Posts Tagged ‘Lakers’
So everyone keeps talking about Tony Gaffney possibly making the Lakers, especially with him still being on the team less than a week before the start of the regular season. I personally still don’t get this obsession with him. Yeah he’s tall and can kinda play defense, but his offense is pretty weak and so is his defense.
The worst part is that apparently he doesn’t yet understand the dangers of Social Media these days. Social Media meaning sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. Don’t post anything on there that you don’t want getting out to the public. Ummm stuff like this picture…
Nothing against him cuddling with another man, it’s his choice… or he was just really drunk. But there are quite a few things wrong with this photo. A) He’s the freakin little spoon! B) How the hell does a 6′8″ guy fit on a couch with another man? C) WTF? He’s wearing a Celtics shirt!!!
That shirt alone should get him booted from the Lakers. I know he’s already changed his loyalties; he mentioned that after signing with the reigning champs… but come on! There’s just something wrong with this whole thing. What if he’s a spy working for the Smeltics?
I was going to write something on here to kick off the Lakers preseason, but after watching last night’s game against the Warriors, I’m a bit speechless. Just check out one reason why I’m so excited about this season. Wow. WOW WOW WOW! The end.
It’s been a while since I posted since it’s the offseason and all, but this was definitely worth sharing with you guys. Check out this kid. He’s 3 years old and you can find the story at Oh Me Oh My Jello’s Jigglin
Looks like the Free Agent signing period is now in full swing and it’s no longer just verbal commitments. Here, we’ll start breaking down the signings and the impact they can have on the respective teams. The biggest so far is the official signing of Ron Ron with the Lakers.
Ron Artest had agreed to sign with the Lakers last week for the MLE, but was finally able to make it official today. As tough as it is to see Trevor Ariza leave the Lake Show, the Artest signing should quickly ease that pain.
It seems like the Lakers are definitely trying to shed the “soft” label still. Artest now gives the Lakers a lock down defender that can play the 2 through 4 spots. Yes, he’s undersized at the 4, but he’s strong enough to guard a lot of the PFs in this league. As great of a team defender as Ariza was, he still had a lot to learn about man defense. Artest may be one of the all time greatest man defenders by the time he’s done.
Yes, he may be crazy and have a lot of mental issues that can hurt the Lakers (just Youtube Ron Artest), but take a look at his last few years. He’s gotten older and a LITTLE wiser. This guy was just born into the wrong era of basketball. He would have fit in perfectly with the tougher old school NBA.
Look for Ron to make a big splash with the Lakers this year. Phil will prevent him from pounding out the shot clock and jacking up shots, and so will Kobe. This is a completely different style of ball than Artest is used to, and that could be what he really needs. Ron will be getting way more open looks than he’s accustomed to, especially to start each half when he’s out there with Kobe, Pau, and Bynum.
This signing just made the Lakers even more stacked than they already were. Imagine Odom coming off the bench when either Artest or Pau need a rest… that’s the next signing the Lakers need to take care of.
I’m giving this signing a huge thumbs up. The Lakers will look even more dangerous this year. Stay tuned for more free agent rankings.
This is finally turning out to be the series that I had expected. After Game 1, I was actually disappointed that the Lakers had won by 25. Then after Game 2, I was disappointed that the Lakers didn’t close out the game and had to go into overtime. Let me tell you this. I am no longer disappointed.
The Magic have finally shown up to make this thing a real dogfight. I thought Game 2 was as close as the Magic were going to come to a win in this series based on how they were playing. Who would have thought that they’d come out last night and shoot almost 70% all night long?
You know those nights where it seems like everything that Kobe threw up was gonna go in? The first half looked like one of those nights when he shot 8-11 from the field. Bad part, the Magic pulled a Kobe also. They absolutely were on fire. Yeah teams go on stretches here and there where they make 5 or 6 straight shots, but last night it felt like they made about 40 straight shots without a single miss. The Lakers defense wasn’t strong, but it was there. The Magic just couldn’t be stopped last night.
Here’s hoping that this continues to be a closely contested series throughout. Even though I’m still calling Lakers in 5, I really don’t see anymore blowouts happening this series. Enjoy what’s left, and thank you Orlando for finally showing up to the Finals. Congratulations on your franchise’s first Finals win as well.
What game was this guy watching, and how is there no talk of him getting fined for his comments about the reffing? This was one of the better officiated games this series. Lakers shot 35 FTs, and the Nugs shot 30.
Yes, there were some questionable calls and non-calls, but at least it was happening on both ends of the court. Did he not notice that in less minutes, Carmelo shot more FTs than Kobe? Or maybe he didn’t notice that freakin Dahntay Jones shot more FTs than anyone on the Lakers not named Kobe Bryant? Whatever his excuse, quit your whining. You’re an NBA coach and you’re in the Conference Finals. There’s no room for whining like that in the press conferences.
Pretty much the entire press conference was Karl complaining about the refs. How about this, George? Complain about how your team missed crucial FTs. Or how they went for a good 5 minutes in the 4th without scoring? Or how about your team not stop the wrecking ball that is Lamar Odom.
Good job lobbying the refs, George. I look forward to your team shooting 15 more FTs than the Lakers… oh wait, that already happened in Game 4.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Artest was quoted as saying “Obviously, the Lakers are more experienced than us, but I thought we were the better team. Individually, it’s a failure for me. With the team that we have, there was no reason why we shouldn’t have advanced. But I thought it was a good learning experience for these guys. They’ve been through a Game 7.”
I understand having confidence in your team, but really? Come on, Ron. Give credit where it’s due. The Lakers were picked to win the championship at the beginning of the year for a reason. Everyone knows who the better team is/was. Stop lying to yourself and go enjoy your Free Agency.
Gotta love these videos from Lakers-Fan.com. Check out the latest after last night’s game.
There’s something wrong when you have that big of a Free Throw discrepancy, especially when the team with less FTs is driving to the hoop and getting hammered. Last night the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-92, while takign 29 shots from the charity stripe. The Lakers, however, only took 19 free throws.
It is just me, or were the refs horrible last night? I’m a fan of calling the game evenly on both ends. This game was just made worse by the fact that it was the Lakers that were getting screwed, particularly in the 4th quarter. Lamar Odom was taking it to the rim every single play and managed to take 6 free throws. Kobe was being aggressive and driving in, getting hacked, yet now calls.
On the other end, you look at Yao the wrong way and he goes to the line. Artest is allowed to dribble the ball while holding the Heisman pose and stiff arming Trevor Ariza, yet no foul was called. Phil Jackson, PLEASE submit this tape to the league for review. Pull a Mark Cuban. Thanks.
That game was one of the most frustrating games to watch in a long time because of the horrible officiating crew. Hopefully the rest of the series has better reffing. I’d even rather have old man Crawford or Steve Javey (known Laker/Kobe Hater) in there. At least these days, they’re trying to ref fairly. We’ll just have to wait until Wednesday to see if this crap changes.
Trevor Ariza is quickly becoming the player the Lakers hoped he would become when they traded away Brian Cook and Mo Evans for him last year. He’s showing that he’s not just the defensive stopper that they knew he was, but also a deadly threat from the outside.
With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol garnering constant double teams and occasion triple teams, Ariza can roam the perimeter and setup for wide open triples. The Utah Jazz are learning the hard way that they shouldn’t leave him to double Kobe and Gasol.
After posting a career playoff high 21 in Game 1 on 8 of 10 shooting (including 3 of 4 from behind the arc), Ariza ended Game 2 with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting, including another 3-3 performance from downtown. He almost posted a double-double with 9 assists as well.
He’s proving to be what the Lakers missed least season in the playoffs, a defensive minded Guard/Forward with apparently deadly accuracy and toughness. A guy that showed off his skills as a defensive player is now shooting at a ridiculous 81% through 2 games in these playoffs. This is a find that even Mitch Kupchak couldn’t have imagined that he found last year. Ariza was supposed to be a salary dump move, but has turned out to be a key part of the rotation.
After jumping from New York to Orlando, and not finding a home in either city, Ariza has found his calling in the City of Angels. Not to mention that Trevor is only 23 and still has a long career ahead of him… hopefully with the Lakers. Ariza will be the guy to pester guys like Lebron and Pierce, depending on who comes out of the East. Ariza will be the X-Factor in these playoffs.
Finally, the Lakers figure out who they play on Sunday. All the talk has been that with Utah mostly healthy, the Lakers wouldn’t want to meet them in the first round. There was a lot of talk that the Lakers might intentionally lose their last game of the season to avoid meeting Utah. There was talk that the Lakers would rather play Dallas on Sunday.
All that talk went away last night when the Lakers handed Utah a 112-125 loss to end the season. Jerry Sloan may have had the best quote of the night, per Yahoo! Sports:
“We didn’t give them much of a battle and knowing that we’re going to have to play them again, it looks pretty bleak,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “Hate to say that, but it’s one of those things.”
I hate hearing coaches saying stuff like that, but it’s music to my ears coming from a Lakers opponent. All the facts about the Lakers being “soft” have finally turned into rumors and misconceptions, especially with big Drew in the middle clogging up the lane, Trevor Ariza manning the wing, and Kobe and Shannon Brown locking down the perimeter.
Little is known about Shannon Brown other than the fact that this kid has amazing athletic ability and is a great (but not lockdown) defender. He’s jumped around between several teams, but seems to have found a home in LA, much like Trevor Ariza did last year. He’s been stellar on defense, and evidenced by his highlight reel blocks, and has been solid on the opposite end of the court. According to Phil Jackson, Brown looks to get more burn in the Playoffs as the Lakers will be facing PGs that are too strong for Jordan Farmar, and too fast for Derek Fisher. Take Ariza and shrink him down, and you have Shannon Brown. He’s the defensive minded PG that the Lakers have been looking for.
These Lakers will prove to be much tougher on the defensive end than last year’s squad. Bynum will be inside manning the painted area and blocking or altering shots. Gasol has incredible length which will be a problem for players like Boozer and Milsap. Ariza will play the passing lanes like he always does. Kobe of course, will be doing his thing. He’ll play his one man zone, and generally leave his guy open for shots but occasionally make an incredible defensive play. Farmar and Fisher may have problems, but Shannon Brown will fill in the gaps.
I don’t think anyone is more excited about this matchup than I am, especially after Deron Williams showed his bonehead side by trying to set a hard screen on Bynum last night and just bouncing off. It’s gonna be like the Showtime days again with Stockton and Malone vs Magic and Kareem. Except this time it’ll be Williams and Boozer against Kobe, Pau, and Bynum… and don’t forget about Odom off the bench. See you Sunday.
If you guys missed last night’s Lakers v. Kings game, you may have missed your only chance to ever see Sasha Vujacic posterize on only one person, but TWO! Found this video on Ball Don’t Lie. All the stars aligned. Mbenga posted up. Sasha made a perfect cut and was rewarded with a perfect pass. THIS is where amazing happens. Especially when Sasha make slamma jamma bing bong. Machine out like trout. (Yup, I ended 2 consecutive posts with the same line. Gotta love it)
I almost have no words for this. This could be the best video ever for Sasha. “Slamma-jamma-bing-bonging” time! Found it at Ball Don’t Lie:
A friend found this on Larry Brown Sports and sent it to me:
Are you serious Smush? And where are you even playing this year? You probably shouldn’t be talking when you were one of the major reasons that the Lakers had problems. Notice that they got a LOT better when you were gone and they got Derek Fisher back?
You were/are a lazy bastard that played defense only when he felt like it. Actually, you didn’t really play much offense either. And I don’t know if the Lakers’ problems begin and end with Kobe. Once again, the Lakers are playing and have been playing much better since you fell off the map.
Here’s the transcript that Larry Brown Sports had. Tough to understand a guy the mumbles so damn much.
“Playing for the Lakers was an overrated experience. Phil Jackson was great. I don’t care what the media says, they said I had a problem with Phil Jackson. The problem was never with Phil Jackson — it was with your boy, 24 — formerly known as KB. The problem with that team starts with him and ends with him. The reason why I say overrated is because everyone thinks playing with Kobe Bryant was the best thing since sliced bread but it’s not. Out to Miami with the Big Fella, Shaq Diesel, one of the greatest guys I’ve had a chance to play with and meet. Really down to Earth, really cool off the court.”
Smush, you don’t even understand how happy the Laker nation was when we found out that you were leaving. Good riddance, you poor excuse for lockerroom cancer.
Alright, David. I’ve seen this promotion before, but this has got to be one of your worst marketing ideas ever. Los Lakers, Los Spurs, Los Heat, and Los Suns? Are you kidding me? You’re using this to market to the Hispanic community, but you do realize that putting Los in front of a name doesn’t make it Spanish right?
Please think of a better marketing scheme. I wouldn’t be nearly as annoyed if you tried to translate the team names, but got the translation wrong. At least in that case, I can say that you tried. This is jsut an obviously poorly thought out idea.
Rather than attracting the Hispanic community, I think you may have just alienated them by obviously only pretending to care. It’s fairly transparent that you are only trying to make more money by selling these terible jerseys. One issue though. These jerseys don’t sell. I don’t think I’ve seen a single person walking down the street in a Los Lakers jersey.
I would wish you good luck with this marketing idea, but inside, I secretly (the secret is out) hope this idea fails. I never ever want to see any team be forced to wear a jersey with the word Los in front of their team name.
Edit - Don’t forget that the name of this “promotion” is Noche Latina… Latin Night. Ummm, aren’t you running this thing for the entire MONTH? Shouldn’t it be called Noches Latinas (3 years of high school Spanish, and I’m still not sure if that’s correct). Also, commercials in Spanish? Who the hell even cares? Good job duping Carl’s Jr and El Pollo Loco into spending money on terrible advertisements.
Thanks to JD2K for this video. Check his site at Lakersmedia.com:
Clean block. Shouldn’t have been a foul, but it was called anyways. Booooo. But damn is this kid athletic. Check out where his head is. If he went forward anymore, he would have hit it on the bottom of the backboard. DISGUSTING!
Found this on Lakersground.net. Originally from SGV Tribune:
EL SEGUNDO - The Lakers’ UCLA alumni club did its best to make Adam Morrison feel welcome - so to speak.
Morrison arrived at the Lakers’ practice facility Monday, a day after being acquired from Charlotte in a trade, to find a picture taped to his locker.
There was Morrison, sobbing, moments after his Gonzaga Bulldogs had been eliminated from the 2006 NCAA Tournament by Jordan Farmar’s UCLA Bruins.
“I have a suspect,” Morrison said with a smile. “I knew I would get some flak for that, coming to L.A.”
Trevor Ariza is also a UCLA alum, but incriminating photos aside, Morrison couldn’t be happier with the trade, which sent him and guard Shannon Brown to the Lakers in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic.
Much has changed for Morrison since that tournament game. Most visibly, his once- famous shaggy locks have been shorn to a tight cut, and his facial hair has been trimmed into a thin goatee.
In a basketball sense, Morrison has yet to resemble that dynamic college player, the one talented enough to be the third overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft. After a decent rookie year, Morrison missed all of 2007-08 after ACL surgery. This season, he averaged only 4.5 points in 44 games with the Bobcats.
While Morrison isn’t assured of much playing time with the Lakers, coach Phil Jackson said he is open to seeing what Morrison can bring once he gets acclimated with the triangle offense.
In college, Morrison was a high-scoring forward who drew favorable comparisons to Larry Bird.
“I think the confidence issue is probably more with my knee than my game,” Morrison said. “Half of the battle is just getting my knee to feel right. It feels good right now, so I’m just looking forward to contributing to this great team.”
To the extent that he plays, Brown is expected to contribute more on defense. Jackson said Brown wouldn’t have a problem playing either guard position for the Lakers.
“I’m just going to try to bring a lot of energy at both ends, some athleticism and spark,” Brown said.
I’m glad Morrison is a Laker. The guy got now love from Larry Brown. You have a great scorer, but you give him no playing time, and you expect him to perform. Then when he does get playing time, he’s thrust into the lineup and expected to be the #1 guy on offense. Any kid would have trouble dealing with this. Let’s see what he can do when he’s eased into an offense and actually given a chance. Let’s just hope he can take Luke’s spot.
According to Yahoo Sports, Vladimir Radmanovic was sent packing. He has been traded to Charlotte for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown. Not a huge move in the immediate future, but it gets Vlade’s terrible contract off the books. Hopefully this can be a career revival for Adam Morrison, who was drafted 3rd overall in 2006. He’s had a pretty slow start to his career, but didn’t really get a whole lot of minutes to prove himself. Hopefully, this is the chance that he needs. Morrison was a straight up scorer in college. Let’s see if he can get back to that level. If not, then it’s no loss to the Lakers, since Morrison’s contract has a team option at the end of this year. This then opens up some money to resign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom if the Lakers choose to.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—The Charlotte Bobcats sent struggling forward Adam Morrison and reserve Shannon Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday for forward Vladimir Radmanovic.
The move is the third trade the Bobcats have made this season in a roster shakeup under first-year coach Larry Brown.
Morrison was the third overall pick of the 2006 draft and managing partner Michael Jordan’s first major move since buying into the Bobcats. But Morrison had failed to crack the starting lineup and his minutes had declined under Brown.
Morrison will give the Lakers an outside shooting threat, while the 6-foot-10 Radmanovic gives the Bobcats more depth up front.
A note to Doc Rivers and his squad: Stop whining and take the loss like men.
Otherwise, you can go play in the WNBA. Actually they probably complain even less than you do. And Pierce, what’s up with the flopping around when Farmar is guarding you? You outweigh him by a good 50 lbs. Stop being a batch. Here’s a list of their complaints and quotes after the game yesterday. Most of them found on Lakersground.net from various sources:
- Ray Allen: “I was fouled,” Allen said after the Celtics’ 110-109 overtime loss to the Lakers. “I was pushed. I think I did twist my ankle.”
- Eddie House: “They looked like they’d won the Finals the way they were celebrating,” Eddie House said. “It’s only Game 51.”
- Ray Allen: “But Fisher pushed me,” Allen said.
- I believe these were all Ray Allen: “There was a lot of thickness in the atmosphere,’’ said Ray Allen after scoring 22 points and being the victim of a last-second no-call. “It was a playoff game.”
“They still remember being in this building in June and being sent home with frowns on their faces. That’s what they sat home and thought about all summer (when) we celebrated.
“It’s important that we know and learn in the last two months where teams are really attacking us. We’re the hunted. We have to hunt back.’’…
- Ray Allen: “I was fouled. I was pushed,’’ said Allen. “I think I did twist my ankle. I thought I was fouled. I got pushed into the shot. But what can you do about it? He rode me into the shot.’’
- Doc Rivers: “I thought it was a hand check. But the officials say they don’t call the game different from the first quarter to the end of the game. If that’s true, then Ray should be on the free throw line. It was hand check the whole way. Unless the rules have changed, you can’t do that.’’
- Paul Pierce: “It was a physical game, but you’ve got to expect that,’’ said Paul Pierce, who had 21 points. “It’s two of the top teams battling for the best record in the league. With all the things said about the Lakers not being a physical team, you’ve got to expect they’re going to come and hold their chests high. They beat us once and we had a chance tonight, but we let it go.’’
- Paul Pierce: “The thing we’ve got to realize it’s not the end of the world,’’ said Pierce. “It’s still a long season. Our goals are still the same. Nothing changes. It would have been nice to get this win if it comes down to a tiebreaker, but we’ve still got work to do.’’
Alright, enough quotes. They’re just gonna make me laugh even harder at the Celtics. I thought you guys had some pride. Some heart. Apparently, it’s all fake. You lose a big game and you start making excuses. After the Christmas Day game, Garnett and House came out and said that the Lakers took it more seriously than they did, that the Lakers were waiting for that game all year, that the Lakers needed that game. Well, Boston needed this game. Now the Lakers have the tie breaker if it comes down to it during the Finals.
Whatever happened to being a humble loser? Back when I was growing up, if you lose, you take it like a man. You don’t complain. You congratulate the other team. And you just get yourself up for the next game.
A few directed words to the Celtics players:
Garnett: Enough with the fake intensity. Everyone sees right through it. Why do you think no one in the league is scared of you anymore? You got in Odom’s face just because he slapped your tooshie. Then Odom and the Lake Show were so deep inside your head that you disappeared for the rest of the game.
House: Who the fuck are you? Shut your pie hole, scrub. This is like Luke Walton coming out and saying that we’re the best in the world, and we just stomped the Celtics. You belong on the bench. You’re brought in purely to hit open shots, and nothing else. You talk about how the Lakers acted like they won the Finals… how about you stop acting like you won the Finals anytime you make a single shot? Stop with the prancing already.
Pierce: Other than your flopping around, you’re by far the most respectable guy on the team, at least in terms of what comes out of your mouth.
Ray Ray: Shut your mouth. Quit your complaining about a foul and hurting yourself on the last shot. You wouldn’t have hurt your ankle if you didn’t flail around like you just got shot. Even the media isn’t on your side this time. Everyone knows that wasn’t a foul. Fisher rode you… rode you like his bitch. Then he stopped so that once again, Gasol could block your last second attempt, kinda like the Christmas Day game. Good job, Jesus.
Rondo: You against Kobe? I’ll bet everything I own on Kobe. Maybe have something to eat, grow a little, then you’ll come close. We all know you were trying to get in Mamba’s head, but you’re not even in the same league as him.
Good job with the quotes, Celtics. You just fueled the fire even more. Damn I’m gonna love watching the Lakers stomp you in the Finals… if you get there again.
According to coach Phil Jackson and ESPN, Andrew Bynum could resume playing in as little as 4 weeks. This all depends on his rehab, of course. Jackson said that Bynum will focus on icing and resting his knee for the next 2 weeks, and then will focus on basketball activities the next 2 weeks. Not a bad timeline for a guy that was supposed to be out for 8-12 weeks.
This give Bynum much more time to get back into game shape compared to his injury last season. Don’t forget that up until this previous month, Bynum was still just trying to get his rythym back. In January, we finally got a dose of the potential of the REAL Andrew Bynum. I’ll keep you posted on any news on the Bynum front.
ABOUT
Just some thoughts on happenings around the league, responses to the media and other bloggers, and just a good place for you to spend time instead of actually working.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |