AK,

A fresh thread at last. Great to see Kobe enjoying his gold medal. When is the surgery?

Tom

Hey I was the one to first post the link AK!

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.

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.

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?

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.

"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!

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

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.

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.

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?

Aw, what the heck.

Add me to that 65 win bandwagon.

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

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.

"IT'S GREAT TO BE A BRUIN!"

GO BRUINS!

GO LAKERS!

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

AK,

Maybe that is what they're referring to.

And, yes, Kobe should have his pinkie surgery done live on Oprah.

GO LAKERS!

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

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?

GUnner sez:

"I HAVE TO AGREE WITH BUTLER ON THIS ONE."

Gunner is a realist, thank you. He also sez:

"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."

PJ is no longer the premier coach he once was. Is it me, or does he seem to be getting long in the tooth and a bit crotchety these days?

Gunner is also correct in his assessment of GNASH. Steve has managed to become the best PG in NBA history at his age, and was not blessed with magic's 6'9" frame. So, Steve is at a disadvantage on D much of the time.

The challenge for the past 4 years for the SUNS has been to get a good backup PG. Now, they have him: Goran Dragic. Dragic is a top notch defender and a pure PG, with a 6'4" body that will allow him to combat everyone from T Parker to Rajon Rondo. The SUNS are going to be stronger this season, absolutely.

Gunner sez:

"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."

Both pau and byenumb have a history of injuries. After the starters, mihm and mbenga are not very good replacements. Turiaf is no more, so where is the depth? Like I said, everything is riding on that knee of byenumb's.

Pig sez:

"An injury prone 35 year old center with a bad hip and knees?"

As I recall, it's byenumb who has been out with injury and not SHACK. SHACK is healthy right now - and hungrier than ever for title #5.

The SUNS have bolstered their bench and now have a full complement of youth to mix with the veterans.

Kerr is a genius who won a ring for MJ and Duncan. He is working as we speak on making the SUNS more dominant than ever!

Butler-

Odom will run around all those SF's you listed. I'm pretty sure Grant Hill needs to retire. Ron Artest will be too busy "rapping" and beating up fans to be playing basketball. Posey is already a has-been and will suck next year without KG, Allen, and PP. Odom will just give some "green" to Josh Howard to handle him. And I'm pretty sure AK47 is still crying from PT with the Jazz and getting smoked in the Olympics.

In all seriousness though, Josh Howard is the only decent SF you listed. He is physical and fast, but I don't see Odom having a problem with any of them. Odom doesn't need to score and he can just funnel his defenders in to the likes of Bynum/Gasol. Lamar's role on next years Lakers will to do all the "little things". Sure, he will score a few points but really look out for Odom in the assist category along with the rebounding. Not sure if you watch Lamar during the second half of last year but he was pretty good and consistent.

Regarding Bynum, Is he even 21 years old yet? He has another 15 years in the NBA. His knee is fine. If Amare can do it then Bynum can definitely do it. Sorry to say but Amare is going to be a non-factor in the NBA on a lousy Funs team. Soon, everyone will be preaching about how young Drew came back from knee surgery to bring the Lakers to the promise land (something Amare will never do).

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS

Xodus, Faith, Giant Squid, Kobebryantblitz,

Even though we all might not agree, thanks for weighing in on the Fisher-Farmar conversation. The stats suggest that BOTH are strong outside shooters. Again, Farmar's career 3 pt % is 0.358. D-Fish is 0.373. Very comparable. In the Finals, JF was 0.529 and Fish was 0.405. Apart from that, each brings other skills and abilities.

What's most important is that if the team can stay healthy in the upcoming season, there should be a lot to cheer about. It's great tp be a Laker fan. Go Lakers!

Mr.BDangles sez:

"Regarding Bynum, Is he even 21 years old yet? He has another 15 years in the NBA. His knee is fine. If Amare can do it then Bynum can definitely do it. Sorry to say but Amare is going to be a non-factor in the NBA on a lousy Funs team. Soon, everyone will be preaching about how young Drew came back from knee surgery to bring the Lakers to the promise land (something Amare will never do)."

To suffer a season-ending injury to a structural joint prior to 21 years old is not a good sign. All that weight of AB's and he has to support the likes of SHACK too...and YAO...that's a lot for an injured knee to take.

If byenumb has another 15 years in the NBA, then we have to say that kenyon martin does too. And wasn't Chris Webber around for a long time? Doesn't mean a thing. We're talking about recovering from a broken kneecap and a player's effectiveness following major knee surgery.

I'm glad AMARE won't be leading the lakers to the promised land, as you stated. He will be far from a non-factor, as you also stated. What he will be is the likely MVO, as forecasted by the latest ESPN article. AMARE is the benficiary of SHACK'S muscle in the paint and will avg 25-15 this season, just watch!

kiwi sez:

"Kobe's advancing age and deterioating shot - what are you talking about???? hes shown no signs of age and should be fine for another 2-3 years before it even begins to become a concern...dont know what youa re talking about when it comes to his shot?"

Did you not watch the FInals or olympics? His shot has been getting worse all the time. Doug Collins said it over and over in the olympics: kobee needs 25-35 shots a game to be effective, because he misses most of the time.

kobee has been surpassed by younger, better playas at his position.

Hey Laker Blog, what's the haps?

What a day! No news is good news to Gary Gnu. Except that no news is A-G-O-N-I-Z-I-N-G to us work-a-day fellas.

I think live surgery is a GREAT idea, just imagine some of the play by play commentary from, say, Dick Vitale and Doug Collins:
Dick: Oh, he's going to use the scalpel, baby, he's going to use the scalpel.
Doug: You're right, Dick, he IS going to use the scalpel, he likes the scalpel because of the nice, clean cut it makes.
Dick: We have slicing and dicing going on, it's one of the greatest cuts that I have ever borne witness to. this is the second coming of Lister, baby!
Doug: Who?
Dick: Don't mess with my mojo! You do the color, let me move the audience, baby!
Doug: It looks like they are re-attaching the tendon...
Dick: It's totally severed, baby.
Doug: I can't believe that Kobe could play through something like that, on his shooting hand no less.
Dick: I'm amazed that I never got to cover him in a college day, woe is me, baby!
Dick: And they're closed, a successful surgery. I'd like to remind our audience that next weeks episode of Sports Surgeries will actually be a re-run because Shaq has a beach party to go to and will get his surgery done on Company Time.

That's what a few spare minutes at work can accomplish.

GO LAKERS!!!!!

NOBODY CARES ABOUT 2ND PLACE. AND I MEAN NOBODY.

"Try and sell your BS some other suckers, it's fairly obvious we don't make the finals last year WITHOUT Phil Jackson. Duh! "

Doesn't matter what Phil did to get us to the finals. The Dude choke this year and he choke against Larry Brown.

I USE TO THINK PHIL JACKSON WAS A GUY WHO JUST WINS FINALS BUT HE HAS ALLOWED BOTH LARRY BROWN AND DOC RIVERS OUTCOACH HIM.

The Game has past him by.

kiwi,

How are you?

"Phil jackson hasnt lost a step....it was his team that came out in an open western race then they got beaten by a better team.He slotted Gasol into the complcated offense seamlessly...whadya talking about?"

YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT. NO ONE CARES ABOUT 2ND PLACE. PHIL HAS BEEN TO THE FINALS THIS YEAR AND 4 YEARS AGO AND BOTH FINALS HE HAS STRUGGLED MAKING ADJUSTMENTS.

He has two chances of going past Red's record and he's struggled both finals. If you can't see that Phil can't win any championships with one superstar and a host of role players, then there's a problem.

Dear Trolls, Naysayers and assorted other filth:

I see you are making the most of your summer by spending it sniping on the LAT Lakers Blog. What brave and interesting people you must be.

At any rate, enjoy watching the a__ end of the Lakers all season. If you behave yourselves, you may even be invited to next June's festivities on Fig.

Regards,

One of many rabid and unapologetic Laker fans.

thekobebryantblitz,

you wrote: lol. So we are starting our youngings instead of proven veterans.

Please define Youngings. If you mean people new to
the Lakers, then yes. For example: When Odom
arrived did we start him? Caron butler? Pau Gasol?
Are you talking about veteran years? Farmar
started over Smush Parker in the playoffs two
years ago.

you wrote: 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.

my response: That is one way to look at it. Another way
to look at is is that I have *ABOLUTE* faith in what Lamar
is capable of after watching him for 4 years. Mr.
Inconsistent will do *EXACTLY* what he's done for
the last 4 years. Be INCONSISTENT! He will be a
mediocre mid-long range shooter. He will be an
inconsistent defensive player. He will inconsistently go
to the rim. He will inconsistently take advantage of
his matchups. He will predominantly go to his left even
though my dead grand mother knows he's going left.
He will play inconsistent defense.

Thank you for answering my about Mitch and Lamar
and defense.
-----------------
"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.
------------------

Um ... You seem to be processing this in an odd way.
When I said Lamar is a PF I made no judgements as
to whether or not it was a bad thing. It's a thing. Your
comment addresses the why and that was not my
primary intent.

It is my *subjective* opinion that he's
had more success at PF than at SF. I prefer the way
he played at PF as the #3 option to the way he played
SF at the #2 option.

-------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------

The answer "of course" doesn't seem to address the
question. The answer should be of the form:
Yes the two clauses are equal. No the two clauses
are not equal. Of course is neither yes nor no.

I said Lamar is a good/great rebounder. You posted
stats which *SUPPORT* my statement that Lamar is a
good/great rebounder. I am wondering why you're
writing things which support my statement ...

you wrote: 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.

my response:
1. thank you for your definition. I agree with your definition.
s. Carlos Boozer is an all-star PF who plays defense.
If Lamar played defense like Carlos Boozer plays defense
we wouldn't be having this conversation.

--------------------------------
"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!
---------------------------------

http://tinyurl.com/6xcjh8 Shawn Marion is a 4 time
nba all star. 2006-2007 he had 15 votes and was
3 votes shy of making the team. 4th place defensive
player of the year.

you said: 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.

my response: What exactly are you saying?

you wrote: That first url already answered your statement that Lamar can't defend against quick SG/SF

my response: If you go back and look at my original
statements on this topic, you'll find that I said the same
thing. Thanks for validating *that* specific point of mine.

you wrote: Assuming you are correct about Trevor's defense being above Lamar's. Does that make him instant starter?

my response: Great question. I'll answer shortly.

you wrote: 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?

my response: re: Trevor's flaws. We started Vlad at SF
this past season. I don't think that Vlad is a gifted passer
or a great ball handler. We made it to the NBA finals.
I don't think that Bruce Bowen is a gifted passer or a great
ball handler. I think that a team can win a championship
without having 5 offensive powerhouses on the floor
at the same time. The Pistons come to mind as wall as
the spurs. We really focused on offense this year and
we did really well until we faced the Celtics. "If and only
if" we are going to orient towards defense should we
start Trevor. If we are going to take a middle-of-the-road
approach, no don't start him.

re: the bench needing defense. If Lamar is playing off
the bench, according to you he's a good defender. We
still increase bench defense.

you wrote: Frankly Hobbit, in my opinion, I think you are going over board with having defensive players only.

This is an over-simplification of what I said and frankly
it's wrong. Kobe is not a defensive player only. Pau
is not a defensive player only. Fisher is not a defensive
player only. Bynum, the projected starter at C, is not
a defensive player only. Frankly, I see Bynum, Pau &
Kobe as a great offensive core. Fisher is a reasonable
PG. A bit streaky at shooting, but he's got 3 rings and
Kobe likes him. He shot well this past year. I like him too.

you wrote: You act as if Trevor will make a big impact on defense like Kevin Garnett did.

my response: I'm sorry you took my words to mean that.
That is *NOT* the case. I have always articulated that it's
a *TEAM* philosophy. I want it to start with the coaching
staff and work it's way out thru the players. I want the
players to *FOCUS* on defense. I think that would be
easier for Trevor to do than for Lamar.

you wrote: Pew-weeasee....thinking that Ariza is the great defensive hope that Kevin Garnett is and did with the Celtics makes me laugh

my response: Glad your laughing. I never said that.
Never thought that.

Xodus,

you wrote: You're going off of your own opinions instead of the facts in front of you.

my response:
1st. These are my opinions. I've been very candid about
that haven't I?
2nd. We're looking at different facts. Neither set are
wrong.
3rd. I prefaced my opinions with an *if* didn't I?

you wrote: 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.

my response: Ah! So we agree about something.
excellent.

you wrote: 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.

my response: That's one way to look at it. Another way
to look at it is: If we had stopped their offense as much
as they stopped our offense we would be champions
right now. [ by stopping offenses I mean taking points
off the scoreboard. ]

you wrote: all you're saying is subjective reasoning that the Celtics weren't as good as they were

my response: hmm ... I think this is an over-simplification.
To clarify: I think that the philosophical views of the
Jazz & the Spurs are very similar to the views of the
Celtics. A defense first mentality *tends* to lead to lower
scores. Given the difficulty of playing in Utah & San
Antonio, I would think more games played in tough
venues with defense first teams would lead to more wins
for the home team. Namely WC teams.

you wrote: they were an incredible team.

my response: I do think they were an incredible team.
You have mis-understood me.

Kobe blitz, what are you talking about?

Ariza doesn't have Bell's outstanding shooting??? Hello? It's called a "shooting coach"... hello? hello? jello? So... according to your logic, Ariza will never improve? Ok...

"got lit up by" Grant Hill and Paul Pierce already???

What have you been smoking? Dude came back from a broken bone in his foot and obviously wasn't in game condition against Pierce. The only thing Grant Hill lights up these days is an MRI machine after every game... sometimes... Grant Hill holds a flashlight under his leg to see if he can make sense of all those crackling noises he hears when he even thinks about walking...

Butler-

Last time I checked your boy Amare never played in a Finals game and has only LOST big games. And every Laker was inconsistent during the Finals, not just Lamar.

Lamar = Laker for Life

GO LAKERS

"further insight from Hollinger:"

His chat has some Suns gems:

Shawn, NY: I think the offseason moves of the Suns were underated. How do you see Goran Dragic panning out this year for them?

SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:16 PM ET ) Badly. I don't think he's up to snuff at the offensive end and I'm struggling to figure out why they went through all that to bring over a guy who, at best, won't be ready for another year at least. Liked the Barnes pickup though.

Ed (Denver,CO): In other words, Dwayne Wade is your third MVP pick?

SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:22 PM ET ) don't think the Heat will win enough for his candidacy to really gain traction. Same goes for Amare.

Bull (Washington, DC): I don't Steve Nash's Suns - when he won back to back MVPs, "massively exceeded expectations". In fact, they underachieved because they never won anything despite having a 2 time MVP leading the charge.

SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:23 PM ET ) Actually, that was precisely why he won both times. Phoenix came off a 29-win season his first year and won 62, then they lost Amare and won 52ish (going from memory) and he got it again. The second of those two in particular was one of the worst award votes in recent history.

Prashant (London, UK): The worst MVP award vote in recent history has to be Malone over Jordan in 1997, right?! The voters just got bored of MJ being so good...

SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:32 PM ET ) Not even the worst Jordan vote. Barkley over Jordan (and Olajuwon, who everyone forgets had a monster year that season) in '93 was much worse. At least Malone was the second-best player that year.

Noah (Los Angeles, CA): What happens if the Suns can become a top 10 defensive team under Terry Porter?

SportsNation John Hollinger: (3:43 PM ET ) Considering the Bucks weren't even a top 20 defensive team under Terry Porter, I wouldn't stay up at night worrying about that possibility"

Got this on the Funs boards. And here I thought Hollinger was completely retarded. It turns out he's only kind of retarded.

Since we're putting stock in a tool such as hollinger, please refer to his PER efficiency ratings - yes, that's AMARE at #3, far, far above and beyond any lakers!

BUTLER Sez:

"As I recall, it's byenumb who has been out with injury and not SHACK. SHACK is healthy right now - and hungrier than ever for title #5.

The SUNS have bolstered their bench and now have a full complement of youth to mix with the veterans.

Kerr is a genius who won a ring for MJ and Duncan. He is working as we speak on making the SUNS more dominant than ever!"

Posted by: BUTLER | September 02, 2008 at 11:14 AM

hahahahahhahahahahaha, this is one of the funniest posts i've ever seen

....SHACK has been healthy every preseason for the last 10 years then a knee or a hip goes out and the dude milks it so he can keep his stamina up for the entire season, if he actually plays a full 82 game season, I"ll be
A.) amazed cause there's no way I think it will happen and
B.) Laughing cause he'll be wayyyyy too exhausted for June

BOLSTERED their bench......hahahahhahaha....like "PIG" and I have already rebutted.....2 ROOKIES! One Euro player who hasn't seen NBA action,MATT BARNES (wow!!!!!) ALANDO TUCKER(an offensive player who couldnt even crack D'Antoni's offensive sys tem) and some dude named AMUNDSON?!?!?!
Man, every one of those foos should be up for SIXTH man of the year! heck, they should even make a 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th man of the year just because those pickups BOLSTERED the FUNS bench so much!

I don't even need to speak on your KERR comment, had me laughing for about 2 straight minutes....

THe Blitz sez:

"December 25, 2007: Grant Hill Stats vs Trevor Ariza: 14 points on 60.0% shooting. 3 Assists. 2 Free throws.

Allowing an old, shade of his former self Grant Hill to score 14 points on 60% shooting is not my idea of "good" defense."

Grant Hill is the new MJ, way more so than kobee!

Kiwi/Wes,

Did you guys get your readings?

GO LAKERS!

Haha!!

Butler trying to pretend he's not gunner.

and yes, i've thought so for quite some time now..and no, Gunner and KL were not one and the same and neither are Butler and LGC.

get lost little boys

"Pig" Miller,

I actually like his team ratings and rankings. They generally reflect my own views. And his Power Rankings have been right each of the last two seasons. I think it's easier to rate a team's play using stats almost entirely rather than players, which is why I can't get behind PER.

>Grant Hill is the new MJ, way more so than kobee!

(tisk) crack = bad for you.

Um Butler, try defeating the Spurs in the playoffs first then you can declare you are always right. My two cents for you.

With Miami getting there Center it looks like Mbenga is coming back to LakerLand.

Outlaw,
"Actually, a lot of people care about second place. People like Suns fans, who haven't sniffed second place in a long, long, long time. "

THAT'S WHAT A LOSER WOULD THINK. THE FACT REMAINS PHIL JACKSON HAS BEEN OUTCOACHED THE LAST TWO FINALS WE HAVE BEEN IN AND HE HAS SHOWED THAT HE CAN NOT WIN A TITLE UNLESS HE HAS 2-3 ALLSTAR PLAYERS ON HIS TEAM.

I'm not happy with Uncle Tom's predictions or us making the finals. Winning a championship is all that matters. No one cares about second place.

In that case, we would be consider the Buffalo Bills of the NBA.

"The defeat was so tremendous, it took the hearts out of the lakers."

Did you get them on the horn recently? How are you so positive that it won't affect them in a good way? Like motivation. The FUNS could use some motivation I think. I'm certain that the Big Homicidal will need it after the FUNS start falling apart at the seams.

Thanks again for the insights Jeeves. It's fun having my own BUTLER around for laughs. Maybe you should change your name to JESTER?