Yes, Sasha Vujacic Was Better Than Kobe Bryant...

...at least from the stripe. Sasha made 8 our of 9, as opposed to Kobe Bryant's 4 out of 5.

But nonetheless, two Lakers not named Kobe Bryant were of significance this day. I've mentioned the first: Sasha Vujacic. Vujacic led the Lakers in the fourth quarter en route to a 127-99 win against the Denver Nuggets. The oft-maligned Slovenian had 22 points, 19 of which were in the last 12 minutes of the game.

The second Laker is Phil Jackson. He just signed a 2-year extension to coach the Lakers through the 2009-2010 season. Whether Kobe Bryant is still part of the team by then is still a question.

Tags: Lakers

Lakers Win, Losing Streak Ends

At this point of the season, I'm thankful the Seattle Supersonics are giving Kevin Durant the long leash-- A rookie leading your team's campaign would almost translate to a win for the opposing team. And the Lakers seemed to take advantage of that.

The Lakers had a strong second half to take the 106-99 win over the Durant-led Sonics. The win stopped the 3-game losing streak and extended the Sonics' own losing skein to five games.

In the battle of the hyped up shooting guards, Kobe dominated the rookie Durant, beating him in virtually all aspects of the game. Kobe's stat line read 35 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists versus Kevin Durant's 25 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.


Tags: Lakers

Ugh! Lakers on a 3-game Losing Streak

After looking like legit contenders with a 7-3 record the past week, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be grounded back to borderline lottery team with three losses.

First loss on this skein is care of the Miwaukee Bucks, trumping the Lakers 110-103. Michael Redd did his best Kobe impression by making plays on both ends of the floor. Kobe even said he may have shared too many tricks during their stint for USA Basketball last summer.

The next loss came from the now mighty Boston Celtics. The Celtics used to be a joke in the last decade, but thanks to The Big Ticket Kevin Garnett, the C's are relevant once again. They trumped the Lakers in convincing fashion to a score of 107-94. The Lakers relished the idea of reviving the legendary rivalry between the two clubs, but it is apparent the Lakers need another quality option (perhaps Andrew Bynum) to hold a candle against the Celtics this season. Sheesh, to think that KG almost went to the Lakers!


The latest loss is a bit heart-breaking, in which Kobe clanged a key free throw that would have iced the game for them. Instead of winning by a point, the Lakers lost by 2 points against the non-threatening New Jersey Nets, 102-100. The Lakers tried to rally in the fourth quarter, but miscues like the missed free throw really kills not-so-great teams.

The four-game winning streak is now a memory and the Lakers now are in the .500 zone, a place where a lot of people predicted them to be. Will the trade trigger be pulled soon?


Tags: Lakers

Phil Jackson Slammed for 'Brokeback Mountain' Comment

L.A. Lakers coach Phil Jackson has been known to make little quips and tries to be a quote machine every once in a while, but he recently made a comment that got him in hot water:

We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts. It was one of those games.

While I do see the need to be politically correct (PC) for a public figure like Phil, I recognize the joke and the intent of Jackson to make light of the situation. Heck, they were embarrassed in that game against Western Conference nemesis San Antonio Spurs to a score of 107-92 and PJ may just be playing his oft-used "mind games." The NBA has again played the PC card card and slammed the comment. I don't think any other NBA player or coach reacted.

The good thing is that Phil Jackson has offered an apology:


Nice *sarcasm* apology-- The Zen Master taking note of horses, Texans and cowoys.
Tags: Lakers

Lamar Odom is Back!

Lamar Odom is back from his injury and helped the Lakers win over the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves. The 107-93 victory was paced by Kobe Bryant's 30 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists (what a fantasy stat line) and Odom's double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.

I have to point out: what's with the star on the back of LO's head? Anyways, another equally encouraging stat line: 10 points and 10 rebounds, with 3 blocks from Andrew Bynum. Bynum's nemesis for the game, Al Jefferson, had a big night with 24 points and 15 rebounds. I'm guessing the T-wolves will be winless by the end of the month.

With games and opponents like these, will Kobe even think about leaving LA? Ummm... yeah.


Tags: Lakers

Fantasy NBA: Lakers you should Pick up

I'm playing Fantasy NBA right now and in our league, I'm quite disappointed. Why? Because Lamar Odom is in my fantasy squad. I'm really torn in keeping him or Boris Diaw (who has been equally disappointing), but given that I'm in a shallow league, I can opt to wait till Odom comes back and hopefully averages 16-10-5.

However, if you're in a very deep league with over 14 teams, there may be fantasy steals you can look for this early in the season:

1. Andrew Bynum - Averaging a double-double, with roughly 10 points and 10 rebounds, plus a block. Nice pick-up as a backup center.
2. Derek Fisher - Old Laker fave is getting solid points (14/game), plus very solid free throw percentage and getting a couple of steals.
3. Luke Walton - Still a stat sheet stuffer (8-5-5) for a backup, but FT% has been low.
4. Kwame Brown - Bust! 8 rebounds and 1 block could be useful in some leagues.

Tags: Lakers

A Jazzy Win and a Buzzed-out Loss

The Lakers are definitely going to have an up and down season this 2007-2008.

The Lakers were very impressive against the Utah Jazz a few days ago, getting a 119-109 win. The highlights of that game, of course was Kobe Bryant's block on Andrei Kirilenko's two-handed dunk attempt. The Lakers also had solid contributions from Derek Fisher (19 points, 5 assists) and the improving Andew Bynum (15 points, 9 rebounds in 19 minutes).

However, the Lakers had a 118-104 loss in a record-breaking night from for the New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul had a set a franchise record of 21 assists and Peja Stojakovic had 10 3-pointers. (Wow, the fantasy NBA owners of those players must be very happy). Another solid game for Kobe (28 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds) and Socks (8 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks), but CP3 and Peja were on fire.

Tags: Lakers

D'Antoni: We Bust the Lakers in the Playoffs every Year

After the Lakers demolished a tired Phoenix Suns to the score of 119-98, Suns coach Mike D'Antoni had a few spicy words to Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, regarding the latter's decision to call a timeout right after D'Antoni called one.

Yeah, I was pretty upset, I thought he disrespected our players. But he likes to play the mind games and that's fine. He might want to try to do it in playoff time when we bust them every year.

Countered Jackson:

He wasn't thinking straight. That's all. He'd understand that if he thought about it for a second. I think he thought I was trying to showboat or grandstand. But when you have a mandatory timeout coming in a minute and a half or something like that, just get it out of the way.

Interesting. I smell a L.A. Lakers-Sacramento Queens type of mini-rivalry in the works.


Tags: Lakers