Stuff Kobe said
I only caught the tail end of yesterday's conversation between Kobe and members of the media in which he said he "absolutely" (quoting Kobe) wants to stay with the Lakers, and is "open to finishing his career with them" (quoting the report). I missed the stuff about drop top Impalas and grading Mitch Kupchak, but did manage to hear some interesting bits. It's obviously good news to hear Kobe say he is, once and for all, happy in Los Angeles, and doesn't want to go anywhere. That's been the assumption for a while now, but it can't hurt to hear it explicitly expressed. And while there will likely always be some disconnect between how Kobe and management perceive the events of the last few seasons and the most recent offseason, if everyone is now pushing in the same direction, does it really matter?
I'm sure we'll all continue to debate what happened this summer, what led to it, and what's happened since, just as people still discuss the dissolution of the Threepeat teams. The important thing for Lakers fans is it now seems highly unlikely that those two debates will be joined by a third, regarding the end of Kobe's career as a Laker. Not anytime soon, at least.
(NOTE: There were about four or five other media members around, and they'd been talking for a while. Not all the questions are mine, as you might suspect. Just wanted to make that clear.)
Q: When was the point when you said, "Damn, I want to stay here forever." You're saying that now.
A: The same answers I've been saying today are the same answers that I've been giving. It might sound different now because we're winning. We have the first seed, so it might sound a little different, but I've been saying this all year.
Q: Well, put it this way- You weren't a happy camper at the beginning of the regular season. That was obvious. And I understand, because there was an agreement. (I believe this is in reference to Jerry Buss' preseason statements, after everyone had decided to go mum on the Trade Kobe Issue.)
A: (Kobe smiles, and doesn't disagree)
Q: So if you weren't happy at the beginning, when did you get happy?
A: Honestly, as soon as I got out on the court, I separated the business from the game. I can block out a lot of stuff and just focus on playing. Once I got out on the court with my guys, we just bonded together and had a good time, and I forgot about the business side of things pretty quickly.
Q: And when you started winning, that made you happier?
A: Yeah. I started getting excited, because I looked at Jordan (Farmar) and Sasha (Vujacic) and Andrew (Bynum) and the young fellas that have really developed, and then obviously Mitch being aggressive and making a couple of big trades that really helped us out, it showed me that they wanted to win right now. That it's not something they wanted to wait on.
Q: But Mitch never said that was because they wanted to make you happy, by doing those trades, did he?
A: No, but I'm sure that's something that's thought of.
Q: Have you talked to Jerry Buss?
A: We saw each other in the locker room before the San Antonio game. It was a big game, and he came down and wished us all good luck. That was the first time I'd seen him down there all season, really.
Q: But that's not unusual. He doesn't go into the locker room very often.
A: He doesn't go down much. We had a couple big games, and that was an opportunity to gain that one seed, so he came down and wished us all good luck.
Q: Did he talk to you and (players) individually?
A: I don't know, because I'm walking through (the locker room, into the trainer's room, etc., doing game prep) so everybody's kind of coming and going, and we had a chance to kind of shake hands before the game. (Laughs) I feel like I'm in middle school right now, talking about the girl that wouldn't ask me to the dance or something. It's like, "Well, what did she say? What did he say?"
Q: I understand. I'm just asking, if you don't mind answering, when you got past (his anger with Buss' comments). Because again, at the beginning of the season, you didn't want to be here.
A: I let it go. Hey, I've got a job to do. I'm here to play basketball. Once the season starts, I'm ready to go, in 100%.
Q: But the idea was still, or a while, that you didn't want to stay here. Or am I wrong?
A: If they want to win right now, I'm all for it. That's all I said the whole time. If you want to win right now? (Good.) If you want to wait five, six years from now? (It's not). It's pretty simple.
Q: Are you happy they didn't overreact to what you said over the summer, and didn't jump out and make the first deal that was available?
A: I think they did a really good job of being patient and maximizing the pieces that they have here. Like I said, the Trevor (Ariza) deal was huge for us, and Pau (Gasol) to go along with the bigs that we have now, and the passing ability and chemistry, it's good.
Q: How about them being patient with you?
A: I think it's the other way around. I've been sitting on this for four years now, with nothing getting done. So it took a lot of patience on my part, for three years or four years of nothing getting done. To see this thing develop to be where it is today, it feels pretty damn good.
BK
By the way, if Karl Malone would have been healthy (the guy who never gets injured, by the way), I strongly believe we would have won the 2004 NBA Championship.
Instead, we didn't and we've had the next three years to deal with.
In the end (meaning NOW) things worked out well, perhaps for the best, but I would have really liked to see Karl Malone FINALLY get that ring he deserved wearing the Purple and Gold.
Instead we got tremendous disappointment and violent, catestrophic civil war in Laker Nation.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 22, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Jams,
I don't think that our training staff "doesn't have a clue". Gary Vitti has done a fantastic job in the past. It just seems that over the last four years, he (or the people he's brought on) have lost their edge.
It bothers me tremendously that Phoenix has the best training staff in the NBA. There's something inherently unholy about that.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 22, 2008 at 02:55 PM
Instead of still focusing on these same stories over and over again, why dont the press write something about how the Lakers made a great turnaround this year to become the #1 seed? Why keep trying to dig up dirt when you can focus on the development of the young players like Jordan, Sasha, and Andrew, and the trades for Gasol and Ariza? Why dont they change the nature of their questioning to topics like that instead, I'm sure people are tired of hearing this same story rehashed over and over again.
Posted by: DS | April 22, 2008 at 02:56 PM
Lakeraholic
I think he's just happy that the teams succeeding now.He clearly felt that not trading Bynum for better players earlier was evidence to suggest that they werent serious about 'winning now'
In actual fact it wasn't this at all...it was just the people running the business side being realistic about what needed to be done and how long it would take.Kobe was thinking in terms of getting the 'best team out on the floor today' gettign what you can for whoever you can if they can help now while the owner of the team and manager are thinking in terms of 'what best to do with their assets in a more general sense' which is an ever evolving process.
It simply comes down to conflicting motivations and priorities.When the lakers told Kobe they wanted to 'win now'when he signed his contract they meant it.He just didnt realise that there were other things that had to happen within that framework.His lack of understanding of this side of the NBA is evidenced by his damaging approach to the situation.Does it matter he doesn't understand it? no not really - he probably should be working on his game instead but at the same time leave it to the peoples whose job it is.
But he summed it up himself when he said he'd learnt to concentrate on basketball and leave the business stuff to the business guys....
Even Kobe cant take the credit for pressuring the front office into action becasue he can probably see how it all fits together.They made the trades at the time it made sense to make the trades and becasue the deals were there.Not becasue of any pressure from Kobe....they did it without giving up Bynum whose now seen as indispensable...and keeping all the other players around who they could see would fit roles in a contending team.
Kobe has got what he wanted and in the process realised they know what they are doing and he should have just let them do it in the first place.
At the same time he rightly sees the Kwame trade as a failure and that he should have been in this position years ago.Thats just unfair expectations becasue teams make bad trades its just part of it...but at the same time he's contradicting himself insofar as saying the front office didnt want to win becaue of you look at the team and the context - the Kwame trade was a very aggressive move.
The irony is that while Kobe clearly now has a chance to enhance his professional reputation and is about to win the MVP,the success of the front office certainly leaves him with egg on his face and furhter tarnishes his already questionable personal legacy.But the point is Kobe doesn't care.He just wants to win...nothing else really matters that much and thats what makes him the player he is.
And in a sense you cant blame him for casting a cynical eye at the way GM's operate round the league or thinking how incompetent they seem and worrying that he was in a bad situation but the truth is it was clear from years ago the lakers meant business.He just didnt see it.
Posted by: Kiwi | April 22, 2008 at 03:05 PM
Man, people like to hate on the Lakers medical staff. Medicine is like the stock market, difficult to predict, there's never a sure thing, and when you're wrong it can be catastrophic. I would say that, outside of the Karl malone mis-diagnosis, the laker staff has been excellent. They helped Shaq's abdominal strain by bringing in Alex MacKenzie (I think that's his name), Gary Vitti is the BEST on court trainer in basketball (plus he helps Phil keep track of fouls because his high chair lacks some of the features that The Enterprise's Captain's Chair comes with) and our guys, for the most part, come back in the projected time frame. I understand that we, as a Laker Nation, are worried about this year, that runs like this are NEVER duplicated, and when you have a chance to win it all-you go for it. But consider some of the experiences from my personal life, names to be omitted for privacy's sake:
My sister breaks three vertebrae in her back, one of the finest back surgeons in the world says she has a less than 30% chance to walk again (strangely enough, she shares a room with Corey Blount's cousin and he says 'howdy' to her, nice guy) she has surgery and gets rods imlpanted in her back. 6 months later, due to her hard work and diligence in her rehab she's BACK SNOWBOARDING (which drives my mom crazy).
My landlord is diagnosed with a brain tumor, she goes in for chemo, except that there's one problem...no tumor (she slips in Arnold references herself, so feel free to say...it's not a tumor) she loses one eye and has to have re-constructive surgery on her face because the treatment was overly aggressive.
The medical profession, for all it's advances and growth, is still as limited as our understanding of how our bodies work and, like our personalities, each one is different. Karl malone may have been pushing to play behind the scenes because, like Steve Nash with Phoenix, he saw his window closing and was willing to play with alot of pain (like Kobe and Fisher now and Lamar in last seasons Playoffs) in order to compete. It was only when his knee, structurally, finally gave out that he was forced to the bench. The great ones play with pain, lots of it. If I were 'Drew's agent, I would make very clear to the young man that this is not about a championship, no matter how much we see it in that light alone, this about his future, his ability to, perhaps, become one of the brightest stars in the NBA. We need to let him heal so that he can shine all the brighter for years to come.
PS: thanks mamba 24 for putting me on the sweep bandwagon, but if you put it back up tomorrow, I'd like to be The Defender of All Things Waltonian, because I got my boys back!
GO LUKE!
GO LAKERS!!!!
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | April 22, 2008 at 03:05 PM
Nay news on the "Test" that Drew went through yesterday?
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | April 22, 2008 at 03:07 PM
pslakerfan-
I'm sure PJ's ambiguous language on injuries, while not unusual for coaches across sports, is annoying to fans. But trust me, questions like the one you propose are asked in every possible form, just about every day. My suggestion? Don't put too much stock in what Jackson says about recovery times. He's notoriously unreliable in that area.
On another note, when did I liberally use "stupid" to address another blogger? I don't remember using it at all.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 22, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Charles
I think the Mob just got wacked! Well done my brother!
dude had a good point, one that most of us agreed with in that the former Celtics would never allow KG to become a Laker if they could stop it... But after that point it read more like a submission from a G.E.D. student.
Posted by: lakerfaze | April 22, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Outsidergua,
"The stuff that the mob boss posts is straight up funny sh!t so chill out bro."
Posted by: Outsidergua | April 22, 2008 at 02:08 PM
First of all, he insulted me. All I asked was a simple question. I guess your not one to defend your post or honor?
Secondly, I did not find it funny. That's a matter of opinion. Personally, I am now suspect of your comedic interpretation.
Thirdly, on this emoticon-less blog, it is hard to tell what tone I am typing in. So if you actually need colors, blush-toons, clown faces and front faced Pac Man type instant messages; here you go:
:)
:(
:P
:-)
:-(
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:09 PM
Wow, lots of negative vibes in here today, can't we all just be friends? Inuries, trades, signings, contracts, drama, can't we just put all of that aside and enjoy the fact that we're the #1 seed in the west without two of our better defenders and are leading 1-0 in our first round series? I don't know about you guys, but I'm seeing the glass half full.
-bozz-
Posted by: bozz | April 22, 2008 at 03:12 PM
pfunk-
While I appreciate your edification on this matter, and would have expected nothing less than for you to disagree with me, I'll stick to my original point- that to give Kobe's actions credit for the improvement in the team, or to imply that they were somehow "tactics" or a plan, as the article did, is a mistake. His teammates responded by generally going about their business and not saying much about it. Management responded by... doing nothing. They didn't go out and make a deal in response to what Kobe said, or wanted them to do. They waited it out (thus there were no "actions of Mitch this summer," as you write, other than specifically not making moves).
If Kobe had his way during the offseason, he'd had been in Chicago.
To his credit, once things calmed down a little, Kobe was dedicated to not making the problem worse by talking about it, which is why Jerry Buss' preseason interview was such a bad move on his part. They had finally found some peace on the issue, and that just riled everything up.
But like I said, I wouldn't expect you to agree.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 22, 2008 at 03:15 PM
Chris Paul placed seventh on the DPOY list? On, may I ask, what planet? I've watched him several times this year, and his defense is atrocious. All he does is leak out for steals, leaving Tyson Chandler (who, inexplicably, is two spots behind him) to clean up the mess. AK/BK, what do you think of this?
Posted by: greenpaz | April 22, 2008 at 03:15 PM
Complex Brova,
All good man. I will say this: Just because LB called himself a hick, doesn't mean it's right. Besides, hence the word I used "underpinning."
Regards,
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:16 PM
BD,
I like Joe McDonnell, he was my intro to sports talk radio. But he also is the biggest conspiracy theorist there is. So you have to dilute what he says sometimes. Anyway, if you have the time, here is the link to his show and you can search for the needle.
http://tinyurl.com/58dd54
Posted by: HmrHed | April 22, 2008 at 03:19 PM
Toad,
Thanks for the reply!
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:22 PM
bozz,
lol!!!
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:25 PM
yea maybe yall are right! Maybe I'm reading to much into his answers. I'm as giddy as the the next man about our future..and it very unlike me to cast a shadow of a doubt concerning any players intentions.
How bout we spend more time hashing ans rehashing about Karls decision to put Linez Kleiza in the starting line up. Yea I just read about it..it cud cause alil disadvantage to us but yet leaves an even bigger whole in there defense.
Opinion??
Posted by: lakeraholic | April 22, 2008 at 03:25 PM
Jamie Sweet,
You're right and no doctor (nor peson) is perfect. To me, it's a matter of CONSISTENCY. When there's a pattern, it invites analysis as to why that pattern is manifest.
For whatever reason, things have not gone "better than expected" for the Lakers training staff for the last four years. Four years is a long time. It lends itself for me to suspect that this has not been just a "crisis of fate".
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 22, 2008 at 03:27 PM
BK I hadnt read your revisionism thread but I want to congratulate you on it.Its absolutely true that it would be incredibly irresponsible for writers to credit Kobe with the teams turnaround.He may have fired up his guys to start with (although this could have backfired)but more than likely it was just the sparks of potential we saw before coming together...and as I said above the trades were there to be made when they weren't before....and lets not forget Kobe wanted to trade Bynum specifically.The lakers found a way to improve their team without giving up Odom or Bynum.This had previously been considered a long shot.I for one would be disapointed if the lakers win the title and history remembers Kobe as being the hero - as a great a story as it is.As well as being a dangerous precedent.Its simply not reality.
Posted by: Kiwi | April 22, 2008 at 03:29 PM
BK,
Regarding your comments to Pfunk. Andrew Bynum did say that Kobe's comments were a prime motivator for him to accelerate his growth as a player.
However, I agree with you that Kobe's comments were not meant to "help" the team. They were the frustrated, immature rants of a man possessed by a momentary lack of wisdom and discipline.
Let's face it. We ended up where we are because of dumb luck and the fact that God is a Lakers fan, as everyone in Laker Nation is keenly aware of.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 22, 2008 at 03:30 PM
Charles
I think the Mob just got wacked! Well done my brother!
dude had a good point, one that most of us agreed with in that the former Celtics would never allow KG to become a Laker if they could stop it... But after that point it read more like a submission from a G.E.D. student.
Posted by: lakerfaze | April 22, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Thanks man. Actually, all I asked was a question about how people felt about KG not coming to LA. If that kat had been here on the blog for a while, I pretty much said the same that the KG to Boston was a Danny Ainge assist pass. That was "Boston Alumni."
Best,
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:31 PM
puddle,
Players are getting bigger, faster, and more muscular, but I don't think that the ability of the body to take the beating associated with professional sports is increasing at the same rate.
On the other hand, medical care for injuries is vastly better than it was 20-30 years ago, so what used to be career-ending injuries frequently are "just" a year of rehab after surgery.
I'm not in the medical field, those are just my observations.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 22, 2008 at 03:32 PM
Charles:
I need a personal assitant that can help me with the edits prior to my posts and someone who can remind me to be politically correct i.e calling Larry Bird a hick.. Ok better yet Larry looks like an old lady with no teeth.. They say you can pick your nose but can't pick someone else's. Thats all I have to say about the nit pickers..
See y'all at the game as I will be strutting my way into the forum with my paisans!!
kapish!!
The Mob Boss
Posted by: The Mob Boss | April 22, 2008 at 03:34 PM
lakeraholic (and others)-
I think if your goal is to get consistency and ultimate clarity from Kobe on this one, you'll always be disappointed. While I have nothing but praise for his play on the court this year, how he's handled a leadership role, and his response to the "summer issues" once he decided to keep his mouth shut on situation, I'm not sure he can lay out a timeline with this stuff that seems to make sense.
First, I don't think there was a day, or a specific week, or whatever, where he felt like he wanted to be here definitively. I think it became pretty apparent, once the Lakers got on a roll earlier in the year, that the grass was not greener on the other side, and that he did indeed have a better chance of winning here than in Chicago or New York. Second, he'll go back and forth between when he decided to play hard and dedicate himself to winning (when he showed up after the offseason) and when he was truly happy in LA, and decided he wanted to stay (sometime later).
There are also issues of ego and feelings that play with every top athlete, from Kobe on down. Without throwing himself on his sword and begging the world for forgiveness- not necessary in my opinion- Kobe has said that he wishes he handled things better, and kept his complaints more in-house. I think, too, that Kobe feels very strongly that the root of his complaints was very accurate, and needed to be addressed. While I might debate some of the particulars, it's hard to argue that, especially this summer, it didn't look like the ship was without direction.
Ultimately, I don't think the timeline really matters. The important stuff has been solved- the team is good, Kobe's not going anywhere. If he'd like to take some credit for the turnaround, or for being patient with the team (as opposed to them being patient with him this summer) while they got things back together? Again, I'm likely disagree with a lot of the particulars, but going forward, it doesn't impact how good the Lakers can or should be.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 22, 2008 at 03:35 PM
Wow. See what happens around here on a non game day? The Muggets are much better targets for us than each other. Let's go back to the back to back playoff games with one day off between for travel as Laker Tom said yesterday. That way we have something to concentrate on other than chipping at each other.
Remember folks, the Laker Nation is united on a single minded mission.............an '08 ring, banner and trophy!
15 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FO! FO! FO! FO!
15 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: toad | April 22, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Here's a great article on LO.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/david_dupree/04/22/odom.lakers/index.html
It's amazing that we've got 4 guys who have basically become untouchable. And I think we're all smart enough to know which 4 guys I'm referring to. I really hope LO spends the summer improving his set jumper. He's shown flashes of improvement at certain points in the season. But if he can consistently hit the 15-20 footer a Bynum, Gasol, Odom front line would REALLY be deadly.
Posted by: Xodus | April 22, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Can we trust PJ when he talks?
Is he just having an LSD flashback out of body moment when he describes these injuries in such vague terms?
Last year, we were told LO was done for the season and then one day LO is suited up and PJ says he going to give it a try.
I'd like to hear from our friends from TNT, Charles and Kenny on their opinion on NBA coaches. Can you trust these coaches when it comes to injury announcements?
Our local guys won't give a straight answer on that one, because they can't.
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | April 22, 2008 at 03:39 PM
Jon K,
I think Bynum said Kobe's comments did motivate him a bit, not that they were his main motivation. Bynum had already hired his trainer that he worked with all summer in Atlanta. I think the bigger motivation for him was how he ended the 06-07 season with a whimper.
Posted by: Xodus | April 22, 2008 at 03:40 PM
The Mob Boss,
Good boy. You may now take off the dunce cap...
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:41 PM
CHARLES I WILL MAKE YOU AN OFFER THAT YOU CAN'T REFUSE:
I need a personal assistant to help me edits and spelling checks, take dictations etc, Into DISPOSAL biz..
Kapish!!
The Mob Boss
Posted by: The Mob Boss | April 22, 2008 at 03:42 PM
Fairweather-
Like I said before, the short answer to that question is no. PJ isn't a particularly reliable source of injury information.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 22, 2008 at 03:43 PM
Xodus-
You beat me to it.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 22, 2008 at 03:44 PM
Bozz - the glass is actually 1/4 full......or if you're truly the optimist - 1/16 full - LOL!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | April 22, 2008 at 03:47 PM
HmrHed,
Thanks for the link and the response!
BD
Posted by: BD | April 22, 2008 at 03:49 PM
TO ALL LAKERS FANS: KOBE IS A MARRIED MAN. DO YOU THINK HIS WIFE IS GOING TO LET HIM WALK AWAY FROM ALL THAT MONEY AND LEAVE LOS ANGELES WHERE HER FAMILY IS I DON'T THINK SO. IF YOU ARE MARRIED YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
GO LAKERS
Posted by: ANTHONY JOHNSON | April 22, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Jams,
You went off the deep end man. Even if the Lakers training staff was getting things wrongs, it's not like these guys don't see other specialists, doctors and trainers on an almost daily basis outside of the Lakers group. Any decisions made about injuries are all done by committee, or with the input of several different doctors/specialists, so you really can't blame the Lakers staff b/c they're only one group of doctors that an injured Laker would be seeing.
Posted by: J.W. Weatherman | April 22, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Mob Boss,
I really hurt you huh? And your still buying into this character of yours in the blog. Maybe it's Nocturnal Emission. Multiple edited post's with one juvenile point. If you really are gangsta' (in you spelling world) why did you conform to my reply? No mob boss would change his steeze (some new slang for you). You pretty much assisted yourself.
Listen, as you very well can't comprehend that the blog is noticing the idle day and let's keep it basketball. Your refute isn't mature enough and intelligent enough.
If you want to get into a basketball exchange let's do it. Otherwise, thanks for the pre-mature evacuation.
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:57 PM
Oh, and Jams,
From what I remember, it was the Lakers staff who discovered/diagnosed Ronnie's heart condition. If they had been inept and missed that, the dude could be dead right now, so they've definitely got some skills.
Posted by: J.W. Weatherman | April 22, 2008 at 03:57 PM
Xodus,
Great link!
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Hi All: BTW: today is the #1 LAL celebrity fan's birthday.
Happy Birthday Jack!
Hope you will take a big, old WIN tomorrow instead of a cake.
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | April 22, 2008 at 03:59 PM
The Kobe-FO drama is now water under the bridge. We should be discussing this after the playoffs or Finals if the Lakers reached that point.
The issue on hand is pass Denver smoothly and cleanly with help-defense. So far I see LO, Pau, Vlad as our tall men that will do the yeomans job of rebounds and blocking the Centers. What is the status of Ronnie Turiaf? Will Mbenga and Mihm ever help this team even for short minutes?
I guess we have to sweep Denver to remove any doubts or momentum on their part to come back. Kobe should have a methodical and a superb game in Game 2. Nuggets would surely seal the passing lanes to Pau and LO, so every basket under the hoop will be hard foul or a struggle.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 22, 2008 at 04:02 PM
Here's hoping the Sun's get smacked again tonight!!
Go Lakers!
BD
Posted by: BD | April 22, 2008 at 04:02 PM
Denver's Linas Kleiza will start Game 2 on Wednesday in the Nuggets-Lakers series, coach George Karl announced Tuesday. The 6-foot-8 Kleiza will replace 6-2 Anthony Carter, giving Denver more size and scoring in the lineup.
"It's definitely an opportunity, but it comes with a lot of responsibility," said Kleiza, who scored 23 points in Denver's Game 1 loss on Sunday. "And a great opportunity can be taken away fast."
What do yall think about this move.
Pro:
Big..athletic
Can shoot the 3
Strong around the rim
Cons:
Can't guard anyone..which leaves Fish pretty much all alone on an island to shoot 3's all night..with KMart guarding Kobe and Melo guarding LO..Fish should have a career night or either drawing fouls cuz he cannot..and I repeat cannot guard anyone but shoot and hang around the perimeter.
Thought???
Posted by: lakeraholic | April 22, 2008 at 04:04 PM
passionate Lakers fan,
I have to agree with your comments about Adande. He really must have lost his mind if those were really his quotes about Andrew. Couldn’t have rebutted his position with any more “passion” myself. Great job. Trade Drew! What a freaking’ idiot. His the next great Lakers center. He is our next franchise player – who just arrived a little earlier than expected to the chagrin of the rest of the NBA. Hell with parity in the West, Drew will make the Lakers dominant. There will be balance again in the basketball universe.
Win or lose, look for Kobe to opt out this summer and he and Lamar to sign new long-term cap-friendly contracts to retire as Lakers. Look for the Lakers also to sign Drew, Jordan, and Trevor to contract extensions and match any offers for Sasha and Ronny. Jerry Buss knows that the future of the franchise is in locking up the players to keep the team together, luxury tax be damned. Look for the birth of the next Lakers dyanasty.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | April 22, 2008 at 04:04 PM
Xodus - the key phrase on your take on Lamar Odom was "if he can consistently hit the 15-20 footer".
Being able to hit outside shots and using his right hand. Those have been the two biggest factors keeping L.O. from being very good to being great.
It might be time to accept that he's not going to improve those areas, so that we can appreciate him for the player that he is today. But, I will be pleasantly surprised if he adds those facets to his game after all these seasons. It's just a matter of putting in the work.
But like I said, even without that, he's a damn fine player.
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | April 22, 2008 at 04:06 PM
POST FROM A WHINER:
First of all, he insulted me. All I asked was a simple question. I guess your not one to defend your post or honor?
Secondly, I did not find it funny. That's a matter of opinion. Personally, I am now suspect of your comedic interpretation.
Thirdly, on this emoticon-less blog, it is hard to tell what tone I am typing in. So if you actually need colors, blush-toons, clown faces and front faced Pac Man type instant messages; here you go:
:)
:(
:P
:-)
:-(
Posted by: Charles | April 22, 2008 at 03:09 PM
I think Charles is a closet Celtic fan or a mamma's boy who can't take the heat.. ACTUALLY REMINDS ME OF NON OTHER THAN ONE AND ONLY Danny Ainge, the WHINER..
Kapish!
The Mob Boss
Posted by: The Mob Boss | April 22, 2008 at 04:09 PM
Jams,
You made some interesting arguments about the competency of the Lakers medical staff. When one smells something fishy, there is probably something rotten going on.
I wonder how long my man, Mbenga, is going to be out. Again, they say "day to day". (LO)
Posted by: Robyn | April 22, 2008 at 04:09 PM
BD,
I hope you are right, but it's highly unlikely. Bynum is most likely done for the year.
Posted by: zen | April 22, 2008 at 04:11 PM
Fairweather Fatty,
Have you noticed among the coaches, PJ does not want to get wired or wear a microphone when coaching? Instead, he will volunteer to be interviewed by Craig or Ms. Tafoya, whether what he is answering is right or wrong, it is anybody's guess. That's where Zen power comes from, a great deal of secrecy and discipline. He does not want to reveal his trend of thoughts in coaching.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 22, 2008 at 04:12 PM
WILL THE EAST MEDIA STEAL KOBE’S MVP?
I felt a chill go down my spine when I saw that KG had won the Defensive Player of the Year. Unless they suddenly changed the rules for the award to require the recipient be from an elite team, the selection of KG smacks of more east coast media bias, which has to make you apprehensive that the same result may occur in the MVP vote. I don’t know the geographic breakdown of the journalists who vote for the MVP is but I would bet that there is a heavy weight to the east coast. Hopefully, Kobe won’t be robbed but we should all be ready because something in the air is beginning to smell.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | April 22, 2008 at 04:12 PM