The big game for the NBA this week if you haven't known by now is between Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. I cannot wait for this game...to be over with. Just too much hype simply because of Shaq coming to play against his old team - not much left of his old team, but the media is really playing up the feud between Shaq and who else? Kobe.

I'm a die-hard L.A. fan - not to many of us since most Angelenos/Southlanders are from somewhere else, but I've been a long-time Lakers fan and I wasn't too thrilled when Shaq became a Laker. I admired and respected his playing abilities and how he contributed to the teams victories and ugly losses and I give him lots of credits for being a big factor in the three titles that he won with the Lakers. Somehow I have a feeling he is going to get a huge, huge cheer when the p.a. announcer introduces Shaq - that's expected and lots of boos for Kobe, but when the game starts I hope Shaq scews up and the Heat loses. That is one of my Christmas wishes.

Go Lakers!

[is anyone going to the game?]


[Thread title modified for clarity. - Outsports moderator]

[ June 09, 2005, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: m1 ]

My guess is that most non-Laker fans would like to see Shaq make a fool out of Kobe. On the court, that is -- Kobe's proven quite adept at looking stupid off the court.

A lot of Laker fans would also like to see Shaq school Kobe on Saturday, if for no other reason than to make a statement to Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak. I find it interesting what ABC chose to leave out of Shaq's "Monday Night Football" interview with Al Michaels (the one where he compared Kobe to a corvette and himself to a brick wall.) According to Al Michaels, O'Neal follwed that statement by adding he's concerned about the league's image in the wake of the Detroit-Indiana game incident and that he knows this game isn't the situation for any retaliation.

As I stated in another thread, I've had problems with the Lakers since the organization acquiesced to Magic Johnson's demand to have a coach fired. That should have been the proverbial bell in the night--neither Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, nor Kareem ever made such demands and no players should be able to control management.

~Adam

For all you Kobe haters: Bryant's jersey takes sale slide in December.

Top sellers are Carmelo & LeBron.

I'm a Kobe hater. However, it's hard to hate his game. No matter how much disdain I have for Kobe's personality, I cannot dis his game. Dude's got mad game. Period.
I still think Dwayne Wade is the shit though.

I'm a Kobe hater. However, it's hard to hate his game. No matter how much disdain I have for Kobe's personality, I cannot dis his game. Dude's got mad game. Period.
I still think Dwayne Wade is the shit though.

In the Lakers' victory over the Cavs Thursday, Kobe Bryant suffered a severely-sprained ankle, after going up for a rebound & coming down on the foot of Cav Ira Newbie, in the game's first quarter. X-rays were negative; an MRI is scheduled for Friday. My favorite quote from Kobe to the reporters: "It's the worst one I've ever had. Crunching, instant throbbing. A lot of pain right now. I can't hop on one leg. My foot, when it's not weight-bearing, kind of jiggles a little bit, and that hurts like crazy. This one might be weeks, bro. It ain't no day-to-day thing."

Wonder if the familiarity exhibited in the last sentence (bro, ain't no day-to-day) compared to the first sentences was part of Bryant's ongoing attempt to "humanize" himself to the press & get them back in his corner...

~Adam

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I was actually kind of happy to see the Lakers pull out the win with Kobester in the lockerroom.

Much is being made of the fact the Lakers (20-16) are the only team with a winning record that has yet to put together a 3-game winning streak. This comes on the heels of last night's loss to the Jazz, their eighth try at winning 3 in a row this season. I'll be at Staples Wednesday to see them take on the Timberwolves.

~Adam

In a game that neither team deserved to win, the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves, 93-90. Very funny in the second half to see Laker rookie Sasha Vujacic and T'Wolf Kevin Garnett yell and jaw at each other; I figured they were going to get in a slap fight at some point. Most amusing was when Vujacic was called for fouling Garnett and he got this "What, Me??" look on his face and pointed to Garnett, as if expecting the ref to overturn the foul call. For what it's worth, the Lakers are now 3-1 since Kobe Bryant went down if we take into account the game in which he was injured...maybe they don't need him, after all.

~Adam

Following last night's loss to Seattle, the Lakers still have not won three games in a row this season; they're the only team with a winning record lacking a three-game winning streak. Lamar Odom played a rather strong game for the Lakers but Vladimir Radmanovic (who had 8 3-pointers) and Ray Allen were both excellent. By the way, there's a good profile of Allen in the current ESPN the Magazine.

The Lakers play the Clippers tonight and for the first time I can recall, the Clippers are favored in the morning line!

~Adam

[ February 13, 2005, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: RCKSoniK ]

It turns out that Kobe's severe spain is far more severe than originally thought and he'll be out of action for another 10 games (he's missed the last six games.) The Lakers are 3-3 without him and have fallen to 7th in the West. There's even speculation they may not be able to make the playoffs the way things are going. I say the eastern roadtrip they've got upcoming will tell the tale for them. It doesn't help that Lamar Odom has told anyone who'll listen that he doesn't want to be a leader, preferring to remain in someone else's shadow.

By the way, is it just me or has this season seemed to fly by--we're already about midway through the regular season.

~Adam

Breaking news: Rudy Tomjanovich is stepping down as Lakers coach after tonight's game, according to ESPN.

Local sports talk folk all say that "officially" it's due to Rudy T.'s health--though not related to his bladder cancer, fortunately--only then to add that he had grown weary of Kobe Bryant's ego. Interesting to me that almost as soon as the news of Rudy's (still unconfirmed) retirement came down, Bryant's agent told anyone who'd listen that Bryant was shocked by this and loved playing for Rudy T. and had never been happier.

The image I have is from "It's a Wonderful Life," when Clarence gives George Bailey the gift of seeing how different the world would have been without him. In an odd way, this season has offered Kobe Bryant a glimpse of what his professional life would be--without Shaq, Phil Jackson, and the triangle offense. Hasn't exactly worked out the way Bryant had hoped. If Phil Jackson returns to coach the Lakers--which could happen, even though it would feel like we've fallen through the looking glass--the traingle offense comes back as well, but unlike last season, when everything went through Shaq, this year everything would have to go through Kobe, so perhaps he and Jackson would be able to reach some sort of accord. If the new coach isn't Phil Jackson, do I hear Larry (I won't leave Detroit) Brown, or a return of Del Harris (whom Kobe disliked last go round,) or perhaps Magic Johnson will step in...

~Adam

The rumour I heard on the sports radio tonight was that Rudy's retirement was more of a case of him being forced to retired--pushed out by Kobe, who essentially runs the team. Else why would he walk away from a 5-year $30 million contract, when he could, for example, take a 'health-related' leave of absense?

So who's going to be the next Lakers coach? I hear Lenny Wilkens is looking for work.

Rudy Tomjanovich isn't even at tonight's game!

With Rudy T, Hubie Brown and Lenny Wilkens already done and Don Nelson and Larry Brown likely to follow by season's end (or shortly thereafter), it looks like a changing of the old guard among the NBA coaching ranks. Wonder who the hot young coaching prospects are out there? Only Dallas seems to have a replacement in mind in Avery Johnson.

I can't see Phil going back to LA as long as Kobe is there. He won't take the Knicks job and won't be stuck in Memphis. But if Larry Brown leaves the Pistons, I could easily see Phil taking over in Detroit.

Rudy Tomjanovich wasn't at last night's game--or the previous game--due to stomach illness & nasal infection, not related to Kobe Bryant stress. Interesting to hear that Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupcheck, and Kobe Bryant (still reuperating from sprained ankle) spent a part of last night's game in discussion about the possibility of Phil Jackson returning; LA Times says Buss wanted Bryant's "blessing" before entering negotiations with Jackson.

Some wags are positing the possibility that Bryant's recuperation--which was supposed to continue until late-February--will miraculously (now that God has healed TO, He has time to focus on Kobe) speed up if & when Rudy T. is gone. And he still wants everyone to believe he had nothing to do with the team staffing...As I stated on another thread, they should change the team name to the Los Angeles Kobes and be done with it.

~Adam

Why would Phil Jackson want to go back to the Lakers, unless they pour many many millions at his feet? The Lakers made their choice after last season. They chose Kobe. He should make them live with it now.

Never underestimate the size of Phil Jackson's massive ego. If he comes back to a team perceived to be in disarray and forges some sort of order, he's a heroic savior. If he then is able to mold the team into a champion (next season, at the earliest) that savior image is cast in stone & he winds up with more championship rings than even Red Auerbach. Of course, he will have to answer some questions about comments from his book on the Lakers--Kobe being "uncoachable" for instance.

What I can't understand is the seeming interest in Jim Calhoun; can't see why a 63-year-old so entrenched in CT would be mentioned as a possibility.

One other thing I find fascinating: all day today, Mitch Kupchek has been making like Sgt. Schultz, telling reporters he knows nothing of what's going on with coaching possibilities or the date of Kobe Bryant's return to the court. For a high-ranking executive within the Lakers organization to that far out of the loop seems disingenuous, at best. Dr. Buss can't be making all the decisions with input from just Kobe, can he?

~Adam

All the local papers stress the health aspects of Rudy Tomjanovich's resignation (interesting that since his bladder cancer, his diet had consisted of raw food, salads, and water; since becoming Laker coach fast foods and colas have become unhealthy staples for him) but buried deep in the articles is the mention that unnamed players have compalined about the style of play Rudy T. had implemented and the general feeling that the sytle was "out of touch" with current NBA practice. One of the LA Daily News articles even cites "an unnamed player, close to Dr. Jerry Buss" being highly critical of Rudy Tomjanovich's slow play in a division of uptempo tems, such as the Suns. Let's use the process of elimination to identify that particular player: Luke Walton?, no...

~Adam

What an ugly game!! The Atlanta Hawks (yes, the 10-37 Hawks) defeated the Lakers--and did it soundly. The Hawks went up 14-0 (!!!) and never looked back, even building a lead of 29 points to the Lakers before LA made some sort of rally to make the final score a more respectable 114-108. Lamar Odom, who played well for the Lakers, called their effort "lame" & that's being kind.

In other Laker-related news, when Rudy Tomjanovich resigned last week, he said alcohol had nothing to do with his decision (he's been in AA for a number of years,) adding that it could ultimately have played a role, but was proud to the stress hadn't come to that. Somehow, that isn't good enough for ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who reported: "I have no factual evidence to base this on, but drinking played a part in Rudy's leaving the Lakers." If he has no factual evidence--as he admits--how can he say that?? Idiot.

~Adam

What a great statement. I think I'll use it from now on. Like, "I have no factual evidence to base this on, but the sky is brown and the ocean is pink."

And to think, ESPN is supposed to be planning to give Stephen A. his own show. To think that he was just a lowly sportswriter not too long ago.

Joe

[ February 08, 2005, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: Susan Lucci in Philly ]

The Lakers have lost 8 of the last 11 games and some in the local media are seriously wondering what it would take to bring Shaq back to the team!! Seriously discussing which players the Lakers could send the Heat as part of a deal--seriously!! As Bugs Bunny has been known to say: "It is to laugh."

~Adam

In something akin to a vote of confidence, Frank Hamblen will remain Laker coach for the rest of the season. Said GM Mitch Kupchak: "We expect Frank to be our head coach for the remainder of the season. I think he's done a great job and our roster will be healthier after the All-Star break."

At present, the team is in 8th place in the west with a 26-24 record.

~Adam

[ February 17, 2005, 01:43 PM: Message edited by: Adam ]

The lakers will benefit from the fact that none of teams directly behind them in the standings would appear to be about to overtake them. If Minnesota or even Denver were to suddenly start playing anywhere near their potential the Kobe and Co. would find themselves booking early tee times this spring.

For the first time this season, the Lakers have won three games in a row, including a difficult victory last night in Portland, but from here on in, they have their work cut out for them: of the remaining 30 games 18 are on the road! So far, the Lakers have been weak when away from Staples, with a paltry 9-14 record on the road.

~Adam

The road record is now 9-15, following an embarrassing 108-102 loss to the Raptors (!) yesterday. An even more queasy-making statistic: in games where the Lakers have allowed at least 100, they are just 4-23. At least tonight, they've got the Knicks before heading to Boston.

~Adam

Gee, I feel sooooooo sorry for the Lakers. But hey, Kobe might be settling the lawsuit with the woman he had consensual sex with/assaulted (take your pick).

And they lost last night to the Knicks. Poor poor pitiful Lakers!

Most amusing (?) part of the overtime loss to the Knicks took place in the final seconds. Kobe Bryant dished the ball to Luke Walton, who was double-teamed, so he passed it back to Kobe who couldn't get a handle on the ball as time ran out. At that moment, the camera caught Kobe Bryant--ball hog par excellence--yelling at Walton: "Shoot the f***in' ball!!" Later, Bryant called the incident "a breakdown in team communication." Minnesota is now just one game behind the Lakers for the final playoff spot.

~Adam

After winning three games in a row last week, the Lakers have now lost four games in a row, most recently a 104-101 loss at Boston, and are officially a .500 team (28-28.) They're holding onto the eighth spot, but just barely--Denver (who have been playing solid ball since George Karl became coach) is a mere half game behind them. The Lakers are now 4-25 (yuck!!)when they give up at least 100 points. This from Kobe Bryant, who missed a three-point shot to tie the game in the final seconds : "This'll make for a good Hollywood story. In another week, maybe we can be four games over .500. I'm always optimistic. I let you guys be pessimists. We've been through a lot the first half of the season, a coaching change and my injury and missing 14 games, so it could be worse."

~Adam

Ah....Kobe Bryant has spoken out (again) about the coaching possibilities. Regarding Phil Jackson returning to the Lakers, Bryant said "I'm not talking about that anymore; I've already said all I'm going to do about him." About interim coach Frank Hamblen, Kobe said, "I love the guy. Everyone enjoys playing for him; he's a great coach." Hamblen still says he has no interest in being the permanent head coach of the Lakers.

~Adam

So can GM Kobe somehow persuade Hamblen to stay on, or will he have to start interviewing candidates? wink

Attended the Laker home game against their Los Angeles rivals, the Clippers, and saw the Lakers play a good first half & the Clippers play a better second half as the Clippers defeated the Lakers, 110-101. Defensively, the Lakers stopped playing about midway through the third period, choosing to stand around watching as the Clippers--especially Corey Maggette--outhustled, outrun, and outplayed them. The poor defense was particulary surprising because interim coach Frank Hamblem has stresed defense. On a positive note for the Laekrs, this is the first game I've seen in which both Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom had strong games. In the past, Odom played well when Kobe was injured but seemed at a loss as to his role when Bryant was on the court. Maybe they're finally learning to play together--better late than never.

Now the Lakers--currently a half-game behind the Nuggets for the eighth playoff spot--head on the road for a tough six-game road trip. I wonder what'll happen if the Lakers don't make the playoffs....Heads will roll!

~Adam

While the rest of the nation psrties like it's 1999!

[QB] [QUOTE]Originally posted by Adam:
[qb] I wonder what'll happen if the Lakers don't make the playoffs....Heads will roll! [/qb

While waiting for a friend in Studio City last night I asked a guy who was wearing a Lakers cap if they Lakers will be in the playoffs and he said no. Kinda had to agree with him. Many die-hard Laker fans tend to forget that when there is changes in players or coaches it ain't gonna be the same as before. The Lakers simply do not have a big center(now that center, was never a HUGE fan of him even though he did help the Lakers win three championships - is playing better and why didn't he get in shape and lose weight when he was the Lakers - what's up with that?!) and the center we have, Chris Mims(he's a looker) is good but not domiant.

I just hope the Lakers don't become like the Chicago Bulls. I'm still cheering for the Lakers but my hopes for them to have a good season was very low from the start. This team is inconsistent and sorta look like the...Clippers, so now L.A. has two mediocre teams playing in the same venue. Ugh.

The guy I was talking to last night said the fall of the Lakers is on one person - y'all know who he is. I'm still wondering is KB that bad of a guy?

Go Lakers

Whether KB is that bad a guy or not doesn't really matter--the team was handed to him on a silver platter when Dr. Buss sided with Kobe over Phil Jackson & Shaq and Kobe himself told various members of the press--especially Jim Gray--that he wanted it to be his team. As such, he has to accept the responsibility for the success or failure of "his team." I doubt the Lakers will become the Chicago Bulls as Dr. Buss won't stand for it & will open his checkbook as needed to make deals; he can tolerate a season of rebuilding but not a string of mediocre years.

What I find disheartening is that one can easily find people saying the Lakers should tank the rest of this season and secure a lottery pick rather than make the effort to get to the playoffs only to be embarrassed by (take your pick) San Antonio, Phoenix, Seattle, Dallas....

~Adam

In yet another case of the truth being weirder than any fiction, following the Lakers most recent loss--their fifth in a row, this time to Seattle--Kobe Bryant had the gall to tell a couple of reporters that "I"m tired of having to drag this team along; there are a couple of guys here who don't want to hustle for me & I'm tired of having to do everything."

I've said before & I'll say it agin: change the team name to the LA Kobes. Maybe the Lakers will get a good lottery pick.

~Adam

Why don't they just make him player-coach? Then he can run everything. Of course, he'll have less time to have sex with other women (consensual or not)...but on the other hand, he'll save money on bribes to his wife to keep her from divorce court.

It's now six losses in a row for the Lakers, following a miserable (115-107) game against the Jazz. For some reason, the Lakers decided not to play defense (again) & are now 6-31 when their opponent scores at least 100 points. Favorite stat from the game comes from Jazz Gordan Giricek, who had been averaging 8 points per game, scoring a season-high 22 points, all while being guarded by Kobe Bryant (who had 42 points, including 27 from beyond the arc.) Interim Coach Frank Hamblen implies--but will not say directly--that Bryant's dropoff in defense isn at the core of the teams' lack of defense. Makes sense: if the team leader doesn't care about defense, why should anyone? This must be particularly galling for Hamblen as he tried to stress defense when he took over the team from Rudy T.

They're now 4 1/2 games behind Denver for the final playoff spot-- and just two games ahead of the Clippers! Wonder if the weird weather can be blamed on this phenomenon?

~Adam

After last night's defeat to Utah Jazz I am slowly coming to the conclusion that the Lakers will not be in the NBA playoffs. There are many reasons why, but I can think of a couple right now - they didn't seem to gel and if one guy was down none of the other players seem to pick up their game and be a leader/go-to guy. Oh man I can hear and read the grumblings on the radio and newspapers next month at how lousy the Lakers were this year. As I said before I wasn't expecting much, but I didn't expect them to be this lousy. Hopefully next year they'll be a little bit better.

Payment to jeweler for ring to bribe wife to keep him: 4 million dollars
Payment to settle civil suit: $??? million dollars
Seeing the Clippers finish ahead of the Lakers: priceless

Eight losses in a row! The Lakers are now 6 1/2 behind Denver for the playoff spot with 13 to go! And they're only a half-game ahead of the Clippers!!! eek!

I wasn't able to watch the game against Philadelphia but simply can't fathom how the Lakers could have 27 turnovers!! But then I also can't fathom how Iverson could go 5-28 from the field.

Oh well, now the Lakers seem to be turning on each other overtly rather than the usual off-the-record sniping: point gurad Chucky Atkins was asked by a reporter what changes he would make to improve the Lakers. His response: "I ain't the GM of this team. Kobe's the GM of this team. Ask Kobe. You've been watching this [stuff] all year. You've been watching it and I've been playing in it."

~Adam

My, he sounds bitter! wink

This was in the paper this morning:

According to one of the local sports talkers, Dr. Buss is so upset with the Lakers performance this season (supposedly, he figured they'd make it to the first round of the playoffs) that he's willing to look at possible deals for "everyone currently on the team." In response to a caller asking whether Kobe Bryant was included in the "everyone," the host affirmed that from what he heard, Buss is willing to consider shopping Bryant. I doubt that's true (Buss turned the team over to Kobe just last summer, after all, and Buss doesn;t admit mistakes that easily...)but I'm sure everyone else will be available for trades--wonder what the Bucks want for Michael Redd....

~Adam

The universe seems to be making a bit more sense again: the Clippers have reverted to their usual losing selves and are now two full games behind the Lakers. (I wasn't ready for whatever happens if the Lakers finish the season with a worse record than the Clippers--it may be Biblical! )

~Adam

The Lakers lose yet again (1-9 over their past 10) to fall 6.5 games behind Denver/Memphis for the #8 spot. Sorry, Kobe.

Unless the Lakers rally to win tonight (they trail in the 3rd quarter as I type) they will be a half-game...drumroll, please... BEHIND the woeful Clippers! Oh, and they'll be eliminated from the playoff race. wink

Edit to add: it's over! The Lakers are eliminated! It's the draft lottery for GM Kobe!

[ April 05, 2005, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]