Why do people feel bad for the Rockets? What has Houston ever done for us?

GO LAKERS!

Jon K., if you start a Liquid Sea Minerals bandwagon, put me in!!

:P

#4,

Guess we need to start the Sign-Sun-Yue Bandwagon, lol. We have at least two members.

Seriously, I think we may see Sun in a Lakers uni next year. He could be our defensive stopper at 6-9 as I think he is fast enough to keep up with the Nashes and Parkers and CP3s. And he loves to play D.

No more Hop Sing. More Bruce Lee.

Tom

“Sean P.

Almost anyone who's been around long enough will tell you that Elgin was the best, or at least deserves to be in the conversation with "MJ". I don't doubt it for a second. Elgin was the pioneer of scoring perimeter players. MJ, in my opinion, was probably an upgrade, and Kobe, IMO was probably an upgrade from that. These guys learn from each other and have tried to add... Kobe has a shooting range that I highly doubt Elgin had. He probably could have had that range if there was a reason to shoot the ball 25 feet out all the time, but back then, there was no such reason and guys weren't as strong as they are now (which also affects shooting range).

What the hell is Elgin doing over there with the Clippers? He WAS the franchise player here... get him over here with us where he belongs.

I have a bit of personal trivia that means absolutely nothing... what distinction does TIm-4-Show share with Elgin Baylor? Here's a hint... we both won a particular award for our athletic feats.

Although I don't consider mine anywhere in the vicinity of Elgin's... but it's one little thing that I at least I can say... sort of how penberthy can say he was an NBA champion. LOL.... any guesses?”

I agree. Anyone who puts up a career 24.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg, & 4.3 apg and gets to the finals 8 times has got to be in the conversation. Like I said, though, for me, championships has got to be the deciding factor. And Jordan was 6 for 6 with 6 finals mvps, so…

I am not sure range is as important as efficiency. Sure, Kobe can make a shot from anywhere; however, he also bricks far too many of his contested long-range shots to shoot them as much as he does, imo. Jordan didn’t shoot from deep, but it’s not like this lack of range created some kind of difficulty in him getting a good shot whenever he needed one. Thus Jordan’s career .509 efg% to Kobe’s .486.

Given Baylor’s record as a GM, I gotta say I am glad that he’s with the Clips and not us.

No idea. I am curious, though.

“Sean P.
Jordan, being the greatest based on?
-- the fact that he had only 2 hall of famers? Yet, we all know that teams are based off of who their players are. Ask the pistons, of which, im sure there arent any HOFers on their team, but they at one time were set up for a dynasty run. And you can go back and back and find more instances. Jordan, had legit pieces to build his team around. And perhaps the 2nd best player in the league during the whole 6 title stretch. Not to mention 2 HOFer coaches. And by my estimation i really believe Rodman belongs in the HOF. Remember, the team Jordan LEFT still came within a couple of lucky bounces of making it back to the NBA finals without Jordan.
--As it comes to competition, its VERY well documented that the NBA expanded 6 teams in 8 years from 88-95. So that the talent was spread out and diffuse especially after the great dynasties of the 80s had succumbed to age. Jordan could only play against who he did, and so did Wilt.
-- Wilt nor Shaq should be faulted for being as big as they were. They were born with great athletic ability. AS WAS JORDAN. They did what they could with it. If you wanna talk about overcoming odds then talk to me about the sub- 6 ft players who made it. 6-6 is a decent height for the position that he had to play. You could say that Magic was hindered by being 6'9'' and a point guard. You play the game in front of you and dominate with the skills at your disposal.
--- and last point "You do have to keep in mind though that guys like Chick and Kareem were/are a bit prejudiced because Baylor was the first great creative 1 on 1 wing scorer who played above the rim and changed what people thought was possible on the basketball court" ------- thats what you said, and it is exactly my point. Have you sat back and watched elgin, Dr. J, etc. Your first experience with the MJ brand of basketball was MJ and thats why you hold a special attachment to his skills.
---- i do NOT say that he isnt ONE of the greatest. I think that most people need to take a step back and evaluate with perspective as to who Jordan REALLY was and his overall impact on the game”

I never said Jordan was the greatest, just that he was better than Wilt. Fwiw, I consider Russell to be the GOAT.

-- I only mentioned that because many people seem to believe that Wilt was playing by himself all those years till he got to the Lakers, when in fact he was often on the most talented team in the L in a given year- he played with 6 of the Top 50 at 50 for Christ’s sake. Of course, Jordan played with good players. Guys like Horace Grant, Rodman, and Toni Kukoc were absolutely necessary to Jordan’s success. But Pippen is the only sure-fire HOFer that Jordan played with (for more than 18 games anyhow) and as good as he was the only thing he was second-best at in the L was perimeter defense. The guy was strictly a #2 option on offense- that’s why Phil diagramed that play for Kukoc, Pippen was anti-clutch.

That ‘93-94 team was pretty good alright, but they only made the 2nd round. There’s a little difference between that and a 3-peat.

-- Yeah, the league was more watered down than it had been in the 80s. But Jordan still had to go through 7 60+ win teams to win his titles (and that’s not counting quality teams that his Bulls beat like Isiah’s Pistons, Magic’s Lakers, and Clyde the Glide’s Blazers).

-- I am not faulting Wilt or Shaq for their size. I am saying that they did not maximize their unmatched physical potential (which Jordan’s did not even come close to) to engender consistently team success.

-- My first experience with the ‘MJ brand of basketball’ as you put it was Dr. J not MJ. I have only seen highlights of Elgin.

Just to make things clear, I don’t like Jordan or his brand (never have). I didn’t think much of his game until he beat Magic in the Finals (1991 was the worst year I ever had as a basketball fan). I then proceeded to root against him for the rest of his career until the media turned against him after he hurt his knee in Washington. I think his success did more damage to basketball than anything since cocaine (because so many people imitated his moves without understanding his purpose). That being said, I have never seen anyone in a team sport who simply was unbeatable for that length of time.

Elgin B wasn't even the best player of his time; no way he could be the best of all time. Robertson and Wilt were definitely better than him, and arguably West and Russell were, too.

You can't compare players from different eras, except to compare how they did against their peers.

To use the expansion of the league as an argument against Jordan is invalid, because that made things easier for everyone else, too. Yet he was still clearly the best. (He was farther above his peers than Kobe is.)

LakerTom,

I'm down for the sign Sun Yue bandwagon.

GO LAKERS!

NBA’s UGLY guy team:

Kenny Smith (SG)
Sam Cassell (PG)
LeBron James (SF)
Amare Stoudemire (PF)
Artis Gilmore (Center)

AN 1,

Have you posted on their blog?

"Did you know if there were no NBA league then what would these folks excel at:

Magic Johnson - White Teeth commercial
Michael Jordan - Gambler
Charles Barkley - Circus Clown
Kevin McHale - Herman Munster
Larry Bird - Farmer
Karl Malone - Truck driver
Kobe – The Assassin
Kurt Rambis – Superman"

And a lot of us will be millionaires working to get better, instead of blogging! But I would rather be poor and enjoying this. hahaha!

The D, aye. LOL...

LakerTom, sign me up for the Sign Sun Yue Bandwagon. Jon K and his sea minerals wants aboard too. That makes 3 of us, with one carry-on full of sea minerals.

Just kiddin, Jon K.

#4

Liquid Sea Minerals FTW!

GO LAKERS!

I'm always nervous when everyone is so giddy before a game. Every team that comes into Staples gets fired-up, so I hope every player on the Lakers remembers that they haven't proven anything until they hoist the Championship trophy. No time for a let-down now. GO LAKERS!

Hey Charles,

Oh sure, I've been a regular for years, of course under a different name. But always respectful.

Interesting point on the AZ Republic Blog.

Someone, a regular there, says he's been coming to our blog lately. Gives reports how stupid Lakers fans are and how easy it is to get them into silly arguements. They fall for the dumbest lines. He goes by the tag Worm in AZ.

CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME THE LINK OF TONIGHT GAME!

...channelsurfing will be the same as NBA league pass... won't show it and I am down here in FLORIDA.

Thank you

Jon K. wrote:

"Jordan's great, but he's over-rated, and he's not that great of a guy. I wouldn't even want to have a drink with him after everything I've heard about his personal life."

Jon K would you at least consider drinking sea minerals with Michael? hahahah!

Rick - I don't think we have to worry about the guys getting too over-confident at this point. I think Kobe & PJ are leading them the right way - one game at a time. I think Kobe learned that lesson well when the were up 3-1 against the Funs but then lost 3 straight. BTW - when was that? Last year? The year before? The bad years are over-lapping in my head - memories I've almost completely buried - please don't make me remember...
Anyways - I don't think we'll be seeing Kobe's bare chest until the O'Brien is up in the air!

Jesterguru,

They loaded fine for me. Check your Internet provider.

Sea minerals? Good!
Salty waters will heal them!
Warriors, anew!

GO LAKERS!

TheRealZenMaster,

I'd be willing to punch him in the throat wearing a Lakers' jersey.

GO LAKERS!

As a baseball fan, this is always a point of discussion of who's going to be the next Willie Mays etc..?

Always wait and see after the person finishes their career. Then debate all you want.

Kobe is approaching MJ status, but I think its way too early to size him to MJ. He still has several more titles to win in LA, starting in 2008 I hope.

Its almost like Kobe has had two careers. Three titles as a young Kobe and then almost a different style of game with the mature Kobe.

This is just the first year of the so-called mature Kobe. Where Kobe is just now, finally been given some due. Times that by 4 more years and Kobe may indeed pass MJ in many peoples minds.

He's coming into a time in his career where he's now balancing tons of talent, tons of experience, with the wisdom of a veteran player. And guess what, we get to enjoy him, he's all ours. **

**Unless Gunner has his way and sends Kobe to Colorado State Prison.

Why do people feel bad for the Rockets? What has Houston ever done for us?

GO LAKERS!

Posted by: Jon K. | February 26, 2008 at 03:35 PM

They gave us Robert Horry for Cedric Ceballos...

AN 1,

I wonder who the mysterious blogger is?

Actually, there's more than one "lakersblog"... While I consider this THE place to go, the register, enterprise, and even the times has comments at the end of the articles. My guess is the mysterious blogger is somewhere else, because not even fire32 could legitimately say that he gets us talking about pointless things.

And to answer your question Fire... I'd say you want your whole team healthy for playoffs. The coach can rotate the players however he sees fit. Therefore, I'd say my comment about the Suns being dangerous was in reference to their regular season record... sort of how we were better when we played small ball without Kwame right after he was traded, but before Gasol got into the action.

The Lake show has gone from (all in the same season)

playoff doubtful (preseason)
playoff hopeful (November)
pretender (December)
contender (January)
FRONT RUNNER (February)

Wow. What a ride it's been...

AN 1,

I appreciate your reply. I would love to get into exchanges with that Worm guy and rip him a new one.

The reason why I love this blog is the range of bloggers. I have learned from the most concise to the elaborate posters.

The fact that you have been there for years is a respectful achievement on it's own.

I love the exchanges with the Laker and non-Laker fans here. Especially when I see the sophistication of communication by the senior bloggers here. I also find it mind numbing how people can't communicate properly. Either way, it keeps the mind sharp and develops my critical and analytical thinking.

Maybe they are a bunch of simpletons that believe that point making is bad for a blog.

I must quote a famous rapper ""Lil John" to convey a message and go ghetto on.

Ahem...

"To window, to the wall. Till sweat drips down my ba!!$.
Ahhh Skeet skeet, Ahh skeet."

That's probably how they view our arguments.

Regards,

Charles,

Hope all is going well with your injuries. I just got back from training with my nephew who has his first match this weekend. The kid's a beast!!! Our whole family will be there to support him at his match. He's trained in Gracies, Aikido and Muay Thai. I hope he wins like our Lakers do. Will you be fighting again after your injuries heal? I wish you all the best. Go Lakers!!!

Sean P,

I think when people first started saying that MJ was the greatest *ever* was somewhere in the early to mid 90s. They based this ascertion on a matter of SKILL.

MJ had very few weaknesses... actually NO weaknesses. I'd put Kobe in that category as well.

It's not really an argument of who dominated their time the most, because it's RUSSELL if you go that route and probably no one will ever touch that, but if you go off of skill, then you can make a judgement on what players in history had the most skill.

MJ had more all around skill than pretty much all the greats. Sure, a guy like Magic could pass better and Larry could hit the outside shot better... but neither of those guys could defend like MJ nor finish inside like MJ.

Kobe, even with all his faults, is right there on a skill assessment to pretty much anyone you can put forth.

When guys compare Kobe to MJ, they compare LEGACY, they compare LEGENDS. This is why Kobe may never live up to MJ. It's hard to dethrone a legend that can grow in everyone's mind long after the man touched a basketball.

From a pure skill standpoint, it's REALLY hard to argue against MJ or Kobe as having the most all around basketball skill of any player.... EVER.