NBA Season to Start on Christmas Day

Folks wanting to see Kobe Byrant wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey this year instead of the exhibition threads will finally get their wish-- the NBA lockout is all but finished.

After five months of seeing no NBA, this is huge for the fans. I personally want to see how this season will play out after the Lakers were edged by the Dallas Mavericks in the last playoffs. Will Kobe get his sixth NBA championship? Will Pau Gasol erase the bad memories he planted on fans in the 2011 playoffs? Will Andrew Bynum be an All-Star? Will Mike Brown be a good replacement for Phil Jackson?

And then there's Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest). Is there anything cooler than seeing "World Peace" in a basketball jersey?

Whatever the answer to those questions, they will all unfold on Christmas Day 2011.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Shaq: Phil Jackson "Orchestrated" Feud with Kobe

If the Shaq-Kobe fued of the early 2000's were a soap opera, would this be the Big Reveal?

Shaquille O'Neal recently talked to Scott Howard-Cooper of the Sacramento Bee for an interview and his big dynamite was that he said that the feud between him and Kobe Bryant was designed by coach Phil Jackson during his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers. Here's what he said:

...I think it was all designed by Phil (Jackson). Because if you think about it, Phil never called us into the office and said, ''Both of you all, shut the (heck) up.'' Never did that in four years. He knew that when I read something, I was going to get upset. And he knew Kobe was going to always come out and play hard. So I think it was all done by design.

Shaq also said he never had a problem with Kobe Bryant and he even said that they are the best 1-2 punch the Los Angeles Lakers ever had.

What's next? Five years from now, Shaq will say "Pat Riley designed my physical regimen that why I broke down in 2007."


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Looking Strong in Opening Week

It has only been one week and three games for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA's 2008-2009 season, but the Lakers are making the experts look like sages so far.

Three games for the team translated into three wins: A big blow-out against the Oden-less Portland Trailblazers in the season opener, another serving of Los Angeles Clipper domination in the next game, and a come-from behind win over Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets. The average winning margin for those three games is 21 points.

It seems the Lakers are hell-bent on forgetting the last game of their 2007-2008 season game (an embarrassing 35-point loss to the hated Boston Celtics) and are showing how the can lock down teams and come from behind to win a game. Coach Phil Jackson must be happy that in those three games, reigning MVP Kobe Bryant only logged an average of 32 minutes and forward Pau Gasol an average of 36 minutes. This rest is crucial to keep the top players fresh as the season goes on.

More bright spots: Trevor Ariza is giving the perimeter defense a much needed boost. I think his defense can hold on its own against the top small forwards and shooting guards in the West, like Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady, Rudy Gay and Carmelo Anthony. Lamar Odom has also been quiet about his sixth man role, which is a good thing off the court.

However there are things of concern:

• Speaking of Lamar Odom, his play off the bench has yielded mixed results. He's a good floor leader for the second unit, but his play has not been producing top sixth man numbers.
• Andrew Bynum has played poorly, despite the resolution of his contract extension situation.
• Sasha Vujacic is shooting poorly: 35% from the field, 33% from deep. (To think I vouched for this guy!)

The Lakers are going to have plenty of rest the next week. I do think the game against the Houston Rockets on November 9 is a must watch.

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

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

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

Vujacic Scares Lakers... then Gets Contract

The Machine almost went haywire.



Sasha Vujacic, the Los Angeles Lakers scrappy shooting guard, scared the Lakers by threatening to do a Josh Childress, i.e. playing in Europe for a fatter contract. The Lakers didn't his bluff and immediately gave him a 3-year contract amounting to around $15 million.



Vujacic, or The Machine as fans would call him, was intrumental in the Lakers emergence last season by providing quick offense off the bench and 3-point marksmanship. It could be said that he played the role Phil Jackson designated for Steve Kerr during their run with the Chicago Bulls in the Michael Jordan era. But still Vujacic needs to be more consistent in playing, not just contesting calls with flair.



Losing Ronny Turiaf to the Golden State Warriors was a blow to Lakers fans. Good thing Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak extended an offer to Vujacic, otherwise, it would have been one less reason to see a fun Lakers team next season.





Tags: Lakers

Can the Lakers Bounce Back?

The Los Angeles Lakers are down 0-2 against the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals. Suddenly, people who picked the Lakers to win now look more stupid than ever. (Myself included.)

But the question now is: "Can the Lakers make a series out of the Finals?"

I say "Yes" in reply to that question but the Lakers need to do three things first:

1. Get to the free throw line - Yeah, people (including the Lakers) have complained about the disparity in free throw shooting. Why is Kobe Bryant not going to line? Is this another case of non-calls similar to the ones in the series against the San Antonio Spurs? Perhaps the Celtics defense is THAT good that the Lakers all of a sudden become very lame. The key here is to show the grit and aggressiveness shown in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
   
2. Play "Their Game" - and that game is offense-- smart basketball characterized by crisp passing and easy baskets. The triangle worked for them against physical teams like the Spurs and the Utah Jazz in the playoffs and the Lakers must regain their composure despite being down two games. The Lakers will definitely find their confidence back in the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
3. Don't get too overconfident - Almost all NBA Finals previews handed the Lakers the Larry O'Brien trophy, similar to the Finals series against the Detroit Pistons in 2004. The Lakers should stay with their upstart mindset that needed to prove something to the world. Yes, the Celtics did have the better regular season record, but people don't give them credit because the play in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers dethroned the Spurs and beat teams like the Denver Nuggets (who would be a good Eastern Conference team) and the Jazz. This is the time Phil Jackson should dig deep into his Zen Bag-of-Tricks and get the Lakers motivated again.

So, if the Lakers do these three things, we will see a 6 game series with the Lakers winning in Boston. Otherwise, we may see a sweep of the team that should have won the NBA Finals.


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Eliminate Spurs

The Los Angeles Lakers have ended the reign of the San Antonio Spurs with a 100-92 victory in Game 5 of the NBA's Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers did it the same way they opened the series-- with a furious rally to overcome a deficit pretenders would fold over. The Spurs led by as much as 17 in the first half but the Lakers clawed back to take the lead in the fourth quarter and eventually win.

I predicted that the Lakers would win over both the San Antonio Spurs or New Orleans Hornets in the Western Conference Finals, and I penciled the Lakers to win over the Spurs in 6 games. My analysis before the season started was also quite accurate-- Tony Parker would give the problems (Parker led the team in scoring in the series) and the veterans on the bench would pose some problems (Brent Barry and Michael Finley had quality games in the series).

What did the Spurs in could be the age and fatigue factor-- they have played three more play-off games than the Lakers. The Spurs defense clicked but their offense stagnated in a lot of stretches throughout the series. Manu Ginobili was a factor for only one game (and the Spurs won that game) and his over-all poor play weakened the team's offense.

The Lakers, on the other hand, displayed they are resilient enough to climb out of large deficits and play tight defense when it mattered. The Bench Mob definitely grew up in this series as Lakers coach Phil Jackson let the 2nd team play through big leads. The series is also another feather in the cap of Kobe Bryant as he prevailed over nemesis Bruce Bowen. Kobe was able to log 27, 22, 30, 28 and 39 points over an All-Defensive Team member and he did it well within the the Lakers' Triangle Offense.

The Lakers have done their part in building the NBA's Dream Finals between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Let's see if the Celtics can do their part and advance as well.


Tags: Lakers

Close (Non-)Call: Lakers win in San Antonio

The Los Angeles Lakers narrowly escaped San Antonio with a rare road win in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA's Western Conference Finals. The Lakers almost blew a commanding 7-point lead in the final minute of the game, but thanks to a series of controversial non-calls, the Lakers still prevailed with a score of 93-91.

The most glaring non-call came in the last 2 seconds in regulation as the Lakers were by 2 points. The hot-shooting Brent Barry of the San Antonio Spurs got the ball beyond the the three point line and Derek Fisher of the Lakers bought in to Barry's fake jumped in to the air. There was contact, but Barry avoided it a bit and was able to launch a desperation three ball that did not draw iron. Kobe Bryant said in a post-game interview that it was "No foul," but Lakers coach Phil Jackson did not deny there was contact, but he pointed out another non-call prior to the Fisher-Barry play. Jackson claimed that one shot of Derek Fisher hit the rim, but the officials did not reset the shot clock, leaving the Lakers with little time in their last possession to get a good shot. What ensued after was the controversial play.

Some people will say quid pro quo-- the officials "made up" for the non-call by having another non-call. This is similar to the "make-up" calls refs allegedly make to appease a team when they screw up a call, like a foul. The league will not admit it, but I've seen a lot of NBA games where in the refs made a bad call and "rectified" it with another questionable call.

This latest game of the Lakers and Spurs has the conspiracy theorists drooling-- you may see a lot of "The NBA is rigged," or "The NBA wants a Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics Finals" posts in the blogosphere and news articles. But does that mean the league is aligning the stars?

This may sound naive, I personally think the league will let the officials make calls and let the players play in the playoffs. If the league is OK with a Detroit Pistons-San Antonio Spurs or San Antonio Spurs-Cleveland Cavaliers Finals match-up in the past, then there's still a reason to put the conspiracy theories to rest.


Tags: Lakers

Is Vladimir Radmanovic The New Toni Kukoc?

Apart from being from the former Yugoslavia, Toni Kukoc and Vladimir Radmanovic have another thing in common-- they seem to be made of the same material that Phil Jackson looks for in a whipping boy.

After routing the Sacramento Kings, where Vlad-Rad played pretty well (21 points with 5 3-pointers, 14 rebounds and 2 steals), Phil Jackson zinged Radmanovic, saying "We need him to play well, and we want to have some idea of what’s going to happen, and whether we can depend on him." Jackson even said that he has constantly called for regular meetings with the Lakers psychologist to "work on" Radmanovic's head.

Toni Kukoc fared in a familiar situation during his stint with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990's-- although he fared better as the Bull's third option behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Kukoc said of Phil Jackson in an interview in for Sports Illustrated in 2000: "He treated players very differently. I think he saw me and said, Here's another European guy. Let me shut him down as quickly as possible before he becomes a pain in the rear."

Does Phil Jackson have anything against European players?


Tags: Lakers

Lakers on the Eastern Road Trip: Up and Down

The Los Angeles Lakers are definitely giving the fans a roller coaster season to follow. The latest Eastern Conference road trip which has the Lakers facing the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadephia 76ers and the New York Knicks is proof of the up and down cycles.

Against the disappointing Chicago Bulls, the Lakers won the opener of the 4-game trip with a balanced attack with Sasha Vujacic leading the scoring line with 19 points. Sasha has done this before and it seems he's more confident with his shot and making most of the PT Phil Jackson is giving him. Six Lakers were in double figures in that game and that shows some great deal of talent in the bench.

However, the much hyped game against the Cleveland Cavaliers was a different story. The Lakers were clamped to 12 points in the last quarter. 12 points! If you read the news articles on the 94-90 loss, most of them would read "LeBron put put the stops on Kobe" or "LBJ is the Kobe Stopper." I'll refer to Kobe's old quote: The Cavs game was just slap boxing.

Now onto the Philadelphia stop. My general comment on that game is that it was a nice game to watch from a visual perspective. Both the 76ers and the Lakers were wearing 1980's throwback uniforms and it was homage to the 1982 Philadelphia team that won the NBA championship. The Lakers won the game behind Andrew Bynum's career scoring night: 24 points. The game perhaps is a harbinger of how Bynum will dominate the NBA in years to come.

The final game of the trip is against the dysfuntional New York Knicks. If the Up and Down theory holds, expect a Laker disappointment.

Tags: Lakers

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

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

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