All hail the monkey king!

"Sun Wukong" Soon-Wu-Kong!

Yue has to make the team before he gives himself a nickname. Sasha didn't come from Slovenia and immediately demand to be called the machine. Yue will realize that nicknames come with time.

I think Farmar needs a cool nickname, any ideas?

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS

LAMAR ODOM = LAKER 4 (the rest of his) LIFE

along with...

Bynum

Kobe

Fish

... wish I could say Pau but who knows

mrbarneydangles,

"Yue has to make the team before he gives himself a nickname. Sasha didn't come from Slovenia and immediately demand to be called the machine. "

Right you are, brother, UNLESS THAT NICKNAME IS "THE MONKEY KING!"

I don't care what you say, that name is sticking!

Regarding Farmar, what do you think of the nickname "The Spark Plug"?

GO LAKERS!

Worst ever Framar nickname:

Pharmarcutical -- beuuase of the clinic he puts on every game. cricket ... cricket .... cricket....

Looks like Joey Crawford got signed. Probably not to a guaranteed contract, but who knows.

http://tinyurl.com/692qxm

GO LAKERS!

'The Monkey King' and 'The Machine'. I see a sitcom in their future.

AK,

Last night I watched the new DVD release of The Forbidden Kingdom, the first martial arts flick to star both Jet Li and Jackie Chan. The story line of the movie centers on the Monkey King so perhaps Sun Yue is exercising his inner kung-fu to get ready to battle in the NBA.

>>>>>Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces to create the greatest epic of them all –
>>>>>The Forbidden Kingdom. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and
>>>>>mentor a 21st century kung-fu fanatic who’s been summoned to fight a
>>>>>centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King.

While I think what Sun Yue was trying to do was unsaddle himself from the Chinese Magic Johnson nickname out of respect for Ervin as well as to avoid the inevitably unfavorable comparisons no matter how well he does. Give Sun some credit for making a smart move.

While I was disappointed in general with The Forbidden Kingdom (more of a Disney family film although some great kung-fu), the portrayal of the Monkey King in the opening scenes of the movie really captures the true essence of the legend, primarily that the Monkey King is an downright rascal and rebel who loves showboating and taunting his rivals and fears nothing. The Monkey King is the worlds’ best stick fighter and could only be defeated by deceit.

By choosing the Monkey King as a nickname, Sun Yue is giving us an inside glimpse as to what to expect when he comes to camp and it ain’t going to be your grandfathers Chinaman. Think more Bruce Lee, Jet Li, or Chow Yun Fat all the way. Make way for the Monkey King. Sun Wukong! This is going to be a fun, exciting, and memorable year for Lakers fans.

Tom

AK,

Following up on my earlier post, The Forbidden Kingdom was a big hit in China despite the fact that the movie was designed for Western audiences. It took in $21M in the first 10 days. It’s a pretty good bet that Sun Yue saw the movie and Jet Li’s portrayal of Sun Wukong in the week or two before his decision to choose the Monkey King as his new nickname.

Studios tried to hide the fact that it was Jet Li playing the role of the Monkey King in the movie’s opening scene, where he has a fabulous mountain top fight in the clouds against hundreds of heavenly soldiers, but word leaked out and everybody was eager to see Jet Li’s version of the Monkey King, a role well reprised by many Chinese famous actors over the years. Li also acts as himself portraying the character the Silent Monk as well in the movie.

You should ask Sun in your first interview of him whether Jet Li’s Sun Wukong was what made him choose the Monkey King as a nickname. And if he is going to act like Jet Li’s Monkey King. Here is a YouTube of the movie intro with Jet Li as the Monkey King - with a lot of attitude. LOL.

http://tinyurl.com/6rnsmn

Tom

blitz,

Thanks for the research. I’m really excited about the message that Sun Yue is sending with his choice of Sun Wukong as his nickname. I am sure his choice and the fact that the Forbidden Kingdom just opened in China are no coincidence. Jet Li’s Monkey King sort of fits the image I have of Sun as a player who has been held back by the constraints of playing on the Chinese National Team and may blossom in the NBA. If you watch Jet Li as the Monkey King in the YouTube, you can see that the character is a hot dog who relishes in the behind the back pass and dunking the ball or blocking the shot. Whether Sun Yue could adjust to in-your-face NBA style play or be another passive and unaggressive player from China was always my big worry. His adoption of the Monkey King as his moniker is telling me not to fret.

Tom

WALTON GIVES BYNUM A RAVE REVIEW

http://tinyurl.com/5lgt7j

Jordan does have a nickname...

the Farm.

As in "don't sell the farm" lol

Xodus,

Don't get too excited now, Karl. You're starting to get over the top, lol. jk. Thanks for the link.

Tom

If Sasha had called himself the machine before earning it, we woulda been sayin where's the machine's warranty.

So I ask you people, what the ... does one need to get a nick name, what's the requirements? Obviously you don't have to be a starter (Sasha), so can you be like the 12th man on the team, cuz right now I think that's what Sun Yue is? Does a billion people in your back pocket advance your status? Anyway who is Sun Yue besides some tall guard from China who apparently is the ChineseMagicMonkeyKing against those in scrubville.

And let me say that I luv Mitch's move to sign him, marketing wise. Plus Bynum worked out so who knows maybe you get lucky 4 years later. However, I haven't heard him in a press conference or anything. Come on, you on the Lakers now, talk trash like Mbenga did. The point is, brotha you better bring you A game- cuz you you got Bruce Lee(Kobe), Tony Jaa(Bynum), Jackie Chan(Gasol), and the real Jet Li(Lamar) as your teamates. And you lookin like Bruce Li right about now.

This guy is young and he's got the opportunity of a lifetime with the Lakers. Fish is the starter by legendary default and Farmar is backup. The job is yours if you want it, all you need to do is follow the dedication of your peers (byunum/sasha) and you could be the greatest chinese player ever to play the game. I know its a tall order, cuz Yao ming aint no slouch. But, your on the biggest hollywood stage and the position is ready for a new Monkey King. Go Sun Yue, Go lakers!

P.S. Hey Vince (Young), payback is a mutha- go USC and UCLA!

Thanks for the Walton info guys.

I actually have high expectations for Luke this year. I have always liked how he does all the "little things" and the fact that he's from San Diego. I think he just had a really bad season last year. While I don't see him throwing up monster numbers I see Luke having a good assist/rebounding/defensive season. If Luke can get back to hitting the open three in the corner that would be a huge plus. Pretty much Luke's responsibility when he gets in the game is to not screw up. Hopefully Luke can shed the Puke nickname next year and be respectable, I'm sure he will be.

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS

Brandon Heath is pretty legit. I'm from San Diego so I remember watching him play a lot at SDSU. I'm pretty sure he went to Westchester High with Ariza and Evan Burns. He isn't anything spectacular but he is very quick and good at distributing the ball. If I remember correctly he doesn't shoot that often or that well, I don't remember him taking any threes. I would be beyond shocked if he made the team but he will definitely do a solid job pushing Farmar and Yue during camp.

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS

Laker Hopeful,

I vaguely remember Brandon Heath when he was at SDSU, but nothing specific. My guess is he's there for camp purposes only.

AK

mrbarneydangles,

I agree with you that Luke could still be a valuable contributor on this team. As it stands now, below is how I would rank players as far as minutes they will play this year. The fact that Luke is ranked 11th really speaks for the quality depth of this roster. Same with Chris Mihm at 12th (assuming he is fully recovered). Unlike Sun Yue, Josh Powell, or Coby Karl, Luke and Chris have both shown they are capable of playing NBA quality basketball. If either of them recovers their best game, they could easily move up the ladder and get more PT. Actually, they are pretty impressive for your 11th and 12th players. Lamar is still 4th most important player.

(01) Kobe Bryant
(02) Andrew Bynum
(03) Pau Gasol
(04) Lamar Odom
(05) Jordan Farmar
(06) Derek Fisher
(07) Sasha Vujacic
(08) Trevor Ariza
(09) Vladimir Radmanovic
(10) Sun Yue
(11) Luke Walton
(12) Chris Mihm
(13) Josh Powell
(14) DJ Mbenga
(15) Coby Karl

It’s going to be a fun season.

Tom

"The problem isn't offense, it's defense and there are several 3's in the league that can give him trouble on that end. Notice how Phil had little interest in using him against Pierce despite what he was doing to the Lakers?"

Correct, Kobe at the 3 means more offense at the cost of defense. On offense not many Small Forwards are as fast as Kobe. On defense however bigger small forwards like Carmelo and Lebron can give him trouble since they are more bigger than him. Kobe proved he can slow down Small Forwards like Pierce in Game 6 (3-13 shooting) but his offense really went down due to the extra work of guarding small forwards. Same thing with Jordan, Phil knew Jordan loved playing 3 due to better offense but as great as Jordan's defense was he was at a disadvantage too against elite Small Forwards.

"Thing is he's been playing the 4 not the 3 ever since his Miami days. Odom in like bizarro Matrix. Matrix can defend the 3, but his offensive skills and shooting are too raw for the position. Odom has great offensive skills for the 3, but has always struggled to play the position defensively and there is little reason at present to believe it will be different now when he's several seasons removed from playing there and bulkier due to the needs of the position he's played in that time."

Actually both Shawn and Lamar are the same. Lamar is better off at defense at Small Forward than at Power Forward. At offense both of them go down when they play Small Forward due to being more matched up athletically wise to Small Forwards. Being stronger and working out to be quicker will help Lamar become a better player overall once he becomes a Small Forward again with stints at Power Forward for rotations.

blitz,

>>>>>Jordan Farmar over Derek Fisher?

Yes, in minutes played but Derek will still start. I think that we will run more, hence more time for Farmar, and that Phil will limit Derek’s time to keep him fresher for the playoffs. While the injury was a factor, Fish did fade considerably in the playoffs this year. We will need his vet leadership and clutch shooting in the playoffs so it makes sense that we ration his PT during the season. It will also give Farmar a leg up on transition and maybe even Sun Yue some quality minutes here and there. Anyway, that’s just my take off the top of my head. It’ll be fun seeing how the roster works out through the season. I think we still have a lot of young guys who are going to take their games to the next level next year, making the Lakers much better than the media and so-called experts predict. Think of a repeat in the growth we saw last year in Kobe and Drew alone. Anyway, see you guys in the A.M. Go, Lakers!!!

Tom

As the NBA preseason about to begin, the freeway series is looming in the horizon. Congratulations to Mr. Art Moreno's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, they just sealed the American League West. Dodgers are also peaking while Lakers Blog is learning chinese as their superstitions for the coming season is also peaking up. Hopefully, the chinese Wang Tong Luk would be better than the american Walton, Luke.

Hey Blogsters....
Somebody asked what the players have been up to this summer...Elie Seckbach reports:
http://tinyurl.com/56wffo

and Luke: "Larry Bird was my favorite player growing up" WORST ANSWER EVER!!!

Hi guys, Some interesting trivia about the Monkey King, the japanese fantasy anime Dragon Ball Z is basically based on the Monkey King, Son Goku one of the charcter is most likely taken from Sun Wukong. Except in the story the charcters are human who becomes ape-like when they get angry or enraged. Anyone has any news on Luke Walton? and stats on the new signee Brandon Heath?
Go Lakers.

Bobie,

Luke's dad played for the Celtics for two seasons and Bill was a Celtic fan growing up.

Laker Tom-

I like your list a lot. I think its perfect for the start of the season. My first reaction was that Ariza should be higher but he still hasn't proven himself AT ALL, so I like where he's at. Also, I like how you have Farmar ahead of Fish and Sasha. If Sasha isn't hitting the three then we have a few players to pick up the slack: Vlad, Walton (hopefully), Kobe, Farmar. Farmar will be responsible for running the second team and sometime finishing the game at the PG spot, thats a lot of responsibility.

My end of game lineup looks like this for big physical teams:
PG: Fish
SG: MVP
SF: Lamar
PF: Pau
C: Bynum

And my end of game lineup for smaller teams that like to run:
PG: Farmar
SG: MVP
SF: Ariza/Walton
PF: Lamar
C: Bynum

The second lineup is so athletic, its scary. Its hard to predict the lineup though because it all depends on who's having the good game and I see Sasha getting some end of game PT but I see Farmar playing a lot more at the end of the games this year.

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS