Sing it, Marvin! Dunk it, Kobe!

You're a dirty pirate hooker. [...] Why don't you go back to your home on Whore Island?

What movie was that line from?

Marvin Gaye was awesome.

GO LAKERS!

Charles:

Anchorman. Great movie. Lol!

Re Post From the Jordan Farmar Thread:

How de we feel blog...Is Jordan Farmar the PG of the future for the Los Angeles Lakers?

Last year I would have said, very probably, barring mega injury or huge contract dispute. But last year I think we saw that Jordan has a pretty rough time on defence. He cannot guard a guy going around a screen of any type to save his life. He strayed from his early season success and started shooting 3 pointers within the first 6 seconds of the shot clock, ignoring a wide open Machine (I also notice the strain between the two, but that's natural-they're competitors for the 4th quarter playing time), and I don't think he's a very good passer.

He has a hard time with alley-oops (not a terrible detriment, but for a PG, should be a skill in the arsenal), needs to work on his skip pass (something Luke, Lamar, Pau and Kobe can do). He makes poor entry passes and his recognition suffered after he lost confidence in his shot.

He also was pretty ineffective in the Playoffs/ Finals. Now, I realize he's a second year guy, coming up on his third, but we need him coming into the game ready to take it to the defense. I'm not sure if Phil pulled the plug on the quick scoring offense that they ran early last year, but they strayed from it as the season progressed and I think it revealed how limited in the triangle that Jordan actually is. He's about as good a jump shooter as Luke (at this stage of his career, maybe he'll get better), he'll never be a rebounding guard 9a la Q Ross), so I think he may always be a back up.

I think he might be the Laker most on the bubble as far as moving up in the rotation. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kobe, Ariza and Sasha getting more of his minutes and bringing the ball up court (as the triangle doesn't need a guy with mad handles, just a body to get the rock across mid court) because they are MUCH better defensively.

I love Farmar because A: He eats at Good Burger in Santa Monica (mmmmm, good burger), B: He's a local boy done good, C: He's the littlest Laker and there's something darn cute about writing that. But I don't see him as the PG of the future, especially as long as Phil is coach.

Thoughts?

I think there are a variety of lesson to be learned from Anchorman:

Regarding our trolls:
"Boy, things sure got ouf hand quickly, I mean, Brit killed a guy. Speaking of which, I was going to recommend finding a safe house, maybe lay low for awhile."

There's also food:
"This burrito is delicous, but it's SO filling (toss)".

and our current weather:
"it's so hot! Milk was a...bad choice today."

The list goes on.

By the by, love it when people use the awesome power of Youtube to improve our blog experience, thanks K bros.

Jeff K...

Are you Jeff Kriese?

Just wondering.

Good shtuff.

Thanks K Bros!

Jamie Sweet,
I don't think Farmar is quick enough to make up for his lack of size, and as a result will likely be an adequate starting point guard/good back up, but not much more.

Jamie Sweet,

Here's why I like Jordan Farmar:

1. He's from Los Angeles.
2. He's a UCLA Bruin.
3. Kobe, himself, said that he connected with Jordan Farmar because the guy is a gym rat and has a similar competitive spirit.
4. His explosiveness reminds me of a younger Tony Parker. Tony Parker used to drive teams fricken nuts.
5. He's confident, almost cocky. I like that.
6. He and Bynum are our future (unless we sign Shaun Livingston and he comes back close to pre-injury form.)

GO LAKERS!

The loss of Marvin Gaye was a great tragedy. That man could really sing.

I like Jordan. I actually was happy with that pick. I think he's a "winner." Let's not forget he was the only one playing in the NCAA championship.

That said, I don't think he'll ever make any all star teams. But I do agree with Ex that he would be an ok starter in the league. Not one that will hurt you but isn't necessarily an all-star. Now with the Lakers? Start? Maybe in the future, when he does better with his D lol.

Go Lakers!

Jamie Sweet:

I'm a different K. Was there a Jeff K before?

Jeff K: No different K, just wondering.

Jon K: I like Farmar, too...but is he the PG of the future.

FUN

Jamie Dulce,

Farmar is a B grade for back up PG. A C + as a starter.
But due to his improvements every year, he has the same skill set of Tony Parker.

Hopefully he keeps going to Summer School and get that A!

Jamie Sweet,

As I said, unless we sign Shaun Livingston and he's able to return to full health, then Jordan Farmar WILL BE out point guard of the future, like it or not.

Sun Yue and Sasha won't be taking his place.

GO LAKERS!

Sorry Jon K...

... to continue, I think that Farmar could be a better PG on a different team, he's more of handle the ball for awhile type of player. But he'll never get that luxury on this team. He'll have to get better at D if he wants to play quality 4th quarter minutes, which it seems he obviuosly covets (what competetive gym rat wouldn't).

Your point 4:
4. His explosiveness reminds me of a younger Tony Parker. Tony Parker used to drive teams fricken nuts.

I totally agree, he reminds me of TP, also, but TP wouldn't have developed into what he is now under Phil. Phil wouldn't let him roam into and out of the paint for 8 - 12 seconds/ possession.

I thought Jordan looked absolutely amazing the first third of last season. But, he went away from his penetration game about midway through the year. Why? I don't know. It seemed early on the quick offense had Phil's blessing. What changed? Was it the acquistion of Pau Gasol? Was it the emergence of Lamar as a viable offensive option? Was it Kobe's MVP rumors? Did he hit a sophmore wall?

I wonder if Phil will have him play to start in training camp, a little competition for Derek. Also, Derek coming off the bench (although it would piss him off) would really stabilize the 2nd Unit. Phil is such a kooky kat, I never really feel that I have a handle on what he sees on the court vs what I see from my couch.

My opinion is that the rotations will mirror the end of last year for the start of the season. If Lamar is ineffective, I don't think they'll move him to the bench, I think they'll just move him. If Fisher is still a step slow, I think he'll go to the bench and they;ll give Farmar a shot at starting (remember, he started in 07-08 playoffs as well as the last few games that year).

I like the make up of our team and I am not for getting rid of J-Farm, however, he is constantly referred to as our PG of the future and I think that is expecting too much.

GO LAKERS!!!!!

well, it looks like the "glitch" was fixed so I can open these webpages again so that's cool...

Why is it so hard (channeling Dani from Big Brother) you don't understand! it's sooo hard! That's RUDE! Ok...

but why is it so hard to get a tv schedule for Team USA Bball? ESPN just threw theirs out there, it was fantastic. Now that ESPN and USA Channel are involved... uh... HOW do you find out when and what channel to tape? This is ridiculous! I've gotten a schedule from several places but WHAT CHANNEL? Channel 4? USA? Some other offshoot channel? and are they going to show the games when they are being delayed or will it be a delayed telecast?

Absolutely ridiculous! A ratings point is sitting here and can't figure out how to watch something he wants to watch! Those GENIUSES at NBC really screwed this one up...

I don't know much about Sun Yue, seen some Youtube fottage of him playing against non-NBA competition.

Sasha isn't a PG (I'm sure HE thinks he could play PG, PF, or C because the dude just don't quit), but he and Farmar better get used to each other.

Jon K, you bring up Shaun Livingston...any word on his status? Are the Clippers interested in giving him another shot? Are they just waiting it out so they can low ball him when other teams shie away from his bum knee? I REALLY liked Shaun Livngston pre-injury (He could use some Weight Gain 3000, but he's a perfect fit in the triangle) I think he and Kobe could really shut down the opposing team's back court.

Does anyone know whether the Lakers are even considering Livingston?????

The thing I love about Marvin Gaye's voice is it is so relaxed. Just beautiful, sweet emotion. Phenomenal.

These "New R&B" singers can't sing. No relaxation. No honest emotion. They're too busy showing off their vocal "skills" to actually sing.

GO LAKERS!

I believe we need 1 maybe 2 more season to know if he is the point guard of our future. We know the Lakers are pretty content right now.

He is quick , can get to the hole, cocky, great at the running game. He is sneaky at getting to rim much like Parker, he has an improved 3 point shot. He looks real good wheh he played along Kobe and Bynum.

I believe he will get better, he was our 6th man last year.

I love D Fish , but i would love to see what Farmar can do with more playing time.

Jamie Sweet,

I've talked to a couple writers who cover/spend a lot of time around the Clips and according to them, Livingston isn't close to being ready for NBA action yet. Not that his career is necessarily over, but if he's signed by someone, I have to guess it's with the expectation that he won't play much until way later on. Unless that info is wrong, I doubt the Lakers have much interest. Between the guys who've yet to show they're fully recovered from injury (Bynum, Mihm), those coming off injury (Fish, Ariza) and others who remain perennial injury threats (LO, Walton, to some degree Kobe), they don't really have the luxury/depth to use a roster spot on a guy who may not even be able to play in 2009.

AK

Jamie Sweet,

Shaun Livingston has been cleared for one-on-one play. I haven't heard much more, but it seems there's cause for concern.

The Clippers are interested in signing Shaun Livingston, but at a lower rate, that's why they let him go into unrestricted free agency. However, with the signing of Baron Davis and the slew of recent Clippers signings, it's seeming less and less likely that the Clippers will resign players like Shaun Livingston and Quinton Ross.

I don't know if the Lakers are looking at Shaun Livingston (in all honesty, I have no idea who the Lakers are looking at AT ALL. It's been a really blind offseason for Laker Nation.)

However, if (and I emphasize IF) Shaun Livingston could return to something near his pre-injury form, he is the perfect point guard for the Jacksonian Triangle.

Long and lean and sees the court like nobody else.

GO LAKERS!

wow, when I type fast... even I can't read my posts...

Simply, does anyone know when and what channel to tape when Team USA plays? ESPN was fantastic but now NBC and USA have taken over and provided no useful info as to HOW somebody who wants to see Team USA play, could actually know when and what channel to tape. I'm not getting up at 5:00 AM to figure out if they are showing it on channel 4, USA channel, MSNBC, CNBC, OXYGEN??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? or if they are delaying showing it until later, etc. Why can't they just tell us?

RE: FARMAR AS LAKER PG OF THE FUTURE

I really don't think so. I like Jordan Farmar but physically (quickness especially) I feel he's limited to compete with the elite guards in the league , especially the West.

I think Phil uses him well as a change of pace guard off the bench, but until he toughens up on defense (he can do this by learning to play better a la D-Fish or find a way to get quicker..don't think that's possible) I don't see him as a starting PG in our system.

I think he could be a starting PG in the league though, but not on this team.

I do feel he has value around the league though and to be honest, would do great in the D'Antoni system with the Knicks where they move the ball up the court more and the PG gets to handle the rock most of the time.

How about Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar for Stephon Marbury and David Lee?

We get an energy, banging 4 with a cheap contract (although he might be a free agent this next year) and major cap space with Marbury's contract coming off the books.

We basically won't be able to sign LO to anywhere near what he's making now so he's as good as gone anyway. Lee could probably be had for the $7-$9 million a year range we'll need to spend on him.

Jamie Sweet,

I think we'll be impressed with the improvement of Jordan Farmar next year.

He's a young, competitive, gym rat, and those people tend to exhibit consistent improvement, even if they also occasional overconfidently take risks and experiments in play that come to bite them on the ass.

All a part of the learning curve, methinks.

GO LAKERS!

Charles

"You're a dirty pirate hooker. [...] Why don't you go back to your home on Whore Island? What movie was that line from?"

Pirates of the Striptabean Part II

Hello Macheen Fans of Lakers!

Macheen very sad today. Macheen fans of Lakers say Macheen and Farmar not friends. Macheen fans of Lakers say Farmar no pass to open Macheen. Macheen look up "open machine" in dictionary of America, and meaning is “three points for certain”. Macheen making joke. HAHAHAHAHA……um…maybe not so funny joke.

Where was Macheen? Oh yes, Macheen like Farmar very much and Farmar like Macheen very much. Farmar like Macheen so much he want to be Macheen. Everyone want to be Macheen, even Macheen best friend Kobe. Farmar no pass to open Macheen, Macheen not angry. Macheen know Farmar only try copy Macheen, and shoot like Macheen. Farmar hate Macheen not true. Farmar love Macheen too much. Macheen honored, not angry.

Macheen hope Macheen fans of Lakers understand now and say Macheen and Farmar very good friends.

Good bye Macheen fans of Lakers.

oh my god...

Ok, first... there is a god, the god of:

http://tinyurl.com/5um94w

Sun, Aug 10, 10:15 a.m (Eastern). USA - China (M) on NBC

Tues, Aug 12, 8:00 a.m (Eastern). USA - Angola (M) on USA channel

Thurs, Aug 14, 8:00 a.m (Eastern). USA - Greece (M) on USA channel

Sat, Aug 16, 10:15 a.m (Eastern). USA - Spain (M) on USA channel

Mon, Aug 18, 8:00 a.m (Eastern). USA - Germany (M) on USA channel

- double check to make sure I didn't transpose anything but this should be right.

AK,

You have now ascended into legendary status with that Marvin Gaye clip! Always great b-ball analysis, but now I realize you have the title of music aficianado as well.

In music and in hoops, you don't fake the funk! Good lookin out.

Andrew Z,

"How about Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar for Stephon Marbury and David Lee?"

Dude, are you smoking crack?

How about this? Why don't we build our team around Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, Ron Artest and Stephon Marbury (the best point guard in basketball)?

Lunacy. I like David Lee but Stephon Marbury is pure cancer. Period. He destroys his team from within.

GO LAKERS!

GM Andrew Z at it again! lol.

I like the idea of David Lee, but am utterly disgusted on the idea of Starbury in purple and gold.

re: LO. I think he goes to Miami post LA. But that is assuming we don't win this coming year. Who's going to want to leave then?

The NBA is slowly becoming a guard's league. From the no-hand check rule to zone defenses, the league is favoring outside shooting and more specifically, the PG position. Here is a sample of the current and futre stars at the PG position.

Chris Paul
Baron Davis
Chaucey Billups
Deron Williams
Jason Kidd
Monte Ellis
Brandon Roy
Mike Conley
DJ Augustine
Derrick Rose
Dwane Wade
TJ Ford
Jose Calderon
Gilbert Arenas
Rafer Alston
Tony Parker
Mike Bibby
Javaris Crittenton
Kyle Lowry

All of these PG's, with the possible exception of a few, are better AND/or have more potential than Jordan Farmar. I like Farmar as a backup of the future, but if Laker Nation wants dynasties, Farmar cannot be the starting PG of the future.

I believe Jordan was playing good early last year, because Bynum was coming off the bench with him. When he drove to the basket they had to pick their poison. When Bynum became a starter Jordan's game suffered, because they were rarely in the game at the same time.
1. Make Jordan a starter
2. Fish comes of the bench
3. Watch Farmar become a 3-point shootin Tony Parker!!

I don't want to get political since this isn't the place to do so, but I don't understand why Kobe is backing away from his original support of aid to Darfur, as mentioned in this article,
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/
beijing/basketball/news;_ylt=
An.rP96Rk_74pkQdSIzeGkg5nYcB?slug
=dw-darfur080708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns .

Kobe's a polarizing figure anyway, so I say why does he not use that to his advantage? He has already dealt with losing endorsement contracts, but it was for a bad reason. Now if he does he will be seen as important for more than just basketball. Even if he achieves as much as MJ in his career, he will never be seen in the same light, just because so many people don't like him anyway. Let Lebron try to become the next MJ. Kobe should think about the depth of influence he could carry if he is like Muhammad Ali. In the bigger scheme of history who is a moire relevant individual, Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali?

Jordan Farmar and Kobe get along great because:

Jordan Famrar is cocky like Kobe.

Jordan Farmar hasn't done a thing like Kobe.

Jordan Farmar is overconfident like Koe.

Jordan Farmar has the name "Jordan" which Kobe expires to be.

It's no wunder theys gets along.

Class dismissed.

hahaahahahah

Within the triangle offense you dont need anything close to a true point guard. He is not counted on to be a scorer and not even and assist specialist. You just need to know know the system, be a leader, get the team to flow, have the proper spacing, get the ball started with the movement and be ready to cut, move, or shoot.

Which is why coach had asked him to improve his 3 point shot and he is doing a good job of that. I believe he fits well both with the triangle and with a fast break offense.

Lets not forget at the beginning of the season it was said that or offence was changed by allowing the players to have 8 seconds to create a fast break point and then switch to the triangle offence. This was done strictly to help maximize FARMAR'S skills . This year we can expect more passes from FARMAR to , KOBE, ARIZA, and ODOM on the break and more of GASOL and BYNUM on the half court game. I believe there will be more fast breaks this season.

With so much attention that is going to be on those 4 guys Farmar will be also be able to get a lot of sneaky shots, and open look to the baskets. He has more of a nack to attack the basket now. and has a improved shot.

We definately don't need another scorer, when we have KOBE, GASOL, BYNUM, LAMAR. So we have a guy who is cocky , is a leader yet does not need to be the center of attention and wants to feed the other scorers and the shooters in SASHA, VLAD, D-FISH.

Farmar aka MIGHTY MOUSE ( his size, muscle, leader ,toughness and definately the ears = Mighty Mouse) dont tell me you dont see it.

Kiwi, Jeff K and Jamie Sweet,

Thanks for the reply guys!!! Off to watch Pineapple Express this weekend!

Farmar "mighty mouse"?

Don't cha mean Dumbo? Jus playin.

I like Farmar, he's alright; for a Laker that is.

AK-

I got that version of the Star Spangled Banner on my ipod! Best ever. Good idea from Nike

laker hopeful,
"I don't understand why Kobe is backing away from his original support of aid to Darfur"

He isn't backing away from supporting aid to Darfur; he is declining to make a statement critical of the role of China in the Sudan. Those are two separate, although related, issues.

The problem is where you draw the line between politics and sports. It's an extremely slppery slope.

Should athletes make political statements, and "not be gracious guests", or try to completely separate sports from politics? Do you not allow athletes from certain countries to compete at all, like what happened to South African athletes in the 70's and 80's? Should we boycott the entire Olympics, like in 1980, because of China's involvement? Do those actions actually help at all, or just make the situation worse?

I don't think there are easy answers to any of them, but in general, I think that the more friendly interaction you get between societies, the better. And that probably means that this isn't the best time for the athletes to make statements that are critical of the host nation.

Jon K,

You could cut Marbury before he even boards a plane to LA, or just keep him inactive all year and ask him to stay home and have his $20 million expiring contract to play with at the trade deadline (Kwame's expiring deal helped us out, didn't it?).

I wouldn't particularly like the deal, but it would make sense financially for Dr. Buss.

Faith,

I'm bored, what can I say? Love me some crazy trades!!! Also, I think players leaving for Europe, free agents stabbing teams in the back (Brand) and the like are concrete proof that no one is going to take a "home town" discount or a pay cut to play for a winner (unless they are REALLY old a la PJ Brown) anymore. It's a business and they want their money. Lamar Odom is going to negotiate his last big contract this summer and I'm pretty damn sure no matter what happens with the Lakers, he'll be going somewhere else.

I believe Lakerhopeful has a valid point.

Kobeef Bryant may be beloved in Bevery Hills 90210, but is hated around the country. Kobeer might be loved outside of teh country because the international community don't know that deep down, Kobeef Bryant is a jerk.

A Jerk.

Real fans are too smart for Kobbef's pretenciousness.

A real Faker if you ask me.

"C" what I mean?

Let's go C's, do you have an authentic replica of the Millennium Falcon hanging in your bedroom? Just curious...

Speaking of PG's with possible career ending injuries, what ever happened to Jay Williams from Duke?

exhelodrvr,

It's definitely a tough situation to put athletes in, all I'm saying is that if you truly care about helping a cause, you should take your chances. If an athlete (like Kobe) cares more about the lives of innocent people than losing money (which he already has alot of) then he should not at least make a statement and not avoid the issue. Athletes are not politicians, but they sometimes have even more influence than politicians. If they care about something they should use their image. This isn't a knock on Kobe, I'm a big Kobe fan, but I would hope that he at least not avoid the questions about such a prominent issue, especially in this Olympic stage in China.

Let's Go C's:

Pretenciousness???!!!

Put down the hater-ade and pick-up a dictionary! As the commercial used to say: The mind is a terriible thing to waste.

THANKS AK!!

That version of Marvin's "Inner City Blues" (one of my all time favorites) is off the proverbial chain!! Where on earth did you find it??

Anymore musical surprises up your sleeve?

Dude is dominating this blog with some seriously crappy smack talk. I know AK said the smack talk is allowed, but you can't even count what that little boy is doing as smack talk. I know fifth graders who talk better smack than this clown. I could go down to the local playground and ask around who the best player in the NBA is and how many people will say Paul Pierce? 0, that's how many. Little PP cried all the way to the locker room and the drama built while the ESPN suits and the NBA front office laughed because they knew it was all an act anyway. More Boston BS from the town that cheaters love to love and everyone else loves to hate. How many people moved from LA to Boston last year that weren't ordered to? Right, probably none, unless you count the other degenerates who can't keep a job and or live in the basement of an abandoned warehouse waiting for the bread to come through the window in the door. I think I hear someone's mommy calling from upstairs. Smack.

Please.

Groove69,

Thanks, man. I like to think of myself as having pretty good musical tastes, but really, how much is really needed to recognize Marvin's brilliance? Harder to deny, in my mind.

AK

Houston Laker,

Got it off Youtube. Did a search, took a listen, thought it was golden.

AK

Yall Laker fans are scuh Fakers. Finals MVP baby, that's what matters. Back in the day when Dominic (Kobe#1) was trying to one-up Jordan, most ordinary fans would say "yo yo yo dominic is the Best, blah balh", but it's Finals MVPs and championship that count foo.

Don't give me this "BS" that Kob's gots 3. Kob's got zero as "taaap daaag".

hahahaahaha

Go C's. Can't wait until X=mas. Yall Lakers will give LGC a gift of a lifttime.

ahhahahahahah

It still amazes me how so many bloggers are ready to jump to a judgement on very young players. At 21 Jordon is still growing. He took a very large step between his 1st and 2nd year and I expect another step this year. I will reserve judgement for another year or 2. I do know he had better numbers then Steve Nash had in his 2nd year in fewer minutes. Plus Nash was 23, so give the kid some time. He has the right mind set to be a winner.

Mh

Blah Blah Blah

That's still all I hear. The best players in the game don't have to say ß˙ˆ† about how good they are. Other people do it for them. Little girls tell everybody how good they are at things. Little girls and little pps.

Let's go Cheaters

Good points Michael H.

Pig,

Right you are, sir! Right you are!

GO LAKERS!

"Best player in the game"?

I suppose "I can get off at anytime and I did" while getting isn't saying "hey I'm the best they is".

Let's not forget Kobeef "I need 20 shots" got SHUT DOWN JULIE BROWN in the Finals

Man, you Fakers are smoking "ham". Eatin' bacon with eggs.

Yood aren't gonna win no titles because Mr. Selfish is still too selfish to "co-exist" with another superstar. Don't even tell me Pau Gasoft is a superstar. Pau's no good, no good I say.

Since the "breakup" of yoos champs, where are the stars going to LA? Where are they hiddin?

Yoos aren't going to win a title under Dominic's flag.

Cheers mate.

ahahhahhaahahahaha

Go baaastaaan!

AK

My intention was to respond to your "dead weight" issue a few threads ago........BUT, This thread was so "funky" I had to give you a pass.

Great Job!!

P.S. What do you know about "Inner City Blues"?

The Clippers welcome point guard Jason Williams to there roster.....These guys have been working overtime rebuild .
That ends the Livingston days as a clipper..

Boston is wack.

Kobe is awesome.

Pfunk36,

"AK, My intention was to respond to your "dead weight" issue a few threads ago........BUT, This thread was so "funky" I had to give you a pass. Great Job!! P.S. What do you know about "Inner City Blues"?"

Gee, Marvin got me a "pass?" And here I thought you didn't respond to my answer given for a question you posed 48 HOURS ago because you didn't have anything to counter it. What an amazing stroke of fortune that the timing just happened to work out this way, given what you most certainly "intended" to do. I'm one lucky SOB.

As for what I know about "inner city blues," I'm pretty sure they can lead to incredibly transparent questions from people who won't just come out and say what they mean.

AK

I wonder what salary J-dubb is getting. He would have been fun to have on the Lakers, but its still fun to have him in LA.

So are they gonna start both J-Dubb and B-Diddy? That oughta be interesting.

J-Dubb to Clips?

White Chocolate would rather playin Purgatory Clipperland than be with you Fakers?

Pathetic.

Man ole man, does ANYBODY of importance want to play in LA with Mr. Selfish? Anybody?

Ya Fakers pay close attention.

When you have a guy who's known for being Mr. Selfish, most other players who are any good ain't goonna want to play on your team.

So, a little advice, please tell Mr. "I can get off at anytime and I did" to soften up on the selfishness. Remember: No "I" in "team".

Your Starlett might be the "best player in the world", but that don't mean a darn thing if all the other good players rather play for the Clippers.

hahahahahahahahh

Funny as hell.

Cheers.

Thirty2,

Really? White Chocolate is a Clipper?

Yep. You sound on target. Looks like Shaun Livingston's days with the Clippers is over.

Time for the Lakers to sign him to some complex Defenders/D-League contract that allows us to bring him up as soon as he's well.

GO LAKERS!

Man, the Clippers have brought on 10 new players in this offseason. If they could just get rid of Tim "The Cancer" Thomas, they might be onto something.

Complete overhaul.

Go Clippers!

GO LAKERS!

Jon K,

I think the only teams that even consider Shaun Livingston at this point are those with gaping holes at the PG spot (I don't think we're there) and have no shot in hell of making the playoffs so they can invest in roster spot with Shaun and take a flyer that a season of hard work and training with a team staff can get him back into playing condition.

The whole thing seems very familiar to the Jay Williams (Duke and Chicago guard) situation from a year ago. A body just doesn't come back from injuries like those to the level of being able to play at an elite level. At least not that soon.

I loved the way the kid played and I wish him the best, but the Lakers can't afford to take on that project.

Rod Benson, he's another story. I know AK/BK would love to have that guy aboard, that would make the job way too fun. Boom-tho!!!

Clips have been rolling the dice. I like it.

AK - major props on Gaye.

Chris the Catherine - thanks for posting the schedule. I'm going on a 4-day road trip, beginning Weds.... and really lamenting the fact that I'm gonna miss some Olympics.

rdlee - Jay Williams tried coming back last year... he played a few preseason games for the Nets but was cut. I think he's since put it on hold.

It will be interesting to see if Novak gets any real pt with the Clips - the guy can flat out shoot.

Pfunk36,

LOL!

AK's response:

"As for what I know about "inner city blues," I'm pretty sure they can lead to incredibly transparent questions from people who won't just come out and say what they mean. "

LOL! Give the guy a break. After all he does have "Live it up" by the Isley Brothers on his iPod. : )

Now that jam has more cred than inner city blues because it's the original gangster tune. That's just a hardcore beat going on there. And from the mid-70s to boot.

mike t.

Jon K

I have to hand it to the Clippers for this offseason makeover...
I honestly believe they will make the playoffs...Great job

As for Livingston,i would at least sign him up for camp and take it from there...I love bigger point guards,and his size is perfect....Can he return the same player?.Im not sure but it wouldnt hurt to get him into camp......

DO IT MITCH

What do you people know about:

"Tell me that you don't need a lover
Night time volenteers undercover

Let me know
If you're ready
I don't have to ask you NICE. (My favorite part)
Hold on...hold on baby
Hold on for the ride of your life!"

Name that tune then talk to me about what you know about inner-city anything.

mike t.

Check this out:

LIQUID LOVE

http://www.rhapsody.com/
theisleybrothers/funkyfamily/liquidloveparts12

Now that there is some serious FUNK. That right there is original FUNK. Or as I like to say: That there funk is straight uncut. That's so funky you can practically snort it. LOL!

mike t.

MT - you'd better not start going down Midnight Special memory lane, haha... those of us that remember might start breaking out the peace pipes.

LAKER "TRUTH",

>>...
>>Mike Conley
>>DJ Augustine
>>Derrick Rose
>>Dwane Wade
>>TJ Ford
>>Jose Calderon
>>Gilbert Arenas
>>Rafer Alston
>>Tony Parker
>>Mike Bibby
>>Javaris Crittenton
>>Kyle Lowry
>>
>>>All of these PG's, with the possible exception of a few,
>>>are better AND/or have more potential than Jordan
>>>Farmar. I like Farmar as a backup of the future, but if
>>>Laker Nation wants dynasties, Farmar cannot be the
>>>starting PG of the future.

First of all, Wade, Roy, and Monta Ellis are SG's, so you can
take them off of your list (or if you prefer, you can add Kobe,
Ginobili, Kevin Martin, Allen Iverson, etc to your list).

Okay, so you don't like Farmar. But you know what? NBA
players aren't judged on a standard of "How much LAKER
TRUTH likes them". Why don't we use a simple stat that
IS used in evaluating players - PER.

Farmar had a PER of 15.43 last season. You know who that
makes him better than? Mike Conley, Rafer Alston, Javaris
Crittenton, and Kyle Lowry, for starters.

You know who else he's better than? DJ Augustin and
Derrick Rose... until they PROVE that they are able to play
better than him. You are probably someone who ranked
Kwame Brown as the best center in the league for the next
10 years when he got drafted.

Potential means squat. You've got to actually perform to be
a quality NBA player. There are 30 teams in the NBA. Jordan
Farmar was the 18th best point guard in the NBA last season, based on PER. That means that there were at
least 12 teams that had worse starting PGs than Farmar.

So yes, he's not as good as all-stars like Steve Nash or
Chris Paul, and he's not even as good as a few young players
like Rondo and Calderon, but he's done pretty well so far.

Just because YOU think Mike Conley is going to be brilliant
doesn't make up for the fact that he can't shoot his way out
of a paper bag and gets assists at about the same rate as Farmar.
When Conley actually out-performs Jordan, then you can get
all uppity about it.

There are a couple of other PGs you didn't mention who
actually ARE better than Jordan (Steve Nash, Devin Harris,
and Rajon Rondo come to mind for starters), but just because
you're not one of the top 10 PGs in the league doesn't mean
you're not a good PG.

>>>Let's go C's, do you have an authentic replica of the
>>>Millennium Falcon hanging in your bedroom? Just
>>>curious...

I bet he does. And I bet they match his Star Wars underoos.

Mike T:
You're right.....that is some nasty, greasy, get-a-year supply of some deodorant funk.

AK: I still give you the nod for Inner City Blues.....Marvin and Stevie were brave enough to talk about some deep social issues that other soul artists of the time were unwilling to tackle. However, some good knuckle draggin funk has its place in any discography.

Michael T.,

Yes, the Isley Brothers are pretty damned good.

GO LAKERS!

Michael Teniente,

The original funk is James Brown it is that simple. He's the father of funk and of disco. He's the master and will always be.

GO LAKERS!

Thirty2,

I know this is lame.

But when Andrew Bynum became a Laker I got a certain feeling in my gut that said, "This is that guy we need as a Laker!"

When the Clippers drafted Shaun Livingston a feeling in my gut said, "This is the guy that we need! Thank God!"

This guy. Shaun Livingston. Is literally a Hall of Fame player. He's that good.

I don't know what's going on. Maybe I want to bury my head in the sand because it's such a tragedy, but he's not that good because of athletic excellence.

He's that good because of how good he sees the floor. It's all mental with this player.

If he never comes back from the injury, he'll still be an impressive NBA player.

I hope he is always a Clipper. I hope we will retire as a Laker. He's a good player and he needs to stay in Los Angeles, no matter what.

Go Clippers!

GO LAKERS!

Wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa!

hahahahahahaah

wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa !

hahahahah

wa wa wa

wa wa

hahahahaha

With the Olympics coming up I needed to free up some space on my DVR which meant I had to finally erase Game 3 of the Lakers Celtic battle. Since we know humans forget so easily I thought I would jot down some notes of that game before erasing. Here are a couple:

1. Mark Jackson states during pre-game interview that the Lakers were SOFT, OUTWORKED AND OUT HUSTLED IN GAMES 1 AND 2.

( I think we could say that for the entire series)

2. Doc Rivers pregame speech has him saying:
The Lakers might feel comfortable driving to the arena, they might feel comfortable during starting lineups BUT when they step in between the lines nothing is going to make them feel comfortable.

( I have to agree..the Defense really did make the Lakers very uncomfortable and out of sync.)

3. Lamar Odom 65 seconds into game picks up 1st foul.
4. Lamar Odom picks up 2nd foul with 5:16 ramaining in the first period. Has to leave the game
5. Start of the 2nd and Lamar picks up foul #3 in 30 seconds, clock showing 11:30 left in the 2nd. Back to the bench for the rest of the half
6. Lamars stats at halftime 3 fouls 0 Points..

( the funny thing is the Lakers won this game..LOL..
I just want to go on record right now...today.. this minute, I don't have faith in Lamar at the 3 and I surely don't see him being the savior at the 6th man as some of you think.
When I think of Lamar I think of someone mentally weak who doesn't have an outside shot. With Gasol and Bynum down low I just don't see Odom opening it up inside for the big guys... we need a shooter to not clog it up and Odom is not the guy and you all know it. )

Think about it in a game the Lakers win, Odom scores 0 points and has 3 fouls in the first half and you are paying him 14 million a year?? 4 years is long enough Buss!

7. The Best Play of the Game- had to replay it several times but you might remember-the ball went from Sasha to Kobe to Turiaf, to Luke, to Farmar and back to Sasha for a 3 pt play at the top of the key. Man that ball movement was incredible. To bad they couldn't pull it off enough times to get the job done.

8. 8:50 left in the 3rd period and Farmar and Brown get tangled up. They both stare at each other with Kobe 5 feet away BUT guess who the 1st person was to step in front of Farmar and face off with PJ Brown..It sure wasn't Kobe who was 5 feet away... IT WAS SASHA
who came running in and sticking his nose in there. I thought that was really interesting. I want to say this about Sasha...HE HAS FIRE in his belly and I am 1 Laker Fan who is glad he stayed and signed. He is a clutch shooter who wants the ball and not afraid to shoot and he has moxie... Sasha I am glad you are a Laker!

9. Mark Jackson states after Jordan Farmar makes a three..let me tell you Farmar is a starting point guard in the NBA.

( I sure hope Farmar can start or at least Sasha in the backcourt because Fish who I like should not be starting for this team. Come on now, he should be a bench player.

10. Lamar Odom picks up foul #4 with 9.28 left in the 3rd.
( now it is getting to be pathectic )

11. With Sasha and Kobe hitting big shots at the end of the game the Lakers are up by 6 with 7 seconds left with the ball BUT GUESS WHAT...Lamar has the ball and he decides to go for a layup...Offensive foul by Lamar using right arm to push off. FOUL and camera goes to Jack NIcholson holding his head and just shaking it back and forth on Lamars BRAIN CRAMP DRIVE instead of just running out the clock.

After watching game 3 which was a win, the Lakers can thank Kobe, Sasha and Farmar.

And Odom in my book is weak mentally and will never be able to fit in the 3 hole. Expect him to be traded before the deadline. Lakers are not getting there 14 million out of him.

BD

jon - i just read the jason williams article in the times.... i didn't know that the clips offered shaun a one-year guaranteed contract and he turned it down. what do you make of that?

Looks like Sun Yue was signed today.

http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2008/08/lakers-agree-to-terms-
with-sun.html

Hope that this kid is as good as purported to be. Hopefully he's put on some muscle and got a more reliable jumper.

#4

If true this is good news. Any player at 6'9 as a point guard possibility gets me excited. Can you imagine if he can perform how the team identity would change from Bynum now being down low and instead of 6'1 Fish we had someone at 6'9...Oh man...that would be interesting.

BD

Lets go Clown,

Seriously, what do you do for living? I have seen you for weeks here trying to collect a couple of attention to finally open your circus... didn't you get enough?

You sound like a bat that was for decades hidden somewhere inside of the cave due to an excess of sun and now that the moon in on the sky you're flying from one spot to another.

You been spitting here too often now like I never seen nobody doing it before...is it because the Celtics won or because you won something also? Because if you did... congrats bro!

Just remember that guy "MR. I can get off any time" has been taking the Lakers to the playoffs year after year and just like he won with Shaq, Mr. "I am the best player in the world" won with the guy who really took the ''c'' to the promise land.

I don't remember him talking how good he was b4 he was around Garnett or Ray Ray...so.... You really are making a clown of urself.... find a job or go read a couple of books because semester of the elementary school is just around the corner and you definitely don't want to get too many of those C's in there.

Have a good Cummer (summer) yo!

BD, thanks for the reply.

The more recent videos of him from last year at Yao and Steve Nash's charity game show that he's got some decent running speed and some court sense. His dunks look pretty athletic too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPuR474hn8w

Can't take away much else, but if he's mentioned in the same breath as Yao and Yi, as in China's 3rd best player, he might be pretty decent. He's just as young as Farmar, but has probably been playing at a high level with the national team.

I guess the real question might be, is he the point guard of the future for the Lakers?

LTLF,

There are times when Wade has played point guard for real stretches in games. He's a bit of a combo guard.

Same goes for Monta. I believe Monta is going to be playing PG this season for the Warriors as well. Obviously some of his stats are likely to change when he does so.

And AI has always been a combo guard. He's not really a 1 or a 2, but you can use him as either. Yes, I know Denver had Anthony Carter and Chucky Atkins. AI still played PG sometimes, particularly when Chuckles was hurt much of the season. When JR Smith and AI were both in, AI played PG.

As for Calderon, he's not just some good young point guard either. He's legit. He was a borderline All-Star last year, even without playing all season, though it was in the Eastern Conference.

They just don't make singers like that anymore.

dave m,

He has a scumbag agent. That's probably it.

GO LAKERS!

Gooooooooood Morning Laker Blog!

We got some hot topics today people. White Choclate coming to LA. With B Davis and WC, the Clips now have two PGs that need the ball for about 20 seconds of the shot clock. Well, not Baron, but Jay Will...c'mon. I have always loved to see opposing coaches put him in for the 4th quarter. It means a turnover or two, a hasty three pointer or two and a defensive lapse or three.

Jay Will = OVERRATED!

This is good for the Lakers, but enough about other, lesser, teams. What about or magnificent team? We all had so much fun chatting yesterday about Jordan Farmar and his future role with the Lakers. Overall consensus...not a starter at this time, with his dedication and gym rattiness he may well develop into something scary but only time will tell.

Cool. What fun topic can we bandy about on this most glorius of Fridays? How the Clippers are emulating Extreme Makeover? Naaaa.

Howzabout we talk Phil Jackson, the enigmatic and mysterious coach that wins and wins and confounds and befuddles fans and haters alike. His blank expressions, his special chair, his penchant for coaching the best players on earth.

This will be his final year, I believe, will he re-up his contract? Will he finally reach Lamar? Will he and Jeanie be on the Dog Whisperer again? These questions and more are awaiting us this splendid morning.

But seriously, what fate awaits our HOF coach? I have a hard time thinking that he would retire from the Lakers for as long as Kobe wants to remain a Laker. I think that he and Kobe are on the same page big time these days. They both want to erase the doubters, folks who say they wouldn't have won 3 in row from 2000-2003 without Shaq. Or that Phil was handed a team that had been battle tested for years and was finally ready to get to that highest of levels.

We talk about the triangle and it's intricacies, but it hasn't garnered us a Larry O' since his return. If he were to step down after this season, who would replace him?

My favorite would be Kurt Rambis followed by Jim Cleamons followed by Brian Shaw. If they were to go outside of the organization, I think coach K would be the ideal choice for three reasons:
1: Kobe respects the crap out of him.
2: He's a winner on the college scene consistently and with vastly different rosters year to year. I don't think any college has a higher turnover of players that show up for a year and then bail to the NBA.
3: The players he coached in college do pretty well in the NBA. Not all of them, but better than the Ed O'Bannons of the league. I was never a fan of Rick Pitino and when he was named coach of the Celtics I was stoked. It meant that the Celtics would be relegated to the trash heap for a few seasons. But coach K is different, the man's coaching USA basketball for goodness sake, he drills fundamentals into players like Bob Villa refurbishes old houses. The one question is when his Duke contract is up and whether he would be willing to jump to the next level.

I would prefer that we give some of our assitants at least a shot at the job, with Phil staying for as long as he likes sitting in that goofy chair of his.

GO FRIDAY!!!!!

Jamie Sweet,

"My favorite would be Kurt Rambis followed by Jim Cleamons followed by Brian Shaw."

I absolutely agree. I hope after Phil Jackson retires that Kurt Rambis or Jim Cleamons takes over.

After Kurt Rambis or Jim Cleamons's tenure is over, I hope that Derek Fisher takes over.

GO LAKERS!

Byron Scott will be the Lakers head coach once PJ retires at the end of this contract.

Bet on it.

Chris...Mihm,

>>>Sun, Aug 10, 10:15 a.m (Eastern). USA - China (M) on NBC
>>>
>>>Tues, Aug 12, 8:00 a.m (Eastern). USA - Angola (M) on USA channel
>>>...

Or if you have DishNetwork, they added a special Olympics
Basketball channel, so you can watch the games live:

Sun 8/10 - 7 am - US vs China
Tue 8/12 - 5 am - US vs Angola
Thu 8/14 - ? - US vs Greece
Sat 8/16 - 7:15am - US vs Spain
Mon 8/18 - 5 am - US vs Germany

They'll also be showing all four of the Quarterfinal games
overnight from Wednesday the 19th to Thursday the 20th,
the semifinals on Firday the 22nd, and the finals on Sunday
the 24th all live.

So if you're someone who absolutely must watch it live,
that might be the way to go.

I would like to start a "Ban Let's Go C's" movement.

It starts with starving him. One would think that he would get tired of coming her to make senseless remarks and poor spelling.

I guess 20+ years of nothing and a few 21 win seasons (choke, 21 wins hahahaha) would do that to you.

KOBE WOULD NEVER CHOKE ON A SEASON LIKE THAT!!!

Paul Pierce has a few 21 win seasons under his belt. That sounds like the BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD TO ME!!!

Let's Go C's; look up the word idiot in the dictionary. It starts with an "I" not a 1.

Now go celebrate with BOSTAAN and your blog. Leave us already.

janaya

But seriously, what fate awaits our HOF coach? I have a hard time thinking that he would retire from the Lakers for as long as Kobe wants to remain a Laker. I think that he and Kobe are on the same page big time these days. They both want to erase the doubters, folks who say they wouldn't have won 3 in row from 2000-2003 without Shaq. Or that Phil was handed a team that had been battle tested for years and was finally ready to get to that highest of levels.

We talk about the triangle and it's intricacies, but it hasn't garnered us a Larry O' since his return. If he were to step down after this season, who would replace him?

My favorite would be Kurt Rambis followed by Jim Cleamons followed by Brian Shaw. If they were to go outside of the organization, I think coach K would be the ideal choice for three reasons:
1: Kobe respects the crap out of him.
2: He's a winner on the college scene consistently and with vastly different rosters year to year. I don't think any college has a higher turnover of players that show up for a year and then bail to the NBA.
3: The players he coached in college do pretty well in the NBA. Not all of them, but better than the Ed O'Bannons of the league. I was never a fan of Rick Pitino and when he was named coach of the Celtics I was stoked. It meant that the Celtics would be relegated to the trash heap for a few seasons. But coach K is different, the man's coaching USA basketball for goodness sake, he drills fundamentals into players like Bob Villa refurbishes old houses. The one question is when his Duke contract is up and whether he would be willing to jump to the next level.

I would prefer that we give some of our assitants at least a shot at the job, with Phil staying for as long as he likes sitting in that goofy chair of his.

GO FRIDAY!!!!!

Posted by: Jamie Sweet | August 08, 2008 at 09:06 AM

===========================
Good job Jamie for presenting new material to discuss instead of mindless trades.

Actually I would have my first choice as I have stated before to be Byron Scott. He already has made a good name for himself over Rambis, Shaw or Cleamons.

My second choice would be defensive minded coach we tried to get before but failed. I say try again for Mike Kryzenzski. He has worked wonders with ego laden USA team to play as a team.

Then I would go for Brian Shaw. I would like to keep Rambis and add Coop as defensive coach. Eventually adding Fish when he retires.