Not so "Baby" anymore?
(UPDATE: More on Andrew Bynum's early improvement, with the focus directed towards his amped work ethic. It's the type of development that could potentially sustain Kobe Bryant's happy mood during Friday's practice. Happy enough that he still won't request a ticket out of L.A., whether to Dallas (although not for Dirk) or elsewhere? Remains to be seen, although it's safe to say Kobe's pysche affects the franchise's collective psyche and should the latter remain fragile, Phil Jackson could end up coaching the Yankees next season. Or simply go the Joe Torre route, whichever is simplest. As for Luke Walton, nobody is losing sleep over whether he's happier starting or coming off the bench, but it's nice to know he's cool with either role. - AK)
Lost, or at least slightly misplaced, in all the attention on Kobe last night in Bakersfield was the play of Andrew Bynum. 19 points, 10 boards (six offensive), two dimes, and a block in 27 minutes. Granted, it's preseason and it came against the Sonics, who have an abundance of young bigs, none of whom are particularly good. Still, those are nice numbers. More than that, standing next to the kid at practice you can see that he has changed his body. He's leaner, but at the same time looks stronger. That's a good combination. It's too early to say Bynum has arrived. Remember, he started off hot last season before fading about halfway through. But it can only be a positive thing that a young player often criticized for his work ethic arrived at camp in the best shape of his (albeit short) career, seemingly aware of what went wrong for him last year.
A leap forward from Bynum could amount to L.A.'s important acquisition of the summer, the difference between last season's version and a souped up '07-'08 edition tantamount to having picked up a better big on the free agent market. Talking with him today (as you can hear below), it's pretty clear Bynum's confidence has gone up with his improved conditioning.
Luke Walton says (see previous note) thus far, Bynum looks like a different player. "He's been doing it all preseason," Walton told me. "As far as the little things, like his spin-outs on the post and stuff like that, before he could never do that and now he's getting it down... When he starts dominating the paint, especially on defense, that's going to be his biggest help to the team. He's so big and athletic and long, he can really own a paint. He's done it before. He's shown us in practice."
Incidentally, Bynum is now going to wear something called a size "18 stretch" shoe. This does not sound like the sort of thing that can be picked up at Foot Locker.
Download andrew_bynum_10.19 on physical conditioning.mp3
Download luke_walton_1019_on_bynum.mp3
Here's a little bonus clip, neither here nor there, of Walton talking about the Kobe trade rumors, and his non-shorn early season hair. The "he" Walton refers to is Papa Bill.
Download luke_walton_1019_on_trade_rumors_hair.mp3
BK
I was pleased with Bynum last night..one thing I did notice was that he attacked the basket more with dunks..which is always a good sign. Not sure if he'll continue to play like that in the season though.
Posted by: drew | October 19, 2007 at 06:00 PM
Bynum looked great last night. I think Sasha and Vlad traded hair from last season. Does anyone know if Flea is blogging for NBA.com this year?
Posted by: realityshaq | October 19, 2007 at 06:09 PM
I watched Drew closely all three games. He really is becoming Lakers future and present. In the sense that how he goes, so go the Lakers to a large degree. He always had the knack for scoring, but his D is really lacking. Until he starts to focus on D, he'll be playing behind Kwame and won't get decent minutes and stats. After the game, Phil was asked by a reporter expecting a cheery reply about his performance, and Phil was pretty cool about him. Something like - he's got a ways to go to make a coach happy. You know we coaches are looking for defense. He did do some good things on offense, sure. Phil pretty much brushed that aside..
Posted by: HAB | October 19, 2007 at 06:20 PM
Starting Line-up
G Kobe
G Jordan
C Bynum
F Turiaf
F Cook
Odom is tradeable. Bynum is Not.
He may prove all the dumb folks who said trade him for a 35 yr old 6'3" Jason Kidd stupid!
Posted by: Todd | October 19, 2007 at 06:25 PM
BK,
I can't stand it. Is Bynum for real as far as you know? I feel like we heard this last year, and he tapered off again. Can you go from being someone a lot of people seemed to consider lazy to grinding it out every day? My gut says no, but you've actually seen him, talked to him, and been around the last few weeks.
Posted by: kyle | October 19, 2007 at 06:28 PM
We may be witnessing the phrase "Ship his *** out" being utilized as one of the great motivational tools of our time....
Posted by: J_Luv | October 19, 2007 at 06:51 PM
Bynum might ultimately end up costing the Lakers, not only the #9 pick, but Kobe, Jason Kidd and Phil Jackson, as well. If Bynum has been dominating in practice, as Luke claims, let's all remember that he is playing against Mihm's matador or foul defense. Bynum was completely dominated by Golden State's young prospect, Bietrins, as well as their backup draft pick, O'Brian. He was also bricking 2 footers in the post against Austin Croshere, who is puny even for a PF. Bynum does look stronger and more fit, but his reaction time on defense has not changed, which is much more important to this team. He is still a project that might take another 4 years to fully develop into useful starter in this league.
TRADE BYNUM NOW, before he is completely exposed. If management is serious about working it out with Kobe, than Bynum has to go.
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | October 19, 2007 at 07:01 PM
bynum is only 19 turning 20 this month. everyone needs to relax on trading him. for his age he is doing great. sure there are young guys doing better but he barely played high school ball, give the kid a break. i love how hes come in this year determined to be a much better player. he looks really good so far. we may not get 20 and 10 out of him every night this year but i think he will be far more consistent than last year. i think this year will be solid but the next will be his "breakout" year where he will be competing for a all star spot. i know we are all really impatient with the kobe thing but everyone just take a deep breat and just relax. bynum will be great.
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | October 19, 2007 at 07:35 PM
I dont care if the traditional big is almost extinct making way for the small ball. Im not expecting Bynum to dominate like shaq did but having him average even slightly under that 19/10 with a decent 1.8 blocks should be a nice foundation to the franchise.
I like the way he's starting to get after the rebounds rather than waiting for it to be within his vicinity...like kwame. i still think that he can learn a thing or two with his one on one D in the block. He'll get stronger in time.
one last thing. if there was such a thing... i'd be on the put Mihm on the 4 bandwagon and have him knock down 15 footers on the elbow for the second unit.
Posted by: sixonezero | October 19, 2007 at 07:47 PM
The progress of Bynum and the appearance of young draftees like Critt and Karl as well veteran Fish will convince Kobe to stay around 4 more years. However, we cannot bet our house yet based on one preseason game. Lakers are known to win in the early outings, then fold in the winter months. What we want is CONSISTENCY & strong defense. Well, that boy Coby Karl was showing all signs of a good defender, he blocks the path, he uses his body and he executes proper timing and positioning. .Farmar was a better PG yesterday than Critt and Fish. Defense is still lacking in Luke, Cook, Vlad, Sasha and Chris, they should learn from the rookie, Karl.
MEDIA GIMMICKRY - Off Topic
This afternoon while traveling I was listening AMK570 Loose Cannons, the perceived Kobe hater, Steve Hartman has a new gig this time, Kobe is unstable he says one thing and does another. Then, they all talked at the same time while there's a musical background, all rehearsed by a sleek producer to create an athmosphere of excitement and aggressions.
Afterwards, it was followed by PMS by Petros, the greek and Money Smith formerly from Chicago, again they discuss Kobe that it is inevitable the end is coming. The USC football player, Petros suddenly became a Kobe expert shouting and yelling that the world will not end and people from LA are just delusional. They interviewed another young dude from Yahoo.com, another Kobe watcher and expert and forecasting that the deliberations will go on until next summer. Very soon, another Kobe hater will come iinto play by the name of Joe McDonald Experience using Johnny Bacarro and he keeps on saying: "you don't want to miss it." the future of Kobe. They talk to a psychic, Vela reading the cards, saying Kobe is not going anywhere - see how Kobe sells.
Is it just me, a waning baby boomer getting shocked with the type of broadcasters that replaced the integrity of Chick Hearns, Johnny Most (Celtics), Jack Buck (Cardinals) and very soon retired, Vince Scully(Dodgers) & Bob Miller (Kings)? The legends never used gimmickry in their trade, they just call what they see, give a professional opinion take it or leave it, but constantly improve their style of broadcast, learning new words, researching for applicable metaphors and analogy. The broadcasters of today, you only get a good 5 minutes out of the 30 minutes span of talking & yelling and rehearsed talks the other 25 minutes, or peddling something from a sleazy hooters to all kinds of junk products. At AM K570 radio, the same with Am K710 that whack job announcer, their daily bread is talking about Kobe and yet wished incessantly that he will be traded soon on and on for three hours.
At the turn of the century, only William Randolf Hearst made headlines of what they termed yellow journalism, when he prematurely twisted the story about the sinking of battleship Maine in order to sell papers and aroused the US government to enter into Spanish-American War. Today, lies, gimmicks, shades of Hearst are interwoven with actual news, this is what happens when people get into cracks, ( not all) taking uppers and downers and steroids - that's how to survive in the nano technology generation, always get excited, be competitive and do hard sell. That's very sad.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | October 19, 2007 at 07:56 PM
BK,
You may be right, and I hope you are, but it's a little early to annoint Bynum as the 2nd coming of Shaq. No, you didn't do that. But dedicating a thread to the topic elevates Andrew more than I'm prepared to. Sure, he looked good Thursday night. But so did everybody else. We were playing Seattle.
In the two games against the Warriors, we saw promise. But we also saw a lot of the Andrew of last season. Not finishing. Stupid fouls.
After only three pre-season games, the truth is, we still don't know what this team is made of.
The worst part is, in all of the three games, so far, the team is still not executing killer defense. The Lakers even let Seattle shoot better than 50% in some parts of the game. No one will be a hero if that continues.
I'd like to be as optimistic as anybody on this blog. To be sure, there are signs to be optimistic. Andrew does look greatly improved. So does Farmar. Ronny's play as a starter is inspiring.
When we see Andrew start this pre-season, as I expect we will again, I'll be watching to see if Kobe in his playmaker role gets Andrew the ball the same way he does Ronny and Fish. When Kobe shows him the same confidence as he does Ronny, Fish, Lamar and Luke that will be a good sign the Andrew has arrived.
Thursday night's game can and should be a confidence builder. But the Laker scoring machine won't have free reign against the elite teams. And the failure of the Lakers to commit to DEFENSE will have dire consequences.
The pre-season is still young, and the verdict is far from in.
All that being said, GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | October 19, 2007 at 08:01 PM
I like what i saw in Bynum, he is quick, the long season, he will make mistake or tired, but we will have patient on him. I lost a lot of respect after Kobe said F...you to Bynum. Kobe is not a leader, but somebody still saying that he has a big heart, desire to win,..., i don't believe that. I am glad that Lakers did not trade for Kidd, what is Kidd going to do in the playoff ? pass the ball to Kobe and stand around to watch and watch Kobe keep missing shots after shots, or throw the ball to Kwame who can't catch ? If you look at game 5 between Phoenix and San Antonio, Nash still doesn't know how to win a big game, same to Jason Kidd, Lakers are very stupid to pay him over 20 mil a year. Kobe wanted Jason Kidd, i am very happy that KObe is not Lakers manager.
Posted by: bluesky | October 19, 2007 at 08:38 PM
sixonezero
Mihm could play the 4. He just couldn't defend most of the PFs around.
He's kind of a tweener. He can catch, shoot, play with his back to the basket, but he's just not the enforcer that closes up holes or runs with the Euro 3 shootin' PFs.
He's got skills, he's just not our answer on D. I'm excited 'cause this is the first year all 3 centers and their 18 fouls are available. If used right, that's a big plus.
Posted by: Vman | October 19, 2007 at 08:43 PM
Edwin G,
Seriously man, what's with the moral outrage? Basketball, lets talk basketball. Kobe, Bynum even Mike T's take on Kwame vs Mihm or LTLF dissection of it.
Posted by: p ang | October 19, 2007 at 09:18 PM
Rick-
You're totally correct that it's way too early to say that he's arrived (I think i put that caveat in the post, pretty plainly). Only that if what he did last night, or even something close to it (a 13/7-ish season or the like, obviously dependent on minutes of course, would be a big jump, production wise) it really does provide quite a boost. Too early to say it'll happen, but not too early to predict how much it'll help.
I certainly wasn't trying to put him on the All Star team, by any stretch. We'll all basically have to wait and see. The signs are encouraging, in terms of his summer and body... but we still have to remember that he's only 20 (more or less).
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | October 19, 2007 at 09:23 PM
Edwin,
I couldn't agree more. Every show is trying to cut through the din of too many channels that didn't exist in Hearst's day.
It's like coming out on stage and everyone in the audience has a microphone. You have to scream to sound normal. I'm sure you could find the kind of reporting you're looking for, but you'd have to search a lot harder for it.
At the end of the day, these guys have to love Kobe. It's hard to sell the NBA these days and the LA soap opera is the best story goin'.
Posted by: Vman | October 19, 2007 at 09:24 PM
WOW to this article, very interesting. Pretty much what i've been ranting about lately about the situation.. weird... i guess i've been pretty accurate in my observations in La La Land. Yes i do want a cookie as a matter of fact.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-streeter20oct20,1,4768388.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers
Posted by: Violator | October 19, 2007 at 09:30 PM
This is the difference between Kwame and Bynum. Bynum WANTS to be a great player. Kwame? Not so much.
Posted by: Xodus | October 19, 2007 at 09:36 PM
"Not so "Baby" anymore?"
He still is for the time being.. i'm gonna call him Andrew Baby, its funny too this way which is a plus in my book
Posted by: Violator | October 19, 2007 at 09:39 PM
How good do you guys think Andrew Bynum can be? Personally, I think he'll be VERY good but not a all-timer. I could see him being a modern day Brad Daugherty. Which isn't bad at all, but he isn't a HOFer.
When I watch Bynum I think, "Man, this kid is going to be good." When I watch a guy like Dwight Howard I think, "Man, this kid could be one of the best big men ever."
Posted by: Xodus | October 19, 2007 at 09:51 PM
P. Ang,
I know it is off topic from the thread, I just want to relate what's going on today in the Lakerville local radio. Their main segment is basketball without missing a beat on Kobe vs.Buss drama. II will leave to you in dissecting Mike T. and Kwame, that's an old, long playing story as well.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | October 19, 2007 at 09:59 PM
Edwin,
Your post was right on the money, and I don't mean Matt "Money" Smith. Not knocking "Money," since he seems pretty knowledgeable, but with the noteworthy exception of Jim Hill, the electronic media in this town is just horrible. Thank goodness KCAL has paired Hill with James Worthy on the pregame show.
The frantic screaming that permeates AM570 and to a lesser extent KSPN710 is because they are literally screaming for listeners. The ratings of both stations are pathetic, and for good reason. The PD of AM570 doesn't really believe in the sports format at all. He's into male talk on steroids. For some reason, they think "real men" act like Steve Hartman and Petros.The blog gives KL and Gunner a hard time, but they're saints compared to these radio clowns.
Come to think of it, KL, Gunner, and Mike T might all be pretty entertaining on the radio.
Vince Scully is the last of a breed when it comes to play-by-play. It's a travesty that we've gone from Chick to Joel Myers, who's all silk and no substance.
And the blog has clearly expressed itself on the subject of print coverage. I think Mike Bresnahan of the Times tries to be fair and objective, but he's a beat reporter, not a columnist, and pretty much sticks to meat and potatoes - no gravy.
There's much more insight and knowledge on this blog than anywhere else in this town. That's why we come here.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | October 19, 2007 at 10:06 PM
We gotta just believe in our team...
Whoever we have, whatever trades are made, we gotta root for our team...
I just finished watching Braveheart for the 60th time -- Scotland was mad undermanned and yet they fought valiantly against the English... even amongst the betrayals in house and the constant hate from within.. they just kept fighting and fighting and eventually proved legendary.
This is what we must do... keep fighting with whatever we got.
Don't let the naysayers hold you down.. FREEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: David Whang | October 19, 2007 at 11:09 PM
>>>We may be witnessing the phrase "Ship his *** out" being utilized as one of the great motivational tools of our time....
Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket.
Kobe was just using that video thing as a motivational tool for Bynum. Kobe's such a good motivator.
;-)
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 19, 2007 at 11:10 PM
I was talking with my brother about the game of basketball when I showed him the replay of Thursdays' game and I noticed that when Bynum was on the floor that Seatle had difficulty in making shots and even layups. I turned this to my brother's attention and came up with a theory. Some shots Bynum was obviously altering and in a huge way. They were shooting bricks and even when he was not even a real threat to block I could tell that they were rushing up their lay ups and even shots. I know for a fact that Bynum would intimidate any scorer. Does Mihm intimidate anyone. Definately not. Kwame is the second intimidator. But Bynum looked dominating and intimidating. So anyways we both thought that since basketball is a game of confidence that having an intimidating player on the floor will take away some of that confidence and alter your shot from a far distance. Does anyone think that this could be the case? If this is real then I don't think Mihm should play many minutes because he's not really all that intimidating.
Posted by: googleguy | October 20, 2007 at 12:41 AM
This is why Kidd would've worked for the Lakers: He gets players NOT named Kobe involved.
While Kidd & Odom could concentrate on making sure the auxiliary players get easy shots, Kobe can just concentrate on killing.
That's a perfect combo if you ask me.
Then you build around that with veterans in the free agent market. People always act as if one trade is the final move. No!
You make the trade for Kidd then this offseason pursue big men that will fill the defensive void left by Bynum.
Kidd & Odom as distributors create mismatches all over the court.
And Now, Bynum has to show Laker fans that the combination of him & Odom can be better than Kidd & Odom.
Wow.
Tough Task.
Posted by: Korey | October 20, 2007 at 01:57 AM
The only concern I have is Lamar's conditioning. I don't think the problem is so much cutting the 20 pounds, but rather having the strength and mobility back into his legs. Kenny J. described the situation best, "The NBA season is more like a sprint...it'll be hard to catch up once everyone has started"
Posted by: never | October 20, 2007 at 02:11 AM
It seems that Kobe's freak-out during the summer may actually reap dividens regarding Andrew Bynum.
I can say confidently that Andrew Bynum would not have worked out as hard as he did this summer were it not for Kobe berating him on that crappy video.
Bynum had two choices: Either be humiliated by Kobe or step up and show the Greatest Player in the NBA that he is wrong.
Good job, brother.
Go Andrew Bynum!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | October 20, 2007 at 06:26 AM
With Kareem Abdul-Jabaar's tutledge and, if given proper competitive motivation (i.e. Kobe Bryant's "Andrew Bynum? Andrew Bynum? Are you kidding me?") Andrew Bynum will be an All-Star two years from now.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | October 20, 2007 at 06:48 AM
HAB,
The Jedi Master/Sith Lord Phil Jackson was cool about Andrew Bynum's performance because at his heart Andrew Bynum is a nice, somewhat dorky kid. If Phil is overly positive about his performance, he is bound to slack a little bit, he needs very high expectations reinforced to him constantly to keep his focus and work ethic up.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | October 20, 2007 at 06:51 AM
Edwin:
Regarding your disgust with the hype of the media blowing things out of proportion, you yourself hit the nail on the head with your example of Hearst. He was famous for yellow journalism...
...but it was certainly nothing new. Throughout history, people have used the media to inflame, excite and sell copy. Look at the overblown story of some British guards who were being provoked and shot out of self defense... that was turned into the Boston Massacre. Hearst was not the only one doing it a hundred years ago; he's just the only one history remembers because of the scope of the effect. No one's going to remember these radio guys 10 or 20 years from now, but as far back as I can remember, talk radio has always had a flair for hyperbole.
These "performers" on the radio are doing what's expected, and what's always been expected of entertainers. If you want journalism, tune into NPR. I will concede that it's harder to find reputable information, as we've Maury Poviched into submission in order to appeal to the shortest attention span. And in the information age, the loudest and most obnoxious is often what gets our attention. But even serious journalism is tainted by the point of view, beliefs and experience of its author.
Posted by: Marty | October 20, 2007 at 07:13 AM
There it is!
Finally, a win!
Something to talk about other than--
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | October 20, 2007 at 07:24 AM
Starting line up for the LAKERS 2007-2008
Center - none
Guard - everybody except KOBE
Shooting guard/forward/etc- KOBE and KOBE alone!
Forward - who cares, as long as the ball goes to KOBE.
SAME FREAKING STORY UNTIL YOU GET RID OF THE CANCER!
I told you so!!!
Posted by: tarugo | October 20, 2007 at 07:56 AM
When do the Lakers play the Magic? I want to see Bynum and Howard go head to head. I see no reason why Bynum can't hold his own at the very least.
To tell you the truth, I can't see Howard being able to stop Bynum in the post 1 on 1. But the same can be said the other way around. Plus, I'd say Howard has Bynum on the boards and defense. Although, Howard is a TO machine while Bynum is solid taking care of the ball.
Of course Howard has the edge right now, but Andrew is closing that gap.
Kareem, Phil, and whoever else has been coaching Bynum have done a marvelous job. He barely even played high school ball, let alone pro ball. To see him playing the way he is right now is a testament to that, and Bynum's dedication to improvement.
At this point, Bynum is on his way to becoming an elite center. At least top 5.
I think we play the Bobcats tonight. I want to see Bynum matchup with Okafor. Okafor is a strong dude, a good big man. It'll be a good test for Bynum.
Posted by: Rocky | October 20, 2007 at 08:24 AM
I won't be convinced until this 19-10 thing starts showing up regularly in the box score. I do believe that Socks is a better option than Cake Boy. Kwame is miserable in the NBA - it's like watching Smush again this time in a taller body.
Posted by: utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER | October 20, 2007 at 08:28 AM
Jim Buss should follow in his father's footsteps. He should go for a PHD.
You know, take a few years off and complete his education? In the mean time, Kobe stays in LA and does what he does best, plays basketball.
Jim comes out Doctor Jim and runs the franchise into the ground... but later.
Posted by: Vman | October 20, 2007 at 08:50 AM
Sounds like the same old story with Bynum. This kid is going to cost us the franchise. Ship his but out!
Posted by: fkillah | October 20, 2007 at 09:15 AM
Cuban says he's talkin' to Jerry but he won't "rearrange the deck chairs".
He wants the trade to improve his team. Duh. That has to mean Howard, who just got suspended, and Terry.
I'd rather watch Crit and Farmar play and develop than Terry. Another small forward doesn't improve this team, LO should be playing the 3.
Even if the money works, does this franchise really want to watch the Mavericks become Americas team? Do we have a choice? Till 24's in a Dallas jersey, yes.
Posted by: Vman | October 20, 2007 at 10:02 AM
Rocky,
Austin Croshere and Bietrins were stopping Bynum in the post, and you don't think Dwight Howard can stop him? The Bynum lovers are so delusional, it amazes me. Bynum is still a softie. If the defender puts an elbow on Bynum' back and maintains their defensive position, Bynum has a difficult time scoring in the post. Teams figured this out last year after his hot start. Let's get real here. Even Brian Cook was abusing Seattle's bigs. That should tell you something.
At least top five center?? Are you nuts?? How about Yao, Amare, Bargnani, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Greg Oden, Bietrins, Lamarus Aldridge, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry, Emaka Okafur, etal. Bynum will be lucky to surpass even a few of these centers, if any. Within the next few years, the Lakers wil be able to sign a quality center as a free agent, yet the front office has been willing to risk losing the best player on the planet for this lazy teenage project, who yells at his HOF coach? PaLeeeeze.
BYNUM MUST GO.
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | October 20, 2007 at 10:08 AM
What if the whole trade me, get us help thing was a strategy to motivate the players? What if Koby and the Zen master are in this together? What if Koby never really wanted to go anywhere? What would happen if we all decided to project the qualities that we would like to see in the players onto the players? If enough of us did that would it affect those players?
Just some questions that came up which might help us to put things into prospective.
Posted by: Love of the Game | October 20, 2007 at 10:15 AM
This whole situaiton with Kobe and the way this is being perceived has put Bynum under a lot of pressure to improve quickly.I think we should see it for what it is.It was effectively his first season really playing last year and he dealt with a lot of lineup changes and what I cna only imagine was a bad atmosphere in the later part of the season.I hope we can keep it in perspective and see him as a talented, improving player rather than saviour of the franchise just yet.If he is working hard and improving ,combined with having last season under his belt he will be better... I think thats all we can ask for.
Posted by: Kiwi | October 20, 2007 at 10:26 AM
staples24
"HELLO! We still have the best player [kobe] in the world."
please pull your head our of kobe's ass. you're reeking of kobe's poop.
Kobe is NOT the best player in the world. I'll give you "one of the best INDIVIDUALLY", but on a team, he is definitely not.
Posted by: KL | October 20, 2007 at 10:41 AM
Jon K,
Agreed, Phil is not the one to lavish praise on any player. I think he gave his honest opinion on AB's performance for that game, since I had the same impression.
Posted by: HAB | October 20, 2007 at 10:44 AM
KOBE BRYANT IS NOT THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE...
Just ask Mark "Bad Dancer" Cuban.
http://mavscourtsideview.blogspot.com/2007/10/dirk-not-going-anywhere.html
Said Cuban: “Dirk is untouchable,”
Let me explain to those who see the world through kobe's a-hole (i'm talking about you Staples24 and gchild). The reason kobe has NEVER won the MVP award in ANYTHING MEANINGFUL is because kobe is too bull headed to understand that it takes a TEAM. it doesn't take kobe's INDIVIDUALNESS.
Shaq O'neal, Time Duncan, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnet and Dirk are all REAL MVPs because those "men" know how to lead other men.
Kobe Loyalist who STUPIDLY chant "Kobe MVP" only feed the "beast" in Kobe Bryant to be EVEN MORE SELFISH.
As a genuine Laker fan, i'm happy to see our TEAM finally telling kobe to go "F" himself and get back to the business of playing b-ball.
Kobe has been called out by Buss as being expendable.
Kobe has been called out by PJ not to be a "F-ing" ballhog and PASS THE ROCK.
Kobe has been called out by numberous free agents who have passed on the opportunity to play alongside kobe.
Kobe has been called out by numerous TRUE LAKER FANs.
Let's Go Lakers WITH OR WITHOUT KOBE "ME ME" BRYANT.
Posted by: KL | October 20, 2007 at 10:50 AM
BK,
Don't look now, but your Commodores are up 17-0 on South Carolina.
Posted by: Xodus | October 20, 2007 at 10:52 AM
I was on the fence about Bynum his first two seasons, but I am off it now. As I posted after the first game, I hopped on "Drew makes solid improvement this season" bandwagon.
He won't be top 5 or even top 10 center this season simply becasue he won't get starter's minutes. Last year he was forced to start because Mihm and Kwame were out. That's why he hit the proverbial "sophomore wall" mid-season. He is still physically and mentally not prepared to play 30 + mins 3-4 times a week. Even if he had enough D not to foul out that long, which at this point he does not.
Unlike last season, he'll have a pretty slow start and get better as the season goes along. If Kwame or Mihm are healthy enough to start most of year. That's how I would manage Drew's development and indications are that's what Phil is planning to do.
Drew v. Dwight:
Dwight was both physically and mentally more mature than Drew at the same age. I'd guess he played more HS ball as well. But Drew has a very good chance of becoming as good or better. He has more physical gifts. Taller (he definately looks taller than guys listed as 7 footers), huge wing span, and perhaps most importantly - he has great hands and shooters touch. Dwight doesn't so much. Dwight has much better footwork. I believe footwork is a learned skill, while handwork is a born trait.
Also, I am now convinced that Drew is very bright and has great competitive spirit. He loves to score the ball, but he needs to direct his competitiveness to WINNING, rather than just scoring. Start taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for WINNING. When he does that, that's when he'll start playing good D.
He is gonna be a good one. Lakers better hang on to him:-)
Posted by: HAB | October 20, 2007 at 11:17 AM
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Bynum, blah, blah, blah.
Heard it last season. We'll see.
Posted by: Benjamin | October 20, 2007 at 11:19 AM
HAB, i'm not sure if Bynum will be better than DHoward, but i noticed something in Howard's game in the pre-season game in Macao, China against the Cavs...
Dhoward seemed to have developed some post moves. Hubie Brown was saying that Patrick Ewing was coaching Howard and i see the improvements.
I hopeful that kareem can do the same for Bynum. At minimum, Bynum should be a force on the boards and defensive end.
Gunner, i agree with you that Bynum has to learn not to pick up "cheap fouls" especially WHEN KOBE PLAYS BAD DEFENSE by going for ill-advised steals.
Posted by: KL | October 20, 2007 at 11:24 AM
Hey Benjie,
"Bynum, blah, blah, blah. Heard it last season. We'll see."
I'd rather talk about Bynum and the Laker team than what kobe's doing INDIVIDUALLY.
Bench kobe "the biatch" and let our young guys prove that kobe is uncecessarying in a team environment if kobe continues to be selfish.
5-on-5 is ALWAYS better than 1-on-5 REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU HAVE ON YOUR TEAM.
Posted by: KL | October 20, 2007 at 11:29 AM
BK - I didn't realize that the media isn't normally allowed to see the majority of practice - just the tail end.
With regards to Kurt Streeter's article - Kurt's article posits that the team needs some group counseling. I know that the players are coached to say things like "we're just focused on basketball" when asked about the Kobe situation but, from what I saw at practice yesterday, that is all they're focused on, at least during practice. Maybe it's something that guys like Lamar and Luke and Bynum think about privately but it doesn't seem to factor into things when they're on the court. Those guys are running hard and trying to get comfortable with the new, faster pace of the offense. The uncertainty of the Kobe situation may make players think more in terms of their own individual careers since they have no idea what the make-up of the team will be or how soon it will change. My point is that the drama doesn't appear to have nearly the affect on Kobe's teammates that a lot of people theorize it has, at least on the court. On the court, it's all about execution. And how well they execute will be the biggest determining factor of gathering Ws and Ls. And how many Ws and Ls they rack up early will surely affect the overall mood of the team.
Posted by: lakers_sth | October 20, 2007 at 11:34 AM