Kobe wants out?

Kobe has indicated his frustration countless times since getting eliminated by the Phoenix Suns. But a couple of days ago, his frustration has reached a new high-- he wants out if the soon to be ex-Memphis Grizzlies GM Jerry West is not on board.

While he has softened his stance with an explanation, Kobe Bryant has made it crystal clear-- he wants the Lakers to win NOW.

I mean, come on, how better can Kobe be? Given he has churned out MVP-like stats for a number of seasons now, he is already on his peak. And I think he has 3-5 years before he starts tapering off due to age. The window is definitely getting smaller. Just ask Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson or Tracy McGrady.

Should the Lakers trade Kobe? Absolutely not. The front office just need to get better pieces to complement their star. Better defenders should be on top of the list, as well as smart passers to maximize Phil Jackson's Triangle. Another superstar would definitely be welcome. Jerry West has proven to get those things done and that's why Kobe is hellbent on bringing him in.

Tags: Lakers

NBA Draft Lottery 2007: No, the Lakers are not included

... But the Portland Trailblazers are looking at Greg Oden manning their front court come next season. It really makes sense that they get him-- with Brandon Roy leading the backcourt, we may see a new dynamic duo in the Northwest. (Or not, unless Portland opts for Kevin Durant)

With Kevin Durant potentially at #2, the Tracy McGrady clone will surely be trade bait for a Seattle team looking to sell. (Or then again, the new owners may want a new star attraction.) That means Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen have become expendable to get some cap relief.

Atlanta gets it pick, but barring a complete meltdown (again), the Phoenix Suns may be looking at a shiny high pick next year. (Phoenix gets Atlanta's pick from the Joe Johnson trade).

The loser of the draft? Boston! The Celtics are definitely feeling a punch in the gut after losing out on the two draft stars that matter.

As for the Lakers, picking at #19 is OK, given Josh McRoberts of Duke may be available.

Tags: Lakers

The Lakers are out. Now what?

With the Lakers eliminated in the Playoffs, what does a Laker fan do?

To be honest, the remaining 2nd Round match-ups are pretty OK: Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz vs, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons vs. Chicago Bulls. But a playoffs without the Lakers for me is as relevant as the newspaper ads you see during Sundays.

The Lakers still get some coverage on the web and the articles all seem to dissect the Lakers' lost season. The most common themes are:

• Will Jim Buss pull the trigger to get an All-Star point guard?
• Will Lamar Odom stay?
• Will Andrew Bynum be the trade bait?
• Will Luke Walton re-sign?
• The Laker's bench may have seen their last days in Purple and Gold
• Is Jermaine O'neal coming to La-la Land?
• Will Kevin McHale send Kevin Garnett to L.A.?
  

That's a whole lot of coverage for an eliminated team. It seems the L.A. Lakers is the only team that can still be relevant even it has been booted out from the Playoffs.

Tags: Lakers

Speed of the NBA, plus I predicted the Jazz will win in 7

With the success of the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, NBA pundits are now glamorizing the new NBA game-- the Speed Game.

That argument has even prompted some to advise the Lakers brain trust to ditch Andrew Bynum and and go for someone who can make the Lakers run and gun (aka Jason Kidd). But I have to ask the question: When was the last time a run-and-gun, fast-break-fest won an NBA championship? Oh yeah, around 19 years ago with the Showtime L.A. Lakers.

So until Phoenix, Golden State or New Jersey wins NBA hardware, I'm holding off the Speed Game of the NBA.

Also, I want to add that I predicted the Jazz will win in 7 games. The T-Mac curse continues!

Tags: Lakers

End of the Smush Parker era, plus I predicted Golden State to Win

The Smush Parker Era in Lakerland is practically over.

Smush Parker, the Lakers starting point guard for the last two seasons, may have played his last game in Purple and Gold. From a recent news conference, Parker has stated:

"I don't know. Next question."

He was asked about returning to the Lakers next season. Add to that the fact that he's an unrestricted free-agent this coming off-season, then it's safe to assume that Jordan Farmar (or Jason Kidd?) will take the reins for the starting PG spot.

Also, I'm very pleased to say that I picked Golden State to win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs are probably banging their heads on the wall-- they now have the dubious distinction of being the first top seed to fall to the 8th seed in the first round. Future articles will always refer to the 2007 Mavs whenever an 8th seed wins over the number 1.

Dirk Nowitkzi may also be the first MVP to be receiving his trophy in his civies.


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Playoff Story 2007: Elimination and Humiliation

A post-mortem of the Lakers 2007 playoff campaign would show two things: the Los Angeles Lakers are a few years from becoming an elite team again and the Phoenix Suns showed them how to play team ball.

After the Lakers were booted out of contention in Game 5 in Phoenix, a few telling stats more or less reveal how the Suns execution overwhelmed the Lakers:

1. Assists - I have to admit that Steve Nash was the main difference here. The assists ratio was 7:4 in favor of the Suns. That means the Suns had 75% more assists that the Lakers output.
2. Defense - The Suns played better defense compared to last year. The Lakers averaged less than 96 points a game. The Lakers lineup of Smush Parker, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic wasn't able to slow down the Suns' backcourt.
3. Amare Stoudemire - Amare was the biggest difference between a 7-game series and a 5-game beating. The Lakers has no answer to Stoudemire, who averaged around 24 points and 13 rebounds in the series.

The Lakers seemed to be resigned even before Game 5. Brian Kamenetzky pointed out that the Lakers exuded a "palpable Dead Man Walking vibe" during practice before the game. The obviously already knew the better team has won.

Also, I predicted the Suns would win in 6. For a Laker fan or any sports fan, knowing your team is over-matched is like a punch in the gut.

Tags: Lakers