Sing it, Marvin! Dunk it, Kobe!
August 7, 2008 | 12:19
pm
The good folks over at Nike sent us a link for the newest USA Basketball spot (featuring Kobe and the gang), which is intertwined with clips of Marvin Gaye singing his unique (and at the time, very controversial) version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the 1983 All-Star Game. Pretty good stuff.
In additional tribute to both the singer and athletes on hand, I included below clips of an absolutely smokin' live version of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," one of my favorite songs by Gaye, and an NBA TV clip of Kobe talking last season about Team USA's practices and goals.
Enjoy.
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
Posted by: Let's go C's! | August 07, 2008 at 04:26 PM
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
Posted by: michael h | August 07, 2008 at 04:26 PM
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
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 07, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Good points Michael H.
Posted by: puddle | August 07, 2008 at 04:45 PM
Pig,
Right you are, sir! Right you are!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 07, 2008 at 04:51 PM
"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!
Posted by: Let's go C's! | August 07, 2008 at 05:07 PM
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"?
Posted by: Pfunk36 | August 07, 2008 at 05:16 PM
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..
Posted by: Thirty2 | August 07, 2008 at 05:20 PM
Boston is wack.
Kobe is awesome.
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | August 07, 2008 at 05:22 PM
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
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | August 07, 2008 at 05:48 PM
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.
Posted by: #4 | August 07, 2008 at 05:48 PM
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.
Posted by: Let's go C's! | August 07, 2008 at 05:50 PM
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!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 07, 2008 at 05:54 PM
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!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 07, 2008 at 05:59 PM
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!!!
Posted by: Andrew Z | August 07, 2008 at 06:30 PM
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.
Posted by: dave m | August 07, 2008 at 06:44 PM
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.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | August 07, 2008 at 06:55 PM
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
Posted by: Thirty2 | August 07, 2008 at 06:55 PM
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.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | August 07, 2008 at 07:16 PM
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.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | August 07, 2008 at 07:19 PM
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.
Posted by: dave m | August 07, 2008 at 07:55 PM
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.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 07, 2008 at 08:01 PM
>>>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.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 07, 2008 at 08:04 PM
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.
Posted by: groove69 | August 07, 2008 at 08:05 PM
Michael T.,
Yes, the Isley Brothers are pretty damned good.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 07, 2008 at 08:37 PM
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!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 07, 2008 at 08:40 PM
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!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 07, 2008 at 08:48 PM
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
Posted by: Let's Go Charlie Brown's Teacher | August 07, 2008 at 09:20 PM
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
Posted by: BD | August 07, 2008 at 09:30 PM
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?
Posted by: dave m | August 07, 2008 at 09:41 PM
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.
Posted by: #4 | August 07, 2008 at 10:05 PM
#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
Posted by: BD | August 07, 2008 at 10:38 PM
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!
Posted by: UJazz | August 07, 2008 at 11:24 PM
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?
Posted by: #4 | August 08, 2008 at 12:03 AM
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.
Posted by: Benjamin | August 08, 2008 at 01:13 AM
They just don't make singers like that anymore.
Posted by: Very Nearly the Absolute Truth | August 08, 2008 at 02:33 AM
dave m,
He has a scumbag agent. That's probably it.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 08, 2008 at 08:08 AM
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!!!!!
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | August 08, 2008 at 09:06 AM
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!
Posted by: Jon K. | August 08, 2008 at 09:33 AM
Byron Scott will be the Lakers head coach once PJ retires at the end of this contract.
Bet on it.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | August 08, 2008 at 09:48 AM
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.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | August 08, 2008 at 10:15 AM
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
Posted by: janaya | August 08, 2008 at 12:32 PM
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.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | August 08, 2008 at 03:43 PM