Lakeraholic,

Kevin McHale has three rings and Barkley and Malone have 3 Finals appearances between them. It's arguable as to whether or not McHale was better than those two guys, but there's no way you can say he was light years ahead of either.

I'm not saying Lebron is or isn't better than Kobe. I'm just saying counting a guy's rings isn't the way to determine it. Unless you're going to say Robert Horry is the greatest player of his generation.

Phil Jackson: Rodman is the greatest athlete I've ever coached

By J.E. Skeets

Phil Jackson sure had plenty to say during a speech to the University of North Dakota as part of the convocation in which he received an honorary degree. Of the course of an hour, P-Jax criticized his school's nickname, told funny stories about Shaq swimming, and picked Dennis Rodman as the greatest athlete he ever coached. From the OC Register: "[Rodman] could probably play a 48-minute game and play the 48th minute stronger than the first minute of the game," Jackson told the crowd at UND. "He was that terrific an athlete." Video "proof," after the jump.

ahhahaahhahah

Jackson picks Rodman over the current Starlet?

hahhahahha

How sad for yoos Fakers.

Actually if you look at it closely...

Shaq could have just as easily been talking about wrecking her music career...it could easily have been in the context of a conversation like that.

They wont be able to get a conviction unless theres more evidence than that...i'd say he's in the clear regardless of his intention

Jams,

Can you repost putting the link in tinyURL form? It's tinyurl.com. That's the standard we're trying to get everyone using.

Thanks,

AK

On the surface it seems like Mitch is just being a good GM and checking up on the well-being of an important player on the roster. What I wonder is, though, was he invited to check on Drew's progress by his camp to try and give legitimacy to the idea that a contract extension conversation is worth having right now.

Either way, it's great to hear any good news on that front. IMO, the championship puzzle isn't complete without Bynum. His presence will allow others to be more comfortable in their own roles rather than compensating for not having an interior defender or dominating offensive force in the paint.

LAKERS IMPRESSED BY PROGRESS REHABBING BYNUM HAS MADE
By Marty Burns for SI.com

http://tinyurl.com/6dg722

Some more info about Mitch’s trip to see Drew! Here is excerpt:

>>>>>

Lakers center Andrew Bynum might not be quite ready to start playing NBA basketball just yet. But the 7-footer looks bigger and stronger than ever, and is able to run with no apparent effects from the knee injury that wiped out his season last January.

At least that's the report from Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, who traveled to Atlanta this week along with VP Jim Buss and Director of Scouting Bill Bertka to check in on his rehabilitating 20-year-old star.

"He looks to be in great shape. He looks ready to go," Kupchak said in a phone interview Thursday. "There's no reason to believe he won't be 100 percent for training camp."

>>>>>

Though Bynum did not play five-on-five basketball during the two-day visit, Kupchak said he watched the 7-foot, 280-pounder go through a strenuous workout that included running, jumping and various agility drills.

"That's the reason I went there," Kupchak said. "I wanted to see him run unencumbered, go through agility drills, jumping drills, the things players do... You hope they don't limp or favor a leg. He did not. That was number one.

"On top of that, I was impressed by what he did with his body to get in shape and get stronger. It was obvious to me he had been in the weight room."

>>>>>

What I liked was the part where Mitch says Drew is “stronger” now. The Beast will shred the remains of the Lakers “soft” label.

Tom

Lakers_sth,

>>>>>On the surface it seems like Mitch is just being a good GM and checking up >>>>>on the well-being of an important player on the roster. What I wonder is, though,
>>>>>was he invited to check on Drew's progress by his camp to try and give legitimacy
>>>>>to the idea that a contract extension conversation is worth having right now.

David Lee, Drew’s agent, invited Mitch to come to Atlanta to see Drew’s progress as a first step toward reaching an agreement to extend Drew’s contract before the deadline of October 31, 2008, after which the Lakers would not be able to negotiate with Drew again until after he becomes a free agent. The second step will be how Drew looks once camp starts October 1st. I would suspect in the meantime that negotiations would begin on the extension because the Lakers are not going to leave any road to free agency open to Drew, especially when they can sign him for less than max now.

Here is what Mitch said per Marty Burns article:

>>>>>

While clearly encouraged by his visit, Kupchak noted that Bynum still had a ways to go.

"He hasn't been in a game since January. So obviously training camp will be very important," Kupchak said. "You can go out and do drills, shoot, lift weights, and all that, but none of that will equate to NBA [basketball]. It's important for him to have a productive and hopefully injury-free training camp.

"But it's obvious he has worked."

Bynum is eligible for a contract extension before the start of the season, but Kupchak would not say whether his visit to Atlanta involved any discussions with his young star or his agent along those lines. He did indicate that both sides are willing to wait until the start of training camp next month to open talks.

"We'll go to camp and take it from there," Kupchak said.

>>>>>

Tom

Thanks for all the links family.

What a way to start reading today's blog. The first blog is from a pathetic loser Let's go C's. I can't stomach the blogs from this jerk. I usually read the name of the blogger before I read the content but how can you miss the very first blog today. As soon as I see the name of this Let's go C's and Butler I just scroll down to another blog which for sure a lot of you do too.

LakerTom,

"the 7-footer looks bigger and stronger than ever"

That is good news. VERY good news.

A bigger, stronger, unhindered Bynum at 7' 1 1/2"

A more passionate, quick, Olympic experienced Pau Gasol at 7'

A rebounding machine and exquisite ball handler Lamar Odom at 6' 10".

The Greatest player in the world, Kobe Bryant.

And the wise, cagey Derek Fisher (aka 0.4) at point guard.

Ohhh... this is going to be good. Very good.

41 days to go. D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y.

(This is certainly going to contribute to The Big Homicidal's psychological decline and breakdown. Fatty and I are going to have some remarkable posts on the subject this season. I guarantee you that.)

F'ing Pau Gasol!

F'ing Andrew Bynum! You're no Disel!

GO LAKERS!

Ok, so Bynum hasn't done anything yet.

There, I've done my part. What about my wager? You dodged the question.

Lets go C's!!!!! go celtics!!!!!

i used to be a laker fan and then the celtics won then i became a C fan. we are so cool man!!!! i think we are the coolest people in the world. it would feel a little better if we didnt miss the playoffs 8 out the last 12 years, but this makes up for it....i think. uh oh, i think when the big 3 retire in 2 years we will be left with no one. its ok, leon powe and rajon rondo are pretty good. we could be cornerstones for this amazing franchise. i just wish we had some solid players under 32.

oh, btw my brother is a freshman at UCLA and hes taking summer school, and he took a picture with Jordan Farmar, who was running a children's basketball camp. how awesome is that?!!

Puddle,

To quote the Troll:

"Do you really want me off this blog? Please admit deep down you like having me here."

"Please admit deep down you like having me here."

He said the same thing to me a couple times and some other bloggers.

"Please admit deep down you like having me here."

Hmmm...

I think this is the cornerstone to understanding this Troll, that and he's part of the 20%.

I think he might think that we actually like having him here. Maybe. I mean, could he be THAT crazy?

Anyways, I hate the guy. It would be SO much better if he wasn't here.

GO LAKERS!

ah i wanted it to end but here goes again (i really want it to end, I'm still not convinced Ariza is starter ready but i really hope to stop arguing and go on to other topics with the lakers....)

"Our esteemed poster, thekobebryantblitz, has strongly
argued that Lamar *MUST* be in the starting lineup and
that adequate places for him are the 2 & 3. He has
supported this view with numerous stats."

When did I every say Lamar *MUST* be in the starting line? Again you attempt to say stuff that I haven't said.... let me make my words clear again, I have argued Lamar is a better Small Forward than Trevor is at the time being. I never claimed *he MUST* be in the starting starting, simply that Lamar is simply better in most ways save for energy which he lacks. Plus while there are people who may be nervous about him at starting forward (like you), but most projections have him *starting*. In either case t I would really like this "thekobebryantblitz says he *MUST* start' " to stop because frankly it's not what I said and anything that is close to it is that Lamar is better suited at the starting lineup than Trevor is, which I believe is true. Plus I believe that Trevor can bring more to the bench which outweighs the other advantages that Lamar can bring should he be a bench player. Frankly put, you haven't convinced me as much as I haven't convinced you Hobbit.

"I base that upon the whipping we took
at the hands of the Celtics."

Let me repeat what Xodus also has stated: GAME 6 DOESN'T EQUAL THE SERIES. In fact let me restate: The 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Quarters of Game 6 =/= the entire series. Did we gave up a big lead in Games 4 and 5? Yes! Did we give up the lead in Game 1? Yes! But let's break it down. Game 2 and 6 are the better indicators of my point. How much points did we give up in the 2nd quarter of each of those game? 34 both times. And that was when the bench had came out which reinforced my point that the bench's defense . I also proved that Lamar's defense as Power Forward is not as good as it is on Small Forward. No Ariza as Small Forward on the bench leaves either Radman or Walton, both liability on defense. Since base your thing on *one* article by MItch made back in November of 2007, let's assume Trevor indeed becomes a lock down defender. Do you honestly think by keeping him in the starting lineup will help the bench's defense? The biggest weakness of the bench? I would say not. Trevor is much needed to the bench otherwise even the leads we have created with our starting lineup will have disappeared Remember Game 4 and 5? His advantages to the bench outweighs any problems that Lamar might have not being on the bench. Plus who would give the bench the hustle that left with Ronny? Don't count on Lamar.

"At this point in time, we're all smokin' crack and have
no idea what the heck we're saying. I think that's why
we're fans and not working for the Lakers as scouts."

Only the regular season will tell not these silly things in a Lakers blog.

You also talk about the article and always keeps on the premise that "If and only If Trevor improves". While I do say he will, I have to admit that premise is just as weak as a sand castle right next to the beach aka it's very hollow and while I do look for hope I'm a realist. Trevor even back in the season, I haven't seen the "lock down" defending type that Mitch supposedly said he is (and you too I might add).

(note all games must be 15 min or more for Ariza to be better judged. 3 min games are a bad indicator.)

As Starter: Grant Hill PHX: 14 pts 60% shooting
AK47: 9 pts, 50% shooting
Paul Pierce: 33 points on 47.7% shooting

As Starter: 18.7 ppg, 52.56% shooting-->Bah!

As Reserve:
Travis Young PHI: 16 points, 66.7% shooting
Marquis Daniel IND: 7 points, 42.9% shooting
Rudy Gay: Not reliable enough since Gay played most game and Walton/Ariza took turns gurading him.
Ryan Bowen NO: 0 points, 0% shooting (0-4!)
Michael Redd: MIL: 22 points, 58.8% FG (Yes Redd did play off the bench this game and played Small Forward, Charlie Bell and Royal Ivey played SG this game and Ivey started so Kobe was on them and Ariza was on Redd when Redd and Ariza came on the court).
Rudy Gay: Again unreliable. It seems though this time Walton guarded more Rudy Gay than Trevor did. At any rate, Gay played long minutes again so its difficult to compare to the other bench players.
Wally Szczerbiak: 18 points, 63.7% FG. Wally played the backup Small Forward since Durant played shooting guard and played mostly the whole game.
Phoenix Suns??: Unreliable, Suns don't play their bench much and difficult to tell with me doing further research.

As Reserve: 12.6 ppg, 46.4%-->much better and better than if Radman or Walton would have guarded them in my opinion.

Those aren't all the games I did the reserve games after Trevor started just to show a general idea. If needed, I will further research the Unreliable games I marked to show additional statistics.

By the way Hobbit, before I show the conclusion I'll say this: Mitch didn't say Trevor was going to start. He simply said he *HOPES* to have a solid defender. I do not believe Trevor will be even near Tayshaun Prince's defensive ability. I really like Trevor but I'm against over rating players.

Conclusion: Trevor Ariza is a solid role playing defender. I look forward to for him to lock down the best opposing bench players.

-thekobebryantblitz

Lakeraholic,
Kevin McHale has three rings and Barkley and Malone have 3 Finals appearances between them. It's arguable as to whether or not McHale was better than those two guys, but there's no way you can say he was light years ahead of either.
I'm not saying Lebron is or isn't better than Kobe. I'm just saying counting a guy's rings isn't the way to determine it. Unless you're going to say Robert Horry is the greatest player of his generation.
Posted by: Xodus | August 28, 2008 at 02:13 PM

Ok...but the question wasn't if Mchale was a better player than Barkley or Malone..nor if Robert Horry many rings makes him the greatest player of his generation.

They made a specific comparison between 2 superstars of the nba (Kobe and Lebron) who might I add are the leading players of there respective teams who plays 2 different positions and was drafted atleast 7 years apart...don't you think past accomplishment should play a factor in comparing the two?

That's why this who's better thing don't work..and won't work. Kobe's 3 rings are always accompanied by the fact he had Shaq! because Lebron has no rings they will always say its because he had no Shaq type player.

just my 2cents

Alls I'm doing is providing an alternative position to the constant "Lakers are the best" and "Kobe is the best" poo poo that spews from Faker fans.

Posted by: Let's go C's! | August 28, 2008 at 03:21 PM

...yeeeeah, cause you know how staples center was the only arena chanting M-V-P for kobe this year...riiiiiight... wait, my mistake, it wasnt just this year only, as i recall tha Gahden was chanting that for him too a few years back...man how us laker fans looove kobe oh so selfishly much....

Wes,

The Kamenetsky Brothers don't have your email address. I'll need that.

GO LAKERS!

Jon K. -

I don't think LGC is that deluded. It's just another way to annoy us (albeit one of his less effective ways).

That he wouldn't take me up on a wager where he and I both had the same thing to lose is proof he has no belief in anything that he says. He is the very definition of "full of hot air."

The basic question is whether rings matter. The fact is that they do. It's just a question of how much. If you're an impact player on a team with rings, you ARE better than a similar impact player on a team without rings.

Interestingly, the SUNS stand to benefit if byenumb plays this season.

SHACK is better suited to play a center like byenumb as opposed to chasing around a PF like gasol. SHACK outweighs byenumb by 50lb and I'm not sure andrew really wants to subject his knee to a pounding from a heavier man...I wish byenumb the best in his recovery, but I can't help but think this matchup favors the SUNS.

Speaking of, young byenumb must now do everything he can to emulate AMARE. AMARE worked his tail off getting himself back into form after knee surgery, and last year actually improved on his pre-surgery stats. Impressive, and unprecedented in the big man category.

With 7-foot 260lb Robin Lopez ready to sub at C for the SUNS, that means AMARE is freed at PF - where he tends to dominate.

The question I have is, what will the lakers do to improve defensively? Byenumb is a decent paint defender but what about those deficiencies at SF especially, and Gasol, and vujacic/walton/radmonovic?

AK/BK - Any word on the Lakers interest in Shaun Livingston? It seems as though the roster has an overabundance of guards but none with his potential/vision and versatility...

.......Ohhh... this is going to be good. Very good.......

41 days to go. D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y.

Posted by: Jon K. | August 28, 2008 at 03:09 PM

Jon K doing his best Hannibal Lechter imitation, drooling over the Lakers devouring the NBA competition in the upcoming season.

Laker Fan 24,

You’re welcome but no thanks were needed. My change really didn’t do anything but give me a chance to repost your comment, which everyone understood just as well as my version. But it was an opportunity to chime in on your comment which was that Kobe and Drew do equal championships – plural. That we both are dead right on. As was your post.

Tom