Archive for the ‘Team News’ Category

Turn of events

Posted: January 16, 2008 in Other Squads, Team News
0

In foxsports.com’s latest NBA Power Rankings, the Miami Heat are ranked 30th out of 30 teams.  The Los Angeles Lakers are ranked 1st out of 30 teams.  How’s that for a ‘flip the script’ kinda moment?

 

Technorati tags: , ,

Deja Vu

Posted: January 15, 2008 in Team News
Tags: ,
0

Can it possibly happen two years in a row?  At around this time last year, the Lakers were rolling along nicely.  Surprising the NBA by getting off to a pretty quick start.  And then the injury bug.  Fast forward to 2008, Lakers are in everyone’s top 5 power rankings.  Things are looking on the up and up.  And then last night, the magnificent season for Andrew Bynum comes to a halt….at least for eight weeks…..as he suffers a knee injury landing on Lamar Odom’s foot.

 

Andrew Bynum’s impact on this Lakers team has been huge.  He transformed seemingly over the summer into a bonafide threat — defensively and offensively.  When the season began, many thought it was just a matter of time before Chris Mihm or Kwame Brown reassumed their role as the starting center.  NOT SO Fast said the young Mr. Bynum.  And now this??

Kobe Happy?

Posted: December 20, 2007 in Laker Rambling, Team News
0

After the turmoil of the Kobe-capades this summer, is Kobe Bryant happy?  It would appear so as the Lakers sit at 15 – 9, fourth in the talented Western conference.

“This [Lakers’] team is the closest I’ve ever been on,” Bryant said. “I feel we have a bond as a group. There are no cliques. We all hang out together. I’m happy with it.”

“With trades, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Bryant, whom Lakers insiders say hasn’t mentioned being traded since the Bulls talks ended. “I’m happy to be playing and not caught up in the business. It becomes too difficult for me to be involved. I don’t have that great education, so I can’t handle that type of stuff. My high school education just can’t get it done.”

As you may remember, a certain Lakers fan stated that should the Lakers get off to a good start, perhaps Mamba would change his tune.  I don’t want to jinx anything and Kobe may not have changed his tune entirely, but he has muted it for the time being!

—

In other observations, I haven’t been able to see as many games this year due to circumstances but looking at the box scores I can’t but be happy about Sasha’s progress this season.  In fact, big kudos to our entire bench and all the youngsters showing up in ways bigger than expected.  Baby boy Bynum is doing his part to prove that Lakers management got it right by keeping him.  Turiaf continues to bring the necessary energy to bring life to the game at any given moment.  Farmar continues to improve, D. Fish leads by example, and V.Rad is playing like we expected when he was acquired. 

Getting excited…..

That other reason I love the Lakers

Posted: November 14, 2007 in Laker Rambling, Team News
0

image

Point Guard Available

Posted: July 3, 2007 in Team News
0

Derek Fisher has asked to be released from the Jazz in order to be closer to specialized medical facilities for his daughter.  I’m not sure which condition affects his daughter, but I think it’s highly likely that such facilities exist in Los Angeles. 

Now not to downplay or minimalize Fisher’s family situation, but the Lakers need a point guard in the worse way.  Fisher has played for Phil, is a pass first player, and a veteran with rings, and gobs of pressure time experience.  I don’t know the contract that Fish would be looking for but I’m sure the city of Angels would welcome Fish back. 

I miss Fish.  I think he’s a huge improvement over Smush.  And I personally wouldn’t mind giving him the mid-level exception.

Unfortunately, it’s not up to me….it’s up to Kupchak and I can’t say my faith in him runs long.  Hell, it is barely a brisk walk….. 

Trade demand lingers

Posted: June 17, 2007 in Team News
0

According to reports, Kobe is still requesting a trade according to league sources (whatever that means).  In any case, unless Kobe is serious in that nothing could be done to the Lakers that would show a move in the right direction, I say we need to make Andrew Bynum as well as any other player available if it means getting the pieces together to compete. 

I know Baby Boy Bynum has potential out the ass but if we are in championship mode, we can’t live on potential.  If we are in rebuilding mode, then Kobe wants out. 

Not my decision to make, but I do want a decision to be made.  For as long as a decision isn’t made, there will be no progress towards a championship nor towards a successful rebuilding effort. 

Buss and Kupchak, let not the Lakers go the way of the Celtics franchise.

On Hold

Posted: June 1, 2007 in Team News
0

All opinions concerning Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are on hold indefinitely.  As you Kobe has backtracked a little on his trade demand.  However, unless something major occurs before the start of preseason, I will not be surprised if grumblings begin again…and justifiably so.

Kobe’s Statement on KB24.com

Posted: May 31, 2007 in Team News
1

Technorati tags: ,

May 30 :: 2007

The Truth: A new road ahead

Wassup y’all …

Man, today is one of those surreal days for me and my family. When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its hard to even imagine thinking about being elsewhere. But, the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING. That is plain and simply what it’s all about. It’s in my DNA. It’s what pushes me to work as hard as I do. It’s my daily passion and pursuit.

The more I thought about the future, the more I became convinced that the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future. The Lakers are pursuing a longer-term plan that is different from what Dr. Buss shared with me at the time I re-signed as a free agent. I have seen that plan unfold for the last three years and watched great trade opportunities come and go, and have seen free agents passed on. That has led to the Lakers not winning a playoff series. All of that was frustrating in itself, but then, this week to have someone “inside” the Laker organization try to blame me in the media for us not being a contender right now — that is what brought me to my current position today.

I want it to be clear that I still love, with all my heart, the Laker Legacy. From Mikan to West to Goodrich to Wilt to Kareem to Magic. That will never change. And the support my family and I have gotten from Lakers fans is undeniably the best. I will also always believe that.

But, now there is a new road ahead. I am gonna keep grindin and keep workin to get back to competing for Championships. Sometimes the trek up the mountain is tough. But, I know we’ll get there.

Strength and Honor,
Kobe

Kobe demands trade

Posted: May 30, 2007 in Team News
0

First and foremost, I will remain a Lakers fan until the day that I die. 

With that said, I honestly don’t have enough facts in this issue to determine if this is sour grapes or mismanagement.

All I know is that if Kobe truly wishes to leave the Lakers

after stating yesterday that he wants to retire a Laker, I have to imagine that there have been more incidents than just the LA TImes story in the past few days. 

You would think the one paper in the country that would do it’s best to show the Lakers in a positive light, to squash bad vibes would be the L.A. Times….but I guess all journalist are fame seeking whores with allegiance to now one but themselves. 

If Kobe is serious, Kupchack, you better not settle for anything like the Shaquille deal.  I will never be a fan of another team…but I’ll stop watching if you singlehandedly destroy this team.

“I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there’s no other alternative, you know?” — Kobe Bryant

Technorati tags: , ,

Shammond Williams

Posted: March 19, 2007 in Team News
0

I wonder why Shammond Williams hasn’t gotten more playing time throughout the season.  Smush Parker has, in my opinion (and yes I know this is a complete 180 from the beginning of last season), overstayed his time in L.A. 

A point guard averaging 2 assists a game and being 4th on the team in assists is a bit troubling, unless he’s a scorer.  Alas, his streaky shooting also leaves him in 4th in the scoring category.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Shammond’s numbers aren’t gaudy by any stretch.  But let’s look at it like this:  Smush shoots 44%, Shammond 47%.  Smush is 37.4% from 3pt land, Shammond is 45.5%.  Smush is a 64% free throw shooter, Shammond is at 75%.  Granted, Smush has put in way more minutes than Shammond and it is possible that Shammond’s numbers would come down a bit with some extended playing time.  But given the fact that Kobe, Lamar, and Luke will get the ball spread around, wouldn’t it be worth the chance to see if we actually have a point guard on the team who can knock down shots with consistency???

Older Entries
NBA Power Rankings Week Of 01/15/2008
Rk Team Last Wk Rise/Fall High/Low Comment
1 Lakers 7 (+6) 1/15 (26-11) Will Kwame Brown pick up the slack during Andrew Bynum’s absence? Don’t count on it. Count on Kobe to start scoring 35 per night – or more, like the 48 he dropped Monday on Seattle.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
2 Hornets 5 (+3) 2/19 (25-11) They’ve won seven straight on the road. Imagine how good they’d be if they enjoyed an actual home-court advantage.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
3 Celtics 1 (-2) 1/4 (30-6) Their defense has remained excellent, but offense is becoming a serious problem. They averaged 82.5 points in going 1-3 last week
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
4 Suns 3 (-1) 1/9 (26-11) Grant Hill’s appendectomy means Boris Diaw needs to play a much larger role. Can he handle it?
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
5 Pistons 2 (-3) 1/9 (28-10) They must have been wasted by the end of that five-day, four-game road trip. Nothing else explains scoring 65 vs. the defenseless Knicks.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
6 Mavericks 4 (-2) 1/8 (23-12) They might be No. 1 if they’d knocked off the Kings on Monday. But if you can’t beat the Kings, you can’t be the king.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
7 Trail Blazers 8 (+1) 7/22 (23-14) Of all the improbable success stories on this team, the most improbable may be James Jones, a career sub-40% shooter who can’t seem to miss this season.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
8 Spurs 6 (-2) 1/8 (25-11) The Tony-Timmy-Manu triumvirate is finally intact. So why do the Spurs still look so average?
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
9 Warriors 10 (+1) 9/28 (22-16) Monta Ellis is a perfect fit for Nellie’s offense. He just needs to become more consistent and improve his shooting range, but he’s only 22.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
10 Jazz 14 (+4) 5/16 (22-17) Utah protected its home court with four straight wins. The Jazz are now 16-3 at home, 6-14 away.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
11 Nuggets 11 – 7/11 (21-14) Other than Marcus Camby, no one on this team seems particularly interested in playing defense.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
12 Wizards 15 (+3) 11/27 (17-15) The consecutive wins over the Celtics were especially surprising when you consider that Washington hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record since Dec. 1.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
13 Cavaliers 13 – 10/20 (19-18) It’s a good thing LeBron is putting up the numbers of two normal players. Because Sasha Pavlovic has provided next to nothing.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
14 Rockets 16 (+2) 5/19 (20-18) Houston’s offense has gone through Yao during Tracy McGrady’s absence. It should do the same when T-Mac returns.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
15 Raptors 17 (+2) 10/17 (20-17) Chris Bosh’s commercial is cute, but his play will determine whether he makes the All-Star team. Totaling 78 points and 25 boards in back-to-back wins helps his cause.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
16 Magic 9 (-7) 2/16 (23-16) They’ve now gone 7-12 since their 16-4 start. The main culprit? Arguably the NBA’s worst backcourt.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
17 Nets 12 (-5) 12/20 (18-19) For a while, it looked like New Jersey was going to make a move in the Eastern Conference. But it’s looking more and more like this is a .500 team – nothing more, nothing less.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
18 Hawks 18 – 8/21 (16-17) No wonder the Hawks are so good at home. Their stat crew uses fuzzy math in counting opponents’ fouls.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
19 Bobcats 26 (+7) 13/27 (11-21) In a span of seven days, they beat the Nets, Celtics and Nuggets – and nearly beat the Cavaliers and Pistons. That would be a good week for an elite team, much less a mediocre one.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
20 Kings 23 (+3) 15/30 (15-21) Aft
er sitting more than a month w
ith a groin injury, Kevin Martin picked up where he left off. The man is a scoring machine.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
21 Bulls 20 (-1) 8/30 (14-21) Andres Nocioni is starting to get untracked for Chicago. Will Kirk Hinrich join him?
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
22 Pacers 19 (-3) 11/28 (16-19) That Western swing was predictably brutal. Indy allowed at least 105 points in all five games and lost four of them.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
23 76ers 21 (-2) 21/27 (14-24) Consecutive 20-rebound efforts by Samuel Dalembert haven’t kept the Sixers from freefalling.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
24 Bucks 22 (-2) 9/25 (15-23) That road trip against the Lakers, Suns and Jazz went about the way you’d expect – three L’s.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
25 Grizzlies 24 (-1) 23/27 (10-27) Pau Gasol’s role in the Memphis offense is increasing. So is his trade value.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
26 SuperSonics 25 (-1) 23/29 (9-28) Nick Collison is playing like a legit NBA power forward. As this franchise looks toward the future, that’s a positive sign.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
27 Clippers 27 – 13/27 (10-23) Sam Cassell’s not making shots and the Clippers backcourt has no keepers, unless you count Shaun Livingston.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
28 Knicks 29 (+1) 18/29 (10-26) Rumor has it Stephon Marbury will opt for ankle surgery to hasten the end of his season. Other Knicks might be wise to follow suit.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
29 Timberwolves 30 (+1) 28/30 (4-29) Beating the Heat gives Minny a reprieve from the cellar, at least for one week.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
30 Heat 28 (-2) 17/30 (8-28) Miami had a loss stricken from its record (temporarily) based on an error by the Hawks stats crew. Pat Riley is now protesting the other 28 losses on the basis of human error by his players.
Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
advertisement