Creamed Cheese
On the heels of a loss to the Pacers better described as "frustrating" than "heartbreaking" (the latter 
descriptor needs to be earned), the last thing the Lakers wanted to look like was back to back hacks. And while their 114-102 win over the Sixers was hardly the textbook lockdown display Phil Jackson had hoped to watch, the Lakers' offense also ensured that Philly never truly threatened the outcome. A lead swole up to 18 entering the fourth quarter was protected, albeit with a ferocity slightly below that of a rabid pit bull. Lotta points poured in by Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant (who celebrated his dazzling of Andre Iguodala and a now encouraging crowd with a cheesesteak). Just slightly lower in the scoring department was Andrew Bynum, although his rebound contribution to the box score was definitely lacking.
Also lacking, according to PJ, is Drew's judgment when it comes to substitution patterns. More specifically, it ain't none of the kid's bidness.
The Lakers, however, are racking wins like nobody's bidness, their total now sitting at an eye-popping 15-2. The clip may not strike PJ as the stuff to lap his '96 Bulls (no offense intended), it's certainly good enough that ESPN is endorsing the Lakers as the west's unquestioned best. The true #2? Something of a cloudy question.
OTHER NOTES
- Magic discusses his building of an empire.
- Never underestimate the drawing power of Eddy Curry. Or a good old fashioned soap opera. Actually, make that a comedy of errors.
- Baron Davis wants to lift the Clip, not to mention the entire city of L.A. Sadly enough, the latter seems like an easier goal.
- Chauncey Billups has dramatically helped the Nuggs upon arrival. Corey Maggette with the Warriors? Not so much.
- Jax is all growns up and he's all growns up.
- Send your best wishes to Rodney Rogers, paralyzed in a car accident.
- A heart condition might force Cuttino Mobley into early retirement.
- A look at Greg Oden v. Derrick Rose.
- Marc Gasol is already getting jerseys retired in Memphis.
Laker Tom,
Actually, my opinion of Clipper players was based on watching a lot of their games, live or on TV. Something you admitted you rarely did. In fairness to myself, I think my approach was a little more informed, even if you disagree with my conclusions.
No argument on my end about how horribly run a franchise the Clips are. Go to SportsHubLA.com and you'll see several pieces I've written criticizing their approach. Particularly this season when they assembled a roster I felt set themselves up for disaster.
AK
Posted by: kambrothers | December 04, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Chuck 23, just out of jest and fun with Charles. Don't mind those bs. I apologize if I hurt your feelings, the same with lakeraholic, just thought of including everyone that was left out by JK.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | December 04, 2008 at 10:27 PM
**** THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO WHY PHRED IS A "SOFT" LAKER FAN ****
Fellow Laker Bloggers we have an imposter among us.
We have a laker-bandwagonner who has barely even came to the blog recently and yet is trying to battle blog vets like he know's something. We have a guy who is not only GHF but he is totally off his rocker. To him, every Laker is a All-Star. This is the guy that calls in to the Loose Cannons and asks what does Jordan Farmar have to do to be an All-Star?!!!! He asks why doesnt Chris Mihm get more playing time or why doesnt Luke Walton start!
I know he doesnt know stuff, because he says I only comes around only when we lose... Ummm, phred, where were you 3 years ago when the Lakers took the Suns 7 games? Check the LakerBlog archives and you'll see me blogging on every game thread! how dare he try to lump me in with notorious folks such as BUTLER, .... And then call it all "love"... Fall bak homie, please...
Somehow, someway, phred thinks he is some gladiator but in the end, he's just soft...
Again I know because n after every Laker dunk, basket or offensive play yells "IS THAT DUNK BY ____ SOFT?!" as if offensive prowess means you aren't soft.
Phred is Just like the Lakers last year were. Soft. Yes, that's right, I said it and if you are a TRUE Laker fan you'll admit what Kobe said, Phil said, and all analysts said: The Lakers lost the finals because they were out-toughed, out-physicaled. They were soft. IT sucked for me to watch my team get PUNK'D like that, but I still love him.
SOFT teams can be very good but as we learned and as Dallas learned and as Phoenix learned SOFT teams dont win championships.They can win 60 games. They can get to the Finals. But they get beat.
So this year, the Lakers are on a quest to change our mentality. I love it. But we are still soft right now...and by the end of the season hopefully we will have enough Rambis-inspired tuffness to take the chip.
Now that I've exposed phred for the faker that he really is, let me *try* to enlighten him on the characteristics of a team that's not soft:
-deters penetration in the lane with hard fouls, block shots, and good positioning to the point where by the end of the game teams dont even want to drive.
- It's being on offense and ATTACKING the cup strong instead of flip shots. It's LOOKING For contact.
- And most of all, it's doing all that consistently. It's not doing it when you get mad or slapped in the face (Pau, Bynum!), it's starting games with the mentality of aggression not being coaxed into that situation.
Phred, I hope that you can actually learn something about hoops, I post this so that maybe you'll be able to detect the difference in the LAKESHOW when the changeover we are trying to make actually does happen.
Posted by: Korey | December 04, 2008 at 11:01 PM
AK,
As I said before, I never claimed to have watched the Clippers other than against the Lakers so your point is well taken that you had a better opportunity to evaluate their play. Let me ask you, though, why were you watching the Clippers? As I recall, you said you liked and knew some of players and wanted to see them do well, which is understandable. All I was suggesting was that maybe, just maybe, you overrated the Clippers players due to the fact that you liked them. It was either that or you underrated the Lakers players because Brand, Kaman, Ross, Livingston, et all ain’t setting the world on fire like Odom, Bynum, Farmar, Vujacic, et al are. Bottom line, the Lakers players turned out better.
Of course, that is just my opinion as an acknowledged Laker lover and Clipper hater.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | December 04, 2008 at 11:05 PM
Korey no need to be that insulted lol. Phred was just having fun though I could understand that it is a bit upsetting for you. Just shake it off man. :).
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | December 04, 2008 at 11:11 PM
Laker Tom,
I was watching the Clips in part because I'm a professional sports writer- which required me to be familiar with a lot of teams (including ones the Clips played) and also to sometimes go to their games for ESPN work- and in part because I just like basketball. Plus, I like the Clips. Not nearly to the degree that I LOVE the Lakers, but I support them as a local team, since I don't see it as a conflict of interest, i.e. USC vs. UCLA.
I also think you're still missing a very large point. Guys like Sasha, Farmar etc. may have grown into good players now, but AT THE TIME, they weren't as good as some of the Clips, which was evidenced by which team went further in the playoffs. That was the point I was made back in 2006. You can't use everyone's play two seasons later to prove your point, particularly when some of the Clips are now playing on considerably worse teams. For example, are you blaming Quinton Ross for the Griz sucking? And Livingston hasn't even played in two seasons, so it's pretty harsh to say he hasn't "set the world on fire." He's been rehabbing an injury. I've heard you prop up Chris Mihm pretty heavily as a currently useful player, despite having barely hit the court since 2006 due to injury. That's a pretty striking double standard.
AK
Posted by: kambrothers | December 04, 2008 at 11:26 PM
"Somehow, someway, phred thinks he is some gladiator but in the end, he's just soft..."
LOL!
That was funny.
I've got to admit that Korey was here when we were all going through the Mihm/Kwame debates and the Bynum/Kwame debates.
I wonder if phred was around when the Jackson Journals were hot after every game? LOL!
Talk about blog vets....Boy oh boy...we really went at it, didn't we?
Damn that Luke Walton!
LOL!
mike t.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | December 04, 2008 at 11:42 PM
kobeblitz,
no doubt I feel you and in the end we all blog here for fun...
So we are just *cyber-sparring* no need for the NYPD to lump in with Antonio Pierce and start to question a brotha!
But I had to give a little verbal-chin-check to mr.phred for trying to call out folks...
Phred, if you want to talk Lakers we can talk aaaaalll day. But be prepared to back up what you got to say man, becuz once you slip up again I'm on it like Sonic!
And I'll leave with a shout-out to 2 of my favorite Laker Ballers:
SEDALE "THE THIEF" THREATT
NICK "THE QUICK" VAN EXEL
Posted by: Korey | December 05, 2008 at 12:08 AM
People are reading way too much into things...
15-2 is a good start by a good team.
They play D.C. on friday, and will be favored to win.
16-2 is not out of the question, then.
We've got a game against the Wiz...
What else matters? How much argument, speculation, conjecture, and capricious musing does it take to add up to a hill of beans?
We have a good team - their job is to outscore the opposition, and thus far, no team has been better. Play well in D.C., win the game, come home healthy. Then get ready to play the next foe.
One game at a time. Nothing else matters...
Posted by: HIGH CHEESE | December 05, 2008 at 12:15 AM
Thanks, phred. That was very good!
Posted by: exhelodrvr | December 05, 2008 at 04:40 AM
I just read in the Times that Kobe said he never met Larry Bird before!! Thats mindboggling and considering Larry was at the game the other night..Also it has been reported several times in the past that Bird has been a admirer of Kobe, considered him one of the best to ever play, re, re, re. Man, one just goes and assumes that these NBA players meet and see each other on the regular and the reality is, they DON'T. Like anyone else, people travel in different circles and walks of life -- but considering Kobe and his affinity for great basketball players and minds alike, Magic, Kareem, Jerry West, Jordan, and on and on, one would've thought he had already brushed shoulders with Larry Legend as well....
I thought that was interesting..
Any ole wayz, Go Lakers..Caron always plays well against us when he's healthy and they need to contain Nick Young, he went banana's last time we played them...
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | December 05, 2008 at 07:20 AM
Just wanted to toss in some observations about the Clippers... and though I don't regularly watch their games I've certainly caught more than a few over the years. There's just something going on in the organization that seems to always doom them as a team and I'm not knowledgeable enough to pin down how it comes down... although bad juju does seem to filter down from the top. They've had some really decent players over the years (remember World B. Free?!).. and Dunleavy's a decent coach... it's painful really, to see a team that has so much potential and yet always seems to defeat itself... and they try to break the cycle so often... this year being a perfect example... they were so active in bringing in new players and I for one thought there was the potential for something really exciting. Obviously a recrod of 3 and 15 doesn't engender much hope for the rest of their season. This is just a team that was born under a bad sign.
Posted by: dave m | December 05, 2008 at 07:27 AM
have you read the postings at azcentral.com? very funny and sad.... most of the suns fans are asking to trade amar-eek, fire porter-house steak , fire their genius manager kerr.... even our favorite butler admitted that his beloved team is old, pathetic and predictable... his beloved gnash is faking sickness just to avoid being humiliated by cp3, they pamper their old lard ass center rest him one night, so he could play well against dallas. And boy did shaq get outplayed by dampiera.lol
must be nice butler to root for a team thats plague with the losers mentality , the phoenix suns just quit for the season.... my condolence to you butler
15-2 lakers, 11-9 and going down further suns, its night and day
Posted by: NEJAYLAKERS4EVER | December 05, 2008 at 07:35 AM
LakersrydeorDie,
Throw in the fact that Bird coached the Pacer team the Lakers beat in 2000 for the title, and it's really strange. I was pretty shocked upon reading that myself, especially since Bird has spent so much time praising Kobe, the love Kobe has for the game's history/historical figures, and there's been a zillion chances to meet, with his current Pacers involvement, he was on hand during last years Finals, etc. You'd think it's a given that some face time would have happened by now.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | December 05, 2008 at 07:41 AM
Laker Tom, thanks for the piggyback..You are right about the vets and older players having that same attitude when a foul is called, actions speak volumes to other players....But yeah, Thabo would def be the BOMBDIGGITY for us...I don't think we'd have to give up much to get him..Maybe Phil/Mitch can work their mojo with Chi Mgmt and see whats really good....Hell, why not? If that were to ever go down, we'd truly have a sick group of guards!
Other guards I like in the mold of Fish, or could be, Ben Gordon (though he has a shoot-first mentality and is really a shooting guard in a pt guards' body), yet Ben is a better finisher, not sure about his defensive skills vs that of Fish, probably give the edge to Fish on that..I will probably get ragged on for this, but I always liked Brevin Knights' game, he's old school, but he thinks the game, & Raymond Felton of course just to name a few..
I guess I would hope the Lakers Mgmt searches for players who possess a lot of heart and desire and give it their all from the tip off to the games end..We truly need some RYDEorDIE players from 1 through 14, or however many players we will have on our roster! No softies no wimp-a-roonies!
I hate Boston but I guess somewhere deep inside I admire and loathe at the same time the gutsiness of their players, they all seem to have that fire inside of them, all of them...I would HOPE somewhere within this season these Lakers s can EXUDE that in a positive fashion so we can become champs again....
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | December 05, 2008 at 07:54 AM
Personally, I dont think the Lakers Mgmt are feeling a need to panic and make any significant trades, I think they will look to upgrade (especially at guard) and see whats out there come trade deadline like all other teams, and maybe continue to take calls from other teams like they have been all year and then if the right situation comes along we would consider it...We have the pieces to make the run, the players are the ones who need to commit their games and play the right way that will enable us to get over the top...I am a firm believer that you can do whatever you set your mind to if you simply want to do it..In short, our players have to want to play defense and stop trying to just get their shine on on the offensive in, fall in love with both sides of the ball if you truly want to be a great player but they have to want it.......I hate to keep riding Bostons' u know what, but thats what their players did (albeit with a little help from the refs and a Oscar award winning performance by wheelie man himself Paul "the Crip" Peirce)...
But yeah, I think it was reported that Kobe posed this question to them during camp and practice a couple times..I am paraphrasing, Do you want to be good or great??
Damn. Does Pau even peek at weights???? I mean, really?
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | December 05, 2008 at 08:13 AM
**************Throw in the fact that Bird coached the Pacer team the Lakers beat in 2000 for the title, and it's really strange. I was pretty shocked upon reading that myself, especially since Bird has spent so much time praising Kobe, the love Kobe has for the game's history/historical figures, and there's been a zillion chances to meet, with his current Pacers involvement, he was on hand during last years Finals, etc. You'd think it's a given that some face time would have happened by now.
AK
*************************
AK, Exactly.......I am blown to smithereens on that one..... LOL, Kobe maybe waiting on Larry Legend to Step to Him, while Larry Legend is expecting Kobe to show love first!!
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | December 05, 2008 at 08:19 AM
Another Clippers musing - does anyone have an opinion of what would happen if the entire rosters of the Lakers and Clippers were to switch, yet management and coaching staffs remain the same? In other words, the Clipper players would become Lakers and be coached by P.J. and staff and vice-versa?
Posted by: dave m | December 05, 2008 at 08:26 AM
Something to share...
Before we got Pau and all those rumors of Detroit possibly wanting to shop Rasheed, and then Pistons played Boston last year and got eliminated, I wondered how Rasheed would fair on our team. (I know, I know, he's a true candidate for The Bi-Polar of the Year Award) but I was looking at him from a toughness standpoint, being an intimidating force, something we lacked. But once I saw how he turned to marsh and fell in love with KG on the court, so much that he would go as far as giving him too close for comfort hugs after games where his team was squashed and KG in particular manhandled him. To the extent that even Sheeds own teammates call him on it, I lost respect for him too. KG played him and punked him to the point that Sheed WOULDN'T even play his game. If I didn't know any better, I would think he sold his team out! To me, his loveaffair with KG stymied his play and propelled Boston! This wasn't like Magic/Isaiah from years past. This was some diff ISH altogether, IMO.. LOL, Anyway, just was reminded of that and wanted to share..
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | December 05, 2008 at 08:33 AM
AK,
>>>>>I also think you're still missing a very large point. Guys like Sasha, Farmar etc.
>>>>>may have grown into good players now, but AT THE TIME, they weren't as good
>>>>>as some of the Clips, which was evidenced by which team went further in the >>>>>playoffs. That was the point I was made back in 2006.
LOL. You can argue all day long that “YOUR” Clippers were a better team but the fact that they won ONE more game or made it to the second round of the playoffs ONE year but it has as much merit as Mike’s claims that Kwame is better than Drew. YOU miss the point that the Clippers NEVER deserved to even to spoken about in the same sentence as the Lakers. Talk about a weak position to defend. You remain in denial and continue to excuse the poor performance and failure to develop that proved the Clippers roster was overrated.
>>>>>You can't use everyone's play two seasons later to prove your point, particularly
>>>>>when some of the Clips are now playing on considerably worse teams.
>>>>>For example, are you blaming Quinton Ross for the Griz sucking? And Livingston
>>>>>hasn't even played in two seasons, so it's pretty harsh to say he hasn't "set the
>>>>>world on fire." He's been rehabbing an injury.
Quinton Ross was your great defensive guard prospect that nobody really wanted after he left the Clips and Livingston, despite all of your and Jon’s touting, could never break into the starting lineup or shoot a reasonable percentage from the field. You pegged these guys as stars in your “star-struck” opinions. I pegged them as scrubs. I stand by my opinion.
>>>>>I've heard you prop up Chris Mihm pretty heavily as a currently useful player,
>>>>>despite having barely hit the court since 2006 due to injury. That's a pretty
>>>>>striking double standard.
Mihm was at least a starter and probably among the top 15 or 20 players at his position when he got injured. Livingston was still an enigma who could not shoot his way out of a paper bag when he was injured. Sun Yue has a chance to have a more successful career than Livingston, who I do hope recovers enough to play again but his injury was one of the worst that I ever saw. I do feel for the guy although I never liked him as a player.
We will obviously have to agree to disagree on this one as you are unable to see that the Clippers team and players with whom you were infatuated were grossly overrated.
Anyway, that’s just my take which you can ignore despite the poor performances and failed aspirations of the futile Clippers and their stable of loser players. There is not Clipper love around here. They are just a bunch of Lakers wannabes.
Tom,
Posted by: LakerTom | December 05, 2008 at 08:42 AM
Helo,
It's not an EITHER/OR tradeoff...You need both.
But I give up, in game adjustments just aren't that important.
Posted by: Eric M. | December 05, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Speaking of the Clippers, is there a greater optimist in the world than Ralph Lawler? He's exactly the type of announcer you need for a sorry team.
Posted by: EJK | December 05, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Nice one Phred you pulled that off nicely
apologies to the victims but you gotta have a sense of humour...
Posted by: Kiwi | December 05, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Laker Tom,
You can argue all day long that “YOUR” Clippers were a better team..."
This sums up why this conversation is both frustrating and silly. You keep viewing it as "Laker Tom taking up for the Lakers against AK the Clippers fan," which couldn't be further from the truth. I'm a Laker fan first and foremost, but mature enough to evaluate players as if they played for any team. For that matter, I can also see a team for what they are. You're incapable of making that separation. That you continue along this fabricated tack when I've repeatedly spelled out my actual stance is pretty annoying.
But anyway...
"YOU miss the point that the Clippers NEVER deserved to even to spoken about in the same sentence as the Lakers. Talk about a weak position to defend. You remain in denial and continue to excuse the poor performance and failure to develop that proved the Clippers roster was overrated."
I never said the Clippers were a better franchise. I said they were a better team at the time, which they were. They did better in 2006. Even the next season, when the Clips missed the playoffs, they only finished two games behind a limping Lakers despite a boatload of injuries. Which helps back up what I was saying. I never said they were light years better, either. Just better. I don't understand why this is so touchy for you.
"Quinton Ross was your great defensive guard prospect that nobody really wanted after he left the Clips and Livingston, despite all of your and Jon’s touting, could never break into the starting lineup or shoot a reasonable percentage from the field. You pegged these guys as stars in your “star-struck” opinions. I pegged them as scrubs. I stand by my opinion."
Again, you ridiculously exaggerate. I've never in my life described Quinton Ross as a "star" or anything close. I said he's a solid defensive role player. Which he is. Livingston's inability to stay healthy played a big role in him not becoming a starter. And you continue to bring up Livingston's shooting to cut him down compared to Farmar- who, by the way, has actually started fewer games than Livingston-, but willfully ignore the fact that Livingston was the better playmaker and defender. Why, just out of curiosity?
And are you actually going to chastise someone for handing out unearned star status? This coming from the guy who declared Jordan Farmar the next Magic Johnson before he'd even played Summer League ball (I think it's safe to say he's not quite there yet), pleaded for the Lakers to trade for Thabo Shefolosha and have exalted Sun Yue as another next great thing, despite him not even being a star of the Chinese team? I said Livingston had star potential (which most people felt). You declared Farmar an absolute superstar in the making, just sit back and watch. If anyone has a habit of giving players more props than merited, it's you.
"Mihm was at least a starter and probably among the top 15 or 20 players at his position when he got injured."
Again, exaggerated. Mihm was a solid enough starter, but undeniably more ideal as a backup. Ain't no way he was among the best 15 2006 centers.
"We will obviously have to agree to disagree on this one as you are unable to see that the Clippers team and players with whom you were infatuated were grossly overrated."
Not "infatuated" with them. I simply didn't hate them because of the uni they wore and can give them props when merited.
"There is not Clipper love around here. They are just a bunch of Lakers wannabes."
Which goes back to what I said from the start.
Here's the thing. If you would stop distorting what I said about these players, I won't respond at all. If you want to trash them, trash them. I honestly couldn't care less. But you could save us both a lot of trouble by either leaving me out of it or, at the very least, representing what I said accurately. It's gotten pretty tedious having to constantly clarify my statements over two years.
AK
Posted by: kambrothers | December 05, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Laker Tom,
I'm not trying to take myself too seriously, but when you present my past statements so out of whack, whether you think it's in jest or not, it can often make me sound stupid. And despite what you may think, you have in fact exaggerated some stuff of mine. For example...
"Where did I say that you said the Ross would be a star."
Right here, in your previous comment...
"Quinton Ross was your great defensive guard prospect that nobody really wanted after he left the Clips and Livingston, despite all of your and Jon’s touting, could never break into the starting lineup or shoot a reasonable percentage from the field. You pegged these guys as stars in your “star-struck” opinions. I pegged them as scrubs. I stand by my opinion."
I mean, I'm not making this stuff up.
Also, in to respond to your claim that you never called Farmar the next Magic, this is something you wrote in a thread about a Farmar SPL piece.
"Thanks for the Jordan Farmar thread. I am going to begin by predicting that the Lakers will open the season with Farmar as the starting point guard and that he will finish with 15/3/7 stats for the year and and will win the Rookie of the Year Award for the Lakers for the first time since Magic Johnson.
The reason Farmar will start is that he is a "true" point guard, meaning that he is a pass-first guard who is looking to penetrate and break down the defense and then pass the ball to the guy that is open as a result of his penetration. Farmar will clearly demonstrate during training camp and preseason that the team will play better when he is the point guard. He will show that he is a better ball handler, a more creative passer, a quicker and tougher defender, and a stronger and more mentally mature leader and floor general than Smush Parker, Shammond Williams, or Maurice Evans.
There will be no “tough” decision for Phil Jackson and the coaching staff to make. Farmar’s play on the court and how the team responds to him will speak for itself. Whether he is running the triangle or leading the fast break, Jordan Farmar has the basketball intelligence and court sense that Smush Parker does not. Not since the days of Magic Johnson have the Lakers had a "true" point guard who could make the rest of his teammates better. Farmar will do for the Lakers what Chris Paul did for the Hornets last year."
http://tinyurl.com/5uzvel
If you want to split hairs and say you're not literally calling him the next Magic, fair enough and I'll own up to that. But you put the two in the same sentence before JF had done a lick of anything. Hell, just comparing him to CP3, whose jock Farmar still can't hold, is pretty huge talk for a rook with 0 NBA minutes to his name. That's certainly bigger praise than I ever offered Ross or Livingston.
Also, I agree that my saying the Clips were better that season doesn't "make it so." But again, my reasons were them having the better record and going further in the playoffs. What are your reasons for saying that doesn't count?
Again, not trying to take this stuff personally. Nor am I "upset" with you at all. And I really do appreciate the nice words you've said about my writing over the years. I just wish you would either deal with what I actually said or bash the Clips without bringing my name into it. You may think it's amusing, but after a couple years, the joke has grown a little stale.
Thanks,
AK
Posted by: kambrothers | December 05, 2008 at 05:19 PM
AK,
Fair enough. Let's move on. Enough nonsense.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | December 06, 2008 at 08:58 PM
Laker Tom,
Sounds good. Thanks.
AK
Posted by: kambrothers | December 07, 2008 at 08:34 AM