Watch Kobe talk Olympics
Literally. Watch him. Dude's right there on screen talking in a SportsCenter interview.
Praise gets tossed about for his teammates (in particular, CP3 and Deron Williams), Michael Phelps and the overall Olympic experience. Some interesting stuff at the start about how differently this team and the less successful 2004 squad were formed, citing the three-year commitment, doing away with the "grab the best players available and just assume they'll win" approach, and increased respect accorded to the competition. I would have included "having a coach that alienates and confuses players less often than Larry Brown," but Kobe's more polite. But his points about how much more thought and organization created this particular unit is very salient, one that's gotten lost in the coverage, in my opinion. I'm not trying to take away from Team USA's accomplishments, as they're playing spectacular ball. And clearly, having a guy like Kobe--among other "new guys" on board--is a huge difference. But I honestly do believe that were the '04 team brought together through a more structured format and led by a coach that didn't rub half the squad the wrong way or make bizarre decisions, this current crew might be referred to as something other than "the Redeem Team." Which would make Kobe and me happy on a few levels.
AK
Fan from Lithuania (Europe),
Kobe's is not getting old! He's like a fine wine! As he ages his game develops more complex nuances.
We've got seven more years of Kobe to enjoy. Believe me.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Jon K.
Sasha's solid already, I'm looking for him to hit his jumpers on a consistent basis. I really liked it more when he head faked and shot from the same spot. He got fouled and he would usually be in 3 point territory and would usually get a 3 pointer and one or 3 free throws which is still good. I'm also looking for him to really improve that defense, while he is good at getting at a person's grill and shows intesity, he has a short wingspan that limits his defense against jump shooters.
Josh Powell, I"m looking for inside scoring and rebounding and defense. I'm sure he can do both scoring and rebounding fairly well, he can probably do better at those than Ronny did. Defense I'm really looking for and how well he does playing PF and C.
For Dwyane Mitchell, I"m looking for passing and drives to the basket. From what I researched he doesn't have a good jumpshot but better than Jordan at taking it to the rim. While the reserves are bit above D-League, if he can dominate it, watch out.
For Coby, I'm looking for his experience in the triangle offense to give him dividends and be a good catch and shoot guy. I really liked his energy when he came out that one game and blocked a shot when it wasn't garbage minutes. His experience should be his edge.
Sun Yue, I'm counting on to see his passing, and his help defense and how he does against smaller guys. In the Olympics he was guarded by Kidd/Kobe/Deron/CP3 at times who are amongst the NBA best in the back court. I'm hoping he could dominate the reserves and even some starters because of his size.
8 points on 37.5% shooting, 1 Reb, 1 Asst, 1 BLK and 40% on his 3 pointers against America isn't too bad though unspectacular. Then again he was going against the best the NBA rather the world had to offer. I'm hoping his time in the olympics will help his game once it comes to the Lakers.
Like Phil Jackson said at the end of his book The Last Season: A Team in Search of it's Soul:
I can't wait for next season
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | August 21, 2008 at 01:56 PM
laker32,
The Dream Team would absolutely crush the Redeem Team. It wouldn't even be close.
GO USA!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 01:58 PM
Jon K.
no wonder why you and AK sometimes clash hehe (Trojan vs Bruin).
Walker has done an exceptional job on the defense. I'm just hoping the Bruin offense becomes better soon because if it doesn't for the next 2 or 3 years I'm thinking Walker will jump ship.
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | August 21, 2008 at 01:59 PM
thekobebryantblitz,
Regarding Josh Powell, I think it's a better pickup than people realize. I love Ronny Turiaf and I hated to see him go, but it's important to remember that Josh Powell I think started only six games for the Clippers last year, but of them he had two 20/10+ games. You have Ronny start six games, he's probably not getting a single 20/10 game. AND Powell can rebound. That's what we need.
Regarding Coby Karl, I hope we retain him. I think we will. I received an email from our beloved L.A. D-Fenders this week. In it they spoke glowingly of Coby Karl and how his D-League experience really improved his play and how he was one of the best players among all teams present during the Summer League. I'm not sure why they'd send out an email like that unless the Lakers were planning on retaining him.
Regarding UCLA's offense, how can it not improve? The last offensive coordinator was a complete moron. I would just pull out my hair last year watching him call plays. Moron. Idiot.
Chow is an offensive genius. We'll improve, but we have to wait until next year to see major improvements.
And, yeah, Bruins and Trojans have radically different world views. Bruins enter into adulthood in Westwood surrounded by Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Trojans enter into adulthood surrounded by the ghetto.
So, Bruins generally are more optimistic, idealistic, friendly, and creative. Trojans are more pragmatic, clannish, and (in my opinion) untrustworthy.
You can never trust a Trojan... unless you're a Trojan, of course.
GO BRUINS!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 02:12 PM
Thanks for posting the interview AK/(BK). The deeper we get into this Olympics, the more maudlin I get about feeling very proud that these guys are representing our country in the Olympics. Just as proud of their conduct as their skills.
Posted by: guity | August 21, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Coby Karl? If he's lucky he can GRAB SOME BENCH!!! otherwise... what does he bring over Mitchell - who can defend or Yue, who will need a year to adjust to the league anyway? I doubt Yue comes over from China to languish in the DLeague, he'll probably sit on the big roster, go down to the DLeague a couple of times but mostly flame out around the allstar break and sit and observe the guys the second half of the season... ON THE BENCH!!!
So Yue = one roster slot, our 2nd round pick Crawford, doesn't sound so hot but since we picked him, he'll get a look in training camp. Mitchell sounds like he's been through the fires now, he played in Germany, he's bounced around a little. Phil likes these kinds of guys and apparently, he can play some good D on faster guards so there's roster slot #2.
Powell is roster slot #3.
+ 11
Ariza
Kobe
Bynum
Farmar
Fisher
Gasol
Mihm
Odom
Radmanovic
Sasha
Luke Walton
= 14 so the 15th slot is the only slot available right now and remember 3 of these guys will be inactive for games so... Coby is certainly welcome to carry around bags for another year...
Posted by: Kwaminus I can teach you, but I have to charge Brownicus | August 21, 2008 at 02:35 PM
Kwaminus I can teach you, but I have to charge Brownicus,
How quickly you forget Coby Karl's behind the back dunk last season!
Dunk of the year, baby!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 02:41 PM
laker32,
The only response LGC should get to any post is "ask larry bird, loser".
Posted by: HmrHed | August 21, 2008 at 02:44 PM
Don't yoos foos get it?!
Bahston is real, unlike LA. You can tell by the women. Real women come with hair under their arms and brains uncorrupted by edjucation. Real women don't coam there hair or ever get braces. LA women? Ha. So fake with there shaved under arms and strait teeth. LA Fakers, just like the team! Hahahhahahaha!!
Y can't yoos foos understand? Yoos are stupid!
P.S.
Why won't girls talk to me?
Posted by: Let's Go C's! (aka LGC) | August 20, 2008 at 12:05 PM
ouch???
green weenie from beenie.....dont be so sad...
Posted by: laker32 | August 21, 2008 at 02:47 PM
green weenie..from beenie..
you finally made some sense..
---Sure you have a nothing team. Sure Paul Pierce is a freakin ---Psycho. Sure all your
---life you've wished you were a Laker Girl. But don't go out ---like this!
Thanks for keeping it classy Mamba24.
This is it though!
I didn't want you all to know about this. But I do have a 50x30 poster of Sasha "The machine" Vujacik right on top of my bed on the ceiling in my bedroom.
I don't even want to tell you how much has "The machine" helped me sleep at night.
I really envy you Laker fans.
95% of your Roster is home grown. Nothing like the feeling of watching your team go from crappy to stellar in only 3 years and still keeping the same core of players.
We on the other hand, got rid of our youngs and hired mercenary muscle Cassell, Posey (the true finals MVP), Garnett, Allen, P.J Brown, Eddy House.
They all will have their jerseys retired at the new garden two years from now though.
In any case, every time I look at those facts. I realize how much less of a player Pierce is :(
Posted by: Let's go C's! (aka LGC) | August 20, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Posted by: laker32 | August 21, 2008 at 02:48 PM
Who out there can't stand Kobe? I'm a Laker fan from 1964 on and I've absolutely loved every laker (except for the coked-up idiot center we traded Adrian Dantly for in 1980). I can't stand Kobe and have never liked him. It just doesn't matter what he says - it's all wrong. Who else (Laker fans only) can't stand him? I know that Celtic fan we have here on the blog hates him, but New Englanders are not very level headed about sports and thus his opinion means squat. I think that Kobe is a squirrelly sort who is looking for love. Your comments?
Posted by: Paulie | August 21, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Kwaminus I can teach you, but I have to charge Brownicus,
Here's what I would the roster spots.
C:Bynum/Mihm/Open or Powell (We haven't signed DJ)
PF: Gasol/Radman/Powell
SF: Odom*/Ariza/Walton
SG: Bryant/Vujacic/Karl
PG: Fisher/Farmar/Yue
*Odom may be at SG to make Bryant move to SF, the position which Kobe likes.
Dwyane Mitchell doesn't have an edge of Coby Karl, Coby has the prevoius year experience and he sure beats Von WAFA any day. Mitchell will probably go to camp but get waived.
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | August 21, 2008 at 02:51 PM
My impressions on Sun Yue in the Olympics -
He was a solid enough player and they are a shallow enough
team, that he did get to start and play a good amount of
minutes.
He was about the 7th or 8th option on offense - Yao, Yi, and
Wang Zhizhi of course, but also Liu Wei, Zhu Fangyu, Wang
Shipeng, and Zhang Quingpeng. Wang Shipeng took almost
as many shots as Sun Yue in about 1/2 as many minutes on
the floor.
Sun Yue would have had more assists, but they weren't
really running the offense through him much. Liu Wei was
their starting point guard and he ran the show most of the
time. At the start of the 2nd half of the game against Greece,
the coach of the Chinese team benched Liu Wei and had Sun
Yue running the point, and China came back from a 20 point
deficit back to a 10 point game.
When he did play point, he was good bringing the ball up
against pressure defense by the Greeks, and he moved the
ball around rather than over-dribbling, as Liu Wei often did.
Sun Yue was good at feeding the ball into the post to Yao,
and he has a good touch for getting the ball to 3-point shooters
right in rhythm. About half of his assists in that comeback
against the Greeks was passes to guys for wide open 3-pointers.
As a shooter, Sun did better in the Olympics than I've seen him
do before. 47% shooting is very respectable. It was clear that
China wasn't running any plays for him or expecting a lot of
offensive production from him, so he mostly passed and only
took what shots came to him.
I feel that Sun Yue is a much better true point guard than
Liu Wei and the Chinese team probably would have done
better if he Sun Yue had been running the point. Liu Wei
has been a better shooter in recent international play for the
Chinese, and that's probably what earned him the starting
PG position, but his shooting in the Olympics stunk.
As for his NBA potential, Sun Yue has good size and decent quickness.
He has good timing as a shot blocker, but his instincts aren't
great as a 1-on-1 defender. He's a very good passer (when he
has the ball, which he didn't very much in this Olympics) and
has good court vision.
If he works hard and gets good coaching, I could see Sun Yue
developing into a wiry defensive specialist like Tayshaun Prince,
or a tall point guard like Penny Hardaway. Or if he doesn't
work hard, I could see him flaming out of the NBA in a year
or two. But the potential is definitely there.
I captured most of the Greece and Lithuania games this
morning to my computer, so I'll patch together a Sun Yue
highlight reel for those of you who didn't feel it was worth
staying up half the night or tivo-ing a bunch of hours of
hoops just to see how Sun played. I wasn't happy with the
quality of the video that Premiere automatically created for
youtube, so I'll probably just do a full 640x480 video and
encode it with WMV so you can actually see what's going on.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 21, 2008 at 02:59 PM
Has the season started yet?
Posted by: Bynumite | August 21, 2008 at 03:02 PM
>>>but it's important to remember that Josh Powell I think
>>>started only six games for the Clippers last year, but of
>>>them he had two 20/10+ games.
Not quite. He started 25 games for the Clippers, and he only
had one 20/10 game (or more technically, 22 and 10 against
Houston on April 6).
But he did have a 21 and 6 game against Portland and a 13
and 10 game against Portland (in back to back games, no
less).
All in all, Powell had eight 10 rebound games and two 20 point
games. Ronny had neither a 10 rebound game nor a 20 point
game all season, even in the 21 games where he started.
It's probably safe to say that Powell is a better offensive player
than Ronny, but as to his defense or dancing skills, that remains
to be seen.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 21, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Got my new Team USA Hyperdunks.
They are comfortable and SUHWEET!
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 21, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Have you guys seen the pictures of Andrew Bynum and his trainer Sean Zarzana skydiving in Atlanta?
I think the other guy is Radmanovich but hard to tell with the helmet and goggles.
BD
Posted by: BD | August 21, 2008 at 03:27 PM
thekobebryantblitz,
re: closing arguments.
"Mo Evans getting more playing time" does not equal "sasha's game not getting better". Mo evans getting more playing time just means that he was better than sasha at the time. Sasha's work ethic and skills improvement is why he is still a Laker and Mo Evans is not."
I'm afraid to say you are wrong again. Mo Evans was better than Sasha until he got traded.
Why do you see a difference b/n " Mo evans getting more playing time just means that he was better than sasha at the time." && "Mo Evans was better than Sasha until he got traded." ? Both sentences have the phrase "better than
Sasha" in them.
You wrote: In fact like I said when Lamar came back from injuries those 7 games he was playing Small Forward.
You keep saying he played Small Forward and I see
nothing to support that. In fact, everything I see says
he played PF. That's why I posted the links.
you wrote: "if Lamar's natural position is SF, then they should be
playing him there and getting a PF. that is not what
they've done."
And with the Pau that's what they have done. So Odom can go back to playing Small Forward
my response: If Bynum had not been injured would the
Lakers have made the same deal? Is it your belief that
all of the forwards the Lakers signed were for the PF
position so that Lamar could play SF? I ask this because
if letting Turiaf go lessons our depth at PF. I would argue
that Turiaf was our 3rd best PF behind Pau and Lamar.
However you say that Lamar is the SF. That would mean
that we just got rid of our backup PF. If Lamar is the
starting SF who is the backup for Pau?
If Bynum is the starting C who is the backup C?
I suggest that:
PF Pau/Odom
SF Ariza/Vlad/Luke
works much better than
PF Pau/Vlad
SF Odom/Ariza/Luke
i.e. our bench is much stronger with Lamar being 6th man
than with Sasha/anyone else being 6th man.
We'll find out in Nov. [ Nothing counts until Kobe is back from
surgery. ]
Posted by: hobbitmage | August 21, 2008 at 03:32 PM
yeah, here you go:
http://tinyurl.com/6s6ycy
this lists Dwayne Mitchell at 6'3" which is probably more accurate than the 6'5" in the press release. This guy should get playing time against Deron Williams, maybe Chris Paul if he's fast enough, Nash, Parker, basically the guys that whip past Fisher and Farmar so fast our Centers are crying, "Mercy! Mercy! at least give me a chance!"
He won't be a ball handling type PG, more of a "you take HIM" kinda guy and whoever the other guard is will handle the ball. Maybe he and Farmar play at the same time? or how about with Lamar? That's an interesting thought...
of course, if Mitchell is on the active roster, who's NOT? Mihm?
that SF slot... somebody's gotta go...
Posted by: Kwaminus I can teach you, but I have to charge Brownicus | August 21, 2008 at 03:40 PM
Pig,
Are hyperdunks Kobe's shoes. Or will he still have the zooms too. Kinda confused why Nike is using him to market this shoe if he's still got the zooms.
Posted by: Taliq | August 21, 2008 at 03:41 PM
hobbittimage,
LO did start the season playing SF. His first game back was against the T-Wolves and he played SF.
And here are the links to prove it:
http://tinyurl.com/59yk6d
and....
http://tinyurl.com/6s3foa
Posted by: Xodus | August 21, 2008 at 03:45 PM
BD
Please don't bring that BS in here.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 21, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Long Time,
Thanks for your Sun Yue appraisal. As usual, the only area where we probably differ is the amount of the 2-year contract he will sign. LOL. Looking forward to the compilation YouTube as I missed many of those games. Work has been really busy so I have been posting mostly in the evening. You have a good day. Thanks again for your contributions.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | August 21, 2008 at 03:50 PM
hobbitimage,
I do agree that I think playing Odom off the bench and have him back up both Pau and Bynum could be very beneficial to the team. If that is what your argument is, of course.
Posted by: Xodus | August 21, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Long Time,
Oops! Forgot to mention that my hopes for Sun are to be a tall point guard ala Magic (not saying he will EVER be as great as the G.O.A.T.) who plays defense like Tayshaun Prince. Now that would be the PERFECT point guard for the Triangle Offense.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | August 21, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Taliq,
Yes, and other players will be wearing them also. Kinda like other players wore Air Jordans.
http://tinyurl.com/5qtss2
Scroll down to see the Kobe color scheme.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 21, 2008 at 04:03 PM
Paulie,
"Who out there can't stand Kobe? I'm a Laker fan from 1964 on and I've absolutely loved every laker ... I can't stand Kobe and have never liked him. It just doesn't matter what he says - it's all wrong ... I think that Kobe is a squirrelly sort who is looking for love. Your comments?"
Oh wow, mamba24 should I get him. Should I get paulie? I mean what's a sherif to do if a dude walks up and pees in front of the station. Should we take him in the back and do a rodney king on him? Wait wait, what's that deputy, put him in a pitt full of mamba snakes?? Wait, wait is that the governor calling, he wants paulie deported from cali??
Nah we gonna leave paulie alone. And when we win the next 5 championships and paulie's trying to come to the party we gonna leave his a$$ out. See paulie I know your type, you the type that'll say oh they won because of bynum. You the type that's gonna come into the house that #24 is currently carrying, and you gonna ask for the big piece of chicken. Never mind that you wasn't up at 6am in the morning practicing jumpshots to free up bynum on da block.
So paulie, consider this, u asked who here doesn't like kobe, which laker fan doesn't like the dude that's bled purple and gold since he's been in the league. Who here doesn't like #24?? Bet ya think da shaq wars, da ship his a$$ out, or da trade me angle will get ya some love on here. But nah all u did was come out and expose ya privates in front of da station. And boi dem sure look reall nasty, smell worse than "lil weanie from beanie's" breath 2 and seriously most folks on the blog would swear there isn't a smell more foul than that (fyi: weanie is aka LGC, smell real foul dnt he ... lol), but nah u had to come drop ya pants and show us that dispicable sight. Well leave ya laker pants in front of the station, we gonna make u walk home just like that, just so you kno you're ALONE ... just so you know u gets no love on hurr ... i dont know which other laker pretender will try to vouch for you but i do know that I CANT STAND U ... and I'm a laker fan boi
did we answer ya question paulie? or do we still needs to beat it like a cop? pls sign the waver form if ya want da rhodney king treatment ... and trust me no la judge will find fault with this sherif ... cuz laker fans are with me in saying ya asking 4 it shawty
Posted by: Taliq | August 21, 2008 at 04:12 PM
Long Time Laker Fan,
Curse you and your accurate statistics!
My apologies to the blog for relying on my faulty memory and not checking my statistics before quoting them.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Pig,
Does this mean no more zooms? and why isn't it called kobe hyperdunks ... like i get ya point about other players wearing airjordans but at least it's got jordans name and logo on it ... like the hyperdunks dont even have the kobe symbol on it ...
Posted by: Taliq | August 21, 2008 at 04:19 PM
Paulie,
Certainly "looking for love" is not a reason to dislike someone, otherwise you should feel the same about 99% of humanity.
I have met Laker fans who may feel the same, as you in the past, but I'd say almost all of them have changed their tune. Most old time Laker fans were against Kobe because of the Shaq thing, but it turned out that Shaq was likely more responsible for that breakup. I really don't see what there is to hate about Kobe the basketball player.
Posted by: HmrHed | August 21, 2008 at 04:26 PM
Paulile,
The first thing I looked for when you posted was whether Taliq was on the blog today. When I saw that he was posting, I just started laughing, knowing what was coming. Like Taliq said, though, you got balls to pull the crap right in front of the sherrif. Of course, that won't help you a bit. Your only hope was that Taliq was in a good mood today. LOL.
Don't mess with Kobe unless you want to mess with the Sheriff.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | August 21, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Taliq
January 2009 will be the Zoom Kobe release. Hyperdunks are the intermediate release. I kind of like the Hyperdunks a little more than the zooms. Judge for yourself.
http://tinyurl.com/5n6qz8
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 21, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Aloha Hobbit
Your questions on who backs up Pau and Andrew are kind of interesting. Its been discussed a lot but perhaps you were not on the blog during those threads. The Lakers are one of the few teams that even run as much as a ten man rotation. The Suns only ran an 8 man rotation. you will probably see Lamar slide over to the PF slot when the 1st subs come in. If Andrew goes out Pau will slide to the center slot. When they return they will come in for Lamar. I assume Lamar will be the last one out since he seems to have the most endurance of the 3. Mihm may see a few minutes here and there at center and Josh Powell will probabally see some run at PF. Thats why I had posted to you earlier that Lamar would be playing only about half his minutes at the 3.
MH
Posted by: michael h | August 21, 2008 at 05:00 PM
Does anyone here know how Olympic judges are chosen?
GO USA!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 05:33 PM
PIG,
Thanks for the link ... d zoom 4 looked cool in d pic da hyperdunks are also nice ... i'll say this much tho i aint liked any of the prior kobe shoes dating back to his day at adidas so i hope d zoom 4s dnt look ugly when i c em in person ... good 2 kno i got another option in da hyperdunks tho
Posted by: Taliq | August 21, 2008 at 06:00 PM
I WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY POST TODAY.
THIS IS MY FIRST AND ONLY POST.
FAKER FANS ARE SHOWING THEIR TRUE NATURE.
SENSITIVE LITTLE PUNKS WHO CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT FROM CRITISISM.
AAHAHAHHHAHAHAH
I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW.
Posted by: Let's go C's! (aka LGC) | August 21, 2008 at 06:06 PM
This is the real LGC.
Jus noticed the exchange with "paulie". The dude's keeping it real.
Kobe is "beloved" only by fans who fall prey for the "Dominic Wilkins" effect.
Growing up, I was a know-nothing little punk who use to idolise Wilkins because of this high flying dunks, but when I grew up, Jordan was the legend.
Why?
Jordan (and other champions) understood how to win. When to be tough and when to be tender.
Basketball is a simple sport. Ya need skills and ability to work in a team. Everybody has a role; even a spoiled little Starlet named Bryant.
Starlet Bryant was spoiled with championship too early in his career and now is paying for it.
Why is Pierce better than Kobe?
Easy answer. Pierce has finally learned how to win.
It takes 5.
Remember those Adidas commercials "It takes 5, fool"?
Yoos Fakers are idiots for unquestionably supporting Kobe and mocking anybody who challenges.
ahahahaahahahahahaahahahahah
This is the real LGC.
Cheers, mate!!
Posted by: Let's go C's! (aka LGC) | August 21, 2008 at 06:14 PM
With the huge Persian Community hear in LA and Orange County why wouldn't the Lakers pursue the Iranian Center? Presto! Mihm is gone like Kwame and Smush.
BD
Posted by: BD | August 21, 2008 at 06:51 PM
Thanks Xodus for the links
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | August 21, 2008 at 07:14 PM
Edwin, Fatty's on vaca lol.
I'm sure he'll drop by when he can. I'll let him know you're asking for him.
As for Kobe and team USA. I can't believe the flack this guy is getting for not scoring the most points. Last I heard that was a knock on him. Now he's doing the little things and shortly but surely dominating...everyone's still looking for an angle.
Just take care of bizness Kob, that's all we can ask for.
Go Kobe! Go Team USA! Kick China butt!
Posted by: Faith | August 21, 2008 at 07:16 PM
Jon K,
>>>Curse you and your accurate statistics!
>>>
>>>My apologies to the blog for relying on my faulty memory
>>>and not checking my statistics before quoting them.
Hey, your point was right on. Josh Powell was a more effective
offensive player than Ronny, and I think that may well carry over
to his play with the Lakers.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 21, 2008 at 07:32 PM
"Let's Go Celtics" AKA "KL Beast" wrote:
>>>prey for the "Dominic Wilkins" effect.
Yep. LGC is definitely KLBeast. He always tried to compare
Kobe to Dominique Wilkins as well, and he always made the
same misspelling of Wilkins name.
Hey Beast, what's going on? It must have urked you how well
Kobe and the Lakers did last season after you spent all summer
bagging on them and saying they'd lose in the first round
again.
Clever idea to create a blog persona of an obnoxious Celtics
fan so you could come hork on the blog several times a day
again this summer. It's a shame your new persona is going
to get shot down this season when the Lakers beat Cleveland
in the NBA finals in 2009.
Have a good summer.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 21, 2008 at 07:38 PM
BD,
It would make sense, but I read that the Iranian government won't let him play in America.
GO USA!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 21, 2008 at 07:39 PM
Who is the Iranian Center? Is he Osama Bin Laden? Is that where he has been hiding? All I know is, if "they" were looking for ME, they would have found me in a few days, even if I was hiding in some cave anywhere in the world. Now you want Osama Bin Laden to play backup Center for us? Isn't that the ULTIMATE cover? Talk about hiding in the open! Dude would be doing interviews and nobody would even notice. Who knew Osama Bin Laden was a better Center than Kwame? a better Center than Chris Mihm! My god, if Bynum went down our starting Center would be... Osama Bin Laden! Can you imagine the fans chanting, "we want tacos!" with Osama Bin Laden playing Center for us? What if George Bush came to a game, Osama Bin Laden had a slam dunk and Bush applauded? Would Osama Bin Laden and Jordan Farmar play at the same time? Think about that, huh? huh? Oh, the possibilities are endless with this subject...
Posted by: Chris don't dump me for the Iranian Center Mihm | August 21, 2008 at 07:55 PM
Hey Guys,
I found this on Andrew Bynum's web site and thought I'd share it!
11-Aug-08
Dr. 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!
Posted by: mikekaz | August 21, 2008 at 08:04 PM
Kobe get the Gold, come back and get your pinky taken cared of. Lakerland is anxious, we have a NBA season and a NBA Ring we need to focus on. Bynum is waiting for you!
Posted by: Staples 24 | August 21, 2008 at 08:06 PM
If you want to see joy, check out the photos of Gold medallists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh on the Yahoo Olympic beachvolley ball page. You have to scroll the photo gallery. But the joy on their face is cool.
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/beach_volleyball;_ylt=AuwcQ0Vs13JIuc_yYbisuViVTZd4
mike t.
Posted by: | August 21, 2008 at 08:09 PM
Long Time Laker Fan,
Ive been told everybody on this blog that LGC is really KLBeast. I would be embarrassed if I was kicked off a blog. I mean you gets kicked out of a blog? I actually think he was the first one to get kicked out of this blog too. The only way he can retaliate was to annoy the entire laker blog by becoming a Celtics fan. He knows that is the only way his words are going to hurt us, since we lost that bad in the finals. This is KL's redemption so to speak. There is no one that can hate Kobe as bad as KL.
Posted by: wow | August 21, 2008 at 08:09 PM
Sun Yue will be the starting PG in two years. Ariza should already start this year at SF. Odom, Sasha and Farmar off the bench.
2009 Starting Line UP
BYNUM
GASOL
ARIZA
BRYANT
SUNYUE
Posted by: Staples 24 | August 21, 2008 at 08:10 PM