And that's why Troy Hudson is known as the NBA's 'King of Clutch'
(UPDATE, 10.11: We're in the air this morning, so you'll have to discuss the news amongst yourselves... hopefully comments will get pushed through reasonably fast.)
Actually, Hudson's mostly been known of late as an oft-injured dude with a contract Minnesota deemed quite regrettable (and a rap CD the consumer deemed quite forgettable). But he did can a jumper with a tick on the clock, supplying the Golden State Warriors a 111-110 win over the Lakers in the purple and gold's preseason kickoff. Kinks were exposed on both sides of the ball (and Kobe's still getting used to his new role as "Kid Facilitator"), but it's also early and the box score listed a "DNP" next to Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton's names. At any rate, a preseason loss is certainly not as big an issue as those keeping Jeannie Buss sleepless during the off-season, so that's certainly comforting. Besides, y'all need to maintain some smiles, because someone needs to cheer up The Critter.
There's a lot of optimism surrounding the return of Derek Fisher, a role-playing winner throughout his solid career. And according to the man himself, "winner" is what Kobe Bryant looks for on the resume of a potential co-worker.
TODAY: (WED. OCTOBER 10, 2007) is dedicated to: ) VIOLATER
PAST HONOREES: MIKE TENIENTE, EDWIN GUECO, KLBEAST, GENERIC_ONE, A.K. J.J.,
LAKER TOM, SONNY BELFAST, JOREMA, TALIQ, DAVID WHANG, THA SHOW, FAITH, BOB
RICK FRIEDMAN, HOBBITMAGE, FATTY, KOBE APOLOGIST, ANGRY LAKER, ANDREW Z,
EXHELODRVR, TWOODY, WESJOENIXON, KWAME BROWN, WEST SIDE JESSIE,
LONG TIME LAKER FAN, DICE8UP, FEARLESS WHACKJOB, TAOSHUM, LAKERGURL,
CHARLES, SHAWN MARION, MITCH KUPCHAK, utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER,
MJCMAN32
NEXT HONOREE ()
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A wise man once said by his name you shall know him. Whether today’s honoree’s name
matches up to his post on the Blog I’m not sure. He is a member of 3 bandwagons that
violate’s no ones pet peeves : The 55 win Bandwagon, Bynum Breakout Bandwagon and
Lamar Breakout Bandwagon. He appears to be a Laker Fan supreme, no throwing darts at
anybody just for the sake of throwing darts. He’s had some damn good trade proposals – to
bad the FO didn’t make one trade. And he is even handed on the Kobe argument – fair but firm.
What is the screen name of this paragon of American virtue? RED WHITE AND BLUE? NO!
APPLE PIE? No! VIOLATER? YES! WTF!!! Yes it’s Violater, who comes to our Blog with
powers and abilities beyond Mortal men. Able to leap mad BEASTS in a single bound. Faster
than a Ball slipping out of Kwame’s hands. All right enough of the Hyberbole. Violater is one
of the bloggers that you can’t be sure just what take he will have on a particular subject, but
whatever his take is you know it’s going to be good and not boring. VIOLATER thank you for
bringing your refreshing new take to the blog. For that and the thousand of other wonderful
things you do we honor you on this October 10, 2007. So enjoy your day sir and know that the
Blog as well as the world is a better place for your being.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOGS OF THE DAY
Do us all a favour go and shoot yourself with your 'Pea Shooter'. The pea will only rattle around you
skull bumping into your pea brain occasionally. ANGRY LAKER
"Michael T. has lost all credibility on this blog." LOL! I AM THE BLOG! MICHAEL TENIENTE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABSOLUTELY NO FAITH IN MANAGEMENT BANDWAGON
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Complex Brotha
(2) Mambs24
(3) XODUS
(4) RICK FRIEDMAN
(5) MJCMAN32
(6) MJCMAN33
(7) XODUS
(8) EXHELODRVR
(9) utzworrld THE BANNER HOLDER
(10) EDWIN GUECO
(11) LakerBake
(12) Benjamin
(13) TSPHERE
(14) Alexinho17
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WE ARE OUT IN THE 1St ROUND AGAIN IF KUPCAKE DOESN’T
GET OFF HIS @SS AND DO SOMETHING BANDWAGON
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) JAY JAY
(2) EXHELODRVR
(3) ANDREW Z
(4) COMPLEX BROTHA
(5) ANDREW Z
(6) Alexinho17
----------------------------------------------------
SELL THE LAKERS BANDWAGON
----------------------------------------------------
(1) utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER
(2) MAMBA24
(3) RICK FRIEDMAN
(4) ATL Laker Fan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* SHAWN MARION TO LAKERS BANDWAGON.*
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Shawn Marion
(2) AK
(3) FearlessWhackJob
(4 Rick Freidman
(5) Mamba24
(6) Jeff Pinoy
(7) AB
(8) #4
(9) Caesar
(10) Justin
(11) LALakerLover
(12) TaosHum
(13) McGARNAGLE
(14) Andrew Z
(15) Brandon
(16) Danny
(17) Xtro
(18) Gino
(19) LakerBake
(20) Zajkee
(21) Kiwi
(22) Paulie
(23) MJCMAN32
(24) TSPHERE
(25) Exhelodrvr
(26) Zakee\
(27) Xodus
(28) ChiTownLaker
(29) Q WUOR
(30) B4hoops
(31) Linda Pineda
(32) Laker Tom
(33) Complex Brotha
(34) Andy B
(35) Steve From New Jersey
(36) Long Time Laker Fan
(37) Hugo Boss
(38) KLBeast
(39) WesJoeNixon
(40) TajLuck
(41) Dice8Up
(42) Edwin Gueco
(43) GOV
(44) HAL9000
(45) JOREMA
(46) THE LAKE SHOW
(47) CUT & DRY
(48) Bob
(49) Benjamin
(50) Chris H.
(51) Alexinho17
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55 WIN BANDWAGON MEMBERS:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Laker Tom (2) Marty (3) HUBBIT (4) Fearless Whack Job (5) Mamba24
(6) David Whang (7) BD (8) Dan Dan the Laker Fan (9) Long Time Laker Fan
(10) Roky (11) JoninJapan(In Canada) 12) JUNO (13) KEIFO,
(14) Alexinho17 (15) TALIQ (16) GENERIC_ONE (17) VIOLATER
(18) Twoody (19) SLO Gal (20) HobbitIMage (21) dice8up (22) KIWI
(23) DEREK (24) NIK KANNAN
Members at heart
(25) Bob (26) Faith (27) LakerLover (28) ComplexBrother
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROLL THE DICE ON JO BANDWAGON
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1).Tha Show (2) Andrew Z (3).Xodus (4).Mamba24 (5)Edwin Gueco
(6). Exhelodrvr (7). Long Time Laker Fan (8) Me (9)Fearless whackjob
10). LakerBake (11) Lincoln Laker (12) Benjamin (13) Alexinho17
----------------------------------------------------------
SACRAMENTO KINGS 50 WIN BANDWAGON
1. Sonnybelfast 2. Ron Artest
-------------------------------------------------------------
BYNUM BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
-------------------------------------------------------------
(1) LakerFaze (2) Mamba24 (3) DEREK
(4) RDLEE (5) LAKER TOM (6) BENNY BLANCA
(7) Violater (8) Jon Kavulic (9) BD
------------------------------------------------------
LAMAR BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
------------------------------------------------------
(1) VIOLATER
(2) MAMBA24
(3) NEVER
(4) MJCMAN32
(5) DICE8UP
(6) MRBARNEYDANGLES
(7) TWoody
------------------------------------------------
START RONNY TURIAF/ RONNY
FOR 6TH MAN BANDWAGON
------------------------------------------------
(1) LONG TIME LAKER FAN
(2) MICHAEL H.
(3) MAMBA24
(4) JON KAVULIC
(5) MRBARNEYDANGLES
--------------------------------------------------------
TRADE KWAME BEFORE DEADLINE/
SO DON’T LOSE CAP SPACE
---------------------------------------------------------
(1) ATL Laker Fan
(2) TWOODY
--------------------------------------------------
SASHA BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
------------------------------------------------
(1) FAITH
(2) LONGTIME LAKER LOVER
-------------------------------------------
SIGN SUN YUE BANDWAGON
-----------------------------------------
(1).FearlessWhackJob
(2) Laker Tom
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BALLAD OF THE LAKERS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The doubters sat waiting for them to fail
Training camp came and they began to jell
L.O. looked like an allstar to be
Kobe appeared to be the new MVP
Bynum came out like the second coming of Shaq
Can I believe my eyes Sahsa is on the attack
The Lakers appeared strong and stood tall
And Kwame, yes Kwame caught every damn ball
Dfish kept all of the crew in line
Not one Laker was heard to whine.
The triangle my friend was a thjing of beauty
Even Scootie and Michael had to come to see
The season started and wouldnt you know
In November The Lakers beat every damn foe.
December and January went the same way
The Lakers became the Team, teams were afraid to play
They held to under seventy the high flying Suns
That was the same game Kobe scored 101
The regular season ended and they were so great
They broke the Bulls record they were 74 and 8
Then came the Playoffs and Im sure that you know
They ended up winning 16 in a row.
Mitch cried for joy and Jim gave up the crack
Jerry retook his Office the Lakers were Back
9Rings became 10 which made Phil the Best
For three years in a row The Lakers ruled the West
For each of those years Kobe won the MVP
Then Kobe retired and handed Bynum the Keys
But Bynum said NO! Kobe we both can drive
So when Kobe retired instead of 3 they won 5.
Which gave Kobe 8 NBA Titles and 5 MVPs
And Kobe not MJ became greatest in NBA history
AND NOW ROLL CALL:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) FAITH, MIKE T. TALIQ, Edwin Gueco,, KEIFO, Mamba24Fan4Life, Fan of Mamba, Wolf, Man
KIWI, WOW, PEACE, J_COOL, DAVID WHANG, ADAM KILEY, LAKERSRYDEORDIE, CLEON
FISH_GUY,TIM-4-SHOW, THA_ SHOW, WESJOENIXON, BAYWOO, THE_D, SBPIMP,
CHARLES, Precious, NEVER, CALI KING, RICK FRIEDMAN,THIRTY2, EXHELODRVR,
GENERIC_ONE, TWOODY, JJ, AJAX, MITCHELL., LAKERTOM, LAKERFAN, CHARLES,
KHANG VMAN, KOREY, XTRO, MCGARNAGLE, GUGY, GDChild,Laker4Life, Laker Seth
KL BEAST, Jorema, FearlessWhackJob, MARTY, JANDRO, LAKERFAZE, PhxLkrFAN,
TexasLaker, BOB, TreacherousBalloons, EagleBoy, JR., EASTCOASTJESSIE, Zakee,
Tully Moxness, KobeRocks, David Peterson, centralk, 244Life, SamII, vi lakerfan,
Swettual, Utzworld, Andrew Z, LAL Fan, BRANDON C., Kinglakernidas, BlackMamba24,
FKILLAH, CYRUS(VENTRILIQUIST), RespectMyAuthorith, Waterboy, Hariyahu, HUBBIT
ZEN, SARCOCOP,Staples24, Bobby, COMPTONS FINEST, MIGUELINHO, Greek Dude,
TUKLAW, CDUB0512, MRBARNEYDANGLES,BENJAMIN,MJCMAN32, KobeFromManilas
SOCALIFE, HAL9000, Greekdude, Michael J, Michael H, Michael A., Rick Friedman,
Gunner24, GINO, FATTY, CBUCK,LAKERGURL, CRITICAL BEATDOWN, PFUNK36,
PAUL LEE, Jay EL, SocalSpider , WEAVE MAN, JON KAVULIC, Tajluck, Alexinho17
BERKLEYLAKER, Dice8Up DION, KARL, CRAIG, MITCHELL, Lakers4Life, Ryan,GiantSquid
JR, Dascilla, tellitlikeitisNik Kannan, GABE, SEAN P., HanSoulFood, HollywoodJack,
Jay Jay, TaosHum, HOBBITIMAGE, Caeser, Obel, CHITOWNLAKER, ANGRYLAKER
wiZo, MagicShaq, HugoBoss, OSCAR, RDLEE, RealityBites, LakerLarry, Bucky, LEELO,
Juno, LakerLifer, C.S. JOVA, BLAZE1BX, Tripgame3, TSPHERE, SIXONEZERO,
Mfeige, Reggie, Hollywood Jack, Reality Check Time, Jack In Hollywood, SLO Gal, Thi
JONINJAPAN(INCANADA), VIOLATER, LT Laker Fan, , KATE, TROY, Mainor, Caesar
JEFF, ANDY B., SWANWORLD, PUPLE&GOLD_4EVA, BENNY BLANCA,CS in Virg
EMMA, TIM IN SYDNEY RISING STAR, LakerBake, JuanMan888,Blkthght06, Man,
Any_One_mouse, 10milliondollarZen, Shiva, Laker_Hopeful, LakerDawg, East Nyboer
,Ghost of Spiderman, Steve in Denver Guy Owanlele, Lincoln Laker, Houston Laker
MITCH KUPCHAK, JERRY BUSS, PHIL JACKSON, KOBE BRYANT, CLEON, B4hoops
Marc Gasol, Sun Yue, Shamond, Williams, Ronny Turiaf, V. Radmanovic, Jennifer
Maurice Evans, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Brian Cook, KOBES T.
Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum, Coby Karl, Chris Mihm, Sasha Vujacic
Jordan Farmar, Jarvis Critterton, JERMAINE ONEAL???, Larry Fulcher
ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES
THE HOME OF WILT, KAREEM, GEORGE MIKAN, SHAQ, MAGIC, KOBE,
ELGIN BAYLOR, JERRY WEST, PAT RILEY, JAMES WORTHY, SILK
COACHED BY THE 9 TIME TITLE WINNER PHIL (9RINGS) JACKSON AND
NO ONE AND NOTHING WILL EVER DIVIDE OR CONQUER
LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW LAKERS FOREVER
Posted by: Mamba24 | October 10, 2007 at 08:04 AM
All those for a VLAD RAD BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
raise your hands.
Posted by: Mamba24 | October 10, 2007 at 08:20 AM
nice to see vladrad step up finally. bring back the "borat" dance. drew got 12 boards, and sasha brought it to the hole. go sasha!
Posted by: greek dude | October 10, 2007 at 08:27 AM
I didnt watch the game last night because I go to school in Boulder, CO but Im not too worried from what i hear. First, Kobe doesnt care about preseason so no one should be worried about him. Last year he missed all of preseason and the first game and then came out like he never missed a beat. This year will be similar, lots of effortless performances in preseason then an outburst on oct 30. Also, I was watching the training camp videos on lakers.com yesterday and Phil talked for a few minutes about how these are EXHIBITION games and that they dont really matter too much except for getting in shape among a few other things.
Some good things that appeared to hapen last night. The first thing that jumped out at me was Vald Rad's box score. Looks like he had a great shooting night and thats what we need. Second was Crit and his nice box score, as well as the article saying how mad he was after the game. I think that this is huge because smush showed no emotion and didnt care and look how that ended up so i think crits emotion and dedication to winning is good. Lastly the supossed connection between Crit and Bynum. Those could be future Lakers WAY down the road so good that they develop some chemistry.
But anyways, I think this game was important for the confidence of vlad, crit and bynum and it looks like they all did well. Not worried about the veterans because theyre veterans.
20 days and counting....
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | October 10, 2007 at 08:35 AM
I have not posted here for a long time. Does anyone here who watching this game can tell me if we finally hit a jack pot by drafting Critter? Does he a real deal? What is general impression of the game? Looks like our 1st unit was really unimpressive with a lot of misses.
Posted by: LAL_Fan | October 10, 2007 at 08:38 AM
Critters response to the loss is great....it reminds me of Magic as a rookie going nuts after the Lakers had won the first game of the season on a last second shot and Kareem told him to settle down there were 81 more games to go. It is too early to tell what kind of player JC might be, but for a rookies first game it seems as if he could be a legit NBA player.
And as usual Kwame is not on the floor. While I understand some of the things Mike T. likes about Kwame - and he does do a few things well, the guy just isn't a warrior and is not a winner. Too bad such physical specimen doesn't have the desire and will to play and to win.
I sure hope the defense starts to come together a bit better as well. I am hoping that once they adjust to the new system on both ends we see a little more consistency. I have hopes for a better season, but I wouldn't bet my fist born that they are significantly better.
Eagleboy.
Posted by: Eagleboy | October 10, 2007 at 08:41 AM
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:
The Good:
Javaris Crittenton: 18 points, no turnovers; a great cross over move for a lay-up that left his defender holding his jock; a post up, fade away jumper that looked like Michael Jordan; a great back door lob to Bynum for a slam dunk; The kid's for real!
VladRad: 20 points on rainbow 3-point bombs. He looks like his old self, his pre-Lakers self.
Sacha V: No longer content to stay on the perimeter, he was slashing to the basket and making his presence felt.
Andrew Bynum: Still looks like a boy among men, but when the game was over, he had 9 pts and 12 rebounds. There was a stretch in the third where he grabbed every defensive rebound in sight for something like 5 or 6 times down the floor, then threw half court outlet passes. He should have made more shots from the 3-5 foot range though.
Turiaf: A low post presence in the making; plus a nice pull-up 13 footer that looked like the second coming of Karl Malone.
The Bad:
The Laker starting five: Totally outplayed by the Warriors.
Brian Cook: Still no D. He looked like he wasn't trying out there.
Jordan Farmar: He couldn't hit a shot to save his life; on the other hand, he ran the offensive in the 3rd and 4th which got the Lakers back in the game. But he always penetrates and dishes because he's too small to score over people. Height can't be taught.
The Ugly:
Chris Mihm: Tough to shake off two years of rust in one game.
Posted by: Laker Seth | October 10, 2007 at 08:50 AM
Note to Everyone-
A little to like about last night's game, a lot to not like.
But everyone NEEDS to keep this in mind- while we can dissect it, it's ONE FREAKING GAME. And the first preseason game as well. It's a given a lot of these guys are goign to be rusty- Kobe overdid the passing part, but He's not been playing a guard the past two years, he's been a small forward. give him a chance to work out the flow of what works best for him, him and JAckson know what each expects of the other. Critt looks good...and so did Farmar last year around this time. Don't rush to snap jusgements based on one game.
Other thoughts-
-With Vlad's shaved head and Sasha actually growing it back in, I'm ALWAYS going to confuse the two until Vrad goes back to cat stevens and Sasha gets rid of that ugly mane.
-I can't express how great it is to see Fisher back- seeing him do that interview with Stu before the game almsot made me cry tears of freakign joy.
-Take away the pass-happy first quarter, and Kobe had a VERY nice third. I'll take 17 and 5 ast for the first game back, thank you. I was expecting the turnovers, those will lower relatively soon.
-I really like Critt, and he had a GREAT game- and I hope he doesn't hit the rookie wall Farmar did.
-Coby Karl- reminds me so much of Madsen looks wise it's ridiculous.
-Vlad also looked really good coming back. guess he took all the ribbing he could take regarding the showboarding incident. here's hoping he can keep it up.
-for all those about to crucify Mihm for having a bad game, dude hasn't played in about two years. It's just nice to see him back. I'm sure he'll get back to the level he was playing at before the injury.
-Sasha plays well in exhibitions as well as practice now. Good for him. hopefully he can extend that to actual games soon.
20 more days till Tip off!
Posted by: Jeff | October 10, 2007 at 08:52 AM
It turned out to actually be a good game in the second half, still would have been nice to pull out the win though
Posted by: richtown | October 10, 2007 at 08:57 AM
Mamba 24,
That is a terrific poem, you are a talented person.
The game last night was disappointing in the first quarter. The Lakers tempo, as urged by Phil Jackson was a bit too frenetic for my liking. Phil talks about focusing on keeping opposing offenses in front of the Lakers defenders, contesting shots, getting in good defense rebounding position, and of course stopping transition baskets. What I saw last night was the complete opposite of what is supposedly being preached in practice. The Lakers continued to be soft on the high screen and roll, allowed for too many uncontested shots, and way too many easy transition baskets. The warriors much like the suns go through large peaks and valleys in their scoring, where they are inconsistent is on the defense of end. With these teams being successful, utilizing offensive fire power, the Lakers need to remember that offensive execution is really the key in setting up a strong half court defense.
All and all it was a preseason game, but I have been waiting since the end of May to get some Laker time. The one thing to worry about is the fact the Lakers, as a team who is need of dead-eye focus is astray. I am always hoping that this team, (Besides Kobe (Because has always sacrificed for wining)) start to take wining seriously. It takes dedication and the fear of losing to motivate oneself into a champion. If only I could take my brain and throw it in Kwame’s already empty skull, we would be on our way to the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Crittenton looked as if he could be an allstar in the league last night. It is nice to see an abundance of talent at the point guard spot. It has been since 1991, since the Lakers had a premiere point guard. I predict Jarvis to be a cross between Chris Paul and Stephon Marburry, his Georgia Tech Brother in. He is so smooth, quick, and has a large presence on both ends of the court. I am excited for his progression.
Was anyone else disappointed by Bynum’s effort last night? With all that training and talk, he is quite honestly not very much better than last season. What bugs me about Drew is that he has the hands and touch that are coveted in big men, but he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. The biggest gripe I have with his game is that he does not seal well at all. With the size of his body all he needs to do is step in between the defenders legs and pivot towards the ball, making sure he “seals,” so that he can receive the ball in good post position. We should be going to him on every possession if we can, basketball is a big man’s sports, and all offenses work best inside, out. And can some one throw a freaking bounce pass for post entry. We got the Warriors again on Thursday; hopefully we come out with better defensive intensity, with the willingness to get our hand filthy dirty. Take Care Laker Land.
Posted by: Nik Kannan | October 10, 2007 at 09:05 AM
VLAD........A BIG F-U.........TO ALL THE LAKER FANS THAT BASHED HIS NAME.
Posted by: COMPTON'S FINEST | October 10, 2007 at 09:11 AM
lo and behold, wouldnt you know, the blog became slow once again you know. one preseason game they play, many homerish comments you bloggers lay. with respect to mamba and not the snake, his ballad i did take. i go to bed now and before i wake, know to all, the lakers looked fake, at least for one nights sake! what a crazy statment i make, dont worry all, i stay up too late and the future looks bright for the lakers fate!
Posted by: the WOLF | October 10, 2007 at 09:12 AM
It's nice to finally see some Laker basketball.
Nothing can really be made out of one preseason game. I'd be lying if I told you guys I didn't notice Kobe's six turnovers and five assists. I can only hope that Kobe can make the adjustment into a leader/facilitator. It won't be easy for him.
18 points for Javaris, I like that. I also like that Radmanovic has a new outlook on things.
It could be a great season for us. It's all on Kobe. He'll get the credit if we win, he'll take the heat if we lose. His leadership is what the team needs, win or lose.
Posted by: Rocky | October 10, 2007 at 09:14 AM
COMMENTS ON THE GAME:
Well I live in NorCal now so I got to see it on the Warriors station. Obviously the announcers were more focused on their home team but at one point in the third quarter they focused on our team and said " Well the Lakers have essentially the same team as last year."
SAD BUT TRUE!
Yeah Fish played like the Fish of old (maybe half a step slower) but that's just an upgrade at point guard from a mediocre journeyman to a good journeyman. Kobe is still the best one-on-five player in the league, but nearly every pass out of a triple team resulted in a bobbled ball or a botched shot. And by the way is bobblehands Bynum being tutored by Kwame instead of Kareem this year? Sure seems like it whenever Kobe tries to hit him with a pass.
Look folks, we're f---ed. Plain and simple. Ya if Lamar comes back strong we MIGHT get up to a 6 seed and out in the first round instead of a 7 seed and out in the first round. But as Mamba says "we are the freaking Lakers" - and out in the first round ain't good enough!
I kept wishing that JO or Marion were there to catch the pass out when Kobe was doubled or tripled. THOSE GUYS could MAKE the shot - and make all the difference. I am DISGUSTED with whoever is running our front office - be it Kupcake or Buss Boy - for not making that happen.
Kobe and Phil will be GONE after another more-of-the-same year, and if what I saw is any indication, that's EXACTLY where we're headed.
Posted by: Jay Jay | October 10, 2007 at 09:14 AM
HERE IS THE REASON WHY GARNETT DID NOT WANT TO COME TO THE LAKERS:
Article in today's LA TIMES, It was nice to read real reporting for a change!!
Asked the "why not the Lakers?" question immediately thereafter, the New Englander with the beach house in Malibu answered thoughtfully..
Garnett obliquely mentioned "dealing with personnel with a different front office" and "different coaches" and suggested the questions about the LAKER'S' FRONT OFFICE (I CHANGE TO CAPS) (which found no complement this summer for Kobe Bryant) mirror the questions about the Timberwolves' front office he'd just departed (which had found no complement for Kevin Garnett).
"I knew I didn't want to deal with that," he said. "I didn't want to duplicate that. I didn't want to mimic that."
Posted by: OWK | October 10, 2007 at 09:15 AM
I"VE BEEN SAYING TURIAF AND RADMAN SHOULD START!!!
Thanks Phil for listening to me!
NOW I AM GOING TO SAY OUT LOUD SO PHIL CAN HEAR ME AGAIN!!!! JAVARIS CRITTENTON and ANDREW BYNUM SHOULD START AT PG n C!!
"I've always said the problem has always been 4 and 1 (Kwame and Smush). The only reason Odom moved to 4 is because Kwame failed. I also made a suggestion a few months ago that Turiaf should be the starting PF and even pushed it to Radman starting at 3 spot. I wanted Walton and Odom be the starters off the bench.
First Unit
Bynum
Turiaf
Radman
Bryant
Fisher - (PHIL CHANGE THIS TO CRITTENTON!!!)
Second Unit
Mihm/Kwame
Odom
Walton
Vujacic
Crittenton - (FISHER SHOULD BE A BACK UP!!!)
Keep Mihm, Odom and Walton off the bench (injury prone, preserved them for the playoffs- toilet tissue paper players)! This makes the Lakers a deep bench!
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 07, 2007 at 12:11 AM"
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 10, 2007 at 09:16 AM
WE HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE!
J CRIT AND DREWBY!!!
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 10, 2007 at 09:17 AM
IS MAMBA A COMPUTER ?
That was a good shot by T.H. and a nice comeback by lakes it was just nice seeing B Ball again
GO LAKERS
Posted by: PK-IN-THE-MESA | October 10, 2007 at 09:19 AM
PROPS TO MITCH K AND JIM BUSS FOR THEIR EXCELLENT VISION!
THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED!!! CRITTENTON AND BYNUM IS IT!!!
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 10, 2007 at 09:19 AM
Didn't see the game last night but I'm encouraged to hear that Bynum looked decent.
If Bynum can step up his game when the offense goes through him, we need to play that way. Throw it in, let him bust a move or throw it back out.
The front office may not be able to get a star in exchange for Kwame, but they have to be able to get something. If they just let him walk without any talent coming back, then shame on them.
More than shame, shame+.
My secong greatest fear (beside letting Kwame just walk after the season thus waisting his 9 million $ contract) is that we get a Kwame look alike like Stromile Swift to take his place.
Please get something for him. Ok?
And Mitch/Jim...Jimitch...don't start working on the Kwame trade a week before the deadline and then try to pawn off the "we tried and failed" excuse on fans.
There is no more room for failure or mistakes with this FO. They've had their share.
Start looking around now, because we need talent. Heck, if you want to resign Kwame after the season, do that, but let him become a free agent with aother team.
Someone help me here. Who should we trade Kwame for? Swift? Noooo...
Maglorie?...maybe....
Camby? That deal would never happen. For God's sake, Camby has 20+ rebounds in his first preseason game!
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | October 10, 2007 at 09:30 AM
I saw the first half. Mihm looked terrible and outmuscled around the basket. He either has no lift on the ankle or he's afraid to push it. He wasn't even trying to rebound the ball, he was tipping it, not once but several times. Either way... hoofa... no way we trade Kwame now. Plus... he did exactly what I thought might happen, he played for like, 6 mintues and he was done for the half. Cook got burned on defense several times, what's new?
Kobe looked to pass only in the first quarter and it seemed Golden State picked up on that, so Kobe will have to find that blend between being a threat and getting everybody involved. Crittenton looked OUTSTANDING. It was like he realized, hey, I can play with these guys and then he took it to Troy Hudson a couple of times, shooting a teardrop, a 3, NICE! We definitely got a steal out of the draft. If he can physically hold up over a full season, he should get 15-20 mins/game at PG and SG this year. Farmar looked ok, he made some nice - and not so nice passes that didn't turn into points. Bynum looked ok to me, it seemed he was swarmed as soon as he got the ball and nobody talked to him so they can work on that, but he did have a nice move to the basket and wasn't a defensive liability so, they can definitely study the tape. Vlad Rad looked ok though defensively, I'm not sure? LOL! I'll have to watch him more in the Thursday game.
I'm not too worried about the score in the first half. No Odom, no Kwame, no Luke, and Cook was getting TORCHED when he came in so no joy there... Golden State was making EVERYTHING, I swear, those guys could have done 360's in the air and shot their jumpshots and it would have gone in. I'm just glad the games are starting back up.
Posted by: TaosHum | October 10, 2007 at 09:31 AM
box scores!
BYNUM 19 MINUTES, 9 PTS 12 REB
CRITTENTON 15 MINUTES, 18 PTS
RADMAN 32 MINUTES, 20 PTS 6 REB
http://www.nba.com/games/20071009/GSWLAL/boxscore.html
Posted by: Staples 24 | October 10, 2007 at 09:32 AM
Java the Crit is the s**t!!
promising things were happening last nite.
fer all y'all getting yer panties bunched up... chill out!
it was the first game of the PREseason. come on now!
Flagrant Fowl-
Posted by: Flagrant Fowl | October 10, 2007 at 09:40 AM
Jay Jay,
"Kobe is still the best one-on-five player in the league"
WITH 6 TURNOVERS. FOUR OF THEM IN THE FIRST QUARTER THAT LED TO THE WARRIORS 41 POINTS. I THINK KOBE IS YESTERDAY NEWS. DID YOU SEE HOW THE OPPOSITE SHOOTING GUARD ON THE WARRIORS HAD 27 POINTS. WASN'T KOBE WORKING ON DEFENSE THIS SUMMER?
BUT ANGRY PMS_LAKER WOULD BLAME THIS ON KOBIATCH BEING A FACILITATOR INSTEAD OF SHOOTER. THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WHO NEVER PLAYED THE GAME OF BASKETBALL WOULD SAY. SOMETHING REALLY DUMB. THEN HE'LL RECYCLE STATS THAT EXPLAINS TOTALLY NOTHING.
CRITTER IS THE REAL DEAL. I LOOKS LIKE LAKERS MIGHT HAVE FOUND NOT ONLY THEIR FUTURE, BUT THEIR REAL LEADER!
Posted by: Gunner24 | October 10, 2007 at 09:53 AM
One exhibition game does not a season or roster make, but as fans I think we all learned something about this edition of the Lakers.
While J-Crit made some rookie mistakes, his size, speed, and shooting ability add up to a likely starter at PG by mid-season. I love D-Fish, but he looked OLD Wednesday night.
Vlad showed he can play valuable minutes this season. If he can play that way consistently, he gives us more on the floor than Walton.
The big disappointment for me was Bynum. He's still a long way from being Shaq in his prime. Simply put, he's not consistently aggressive and doesn't look hungry.
Center looks to be our weakest position. It'll take a few weeks to see what Mihm is like once he shakes off the rust. I still think Chris will be the strongest of our three centers.
Bench play was big last night. If the 2nd units can deliver that spark throughout the season, we can overcome early mistakes.
The willingness of the team to play Defense is still a big question mark. PJ still has a lot of work to do in this department.
Another thing we saw last night was how off-season acquisitions can make a difference. Hudson and Croshere will be a big part of the Warriors' run this year.
Cook didn't impress anybody last night, which is too bad, because it would really help if another team would take him off our hands. He's just too stupid to play in this system.
Bottom line, the Lakers are still a work in progress. But the team has the potential to be a big improvement over a season ago.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | October 10, 2007 at 09:53 AM
LAL_Fan ,
If critts play can hold up in the regular season like it did last night he was a great pick up. Major game and fears no one one the floor. Plus he showed he really goes after it defensively. If he can work on his turn around oops to Bynum (he missed a few other opertunites during the game) the lakers are going to be a really good team.
Lakers interior defense still needs a lot of work though, way to mamy layups and dunks.
And remember this is the very same blog that was crucifying Mitch for picking him at #19......fickle
Posted by: richtown | October 10, 2007 at 09:54 AM
WOLF,
"VLAD........A BIG F-U.........TO ALL THE LAKER FANS THAT BASHED HIS NAME."
I stand convicted and take my big F-U like a man. Way to go MAD VLAD!
Posted by: Mamba24 | October 10, 2007 at 10:00 AM
It's just pre-season game.
The intensity and effort isn't near of what you will expect in real NBA games.
So discard the enthusiasm in Critt and Bynum. We will see at the start of the season.
One think that Bynum did ok: Avoiding the foul machine banner last night.
Brian Cook is useless.
Sasha played well, but rushed some costly turnovers at the end.
Vlad, was the best.
Kobe didn't look happy at all and i think this will carry the whole season.
If Lakers want to rebuild around Critt and Bynum, they should pull the trigger in kobe, now.
This team still mediocre.
The first 24 minutes are a indication of things expected to coming.
Posted by: jorema | October 10, 2007 at 10:05 AM
TaosHum,
"Vlad Rad looked OK"
OK, OK, OK come on Taos the man was a dynamo. If he can play
half as well this season as he did tonight I think we got the makings
of a cinderella season buddy. By the way I really enjoy your posts
even though half the time I disagree with you. LOL!
Posted by: Mamba24 | October 10, 2007 at 10:08 AM
Why lakers came back to be close in the game?
Golden State players wasn't interested.
The deep bench of GS played the entire second half.
Some Lakers fans are to crown Critt a sujperstar for just a game.
HA ahaahahah.
Wait when coaches of other teams study his game and he is really challenged.
He is solid player. To be a superstar caliber one he need to show that quality the whole year.
Posted by: jorema | October 10, 2007 at 10:09 AM
I wouldn't worry too much yet about Mihm - he'll have to play himself back into shape. As much as he's rehabbed, there's no sustitute for game time.
Looks like Sasha knows his spot's on the line. Of course, he's always shown the potential - my feeling is that he'll have to play like this in each in every game to hang on, because......
Critt's got game! Dude! Keep it up, you'll be a crowd favorite in no time flat.
Vlad... nice to see him back to form. We need this guy to show up this year. Seriously.
Posted by: Dave M | October 10, 2007 at 10:09 AM
Flagrant said:
"fer all y'all getting yer panties bunched up... chill out!"
That's not my panties--I just have hot-pink polka dotted skin around the crotch area.
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | October 10, 2007 at 10:09 AM
Flagrant Fowl you Quack me up.
Posted by: Mamba24 | October 10, 2007 at 10:10 AM
People are tripping, Critt looked really good but to start him over fish.....stop it. He had one good pregame against hudson and the warriors......not exactly a top PG nor top defensive team.... he did look good, damn good but be realistic let him get a little more seasoning befor he's made a starter at least wait and see what he does after 20-30 games. The last thing you want is for him to burn out by all star break and he's no good to the lakers in the playoffs
Posted by: richtown | October 10, 2007 at 10:14 AM
A non-kobe post by KL...
Our young guys look good. i like the "clean cut" demeanor of the guys. they look more like men now, not a bunch of hippies or "space cadets".
Critt looks very mature for someone who's a teenager....some of our veteran players (cough) could learn a few things from the young guys.
Radman look respectable. Still has one of the sweetest strokes in the NBA.
Bynum looks a lot more muscular and mobile.
I didn't get a chance to see Lamar or the other crappy starters, but i know that when i tuned in The Lake Show (pun intended to Lake Show fka i love eddie jones and nick van excel ....), they were down by 20+ and when I tuned in again they were making a 12-0 run and regaining the lead up until Mr. Ugly, Troy Hudson, made a great hesitation pull-up jumper to win the game.
Let’s to Lakers Clap, Clap….Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap!
Let’s to Lakers Clap, Clap….Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap!
Let’s to Lakers Clap, Clap….Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap!
Posted by: KL | October 10, 2007 at 10:17 AM
Gunner -
Stop...Just stop...Anyone who has ever played the point guard position knows that you are going to turn the ball over, especially the first game of the year with new teammates...And I don't know how 4 turnover lead to 41 points. Your statements and assesment are ignorant!
"obe is old news," give me a break, you are reachin' there...Go somewhere else...Kobe can't win with you, when he scores, you say he shoots to much. When he tries to pass the ball you don't give him any credit.
I know you like to stir up contoversy but what you call others out for doing you are guilty of yourself.
Posted by: MJCMAN32 | October 10, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Brian Cook looked terrible out there. He was beat on defense every time. He gives up on defense when his shot gets blocked. Why run up the floor after they defend you?? Right Cook??
I think he needs to defend the bench.....if he can that is....
janaya
Posted by: janaya | October 10, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Hey, the Laker game started bad but ended up good and promising. There are still a lot cobwebs on Mihm , Mo, Cook & Bynum so the Warriors were given a free entry. Kobe and Fish are still re-educating their roles and were committing a lot of passing t/o's joined by cook's slow foot and dragging hand defense but that's just a first game. By the mere fact that they were able to catch up with Warriors 27 pt lead and almost won the game was a positive sign. They still maintain the 7th seed and it would take sometime before PJ could achieve his grand plan with this team. However, there are few weak links now cook, mihm, mo and partly bynum, possibly Kobe & Fish too but that will improve.
Too early to make final an assessment since Walton, Odom, Kwame did not play but the first team was definitely weak in defense, not a good sign.
we are playing an 8th seed team from the north - davis, jackson, pietrus and biedrins as well as this az'be were having fun taking candies out from the babies' mouth without saying trick or treat. The second team was a better group with farmar, sasha, crittenton, karl then mixed with first team like turiaf, vlad and bynum. Definitely, youth's exhuberance and agility was very evident in the second team.
Folks, since we have no JO, Marion, Kidd this will be an uphill battle but I really like what I saw from Vlad, Sasha, Critt' and Farmar.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | October 10, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Not a great game by the first unit.
GET RID OF COOK!!
2nd unit did well!
86% free throws... not bad!
Hey Mamba - hand is up for the -VLAD RAD BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
Posted by: keifo | October 10, 2007 at 10:31 AM
All those for a VLAD RAD BREAKOUT BANDWAGON
raise your hands.
mamba- I am on that bandwagon if Kobe is not on the lakers. He wont get enough shots with Kobe on the floor.
To me, the Lakers looked better as a "team" with Kobe on the bench. Granted that was two second units but Kobe still doesnt seem to understand the happy medium between scoring and being a distributer.
I understand Kobe scored points going 1 on 5 but why cant he play in the normal flow of the offense and shoot when he is open instead of forcing the action, which we know will negatively impact his teammates?
Posted by: Laker Lover | October 10, 2007 at 10:32 AM
Gunner24,
"WITH 6 TURNOVERS. FOUR OF THEM IN THE FIRST QUARTER THAT LED TO THE WARRIORS 41 POINTS."
You have to balance your observations. Firstly, he was following PJ's instructions last week that he will be the pointman; Secondly, they are experimenting an offense by feeding the tall man but unsuccessful so you can also say problem in getting the ball and thirdly, Kobe redeemed himself by ending 17 pts. and most of it produced in the 3rd quarter. Here are the promising picture, Kobe feeding the hot hands of Vlad and working with Critt' and sasha in the inside that will come. Not that we'd ignore t/o's on Kobe but I would be worried more in letting these guards get a free pass to the middle.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | October 10, 2007 at 10:38 AM
Nik Kannan,
" That is a terrific poem, you are a talented person."
Hey Nik thanks man. I Appreciate it.
Posted by: Mamba24 | October 10, 2007 at 10:44 AM
from the OCRegister article:
Asked Monday if it was possible he would play Tuesday, Brown answered: "Everything's possible. It's possible we won't wake up."
----------
Just let that marinate a little bit.
Posted by: lakers_sth | October 10, 2007 at 10:49 AM
Some quick pointers about last night's preseason game.........
Mamba certainly looks as if he does not care anymore, but I hope that he changes his mentality about HIS team, and YES, it is still HIS team and he better change his attitude and start acting like a TRUE leader out there, if nothing PLEASE else refer to D-FISH and be a TRUE professional.
The team showed some potential talent such as BYNUM, SASH, VLAD, and the Kid CRITTER, man!! the kid looks great and although as plenty of you have mentioned, it was only the first preaseason game, the kid is not only talented, but also brings a spark to the guys on the floor...........something we lacked ALL LAST YEAR. I just hope that he gets a fair chance to compete with FARMAR AND D-FISH.....and should D-FISH take the kid under his wing, LOOK OUT !!!!
Other than that, a lot of up and downs for the first game........
GO LAKERS
Posted by: Showtime4Life | October 10, 2007 at 10:55 AM
'hand raised.
Who wants to join the Sasha breakout bandwagon now? lol.
Java was the man. Our front court was atrocious (outside of Vlad's shooting), and defensively, we have not improved a lick. No coverage, no rotaion equals free lanes to the basket. Ouch. Well at least there's still room for improvement lol.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Faith | October 10, 2007 at 11:13 AM
A few observations:
Rad Man - looked good.
Sasha - must be in a contract year.
J Crit looks OK, but still a rookie.
Farmar is going to be better this year and he will probably get most of the minutes behind fisher. More than likely depends on the matchups.
Bynum - I see some improvement in conditioning, but it looks like he is still another year away from really contributing. I will know more when the regular season starts - that's when he usually increases his intensity. I really wish he would study tapes of Shaq though. I want him to be an intimidator on defense. He doesn't control the lane yet like Shaq does and Shaq is older and slower.
Cobe - Won't have much impact this year.
Posted by: zen | October 10, 2007 at 11:22 AM
I want Bynum to be great for the Lakers, but maybe more so it can be shoved down Bird and Mchale's throats. To get a legit "possible" great bigman prospect for either a big man you're going to loose anyway (Bird) or instead get 1/2 a team that couldn't win in the East (Mchale), is absurd.
And maybe sometime soon I'll get my wish and never have to hear or read about Mihm being any sort of answer. If you've watched the last 3 years and know b-ball, you know he's a foul a minute with no decent offense - an average player at best. Please of please move him.
Posted by: Lands | October 10, 2007 at 11:25 AM
Hey Gunner
Arenas 2-11 9points
Labron 1-5 3 points 3 turnovers 15 minutes
Mcgrady 1-5 4 3 t-o 15 min
Yao 4-11
Duncan 1-6 2 points
Redd 3-8 9 points 4 t-o
Are all of these guys yesterdays news too? Its the 1st freaking exhibition game! Geez. Looking so forward to a season of your half witted, I mean misguided commentary.
Mh
Posted by: michael h | October 10, 2007 at 11:26 AM
Gunner24 this why you are the stupidest poster ever!!!
Case in point
"WITH 6 TURNOVERS. FOUR OF THEM IN THE FIRST QUARTER THAT LED TO THE WARRIORS 41 POINTS"
According to my calculations
1. off six turnovers the warriors hit 6 4 point plays (6 x 4 ) = 24 points
2. off six turnovers the warriors hit 6 3 pointers (6 x 3) = 18 points
3 . off six turnovers the warriors hit 6 2 pointers (6 x 2) = 12 points
Please show this blog how the warriors can hit 41 points from 6 turnovers.
Obviously you still have done your times tables, maybe you should stay of the computers and concentrate on your homework!! LOL
Your new theme tune goes like this,
'Gunner is a Moron, Gunner is a Moron, Gunner is a Moron''
Aaarrrhhhh!!
Angry_Laker
Posted by: Angry_Laker | October 10, 2007 at 11:27 AM
"Was anyone else disappointed by Bynum’s effort last night? With all that training and talk, he is quite honestly not very much better than last season. What bugs me about Drew is that he has the hands and touch that are coveted in big men, but he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. The biggest gripe I have with his game is that he does not seal well at all. With the size of his body all he needs to do is step in between the defenders legs and pivot towards the ball, making sure he “seals,” so that he can receive the ball in good post position. We should be going to him on every possession if we can, basketball is a big man’s sports, and all offenses work best inside, out. And can some one throw a freaking bounce pass for post entry. We got the Warriors again on Thursday; hopefully we come out with better defensive intensity, with the willingness to get our hand filthy dirty. Take Care Laker Land."
Nick Cannon great point
ALthough this was pre-season basketball, the Lakers with teams like the Warriors, Suns and all of the other running teams in the NBA have to slow down the game... They have enough bigs and great outside shooters to be able to control the tempo... Lakers really played into the hands of the Warriors yesterday... I'm sure Phil is taking notes as I type this..... Couple of notes: I think everyone agrees that Cook needs to either be cut or just put on the reserve list... Also I think we need to have Critt in the game for at least 20min ( given he doesn't hit that rookie wall), with him Kobe and Lamar I think we have a great penetrating trio that can really break down defensive sets from the opposition... A lot of people did not point out that Critt had 0 turnovers in a game that really looked as though the Lakers made more than 30 of them.......
Here is my starting line-up with the reseves
KOBE/Evans/ Sasha V
DFISH/Crit/Farmar
LAMAR/Walton
TURIAF/Radmonovich
BYNUM/Kwame/Mimm
Do not play list or only at junk time
Cook
Koby Carl even Sasha at times (although I think he will have a better year this year, but still very bad on defense)
Posted by: Gino | October 10, 2007 at 11:30 AM