 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in Game #1, 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in Game #2, 35 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in Game #3.

2001 Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers Averaged 33.0 points, 15.6 rebounds and 3.40 blocks to lead the Lakers to a 4-1victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and the franchise’s second consecutive NBA Championship. O’Neal’s best Finals performances came at the Staples Center with 44 points, 20 rebounds and five assists in Game #1, 28 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists in Game #2 and 34 points, 14 rebounds in Game #4.
2000 Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers Averaged 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds and 2.67 blocks to lead the Lakers to a 4-2 victory over the Indiana Pacers and the franchise’s first NBA Championship since 1988. O’Neal’s best Finals performances came at the STAPLES Center with 43 points, 19 rebounds in Game #1, 40 points, 24 rebounds in Game #2 and 41 points, 12 rebounds in Game #6.

1999 Tim Duncan

1998 Michael Jordan

Man I dont know how some of you people can even say Shaq wasnt the unquestioned man on that team. Sure Kobe was there too, but Shaq's numbers were Chamberlain like. And those are monster numbers. Now personally I dont think it was against great competition, but Kobe wasnt facing nobody either.

By the way, no Kobe on here either, despite three Laker titles.

Hobbit Image and all Kobe lovers who think stats makes him the greatest,

points stats

12. Kobe Bryant 784 6,681 4,998 19,296 24.6
3. Allen Iverson 747 7,271 5,355 20,824 27.9
7. George Gervin 791 8,045 4,541 20,708 26. 2
19. Rick Barry 794 7,252 3,818 18,395 23.2
4. Elgin Baylor 846 8,693 5,763 23,149 27.4

Those guys are comparable. Is Kobe worthy of 50 greatest all time stats? Sure. But Allen Iverson has him beat in terms of scoring. George Gervin has the most scoring titles behind Jordan and I think Chamberlain. Elgin Baylor is a better scorer than all those guys except A.I.

Of course we'd never compare those guys to MJ though right? So again how does Kobe fit in this comparison???

AK/BK,

I know. It's just too ballsy. Another rocket powered career launch.

On behalf of all Laker fans, you could schedule a 3 hour live interview with Kobe and conduct it on this blog. We ask questions. You moderate. (Naturally, do it on a 10 minute delay. This will give staff time to censor threats and vulgarity, or figure out whatever it is Jorenema was trying to ask) I know he didn't go that far in school, but the Saint can type right?

If Kobe's heart is truly vested in the Lakers, he will value this incredible opportunity. He will not only show up, but he'll be head cheerleader; the "can do" guy for Laker fans, and more importantly, his Laker teamates. He'll be a leader, Or not. You can make it so, I know you can, because you are the Brothers!

Sonnybelfast

As the drama that is Kobe's Anatomy (Desperate Kobe, more like) continues to unfurl, I can't help but think: somewhere, in a rich Miami neighborhood, Shaquille O'Neal is having the last laugh...

"everything was so positive, as opposed to written by columnists."

INTERESTING!

Kobe with Jim Hill:

http://cbs2.com/video/?cid=86
(go to category: Lakers)

The Lake Show,

You wrote: Hobbit Image,

As I reiterated before, you guys who LOVE to use Stats to back arguments WAAAY overate those things as Facts.

As I've stated before:

Bynum led the team in blocks
Smush led the team in Steals
Smush scored the second most points of anybody on the team second to Kobe
Kobe had the most turnovers by FAR.
Odom Led the team in rebounds
Odom scored more and had more rebounds that Jermaine O'neal

But does that mean Bynum is an enforcer?
Is Smush a shut down defender?
Is Smush a big time scorer?
Is Kobe the worst ball handler/decision-maker on the team?
Is Odom really an inside presence??

Okay I hope you know that all of those questions the answer is a RESOUNDING "No".

So STATS MEAN JACK SO STOP USING THEM PLEASE. IT DOES NOTHING FOR YOUR ARGUMENTS.

My response:

You're throwing out the baby with the bath water. There is not a single
technical field or possibly financial [ Kl I think can address this. ] field
where Stats are not important. They *HELP* one to interpret things.

1st Example: Let's say that Smush Parker is 10% behind the 3 pt
line and Kobe is 35% behind the 3 pt. line. Which do you guard?

2nd Example: Lamar goes to his left 80% of the time. Do you play
him to go to the right?

For example: Those stats that you want to throw out also indicate
that Chris Mihm didn't play last year. The games missed statistic
would indicate how robust/injury prone a player is. It's good basketball
business to actually pay attention to those things. I believe there's a
book out called "Money Ball", if you haven't read it or heard about it
might I suggest you go take a glance. It won't necessarily change
your opinion, but then again it might.

BTW, when the season is over .... Those stats *ARE* facts.

Faith,

You wrote: think one of our biggest problems (in years past) is that we used talented but young players but didn't fill positions by position. I don't think the lineup should be Carmelo, Kobe, Lebron...for the simple reason that all three of them drive the paint exclusively, and (outside of Kobe) have to have the ball to be effective. However there is something to be said with putting your money on talent lol.

I think the lineup should include players who fit in well with each other, with what they can do. For example, I'd play Chauncey, with JKidd (though both 1s can bring different games), with Kobe (playing 3, we know what he can do), Miller (outside shot), DHoward (rebounding). Guards can be switched around...there would be games when I would actually play Lebron at the 1...unconventional but I think he would do well. Then again, I would have benched GP for Fisher back in 04 lol.

***********************************
1st. Hi. I've read a lot of your posts. Nice work!

Back to your recent post. You also wrote: I don't think the lineup should be Carmelo, Kobe, Lebron...for the simple reason that all three of them drive the paint exclusively, and (outside of Kobe) have to have the ball to be effective.

It's true that they're all slashers. I think Carmelo does have an outside
game. Perhaps the best reason that you should start them is that we
don't have Dirk. i.e. the best shooting forward in the world? If we start
with all 3 playing, the middle will be come packed. This will open it up
for the substitutions at all 3 spots. Coming in for Kobe we have a couple
of other guards who are *PURE* shooters in Reddick and Miller. In jujitsu,
we would call this "taking the kazush". [ taking their balance ] It would be
a setup for the first substitution when we bring in a marksman.

Hope I was clear. I haven't finished the first cup of coffee. :)

Let's say that LeBron doesn't start because he's the worst permiter
shooter of the 3. Who do you start in his place?

AB,

You said: I say MJ to just sit on the bench and mentor Kobe. It would be a big ego boost for the team.

He's a part owner of the Bobcats. He *CAN'T* come back. How about
Kevin Willis to teach Bynum how to play defense?

To all who responded or thought of responding to my comments about
the starting 5 for team USA,

The following link: http://www.nba.com/usabasketball/roster_070820.html

Gives a break down on the players and how/why they are being used. There
was a discussion about Dwight vs. Amare at Center. It address that by
indicating that Amare is a better shooter. Take a look. Thoughts?