#4,

Oh, by the way. I do agree with your assessment that Fisher
is starting to decline. He was one of the least effective Lakers
in the finals. On defense, first Rondo ate him up, driving
into the lane time after time & dishing off when the big
rotated over to cover. Then Phil switched Kobe on to
Rondo and then Allen drank his milkshake, scoring 25
in game 4 and 19 in game 5.

And on offense, Fish shot 40%, which is only moderately
bad, but he only hit 19% of his 3-pointers. That's a total killer,
because with Fish hitting 19% from 3, it gave Rondo free
reign to sag off of him and steal balls from Gasol and others
who were trying to post up, which he did consistently.

The outside shooters HAVE to hit their shots against that
collapsing semi-zone defense to keep them honest, or it
turns into a bloodbath. Rondo had 6 steals against the
Lakers in game 6, because by that time he realized he
didn't have to guard Fish at the 3-point line.

Spaniards can go to hell with this. they are the most racist, insensitive group in the world.

Olympics is a time to promote unity and world peace, and this morons are spreading hatred in this world. It is shameful

What a stupid picture. It makes no sense at all. At first glance, I didn't even know what the hell they were doing. Hello? Spain? It's the 21st century now.

Embarassing...

But Pau Gasol out-softed Yao Ming for 29 points on 13-17 shooting. A little bit of that, mixed with a little bit of a new and improved, hungry Andrew Bynum. And this Laker team could be something special.

American progressives are forever fawning over Euro-think, when in fact, ethnically driven patronization is mainstream throughout Europe, much moreso than here.

It is just too damn bad that the Chinese team didn't hold on for the victory.

Sonnybelgast

Posted by: Sonnybelfast | August 12, 2008 at 02:56 PM

True, and nicely put.

Man, I really hope they get a lot of flack over this. That was ridiculous.

Hey Chuck23, I can arguably say that this blog is Kobe's behind kisser.

Am I right? C'mon, be honest with yourself.

PS, I guess the "M" word in spanish is too deragatory for this forum to discuss. I respect the Law.

ChrisMihmn,
" think you guys are being a little hypersensitive. You should hear what Asians have to say about blacks, they just don't put out a picture about it. "

This has got to be one of the most ignorant comments I have read on this blog in quite some time. Let me get this straight. You overheard some Asians making racist comments, and therefore, all Asians are fair game when it comes to being victimized by racist behavior? People that react to this blatant racist behavior are hyper-sensitive? Are you serious?

Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | August 12, 2008 at 03:40 PM

Obviously, not all Asians are racist against Blacks. It seems to be a fairly prevalent attitude, however. You hear Asians girls say the best way to piss off their parents is to date a Black guy. My dad is a therapist and gets to hear more hidden, inner opinions people hold. His experience suggests that Asian-Americans have a strongly racist attitude toward Blacks as a general rule.

It sucks. I don't wish it were that way. But sometimes the world just isn't how you'd like it to be. And sometimes it's pretty damn ugly.

Kwame gone. Check
Smush gone. Check
Cook gone. Check
Luke......
Vlade...

They will have to get creative here. Nobody wants them and nobody wants to deal with Lakers after the Gasol heist. Why not have them take a physical in NY and not fuel up the plane? Something. Anything. Get it done Mitch.

BD

HAHA, I actually meant to address that last comment to Mike T.

Sorry LakerTom, didn't mean to offend you... LOL

Benjamin,

>>>>>His experience suggests that Asian-Americans have a strongly racist attitude
>>>>>toward Blacks as a general rule.

Without intending and disrespect to you or your father, isn’t the fact that he is using his experience as a therapist with a limited and perhaps troubled subset of Asian-Americans to make a racist generalization about all Asian-Americans? That is what is at the heart of the problems with racism as far as I am concerned, the human nature and instinct we all have to paint with a broad brush with respect to those not like us. And the undeniable and uncanny truth hidden within many of those same judgments – ergo, white men can’t jump.

Ironically, however, the majority in this country have a long and documented history of pitting various minorities against each other, specifically using the success of Asian-Americans to belittle and blame African-Americans with no disregard for the inherent disparities between the histories of the two immigrant group and how much more difficult it has been for African-Americans to overcome slavery and the resulting bigotry that kept them tethered. In fact, I have cringed to hear my own Chinese father utter that exact same drivel. Only time will heal.

Personally, I think we all have been culturally trained to be oversensitive to racial undertones in everything we say. Of course, I probably pride myself in being frank and honest and often quite not very politically correct. I try to judge people by what they do and say and think regardless of their color, religion, country of origin, or political or sexual orientation. I have lived a very long life and spent much time travelling around the world. The one thing that is certain is that there are wonderful people and despicable a-holes in every shade and color. Bottom line, people are people and no matter how hard they try, we are all prejudiced in some way.

Tom

It is truly a damn shame that RACISM and PREJUDICE are apparently alive and well, and festering in the hearts of men. Make no mistake, such HATE still lives in some form or fashion within every people group towards members of a "different" group.

At a time when international investigative research like The Human Genome Project (HGP) is taking place to, "...determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA and to identify the approximately 25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint" how can such hatred for our fellow man still exist?

Part of the causes are rooted in ignorance, and education can go a long ways towards breaking down the walls that divide and separate. The remaining issues, however, are far more unsettling and disturbing: Even if all ignorance were stripped away, there are those hardcore types who would simply HATE for hatred's sake. These people can become the instigators of death and destruction on a mass scale if they rise to positions of political or military power. The terrifying world wars of the past century can attest to their influence.

Step one, is for these manipulators to separate his/her group from another, by portraying the other people group as somehow inferior, or even sub-human. This is often accomplished through caricatures, or cartoons, or poking fun at the differences between them and the other group (i.e. the "slant-eyed" gestures made by members of the Spanish National Basketball Team). Does this sound familiar?

Step two, is for the manipulators to cast blame for ALL the problems and troubles suffered by his/her group upon this offending other group. The quick and easy solution that is then temptingly dangled in front of his/her own increasingly agitated people is for the offending group to be isolated and ostracized.

Step three, seems sadly obvious: How far is the jump from separating (segregating?) a certain group, once they have been suitably dehumanized and even demonized, to then eliminating them? Does the term "ethnic cleansing" ring any bells?

In my opinion, until the Heart of Man changes, there will always be "inhuman" acts of barbaric atrocity inflicted by one people group upon another. This is simply a tragic reality of our human condition.

Was this RACIST photo done in poor taste? Of course. Was it merely a poorly executed joke done in poor taste, or could it be a harbinger of far more ominous events? This is a question that every Spaniard who saw this photo for a MONTH without objection (!) prior to the Olympics will have to answer for...

WHY was it that it took an OUTSIDE news source for this photo to be brought to the attention of the world??? SHAME ON SPAIN

Answer me this: Who is your brother's keeper???

P & G R

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE BEAST…

LT: “Welcome to the Lakers Blog, Drew.”

AB: “My pleasure, LT. It’s a thrill to be here. I always read the blog for inspiration, to see what my fans have to say, and to learn how best to improve my game. In fact, I give the blog credit for convincing me to work hard last summer to make sure that Kobe wouldn’t leave the Lakers. I told Z last summer I was there ‘cause of the blog.”

LT: “I’m stoked, AB. I hope you like what I’ve been posting about you?”

AB: “Your posts have been great, LT, and I love your enthusiasm but you might want to tone it down a little so there wouldn’t be so much pressure on me once the season starts, OK? I mean you got me down for starting the MVP, MIP, and VIP. Anyway, it’s cool that I have so many fans on the blog. I love everyone but that Mike T. guy, who was wishing that I would get injured. Wish I could get him one-on-one. Now that would be fun! I mean, calling Pau a marshmallow. What a joke.”

LT: “What about the other players also read what we have to say?”

AB: “They all do. In fact, we all gather around the computer in the locker room after games once the reporters have left to find out how we did by reading the live game threads. Those K-Brothers are the coolest bloggers in the blogsphere. Couple of cute girls who wanted my autographs were raving about the bald one, wanting to know if I would give him their phone numbers. I told them he was married but they said that didn’t matter. Been thinking about the bald look myself. What do you think? It might be the way to go since I am the Beast.”

LT: “Gosh, AB, I kinda like your clean no-tats look. That way you can be both Beauty and the Beast. Sort of like Ali, you know. The ultimate champion!”

AB: “I like it, LT. Beauty and the Beast! Cool!”

LT: “Have any of the players gotten angry or upset at what we post on the blog?”

AB: “Yo, LT, you wouldn’t believe the reactions. Lamar once threw the ball through the monitor when some idiot wanted to trade him for Starbury. And Kwame broke down and cried after reading one of Mike T’s more poetic posts. He even started applying butter to his calves before games so that they would shine for Mike. In fact, he even started sending Mike special signals during games, you know like that weirdo from Sacramento used to do to his wife? Anyway, Kwame had this special clap that he would do to let Mike know he was thinking of him. He used to do it after he screwed up in order to regain his confidence but I don’t think it worked very well.”

LT: “What did you think about losing to the Celtics in the NBA Finals?”

AB: “It’s a good thing you’re a blogger, LT, ‘cause I don’t like to be reminded of that. I will say this, though, if I had not been injured, we’d have swept those green weenies in four games. They ain’t seen nothing yet. They think they were tough and we were soft. Well, next year they are going to be dominated and YouTubed by the Beast right back to Beantown. And they can take that worthless punkette LGC with them.”

LT: “So what should Lakers fans expect next year?”

AB: “Showtime 2. Lots of pressure defense fueling fast breaks. Otherwise, the Beast is going emerge full force and the Lakers Triple Towers will control the paint and the boards at both ends of the court. Expect nothing less than another dynasty, LT, ‘cause the Era of the Beast will begin. Soon, everyone will know what you guys on the blog already know. Lakers Rule.”

LT: “AB, many thanks from your loyal fans and supporters. God bless and stay healthy. And give the Lakers a break on your extension, will you?”

AB: “Because of the blog, LT, it will be my pleasure. I already instructed my agent that I was not going to play anywhere but here as a Laker for Life. And you can tell all of the blog that. Thanks again, Lakers Blog.”

It would have taken only one member of the Spanish basketball team to stand up, and say, "Guys, we shouldn't be doing this. We're embarrassing ourselves, our nation, and defying everything the Olympics stand for. No pictures, we're ending this now." That person should have been Pau Gasol.

I watched in disbelief this afternoon as the TV newscasters displayed photo after photo after photo. That stunt would have been inappropriate anywhere, but for Olympic athletes to insult their hosts with such juvenile insensitivity represents a new nadir in judgment.

Civilization is in tatters, as it is. These photos mock the spirit of the Olympics, already smudged and rendered obscene by the Munich massacre, legions of skating judges, and lip-syncing by an innocent child at the Beijing opening ceremonies.

I have this corny, old fashioned idea that athletes are supposed to represent the best of us. I'm clinging to it by a worn thread, I admit. But one man can still make a difference. In this case, it should have been Pau Gasol.

Kobe sitting with Koach K?

Wat an a**kisser.

Cheers.

Posted by: Let's go C's! | August 12, 2008 at 01:54 PM

No, Kobe just did it as a rouse.

Some people call the action of Team Spain as racists but those who are spaniards may termed it as prank jokes of being "chino" olympians. It may be funny to someone's culture and not to others. However, racism exists when there is a separation of one group from the other as a form of favoring one preferred race and downgrading the other. Another instance when one generalizes or accuses the whole group by the action of the few.

Someone here mocked a historical incident of eating snakes and monkeys and spinned it as another prank or trying to be a smart alec and hide under the pants or names of laker players. Well, kid your smart alecky remarks not funny. You should be grateful to your great grandfather or WW II soldiers who fought wars in order for you to blog today. GROW UP if you want to go on blogging with us here.

wow, im half asian, and i think people are overreacting. they obviously didnt do this out of hatred or any kind of evil. they're just messing around in a photo shoot. who cares?

At worst the photo was in bad taste.

Racism implies the belief that one race is somehow superior to another, and I can't see this as racism.

They definitely have different mores in Europe, and as such, we shouldn't be holding them to our standard. Have any other governments of other country's media spoken out about it? I only saw something in the Guardian form the UK and it said that Spain has come under fire recently for other incidents like this. By US standards, it's blatantly in bad taste, but like I said before they may have different sensibilities.

Has China spoken out about it?

Edwin Gueco - It may be funny to someone's culture and not to others...Another instance when one generalizes or accuses the whole group by the action of the few.
--

So an entire "culture" may find it funny to slant eyes as an expression of Asian "affection" (according to Jose Calderon).

Yet, the "action of the few" who slanted eyes to express such affection do *not* represent the "whole group," i.e., an entire culture?

I can see clearly now. {unslants eyes} Not.

It was dumb.

Crude.

Ignorant.

Not funny.

Not culturally specific.

Nor defensible.

All I can really say about the picture is "Oops".

Yeah....that's pretty much it. No need to delve into the fray....I can't help but think to myself "why?".

wow, im half asian, and i think people are overreacting. they obviously didnt do this out of hatred or any kind of evil. they're just messing around in a photo shoot. who cares?

Posted by: greek dude | August 12, 2008 at 08:35 PM

i'm full asian and it dind't really offend me and i think everyone is overreacting about just spain's racism. i mean it was stupid of them to have that as their add bc, obviously, other people don't approve, but i see so many other people make fun of other races and get away with it because they're not in the spotlight. they don't really bother me(unless i know they really mean what they say), but i guess not everyone is like me and they have to respect other people who don't take those kind of jokes lightly. and that not only goes to spain (who unfortunately had to be the ones caught for doing something racist) but for every other country and person who says/does racists jokes.

Pig,

"At worst the photo was in bad taste."

According to your opinion. Just like the poster alyssa.

"Racism implies the belief that one race is somehow superior to another, and I can't see this as racism."

Not somehow, a definite superior feeling. Insulting characteristics (ethnic/facial) of one's culture in that manner was a racial put down. What if an African Nation hosted the Olympics and Team Japan painted their skin black in spirit of their (ethnic/facial) makeup?
And again it is your opinion that it is not racist.

"Have any other governments of other country's media spoken out about it?"

You just answered it with the quote below.

"I only saw something in the Guardian form the UK and it said that Spain has come under fire recently for other incidents like this."

"By US standards, it's blatantly in bad taste"

Yes indeed.

"but like I said before they may have different sensibilities."

Like throwing bananas at the Soccer field when African Ethnic Rooted players enter the game?

"Has China spoken out about it?"

You mean the Country that belongs to perhaps Nerdy Long Duck Dong stereo typing, or opposite Genghis Khan Kung-Fu hustling type people that is pretty busy hosting the Olympic games? Maybe we can get someone who can interpret Chinese and verify the ALL the media outlets in China?

All in all, we need a new thread. Different opinions. Off to the next topic thread next week. Respect to everyone. I am leaving for Hawaii and that place has a pretty mixed ethnic makeup with lot's of Laker Fans. Be back next week.

maybe they were just trying to fit in?

laker truth,

My dad doesn't need to be a therapist to 4 billion people. He needs to be a therapist to a representative sample of people that are honest.

Charles,

As for saying a group tends to be racist being a racist concept? It is.

So is the very concept of race itself or any idea that alludes to race.

I got a little off my preferred tendencies when I addressed the topic as others have here. I prefer to talk about culture and shared descent because I think those concepts are meaningful whereas I think the idea of race is crap.

And the truth here is that different cultures value different things and that most cultures exhibit at least some racism. Most groups value themselves more highly than other groups. Divisive concepts like religion have done so from their beginnings even against people of the same regional descent.

I can agree with one part of someone's idea without agreeing with another. I'm trying to be reasonable about this photo. I think the very fact that it occurred and that it probably couldn't possibly occur in the US suggests different sensitivities to race amongst the Spanish National basketball team, their handlers, and the Chinese company Li-Ning. That said I find it incredibly distasteful, racist, and I believe the Spanish team owes the people of East Asian descent an apology (the region somehow has taken over the term Asian which I think is kind of lame).

Any mention of Asian culture possessing its own racist tendencies is a distraction. If true, it's a red herring as far as whether the Spanish national basketball team is racist. Because of other incidents in Spain of similarly ethnically insensitive character and their lack of ethnic diversity, it's not surprising to see less cultural/ethnic/racial sensitivity. It doesn't make it right, but some trends are predictable based upon conditions.

As for therapy patients...

1. You don't understand how confidentiality works. You can talk about patients if there's no way their privacy might be compromised, like don't use their name or other identifying information. When discussing patients as a group, there's almost no way confidentiality is compromised. Regardless, your point would fit into the classification of red herring except for that fact that you're wrong about your assumption.

2. As for patients of psychologists, in a way, they're healthier because they realize their problems are something for which they seek a solution when they realize they can't solve it themselves. If the many people with serious unresolved psychological issues saw therapists, society would be much healthier. This includes the vast majority of women that have been raped or molested which sadly is a startlingly high percentage--not a strong statement about how civilized we've become as men. Certain events like rape and molestation are incredibly traumatic and most people need to deal with them in a very serious manner to have healthy relationships afterward. It's the same for men, they are just much less frequently victims of this abuse or assault.

My dad says the main difference between his patients and everyone else he meets is that they're more open and honest about dealing with their problems. You can take that for what it's worth, but I think that attitude is probably closer to the truth than the poisoning the well argument with regard to his patients as representative of the rest of society. People tell things to their therapists that they had trouble telling to themselves a short time previously. I believe that puts a therapist in a unique position to understand other people and if they are responsible and careful, society as a whole.

You have shown a bigoted attitude toward people that seek psychotherapy.

For your point to really make sense, you'd need to show that people in the protected confines of therapy were more racist than the rest of society as a whole. I guess you could assume that, but it doesn't really make sense to me that people that are depressed, drug addicted and in treatment, or have many of the other psychological issues that afflict much of the world's population would be more racist.

Also, I don't think you have any idea the prevalence of psychological illness. It's not just some broken tiny subset of the population, it's probably at least 1/3 of the world's population according to wikipedia that cites this article:

^ WHO International Consortium in Psychiatric Epidemiology (2000) Cross-national comparisons of the prevalences and correlates of mental disorders Bulletin of the World Health Organization v.78 n.4

I admit that while my evidence is not compelling, it's a lot better than you realize, particularly because of your bias against people that seek treatment for mental illness. Mental illness itself is a marginalized area even now in all our modernity and sophistication so while I find your attitude ignorant, I'm not surprised.

I think you agree with me more than you don't, you were just annoyed at what you found as flimsy evidence. What does a guy of obvious Russian-Jewish descent know about Asian racism anyway? How could I possibly know? Well, it's not as if I haven't interacted with the world.

My dad is certainly making assumptions (but in fairness, he interacts with plenty of other people that are not his patients including a long time Asian associate), but I think he's in a good position based on his experiences to make much better and meaningful assumptions than your average Southern Californian.

If you don't want to believe me, why not believe this Chinese-American who takes it for granted that racism by Asians toward people of African descent exists:

http://www.tabunka.org/newsletter/black_racism.html

BK,

I like your comment. I think ultimately we need to realize that culture is more important than ethnicity. I think one needs to appreciate and enjoy the diversity of other cultures habits, atittudes, foods, etc. without considering that other culture inferior, just different. Still, the morality of one culture may preclude this appreciation. For instance, I'm not okay with slavery and consider any group that is okay with it (and there are groups practicing it, maybe not entire cultures, however) as inferior

I think any realization of differences from one's group self-identification is a recipe for bigotry unless you learn to see that difference as just different, not inferior.

I think foreign travel is the best to fix that issue.

yes, Benjamin. i think that's the final word on the matter.