As the trade deadline approaches, the blog's been abuzz with folks clamoring for players they'd kill to see in purple and gold. Among those mentioned: Boozer. Frye. Pierce. Iguodala. K-Mart. Jermaine. Plus, the great white whale of Laker acquisitions: KG. In the meantime, Steve-O, another frequent topic of conversation, is now off the market (although never say never, since he's already been a Knick long enough to complain his way out). But it doesn't really matter, since a monster move before Thursday afternoon doesn't appear to be in the cards. Of course, it's a wacky time of year, so L.A. could have a brand new, high powered roster by the time this post is up. But don't bet on it.

But instead of more complaining about who L.A. didn't get, let's flip the script. Who would you NOT want the Lakers to bring in under any circumstances? Period. End of story. Could be anybody in the league, for a multitude of reasons. Legit superstar, but he wouldn't mesh with Kobe. Some baller that seems as un-triangle as they get. A guy who's over the hill and even more overrated. Lousy game. Great game, but lousy attitude. Great game, great attitude, but lousy contract. Great game, great attitude, great contract, but you simply think the dude's too ugly to be a Laker. Whatever, it's all good. Just make sure to provide a rationale. Extra points for a seriously random player with an even more random explanation.

... How many more to go, in your collective minds?

David Stern announced today that Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas will replace the injured Jermaine O'Neal in the Eastern Conference All-Star lineup. For many, the notion that a guy averaging 28, 4 and 6 needed help from a torn groin to make the squad seems pretty ridiculous. And eyebrows are being raised over certain absences ('Melo, Redd, Chris Paul) and additions (lotta Pistons making hotel reservations in Houston).

So here are the full rosters. Who got screwed and who got a gift?

I didn't even realize it, but All-Star voting ended nine days ago. And for a while, Kobe Bryant making the All-Star Team felt like a long shot. A pipe dream. A young man with a quest facing impossible odds. But according to the NBA's latest announcement, the guy managed to scrape together 1,891,205 votes to take 2nd place among all players (Yao's "winning"). Talk about your shockers.  Unless some freak oddities went down during the last 3 days of voting, the guy's even gonna start! Must have been the free lemonade and pony rides he promised to everyone that punched his name. In addition, Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom have managed respective 4th and 10th place tallies among Western Conference players at their positions. And while I'd be stunned to see either make the actual team (barring injury-replacement), congrats to all three for representing. No word yet as to how many votes Devin Green has racked up.

It's a given that All-Star voting is something of a joke, but there are results that nonetheless manage to shock me each year. Being named a Western Conference forward is always a tall order, with worthy folks guaranteed to get the shaft. I mean, damn, that list is stacked! But shouldn't Shawn Marion's 21 and 12 have beaten out Amare Stoudemire's nada and zilch? And were Ron Artest and Grant Hill's brief appearances this year really so spectacular that they merited bigger props than Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard? Gary Payton's having an All-Star season, but Michael Redd isn't? Oh, well. I suppose certain elections are destined to remain one big popularity contests. I just wasn't aware David Wesley and Erick Dampier are such popular players.

Anything else on that list strike you as odd? Snubs or unusually high finishes?

AK

With the Lakers roadtripping on a seven game stretch, fans will have to make the best of not seeing them live for another 13 days. So where's the next best option when it comes to Lakers-watching venues? It's obviously impossible to make up for 18,997 screaming voices, but some spots give it more than a college try. Let's hear about the best of the best.

Is there an L.A. sports bar you guys think is king? Or maybe a restaurant with a killer big screen? A dive where everyone roots Lakers? For all I know, there's a Chuck E. Cheese where the Laker Nation gathers to cheer... and win stuffed animals. Provide your fellow bloggers with the prime destination for Purple and Gold nirvana. Who knows? Some of y'all may end up bumping into each other. Sweet!

Serious suggestions only, please.

Note: AK, BK, the L.A. Times, our advertisers, the Internet itself and anybody else remotely affiliated with this blog (including Mom) would like to make it perfectly clear that if you're not 21, you have no business being in 99.999% of the places that will be suggested. So don't go. At all. Under any circumstances. And if you do ignore our decree and enter said premises, we strongly state that you should ONLY indulge in a Coca-Cola, an iced tea, a steaming mug of coffee, healthy fruit juice, low-fat milk, or any multitude of refreshing non-alcoholic, age appropriate beverages that the establishment will gladly provide. That's what you should be drinking. Period. No questions asked. End of story. And those of legal age should designate a driver to also partake in a non-booze diet. Chip in and buy your chauffeur some Buffalo wings. He or she earned it by driving your butt around.

We're now officially lawsuit proof, so any stupid behavior is on you and you only.

AK

Kobe may have been off the court and under house arrest during Elbow-gate, but his presence has been felt in the blogosphere stronger than ever. In particular, what his presence (or lack thereof) means to the team. Obviously, there isn't a single sane argument that the team, as currently constructed, is actually better with Kobe off the court. We can all agree on this. But with Kobe suspended, it's been easier to visualize the team with another superstar in his place. And nobody's been more vocal about this than "Steven." The only screams more constant and loud than his "trade Kobe for LeBron" during the last 48-72 hours were mine as I yelled at the TV last night for somebody to tackle Vince Young. As many of you have brought up, the Cavs ain't trading LeBron, so it's a somewhat silly idea to harp on. And I agree, unless something truly bizarre transpires, there's no way in hell Cleveland does it.

... and so are the Kamenetzky Brothers. We're both gonna take a couple days to chill and relax, as we've been posting a few times daily since the blog's inception. Thus, you're looking at the last new post until 2006. We will, however, update comments (although not as frequently), so if folks wanna keep yapping, feel free to fire away. And obviously, if something big breaks (for example, the Lakers trade for a certain psychopathic forward), one of us will put down the beer and put up a new entry. But otherwise, enjoy the rest of 2005!

And with that, I leave y'all with a topic. It's that time of year when everyone makes their New Year's Resolutions. Presumably, at least a few Lakers will be making a list of their own. If you could add an item to one (or more) player's plans, what would it be? And just to make things easier, here's the entire roster:

Kwame, Kobe, Bynum, Cook, George, Green, Mihm, McKie, Slava, LO, Smush, Profit, Turiaf (it's still up in the air, but what the hell) Sasha, Wafer, and Walton.  And just for giggles, let's throw Phil Jackson into the mix.

Take care,

AK

Over the last couple days, I've noticed a trend with reader comments in reaction to our interview with Ken Miller of the Los Angeles Sentinel, or whenever people/journalists/other readers criticize Kobe and the Lakers in general. They're labeled "haters." They're "hating" on the team. They're spreading "hatred."  Offer a purple and gold opinion that's less that complimentary, and you risk being accused of "hate" crimes.

What I'm curious about, though, is how this ""hate" concept actually works. I admit, being 33, the expression wasn't huge back in the day for me, and I never grew up using it. But I've seen enough Lindsay Lohan flicks, rap videos, and Jerry Springer episodes that I am indeed familiar with the term. I get what it means. But I'm not always sure what sparks its usage. When does simple criticism cross over into "hating?"

Continuing further with Brian's earlier post regarding the possibility of Garnett playing in L.A...

Like my brother, I think it would be great if KG donned the purple and gold. Like my brother, I also don't think there's a shot in hell of it actually happening. Yeah, yeah, KG could always become sick of Minny's sideways growth and pull a Shaq, forcing Minny to trade from a position of extreme disadvantage and making their lives as difficult as possible. Under those circumstances, sure, the Lakers could get KG for Kwame, Von Wafer and 50 autographed "The Magic Hour" DVDs. But that's probably not gonna happen for two reasons:

1) By most reports, KG is a pretty classy guy who seems to recognize that, even while flailing, Minnesota has pretty much centered its entire universe around him since the day he arrived, and The Big Ticket appears to appreciate it. Even if he wants out, I don't think he'd force a team's hand in the vindictive manner that Shaq did.

2) Garnett could play the biggest jerk card this side of Terrell Owens, and the Wolves could still find a better offer than whatever the Lakers could scrape together.

Which sets up what I want to discuss: The concept of realistic trade scenarios.

The following is from an email sent by Romy:

"...It seems that many people are surprised at how deep the Lakers bench is this season. I don’t think anyone expected this level of play from Smush Parker (especially now that he leads the league in steals!). So my question is, do we credit Mitch Kupchak with having a keen eye for spotting talent like Smush, Devin Green, etc.? Or have the Lakers just gotten lucky?...

-Romy"

Maybe it's because I can't turn on a single sports station, even The Cricket Network*, without seeing something about T.O.'s suspension, caused in part by a brawl with ex-teammate Hugh Douglas. Or this hysterical news item, about a midget looking to mix it up with an out of shape, overpaid giant. But whatever the reason, my mind has been on scrapping. Which led me to wondering about the Lakers in a no-holds barred fracas. Thus, I propose the following question:

*- A purely fictional channel, by the way