Kobe cleans out his locker! This time, for real!
Granted, this was his locker in Bakersfield's Rabobank Arena -- basketball's Pluto -- and it's hard to figure out why he'd need to keep anything stored there after last night's 126-106 preseason win over the Sonics. But given how much attention was directed toward him removing a few items out of his full-time locker, we figured it was worth noting. Folks had been speculating whether the hoo-hah and hoopla surrounding Tuesday's LockerGate would be a distraction for Kobe heading into the contest. If his 20 points in 18 minutes (time limited in part to rest some tendinitis-inflicted knees) mean anything, the answer would be a decided "not so much." For that matter, the circus atmosphere seemed to bring out a strong box score from the entire squad, including Kwame Brown, who was finally able to get some run in a non-practice atmosphere.
As for Kobe, he's looking to avoid a new "he said" chapter to the "He Said-Doctor Said" saga that's been swirling around the news wires of late. Does that mean he's newly rejuvenated and psyched to be in Purple and Gold? Not likely, but for now, the high road is likely to be walked whenever possible, a reluctant -- if productive -- acceptance of the situation where displeasure is expressed privately (perhaps to Phil Jackson, Kobe's main -- and perhaps only -- confidant within the organization at the moment). If it's any comfort to Bryant, there are some writers who are in his corner when it comes to his trade wishes (perhaps teaming him up with a certain competitive dancer on ABC's network).
Thanks lakers_sth thats very good information , although its hard to tell if thats the typical practice since this was open to the public when everyone is on their best behavior.
AK/BK I think you guys mentioned sitting in on some practices last season. Was this the typical practice?
Posted by: Laker Lover | October 19, 2007 at 02:44 PM
sasha is shooting 47.7% from the field, 40% from 3, and 93% from the line. is this his year?...I think so.
But then again this IS the preseason.
Posted by: greek dude | October 19, 2007 at 02:50 PM
Mike T.: "...not play Kwame Brown 32-33 minutes a game is not apply that knowledge."
Mike. Seriously. This is the preseason. It's not a time for winning games. It's a time to ease brittle people like Kwame back into the game following surgery, and to give minutes to Mihm so he can shake off the rust from a season and a half of inactivity. It's a time to evaluate talent, get people in game-playing shape, and gear up for when they really count.
I'll be interested in your take on the season opener. But to analyze a preseason game, well, I guess it shows how anxious we all are to get back into basketball.
Posted by: Marty | October 19, 2007 at 02:52 PM
Faith- help did you see the game last night. Give me a critique of the team and individual defensive efforts from the lakers.
On what Ive read the shoot quick ( under 7 seconds) has a dual intention
Dont let the shot clock wind down and rely on Kobe going 1 on 5
get some easy baskets, which may make guys play harder on defense.
Its early but the shoot early stratedgy is almost the anti-thesis of what the lakers used against Phx in the playoffs- slow it down run the offense minimize turnovers
Posted by: Laker Lover | October 19, 2007 at 02:53 PM
I actually think rather than arguing about who sucked and who didn't, people should be encouraged that Mihm is playing and looks like he'll be a very useful player (especially at his salary) and that Kwame looked reasonably active and healthy for a guy coming off big ankle surgery. I thought both looked rusty at times (Mihm's reactions on the defensive end were a little slow, to say that Kwame doesn't do much to integrate himself into the offense is an understatement, and his total court awareness is obviously a little off), but both showed a lot of good things. It's also reasonable to expect that both will need time to shake off the rust.
Ideally, if one of those two could play a little at the four, some of these problems could be mitigated. Kwame is a better defender, especially one on one, but Mihm may actually be a better interior help defender. Kwame's kwickness, though, makes it easier for him to show and recover on the pick and roll. Neither one of these guys is a complete player in the sense that you'd stick one in and forget about him.
In terms of who starts, honestly, I don't really care (and actually think it will be Bynum, who if he can stay reasonably stout at the defensive end is probably the best choice). A lot will likely depend on health. Kwame can't play starter's minutes right now anyway, and also positioning- the aforementioned ideal of having one play the four (which is what they wanted Kwame to be when they brought him in).
I do agree that while the play by play is a useful tool, you can't use it to measure the efficacy of one player vs. another. The other nine guys on the court at any given time certainly matter, as do the actual plays themselves. Were there offensive breakdowns that led to easy buckets the other way? Bad exection on that end? Missed rebounds or blown assignments defensively? So there's a lot to consider.
I do worry if starting off the season hurt, combined with having two other guys to compete with and his general tendency to lower expectations for himself is going to be a drag on Kwame. He tends to default to disappearing into the wallpaper. When he asserts himself (on either end) he can be a totally different player, and have a very positive effect on the game.
One thing I think we can all agree on? Vlad Rad looked useless last night.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 02:56 PM
Zen, Violator,
When they showed Socks looking at his hand after that dunk I laughed so hard I nearly choked. My thought was "I think he's been watching more than Hakeem videos".
If you'll recall, Kobe was the first to tell him he could go and get video of old games, and Kobe told him to watch how Hakeem blocked shots. I guess Bynum has been checking out Shaq footage to see how he worked the triangle, and maybe somewhere in there he caught the unconcious habit of looking at his hand in amazement after a funky dunk. ha ha.
Laker_sth
Great post. Thank you for that. Buss & Kupcake talking for half the practice? wow. That says a lot.
I liked Shaw's comment about young Bryant making fun of the old timers on the bike, and there's Kobe warming up on the bike... gosh that's awesome. Thanks again for the post.
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | October 19, 2007 at 02:56 PM
Laker Sth-
Thanks for that post. That's more of practice than we get to see in the media (they let us in at the tail end of scrimmages, typically), so that helps give a full picture of what they do.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 02:58 PM
TaosHum,
"Kidd underwent an MRI Thursday that confirmed a strained lower back and was also given an epidural to help reduce inflammation surrounding the disc."
From a guy who had problems and went through a year of epidurals to help inflammation around a disc, this is not an injury you tape up and play through. I can guarantee one of two things. One, Kidd misses a serious amount of time this year. Two, he plays but is nowhere near as effective as he is healthy. Either way it's nice that we still have Drew here with us.
Posted by: Andrew Z | October 19, 2007 at 03:04 PM
I like the thought on the other blog of keeping Kobe till he opts out. Where is he going to get a team under the cap to pay him $20 million a year without a sign and trade. At that time, Lakers will have leaverage because only they can sign him to the max. Kobe is about the $ also since his endorsements have pretty much dried up since Colorado. Consider him a contract employee for 2 years. That might work. We will really see if this teams develops at that time. If not, Odom is gone, Kobe is gone, Kwame is gone, thats $40+ MILLION OFF THE BOOKS!
Posted by: Loyal KOBE Fan NO MORE! | October 19, 2007 at 03:11 PM
If Kidd winds up missing half the year (which I doubt will happen), it would certainly give Kobe second thought as to the trade. Mind you, Kidd would have to miss A LOT for Kobe to think it was a smart thing passing up Kidd (whom he played with over the summer)
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | October 19, 2007 at 03:12 PM
Kobe and Phil are now business partner, Kobe likes Phil because Phil let him playing out of control like game 2 against Phoenix last season. Phil likes Kobe, so he can collects 10 mil a year, with Kobe and Phil, we won't see another championship in LA, we will see a great NBA basketball player in the regular season and fail in the playoffs.
Posted by: bluesky | October 19, 2007 at 03:13 PM
And one more thing: With Kobe Bryant's statement...man, if PJ gets the axe then there's no way Kobe is going to take the blame...no is he? With one little statement Jimmy Buss and Kobe's camp have nueturalized all of PJ's media contacts. What that means is this: If PJ gets fired there's no way the media is going to be able to blame Kobe...now is there?
Wasn't this the way all of this started? A leak to the L.A. Media blamed Kobe for the heat PJ was taking behind closed doors?
Awwwhhh, Dear Children...it seems the feable Jimmy Buss knows a thing or two about manipulating the media, too.
I mean "(perhaps to Phil Jackson, Kobe's main- and perhaps only- confidant within the organization at the moment)."
Talk about hook, line, and sinker! LOL!
One thing for sure...if PJ gets the axe, whoever wrote that line won't be able to point the finger at Kobe...now will he?
LOL!
SUCKERS!
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | October 19, 2007 at 03:15 PM
Mamba24
a serpent... a mamba... whats the difference???
As you might have gleaned from my tasteless immoral humour my bible knowledge isnt fantastic!
Keep up the good work your creativity is most appreciated.
Edwin
That last paragraph was pure poetry...hope you are right!
Posted by: Kiwi | October 19, 2007 at 03:16 PM
BK
sure Vlad looked useless last night but you cut Mihm and Kwame slack for coming off injuries...well Vlad is coming off a tiring summer where he's been in New Zealand snowboarding.i'll have you know its a very tiring sport and combined with the altitude and the plane flight he's just bushed...
Posted by: Kiwi | October 19, 2007 at 03:20 PM
Mike T,
"I mean "(perhaps to Phil Jackson, Kobe's main- and perhaps only- confidant within the organization at the moment)." Talk about hook, line, and sinker! LOL! One thing for sure...if PJ gets the axe, whoever wrote that line won't be able to point the finger at Kobe...now will he?"
Uh, Mike, I wrote that line in today's Extra. I'm also not quite sure what you're talking about, since- save a huge sea change in their relationship- I would never have pointed the finger at Kobe in the first place Phil leaves. Because, as I've said (and explained) a zillion times, Kobe's not lobbying to get rid of Phil. And that's what basically everyone on the planet (including members of the media) have also been claiming.
However, if Phil leaves I would point the finger towards the door, since that's the direction Kobe will eventually head.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 03:21 PM
Kobe is playing with all the passion of a 24-year-old in an arranged marriage with a 75-year-old (Note to self...send memo to Dr. Buss. He should be an expert at how much genuine passion this entails.)
His passes are sloppy. His drives are telegraphed. His shots are ridiculous. Teamsters playing H-O-R-S-E at lunch at the union gym try more realistic shots than his.
And when he is in there, there is zero defense and zero movement, zero effort by everyone else. It's no accident that the starters in almost every game so far get in a 10 to 20 point hole within the first 10 minutes.
By contrast, once Kobe's on the bench, the Lakers start looking like a real team. They run the offense. Guys are cutting, passing, knocking down shots. Everyone helps everyone else and supports everyone else. And...they close the gap or get ahead.
Last night, the bench players showed up the starters so badly that Kobe obviously got stung by the difference. He came out in the third quarter and started gunning those 3's. Luckily, he made them. But again, Seattle closed the gap. Once Kobe sat down, the Laker bench stepped on the throttle and pulled away to a 20-pt win.
Kobe...either play like you mean it...or go. We want a "team" again. With or without you.
Posted by: CornerJ | October 19, 2007 at 03:32 PM
Corner J
'He should be an expert at how much genuine passion this entails.) '
woooah that was cold bro!!!!
Posted by: Kiwi | October 19, 2007 at 03:38 PM
It is a bit late but Kobe has no recollection except in high school athletics on what it takes in being a team leader with a group of men. A lot of it has to do with maturity, however at the ripe old NBA age of 29, one would think that should have happened a few years back. I still can't imagine what went through his head while making millions of dollars and known worldwide as a sports athlete, why this idiot who just got married and had a child, goes and does what he did in Colorado with someone that was broke and nasty!!! For the life of me, that makes no sense at all. I guess that is just Kobe for you, making no sense while outside the lines of a Basketball court.
OUT!!!!
The truth
At least Kobe makes sense within the lines of a basketball court. You are IGNANT everywhere.
OUT!! (Like the Heat - In 4 games)
Posted by: Jman449 | October 19, 2007 at 03:51 PM
Kiwi-
That's a fair point. I should have mentioned that. He, too, has the injury issue... as well as alpine issues.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 04:00 PM
BK/Kiwi,
Plus, Vlad's playing with an extra distraction of Sasha slowly stealing his 2006-2007 look. That's a lot to wrap your head around. Extra time to adjust must be allotted.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 04:04 PM
Mike-
"Wasn't this the way all of this started? A leak to the L.A. Media blamed Kobe for the heat PJ was taking behind closed doors?"
No, it's not. This whole thing, going back to the summer at least, started when someone within the organization said that Kobe shouldn't be complaining about the team now because by helping run Shaq out of town, he helped create the mess in which the team currently finds themselves.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 04:06 PM
AK
And by all accounts Sasha is the better looking of the two and can pull it off better...at least Sasha will win one intrasquad battle this season...
(maybe more of you count all the groupies that go for that particular look)
Posted by: Kiwi | October 19, 2007 at 04:11 PM
Mike T,
BK is totally right, this whole thing blew up when the "insider" said Kobe ran Shaq out of town. Phil Jackson never had ANYTHING to do with this summer.
The only time PJ was involved, at least as far as Kobe is concerned, is that he said he agreed that they needed roster changes if they were to compete for a ring.
The stuff you say was made up by you.
Posted by: Andrew Z | October 19, 2007 at 04:22 PM
Laker fans appears IDIOT only because of KL! and thats a FACT,enuff said..
Posted by: texwinter | October 19, 2007 at 04:31 PM
How "all of this got started"
If I recall correctly, without googleaide, on around May 18th Bucher reported on Sports Center that Kobe wants to be traded unless Lakers get West back. Kobe denied that he wanted to be traded, just that he wanted West back. Bucher countered that he called Kobe on the phone immediately following his original telecast to confirm whether he expressed Kobe's sentiment precisely, and said that Kobe said that he was right on. Kobe threw Ric under the bus right there, but whatever..
Meanwhile, West said that he ain't coming back, basically no way, no how. A few days later, the "Kobe ran Shaq out" leak appears.
Posted by: HAB | October 19, 2007 at 04:42 PM
Rick/Mamba24
"An absolutely BRILLIANT dedication today. Best writing I've seen on the blog, ever. Kudos!"
That's why Mamba24 is the Godfather of the blog.
if it weren't for kobe, i'd actually might like a Mamba snake...sorry, i had to throw in a jab.
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 04:44 PM
steven
"This coming season should be interesting to see if Laker teammates 'FREEZE' Kobe out of games by not passing him the ball in clutch situations and going to Bynum or Lamar Odum. "
let's see what happens when the call is for Bynum and not kobe? Let's see if kobe acts like a biatch like Pippen in the playoffs when the call was for Kucoc.
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 04:47 PM
HAB,
Yea, been a Laker fan since 87'. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. The good during the showtime era...the bad during the 90's and the Ugly the past three years.
Yep, I also have the ability to see reality. And being a Laker fan should have nothing to do with how I feel about Kobe's support. I mean really, lets put you on the team where you are the star and your surrounded by a bunch of other players who play inconsistant. This is what is happening to Kobe.
Now me, I would be frustuated. Kobe knows he can't win it alone, and Kobe plays his heart out to win games. BUT HE CAN'T DO IT ALONE! I mean, what's going to happen when we play Houston on opening night. Who's going to show up other than Kobe. Will it be Lamar? Will it be Bynum? Or how about Cook, Sasha, Evans...anyone for that manner. Or what if nobody BUT Kobe shows up. Now that's frustuating.
And no, I'm not here to argue with you as well HAB! But I look forward to a debate. That's all it is. Nothing personal. Just my insights vs. yours. It's like the Clippers vs. the Lakers. Me being the Lakers and you being the Clips so you figure it out. LOL!
Posted by: Ron | October 19, 2007 at 04:53 PM
KL,
Yea, that won't happen.But good imagination
Posted by: Ron | October 19, 2007 at 04:55 PM
KL,
It won't matter what the call is because if Kobe is open he's going to take the shot.
Posted by: zen | October 19, 2007 at 04:55 PM
ON A POSITIVE NOTE REGARDING THE BABY LAKE SHOW...
I was very happy to see our young guys FINALLY stepping up and showing their stuff. I was VERY, VERY happy to finally see some team basketball and not "kobe ball".
Bynum is showing that he's serious about being a "winner" in the NBA. Farmar looks impressive; especially on the defensive end. Critt is showing enormous potential.
Even everybody's "whipping boy" Kwame Brown showed a little something albiet a little too late. Mihm had a nice post move hook.
The Post-Kobe era is nearing an end and i am one happy guy.
NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME MORE HAPPY TO SEE THE KOBE-LESS LAKERS WIN 45 GAMES AND SEE THE 2ND ROUND.
You can bet on KL rooting twice as hard for the Lakers once kobe's out.
Kobe can go and play elsewhere if the deal is right, otherwise, kobe better just "strap it up" and "shut the F up" and playout his contract. Like Shaq Daddy said in 2003 "if you don't like it, then opt out"
a piece of advice from someone with FICTIOUS b-ball knowledge, kobe don't be an even bigger malcontent and start dogging it. PJ better have the sense not let kobe disrupt the development of the young guys.
THE KOBE EXPERIMENT IS OVER AND KOBE HAS LOST THE WAR THAT HE STARTED IN 2003 IN THE PURSUIT TO BE BETTER THAN SHAQ AND BETTER THAN JORDAN.
KLBeast does not need to exist anymore cuz The Kobe Loyalists have been proven to be bandwagon fans who don't know jack-sizzle about basketball and don't care about Laker basketball.
Long live the Lakers and True Laker Fans.
Beast...strike that...KL Out Like Trout! Kool and the Gang?
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 05:03 PM
Mike T,
>>>38 points in the quarter says it all. OK, i'll take the high road and shave
>>>4 points off the lay-ups. that means 18 points were off of lay-ups. Either way
>>>you cut it...38 points in the quarter doesn't cut it.
Okay, so you admit that you fudged the numbers. That's a good start.
I completely concur with you that 38 points is too many for a quarter. But it's
unreasonable to claim that those 38 points were scored because Chris Mihm was
on the floor instead of Kwame Brown. Very few of the points were scored by
a player guarded by Mihm. Twice he rotated to defend someone else's man
and got scored on, but only on the very first play of the quarter did someone
post-up Mihm and score. Do you expect Mihm to guard all five players on the
floor all the time?
To reiterate, your big claim about why Kwame is better than Mihm is because
Kwame protects the rim and Mihm doesn't. But the data from this game seem to
show exactly the opposite. In the first quarter with Kwame on the floor, 14 of 18
Seattle points were layups, dunks, or free throws by someone fouled while
taking a layup. In the 3rd quarter with Mihm on the floor, 14 of 38 points were
layups, dunks, or free throws by someone fouled while taking a layup.
That's 78% easy points scored under "The Kwame effect" as you called it,
and only 37% easy points scored under "The Mihm effect".
There were many reasons for the scoring outburst in the 3rd - More offensive
minded point guards on the floor for BOTH Seattle and the Lakers, a plethora
of turnovers that led to fast breaks, the Lakers pushing quick shots more
often than in the first (which means more possessions for both teams). Trying
to place the blame on Mihm is just ludicrous.
I'm not saying Mihm was great. He was just ok. And Kwame was also just ok.
To claim otherwise is to deny what actually happened on the floor.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 05:07 PM
greek dude,
>>>sasha is shooting 47.7% from the field, 40% from 3, and 93% from the line.
>>>is this his year?...I think so.
YEAH BABY!!! And I started the Sasha Breakout bandwagon.
He'll be the best 14th player on the bench in the LEAGUE!!!
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 05:12 PM
BK,
>>>One thing I think we can all agree on? Vlad Rad looked useless last night.
Yep. I think what really happened was for the first two games, Brian Cook and
Vlad Rad did a mental mind transfer, so Vlad was making shots and Cook wasn't
and they were both useless on defense. Last night it was back to the more usual
Cook was making shots and Vlad wasn't and they were both useless on defense.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 05:17 PM
Ron,
my previous post was a tad nasty, so my apologies...i went a little too far and i readily admit it.
Peace.
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 05:20 PM
THE TENIENTE JOURNAL: one game only
Does this mean, we will not be seeing your journals any more??? :(
I really enjoyed your writing and would be bummed to see it gone. I would take your opinion over any of those LA Times jokers........can you say Simmons?
Peace.
janaya
Posted by: janaya | October 19, 2007 at 05:21 PM
Loyal Kobe fan no more,
>>>I like the thought on the other blog of keeping Kobe till he opts out. Where is he
>>>going to get a team under the cap to pay him $20 million a year without a sign
>>>and trade. At that time, Lakers will have leaverage because only they can sign
>>>him to the max.
Yeah, that's probably what Orlando was thinking about Shaq in the summer of 1996.
If it gets near the trade deadline in 2009 and the Lakers still have Kobe and they're
still hovering around the 6-7 seed, watch as several teams try to do huge salary
dumps before the deadline.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 05:21 PM
KL,
"KLBeast does not need to exist anymore cuz The Kobe Loyalists have been proven to be bandwagon fans who don't know jack-sizzle about basketball and don't care about Laker basketball."
Yeah, and your high basketball IQ jumps off my screen everytime I read your posts. Like I've said you've got no cred on this blog as far as basketball knowledge because you don't talk ABOUT basketball. You're all Kobe all day. You say the reason you post about Kobe all day is because too many Kobe Loyalists run off at the mouth (or should I say the keyboard?), but it's pretty easy to ignore people's posts and talk about other matters. Heck, I do the same thing with your posts half the time, so trust me it's pretty easy.
Posted by: Xodus | October 19, 2007 at 05:26 PM
KL,
I have to admit, Jim Buss has made a fool of everyone with the drafting of Bynum. In this new system Phil is running, i believe Bynum could easily be a 20-10 guy just as long as Ball Hog distributes the ball.
I like what I'm seeing from Bynum, Farmar, and Crit. I think the youth movement has begun. This is going to be move over Kobe, and Bynum's Baby Lakers team now.
I'm on the Bynum Baby Lakers Bandwagon now!
Posted by: gunner24 | October 19, 2007 at 05:28 PM
xodus
"Yeah, and your high basketball IQ jumps off my screen everytime I read your posts. Like I've said you've got no cred on this blog as far as basketball knowledge because you don't talk ABOUT basketball."
i believe i made a nice post about how our young guys are performing in 3 pre-season games.
check out "Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 05:03 PM"
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 05:29 PM
Loyal Laker Fan No More,
>>>Kobe is about the $ also since his endorsements have pretty much dried up
>>>since Colorado.
Wrong, Kobe's endorsement deals are on the rebound. Haven't you seen the
Nike ads?
>>>Consider him a contract employee for 2 years. That might work.
You better hope it does. Because if it doesn't, then it will really drive home the
point that the current Lakers FO is incapable of building a championship team
even with the best player in the league to build around. And it will also show
what they think of their players (massa, I gotta go gets da basket now?)
Most players want to go to teams where they think they will be treated well and
respectfully by management, and where they will have a chance to compete
and win. If the Lakers FO establish themselves as the "hardball players" of the
league, then the only players you'll attract are those that want to make a lot of
money -- not necessarily the kind of players who are going to bring you
championships.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 05:33 PM
Video from today's practice - really just interviews with LO and PJ:
http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/07preseason.html
PJ's comments about Kobe "destroying" everyone today was a reference to their 5-on-5 scrimmaging - the team that Kobe led stayed on the court while the other two squads subbed in and out since they kept losing to his guys.
Some more thoughts from today. What are the focuses of the team right now?
Conditioning and being able to operate comfortably with a lot of high speed activity around you on the court. Fast breaks won't be the exception this year so they need to be up to the task physically and be used to it enough to execute without losing control.
Recognition offensively - Find the open guy. When you have the open shot, take it and be confident with it. Basic stuff.
Control the defensive boards - PJ was screaming about this all during the scrimmaging.
Posted by: lakers_sth | October 19, 2007 at 05:40 PM
xodus
"Heck, I do the same thing with your posts half the time, so trust me it's pretty easy. "
i'll take 50%. i don't read 90% of the stuff posted, however i do like some of your stuff. you give good insight.
also, unless someone on this blog actually played in the NBA or is part of a management team of a pro-team, i don't consider them to have hight b-ball IQ. I played 2 years in high school and as much as i can at the gym and i don't consider myself to know any more about b-ball than the average blogger.
anyblogger who pretends to be an authority...cough.....lakertom....is a fool.
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 05:40 PM
KL,
That's cool bro!
Posted by: Ron | October 19, 2007 at 05:41 PM
Gunner
"I have to admit, Jim Buss has made a fool of everyone with the drafting of Bynum. In this new system Phil is running, i believe Bynum could easily be a 20-10 guy just as long as Ball Hog distributes the ball."
i don't know who's really making the decisions, but our team doesn't look bad considerting we've made the playoffs 2 of 3 years. If Bynum can be a force on the inside and grab up rebounds like D Howard, we'll be in good shape. i wasn't really a Farmar fan when he was at UCLA, but i really like what i see...especially on the defensie end.
my favorite part of the game is watching good ball movement leading to dunks or layups. the up-tempo style this seeason should make a big difference. who knows, if the lakers do well with kobe a the "facilitator" and kobe stops acting like a kbiatch, we might actually have a 50-win season.
"I like what I'm seeing from Bynum, Farmar, and Crit. I think the youth movement has begun. This is going to be move over Kobe, and Bynum's Baby Lakers team now."
i like what i see too. can't wait until October 30th on TNT Houston versus LA. It'll be interesting to see how the team plays and how kobe will fit.
Posted by: KL | October 19, 2007 at 05:46 PM
janaya,
>>Does this mean, we will not be seeing your journals any more??? :(
>>
>>I really enjoyed your writing and would be bummed to see it gone. I would take >>your opinion over any of those LA Times jokers........can you say Simmons?
No, I'll still be blogging here. the one game only comment about the "TENIENTE
JOURNAL" was just saying that I don't intend to obsessively go back and review
every shot for every game to keep Mike T honest. I did it for one game and
caught him stretching the truth a bit, and that's enough. If he pads the stats
to make Kwame look good on one game, he probably does it on all games. Good
thing too, because I was worried that PJ's job might be in trouble. :-)
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 05:52 PM
KL,
"If Bynum can be a force on the inside and grab up rebounds like D Howard, we'll be in good shape"
One thing I did see a problem with Bynum is getting cheap fouls. When the perimeter players don't play good Defense (cough, cough Kobe) or start going for illadvised steals, it leads to penetration and Bynum picks up cheap fouls.
Phil clean up the perimeter and Bynum will be straight!
Posted by: gunner24 | October 19, 2007 at 05:59 PM
"That's 78% easy points scored under "The Kwame effect" as you called it,
and only 37% easy points scored under "The Mihm effect"."
That's a stat that is easy to comprehend.
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 19, 2007 at 05:59 PM
KL,
"i wasn't really a Farmar fan when he was at UCLA, but i really like what i see...especially on the defensie end."
When Farmar was in college they were a good defensive team. Even last year, they had a good defensive team. I've always admire a coach who focus more of his energy on Defense rather than offense. So, I believe Farmar has always been a good defender.
Posted by: gunner24 | October 19, 2007 at 06:02 PM
"the title "Death of an Empire" is the exact phrase to address the lakers right now"
THIS IS SO NEGATIVE THINKING!
HELLO! We still have the best player in the world. We have two of the brightest young talent at C and PG, the hardest position to fill. You have the nerve to call it a death, HELLO AGAIN! The future is here and the present is still HERE! C'mon! What goes on behind the basketball court is just Hollywood drama, marketing strategy! You heard Kobe he will STRAP IT UP! He is playing isn't he? LAKERS WILL LIVE FOREVER! Just like after Magic, Worthy and Kareem there was Kobe, Shaq and Fox! Now we have Bryant, Odom, Kwame and Mihm!!! but then we will have Bynum and Crittenton for the next decade! Lakers are not going anywhere!
This is re-BIRTH of a new empire with future STARs in BYNUM and Crittenton! A birth of an empire is more fitting from Jerry Buss to JIM BUSS (who needs a clean hair cut and a GIORGIO ARMANI SUITS). We already know his brain works by drafting BYNUM-TURIAF-FARMAR-CRITTENTON! These are all excellent picks considering the draft position!!! DEATH OF AN EMPIRE, HELLO???? GEEZ LUIS!!! WHAT"S UP!!! THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!!! These are very fine draft picks.
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 19, 2007 at 06:03 PM