The 'dude' audience doesn't typically tune in for Oprah
September 1, 2008 | 4:54
pm
But they might make an exception upon learning that Kobe Bryant will be on hand for an episode set to air Sept. 8. The Mamba, along with a slew of other Olympians, will appear on the season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to celebrate a successful showing in China and raise the profile of Chicago (where the show is based) as a contender for the 2016 games.
"Koooooo-beeeeeeeeeeeeeee Bryyyyyyyyyy-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaantttttt!!!"
AK
Great for Kobe and the guys.
MikeT.
I know you want all the Kwame news you can get being he is God-Like.
Here is the poll on ESPN. Maybe you should vote to help your buddy out.
** Who will have the biggest negative impact on his new team?
36.3% Kwame Brown
18.5% Ron Artest
18.4% Yi Jianlian
10.4% Jermaine O'Neal
8.6% Baron Davis
7.9% Corey Maggette
Nice to see everyone has so much confidence in Kwame. But there is always MikeT I guess.
BD
Posted by: BD | September 01, 2008 at 05:20 PM
AK,
A fresh thread at last. Great to see Kobe enjoying his gold medal. When is the surgery?
Tom
Posted by: | September 01, 2008 at 05:45 PM
kobebryantblitz,
But I never said that Farmar was a better 3-point shooter than Fish, just that he was a good 3-point shooter. If you're a 37% 3-point shooter you're one of the better guys in the league at shooting from that range.
And shooting 40% from 3 is something that's new to Fish as well. He shot a career-high from 3 last season. He'll probably go back to shooting his career average of 37% next season.
Posted by: Xodus | September 01, 2008 at 05:46 PM
Hey I was the one to first post the link AK!
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 01, 2008 at 05:56 PM
kobe for president! perfect place for him to make his announcement for candidacy. worked for obama, didn't it?
Posted by: jayO | September 01, 2008 at 06:03 PM
LOL AK! Funniest thing of the day!
Go Oprah. I like the Oprahnator. Good for the dudes to go there.
I once read an article wherein Kobe said he's always wanted to meet Oprah. Well there you go.
Watch out for Oprah recruiting him into the Bulls though. She did that to Grant Hill lol.
Posted by: Faith | September 01, 2008 at 07:24 PM
Xodus,
I think you underestimate the Fishenator.
Dude is hungry. And he's got the Bean to deflect pressure. So I'm sure he'll remain in career high range in shooting. Though not necessarily minutes (we have to start thinking of his age lol).
Posted by: Faith | September 01, 2008 at 07:31 PM
Xodus,
you wrote: hey PLAYED BETTER AGAINST THE WEST, no matter how you look at it..
my response: I haven't been clear. Yes, they did play
better against the west. They didn't play as many
games in the west. I believe that the coaching of
Jerry Sloan & Greg Popovich would have started to
lower that %. It will be very interesting next year with
a healthy Manu Ginobli. Both the Spurs & the Celtics
are excellent defensive teams. I believe that Spurs
would win more if they played more. Does that
clarify things?
you wrote: f that's the case it means that the Lakers saw what the Celtics did the first two times and adjusted to it and thus improved their defense against them.
my response. I though that's what happened. That's
why the lakers won 2 out of 6.
you wrote: The Celtics for the season gave up about 41% FG and the Lakers allowed 42% through 5 games of the Finals
my response: I would suggest that you're making my
point about statistics. Has it occurred to you that you're
looking in the wrong place? That maybe the defense
plays don't show up in the stats directly?
Game 1. 18 steals to 4 steals. Celtics
19 to to 7 to. Celtics.
3-pt shooting differential is 10%.
Game 2. 3-pt. differential is 15%. They shot 64%. Why
are they shooting such a high percentage of 3pt shots?
Because *OUR* defense is inadequate.
BTW, a quick look at the box score for the games
show that the Celtics consistently out shot us from the
3.
thekobebryantblitz,
your first url says this about lamar:
- Can play a number of different positions, but has largely become a power forward at this point.
- Shows good hustle on the defensive end, and does a great job boxing out.
- More fluid and skilled than explosive.
I said: Lamar is a PF. Is there a reason why "largely has
become a power forward at this point" is not equal to
Lamar is a PF?
I said: "Lamar is a great rebounder. Moving him away
from the basket would not play to his strength." Is there
a reason why "does a great job boxing out" doesn't
equal "Lamar is a great rebounder" ?
I said: "Lamar moves well for a big man, but won't be
able to keep up with the quicker SG's/SF's." What
does more "fluid and skilled then explosive" mean to
you? To me, it says Quickness is not his best
attribute. ball handling is.
you second url says this: Fisher, Kobe, and Bynum are already good defensively, and with Odom being really tall for his position he will be good defensively unless he really doesn't try.
I said: "Lamar is inconsistent and not defensive minded."
If Lamar were defensive minded would they write:
"unless he really doesn't try" ? Also note, they are
talking about his height not his speed or his skills. [ I
have *NOT* said that he's horrible at defense. ] This
means that his best strengths are his height. He's not
as quick as some of the quick SF. His defensive skills
are not the best or he would be all-nba defense and
*KNOWN* for his defense.
you wrote: you haven't done a good job either at trying to convince me about Ariza's so called defensive purpose
my response: A simple queston for you: "Mitch said we
don't have a defensive player at the SF position" with
Odom on the team. Does Mitch consider Odom to be
a defensive minded SF?
you wrote: All you have brought is "according to my observations" etc, which are just as weak as someone who really twists statistics
my response: ok. I thought that I was clear that this was
my *opinion* and that I was giving the basis for how I
formed my *opinion*. In reality, my *opinion* and .50
won't buy you a latte at Starbucks. To a large degree
your stats validate my *opinion*. It is: Lamar will be "ok"
at SF, but will struggle against quicker basketball players.
I would prefer Ariza at SF because he's quicker. He's
defensive minded. He has more defensive upside than
Lamar. I would prefer that he start because I believe the
more playing time he gets the faster his defensive upside
will manifest. I would prefer Lamar at PF because he's
had the most success with the Lakers at PF from a
winning percentage. Subjectively, I prefered the way
he played as the #3 option over the way he played as the
#2 option. To *me* playing Lamar off the bench
equates with the #3 option.
His first "successful" season with
the Lakers, from a stat perspective, is 05/06 when
Kobe carried the team and won the scoring title. Lamar
didn't know the offense. The 3rd year with the Lakers
was supposed to be his breakout year and he got hurt.
His fourth year is comparble to his 2nd year in terms of
numbers. If Lamar had done better as a #2 than as a
#3 option we wouldn't be having this conversation. As
a #2 option, he shot 216 ft's. As a #3 option, he shot 229.
That means he was less aggressive going to the hole as
a #2 option. Why is that? The most steals per season
his hist 1st year with 91. The most blocks per season
was his 2nd year with 122. He hasn't broken 80
since. In other words, he's older, slower, playing in the
west and doesn't focus on defense. Thats my *opinion*.
If I were a member of the Lakers organization or was
in the HOF my opinion would count for more. It doesn't.
It's counts as much as yours which is it doesn't count
at all.
Posted by: hobbitmage | September 01, 2008 at 07:37 PM
Xodus,
37% means the players is solid from that range, not necessarily a good 3 point shooter. 40% separates between a 3 point shooter who is "solid" and ones who are "good". That's why since Sasha shot 43% this season he became a "good" 3 point shooter to be a spot up shooter. I do not consider Jordan to be one of the "better" guys in the league. He is solid but still a bit low compared to other point guards He ranks about either 19th or 20th as a point guard for shooting 3 pointers. Heck even Jason Kidd has a higher percentage than him and J-Kidd doesn't have much of a jumper! Jordan is solid but I don't categorize him as someone who I want to shoot 3's consistently.
NO! D-Fish's 3 point shooting last year was NOT his career high. Heck it's not even his career high as a Laker. Derek shot 41.3% back in 2001-2002, THAT's his career high. During his prime years as a Laker Derek shot around 40% very consistently. The only time that D-Fish didn't shoot 40% was in 2003-2004 was when he was on the bench. Since Derek is more a shooter point guard than the classic dish and drive, that year he couldn't play to his strengths and got less open shots. As a result, his stats dropped. When he was at Golden State, he tried to play as a distributing point guard but he didn't get as much open looks like he did back in LA. Same thing happened in Utah and plus he had to play SG which isn't his position. Once he came back to LA, he got 40% thanks to him playing point guard and driving shooting guard to give him open looks. Hence Derek is better suited for the point guard slot in the triangle offense than Jordan is unless Kobe goes to SF. He will still hang around 40% next year is my guess since outside shooting will be created for him since we have 2 very talented big guys not to mention Kobe Bryant with him.
-blitz
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 01, 2008 at 07:41 PM
Michael H,
Aloha.
you wrote:Maybe there was another article that you forgot to post but the article you posted by Mitch said Lamar was not a lock down defender, period. And I have never stated that he was. Perhaps for you lock down defenders are plentiful and means good defender. For me Lock down defenders are few and far between and means GREAT defender. I quess thats where our differences lay.
my response: Neither of us ever said that Lamar was
a lock down defender. The article indicated that
Ariza could become a lock down defender. I have
advocated Ariza over Lamar because Lamar has no
chance to be a lock down defender and I'm picking
players based upon defensive merits. If Lamar has
no chance and Trevor has a chance to become a
lock down defender then start playing him now! The
faster off we have a lock down defender the better
off we'll be for the long term. I have never stated that
Lamar is horrible at defense. I have stated that Lamar
is not defensively minded. Does that clarify things?
Posted by: hobbitmage | September 01, 2008 at 07:46 PM
What's up lakers family?
Any news on the KOBE surgery?
AK/BK please post any news on this as soon as words comes out... ok?
Posted by: dice8up | September 01, 2008 at 09:01 PM
Kamenetzky and Xodus,
Thank you for the response on Shack. Didn't know, but I'll take your word for it.
I suppose conceding that the media has a bias favoring Shack if reasonable. I do remember the racist jokes about Ming years ago.
Posted by: LCG | September 01, 2008 at 10:25 PM
I am a huge Laker fan but lets be realistic. Kobe looked horrible(for him) in the Olympics. His out side shot was not to be found. He made huge plays against Spain, but his age is showing and I hope his stubbornness does not get in the way of him realizing that he needs rest.
Please tell me the surgery helps his outside shot or there will be no parade.
Posted by: Mikey | September 01, 2008 at 11:27 PM
"I would prefer that he start because I believe the
more playing time he gets the faster his defensive upside
will manifest."
lol. So we are starting our youngings instead of proven veterans. Not to say that it couldn't happen, Bynum proved it otherwise. Seriously though, Ariza hasn't *shown* to be the so called defender that you and an outdated article suggested. Has he *shown* that? of course not Grant Hill and more importantly PAUL PIERCE torched him and disrespected him and if it wasn't for Deron Williams doing it even worst to Jordan Farmar, then I would have said so lol. Why don't we become the Seattle Supersonics and simply *HOPE* the youngings will mature in one summer. Let's start Jordan over Derek, Sasha over Kobe and Trevor over Odom. And to top it off, let's start a rookie next to Bynum. (Hobbit only though advocated Trevor over Odom and Rick F. for Jordan over Derek).
The main point is that Hobbit you have too much optimism in the *if and only if* Trevor improves this summer. One summer all I have been saying along is NOT enough to show that a player can be the lock down defender of Lebron, Paul Pierce, and even Josh Smith next season. In the future perhaps but Trevor, Jordan, and Sasha has ways to go before they become the starters of the Lakers. Hobbit if you want ot sacrifise Trevor to the wolves, be my guest, just don't send our next season to waste just to prove that Ariza is our version of Tayshaun Prince.
"my response: A simple queston for you: "Mitch said we
don't have a defensive player at the SF position" with
Odom on the team. Does Mitch consider Odom to be
a defensive minded SF?"
Just to answer that question. No. Did Ariza show us Laker fans that Mitch was right when he faced off against Grant Hill and Paul Pierce? Nope. Did Ariza show he could he could be the passer that the Small Forward requires to allow Kobe stay at guard? Nope. He hasn't proved then he was a "solid defender off the bench". I already showed that how his defense was much better "off the bench" rather than the starting lineup. I won't disagree with "solid defender off the bench" for now. Heck I won't mind "great defender at starter" in the future. It's still premature to assume that Trevor is a "defensive minded lock down defender now and if he can SHOULD start now even if he hasn't proved it to the Lakers". Frankly Hobbit, that article is way outdated so try another thing b/c the more you refer to that article, the more pathetic your argument becomes.
"I said: Lamar is a PF. Is there a reason why "largely has
become a power forward at this point" is not equal to
Lamar is a PF?
Duh, because we had no great power forwards until Pau Gasol. If you think Ronny is the power forward we needed or Kwa-may Brown was, then don't delude me anymore. There was no other player to play Power Forward effectively and at least we had solid but not great small forwards so Lamar "had" to play power forward.
I said: "Lamar is a great rebounder. Moving him away
from the basket would not play to his strength." Is there
a reason why "does a great job boxing out" doesn't
equal "Lamar is a great rebounder" ?"
Of course. Do you think though 9.2 rebounding from the Small Forward position is bad (Lamar's rebounding in 05-06 as small forward)? Kobe is a terrific rebounder for his position and still got 6 rebounds as a Shooting Guard. Oscar Robertson had at least seasons where he rebounded in double digits and not only was he 6'4 but he also played point guard! Doesn't matter where you play, you can always rebound the ball!
I said: "Lamar moves well for a big man, but won't be
able to keep up with the quicker SG's/SF's." What
does more "fluid and skilled then explosive" mean to
you? To me, it says Quickness is not his best
attribute. ball handling is."
Fluid and skilled=Finesse player. Carlos Boozer said you don't have to be tough and explosive to be a good forward, Lamar's usage of techinique and finesse what makes him good and gives him an advantage over most except the elite forwards.
"His defensive skills
are not the best or he would be all-nba defense and
*KNOWN* for his defense. "
Shawn Marion is known to be very good at defense yet he hasn't won a All Defensive Team! Don't give the excuse of "oh but he plays on the Suns who aren't known for their defense". Sorry Raja Bell earned 1st Defensive All team in 06-07 and 2nd Defensive all team in 07-08. Don't have to be on the all nba defensive team to be known as a great defender. The All-NBA Defensive team recognizes the "BEST" defenders at what positions. I never "said" Lamar was the best defensive player, just a solid defensive player. James Posey is known for defense but he hasn't earned a single defense team also! And Ariza, yeah true people would say he's a defensive player "role player"but has anyone besides the Lakers fear him to be a defensive beast?
"had the most success with the Lakers at PF from a
winning percentage."
Just look at the post all star break stats of Lamar and the Laker team back in 06-07. Some "winning percentage" the Lakers had when Lamar was PF. Don't bother saying injuries, almost every analyst refused to give that excuse to the Lakers about only getting a 42-40 record in 06-07.
"Can guard both forward spots effectively, but is also able to defend most guards when he gets switched onto them"
That first url already answered your statement that Lamar can't defend against quick SG/SF.
Since you pester me with questions how about this one from me?
Assuming you are correct about Trevor's defense being above Lamar's. Does that make him instant starter? What about his other flaws like his jump shot which is atm worst than Lamar's. Or that his penetration while good isn't as effective. You always keep saying he has a "defensive" mind set but does that make him starter worthy on other levels aside from defense? What about his passing, his scoring and his ability to handle the ball? If defense his only strength wouldn't he be more vauluable to the bench whose defense skills are lacking? The starting lineup already has Kobe and Fish not to mention Pau and Bynum, why do they need more defense? Shouldn't the bench need more defense?
Frankly Hobbit, in my opinion, I think you are going over board with having defensive players only. I agree Trevor's defense being an upgrade over Radmans. But you forget that we run an offense too and Trevor at that Small Forward slot is NOT the kind of small forward that the triangle offense dictates should the shooting guard (Kobe) be the one penetrating and having a person who is more a spot up shooter (Derek) at point guard. And as much as our defense needs to improve (mainly our bench defense), don't go overboard. You act as if Trevor will make a big impact on defense like Kevin Garnett did.
Pew-weeasee....thinking that Ariza is the great defensive hope that Kevin Garnett is and did with the Celtics makes me laugh.
LOL!
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 02, 2008 at 02:03 AM
Mikey, that's what happens when you have to guard the best perimeter player, it saps your energy, it's not necessarily about age. Phil wouldn't even let Kobe in the past guard the one that was torching the Lakers unless Kobe had the energy at the right time to defend them and still make great plays on offense. Frankly put, it's really difficult to guard the best perimeter player and put up great numbers. Lebron or Wade didn't have to otherwise their energy would have have sapped as well. Wade himself doesn't use up to much energy for defense to conserve for offense otherwise if he spent more on defense he could really be an very good defensive player. Thanks to Kobe's defense, the rest of team USA didn't have to worry about the best perimeter player and instead Wade and Lebron got a more plays because the perimemter was being hassled by Kobe. That's why when he goes against Bowen he guards Bowen instead of Tony Parker, since Bowen's defense is so great that he has to have every energy to get through Bowen's defense and it's much easier to guard Bowen than Tony Parker.
Don't underestimate Kobe just because his Olympic stats might show this and that, even Lebron didn't have great moments. Kobe knows how to get the job done and his role in the Lakers is very big compared to the Olympics where he was the primary defensive stopper and not the focal point of the offense. The Lakers will be fine next year Mikey.
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 02, 2008 at 02:16 AM
Sign up now only one update a DAY
*______
65 – 67 WINS FOR 2008 - 2009
SEASON BANDWAGON
*________*
(01) LAKERTOM - OWNER
(02) JON K. Driver
(03) RICK FRIEDMAN – Riding Shotgun
(04) MAMBA24 – Director of Win # 1
(05) TOAD – Director of all wins.
(06) JUSTANOTHER MAMBAFAN – Director of win 65.
(07) kEIFO - Security
Posted by: | September 02, 2008 at 05:55 AM
TALIQ, old buddy, good pal. get me some of those tickets for the Oprah show now that you
are in Chicago. If you do, instead of 1 bullet I'll give you 2 for your gun
Sheriff. LOL! Niow get in LIne a nd get some tcikets and
treport to the Blog how the show WAS.
Posted by: MAMBA24 | September 02, 2008 at 06:34 AM
You know you've arrived when you get an invite from Oprah. Congratulations Kobe. It looks like all of your hard work has payed off ... finally.
Posted by: Brandon Hoffman | September 02, 2008 at 07:04 AM
BD,
"8.6% Baron Davis
7.9% Corey Maggette"
These two surprise me. Baron Davis kind of makes sense because I know he used to squabble with Don Nelson, but I wonder why people would think that Corey Maggette would negatively affect the Warriors? Odd.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 02, 2008 at 07:48 AM
kobebryantblitz,
I don't understand what you're arguing with me about. I never said Farmar should start ahead of Fish or anything of that sort. All I started off saying was that 3-point shooting isn't a weakness for Farmar. He's a solid shooter.
Posted by: Xodus | September 02, 2008 at 07:50 AM
Hobbitimage,
You're operating in an alternate universe where the Celtics play in the western conference and as a result aren't as good. It's totally subjective and there's no way to prove it. The Spurs could barely score efficiently against us and you're saying the Spurs would have beaten them because of their defense, when the Celtics were better defensively than the Spurs. They swept San Antonio last season with the second loss coming when they blew a big first half lead which was a recurring trend towards the end of the season for the Spurs.
You're going off of your own opinions instead of the facts in front of you.
As for the 3-point shooting, I remember them shooting the three very well against us and it's one of the things that keeps us from being elite defensively rather than simply good. The fact that they were averaging 96.4 ppg on 42% shooting and were in every game (through the first 5) proves that we were doing something right. The fact that all of our offensive stats fell drastically and we gave up first half leads in 3 games (should) tell you that they were grinding our offense to a halt, which is why we lost.
I can prove that they brought out offense to a halt and that our defense was solid (not great), but all you're saying is subjective reasoning that the Celtics weren't as good as they were when every objective way of looking at it (record, stats, point differential says they were). And if a 25-5 record against the west with a point differential over 11 doesn't prove to you that they were an incredible team than nothing will because you're choosing to ignore the facts. As you are if you're saying the Lakers were playing terrible defense through 5 games.
Posted by: Xodus | September 02, 2008 at 08:04 AM
Jon K,
>>>but I wonder why people would think that Corey
>>>Maggette would negatively affect the Warriors? Odd.
Because he doesn't defend very well. Although that seems to
fit right in with the Warriors' scheme. Also, didn't he have some
attitude problems over being the 6th man with the Clips?
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | September 02, 2008 at 08:22 AM
What's the Doberman doing on Oprah when he should be under the knife? I don't get why this isn't a bigger story. What is he waiting for? The sooner he gets the surgery, the sooner he's back. If he's not fully recovered by the time the season starts, it will probably bother him all season.
Posted by: Slim Eddy | September 02, 2008 at 08:23 AM
Aw, what the heck.
Add me to that 65 win bandwagon.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | September 02, 2008 at 08:24 AM
LGC's,
No problem.
Posted by: Xodus | September 02, 2008 at 09:01 AM
JonK,
Maybe Donald Sterling is behind the Maggette voting.
I was shocked to see Kwame leading by such a large margin. Talk about having a bad reputation. You can't tell me that is just Laker Fans voting. I guess it doesnt help when you have Stephen A Smith going national stating
" This is Kwame Brown" were talking about.
BD
Posted by: BD | September 02, 2008 at 09:03 AM
Jon-
I get where you're going, but there are a lot of people (myself included) who think on one level or another, Maggette is the type of player who will never be a great player on a great team. When you consider that he's replacing a guy in Davis who was widely seen as the engine that brought them back from crappiness (he had help, no doubt, but Baron was the face), that also contributes to the idea he could have a negative effect.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | September 02, 2008 at 09:32 AM
MIkey sez:
"I am a huge Laker fan but lets be realistic. Kobe looked horrible(for him) in the Olympics. His out side shot was not to be found. He made huge plays against Spain, but his age is showing and I hope his stubbornness does not get in the way of him realizing that he needs rest.
Please tell me the surgery helps his outside shot or there will be no parade. "
kobee is slipping as a 30-something, his performance in both the FInals and the Olympics, as noted in the MVP article on ESPN, was awful.
Rudy Fernandez smoked kobee. Portland will be gunning for the lakers, trying to measure themselves up.
The lakers are not a good defensive team, as Boston showed, and all NBA teams this season will have their game plans in place to attack the spongy laker D: go after pau, force lamar to make decisions (his brain is his biggest weakness), tempt kobee into shooting impossible shots, attack sasha and force him to try to defend, and do not let the lakers in the paint without physically punishing them.
The lakers are a mirage, all offense and no D.
Posted by: BUTLER | September 02, 2008 at 09:33 AM
What's the Doberman doing on Oprah when he should be under the knife? I don't
get why this isn't a bigger story. What is he waiting for? The sooner he gets the
surgery, the sooner he's back. If he's not fully recovered by the time the season
starts, it will probably bother him all season.Posted by: Slim Eddy | September 02, 2008 at 08:23 AM
I was wondering the same thing myself Slim Eddy!
Posted by: Mamba24 | September 02, 2008 at 09:34 AM
"IT'S GREAT TO BE A BRUIN!"
GO BRUINS!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 02, 2008 at 09:42 AM
BK,
"Maggette is the type of player who will never be a great player on a great team."
You are probably right on that one, but the poll was on "Who will have the biggest negative impact on his new team?"
I read Long Time Laker Fan's statement about Corey Maggette's poor defense. True, but biggest negative impact? I don't know. It still seems odd.
Corey Maggette may not be an All-Star caliber player, but it seems strange to me that a significant number of people would think that he should be in the same category as a Kwame Brown or Ron Artest.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 02, 2008 at 09:47 AM
BD,
I remember reading a Sports Illustrated poll of NBA players of "Which player does the least with his ability?" (or something to that effect) last year.
The overwhelming winner (or loser)?
Kwame Brown.
Next closest (and not very close) was Tim Thomas of the Clippers.
No one else was even close to these two in the rankings.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 02, 2008 at 09:58 AM
The Lakers will PWN the FUNS this season and you know it BUTLER.
No one here is ashamed of the Lakers performance last season, regardless of the finish. It's cool if you FUNS fans are jealous of the Lakers, but don't hate because we're better.
I'll see you at US Airways Center on Nov 20th. Beatdown commences at around 7:15 local.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | September 02, 2008 at 09:58 AM
Jon K,
Maybe they're taking into account Maggette's clashing with Dunleavy over the years. As in, will he have the same issues with Nellie?
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 02, 2008 at 10:02 AM
The lakers are a mirage
Too much time here in the desert BUTLER.
The ONLY mirage is the FUNS success of the past few years. Enjoy the rebuilding process, and a malcontent SHaq and Amare by midseason.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | September 02, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Slim Eddy,
"What's the Doberman doing on Oprah when he should be under the knife?"
Actually, what Kobe should do is have the surgery while on the show. Kobe gets it out of the way. Laker fans can finally stop worrying about it. Gi-freaking-normous ratings for Oprah. Everyone wins.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | September 02, 2008 at 10:05 AM
PigMiller sez:
"The Lakers will PWN the FUNS this season and you know it BUTLER. "
How's that? You mean 'pawn'?
I think you and every other laker fan FEARS the mountain of truth called SHACK.
He has every incentive to dominate the lakers this season, and don't think he won't relish the opportunity to eliminate his former employers from the postseason - assuming the lakers make it to the playoffs.
There's too many question marks surrounding the lakers right now...byenumb's injury...lamar's brain...kobee's advancing age and deteriorating shot...fischer's ineffectiveness..phil jacqueson's inability to win in a league that also has D'ANTONI, GNASH and KG...sasha's defensive ineptitude...radmanivic and walton...
SHACK is going to blast the lakers off the court come thanksgiving week!
Posted by: BUTLER | September 02, 2008 at 10:09 AM
BK,
Do you have any idea how long is the recovery time on that oinkie surgery? Maybe, his surgeons have advised him to take a well earned rest.
The blog have gone overboard on players analysis or personal spins that it is hard to decipher the facts, fantasy and fiction. While there is nothing wrong about it bores us to death with all kinds of personal spins. I would not mind if it were Lazenby or Pincus talking at least they have inside stories whether they are facts or fictions, it is something we can digest and opine.
How about interviewing the Laker players on what they did in the off season? Or maybe a Q & A with one of the players through the blog. When there are no news or no new threads, we have tendency to create trite posts through endless spins. Just my observation.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | September 02, 2008 at 10:17 AM
Kobe had surgery on his pinkie on the plane ride back from Beijing! The mamba strikes again!
Posted by: chuck23 | September 02, 2008 at 10:18 AM
AK,
INSTEAD OF BEING ON OPRAH, SHOULDN'T KOBE BE GETTING SURGERY? OR WAS THAT HURT FINGER JUST A PUBLICITY STUNT?
maybe I'm missing something because I've been away for a while getting family away from the storm.
Posted by: Gunner | September 02, 2008 at 10:24 AM
oh my god, the length of some of these posts... you said... my response... my longer response... Saint Germain is real... no, he is not real and here are 20 reasons why... no, Saint Germain IS real and he is massaging my foot right now... no, he is not real and here is a 25 page thesis why he is not real...
I'll summarize for you guys. Coby Karl blows. He blows big, mighty chunks, he can't play defense, I don't know who created that myth, he will rough house but a good defender? Please...
Sun Yue at PG is a pipe dream. He will play a guard slot but he sure as hell won't be guarding the Tony Parker's etc. You would think they would need a ball handling guard in there with him unless it's a blowout.
Lamar Odom at SF is a walking disaster. How can you have a SF who REFUSES to take open shots?
Ariza is being groomed to be our Raja Bell. How obvious does this one have to be?
DJ Mbenga sucks. We won't even offer him ONE BUCK over the minimum. Hello? He's a body for Bynum to put a beatdown on in practice. If Mbenga is playing, the game is over, one way or the other. Right now, Miami is saying, "is there ANYBODY? anybody else out there? check the gas stations, check McDonalds!, check the malls!!!..."
If Walton can play, Radmanovic is out, we're paying him too much $$$ to give us 10 minutes or less/game and he clearly has never fit into the triangle. Plus, I suspect he regresses this year after his "redemption" year last year. Who wants to lay odds he comes back with long hair?
Posted by: Stay Thirsty My Friends | September 02, 2008 at 10:24 AM
The lakers are not a good defensive team, as Boston showed, and all NBA teams this season will have their game plans in place to attack the spongy laker D: go after pau, force lamar to make decisions (his brain is his biggest weakness), tempt kobee into shooting impossible shots, attack sasha and force him to try to defend, and do not let the lakers in the paint without physically punishing them.
The lakers are a mirage, all offense and no D.
Posted by: BUTLER | September 02, 2008 at 09:33 AM
-------------------------
BUTLER-
There's a guy on the Lakers, his name is Andrew Bynum. Not sure if you are aware but he's pretty good on defense. You know, big, strong, gets a lot of blocks, better than Shaq. He didn't play in the Finals due to injury but will GREATLY improve the Lakers defense next year to go along with the best offense ( yea, better than the Funs). So enjoy watching pure dominance on the Lakers end of things and a quickly aging, slow Funs team.
Lamar = Laker for Life
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | September 02, 2008 at 10:32 AM
AK:
"...what Kobe should do is have the surgery while on the show..."
Nice! It's exactly that kind of outside-of-the-box thinking the networks need. Better still, get him to do it on Letterman. Kobe can give the Top 10 during the surgery, and if the surgeon screws up, throw him off the top of the CBS building.
Posted by: Marty | September 02, 2008 at 10:42 AM
I HAVE TO AGREE WITH BUTLER ON THIS ONE.
"There's too many question marks surrounding the lakers right now...byenumb's injury...lamar's brain...kobee's advancing age and deteriorating shot...fischer's ineffectiveness..phil jacqueson's inability to win in a league that also has D'ANTONI, GNASH and KG...sasha's defensive ineptitude...radmanivic and walton..."
WE HAVE SOME PRETTY SOFT GUYS ON OUR TEAM. AND PHIL JACKSON SEEMS TO HAVE LOSS A STEP IN COACHING. I DON'T THINK PHOENIX WILL BE BETTER THAN US BECAUSE STEVE NASH DON'T PLAY DEFENSE. BUT IF THEY GET A GOOD BACK UP GUARD, THEN THEY AREN'T THAT FAR OFF WINNING THIS.
We have some serious depth issues in the front court. If one player goes down then we are back to last year's team. And the west is much stronger than last year.
Posted by: Gunner | September 02, 2008 at 10:45 AM
The Slasher/Mamba
lol Lebron James is too funny
Posted by: Me | September 02, 2008 at 10:46 AM
AK,
Maybe that is what they're referring to.
And, yes, Kobe should have his pinkie surgery done live on Oprah.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | September 02, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Mr. BDangles sez:
"BUTLER-
There's a guy on the Lakers, his name is Andrew Bynum. Not sure if you are aware but he's pretty good on defense. You know, big, strong, gets a lot of blocks, better than Shaq. He didn't play in the Finals due to injury but will GREATLY improve the Lakers defense next year to go along with the best offense ( yea, better than the Funs). So enjoy watching pure dominance on the Lakers end of things and a quickly aging, slow Funs team.
Lamar = Laker for Life
GO LAKERS"
I hope the best for byenumb's recovery, but the laker fans are hinging all their hopes upon a busted kneecap. We'll have to wait to see how he does but one has to wonder at the seriousness of the injury. AMARE is the exception, remember, among big men who have recovered from knee surgery.
The other question of course is - will byenumb mesh with pau? Those two play the same role, so who will be taking whose shots? Pau is the more prolific scorer but the weaker defender, so what happens when they meet SHACK and AMARE? You'll have a SUNS advantage by virtue of SHACK'S bigger body in the post, and AMARE will force pau to defend.
In last year's lone game with SHACK in a SUNS uniform, Pau could run past SHACK - for this reason, byenumb's return actually benefits the SUNS because it evens the field.
Lamar a laker for life? That's not going to help your team. If Caron BUTLER were there instead of odum, I'd be seriously concerned. Odum has all the tools to be fantastic but he is so inconsistent and so unreliable. His role at SF will be tested each night by the likes of speedy shooters like Grant Hill, Artest, Posey, Josh Howard, AK47, etc. I don't see the advantage for the lakers there.
Posted by: BUTLER | September 02, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Jon-
Remember, it's all relative. A lot of people probably didn't vote for Kwame because they didn't think he'd have any impact at all- i.e. he won't play very much. Maggette, on the other hand, will be a focus for the Warriors, so if they're concerned about his D, or his style of O, they'd think his impact will be more negative than a role guy. It's a question open to lots of different ways of answering, depending on interpretation.
Edwin-
Most players are using their offseason to get out of town, relax, etc. As the season gets closer and more guys are back and local, we'll see what we can do. It's just a down time of year, as it is every year at this time.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | September 02, 2008 at 11:01 AM
SHACK is going to blast the lakers off the court come thanksgiving week!
OH MAN I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEASON TO START!
When Shaq suffers his first injury and Amare has to play center or PF next to a rookie, then he gets shredded by DREW.
There's too many question marks surrounding the lakers right now...byenumb's injury...lamar's brain...kobee's advancing age and deteriorating shot...fischer's ineffectiveness..phil jacqueson's inability to win in a league that also has D'ANTONI, GNASH and KG...sasha's defensive ineptitude...radmanivic and walton...
That's a joke right? What about Gash and his slow footed defense? The rookie pair playing behind him on the depth chart with 0 NBA minutes? StouDUMBire's commitment to defense, let alone his ability on that end? A rookie backing up The Big Homicidal? An injury prone 35 year old center with a bad hip and knees? BarNOsa's defense? Matt Barnes' health and volatility?
C'mon BUTLER!! You've got to do better than that! The FUNS are the team that has all the questions. The Lakers went to the Finals last year. Did you forget already?
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | September 02, 2008 at 11:05 AM
I guess Im as guilty as anyone of responding to Lets go C's in the last week or two.In fairness his posts dont bother me really..i mean I'd prefer they were'nt there but they dont properly rile me like they do some people...
problem is theres always going to be. poeple like me that cant resist a pop at him when we are in the mood....or new bloggers that come along and dont realise who to avoid.Theres always those ones that are responding seriously clearly unaware of the background...
Anyway how about a blacklist...first blogger on each thread can put a beware of trolls notice with whoever is on the blacklist and a request not to respond to them....no new blogger will reply to them unwittingly and no regular blogger will want to be the guy that stuffs it up and brings scorn and ridicule upon himself like the guy at the end of practise that doesnt make his freethrow
an organised resistance - we've got the troops for a resistance ...now we just need a leader or several to be responsible for posting as early on each thread as possible...I'm not the man for the job my blogging action is way to random and I'm more of a politcal theorist than a president type
Lakertom...mamba 24? how about it fellas?
Posted by: Kiwi | September 02, 2008 at 11:05 AM