Sasha out 10-14 days

Uhmm.... This is a little nerve wracking:

http://tinyurl.com/4yg7h8

Has anyone else heard about this?

Cut Coby Karl immediately! I'd rather see Bynum jacking up 3's than see Karl get blown by on defense EVERY FRIGGIN TIME.

Ariza can fill the Sasha minutes until the Machine comes back. Walton can play SF and Kobe at the SG slot instead of sliding up, Odom well... Odom can play PF... that's... that's what he can play... until we trade him for a high first round draft pick...

Bad news for Sasha. Good news for Coby Karl.

GO LAKERS!

BUTTLER,

WHERE ARE YOU? STILL WAITING FOR YOU TO READ MY POST AND PROVIDE ME SOME EVIDENCE! I RESPONDED. WHERE ARE YOU?

YOU EVER NOTICE

That this blog is turning into a ridiculous short story forum?

Why in the world are some of you writing novels all the time. Even real sports journalist do not ramble on and on, the reason being is, the longer an article, the more likely the readers interest will wane.

And now you guys (everyone knows who you are) are writing longer and longer rebuttals to each other.

I'll tell you, I use to read your guy's stuff before it turned into the longest pissing contest ever known to a sports blog.
Now I just scroll right past you and I am sure the overwheming majority of bloggers do also.
To bad you guys cant keep it as short and concise as possible. Man, it seems like you're trying to impress your teacher for a better grade with the number of pages written for your essays.
the only criteria for grades on this blog is the amount of responses you get from the most number of bloggers, not the length of the responses by a few bloggers.
This is the category you are in. Shorten up and be heard, lengthen up and be ignored

SHORTEN UP AND BE HEARD
LENGTHEN UP AND BE IGNORED

YOU EVER NOTICE

Butler:

I watched the suns.

At least the laker fans only have to worry about cohesiveness but your suns:

Gorklan (or whatever he's called) Dragic: makes coby karl look like Manu Ginobili. I could say this guy could gonna be the biggest bust ever if anybody outside of phoenix knew who he was.

grant hill: have you ever wondered why this guy ended up in phoenix?, because he's just retirement bound material.

matt barnes: hahahaha your biggest acquisition and the guy who's gonna make you better is Mr. Always Been in Some Crappy team's Dog House.

Lopez: the same guy who can't finish a miserable mini hook 2 feet away from the basket while being defended by JR Smith and who looked like a complete 7 foot stiff while going up against 6-8, 6-9 college guys at Stanford... good luck with that.

Amunson: are the suns so desperate that now have to hire shemales?

Shaq: who didn't even have the decency to fake interest on at least staying in shape like he did his first 2 summers in miami.

Please stop bothering, there is no RIVALRY, you're just a "King's fan" Du Jour. the suns beat the lakers when LA had its worst team in franchise history and the suns even had to go to extremes in order to accomplish that.
there's the Celtics rivalry and that's pretty much it, you're dreaming if you think that a team that has gone once to the finals has a rivalry with the lakers. And Shaq already is a has been, not even ABC is interested in putting a Xmas game of him versus Kobe.

YOU EVER NOTICE,

So your way of stopping the pissing contest is to write your own long rebuttal and join in?

Posted by: YOU EVER NOTICE | October 14, 2008 at 04:40 PM

For real huh. How can we not notice?

Thats alright if he can get that much money, i say go for it.

IS IT A COINCIDENCE???

3 years in a row? Lakers signings

1. 2006-07 Vlad Radmanovic signed a 5 year deal.
missed more than 30 games when he injured his shoulder in an accident(snowboarding) during the All Star break.

2. 2007-08 Luke Walton signed a 6 year deal.
After averaging a career best in points, rebounds, assists during the 2006-07 season. After signing the contract, it sa downhill ride for Walton(injuries etc.)

3. 2008-09 Sasha Vujacic signed a 3 year deal this year.
Injured!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's alot of money to turn down.

...oh and

....get well sasha.

WE MISS THE MACHINE!!!

Cringe as we do at the occasional bonehead play by Sasha, one of the things that made last year’s team special was the Machine’s great outside shooting. I think it’s a big part of what we are missing this pre-season. Those lightning-quick 3-point bombs from Sasha were a devastating weapon that opened up the floor for Kobe and our inside game. Getting Sasha into the game was also one of the biggest benefits of Kobe playing the 3. We finished and won a lot of games with the 3-guard Fisher/Farmar, Sasha, and Kobe combo.

I was also pleased to hear Lamar’s recent comments. He reminded me again of why I have always loved and defended the guy. He truly is a consummate team guy. I wish him nothing but the best and will be rooting for him to continue to play the way he did last year. If he does, Lamar will become a star as a 6th man and contribute as much as our starters in winning the championship. If he does that, he will have opened the door to retire as a Laker.

I just wish Lamar would get more serious about his game and his conditioning. I was encouraged last season when he would spend extra time on free throws and really improved his cutting and play away from the ball as well as his shot selection. I think there is a chance that we might see the same type of great efforts that we saw from Lamar last year after Pau came. He has all the tools, the heart of a warrior, and the love of his teammates. He will never be the go-to guy once envisioned but he still can be a champion.

That is what I am hearing from Lamar. That he wants to be a champion. That he realizes what is important in life. May he fulfill our hopes and his dreams and win the 6th Man of the Year award and a new contract to be a Laker for Life.

Tom

Hate hearing about ankle injuries... especially ones that are worse than previously thought. Hate, hate, hate it. Stay off your feet, Sasha. Let it heal.

Round 3:

*Just* a Laker Fan again whines:

[Semantics sonny. He got fired.]

He didn't get his contract renewed. Fired means in coaching that in the middle of a contract and the ownership releases you from the contract and not paying the rest. Keep it up, seems you just love revising history and now the word "fired".

[Confused as ever as you blather on thinking you are speaking facts but just your opinions. Grow up sonny ]

Too chicken to admit that Jason Kidd's talent carried Byron Scott's butt to the Finals? Or being another hypocrite? Seems you just love denying facts.

{Dillusional child Kobe was held back by PJ and he tried to get him traded when Kobe tired of PJ’s mind games. He showed PJ he was not going to let him dictate Kobes career or greatness, even though whiskers sided with Shaq and committed the coaching blunder by not staying neutral. Deron second year but not established as one of the premier pgs. Talented and upcoming but not great. Slaon probably had done a very good job of coaching and had good players. Get real.]

Oh wow Kobe was dillusional then when he had his best season under Phil Jackson (30ppg 7rpg 6 apg). Again revising history by saying Kobe was tired of Phil's mind games when in fact Phil was tired of Kobe not following the offense. Don't believe me and want to keep believing what you want to believe? Try this:

"Afterward, Jackson clashed frequently with Bryant. While remarkably efficient in Jackson's "triangle offense", Bryant had a personal distaste for Jackson's brand of basketball and subsequently called it "boring." In games, Bryant would often disregard the set offense completely to experiment with his own one-on-one moves, incensing the normally calm Jackson."

http://tinyurl.com/3h93j2 This is the source.

Phil wanted Kobe traded because he kept doing his one on one moves instead following the same offense that won the Lakers 3 championships.

[Apparantly you remember things differently as we were losing to sub 500 teams because PJ overworked the short rotation. Mbenga came in and provided both instant offense and defense and Stu commented wow he can really play. Wake up out of your slumber.]

Apparently (That's how you spell it little boy) you remember things even more differently or just watch the highlights. Try the Memphis game where Mbenga fouled out in 3 quarters and allowed even more penetration to the paint than Ronny. When he was in he let the penetrating man blow by him and tried to block. Nice effort but he always goes for blocks and gets fouls and goal tending. That is NOT defense. Try again when he actually limits the FG% of his man (in the regular season) and plays help defense like Bynum. Mbenga is better than Kwa-may only that he doesn't fumble the ball. Kwa-may though gives more personal defense better and rebounds better than Mbenga.

[Dunks by driving lane are way higher percentage than outside shots or don’t you understand basketball? Offense would not have struggled as much. Man am I wasting my time trying to educate a stubborn child?]

Your point? If Pau couldn't open up the lane for Kobe what makes you think Mbenga could? Pau is a much better shooter from outisde. If anything Lamar has a better jumpshot than Mbenga (Odom even shot 37.2% from 3 point land, I dare you to make Mbenga achieve that % in 3 point land for an entire season!) Maybe you just realized my point so much you couldn't even get a better response that is actually worthwhile to respond too. Try again or don't try at all.

[Wow comparing DJ to a point guard shooting jumpers. Lame as can be. I am not overrating players but have seen what they can do. So quit trying to dismiss players abilities. Why compare different players? I saw a game when Harpring ate ip Artest but Luke cancelled Harpring out in his match up. So does that make Luke better than Artest? Yeah right. I can say without Mbenga and Ira that we would not have won the series. Look at results, it is a fact we lost not using them. Celtics and bets won. Its in the history books. Done finito. Got it? I can opine using Mbenga and Ira we could and probably would have won. We will NEVER know. I never ever stated we would have won the series just opined we would have. So again pud puller quit putting words in my mouth. “YOU can't say even with Mbenga and Newble we would win the series.”]

Ok I will compare him to Pau or even Lamar Odom. Odom and especially Pau has a better jumper than Mbenga. That much better for you boy? Yes saying he can hit the 18 foot jumper CONSISTENTLY when he has only done it for a few games not to mention for a full game is over rating Mbenga. And no when I first argued with you were blaming Phil for not putting Mbenga and Ira and we lost the series because of them. So no I'm not putting words in your mouth boy. And Harping? Harping averaged 7.7 ppg against Luke Walton, which is good for a reserve who averaged less than 16 minutes a game when the bulk of minutes went to the starting lineup because it was the playoffs. Walton in comparison averaged less than 5 points in 17.5 minutes in that series. Walton did NOT cancel out Matt Harping.

[ But no guarantee Shaq would have turned those low posts to points. Ever hear of hack a Shaq? Foul him and watch him miss FT’s]

Shaq was having a MONSTER game in both Game 1 AND Game 4 especially:

Game 1: 34ppg on 81.3 FG% and 11 rebounds
Game 4: 36ppg on 76.2 FG% and 20 rebounds.

For all of Shaq's problems at the free throw line he at the very least at least make 1 out of 2. (He shot 49% in the regular season in 03-04). Kobe missed 17 shots (8-25 shooting). Give those to Shaq and even if Larry Brown went to Hack a Shaq (which he doesn't do, he makes Shaq get offensive fouls) Shaq would have made around 8 free throws and we lost by 8 in Game 4 (80-88) so there would have been a chance to win it. With the way Shaq was he would have gotten more points had Kobe not kept firing away in fact Kobe could have gotten better opportunities should teams doubled him and he could have shot wide open shots. Had Kobe did that I think he would have won Game 4 and at least get back to Staples Center.

[Again your opinion and not based on fact. Just like my opinion.]

Mbenga and Ira are opinions you got that part right. The numbers? Those are FACTS not your or my opinion.

[Just attribute that to great coaching and molding great players together to play team ball. Something PJ can’t. Even in this preseason he has already admitted he was playing mind games with AB and Pau. I think LO too. What a fool instead of getting cohesion from players he creates discord.

LOL! You called me clueless when you said that I could think a team of superstars can just be thrown together and play as a team and I just proved you wrong. Also: PJ outschooled Chuck Daly's Jordan Rules in his 2nd year in the league. Cmon man, it's ok to admit you were wrong.

[You are the dillusional one and have your nose so far Butler’s arse you can taste his food in his mouth. Yes Kobe having too much responsibility as your great coach admitted he had Kobe doing more things that he did with MJ. Kobe did all MJ did and was even the playmaker which MJ was not. Kobe coaching on the floor when PJ should be coaching. What a laugh. PJ should give half his paycheck to Kobe.So no kobe’s job is to play not coach but when coach does not someone has to.]

Here's the quote:

"I think it's the best that I've ever seen a player of mine play with an overall court game. I'm asking him to do so much, and he's accomplishing it. I never asked Michael to be a playmaker. That's the greatest player that I've ever had, that I could consider the greatest player in the game, and I never asked him to be a playmaker in those terms. I asked him to be playmaker when he was doubled or tripled. But Kobe has to set up the offense, to advance the ball, to read the defense, to make other players happy, and he's doing a great job of that."

Don't take it out of context. Who was doing the playmaking then on the Bulls? Easy Pippen and he did all the playmaking that allowed MJ to score. When Phil said that quote it was during 2000-2001 when Kobe had Shaq and since Shaq was the Focal point of the offense Kobe had to do the other things to allow Shaq to dominate. Phil never asked Shaq to be a playmaker did he?

Kobe's greatest zenith during the Shaq-Kobe years was 2002-2003 when he averaged 30ppg 7rpg 6 apg and helped the Lakers bring them back to 5th seed. Kobe had this ability before and with talent once again around him that is not Smush Parker, Kwa-may Brown and Brian Cook he nabbed his first overdue MVP. And it's not just limited to Kobe having these responsibilities, Lebron, Wade, and even Steve Nash during the D'Antoni years all had to be playmakers and score well. These guys (Kobe, Lebron, Wade) have these responsibilities and they would not back down and blame the coach.

In other words, they, especially Kobe, do not have too much responsibilities, that's what they are supposed to do, especially being the leader of their respective teams.

[There you go again moron. Putting words in my mouth. I never said PJ spoke to Pau in Spanish. It was Kobe coaching on the floor talking to pau in Spanish to coach him on where to be. You look up Paus comments as he said it. Also Kobe did grab Cleamons clipboard and draw up play. You look it up as it is well known fact.]

oo One play even. Does one time or even another time represent PJ not coaching? Simply Kobe doing his job as the floor general. That doesn't mean Phil was not coaching. Using a few examples of Kobe merely suggesting a play makes Phil Jackson not a good coach, wow who is the bigger moron? The signs point to JLF.

[How wrong you are as you are a recently new handle here Hugo but I have blamed Kobe mny a time for his actions. I think Kobe is the best but that does not make him perfect. Had you seen my other posts I have said give credit were it is due and give blame were it is due. So now I am labeled an apologist by a childish pud pulling ankle biter.]

It's Kobe blitz son. And when have you given credit PJ besides winning with great players? That would be quite a shock if you have boy.

[Who cares about T’wolves and et al. The Lakers had better players and so what PJ did not turn it around. Give FO credit for that. Not PJ.]

Who cares if we were in rebuilding season and luckily thanks to Kobe and Phil we made the playoffs even and gave hope to the Lakers even in the midst of rebuilding (yes we were rebuilding). Maybe you forgotten 04-05, 05-06, and 06-07.

04-05: 32-50 record.

05-06: 45-37 record: Phil's first year

06-07: 42-40 record: PJ's 2nd year considering 3 starters were injured (Kwa-may Brown, Lamar Odom, and Luke Walton).

07-08: 57-25 record

And within 3 years Phil gets a lottery team into the NBA Finals. Larry Brown had a very good team already in Detroit. Pat Riley already had a Laker team that won without him and had Magic and Kareem (and big games Worthy) plus a rebuilt team in New York under Patrick Ewing (and stole Chuck Daly's defensive playbook). Riley could barely get into the playoffs when he first arrived in Miami and went back to GM of the Heat and came back to coach that had made it to the ECF under Stan Van Gundy after driving Van Gundy out (Driving Van Gundy out of the coaching position is my opinion). Only Red Aurbauch and PJ now has anything that resembles of turning a lottery team into a title contending team (Red got Bill Russell and made it to the championship and Phil developed the other Lakers and made it to the Finals with a bright future ahead).

PJ did have an effect on the Lakers turnaround. I give credit to Mitch for drafting Bynum, Farmar, and making up the earlier mistake of trading away Caron Butler by getting Pau Gasol. Otherwise credit PJ in getting this team out of the lottery.

[No my foolish one. Different times and opponents. But the fact remains we made the playoffs despite these players but lost due to lousey coaching. By chance have you ever heard the saying that not always the best team wins but the one that wants it more and is motivated? Gee wasn’t PJ’s job to motivate the players?]

Different times and opponents? Don't deny what you said " [Just as good" and yes we made the playoffs in spite of these players who were worst then the previous year so Phil did have an effect on being a lottery team to at least a playoff team (thanks for proving my point even though you will try to deny it boy). Again you attribute our loss to coaching and try to label it as "fact". FACT: we lost that's the only fact. And motivated? If you mean Kwa-may overachieving and having 12.9ppg (granted against Boris Diaw) against the Suns and actually producing or Smush actually going against Steve Nash or Luke Walton having 12.1ppg or Lamar averaging 19.1ppg against Shawn Marion and pushing the Suns to 7 games that is real good motivation. Granted we lost but heck who in their right minds believe that Walton, Lamar, and especially Kwa-may could produce that? That is good motivation and only a rebound that Kwa-may failed to get that led to Tim Thomas for that 3 cost us the series.

[Read above comment and you will see the folly of your ways and thought process.]

No the folly is saying that Brown, Smush, and Cook are as good players as Tyson Chandler, David West, and especially CP3. PJ got Smush his best NBA seasons so far and Cook also and made Brown perform his best playoff season and will probably be his best playoff season. Motivation can only go so far and it cannot help if your players fumbles balls (Kwa-may), shoot 3 pointers only and defend like crap (Cook) or keep getting beat consistently on defense (Smush).

[When I base my posts on facts and not opinions like yours and call them facts. I also give opinions but you think all your blithering posts are fact.]

Oo Ok Mr. Fact Master (sarcasm here) why don't you keep on believing in the world that is called "JustaLakerFan world" and keep your head in it? Personally no one minds opinions, it's when you declare that PJ sucks, Byron Scott will be a Hall of Fame coach, Coach K is better coach than PJ because simply he won the Olympics when he had to get a 3 year commitment that 3 other coaches didn't require, and that it's PJ's fault for losing when he didn't put your boys Ira and Mbenga (I know you say it's your opinions but your originally said it was his fault) for losing the NBA Finals and label them all as Fact is what makes you really delusional.

[You should as you will get schooled every time.]

No I should stop because if I keep arguing with you, you will make yourself even more delusional than Butler is right now. Why? Simple you being a hypocrite and a revisionist of Laker History.

[If you say so but hurry back to Colorado Hugo Blitz as I am sure your picture is on a milk carton in Denver as missing child. Does your new handle make you a Kobe apologist? Since Kobe blitzes over opponents. Just asking Hugo?]

Heheh I live in LA, grew up here and went to UCLA (yeah Jon K. I'm a Bruin) not to mention live in Westwood. And yes I have been called a Kobe apologist hehe . And I'm Kobeblitz not Hugo otherwise does the term JustaFakeFan sound good to you if you wish to call me Hugo?

-thekobeblitz

Maybe the Pistons were to focused on defense they forgot to score....8 points in the 3rd term

blitz - that post's a a friggin' mini-series lol.

hey blitz the way kobe's been shooting the ball since the finals you should start thinking seriously about changing your name to thekobebricks

David,

Lebron has also layed bricks in the finals back in 2007 as well. I'm not going to disrespect Kobe. Kobe is the best player on the planet at the moment. Yes he had his bad times and he does shoot questionable shots. But which perimeter guy doesn't have bad games? Even in his career Jordan was accused of being a ball hog and a guy who just shot bricks and some even say he shot bricks just at a bit better than Kobe. Did Kobe shoot bad in 2000, 2004 and to a degree 2008? ( he did shoot better in 2008 out of them all). Sure but that in no way diminishes the player that he is. Take Kobe out of the Lakers and who will lead the team? Bynum is still too young to get handles the leadership role and Pau is not the leader Kobe is and don't even think about Lamar. Kobe Bryant no matter what doesn't deserved to be labelled as Kobebrick as much as Lebron doesn't need to be called Lebrick either.

Dave M,

Hehe.

-blitz

Heck don't shoot the messenger.

Same thing here IF YOU EVER NOTICE,

When someone tries to revise history and tries to make it into fact, then I too will act and not let a revisionist revise history because of a dislike of coaching methods.

Sorry if me and the JLF annoyed you too much.

-blitz