How to Fix the Lakers (Part 2)

After I figured that Brian Shaw would be the best option for the Lakers' coaching vacancy, the team went on to hire Mike Brown as the next coach.

Now onto the next way to fix the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2011-2012 season: The NBA Draft.

The team has the picks for #41, #46, #56, and #58 in a two-round draft of 30 picks per draft. This means that the Lakers have very low picks. Who should the Lakers draft in a relatively weak class?

If you ask me, go for serviceable bigs that can replace Derrick Caracter. This person should be able to put in the efforts to defend the opponent's big men and rebound on the offensive glass. I believe this was sorely missed with the aging Theo Ratliff and Joe Smith coming off the bench to spell the frontline starters.

Some names that come to mind in the draft:

• Kenneth Faried
• Jordan Williams
• Rick Jackson
• Willie Reed
• DeAngelo Castro
• Greg Smith
• Keith Benson

The common denominator among the names I listed is that they are all big men who are active on the defensive and rebounding ends.

If the Lakers pick majority of those scrappy bigs, I think they're on the right path to replace Derrick Caracter.


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How to Fix the Lakers (Part 1)

Now that most Los Angeles Lakers fans have gotten over the initial shock of the team's disgraceful exit in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, it's time to start to look forward to next season.

I'm devoting a good portion of this blog to focus on the how to fix the Lakers until the next season starts. I think this is a good way to reflect on what team needs to do to reclaim the NBA crown in the 2011-2012 season.

The first order is to get a great coach, since Phil Jackson has expressed that he's done coaching in the NBA.

If you ask me, the Lakers need a coach that can command the respect of the veteran ballclub NOW. The core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom are in their 30's and perhaps have 3-4 years left in their respective contracts, and assuming no personnel changes happen, then the window for the Lakers  is not as big as it used to be.

So who fits the bill? I'm working on the assumption that there would be no major changes in the Lakers team, so the natural choice would be Lakers assistant Brian Shaw.

Kobe Bryant and several Lakers have expressed their endorsement of Shaw and Shaw is a person who is familiar with the Triangle Offense, so there would be some level of continuity in the locker room.

The caveat here is that Shaw has never been a head coach in the league, so he might get a rude awakening when the Lakers start losing or dozing off in the regular season.


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Pau Gasol Visit Ethiopia

Some Los Angeles Lakers team members are still busy in the off-season.

Pau Gasol just returned from Ethiopia as part of his role as Spain's ambassador to Unicef. In Ethiopia, LA Lakers star visited UNICEF-supported education, protection and nutrition programmes. “This trip has been the confirmation that many kids in the world, millions of kids, need our help”, said Gasol. Pau Gasol is now supporting education, nutrition and child protection programmes in Ethiopia.

The trip also supported Gasol's initial interest in medicine and health before basketball. He had the opportunity to learn about the Community Based Nutrition Program. Through this program, members of the community work on measures to prevent, identify and treat cases of children suffering from malnutrition, a major underlying factor contributing to child mortality in Ethiopia.

At the end of this field trip, Pau Gasol highlighted the work being carried out for children: "The most promising thing was to see how UNICEF is working in many of this communities allowing and giving the chance to this families and kids to go to school and receive an education.

If you ask me, this is another reason to root for members of the Lakers and makes "The Decision" look more like a farce.


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Event: Nike 3 on 3 Shot from the Top of L.A. Live

Event alert!

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Rick Fox, Los Angeles Clippers Coach Vinny del Negro and Emmy award-winning actor Jeremy Piven will participate in the second annual “Shot from the Top,” a long range three-point shot competition from the balcony atop L.A. LIVE to a basketball hoop in Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE more than 33 feet below.  Last year, Lakers great Derek Fisher and actor David Arquette both made their shots so, the bar has been set high.

This “stunt” will promote the second annual Nike 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament which will take place August 6-8, 2010 at L.A. LIVE, STAPLES Center and along Chick Hearn Court in downtown Los Angeles.  Registration for the event is underway and closes on July 30. Participants can register at www.nike3on3.com.

So head to the Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE and the third story balcony of L.A. LIVE on July 22, 2010 and see if the stars make their shots. :)


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Ron Artest to Visit Manila on August

Los Angeles Lakers forward and resident defensive stopper Ron Artest will be in Manila this August!

Filipino fans should be thrilled that Artest will promote his rap single "Champions" and he will also be doing media appearances. According to a close friend of Artest:

"Ron’s manager Ji Lee confirmed the trip. He’s looking forward to making personal appearances in mall tours and on TV, conducting at least two basketball clinics and doing bar performances to promote his new rap song ‘Champions.’ He’s also open to do product endorsements on print, radio and TV. Most of all, Ron wants to visit the Philippines because he’s heard so much of our country through his Filipino friends."

Unknown to many,  Ron Artest has plenty of Filipino friends and he even has some inclination to the cuisine:

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Ron Artest here in Manila next month. :D


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Kobe Bryant in Manila Tickets

Kobe Bryant will be here in Manila tomorrow and the most important commodity for NBA fans in the city is a ticket to Kobe's appearance at the Philippine Sports Center.

Unfortunately, tickets to the event are things I don't have. :( The tickets shown above belong to a friend of mine. (Lucky!)

Kobe has been in Manila twice and I'll be missing both. :(


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Kobe Bryant To Visit Manila

Four-time NBA champion and 2009 Finals MVP Kobe Bryant will be in Manila this July 21, 2009. His Manila visit is part of his Asian Tour sponsored by Nike.

Kobe will be leading basketball clinics, talking to basketball fans, and promoting his newest shoe, the Nike Dream Season.

Man, I sure hope there are tickets out there still available. I definitely would like to meet Kobe Bryant in person. :)

--

Here's the press release for Kobe's visit I got from Jayvee Fernadez' blog:

July 13, 2009 (Manila) – Making his promised return trip to Manila, NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant will kick off his Nike sponsored 2009 Asia Tour: Philippines on July 21, 2009. Seeking to inspire young ballers to continue aspiring for their big hoop dreams, the tour will touch six cities in Asia – Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Chengdu.

“Nike Philippines is proud to welcome Kobe Bryant back to Manila, and we are excited to be the first stop of his Asia tour. Since his last visit, Kobe has further cemented his status as a basketball powerhouse having been awarded NBA’s 2007-2008 MVP. The Lakers’ clinching the NBA Championship and Kobe being named the Finals’ Most Valuable Player in the recently concluded season makes the timing of his visit doubly exciting, and though brief, we know he will again touch many young lives, inspiring them to reach for their hoop dreams,” said Nike Philippines country marketing manager Mae Dichupa.

Kobe Bryant’s one-day Manila visit will kick off with a visit at Nike Park, The Fort at 2:00pm, where he will meet young ballers from select Gawad Kalinga communities. Kobe has made it a point to support deserving institutions in every tour, setting aside quality time to be with children who are interested in basketball to encourage them to keep dreaming big. Activities at the Nike Park, The Fort will be broadcast live over W.N.I.K.E Radio on 89.9 DWTM.

The main event of the basketball superstar’s Manila visit will be a basketball camp at the ULTRA where Kobe will showcase his skills and share his basketball prowess alongside the Nike Elite Campers, a group of up-and-coming young basketball players. The camp will allow Kobe to work with his young fans to help them increase their level of play on the basketball court. The show will start at 4:00pm, gates will be open to the public at 3:00pm.

Additionally, during the tour, Nike and Kobe Bryant will introduce the new Dream Season shoe, a first of its kind basketball shoe designed for outdoor games. The Nike Dream Season, designed with insights from Kobe, helps share his passion for basketball with players throughout Asia Pacific and gives them the opportunity to live out their dreams on the outdoor court.

The Nike Dream Season, both lightweight and durable, is sleek and aggressive much like Kobe’s style of play. In the recently concluded league, Kobe Bryant lived out his dream season. With Nike Dream Season and Kobe’s 2009 Asia Tour, he hopes to continue inspiring young ballers to realize their own dream seasons.

Tickets to see Kobe live at ULTRA will be distributed for one day only: Saturday, July 18, 2009, beginning at 12 noon at Nike Park, The Fort. Tickets are free of charge and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Only two tickets will be given per person, with a total of 3,000 tickets distributed.

W.N.I.K.E Radio, which airs on 89.9 DWTM every Monday from 10-10:30 am, will also award tickets to lucky listeners for this rare opportunity to see Kobe Bryant live.

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My Off-Season Begins

Ahhh... It feels good to be a Laker fan these days.

After losing in the NBA Finals in 2008, the Los Angeles Lakers won their franchise's 15th championship over the Orlando Magic in five games this year. (Trivia: I correctly predicted that the Lakers will win in five games) Kobe Bryant won his fourth championship ring and Nike should be updating the puppet commercials to reflect the new championship ring. Bryant also won his first NBA Finals MVP.

A few days later, the team had a cost-saving 2009 draft to facilitate the signing of Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, two players instrumental in the Lakers' 2009 championship run.

A few months from now, players would have rested and injuries to Andrew Bynum would have healed and Bryant would be getting a rejuvenating break from basketball and be ready for a back-to-back championship.

This also means that my off-season from blogging here at Big Lakers Fan has started and I'll be back for the 2009-2010 NBA regular season in a few months. (Of course, I'll be blogging about major stuff sporadically in the coming days and months).

It was a great time to be a Laker last season. Here's to a great Laker run next season! Go Lakers! :D


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Scout's Take on the Lakers' 2008-2009 Season

I found this very good and insightful scouting article about the Los Angeles Lakers. Here's an excerpt:

"...I think the Lakers were really surprised that they reached the Finals, but that success isn't going to mask the issues they have in terms of trying to win the whole thing. They're still a young team, and their style is more finesse than physical, with Kobe [Bryant]'s top teammates being finesse players in Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. I don't see that other talented guy on this team who has the tough buck-stops-with-me demeanor that Kobe has. Kobe needs a secondary star and leader, and he still doesn't have it."

The scout's take can be found at Sports Illustrated's Enemy Lines series.


Tags: Lakers

People Like the Lakers' Chances in 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 NBA season is just a few days away and there are a lot of season previews all over the web. So far, the previews are putting the Los Angeles Lakers in a "favorite to win the Western Conference" position.

Here's a rundown of the NBA season previews:

• Sports Illustrated's Marty Burns puts the Lakers at the #2 spot over-all, behind the reigning champions Boston Celtics. (Ugh!)
• Eight of the ten ESPN experts pick the Lakers to come out of the Western Conference.
• Almost 50% of NBA General Managers think the Lakers will win the NBA championship this coming season. (One little side note: none of the GM's picked the Lakers to even win the Pacific division last year)
• EA simulated the upcoming season and the outcome was the Lakers beating the Miami Heat in six games to win the crown. (Well, the same simulation also had Yao Ming winning the MVP award-- go figure...)
• NBC is giving the Lakers the edge over the New Orleans Hornets in the West.
• I gave my own sneak peek recently .

If there's one thing the previews say, the Los Angeles Lakers are entering the season with sky high expectations. So let's see if Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and the rest of the Lakers can deliver.

Tags: Lakers

Kobe Bryant Injures Knee

Two words you don't want to see together in a single sentence: Kobe and injury.

I could hear that collective gasp of Los Angeles Lakers fans when news of Kobe Bryant injuring his knee in a pre-season game against the Charlotte Bobcats broke out. Kobe left the game in the first half after he hyperextended his knee going for a rebound.

This latest development can give Lakers coach Phil Jackson reasons to be cautious in giving the NBA's reigning MVP minutes during the early part of the season. This could also translate to several games missed for Kobe if the injury proves to be more severe than a hyperextended knee. (I hope that doesn't happen).

Could this be a result of wear and tear from playing in the 2008 Beijing Olypics? Kobe has been known to be be in shape all year round, but he has played a huge amount of basketball this year so this could be an effect of his apparent lack of rest.


Tags: Lakers

What We Can Expect from the Los Angeles Lakers 2008-2009

The new NBA season is fast approaching and for the Los Angeles Lakers fans, it's a season we are anticipating.

Why? Because this is the season we get to see the Lakers in their maximum power, at their full strength.

Yeah, the Boston Celtics drew (or re-drew) first blood in the Finals last June, but the Lakers are stronger with Andrew Bynum back manning the middle and Pau Gasol sliding to power forward. That frontline is young and big-- I honestly think they have the best frontline in the NBA right now, bar none.

The Lakers are also experimenting with putting Lamar Odom on the point guard slot, to try what Ron Harper did for the 1990's Chicago Bulls-- facilitate the offense and make passes to get the team going. That also means reigning MVP Kobe Bryant moving to the small forward. It's a hard position to play for in Phil Jackon's scheme because it involves a lot of playing defense. Kobe will be matched up against the likes of LeBron James, reigning NBA jackass Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Shawn Marion, and Andre Igoudala. It will defintely be tougher because of Kobe's injured finger, plus the impending playing time reduction because of his stint in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Here's what I foresee for the Lakers in 2008-2009:

• Kobe Bryant's numbers will be down, I see a 26 PPG, 4 APG and 5 RPG, with lower FG%
• Pau Gasol's numbers will also slide, with 15 PPG, 7 RPG and 3APG, with 1.5 BPG.
• Andrew Bynum will start slow, but will be a beast by December
• Lamar Odom will come off the bench more this season
• Derek Fisher's minutes will be reduced to give more PT to Jordan Farmar
• Opponents will kill the Lakers' second unit off the boards with no Ronnie Turiaf, and only Vladimir Radmanovic on the PF
• Sun Yue will not play any significant NBA minutes, and is a strong candidate for the D-League
• The Lakers' X-Factor: Trevor Ariza
• The Lakers will kick the Celtics butt this season: 2-0 for the regular season, baby!

The new season starts on October 28, 2008. Let's see how accurate I'll be.

Tags: Lakers

Lamar Odom: I'm a Starter

The last time I talked about Lamar Odom, he was being mulled as the season's point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, he's starting to sound like the team's resident malcontent.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson recently shared to the media the possibility of leaving Lamar Odom out of the starting lineup, and perhaps going with a starting five of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher. Odom reacted with this when he was asked about it:

"He must have woke up and bumped his head. He probably hit his head on something -- boom. To start off like that, you've got to be out of your . . . mind."

Is this the new Lakers soap opera we've been missing the past couple of seasons?


Tags: Lakers

Jason Williams, aka "White Chocolate", Retires

This is one of the rare moments I'm featuring an NBA player that is not, and had not, played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Why? Because one of the key figures in the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings rivalry of the late 1990's hung up his sneakers.

Jason Williams, aka "White Chocolate," aka "J-Will", announced his retirement a few days ago and I felt the urge to write about this very interesting specimen of a basketball player. He was one of the very few broke the mold of the typical Caucasian point guard. When basketball fans think of "white point guard," cerebral players like John Stockton, Mark Price, and Scott Skiles come to mind. But J-Will is in the same basketball vicinity "Pistol" Pete Maravich once occupied-- Showboat City.

Williams, in his three years with the Kings, made them watchable and competitive in the regular season. The behind-the-back passes, cross-over dribbles and long 3-balls put the fans in the Arco Arena, and his presence evened-out the likes of Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic in the team. Yeah, Williams took a lot of bad shots and prioritizes sizzle over substance, but basketball fans forgave him.

But when playoffs came, it was a different story.

Playoff success was not part of Jason Williams' career in Sac-Town. Williams' stats dropped dramatically and his penchant to make turnovers was more glaring than his flashy game. As a result, he was shipped to the Memphis Grilzzlies for Mike Bibby after three break-neck seasons with the Kings. Along with Williams, the fun-and-gun Sacramento Kings image departed.

The same way could be said about Jason Williams. He obviously matured as a player in Memphis but definitely lost the mojo that differentiated him in Sacramento.

So, my hat's off to Jason Williams. He definitely made basketball interesting for a lot of people during his early playing days.


Tags: NBA

Kobe Bryant Won't Repeat as MVP

2008 seems to be Kobe Bryant's year so far-- he won the 2007-2008 NBA regular season Most Valuable Player award, he led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals, and was part of the gold medal-winning USA Mens's Basketball team that dominated the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

But 2009 may be a different story for him, particularly in the MVP race.

Phil Jackson shared in a recent interview that he plans to limit Kobe Bryant's minutes this coming 2009-2010 NBA season. Kobe has played at least 38 minutes a game since 2004, and for Jackson, that is an area of concern because of Kobe's health and age (he turned 30 this year).

So this means an opportunity for the likes of LeBron James and Chris Paul to grab their first Most Valuable Player plum.

But I'm definitely sure knucklehead Paul "I'm the Best Player in the World" Pierce won't win it.


Tags: Lakers

Pau Gasol at Power Forward: Will this Work for the Lakers?

I read an article about Los Angeles Lakers young center Andrew Bynum where he was excited about this coming season because of his improved health. The last line read:

Bynum also said he’s looking forward to teaming with Pau Gasol, who will move from center to power forward this season.

I gave emphasis to the last part of the sentence because that will be at the center of one of the big questions the Lakers will face this season: "Will Pau Gasol at Power Forward work?"

Kobe Bryant is a known commodity and his value to the team is huge, but as we have seen in past Lakers successes and failures, it often because of a Laker not named Kobe Bryant. Pau Gasol was brilliant in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and he was playing his preferred Center position. Power Forwards in the NBA are generally much more active and physical than Centers. The likes of Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer and David West come to mind.

Let's see how training camp will work out.

Tags: Lakers

So Oklahoma City Thunder It Is

The Los Angeles Lakers has a "new" opponent in the Western Conference-- The Oklahoma City Thunder. This has got to be one of the worst kept secrets of all time as people already knew as early as a month ago what the name of the Oklahoma team will be.

The franchise was originally the one that belonged to the Seattle Supersonics, but thanks to a messy move to Oklahoma City, Sonic Green is now Thunder Blue and Orange.

Almost every pundit is predicting the Thunder will suck big time so I guess, the only thunderous sound that team will hear are boos from frustrated fans.


Tags: NBA

Kobe Bryant Dashed Spain's Gold Medal Hopes

I watched the Gold Medal game between the "Redeem Team" of the USA and the Spain the 2008 Beijing Olympics and while the Spanish basketball team was superb, the difference was #10 on the USA side: Kobe Bryant.

If you think about it, if there were eight extra minutes for the game, I think Spain would have won. Pau Gasol was doing damage in the paint, Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez were hot from the perimeter and upstart 17-year old Ricky Rubio seemed confident directing the Spanish offense. But then Spain was inching in the the Americans, Kobe made a clutch 4-point play to stretch the lead to a comfortable level. As the final buzzer sounded, USA defeated Spain, 118-107.

Yeah, Dwayne Wade led the scorers with 27 points, but he was a non-factor down the stretch when Spain made their run. The same can be said about LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

So, sorry Spain your gold medal was snatched by the NBA's MVP.


Tags: Lakers

The Lakers' New Guard: Lamar Odom?

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are contemplating to put Lamar Odom into the back court in tandem with point guard Derek Fisher.

According to a  report from ESPN, which ironically focused on the Lakers' signing of Sun Yue, the "Chinese Magic Johnson." The addition of Sun Yue still has to make any impact on the Lakers rotations, because since he played point guard in China, that puts the potential PG rotation to Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Yue.

Going back to Odom being a guard, it really is a unconventional positioning in light of moves like Kevin Durant as a shooting guard for Oklahoma City or even Magic Johnson as point guard for the Lakers in the 1980's. Odom does have the agility, but he does not have the speed to run against  shifty guards like Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas of the league.

My prediction? The Lamar Odom Experiment will result in a trade for a real guard.

Tags: Lakers

Paul Pierce: "I'm the Best Player in the NBA"

You gotta be kidding me.



I read from Red's Army that none other than 2008 NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce made this claim in an interview in Spaim:

Q: Is Kobe really the best player in the world?

Pierce: I don’t think Kobe is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself.

I almost fell from my seat as I read that statement. The Truth has definitely had too much of himself since winning with the Boston Celtics last June. Fine, he won the Finals MVP but claiming to be the best player in the league?!? Not only did he directly dissed Regular Season MVP Kobe Bryant, but also MVP candidates LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and even team mate Kevin Garnett.



Somebody stop this Pierce guy-- he's going into that Stephon Marbury "I'm the best point guard in the NBA" territory.





Tags: Lakers