In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped the dog-fighting charges

AK,
"At least with legal matters now behind him, Doc B. can concentrate on basketball issues, such as what do about a star player who helped set a tone for Team USA,"

I didn't bother going to the link; just tell me if that means that Buss is trading for Kidd or Lebron to team up with Kobe.

Would that the Lakers get out of our predicament as easily as Dr Buss did.

C'mon Jerry - you don't really think Jack and the rest of us fans will continue to shell out the big bucks to see a mediocre team with a justifiably disgruntled superstar that may quit at any time. We're the Lakers man! We have a legacy and we deserve better!

Make a deal, have Mitch make a deal, have Magic call Larry and make a deal but DO FREAKIN' SOMETHING! Please don't saddle us and Kobe with another season where if Lamar goes down with an injury our next best players are Walton and Kwame. Hell they couldn't even start on most other teams. PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!!

Ex,

I'm just gonna keep you in suspense. haha

AK

AK

"For the life of me, I don't understand why readers don't simply ignore those "2 or 3" anti-Kobe folks."

i know you're not talking about the "beast"? okay, maybe you are...i still like you.

Hey, the truth hurts sometimes, but it's the only way to move forward. kobe has to first admit that he's not the shizzle, then we can get into the business of winning basketball games, perhaps if the stars align, we can even see the 2nd round under King Kobra's leadership.

BTW, i'm not holding my breath since our "franchise guy" ["franchis guy" is in quotations because kobe has not acted anything like a franchise guy] has not even address the issue of whether or not he wants to be a laker...

as i see it kobe wanted to be the "man" at all cost, so act like one...don't be a kbiatch.

Kobe still wants out, maybe to Knicks or Bulls
Tuesday, Sep 4, 2007 11:56 am EDT

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was quiet here on his demands to be traded, though privately he is said not to have changed his mind. It seems unlikely the Lakers will make a move now, or even this season.

With coach Phil Jackson entering the final year of his contract, transition appears to be in the Lakers' future. The betting is the New York Knicks will make a major run at Bryant with the Chicago Bulls, Bryant's personal choice, still a possibility.

VISTA, Calif. (AP) -- Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss pleaded guilty to drunken driving and was sentenced to five years' probation Tuesday.

The 74-year-old Buss was ordered to take part in a first-conviction program and attend a program administered by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He also was fined $1,900.

Buss owns a home in San Diego County and was arrested in Carlsbad in May. He drove with a blood-alcohol level of .13 percent, above the state limit of .08 percent.

Buss was not required to appear in court. He entered his plea through attorney David Manning Chodos, who declined to comment.

Jay Jay,

"you don't really think Jack and the rest of us fans will continue to shell out the big bucks to see a mediocre team with a justifiably disgruntled superstar that may quit at any time. We're the Lakers man! We have a legacy and we deserve better!"

I'm not 100% positive, but I remember Jack and about 17,505 every night in Inglewood watching Sedale Threatt and Cedric Ceballos run the show after Magic and company were gone. When Buss trades Kobe, like they did when he traded Shaq, the fans will still come to Staples.

It won't be long before the Lakers are back in the mix. Contrary to what most here want to say about Dr. Buss, the man desires to win and he'll get the Lakers back there sooner rather than later.

Believe, Kobe will redeem himself this year.

"Kobe still wants out, maybe to Knicks or Bulls"

Chicago to kobe: "F-U"

As for the Knicks, Taliq and Zeke can have the malcontent (i don't mean Zack Randolf or Marbury either)...

I'm willing to bet the current laker squad without Kobe can make the playoffs and do better than a 4-8 record. Lamar will be our lone all-star during the rebuilding phase which becan in 2005 after shaq was chased away by Princess Kobe...

Smush Parker

Hey Smush, please win a championship for me so i can rip kobe a new one over and over again...

haha kobe sucks!

give my regards to Shaq "Kobe's" Daddy.

From one of AK's links:

[What’s more, Kidd knows: Vince Carter is no Kobe.

“This is something that I will always remember,” Kidd told me Saturday. “This is something that could’ve been. We could be talking (with each other) about, ‘what are you going to do? Are you going to work out? I’ll see you back in LA.’

“But unfortunately it didn’t happen.”]

It's about to get interesting again ... team usa crap (umm camp) is over and now we can get back to kobe watch ... i just hope he doesn't punk out ... hope he keeps throwing a tantrum ... and most of all hope the lakers trade him .... but if not then i'd rather he plays cuz a season of nba ball without kobe would be a crime

Dr. Buss/Mitch/Jim all need their @$$es kicked for how they handled this off-season. All we did was get rid of Smush and brought back D-Fish. The other cancer (Kwame the Cake Boy) is still on the team and no other upgrades in personel can be accounted for. Seems to me like the FO doesn't give a damn about winning anymore.

Losing Kobe or Shaq was a bullet I was willing to deal with.
Losing Kobe AND Shaq is freakin' unbearable!

I, for one, can't endure 5-10 years of Lotto Fever after Kobe's gone. Now that Dr. Buss has beat the rap (the rest of us would have done some serious time for what he did!), it's time he gets back on focus.

"Hey Smush, please win a championship for me so i can rip kobe a new one over and over again..."

KL my man , you need to get out more. There is more to the world than internet blogs and web - bashing. Normal people have a rant and move on to more important subjects...

Taliq - damn straight...as much as I love Timmy's bankshots, I think i'd rather have a Kobe fallaway. (diss Kobe's fallaway KL..I dare you. This goes out to you Gunner as well...being a baller and all)

repost

ATL,
"And quit shooting blanks, BB"

Thanks Dad. BTW, how's the Atlanta Hawks doing?

Hal9000,
"You have the greatest coach, the most respected active player, and the most popular Laker legend on Kobe's side"

YOU SEE THAT'S THE HOCUS POCUS you're seeing. Why would they say anything bad? Phil is getting paid $10 million per year regardless of what circus act kobiatch is pulling. Phil only came back for the money. He knew there was no way of winning with Kobiatch. If he didn't, WHY WOULD HE WRITE THAT STUFF IN HIS BOOK?

Magic is getting paid as a partner so, he can careless about Kobe. And Derek Fisher. Need I say anymore? He only came back because of the situation. Do you remember he was promoting himself to the Knicks before he became a Laker. Only reason why he didn't go to the Knicks first is because they didn't want him.

SO YOUR LOGIC IS STRAIGHT GARBAGE.

Kobe Bryant lacks is tact and media saavy, but otherwise, we all know (even the illogical Kobe haters know) that every point the guy made during his early summer tirade is absolutely legit -- despite the folly of how he went about it all.

How would you like to carry a bunch of washed up (and otherwise injury-prone) so-called players on your back every night? If Kobe doesn't know up and give it everything he has, every night, the Lakers generally lose. Not acceptable! Other players, like Iverson have done the same, for sure, but none of them, in the current era are as competitive as Kobe Bryant. Dude just wants to win!

Jerry Buss needs to get his head out of his you know what, and stop chasing skirts, and start cashing in on the high-level friendships he has built over the last 20+ seasons as the owner of the Lakers and UPGRADE THE ROSTER. As Laker fans, and just like Kobe, we've had enough of this mediocrity for three long years! And if it isn't Jerry Buss, and blame should fall on Mitch Kup-cake, then fire the fool -- no matter how nice of a person he is.

Seriuosly, who would you rather keep around? The best player in the league? Or, the most inept GM in the league? If Buss trades Kobe before firing Kup-cake, it will be a travesty to all Laker fans, of epic proportions.

Are you telling me that we can't use Kwame's $8 million expiring contract to lure a veteran from a team looking for cap space next summer? Are you telling me that we can't use draft picks and some of the young talent we have to snag veteran talent? There HAS to be some legit deals out there, that could improve the Lakers NOW. Of course, instead of doing his job in one of the most critical summers in recent memory for the Lakers, Kup-cake went on vacation. What a loser!

KLBeast,

"As for the Knicks, Taliq and Zeke can have the malcontent (i don't mean Zack Randolf or Marbury either)..."

Dude I really hope Jerry Buss and Mitch K share your sentiments. I wouldn't put up with Kobe either and at some point these guys need to realise that he's not worth the headache ... I truly believe LA will be better off without Kobe ... and even though #24 is my guy, I think he needs to learn a lesson and should be traded to a lottery team ... luckily for us ny is on his short list and is also a lottery team ... trust me trading kobe to NY will teach him it's not cool for a grown man to throw tantrums ...

Getting back to basketball, I attended two of the FIBA games in Vegas. I hope it wasn't the last time I'll see Kobe play as a member of the "home team," but just in case, I took some photos at the game versus Mexico:
http://estnyboer.com/pix/v/fiba

I hear you, Jay Jay, I hear you.

taliq

"and even though #24 is my guy, I think he needs to learn a lesson and should be traded to a lottery team ... "

haray, Taliq and The Beat agree..

pass me the water please.

After watching Kobe play with howard, anthony, & kidd . I feel bad for him having to return to a roster of Bynum, Brown, Fisher... That's like leasing a benz for the summer, to drop it off and pick up your civic for the rest of the year. Kobe I can't blame you. Hopefully, you are as blind as us fans and can't see the difference either.

So...Dr. Buss has gone MADD?

That's much better than working with that horrible group, MFDD (Mother's For Drunk Driving). Those girls are outta control.

Andy Z,
I, too, was present during the Ceballos era and I'm 100% percent positive that it was never easier to buy tickets in the parking lot for $10. Here are attendance stats for those lean years, courtesy of http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/teamatt.htm?tm=LAL&lg=n

1995-96 649,634 15,845
1994-95 591,125 14,418
1993-94 545,915 13,315
1992-93 633,655 15,455

"After watching Kobe play with howard, anthony, & kidd . I feel bad for him having to return to a roster of Bynum, Brown, Fisher..."

be careful for what you wish for...

i bet kobe regrets chasing shaq away...

kobe sucks.

""After watching Kobe play with howard, anthony, & kidd . I feel bad for him having to return to a roster of Bynum, Brown, Fisher..."

Give me a break. You act as if though all the other teams are loaded with superstars. Phoenix is the closes thing to be loaded with talent and they haven't won a thing. San Antonio takes players and coaches them to play a certain way and they win.

This is about coaching.

mike

est nyboer,

That's still filling an arena at 85% capacity, and if Buss is cutting payroll a bit he's still going to come out on top.

There are many franchises in the league that would kill to fill an arena to 85% capacity every night.

Mike T,

I agree to a certain extent. San Antonio does have excellent coaches, but they also have more top level talent than the normal team with guys like Duncan, Parker, and Manu. It definitely takes a mix though.

I actually think PJ did one of the better coaching jobs in the league last year getting that roster with all the injuries into the playoffs. However, there was definitely something missing from the team and when that happens it's usually the coach that takes the hit. The fact that PJ is about as "untouchable" as a coach gets it will be interesting to see how players react to him this season.

My guess? I think Kobe gets traded and Phil takes a front office job as Brian Shaw or Kurt Rambis takes the head coach position.

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I had to come out of hiding to correct a couple statements.

Jay Jay & utzworld:

"Would that the Lakers get out of our predicament as easily as Dr Buss did."

"Dr. Buss has beat the rap (the rest of us would have done some serious time for what he did!)"

What Dr. Buss got was fairly typical for first time DUI offenses. He didn't get off any easier than the average Joe without a lawyer and there isn't a single person who would have done serious time under the same circumstances. In fact, unless California has changed their DUI laws much, he got off with more probation time than most. It's usually just 3 years, not 5, though the added two might have been for the prescription drugs.

"This is about coaching."

it's more than just coaching...

have you ever tired coaching a malcontent?

have you ever tried to get someone who is stubborn as hell to listen?

that's kobe bryant.

Coach K even called out kobe as being a stubborn jerk. Coach K said (paraphrase) "you can't give a kobe bryant [ie a malcontent] advice, you have to give him support". in other words, you have to kiss kobe's a$$.

and i wonder why no free agents have joined LA....

Don't give me this Kidd crap either. It seems like every player and thier moms wants to play for kobe until it comes time to signing on the dotted line.

talk is cheap...

AZ

"It won't be long before the Lakers are back in the mix. Contrary to what most here want to say about Dr. Buss, the man desires to win and he'll get the Lakers back there sooner rather than later."

I agree although that seems pretty GHF of you. lol.

Tom

On the subject of "Chise" and those dreary years at the Forum, that was caused by an act of God (Magic's retirement) and all of Los Angeles realized that no one was to blame. I wrote Jerry West a letter letting him know that we understood and to hang in there - the Lakers would surely come back under your leadership. They did - thanks to draft night in 1996 and Jerry's great signing of Shaq. This time, however, the sitch is most different - isn't it?

This terrible Laker team was built with the trading of Shaq to appease a screwed-up young man who has taken over the team, and the subsequent exodus of players who knew what was coming. I do not believe that Laker fans see "Club Ced" and "Club Kobe" in the same light. I believed then - I believe nothing now. Phil to the fronnt office? Kidding me? He's no Jerry.

I read this blog differently, like what the Chinese do read from Right to Left. I start from the bottom. As soon as I read the name KLBeast at the bottom, I move the cursor down as fast as I can so I won't read his garbage and move to another blogger who can somewhat give me relevant information about the Lakers.

San Antonio takes players and coaches them to play a certain way and they win.

Indeed Mike T its called team basketballl, and one other key difference San Antonio is built around a self-less all star center, the lakers are built around a scoring first shooting guard.

ANDREW Z
the only thing you said right was the 17505
Sedale threatt an Cedric Ceballos never step on the same court together......CC played with NICK V in 94.........S T........played after magic 91 HIV shocker I remember I was in the 7th grade........2........Sell outs HELL NO not even jack showed up to some games.........an you have 2 remember the G.W.F. was payed for there just renting the STAPLE CENTER........So if they Trade KOBE are if he walks do you people would pay top $$$$$ to watch luke walton- lamar odam-brain cook combo.........FLUC NO..........ASK the T-WOLVES how many season ticket holders they lost after the KG trade

"This is all about coaching."

You can't coach blood out of a turnip. And most of last year's Lakers roster just fell off of the turnip wagon, at least in the context of NBA-level basketball.

Compton,

Ced and Sedale were on the same teams from 94-95 and 95-96.

AK

LakerTom,

I think the future of the Lakers is very bright and I'm excited to rooting for them. However, I don't think that future includes Kobe.

Dr. Buss has been in the playoffs 26 of the 28 years he's owned the team. Whether you agree or disagree with the way he's running his franchise or his life, the man's track record speaks for itself. To have that kind of excellence over such a long period of time says a lot. You have to trust that he'll get us back to the top.

Hell, he traded the most dominant player in the league and made the playoffs two of the three years since (and the year he didn't was a train wreck). A lot of teams would kill to get to the playoffs.

est nyboer,

For those attendance stats, you need to know whether they include tickets that are sold but not used. It varies from sport-to-sport whether those are included in total attendance or not. I don't know what the policy is for the NBA, but I would be surprised if there were that many unsold tickets for those seasons, if you consider that a number of the games were still sell-outs/almost sell-outs, that would mean that a lot of games only had half the tickets sold.

Est nyboer and Andy Z,

"I, too, was present during the Ceballos era and I'm 100% percent positive that it was never easier to buy tickets in the parking lot for $10."

That was then. In 1992, the Internet was in its infancy and had just replaced something called the ARPANET. There were only one million Internet hosts.

In 1992, The Lakers were still on the original Prime Ticket cable network.

In 1992, There was only one ESPN channel.

In 1992, there was no NBA League Pass.

My point is, today a sports fan has many more choices than during the Ceballos era. Laker fans do not have to sit idly by and watch the ownership gut the team in preparation for the future.

This is also Los Angeles, where there is plenty of entertainment competition and sports are not the end all-be all like they are in cities like Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit.

The ownership of a sports team in Los Angeles has no choice but to deliver a competitive team or suffer the consequences.

Compton,

"So if they Trade KOBE are if he walks do you people would pay top $$$$$ to watch luke walton- lamar odam-brain cook combo"

You do realize that if they trade Kobe they get players in return? Chances are said players will be highlighted and built around.

The Lakers have won an average of 40.3 games a year since Shaq was traded. I'm willing to bet anyone $20 that if Kobe is traded that the Lakers win at least 41 games the first season he is gone. Of course, I'll only bet one person that much, it could get expensive otherwise, lol!!!

Rick Friedman,

Great post. I agree completely. But I feel that the Lakers, post Kobe trade, would be competitive, at least to the level that they are now. The difference is that the team would be working with a different dynamic and attempting to reach the same goal via a different route.

You know, we do have a lot more entertainment options here, but you have to admit, Laker fans are pretty rabid when it comes to unconditional support. Hell, look at how many posts this blog gets in the offseason!!! Some of the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears type fans will leave if Kobe goes, but there are plenty of us die hards to get by.

I mean, would you stop following the team if Kobe is gone? Me neither.

KLBeast:

Coach K even called out kobe as being a stubborn jerk. Coach K said (paraphrase) "you can't give a kobe bryant [ie a malcontent] advice, you have to give him support". in other words, you have to kiss kobe's a$$.

Would you mind posting the article (or a link to it) in which Coach K says this?

Gunner:

"YOU SEE THAT'S THE HOCUS POCUS you're seeing. Why would they say anything bad? Phil is getting paid $10 million per year regardless of what circus act kobiatch is pulling. Phil only came back for the money. He knew there was no way of winning with Kobiatch. If he didn't, WHY WOULD HE WRITE THAT STUFF IN HIS BOOK?

Magic is getting paid as a partner so, he can careless about Kobe. And Derek Fisher. Need I say anymore? He only came back because of the situation. Do you remember he was promoting himself to the Knicks before he became a Laker. Only reason why he didn't go to the Knicks first is because they didn't want him. "

...So. you're callling Phil, Fish and Magic liars?

"Some of the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears type fans will leave if Kobe goes, but there are plenty of us die hards to get by."-AZ

Great line there AZ.

KL... Shaq who? the movie star? or the rapper? oh you mean the reality t.v dude. watch out he'll be replacing Woopie on the View soon.

Mike T. (If you spent the entire summer writing for ESPN and then had to come back to the blog, you feel what Kobe probably felt on the plane home. A bit discouraged at the least, that's all I'm saying. )

One question? You'd look at our roster and say everything is fine, except for the coach? Come on Mike. I know what you mean by stating that but our roster has holes in it. My post was more out of frustration for the lack of movement by our front office. If Kwame or Bynum show half of the determination D. Howard does off the glass we'd be fine. But they haven't (I'm hoping they do). I'm a fan of the game and it was nice to see a ultra talented team play the game. Coach K. can't sink a 3 ball or take command of the paint but Mello can.

Hal9000

"Would you mind posting the article (or a link to it) in which Coach K says this?"

Walton Sr. said it during one of the FIBA games.

The "stubborn jerk" part was ad lib comlements of KLBeast.

Rudy (dacsila)

"I read this blog differently, like what the Chinese do read from Right to Left. I start from the bottom. As soon as I read the name KLBeast at the bottom, I move the cursor down as fast as I can so I won't read his garbage and move to another blogger who can somewhat give me relevant information about the Lakers."

First off, don't knock the Chinese, they make great food.

Second, i think this reading backwards thing is called dyslexia.

lakerfaze

"KL... Shaq who? the movie star? or the rapper? oh you mean the reality t.v dude. watch out he'll be replacing Woopie on the View soon."

look for the guy holding 4 rings, 3 finals MVP awards and a regular season MVP wearing a Gold Medallion from the 1996 Olympic games.

Who's kobe's daddy?

i'd rather he plays cuz a season of nba ball without kobe would be a crime

Posted by: Taliq | September 04, 2007 at 01:42 PM

'xactly! Can't phrase it much better.

I think this is a good trade in which the Lakers could get out some good talent from trading Kobe before he opts out next season:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=981~110~990~1706~703~1006&teams=17~18~13~13~13~13&te=2772:17-535~1031:17-535&cash=

This trade, I think, benefits all three teams,
First the Nets: They get Kwame's expiring contract which means more cap space and getting free agents next season. And even until next year, Kwame is still an upgrade from Jason Collins at the center position. Also, they get David Lee, a player who is very solid (averaged a double-double in about 20 mpg) with potential. Finally, Mo Evans can be a contributor on the offensive end against weaker Eastern Conference rivals.

Next the Knicks: They get Kobe obviously and with a backcourt of Kobe and Marbury they could put alot of points on the board. The duo of Kobe and Randolph could be very dangerous too.

Finally the Lakers: We get Richard Jefferson, a very good perimeter scorer. We get Eddy Curry, who could play power foward. We also get efficient shooter from Quentin Richardson. Dan Dickau is just a filler because of money. Plus he has an expering contract.

So the roster for next year would look like this,

C- Bynum/Mihm/Turiaf
PF- Curry/Radmanovic/Cook
SF- Odom/Richardson
SG- Jefferson/Walton/Vujacic
PG- Fisher/Farmar/Critterdon/Dickau

I think this can be a 48-55 win team if things go well and a team that might surprise in the playoffs.

KL
"Coach K even called out kobe as being a stubborn jerk. Coach K said (paraphrase) "you can't give a kobe bryant [ie a malcontent] advice, you have to give him support". in other words, you have to kiss kobe's a$$.

and i wonder why no free agents have joined LA....

Don't give me this Kidd crap either. It seems like every player and thier moms wants to play for kobe until it comes time to signing on the dotted line.

talk is cheap..."

Did coach K call you and tell you that this out of nowhere interpretation is what he meant? No he didnt. Are you sure he didn't mean that kobe doesnt need advice? Are you sure he didn't mean that Kobe was right and that Buss and Cupcrap stabbed him in the back.
But as usual you resort to ur everyday dilusions, and think you've discovered something, go back and read all coach K's remarks about kobe, read the other teammates remarks, even Lebron's remarks; He said that he is learning from Kobe, something that addresses your misconceptions about his leadership, but you'll probably say that Lebron is lying too.
By the way, nobody was stomping his feet and crying to go join Shaq either. His own Team mates are running away from him (guess they don't like getting swept), something you definitely can't say about Kobe (except ofcourse for Smudge Parker) even though, and as you put it, he threw them under the buss, they all stuck around.
You can spin quotes and stats and news all you want they dont become facts. A lie doesnt become true no matter how often it is repeated.
Like it or not
KOBE BRYANT IS THE BEST PLAYER ON EARTH
SHAQ IS A GREEDY FAT PIG, NEVER IN HIS LIFE WAS HE WORTH 30 MILLION DOLLARS.

AK
show me the roster of 94-95 95-96
I dont remember sedale ever playing with ced.........But that's not the point im trying to make we have idiots who think trdaing KOBE would be the best thing for the lakers..........I cant go back to SEDALE-SAM PERKIN-YOUNG VLADE an ELDEN with DOUG CHRISTY........At least in 94-95 we had a young exciting team to watch play with NICK (the QUICK)-E JONES in his rookie year an a raising star slam dunk champ in CED........that year we were the 5 seed an got beat out bye the rockets who won the title that year so..........LET'S ignore the GILLIGANS on this blog an hope KOBE stay's........because if he leave's it's all bad

AZ

"The Lakers have won an average of 40.3 games a year since Shaq was traded. I'm willing to bet anyone $20 that if Kobe is traded that the Lakers win at least 41 games the first season he is gone. Of course, I'll only bet one person that much, it could get expensive otherwise, lol!!!"

First off, i love averages...i also like standard deviations (aka volatility in the business). i bet the lakers have a plenty of volatility with kobe at the helm.

I'm willing to be that post kobe, the laker can rebuild rather quickly. if you recall post-magic, we were able to rebuild in 4 years when shaq was signed on as a laker. i like our core guys. all we really need is a true super star who can lead.

Andrew Z,

Thanks. You and I are looking at the same picture, but through different prisms.
When you say, "Laker fans are pretty rabid when it comes to unconditional support. Hell, look at how many posts this blog gets in the offseason!!! there's more to the picture.

There are only about 50 of us who post regularly. All I'm saying is, unless each of us had a Nielsen box on our TV and an Arbitron meter on our radio, the franchise would have to relocate to Oklahoma City if it depended solely on us.

A team that wins only 41 games would satisfy the diehards, but in an attention-deficit world, the Laker image would surely suffer.

A better solution: The front office finally gets busy.

Andrew Z,
"My guess? I think Kobe gets traded and Phil takes a front office job as Brian Shaw or Kurt Rambis takes the head coach position. "

WE BOTH AGREE. I see Phil moving in to a Jerry West type role and liaison with Mitch on moves. That's even if Mitch doesn't get push out after next year. My vote is for Kurt Rambis to become coach again and Brian Shaw his lead assistant.

DALLAS
SUNS
SPURS
DENVER
GOLDEN STATE
UTAH
HOUSTON
THE BLAZERS
HORNETS
SONICS
CLIPPERS
IF WE TRADE KOBE WHICH ONE THESE TEAMS WOULD THE BEAT OUT TO MAKE THE PLAY-OFFS.........AN LET ME SEE ANY-ONE WITH A TICKET TO THESE GAMES ...........POST KOBE............IM TALKING TO ALL THE GILLIGANS.

i'm a die hard laker fan but I know in my hearts of hearts that as soon as Kobe is gone this team would be $hit no matter who you got for him.

Stop lying to yourself people. It's ok to hate kobe but don't think Laker land is going to be great just because you get rid of him.

what we need is a compromise. The haters say kobe is a ballhog, so what the lakers need is a player who will take the ball out of kobe's hands. I think a Jason kidd would have done that but they missed out on that so the lakers need to find someone else.

I think Fish might be the guy but I could be wrong... any other ideas?

dacsila, I do the exact same thing. Don't nee to waste our time reading the garbage from kl, gunner, etc.

"I agree to a certain extent. San Antonio does have excellent coaches, but they also have more top level talent than the normal team with guys like Duncan, Parker, and Manu."

Those "top level" talent players were drafted near the end of the 1st round when they got drafted. No one expected them to be as good as they are. And they probably aren't. San Antonio showed that they are about defense. That's how they beat the Suns, Jazz, and Cavs this year. Parker and Ginobili just benefited from spending so much time in Pop's coaching system and his system is all about defense. And I think Phil Jackson did a terrible job this year. A Kobe Bryant led team with him gunning the ball is going to play 500 anyway.

All year long people were commenting on how the Lakers played the pic and roll. They were terrible. The pic and roll isn't hard to defend. I'm going to write a paper on it before the season begins. Why the Lakers go so deep into the season and still have trouble with it is a reflection of the coaching staff. How many times did we read this past year that the coaches didn't spend hardly any time coaching defense? The only time they tried to coach it was when it go so bad they had no other choice but to address it.

That triangle offense is a joke, especially when the coaching staff pays very little to the defensive end of the game. As Magic Johnson mentioned. It all starts at the defensive end. When we have a decent defense it leads to easy transition baskets. Getting the stops and converting easy transition baskets is what leads to winning games. Why a coaching staff wouldn't put defense as a priority is just mind boggling. Especially when Kobe Bryant led offense can practically run itself.

mike

lakerfaze,

Until the Lakers got injured they were in the top 4 in the league. Even Steve Kerr had them ranking number 1 before the injury to Lamar Odom. From that time, Odom missed 10 games and the Lakers went 5-5. Then Kwame Brown went down and the season was basically done as far as keeping up with the elite. The only hole I see is potentially at the 3 spot. And that just for the later part of the season. We can get by with the like of Walton playing the 3 spot and win. But there's no way Walton is the answer towards the end of the season or in the playoffs when team start to attack your weakest link. To start Walton at the 3 spot is a waste because in the end he's going to get killed in the playoffs, heathy or not.

mike

Once that duration ends, he'll officially be too old to date anyone under 23.

Is Dr. Buss ever too old? I mean by most standards he's old now and check out his chickies lol. Wheelchair and ventilator, he'll still have some hunnies...assuming of course the Lakers are still successful (read didn't trade Kobe haha).

Andrew Z,
"Some of the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears type fans"

Hey, it's possible to be a fan of both Paris Hilton and the Lakers!!

AND ONE MORE THING:

All this controversy this summer, concerning the Lakers, started with the Jim Buss interview. Jim Buss said straight out that Don Nelson, a run and gun coach, was a better defensive coach then Phil Jackson. He also mentioned that Phil was, basically, terrible at developing young talent.

From the start of last season the players knew it was about defense. Kwame Brown stated from the pre-season that the Lakers would go as far as their defense took them.

It came to a head when the Bobcats beat the Lakers in that overtime game. In that game Kwame dropped a pass for an easy basket. Then people started to blame Kwame for the lost, but in his interview after that game he said he wasn't taking the blame for that loss. He went on to say that the Lakers had to be the worst coached team in the NBA in regards to defending the pic and roll. It was mentioned around this time that the Lakers didn't practice defense at all.

If that wasn't evident during the playoffs then I don't know what to say. All Phil Jackson and his coaching staff do is practice that lame triangle offense and the Lakers were still competitive with the like of Smush Parker and Luke Walton as starters. Our problems aren't huge as far as the roster goes. It's the lack of defensive coaching.

In most of the Lakers losses this past season they were giving up almost 110 point per game. In the last playoff game the Lakers scored 110 points but gave up something like 119 points. All that points to the lack of defense. The Lakers were terrible defensively, especially after watching how the Spurs played the Suns. It was a clinic. It had little to do with their individual defensive talent. It was their team defense that was so evident. That is a direct reflection of their coaching staff compared to ours.

Anyone who's interested in the Lakers as a true fans has got to acknowledge that. To not acknowledge that is just trying to protect Phil Jackson for whatever reason. I watched every game this past season and no one can tell me that Phil Jackson did a good job.

After the Lakers signed Luke Walton, Walton was asked about Phil. Luke basically said that Phil told him that if he didn't get pasted the 1st round in the coming year...he won't be back. I think that's what Jim Buss is basically demanding from Phil Jackson without any major changes to the roster. You see this is Jim Buss' team and he didn't say all that stuff in that interview just for fun. He's serious. He's not going to let Phil Jackson manipulate the organization anymore. You watch.

mike

Lakerdawg

"By the way, nobody was stomping his feet and crying to go join Shaq either."

admittedly, shaq's better days are over, but he's got 4 rings to kobe's 3...haha

"Hey, it's possible to be a fan of both Paris Hilton and the Lakers!!"

Lakers who? Paris is overrated like kobe...

Compton,

Here you go.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1995.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1996.html

AK

"Until the Lakers got injured they were in the top 4 in the league."

Top 4 is like saying KLBeast deserves to be blogger of the year.

Until [you name it], i was a millionaire.
Until [you name it], i was a pro athlete.
Until [you name it], i was a president of the USA.
Until [you name it], i was a married to Jessica Alba.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda...

Can we make any more excuses for kobe? First kobe deserves Shaq's finals MVPs [please note the "s" which means more than one], then kobe deserves Miami's 2006 championship. What's next? Kobe for President in 2008?

Kobe can't be president cuz he's a BIG PHONY BALONEY. Not to mention a Crybaby...boo-who-who, where's mommy?

tsaeBLK:

"Walton Sr. said it during one of the FIBA games."

Oh, it was Bill Walton... the most respected and revered broadcaster in NBA history... if he says it, then it must be true... YEAH RIGHT.

Gunner:

"My vote is for Kurt Rambis to become coach again and Brian Shaw his lead assistant."

Didn't Shaq hate having Rambis as a coach? If Shaq wouldn't respect him, what makes you think the current batch of bums will?

Aloha Comptons finest

I think you are right on about not trading Kobe. Some people believe that we can get all these young studs and build a power house. But we all know that rarely happens. I do not see a ring in the t-wolves future for what they got for KG.

This has become a superstar league. I did a little research back to 79-80, which is when I believe the superstar era began. Since then only 03-04 Detroit(but they had 4 all stars) and the Bad Boy Pistons(unless you feel Thomas was one, i don't) have won a ring without a Superstar. I wont break it down year by year but here are the Superstars and teams that have won since 79-80

Lakers- Magic & Kareem
Boston-Bird
Philly-Dr J & Moses Malone
Chicago- MJ & Pippin
Houston- Hakeem
Spurs-Robinson & Duncan
Lakers-Kobe & Shaq
Spurs- Duncan
Miami- Wade & Shaq

Since 79-80 only 7 franchises have won a ring, 6 due to having that superstar or superstars. Thats 23 other franchise that have been left out in the cold, all rebuilding around GOOD YOUNG PLAYERS. Personally I feel we are one good Starter and maybe one solid bench vet away from contention. And most importantly, we have a superstar. I think it is much easier to add 2 good players then it is to find another superstar.

MH

Mike T,

Do you think last year was the first year that Phil Jackson was a bad defensive coach or do you think he's always been bad?

M T,
"I watched every game this past season and no one can tell me that Phil Jackson did a good job"

You gave him a "thumb's up" 75% of the time

Rick Friedman,

Very good points. I just think that winning solves everything. If the Lakers put a winning team on the floor, no one will care who's wearing the uniform.

Look, I would rather not trade Kobe. You can't replace a guy like that. But other teams keep proving that you can win a title(s) with players other than Kobe Bryant.

How soon would we be at that point? Who knows. We just have a disgruntled superstar, a dysfunctional front office, and a roster full of solid role players. What this all adds up to is a recipe for mediocrity. As an owner Dr. Buss will do what's best for the win column and his pocket book, since I'm pretty sure the two go hand in hand.

As for the front office sitting on their hands, I truly believe it's because of the "understanding" that they and Kobe share and that they are looking to move him. I just can't come up with another reason why they wouldn't have gone out and made a move, even if it meant overpaying a little (i.e. J.O.).

Ultimately I think the Lakers' success boils down to rectifying the Kobe problem. Either make amends and make him happy to be a Laker or move him. Until that problem is solved I expect more of the same in regards to success.

Mike T,

The Lakers could have the best defensive coach in the league, but unless they upgrade the talent level they won't win titles. They showed flashes of good defense but the players they have either don't have the physical ability to be good defenders or don't have the emotional/mental make-up to do that. Coaching can only bring so much out of a team, they need the horses.

The Lakers are not solid offensively. Notice how many games they blew leads - not because of their defense, but because they went extended periods without being able to score. So, no, the issue is NOT just defense.

As far as the roster: they have a number of weaknesses. At PG they re mediocre at best - Fisher was slow three seasons ago when he left the Lakers. I guarantee he isn't faster now. And he is backed up by two players with a combined 1 year of NBA and three years NCAA experience. (The more experienced of those two was only able to start two games last season, with Smush Parker as his competition!!) Small forward - Walton is best suited to coming off the bench. A decent player in the team concept, somewhat of a defensive liability. Backed up by a very inconsistent (offense and defense) Mo Evans. And a lost Vlad Rad. Center - Kwame Brown gives nothing on offense, a poor-mediocre rebounder, poor help defender, good one-on-one defender. Backed up by a very inconsistent 3rd year player, and a player who was solid, but hasn't played for 1.5 years. PF - good overall, but giventhe rest of the roster, the team needs to get more offense from Odom.

So the weaknesses are far more significant than just the SF.

Mike T's back... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Dude, do you know how lame this blog has become since you stopped posting? It's all about scrolling through the 36,529 daily posts by KL, looking for those few bloggers I enjoy reading.
Welcome back.

To all of the ones who want to trade Kobe,

What makes you think that the FO that didn't trade for J-Kidd, Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer,
or KG would do your proposed trades? Can anyone think of a good trade that the FO has
made since Jerry West left?

re: tickets. Ummm ..... No. I wouldn't have bought tickets to take my father to see the Lakers if
Kobe wasn't on the team. That's what TV is for.

MT,

Interesting thought on the defensive side. If Phil becomes part of Lakers mgmt I'll believe he orchestrated
this summer's fiasco.

ESPN's Chris Sheridan compares the 1992 Dream Team with 2007's Team USA. Guess which one people he talked to who witnessed both had to say:

At Sunday's postgame news conference, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski seemed stunned by the level of awe and respect coming from the mouth of his Argentine counterpart, Sergio Hernandez: "It is obvious that no one will ever forget the original Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, but I really like this Team USA team because they also have players of the same caliber such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant who know how to really play together."

Mark Heisler, veteran NBA columnist for the Los Angeles Times: "The one thing I really like about this team, it seems like they've got really good chemistry as far as personalities. I think Kobe's personality and Jason Kidd's personality, I think it's really impressive -- as much better as they are than everyone here -- how hard they play."

You can read the whole article at:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&id=3002943

So... Kobe is a good team mate and knows how to play well with LeBron. Kobe has good chemistry with Jason Kidd.

Any surprise that a guy who likes to win likes to play with winners? How much evidence has to pile up before the haters finally cry "uncle?"

I remember watching Shaq and Kobe win the championships way back when. It was the vision of an innovative man by the name of Jerry West that managed 3 rings from 2000 to 2002. However, if one recalls, Mitch took over as GM after the ring in 2000 and he had one task: to revamp a team that beat Portland by the skin of its teeth.

The fact is that during those championships, Shaq and Kobe were hailed as the best 1-2 punch in basketball, but the Lakers were clearly weak at the power forward and the point guard (in particular the screen and roll defense). Teams like Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio realized this and capitalized on this, and in the process frustrated the heck out of Shaq and Kobe. Shaq was tired of not having help on the boards, and perpetually turning and seeing Chris Webber throw down uncontested dunks, and Laker fans everywhere were tired of seeing Mike Bibby make a name for himself by burning the Lakers on screen and rolls. It was stressful times as Shaq and Kobe had to worry about getting beat by teams not led by better players, but teams that were coached to attack the Lakers where they had no answer.

After the Lakers failed to repeat as champions in 2003, Shaq took the initiative to do Mitch's job, and got Karl Malone and Gary Payton for the team. Unfortunately, Malone and Payton showed their age in the playoffs and finals, which left the Lakers helpless in Detroit.

I remember when the Lakers played Houston in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. One of the Rockets said something like: "If one of their big-four went down, we'd win this series for sure." I believed that player at the time, but I thought that Malone would hold up through the finals and I wasn't aware of Payton's lack of leg strength. However, things happen, and the rest is history.

The fact is, Mitch Kupchek has failed to maintain the team that Jerry Buss built. It's not Kobe's fault that he and Shaq had little help and were getting run out of arenas by crappy players. It is worth reminded oursleves that they're both overpaid, so Buss would've had to pay a luxury tax up the wazoo, but things would be a lot different right now if the Lakers had beaten Detroit. I know because I remember a quote from Derek Fischer during the 2004 playoffs. He was in a sit-down interview and was asked about his future with the Lakers, and Kobe's and Phil's as well. He replied: "well, winning a championship would change a lot of things." If the Shaq and Kobe duo had gotten that fourth one, the inevitable might have still happenned, but how closely to what we have now would it resemble?

Basically, Kobe was a primadonna, and shouldn't have sign with a bulldozed franchise if he wanted to win. However, Mitch has failed, failed and failed. One by one, the players like Glen Rice and AC Green left the team and were not replaced. Hollywood Rick Fox got old; Derek Fischer got worn down by all those screens; Horry is great, but he's not the power forward work-horse that we needed. Instead, losers like Samaki Walker, Brian Cook and Sasha Vujacic showed up. Then, the Shaq trade.....well, at least he didn't trade Shaq for some magic beans. And then Kwame.

I'm asking everyone on this blog: How many bad moves does Mitch have to make before pressure mounts for him to be replaced?

Ok KL/Gunz/Tao,

Shaq to Shaunie "F-U"

Shaunie back to Shaq "HALF!!!!!!!"

Blame this one on Kobe too. LOL

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/225735.html

Looks like Shaq will be kobe to divorce court.

Hmmmm Paris, Britney courtside ??? I wanna see FAITH courtside !

Shaq files for divorce !!!!! Interesting !!!

B-Shaw should be our next coach !!

SHAQ TO MARRIAGE: F-U

It sucks for the kids, but I just have to point this out because, if it happened to Kobe, morons like KL would spin it so that it would some negative reflection of Kobe.

BUT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BASKETBALL.

Shaunie to Shaq - FU!!!!
Half!
Why do I get a feeling Kobe will get blamed somehow?

Interesting read from John Hollinger regarding Lebron, how he was clearly the best player in Vegas....

By John Holinger
NY SUN

Watch out NBA fans, because I've got some scary, scary news for you: LeBron James has a jump shot.

The Cavaliers' phenom achieved superstardom during the past two seasons despite a mediocre delivery from outside. It was a strongshortcoming:Heonlymade 31.9% of his 3-pointers and 34.8% of his long 2-pointers last year, according to NBA.com, well below the norm for a perimeter player. But even with that shortcoming, he nearly won the MVP award two years ago, and carried his team to the Eastern Conference title last season.

During this summer's FIBA Tournament of the Americas, he unleashed his new weapon. James looked much more balanced and comfortable on his jumper, after hinting that he's been working on the shot since Cleveland lost in last season's NBA Finals.

The work paid off, because he was vastly more accurate. James made 23 of 37 3-pointers in the tournament, a ridiculous 62.2% from downtown. Even granting that the international 3-point line is shorter , and that the competition this past week was not exactly daunting, and that 37 shots is a small sample — this was an impressive showing.

Furthermore, look at how hard it made life for teams trying to defend James. Having to guard him for the 3 meant it was impossible to cut off his drives — he shot an absurd, incomprehensible 50-for-59 on 2-pointers. His shooting percentage overall was a video game-like 76%, and he led the U.S. team with 47 assists in 10 games. Despite the embarrassing selection of Argentina's Luis Scola as the tournament MVP — attention, worst-award-vote-in-history debaters, we have a new candidate! — James was easily the best player in the tournament, as America won the gold.

While the talk after the competition has focused on what the tournament means for the U. S. team's chances in Beijing next year, I'm focusing on a more shortterm target: what it means for the other Eastern teams next year.

The sentiment going into the season has been that the Cavs were an unimpressive conference champion, and the possibilities are wide open in the East. But the other clubs in the conference need to consider that things will be very different this time around.

James didn't exactly come out like gangbusters in the regular season last year. He pretty much admitted to mailing it in the first halfoftheseason, andhisnumbers in every major category dipped from his epic 2005–06 campaign. But what if James plays like, well, Superman? The Cavs already have a fantastic front court and defense, something the "it's just LeBron and a bunch of garbage" crowddoesn'tseemtounderstand. While their back court isn't any good, it's not like it can get any worse than it was a year ago.

If they were able to win 50 games with James clanging jumpers, how many might they win if James plays at an MVP level? At a runaway MVP level? At — dare we say it — a Jordanesque level? It's a question worth asking, because if James shoots like this, there isn't anybody in the league that can guard him. I'm not sure if there are any two players that can. He's a6-foot-8-inch,240-poundfreight train who handles the ball like a point guard, and the only thing making him remotely defensible is that opponents could play five feet off him and only hope that he'd miss the jumper. But what if he's settled in shooting that jumper, instead of hesitating before fading away and drifting to his left like he did last year? How, pray tell, could one even guard him then?

All of our talk about Boston or Chicago or even New Jersey becoming a contender suddenly seems almost competely irrelevant. If James shoots 40% on 3-pointers, there aren't going to be any other contenders. The East will be the Cleveland Invitational, and everyone else will be playing for second.

That — and not the implications for Beijing — is the main conclusion from the American side's destruction of the field in Las Vegas these past two weeks. But since 11 other guys were out there with King James, let's also talk about America's impressive p e r f o r m a n c e — o n e t h a t entrenchesthemasthegoldmedal favorite in Beijing next summer. This is the first American side I r e m e m b e r t h a t l o o k e d comfortable playing international basketball. Carmelo Anthony is an incredible scorer under these rules because the closer 3-point line is just inside his range, and the team seemed to fit together seamlesslyaroundhimandJames. Kobe Bryant relished his role as defensive stopper, Michael Redd proved a dangerous sniper off the bench, and Dwight Howard controlled the paint.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski also gave an early hint as to who might make the team next year. He stuck with a starting five of Jason Kidd, Bryant, Anthony, James, and Howard; and he used a bench unit of Michael Redd, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and Amare Stoudemire, until the scoring got out of hand. The other three — Tyson Chandler, Mike Miller, and Deron Williams — seem likely to be on the outs next summer.

Of course, plenty can change between now and then — the roster for Beijing isn't due until June 28. Perhaps James and Anthony will be too worn down by the thought of three straight summers of international ball and pull out. Maybe somebody will blow out a knee or pull a hammy. Also, who knows what players might break out and make a bid for a roster spot.

It's too early to say if U.S. will trash the field in Beijing the way it did in Las Vegas. But it's not too early to warn the East about James. Watch those jumpers in preseason and the opening weeks: If they're falling, the East won't be as wide open as people suspect.

McGarnagle,

"Dude, do you know how lame this blog has become since you stopped posting? It's all about scrolling through the 36,529 daily posts by KL, looking for those few bloggers I enjoy reading"

I hear you, man. I don't read all that stuff. It's ridiculous. But you have to remember that were coming out of August. That's the slowest NBA month of the year. Wait until the games start.

Andrew Z,

"Do you think last year was the first year that Phil Jackson was a bad defensive coach or do you think he's always been bad?"

Good question. I remember when the Lakers played the Bulls for the Champions way back when. I remember the Lakers took the first game on a Sam Perkins jumper at the end of the game. I also remember Vlade making this shot to tie the game and running to between the top of the key and mid-court to get Magic Johnson's approval. He looked like a little kid going to Magic with his head bowed down. Classic.

The Bulls won the championship because Phil Jackson put Scottie Pippen on Magic. Pippen harrassed Magic for most of the series after the Lakers won the first game. I know that Jackson has enough sense to make the adjustments that need to be made in a series. That's why I'm so a ngry. Because, to me, he didn't make adjustment the last two years, in the playoffs, on purpose.

After 9 NBA championships I really don't think Phil is interested in coaching. I think he's interested in power. With him dating the owner's daughter that avenue to power is at it's great potential right now. With Jerry Buss stepping back and Jim Buss and other left to run the show....there's no real basketball credibility in the Lakers F.O. Phil Jackson, as far as mangement goes, is the only one with real basketball credibility. I think he took advantage of that.

Everyone knows he has an ego. Right now that ego isn't about basketball games. It's about basketball operations. It's about moving people in and moving people out.

ex,

Just because I gave PJ a thumbs up for 75 percent of the games doesn't mean he made the grade. It's like a pitcher, in theory, going 9 innings. But he he allowed 2 runs in the 6th and 7th innings, while his team only scored 3 runs the whole game.

Those 8 games I accused Jackson of terrible coaching cost us the 5th or 6th seed. With so many games it's hard to keep track of what's going on. That's why I kept the Journal. Because I wanted to show how subtle the manipulation are executed. But there was nothing subtle about what he did in the playoffs.

mike

There's some credence to PJ coaching badly on purpose. Although I believe it's more a "look at the team you're giving me here" kind of purpose.

This team has got to have the least amount of talent versus his previous teams have ever have. That doesn't excuse him of course, nor does it make it ok, that he lost control of the team, did not emphasize defense (as much as it needed to). But it could explain why he felt the need to do the rotations and play the players in the amount of time he gave them.

Mike t.
You are right on about Phil making points by throwing games. I wanted to scream during game 2 this year, game 3 wasnt much better. The way he used smush while we were ahead and promptly squandered leads on ridiculous runs of points showed me (and i thought all watching, but on this blog people could watch the sunset and swear that its rising) that Phil was just making a point.

The defense was terrible. Injuries aside, anybody who watched last year could come to no other LOGICAL reason why we blew it.

M T,
If you gave PJ thumb's up 75% of the time, and now you are saying he did a crappy job, then there is something wrong with your grading system. And you have already started laying the groundwork for blaming Walton for everything.

Mike T,

It's nice to see you posting again.

" I also remember Vlade making this shot to tie the game and running to between the top of the key and mid-court to get Magic Johnson's approval. He looked like a little kid going to Magic with his head bowed down. Classic."

Now that was a great memory.

Regarding your stance on Phil Jackson: you might be right. I tend to give Phil the benefit of the doubt though. Nine rings are hard to argue with.

When the team plays tough D, the triangle is a good ball control offense in my opinion. Is it the right offense for this Lakers team? It's debatable. The one thing that I don't like about the coaching situation right now is the fact that they will most likely be here for only one more year, then what?

It's likely that we will not be competing for a championship with the roster we have right now, so why stay in the direction that we're in coaching wise?

Mike T,

We disagree on Phil not making adjustments on purpose. I just can't see the guy tanking games on purpose. Why would he? If it's about ego nothing would stroke it more than winning the last ring, passing Red Auerbach and becoming the greatest coach ever. I know I won't change your mind, but him tanking doesn't make sense to me.

I do question his decision not to take a flier on a line-up change or rotation change, just to shake things up. With the amount of injuries and whatever else the team was dealing with, they went into the playoffs as a dead team walking. As a coach he should have realized that and taken a gamble on some different line-ups. Oddly enough this organization seems to have lost their cajones and settled for the "safest" route on everything lately, maybe that should be looked at.

Anyway, PJ has shown he has the capability to coach excellent defensive teams when he has players that can execute (show me a great coach who has done so without great players) and last year's roster just didn't have the talent to do it.

Coach k's quote regarding Kobe:
While Bryant has been heavily criticized for his meltdown after the NBA season, when he went back and forth on his desire to remain a Laker, Krzyzewski is sympathetic.

"I would always want guys who would want to win," Krzyzewski said. "The fact that he's frustrated because they are not winning at the level he would like, I think that's a good problem. I'm sure the Lakers will work things out. The thing about Kobe is that every thing he does is so public. It's the scrutiny placed on an individual who has won three world championships and is considered the best player in the world. That goes with the territory."

Krzyzewski says he has been there for Bryant behind the scenes.

"It's not so much you give advice," said the coach, "because to give advice, you have to have knowledge of the situation. What you want to do is give support, say, 'I'm behind you. Stay steadfast in what you want to do.' "
HTH
billy in slo

KLBeast,
You can marry Shaq now, and be happy together ever after.LOL

dacsila,
"KLBeast, You can marry Shaq now, and be happy together ever after.LOL"

It must have been hard being married to Shaq, having to share the bed with KLBeast and Gunner.

Mike T.

Most of us who really watch the games wonder what the hell PJ is thinking. Sometimes, I think he's so into his own persona he can't break out and make the right move. Smush was just one of many issues we can point to. I know you don't care for Luke but, if you are going to use the 4th best in the league statement. You have to realize Luke was a major part of that being he was the second highest scorer on the team. Remember he led the league in 3balls during that period(before the ball change /and his injury). Luke was one of few who showed an improvement from the prior year. Actually, I recall you writting in anger about Luke bein our #2 guy, and how it would have ill effect on our outcome.

By the way welcome back MIKE!

ex

"It must have been hard being married to Shaq, having to share the bed with KLBeast and Gunner."

King of the One Liners is back....nice one...LOL.

Ive never understood Mile T's disdain of Luke. Granted he isnt the best player in the league but he plays hard and plays the game the right way.

The same cant be said about his boy Kwame.

Having watched every Lakers game for the past several years, I've noticed a few things in the post-Shaq, Kobe era.

First, I think it's ridiculous to suggest that Phil intentionally tanked games via poor coaching decisions. He played the cards he was dealt...what else could he do? This past year a combination of lesser talent and injuries greatly restricted his number of options.

But my main point is that I think the primary problem with this Kobe-led Lakers team is uncertainty over which Kobe is going to be on the court on any given night. Are we going to get the "jack up 30+ shots, most over double/triple teams" or are we going to get the "facilitator, get everyone involved" Kobe? Early last year we seemed to get the latter on a fairly regular basis and it worked well enough to surprise a lot of people. But that Kobe disappeared once injuries hit and Phil asked for the former Kobe.

It has to be tough on a team to be even a little unsure what personality of your superstar you're going to be playing with.

Also, the "facilitator" Kobe only applies until the 4th quarter. Then everyone in the building, including the opposing team, knows the "jack up shots over triple teams" Kobe will be out there. It's extremely predictable and I think a very key factor in why we lost so many close games in the 4th quarter.

We became outrageously predictable on offense, and because the other 4 guys were just standing around on that end of the court, we didn't have the team chemistry necessary for solid team defense.

So I think it would be wise of Phil and Kobe to figure out a way to avoid this obvious pattern and address the "which Kobe is playing tonight" issue.

I remember watching a lot of Bulls games on WGN and even though you knew MJ was going to pull it out, you never really knew how or when he was going to do it. Is he going to score 18 in the 4th? Is he going to dish out 8 assists in the 4th? Is he going to have 3 steals and 3 blocks down the stretch?

With Kobe, we all know exactly how he's going to try to do it. To his credit, he's good enough to pull it off a number of times.