Lakers' Injury Situation Gets Worse

I harped in my last post that the Lakers frontline has been depleted by injuries to the point that you stand and look around and you'd think the Laker frontline is as mythical as Bigfoot.

Then we learn that Laker stalwart Derek Fisher has a partially torn tendon in his right foot. It's easy to forget that Kobe has been playing with an injured pinkie and decided to play through the injury because he believed that the Lakers have a fighting chance to win the NBA championship.

Prior to their win over the Washington Wizards, the Lakers have lost 3 out of 4 and have lost to two teams bound for the lottery (Charlotte Bobcats & Memphis Grizzlies). The Lakers have also slipped behind the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs for the top spots in the Western Conference.

I think one more injury from the Lakers will make Kobe rethink his decision to skip surgery. At the rate the Lakers are getting injured, a first round playoff match up against the healthy Denver Nuggets or Golden State Warriors may be dangerous.


Tags: Lakers

Where did the Lakers' Frontline Go?

At the start of the season, the Lakers were looking at then unproven Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm, Ronny Turiaf, Brian Cook, Kwame Brown, Vladimir Radmanovic and Lamar Odom as their front line. Young turks, but nobody bet on them because of their lack of collective physicality. Odom could be the only proven commodity in the bunch at that time.

Then the season went on: Mihm got injured and has not played since December last year, Cook was then dealt to the Orlando Magic with Mo Evans for forward Trevor Ariza, Bynum further developed and blossomed under Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kwame Brown was traded to the Memphis Grizzles for Pau Gasol in light of Bynum's injury.

Thanks to injuries, the improved lineup of Gasol, Odom, Bynum, Mihm, Turiaf, Radmanovic and Ariza has been reduced to less than 50% of capacity. That's why DJ Mbenga and Ira Newble were signed from the free agent pool.

But imagine if they all recovered and played in the playoffs? The Lakers would be a big scary team. Frontline-wise, Phoenix, San Antonio and Detroit could be the only teams to match up with the Lakers.


Tags: Lakers

Dream 2008 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Looking at the current standings of the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NBA, two legendary teams sit atop: the Boston Celtics at the East and the Los Angeles Lakers at the West. This may sound wishful thinking at this point in the season, but the prospects of a Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals is in the realm of possibility.

The last decade of Celtics basketball practically made it rather impossible for the the two teams to meet-- the best team the Celts fielded prior to this season was the Antoine Walker-Paul Piece duo that sputtered after reaching the conference finals. The Lakers enjoyed a dynasty early in the decade, but since have struggled to make significant play-off headway in the last five years.

Thanks to the shenanigans Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge pulled off in the off-season, Kevin Garnett is wearing Celtic green. That transaction made the Celtics relevant again (at least in the short term). On the other end, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum's emergence, plus Kobe's happy camper attitude all contributed to them being in the cusp of truly becoming an elite team.

I'm sure I'm not the only one pining for the much-awaited Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers match-up for the new generation. Somewhere in the NBA's office, David Stern is probably giggling like a schoolgirl when he thinks about that potential faceoff.


Tags: Lakers

Damn You, Rafer Alston!

The search for "The NBA Team that Stops The Houston Rockets' Streak" continues in the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers were the 22nd victim of the Houston Rockets in their record-setting winning streak, to a score of 104-92. Tracy McGrady was limited to 11 points, thanks to the tight defense of Kobe Bryant, but Rafer Alston had a career night, scoring 31 points and 5 assists. Damn you, Rafer Alston. Bobby Jackson also stepped up with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Damn you, Bobby Jackson.

The Rockets' win also propelled them to the top spot in the Western Conference, easing the Lakers out. So in a way, it's really a sucky loss. Damn you, Rafer Alston.


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Lose Big Time; Pau Gasol Injured

The Lakers visited the New Orleans Hornets and came out losers-- they lost the game by 10 points, 108-98, and more importantly, they lost key acquisition Pau Gasol to injury.

This is kinda ironic since I just read from Yahoo's Roy Johnson's blog post questioning Bynum's return to the Lakers this season. Now, if Gasol's injury proves to me severe, there is absolutely no question that Bynum's return is a must for the Lakers to go deep into the NBA playoffs. As of this time, there is still no final word on the severity to Pau Gasol's injury-- the reports all say it's a sprained ankle.

Pau Gasol has proved to be instrumental in the Laker's run to the top of the NBA's tough Western Conference. He has been averaging 19 point and 9 rebounds and a key component in the Lakers' Triangle Offense and pick and rolls. His presence has allowed forward Lamar Odom to be more of a facilitator/perimeter player than be a grinder in the low post. I'm hoping the injury is not as bad, otherwise, Kobe might as well have surgery in his pinkie.


Tags: Lakers

Kobe Bryant Blog Day: The Basketball World Hates Kobe

Hardwood Paroxysm started an initiative to mark March 11,2008 as Kobe Bryant Blog Day and I'm participating! (Yey!)

As a Laker fan based in Manila (that would be in the Philippines), I would say Kobe Bryant is one of the most popular and admired NBA players. He recently visited the Philippines last year and he was received very well, like his prior visits. If you take a random person from the street and ask him or her to name a popular active NBA player, I'd estimate 75% would first say Kobe Bryant.

But having said that, I think Kobe is the NBA player fans hate the most.

He has been tagged as a selfish player who does not make his team better, who broke up the Lakers dynasty by pushing the Los Angeles Lakers to trade Shaq in 2004, the player who "raped" his way out of a sexual assault case, an enigma who can be considered as a basketball hermit.

But we all know the real reason why fans hate him: He's the best NBA player right now.

He scored 81 points, won 3 NBA championships, won scoring titles, made fools out of the other NBA "stars," and perhaps is starting to "make his team better."

I had the same sentiments about Michael Jordan. I did not deny his greatness, his MVP's and highlight moves. MJ deprived others stars of championships, glory and legacy. Michael Jordan, during his playing days, was great, but I hated him.

Now, people hate Kobe Bryant.


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Sunk by Free Throws

Heartbreaking one point loss to the Sacramento Kings is the best way to describe the game the Los Angeles Lakers played.

The Lakers gave up 71 first points and made things interesting in the closing seconds, grabbing the lead with 13 seconds to go then no thanks to a Sasha Vujacic foul, emerginf Kings guard Beno Udrih sank two free throws.

Nothing against the Kings, but the Lakers should not be giving up 71 points in any half to any team, regardless if they are playoff-bound or not.

Tags: Lakers

Sorry LeBron, You are NOT the MVP

Dear LeBron,

First of all, I'm not a hater-- in fact, I have high respect for your over-all game. You're stats are the best across the board in of the league. You're the leader of your team and you're a fan favorite.

Actually, you are a lot more but there is one thing you are not-- the NBA's Most Valuable Player.

You play in the watered down Eastern Conference and yet you're leading a Cleveland Cavaliers squad a few games over .500. The MVP voters have a penchant of avoiding star players on pedestrian elite teams. I also think your team's record suggests you do not make your teammates better. In fact, your team's GM overhauled your team since you were not take the past roster to a higher level.

For all your marvelous stats, you are not clutch. In the years you are in the league, you have yet to consistently show your guts in pressure-packed clutch situations. Your tomahawk jams are very much appreciated, but I'd like to see you jam through 5 defenders with 3 seconds left in the clock with your team down by 2.

I hope this short letter reaches you. Don't worry, I'm sure you will win the MVP award eventually.


Sincerely,

Big Lakers Fan


Tags: NBA

"Making Your Team Better": Shittiest Argument for the MVP Award

For a good portion of the last half decade, I have read experts saying this player deserved the MVP award because he makes his team better.

What utter crap.

The people voting for the MVP award are maintaining a double standard when it comes to that argument.

Case in point: in 2001-2002 season, Jason Kidd was traded to the lifeless New Jersey Nets franchise. In the season before, the Nets only managed to win 26 games and with Kidd on board, the Nets doubled the win total to 52. Kidd averaged a sterling 14.7 points, 9.9 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals. Can we say Kidd was the difference for the Nets in those two seasons? Absolutely. It's interesting to not that the core team of the New Jersey Nets outside of Kidd did not change in those two seasons. So can we draw the conclusion that Kidd made his team better? With all probability, yes.

Conventional wisdom would tell us that Jason Kidd, with all his "make his team better" achievement in that season, should win MVP. Did he win?

To this day, Kidd has not won an MVP award.

So much for making your team better.


Tags: Lakers

Is Kobe Bryant the NBA's MVP?

The Los Angeles Lakers' latest winning streak was stopped in Portland, setting the longest streak of the season to 10 games.

Kobe Bryant seems to have an idea of starting a new winning streak as the Lakers beat the new-look Dallas Mavericks in overtime, 108-104. Bryant poured in a season-high 52 points, his first 50-point game of the season, with 30 points coming in the final 17 minutes of play.

This performance may be considered another case for Kobe's first ever regular season Most Valuable Player award. The knock against Kobe has been the perennial "does not make his teammates better" argument, but this season may be different. Kobe has tempered his offensive output a bit to facilitate his improving teammates and has played defense despite a pinkie injury.

If Kobe doesn't win the award this season, expect NBA conspiracy theories to fly over the internet and media.


Tags: Lakers