USC: Rose Bowl Champs!
The Trojans' 38-24 win over Penn State has virtually nothing to do with the Lakers' 2009 kick off against the Utah Jazz this evening, but that won't stop me from sneaking in an extra announcement. Will purple and gold loyalists experience similar chest-puffery? Yes, Utah is typically good for a scrappy showdown, but at the same time, the Lakers have enjoyed four days worth of recharging. Save the rust that sometimes accompanies, the downside to downtime is generally limited.
Plus, the Jazz will be competing without the services of All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer, slated for knee surgery in a week. Paul Millsap's quality fill-in effort was similarly tripped up a knee injury, but he could return to action at Staples. The same can't be said about Jordan Farmar, but the Laker point is confident his recovery is on a solid pace. His timetable is one of many "down the road items" to examine.
AK
OTHER NOTES
- Forum Gold and Blue's case for keeping Luke Walton in the starting lineup. Speaking of dudes starting (or not), according to ESPN's Marc Stein, if/when Starbury is liberated, the smart money is on a reteam with former nemesis KG in Beantown. He'd be Rajon Rondo's backup, which he's apparently cool with, if not entirely satisfied. In the meantime, P.J. Brown has officially made himself a non-option, but the Celtics have left the door ajar, should a change of heart take place.
- The NBA is investigating whether a referee used inappropriate language in a confrontation with V.C.
- Devin Harris has, to say the least, thrived since making residence in the Garden State.
- Ty Thomas, Joakim Noah and Larry Hughes are all lighter in the wallet, courtesy of their coach.
- Shaq wanted to be more involved in the offense, and his numbers since have supported the case.
- Ronny Turiaf and Fred Hoiberg both have heart, along with a bond.
REPOST....
Link to the Marc Stein on Marbury story....
http://tinyurl.com/9qvl9g
Leave it to the idiotic Knicks to just gift wrap Marbury to the Celtics! Why don't they just give the Celtics David Lee and Al Harrington, too? Quiet as it's kept, Marbury can still play and will help the Celtics if he arrives in enough time to get in gear before the playoffs.
The group which owns the Knicks are headed by the scion of Cablevision, James Dolan. They are basically tanking the next two seasons in the vague hope of acquiring LeBrawn in the summer of 2010. These folks want people to believe that they have a master plan when in reality they have run the franchise into "Detroit Lion paper bag over the head" territory. What a disgrace they are!
Ordinarily, I could care less what the Knicks do. But, if their incompetence aids the arch-enemy of the Lakers, I just may have to go downtown and have a talk with this Dolan fella! LOL!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 02, 2009 at 09:19 AM
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 02, 2009 at 09:29 AM
I NOW HATE STEPH, didn't b4 but I damn sure do now..If he goes to Boston, that really strengthens their bench significantly even though he hasn't played in a while, he is a seasoned VET who knows how to play the game and trust, he would treat a reunion with KG as his chance for redemption....
Something has to be done to BLOCK this ISH from happening! Where are the groupies when we need them??? Aren't the Celtics bordering on tampering, hell,I gotta trip on something.
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | January 02, 2009 at 09:40 AM
Now Pete C needs to figure out how to get them to keep their focus for the "easy" games.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 02, 2009 at 09:43 AM
BOOO!!!!
GO BRUINS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 02, 2009 at 09:45 AM
I am extremely disappointed in the score of the USC win, if you could call it that.
38-24 ????
Should have been something like 45-7. (has a nicer ring to it)
What were you trying to do Pete, show some respect to Joe in not running up the score? lol
When you knew it was over?
When in the pre-game, Doug Flutie was asked to take up the side of the Nittany Lions, he started to laugh, and said he couldn't. USC would win easily. haha
Fatty - Happy that USC beat the men from Un-Happy Valley, but with an asterisk. lol
Posted by: Fatty | January 02, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Well as much as it is painful,
They do deserve it and they showed why they should have been number 1.
As much as it is somewhat painful as a Bruin it is more important to be less prideful when it comes to giving credit and not be so biased.
Penn State had National Championship consideration yet the Trojans shut them up. I wonder if would be the same if the Trojans faced off against Oklahoma or Florida. My guess is that they would have done the same as they did to Penn State.
Them USC do deserve it. They are the football rulers of Los Angeles after all.
College Basketball is another matter hehe....
and Ex I was watching (and laughing at the Trojans) on that Oregon State game. I'll just say that Jaquizz Rodgers is a pretty darn good running back and the USC offense simply choked. Their defense though at the game was phenomenal except that running back took like 3 hard hits from the Trojans before being sent to the ground each running play.
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | January 02, 2009 at 10:07 AM
If StephMar ends up in Beantown, there is no guarantees of another title. SM may work out with KG but unsure of of RA or KP or EH. Trade could tear the chemistry of the team. To me they are already to burst
Posted by: Alohaland | January 02, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Jon K.'s Early Thoughts That He Has Not Put Too Much Thought Into Yet:
1. I'm glad that the PAC-10 won out all their bowl games. Too bad USC is in the PAC-10, though.
2. Marbury is going to the Celtics? Are you fricken kidding me? One more reason to hate the Celtics and one more reason to hate the Knicks.
3. I know Marbury going to the Celtics sounds like something we should be concerned about, but that guy is cancer. One more HUGE ego in a crew of unstable HUGE egos will produce many episodes which will make Laker Nation chuckle sardonically at the expense of the Celtics.
4. I sure hope the Bruins sign themselves one hell of a defensive coordinator. DeWayne Walker was good. I wish he would have stayed.
5. I'm glad The Zohan's surgery went well. Hopefully he'll be back in six weeks. That would be great.
6. I'm also glad that The Machine is pushing for more minutes at point guard. That's cool.
7. Game day! I always enjoy beating Utah. Sloan is a great coach.
8. Clippers are playing the Suns tonight. I don't care how you feel about the Clippers. You've got to root for the Clippers over the Suns.
9. BK, congratulations on Vanderbilt's victory! The only quality school in the South!
10. To be honest with you, I'm quite surprised that Luke Walton has been put into a starting role. I'm also surprised how well the Lakers have played with him in the starting role.
11. I wonder why they've put off Carlos Boozer's surgery. That makes no sense to me.
12. A win tonight would put the chicken littles to rest for a while. Chicken littles are annoying.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 02, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Game day!
Time to dress my newborn son up in his first Lakers outfit (complete with cap and booties) and help the Lakeshow ring in the new year.
A very happy new year to all of the blogger family out there.
Go Lake Show!
Posted by: The Outlaw | January 02, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Its game day - Good morning to all Lakers Fans!
Sasha's BIG new test tonight as Lakers back up defensive point guard.
How does he handle Deron Williams? This has to be the most intriguing match up of the game with Boozer out and Milsap hobbling.
Last year in the playoffs, Deron made Farmar look like a D-Leaguer. Sasha surely can't do any worse. But for the Jazz to be competitive, Deron has to go off big.
The pressure will be on Sasha and Fisher to contain Deron..
If I was Sasha, I would try to run some, run around thru screens on the off. end and make Deron work his tail off to keep up.
The 'other match up' for me could be Harping vs Lamar. Try and watch them away from the ball action, sometimes they really go at it.
Fatty - Looking for some Utah payback for just THINKING they could compete with us in the playoffs last year.
Posted by: Fatty | January 02, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I'd like to start a KEEP STARBURY BURIED UNTIL 2010, DONNIE BANDWAGON
1: Jamie Sweet - I'll hold him down and you knock him out with the billy club!
However, if he does become a Celtic, it will propel my hatred for them to a here-to-fore unknown level. Yes, I will really hate the Celtics if they add Starbury to the mix.
Great link to Forum, Blue and Gold, K Bros. this was my favorite part:
First off, Luke is a fantastic fit for this offense. His ability to handle the ball, see the floor, execute the simple and complex pass, post up, penetrate, and shoot the ball is the exact skill set required for a wing player in this offense. Sure, he could shoot the ball better (an understatement, I know). And sure, he is not the quickest person whose first step scares defenders. However, the combination of a good enough jumper, his repetoire of hesitation moves, knowledge of angles, and know how to use his frame to create space for himself to get his shot off are traits that make him an underrated offensive player. Add to the fact that he has (as mentioned frequently, but bears repeating) a tremendous basketball IQ and he is the type of player that can be a glue player for any motion offense as he knows what to do with the ball. He is unselfish enough to pass to the open player while also being smart enough to know when to shoot.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Luke is a glue man on a team of loose cannons. I would like to see Vlad Rad get a bit more time, just to stay sharp. He is, afterall, among the league leaders in 3 point shooting. But I like Luke starting and I like Ariza's role.
GO LAKERS!!!!
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | January 02, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Here's the thing...
USC won and, in particular during the first half, showed how good they are.
With the remaining bowl games, some will be close and there will be no clear and obvious national champion.
And for the next month people will discuss the critical importance of a playoff system.
And nothing will get done because of entrenching financial interests in the bowl system.
I hate that because there should be a playoff system.
Here's Jon K.'s solution:
1. Shorten the non-playoff season to a maximum of 10 games. No more of this 12 and 13 game season nonsense.
2. Create TWO playoff systems, similar to college basketball with a NCAA tournament and the NIT tournament.
3. The first tier and second tier playoffs would each involve 16 teams for a total of 32 playoff eligible teams and 16 first round playoff games.
4. The first round would be considered pre-bowl games and would be played at a neutral field roughly mid-way between the two competing schools.
5. After the first round, the quarter finals would be played as "bowl games" and would not be based exclusively upon rankings, but on traditional rivalries between conferences and such and would given names such as "Texas Bowl" or "Gator Bowl" and so forth.
6. This would also be the case for the semi-finals and finals which would be composed of presently BCS designed bowls for the first tier of the playoffs system.
7. The final championship bowl location would rotate someyears being the Rose Bowl other years being the Orange Bowl or Fiesta Bowl, etc.
8. Corporate sponsorship of bowl games in the playoff system would still be allowed, as would the pomp and circumstance of traditional individual bowl celebrations. All this would make the championship that much bigger a deal because it would essentially be a national month of college football celebration and fan travel, creating a college football "road trip" month which would spawn an interesting national cultural phenomenon that could be exploited through advertising and such to generate additional revenues and economic opportunities that presently do not exist.
9. There would essentially be two "Champions" at the end of the playoffs: The first tier champion and the second tier champion. Both teams would have the right to call themselves "championship winners", but the second tier champions would have to have some designation to note that they did not win the championshp of Top 16 teams, but the championship of 17th-32nd ranked teams. (An attractive thing for smaller schools and lower ranked conferences.)
10. There would, of course, be some degree of revenue sharing to offset the shortened season (and thus decreased revenue generation) for non-playoff eligible teams.
That's my solution and it would work.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 02, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Did you read where Yi is about to take over KG in the All Star balloting?
Yi possibly starting over KG?!
Pretty funny stuff, unless that also means Sun Yue will beat Kobe out for a starting spot as well. Then, not so funny.
Could the millions of Chinese NBA Basketball fans be stuffing the digital ballot box? Nah, that would be unfair.
Posted by: Fatty | January 02, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Much as I hate to admit it, Shaq HAS been ballin' lately. He has definitely added a new dimension to that team. But I think Porter's praise of his play in their recent back to back with Memphis and OKC was a bit over the top. So Shaq carried you against OKC, Terry? Big WOOOOO!
Joakim Noah of the Bulls has a lot of Anderson Varejao in him. He's an energy guy just like the Cavs' reserve. Joakim was well schooled at Florida where he teamed with Atlanta's Al Horford. Thing I like most about him is that he plays hard and is not afraid to bang.
P.J. Brown ain't foolin' me with that "officially" retired business. He's just holding out for a clause in his contract that gives him a bonus everytime he pushes and grabs an opponent. Based on last year's Finals, he could make a lot of scratch like that!!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 02, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Do we really care about college football here?
College sports generally isn't worth watching, IMHO, but I do appreciate the energy and verve the youngsters play with.
Keyshawn Johnson put it perfectly during the 2nd Half: College sports are about passion, commitment to your school and the joy of playing for pride and community. The NFL is about money. The owners are investing in the players and will keep their investment safe.
Here's my thing: Amatures vs Pros. I've never been into footbal, so I really don't watch either pro or college. The Bowl games are OK and the playoffs in the Pros are cool, too. So footballs a wash.
I've never seen a college baseball game and I hate aluminum bats. So MLB is where it's at there.
Regarding college hoops, it's no contest. The NBA is filled with the best from around the world. Olympians, unheralded starts from remote corners of the globe. College players have heart. I'm sorry, but basketball isn't entertaining watching guys with lots of heart and no J running around not playing defense and jacking up 20' 3 pointers.
Want to make college hoops more interesting? Move the 3 point line back, make the shot clock 24 seconds and scrap the zone defense rules that allow opposing teams to clog the lane for an entire game, then maybe I'll get interested.
Maybe if I had gone to a college with a rich basketball tradition I'd feel slightly differently (I went to Cal State Long Beach, Byron Russell alumni). But I honestly find the college game slow and boring. Sorry Blog, it's just the way I am, yo.
GO LAKERS!!!!!
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | January 02, 2009 at 11:06 AM
"8. Clippers are playing the Suns tonight. I don't care how you feel about the Clippers. You've got to root for the Clippers over the Suns."
Ok fine Jon K. just this once (but i"m watching Lakers first and isn't going to change the channel). Since you did give credit to the Trojans so might as well *try* to cheer on the Clips.
"10. To be honest with you, I'm quite surprised that Luke Walton has been put into a starting role. I'm also surprised how well the Lakers have played with him in the starting role."
Didn't Long Time Laker Fan tell us so? Luke is the perfect fit for the Triangle offense despite his limitations. Unlike Jordan Farmar, he thinks pass first and wants to run the offense smoothly. Less turnovers means less points for the opposite team. Means more scoring for Kobe/Pau/Bynum/Fisher.
Jamie Sweet,
"He is unselfish enough to pass to the open player while also being smart enough to know when to shoot."
Luke is unselfish for sure but does some damn mind boggling plays like passing it to Kobe at the buzzer instead of shooting it. He has done it TWICE in his career already.
Luke is not exactly the best athlete but his other keys is what lets the Lakers run the offense. And Paul Pierce didn't eat him as he did with Radman.
Fatty,
If Yi takes over KG in the All Star balloting damn that's damn funny. What a another way to get back to da Kid (KG) than not being a starter only because the fans didn't vote him in hehe.
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | January 02, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Steph could be the cancer in boston that could drive their top 3 nutty. lol. that'd be funny.
Yes, steph can play, but his all-start number don't usually correlate to wins as evidenced by his former teams. maybe he'll be motivated to win a chip, but hey, he's had so many chances in the league that i think his spots are permanent. with that said, i still think he was mistreated by the Knicks this year. We'll see what happens in the coming days.
Posted by: socalife | January 02, 2009 at 11:09 AM
How nice to feature the Lakerville with a Rose Parade at a 70 degree weather while PA is bundled up at 20 degrees, the parade participants were suffering from heat exhaustion. Then, USC winning the game and it's only 1st half, how sweet it is. Why will you not people from LA, Beat LA, can't beat the best weather on New Year's Day.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | January 02, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Fatty,
I hope Yi wins out over Keven Garnett for two reasons:
1. It's an insult to Kevin Garnett and any insult to Kevin Garnett is worthy of celebration.
2. It would bring front and center that this whole "Have the fans vote in the All-Stars via NBA.com-thing" is a bunch of bullcrap, especially with international ballots.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 02, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Fing A ... I dont want Marbury on the Laker squad but I'm concerned about seeing him join the celtics, cavs etc
idk ... the knicks shouldn't release him unless he takes like a $5m paycut ... wtf ... he gets paid his 20 mil and then goes off to make a run with a championship team ... where's the justice in that?
Posted by: Taliq | January 02, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Gameday!!
I'm jonesin' for my Lakers!!!!!
GO LAKERS!
I LOVE LA!!
Posted by: longtimelakerlover | January 02, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Jon K,
You have to come up with a scenario that the colleges/conferences/bowls would agree to.
Your system has them losing too much revenue.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 02, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Fatty-
He has, but so has just about every Laker. Hell, Lamar passed to an open Vujacic on the bench! That still makes me chuckle.
I agree, he can make some mistakes that appear more glaring considering his lack of physical gifts, but, more often than not he just plays hard and steady. Traits that endear him to fans and coaches.
Can't wait for tonight!
GO LAKERS!!!!!
Posted by: Jamie Sweet | January 02, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Fatty...
You've got a great point about how silly and one sided the All-Star balloting has become. No way Yi should start ahead instead of KG.
That being said....
GUCK FARNETT!!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 02, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Jon K
11. I wonder why they've put off Carlos Boozer's surgery. That makes no sense to me.
I read the Deseret article and it mentioned this.
1. After the initial injury, the Jazz had hoped to treat it conservatively, but EVERY time Boozer would try it out, the knee would start swelling. (Sound familiar?)
2. Once they decided to have the surgery, they had to put it off because of an infection near where the incision would be. (That's why the 9th for surgery)
But, what I found interesting was the comments on the Jazz Blog even when this was all explained in the article.
Well over 90% of the posters referred to Boozer as 'Loozer' - 'He his faking it for next years contract' Uh?! (I don't get that one) or 'he's not man enough to tuff it out and play'.
Almost universally they want him shipped out of Utah, because he ripped them off, taking a large contract then then not playing through pain.
The hatred for Boozer was unimaginable. Of course the way they treated Fisher up in Utah (see press, fan blogs, even ownership allowing fans to display immoral signs at games) shouldn't surprise me with the Boozer treatment.
Fatty - Is Utah deserving of some that 'righteous hatred'?
Posted by: Fatty | January 02, 2009 at 11:30 AM
exhelodrvr,
"Your system has them losing too much revenue."
I specifically tried to avoid that by keeping the bowl games by inserting them into the playoff system, so games like the Texas Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, and Holiday Bowl just don't go away. They're still played, but as part of a playoff system.
So, please explain what you mean about losing revenue.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 02, 2009 at 11:31 AM
I'm in Vegas staying at Steve Wynn's new resort Encore. To be honest, I like the rooms at the Wynn a little better. To make suites, the rooms at Encore are divided to create a separate living room area and it just makes it feel smaller even though the rooms are bigger. But hey, who's going to complain about 3 free nights. I placed 12 bets at the sports book on tonight's nba games. I placed 0 bets on the Lakers game though. I might place a bet on the over as the current line is 206.5.
I think just enough people think the Starbury to Boston possiblity is a negative that it would turn out to be a positive. I wonder what Cassell would think of that move? He'd probably love it b/c it means he'd have to drag his corpse off the bench even less. With Brown and Deke not being options anymore, I wonder if Boston is still looking at Mourning? They need size big time. Steph would give them a boost offensively but he's never been known for playing great D. We'll see what happens.
Posted by: lakers_sth | January 02, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Jamie Sweet
True, hustle and effort can overcome a multitude of mistakes with a coach.
That pass to Sasha is worth another look. The only thing that would have been funnier is, if Sasha would have taken the shot!
That took GREAT restraint for him not to.
http://tinyurl.com/836kkn
Fatty - Who thinks Sloan could coach a D League team into playing a good game against the Lakers.
Five days as been too long. Let's play right now.
Posted by: Fatty | January 02, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Jon K,
Going down to 10 games per season for everybody is a LOT of lost revenue for all schools.
You are also eliminating a lot of the current bowl games, which results in lost revenue.
And it is unlikely that, in total, the fans from the teams that advance would spend as much money for the additional games as they play, as the fans currently spend, in total, for the one game that their team goes to. So the bowls and the communities where the bowls are played lose out on revenue.
You could probably get a +1, or maybe stretch it into a +2, within the current bowl framework, and get enough people to buy off on it, but not a big playoff system like you are proposing.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 02, 2009 at 12:09 PM
So I was just cleaning up my office and I came across a picture
of the UCLA Basketball team from 1998-99, and it made me think...
The last UCLA championship was in 1995. The stars of that team
were Ed O'Bannon and Tyus Edney. Other big contributors
were George Zidek, Charles O'Bannon, Toby Bailey, and JR Henderson.
All of those guys made it to the NBA, but none of them really
stuck. Probably the most successful was Tyus Edney, who was
one of the best Euroleague PG's of all time.
But consider the roster for the 1998-99 team...
Earl Watson - starting PG for Oklahoma City - still considered
one of the best defensive PGs in the league.
Matt Barnes - starting SF for Phoenix - and really starting to
come into his own in the league.
Baron Davis - starting PG for the Clippers - top 10 PG in the NBA,
and top 5 when he's really on his game.
Todd Ramasar - Baron's agent
Sean Farnham - TV Commentator
Dan Gadzuric - Still playing and averaging 12 minutes a game
for the Bucks.
JaRon Rush - definitely the most talented of the Rush brothers,
but had problems with alcoholism which stopped his NBA career
before it even got started.
Jerome Moiso - Journeyman center who played for 5 NBA teams
and 5 Euroleague teams.
So this team that had all these players who were much more
successful than the championship team finished 3rd in the Pac-10,
behind Stanford (led by Mark Madsen & the Collins twins) and
Arizona (led by Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, and Michael Dickerson).
So this Bruins team that produced so many players that have
lasted so long in the NBA...
lost in the first round to Detroit Mercy.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 02, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Luke and Lamar seem to be similar players in regards to being unselfish.
Although what seems to be the one glaring difference between Luke Walton and Lamar Odom is...
Knowing when to pass...
And
Knowing when to SCORE...
Unfortunately, Lamar lacks those instincts.
Not bashing, just stating my observation.
Posted by: Mikeandmike | January 02, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Steph going to Boston just plain sucks,
I also think it's an absolute waste of time for Kobe to spend hours watching tape of the players he is going to guard in the next game. Come on! He is a 12 year vet! He can't make adjustments during games?
Do you want to know what Kobe should be studying? How to get everyone involved and playing a better team game. How come you never hear of Kobe studying that?
Who cares if AK47 only drives right on a certain side of the court? You worry about that during the playoffs. It's not like he's going to get 40 on you when you are a 12 year vet..Come on Kobe.
Kobe is just trying to show he's a "studier" of the game. Why is he still a "studier" after 12 years in the league playing? Work on your weaknesses like passing the ball!
Posted by: zen | January 02, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Didn't Marbury once say that he could never play with someone who made more money than he did? Yep.
As unpleasant as the Marbury to the Celtics may sound, toss in a little losing streak and it may be the iceberg that sinks the titanic. All of those Celtics players were losers before they teamed up on the Celtics. All were on long-term losing teams, so I think there are deep fissures just beneath the plaster as it were, and all one needs to do is make a few scrapes before the brick starts falling apart.
BTW, Gasol is out rebounding Garnett on the year.
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | January 02, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Jon,
How can you ROOT for the Clips and BOO USC???????
Are you nuts???
Posted by: rl | January 02, 2009 at 01:15 PM
Wounded animals(teams) can often be the most dangerous...hoping we're on our gaurd...
Fatty...
Yes, I think Jerry Sloan could take a team of Nuns and turn them into one tough squad against us...or anyone...guy's a solid coach...
Oh, Fatty...
You mentioned you knew some Tribune people...know anyone from the old Times Mirror days back in the eighties?
Dr. Murphy, Robert Erburu, David Laventhal, Otis Chandler, Tom Johnson, Phil Williams, Vance Stickell, et al ?
http://tinyurl.com/5br7qj
Posted by: christopher blake | January 02, 2009 at 01:22 PM
I'm telling all of you Luke and Vladdy haters out there this right now.
STARTING SF ROTATION '08-'09:
-Vladdy, games 1-20
-Luke, games 21-40
-Vladdy, games 41-60
-Luke, games 61-80
Phil is handling this team very well. This rotation should have both of them ready for the post season.
A little "Thunder and Lightning" of our own!!!!!!!!!
hog
Posted by: the canibus hog | January 02, 2009 at 01:23 PM
I predict the Lakers to lose.
Let's get Javaris.
Posted by: never | January 02, 2009 at 01:36 PM
Dudes,
Starbury to the Celtics? My Celtics fans are NOT happy with this rumors. Not at all. Think about it, he is a prick to not only one but two teams.
He's worse than Terry Owens, and how far of a hole do you have to dig to be ranked anywhere near that guy?
Posted by: Teej | January 02, 2009 at 01:56 PM
zen,
"I also think it's an absolute waste of time for Kobe to spend hours watching tape of the players he is going to guard in the next game"
Players and teams change tendencies. Studying film allows you to aniticipate what they will do/force them to do things that they don't do as well.
The best thing he can do is set a work ethic example for the rest of the team.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 02, 2009 at 02:03 PM
Good Afternoon Charles....Good Afternoon Everyone...
well FINALLY game day---hopefully a victroy tonight, if for nothing else then to spare me from the crap I have to hear living here in a hostile nest of obnoxious Jazz fans here in southeast Idaho...
I have been to two Jazz home games, one against the Lakers (we lost) and one against the Kings when they and the Jazz had somewhat of a rivially going--both times I was sickened to the lowest depths of my bowels with just how offensive and unsportsman like Jazz fans are..
anyway as usual Fatty has a great quote worth quoting again:
"But I'm a student and disciple of Chick. Chick taught us to be fair to both sides, grow in appreciation of great NBA Lakers basketball and have fun while watching and enjoying the game "
for those of us lucky enough to grow up with Chick (remember the simulcasts--with their "words eye view"?)
Chick Hearn was by far THE best sports announce in the history of sports and Bowling For Dollars for that matter...
Chick Is another reason I say...
AS ALWAYS, AS EVER, YET ANOTHER GREAT DAY (AND SEASON) TO BE A LAKER FAN !!!
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | January 02, 2009 at 02:07 PM
zen, your whole comment is laughable. Just a little bit of a Kobe hater maybe?
Posted by: Bopper | January 02, 2009 at 03:08 PM
Long Time Laker Fan,
That team should have won the title. But it was coached by Lavin.
Lavin was a great recruiter but he wasn't a great coach. He was too much "talent wins games" and lets the offense do whatever they want. They basically played no defense ala Knicks/Warriors.
Howland is the complete opposite. He is more the disciplinarian and is the defense oriented guy. He may not be the fantastic recruiter Lavin was but he recruits well (Holiday, Love, Malcolm Lee). The only problem with him though is that he is too set on his ways to the point refusing to change the matchups. We could have won last year but he continued to stick Collison on Derrick Rose who just torched the Bruins instead of putting his best perimeter defender, Westbrook, on Rose. Plus he didn't take advantage of Memphis double team of Love and put a big man shooter like Rolls and instead stuck it out with Luc who was not bad but was not a fantastic shooter.
Zen,
Having Kobe watch films is how you prepare for games. Most guys would probably play PS3, Wii, Xbox or watch DVD's on the plane. You do everything you can to prepare for games by watching film and practicing. Watching film is how you can tell in advance what the other player/team tendencies are so you have an idea of what they do and can prepare best for it.
Don't diss Kobe simply because he watches film more than the usual NBA player. That is only his way of getting better against a particular opponent. If the whole Laker team did that on their own (not on team films) then damn, we would be even better.
never,
If the Lakers win what then?
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | January 02, 2009 at 04:23 PM
Fatty,
Yeah, it sure seems like Jazz Nation really turns on their players in an awful way.
rl,
I graduated from UCLA. There is nothing in my experience that allows me the potential to root for USC.
On the opposite end, being born and raised in Los Angeles, I want L.A. teams generally to succeed, so it's easy for me to root for the Clippers, despite their years of struggle. I want them to do well.
Go Clippers!
GO BRUINS!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 02, 2009 at 05:09 PM