Keep me posted on the game tonight all you lakerlovin peeps. It looks like the game won't be on Nba League Pass or the Nba channel, so nothing live tv for this lakerlover in Az ! I will say htis however...its nice to read a fresh La Times laker article every morning. It was a long summer with nothing !

Kwame Brown has been counting the different colors of leaves in Autumn contemplating:...Shall I play and prove to them that I'm not a bum...or...Shall I not, a waste of time nobody is minding my contract deadline anyway...Ahh what a nice time to do clubbing in Honolulu? What a life to get $9M for resting and having fun with this Phil Jackson?

Phil Jackson changing his coaching strategies, he must have been reading the Jackson Journal. After reading it, just do the opposite and you will win more ball games.

Cant wait for today!!

Some things to look for:

1. How Fisher reconnects with his old teammates Walton and Bryant.
2. Does Kobe come out trying to outscore everybody to death or pass the ball to death to prove a point
3. Can Chris Mihm move?
4. Bynum's new physical attributes
5. Battle between Elton Brown, Larry Turner and Coby Karl
6. Radmanovic's attitude on the court

While the preseason, especially the opener, is nothing to prognosticate with...with the drama the Lakers faced this summer, we will be able to see the opening attitudes that the Lakersr will be building upon this whole year.

If you have the FSN package on DirecTV or Dish Network, they might show the game on the Warriors network (which I think is Fox Sports Bay Area). I won't know unless I decide I want to stay up til 3:30 in the morning and watch it (which I might be crazy enough to do, LOL).

KL,

You're right about one thing, that little thing called logic never keeps you from making your argument. The fact that you can find a way to denigrate Kobe's leadership skills by bringing up Kobe's comments about Shaq being out of shape is ridiculous. Shaq's behavior in LA is one of the most ignored aspects of the Lakers dynasty. In Phil Jackson's book "Sacred Hoops," Phil says that during a midseason team meeting Shaq stood up in front of everyone and said that the team couldn't win a championship because of Kobe's immaturity.

Are those the words of a nurturing leader mentoring his young pupil? Did Shaq playing his way into shape and not worrying about the playoffs set the right tone for the Lakers from 2001-2003? And did it come back to bite us in the arse in the 2002-2003.

I guess it's easier ignore those things than to bring your Kobe hate tour to an end. Maybe you should start the Kobe Journal, it'll fit right in with that other journal I had the pleasure of scrolling past after every game last season.

******* A thousand apologies MRBARNEYDANGLES **********

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LAMAR BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
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(1) VIOLATER
(2) MAMBA24
(3) NEVER
(4) MJCMAN32
(5) DICE8UP
(6) MRBARNEYDANGLES

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START RONNY TURIAF/ RONNY
FOR 6TH MAN BANDWAGON
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(1) LONG TIME LAKER FAN
(2) MICHAEL H.
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(4) JON KAVULIC
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El Senor Bass,

http://www.xtrasportsradio.com/pages/streaming.html

Good luck man....

Charles

Xodus

"In Phil Jackson's book "Sacred Hoops," Phil says that during a midseason team meeting Shaq stood up in front of everyone and said that the team couldn't win a championship because of Kobe's immaturity."

if this is true, then it's not cool....but there is some validity to it. you see, when a punk-ass 20-something openly challenges the "franchise guy" which was unquestionably shaq until 2004, the response is going to be negative.

Check out Young Bynum. they guy basically kisses kobe's ass and kobe repays the guy by denigrating him BEHIND HIS BACK, then pretend to apologize via "a mutual friend"....wait, that was how kob "apologized" to shaq for ratting shaq out in Colorado. Kobe text message Bynum which Bynum denies....i guess the implication is that Young Bynum is a liar. Great way to motivate the young guys. now imagine if Young Bynum starts underhandedly undercuting kobe's authority? imagine Sweet Kobe's response. the irony in satisfying.

At least shaq was man enough to do it face-to-face, man-to-man.

Kobe's nickname is fitting..."The Snake".

"Are those the words of a nurturing leader mentoring his young pupil? Did Shaq playing his way into shape and not worrying about the playoffs set the right tone for the Lakers from 2001-2003? And did it come back to bite us in the arse in the 2002-2003."

Hari-yahoo, is that you? I'll say again, i don't care if shaq was 500 pounds and eating Lakergurl's Big Macs bricking 50 free throws in a row....WE WERE WINNING.....THAT'S WHAT MATTERS....everything else is bull-shizzle.

From the Kwame article:

The goal, Brown said, is to be healthy for the season opener, Oct. 30 against the Rockets.

"That's my goal," Brown said. "I hope that's their goal. I hope we're all on the same page. But I do understand that preseason gets you in some type of rhythm."

-------

Sounds as if Kwame feels a sense of entitlement about where he stands in the lineup - rather than feeling like he has to compete for the spot. That might be reading into what he's saying a little bit. If all he's talking about is making sure he's 100% before he returns to the court, there's nothing wrong with that.

He probably feels confident that he can come back and win that starting job (if they don't just give it to him) like he did at the beginning of last season. In his mind, he may feel like Andrew and Chris don't give him much competition. If they can't prove him wrong than it's their own fault. If you can't beat out Kwame Brown for a starting center spot, then what does that say about yourself?

From the Tex Winter article:

When offering praise for free-agent center Larry Turner, Winter used center Kwame Brown, who had just sat out Monday's workout, for context.

"He's a tough kid," Winter said of Turner, "whereas Kwame apparently is not very tough."

--------------

Both Tex and PJ seem to have the mindset that if their players exude confidence that is not "earned", as PJ put it yesterday when talking about Farmar, then they'll say what they can to knock those egos down a few notches. It's a delicate balance. There is a certain level of ego and confidence that you love to see from your players b/c, if it's missing, it's nearly impossible to instill. But when you see players miss shots, mess up plays, don't hustle and still come off the court with an ego, the natural instinct is to let them know their confidence is misplaced.

the LAT is doing a horrible job of keeping this blog running when you guys are gone, basically NOTHING. I think it was dead for 8 or 9 hours yesterday, I checked back when I got home and it was still dead... which encourages people to join other forums and not come back here so... if that's what the Times wants? fine... There's a reason the LAT hasn't figured out what to do about the internet, there's no thought process at all about what internet readers want. Combine that with their insane classified ad rates and they can't figure out what to do about their dwindling subscriber base? Hello? Perhaps the LAT needs to wake up to that thing called the internet and embrace it?

MAN IF THIS DOES NOT SUM UP HIS WHOLE CAREER, ESPECIALLY THE LAST PART!

HONOLULU - The right ankle Kwame Brown had surgery on still was swollen Monday, leaving the 6-foot-11 center in the precarious state of not wanting to push things.

Mamba:

Add me to the Sun Yue bandwagon. Thanks.

Tom

Hay if we cut Kwame and if somebody picks him up does the other team have to give the lakers in anything in return. They probably don't so who cares anyway the is just lazy and we only have pay this shize koff one more year i mean D league talent nba pay, isn't that FANNNTASTIC.

LOCK- N - LOAD!!!!

It's that time again!

Thank God the season is about to begin. Life is divided into two cycles: Season and off-season. Season is better.

GO LAKERS!

"He's a tough kid," Winter said of Turner, "whereas Kwame apparently is not very tough."

I wish he'd said something about Bynum.

I guess Kwame is blowing off preseason in order to REALLY produce in his contract year.

Grab the ball you heartless bastard. The ball is your friend.

Mamba24,

Put me on the Lamar Breakout year band wagon.

There are only a few players I would trade him for. Unlike Bynum or Kwame. I still think we need to push Kwames expiring contract more than we are.

T-Woody

***The information provided below is based on pre-season data only. A comprehensive regular season preview will be provided at the close of preseason.***

NBA 2007-2008 Pre-Season Report

Eastern Conference

Pre-Season Rankings
1. Boston Celtics
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Miami Heat
5. Chicago Bulls
6. New Jersey Nets
7. Orlando Magic
8. Toronto Raptors
9. New York Knicks
10. Washington Wizards
11. Milwaukee Bucks
12. Charlotte Bobcats
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Philadelphia Sixers
15. Atlanta Hawks

Atlantic Division
1. Boston Celtics
2. New Jersey Nets
3. Toronto Raptors
4. New York Knicks
5. Philadelphia Sixers

Central Division
1. Detroit Pistons
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Indiana Pacers

Southeast Division
1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Washington Wizards
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Atlanta Hawks

***The information provided below is based on pre-season data only. A comprehensive regular season preview will be provided at the close of preseason.***

NBA 2007-2008 Pre-Season Report

Western Conference

Pre-Season Rankings
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Phoenix Suns
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Houston Rockets
5. Denver Nuggets
6. Utah Jazz
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Golden State Warriors
9. New Orleans Hornets
10. Memphis Grizzlies
11. Minnesota T-Wolves
12. Sacramento Kings
13. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Seattle SuperSonics
15. Portland Trailblazers

Northwest Division
1. Denver Nuggets
2. Utah Jazz
3. Minnesota T-Wolves
4. Seattle SuperSonics
5. Portland Trailblazers

Pacific Division
1. Phoenix Suns
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Golden State Warriors
4. Sacramento Kings
5. Los Angeles Clippers

Southeast Division
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Dallas Mavericks
3. Houston Rockets
4. New Orleans Hornets
5. Memphis Grizzlies

Thanks for the info ATL. I didn't evne think to look at the Warrior broadcast side. I'll check it out. GO LAKERS !!

An off topic, but you will remember that early in the summer I tell that Juan Carlos Navarro will be a very great player.

Only look what he can do in 18 minutes.

THE JACKSON JOURNAL II: 2007-2008 Season
By Michael C. Teniente

VOLUME 2:

Pre-Season opener

I want to write about what Press-Enterprise’s BRODERICK TURNER article: “Lakers Kwame Brown, Coach Jackson not on same page.”

http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_lakers_09.3b66720.html

Read the structure of the article. The timing is set out. The guy is barely being cleared for contact drills and PJ and Tex Winters are sounding off? Get real! The article clearly states that Kwame’s ankle is still swollen. What doesn’t PJ and Tex Winter understand about that? It seems to me that Kwame Brown had surgery on May 29th of this year. The prognosis was that it was going to take a MINIMUM of four months to heal. Here’s the report on that issue:

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/070529_kwame.html

“El SEGUNDO – Los Angeles Lakers forward/center Kwame Brown underwent successful reconstructive surgery on his left ankle, it was announced today.
The procedure was performed by Dr. David Porter in Indianapolis, Indiana. Brown will begin rehab in approximately 1-2 weeks and will be able to start running in 6-8 weeks. He is expected to make a full and complete recovery and return to playing status in a minimum of four months.”

As I mentioned earlier, that procedure occurred on May 29th. Add four months to that and it brings us to September 29th. Now here we are on October 9th. We’re basically nine days over what is MINIMUMLY required for recovery. This month is the final month for Kwame Brown to work his way in playing shape concerning the ankle. What that means is to ease back and not rush. Yet, here we have Phil Jackson and Tex Winter questioning Kwame’s toughness when we haven’t even played one game in the preseason. What’s the rush? The guy had RECONSTRUCTIVE ANKLE SURGERY! It would completely stupid to try to rush the guy this early into camp.

I believe that management, basically, went to PJ and told him if he wanted to continue coaching the team he would have come with a new approach to everything he’s done before. That’s why we’re going to see the phasing out of the triangle. And that’s why Tex Winter is sounding off on Kwame Brown over an exhibition game. Logic would indicate that the Lakers would want to make sure Kwame is ready for the season opener against the Houston Rockets and Yao Ming. I mean what don’t these two guys understand about what it takes to guard Yao Ming? The guy is so huge that to guard him you have to approach it like your going to do a serious heavy weightlifting workout. Do these guys not understand the amount of pressure that the ankles are under against Yao Ming? What don’t those two dumb-asses, PJ and Tex Winter, understand about October 31st being the target day for Kwame Brown to be ready to play effective basketball? Not October 9th.

I think they do. But I think they’re angry because management basically went to PJ and told him that when the season opens that want to see this line-up:

PG: Fisher
SG: Bryant
SF: Odom
PF: Either Brown or Turiaf
C: Either Brown or Bynum

And because management is ordering PJ to start Kwame both PJ and Tex Winter act as if they need him on the court right this instance. That’s manipulation. I think management wants Kwame Brown in the starting line-up either at the 4 of 5 spot and that’s bad news for Chris Mihm, a favorite of both Jackson and Winters. These guys are so obvious that it just astonishes me that they would open their mouth. But it’s more than that. If you watched the games, last season, it’s obvious that PJ doesn’t like Kwame Brown even though the only time the Lakers have had a winning record is when Kwame Brown starts.

Now if management did, in fact, order PJ to start Brown that would explain the snickering that PJ and Tex Winter are shooting Kwame’s way. The sad thing about this is this: Kwame is a nice guy. The guy played injured all season long last year. The guy had RECONSTRUCTIVE ANKLE SURGERY and now an old dog like Tex Winter is questioning his toughness? The guy is just mad because he’s being phased out.

That’s just the way it goes when you lose a power play. And PJ did lose in a power struggle against Jimmy Buss. Don’t you remember when Jimmy did his interview? Jeannie Buss came out the next day or so and muttered these words: “I muddy the sutiuation.” “I muddy the situation.”

What did she mean by that? Jimmy Buss had PJ in his line of fire. The only thing that saved PJ was Jeannie Buss. But Jeannie wasn’t enough to preserve PJ’s total control of what happens on the basketball court. In losing the power struggle PJ lost the right to dictate without question. The guy is on the ropes and all he can do is snicker at Kwame Brown.

Even the new defense that PJ is trying to implement, I would urge management to pay close attention to the motives of this new scheme. Is this new philosophy aimed at bettering the defense? Or is it aimed helping Chris Mihm’s weaknesses? The guy, PJ, it seems, is inviting penetration. And in doing so he can say this: I told you this is a second tier team and it doesn’t matter if Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, or Andrew Bynum is in the middle. The guy isn’t about winning. He’s about proving his point. His point is this: The legendary PJ is credible while Mith Kupchak and Jimmy Buss don’t know what they’re talking about. I mean the audacity to even mention Chris Mihm and Luke Walton in the starting line-up is only going to prove that the Lakers are a second tier team.

PJ has already mentioned to reporters that he thought the Lakers were a second tier team. What is a second tier team? And elite team, in the West, is the first, second, and third seed. A second tier team is the forth, fifth, and sixth seed. A bubble team is the seventh and eighth seed.

PJ, with a line-up of Mihm, Odom, Walton, Bryant, and Fisher already admitted this was a second tier team. But he was only kidding himself. That is a bubble team. There’s no way management is going to let PJ get away with putting that line-up on the floor. That’s why, all of a sudden, Walton is now being mentioned as a bench player.

But here’s the logic. If PJ already confessed that with Mihm, Odom, Walton, Bryant, and Fisher, as starters, the Lakers are barely a second tier team then why shouldn’t management step in and order PJ to go with a bigger front line? I mean the worst that can happen is that we’ll be a second tier team, right? But with the big front line we have a chance to emphasis defense and climb into the elite status of the league. That’s management and not PJ’s doing.

Of course that depends on Kwame Brown being and staying healthy. But here we have PJ and the outdated dog, Tex Winter, questioning Kwame Brown when we haven’t even played a preseason game? It sounds like they want Brown to aggravate his ankle so they’ll have no choice but to go with Mihm, Bynum, and Turiaf and prove that they’re the experts and when they say this is a second tier team…it’s a second tier team.

My question to management is this: If these things are possibly true, the question has to be, why are we going down this road?

PJ is going to manipulate the scene all season long. Does management really want to baby-sit the guy? If management has to keep their eye on PJ then it tells you that the trust is broken. If management has to step in time and time, again, then it’s not only Kwame Brown and PJ who aren’t on the same page. But it’s management and PJ who are also on different pages.

If this is true, it’s at the expense of another of Kobe Bryant’s prime years. If management lets this thing fester…Kobe will be walking.

mike

P.S. To the Laker' players. The more you talk the more I'll understand and the more I'll write. Say what you feel because I'm not going to write to cover for Phil Jackson.

Update time...

Wes