There's one good article from Fox Sports

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Kahn_Games/2007/12/26/Global_cooling_the_Heat_and_Suns

Most notably; this fact remains about the Suns "#1 division record":
"although the Suns (19-10) still hold a one-game lead over the Lakers (18-11) for the top spot in the Pacific Division, the Suns built that record playing teams in the East. They are a surprising 7-7 against the West this season, and that’s got to be a huge red flag for coach Mike D’Antoni and new general manager Steve Kerr. They are asking more of Nash, who turns 34 the first week of February, than ever before. And teams like the Lakers, Blazers and Golden State Warriors now are showing the ability to run with them … or even outrun them."

Lakers record has been based mostly upon wins on good teams while Phoenix has been padding stats against week teams.

1) Lakers have one of the best division records.
2) Lakers and Dallas have the best vs West conference records

And no matter what anybody says, the East is still the least. You have 3 good teams and a bunch of Really Bad teams as Sir Charles would say.

I'm beginning to think that the aggression on this blog towards Kwame Brown is actually simply misplaced frustration with Michael T.'s obsession with Kwame the Swami.

Well, maybe not.

Personally, I can't wait until Kwame Brown gets back. He's a solid defender and it's always better to have more healthy players available than less healthy players available.

However, I'm pretty damned confident that Andrew Bynum will be an All-Star by the time he is Kwame's age.

And, well, Kwame just... isn't.

GO LAKERS!

The Lakers have the second best record against teams from the Western Conference?

That's HUGE!

God, I hope this manic ebullient optimism I'm experiencing is justified!

GO LAKERS!

In case you missed it on the earlier thread...

Now that the Christmas Day euphoria is starting to wear off, an honest assessment of the Lakers suggests that the team may not be as good as its record, right now.

On the plus side:
1. Kobe is pretty good at sharing the ball most of the time. This needs to continue.
2. Bynum truly is coming into his own as the legitimate center the Lakers have been missing.
3. When Bynum is dominating as he has been, Lamar is more effective within his comfort zone.
4. The Fisher/Farmar combo at PG is really working. This becomes clear when you watch the struggles of other teams without any legitimate point guard.
5. Ariza may actually be the answer at a position where the team was weakest.

Concerns:
1. Whether the team wins or loses, most games go down to the final buzzer. I can only remember 2 games where the Lakers were able to be so dominant that Phil could pull the starters at the end, creating legitimate garbage time for projects like J-Crit to get any real playing time. To be a playoff contender, the Lakers have to be truly able to put away their opponent. The team is not there, yet.
2. Ronny Turiaf is getting torched on both offense and defense. He’s clearly hobbled and lacks the explosiveness we’re used to seeing. Ronny needs to get healthy if he’s going to play valuable minutes.
3. VladRad and Sasha are still streaky. The team needs consistent shooting from both of them to be a true threat to teams like the Spurs.

Question Marks:
1. Kwame – how long will it take to find his game once he comes back, and in what role will be most effective?
2. Walton – he really belongs in the second unit but only seems to play well when he starts. Can he make the adjustment to play well in a diminished role?
3. Mihm – he seems to be relegated to the seat at the end of the bench once assigned to Brian Cook. Now that December 15th has come and gone, can we find a team to take him off our hands?
4. J-Crit and Coby2 – Both guys need playing time to mature into the NBA game. Until the Lakers find a way to start dominating games, where will the needed PT come from?

When the Lakers win right now, it seems to be because they’re playing over their heads. At this point in the season a Win is just a win. The team has made great progress since the season started, but an honest assessment says their record is still Fool’s Gold. An even higher level of play is needed to rate the team as a serious contender. It’s way too early for players, coaches, and fans to become complacent.

It's been a looooonnnggg time since I've posted but I had to let my opinion of the season so far be heard....WE ARE THE EFFING TRUTH!!!! I've stayed calm for most of this season, trying to keep everything in perspective, but if we continue to get better we have a real shot at the 4th seed, and a run to the WCF. Could we do more? Hell yeah, but I'm trying to stay calm.

For the last 3 years we have pined for a TRUE #2 option and he's been sitting on our bench all along. Bynum has taken Kobe's criticism and used it as motivation to become one of the best young centers in the league. As long as the kid doesn't get happy with himself, continues to work hard, and grow, him and Dwight Howard will be battling for the best center in the league title in a couple years.

For the last 3 years we have pined for a defensive stopper at the 3, and we have finally found him in Trevor Ariza. This guy could be the key to how far we go this year. I know that's a big statment to make, but if he can really learn the offense, and can contribute on both ends of the floor there's no team we can't beat in a 7 game series.

The starting 5 from yesterday is our best chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Everyone in that lineup is versatile, can defend at least 2 positions, and can score the ball. If we're gonna REALLY challenge for the WCF that starting 5 is gonna have to lead us.

Mamba24,
Nice to see you back and posting. Merry Christmas.

LOL! Wheeeee! I was just checking up on the other thread to see if anything interesting was on there and... THERE WAS! This is the attitude Hobbit has in his posts with me, it's all about WINNING THE ARGUMENT! LOL! It has nothing to do with enjoying Laker games or actually saying something interesting no... it's about winning a message board argument... wow...

Mike T is now posting:

"Bynum going down for a season ending injury is going to change all of your view of everything. Things happen."

One way or the other...I'm going to win this argument!

I'll admit...it's about winning this argument now.

Posted by: Michael Teniente | December 26, 2007 at 09:53 AM
**********
which is the same name that was posting that Phil Jackson was studying Mike T's posts and learning from them at 8:52 PM, so... it's not a spoof....
********
"Seems PJ might have been reading this blog"

Posted by: Michael Teniente | December 25, 2007 at 08:52 PM

When Kwame comes back:

I think that there are several factors at play here:
1) PJ does not want to keep playing Bynum 40 minutes per game (probably average in the 32-35 range?)
2) Kwame’s complete lack of offense will not mesh well with the second unit; with Kobe on the first unit that can be masked somewhat
3) Mihm and Turiaf have not been contributing lately; I assume it is injuries
4) As well as he has been playing, it would be considered a “slap in the face” for Bynum to be taken out of the starting lineup now, no matter what the logic behind the move might be

If Turiaf or Mihm was healthy, I think that they would get the majority of the backup minutes at center, because they have decent offensive games, and their defensive weaknesses would be masked since they would be playing against the other team’s backup. Kwame would be used in certain situations where his post-up defense is effective.

If Turiaf and Mihm are not available, and Kwame is, then I think that Bynum starts, but is substituted for earlier than the rest of the starters, and comes back in sooner. That way most of Kwame’s 12-15 minutes would come with the starters, so that his offense isn’t as much of an issue.

Who the starting SF and PF are also factor in; if Turiaf is the starting PF, then he would not be as available for playing backup C.

Hey I have a question, is that D'antonis real hair? I was waiting for it to get up and walk away.

Jeff happy birthday! I might be there is I can get two tickets, Have fun~

Jeff Happy Birthday and Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

I absolutly agree that Kwame is vital to this team being better, but the fact remains that it just might be through NOT being here. His expiring contract is going to be more and more enticing to teams as the trade deadline approaches, especially teams who are doing badly and facing the music that they're not going to make the playoffs, anyway (teams like Chicago, Sacramento, and Houston, for instance). If they can't arrange anything, I have no problem with Kwame being on this team - the team has shown that they can win without him playing, so him sticking around isn't going to hurt anything. If he can contribute some minutes at the 5 defending some heavier dudes and saving Andrew for a deeper run into the playoffs, all the better

But let's not kid ourselves about Kwame playing the 4 - he's already shown that he's incapable of playing that position. For the triangle to work properly, you need a power forward who can consistently hit the 18-footer. That's why Ronny was having success earlier in the season at that spot, and that' exactly why Kwame can't play that spot. Kwame was brought in originally to be a 4, and quickly showed that he doesn't care enough to learn that part of the offense (both he and Phil acknowledged that) and that he doesn't have the skill set to pull it off, anyway.

Let's also please stop talking about trading for Kidd. This team is rolling, and we've got a quality starting PG, a quality backup, and a quality prospect - there is just no room for Kidd on this team right now. I understand the argument that he's a triple-double waiting to happen, we should make room for him, yadda yadda yadda... but the truth is that Jason Kidd is a high-assist PG. He runs the game by distributing the ball. The PG in th triangle doesn't do that. We put Kidd in this lineup, and his assist numbers will go down, or the offense will stagnate... we'll end up with a better rebounding DFish who might defend a little better, but with a less reliable jumpshot for almost 20 million a year more... ?? Why would we ever want that?

It seems like a lot of folks just enjoy throwing around trade ideas, working the ESPN trade machine... folks who play a lot of fantasy hoops and see dudes as just collections of stats. It doesn't work that way. This team has chemistry right now, and is winning games. Look at what happened to our play when we traded Cook and Mo - and these were two dudes towards the end of the bench! Are we really willing to risk the overall chemistry of this team for a player who makes half our payroll, whose impact could be marginal? I'm not.

As for Mike T, you just get weirder and weirder, creepier and creepier. Tell us about some more of your dreams - my friends enjoyed my forwards with the subject heading "CRAZY MAN AND HIS MYSTICAL BASKETBALL PROGNOSTICATIONS". You forgot to tell us about the dream where you're licking whipped cream off Kwame's calves... or the one where your cell mate played you close to the rim and got a double-double off you, if you know what I mean... or the one where you were a random dude who no one ever heard of, who had no idea about basketball and just loved spouting garbage on the net in order to make himself feel like someone gave a rat's a$$ about what he thought.... wait, that's not a dream, that's your REALITY.

We're not laughing with you, dude.

I really am waitin the return of Kwame...I kinda miss the bullet passes of the glass to the other team lol. No but seriously i remember him coming of the bench last year when Bynum was starting and he did an OUTSTANDING job. He played really inspired ball...really aggressive defensively and it samed like the game slowed down for him offensively as well. I remember him saying in an interview something along the lines of being able to watch game and see what he needs to bring to the floor.

My Fave Starting 5

Kwame, Ronny, Lamar, Kobe, Fisher

Bench Mob
Bynum, Luke, Ariza, Machine, Farmar

That's a great team....Great Defense and Offense in both units. Starting unit has better defense, 2nd unit has more offense.

Kwame will never be a 4 because he can't shoot the jumper...it's sad but true. Oddly enough, Bynum is more suited to be a power forward.

How about a starting lineup of
Kwame C, Bynum PF, Lamar SF, Kobe SG, Fisher PG

THAT would be interesting.

SUCK THE FUNS!!!

How sweet it was to watch Phx. get the pants beat off them in the Lakers' house. The only reason that the game was close was because of the Funs' 3 pt. shooting. LA took a page from the Spurs' book and transformed Nash into a scorer. Although his assist numbers (14) were impressive, when Stevie is his team's leading scorer, their opponent has a much better chance of winning.

I truly hope that Kwame Brown is getting a fire lit under his tail by the continued improvement of Andy B. Kwame is in a contract year. He need look no further than his old friend Smush to see what happens when you don't produce. The Lakers can afford to wait until the end of the year when his contract expires to make a decision on his future. If Kwame doesn't work out, then they have his expiring contract to play with. Personally, I would let him walk and make a run at Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks. Smith will be a restricted free agent in the summer with Atlanta holding an option of a little more than 2.2 million. If the Lakers could get him for Kwame's $9M, I think they would have all the necessary ingredients for a serious run at the C'ship. Smith is a banger and serious interior presence. Plus the man can really run the floor and finish at the hoop. He's second in the league in blocked shots. He's one of the main reasons for Atlanta's improvement along with Joe and Anthony Johnson. I'm no expert in the business aspect of free agency, but I think if this transaction came to fruition, the Lakers would be good to go.

Comments, anyone?

18 DOWN, 37 MORE TO GO!

The good/bad team rides again and just maybe...is making me believe and forcing me to drop the "bad" from its moniker.

beautiful game, enjoyed all the thrills, let's keep up the positivity.

LET'S GO LAKE SHOW!

Rick Friedman,

Excellent post! The team is always having health issues with Kwame, Mihm and Luke. (Maybe add Lamar to the mix but he really tries to play through his injuries. (I still feel he should be a SF but he is way to acclimated on the PF.)

Right now Vlad has two injured wrist's which is why he has been on that shooting funk.

I would love to get PT for JC. Karl will show promise but I would prioritize JC.

I am still waiting a semi significant trade for another PF/C. I'll take a Jamaal Macgloire, Darius Songaila, Ethan Thomas, Brain Skinner type example. Some one who can clean up with Ronny... Trade that for Kwame's or Chris Mihm's contract. (Though I feel Mihm will be better next year. This is the shake the rust out season)

Jeff,

December birthday near Christmas? bummer

................

Since Phil Jackson has stated that he wants Kwame to fill in to play D against Boozer, than whats going to be the starting line-up there? Is he going to go with Bynum and Kwame together? Put Odom at SF? It looks good because than we match up defensively, but offensively I think that makes us bump into each other. Not sure how the Bynum Kwame spacing will happen. Kwame will get in the way of those alleyoops and putbacks. I can see Kwame reaching his hands up for a lob and deflecting it away from Drew or Kwame knocking a ball away from Drew finish. Plus that puts Odom strictly at the perimter where he will never want to drive at all.

If Bynum does go to the bench I think it will show the rest of the team that no matter how much progress you make you still ride the pine. Unless Phil is just trying to hammer the final point that Kwame is rendered useless. Remember that for all the organizations love for Bynum, there is somebody who loved Kwame enough to trade for the guy three years ago also. Maybe Phil wants to finally convince everybody that he's the guy to ship out.

Also against Boston, not sure again what line up to trot out. Bynum got worked by Perkins, but he is somebody that Bynum has to learn to dominate. But Odom really cant guard KG (who can) but is that a guy that Phil wants to use Kwame on, perhaps to pound physically.

This would put us with a bench of Farmar, Sasha, Luke, Ariza, Turiaf, Vlad with one guy being the odd man out. It cant be Turiaf because hes the only one with size, it cant be Farmar either so it has to be one out of Sasha, Luke, Ariza, Vlad.

Mamba, i may not post much but I read the blog every day, and let me sya that you've been missed.

Bronxlakerfan and anyone else who wants to sign free agents with Kwame's salary:

The Lakers are still over the cap with Kwame's contract off the books. This has been posted over and over and over again.

If Kwame walks at the end of the year, we get nothing. We can't use his former salary to sign a FA, because we will still be over the cap. Our choices with Kwame are either:

1) trade him before the deadline to a team looking to dump salary;

2) re-sign him over the summer to a greatly reduced salary;

3) Allow another team to sign him, take his salary off the books, and remain over the cap and unable to sign FAs for more than the biannual exception, the midlevel exception and/or the vet's minimum.

NO OTHER OPTIONS.

ELLE,
"Mamba, i may not post much but I read the blog every day, and let me sya that you've been missed."
Thanks Elle.

---------------------------------------------------
JEFF BIRTHDAY BANDWAGON
---------------------------------------------------
(1) ELLE – DRIVER AND OWNER
(2) MAMBA24 - RIDING SHOTGUN
(3) CHARLE
(4) THE LAKE SHOW
(5) HUEY

Zakee,

No, if we don't understand the salary rules, we are stupid.

The ONLY way we get value out of Kwame's contract is to trade him before the deadline. Otherwise we can only re-sign him or allow him to walk. Do you understand that? We will still be over the cap if he walks, so we can't sign a "nice FA" over the summer. How many languages do I need to write that in before you understand?

Look at how long this guy has been out with this injury. He should have been working every single day while the Show was out on the road, getting ready to play Christmas. Guess what? He wasn't ready. He's not willing to put in the work to be great, or even serviceable. Kobe didn't miss a game with a strained groin, and Kwame has lingered for MONTHS with a sprain?? Exactly HOW is this guy going to contribute to a championship when he's wearing a suit because of some bulls**t injury more games than he plays in??

Do you understand what irony is? If you have trouble, try reading some of your posts - all you did last season was hate on Smush, and now you're chiding other people about hating on a player?

Educate yourself a bit before you run your mouth about things you don't understand, and stop being a hypocrite, and maybe you will have some credibility on this blog. Maybe.

Mamba,

Please add me to the bandwagons:

1. New sherriff
2. Micth as exec of year
3. Bryant!! MVP in my book.
4. Bynum!! He has been noticed!

Awsome game against the Suns yesterday and you guys should read the suns blogs. The sky is falling in Phoenix. Funny stuff.

janaya

SBPimp,
"Educate yourself a bit before you run your mouth about things you don't understand, and stop being a hypocrite, and maybe you will have some credibility on this blog. Maybe."

YES LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. SBPIMP IS BACCCCKK! HAPPY HOLIDAYS Sir!

Zakee,

You are sooooo right! All last season you said SMUSH Parker was a cancer and the Lakers biggest problem. It makes me wonder that if Lakers would have had DFish instead of Smush last year things would have been different.

You also right about Kwame.

Do you want to trade for Jason Kidd?

I say no trades including Kwame.

Roster is fine. Its time for 9 rings to coach them up.

ts