Thus far, no game has passed in the "Phil Jackson-extended era" where a Laker doesn't hit a career high.  It's arguably a small sample size, but let's be optimistic and assume the trend a given.  Who's got next?

-AK

Ian Thomsen of SI.com posted an interesting article Thursday afternoon about Kobe, and whether or not he's really 29 in NBA years.  Does the fact he's played an incredible amount of minutes for someone of his relative youth mean that then end is closer for him than it might be for another player?  Is decline only a couple years away?  Obviously, Kobe doesn't think so.  And the good news is that even if he's wrong, Kobe has elevated his game to the point that, assuming no major injuries, it would take him a while to truly be "diminished."  It's not like he'll wake up at 33 and look like me during a pickup game. 

I was hoping to give this a little more copy, but we're running short of time (heading down to Irvine for more radio gaga), so I'll pose it as a patented Lakers Blog Question of the Day:

Nobody in Staples Center Thursday night, from the players to the fans to the coaching staff to the guys who give away free towels to try to encourage folks to sign up for a credit card, liked what they saw from the Lakers in the first quarter.  It was ugly in a roadkill, '72-'73 Sixers kind of way.  Fortunately, over the final three quarters the Lakers produced some serious hoop, turning what could have been a terrible home loss into a 127-99 blowout win that provided happiness (and tacos) to the masses.  It was a win reminiscent of some of L.A.'s better ones this year for a squad more inconsistent than your girlfriend.  Kobe Bryant playing a killer but controlled game, scoring in bunches to keep the team afloat but also keeping everyone involved.  A box score that shows contributions up and down the lineup, including solid games from Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, and a career high 22 points from Sasha Vujacic.  The Bench Mob (haven't heard as much from them, lately) was so good in the fourth that the starters were able to sit.  When five guys hang 46 points on the other guys over the final 12, it's easier to give folks some rest, something that could pay off as the Lakers square off against Utah tonight (7:30 p.m., ESPN) in Salt Lake City. 

The win wasn't the day's really big news, though. 

Had you turned off the television Thursday night at the end of the first quarter, you definitely missed the good stuff that came later in L.A.'s 127-99 stomp job of the Nuggets at Staples.  At the end of the first 12, the Lakers found themselves down 33-21, had turned the ball over eight times, shot at a 37.5% clip, and let Denver convert at nearly 64%.  Three more quarters of that and there would have been a lot of Elvis style shot-out televisions smoking up the Lakers Nation.  Fortunately, the L.A. got the offense going and stopped handing Denver the ball on a silver platter, serving to boost their point total while simultaneously slowing down the Nuggets' open court game.  Really, everyone's a winner in that equation.  LAL got to within two by halftime, used some great ball movement and defensive energy to post a 26-18 third quarter, then really put the screws on Denver in the fourth, when they shot 61% from the floor, shut down the Nuggets on the other end, and blew the game wide open.

In the end, the box looked a lot more like the quality ones LA turned in earlier in the season, where Kobe both scored when they needed it, and did a great job distributing.  Lots of good things to talk about, including a refrigerator door night for Sasha Vujacic (a career high 22 points), five minutes of run for Trevor Ariza and Javaris Crittendon, and best of all?  Von Wafer took off his sweats for George Karl's gang.  Jenga.   

Click below for the breakdown:

BK here.  Now that the Celtics have squeaked by the Knicks, the Laker game can start.  Two teams that like (this year's buzzwords) "early offense."  I'd take the over.

FIRST QUARTER:

And, of course, a minute and a half in, there's no score.  Well played, Nostradamus...

Finally 'Melo drops one in for the Nuggets, and Kobe gets the and one on the other end.  Now we're rollin...

7:30- Sloppy start for Vlad Rad.  A couple of early turnovers, extremely cold shooting from beyond the arc (including an air ball).  The strong start he had as faded a little bit. 

6:45- Marcus Camby flops in a big, bad way in an effort to try to draw a charge on Drew. No call, thankfully.  That was ludicrously obvious.  The type of thing that makes you wonder if the NBA needs a soccer/hockey esque diving rule.

The big news, of course, before tonight's game was the announcement that Phil Jackson has signed a two year extension to stay with the Lakers.  He met with the media before the game, and we have the full audio below.  Jackson talked a lot about his health and how much more comfortable he's feeling, his confidence in the young players on the roster (though not to the point that he'd commit to that batch of kiddies being the nucleus heading forward), and his faith in and comfort with the organization.

And for those of you who might be curious, Jackson said his decision is basically independent of any of the Kobe Kwestions.  Don't strain your eyes trying to read the tea leaves.  I'm sure the extension will be a topic of conversation for the next few days, so without further ado, some notes for tonight's game:

• Chucky Atkins, Nene, and Steven Hunter are inactive tonight for Denver, while Kwame Brown and the D-Leagued Coby Karl won't dress for L.A. 
• For those of you hoping to get a nice, healthy dose of first ballot Lakers Blog Hall of Famer Von Wafer tonight, don't hold your breath.  A) It's an immature way of trying to get what you want, and b) Nuggets coach George Karl seemed to indicate that the unleashing of Von isn't exactly what his shot-happy, defensively challenged bunch needs right now.  Let's all pray for foul trouble in the Denver backcourt.
• Projected starters tonight still include Vlad Rad and Drew.  No changes on that front (assuming that plays out as the little sheet says it will, which isn't always the case...).
• AK said Ronny said he's "Feeling good.  Thanks for asking."  Granted, Ronny always says he's feeling good, and always thanks you for asking.  So take that with a grain of salt. 

AUDIO:

• Phil Jackson:  Download phil_jackson_11.29 on contract extension.mp3
• George Karl, talking about his kid's demotion:Download george_karl_on_coby_karl_to_the_dleague.mp3
• Lamar Odom, on PJ: Download lamar_odom_11.29.mp3

BK

But one thing's for sure.  He definitely did not say, "Bring in Trevor Ariza and there's no way in hell I'm signing."  Because ink hit the papers today.  Two more years.  An estimated 11-12 mil per season.  Two hips apparently good enough to coach on.

What does more Phil mean when it comes to Kobe?  Dunno.  The only thing I've ever figured out about The Mamba is that you can't ever figure out The Mamba.   But I'll say this much.  I have a hard time believing Phil sticking around hurts Kobe's chances of eventually deciding to follow suit.  May not clinch matters.  But I seriously doubt Phil's presence prevents anything. 

For that matter, I also have no idea if this development ensures that Coby Karl will resign at season's end.  If you think #24 is an enigma...

More to come as details emerge.

AK

BK and I will be dropping by "The Steve Mason Show" today from 1-2 pm PST, the first installment of our new gig as regular contributors to the program.  Others in and out of the mix will include J.A. Adande, ESPN Fantasy Guru Matthew Berry, Michelle Tafoya, Ben Lyons of E!, Iron Mike Ditka, LaDanian Tomlinson... and us.

Quite a toss up when it comes to picking the least accomplished guests in that crew.

Anyhoo, our schedule for the show isn't set in stone yet, but we'll be sure to keep y'all in the loop.  I imagine we'll be talking a lot of Lakers and Dodgers.  If you can listen in, we'd appreciate the ears.  If your boss hasn't figured out how much company time you're wasting on the blog, an extra hour of radio isn't likely to raise any flags, either.

AK

They say an NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint.  But tonight's game against the Nuggets (7:30 PST) could very well be both.  A sprint, in how Denver plays.  A marathon, with the game being brought to your home by TNT, meaning the mandatory TV timeouts and halftime show could turn this baby into a three hours plus event.  Which gives fans plenty of time to ponder certain questions.  Like how the bench can rediscover its groove in the face of continual shuffling.  Or how George Karl might have tweaked Denver's game plan with his son Coby in uni.  Our guess.  Probably little to no change.  But again, we'll never know for sure.  Or how lucky the Lakers are to be missing only Kwame Brown, because as the Nuggets have found out, Nene and Stephen Hunter being out and Kenyon Martin being questionable can lead to situations like relying on Jelani McCoy.  Or whether Lamar Odom will ever consistently score bushels and bushels of points.  Or whether you agree with Kobe Bryant that a lotta petrol remains in his workout-fueled tank.  Or the heights of Andrew Bynum's ceiling, which is appearing further and further above one's head each day.

Or if you're a K Brother, you'll just be thinking, "When the hell is George Karl gonna put Von Wafer into the game?"

Not necessarily on the court, mind you, but man alive if our man Smush isn't throwing his weight around in other places.  Like at the valet stand.  No word yet if the conflict described within this link involves the Smushcalade.  We can only hope.  At least Smush plans on growing from this incident, or so his agent says.  This sort of news reminds me there's still a piece of my blogging heart that misses ol' William Henry.  Not in a "Von Wafer" or "Slava Medvedenko" way, where I'd consider donating a kidney to bring either one back to L.A... but really, when you do what AK and I do for a living, a guy like Smush can be pretty handy to have around.

Try to remember the good times.

BK

In news that will shock, well, nobody, Coby Karl has been sent to the D-Fenders.  That's basically it.  Not much else to report, there.  It'll be nice for the kid to get a little run.  Clearly, the minutes weren't there on the big club.

Press release below.

BK

PROGRAMMING NOTE:  Be sure to join us for this week's installment of "Purple, Gold, and Blue." Technical difficulties derailed the program last week, but we should be good to go today at noon.  Just click the show widget on the side of the page! 

Repeat the phrase enough times over and over, last night's 106-99 win over the Sonics might even turn into a source of comfort, if not honest to goodness pride.  Stand mute, however, and you're more likely to focus on the hiccups taking place while securing the eighth Laker win.  A first half featuring little in the way of defense and big time foul trouble for Andrew Bynum and Vlad Radmanovic.   Thankfully, the third quarter belonged entirely to the purple and gold, a frame where the Lakers pulled far enough ahead of the Sonics that they could piddle around for the final twelve minutes instead of thoroughly sullying their opponent's box score.  Hardly the stuff inspiration is made of, but as Phil Jackson pointed out, it's always nice to get the "W."  And with that victory, The Zen Master and Tex Winter have some notes.

If you were hoping for something artistic, tonight's 106-99 win over the Sonics at Staples probably wasn't your cup of tea.  Simply content to see the Lakers end their three game skid?  This was the game for you!  The Lakers played a loose, careless first half, knocking down 54 points but allowing Seattle to do the same.  And while L.A. held the Sonics to 42% shooting in the first 24, it had more to do with the visitors not being very good than anything the Lakers were doing.  The purple and gold forced only two Seattle turnovers, and generally did nothing to keep them (particularly Earl Watson and Jeff Green) from penetrating and creating in the lane.  In the third, the Lakers tightened up, limiting Seattle to 33%, forcing four TO's, and building up a 12 point lead.  Time to put the proverbial foot the proverbial neck, right?  Not so much.  The Lakers didn't exactly let Seattle back in, but they didn't put them away, either as the first unit wasn't sharp over the final minutes.   When it was over, nobody seemed thrilled with how it went down, but it could have been worse. 

Silver lining, right?  Strong games from Kobe (35/8/6), L.O. (20/8 boards), D-Fish (14/8 dimes), and Andrew Bynum, who struggled with foul trouble but still managed to go for 12/10.

-BK

For you Angel fans out there, fear not that new Halo Torii Hunter will have trouble adjusting to the So Cal lifestyle after all the years in Minnesota.  He's already figured out what big shot citizens do here.  Attend Laker games.

-AK

First Quarter

Twelve seconds in and Drew's already sent Chris Wilcox to the line at his expense.  Not the start this center deprived team is looking for.

Seriously, they're not craptacular enough to be craptastic.  At 2-12 and with little prospect of seeing that mark get better anytime soon, Seattle is about as bad a team as the NBA has to offer.  They're bottom third or worse in just about every important statistical category the league has to offer (except scoring... which they balance by having the second worst point differential in the league).  They have players you'd want in a fantasy keeper league in Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, a couple more you might want in an actual league (Chris Wilcox, Kurt Thomas, Damien Wilkins... though not as a starter, which he is for Seattle these days), and uniforms I kind of like.  That's about it.  Once they move to OKC, they won't even have the cool city thing working for them anymore.   Not that the Lakers are currently doing much better.  Losers of three in a row, they need to pick up this chippie before taking on Denver, Utah, and Orlando over their next batch of games. 

Some things to know:

• Vlad and Drew will be in the starting lineup tonight.  Ronny Turiaf still isn't quite right.  I asked P.J. if he's considered moving Mihm to the starting lineup and bumping Bynum back to the second unit in an effort to preserve the flow that group had created.  At this point, no, he replied.  But it's something that he could go to should things not improve.  (BTW, this is something I thought he'd do from the beginning.  In Kwame's absence I'd still give Bynum more run and let him finish a lot of games, but I'd make Drew's first appearance of the night with the second group.)
• Asked what he's seen from Luke Walton this year, PJ replied, "Not much." Maybe he's been reading the blog?
• Interesting inactive list tonight: Kwame and Trevor Ariza.  Both Javaris Crittendon and Coby Karl are active.  Given how Ariza runs the floor, I'm surprised not to see him suit up against a team like Seattle.  Plus, given the opponent, the potential for garbage minutes he could use to get some in-game flow is certainly there.
• Culturally Insensitive Question of the Night goes to AK, who in the midst of a conversation with me, Sasha Vujacic, and Hoopsworld's Eric Pincus about Legoland asked Sasha if they had Legos in Europe.  The Lego, of course, is the invention of a Danish company.  Sasha also was happy to inform my brother that they have electricity and running water over there, too. 
• Saw Torii Hunter before the game.  I'm sure he'll have good seats, which if I had to guess he probably didn't have to pay for.  Irony.

Audio:

• Lamar Odom, talking about some of the issues that come up with the shooting death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor: Download lamar_odom_11.27.mp3
• Phil Jackson: Download phil_jackson_11.27 preSEA.mp3

BK

It would be the Supersonics.  Or at least that's the hopeful vibe heading into tonight's brouhaha against Seattle (7:30 pm PST, FSW).  The Lakers may have three consecutive losses under their collective belt, but the Sonics upped that ante by one and have generally made a high art of losing this season.  But any team can beat another on any given night (although these three teams seem to come out on top a LOT) and for the Lakers to ensure victory, Lamar Odom needs to get it together.  We're not trying to pin everything on LO, of course.  We're just repeating his assessment of the situation, which is, to paraphrase, "I'm playing like caca, which is killing my team, no excuses."  In particular, no excuses revolving around "we're a young team" (a mantra the K Brothers officially began shooting down about halfway through last season).

FYI- We're on a plane.  HQ knows, so hopefully everything will clear with smoothosity.

Because if you don't keep said lead intact, it turns into one of them... what's the proper word... oh, yeah!  Deficits.  Such was the case with the Lakers' 102-100 loss to the New Jersey Nets.  Up by a dozen heading into the locker room for halftime Gatorade, the Lakers found themselves up against a tie ball game by the time the fourth quarter kicked off.  From there, the Purple and Gold were actually staring down a 12-point New Jersey lead before rally caps were donned.  The trey-trio of Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic helped bring the match within square (and even a briefly regained lead) before Kobe found himself at the stripe for three potentially game-tying freebies.  First, good.  Second, good.  Third... just out.  After Boston Nachbar was immediately fouled and made one of two, Phil Jackson concocted a play for Andrew Bynum to either go strong to the rack or get the ball to an red hot Derek Fisher. Unfortunately, Drew misread the diagram and got the rock instead to an Artic Circle-cold Vlad Radmanovic, who flung an off-balance attempt to put the finishing touches on an "0-fer" shooting night.  But at the end of the day, the crummy box score wasn't the result of a Kobe miss (dude's an MVP candidate, after all) or a Bynum brain cramp.  It was the result of intermittently effective D and uneven play, which has proved time and time again to be this squad's Achilles heel.

So did the Lakers make the right move in keeping Bynum over Kidd?

So we're still in the Lou, but that doesn't mean there can't be a game thread.  Lakers look to end their two game mini-skid. 

BK

UPDATE: With a game against the Nets on tonight's menu, it's easy to recall offseason events.  Kobe saying the Lakers needed to "ship Andrew Bynum's ass out" for Jason Kidd.  Kobe and Kidd playing in perfect harmony for Team USA, concerning folks that bad feelings could be revisited upon a regular season match.  So far, not so much.  Kidd himself doesn't seem bitter about staying in Soprano Country.  And Kobe has more often than not seemed pleased with Bynum's play, in large part because the youngster is more dedicated to upping his game.  Take, for example, his poor outing Friday against Boston's unheralded Kendrick Perkins.  Last season, the kid might have been willing to shrug it off and call it day. These days, he's immediately studying film in hopes of correcting mistakes ASAP.  Perhaps he's taking a cue from #24, who may be gunning for one of the few honors he's yet to receive in his HOF career.   So for now, we can worry less about the Kobe-Kidd-Bynum triangle and focus instead on this Trevor Ariza rumor.

Yeah, the Celtics are back in a big way this season, but in order for a Laker-Celtics rivalry to truly re-energize itself, the games must be evenly fought battles from start to finish.  And during this 107-94 Laker loss, only the bad guys were really doing much in the way of quality ballin'.  This thoroughly one-sided affair posed an underwhelming challenge for Boston, who found little resistance from any Laker not named Kobe Bryant.  Sure, Vlad Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar provided some bench spark for the box score, but not enough to overcome Andrew Bynum getting outplayed by Kendrick "Who?" Perkins.  Or Lamar Odom continuing to look completely out of sorts with his new role.  Or the Green's Big Three racking a combined 59 points, inspiring their squad to out-rebound, out-assist, out-shoot and generally "out-everything" the Lakers.  Somewhere in the after world, a cigar shop was getting hella business from one rather arrogant ghost.

Mind you, we're not talking about Kermit the Frog.  That lil' muppet probably helped teach nine out of ten members of the blogosphere how to read, and we at Lakersblog wish that piece of felt nothing but the best. 

We are, however, rooting for a struggle for those donning the green.  Specifically Celtic green and specifically this evening during the Lakers-Celtics match.   A rivalry that once ruled NBA hoops, but on the back burner for Lakers fans as teams like the Kings and Suns took on more of a hated element (and the Celts sucked so badly their fans rooted on certain Lakers).  Is L.A.-Boston once again a Rumble Du Jour for the new school?  If so, you can thank the Beantown presences of Ray Allen and, especially, Kevin Garnett, a couple of elite ballers currently leading the revitalization.  In the case of KG, his presence really sparks some fury, since the Lakers offered the T-Wolves everything short of the Hollywood sign for the Big Ticket's services, but Minny GM (and ex-Celt) opted instead to deal him to his old squad, which smacked of collusion to some.  It could be enough to make us feel (and hate) the presence of a certain cigar smoking jerk all over again.

That would be what the Lakers feel like will sitting down for their Thanksgiving dinners, a holiday fiesta that will include little thanks given for a 110-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.  On one hand, the Bucks have been killing it in Laverne and Shirley country.  On the other, the Lakers did a pretty good job killing themselves.  Lamar Odom was quick (and insistent) to put the blame squarely on his shoulders, but despite how poorly he undoubtedly played (3-11 shooting, 4 TO), he wasn't the only one with an arrow pointing in his direction. Andrew Bynum got hit with a rather silly technical down the stretch (Note to the kid: Save the bitching for when you're not actually heading to the line.).  There was also some crappy collective D during a fourth quarter where the Bucks racked 35 points.  Perhaps the Lakers should have been watching and taking notes on Michael Redd, who did a pretty nice job shadowing Kobe, who missed just about everything in the final twelve minutes.  One loss ain't the end of the world, but there are still plenty of folks who can look at the box score and claim "my bad... Now pass the gravy."

I'm in St. Louis right now and believe it or not, the Bucks don't merit televised coverage out here.  Go figure.  So take extra care to be my eyes and ears.

AK

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Join us for Purple, Gold and Blue at 12.  Just click the show widget on the side of the page. 

But more on him in a little.  First things first.

The Lakers kicked off their roadie in high winning, high-scoring fashion, posting a 134-114 victory over the Indiana Pacers.  The Lakers were short on bodies but made up for it in efficiency, eventually bringing Indiana's scoring fest down to a more reasonable clip.  Getting the starting nod at center for the injured Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum held his own and then some, putting up a double double (17/10) in 26 minutes and even managing to find time to host a blocky party, with Jermaine O'Neal the primary guest of honor.  Perhaps the kid was echoing the sentiments of a Laker front office that swatted away Indiana's asking price for him.  Perhaps he was just utilizing a tip from Kobe Bryant, who's beginning to develop a "one-syllable relationship" with Drew (which is a good thing).  Or perhaps he was venting some emotion over the jettisoning of Brian Cook and Mo Evans, both of whom were tight with several members of the team.  Well, if that's how he (and other Lakers) choose to pay tribute to those no longer decorating the box score, Mitch Kupchak should figure out a way to trade a Laker before every game.

For those of you watching on the picture box.

BK

The One (Run-On) Sentence Summary of Tonight's 134-114 Win Over Indiana: The first game following Kwame Brown's knee and ankle injuries saw an increased pace, shuffled lineups (made shuffle-ier by the trade of Brian Cook and Mo Evans for Trevor Ariza), blistering shooting by the purple and gold (58% from the floor in combination with 52% beyond the arc will generally do the trick), big nights from Kobe (32/6/4), Andrew Bynum (17/10/4 blocks), and Jordan Farmar (18/4 dimes) among others, all highlights of an evening marked by some ludicrously good offensive execution in both the half court and on the break, though decent defensive marks- LAL held the Pacers to a tidy 40% from the floor- were spoiled by the Lakers' inability to keep the Pacers off the offensive glass, where the Lakers were hammered 18-4 (helping explain Indiana's 22-0 halftime lead in second chance points and the 103 hoists hoisted by Pacers players)... nothing that a little Windex can't fix as they head into Milwaukee Wednesday night.

For those of you planning on watching the game on the tellie, don't read the comments...

BK

We now interrupt the "What to do at the center spot?" post I was going to put up for this announcement- The Lakers have traded Brian Cook and Mo Evans to the Magic for forward Trevor Ariza.  The fourth year forward, late of UCLA, averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 boards a night last season in 22.4 minutes a night. He's under contract this season for $2.7 mil, and assuming I'm reading the HoopsHype.com salary page correctly (it's rough on the colorblind), has a player option next season for $2.9 and change.

My initial reaction: They lose some offense on the outside, obviously, since Ariza can't shoot at all.  But he's extremely athletic, runs the floor well, and can finish around the rim.  He's a very active forward defensively, is long, and can rebound.  And at 22, Ariza still is considered a player with a lot of room to grow.  (For those of you interested in this sort of thing, John Hollinger's evaluations compare him to a young Al Harrington.)  This isn't going to win them a championship this season, but since Cook and Radmanovic's skills were redundant, moving Cook won't hurt.  And I don't think he was all that popular among management.  Mo, for all his lack of polish on that end is a more versatile offensive player, but isn't quite big enough to defend larger threes.  Great guy, but since Ariza can play some D, losing Mo won't really hurt.

In a couple years, this could turn out to be an outstanding deal for L.A.  Right now, my initial reaction puts it at positive, and well above the "no harm, no foul" threshold.  At the very least, I can't believe it'll make 'em worse.  The two for one move also opens up a roster spot, which could be used down the road, or in the near future depending on Kwame's health. 

Press release below.

BK

PROGRAMMING NOTE:  We'll be online at the LAT for a Lakers chat today at 1 p.m. Go to chat.latimes.com/eve and click Sports Chat.

But on the other, more realistic hand, news of Kwame Brown's indefinite absence from the court doesn't likely provides any tangible positives.  The official word on his knee injury is a sprained MCL, an ailment that typically takes between 2-4 weeks to heal up (and perhaps even longer, given Kwame's tendancy to heal slowly).  Phil Jackson hasn't named a starting 5 replacement for tonight's rumble against the Pacers, but it is the decided Lakersblog opinion that he'll go with either Chris Mihm or (if available) Ronny Turiaf, in large part to avoid removing Andrew Bynum from a pine unit that's killing with chemistry.  An official "Bench Mob" captain hasn't been named, but it's a solid bet that a vote would result in Jordan Farmar with a "C" on his jersey.  To put it in "James Brown" terminology, he's their "Mr. Dynamite."  Of course, if Farmar's vying for "Laker who's helping Kobe the most" top dog, he may have to get in line.

As you can see, "Kobe" chants prompt a varying degree of inspiration from team to team.  Wonder how they'd go over if a certain guy heard them in Miami.

Fight on, Lil' Romeo!

The grass always seems greener on the other side.  That is, of course, until said grass takes a visit to your home turf, shoots 35%, scores 32 points in the second half, and is on the wrong end of a 106-78 loss, as the Bulls were to the Lakers on Sunday.  So if Chicago indeed remains Kobe's desired destination, it probably doesn't look quite as lush and verdant as it might have a couple months back.  Not after the Lakers overcame some first half sloppi/sluggishness to blow the game open in the final 24 minutes.  It was a rally kicked off by the starters (Kobe and D-Fish keyed a nice little run to start the third) and blown open by the reserves, who continued their great play as a unit, accounting for 73 of L.A.'s 106 points.  The box shows five non-starters finished the game in double figures.  Clearly, if the supporting cast was initially bothered by the trade talk, they got over it (unlike their counterparts in Chicago), winning what looked like a few months back like possible homecoming game for a Bullish Kobe with a serious team effort.  Now, at least, things look far better as they are for 24.  Kobe, some say, even looks happy.

Much was made of the notion that Kobe's two favorite teams were in the building tonight, but if Sunday's 106-75 Lakers romp over Chicago is any indication, 24 is better off staying local.  After a slow, grindy, inartistic first half- basically two typical quarters of of Bulls hoop- after which the purple and gold found themselves down 46-45, the Lakers cranked up the energy on both ends, and ripped the Bulls out of their comfort zone in the second.  LAL opened up the third with a 15-2 run, keyed by nine points from Bryant and a couple hoops from D-Fish, and by the end of the quarter had turned that one point deficit into a 15 point lead.  Considering that the Lakers held Chicago to 14 points over Q3, it's fair to say the lead felt safe heading into the fourth. 

The Lakers didn't let up on the gas in the fourth (better safe than sorry), laying the wood on Chicago to the tune of 31-18 over the final 12.  That explains how guys like Jo Noah (who has about as well developed an offensive game as I do) and Aaron Gray found their way onto the court for Chicago, and Sasha's six minutes of run, as well. 

The evening's only bad news was a first quarter injury to Kwame Brown, who hurt his left knee and ankle after landing on Ben Wallace in a pileup underneath the Chicago basket. Talking to Kwame after the game (scroll down for the audio), he said the knee definitely feels worse than the ankle, which the latter of which might have been helped by the brace he's been wearing.  He won't make the trip, because the Lakers don't want the knee to swell on a flight.  So at the very least, Kwame's out for the next three games. X-rays were negative, and he'll likely have an MRI once the swelling on both joints goes down.

Click below the jump for the breakdown.

BK here.  This just in, Kobe will start at the two.  In other news, Brian Cook again gets the start in place of an injured Ronny Turiaf.  I'm full of tostada (like I said, it was a modified taco night) and ready to roll.

Luke Walton just wished everyone in the crowd a happy Thanksgiving.  I assume he wouldn't mind if I extend those good wishes to those watching at home.  So there you go. 

FIRST QUARTER:

LO starts things off hitting a shot over Nocioni. That's something he needs to take advantage of all night.  On the other end, Ben Wallace gives the Bulls an early second opportunity, tipping a ball away from Kwame.  This is the Wallace that was there last night against the Clippers, so Kwame (and everyone else for that matter) is going to have to be aware.

BTW, there are four big Bulls fans sitting behind me. 

10:01- Better play by Kwame going aggressively at the board.  Looks like that first trip made an impact.  On the other end, Kobe draws a foul and goes to the line.  Makes 'em both.  Lakers by three early. 

Actually, there's nothing suspicious about it.  Dude just hurt his back in Chicago's win over the Clippers last night, so he won't play.  But I'm willing to be at least a couple of you jumped to conclusions when you heard the news.  No doubt, though, not having him in the lineup does serious damage to the Chicago attack.  Deng can play, no doubt.  Here's the rest of the news you'll want to know heading into the game:

• Ronny Turiaf's injured ankle is on its way back, but he won't play tonight.  Nothing to worry about, as it's more precautionary than anything.  Given where the Lakers are in the season, it doesn't make sense push him.  Cobe Karl and Javaris Crittendon are your other LAL inactives.
• For the Bulls, Deng will be joined in street clothes by JamesOn Curry (loved him at OSU) and Victor Khryapa (saving us some tricky in-game typing).
• No word yet on who will start at the four for the Lakers.  It's possible that, given the matchups, LO could slide down there (Tyrus Thomas is more athletic than physical), or perhaps Vlad Rad or Brian Cook again.  Cookie is listed as a "probable starter," but that doesn't really mean much.  The physicality of Andres Nocioni, who will likely start at SF for Chicago, could play a role in who starts, or at the very least where LO gets a lot of run tonight.  If PJ wants to keep Odom away from a lot of excess contact, he might be better off at the four.  On the other hand, he ought to be able to use Nocioni down low. 
• PJ said that Luke has been struggling a little with an ankle he turned in the Houston game, but that Walton also is still adjusting to his new role.  Jackson has liked some of what Luke has done, but seemed to agree that there was room for improvement.
• It's sort of a modified taco night, so I'm stoked.  They've actually classed TN up a little, so I'm really looking forward to dinner.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Audio:

• Turiaf: Download ronny_turiaf_11.18 preCHI.mp3
• PJ: Download phil_jackson_11.18 preCHI.mp3

BK

Sunday Update: With the Lakers hosting the Bulls tonight (6:30, FSN) it's no surprise that Kobe is again on everyone's brain.  But the rumors have gone silent, and while the Bulls have been distracted, there's nothing percolating on that front right now, whether Kobe still wants out or not.   Meanwhile, even with Friday's good game, LO still thinks he has a ways to go.

Finally, if you're planning on going to the game tonight, give yourself extra time.  Between the AMA's and the Auto Show, it's going to be a zoo down there.

The stuff in the middle?  Apparently, it doesn't matter.  That became clear in Friday night's 103-91 win over the Pistons at Staples in which the Lakers sandwiched strong first and fourth quarters around two 12 minute affronts to attractive basketball.  The Pistons, who had been major thorns in the side, front, and back of the purple and gold over the last couple years, were shorthanded and in foul trouble throughout, yet still were in a position to win the game entering the fourth quarter (after a third in which the Lakers shot 20%).  But Jordan Farmar and the second unit had different ideas.  They cranked up the defensive pressure, got the ball inside, and finally made some dents in a Pistons zone that had ground L.A.'s offense to a halt, outscoring Detroit 41-23 in the final period.  It was a quiet scoring night for Kobe (he did have seven dimes, though), but no worries.  Lamar Odom picked up the slack with 25 points and 15 boards, including nine on the offensive end.  That'll keep some rallies alive.   

While the shooting was off, one good stat in the box score was turnovers.  Specifically, lack thereof.   In asking his guys to push the pace Phil Jackson expected the TO numbers to go up, but even taking that into consideration, PJ was disturbed (like all of us) about the number of giveaways the Lakers had been generating.  Friday night, L.A. kept the number at nine.  Sweet.

And by the way, those Kobe-to-Detroit rumors?  Nothing to them.  And don't use the shoestrings as evidence Kobe's going to Chicago, either.
 

When they choose a game to file away and bury in the time capsule so thousands of years from now our descendants (or the aliens) will understand this "basketball," my hope is that they don't include tonight's contest.  It will not reflect well on the fine work of Dr. Naismith.  Not the first three quarters, at least.  But thanks to the work of the Lakers' second unit, fans of the purple and gold will happily read the game report in the paper tomorrow after L.A.'s 103-91 win over the Pistons Friday night at Staples.  Call this one a sandwich game.  After a strong first quarter where they finished with a 29-20 lead, the Lakers went into offensive hibernation for the second and third quarters, going colder than Leona Helmsley in a St. Paul winter.  Entering the fourth, though, the backups gave the team the spark they needed (it's becoming a habit for that crew) and the Lakers were able to turn a six point deficit into a 12 point win.   

Basically, the Lakers ran the Pistons out of the building over the final 12 minutes, outscoring Detroit 41-23 and shooting a scary 76% from the floor.  As mom always says, "The fourth quarter is the only one that matters." 

So true, Phyllis.  Click below for the breakdown.

Your starting blogger, Brian Kamenetzky.  Your starting power forward, Brian Cook.  I can only hope most of you are more excited to see me than you are him.

Anyway, here we go with the first quarter...

11:20- Can't say I'm excited about this uni combination tonight.  The bright red of the Pistons with the gold of the Lakers.  Just too bright.  It looks like the court is glowing.

9:50- LO gets down low and scores in the block.  That's a place that he needs to live as a three.  There aren't a lot of guys in the league at that position who can handle his length, ball handling skills, and post moves. 

7:34- Rip Hamilton fouls Fish as he drives to the hoop. That's a couple early fouls on Hamilton, a big deal since they're already missing Chancey Billups. Arron Afflalo- local boy!- comes in for the Pistons, and immediately picks up Kobe.  That sounds like a lot of fun.

6:50- Kwame overplays the entry to Wallace, misses, and it leads to an easy deuce for Sheed.  This will be an challenging matchup in a lot of ways for Kwame, b/c Wallace will take him away from the basket.  He's already lost 54 once for a hoop.  Kwame will have to pay close attention to how the Pistons are moving. 

In convenient, bullet form:

• Before the game, Phil Jackson wouldn't reveal who would be his starting power forward tonight, in the place of Ronny Turiaf, out with an ankle injury.  "I'll start somebody there for sure," Jackson said.  "We'll see."  And if you think he's lying, Lamar Odom said he didn't know, either.  And not in a smiley, "I know but I can't tell you way."  Dude didn't know.  I asked if he know who wasn't starting at the four.  "Smush," he replied.
• Those of you hoping to see Rodney Stuckey ball a little for the Pistons will be disappointed.  He's inactive, along with (and this is probably more important) both Antonio McDyess and Chauncey Billups.  That's a nice break for the purple and gold.
• The Lakers won't dress Turiaf, Cobe Karl (I'm waiting for the day someone on the PR staff screws up the active list sheet and writes down the wrong Kobe- oops!, my bad...) and Javaris Crittendon.
• Cheikh Samb, who many of you might remember as the very skinny, very tall Senegalian (Senegalite?) the Lakers drafted then traded for Mo Evans is active.  So we might finally see who got the better of that deal.  If Samb lights up the Lakers tonight, I don't want to be Mitch Kupchak.
• PJ talked a lot about tempo, and how Detroit does a very good job at controlling it. So it'll be a particular challenge for the Lakers to push when they can, and try to dictate the rhythm of the game.  Something to watch, for sure.

And there you have it.  A reminder, if you're coming to the game on Sunday, give yourself a ton of time.  Auto Show, AMA's, and Laker game.  That's a lot to cram into a couple square blocks.

BK

When it comes to describing the Pistons visiting L.A., those K Brothers sure do come up with hella clever titles.

Just off the heels of a two-step with San Antonio and Houston, tonight's showdown against Detroit pits the Lakers in their first showdown with an Eastern Conference elite. Taking them down at home would not only be fun, but perhaps a sign that this Lakers squad plans to use home court advantage as an actual advantage.  A win tonight would also signal a little resiliency, since the Lakers will likely be without starting power forward Ronny Turiaf (although the Pistons could be missing both Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess, which more than evens things out).  In theory, the "4" slack will be picked up via the combined efforts of Chris Mihm, Lamar Odom, Vlad Radmanovic and Luke Walton, if not necessarily with everyone receiving equal minutes.  Equal opportunities, however, could be a possibility, but that isn't always necessarily a good thing, as the purple and gold turnover tallies show.

Coverage of "Brokeback-Gate" has moved beyond just sports outlets.  Not that the sports sites aren't still churning out opinions, of course.

Got to my hotel after last night's game at about 1 am (No partying or anything.  Just took forever to get out of the Toyota Center).  Had to get up at 6:20 to catch a flight.  Seated next to a screaming baby.  Couldn't sleep.  Changed flights in Phoenix.  Flight got delayed.  Got seated next to a snorer.  Couldn't sleep.  Landed at LAX. Got off the plane...

... and drove straight to practice.

This job, while great, ain't all glamor and excitement.

Yeah, they almost squandered a big  halftime lead.  Yeah, they left the door open, rolled out the red carpet, and practically begged the Rockets to take the game (21 more turnovers, bringing L.A.'s '07 total to 7,291, give or take).  But in the end, the Lakers left Houston Wednesday night with a 93-90 win.  In the second game of a road back-to-back against a quality team, really that's all that matters.  Things started off well, as the Lakers built up as large as an 18 point lead in the second quarter, and were up by 12 at the half.  In the second half, the Lakers O became Chicago-in-February cold (10-31 from the floor), but the D held strong enabling them to escape with the win.  D, and Houston's generosity from the charity stripe, where they missed 8 of 15 in the fourth.  And their inability to hit a clutch three down the stretch.  No doubt, too, the Lakers were aided by the second half absence of Tracy McGrady, who left at the end of the first half and didn't return.

Okay, so as you look the box score, pick out the good parts.  Kobe's 30.  Yao's low FG% (in large part due to a strong effort from Kwame).  Nine boards for Drew and Jordan Farmar (yea, Bench Mob!).  And most importantly, the final score. 

Let's start on a positive note.  A win is a win, thus the Lakers deserve some credit for scrapping out a 93-90 finish over the Rockets, especially on the heels of a bad loss a mere 24 hours old.  That said, this one gets pretty points like Broomhilda without her makeup.  If you peruse the box score, you'll notice a distinct lack of Tracy McGrady minutes.  That's because he missed the entire second half after straining his elbow.  But while he was at the hospital getting an MRI, the Lakers squandered a 12-point halftime lead, allowing the Rockets to make a serious game of things without their best player in a uni or Yao Ming making any noise away from the charity stripe, where, thankfully, he squandered his own chances (14-20).  For that matter, he and Bonzi Wells shot a 47% freebie clip in the fourth, which one could argue saved the Lakers' purple and gold hides during this one.  Asked what the Lakers did better tonight against Houston than during their season opening loss, Phil Jackson joked, "free throw defense." 

That and a plethura of missed shots from downtown Houston.  In particular, two misses after the Rockets grabbed three offensive boards before Andrew Bynum finally snagged a rebound.  Throw in Yao's purposeful miss with 1.4 seconds left, a yo-ball shot he promptly delivered to Rafer Alston, who missed a game-tying three and the teeth's skin pops immediately into my head.

But as we all know, there are no style points awarded.  So let's take the raggedy finish, put it in our pockets and hope for few repeats.

Sorry for the delay.  Wireless trouble.  But I'm up and running.  And there are actually a fair amount of Laker fans here, so don't curse the city of Houston.  Just its team.

-AK

First Quarter

8:53 - Kobe gets Battier to bite so badly on a pump fake, #24 could end up with teeth marks on his shoulder.  HI-YOOOOOOO!  The 10:00 show is completely different from the 8:00, people!

Unfortunately, the foul isn't deemed in the act of shooting, but the possession ends with a Fish make, so all's well that ends well.

And Jake Gyllenhaal.  And Ang Lee.  And anybody else associated with "Brokeback Mountain."  Or just those who may have been offended by Phil Jackson's postgame description of the Lakers-Spurs contest (which was deemed unprintable for this here blog, for anyone wondering why it didn't get immediately relayed).  The league certainly didn't like it and let the coach know of their displeasure.  As Phil told ESPN in a pregame interview, he understands why they weren't amused.  "I wanted to thank all the journalists and TV people who thought it was humorous last night in the moment for their support and laughing.  But in retrospect, it wasn't really funny.  When you take it out of context, it's not funny.  It's a poor attempt at humor and I deserve to be reprimanded by the NBA.  And I said to them, if I offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I apologize." 

Anybody he forget anybody with that laundry list?  "Children," shrugged Jackson.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Remember to tune into "Purple, Gold and Blue" at noon today. Click the show icon on the side of the page.  UPDATE: 2:23- the Podcast is up.  Pretty lively discussion.  Also, some of PJ's postgame comments have landed him in a touch of hot water.  I'm sure there will be more questions about it later tonight before the Houston game.

Good to know.  That information should be deeply imprinted on the brains of every Laker after Tuesday night's 107-92 loss in San Antonio.  The big problem?  A soft and gooey middle, not unlike the creamy center of an Oreo or Three Musketeers bar.  And the protective layer of chocolate (or cookie, should you prefer) didn't do much to prevent infil---

OK, enough of that.  We like sweets as much as the next guy, but it's basically this simple: The Lakers couldn't stop penetration (see photo), and they did a wretched job of both helping and recovering to mark shooters on the perimeter.  Worse, they made things easier for San Antonio, turning the ball over a whopping 15 times in the first half to help the champs build up a 16-point halftime lead.  Help is not something San Antonio needs (can't say the same for L.A., though, or anyone else trying to figure out what they were doing defensively).  Kobe didn't freak out when it was over, perhaps reflective of an improving sense of leadership for this year's bunch.  (Though not, perhaps, reflective of a desire to stay in L.A.)

Perhaps he can lead Lamar Odom to some Advil after the oft-injured forward tore a tendon in his right pinkie during the first quarter.  LO won't miss any time, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.  Less painful were the performances of Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar, about the only nice things to look at in the box score. 

(Clap, clap, clap, clap)

When AK's deep in the heart of Texas!

Sorry I couldn't bring the Laker Nation a little luck to go along with my jet lag.  But in all fairness to myself, I'm placing more blame for this outcome on the Lakers themselves than my presence in the Lone Star State.  Had I watched this roadie in my apartment, the Lakers would have likely suffered the same 107-92 trouncing, only without the benefit of me eating a pretty solid Chipotle chicken as a pregame meal.  Unfortunately, my enjoyment of said pollo isn't an element that typically enhances a box score in the Lakers' favor.  Or at least not on a night like this, where things began ugly and never got prettier.    

A breakdown of the madness, for those with the fortitude to relive it.

Still trying to find my seats (never been here before), but don't let that stop y'all from gabbing.

-AK

First Quarter

Okay, figured it out.  And speaking of figuring things out, any question as to whether Ronny would be willing to give close buddy Tony Parker a hard foul was pretty much answered at the 8:57 mark.  Put his boy right on the floor.

6:36 - Kobe blocks a Duncan floater... and may have gotten away with a goaltend.  But I'll take it.