Aloha, Mr. Hand

Cool link to one of the great performances on film. Hail, Jeff Spicoli!

This means that Kobe Bryant is awesome and would shoot 100% on open shots if his right pinkie finger was healthy.

Let's Go L!:

Hey dude, you okay son.

Question for you: You like to rail on PP's alledged injury problem, how about your Starlet's ALLEDGED pinky problem which was in dire need for "immediate" surgury?

What happened?

Kobe's pinky looks fine to me when the dude's jacking up 3s after 3s clanking the majority of them

ahahahhhahahhahaah

Also, my guy has real streat "cred" whilst your guy's a faker who pretend so be hard.

ahahaahahahahaah

You still okay thou.

"Anything's possible!" KG

LTLF: If Paul Pierce were there, he'd insist on taking every shot
and team USA would finish 6th, like the last time he led the
team.

Wha What!?

PP take every shot son? Have you seen the boxscore from Team Kobe? Kobe jacking up shot like mad on a pinky finger which was almost falling off during the regular season.

Falling off my buttox.

The rouse worked because enough writers were dupped into voting for Mr. Selfish.

Kudos JD Hastings for finding this.

And thanks AK for making a thread about it.

This is awesomely random and still directly related to Lakers talk.

Good Evening Family!

Just a thought:

Does the article comment on if the person shooting the ball can tell if they're shooting with their non-dominant hand? What about people who are ambidextrous?

Hope everyone's having a fantastic day!

Ah, Phoebe Cates!!

Sorry to be slightly off topic. But did ya'll see the Sun Yeu performance? I am very worried and against our spending ANY money on that guy. He plays scared. He bricked a ton and showed no great moves or potential.

Is it true? Are we really stuck with him? It is true that even Yao looked bad against our team (who wasn't even playing their best), but I truly failed to see the potential in him. It has made me pessimistic and bummed about next year.

GOoooooo LAKERS!!!

Playin scared?

What were you doing at 22 years old?

yall want to see playin' scared? Go check out Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals at or about 3:35 left in the 3rd quarter and the Lakers up by 24 points.

Now that was playin scared.

I have enjoyed that game over and over again.

I guess Mr. "I can get off at anytime" couldn't quite "get off" at that time or Game 6 for that matter.

"C" ya mate!

I'm glad that Kobe is getting the true icon recognition that he deserves out of China. I hope this show of appreciation lasts when he gets back to the States.

I saw a couple of photos of the Chinesse people around Kobe and they look so happy. It just goes to show you that they really appreciate Kobe based on his talent alone. The guy is an amazing basketball player and China knows it.

LeBron James is nowhere near Kobe even though the United States media tries to make it out as if though LeBron is in Kobe's league. No way!

mike t.

Let's go C's

You do realize that the Celtic's championship hasn't made you smarter or more attractive or faster or stronger, don't you? Unfortunately, it does seem to have unleashed your inner jerk. Does your own happiness completely depend on the unhappiness of others? Have you no pride in your own accomplishments? Seriously, your posts are little more than the taunts of an undersized third grade bully wanna be.

Free throw shooting

From the New Scientist article, it's difficult to determine whether the "pinkie" response is universal. Would the results be the same if the players were watching Shawn Marion or Shaq shooting free throws or anyone else for that matter who has a poor or unusual free throw shooting technique? Did the predictions of the professional players improve after viewing the player's free throw shooting technique a few times or was it constant? Did the players make predictions for a single player shooting free throws or did they view multiple players?

In Los Angeles,there are fewer people than there are automobiles...

newscientist isn't even that hardcore. It's more like scientific american, but more open-minded so you'll hear about some cutting edge types of things that go nowhere or that aren't studied well enough to appear in a publication that follows the scientific mainstream like scientific american.

Scientific American is significantly dumbed down compared to actual journals like Science, Nature, Cell, etc.

You could probably look up a few terms and Newscientist would be fairly comprehensible. Our scientific education is bad, but not that bad. Just remember that there are rules and principles that have to be memorized because they're not intuitively logical and you're fine. Like math (and poker which I know interests you), you build on simpler principles to understand more complex ones.

Keep in mind New Scientist is sort of like Omni meets Scientific American. It's far more speculative (by design) so things you may read about may involve more radical theories that are likely to be disproven or that are not really capable of being proven.

My life is changed forever.

"I'm glad that Kobe is getting the true icon recognition that he deserves out of China. I hope this show of appreciation lasts when he gets back to the States.

I saw a couple of photos of the Chinesse people around Kobe and they look so happy. It just goes to show you that they really appreciate Kobe based on his talent alone. The guy is an amazing basketball player and China knows it.

LeBron James is nowhere near Kobe even though the United States media tries to make it out as if though LeBron is in Kobe's league. No way!

mike t."

This is the most coherent post and logical thought process I have ever seen from Mike Teniente. I hope it continues.

Science News has a slightly different take on the "pinkie" article.

http://tinyurl.com/5w67pr

"Players picked up on subtle differences in the angle of the legs, wrist and hand and replayed the shot in their own muscles and brains, anticipating the outcome long before the ball reached the rim. If the shot was destined to be out, the players’ hand muscles showed more activity than for good shots."

I've heard the hype about the Euro game being more physical and I didn't believe it. In 2006, it wasn't that hardcore.

In the Olympics, it's been REALLY physical. The fact you can't get a foul off of the ball basically wrestling the guy you're guarding to the ground makes for seriously physical play.

I'm glad it's that way because Pau is going to have to get used to it. Every team in the league is going to try to exploit him that way and to be successful he's going to have to adjust.

It's also nice to see Kobe making positive contributions even when he isn't shooting well (and boy was he not shooting well versus China--he only made one jumpshot out of 9, the other 5 shots he made were dunks). He's getting the most playing time and I think the team looks best with him on the floor.

"This is the most coherent post and logical thought process I have ever seen from Mike Teniente."

It's kind of like giving a horse a piece of sugar and petting him on his head. The horse thinks: I like it! I like it!

mike t.

Benjamin,

You're so right about Pau. I can't wait to see Kobe's Team USA vs Pau's Spain. I'd like to see Team USA get really physical with Pau (obviously not to the point of injury) to give him a huge wake-up call. Pau was so nonchalant to all the reporters' questions after games where he didn't deliver, it made me wonder if he had any awareness at all about his softness.

Gasol looks more like Big Bird in a Sesame Street episode than he does a professional athlete. Sure, he's got great skills and means a lot to the Lakers. But think how awesome he could become if he bulks up a little and plays a little meaner.

Pau never delivered on his promise in Memphis, and it wasn't just because of his lack luster team mates. Last season, Lamar consistently delivered close to a triple double at the 4. Pau is going to have to become much more aggressive, especially on Defense, if he's going to be as effective as the Lakers need him to be.

"Gasol looks more like Big Bird in a Sesame Street episode than he does a professional athlete. Sure, he's got great skills and means a lot to the Lakers. But think how awesome he could become if he bulks up a little and plays a little meaner."

If he were to bulk up he would be clumbsy. He's slow footed as it is, just think how slow he would be with more meat. His body type is made for bulking up and being more effective. His foot speed would just cause him to be burned over and over.

Gasol can't do anything about being soft because it's his body type. If he bulked up he would even lose some of his scoring ability.

mike t.

Sean Penn rules! He actually went inside Iran a couple of years ago and wrote a series of articles about it for the SF Gate. Interesting stuff:

http://tinyurl.com/e2yjm

I forgot about Kobe's pinky. If he's out at the beginning of the year, maybe Coby Karl does make the team just to fill some minutes until Kobe can play full time again.

Are the Olympics on? This is ridiculous! How little action can they get away with showing in between the commercials and the rambling announcers trying to get face time? WHO CARES! Show some SPORTS for Godsake!

I should have known better.

I rescind my previous statement.

JohnnyP,

>>>>>Sorry to be slightly off topic. But did ya'll see the Sun Yue performance?
>>>>>I am very worried and against our spending ANY money on that guy.
>>>>>He plays scared. He bricked a ton and showed no great moves or potential.

>>>>>Is it true? Are we really stuck with him? It is true that even Yao looked bad
>>>>>against our team (who wasn't even playing their best), but I truly failed to see
>>>>>the potential in him. It has made me pessimistic and bummed about next year.

I don’t know what game you were watching in your parallel universe, Johnny, but Sun Yue looked like a genuine steal as a second round draft pick. How many 22-year old kids who have never played against real NBA players would have played with as much confidence when matched up against the NBA’s acknowledged most talented player and recent MVP?

I think Sun Yue showed great ball handling and passing ability, a pretty good stroke, and the ability to take care of the ball under great duress (only 1 turnover). And the kid may be raw but he again showed some excellent shot blocking instincts. It’s obviously too soon to predict how he will do but it is easy to see that the Lakers like the all-around game that Sun has as well as the tantalizing prospect of having a 6-9 guy who can really play the point in the Triangle.

As for Yao, give the guy a break. He is obviously not 100% and nowhere near in shape but burying that 3-pointer and blocking Kobe’s shot, Yao inspired his undermanned Chinese team and gave his fans a lot to cheer about. Yao has proven to be one of the truly classy men and good sports in the NBA. China may not be a breeding ground for the most athletic superstar players yet, but you obviously don’t even see how far they have come or how good Yao is and Sun Yue may become. Anyway, that’s just my take on your unbelievable post.

You were probably also one of those who thought Bynum was a bust and Kwame the prince. LOL.

Tom

A LITTLE LESSON IN LAKERS HISTORY…

Back when most of the relentlessly harsh critics of this Lakers team were either not yet born or in diapers, or grade school, there was another NBA Finals where a physical Celtics team outmuscled a more finesse Lakers team. That was the 1984 NBA Finals when Kevin McHale’s cheap-shot clotheslining of Kurt Rambis in Game 4 turned the series around.

Even back in 1984, well before headline-hunting Sports Center had diluted sports journalism, the rallying cry of the sports media was that the Lakers were “too soft” to beat the Celtics, not tough enough to fight it out in the trenches and play the kind of half court basketball it takes to win the NBA Championship. Now if that doesn’t sound familiar, you really need help.

But what you need to remember is that the very next year and three of the next four years, it would be the Lakers that would win the championship, taking the title from the Celtics in 1985 and 1987 and from the Pistons in 1988. Boston meanwhile, won 1 championship in 1986, when they beat the Rockets in their last gasp before 21 straight years of losing and mediocrity.

In an ironic note for all of you haters who have once again turned on Mitch Kupchak, one of the reasons that the Lakers were able to come back in 1985 and earn their revenge on the Celtics was the Pat Riley designated Kupchak as the team’s enforcer who set a very physical tone for the Lakers. For those who never saw him play, Kupchak was one of the toughest and most talented front court players in the league before his injury.

Andrew Bynum will take care of any problems the Lakers have as far as being tough. He will prove to be exactly what the team needs to be physically dominant on offense, defense, and the boards. He is the reason that Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupchak, and Phil Jackson aren’t worried about the Lakers being “too soft.” When we beat the Celtics soundly next year, there will be a lot fewer trolls or defensive geniuses to scroll by. And that is something you can count on.

Tom

May and Walsh are smoking the Cubans right now.

Mike T,

C'mon. You know I'm not saying Pau should bulk up like Shaq. Good grief! A personal trainer who is a strength and conditioning coach could do wonders to make Pau not only more proportionate, but faster afoot. My beef with Gasol is, he thinks he's so talented (well, he is) that he doesn't have to do the work to become more athletic (he does).

Let's go C's!,

Life is great as a Laker fan. Life is great .......feeling fine indeed!

KB24's decision to postpone surgery had a lot to do with his COMMITMENT to Team USA. In this case, his desire to play through his CONFIRMED injury tells me that he is unselfish and willing to sacrafice for his country and fellow NBA players on the team. Think about it? Most players would have had surgery right away and make a million excuses not to play at all and OWN up to their WORD. It's a heck of a lot better than "street cred!" KB24 will have it done after the games if you are wondering . That's what I call a TEAM player!

BTW, your reference about KB24 "getting off at any time" argument used many times in your posts brings this to mind: He can pretty much say what he wants simply because he can back it up at ANY time. He has won MANY times. Therefore, why not? If for some reason he can't do it at that time, then tomorrow! If not tomorrow, then the next day! next month! next year! Why not be cocky! Why worry about what people think, especially those who criticize him? He's most likely laughing at all of them for their GENUINE interest and CONCERN for his overall WELL BEING. Whatever! For the attention he gets, why not love "hate" as well? Life goes on homey. Critics will be critics. Kobe keeps getting richer and richer.....After all, he once scored 81 points in a game (second most points scored in a game in NBA HISTORY)! You might throw in 3 rings and league MVP as well for clarification.

Speaking of injury and commitment earlier, PP REALLY should have his knee throughly checked before the season starts. If he truly hurt it (his actions are somewhat of a mixed signal variety), then what's the hold up on his end? After all, he is doing NADA this summer (I can think of a commitment he could have made a couple of years ago, but might have been too afraid to do so. A star can't be afraid to FAIL on the WORLD stage. There's always the 2012 team he can commit to. To save face, he might want to consider it). He can't continue to rely on prescribed pain killers or cortizone shots that he most likely took during the Finals to alleviate the pain (KB24 most likely as well for his pinkie for months priot to Finals). A knee injury is one heck of a thing to have! I wouldn't be surprised if he damaged it more during the Finals playing the role of hero (which I admit, he did well). However, it is time to face the knife and defend the title with no glitches! Thanks to modern medicine, he looked rather fine, too fine which made me wonder. Hmmm..... If his knee is not seriously checked and scoped out soon, nasty scar tissue could develop (part of the process of healing) that will prove to be chronic during the upcoming season (probably already has anyway). For sure, his wheelchair would be put to REAL use this time around.

The Celtics organization can't ill afford to continue to celebrate their title and mess around with their most prized athlete of 10+ years who has had both limited success (until this past year ONLY) and a whole lot of failure. He can't play on one leg forever. Likewise, one cant' shoot quality perimeter shots on 4 fingers (try it sometime if you are skeptical by taping the last two fingers of your shooting hand TOGETHER). Dont' worry, KB24 will COMMIT to surgery, most likely sacraficing his training camp time with the team. Now, that's a FACT!

On the other hand, PP's COMMITMENT has to go beyond late night partying and Las Vegas streets. The Celtics organization should know better as well. He and the Celtics must do the procedure NOW! He must face the fear of the OUCH!

My dear lad, like I said before, SUCCESS comes down to commitment in one's ENTIRE career based on the body of work they have done. KB24 has been one heck of a player since day ONE! Still going strong.......His achievements as an INDIVIDUAL and TEAM player through the years through good and bad times are proof in the pudding. Need I say more? Feeling fine thank you...

Laker pride through adversity! Do have a nice day and remember to laugh as always. Peace!

P.S.- Poor Butler! Can't seem the understand the "0" concept of his Suns. That is "ZERO" championships to date.

Rick-
Pau does indeed need to work out a bit but like you said he doesn't need to become the incredible hulk. Plus it isn't as serious (though he still needs to bulk) as it seems to be, remember Pau was playing the 5 position which the bulkiest players are supposed to go because Phil did not trust Mbenga or Ronny even playing center. Pau is not a true center, he is a power forward, so basically he was out of position yet with him at center we got to finals. With Drew securing the 5 spot and Mihm (though he should only be backup) Pau will be able to guard guys like KG (who is as skinny as Pau) and Tim Duncan whom Pau made them struggle shooting (he held Duncan to 42.66% shooting).

So Basically Pau does need to gain more muscle but with him at the 4, he shouldn't be required to bulk up as if he was going to play the 5

LOL!

Does anyone know if tomorrow's USA vs. Angola game is going to be delayed again? It says start time at 8amET..would hate to wake up at 5 only to find out it starts at 8 AGAIN!!!!

Rick,

I hear you. But it thinks there's a fine balance between a guys body type and foot speed. For a guy like Gasol another 10 or 15 pounds would slow him down. And he's not fleet footed to begin with. Messing with this guys body is just going to allow players to blow past him.

Pig Miller,

LOL!

mike t.

So what does this say about Kobe Bryant, who canned many a shot from February onward with his littlest shooting finger out of whack? I can't say for sure, considering I'm not even positive I understood the article, but it would stand to reason that such effectiveness means The Mamba and his right pinkie share a relationship that's rock solid simpatico.
--

You got it.

The NewScientist article refers to a study published by Nature Neuroscience -- which you can find abstracted here [ www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn.
2182.html ].

The Nature study simply suggests competitive athletes in a particular sport apparently develop finely-tuned anticipatory 'resonance' mechanisms that better enable them (their brains) to predict the outcomes of related activity compared to non-athletes who lack equivalent anticipatory resonance mechanisms.

To actually see the videos used in the study where athletes correctly predicted makes & misses 70% of the time vs. < 40% by non-athletes -- check this review at Science News of the the same [ www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35043/title/
Never_bet_against_a_pro ].

I got this from John Ireland's blog over on KCAL 9's web site:

"As I blogged about earlier, the Celtics weren't only the better team--they deserved to win. Boston began the season by acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. They kept Paul Pierce. Then coach Doc Rivers had a meeting that set the tone for their championship season.

"I told all three that if we wanted to win the title," Rivers said, "that we had to be a great defensive team. Not a good defensive team, but a great one."

The "big three" bought into that, and the rest is, well, history.

The Lakers now need to steal that playbook. As Kobe Bryant said after that embarrassing game six blowout, LA can't win the title by focusing on offense. The Lakers have to focus on defense and rebounding, or they won't even make it this far next year."
___________________________________________

It seems Kobe is saying that the focus of the team next year will be defense. That kind of throws that 120 pt. theory out of the window. The Lakers, if they play defensive philosophy basketball, will only score around 106 pts per game. And that's pushing it. That's still too much for a defensive team.

Kobe knows that if they don't switch over to a defensive philosophy they won't even get out of the Western Confernce next season. And if they don't get out of the Western Confernce it's bye-bye Kobe. You can bet on that.

mike t.

Let's Go L's,

I get happy every time I see your post. It looks a little like that other let's go guy, but then scanning your words I find a much better sentiment.

As for PP, he is too afraid of needles to have gotten a cortisone shot. He said he didn't get one in the Finals series and that was the reason.

I can think of another word that starts with P.

Let's go C's

You do realize that the Celtic's championship hasn't made you smarter or more attractive or faster or stronger, don't you? Unfortunately, it does seem to have unleashed your inner jerk. Does your own happiness completely depend on the unhappiness of others? Have you no pride in your own accomplishments? Seriously, your posts are little more than the taunts of an undersized third grade bully wanna be.

Posted by: giantsquid | August 11, 2008 at 06:44 PM

Don't get excited. This troll isn't even a Celtics fan, her original handle was "KL" and she got kicked off the board a year ago because her posts were even more ridiculous and grammar-challenged, if you can imagine that. As KL (or Butler...or Let's Go C's...or whatever she is calling herself now) would say herself, this is all an elaborate rouse. (BTW, KL - the word you were looking for is "ruse". It really is amazing for someone who apparently lives on the internet that you were too lazy to look up your big-city 50 cent word before you made an ass out of yourself. Again.)

I know this is off-topic, but in previous posts, the question of Sun Yue's grasp of the English language was brought up....look up in you-tube...sun yue..."sunyue @ dallas with chinese national team", in this inteview clip, I would say that his English is definitely better than some of the bloggers we have polluting this forum with his spew of crap stew....(LGC)...how does it feel, LGC, that a 22 year old Chinese national is more proficient and apparently more intelligent than you. LGC, "Let's Go Chinese"!!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad that Kobe is getting the true icon recognition that he deserves out of China. I hope
this show of appreciation lasts when he gets back to the States. I saw a couple of photos
of the Chinesse people around Kobe and they look so happy. It just goes to show you that
they really appreciate Kobe based on his talent alone. The guy is an amazing basketball player
and China knows it. Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | August 11, 2008 at 06:41 PM

At a risk at being politically incorrect: A BILLION CHINESSE CAN'T BE WONG. LOL!

LakerTom,

You wrote: Andrew Bynum will take care of any problems the Lakers have as far as being tough. He will prove to be exactly what the team needs to be physically dominant on offense, defense, and the boards. He is the reason that Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupchak, and Phil Jackson aren’t worried about the Lakers being “too soft.” When we beat the Celtics soundly next year, there will be a lot fewer trolls or defensive geniuses to scroll by. And that is something you can count on.

So you're saying that one person will cover all of the
team's defensive weaknesses? To make sure I'm clear:
You're saying that Bynum at Center, will address the
defensive liabilities of Vlade, Luke, & Odom at the 2?
He's going to address the perimeter game because Jordan
is a bit small? Is he going to fix the rotation issue too?
He's going to play the full 48 mins and never come out
for a break? He's not going to ever be injured again?

I'm asking, because I thought we saw something similar
in Kobe 3 years ago and we were unsuccessful. I
thought that basketball was a TEAM game as opposed
to 1 guy doing everything?

I'd like to think that I'm not a troll. I certainly don't claim to
be a defensive genius. I have been playing multiple
sports and studying martial arts for a "long" time. I'm also
reasonably intelligent and I try to listen to those who have
more experience.

Those who have more experience than anyone on this
blog said: "The Boston Celtics were the better defensive
team. They played more physical defense."

I hope you're right because first and foremost I want the
Lakers to win. I think you've been smoking something
*really* interesting and I'm disappointed in you for not
sharing! The desire of my heart is that the Lakers make
a trade and pick up a defensively minded person,
because I don't think it's something that can be taught.
It has to be caught. I think that Kobe is so far beyond
the rest of the team that they look at him and say I can't
do what he does. With the offensive firepower on this
team, I care less about Lamar's versatility and more
about a defensive presence like Bruce Bowen. Offensive
versatility means nothing when the bully knocks you on
your butt and steals your lunch money.

Go Lakers!
Go Kobe!

ps. Just as I said I was wrong about Mitch, I'll be happy to
tell you I was wrong about your thoughts on Bynum. I
hope Mitch has another deal up his sleave though ...

Laker Tom:"In an ironic note for all of you haters who have once again turned on Mitch Kupchak,
one of the reasons that the Lakers were able to come back in 1985 and earn their revenge on the
Celtics was the Pat Riley designated Kupchak as the team’s enforcer who set a very physical tone
for the Lakers. For those who never saw him play, Kupchak was one of the toughest and most
talented front court players in the league before his injury."

You hit the nail on the head as usual Laker Tom. In fact I believe this season will be a season of
Legend. As the entire team are now battle hardened vets. Add to that Kobe and Arriza will be at
full strength and dedicated to defense and Bynum as you so eloquently say will pick up the
defensive slack and I can well see a team that dare I say sweep the playoffs.
Larry(Mamba24)

Team USA just coasted to victory. It was nothing special. We won by like 20, looking like we didn't even really put forth much effort in doing so.

What caught my eye this morning was a short interview with Candace Parker. Now, I'm used to these women basketball players. There's Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Taurasi, etc. And there's one thing that these women have in common; these are not the best looking women in the world.

Candace Parker is fine and she can ball.

I'll tell you what, if women's basketball can get itself some more ladies as good and as fine as Candace Parker is, the WNBA might have something special.

Guys do not want to pay to see ladies that look like Vanessa Lobo.

Go Lakers!

It's Rebecca Lobo, not Vanessa. haha!

wow. Kobe's 3-point shooting has been brutal in the first two games.
He needs to step it up against the better teams.

Mamba24,

Exactly how talented was Mr. Kupchak? You said one
of the most talented front court to play the game so ...

How does he compare to Wilt, Kareem, Dr. J, Oscar,
KG, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone etc. etc. etc.

BTW, I don't think anyone has turned on Kupchak.
Compare this to last year when others, including
myself, wanted him to be fired. Have you heard me
say anything about Mitch? Other than I hope he makes
a deal?

Rocky:"Candace Parker is fine and she can ball. "
Amen! Don't forget Candice Dupree of the Chicago Sky
and Kara Lawrence.

HobbitMage:"So you're saying that one person will cover all of the team's defensive weaknesses? To make sure I'm clear:You're saying that Bynum at Center, will address the defensive liabilities of Vlade, Luke, & Odom at the 2?He's going to address the perimeter game because Jordan is a bit small? Is he going to fix the rotation issue too? He's going to play the full 48 mins and never come out for a break? He's not going to ever be injured again?"
DAMN! And I was feeling so cocky.

LeBron James is nowhere near Kobe even though the United States media tries to make it out
as if though LeBron is in Kobe's league. No way! mike t."

This is the most coherent post and logical thought process I have ever seen from
Mike Teniente. I hope it continues. Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 11, 2008 at 07:06 PM

STOP THAT!. MiKE T. has had some wonderful posts about Kwames magnificent calves.! LOL!

Has anyone read this, Pargo and Mourning to the Lakers a real possibility?

http://thelakersnation.com/blog/2008/08/11/nation-
discussion-mourning-and-pargo-to-los-angeles/#more-4302

Hobbitmage:"Mamba24,Exactly how talented was Mr. Kupchak? You said one of the most talented front court to play the game so ... "

You got me all wrong brother. I was just commenting on a comment. Check back.

http://thelakersnation.com/blog/2008/08/11/dr-z-
blogs-on-bynum/

Thought you might like to see this.

Mr. L:

My comment on "KB24" alledged unselfishness: Faking it.

There is not "injury" at all besides Mr. Selfish not living up to his self-proclaimed "next Jordan" identity.

Anybody remember Mr. KB8 making the reference back in 1998 "there are only 2 guys in this league"? Who do you think Mr. "I can get off at anytime and I did" was referring to.

hahahahahahaah

Speaking of "commitment", your dudette was more concerned about his own image than winning. Isn't that why the championship Lakers of the early 2000s were broken up and Shack shipped to Miami (where he won ANOTHER championship)?

Ouch, that one must hurt. It hurts so bad, the blog controllers won't let me repeat what Shack said about the Starlet in the TMZ rap-scandal.

Oh, on PP. Finals MVPs. Need I say more?

You boi has none. Only the rings that Big Bro Shack gave to Mr. "I".

Good to be a C's fan.

ahhahhaahah

If Mourning and Pargo are en route, that would be sweet.

I think what we have here is someone taking a walk down to the Gabby River and going on a tour of the Rumor Mill. Yes, the Rumor Mill where rumors are shaped and shipped out to sports blogs and magazines everywhere. I seen some rumors, 15, 20 feet long.

But seriously, Why sign Sun Yue AND Pargo? Now we're overloaded at PG and SG. Unless it's for practice purposes, or just to keep the fire under Jordan's tuckus lit. Maybe management didn't take a Middle-Eastern excursion so well. Perhaps they are thinking that Jordan could stand to shoot a few jump shots a day and work on defensive slides. If we hadn't signed Sun Yue, then I would applaud this (potential) move. But what team needs four PGs?

Now Zo...that would be a coup. You want toughness? Even if he doesn't play, he'll get in guys faces and tell them that if they don't knock somebody down in the 1st quarter that he'll eat their car. That's right. Zo doesn't take nothing from nobody. He'd kick a puppy if it looked at him funny.

Alright, maybe not that last part. But he wouldn't even have to play much, just his pressence would be enough. Strange rumor, I'd just as soon give the entire financial figure to Zo if it meant he'd sign. Farmar is defintely more clutch than Pargo and they are both suspect on defense. As passers they both rate a B-, nothing spectacular, not even very fundamentally sound, but they don't make sloppy mistakes.

Also...
Mitch Kupchack was heralded as a great talent in the NBA, then he BLEW out his knee, multiple surgeries, rehabbed for about two years, and made a short comeback during showtime. Shaun Livngston should share a fireside chat with Mitch about long rehabs and coming back with positive energy and focus. That's all you can do when you come back from a major injury, just try hard and stay positive.

GO LAKERS!!!!!

Y'all are missin' the obvious BIG question:
why didn't Sean Penn do more comedy?

besides marrying Madonna...

giantsquid,

"This is the most coherent post and logical thought process I have ever seen from Mike Teniente. I hope it continues.

Don't count on it.

As for Pau Gasol being slow footed, that's complete BS. The dude has great, quick foot work for a seven footer, it's one of his biggest strengths. I don't think getting a bit bigger and stronger would change that much.

Have you all been watching Pao as a power forward for Spain? He's got a much better shot around the basket than he showed with the Lakers. He's so much better facing up, getting 27 points in their win over China. With Bynum in the middle, Gasol is going to get a lot of open looks and if you come and get him, he can dump it back into Bynum. This is going to be scary.

Completely off-topic, but the more I see of the US team, the less I understand why there's only one shooter, and what Kidd is doing on the team at all. And no knock on Bosh and Boozer, who are both good players, but there isn't enough size up front. If Howard gets into foul trouble, the bigger teams will brutalize team USA.

But there needs to be at least one more, possibly two, long-distance shooters on the team.

Michael A,
There is still an issue with trying to fit as many of the stars/best players as possible on the team, rather than getting the best mix of players.

Gasoft got bigger? Now, he weighs 175 soaking wet.

hahhahhahahahahha

The Twin Pogo Sticks!

ahhahahhahhh

I really like the idea of Mourning and Pargo coming over to the Lakers... however I suspect it's just wishful thinking thrown into the rumor mill to create something to talk about during this Long Bataan Death March of the offseason.

GO LAKERS!

JohnnyP,

We're stuck with him for two years.

Thank God for the Development League.

Go Defenders!

GO LAKERS!

JohnnyP,

Considering our needs and recent Dwayne Miller signing (I hope I got his name right), I personally don't get the Sun Yue signing.

To be honest with you, I think that Jim Buss had someone in accounting crunch some numbers about how much Sun Yue's presence on the Lakers would improve Lakers' merchandising in China and they probably came up with a number that exceeds Sun Yue's two year salary with the Lakers. So, from a financial decision, it makes sense. From a Championship winning decision, it's not a STUPID decision, but it's not a brilliant one either.

GO LAKERS!

The "Dr Z" post screams BOGUS. Yet... I go to Andrew Bynum's site and there it is:

http://www.andrewbynum.com

so... hey!

"He excitedly yet softly spoke the following words, “Yo Z I can’t wait for this season.” There is a look in his eyes and a confidence in his workouts that should get all in Lakerland really excited."

The Pargo/Mourning rumor doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless Farmar is traded or Fisher's minutes are going to seriously drop.

Would love to get Alonzo though. Can you imagine? Bynum is being trained by Kareem, then Alonzo comes here and pushes Bynum to another level. Alonzo would be worth every penny just for what he brings in terms of experience and attitude.

But! we have the MIGHTY Mihminus under contract, everybody said we didn't need Kwame to back up Bynum because Gasol would gladly fill the "other" minutes at Center so hey, what do we need Alonzo for? That was the logic, right? LOL!

FredJ,

"With Bynum in the middle, Gasol is going to get a lot of open looks and if you come and get him, he can dump it back into Bynum. This is going to be scary."

I agree.

Despite certain defensive elements that we should shore up on this team, I think a lot of us in LakerNation have quickly forgotten how blessed we are.

In short, Kobe-Odom-Gasol-Bynum is going to be one of the scariest combinations of players (for opponents) ever.

GO LAKERS!

Andrew Z

Not my post. Logical and coherent aren't words that I'd apply to Mike T. I think Pig Miller was just trying to be optimistic.

I don't think the Gasol comment you made was directed toward me, however, I'd just add that I totally agree with you.

HE'S BACK.......

http://www.andrewbynum.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd
/NAA/cdid/401095/pid/400026

11-Aug-08Dr. Z "Blogs" on Bynum
Attention: All Andrew Bynum/ Laker Fans..........He's Back!!!!!

Allow me to formally introduce myself; I am Dr. Sean Zarzana (Dr. Z), Andrew’s personal trainer. I am pleased to report that Andrew has earned a Sunday day of rest after 10 straight days of grueling re-conditioning. He arrived in Atlanta late on the 23rd of July and wasted no time beginning his training the next morning.

Andrew wanted me to share with all of you what the last ten days have looked like from his perspective. It all begins on the track at about 7:30-8:00 a.m. each morning for a serious hour and a half workout. We must begin early because after all,....... this is “Hotlanta” and after 9:30 a.m. one could practically melt! Immediately following extensive work on the track we move on to resistance (weight) training in the weight room for about a one-hour session. Basketball is the last activity for the morning/afternoon session and varies from one to three hours. Later that evening he is again put to the test for one more conditioning activity which usually lasts for about an hour and a half. That only leaves time for healthy eating and much needed sleep. This guy is a serious worker; you almost can’t give him enough.

At lunch on Saturday, Andrew said something that made me realize that he’s back. While eating grilled chicken and green beans he was cradling a basketball as if he were holding an infant in his arms. (Keep in mind, this was in the middle of a fairly busy restaurant). He excitedly yet softly spoke the following words, “Yo Z I can’t wait for this season.” There is a look in his eyes and a confidence in his workouts that should get all in Lakerland really excited.

Check back as we will update his workouts and progress from time to time!

Yours Truly,

Dr. Z!

-----------------------

Tom

Why are you guys down on Sun Yue now? Wow, the blog just takes a left turn out of nowhere. I liked what I saw when China played the US. Sun Yue was playing against a friggin allstar team of US players, many Hall of Famers and I thought Yue held up pretty well.

We need to bring him over NOW to adjust to the schedule, the higher level of play every night, cultural shock, whatever else this season so he can do some good things the next season. I think he is going to wear out probably after 30 some odd games but after that he will be good for practice, etc. He appears to have good hands so... I dunno how this could in any way be classified as a "bad" signing. Dwayne Mitchell is still an unknown signing. Was he for training camp or is he being considered for providing some defensive relief against the Chris Paul's, Deron Williams', etc? We won't know until training camp.

Letter to Zo:

Go to the Celtics if you want to win a championship.

Go to the Lakers if you want to retire a LOSER.

giantsquid,

My bad, it was Pig who made the comment.

And the Gasol comment was for someone else, sorry about that too. Guess I'm not off to the best start here today.

Great piece about Yao Ming today on Yahoo. His body has broken down because of his country's demand to play international ball every summer. He flies coach with the team, his injuries aren't acknowledged.

If Sun Yue brings the same integrity and selflessness to the Lakers, that's a good thing.

Letter to Zo: Go to the Celtics if you want to win a championship. Go to the Lakers
if you want to retire a LOSER. Posted by: Let's go C's! | August 12, 2008 at 10:33 AM

AND GO TO Let's go C's if you want to see a stark raving
lunatic.
mamba24

Jon K,

I know you're just kiddin' when you mentioned about the long Bataan Death March. For people here who are too young to remember what happended at that time, permit me to relieve the events based from first hand stories of relatives.

This is one of the most excruciating experience of American soldiers together with Filipinos against the brutality of Japanese Imperial Army in the Pacific wars. There was a scene where escaping soldiers drunk mud in the rice paddies to quench their thirst, ate snakes and monkeys, any kind of tree leaves just to relieve their hunger while suffering from malaria, dysentery and cholera in the Philippine jungles. On the other scene, the weak and injured marched 60 miles from Bataan to Capas, too trusting on the Japanese Army's promise of better living conditions as terms of their surrender. The Japanes officers assured them of fair treatment b/c they were not barbarians. Mass murders occur with one swipe however, this death march was agonizing and at the same time inhuman. Marching soldiers were punished first (reliving the agony in the garden of Our Lord) then bayonetted anybody who stumbled along the way. Anybody who gives food or aid the soldiers, got shot or stabbed by the samurai. My father was kicked and slapped with riple's butt while faced the sun for hours b/c he was seen giving water to the marching soldiers. America turned its backs on their dying soldiers and filipinos in 1942 b/c of the "Europe First" policy of Roosevelt-Eisenhower. It took them three years to rescue the island nation.

I'm not re-creating nauseatic scenes, I heard these stories first-hand from my uncle who walked at night in the jungle and hid in the morning, while two other uncles died in the march as members of the medical corps, they didn't want to leave the sick and injured comrade-in-arms. Nobody knew how they were killed.

I posted this to reminisce and at the same request a little reverence to Filipinos and Americans who shed blood in that struggle 66 years ago. This is not even the 1/100,000th equivalent of our long wait of the off-season in NBA '09.

Great History Lesson Professor Gueco. Thank you.

Edwin,
"America turned its backs on their dying soldiers and filipinos in 1942 b/c of the "Europe First" policy of Roosevelt-Eisenhower"

Unfortunately for the Filipinos, Hitler was the bigger threat. Had we not followed the strategy we did, Hitler probably would have defeated the Soviet Union, which would have been disastrous to the rest of the world.

As for "turning its backs", my uncle lying in a grave in the American cemetery in Manila, killed in early 1945, would probably disagree with you.

And while you could argue that a return to the Philippines could have happened sooner, nothing could have been done to help in 1942. Any forces sent there would have been lost, because the Japanese were too strong at that point. Much like attempts were not made to rescue the American garrison at Wake Island.

Oh man! We've got to send Mihm and Bynum out to the Philippine jungle 2 weeks before training camp starts!

They'll be out there... drinking muddy water... catching snakes and monkeys with their bare hands then chomping down on them while they're still alive... yeah... yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm liking this... they'll come into camp lean, mean and ready to grab some major reboundage. I want to see Mihm flatten Oden in the first game and then let out a war whoop that would chill the spine of the coldest neocon. Full beard, crazy, messed up hair... The Philippine jungle... that's what I'm talk'in 'bout right there...

Ex - yeah, that's a n issue. I wonder how smart this team's composition is gonna look in the fourth quarter of a close game, and no one can knock down an open three. Which was one of their biggest problems last time. amazing they haven't learned from that.