Hey Shaq Fan,

With "SHAQ FAN" being your name, the last thing that I would do is descredit the Lakers decent start of the season. I know that misery likes company, hence Miami and that big fat Shaq soon to be coming off the bench, but we (at least most of us) are loving the effort that we see and win or lose, we are Laker Fans to the end.

I would like to see A LOT less NEGATIVITY around here. I had to stop reading this for a while because a lot of people thrive off the bad stuff. Learn to see the glass half full. I see a solid start and I see EFFORT!! That is enough to make me happy as I know we will only get better.

IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER BECAUSE I AM NOT A SHAQ FAN ANYMORE.....LOL....

janaya

if artest came here, id put him at the 3 and ask LO to put on about 10-15 lbs of muscle and play the 4.

Violator,

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.

Violater,

You should also add the following link to your daily announcement:
http://www.nba.com/allstar2008/asb/eng/ballot.html

This way the bloggers only have to click the link and vote for Lakers & Eastern conference only.

We need to lighten up over here... (we just won last night!!!)

Anywho... here's another power rankings (with some chuckles) from http://fiyastarter.com/fs-pages/fs-sports-nbarank07-2.html

11# Lakers

In his most recent attempt to repair his strained relationship with Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant presented the rapidly developing young center with a toy train set. Bynum responded by sitting down, folding his legs and smiling for three hours, as he watched the trains and Kobe come full circle.

22# Heat

Shaq responded to Wade's challenge by eating a foot long sub in his face, while wearing all four of his rings.

...future's bright for our forum blue and gold. GO LAKERS!!!

Sign me in the 55 win bandwagon

Tully:

Great attempt to describe the indescribable. LOL. I guess all Smush really wanted out of the NBA was his Smushcalade. Which brings me to a post that I have been meaning to make all week. The blog sometimes seems to emphasize the negative and the differences between bloggers. I thought it might be interesting to see how many key points relating to our early success all of us could agree upon. So here are some statements that I think we MIGHT all agree upon if we don’t split hairs:

01) Derek Fisher is a huge emotional and physical upgrade over Smush Parker at point guard.
02) Jordan Farmar has mentally and physically elevated his game to the next level.
03) Andrew Bynum has started to show the passion and effort that was missing last year.
04) Vlade Radman is finally looking like the player we thought we added when we signed him.
05) Lamar Odom looks ready to have a break out season and if healthy should be an all-star.
06) The Lakers are playing much better defense inside and outside versus last year.
07) Phil has followed Tex Winter’s advice and turned the team loose to go for it in transition.
08) Kobe Bryant has been playing inspired defense which has sparked the entire team to do so.
09) Kobe’s best chance for more championship rings is to remain with the Lakers.
10) Kobe is doing a great job sharing the ball and encouraging everybody for their play.
11) Phil’s adjustments on defense is a major reason why we are playing better defense now.
12) Phil’s listening to Tex Winter and letting the Lakers push the ball in transition was brilliant.
13) The Lakers have the deepest and best bench in the NBA.

I am sure some will dispute many of these points but I am curious to see what kind of final statements we might decide upon as truthfully representing the Lakers current situation.

Tom

Looks like we won't expect Kwame to be back til late December...

http://my.lakers.com/blogs/2007/11/19/kwame-brown-injury-update/

Lakers Center Kwame Brown had his injured knee examined by team Doctor Steve Lombardo Monday. The MRI showed that Brown has suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee. He will be sidelined indefinitely.

Who is this Smushy Smush Parker that you guys keep bringing up?

Everytime I try to remember who he is I get a bad migrain and pass out. Anyway, I like how the team is playing and I'm glad all the trade talk is history, Peace.

Ken

LakerTom,

I generally agree with your entire list except the one about LO. He's shown flashes of aggressiveness and brilliance, but not consistency. I know you can say that he's attempting to successfully return from injury and I understand that, but be that as it may, flashes of brilliance is all LO has shown us throughout his career. I've seen nothing different.

Laker Tom,

"01) Derek Fisher is a huge emotional and physical upgrade over Smush Parker at point guard.
02) Jordan Farmar has mentally and physically elevated his game to the next level.
03) Andrew Bynum has started to show the passion and effort that was missing last year.
04) Vlade Radman is finally looking like the player we thought we added when we signed him.
05) Lamar Odom looks ready to have a break out season and if healthy should be an all-star.
06) The Lakers are playing much better defense inside and outside versus last year.
07) Phil has followed Tex Winter’s advice and turned the team loose to go for it in transition.
08) Kobe Bryant has been playing inspired defense which has sparked the entire team to do so.
09) Kobe’s best chance for more championship rings is to remain with the Lakers.
10) Kobe is doing a great job sharing the ball and encouraging everybody for their play.
11) Phil’s adjustments on defense is a major reason why we are playing better defense now.
12) Phil’s listening to Tex Winter and letting the Lakers push the ball in transition was brilliant.
13) The Lakers have the deepest and best bench in the NBA."

Well, #1 isn't saying much. We knew Fisher would be a huge upgrade - and the team had decided to drop Smush before Fisher even became available.

I'm not surprised that Farmar has improved - the degree is surprising, but he was always a talented ballplayer.

Related to that at #3, I don't think it's so much that Bynum is showing passion, as that he's matured physically, combined with adding skills and realizing how much conditioning matters in the NBA. Keep in mind, both Farmar and Bynum were very young when they were drafted - and Bynum was record young and very inexperienced even given that. But they are both players with huge upsides.

If I might say - Kupchak (and the powers behind him) have deliberately chosen a policy of going for draft picks who are raw but who have very high ceilings. And for those who have followed the Lakers for years, this sort of high risk/high reward attitude is what the Lakers have done for many years. They traded all their depth to get Kareem, for instance. And traded Gail Goodrich (to much criticism) for future draft picks that yielded Magic. They cut loose or traded much of their depth to clear salary room for Shaq, including trading an above average center for the draft rights to a high schooler in Kobe. Some of the gambles the current FO has taken have been stupid, but the last few years they seem to be doing better. Not perfect, but better.

#4 - Radman looks useful - but he doesn't look like the starter they thought they were getting. Still, having a guy who can get hot and nail three pointers all day long on the bench, who can play either forward position, is useful to have on the team.

I don't think Lamar will be an all-star - he's too inconsistent, and there is far too much depth at forward in the West. I don't think he'll be an all-star (if ever) until he is a key player on an extended playoff run. Only then will his talents be appreciated.

#6 Yes, the defense is better, all around.

#7 - Phil has said that he's opened up the team. It makes sense, a bunch of young legs, of course you should try for fast breaks.

#8 - After the first game, Kobe seemed to have a lightbulb go off over his head - and he's been doing what it takes to win. I salute him for that. I'm hoping that maybe he will drop the trade demand, if the rest of the team keeps playing well - but I'm not holding my breath. Related to that is #9.

While I agree that the best chance for a championship is for Kobe to stay here - both sides are prideful, and that's far from a sure thing. Both sides feel the other has wronged them, and I don't know if a true friendship between them is still possible. At worst, the fast start of the Lakers has made it clear that teams have to make serious offers for Kobe. At best, he'll change his mind. If he doesn't, a trade might still be necessary. But for now, related to #10, yes Kobe is doing what he should have done all along, and played with and encouraged his teammates. Any feuds he has with the FO isn't with them, and as the best player on the team and the one the team is built around, he should be encouraging them - and he has done so, so good for him.

Skipping to #13, it's too early to say on that - but the bench has been way above average so far - but it is still early.

Laker Tom,

Good points, 1 thru 13, although 7 and 12 are the same. Not sure about 5. I know it's early and he has hardly played but Lamar just does not lookt into it. I think he is depressed. Still. He made conflicting statements in the past few weeks like "I wanna be a Laker for life", "I wanna play in NY area to be close to my family" and "I am thinking of retiring when my contract is up in 09". Bumping his head into locker, car accidents, all point to it. He tries to play and hustle, but just doesn't look like he is having any fun out there. Hope he can snap out of it soon.

HAB,

I agree about the MJ thing. MJ may be the most incredible athlete ever. Game Six of the 1998 Finals is, in my opinion the greatest sporting event ever, because of Jordan single handedly willing his undermanned Bulls team to victory. The problem is that it created the expectation that one great player can take his team to a title. Jordan didn't do it on his own, as much as it looked like he did.

The Spurs certainly win titles like old school champions. I grew up on Michael Jordan but I realize that. I don't think the Spurs have "inferior talent," they're a talented team, that runs their system perfectly. They're a machine and the fact that the Lakers knocked off the Spurs in 01 and 02 is a testament to how good those Laker teams were.

LakerTom,

"01) Derek Fisher is a huge emotional and physical upgrade over Smush Parker at point guard.

Emotional, yes. Physical, No.

02) Jordan Farmar has mentally and physically elevated his game to the next level.

So far.

03) Andrew Bynum has started to show the passion and effort that was missing last year.

Yes.

04) Vlade Radman is finally looking like the player we thought we added when we signed him.

Not yet. Better than last year, but still not at the level he was signed for.

05) Lamar Odom looks ready to have a break out season and if healthy should be an all-star.

No, same Lamar.

06) The Lakers are playing much better defense inside and outside versus last year.
Yes.

07) Phil has followed Tex Winter’s advice and turned the team loose to go for it in transition.

They are playing more of an open style; was it really Tex's idea?

08) Kobe Bryant has been playing inspired defense which has sparked the entire team to do so.

Yes.

09) Kobe’s best chance for more championship rings is to remain with the Lakers.

Remains to be seen. They are still a piece, possibly two, from being contenders.

10) Kobe is doing a great job sharing the ball and encouraging everybody for their play.

I would say good, not great. But more so than last year.

11) Phil’s adjustments on defense is a major reason why we are playing better defense now.

Phils adjustments, or the players playing the system better? I think the latter.

12) Phil’s listening to Tex Winter and letting the Lakers push the ball in transition was brilliant.

Was it really Tex's idea?

13) The Lakers have the deepest and best bench in the NBA.

No.

As someone else noted, you left out Turiaf's improvements; that opened the door for moving Lamar to SF.

The big question how the young players (Farmar, Bynum, Turiaf) will react when the other teams make adjustments to the way they are playing.

The trade rumor has been dying down a bit, but I don't think the Bulls gave up on acquiring Kobe yet. As long as Bulls' fans continue to chant "Kobe,' there will still be action within the Bulls' organization. Kobe should just stick with Lakers, since going to Chicago won't make his situation any better than it is right now. Though it seems like the Bulls are struggling in the game vs. the Lakers, but Deng wasn't playing because of his back problems. Even with Kobe and Deng on the same court, Chicago might make the playoff but I don't think they will be a serious contender just like the Lakers right now.

Tully,
Why you insulting Bosch and Bartok, two of my favorites? They both understood the sublime and the supreme horror of the world and made those two extremes slightly more comprehensible for us less talented mortals. Didn't Bosch paint what every survivor of a Near Death Experience sees (the tunnel of light)? He's been to places none of us wants to go to. Same as Bartok.

Thelonious (Tsphere)

poor mans ben wallace?

other than the inability to block shots, or steal the ball, dunk the ball with two hands or just catch the ball .

I mean, I know what youre saying, he is an overpaid one sided defensive player, but if kwame could use some of his $9 million from this year alone to learn to catch the ball, it would save us a lot of turnovers.

Aloha Laker Tom

I pretty much agree with your points. I believe health again will be the major issue. Already Lamar missed the 1st 4 games, Ronny 2 games, Kwame 2 games and now he is out again. However We are a deeper team this year with improvement with a lot of the kids and I think we can withstand a certain amount of injuries, it just cant get overwelming like last year.

What I find interesting is the resistance in some posters to admit that we are a better team this year. And I am not talking the injury riddled team. We are better then the group that was off to a hot start, before the injuries. Usually its a lot of the guys that seriously bashed our team during the pre-season.

For some reason they want to make excuses for the teams we beat. I realize Utah and the Suns had played the night before but it was the Suns 2nd game and Utahs 3rd. If they are already tired this early in the season then they have problems. Not to mention we were without our 2nd best player for both games!! And the rockets beat us by 2 without Lamar, but we beat them on our 2nd night of our back to back, pulling away easily in the end. But that doesnt seem to count because Mcgrady went down. I just do not understand that point of view.

Anyway nice list, I am with you. We have a very solid team.

MH

"Like some other bloggers and media pundits, you are hoping Kobe rescinds his trade demand. Am I alone in hoping he doesn't, because that's what's taken the Lakers out of their doldrums?"

I'm not convinced that Kobe's trade demands have helped the team. I think the big difference between last season and this season (besides health) is that three of the kids have improved with age. Last season was Turiaf's first full season (after missing half of the previous one due to the heart surgery - it was Farmar's rookie season, and it was the first time that Bynum got significant playing time (and he was still the youngest player in the league). With or without the offseason drama those three would have improved big time this season. If any offseason event provided additional incentive for any of them to work harder, it would have been the drafting of Critter motivating Farmar even more. Kobe's trade demands are a superfluous explanation for those three improving.

akrasian,

I'm sorry but Socks is on record as having said "ship his ___ out!" made him that much more motivated to prove him wrong.

Further, the "team" game it is has certainly benefitted from the tirade. Everyone came into camp knowing full well that lack of effort on the court would not be tolerated. The Lake Show has shown up with effort every single game this season. That's a whole lot more than what happened last year. While half of this is on D Fish's presence, the other half is on KB and his "I won't stand for your crappy efforts" attitude.

I get tired of hearing that NBA players are the obsessed with money. This society is obsessed with money. If Marc and Bogut are turned off by Black men and money they can both step. Im sick of hearing about European men taking shots at a black men, this society is built on only caring about money. And people have to stop acting like its only in the NBA. Those owners only care about money too, with their mansion sin the hamptons and there 50 car garage. Pure BS.

Kwame is out indefinitely! Oh what a surprise. Seriously, has he even played one full season with us without being injured? This guy has been in the league for over 6 years and still does not "get it." He is injury prone, inconsistent, and is payed way too much. Instead of finding ways to trade Kobe, let's trade Kwame and take advantage of his contract year.

Big game tomorrow to against the Bucks.

We'll get to see Bynum go against a true center in Bogut who's been playing well. That'll be a good test for him.

greek dude- I agree that Kwame is a terrible investment. There is nothing we can do about his salary, unfortunately. He only can play one side of the court. I personally don't want him touching the ball on offense. Set hard picks? Yes. Box out opposing big men so Jordan Farmar can keep grabbing those free boards? Yes.

The only thing he is good at (and better than the rest of the Lakers) is being strong. No one can outmuscle him. We don't pushed around when he's in. With him and Bynum in, that's a pretty scary front line up. We would match up well with just about any front line on strength and length.

Poor man's Ben Wallace is a stretch I know, but for the Lakers, he can be an anchor on defense. Maybe not the same way as Ben, but he does do certain things better than Bynum and Mihm. It just gives Phil more tools to work with.

Chicago Al,
"It is sad to see comments from people in a city where you cannot even hold onto an NFL team,
not even the Raiders!!!!! Posted by: Chicago Al | November 20, 2007 at 09:11 AM"

Huh! This from the city of the pitiful Bears the even more pitifull Bulls who the only way they could
ever have a star is to steal one from LA. And the absolutely horrible Blackhawks. Not to mention
a Baseball team that has not played in a World Series in 100 Years. Sad? Sad? Buddy my
soul cries for you as I LMAO!!!