A win is a win is a win is a win is a...

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24

Mamba 24,

I've been pretty adament about not wanting to join any of the bandwagons (no offense intended to any members), but I'll make an exception for this one. haha

Happy Birthday, Andrew Z.

AK

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24
(2) CO PRESIDENT ANDREW KAMENETZKY

Phil Jack should listen to Tex Winter.
Play Critt with the 2nd unit sometimes.

He should also move Bynum back there with them too.

Luke needs to give the team something or swap him with Lamar on 1st and 2nd team. Lamar could become Manu/Barbosa/Terry type.

POST MARCH MADNESS message of the day

Play Kobe no more than 35 minutes a game regardless of wins or anything else. The rest of the players have to carry their weight. Put pressure on them and give them accountability and ownership of where the team is going. It will make us stronger.
The Spurs only play Duncan, Parker, and Manu 35 minutes or less and 1 of them actually hovers around 30 minutes a game.
Therefore, the Spurs bench can always come up big POST MARCH MADNESS and the SPurs Stars are huge POST MARCHMADNESS and they peak come playoff time.

Our best lineup of the season was when Lamar was out with injury and we ran Kobe at the three. It was Farmar and Crittenton in the back court, and frankly I can't remember the rest of the lineup. It was such that, the Lakers dominated the second quarter. The game was against Phoenix, and they look so sad when we had more speed on the court then them. The Suns look similar in a thrashing they took at Golden State on Monday. I think a Farmar/Crittenton/Bryant line up is athletic and dangerous, you add Ariza into that line up, and I doubt anyone in the league could match the speed. If you remember the Phoenix game, you would certainly remember this combination. Why it hasn't been inserted in a game again, I guess only PJ knows.

KOBE is the best out of high school because of his overall resume.
KG is by far 2nd at this time.
LeBron is clearly third and hard charging.

LeBron beating Boston and Kobe's Lakers looking like an over matched team speaks volumes though.

Caron Butler and Jamison winning at Dallas where as the Lakers have looked iffy at times with a full lineup in place speaks volumes.

Let's see what answers Kobe's game can provide. He's always up to the challenge.
The next challenge is Denver's dynamic duo and playing in Utah.

Does not look like the Lakers are ready but we willl see????

I bet we can't get Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison for the LATIMES LAKERS BLOG's beloved LAMAR ODOM.

Odom has pimped the city of Los Angeles out of so many millions on potential and versatility.

A shame!!

"Winter also suggested jump-starting Luke Walton by re-inserting him into the starting lineup"...

Are you kiddning me?????????????????????????????????????????????

Although the Lakers have some life to them, at the least they are short one good player. Any thoughts on acquiring Ron Artest for any 2 Lakers, with the exception of Kobe, Lamar and Bynum? With his baggage, he may have worn out his welcome in Sac, which is really rebuilding anyway.

Oh... sorry...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AZ!!!!!

Mamba24,

Thanks for the bandwagon, I'll jump on that one, HA!!

I didn't have time to check the stats, but considering how disjointed that game seemed, was there an extraordinary amount of fouls called? My wife and kid fell asleep on the couch, I woke her up with a "$@#$#@ Lakers!" when someone gave away the baseline (again) and all she could say was "It's only the 3rd quarter?" My guess is that all the fouls had to do with it.

Another thing, I don't remember watching NBA games where the best players in the planet continue to do the things that my Boys & Girls Club basketball coaches first told me not to...cut off the baseline and don't reach in. Way too frustrating.

Exhelodrvr,

From the other thread, I think I would play Crittendon more minutes, even "possibly" sacrificing a win here or there. To be honest, I have a hard time believing that giving him Sasha's minutes would make much of a difference either way in win-loss columns.

AK,

Since you are a member of the media and around the team, do you notice if Kobe's lack of enthusiasm seems more targeted toward the media (obviously not the K Bros, but everyone else)?

It's just that when I watch the games he seems enthusiastic, supportive, all the things I've wanted to see from Kobe in the past, but in interviews he sounds like his dog just got hit by a car when someone asks him anything.

Curious is all, thanks.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24
(2) CO PRESIDENT ANDREW KAMENETZKY
(3) KEIFO
(4) ANDREW Z

Edwin Gueco,
"One last thing, I missed two bloggers who used to populate this blog with their positive and negative posts, but still they are our laker fans family namely: Mamba24 and Gunner24. Are you out there still having a T'giving hangover?

Awwww Edwin how nice. NO, No, NO. I was taking the worse vacation
of my life converting all my VCR tapes to DVD's and I still have hundreds
to go. But thanks for the sentiments, if anybody can hold the fort it
is my mentor.

Andrew Z-

Actually, Kobe's lack of enthusiasm is targeted specifically at AK. The rest of us hung out at his place in Newport last weekend. (haha)

BK

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24
(2) CO PRESIDENT ANDREW KAMENETZKY
(3) KEIFO
(4) ANDREW Z
(5) EDWIN GUECO
(6) VMAN
(7) CHARLES
(8) EXHELODRVR
(9) RICK FRIEDMAN

Please add me to the Happy Birthday Andrew Z bandwagon.

Our team appears discombulated. We need to regroup.

Caron Butler continues to remind us of our pain. Ron Ron continually shows why 99% of the Lakers blog wanted to make a trade for him this past off season, now the ante has been raised A LOT. The only way we get Ron is if he goes to management and says I'm walking out, you may want to trade me and trade me to the Lakers. This is what it would have taken to get KG, and you can see it didn't happen. Therefore, getting Ron would seem a longshot, but we can pray, can't we?

Brian Kamenetzky,
"Actually, Kobe's lack of enthusiasm is targeted specifically at AK. The rest of us hung out at his place in Newport last weekend. (haha)"

NO, NO NO! What is this sniping among the Blog god's. OH MY! LOL!

Although the Lakers have shown some life at times, they need at least one more impact player to be considered a good team this year. Any thoughts on the Lakers acquiring Ron Artest from Sac.? He may have worn out his welcome with all his baggage, and Sac. is in a rebuilding mode, threatening to leave their city, etc. What about Farmar and Walton for Artest?

Hey nik kannan

You right!

Kobe at the 3 with Lamar out was sensational.
Critt and Farmar played well with him. We were rolling in that game.
Phil needs to punish people for not producing.
The talent on the team is not that scattered.
It's Kobe and then the rest of them including Lamar Odom.
Odom is not head and shoulders above the rest of them because his impact is not great and his big game productivity is very iffy.

Oldtimer

Do Odom for Artest.
Don't waste Sac's time or ours.

Repost:

The Lakers are still a team that plays such poor defense, they can't win a game unless Kobe gets lots of rebounds and scores 30+. Most of the wins have been so fragile, there's only been one game with enough garbage time that rookies like J-Crit see any minutes.

Why? Coach Phil Jackson is so stubborn, he refuses to go outside his comfort zone. He refuses to see that his decision-making so far has cost this team 3 or 4 wins, and made too many of the wins as not decisive.

It is time to play the rookies. J-Crit can easily be a better 2-guard than Sasha if he can only log some minutes. He should be the successor to Mo Evans, not Sasha.

One of the assistant coaches should be spending enough time with Trevor Ariza that he can get some minutes this week, even with minimal practice time. Luke Walton is such a liability that even if Ariza experiences moments of confusion, he will contribute more on the floor.

Andrew is still better coming off the bench because he fits better into the offense when Farmar is on the floor. Either start Jordan or start Mihm until Kwame comes back.

Since in his post-game interview last night, PJ was willing to acknowledge the youthful nature of the roster, it is time to coach the team for what it is. When a lead starts to evaporate, call a time out. Other coaches embrace their young players and coach them constructively, not destructively. Phil needs to understand that his style is holding young players back, not helping them move forward.

They may not be all-stars, but there is more talent on this team than the results would indicate, so far. Too much of that talent has lingered on the bench. Poor player rotations expose the team's weaknesses instead of magnifying its strengths. Time for Phil Jackson to re-evaluate what he's doing or time for the front office to make a change. Phil being as stubborn as he is, the most likely solution is a coaching change.

On other notes...
Happy Birthday to Andrew Z
Charles, hopefully your recovery from your recent surgery is coming along well.

Interesting column on the free agents. I wonder how that will affect teams trying to make mid-season trades?

There also might be someone decent available for MLE money.

I say we trade Lamar for Ron RON...MItch get it done.... RON RON is a much better fit at the SF position than Lamar.... Better offensive, defensive as well as all around player than Lamar by far....

Mamba24,

Glad your back and thanks for the Andrew Z Bandwagon Happy Bday list.

AK/BK - If I spring for some Advil, will you send it Kwame to help bring the swelling in his ankle and knee? We will need him and his big calves for the upcoming contests against Camby and Dwight Howard. Our defense misses him.

Charles,
" Mamba24, Glad your back and thanks for the Andrew Z Bandwagon
Happy Bday list."

Thanks Charles I had to come back just to make a bandwagon for Andrew
since he won't let me put him on any others. LOL!

I really enjoyed BK's good portion on the game last night. BK hit it right on the head when he said the Lakers need to get the ball into Bynum more. If not for foul trouble, Bynum would've had an even bigger double-double last night. BK also mentioned that LO had 0 assists last night. If you watch the game, for some reason LO doesn't like to pass to Andrew. LO will look into Andrew and then go elsewhere or take a shot with Andrew in better position for a higher percentage shot. Seriously, LO can easily dissect opposing defenses by driving to the hoop and dropping little dump passes for Andrew for easy layups or dunks. Instead, LO drives the lane and puts up a bad shot over a couple of defenders or charges into people with Andrew standing right there in the lane free for an easy hoop. Does anyone else on here notice this? It's funny because LO does the opposite when Kwame or Mihm are in the game. He'll drive and pass it to Kwame or Mihm who can't catch a pass if their lives depended on it. It's frustrating, because Kobe seems to be the ONLY one looking to throw lobs or entry passes into Bynum. By getting the ball into Bynum more would play to his strength(offensive game)and possibly get opposing bigs into foul trouble. While Bynum is still learning to play better defense, we've got to capitalize on his offensive contributions. It seems that LO, Fisher and Rad think they're playing 4 on 5 out there because they don't pass to Bynum. Drew can step up and be that third offensive punch the Lakers need to compete with all the Big Threes in this league. In terms of getting touches, Bynum has to be the most underused Center in the league even though he's one of the most effective and efficient. In the old Kobe/Shaq debates, one of the major issues was Shaq getting more touches because he took higher percentage shots and opened up the perimeter for better open shots. All one has to do is look at the boxscore and scratch their heads when Mihm is 2 for 10 and completely useless while Andrew is 5 for 7!!! Something is wrong with this picture when Mihm who played fewer minutes than Drew takes more shots. Mihm seems to get the ball passed to him more when he's in the game compared to Drew. As soon as Drew learns to play better angles defensively, he'll be a force on both ends. Keep in mind that he only started playing basketball in high school. That's why guys like Olden and Howard are ahead in the learning curve because they've been ballin since they were kids. Drew is not as instinctive defensively as Olden or Howard offensively, but playing right now will get him there. Can't wait for his matchup against Howard on Sunday. Drew will need to play smart against the Nuggets because they have guys(Melo, AI, KMart)who like to drive the lane and a Center(Camby)that is a rebounding/shot blocking machine that can shoot from outside. The Lakers need to get Drew the ball early and often to get him going. We definitely need more out of Rad who has laid an egg in his past two starts. Rad can't afford to blow the opportunity that PJ is giving him to redeem himself. Our starters can't afford to play 3 or 4 on 5, they've got to get everyone involved. Go Lakers!!!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Sonnybelfast

Repost

Rick Friedman,

Thank you for your wishes. I am currently in deep pain but I can't work while on vicadine (plus I am diabetic). Hopefully I can regain my shoulder mobility in 4-6 months.

On a basketball note, I understand JC is a rookie, but I have seen this guy play in the SPL. He is confident and makes confident mistakes. (If that makes any sense) I believe he is ready to fill the 2 backup for Kobe.

I am the biggest Phil Jackson supporter. But he really needs to progress with the times and the team he has. I thought by speeding up the tempo showed progress, but not playng Ariza or at least JC is out of control and seems like an egomaniacal Phil-ism.

Let me know when your bands are playing and I'll be happy to come out and support...

Charles myspace.com/musiclife75

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RICHARD SPRINGS FOR ADVIL FOR KWAME BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER PRESIDENT - RICHARD
(2) MAMB24
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24
(2) CO PRESIDENT ANDREW KAMENETZKY
(3) KEIFO – RIDING SHOTGUN
(4) ANDREW Z – THE ONLY BANDWAGON HE WILL RIDE
(5) EDWIN GUECO
(6) VMAN – DEFENSE SECRETARY
(7) CHARLES
(8) EXHELODRVR
(9) RICK FRIEDMAN
(10) TIM-4-SHOW

Happy Birthday Andrew Z.

Mamba 24,

I'll gladly join the bandwagon of one of my favorite bloggers. Sign me up!

Ex,

I was thinking the same thing, that there could be some good players available for the MLE. It also made me think that there could be A LOT of big trades going down. I don't care how much guys bitch and complain about their situations or not wanting to rebuild but win, there is no way these guys are opting out of big contracts when there is no one out there to pay them what they would be getting.

Realistically, could you see Kobe walking away from $48 million to sign an MLE deal with Chicago? Me neither.

Maybe there should be required reading.

More Artest posts? Asked and answered. It was no, the ship left the harbor with Ron and KG on it, the door closed, the eggs are coolin', the Maloofs aren't dealin', it's dead, done.

Understandable interest. He's great and would have been a steal at around 7 mil but Mitch and Jimmy, in their inevitable wisdom, decided Luke would make a better 3. A loose summary but somewhat accurate.

Time to move on to something doable. Take the Trevor A deal as a model. The Laker FO moves in baby steps.

AZ.

You passed one ty-nine but still bloomin', you're too young to be my son-in-law but in your post, I imagine speaking with my father-in-law. haha! Enjoy your 30 years on earth.

Mamba24,

Welcome back....now I know what a Win can do, bring back the mamba cheer. We're still missing Gunner who still mourning on KL's loss. haha!

Charles,

Hope you get well soon faster than Kwame. We love your posts and also hoping for your broadcasting career will take off in '08. You can replace Joel Myers or Stu.

Oldtimer,

Wrong, wrong. "You don't got no bag of oranges"

See Nov 27 "If any opponent is capable of breaking the Laker funk..." 3:06pm post to know why.

Clarity is a good thing.

Sonnybelfast

Andrew Z,
"Realistically, could you see Kobe walking away from $48 million to sign an MLE deal with Chicago? Me neither."

Unless there was an "unspoken" agreement that after a couple of years the contract would be extended and upgraded. There isn't anything specific about contracts that forbids that, is there?

Andrew Z,
"It also made me think that there could be A LOT of big trades going down."

If there are going to be cheap players available, expiring contracts that bring you below the salary cap are even more attractive. Unfortunately for the Lakers, that won't be the case for them with Kwame's contract, but there are other teams out there where it would be.

Happy Birthday Andrew Z!!!

EXHELODRVR,
"Unless there was an "unspoken" agreement that after a couple of years the contract would be extended and upgraded. There isn't anything specific about contracts that forbids that, is there?"

I DON'T THINK SO JUST ASK MJ! LOL!

Rick Friedman,

I like your reason and logic. Props too you my man. Continue the posting.

I really do think Phil has odd lineups. Too much for my taste.

I dont understand why Rony isnt starting?
I dont understand why they havent traded Lamar Odom?
I dont understand why JCritt doesnt get 15 minutes of run a night which Sasha gets?
I dont understand why Chris Mihm gets so much run?
I dont understand why Andrew Bynum doesnt get more touches?
I dont understand why Phil doesnt call out Lamar Odom every night? (What a waste of minutes)
I dont understand why Sasha plays so much?
I dont understand why this team stopped running?
I dont understand why Kwame Brown hurts his toes all the time?

This team is a mystery.

Rick Friedman, so many question marks.

Do we need a new owner? How about Mark Cuban?

That's right, all Mitch has to do is call up Sacramento....

"Hey, this is Mitch. We'll give you Lamar if you give us Ron."

"Ok."

It's just that easy in the NBA!!!

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WED. NOVEMBER 28 2007
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
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(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24
(2) CO PRESIDENT ANDREW KAMENETZKY
(3) KEIFO – RIDING SHOTGUN
(4) ANDREW Z – THE ONLY BANDWAGON HE WILL RIDE
(5) EDWIN GUECO
(6) VMAN –
(7) CHARLES
(8) EXHELODRVR
(9) RICK FRIEDMAN
(10) TIM-4-SHOW
(11) XODUS
(12) JAN
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ROLL CALL:
(1) FAITH, MIKE T. TALIQ, Edwin Gueco,, KEIFO, WOLF, Q WUOR, CLEON, EASTCOASTJESSIE
MAMBA24Fan4Life, Fan of MAMBA, WhiteMAMBA24, BlackMAMBA24, AFRO_JOE, LAKERTRUTH,
KIWI, Wow, Peace, J_CooL, DAVID WHANG, AdamKiley, LakersryDeordie, ANGRYLAKER, TSIRY
TIM-4-SHOW, THA_ SHOW, TheLakeShow, WESJOENIXON, BAYWOOD, The_D, SBPIMP, DAXMDD
utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER, CaliKing, Rick Friedman,Thirty2, ExheloDrVr, ) JANAYA,CBUCK
GENERIC_ONE, TWOODY, JJ, Ajax, MITCHELL., LAKERTOM, Charles, BZAR, JUNO, NEVER
JOREMA, VMAN, Korey, Xtro, MCGarnagle, Gugy, GDChild, Laker4Life, BLKTHGHT06, WONDAHBAB
KL BEAST, FearlessWhackJob, MARTY, JANDRO, LAKERFAZE, PhxLkrFAN, PRINCE, AKRASIAN
TexasLaker, BOB, EagleBoy, JR., Zakee, KOBE’S T., ZEN, Purple & Gold, TSPHERE, t_sensei
Tully Moxness, KobeRocks, David Peterson, centralk, FKILLAH, CYRUS(Ventrilquist), BOYSOY
Swettual, Andrew Z, LAL Fan, Brandon C., Kinglakernidas, HUBBIT, GREEK DUDE, JAN
RespectMyAuthorith, Hariyahu, LAKER_STH, KobeFromManilas, RAY RAY, HOBBITMAGE
SARCOCOP,Staples24, Bobby, COMPTONS FINEST, MIGUELINHO, MAN, KSANDHER
TUKLAW, CDUB0512, MRBARNEYDANGLES, BENJAMIN, MJCMAN32, PFUNK36,
SOCALIFE, HAL9000, Michael J, Michael H, Michael A., ALEXINH017, VIOLATER
Gunner24, GINO, FATTY, LAKERGURL, CRITICAL BEATDOWN, LEELO, BLAZE1BX
PAUL LEE, Jay EL, SocalSpider , WEAVE MAN, JON KAVULIC, Tajluck,
Caesar, BERKLEYLAKER, Dice8Up DION, KARL, CRAIG, MITCHELL, B4HOOPS, RYAN
JR, Dascilla, tellitlikeitis, Nik Kannan, GABE, SEAN P., HanSoulFood, HollywoodJack,
RICO TICO, DREW, NESTROSSBISTRO, LAKERAHOLIC, LAKOBER, SLO GAL
Jay Jay, TaosHum, DEREK, Caeser, Obel, CHITOWNLAKER, RealityCheckTime
wiZo, MagicShaq, HugoBoss, OSCAR, RDLEE, RealityBites, LakerLarry, Bucky, Guy
LakerLifer, C.S. Jova, Tripgame3, SIXONEZERO, HOUSTON LAKER, Todd BATTLES
JONINJAPAN(INCANADA), LT Laker Fan, , KATE, TROY, Mainor, East Nyboer
JEFF, ANDY B., SwanWorld, PUPLE&GOLD_4EVA, Benny Blanca, CS in Virgina
TIM IN SYDNEY LakerBake, JMan, Mfeige, Jennifer, Chris H. Lincoln Laker, Reggie
Any_One_mouse, 10milliondollarZen, Shiva, Laker_Hopeful, LakerDawg, RDANEEL,
PHIL JACKSON, KOBE BRYANT, Marc Gasol, Sun Yue, Shamond, Williams,
Ronny Turiaf, V. Radmanovic, Maurice Evans, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher,
Luke Walton, Brian Cook, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum, Coby Karl, Mihm,
Jordan Farmar, Jarvis Critterton, Larry Fulcher, SASHA VUJACIC, Linda Pineda
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ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES
THE WINNER OF MORE GAMES THAN ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE NBA
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 WILL EVER CONQUER OR DIVIDE US
LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW LAKERS FOREVER

Now that Tex has spoken out in favor of J-Critt (on the heels of PJ saying he's going to be a good player), I'm really scratching my head wondering what he would do on the floor worse than Sasha?

Is J-Critt not as good at pleading to the refs with his hands in the prayer position?

Is J-Critt not as good at chucking up 20 foot bricks on the fast break?

Is J-Critt not as good at hoisting airballs from beyond the arc when no one's within 10 feet of him (see the Bucks game)?

And why did we trade Mo for Ariza?

I know Phil is a long-term thinker, which is good in an NBA season, but I'm really starting to wonder. Apprarently we'll never have a rookie of the year contender as long as Phil's our coach.

The "opt-out" free agent doesn't hold water due to what Andrew Z said. For example, JO simply has too much to lose if he opted out because no team in their right mind would pay him what he earns now (nor would they be a situation to pay him that much without a sign and trade).

There's one person who does NOT fit this mold and that is Ron Ron. At $7 million a year, the odds of him getting MORE money signing elsewhere are high. If he threatens to opt out, that's a legitimate threat because it's not like he'd be taking a huge pay cut with the team of his choice. Nothing would happen this season, but maybe next season.

Let's make sure OUR team is the team of his choice for when the time is right. If the fans make him feel welcomed, he'll relive his old desires of playing in purple and gold.

JASON F,
"That's right, all Mitch has to do is call up Sacramento....
"Hey, this is Mitch. We'll give you Lamar if you give us Ron." "Ok."

No, No, NO! LAMAR TODAY LAMAR TOMORROW LAMAR A LAKER FOREVER

TIM-4-SHOW,
"Let's make sure OUR team is the team of his choice for when the time is right. If the fans make him feel welcomed,
he'll relive his old desires of playing in purple and gold."

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RON RON OPT OUT AND COME TO THE PURPLE AND GOLD BANDWAGON
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(1) TIM-4-SHOW DRIVER AND PRESIDENT
(2) MAMBA24

I’M OUT OF HERE FOR TODAY, ANDREW Z MAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z BANDWAGON
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) DRIVER AND PRESIDENT MAMBA24
(2) CO PRESIDENT ANDREW KAMENETZKY
(3) KEIFO – RIDING SHOTGUN
(4) ANDREW Z – THE ONLY BANDWAGON HE WILL RIDE
(5) EDWIN GUECO
(6) VMAN –
(7) CHARLES
(8) EXHELODRVR
(9) RICK FRIEDMAN
(10) TIM-4-SHOW
(11) XODUS
(12) JAN

Awww... am I too late to hop on the HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW Z bandwagon? Well, happy birthday anyway, ol' chap.

IMPORTANT REMINDER.. ONLY 53 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE
VOTE NOW AND VOTE DAILY!!

VOTING STARTED ON NOVEMBER 15 AND YOU CAN VOTE EVERY DAY!
MAKE SURE TO VOTE FOR LAMAR, LUKE AND KOBE FOR THE ALLSTAR @ LAKERS.COM AND MAKE SURE TO VOTE DAILY!!
EVERY BLOGGER GO VOTE NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY AT NBA.COM OR LAKERS.COM (DAILY!!)
REMIND EVERYBODY YOU KNOW TO VOTE DAILY EVERYDAY FOR THE NEXT 53 DAYS!
LET THE VOTES STACK TO THE CEILING PEOPLE!!!

**ALSO**
SIDE NOTE FROM "TIM-4-SHOW":
"You should add that no one should vote for anyone EXCEPT a Laker. With the All-Star voting, competing players who get votes too would essentially take away the votes we cast for Lamar. In other words, Lakers only + Eastern conference where the votes don't compete against our guys"

VERY GOOD POINT BY TM-4-SHOW.... NOT NECESSARY TO VOTE FOR ALL 5 POSITIONS, JUST SELECT KOBE, LAMAR, AND LUKE AND CLICK TO FINISH UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOTE FOR SHAQ ON THE EAST LIKE I DO, HAVE A GOOD ONE PEOPLE

**ALSO**
SIDE NOTE BY "LONG TIME LAKER FAN":
"you're leaving out a CRUCIAL part of the voting process. There's a box at the bottom of the voting page where you can WRITE IN one vote.

Don't just vote for Kobe, Lamar, and Luke. Write in Bynum or Farmar as well. I don't think they'll win, but it would be good to at least see their names in the list of top 10 vote getters."

OK EVERYBODY YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO

YOU TOO AK AND BK, GO VOTE

TRADEEEEEEEEE LAMAR FORRRR RON ARTEST NOW !!

Tim 4 Show,

"There's one person who does NOT fit this mold and that is Ron Ron. At $7 million a year, the odds of him getting MORE money signing elsewhere are high. If he threatens to opt out, that's a legitimate threat because it's not like he'd be taking a huge pay cut with the team of his choice. Nothing would happen this season, but maybe next season"

Your comments make sense and I think you are on the money. Barring the unforeseen negative, Ron will fetch more than double what he is currently being paid by the Kings the next time he signs a contract. His model behavior will have earned him the pay raise.

This is why when the time comes, the Maloofs will step up to the plate and make him a much richer man IF WE (the Maloofs, Petrie and Kings fans) WANT TO keep him. If this is the case, Sacramento will make an early move to nip it in the bud. Resultingly, with him or without him, we'll be the beneficiary. Only one year removed from an eight year run in the playoffs, we too are about winning.

Go Sacramento Kings of basketball!

Sonnybelfast

Exhelo

"Last year they could have had Kwame and Lamar end their seasons early, get their surgeries earlier."

Agreed. I posted that about 10 times last March / April. Last year was a strong draft crop. The pick could have been added to a KG deal.

Since the Lakers have this much money invested in a roster that no team wants to trade for, there needs to be a San Antonio "Duncan" kind of move made. Let the kids learn, if they overachieve, great. If not, next year will look good on paper, unless Kobe's name is missing.

join me too mamba24!

SOME NEWS:

LAKERS ASSIGN COBY KARL TO THE D-FENDERS

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned guard Coby Karl to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Karl was signed by the Lakers as a free agent on July 30, 2007. He has appeared in two games this season, averaging 1.0 points and 1.0 assists in 2.0 minutes.

The 6’5” guard from Boise State averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior and was named First Team All-WAC. Karl’s 1,698 career points ranks third on Boise State’s all-time scoring list while leaving Boise State as the all-time leader in games played (127) and three-pointers made (266).

Vman,
Agree. You can't do both a major rebuilding (referring to the youth method, not to the Celtics method) and still be a contender. If you try to do both, you don't do either very well.

Ex,

I don't know if there is a wink-wink kind of thing you can do when signing a contract, like starting a deal with $2 million the first year and then raising it up to $20 million the next. I would think if that's possible someone would have done it already, right? Didn't Minnesota get screwed with something like that with Joe Smith?

As for the value of expiring contracts, I couldn't agree more. I'd be willing to deal Lamar Odom for Antwan Jamison for the exact reason. First, you get all that money on top of Kwame coming off the books next season. With the possible free agent pool out there that could become valuable. Second, if the deal is done soon enough we could turn around and deal Jamison for another player. Third, i think Jamison fits better than Odom with this team.

sonnybelfast,

I think the Artest situation is going to be the most interesting out there. If I was a GM/owner I would be hesitant to give Artest long-term, big money. Even though he's behaving well right now, how long is it before he blows up? In the NBA "No Balls Association" GMs are growing more and more tentative than ever. Artest could be a player that either takes you into the elite or sets your franchise back a few years (see Indiana). I don't see many franchises willing to touch that. I see him getting about what he gets now, $7-$8 million a year for three years, or if he gets a bigger contract for a longer period there will be pretty detailed clauses in the contract that make it easy to void due to behavior (if that's allowed).

Vman and Ex,

I don't know what would be worse, going through a rebuild or hanging in limbo like we are now (and have been since 2004). I think with a rebuild at least I would feel like we have a game plan and direction.

The thing is, other than Andrew Bynum, I don't think we have enough top quality young players to even start a rebuilding project (that won't take 5-7 years). We've drafted late first round for as long as I can remember, and there aren't many All-Stars found down there. I like Farmar, Turiaf, and Crittendon, but I wouldn't say that young core gets even close to say Portland who has Oden, Roy, Aldridge and 27 first rounders that they bought from Phoenix that are stored overseas. Or how about Chicago with Deng, Gordon, Hinrich, Noah, Thomas,etc. I can only envision Bynum as an All-Star out of the Lakers group and even that is still up in the air at this point.

I was very much for trading Kobe in the offseason, and part of me still is, but I think it would be much uglier in Lakerland than I thought with him gone.

I've now turned my attention to trading LO :)

Mamba 24

getting a little too emotional there!

get Lamar out of LA NOW!
the guy just doesnt have the stomach for big time,
how many years of this do we need before we stop being in denial!
No matter if we can get him or not Artest is a better player anyway

Silverlaker,

Are you from Silverlake? I have a pretty good friend who's a hardcore fan.

Violator

Sorry pal neither Lamar (space cadet) Odom or Luke (big liability) Waltom is deserving of any of my all-star voting .I can care less that they are Lakers.Both of their games seem to be regressing and is Walton even playing up to the standards of a marginal NBA player,I think not.

AZ,

Happy Birthday

I got word that Ric Bucher extended his b-day wishes as well. j/k

Go Lakers!

Violator

Sorry pal neither Lamar (space cadet) Odom or Luke (big liability) Waltom is deserving of any of my all-star voting .I can care less that they are Lakers.Both of their games seem to be regressing and is Walton even playing up to the standards of a marginal NBA player,I think not.

Andrew Z,
I agree with looking to trade Odom.

If Mihm's ankle improves reasonably well, then Kwame is expendable. (Assuming Bynum continues to improve at a reasonable rate.) He would be great in a mid-season trade for a team looking to clear space for the cheap free agents this summer. If MIhm doesn't look like his ankle will improve much, then I think they will hold on to Kwame and re-sign him at a lower salary this summer.

Its always funny to me how fans change their minds so quickly. Before this three game skid this blog was full of people saying that the lakers are a good team, that they have a shot, that they have the best bench in the league. I even heard people complimenting Mitch Kupchack (suprised me). Now people are saying that we should rebuild, trade odom, that other than Andrew we have no good young talent.

Its just funny to me how people change their minds all of a sudden. I personally think this team will be alright, its a process, and we got a long season ahead of us.

Go Lakers...

Cupcake had a chance make a deal with Donnie welch the GM for the Indiana pacers (05 SEASON), Odom for art est straight up but the Buss family wuss out of the deal. Jimmy buss and cupcake thought they had a Pearl in Lamar.Anyways the Maloof brothers will never do the Lakers a favour and trust me they are very aware of Lamars inconstancy's and low BB IQ.

Rocky,

Thanks. Seriously, I always liked Bucher and still do. I always thought he was a Laker fan and Kobe fan when not many others were.

Ex,

Mihm looks much worse than I thought (and hoped) he would. At this point, Kwame isn't expendable, which saddens me. However, Kwame at $4 miliion-ish a year would be a great signing in my book. The fact that he's got such a horrible rep around the league and is injured so much might make it possible that we could get him for cheap if other teams don't go nuts over him. He might have to pull a Mihm and sign a cheaper deal with an opt out to prove his worth.

However, we've seen that Kwame is the only player in the history of the NBA who completely defies the "Contract Year" theory.

Hey Andrew,
Happy Birthday!

I'd like to see strict "behavior" clauses inserted into virtually every NBA contract, if they aren't already. It is true that Testes jumped into the Detroit stands to pound on a jerk-wad, and for that, to this day, he is still paying (or not being paid for his skills on the basketball court) dearly.

Furthermore, since coming to Sacramento, his -off the court- behavior has been less than perfect. The mother of his children didn't tend to their pets while he was away on a long road trip, so he continues to be ripped a new one for that, and after this same beloved woman put an applicance through the windshield of his vehicle as he was attempting to leave the scene to avoid further confrontation during an argument, he pushed her...oooh... (for which she sustained zero injury) and thus was branded a wife beater. Yes, Ron is an odd one. He has a degree in math, is a magnificient and intense competitor, and fancys himself a rap star. Some describe him as plain weird and imminently likeable. I agree. Your 7-8 million dollar is about half of what he'll be getting paid, barring the unforeseen meltdown...or set up.

Two things are certain: Testes is incredible on the court and an absolute gentleman with his fans. Those are qualities I look for. Wherever he ends up (and it will probably be with the Kings of basketball) I wish him the very best.

Sonnybelfast

before taking tex winter's word on jcrit remember that he also was an advocate of SMUSH PARKER. winter has got to be the most quoted ASSISTANT coach in sports.

TrueLakerFan,

I think most can attest that I've continued to stick to my overall low expectations of the team this year.

TLF,

"Before this three game skid this blog was full of people saying that the lakers are a good team, that they have a shot, that they have the best bench in the league."

I for one have not jumped ship on anything. I still think we're a good team, I've never thought we have a shot this year, and I do still think we have one of the top benches in the league.....when we're at full strength.

And that last part's the key. The 3 game skid coincided with Turiaf and Brown going down, losing Mo (for a player who hasn't really played yet), and Kobe not shooting very well. Throw in LO playing like crap and Vlad going into a shooting funk, and do all that on a road trip....and you have the makings of a losing streak.

We're just not a good enough team to sustain injuries to two starters and lose one of our key bench players, and still play a high level of ball. At full strength, we're a good team than can beat anyone on a given night (a 7 game series is another story). At less than full strength, we're an ok team that has to play with exceptional energy to beat the better teams.

All Star balloting-

Cast your vote now!

KMart
Testes
John Salmons (6th man)

We've got the Warriors tonight. In my heart I know that all Laker fans are wishing us luck. See you tomorrow.

Sonnybelfast

If Artest enjoyed drinking a lot of alcohol then an important question would be "How often does his drinking get in the way of his job?" The same question should be applied in regards to Artest's predilection for being weird -- "How often does his need to be weird get in the way of his job?" My impression is: too often!

Andrew Z

"I don't know if there is a wink-wink kind of thing you can do when signing a contract, "

I think there is and they call it the "Joe Smith / T Wolves wink". It gets you 10 years of bad teams.