A Tribute to the Lakers Blog Icon: Von Wafer
It only feels right to pay homage to a K Brothers' fave, considering his monstrous- and mohawked!- performance against the
team that drafted him (and since the Lakers won anyway, why not?) 10-14 from the field for 23 points, highlighted by a trio of triples and a few sweet trips to the rack. Two steals. That slightly sideways-tilted gait as he sprints about. It all came to a head in one heck of a performance. So for that, we take a trip down memory lane to some of the blog's past thoughts on Mr. Wafer.
His rookie midseason report card in 2006
Von Wafer-
BK- Love him. I wish he played more. Why? Because he makes the
game fun. The guy will shoot from anywhere. That big dunk against
Memphis (it was Memphis, right?) was one for the season ending
highlight tape. Sure he's shooting under 20% from the field, but hey,
we're all human. D+/Inc.
AK- Very few things in life shock me.
Von's 16.7% from the field? That shocks me. If he had been manning the
grassy knoll, JFK would still be alive. That being said, kid's got
balls and ain't afraid to chuck. And being one of the only athletic
looking guys on this squad, I could see his time coming. Just not this
season. D/Inc.
His rookie final report card in 2006. First, my eval, then BK's.
Von Wafer: A
legend. So out of control, he makes practice entertaining. I once
caught the tail end of an El Segundo session where every vet, B.Shaw and PJ
would alternately remind Von to pass the ball on about five straight
possessions. That's gold. Yes, him playing meaningful minutes would
result in nothing short of Armageddon. But when he's your sixth string
shooting guard? Outstanding!
First Half Grade: D/Incomplete
Second Half Grade: F/Incomplete
Final Grade: D-/Incomplete
Von Wafer:
Fun, fun, fun. Unfortunately, his fun was had in Fort Worth, not in
L.A. I want him to come back a) because if he ever pans out I can say,
"I was on board when...", and b) he makes garbage time fun again.
First Half Grade: D+
Second Half Grade: Incomplete
Final Grade: D+/Incomplete
My rundown of his 2006 Summer Pro League play, which marked the disappointing start of Von looking to play in a manner that involved structure. "The right way," if you will. Granted, that step likely paved the path towards him actually sticking in the league, so in the grand scheme of things, good call. But from the K Brothers' selfish perspective, abandoning that God given talent for unintentional comedy was borderline unforgivable. Although he still managed to turn the ball over trying to call time out, which went a long way.
My "goodbye" post to Von after he got cut heading into the 2007 season. In it, I describe one of my favorite Wafer memories, which I've excerpted.
Last season, the Laker got blown out 105-79 by the Pacers on the road. And with about 7 seconds left, both team's scrubs were in. Pacers PG Eddie Gill, simply trying to avoid a shot clock violation, went in for a meaningless lay up. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Von comes streaking in, fouling the crap out of Gill while yelling, "Get that %@^& out of here!" so loudly, I heard it while watching on the KCAL telecast. Gill takes his free throws. Lakers inbound and Wafer gets the ball. Most players will simply run the clock down when trailing by 26. Not Von. Our boy sprints up court, parks himself behind the arc, fires a trey...and misses.
I can't even tell you people how angry I was that I accidentally
erased the game recording while trying to store it in my TiVo's "Keep
until I delete" section.
And finally, BK pays tribute to the man after he recently hit a game winner to keep the Celtics reeling.
There you have it. And all joking aside, Von really played well tonight, which is nice to see for a guy that's bounced around, obviously worked hard on his game and is making the most of an opportunity. So congrats to the Lakers Blog icon for an impressive effort in what was ultimately a Laker win. Couldn't have turned out much differently if I had scripted it.
AK
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Hehe Von Wafer.
This one is good too:
http://tinyurl.com/87q22r
That's my favorite memory of Von hehe.
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | January 13, 2009 at 10:47 PM
Ah bittersweet. As Thomas Wolfe put it, "you can't go home again". (Fish notwithstanding).
Hmmmm... second thought...
Posted by: dave m | January 13, 2009 at 11:01 PM
again i was at the game where snyder dunked on wafer, it was the sickest dunk to see live ever!!! And the most shameful moment of being a laker fan, had a migrane through the whole game at the ford center, lakers were getting blown out by the then lowly hornets. AK/BK have you ever had an experience where that has happened? each time i see it i am so amazed but then i see the jersey von has on and im wrecked for the rest of the day.
Posted by: aaron from kansas | January 13, 2009 at 11:43 PM
I'm not surprised Von Wafer got off a little tonight, whatever.
Overall, I'll take a win against a depleted Rocket team, but wasn't a pretty win. Tomorrow will tell us much more about where we're at right now. Friday and Monday perhaps even more. I'll take 2-1 over the next 3, but would like to sweep. That would make a nice statement. Anything else will be semi depressing. Speaking of depressing, Bynum getting 1 rebound in 27 minutes is a joke. Kid has no desire to dominate the glass. I'm nervous about this kid. He's still a shell of the beast we saw last January.
Posted by: mikefloss | January 14, 2009 at 12:13 AM
hilarious!
Posted by: Faith | January 14, 2009 at 12:34 AM
What's up Lakerville!
Great win! Kobe with the clutch hit! Again!
Here's my best memory of Von Wafer. It always cracks me up whenever I see it. LOL
http://tinyurl.com/8smwsz
Posted by: SamLL | January 14, 2009 at 01:09 AM
I just watched the LO interview. In the background Mimh is practicing. It brought back bad memories.
I hope that PJ doesn't refuse to play Mimh until he inexplicably throws him in during a finals game. That was weird.
Mimh has worked for years to be injury free. More importantly, he is not a bad player. So what is up?
Good win over VON WAFFLE!
GOOooooOOOO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: JohnnyP | January 14, 2009 at 04:39 AM
all kidding aside, Von Wafer was good last night. Lakers could use him on their bench.
Posted by: leonardbast | January 14, 2009 at 05:36 AM
wuttup lakers peoples
sorry i haven't been around much -- working a lot more since the economy aint doing too well... anyways just wanting to say hi to my fellow lakers lovers
sup mamba and the rest of the roll call
sup AK/BK
keep up the good work -- i still come by often just no time to leave a msg -- keep the blog rolling
GO LAKERS!!!
great game today btw
Posted by: David Whang | January 14, 2009 at 06:26 AM
Jon K.'s Early Thoughts That He Has Not Put Too Much Thought Into Yet:
1. God bless Von Wafer.
2. Another good win last night. We didn't dominate, but we won and that's what's important.
3. I enjoyed seeing the killer Mamba look in Kobe's eyes at the end of the fourth quarter. Good.
4. Don't know what you've got, 'till it's gone. For all the complaints about Sasha, Lamar, Luke and The Zohan... each of them bring something to this team and each of them make this team better.
5. I was proud of Lamar (aka "The Human Swiss Army Knife or THSAK") last night. He played hurt. That shows heart and that he cares about this team.
6. I am in no way trying to antagonize Laker Tom here. Not at all. But to quote Phil Jackson "I hate to put it in terms of last option, but he's kind of like the last option," regarding Sun Yue. I like Sun Yue. I just wish he was a better player. Maybe after a year of D-League play he could contribute to this team, but he can't now.
7. We really need to bring up Joey Crawford or Coby Karl.
8. Kevin Ding is the best pure sportswriter in Southern California.
9. Here's what I'm so concerned about... Derek Fisher. I love the guy. He's my favorite Laker. And he is the key to us winning a Championship. What I mean by that is "No Derek Fisher. No Championship." Finals appearance? Yes. Championship? No. If I'm not mistaken D'Fish is the oldest member of this team and he's playing a hell of a lot of minutes. We have to remember what we play for. Bringing up a D-League player or signing a veteran PURELY to absorb minutes would be a wise thing and I'm becoming more than annoyed that Lakers management hasn't done it yet. I'm becoming worried and angry.
10. I watched Darius Miles play last night. He looked good. Not nearly as explosive as he used to be, but good.
11. I'm becoming a closet Memphis Grizzlies fan. They gave us Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown. They're screwing the Trailblazers. What's not to like?
12. Marc Gasol is a good player. I'm kind of amazed that the Lakers didn't sign him when they could. It didn't end up being such a one-sided trade after all.
13. Spurs are up. Spurs are always good. Expect trouble in AK's household. I hate the Spurs, but I respect them. Second best program in the NBA.
14. I'm beginning to think Mike Dunleavy is a lunatic. Players taking too long to return from injury. Losing EVERY GAME practically in the fourth quarter. That doesn't sound like good coaching. It sounds like the opposite.
15. I'm glad that Rad Vlad has gotten over his funk. Rad Vlad is a good player. He plays at his potential and we devastate any opponent we face. He's a legitimate starter on any team in the NBA.
16. Tonight's game is going to be awesome.
17. Why isn't Chris Mihm playing AT ALL? The guy would start for 30% of the teams in the NBA. I love Phil Jackson, but he does a lot of things that don't make sense. Ego is a curious beast.
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 14, 2009 at 06:27 AM
Von Freakin' Wafer.
'Nuff said.
--Fearless
Posted by: Fearless | January 14, 2009 at 07:25 AM
leonardbast,
Regarding Von. If we had him on OUR bench, he probably would NOT have played as well..............He was an All-Star last nite, cuz every player that was once a LAKER plays All-Star ball when they go up against us.....
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | January 14, 2009 at 08:08 AM
Who cares about Von Wafer ?
Make a big deal out of nothing.
I blame this blog for jinxing things and having the guy have his break out game of the season last night.
Let's talk about more relevant players, on more relevant teams.
Posted by: Lakafo0 | January 14, 2009 at 08:11 AM
Good morning Mamba24! We won despite the lack of roll call yesterday - wut up with that??!!
Good morning Jon K - how are your Clips doing? LOL!
Good morning fabulous Laker morning CRUE!!!
I caught the first half live last night, and had to tivo the 2nd. Seriously - I always expect us to win, but last night I was having a cow. I didn't know what to think until the Bean drained that 3 and then I could hear Chick's voice in my head (and hear Faith on the keyboard) talking about eggs & jello. Whew - really glad we got it done.
So - Von fricken Cookie???? WTH???? I have no words.
Bring on little Timmy & the Spores. I too would LOVE to see LO go coast to coast on him tonight! I would LOVE to see Socks give him a facial (cuz he sure can use one)! I would LOVE to see him cry to the refs cuz Josh D'd him up real close like - LOL!
My only hope is that it's not too close of a game, we win and I don't have a heart attack - lol!
GO LAKERS!!!!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | January 14, 2009 at 08:11 AM
I will take an UGLY win over a loss anyday. I expect the same tonite.. I expect us to win 100 - 94...
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | January 14, 2009 at 08:13 AM
He almost ruined my night.
Kid's got moxy.
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | January 14, 2009 at 08:14 AM
sorry i haven't been around much -- working a lot more since the economy aint
doing too well... anyways just wanting to say hi to my fellow lakers lovers
Posted by: David Whang | January 14, 2009 at 06:26 AM
David Whang, it's about time you got around to dropping a
line on the Blog. I feared you had turned to the Dark Side & deserted the Force. Lol!
yeah the economy is the same all over, it stinks. But that's why we have the Laker
Blog to get away from all that for a little way. Don't work to hard man, it's only
money & it's worth less everyday
Larry(Mamba24)
Posted by: Mamba24 | January 14, 2009 at 08:15 AM
Good morning Mamba24! We won despite the lack of roll call yesterday -
wut up with that??!! Posted by: justanothermambafan | January 14, 2009 at 08:11 AM
Father forgive me for I have sinned. Would you believe I was testing the new
Windows & it blew my PC away.God Bless you Bill Gates. This is a dangerous
game tonight & although I think we'll win I hope we don't put everything into it
as we have Cleveland & Orlando coming up. A couple of losses and we'll have
the 4th best record.
Posted by: Mamba24 | January 14, 2009 at 08:31 AM
This is today's trivia question on the Lakers website: "In the 2000-2001 NBA Finals, what was the Lakers' record against the New Jersey Nets?"
Huh? The Lakers played Philly in 2001 (4-1) and NJ in 2002 (4-0) so which record should I choose for the answer?
On another note, Lakafo0 clearly doesn't get the joke.
Posted by: lakers_sth | January 14, 2009 at 08:34 AM
Who cares about Von Wafer ? Make a big deal out of nothing.
Posted by: Lakafo0 | January 14, 2009 at 08:11 AM
WHO CARES ABOUT VON WAFER? My god man get thee to a Nunery.
VON WAFER is only the second most important Laker in history. And
who was the 1st? Kwame brown. Now say you're sorry and say 5
Our Fathers and 10 Hail Mary's and go and sin no more.
Posted by: Mamba24 | January 14, 2009 at 08:37 AM
Not to look past the Spurs but Orlando made 23 3-pointers against the Kings last night. Both them and the Crabs have been destroying their recent opponents.
These next 3 games are going to take the temperature of this Lakers team and hopefully not in the way where they'll have to bend over.
Posted by: lakers_sth | January 14, 2009 at 08:42 AM
We all knew that Von Wafer could score.
Did we know that Von could score efficiently? I didn't.
Posted by: Xodus | January 14, 2009 at 08:43 AM
Jon K.'s Early Thoughts That He Has Not Put Too Much Thought Into Yet:
Posted by: Jon K. | January 14, 2009 at 06:27 AM
Keep the thoughts comming JON K. you are carrying the
Blog while the rest of us get our second wind. THANKS
Posted by: MAMB24 | January 14, 2009 at 08:45 AM
The ace slipped into our hands as they say in our desire to go for straight flash. The case may be similar to Coby Karl and Joe Crawford, once they get attuned to professional level, they can be serviceable in the near future but if we do not have a farm system that controls their Laker future, they are just like any bounty hunters.
If I remember right, Von Wafer was in the year Bynum was taken in, then his graduation came with Devin Brown, Danilo Pinnock and Von Wafer. Bynum got a special treatment of being coached by Kareem while the other three were players of Summer League and Preseason. Well we have a high class coach who plays craps at Encore or Wynns not in any Indian casinos. He doesn't like raw players, no patience for relaying his mind games and teaching them his game rudiments of his complicated mind. PG should be tall enough to execute his towering and slow motion triangle offense. Farmar became an exception of his vertical leap and a bruin with jewish ancestry. j/k only (LOL).
Well in 2004, we have lots of abled veterans and new guards and PJ went on solitary confinement in Western Australia while Mitch played cheap with Rudy, the quitterand the Laker roster. He basically chose the tall forwards like Walton, Cook and George and relieved the other guards: Fisher (understandable b/c of pay scale); Jannero Pargo (small & asking for a raise); Byron Russel (6'7" old ); Gary Payton traded for Mihm & Atkins. Lakers went with greenhorns on trial and error with Tierre Brown, Kareem Rush (vet but didn't last long), Tony Bobbit, Sasha and Chucky Atkins followed by Smush and Von Wafer in the following year. In 04-05 Kobe was the centerfold, change of coaching philosophy while retaining the remnants of PJ with Rambis and Hamblen thereby, Lakers lost the orderly succession of guards and point guards that would replace the shoes of Fisher and Payton.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | January 14, 2009 at 08:46 AM
The fact that PJ felt a need to play TA at the 2 and LO at the 3 tells you about all you need to know about his feelings of whether Sun is ready.
It's too bad, cause we could obviously use another guard when Machine and Farmar aren't available. Especially one that is 6'8".
Posted by: Eric M. | January 14, 2009 at 08:50 AM
Jon K,
I knew in the first 30 seconds of playing time that Sun Yue had a lot less upside than Von Wafer. He's just not an NBA player; at least Coby Karl was servicable.
But there's something to be said about improvement... he's here for the season, so let's see if he can improve a lot and earn the right to sit at the end of the bench, because right now, he's not even good enough for that.
And as for Von Wafer... here's a guy that has the athletic ability to be a star, but whatever it is, he's not there. I do think he's been working hard, but why is he still *barely* in the league?
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | January 14, 2009 at 08:59 AM
Not to look past the Spurs but Orlando made 23 3-pointers against the Kings last night.
These next 3 games are going to take the temperature of this Lakers team and hopefully
not in the way where they'll have to bend over. Posted by: lakers_sth |
January 14, 2009 at 08:42 AM
Fear not Laker-sth we will beat the Spurs, Cleveland & Orlando. 9Rings is
tuning up for a big finish before the All-Star game. Kobe will be unleashed
for the rest of the games until the break and you will see a laker team that
is ready to destroy any team in the NBA.
Posted by: MAMBA24 | January 14, 2009 at 09:11 AM
lakers_sth, I was just thinking about that Orlando game too. We need to exact some revenge, but the way we've been playing perimeter D-fense, has me somewhat iffy on this one...Besides, Orlando already beat us this year so I am starting to think the matchups could be an issue.
I kinda think we should approach Memphis about D-Miles, I like his length and I would imagine his athleticism is still better than a few of the guys on our team at the 3, no names needing mention, even with the injury he had..
Otherwise, I still think someone like Thabo Sefolosha of the Bulls who is sitting on the bench pretty much rotting, could be of use to us as far as perimeter D is concerned...lovin' the length...
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | January 14, 2009 at 09:21 AM
Going back to the time warp, if Bynum was coached by Cap and Von Wafer was coached by Magic at Pauley Pavillion where he always play for tune up games, then we could have had the monster and the beast. Kobe and Pau will be more in a relaxed mode free to execute their creative style of basketball. At present, they can't relax or for that matter even VladRad, who was sitting on the bench for 3rd and 4th was being blamed for exhibiting bad defense ( that's why he is on the bench!). When Landrieu or Von Wafer were hitting those threes in front of Kobe and Ariza, that's OK. On another scope, when Vlady misses his perimeter assignment, he is a useless Serb and snowboarding space cadet, we're missing the high IQ Luke. Hard to satisfy meticulous fans. LOL!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | January 14, 2009 at 09:26 AM
Tim-4-Show good seeing your post brother. You have been missed.
Posted by: Mamba24 | January 14, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Jon K,
"Why isn't Chris Mihm playing AT ALL? The guy would start for 30% of the teams in the NBA. I love Phil Jackson, but he does a lot of things that don't make sense"
He's not better than either Gasol or Bynum. Bynum needs to get all the extra time available in games for his development. When Bynum isn't "available" (foul trouble, not playing well, not the matchup the coaching staff wants) the best lineup is Gasol at C, and Odom or Powell at PF. There just aren't enough minutes for Mihm between trying to develop Bynum and trying to get the best record in the league.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 14, 2009 at 10:37 AM
exhelodrvr,
I see your point, but I have never seen on the court Chris Mihm playing center while Pau Gasol plays power forward.
If Andrew Bynum is in foul trouble, why not try putting in Chris Mihm at center and keep Pau Gasol at power forward?
I don't see how that would hold back the team.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 14, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Jon K,
"If Andrew Bynum is in foul trouble, why not try putting in Chris Mihm at center and keep Pau Gasol at power forward?"
Because Gasol - Odom or Gasol - Powell is better than Mihm - Gasol. Doesn't mean that Mihm - Gasol wouldn't be better than what most teams put out there. That can be a problem with having a lot of depth - the guys at the end of the bench have to have the right character, or their not playing will cause problems on the team. Powell and Mihm seem to be ideal for this role. Mihm was already on the team when this situation developed, so the team didn't have a choice in his case. But I strongly suspect that was a factor when they signed Powell.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 14, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Von Wafer played great....gotta give the man credit. He's worked hard and found a niche in the league.
But...Von=0 points in the 4th Q.
Kobe=13 points in the 4th Q.
That's the difference between one night great and all-time great.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 14, 2009 at 02:31 PM