The 2006-07 Los Angeles Lakers thread
- Thread starter Brian in Mesa
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abomb said:
Doubtful, unless you are Milo Rombaldi himself.
jenna2891
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D-Dogg said:
you should be m.r. for halloween. i don't why, but i find that really funny.
jenna2891 said:
I don't think I could pull off the Marshall look.
Ooops. I mean....
crap.
Sorry.
jenna2891
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D-Dogg said:
Renz
An Army of One
This sort of inside-joke back-and-forth should be disallowed.abomb said:
THE GROWING LEGEND OF KOBE BRYANT
By Jay Yim
"We obviously think he's a wonderful prospect and hopefully he's going to be a player the fans will watch turn into a great player." These were Jerry West's words after signing Kobe Bryant to his first National BAsketball Association contract on July 12, 1996.
Let's all go back into time, our destination being the summer of 1996. The Chicago Bulls were coming off their record-breaking 72-win season and their fourth title of the decade--while the Los Angeles Lakers were a franchise n transition. Magic Johnson had just re-retired from his 32-game comeback after the team was taken-out in the first-round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets.
Lakers General AMnager, Jerry West, wanting to turn a good squad into a legitimate championship contender, was in hot pursuit of free agent center Shaquille O'Neal. To open up salary cap room for Shaq, Mr. Clutch sent the team's starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to a 6-foot-five 17-year-old hoops prodigy from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA -- And the Purple and Gold, the city of Los Angeles, the NBA and the sport would never be quite the same again.
The youngster's name was Kobe Bean Bryant, son of former NBA player Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant. And he had just finished his prep career in grand style by racking up 2,883 points, the most in southeaster Pennsylvania history. He was widely recognized as the national high school player of the year with scouting reports originally labeling him as "Grant Hill with a jumpshot."
West, who didn't like the idea of high school kids opting for the pros, did a sudden about face and became a believer after Kobe's jaw-dropping pre-draft workout at the Forum and gushed about it being the best workout he had ever seen. "We think this young man is really one of the most exciting young prospects we've seen in a long time," he said afterwards.
But there were also skeptics. This kid, who after all spent a good portion of his youth in Italy, had the grades and the SAT scores to go to Duke. Instead of choosing to ball for Coach K in Durham, NC, his heart was set heading straight to the NBA. It was only natural for people to scoff at the move since no high school guard had ever dared to make the jump.
"I think it's a total mistake," said Boston Celtics director of basketball development Jon Jennings. "Kevin Garnett was the best high school player I ever saw. And I wouldn't have advised him to make the jump to the NBA. And Kobe is no Keven Garnett." NBA scout Marty Blake chimed in by stating, "He's not ready."
Before he debuted in the 1996-97 NBA regular season, Kobe showed the world what it was in for on July 13, 1996. It was his first professional competition at the Summer Pro League, here at the Pyramid, as the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Detroit Pistons. The games was scheduled to begin at 5pm, however fans wanting to get their first glimpse of The Future/Fresh Prince/Chosen One started showing up at the arena at 10 am. The line for tickets extended from the box office all the way out into the parking lot and around the arena.
Even before the game got underway, the arena was already filled to capacity with an estimated 5,000 fans jamming into every nook and cranny of the building, although not everyone was lucky enough to find a seat. It was standing room only that night with the corridors on the second deck filled with fans that went back three deep, while an estimated 2,000 fans had to be turned away. However, some of them who couldn't get tickets were not going away without a fight. Several fans tried to sneak into the building even going as far as opening fire doors to gain entrance into the arena.
Eric Hamasaki, who works in basketball operations for the Los Angeles Clippers, was an assistant director of operations for the Summer Pro League at the time and vividly remembers the sheer madness of the day. He and his fellow staffers knew the game would be hectic, but they weren't prepared for the game turning into a rock concert.
You must remember as well, at that point in time, Shaquille O'Neal was still wavering on whether to come out west or stay in Orlando and the Lakers roster consisted of very good players such as Cedric Ceballos, Nick Van Exel, and Eddie Jones, but they had no true superstar. "The fans," says Hamasaki, "just wanted to get a feel for the Lakers' savior."
Hamasaki also points out that Kobe's situation was different than that of LeBron James, who also took his game straight to the professional ranks after high school. King James had several of his high school games air on national television and he had appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This was in sharp contrast to Kobe, who only had received limited national exposure in high school-appearing on national television only for high school all-star games. Fans weren't nearly as familiar with him as they were with LeBron.
Meanwhile, Kobe was on the floor for 26 minutes and scored 27 points. Although he only scored 4 for 10 from the field (he sank 18-20 free throws), and committed 5 turnovers, he showed those same skills that had wowed Jerry West -- the ability to break ankles and get to the hole, while showing the same star appeal that Michael Jordan and Magic possessed. Alvin Gentry, at the time a Pistons assistant coach who ran their summer league team that day, also became a believer. "I don't want to compare anybody to Michael Jordan. But he's Jordan-like in the way he makes spectacular plays, the way he can get his shot, the way he can handle the ball, and he has a great court temperament."
He finished the summer league by putting up 25 points and 5.3 boards per game in the four games he played-all of which were also sell-outs. To this day, he has been the biggest attraction ever to ball at the SPL which includes such luminaries as Magic Johnson, Amare Stoudamire, Baron Davis, Tim Duncan, or Tracy McGrady.
Today we are all believers in KB8, who has also claimed the title as the best player in the game. If you disagree, take a good hard look at the evidence: 16,866 career points, eight All-Star appearances, six All-Defensive teams, three NBA championships, one scoring title and one Slam Dunk championship should speak for itself. If that isn't enough for you, there is his collection of game-winning shots that he's knocked down at th ebuzzer, the seemingly endless highlight reelof gravity-defying dunks, and of course--dropping 81 points on the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006--the second highest individual point total in NBA history.
Need we say more?
To be a Laker fan now is like being a Bulls fan in the late eighties when His Airness was a one-man gang who wreaked havoc on the NBA. Maybe getting to watch Kobe is indeed "a gift from God" as Lamar Odom has suggested.
So don't take being able to watch him for granted. Watch him do his thing every chance you get. It is impossible to know how many records he will shatter, or how many more defenders wil get poster-ized, or how many more rings he'll earn. But no matter what Kobe does, remember it all started here at the SPL.
By Jay Yim
"We obviously think he's a wonderful prospect and hopefully he's going to be a player the fans will watch turn into a great player." These were Jerry West's words after signing Kobe Bryant to his first National BAsketball Association contract on July 12, 1996.
Let's all go back into time, our destination being the summer of 1996. The Chicago Bulls were coming off their record-breaking 72-win season and their fourth title of the decade--while the Los Angeles Lakers were a franchise n transition. Magic Johnson had just re-retired from his 32-game comeback after the team was taken-out in the first-round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets.
Lakers General AMnager, Jerry West, wanting to turn a good squad into a legitimate championship contender, was in hot pursuit of free agent center Shaquille O'Neal. To open up salary cap room for Shaq, Mr. Clutch sent the team's starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to a 6-foot-five 17-year-old hoops prodigy from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA -- And the Purple and Gold, the city of Los Angeles, the NBA and the sport would never be quite the same again.
The youngster's name was Kobe Bean Bryant, son of former NBA player Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant. And he had just finished his prep career in grand style by racking up 2,883 points, the most in southeaster Pennsylvania history. He was widely recognized as the national high school player of the year with scouting reports originally labeling him as "Grant Hill with a jumpshot."
West, who didn't like the idea of high school kids opting for the pros, did a sudden about face and became a believer after Kobe's jaw-dropping pre-draft workout at the Forum and gushed about it being the best workout he had ever seen. "We think this young man is really one of the most exciting young prospects we've seen in a long time," he said afterwards.
But there were also skeptics. This kid, who after all spent a good portion of his youth in Italy, had the grades and the SAT scores to go to Duke. Instead of choosing to ball for Coach K in Durham, NC, his heart was set heading straight to the NBA. It was only natural for people to scoff at the move since no high school guard had ever dared to make the jump.
"I think it's a total mistake," said Boston Celtics director of basketball development Jon Jennings. "Kevin Garnett was the best high school player I ever saw. And I wouldn't have advised him to make the jump to the NBA. And Kobe is no Keven Garnett." NBA scout Marty Blake chimed in by stating, "He's not ready."
Before he debuted in the 1996-97 NBA regular season, Kobe showed the world what it was in for on July 13, 1996. It was his first professional competition at the Summer Pro League, here at the Pyramid, as the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Detroit Pistons. The games was scheduled to begin at 5pm, however fans wanting to get their first glimpse of The Future/Fresh Prince/Chosen One started showing up at the arena at 10 am. The line for tickets extended from the box office all the way out into the parking lot and around the arena.
Even before the game got underway, the arena was already filled to capacity with an estimated 5,000 fans jamming into every nook and cranny of the building, although not everyone was lucky enough to find a seat. It was standing room only that night with the corridors on the second deck filled with fans that went back three deep, while an estimated 2,000 fans had to be turned away. However, some of them who couldn't get tickets were not going away without a fight. Several fans tried to sneak into the building even going as far as opening fire doors to gain entrance into the arena.
Eric Hamasaki, who works in basketball operations for the Los Angeles Clippers, was an assistant director of operations for the Summer Pro League at the time and vividly remembers the sheer madness of the day. He and his fellow staffers knew the game would be hectic, but they weren't prepared for the game turning into a rock concert.
You must remember as well, at that point in time, Shaquille O'Neal was still wavering on whether to come out west or stay in Orlando and the Lakers roster consisted of very good players such as Cedric Ceballos, Nick Van Exel, and Eddie Jones, but they had no true superstar. "The fans," says Hamasaki, "just wanted to get a feel for the Lakers' savior."
Hamasaki also points out that Kobe's situation was different than that of LeBron James, who also took his game straight to the professional ranks after high school. King James had several of his high school games air on national television and he had appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This was in sharp contrast to Kobe, who only had received limited national exposure in high school-appearing on national television only for high school all-star games. Fans weren't nearly as familiar with him as they were with LeBron.
Meanwhile, Kobe was on the floor for 26 minutes and scored 27 points. Although he only scored 4 for 10 from the field (he sank 18-20 free throws), and committed 5 turnovers, he showed those same skills that had wowed Jerry West -- the ability to break ankles and get to the hole, while showing the same star appeal that Michael Jordan and Magic possessed. Alvin Gentry, at the time a Pistons assistant coach who ran their summer league team that day, also became a believer. "I don't want to compare anybody to Michael Jordan. But he's Jordan-like in the way he makes spectacular plays, the way he can get his shot, the way he can handle the ball, and he has a great court temperament."
He finished the summer league by putting up 25 points and 5.3 boards per game in the four games he played-all of which were also sell-outs. To this day, he has been the biggest attraction ever to ball at the SPL which includes such luminaries as Magic Johnson, Amare Stoudamire, Baron Davis, Tim Duncan, or Tracy McGrady.
Today we are all believers in KB8, who has also claimed the title as the best player in the game. If you disagree, take a good hard look at the evidence: 16,866 career points, eight All-Star appearances, six All-Defensive teams, three NBA championships, one scoring title and one Slam Dunk championship should speak for itself. If that isn't enough for you, there is his collection of game-winning shots that he's knocked down at th ebuzzer, the seemingly endless highlight reelof gravity-defying dunks, and of course--dropping 81 points on the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006--the second highest individual point total in NBA history.
Need we say more?
To be a Laker fan now is like being a Bulls fan in the late eighties when His Airness was a one-man gang who wreaked havoc on the NBA. Maybe getting to watch Kobe is indeed "a gift from God" as Lamar Odom has suggested.
So don't take being able to watch him for granted. Watch him do his thing every chance you get. It is impossible to know how many records he will shatter, or how many more defenders wil get poster-ized, or how many more rings he'll earn. But no matter what Kobe does, remember it all started here at the SPL.
Kwame Brown not charged in sexual assault b.s. allegation:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2516332
This was ridiculous, IMO. It was announced during the playoffs that he was under investigation, then nothing was released...then months passed, then nothing. Very fishy and very damaging to Kwame's reputation. Why announce this while it was under investigation (before Kwame was even interviewed, weeks later) and then later nothing was found. I'd have thought him guilty if they would have investigated, interviewed and arrested, but the slow moving process was incredibly odd. It isn't as if the accuser came forward a week later...she came forward the next day. No signs of anything...
Yet still Laker haters will say he's a rapist and all the blah blah blah, when we all know that Kwame likes guys (per Air Jordan's comment to him). I hate they brought this out publicly then drug feet and later said "much ado about nothing."
I remember the day after when the Suns/Lakers series was in full effect and the twin douchbags Skip Bayless and Woody Paige both said on ESPN (paraphrased) "we're talking about basketball when we should be talking about Kwame Brown and his possible sexual assualt." So wrong and disgusting. If he HAD done anything, and it was clear, he should be castrated and hung by his ass-nipples (yes, Jenna, I've been catching some Mr. Show) but this was not the case.
I'll be the first to congratulate the Suns groupie that hooked up with Kwame and had a night of fun, then ran to the LAPD with a wild story of rape and debauchery. Good job, crapface hooker.
Kwame will dominate next year!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2516332
This was ridiculous, IMO. It was announced during the playoffs that he was under investigation, then nothing was released...then months passed, then nothing. Very fishy and very damaging to Kwame's reputation. Why announce this while it was under investigation (before Kwame was even interviewed, weeks later) and then later nothing was found. I'd have thought him guilty if they would have investigated, interviewed and arrested, but the slow moving process was incredibly odd. It isn't as if the accuser came forward a week later...she came forward the next day. No signs of anything...
Yet still Laker haters will say he's a rapist and all the blah blah blah, when we all know that Kwame likes guys (per Air Jordan's comment to him). I hate they brought this out publicly then drug feet and later said "much ado about nothing."
I remember the day after when the Suns/Lakers series was in full effect and the twin douchbags Skip Bayless and Woody Paige both said on ESPN (paraphrased) "we're talking about basketball when we should be talking about Kwame Brown and his possible sexual assualt." So wrong and disgusting. If he HAD done anything, and it was clear, he should be castrated and hung by his ass-nipples (yes, Jenna, I've been catching some Mr. Show) but this was not the case.
I'll be the first to congratulate the Suns groupie that hooked up with Kwame and had a night of fun, then ran to the LAPD with a wild story of rape and debauchery. Good job, crapface hooker.
Kwame will dominate next year!
Renz
An Army of One
Is Williams an upgrade over Smush?
Lakers Sign Shammond Williams
EL SEGUNDO. Calif., July 13 -- The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard Shammond Williams, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
Williams, a 6’1” guard out of North Carolina, was originally selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (34th overall) of the 1998 NBA draft. A six-year NBA veteran, Williams is averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 295 career games.
Following the 2003-04 season, Williams signed with Unics Kazan of the Russian Superleague and in 39 games, averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Prior to the 2005-06 season, the 31-year-old New York native signed with Winterthur FC Barcelona and in 38 games, averaged 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists. In his time overseas, Williams helped lead FC Barcelona to the 2006 Euroleague Final Four while also earning MVP honors in the 2005 FIBA Europe League All-Star Game.
Lakers Sign Shammond Williams
EL SEGUNDO. Calif., July 13 -- The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard Shammond Williams, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
Williams, a 6’1” guard out of North Carolina, was originally selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (34th overall) of the 1998 NBA draft. A six-year NBA veteran, Williams is averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 295 career games.
Following the 2003-04 season, Williams signed with Unics Kazan of the Russian Superleague and in 39 games, averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Prior to the 2005-06 season, the 31-year-old New York native signed with Winterthur FC Barcelona and in 38 games, averaged 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists. In his time overseas, Williams helped lead FC Barcelona to the 2006 Euroleague Final Four while also earning MVP honors in the 2005 FIBA Europe League All-Star Game.
Renz said:
I'm not a huge fan of this move, but I'll keep an open mind.
Dude does have a sick fro though.
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Didn't I hear somewhere that Andre Wadsworth was going to be interviewing Amare Stoudemire about his rehab.
AW: So how is the rehab going??
AS: Really well. I think I'll make a full recovery by Training Camp.
AW:
AW: So how is the rehab going??
AS: Really well. I think I'll make a full recovery by Training Camp.
AW:
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D-Dogg said:
"great" read - I think the more apt adjective would be "depressing". That being said, I ain't hoppin' around after reading about Amare's progress so far this summer. This division is the Clippers to lose.
Chaplin
Better off silent
cheesebeef said:
LOL That's just asinine.
(This is the Smack Shack, right?)
jenna2891
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D-Dogg said:
seriously, dude. get help.
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OK Laker fans...give me the scoop!!
NEZCardsfan said:
KB is recovering from some knee cleanup and should be good to go for training camp. He is switching to #24 this coming season.
Jordan Farmar played well in the SPL, so it should be interesting to see how he plays against real NBA talent this coming season.
Lamar Odom is recovering from the death of his infant son Jaden. I expect big thing from LoLo this year.
Andrew Bynum is coming along very slowly. Recall he is only 18 and that it will take him many years to live up to the "next great Lakers center" title. I dont expect much, if anything, from him this season, unlike some Lakers fans.
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Thanks abomb......good stuff....I'm trying to get tickets to a Lakers/Suns game. I'm gonna go sit in the Lower Bowl and harass bandwagonners until I'm asked to leave.
Shall we make this a reservation for 3??
Shall we make this a reservation for 3??
NEZCardsfan said:
Sure. Happened last year. I almost got into a fist fight with a dude nearly twice my size when I looked his gf in her botoxed face and told her to "stand the f up" if she wanted to see, rather than me sitting down.
SirStefan32
Krycek, Alex Krycek
Lakers suck!
SirStefan32
Krycek, Alex Krycek
Oh, relax man, get a sense of humor. 
jenna2891
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abomb said:
truth stings, don't it, princess?
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abomb said:
That's about the quality of Sun fan insults.
Lakers suck....having empty trophy cases rocks!!
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