Blame Game….Post season grades

Total team effort in losing this one.

FO gave away Sasha and made poor choice with Theo (Grade B-)

PJ failed to prepare Ebanks, and staff could never figure defense to slow down Mavs (Grade C-)

Pau – very subpar in both rounds. (Grade D+)

Bynum - Very good vs NO…slipped some vs. Dallas, but showed passion in gm3 (Grade B-)

Kobe – Still very good, but noticeable slippage in the clutch (Grade B)

Artest – One game suspension was very costly (Grade C)

Fish – Couldn’t hit anything in elimination game (Grade C)

LO – Not a 6th man worthy postseason (Grade C)

Killer B’s – underachieved. Blake and Brown had both positive and negative moments, while Barnes never was a factor (Grade C-)

First, congrats to the Mavs. In so many ways, this team was built to deal with the Lakers: match interior size with size and take advantage of guards by spreading out and hitting 3s. I personally thought that would fail over a 7 game series, but obviously I was wrong! I've never seen shooting like what I saw yesterday, not in a game and not in a practice. Once the Dallas players got going, it didn't matter what defense the Lakers played.

Second, thanks to the Lakers for an incredible decade. If, as so many suggest, this is the end of an era, then it was an incredible ride. The highs far outweigh the lows, at least for me. As a longtime fan, I've seen the best and the worst and I realize that not every year is going to turn out with a parade. This hurts a lot, but last year was so gratifying. I would not trade the one to avoid the other, it's all tied together.

Unfortunately, many of the fears I had for this season all came together in this series. The signs were there all year, but I really thought we would make it back to the Finals. This sort of ass-kicking at least focuses the organization!

I know we all have our own opinions of what should happen next. Let me just say I will still support this team and its players. It is much, much better to be a Laker fan and come here to celebrate or commiserate with fellow fans. The alternative is to be some jackass that trolls on another team's board whooping it up about winning a series. No thanks!

The Mother's Day Massacre of 2011 will serve notice to the League. The fallen champion will regroup, reload, recommit, restore, relive, and repent. The end of ANOTHER Lakers Dynasty only signals the inevitable: the beginning of the NEXT Lakers Dynasty.

1949

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2010

Thank you, Laker Nation!

DBDH!

MM..

WTH! I just woke up and I'm angry. I want a place to vent my thoughts and I don't want to wait two hours to see my comments posted.

Lakers just got swept and I want to commiserate with my fellow lakerfans.. Have a freakin heart here! Damn!

"÷ They proved through the series that Derek Fisher should not be getting more than 8 minutes a game because he's a complete liability out there - but Lakers fans all season have pointed to an occasional big shot to justify his 30 minutes of ineptitude. …"

"…They proved that Phil Jackson was incapable of making adjustments in a series without the stellar assistant coaches who aren't there any more."

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks. I wish you luck in the playoffs, and I hope you don't give another title to Miami (come on... don't do it!).

Some things I really like about your team:

1. You play with poise.
2. You have great shooters.
3. You have the size to match up with most teams in the league.
4. Coach Carlisle has done an excellent job this season.

Some things I don't like about your team:

1. You are floppiest of floppers. It's amazing, really.
2. The "three goggles" after made 3s. Honestly, though, I think I'm just jealous. My Lakers rarely have the opportunity to earn "three goggles."
3. Mark Cuban. He bugs that crap out of me. But I'm sure he's a great owner, and I respect him.

You played great team basketball. You shot unbelievably well. I've never seen the basket look THAT big before.

Congratulations. I hope we meet again soon.

Go Lake Show!

Very disappointed in Odom and Bynum's display at the end. Odom at least said it was wrong and wished he hadn't done it, and Bynum's comments showed no remorse. The final outcome was predictable from the first game. I hope those that blame Gasol will read the nba stats because they do give him a higher EFF rating for the series than kobe. Gasol led the team in assists and kobe led the team in turnovers and missed shots, allowing almost as many points to be scored against him than what he was scoring. Its fun to watch kobe's fancy shots, but it is painfull to watch all the rediculous misses.

Any Jonny boy K sightings ?

Enough with the recriminations about the players. They gave 100% but their tank was dry. This playoff loss was easily seen at the start of the season after having lost two quick guards and a quick small forward only to replace them with three aging players. The team started to ware down at the end of the reegular season and was worn out by the 2nd round having to chase and "funnel" the smaller quick guards. Couple that with the refs allowing a very physical game with the bigs and you have the results as demonstrated. Enough also with the shocked expressions about the two hard fouls at the end of the game. Time was when a guard was piling it on, driving for an uncontested layup when the game was out of reach, they were taught that you dont embarass a team that way. Cann't anyone remember the bad boy Pistons or the Celtics Chief or many orther centers defending their basket as Bynum did? Perhaps Bynum should have swiped at the ball a bit, but that would have only made the foul harder IMO.

CHECKING IN . . .

I am assuming that in the days and weeks to follow comments of ridicule and emotional venting will flow freely here. It is what happens at the end of EVERY season that does NOT end with a championship. Those of us who have been along for the ride for a long time (first heart break was in '69 here), understand this.

I have been called out recently by a few bloggers here, requesting I show up. My absence has been due to my disattisfaction to an increasingly immature tone of junior-high-school-like drivel that seems to smother attempts at entertaining and insightful dialogues of Lakers and NBA. (Hopefully a cure to this malady will be implemented before the LA Times discovers it has lost what was once a robust community of readers and bloggers.)

Today I check in, out of respect to my fellow bloggers and to affirm my fan support for the Lakers. Today is a gloomy day. Disappointment. Questions. Heartache. Even a bit of anger (however misplaced it may be).

But...
--even in the face of unseemly postings here that defame others...
--even in the aftermath of a very disappointing ending to a disappointing season
--even as I wince at an uncertain near future (labor issues) and long-term future (rebuilding?)
--even as I field text messages, emails, and face-to-face tauntings of family, friends, and acquaintances who seem to exalt in this opportunity to take this painful loss and rub it in

I am checking in today. I am here. Present and accounted for. Life goes on.

1. Thanks to those of you who were the voices of concern all season long, unafraid to speak your mind, yet with respect and continued support of the team.

2. Thanks to those of you who were the voices of unwavering loyalty, some may say "blind" loyalty, but none-the-less a season-long force of positive energy and respect.

3. Thanks to those of you who are NOT Lakers fans (eg 131-92) who were contrary voices, respectful yet edgy time and time again.

4. Thanks to MM for his tireless efforts in keeping us informed, even when managing the comments half of his job obviously overwhelmed him.

5. Last, but not least, thanks to the Lakers organization for providing me a wonderful ride through five decades of fandom.

I am checking in today.
--In the face of adversity.
--In respect to my fellow bloggers.

And, I am NOT checking out.
Mike

CHECKING IN . . .

I am assuming that in the days and weeks to follow comments of ridicule and emotional venting will flow freely here. It is what happens at the end of EVERY season that does NOT end with a championship. Those of us who have been along for the ride for a long time (first heart break was in '69 here), understand this.

I have been called out recently by a few bloggers here, requesting I show up. My absence has been due to my disattisfaction to an increasingly immature tone of junior-high-school-like drivel that seems to smother attempts at entertaining and insightful dialogues of Lakers and NBA. (Hopefully a cure to this malady will be implemented before the LA Times discovers it has lost what was once a robust community of readers and bloggers.)

Today I check in, out of respect to my fellow bloggers and to affirm my fan support for the Lakers. Today is a gloomy day. Disappointment. Questions. Heartache. Even a bit of anger (however misplaced it may be).

But...
--even in the face of unseemly postings here that defame others...
--even in the aftermath of a very disappointing ending to a disappointing season
--even as I wince at an uncertain near future (labor issues) and long-term future (rebuilding?)
--even as I field text messages, emails, and face-to-face tauntings of family, friends, and acquaintances who seem to exalt in this opportunity to take this painful loss and rub it in

I am checking in today. I am here. Present and accounted for. Life goes on.

1. Thanks to those of you who were the voices of concern all season long, unafraid to speak your mind, yet with respect and continued support of the team.

2. Thanks to those of you who were the voices of unwavering loyalty, some may say "blind" loyalty, but none-the-less a season-long force of positive energy and respect.

3. Thanks to those of you who are NOT Lakers fans (eg 131-92) who were contrary voices, respectful yet edgy time and time again.

4. Thanks to MM for his tireless efforts in keeping us informed, even when managing the comments half of his job obviously overwhelmed him.

5. Last, but not least, thanks to the Lakers organization for providing me a wonderful ride through five decades of fandom.

I am checking in today.
--In the face of adversity.
--In respect to my fellow bloggers.

And, I am NOT checking out.
Mike

In terms of Howard, Ric Bucher on ESPN, said that it would be up to Howard to drive any conversation as to where he would be willing to go. Howard for Bynum? Again, all depends on the sales job Kobe can make to Dwight.

Howard, CP and DWill all have the Melo Option during and after next season. They all will drive the conversation. Melo wanted to go to NY and that's exactly where he went. If their respective teams trade them to a team they don't want to go to, they simply can be Free agents after next season and whoever has them will be out of major luck. Melo was NOT going to sign with NJ, so the Nuggs could, basically, only trade him to where he wanted to go. These players can virtually demand and if they aren't met, their teams would get NOTHING, like Cleveland for LeBron and Toronto for Bosh. Might be a fun off-season!?

Hey sorry for the delay in comments. Unfortunately I have to have it on moderation because of the handle jacks. Here is a proposal, though I know some have been reluctant in embracing this in the past. Many of our blogs have required users to sign in through Facebook, making it possible to share items on your facebook page and minimizing any worry about a handle jack getting stolen. I can pass along to upper management what you guys think of that idea

MM, It's a thought, not crazy about opening a FB page though. How about holding live chats every (day or as you can) so often? Most of us know you do what you can and we appreciate it.

So much for the “Kobe versus Jordan” non-debate debate.

I don’t recall Jordan ever quitting.

All the blame for Pau is misguided at best...this team starts and ends with Ballhog Bryant.

Recall, Kobe wasn't doing jack without Shaq or Pau. Shaq as the clear #1 and Pau as the clear #2.

Posters just need to stop complaining and learn how to use the "scroll wheel." Medina is "darned if he does and darned if he doesn't" with "insta post." Stop being so "old!"

This isn't phils jackson retirement ceremony.. Why are we sitting here congratulating him after he just got his arse handed to him by carlisle and got outcoached again??

He better take his damn triangle with him.. Its obvious its not gonna work anymore with an aging kobe who can't bail him out anymore.. A triangle would require years of learning curve of which we cannot afford with new players.. We need a coach who understand Xs and Os and will finally draw up plays to free up kobe...

And dfish better call it quits so he can retire with some pride.. Do the right thing and don't make the lakers force you out.. Turn in ur uniforms grab that clipboard and for chists sake take luke with you!

Checking in here -

That was a pretty terrible loss. Pretty awful feeling. Internally, I was worried about Dallas being able to sweep us, but hoped for the best.

I too am looking forward to the exit interviews to get a glimpse of where everyone is headed. I worry though that the upcoming labor strife will put a muzzle on things.

Congrats to the Mavs for doing what they needed to do in game 4 - never let the foot off the pedal. It will be curious to see how they match up with the winner of the other WC series between Memphis and OKC.

I'll try to save any trade-talk/analysis/etc. until the labor agreement gets done - no need for me to get hyped up about things when there is a distinct possibility that the next season may not even happen.

Pau has logged more regular season minutes this season since 2006, when he was only 25 years. And a lot of those minutes were expended banging bodies against natural centers because Bynum was not available and Ratliff was injured. From another perspective, he logged more than double the playing minutes of Bynum and almost 300 minutes more than the closest Laker (Kobe). As someone else noted, he already looked burned by December.

In the Mavs series, an already worn-down Gasol was tasked with guarding one-on-one the most difficult 7-footer to cover. If you don't think guarding Dirk saps your energy, just look at the drop in Kobe's productivity when he has to guard difficult opponents like DWade.

Pau's tank was running on fumes.

It's amazing how the irresponsibility of ladies can cause grown men to crumble.

Some lunatic psycho accuses Kobe of rape and it ultimately causes the Lakers to lose our Championship in 2005.

LeBron's mom loses all sense of healthy boundaries and it causes the Cavs to implode and psychically scars a community desperate for a hero.

Pau's fiance lacks the basic moral fiber to wait until AFTER the playoffs to dump Pau and it costs Los Angeles a Championship and scars millions of people emotionally.

What pathetic, histrionic selfishness.

Pau, dude, you broke my heart this playoffs, but I feel your pain. That girl wasn't worthy of your love. She is flat out a bad person.

What do we play for? RINGS!!!

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

GO LAKERS!!!

This team showed their true colors Sunday. They have no class. The two thugs on the team should be suspended from the NBA for life. They brought disgrace to their team and to the city of LA. I used to be a laker fan but, from now on I will be routing for the other team.

My Lakers flag still flying high on my car window today.

David Friedman said... on his blog "20 Second Timeout"

"I don't put any stock into random rumors--and even if the rumors are true, Gasol is a very highly paid professional who has an obligation to perform well. Joe Dumars won the Finals MVP after his father died and many other players have overcome personal tragedies or injuries to author great playoff performances.

Gasol has been soft for his whole career, so what we are seeing is not really new; the only differences are that he has never played quite this badly and that Kobe is not able to put on the Superman cape to rescue the Lakers from Gasol and the non-existent bench."

Sunday, May 08, 2011 3:30:00 AM

nikka please Dallas rules

Jeter,
While the players you mentioned all have club options, it is different than the Melo case because of the lockout.

The OWNERS completely control the fate of Williams, Paul (although NO IS owned by the league) and Howard. Here is why:
since there may be no games next year anyway, they will give them all a take it or leave it offer - with no games anyway, what do they care? If they choose to leave it, they will be making about 1/3 less with another team, which is not the lakers since kobe will take up about 1/2 the cap by himself. OR, they will trade them where the owners want them to go - would you rather get 2 players for Howard, or 1 who's not as good? "So, Dwight, here is your max contract offer - sign it and stay with us for the next 5 years and we'll build around you. OR, after the lockout, become a FA, sign with another team with cap space like CLE or MN and start all over again, and good luck to you."

Melo was unique - the owners will let these guys go - what do they care?

@LROB ... Like all your posts, extremely fair grades. Ending like this is especially hard for bloggers like me who wear their hearts on their sleeves but it is only one season and we will reload and come back better than ever. Thanks for all your efforts at keeping us positive and focused. You are the class of this blogging group without a doubt and I look forward to sharing many more rings.
...............................................................................
@CCX ... I agree with your post. As Lakers fans, we have more to be grateful for than any other NBA fans. Even though we want to win every year, reality is that we have to let other teams win once in a while. Yes, we made front office and coaching mistakes but you can’t predict things like Pau falling apart. I am sure Mitch and Jerry will make the right decisions moving forward. We will be back.
...............................................................................
@NUGGETSCOUNTRY ... Well, we did not win but we still have you in good health and that is more important than a championship. Congrats on another Friedman. Rick would be proud of you. Looking forward to sharing more championships with you in the future. Stay healthy and relax.
...............................................................................
@LAKERMIKE ... Welcome back, Mike. There will be more wins and more championships in the years to come. Time now for us just to be grateful for everything this team has accomplished in the last three years. Wished it was four rings but 2 out 4 ain’t bad and 3 out of 5 will be our next goal.
...............................................................................
@DEREK JETER... Not to rain on your little parade, but if anybody is traded from this team it needs to be Pau Gasol, whose play is the primary reason why the team chemistry and trust fell apart as the year ended. To trade Drew and keep Pau would be tantamount to rewarding his bailing on the team. Yeah, let’s ignore all the problems at point guard, small forward, and power forward and trade the guy who played best all playoffs and keep those who didn’t. That’s like a Botox move, DJ.
...............................................................................
TOM

BTW,
Magic is no longer my favorite Laker. His remarks on the Lakers all season long make him look like an unintelligent ESPN Bandwagoner.
Get a clue Magic and have some respect for the Franchise who gave you the forum to become great!

HEY! KL Beast is back! Not surprised - he has to get his licks in on Kobe

>>>So much for the “Kobe versus Jordan” non-debate debate.
>>>I don’t recall Jordan ever quitting.
>>>All the blame for Pau is misguided at best...this team starts and ends with
>>>Ballhog Bryant.
>>>Recall, Kobe wasn't doing jack without Shaq or Pau. Shaq as the clear #1
>>>and Pau as the clear #2.

Wait, wasn't it you that said:

1. NO Free agent will ever want to play with Kobe. WRONG

2. Kobe will NEVER win any championships as the #1 player. WRONG

You just can't quit hatin' on Kobe and being wrong, can you? let me enlighten you on a few things:

Michael Jordan was swept out of the playoffs twice, and lost two series with only 1 win as well. He also missed the playoffs for two seasons. It's funny how Michael fans all think he made it to the finals every year and won a title every year. He didn't.

Just because your team loses doesn't mean you quit. It didn't mean it for MJ, and it doesn't mean it for Kobe. Just like MJ, Kobe's team faced a talented, better prepared team and got beat.

You call Kobe a ballhog, yet Kobe averaged less shots per game in this Dallas series than in all of those series that MJ lost. In the two series that Mikey got swept, he averaged 29 attempts per game. In this Dallas series, Kobe averaged 21 attempts per game. In fact, the only game the Lakers NEARLY won was because Kobe took 29 attempts.

Now who's a ball-hog? Kobe? Or your precious MJ?

Kobe was DELIBERATELY passing more because they were TRYING to take advantage of the Pau & Drew front court. It didn't work. Because the "clear #2 Pau" was shooting less than 50% for the series. Seriously, how does a 7-footer with some of the best post skills in the league shoot 42% for a series?

You're blaming Kobe for the loss, but other than the last 3 quarters of game 4, when he started desperately trying to shoot the Lakers back into the game (too late), he was shooting near 50%.

Seriously KL Beast, your hate of Kobe and your ignorance of the history of the NBA know no bounds.

LRob,

Since you started the Lets Grade the Team game, here's another set of grades.

Since it is well know that the Lakers play for Championships, or at least making it to the finals, this year was a failure.

These grades are just for this year, past years don't count ya know, just like in school, it doesn't matter what grades you got last semester.

Buss - spent $90 mill++ but wouldn't open up the wallet before the all-star break to try and improve obvious deficiencies, Grade F

Mitch - do I even need to list all the brilliant moves he made this past year, Grade F

Phil - should have left last year and he knew it, the team wasn't prepared from a technical standpoint and lousy time mgmt of players minutes, Grade F

All the players - they should have known better than to embrace any type of "practice season" or flipping switches mentality. Team chemistry was lousy, effort was inconsistent, attitude stunk, look in the mirror guys, Grade F

They all failed and will be held back a year. Some of them, hopefully, will be expelled or will transfer to another school.

lakers returning to la defeated priceless!!!!!!!!

>>>It's amazing how the irresponsibility of ladies can cause grown men to crumble.

Jon K,

You left out Vanessa getting offended by some innocent flirting by Karl Malone and driving him away before a season when they could REALLY have used him.

and also Khloe dragging Lamar into some reality show and distracting him from doing his job when he was most needed.

Laker Season Wrap-up
1. In summary, it was truly a great run, no matter how badly it ended. Plenty of great memories, and lots of thanks to go around. The current hurt is bitter, but it won’t last long against all the highlights of the last 4 years, if not the last 10.
2. Our fate this year was sealed from the very start. Phil, as great as his legacy is, simply should not have returned. His heart wasn’t in it, and in the end, neither was his team’s. No small coincidence there.
3. The triangle offense is to the NBA, what the single wing offense is to the NFL. Methodical. Powerful. Predictable. And ultimately, outdated and beatable. One went out about 50 years ago, the other has just left the building, never to return.
4. Rule #1 for “inside-out” strategy: you better have at least one guy who can consistently hit the outside shot. The Mavs had at least 4 guys who could. We had none. Ergo, we had an "inside-none" offense.
5. The nucleus of this team (Kobe, Bynum, Pau, and Lamar) can absolutely, positively win #17 next year…but NOT if they don’t have a young, quick, athletic elite PG that can also consistently hit the outside shot, game in and game out. As much as most of us love Fish (and I do), it’s time. The bad news: NONE of the non-nucleus remaining players is worth enough to get the required PG.
6. Ergo, I agree with Magic, you have to blow up this team and remake it, not just tweak it. Lots of possibilities once you make this “all in” decision. My gut tells me that our best shot is: Bynum for Howard, Pau for Deron Williams (yes, I like him more than CP3). And trade ALL the remaining players except Odom, Barnes, Ebanks, and Caracter for Kyle Korver. You could have the Singing Nuns to fill out the bench and this team would still win #17. I truly hate to lose both Bynum and Pau, but the truth is, Bynum will never have Laker DNA/smarts/class, and Pau will never have the toughness needed to play PF against the elite teams in this league.
7. Next coach: Rick Adelman. Honestly, my first choice would be Monty Williams of the New Orleans Hornets. Young, smart, classy, great strategist, and cool under pressure, but may not have the chops yet for such a veteran team. Adelman has it all, and the veterans will respect him. No way that Brian Shaw or Kurt Rambis could handle the new team.
8. System: SHOWTIME! No more plodding half-court, lazy pass, lazy cut nonsense…triangle, rhombus, whateva, be gone! This is L.A…the entertainment capital of the world…play like it.
9. Lastly, no matter what, no matter who plays or who coaches, I love our Lakers and will cheer for them win or lose.

LAKER AMIGOS, LET’S RIDE!!!

@ LakerTom - I get that for some reason you really dislike Pau, but did you just finish watching the same series. The Lakers lost because they had zero outside shooting and zero perimeter defense (neither of those have anything to do with Pau Gasol). Pau was terrible and deserves a C to C- for the season but to say he should be traded is ignoring the things this guy has given the Lakers including way too much time on the court this year. The guy has looked tired since late in the season and the fact that he logged such heavy minutes all year to cover for an oft injured center is a main reason for the fatigue. I will even say that trading Pau would be okay only if the Lakers got something of equal to greater value which will be next to impossible. Hopefully Bynum can string together a whole season next year, history is against him, but until then I would take Pau Gasol over the hobbled Andrew any day.

I think the positives outweigh the negatives on a FB requirement.

The reasons are because I truly believe the blog, as a community, will decay due to massive trolling and handle jacking.

What gets people engaged to comment is well thought out opinions of fellow Laker fans. When someone comes here and sees a bunch of garbage, it doesn't really look like a community but just a hodgepodge of anti-laker sentiment peppered with random decent posts.

In other words, I think Handle Jacks and terrible posts by trolls will turn away far more people than a FB requirement.

Andy L,

The thing with Sasha or Farmar isn't that these guys would have made all that much of a difference in the end. It's more a symbol of the trouble with the roster.

We tell Farmar to GTFO because Fisher is so much better than him, and he will never get his chance here, so move on. Besides, we'll replace you with Steve Blake.

To Mitch: How'd that work out for ya?

Then, to save money, we ship Sasha to the same place in return for worn useless parts. When our three point shooting allows Dallas to contain our inside game and truly costs us the series, we wonder if a sharp shooting guard would have spread the court and allowed the team to function a little better. Sure, we saved 6 million... but by getting swept, we just lost 20 million at least in lost revenue.

To Mitch: How'd that work out for ya?

It's not that these guys are incredible, just that the team as a whole kept swapping one guy for someone worse and someone older, and it didn't work.

OK.. OKAY!!, Lets bring Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to the LAKERS! and get rid of fisher and pau or Drew.. Lets move on!!! GO! LAKERS!!!!

131-92

Do you think you're classy? I don't recall reading you here last year after game 7. It's so easy to beat someone who just lost, try to come here when your boys will be out after this round.

"The nucleus of this team (Kobe, Bynum, Pau, and Lamar) can absolutely, positively win #17 next year…but NOT if they don’t have a young, quick, athletic elite PG that can also consistently hit the outside shot, game in and game out. As much as most of us love Fish (and I do), it’s time." - Corner J

If we can get D Howard, we do it for either Pau or Bynum.
If not, we trade Pau for CP3.
I do not consider this "blowing up the team."

Say, 131-92, some of us here (including me) once thought you were classy too. Guess you just couldn't resist piling on here. Well, pull up a chair alongside us, bro, because you're going to be watching somebody else play in the finals too.

Posted by: CornerJ | May 09, 2011 at 11:41 AM

Im not piling on! Im giving you my opinion. Opinions that I had and posted prior to yesterday. I understand you may not like them but it is what it is. We may lose but I hope we dont act that way in defeat. Its one thing to be frustrated, which I understand, I dont expect any player to like losing but you cant take guys out like that. And its not his first time doing it!

Its ok to lose, you guys have a great run but dont go out that way!!

We had to lose sooner or later. Let's all look forward to our next rise to glory

"ALL I WANT IS FOR OUR MULTI-MILLIONAIRE PLAYERS TO PLAY BASKETBALL!!!!!

ALL I WANT IS FOR OUR PLAYERS TO BE BASKETBALL PLAYERS!!!

THAT IS ALL I WANT!!!!

AND THAT IS ALL WE SHOULD EXPECT AS LAKERAHOLICS!!!

NOTHING MORE!!! NOTHING LESS!!!!

Posted by: Jon K. | May 09, 2011 at 10:15 AM
"

I second this! I posted something like this in the past day or so.....and on twitter directly to LO and RA!

MM: Thanks for the Friedman! (Wish my statement was just a Twilght Zone bad dream, but truly, we may get back to a team we can be proud of next year.) Just got back on and am happy to see some old compadre's on the blog today after the rancid trolls had their day or so. Hard to get back with friends here when there are so many jerks just infiltrating our Laker fandom blog. Sure, we have our own disagreements from time to time, but we still attempt to be supportive of our Lakers. Some have more criticism (like me) than others want to hear, but basically all of us are pulling for a win come game time. So, it will still be hard to navigate past the jerks and trolls who really should stick to their own Celtics/Heat/Mavs/??? blog to state their hatred of the Lakers or Kobe or whomever Laker they prefer to rant against. That way they can have their own anti-Laker compadre's in their own blog and we faithful don't have to get bored to trying to find a friendly presence with searching web pages past the garbage.

Thanks to LRob, LakerTom, PsychedLakerGirl, mclyne, et al for your ack and concern. I am off to see what comes of exit interviews and my Chargers state of affairs, but will hope for some of the changes I have spouted the past few days/weeks/months for the Lake Show!

I think maybe PJ's exit will bring a more competitive Lakers team if the FO can work some magic/miracles (may need Jim Buss and MK removal, but whatever....) to get us better matchups against the NBA personnel trends that only we have failed to put in our lineup.

My biggest distaste is how we have wasted yet another potential ring for Kobe's quest for GOAT with inferior talent/desire/effort surrounding him. He is obviously on his downslope for athleticism, but still could have a couple more rings (this year too, but....) if he had some younger/quicker support for chasing waterbug guards and 3pt shooters.

I see a post about KObe and defensive all-NBA team, which I object to, so I'll go read it further. (My opinion, but his centerfield roaming cost us a lot of games this year and last!) I was a defensive specialist and as much as I love Kobe's game, this year he doesn't deserve this particular accolade. Only being ranked 4th as MVP is absurd once again. Voting writers are jerks and Kobe-haters.

My window is closing for rebuilding Laker teams, so I hope Jerry barges into the FO and makes whatever it takes happen while we have Kobe with something left!

I have seen some posts telling me that the lane belongs to bynumskull? Wow? He can injure or kill anyone in his lane???? Please post the section of the rule book where I can read that! I guess that is why the great pajama was whining! Doesn't pj mean pajamas??????

To LONGTIME LAKER FAN,Jordan lost only came about because Phil Jackson was NOT his HEAD COACH,when Phil Jackson became head coach of the Bulls Jordan won everyrthing,the Bulls won 6 Nba titles in 8 years,so it seem as thought Longtime Lakerfan dont have a clue about the history of basketball,so the Beast was right this last Laker series with the Mavericks just bring an end to Bulls Lakers dynasty and the Jordan kobe talk.And its time for Laker fans to recognised that there is no way that one could compare Kobe with Air Jordan,Mr Michael Jordan the GOAT,he never quit under pressure,he played with his heart,he played within the offence and he made others around him great.Laker fans must go back and look at YOUTUBE VIDEOS on the HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO BULLS DYNASTY UNDER PHIL JACKSON,JORDAN AND PIPPEN and in the 1993 NBA FINALS LOOK AT THE 4 HORSE MEN-MJ,PIPPEN,HORACE GRANT AND BILL CARTWRIGHT-WHAT A TEAM TO BEHOLD,THEY WERE THE TOWER OF BABEL,THESE BULLS WERE AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE.

Hey sorry for the delay in comments. Unfortunately I have to have it on moderation because of the handle jacks. Here is a proposal, though I know some have been reluctant in embracing this in the past. Many of our blogs have required users to sign in through Facebook, making it possible to share items on your facebook page and minimizing any worry about a handle jack getting stolen. I can pass along to upper management what you guys think of that idea

Posted by: Mark Medina | May 09, 2011 at 09:41 AM

I don't agree with Facebook logins. I don't have Facebook and don't plan to get it.

These Lakers are pretenders.... its a sad state of the league that they actually won two championships in a row.... The rest of the league is going to run past them and leave them in the dust until they can get players that have heart & soul instead of greed & vanity. Yes... its time to dump this crew and build a new team....

time to move on.