Loved the piece.

One more reason why I used to freak out when the rest of the team used to stop and just watch Kobe play on offense. People used to call Kobe selfish, but what else was he supposed to do when the rest of his teammates stopped running the offense? The Triangle requires constant movement. You can't run the Triangle with everyone standing around watching Kobe dribbling the ball.

What do we play for? RINGS!!!

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!!!

LAKERS, YANKEES, AND NINERS…

Just responding to any troll who thinks I might be a Cowboy fan or some form of winner bandwagon hopper. I grew up as a Chicago Cardinals and then St. Louis Cardinals football fan. After 20+ years of frustration at the horrible Bidwell brothers, I made a decision to switch my NFL loyalty to then home town San Francisco 49ers when the team was bought by Eddie DeBartolo, a man whom I had met and admired through my business several years earlier. I have been a loyal 49er fan ever since.
-
As for my Yankees, they will always be my first love even though my greatest loyalty is to the Lakers. Growing up in the Midwest before the TV era, I remember listening to baseball games by transistor radio while laying in bed at night. My first televised baseball game was during the 1951 World Series when Mickey and the Yankees faced Willie and the Giants. Two of the greatest ever both playing in their first World Series. I became a Yankee fan during that series and have never once considered rooting for any other team, even during the dismal days when CBS ran the team into the ground.
-
As for the Lakers, I was a Wilt Chamberlain fan and thus first rooted for the San Francisco Warriors, then the Philadelphia 76ers, and then finally and for eternity the Los Angeles Lakers. I have been blessed by personally enjoying all 5 of the Niners NFL championships, 13 of the Yankees 26 World Series wins, and 10 of the Lakers 15 NBA championships. Plus 11 UCLA Basketball championships. That should tell you why I remain so optimistic about the Yankees and the Lakers (Sorry, Niners, but you should have hired an offensive genius in the mold of Walsh instead of a defensive guru).

Tom

Tom, et al.,

The most impressive stat on Bynum's prior game was that he had 2 personal fouls. Foul trouble has long been the bane of young Andy B's life. If he has conquered that problem, we may yet have a very good, if not dominant, center.

BTW, I am worried about Ron Ron's lackluster performance. Perhaps AK/BK are not covering pre-season games as they mean nothing. But, I think they do. Does anyone have a reason, we should not judge Ron Ron by these early performances? Is he doing something other than reminding Andy B that foul trouble is a bad thing?

GOOooooOOOO LAKERS!!!

KOBE IS BETTER THAN MICHAEL AND STATS WILL PROVE IT!

Many people on this blog have used stats as a way to prove Michael Jordan is better than Kobe Bryant. The biggest mistake in comparing them that way is that you are comparing a man who came in the league at 21 to a kid who came in the league at 18. It is not fair to Kobe at all. Do not count Kobe's career stats when he was 18 and 19 years old and coming off the bench and his stats are almost identical to Michael's stats. I went and did the math.

Kobe career stats(excluding 1996-1998 when he was 18,19)
fg% 46%
ft% 84%
3p% 34%
rebounds per game 5.8
assists per game 5.2
steals per game 1.7
blocks per game 0.6
points per game 27.6

Jordan career stats
fg% 50%
ft% 84%
3p% 33%
rebounds per game 6.2
assists per game 5.3
steals per game 2.4
blocks per game 0.8
points per game 30.1

The only significant difference is field goal percentage. Then you consider that Kobe takes more 3 point shoots than Michael did and that in itself lowers Kobe's field goal percentage some. To me both Kobe's and Michael's stats are pretty much neck and neck.

BUT WHAT MAKES KOBE BETTER THAN MICHAEL

Comments have been made that Kobe takes more difficult shots than Jordan(ie. more jump shots).True! But that is what makes Kobe more dangerous. Kobe can drain a shot from any where on the court. Kobe has more of a variety of shots and is harder to cover than Jordan.A defender has to be in Kobe's face at all times. Other players like Michael Jordan and Lebron James who are primarily deep post players, a defender only has to play them tough in the post area. Because Kobe is a better all around shooter and is harder to cover, Kobe makes his teammates better than Jordan ever could. Notice that Odom's and Gasol's field goal percentages went up when playing with Kobe.

Lamar Odom
2003-2004 Miami fg% .430
2004-2005 Lakers fg% .473

Pau Gasol
2007-2008 Memphis fg% .501
2007-2008 Lakers fg% .589

Jordan did not play in 1993-1994 but both Pippen's and Grant's field goal percentages did not go down when Jordan left but actually went up.

Scottie Pippen
1992-1993 Bulls(with Jordan) fg% .473
1993-1994 Bulls (without Jordan) fg% .491

Horace Grant
1992-1993 Bulls(with Jordan) fg% .508
1993-1994 Bulls(without Jordan) fg% .524

KOBE IS BETTER THAN JORDAN!

LakerTom,

I completely agree with you on Andrew. Whenever I've posted on here, I've stated pretty strongly that when Andrew is healthy and right, he's capable of dominating. As you mentioned, Drew should be commended for working on aspects of his game and physical conditioning during the summer which is why he has been pretty dominant so far in the preseason. At 21, Drew would be just coming out of college, so I expect him to be more mature and ready to reach that next level. Some people on here aren't sold on him, but seem to forget that two major knee injuries that past two years derailed Drew from possibly being an all-star already. When Kobe retires, I expect Drew to be the centerpiece and focal point of the next great Lakers team for years to come. Now that Drew has added a jump shot from up to 17 feet out to his repetoire of post moves makes him even more scary to defend.

While I love the addition of Artest, one thing concerns me. Phil Jackson is constantly saying that Ron needs to more aggressive offensively and that the Lakers need to get him more involved and acclimated to the offense. PJ seems to have some weird infatuation with Ron even before Ron became a Laker. My concern is that PJ will urge Ron to shoot more unfortunately at Bynum's expense in my opinion. My thing is both Pau and Andrew should get more touches simply because they both take high percentage shots with high field goal percentages. Although Ron is a good and versatile offensive player, I'd rather he pick his spots within the offense and focus more on locking down the opposing team's best player. I'm not saying that Ron won't fit in because I believe he will, I just don't want PJ to put Andrew on a shorter leash and pull him for transgressions or mistakes that Ron a seasoned vet continues to make(bad fouls, missed free throws, etc.). I hope that the leaders on this team(Kobe, Fish, LO)will realize that they have another beast in the post besides Pau in Andrew. Feed the Beast!!!

I know pre-season games don't mean much, but maybe a little concern no consistence outside shooting accept the new and improved machine(with a Tune-Up) D-Fish shot is very erratic, Brown is being exposed, Morrison practice player only , Thriller can't hit anything, as I stated before Jordan is useless. Need outside sniper.

Green As-terisk,

Healthy Bynum, Gasol with another year in the triangle, Artest, Farmar-Vujacic-Walton will not all have off years again, Garnett and Allen are getting older.

"Chances are greater that Celtics will and Lakers won't."

Not so much.

The Green Asterisk

You got it mixed up buddy. There is a BIG Purple and Gold Asterisk by the 2007-2008 Celtics championship. We beat the Celtics twice last year when Garnett played both games. You beat us in the championship series when the Lakers were without a healthy Ariza playing significant minutes and a healthy Bynum. Get your facts straight.

The Green Asterisk

BTW Are you one of those Celtics fans who were chanting M V P for Kobe in the 2006-2007 season when the Lakers played in Boston?

Nemaia,

Good to hear from you, my friend. And thanks for the support regarding Drew.
-
I think Ron will be fine. Frankly, I think he will end up as the 4th option after Kobe, Drew, and Pau, which is really not an insult. For all the fans saying Bynum should sacrifice offense and focus on defense, I would really prefer that prescription for Ron instead. The key to Ron fitting in is going to be his efficiency from beyond the arc when teams slack off of him.
-
There are a few fans who react to Drew as if he were Ben Wallace or some other offensively stunted 7-footer. Truth is that Drew is probably a naturally better offensive player than defensive player. That does not mean that he necessarily doesn’t play solid or even great defense, it just means he is going to be a very special offensive center who can score inside or mid-range. Ironically, Drew’s extended shooting range is going to add to the versatility Phil will have in creating crazy mismatches.
-
With our size, there is going to be a sudden premium around the league for centers and power forwards who can shoot the 3 in order to draw Laker 7-footers away from the basket. Everybody is going to want the Mehmet Okurs and Rasheed Wallaces, big men who can hit from beyond the arc. That will be the major counter against Drew and Pau and their inside dominance. As with every single matchup, however, the other team’s players will have to deal with Drew and Pau at the other end. That’s a 4/5 duo that nobody in the league is going to able to handle, including Boston.

Tom

ex,

Agree with your points about Ron. He has to shoot well from beyond the arc to complement his defense. I think he is just trying not to make waves and realizes this is just preseason, although that was truly a horrible game by him last night. Anyway, I’m not worried. The big points night in and night out are going to come from Kobe, Drew, and Pau. The rest of the rotation will do just that, rotate as to who gets more touches or points depending on matchups and whose hot.

- - - - -

Todd,

Jordan did play extremely well when he got his chance to start with Fish suspended in stark contrast to how Shannon handled his opportunity last night. I read one Charlotte reporter who chipped in that the odds of Shannon Brown replacing Derek Fisher or Jordan Farmar were about 75 to 1. However, we’re still a long way away from anybody replacing Derek Fisher as our starting point guard. Farmar would have to have a break out year to even be considered to take over from Derek Fisher next year. I am hoping he will do just that. The job is his to win. All he has to do is run the offense, take care of the ball, hit his open shots, and play sound defense. He needs to show he can do that more often than just an occasional game, which he hasn’t so far. I believe Jordan has the physical tools to be the starter and the mental toughness. The question is can he harness his impulsiveness to stay within his game. So far so good this preseason. Now we just need to see him play 3 out of every 4 games like that.

- - - - -

Tom

Glad to have another Tom on the blog but please append something so we can tell the Toms apart. LOL. I agree that the flexibility that Lamar gives us at the 4 is a big weapon. But don’t forget that Pau gets up and down the floor as good as any big men in the game and Drew is now doing the same thing. Naturally, one of them has to stay behind to rebound, probably Pau or Lamar, because the Lakers want Drew to “stay ahead of the ball” the way Dwight Howard does to get those easy transition hoops.

- - - - -

Edwin,

Not looking too good for LA’s baseball teams. I won’t rub it in because I am rooting for the Dodgers to make it so we could have a Yankees/Dodgers World Series like I enjoyed so often as a small kid. So I’m rooting with you for the Dodgers to come back next game. Tonight is over.

- - - - -

Tom

I have read that article over at foxsports.com and I thought Charley gave a very and short observation about the triangle offense.

A purple asterisk after 2007-08 championship?? What series did you watch?

Ray Allen looks like he can play until he is 50 years old, ask Sasha; Derek Fisher played last year like he is 50 years old, I'm sure he got a lot better this off season (lol).

Celtics are 6-4 in last 10 games with Lakers, clobbering them 4-2 in the finals and are 2-1 with a healthy Bynum who disappears when he has to go against Kendrick Perkins.

The game in Boston last year was a fluke and the Christmas game, well if the Lakers didn't win that game at home on national TV after getting thrashed 131-92 the previous June they would have been the biggest pu----- in NBA history.

The 3 best teams are in the East; Celtics, Cavs and Magic, Lakers a distant 4 or maybe 5 after the Spurs.

enjoy your asterisk* and second round playoff appearance.

Ex,

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you regarding emphasizing Artest more in the offense. Sure, if he shoots well from the perimeter it will open up the paint for both Pau and Andrew. However, my contention was taking the higher percentage shots and utilizing Andrew more in the offense because he's more efficient than Artest. I'm not saying that Artest shouldn't be aggressive in the offense, but that I'd rather have Andrew get more touches down low than Artest hoisting it from outside. Besides, we already have Kobe, Pau and Fish who average more touches and shots than Andrew. Now that we've added Artest, I disagree that he too should get more shots than Bynum. I could see PJ emphasizing Artest more offensively when he's running with the second unit because for all his offensive versatility, he's no Kobe or even LO for that matter. I'd take Bynum near the basket over Artest shooting jumpers every time. When I watched and listened to Phil Jackson's response to Bynum's goal of becoming and all-star this year, it sounded like a half hearted approval and support of that goal. If Bynum doesn't make the all-star team, Phil Jackson would be one of the big reasons why, especially if he allows Artest to chuck it up more than Andrew touches it in the post. Just my take on the situation.

What the heck, we're trailing 13-4 to CLIPPERS??? :-(

Kobefan in Cupertino,

>>> Yes, we also like Andrew to be "ahead of the ball" like Dwight Howard does....Also, we also like
>>> him to take the Rebound, and AFTER that stay ahead of the ball (thats what Howard does).

LOL. It’s unreasonable to want Drew to get the rebound AND beat everyone down the floor. Dwight might have done that a couple of times in his life but that is a rare occurrence. It is also obvious to me that this preseason the Lakers want Drew to take off when the ball up unless he is guarding the shooter or his man is crashing the boards. If you think about it, it is a smart move that helps the team get easy baskets in transition and helps the team impose its will in the battle of the matchups. Same as on offense, if Drew does not take the shot, his job is to hustle down court rather than trying to hit the offensive boards. Transition offense and defense is the Achilles heel of playing tall ball. This is part of the Lakers strategy to make sure they control the tempo and dominate the matchups. At least, that is my take on what is going on although I have not specifically heard Phil lay it all out.

Tom

NICE HALF BY SHANNON BROWN…
-
Great to see Shannon come back and have a great half. His best role is backing up Kobe rather than Fisher as he showed with two turnovers and a couple of trips down where he just basically dribbled away the clock. Shannon is a much better shooter when he squares his shoulders. With better shot selection, he can be a spark plug on offense as well as defense. Those mitts and hops are very MJ-ish.
-
Tom

ANDREW’S GREAT HANDS ARE BACK…
-
Tonight we saw those sticky soft hands of Andrew Bynum really go to work, grabbing errant passes and ricocheting rebounds in traffic like the best NFL tight ends. There were 3 or 4 just stunning catches as well as another 2 or 3 smart tips of rebounds to other Lakers. Despite a bad shooting performance, Drew really picked up his game tonight, showing great energy on the offensive and defensive boards, leading the Lakers in out-rebounding the Clippers despite both Pau and Lamar being on the bench. 20 points and 13 boards, including 8 offensive, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in 28 minutes after 3 quarters.
-
Tom

BK/AK, Anyone,

Why did the Lakers pass on DeJuan Blair in this year's draft??? He would've provided the Lakers another physical banger down low and could've backed up Pau, LO and even Drew. He's also got very long arms, rebounds and plays well around the basket. I agree with many others who felt that the Spurs got a steal. Who does the scouting for us before and during the draft?

Most of Drew's misses tonight against the Clippers were chippies and tips, but he still led us in scoring and continued his strong play as the real season draws near. The bench did pretty good as well as Shannon, Adam, Mbenga and Farmar turned in pretty good performances. Gaffney played well too while he was in there. Kobe's touch seems to be off so far this preseason, so I hope he finds his touch soon. Go Lakers!!!

Another miserable loss of our baseball team, they became cold on the East Coast weather.

Gotta love the Lakers game tonight compared to the past games. Jordan was making good decisions as a PG and teams up well with Shannon doing the UPS special delivery. However, the night belongs to Ammo's explosion, finally he is getting back his confidence and bringing back the Zag swaggart that made him famous in NCAA. To old fans, it brings back the memories of Gail Goodrich and Jerry West with those swishing shots. If he keeps achieving on that level, Walton will slide to 3rd SF or competing for SG time with Sasha. A good outside shooter and a tall Center are the two important elements of good triangle. We can go back to '00 - '02 Championships Lakers always have consistent shooters from: Fox, Fisher and Horry, on the reserves Penberthy or Rice and the 3rd side is Kobe. That makes the triangle perfect, it a defensive nightmare for the opposing team. Phil must be happy with that results tonight because it opens up another weapon cache and his reserves held on the lead in the 4th quarter against Clips starters. It gave him more options in setting more combination out there.

How nice to see Charley Rosen treated with respect by the L.A. Times. I remember six or seven years ago when then-beat writer Tim Brown would mock Rosen IN PRINT IN THE TIMES for allegedly waving to try to get Phil's attention or would ignore Rosen's scoops or dismiss them as "Internet reports."

Nice to see a grown-up attitude.

Season starts soon; biggest questions marks:
1. Will Lakers get past the second round this year.
2. Will the Celtics win 73 regular season games.
Chances are greater that Celtics will and Lakers won't.
Posted by: The Green Asterisk .....

you mean The Green asswipe
WHAT makes you think one or more of the Celtic Senior citizens are NOT going down with another injury THIS year, Wallace is a fossil, KG now has knee problems, Allen is WHAT 36???, you guys are held together with chewing gum and bailing wire, you'll be lucky to make it into the 1st round, Why are you here? WHAT they don't have blogs in Boston ???

Farmar, Brown and Ammo looks like in sync and cohesive as bench players tonight. The three has a nice chemistry to manufacture their own offense.

The bench is starting to look good. Throw in a Bynum or Gasol with them and it will just get better.

This back and forth slinging with the Green Asterisk and 131 does nothing constructive at all.

Let's just watch the game...

To these 2 celtics fans... I am glad you are visiting this blog, our blog. It means something to us, really. It is shouting loud that what we have here is the best there is. thanks... See you in June.

*
34 IN A ROW - BANDWAGON
*
(01) VMAN - OWNER - Our team is very good, like maybe historically kinda good. We might need a 34 in a row bandwagon.

(02) MAMBA24 - DRIVER

ANDREW BYNUM UPDATE...

From Lakers.com

>>>

While L.A.’s 21-year-old center struggled to finish inside for the first time this preseason, hitting only 2-of-8 shots in the first half and 7-of-17 for the game, Bynum still managed to get the shots he wanted near the hoop despite the presence of seven-footer Chris Kaman, and impressed defensively and with his work rate in transition. Better yet, he had his best rebounding game of the preseason, cleaning the glass 13 times in 32 minutes to complement his 20 points.

“It was much better,” said Phil Jackson of his center’s performance on defense and the glass. “I thought the rebounding was good, and the fourth quarter run by (Bynum) and the second unit that played well enough to hold them off.”

>>>

Tom

8 DAYS TILL THE RING CEREMIONY AND THE OFFICIAL CORONATION OF DYNASTY 4
8 DAYS TILL THE ENTIRE NBA GIVES UP ALL HOPE OF CATCHING THE LAKERS AFTER 1 GAME
8 DAYS BEFORE THE BEAST IS UNLEASHED
8 DAYS BEFORE THE CATFIGHT BETWEEN “PRINCESS JIMMY” AND “PAULA THE TRUTH” BEGINS
8 DAYS BEFORE THE LEAGUE LEARNS THERE’S A NEW ENFORCER IN TOWN RON-RON
8 DAYS BEFORE 9RINGS OFFICIALLY BECOMES 10 RINGS AND RED KISSES HIS&^^%$&*
WILL YOU BE THERE?
THE NBA WHERE A SEASON BEGINS AND ENDS IN 8 DAYS
THE NBA WHERE A DYNASTY BEGINS IN 8 DAYS AND COULD LAST A LIFETIME

*
CHANGE THE ICONS FROM GREEN TO PURPLE & GOLD – BANDWAGON
*
(01) LAKER TOM – OWNER
(02) MAMBA24 – DRIVER – WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING GREEN ICONS!
(03) JUSTANOTHERMAMBAFAN – RIDING SHOTGUN
(04) SEGEBoy - SHERIFF

but if Gasol needs three years to learn the "Triangle" how long will it take Artest? Posted by: The Green Asterisk | October 19, 2009 at 05:20 AM

Learn your Basketball Green Asterisk. Artest learned the Triangle when he played for the Bulls and he was very good in it.

Nemaia-

The Lakers most certainly knew about Blair (though how much they liked him, I don't know), but where most teams had reservations about his knees, the Lakers largest reservation was likely that they'd have to pay the guy. They just weren't going to add players they felt wouldn't be serious contributors this year because of their salary situation.

Does Blair fit into their offensive and defensive systems? I don't know. Seems like a pretty good young player, for sure, if he stays healthy, but in the end I don't think that stuff had much to do with it. Draft day for them was about raising a little capital, not adding players. Can't have everything, you know?

BK

Good morning Mamba24 & the fabulous Laker morning CRUE!!!

Excellent to see Shannon and Ammo both pick it up last night. Shannon just needs to channel his athleticism - that boy is tightly wound! Is he wearing Kobe's shoes? Cuz - wow! Ammo looks a little sluggish on defense, but I like that he can get himself open and is now draining his shots. That's all we need is for him to be a consistent sharp shooter, although he does have the ability to create. Any pro who does the summer league to improve himself is ok by me.

LakerTom - our beast is straining to be unleashed!! He has looked soooo good over the course of this preseason - I am so excited by this man's potential! We were good before - we are scary good now.

Mamba24 - thanks for adding me to the "Change the Icons" bandwagon. This green crap ain't going to fly here!!!!

And now to address the trolls:

Balloon Animal Guy - WTH??? You come on here as a green weenie - a newbie - and proceed to insult LakerTom??? WTH??? Get your green ass back to MA where it belongs. No one here cares about your team or what you think. If you can't be civilized .... oh, wait a second... I'm dealing with a troll here... never mind. Just keep in mind that if LakerTom or any other blog regular wants to wax on a bit about his favorite football team, or baseball team, or college team, or high school team, WE DON'T MIND. In fact, most of us do it a little bit here and there. IT'S OUR BLOG. Go run your own if you don't like what you find here.

Green ASS-terick - dude - get a freaking life. Your boys are OLD - geritol old. You really think none of them will get an injury this year??? They're injury prone just walking down a flight of stairs. Someone's going to break a hip and then that wheelchair will REALLY be needed. As a matter of fact, you should probably line up an entire fleet of wheelchairs now. You can probably get a good deal on them, what with needing so many in this economy and all.... And don't forget - your history may be glorious but just what exactly have you done lately???? Like in the past 20 years??? ONE championship??? So what that it came at our expense??? You couldn't even beat the team that WE BEAT last year to win our ring. Make it back to the Finals and we'll talk.

131 - They don't have blogs in Boston? HAHAHAHA!!! No wonder you come on here. You really should come over to the light 131. It's all Purple & Gold and it's really pretty. You're wasting your time trying to beautify green pond scum. No one likes pond scum.

So whilst I dig ya stats they won't do as much damage to the haterade out there but championships will. Good thing there's lots of championship in our near future. Lots and lots of them. Great time to be a laker fan. Enjoy!! Posted by: segeboy fka taliq | October 19, 2009 at 08:58 AM

SHO YOU RIGHT SHERIFF!!!

>>>>
1. Will Lakers get past the second round this year.
>>>>

Actually, the question is if the septics will make it past the second round.
They didn't do it last year, though the Lakers did.

No asterisk if you guys can't even show up for the Finals.

LA Lakers 2009 NBA Champoins

justanothermambafan - no insults. Just don't think this is an appropriate forum for God or baseball. Also, I live out here now, no plans to go back to MA. Jon K told me ALL lakers fans have class. You must be the exception to the rule. I have insulted no one, and have no plans to leave this wonderful forum where I have been shown such love and respect. However, your WORDS have wounded me deeply - you are clearly a tough, tough guy, so I guess I better leave before you really get pissed at me!!!!! :) Have a great day and good luck to the lakers. There is nothing like a Celtics/lakers Finals. There is nothing like it in all of sports. We need each other and feed off each other. Thanks for the kind words, and happy posting!!

Dribble Dribble is still trying to figure out why the court has 4 corners if he is supposed to be playing the triangle.
Posted by: 131-92 | October 19, 2009 at 09:31 AM

AHHH! I thought that would wake you up 131. How are you this morning? How does it feel to live in the time of Laker Dynasty 4? Must be thrilling for a purist like you. Sorry next Tuesday Phil gets his Ring and passes up Red but that's the way it goes. Looking forward to the Lakers seeing your team in the finals sir. May the best team win, which of course is the Lakers.

balloon animal guy -

You started it when you tried telling LakerTom that he shouldn't talk about baseball on here AND when you tried telling utzworld he shouldn't be praying on here.

These are blog regulars and the community here that they have contributed to is one of the reasons why most of us are on here.

If they - or anyone - want to talk a bit of baseball, or pray our Lakers do well, or talk about the merits of veganism, or why twitter is the devil, or why cats are taking over the world - well it's FINE BY US.

You're the newbie - you're the one who should take a back seat until you know what flavor the koolaid is.

Seriously.

Mamba24 -

I know, I know. It's just that these idiot trolls come on here blathering on about .... well - who cares. They're idiot trolls blathering on...

WE WANT PURPLE & GOLD ICONS!!!!!!!!

Make it so.

*
CHANGE THE ICONS FROM GREEN TO PURPLE & GOLD – BANDWAGON
*
(01) LAKER TOM – OWNER
(02) MAMBA24 – DRIVER – WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING GREEN ICONS!
(03) JUSTANOTHERMAMBAFAN – RIDING SHOTGUN
(04) SEGEBoy - SHERIFF
(05) Yellow Fever - Hell yeah mamba! pls add me to both bandwagons. 34 in a row is only possible if luke never puts on the warmups and green icons in a laker blog

Posted by: mamba24 | October 19, 2009 at 08:02 AM

P.S. (for Balloon Guy) - Is the 11th Commandment "Thou Shalt Not (Flame) Play The Dozens?" I didn't see that one in my Bible. Maybe I have a bad translation or something.

Still Have The Balloons,

Phil did not coach the Bulls back when Artest was a Bull that is true. However, Tim Floyd still ran the triangle. See the triangle is not a proprietary system that only Phil Jackson and his staff can use - any team/coach can choose to run it or not. As a matter of fact I believe several NBA teams uses aspects of the triangle - none do it as much or as in depth as Phil/Lakers.

Peace,
EagleBoy

Another great day in the midst of the 4th Dynasty

Who do you guys think will be our primary adversary this season??

There's a long line of teams that would love to take the honor of losing to us -
Let's see:
Orlando Magic
Cleveland Cavs
Portland Blazers
San Antonio Spurs
Denver Nuggets

My vote is for Cleveland in the East, and Portland in the West

It's sort of like trying to decide what to eat for dinner, there's not really a bad choice, but I am curious.

How about you guys?

And, I'm just going to chime in right now and say that I was right about Ammo, right about Farmar, and right about Brown (as were most people here). It was nice to see Ammo feelin' it last night, and hopefully he's grown comfortable enough in the triangle, and comfortable enough with his teammates that he'll be the bench player I had envisioned for the season - I think so.

Right now it doesn't look like Farmar is trade bait, he's looking more like replacement material - let's hope he continues the positive attitude.

Ah, the 4th Dynasty. Life is good fellas.

How did Artest learn the triangle offense again?
Have a great day, and happy posting!! Posted by: stillhavethoseballoons? | October 19, 2009 at 10:02 AM

Ah Mr. Ballon, Tim Floyd was the coach and if you check they continued running the Triangle with Tim Floyd and after he was fired they continued running it with Bill Cartwright who was on 3 of those Bulls championship teams. So sir me thinks your basketball knwolege may be a little lacking when it comes to the Bulls, the triangle and the Lakers. By the way did you think Phil jackson is the only one that knows the triangle Tex has dozens of disciples and as Laker mike says the triangle use to be a staple for many colleges as well as high schools. It's just a refined form of the triple posts.

AHHH! I thought that would wake you up 131. How are you this morning? How does it feel to live in the time of Laker Dynasty 4? Must be thrilling for a purist like you. Sorry next Tuesday Phil gets his Ring and passes up Red but that's the way it goes. Looking forward to the Lakers seeing your team in the finals sir. May the best team win, which of course is the Lakers.

Posted by: mamba24 | October 19, 2009 at 10:12 AM

Im doing well! How you are doing? Phil will get his 10th ring and pass Red but only cuz Red decided to retire early. If Red woulda coached til Philips' age he would have 5 more. But whatever.

Philip reminds me of an ambulance chasing attorney!

Tim.

Not to give credit to the greenie weenies running around crapping everywhere, but there is no primary adversary for the Los Angeles Lakers other than the Boston Celtics. Period. Dwight, LeBron, Duncan, and Denver are really NON-FACTORS. Bring on the Celtics, the only team worthy of being our rival.

Excellent game last night. Despite missing a lot of cripples in the first half, Drew looked like he was finally getting back the glue on those great hands. I saw him grab at least a half dozen passes and rebounds that I couldn’t believe he got. Great effort and great hands. With the Beast “beastifying” the Clippers, we didn’t even need the other two-thirds of our Big Three to outrebound and outscore them. Andrew also really picked up his effort and rebounding in the second half when his shot was off.

I agree also that Farmar is looking good as well as Shannon and Ammo. Jordan continues to show why he is the best prospect on the team to succeed Fisher. I really like Shannon playing shooting guard next to Jordan. He does not have the point guard skills (as he again clearly showed last night) but he definitely can throw down some great dunks and play tough defense against bigger physical guards. In my mind, both guys are keepers even though the jury is out as to whether they will ever be starters.

It was nice to see Ammo bury those 3-pointers. If there is a spot to be won on the roster, it would be by a guy who can hit from downtown. Seeing Ammo and Sasha bury their 3’s as the team’s 2 dead eye long range shooters has to be good news for the Lakers. Not to mention Jordan and Shannon also hitting their open 3’s. A big key for this team on offense and defense is going to be 3-point shooting percentages. We need to hit our open shots to keep teams honest on offense and hold down opponent 3-point shooting on defense. In fact, I believe we would be well served to establish a defensive priority to never leave defenders open for those high percentage corner 3’s.

Tom

Philip reminds me of an ambulance chasing attorney! Posted by: 131-92 | October 19, 2009 at 10:46 AM

Ahahaha very good sir, but he learned from the best. Red himself. I guess all those Hall of famers didn't help Red win the Titles, it was just good old fashion coaching.
I don't care how good a coach you are if you aint got the horses you aint' going to the dance and I believe those Celtics Squads had what was it 9 or 10 Hall of Famers?

Tim-4-show,

I'm partial to having Lebron show up from the East, and apparently so is the NBA. There are alot more story lines there....Shaq vs. our TriTowers, Kobe and Lebron (or Artest). IMO, we'd sweep em, since I don't think too highly of Mike Brown.

To be honest, I'm more worried about the Spurs since they've always had a good system, have a lack of egos or screaming maniacs, and have the chops to be consistently good over a long period of time. You know Popovich is going to have those guys primed for the postseason.

Nothing beats having the 4th dynasty though. I just see an extended period of dominance given that our Fab 4 are in their primes with a young Jedi in the mix.

I mean, in 2005, did you ever think we'd be able to boast a line up in their primes that features:

Kobe
Artest
Lamar
Gasol?

Did you ever think Bynum would be in the conversation of league's best centers? Even if there are people that think he's not, there are equal amounts of people who think that he is gifted.

Not to mention Jordan, Fish, Sasha, or Shannon, who give us a myriad of talents and skill sets to contain whatever guard is thrown at us.

Indeed, it is a good time to be a Laker fan. But even then, its always a good time to be a Laker fan.

Mamba24-

That green icon sure looks good on you! Did you do that subconsciously? Not quite the right shade but close enough. Welcome my friend!

1AndDone:

They're still sweeping up the confetti off the Coliseum grass from that big party we had last June. I got some video taken from my phone if you wanna see it.

:)

See what I mean, Balloon Guy? This will NEVER EVER END!

Posted by: utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER | October 19, 2009 at 10:25 AM

Banner Folder-

Thanks for the offer but I watched the video on COPS!

Stillhavetheballoons,

Time for you to let go of the balloons, and go hide in your parents' attic.
Don't worry, we won't tell!

Hey 131, KG choosing to sign on with 2 great players doesn't seem like ambulance chasing....

...nor is KG's injury akin to Red's retiring. I mean, if KG wasn't injured he'd have won 5 more too right? RIIIGHTT...

I'm just sayin...

Posted by: #4 | October 19, 2009 at 11:12 AM

#4-

I think its different when a player who has never won one does it then someone with 6 already trying to set the record. I dont call Dribble Dribble an ambulance chaser cuz he has never won and is actually taking a pay cut to lose errr win one.

...nor is KG's injury akin to Red's retiring. I mean, if KG wasn't injured he'd have won 5 more too right? RIIIGHTT...
I'm just sayin... Posted by: #4 | October 19, 2009 at 11:12 AM

AHAHAHA ROFLMFAO!!! STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!!!
OH THE HUMANITY!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!