Hey, anyone know where one could watch today's USA vs Turkey game? Damn work made me miss it. Who do my employers think they are...

-bozz-

LTLF and LakerTom,

I think the Gasol deal coupled with the Ariza deal basically signaled the end of the Lamar Odom era here in LA.

My guess is at the end of the year, Bynum gets the max, Ariza gets something around the mid-level and Lamar walks to another team. We're still in the luxury tax but a front court of Gasol, Bynum, and Ariza is still pretty damn good and the only other thing we would need to do is find a solution to the PG problem (I don't Farmar as a long term starter...sorry).

Wake up, all you Artest fans! Ron-Ron's already at it with his new team mates:

One of Artest's potential new teammates isn't getting off on the right foot with the forward, according to the Houston Chronicle and Sacramento Bee. Rockets center Yao Ming commented:. "Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands."

"I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto," Artest told the Bee. "That's not going to change."

http://tinyurl.com/5ly4ha

Ron-Ron may have basketball skills, but he seems more ready to use his "skillz" to disrupt the Rockets' chemistry.
The Lakers have definitely dodged a bullet. I'm thanking the Maloofs for not sending him our way.

You Fakers see what I mean? One minute Arest is the savior, not he's a bum.

What a bunch of Fakers.

Fakers I say!

hahhahaahahahahh

AK/BK

Just wanted to let you guys know that I haven't experienced any problems with the site. I'm a FireFox user, so it may be a problem experience only with Explorer (which seems to be the case a lot, and that's why I never use it). That doesn't mean you guys shouldn't get it figured out, but at least people should know they're better off using FireFox instead of that junk Explorer.

Xodus,

I'm also a Firefox guy and also encounter no problems. Maybe that's the key, or at least a more ideal browser.

AK

Such A Deal:

http://www.hoopsworld.com/
Story.asp?story_id=9641

Sonnybelfast

And LGC's, give credit where credit is due. Paul Pierce DID NOT shut down Kobe. YOUR WHOLE ENTIRE TEAM DID! It wasn't one of y'all...not even 2. It was ALL OF YALL!

And you know I ain't lyin!

AK and or BK

I really have to admit that this new system you installed has caused a substantial delay in downloading the Lakers Blog. As I can tell, and have read from other participants, I am not the only one who goes through this. What we had was just fine, now it is only causing problems just to come into this site. Can you just eliminate that whole new system. (Please refer to all comments posted regarding this issue.)
RESPONSE IS APPRECIATED
Mike Ruiz

Firefox is working fine for me as well

I’m having the same problem using Internet Explorer to access the Lakers blog main page as well. However I do not have any problems accessing the comments on any particular thread. The issue seems to be related to the new Digg.com links now associated with the main web-page since that is when the problem first began and they are not in the comments sections all of which load normally.

However Apple’s Safari is working fine. And I would use it as my new default web-browser were it not for the fact that it must be having cookie issues with communicating with different servers. Since Safari keeps losing my logon status with other discussion forums I’m subscribed to. Forcing me to have to repeatedly logon after a short period of inactivity.

Pig Miller,

What abuses?

~~after those nuisance bots, we have now freezing cursor, i.e. equivalent of infringing one's freedom to navigate and make choices.

We don't have these problems before, eversince the digg.com has been incorporated with the blog we encountered some problem when using internet explorer.

Again, the abuse there refer to one's freedom to navigate and make its own choices. Anyway, just like LA Times if they continue insisting their ways since it's their own domain we can stop subscribing from their paper which I about a year ago.

I was thinking about the contracts that have been dished out to some of the bigs this summer and I think it's interesting.

In my opinion Bynum is worth more than Biedrins who is worth more than Okafor who is worth more than Bogut. But these guys are getting paid inversely to what I perceive to be their relative worth. Bogut got a 5 year contract worth somewhere between 12 and 14 million a year, depending on which incentives he reaches. Okafor got a 6 year deal for 12 million a year. Biedrins got a 6 year deal for 10.5 million per year.

So this makes me curious as to what Bynum will command. He's the youngest of them all, and already the most effective. But he's the biggest risk with his injury and he has yet to put together a full season of excellent play.

I agreed with LakerTom that $65 million for 5 years would be fair, but the way the market has shaken out for Bogut, Biedrins and Okafor, it's hard to judge exactly what will happen. While we can assume Bynum's going to command somewhere between $10-15 million per season, I can't say at which end of that spectrum he will fall, and that can make a huge difference in what kind of team we can put together in the future.

puddle...

I dont see why Bynum would sign for that kind of money when potentially in even a year he could pushhis way into a lot more.it would be a very conservative decision if he really backs himself to be good.In a year maybe two if hes an allstar player thats three seasons on Bogut type money.

If he just wants to lock up some millions fair enough...but he needs to play another season.

If he WAS to accept such an offer at this point we should get worried basically...either hes not that fit or doesnt believe hes going to be that good...look at okafor,Deng etc who refused to take those deals and prefered to try to play their way into more.Thats self belief

correction:

Interim solution for MSIE -- add "digg.com" to restricted sites via Tools/Internet Options/SecurityRestricted Sites. Make sure security settings for "restricted sites" are set to default or high.

charles

yup pinoy. going for business.

Sorry,

colluding is kind of a big word for a little brain like yours. It means Cheating.

Kiwi -

Sure, that's self belief. Or it's stupidity. Okafor is lucky to have gotten the deal he did, I think. Deng still doesn't have a deal in place and Ben Gordon may have been the dumbest of them all, turning down $10 million only to be left with no suitors.

I don't think Bynum is stupid. What you said about Bynum applied to these other guys who signed extensions as well. They could have waited and seen what they could command in the open market. But they didn't.

Tthe reason I think Bynum wants an extension is the same reason ANYONE wants an extension: security. Nobody knows what can happen this year or next. This is guaranteed money, which is especially important when you are a guy coming off a knee injury, one that has a relatively high probability of happening again (as was explained at the time of the original injury). If he reinjures that knee this next year, he's knocks his value in half. It's all a risk assessment. For a guy like Bynum - high risk - an extension seems the way to go. I don't think it has anything to do with self-confidence.

Kiwi,
"I dont see why Bynum would sign for that kind of money when potentially in even a year he could pushhis way into a lot more"

Easy - injury history.

Kiwi wrote:

>>Actually the pistions beat the bulls 3 straight times before the bulls broke through when Jordan was about Kobe's age now...

>>and what was Jordan doing while Kobe was winning 3 straight titles...he wasnt even in the NBA ...then he endured years of first round losses etc

>>Id never say Kobe is as good as Jordan...hes not...or at least he hasnt proved it yet

>>BUT

>>dumb argument basically...Kobe is learning how to win being the top dog and hes doing fine.I think tis fair to say the lakers have progressed?

>>...and I dont see your heroes Garnett,Pierce and company being all that Jordanesque either...took them a while no?

>>Im wondering what the 'C' stands for?

And again I would add that Jordan never played against zone defenses. Therefore the spacing and gaps on the floor were greater when he played.

The sort of defense Boston used in the finals against Kobe, as good as it was, and my compliments to Tom Thibodeau, still would have been illegal in Michael Jordan’s time.

So there is no definitive proof Jordan would not have had just as much trouble if not more, finding proper spacing and getting good looks at the basket than Kobe did under the same circumstances.

Fatty/Rick Friedman,

I read those Ron Ron Bill Ron Artest quotes and giggled like a mischevious child.

Oh, dude, the Rockets are going to implode this year. That guy is poison. I'm surprised he was able to contain himself in Sacramento as he did.

Not going to happen in Houston. Too many bad influences. Too many distractions for Ron Ron Bill Ron.

I find it kind of disturbing that Ron Ron Bill Ron feels that being "ghetto" represents true African-American culture, that somehow being "ghetto" makes a person more real as a human being.

I think it's the exact opposite. The genius of Jazz represents the true spirit of African-American culture, not the dysfunction of being ghetto.

GO LAKERS!

Jon K -

When I read those Artest quotations, I laughed as well. I mean, I guess it's possible to get started off on a worse foot, but not too much worse than two of your big stars already butting heads. Yikes.

Artest equating black culture with being a thug is horribly racist against his own race, and he doesn't even realize it. I love Artest the player. I actually think he's got a nice guy in there somewhere. But it's all behind this veil of insanity that he just can't seem to take off. Just when you think he might turn things around with a fresh start, he proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Good luck, Adelman. You're going to need it.

Fatty/Rick Friedman,

You know what's weird? In Ron Ron Bill Ron Artest's comments, he doesn't express any regret for his actions during the riot in Detroit.

What a moron. The guy should never have been let back in the NBA.

Remember during that brawl when he blindly rushed into the crowd? Who did he first attack? Some thin guy with glasses who had nothing to do with the drink throwing.

The guy has the emotional maturity of a spoiled child with ADHD.

GO LAKERS!

ANDREW Z

I believe you are right. We going to keep GASOL, and cant let BYNUM go so LAMAR ODOM is the odd man out. We can't come close in keeping all 4 players. So i do believe that we are seing Lamar Odoms last year. I just dont see how we can keep all 4 guys beyond this year.

C Andrew Bynum / Mihm
PF Pau Gasol / Vlad Rad
SF Trevor Ariza / Luke
SG Kobe Bryant / Vujacic
PG Derek Fisher / Farmar

If We had to go in that direction we have and excellent starting 5 with Farmar and Vujacic being key reserves .

I am om the believe that we should trade him if we cant keep him. I like LAMAR specially as a 4th option he is awesome . As a second option he needed to improve. So i hope he is willing to take a pay cut , but even if so the numbers still dont work.

We were used to 1. KOBE and 2. LAMAR
We would have 1. KOBE , 2 GASOL, 3. BYNYM as our Big 3 .

Andrew Z,

>>>My guess is at the end of the year, Bynum gets the
>>>max, Ariza gets something around the mid-level and
>>>Lamar walks to another team.

Fair enough. Assuming Ariza lives up to the hype.

>>>and the only other thing we would need to do is find
>>>a solution to the PG problem (I don't Farmar as a long
>>>term starter...sorry).

You're entitled to that opinion. From what he's shown so far,
I'd have to agree with you, but PG's always take a couple of
years to mature in the NBA, so he still could step it up to
that level.

So here's the thing I'm curious about...

If you see PG as a problem area, then why just let Lamar
walk away for nothing. Why not try to trade Lamar for
a PG with more promise at a starter, but who makes less
money (or who is still on their rookie contract so they'd be
cheap for several years)?

You want some examples?

Odom and Farmar to Charlotte for Gerald Wallace and
DJ Augustin.

Odom to Chicago for Hinrich and either Drew Gooden or
Tyrus Thomas.

Odom and Farmar to Detroit for Chauncey Billups and Amir Johnson

Odom to Indiana for Jamaal Tinsley and Jeff Foster

Odom to Portland for Raef LaFrentz and either Rudy Fernandez,
Jerryd Bayless, or Nicholas Batum

Odom to Oklahoma City for Chris Wilcox and either Luke Ridnour
or Earl Watson

or the ever popular...

Lamar to Memphis for Javaris Crittenton and Marc Gasol.
Backup center, point guard of the future, and instant cap
space all in one deal.