Second verse, same as the first: Lakers 117, Clippers 79
Tuesday, the Lakers kicked off the 2008-09 season with a 20 point win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Wednesday night at Staples, the Lakers nearly doubled up, blowing the Clippers off their "home" court in front of their "home" fans- there was plenty of purple in the crowd and noise when the Lakers scored- for their second win of the year, 117-79. That's two wins in two games by a combined 58 points. We're talking serious smack down territory. I can guarantee that things won't be this easy all season long, but if the Lakers wanted to show people that all the preseason hype directed their way was deserved, they're off to a good start.
The formula for Wednesday's win was similar to the opener. Strong defense, great balance, with contributions up and down the lineup.
Click below for the breakdown.
The Good: Look folks, they won by 38. Basically everything is good. I'm not being lazy, I'm just sayin'...
- Balance: The Lakers put up 117 points, with no single player scoring more than 16 (Kobe), or shooting more than 12 times (Kobe again). Seven Lakers finished in double figures, and everyone who dressed had at least one field goal and a rebound, while nine of 12 logged a dime. The bench was 22-36 from the floor, a robust 61%. Vlad Rad was the only starter who didn't get into double figures, but he was still 2-3 from downtown and snagged three boards in 18:24. Perhaps the most important figure of all? Pau Gasol led the team in playing time, at 32:58. Kobe was done in under 31 minutes. This is a good thing, rest that could pay big dividends down the road.
- Defense: Granted, the Clippers played like a bunch of guys who had just been introduced to each other- mostly because they're a bunch of guys who for all practical purposes are exactly that- but after a strong opening quarter for the LAC, fueled in part by carelessness from the purple and gold, the Lakers clamped down considerably. Overall, the Clippers shot 38.5% and turned the ball over 18 times, this after an opening frame in which the Clips were 11-22 from the floor with only three giveaways. In the second and third quarters, LAL held LAC to 30 total points on 11-38 shooting.
- Andrew Bynum: 12/9 with three blocks, as he shook off a bad game in Tuesday's opener and bounced back strong. Bynum was more active and comfortable around the hoop, was aggressive on the boards, and influenced a lot of shots from the red, white, and blue. After the game, he said he felt much better, and attributed his showing in the Portland game to some first game jitters.
- Jordan Farmar: 15 points on 6-8 from the floor, plus five dimes. The confidence is obviously there, as JF showed great patience with the ball, allowing opportunities to open up in front of him rather than forcing the action. Other strong games from: Trevor Ariza, who continues to shoot well (2-3 from downtown, 4-7 overall). He finished with 11/6, plus a steal. Derek Fisher had 15 points and four dimes, Kobe had a quiet 16/8/3, Pau 13/9/6 and so on.
- Chris Mihm: In just under nine minutes, Mihm notched 10 points, two boards, and changed a few shots on the defensive end. He looked and felt like the pre-injury version of himself, something that should encourage fans. It certainly encouraged Mihm. Lord knows he's worked hard and through a lot of pain to get back on the floor, so it was nice to see it pay off, even if in garbage time. I'm not sure there is such a thing for him anymore.
The Bad: They won by 37. Yes, the first quarter was a little ragged, but once the first 12 minutes were up, LAL dominated the action. Thoroughly. Not much else to be said.
BK
QUOTES
Kobe Bryant
On what it feels like not having to carry so much of the load
"It's like... I'm trying to figure out what to compare it to. Lance Armstrong going through the Pyrenees
and letting his postal teammates pull him up the hill and when he needs
to sprint, then he'll sprint. That's what it feels like. It's a
great feeling."
On the versatility beyond scoring, everyone having at least one rebound, nine different players with an assist
"It means a lot. We have basketball players.
What I mean by that is that is we have guys that can pass, than can
dribble, that can shoot. They're just versatile players that can
pretty much do everything offensively. But to me, that's nothing new
for us. The thing that we want to do is be a great defensive team
consistently. Defensively is how we want to make our mark on the
season."
Pau Gasol
On playing with a high focus
"We have a great team here and we want to take advantage of the potential and the talent that we have."
Andrew Bynum
On having a much better second game
"It was more like me out there tonight. It was just kind of letting
the game come to me. I hit a couple of open shots that I missed last
night."
On whether they're playing with a "chip on their shoulder"
"I guess you could say that, but I think we're just playing kind of
smart. We have a sense of what we need to do on both ends of the court,
which we've been able to execute.
Finally, I thought people
might find a brief exchange LO and I had about his sixth man role
interesting.
LO: It's all
about winning. It's my tenth year in the league. You can score thirty
points and have the biggest contract, but then people look down and
say, "Did he win?" Right? Being a success in the NBA is defined by
winning, so if I can by playing whatever, I'll play that role."
AK:
Everyone has always talked about your versatility since the beginning
of your career. Do you look at playing a new sixth man role as an
extension of that versatility?
LO: Of Versatility and humility. You gotta be humble. A lot of guys can't put their ego aside.
AK: Was that an adjustment for you when you first began hearing about that. On any level?
LO: Ego-wise, it was. But once I put that to the side, once I walked
into the locker room during my first meeting and said, "This is a
championship team and I want to be a part of it."
AK: And if you're a part of it...
LO: You'll be remembered. Guys that average 20 and 6 without a championship become a dime a dozen in the NBA.
- Kobe Bryant: Download kobe_bryant_10.29.08.mp3
- Andrew Bynum: Download andrew_bynum_lac_postgam_10.29.08.mp3
- Pau Gasol: Download pau_gasol_lac_postgame_10.29.08.mp3
- Lamar Odom: Download lamar_odom_10.29.08.mp3
FYI: LO's suit discussed in his audio clip was a black
pinstripe with horizontal yellow pinstripes running inside triangular patches located around both sides of his rib cage. Throw in the little yellow flourishes through, plus the purple tie with the
yellow shirt and he's correct. It did require some cajones. Like many
a Lamar Odom ensemble, he pulled it off. Like many an Lamar Odom ensemble, no way in
hell I could.
AK
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE....
And it begins...
I've witnessed a lot of off the wall predictions on the blog recently so I wanted to throw out one that's optimistic yet still realistic.
I predict that the Lakers will lead the league in point differential (arguably the best indicator of a great team) this season. We've established ourselves as the front runners (29+ points over opponents this season) and with our depth I don't expect us to let up any time soon.
Speaking of the Lenovo stat (+/-) and depth, most of the time when the first team's dominating, the second team will come in and let up the lead. That's not been the case this season with our Lakers. Tonight the bench players averaged 10+ over the opponents and both nights NO LAKER PLAYER has had a negative +/- !
I've got to say, it's incredibly satisfying to look at the box score and see our starters average over 20+ in the Lenovo stat. Also, in both games this season the Lakers have held their opponent to less than 40% shooting and under 80 points (Portland made 76 points on 34.5% shooting last night and tonight the Clippers made 79 points at 38.5%).
... and for those looking to diminish the 38 (38!!!) point win that the Lakers had tonight, the Lakers LARGEST margin of victory last season was 37 points (also against the Clippers, on 3/7/08 at 119-82). We're only two games into the season and the Lakers have already surpassed that total, so please appreciate this win for what it was - the beginning of a legendary/historic season!
/GHF
Posted by: BynumBeliever | October 30, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Long-time lurker, and this is my first post...
I can't say how excited I am for this season, but this may be the third time I've seen a little shout-out to LO's garb, sans picture.
Can we see some photos of these outlandish LO get-ups?!
"Here comes the Lake Show, baby!"
Posted by: SkytimeJones | October 30, 2008 at 12:14 AM
Great write-up as usual K brothers. Loved the new blog format. I can't believe I'm saying two games into the season, but I'm starting to worry about complacency. These two games have gone as well as anyone could've hoped, but we haven't played a true contender yet. I really hope everyone can keep up the intensity. From their comments after the game it seems like they will. I'm loving the ride already, hopefully it continues. If anyone can keep them motivated its Philly J. I can't believe we have to wait til Saturday for our next game.
Matt
Posted by: Matt | October 30, 2008 at 12:52 AM
>>The Good: Look folks, they won by 37. Basically everything is good. I'm not being lazy, I'm just sayin'...
AK,
they won by 38...
Posted by: BynumBeliever | October 30, 2008 at 01:00 AM
With the Lakers' depth, Pau Gasol, Kobe and Andrew are going to be so fresh and so clean when the playoffs start. By the time May rolls around, Kobe is going to feel like he's only played half a season, with all the minutes he's played in the last few years!
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | October 30, 2008 at 01:03 AM
Oops, that was BK,
With the tag team it's hard to differentiate between you two.
Luckily there's no drop off between the starter and the second string, both of your guys consistently deliver quality.
Thanks for the great blog fellas!
Posted by: BynumBeliever | October 30, 2008 at 01:06 AM
Thanks for the good work again AK. Though I'm thousands of miles away from home and rarely get to watch the action, reading about it and hearin' 'em personally makes me feel at home.
Two victories aside, I'm still waiting to see the Lakers face a decent opponent. In my book, the Blazers don't count because they lost Oden and their psyches had to have been affected by the loss.
Posted by: LakersWorld | October 30, 2008 at 01:13 AM
Getting some photos of Odom's get-up would be absolutely awesome. That guy is a clown, in a good way (if there is such a way).
Posted by: LakersWorld | October 30, 2008 at 01:16 AM
AK,
Great interview with LO. I don't know if it's your prerogative, but you're definitely delivering. I like seeing how your LO interview is encouraging; you're solidifying the importance of his role on this championship caliber team. I'm hope that you realize the importance you have as a member of the media - especially with LO (a player which the mental aspect of the game is very significant). It's fantastic to see that you're encouraging the role that he plays on this team, a role that's one of the most important in the league (LO has the potential to go down in history if we pull it off this season).
I know that Lamar realizes how important a role he plays just by this interview,
"Guys that average 20 and 6 without a championship become a dime a dozen in the NBA"
After that quote, you know that he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. He realizes that he can be an impact player without making the headlines every night.
Posted by: BynumBeliever | October 30, 2008 at 01:25 AM
I love LA!!!!!!!!
man, it's so fun watching the lakers kick so much ass...
and its not the first team either..
watching the bench is actually more fun at times...
like today, watching chris mihm get back in form made me so happy...
if chris mihm can return to his pre-injury form -- we have something truly special here --
IM SO EXCITED -- 82-0~!!!!!
go Lakers!~
Posted by: David Whang | October 30, 2008 at 01:53 AM
hi all! WOOT an almost-40-pt blowout!
i'm so happy with Chris Mihm's performance at the end! he's like, "Hey, don't forget about me." i'm still reeling from his block+score in the last minutes of the last game with Portland. :D
now i want some Sun Yue action. come on Phil, let him play! all of China are waiting for him to play! :P
Posted by: bijou | October 30, 2008 at 02:01 AM
Not a fan of this new blogging format!
Posted by: Kaz | October 30, 2008 at 02:18 AM
Long time lurker turning into a full time poster.
We have all of the pieces RIGHT NOW. What a difference a year makes. Our team is confident (perhaps a fault), young (no way that hurts you after the latter), better coached (Phil clearly has done more tinkering than we have seen in the past three seasons), more in synch (we went to the Finals with the trade fiasco), and I will finish this sentence now.
The past two games have not proven how we will play against the elite of this league, but I believe they show that we will not be the team that lost games we should have won last year (we all remember them). We are that much better, for reasons that are apparent to anyone who has watched the last two games. We as fans, have every reason to be confident. Let's just hope our players play with the defensive tenacity and respect for the opponent that they have displayed in the first two games.
Posted by: Jason | October 30, 2008 at 03:32 AM
BK-
I happened to drink Evan Williams tonight. It's 4:30 AM right now. Almost 40 point blowout win. Almost hard to imagine the Lakers losing if this keeps up.
AK-
So there's only 4 more Shields left. Man, is it gonna get crazy or what?!!? You guys gotta watch Nip/Tuck someday from start to finish, rent it or something. I think you'll enjoy.
OK, I'm gonna go to bed. Lakers may get 70+ wins if they keep this up.......
Posted by: ajax | October 30, 2008 at 04:35 AM
Rock and roll. I can't remember being this happy about our team at the start of a season, ever. This team has the potential to be one of the greatest of all time. Awesome!
Posted by: thedropper | October 30, 2008 at 05:12 AM
good morning Lakers Blog!
man, i wish i saw more of last night's game. but i was a bit discombobulated after the Who concert.
wow! 38 point win, eh? friggen' awesome!
i don't fear LA getting complacent, especially with some true tests coming up soon. looks like between now and Nov. 21, the Lakers will be playing quality teams, with the exception of the clippers.
i just wonder why in the heck was the clippers game nationally televised, and not the LA vs. New Orleans or the Houston or Dallas games. (i don't live in the LA area, so i'm greatly affected by this)
wow, Trevor Ariza shooting the 3 ball is astounding me. he's making a strong case that Mitch needs to resign him.
great point made by BynumBeliever. wait until LA plays some of the dregs of the LEastern Conf. we might be winning games by 50 points... very reminiscent of the original Dream Team. anyone remember USA vs. Angola? lol!
oh, i can't wait until we play Boston. if we cream them, i'll def. be on the ESPN blog, which is full of Laker-Haters and Celtics fans.
Posted by: leonardbast | October 30, 2008 at 05:32 AM
70+ wins .... if we can stay healthy.
Posted by: hobbitmage | October 30, 2008 at 05:37 AM
UNDEFEATED...
That's how we roll...
GO LAKERS!
...Mamba24 roll-call shout-out
Posted by: KiKosDad | October 30, 2008 at 06:15 AM
AK/BK,
Next time you get to ask questions of the Lakers:
Who is their preference for President?
This is a basketball related question, since
MVP candidate LeBron James is "publicly" pro-Obama. :)
Posted by: hobbitmage | October 30, 2008 at 07:03 AM
Blitz,
How about Ariza's outside shooting? :)
Going tangential .....
To those who know:
Watching Kobe play with Pau, Ariza, Fisher,
& Farmar reminds me of the "Boondocks"
episode - 'The return of Stinkmeiner".
Specifically, the opening sequence ---
" I got me some nunchuks "
nunchuks being: Pau, Bynum, Fisher, Farmar, Ariza & Sasha.
The Olympics would translate into:
"This is how you break yo foot off in a .... "
Posted by: hobbitmage | October 30, 2008 at 07:14 AM
Welcome SkytimeJones
Baron who??? That's all I could think of watching this game. L.A. belongs to the Lakers period. We demoralized them last night. The defense was unbelievable and the offense just off the hook.
Let's keep it going. Let's whoop the Enver Nuggets on Saturday.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: EastCoastJessie | October 30, 2008 at 07:14 AM
With this roster, back-to-backs will be noticeably easier.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | October 30, 2008 at 07:21 AM
Guys, we have something really special here. Sure its early but this team is playing so well so early. We won last night by 38 freaking points. That usually never happens, especially when you won by 20 the night before.
The best part about this team is that everyone is contributing and they are really doing it on the defensive end. It's nice not always having to rely on Kobe and to be able to watch the swarming defense. We usually have a ton of turnovers but its nice to be the ones forcing a high number of turnovers.
I'm really glad to hear that out of LO regarding the 6th man. He hasn't played great in the first two games, but he definitely hasn't played bad. He hasn't really put himself out there yet and tried to be assertive, he will at some point and we will be glad he did.
Lamar = 6th man of the year
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | October 30, 2008 at 07:27 AM
Am I the only one who feels that Mihm's performance was by far the most encouraging aspect of this young season? If he returns to some resemblance of the player he was before the injury then I don't see any way that we couldn't match-up with any team in the league, no matter how many bigs they throw at us. AB goes out, a healthy Mihm comes in.
Awesome.
-bozz-
Posted by: bozz | October 30, 2008 at 07:39 AM
This is an exciting season. This team is talented, versatile, tall and deeeeeeep.
But the Lakers can't read the La Times and let it go to their heads. Two wins against teams that didn't make the playoffs last year does not an 82-0 season make.
It's a long road. Injuries crop up. Most important it is constant work on defense and on the boards, especially against better teams where the Lakers bench will not be +30.
This is a great fun team. But remember, the Clelts didn't just beat the Lakers last year, they toyed with them. Any objective judgment has to say that Boston is the favorite. The Lakers will have to work long and hard for home court advantage, run the table in the tough Western Conference Playoffs, and then prove that they can take the evil green ones when it really counts.
I'm looking forward to it, but all this euphoria ia little early and very dangerous.
Posted by: Tom Daniels | October 30, 2008 at 07:46 AM
Adande is saying the Lakers and Bynum are close to a 3-year-42 million dollar deal.
This is fair for both parties.
Bynum gets the money he wants and will have the opportunity to re-up for bigger money when his contract expires in three years.
The Lakers aren't locked into him if the worst-case scenario happens and Bynum doesn't continue his improvement or gets hurt again.
This is probably the best compromise the two sides could come to.
Posted by: Xodus | October 30, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Go Lakers
Bryant early MVP favorite.
Posted by: Laker Fan 24 | October 30, 2008 at 07:56 AM
The bad needs to be amended:
BK and AK need to take math classes. 38 points! 38! Not 37! :-P
Posted by: Teej | October 30, 2008 at 07:58 AM
i remember Kendrick Perkins just punkin Socks when they played last year.... Pau Gasol just wilting under pressure when Garnett and company brought the heat. It's the proverbial punch in the mouth and not doing anything about it. Forget the hype. I won't believe it until I see our bigs hit back. (unfortunately I don't get much regular season games here in the Philippines.) argghhhhhh
GO LAKES! i need to make that money so i can see ya'll whoop on those Celtics.
Posted by: sixonezero | October 30, 2008 at 08:04 AM
Wow. We're fricken good. It's hard to find a negative critique.
I gasped aloud as Chris Mihm made a shot near the top of the key, "Where the hell did Chris Mihm get a jump shot from?" my jaw agape.
Wow.
Firing on all cylinders.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | October 30, 2008 at 08:17 AM
Man, Jordan Farmar is a spark plug. He and Andrew Bynum are our future. The two of them could ensure that we have a Championship contending franchise for a decade or more.
Wow.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | October 30, 2008 at 08:22 AM
One thing a lot of people haven't talked a lot about is how this is Phil Jackson and the Coaching Crue's team.
What I mean by that is that Phil Jackson has received a lot of prior criticism because he generally preferred veterans with a lot of experience. He supposedly didn't like rookies and young players. He was spoken of as a coach that took advantage of his General Manager collecting major talent and then just letting them win games on their strength.
This, in contrast, is a young team of players who have been individually nurtured and educated in basketball by Phil Jackson and selected by Mitch Kupchak due to their versatility, thus enhancing the power of flexibility inherent in the Triangle in a way that less flexible veterans never would be able to.
More than any other team Phil Jackson has coached... THIS is Phil Jackson's team. Almost every player on this team's style of play has been nurtured and crafted by Phil Jackson and the Coaching Crue (and the includes Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher).
We are presently looking at the MOST PERFECT team ever to play The Triangle.
We are looking at history.
It's going to be a special season.
And we are going to see some beautiful basketball we'll remember.
And it's just begun...
Thank God.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | October 30, 2008 at 08:31 AM
hobbit,
Don't expect Trevor to shoot 40% shooter, that is not the strength of his game.
The lakers will win big this season that is the only certain thing.
Trevor has been shooting well make no mistake but don't think that Trevor will be shooting great all the time and be a shooter that Radman is, that is just as the same as believing Kobe will be the leading rebounder on the Lakers with Bynum and Gasol.
Or have you forgotten that Luke Walton also was shooting well in 2006-2007 but cooled down?
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | October 30, 2008 at 08:32 AM
Xodus,
"Adande is saying the Lakers and Bynum are close to a 3-year-42 million dollar deal."
God, I hope so.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | October 30, 2008 at 08:32 AM
sixonezero
I'm on the east coast and we don't get many Lakers games here unless they're on ESPN or TNT but you can always watch them online. If you check on this site and many others, people will post the link to watch the games online. That's what I do and I don't miss any Lakers games.
Posted by: EastCoastJessie | October 30, 2008 at 08:35 AM
"Adande is saying the Lakers and Bynum are close to a 3-year-42 million dollar deal."
That would be roughly around $14 million per year which is so much better than $18 million per year that David Lee wanted.
Drew gets quality money (a little under Pau Gasol type money of $15 milliion) and at the same time be not as much as Pau or Kobe.
Good compromise the supposed deal is.
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | October 30, 2008 at 08:37 AM
Good morning Mamba24, Charles, Jon K & the rest of this fabulous Laker morning CRUE!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I get a "woot woot"????!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow - another romp in the sandbox for the Lake Show! Like I said before - Lakers season opener part deux. LA is and always will be Lakertown.
Yesterday I predicted that by the end of the game, Kaman would need his mommy. How wrong was I??? I should have stated the entire team would need their mommies. Sorry about that.... I guess I'll leave the prognosticating to the professionals going forward. LOL!
I agree with the few posters who were impressed with the return of Chris Mihm. That has been really good to see. I remember his game pre-injury and if he is as healthy as he says he is, we have got more reason to be geeked about the season than we even know!
There are so many upsides right now, it would take hours to pontificate on them all. That being said - let's enjoy the season people. In the words of our fearless leader KB24 - "BUCKLE UP"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ps - where's complex brotha? He should be here to enjoy this......
pps - AK/BK - request - any info on Trevor talking about how is right arm has a lot of pain in it after shooting practice?
Posted by: justanothermambafan | October 30, 2008 at 08:41 AM
Bozz
C Mihm did look good... on offense mostly but good enough to warrant some minutes.
The PT derby is the game within the game on this team. Every position is getting pushed by a player wanting in, including Kobe who obviously pushes himself.
Posted by: VMan | October 30, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Good Morning Guys,
This team is way special. You just feel the disappointment from the Finals; and changed that energy to something retributive.
As much as I want to point out a specific player, but the whole team is critical to the Laker success.
The second unit is amazing and clearly was the difference in the second quarter. Right now we have a 9 man rotation, and then the sweep up crew (Powell, Mihm and Luke) Great 10,11,12 options. (A nod to BK) What a luxury.
PJ is a great coach for: making the Andrew-Pau combo workout, creating the team initiative for defense, getting all the players on the same page for the "Gold Ball," delegating new defensive duties to Kurt Rambis, and giving confidence to Kobe Bryant in becoming the leader that he is.
I feel like we picked up where we left of in January when the team was clicking. (Pre injuries) The Lakers look like they are in mid season form while the first two teams are still figuring their regular season kinks.
I feel we have to accept the fact that scoring will drop for Gasol, Bynum, Kobe and Fisher as the rest of the team raise their playing and add confident scoring rapport.
No trades, just play hard and MAYBE take advantage of a free agent signing.
Put your hands in the huddle guys, for the 2008-2009 team.
Charles is Present!
Go Lakers...
Posted by: Charles | October 30, 2008 at 08:45 AM
Kobeblitz, Jon K,
Let's hope they get that deal done.
Posted by: Xodus | October 30, 2008 at 08:56 AM
Bynum deal done! where's the new thread?
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | October 30, 2008 at 08:56 AM
farmar, vujacic, ariza and odom are the core of the strongest bench squad in the league this year, hands-down... it should enable guys like kobe and d-fish to be in full-form for the playoffs, it's very comforting.
go lakers, 82-0!
Posted by: dave | October 30, 2008 at 08:58 AM
If this team can stay healthy (that's a big if considering some of the injury prone guys we have) we can legitimately win 70 games.
I know games aren't going to be this easy but the ability to blow two teams out the way we have speaks volumes. Point differential is one of the best indicators of success because if you're capable of blowing teams out it means you're a step above certain teams.
Posted by: Xodus | October 30, 2008 at 09:00 AM
YAY to Mitch!
Good job for re-signing Drew to a 4 year deal! woot! Our dynasty is set now and I can't wait for us to go 82-0 this year. This is truly our year!
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: Chris H. | October 30, 2008 at 09:00 AM
I loved hearing the Lakers say one word last night when they brought it in before going back to the court for the second half:
"Rings"
That's what we're talking about, right there.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | October 30, 2008 at 09:01 AM
14.5 million a year for 4 years...last year a team option for 16 million. I think the kid asked for and got too much. Unless Lamar intends on signing something around the mid level, I don't see him remaiiniing a Laker. Too bad.
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | October 30, 2008 at 09:02 AM
Charles
As you mentioned, It is hard to point out a player but:
Pau is flawless, Farm has jumped to rungs of the ladder, Kobe is in top Kobe form, AB is a difference, VLAD is showing defensive skills no one thought possible, Sasha is back, Trevor was the highlight package on Sports Center need one say more?
Staid national announcers are gushing and it's not even November and that doesn't sum up how good it is.
It's so good, there's not much to blog about.
Posted by: VMan | October 30, 2008 at 09:04 AM
Great game!! Or was it a scrimmage???
I agree that the first two games were not against true contenders, but happy to see that we are NOT playing to their level of play.
Last year, both games would have been close!!
ARIZA... 6th man of the year!!!!!!!
Posted by: keifo | October 30, 2008 at 09:05 AM
THE LAKERS AND BYNUM SIGNED A FOUR YEAR DEAL!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!
DYNASTY!
DYNASTY!
DYNASTY!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | October 30, 2008 at 09:06 AM
On the new blogging format, I like the AK/BK input. It's pretty good in this format. Really quick responses. But the quickness is also its greatest weakness. It's too fast. I keep getting lost and before I know it my message is gone. Gone with the wind.
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | October 30, 2008 at 09:06 AM