>>>I believe Mike T still is missing the point.

>>>... Bynum is playing really good...
>>>Give Bynum a break man. He is developing really well and is on course to >>>become a star in this league.

>>>Posted by: Allan | November 22, 2007 at 06:21 AM

Allan, Mike T makes no qualms about wanting to see Kobe win titles the same way MJ won. He posts so here from time to time to remind us what his fantasy is. He compares Lakers construction to the 90's Bulls. Lamar is the Pipen, Kwame is the Cartwright/Weddington, etc, etc..

Bynum just doesn't fit into the Bulls mold. Jordan did not win a single title with a star center. If Kobe wins with a dominant Center on the team, it takes away from that Superhero glory that Jordan enjoyed. Mike is very open about what his dream is. Well, that and Jackie of course.

Just about time to eat but...

Kobe said it, they had control of the whole game and lost it at the end. An away game, B to B in a cold, hostile environment.

LO cannot play worse, Andrew dominated at the beginning, Kobe was not quite Kobe and they still almost won.

That's the mark of a good not great team, yet.

btw: Ya gotta like how Lamar called himself out,
He'll be ready for Boston and a win there would turn everyone's head.

Happy Thanksgiving to AK, BK, and all my fellow bloggers.

Even after Wednesday night's L, as a Laker fan I'm thankful for the great start the team got off to this season.

I'm thankful that Kobe is still a Laker.

I'm thankful for the Bench Mob and the progress as players shown by Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum.

I'm thankful for the acquisition of Trevor Ariza. I think it gives the roster greater balance, and shows the commitment to improved D on the part of the team.

I'm thankful for this Blog, and the insight of AK, BK, and all of you who post, making me a more intelligent fan.

And a big thank you to Mamba24, whose love for this blog sets the tone of Laker loyalty on a daily basis.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!!

We can all agree that there is more to be learned from losing than winning. Certainly not always (the smart ones can still find holes even in the wins), but generally a loss will expose a weakness more than a win will.

Let's be thankful that this team is capable of learning from their mistakes.

At least, I hope so.

That's the true mark of a championship team, one that is capable of eliminating holes in its game plan & execution.

Last night we saw a few things.
1. Fatigue counts. Physical fatigue, mental fatigue, you name it. Our team was unable to play their game the full 48 minutes.
2. Our defense is no where near as strong as it could be.
3. We have yet to find a roll for some of our players in certain situations.

The talk about Lamar is justifiable. If the offense predicates that he be on the perimeter on a particular possession, he must have a counter to the defensive strategy of leaving him to double someone else.
Right now, our team as a whole is not countering this. There needs to be some movement that will allow Odom to cut to the hoop, and some passing ability on the perimeter that will allow him to get the ball in a scoring position. It's either the team come up with a way to compensate, or Lamar needs to seriously work on his outside shot.
This same argument can be said pretty much about every player who does not hit their 20 to 26 foot jumpers.

Andrew Bynum cannot be expected to play 40 minutes a night. Even if he could do it, we couldn't reasonably expect him to have the energy level for 40 mins that he sustains for 22 mins.

That is the reason why the Lakers will do what they can to resign Kwame. It's less about Kwame and more about capatilizing on Bynum.

I'm disappointed that the coaching staff did not utilize our rookie. From what I know, he's a top defender, he can post up, and he does have an ability to find an open man. Because his defense is superior, he should at least get 50% of Sasha's minutes last night. But that's my opinion obviously.

I'm thankful today that our team has progressed. I'll tell you how I know... last year this game would have been a certain loss. Yes, we still lost, but at least our guys showed up and gave an effort. That effort was strong enough to hold off the Bucks for 3 quarters before puttering out. That's an improvement!! Hey, let's keep working to improve.

That's the name of the game.

And along with that, I'm thankful that this blog has improved tremendously over the past 2 months. Just think of where we were as a blog 2 months ago compared to today. Our community has been restored, we have civil debates, and the posts are entertaining once again!

We can thank all of us for that.

I think we also need to extend a warm sentiment of gratitude to our full-time bloggers Andrew & Brian. These guys are simply the best media outlet for Lakers news and coverage that we could find.

Thank you & thank you.

REPOST

Mike T,

PLEASE READ THIS AND TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO PONDER ITS WISDOM.

Your love obsession with Kwame is fatuous (that means idiotic for the less educated). Everyone knows Kwame is a pretty good one on one big man defender and that has some value. WE GET THAT.

BUT YOU ARE TAKING THIS WAY TOO FAR. Kwame is a poor help defender, doesn't block shots, and is a terrible rebounder. You say a team will pay Kwame $10 million per year as a defensive specialist even though HE DOESN'T REBOUD THE BASKETBALL. That is insane—please adjust your meds. Rodman and Wallace were defensive specialists but they blocked shots and rebounded the basketball. Kwame does neither—he never has and he never will.

NEWS FLASH TO MIKE T: Kwame is an offensive LIABILITY.

Do you understand what that "liability" means? It means he does more harm that good, significantly so.

Andrew Bynum is 10 TIMES the player Kwame is. Bynum blocks shots and rebounds. He will only get better defensively. Bynum will become twice the defensive player Kwame is.

Bynum is not an offensive or defensive liability. In fact, he is the opposite--Bynum is an offensive force and pretty good defender. The facts I have just stated are obvious to everyone in the world but YOU.

YOUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH KWAME BLINDS YOU FROM THE TRUTH.

Kwame does not work hard to improve, and he is notoriously injury prone. Those are FACTS. Andrew Bynum works hard to improve, and he is becoming a warrior.

Bynum's + - differential is far and away the best on the team because he is becoming a dominant center that directly impacts the game.

BYNUM WILL NEVER COME OFF THE LAKERS BENCH AGAIN--AND RIGHTFULLY SO. KWAME BROWN WILL BE RIDING THE PINE ELSEWHERE NEXT SEASON AND YOU WILL HAVE TO FIND A NEW PLAYER TO OBSESS OVER.

WAKE UP AND FACE THE REALITY THAT IS BYNUM'S COMINIG OUT PARTY……….cheers.

Now that Bynum has started a couple of games we expect him to be fully capable of a complete game. There was a reason Phil preferred to leave him on the 2nd unit and that reason hasn't changed any. Andrew doesn't have the stamina yet (he is only a physically slowly developing 20yr old) and Phil wants him available for post season play. When he starts it is not suprising that he is more tired in the 4th qtr; I would be suprised if he weren't tired. We need Chris Mihm to get back to game condition ASAP.

I predict Andrew will get better and better this year and people will be continually disappointed with him because he has a hard time playing over 20-25 minutes a game. Sorry folks, but that is the prognosis for this year. He will work out over the summer and next year he may be an all-star.

The Lakers knew they let one get away, but at least they still seemed focused and determined to learn from this game. Although Andrew got a silly technical foul, I was happy with his passion and emotion(usually stoic like Spock). I don't blame him for yelling at the refs because he's starting to take a beating underneath the basket the way Shaq does. When you watch the game more closely, you'll see that Andrew gets hacked on his arms and face when going up for shots. He's young, but is developing into a monster in the middle. Hey, at least he hits his free throws.

As for the those on this blog that defended LO on here after the game, LO said it himself that he was to blame(I don't put all the blame on him)and that he played a terrible game. What people need to understand is that when Kobe(who also made some mistakes as well)is locked into a battle with the other team's best player, LO has to step up and give us more. He has to take advantage of his size in the post by driving to the hoop or shooting short jumpers instead of threes. There are nights when Kobe and the other team's superstar(in this case Michael Redd)will play to a standstill which means someone else has to take advantage. Andrew for the most part outplayed Bogut and should've got at least 20 and 15 boards. The bench mob, particularly Farmar, Sasha and Mihm just weren't there last night. Farmar needs to continue to attack the basket and develop a more consistent mid range jumper and not settle for too many threes. Mihm gave us absolutely nothing which is disturbing since he's a veteran. He just doesn't seem to be in any type of ryhthym and is terrible defensively. I think the Lakers will give a valiant effort tomorrow in Boston. Even with the 4th quarter collapse, we still had a chance to win against the Bucks. Go Lakers!!! Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!

Happy Turkey Day bloggers!

Ahlayn,

Durban? Lion or Castle?

Sonnybelfast

"NEWS FLASH TO MIKE T: Kwame is an offensive LIABILITY."

News Flash!

So was Dennis Rodman.

News Flash!

So was Ben Wallace.

NEWS FLASH! Bynum is a defensive LIABILITY!

NEWS FLASH! Defense wins CHAMPIONSHIPS and not defensive LIABILITIES!

mike

Let's not forget that the Bench Mob has been decimated. Two of them, Vlad and Socks are in the starting lineup due to injuries, and one, Mo Evans, was shipped out.

Let's see how the new Bench Mob rebuilds that chemistry.

Happy T-Day averynbody!

"He (Jackson) should have took me out of the game early," Odom said. "We had the game won. We needed somebody to make a play."

This has been what I've said all a long. The Lakers need someone other than Kobe to help make plays down the stretch. When they do, they win.

Alexinho17 writes,

"I'm saying this for long:
Trade now Odom, trade him now that he still have a good name for other teams."

I can feel your pain. Lamar Odom is all "potential", and he sometimes shows some traits, but he is not what most Lakers' fans want him to be. He does not play with any consistency to help Kobe and the team.

If you were to rank his games for a period of time(say 40, 50 games or a whole season) and exclude the 5 best and worst games statistically, he will be just an average player. He tries very hard, no question about that. But he is not the side-kick that most of the Lakers' fans wish.

He is making the kind of money that you wish you could trade him for an all-star. But nobody would take it. Was he not perceived better than C. Butler of the Wizards when the latter was traded? If it were today, I am sure he would be the one who will be playing for the Wizards.

The Lakers will have to do with him until his contract expires and see what is out there. Who should he be traded for? To be realistic, put yourself on the other side as the manager of the other team who is to receive Lamar Odom.
Would you make such as trade? Would you trade for Lamar Odom?
There are two sides to a coin. Propose the trade. But put yourself in the other shoe. Would you accept such a trade?

oh well...
beat Boston and all is forgiven......

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.....

News Flash

Kwame brown doesnt rebound or play help defense like Rodman or Wallace. And on offense at least Rodman and Wallace can catch a pass to keep their man honest.

MH

These guys spent too much of themselves the night before. It happens, relaod and they'll be fine.

Happy Thanksgiving

I cant believe Mike T is comparing kwame to Rodman and Wallace....

Are you on drugs mate?

The problem with you people is this: You look for mirror comparisons.

When I mention Kwame with the likes of Ben Wallace and Rodman I don't do with a mirror comparison. They're different, all three of them. But the results are the same. The scores are low and that helps their teams win. And that's all that matters.

Give it another 10 games and I'll give a detailed explanation. I want to give Bynum the benefit of the doubt.

I already know what I'm going to write...but lets let it play out.

But here's a hint: The key word or phrase is this: An NBA Fingerprint or an NBS DNA Code. Man, I'm going to break this one down scientifically.

After 10 more games I'll give a full disclosure on the matter.

Until then enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!

GO USC!

mike

You've got to understand one thing:

Dennis Rodman was 28 years old when he started coming into his own. The NBA year was 88-89. That year the Pistons won their first Championship.

When Rodman was a monster with the Bulls last 3 Championships he was 35, 36, and 37 years old.

Ben Wallace was 27 years old when he first started making a name for himself. The Pistons beat the Lakers in 03-04. Ben Wallace was 29 going on 30 that year.

Kwame Brown is only 25 years old, man!

Kwame Brown, the way he plays defense right now, is ahead of both Rodman and Wallace in how he changes the game per their age.

mike

we need to trade lamar to the knicks for zack randolf and possibly david lee.Lamar is from new york so that would be something positive for new york and isiah,hell he could become the star we all hoped he would be.zach would give kobe a solid low post pesence on the block to go along with drew and our line-up could match up with anyone in the west :
pg-fish/farmar
sg-kob/ariza
sf-vlad/luke
pf-randolf/turiaf
c-drew/kwame
good to be back blog!

Derek,

This is not a dying nation, only the leaders die but not the nation. The nation moves on till the end of time. Have faith that there will be a brighter tomorrow, that's the spirit of Thanksgiving 2007.

micheal h writes,
"Who would trade for Lamar? The Suns wanted to trade Shawn Marion for him straight up this summer/"

Where did you read this proposal? Were you privy to this information because of who you are? Why did the trade not go through? Just wishful thinking on your part.

He asks,
"HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED BASKETBALL?"
What is the relevance of this question?

utzworld, RicK, et at:

Thanks for reminding all of us that we have a lot to be thankful for regarding our beloved Lakers. We have soared back into giddy times again and vanquished the horrible alternatives facing the team this summer. This is the ultimate proof that God is a Lakers fan. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Tom

"You've got to understand one thing:

Dennis Rodman was 28 years old when he started coming into his own. The NBA year was 88-89. That year the Pistons won their first Championship."

Of course - Rodman only played half a season of high school basketball, and didn't start playing JC basketball until he was older than Bynum is now.

So any comparison to Kwame's progression is utterly ridiculous. He didn't play any significant organized basketball until he was the age of Kwame's third NBA seasons. He hadn't played tougher than NAIA level competition until he came into the NBA - at Kwame's current age. Despite that huge disadvantage, he was better than Kwame is now his rookie season, and blew Kwame's current level away by his second season.

Face it - at best Kwame MIGHT become as good at man to man as Rodman was - not likely, but let's give it some non-zero chance. But he will never be the rebounder that Rodman was - Rodman was one of the best ever, and Kwame has shown no signs of being good at it.

But, since you believe that players defense improves with age - I guess you're saying that Bynum's defense should improve significantly - since he's barely 20. I mean, Kwame's age 20 season he wasn't the offensive force that Bynum is now, he didn't rebound near as well, he didn't block shots near as well, AND Kwame was not considered a good man to man defender at the time. Makes it clear that Bynum is the long term answer at center for the Lakers. Especially since he's the better player overall already.

And despite that - he was a better rebounder than Kwame by his second season in the league.

but mike... mirror or no mirror comparison.... KWAME? WALLACE? RODMAN?

seriously... mate youve gotta be kidding us...

why cant we just all agree that weve made a mistake (PJ in particular) with picking up Kwame... and MOVE ON...