hellraiser,

Welcome to the blog. You may be right. The list was just off the top of my head late at night. Good blogging with you.

Tom

mrbarneydangles,

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

I like it! That would definitely be an entertaining line-up to watch!

Lamar Odom = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS!

Xodus,

Still, worst answer ever.

Really, Luke? Really? Larry Bird? Really? What team do you play for again? Larry Bird? LARRY BIRD? Really?

Et tu, Luke? Et tu?

GO LAKERS!

Xodus & Bobie,

Absolutely correct on the Waltons. I often thought they are related to the owners of Wal Mart. Nope, one is a bruin but preferred to help the Celts and yet Clippers spent a fortune in rehabilitating his bum knee. I can't forget the sight of Bill Walton scolding his teammate in mid eighties for helping one of the Lakers to get up, apparently an act of sportsmanship. No, he is an enemy to loquacious Bill. That was the symbol of the Waltons hard to forget. The son is a product of Luke Olson, loved his Dad and lephrachaun team when he was growing up & do you expect him to be a fan Magic, Coop, Scott, Big James, Cap? Noooo way, a Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale and Danny Ainge fan, birds with the same color flock together. Purple and gold colors are just sacred to the West as the green shamrock to Bostonians. Well, I wish Pfunk, Chuck23, Floyd and Mike T and also myself will be the cheerleaders of Luke and not address him puke this season. That is the beauty of a new season, everyone starts with a clean slate. However, if he, Vlad and Mihm will disappear again, this time, the Lakers have prepared for such contingency with a group of players who would take their place.

ThekobeBlitz wrote:

". 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."

Or if Trevor Ariza found the offensive game that has eluded him at every stop so far after leaving UCLA after only 1 season.

kobebryantblitz,

>>>He could really be the Lakers Toni Kukoc

That's actually a much more realistic comparison than "the
Chinese Magic Johnson". I could easily see Sun Yue being
as good as Kukoc.

Mamba24,

Now I know why Kobe does not want to opt for surgery, he could be replaced permanently by 18 man roster signed by Mitch. lol! Well, based on hoopshype, there are 15 players who are in the payroll and the three who are not are as follows: mbenga, crawford, heath. I don't know about Dwayne Mitchell can bring, let's reserve Mbenga if Mihm or Bynum recurs their injuries. We need height and muscle to protect the inner sanctum of the Laker defense. A 6'9" Powell and a finesse Pau should be reserved for other duties not for banging the dozers.

PS. Is it just me who waits for a minute before we get to the blog or in snail posting? Are we back to digg, digg, choo, choo deja vu all over again?

Laker Tom:

And here’s my ranking if SOME of them lived up to their potential and was infected with Kobe’s and Drew’s off season work ethic. See the asterisk.

01) Kobe Bryant
(02) Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol
(03) *Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher
(04) Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and *Vlad Ramanovich
(05) *Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza
(06) *DJ Mbenga Calm down, don't foul too much and bang with the best of them.
(07) Josh Powell (How will he do with the triangle)
(08) Chris Mihm (Uncertain injury status)
(09) Coby Karl (Deep at his position) and Sun Yue (Good luck finding pt)

Seems like to old crew is waking up and training camp is here yet.

Check you all out later! Thanks Mamba24!

I'm you mother, I'm your daddy,
you're the oop, I'm the alley.
I'm your playa when you need
want fast break? have some speed
you know me, I'm your friend
your main boy; thick and thin
Jordan Farmar...
I'm your pusherman

I'm your pusherman Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | Se

TRYING TO GET OVER! TRYING TO GET OVER! YEAH!
SUPERFLY!

Long Time Laker Fan

You're SuperFly. I'll be Tnt.

Jon K-

So Clevelanders still like him even though he's a traitor to the city and the state? That's crazy to me.

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS

We always called Farmar Dumbo cuz of his ears, flaps and he flys

Hey Gang!

When are we launching the 65 win wagon?

For Nicknames:

Lamar = Trade Bait or No Chance in Hell of Being a Laker for Life

Farmar = Another example of PJ's refusal to develop true point guards

Sun = Sun Yue'll be back in Shanghai Soon

Mihm = Sam Bowie's Demon Seed

Luke/Vlad = Pay Jerry West a ton of dough if he can figure out a way to get these two stiffs out of LA before their contracts kill everyone on this blog

htj -

"Pay Jerry West a ton of dough if he can figure out a way to get these two stiffs out of LA before their contracts kill everyone on this blog" does roll off the tongue rather nicely. But not sure the commentators on KCAL 9 or FSN West would really be appreciative.

How about we just call that duo "The Cap Space Killers"? Same concept, just short.

Wow, Jman449 going LGC's all over BUTLER.

butler's a funny dude.

Marty,

All love!!! Have a good one.

this is pretty funny:

http://tinyurl.com/4dyugy

Andrew Bynum has the kind of confidence that would lead him to challenge essentially the entire world in video games. Literally, he told everyone his online gaming name, and announced that he would crush all comers. He has said similar things in basketball. Is that a good sign, or a bad sign, for his NBA career? (You ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect?)

AK
Sorry for the late response. Head a little clearer now.

Justalakerfan,
"Actually he did coach or non coach in the playoffs as in the regular season. Let the opponent go on 10+ runs before calling time out. Questionable substitutions like over using wounded Luke on PP and who was getting burned constantly. So yes is zen methods did extend to on court as well as off court."
Every time Phil doesn't call a time out during a run, it's not because he is trying to "let players figure it out" in some Zen way. Sometimes he's trying to conserve timeouts for later in the game. Sometimes it's because he knows a mandated TV time out will be coming soon, so he doesn't want to burn one. It's more than just some "Zen" thing, which has been overblown a lot over the years.
{ I need to clarify as I write down my thought but don’t convey all my thoughts so that is probably why you are confused as to what I said or more correctly what I did not say. Let me try to clarify myself. I did state his zen methods spilled out onto the court but I was referring to his lack of calling time outs and figure things out by themselves. Let me restate why I don’t care for PJ’s methods.
1 I don’t care for his mind games and zen approach.
2 I don’t like the way he maligns his players publicly especially in the media.
3 I don’t like the way he wants things done his way only ignoring and using FO players supplied. That falls under FO cooperation and he has a history there too. Ask Jerry Krause.
4 I don’t like his take credit but never the blame.
5 I don’t like his poor coaching decisions or non coaching decisions.
I hope that clarifies my dislike for PJs methods and it is not only zen related .}
And him playing Luke on PP has literally nothing to do with "Zen" in any way, shape or form. That's just a coaching decision. If you want to say it's a bad coaching decision, fair enough. But it's a bad coaching decision that's not related in any way to "zen" or trying to maintain a "zen" appearance. There's no logical correlation between those situations.
{ Yes you are right because I did not explain myself properly. And yes poor coaching decision was the problem there. Using an injured player for weeks who has to put it plainly sucked and only did good job on Harpring in Utah series. Ira was available and healthy. We know what Luke brought or did not bring to the table.}

"So your as a blogger claim to have a better grasp of what you watched on court and in practice. So does that mean you have better grasp than Mitch for what the players could do? Mitch did sign them not PJ."
I know Mitch signed them and like I keep saying, you're misunderstanding the central reason Mitch signing them. He brought them in knowing fully well they probably wouldn't play much, if at all. You need to have enough bodies for practice and to be prepared in case players get into foul trouble, more injuries happen, etc.
Remember, both guys were originally to ten day contracts. They didn't even have concrete plans for either to stick around until they knew Bynum and Ariza's absences would be longer. Had AB and TA come back when originally hoped, Newble (definitely) and Mbenga (possibly, depending on Mihm's health) would have been waived. Like I said, it's A LOT about having "bodies" for practice and the games. You're honestly adding more weight and significance to their signings than merited.
{ yes they were signed by Mitch and my point is more than for practice bodies. I will speak more on this below Also brought in because of injuries and kept beyond that because the injuries continued well into the finals.}
"Yes videos show highlights but they also show what they can do. If you want refer to the videos I posted earlier on this thread please watch them. The same ones you chastised me for not using tiny url which won't reduce those you tube urls. I agree just like statistics that some bloggers so over use can be manipulated to justify any point of view same as videos. But they do show what a player can do."
There's a difference between being capable of blocking a shot every now and then and being productive on a regular basis within a system. All NBA players pull out a good play every now and then. Thus, the videos don't mean much to me. Plus, I was familiar with Mbenga before he was even a Laker, so I'm sure the videos won't show me anything I didn't know anyway.
{I think that is really an arrogant approach because to keep an open mind you should at least look at what is pointed out to you before dismissing.}

" I don't disagree with best players available but I again say best defensive players available. To ignore that rational is very confusing. Why not sign Foster a center we had before and was in our D league club and well versed in the triangle? He also is thought to be a better offensive center that DJ. So healthy body for practice fodder does not hold up."
Mbenga and Newble may have been somewhat better defensive players, but overall, they're not as good of players as the guys playing. And just because they performed okay in spurts (spurts often during garbage time during 2nd or 3rd string competition, I might add) doesn't mean they could help as much you're thinking. In my opinion, it may not have flat out "hurt" putting them in, but I really doubt it would have helped.
{In spurts does not mean garbage time the way I showed. Yes they were signed for more reasons and than just practice bodies and defense was one of those reasons. Mbenga was used in non garbage time and helped in the play off run when we were losing to sub 500 teams towards the end of season fighting for playoff spot.
Also Mbenga in playoffs was very useful. Look back and when Nene was inserted in game for Denver he was attacking rim at will and Nugs were on verge of taking over the game. Mbenga was inserted and he stuffed Nene on his next drive to basket and kept him out thereafter. That was in playoffs and he showed he could help. So then why did PJ not use him in playoffs against Celtics but used Mihm who basically had not played for two years?}
And Phil, like most coaches, was looking to play guys in specific rotations who were familiar with each other and have a rythym together. Inserting somebody at random can not only lead to a bad performance from that specific player, but the other four guys.
{First off Mbenga played even with starters as I remember Kobe feeding him the ball. Kobe surely is not 3rd stringer. If continuity was needed then that is PJ’s fault for not preparing the bench role players to be ready for playoffs. That is his job. He should have given them more pt instead of wearing out starters for so long.}
Also, which "Foster" are you talking about? I don't remember him. Are you thinking of Jelani McCoy? If so, the reason they chose Mbenga ahead of him is because McCoy is even worse than Mbenga. McCoy was terrible with the Lakers six years ago. Why bring that guy back? Even if he won't play much, Mbenga gives you a look at a younger, more athletic guy who could maybe have a chance to be brought back the next season as a 4th or 5th big man. McCoy brings nothing to the table now or down the road.
{Yes I did mean J McCoy, Thanks for correcting me. I don’t know why Greg Foster came into my mind. My bad. Yes I feel DJ is better than McCoy but if only a practice body was needed then why sign Mbenga as JM is familiar with triangle and rotations. To say Mitch was looking for younger look, athletic, defensive presence and player who could be brought back next season. That is exactly my point as why DJ was signed. He brought more to the table and had other criteria for being signed. Not just a body for practice.}
I appreciate the civility as well
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 09, 2008 at 11:26 AM
{I hope this helps to better explain my dislike for PJ’s methods. Thanks}

JLF

Well, there goes the nickname I was planning on using this season.

Thanks, new guy.

BK

JUST CHECKING IN

I have bad news, My hang nail injury suffered a setback while on the golf course today. It couldn't have come at a worse time either, I was taking everyones money (as usual) by my exceptional play and my golf buddies were getting a little irritated with me, but what do I care, I am the best.
Anyway, I drove it in the rough next to a tree and couldn't take my normal swing so I had to swing left handed. This caused extra friction on my hang nail which made it worse than before. Normally I just re-tape it but it didn't work this time. Suffice to say my doctor said I needed immediate surgery (band-aid) and to rest for up to 12 weeks.
This of course is very disheartening as my golf group was just beginning to jell as a team (albeit lighter in the pocket) and now they won't have their star player.
They seemed to take it well though as I heard laughter and hoorays in the locker room as I was taking a shower.
PJ offered his condolences and told me not to worry and to take all the time I needed to fully recover. He had a bounce in his step I've never seen before. Poor guy is just devastated by the bad news.
I'll continue to keep everyone up to date on my hang nail, don't worry when I get back we will be unbeatable.
Hey guys, can you stop all that hoop and hollering, I'm blogging about my injury!!!
Oh Mr. Buss, about my contract.... Mr Buss....Mr. Buss... he must not have heard me.
Here's hoping the team does bad...err I mean great without me. I can tell they already miss me.
Hey guys how come I wasn't invited to the party, it sounds like New Years Eve with all the celebrating going on. What Gives?

Till the next update, I have to start rehabilitation immediately so I can be with my team family.
Hey guys... this isn't funny... open the door.

....and did Sun name himself the "monkey king", or "the Chinese player",

Hey, when Mihm, Sasha, Walton, Cobi, and Gasol check into the game, make sure everyone says: "the Caucasian guy (from Slovenia, or Spain, or San Diego, or "from under daddy's wing" is checking in", or when Farmar checks in, say, "the half-Caucasian of Jewish faith, and half black of ethnic race is checking in"....

Personally, I really don't feel good vibes when I heard "them" mocking me as a child, and even as an adult, it still exists....over the phone at work..I get, "Good thing I got an American, there's too many damn Chinks taking over"....Excuse me for being sensitive, but being 100% CHINESE, it hurts. As a child I can recall wanting to be white, (caucasian, whatever....)....as of now, I am Chinese and I wouldn't want to be anything else. By the way, for those of you who have time, us Asians, we don't all love each other, we have internal conflicts. With good reason. If we called an African American player the "monkey king", tell me...how would that be received, story behind it or not???

Count the days, this blog eats each too much of my time. Enjoy my absence in the future.

h.