The 2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers thread

[abomb]

It was so bad Nick & I didn't even watch all of it. I think we stopped watching somewhere in the beginning of the 4th. Bad, ugly basketball. Blech.

I turned it on in the 4th because Donald called me to tell me the Suns were getting worked.

 

[abomb]

What I love about Gasol most right now is his ability to finish at the rim. Dude must have 5 dunks a game since he suited up for the LAL.

 

[Renz]

What I love about Gasol most right now is his ability to finish at the rim. Dude must have 5 dunks a game since he suited up for the LAL.

I wish Lamar would finish like that. Odom is almost seven feet tall and how many times do you see him try to lay the ball in and miss? Dunk it, dummy!

On another note, how bad did Snaq look yesterday? Man, he just looked old. He can't even score anymore unless he dunks it.

It is still too early to pass judgement on the Shaq deal, but O'Neal sure looked like "The Big Has-Been" yesterday.

 

[abomb]

I wish Lamar would finish like that. Odom is almost seven feet tall and how many times do you see him try to lay the ball in and miss? Dunk it, dummy!

I would scream this about Kwame. He would always, always, always leave it on the rim.

 

[abomb]

Brandon Roy got hurt Sunday night and will have an MRI Monday. He could miss the Lakers' game on Tuesday night.

He heated up his ankle sprain and is day to day.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash...orts-5/1203950655201750.xml&storylist=orlocal

 

[D-Dogg]

What I love about Gasol most right now is his ability to finish at the rim. Dude must have 5 dunks a game since he suited up for the LAL.

Kobe and Pau look like they've been playing together since they were kids.

Gasol has NEVER had it this easy..dude has to wake up every day and pinch himself.

 

[abomb]

Kobe and Pau look like they've been playing together since they were kids.

Gasol has NEVER had it this easy..dude has to wake up every day and pinch himself.

Yeah, no kidding. Gasol plays very well without the ball and KB loves him some crazy passes.

Their pick and roll and give and go are working awesome in the low blocks.

BTW, our old pal Jello-Balls had a nice game in the loss.

 

[D-Dogg]

Oh, and with the pressure off, look who is active as hell and kicking ass...one Mr. Lamar Odom. He is on fiyah. He has no "responsibility" in the offense now, so he is free to roam and create...he is very good at that.

 

[D-Dogg]

He heated up his ankle sprain and is day to day.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash...orts-5/1203950655201750.xml&storylist=orlocal

From his words prior to the MRI, he's probably going to miss some time.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1203920704124000.xml&coll=7

"I don't think I'll have to shut it down the rest of the season, but maybe the next couple of games, because the way it felt (Sunday), I can't see it going away by the next game," Roy said. "After the MRI, I'll be able to sit down with the doctors and talk. But if it feels this way, I wouldn't play the next couple of games."

Roy and the Blazers had been downplaying his injury since the All-Star break, but he said his ankle has not responded to multiple daily treatments and, if anything, the injury has worsened over the past week-and-a-half.

The do-it-all guard hurt his ankle in the Blazers' final game before the All-Star break against Dallas, when -- as Roy remembers it -- DeSagana Diop fell awkwardly on Roy's ankle, instantly sparking pain throughout his right leg. Roy remained in the game, played 42 minutes and finished with a team-high 25 points, six assists and six rebounds. But he knew something was amiss.

Roy excelled in the All-Star game -- finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists -- and played more than 54 combined minutes (he also played in the rookie challenge) during the three-day event. But when the exhibition games ended and Roy resumed playing regular-season NBA minutes, the ankle worsened.

"I'd say (I've been playing at) about 70-75 percent since it happened," Roy said. "I played in the All-Star game and people felt like nothing was wrong. But I was getting treatment at the All-Star game. And that (game) was just for fun, nobody was playing serious. I think . . . people thought maybe I was fine."

 

[Renz]

..dude has to wake up every day and pinch himself.

That's how I feel every time I remember that L.A. traded Kwame for Pau.

It's like having a dream that you don't want to wake up from.

 

[Linderbee]

It was so bad Nick & I didn't even watch all of it. I think we stopped watching somewhere in the beginning of the 4th. Bad, ugly basketball. Blech.

This was my 15,000th post! Go, me!!

I turned it on in the 4th because Donald called me to tell me the Suns were getting worked.

 

[abomb]

Here is a nice LA Times write up on Sasha;

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakerep25feb25,0,1600407.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel

 

[abomb]

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[abomb]

MVP talk on TrueHoop

 

[Darth Llama]

Pau looks silly in that picture.

And if LeBitch wins MVP over Kobe, I'm setting the NBA league office on fire. That's just a joke.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

That's how I feel every time I remember that L.A. traded Kwame for Pau.

It's like having a dream that you don't want to wake up from.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

BTW: Be careful when doing an unfiltered search for Gasol pics (for avatars) while at work...you might get some NSFW Lena Gasol pics instead.

 

[Darth Llama]

BTW: Be careful when doing an unfiltered search for Gasol pics (for avatars) while at work...you might get some NSFW Lena Gasol pics instead.

I'll have to try that when I get home.

 

[abomb]

Tonight's game vs Portland is on at 8:30PM Arizona Time on NBA TV.

 

[abomb]

Farmar key part of the Lakers' future
NBA column: What has elevated the Lakers this season has been greater team-wide grit, and the second-year guard is bringing plenty of it.
KEVIN DING

[email protected]

Lamar Odom set an NBA record for the longest streak of postgame singing in the shower with his performance late Sunday night in Seattle. Jordan Farmar was fully capable as Odom's backup singer. These Lakers are indeed a glee club now.

And even though they have everything to play for in these coming months, there's more: They're going to have everything to play for in these comingyears.

That's the beauty of the Lakers' makeover – unlike Phoenix's facelift (Shaquille O'Neal, 36 next week) and Dallas' Botox injection (Jason Kidd, 35 next month). Kobe Bryant is 29, Pau Gasol is 27, Andrew Bynum is 20 and Farmar is 21. Yes, Farmar very much merits mention in that line, because the day is most surely coming when Farmar is more valuable to the Lakers than Odom.

Excising Odom might wind up the solution to the Lakers' biggest future problem, if Jerry Buss chooses to view it as a problem: a hefty luxury-tax hit looming in the 2009-10 season. Future payroll was why so many other NBA owners didn't want to trade nothing (a big, expiring contract such as Kwame Brown's) for something (a big, non-expiring contract such as Gasol's).

Although exactly how high the pile of money goes will be a point of offseason contention, Bynum will need that computer he built to count all the zeroes on the contract extension he's getting. It will kick in after next season – and the easiest way to offset that jump in Bynum's salary will be to let Odom's contract expire after next season. That's a tough move to make if you're contending for or already winning championships, because Odom, 28, is a certainly part of the Lakers' uncommon crew of happy-to-share big men.

Perhaps you get Odom to take a major pay cut from the $14.3 million he's getting next season if he's – let's put it in the terms of one of Odom's all-time favorite bands – not the Lakers' main source of Earth (Bynum), Wind (Gasol) or Fire (Bryant) anymore. Or Trevor Ariza might well be ready to do Odom's job by then, just with more of a defensive flair. Or with guard Sasha Vujacic keeps growing this fast, Bryant might slide over to be the full-time small forward. There are fat-contract options Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic who can play Odom's positions, too.

This is not meant to rain on Odom's parade – although he's such a sweet soul that he'd probably try to sing then, too – because he has been playing beautifully since Gasol's arrival. Odom is dominating the boards and moving aggressively without the ball. And it's quite possible the Lakers will see and appreciate that is he's better at helping a great team than carrying a good team.

Yet this season's leadership infusion via Derek Fisher, the sudden seriousness brought by Bynum and now the passion of Gasol have all crystallized what Odom continues to lack. The only three-game losing streak of the season came after Bynum got hurt, before Gasol came over and when Bryant came to Phil Jackson to note how hunched over Odom looked from shouldering the pressure.

"People have always wanted him, and still want him, to be more offensive-minded -- be Kobe's sidekick," Fisher said. "He's just a team guy."

It turns out the Lakers took away Odom's captaincy, knocked him down the pecking order this season and wound up a whole lot better. That's because as much as the Lakers have fundamentally upgraded their talent level, they've made this jump also because they finally have melded an entire team's greater mentality with Bryant's tenacity.

Which brings us from Odom back to Farmar, whose role in all this has been sorely underrated. Just like Fisher, Farmar has the fire – and it's going to be blazing as the Lakers move forward from San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas and begin new battles with Utah, New Orleans and Portland.

The Lakers' two most improved players this season have been Bynum and Farmar, without a doubt. Bynum's growth has been well chronicled. Few remember Farmar got so good after being challenged with the additions of Fisher and Javaris Crittenton that the Lakers changed the whole offense for him, wanting to tap into his drive to bring more.

Asked about being slighted in the roster retooling after last season, Farmar volunteered a comparison to Bryant, saying: "That was just another challenge put in front of me that I had to respond to; I love that. That's what I'm built for. I see the same thing every day with Kobe. Any situation that comes in the world, he takes it as a challenge and tries to make the most of it."

That mindset has taken over a team that got hurt again this season but this time didn't cry when mommy didn't kiss it.

And about the prospect of the Lakers dominating for years, Farmar does not shy away. He just addresses it while maintaining proper perspective."Absolutely, for the long haul, this team seems great," he said. "We're looking forward to it, but we're trying really to stay in the moment. We have a chance to be very special, but it starts with now."

Contact the writer: [email protected]

 

[D-Dogg]

I really like Kevin Ding's columns...maybe that's because I really like the OC Register and that's what my sister gets and I read him a lot more, but he's a very good writer.

I've been saying it for awhile now...at the mental level, Farmar is turning into a little clone of Kobe.

Asked about being slighted in the roster retooling after last season, Farmar volunteered a comparison to Bryant, saying: "That was just another challenge put in front of me that I had to respond to; I love that. That's what I'm built for. I see the same thing every day with Kobe. Any situation that comes in the world, he takes it as a challenge and tries to make the most of it."

And about the prospect of the Lakers dominating for years, Farmar does not shy away. He just addresses it while maintaining proper perspective."Absolutely, for the long haul, this team seems great," he said. "We're looking forward to it, but we're trying really to stay in the moment. We have a chance to be very special, but it starts with now."

Those quotes are straight out of Kobe's playbook...

I heart Ear Jordan.

 

[abomb]

I've been saying it for awhile now...at the mental level, Farmar is turning into a little clone of Kobe.

I always fail to remember that Farmar is only 21.

 

[D-Dogg]

Flea's latest blog entry. This sounds EXACTLY as if it were coming from me, only I had forgotten entirely how to construct sentences and was also hammered.

I agree with so much of it. I can almost say I agree with 99.9% of it.

this is the team i have been waiting for since magic johnson
retired
i know that the shaq kobe team that three peated was a great
and
winning team
but this team, is funner to watch, has a better personality, and is
just more fun to root for
there is a greater sense of unity
i and i like em better
i get that same excited feeling when kobe, pau, lamar, and derek
whip
the ball around the court as when magic used to run the fast
break
with byron and james on the wings
the kobe shak, horry, fox. fisher team was great, and they won
and
that was awesome and i dont take em for granted
it is just a personal thing for me i guess
but this team just makes me feel better and they havent won
anything yet
if they win a championship i might do something crazy

I've been feeling like this all year...my wife has too. These guys are just FUN to watch play...the Ariza trade kicked it up a notch, and the Pau trade even more. When Drew returns, wow...it is going to be fun. I've got this uneasy itch to want to watch a game on the off days that I never even had during the Shaqkobe era.

i heard mychal thompson on the radio bemoaning their
(particularly
derek fisher's) lack of excitement over the suns game with shaq
the
other night.....
how cam mt question the deep soul of derek fisher????? absurd
and i understand that the magic led lakers he played on were
more
verbose and excitable about an important regular season game
for these lakers that game against the suns was no less
important
but this kobe led team is different, they take their cue from kobe
not magic, and kobe is just a different kind of guy
he has been through a lot in his career, has matured a lot, and
has
adopted and matured into an evenness in his psyche in regards
to speaking about games or celebrating them, and saves his
ebullience
for the hardwood
he knows not to get to up or too down and to stay focused, its like a
golfer who screams and curses when he misses a shot and then gloats
when he hits a good one
it doesn't help his overall game, and kobe knows that this
evenness
serves him

I love the quiet swagger of this team...so businesslike.

as anyone knows who has read my blogs, i was a supporter of
kwame brown
i am perfectly aware that he was never was a consistent
contributor
to the lakers, that he had klutzy hands, that he would get down on
himself when he made mistakes and retreat into himself.......
that said, i always really liked the guy, he just seemed like a good
guy to me, he just didn't deal with the pressure well, and to be
honest, i was never sure if he liked playing basketball
i just felt a lot for him, and he was wearing a purple and gold
uniform that said lakers on it, and i truly wish him the best, i hope
for him to have peace of mind, and to have fun playing basketball
in
memphis and possibly
grow into the potential he has as an athlete, he sure has the
body
for it, he could still be a good center in this league if he can find
his own center............

I wish Kwame all the best...he did seem like a great person. I'm sad that he couldn't find his center (I like the way Flea put that, actually). I always tried to look for the good in him, because I found him a likeable guy. He seems like a tortured soul, to me.

i like many laker fans have behaved foolishly
we insulted and derided the work that mitch kupchak was doing
while the rest of us whined and complained about losing and
about no
good trades happening
mitch was getting the big picture, knowing we had to go through some
hard times to work towards the stellar lineup we have today
and drafting players he believed in like andrew bynum and jordan farmar
he did not buckle in the face of criticism but held true to his
vision and what he thought was right
and brought us to the promised land
he has passed muster
if he does not get gm of the year then truth has not been served
of course there were times when i was very pro mitch
but i grew impatient and short sighted
and mitch is has been solid as a john bonham drum beat on when the
levee breaks

I was very patient with Mitch, defending him but slowly losing patience. When all patience was gone, he has this stuff go down. I don't give him all the credit though...he got a bit lucky and Jim Buss had a hand in it as well, but I was wrong in my criticism.

and in the greatest player of all time argument, let me solve it here and now
magic johnson is the great basketball player of all time

Yes, this is my opinion as well. Sometimes when I watch old games I'm astounded at how good he was...he owned every square inch of the court..nay, the arena. Not just the court...he owned the building.

 

[D-Dogg]

Phillip interviewed on Loose Cannons yesterday. Audio Link here. LG member transcription below. Good.Damn.Stuff.

Pau Gasol, better or what you expected, surprised with how well he fitted?

"I thought two years ago Pau was really terrific, game on our court he was really instrumental, hard to stop him at the end, Memphis gave us trouble then. I was reminiscing back about it before we got him about where would he be physically, would he be that guy two years ago where you had to double him to get ball out of his hands? He is that guy. Strong enough to get to basket/foul line and make passes to open players. Makes big difference on our team.

Ever seen player enter mix like Pau so fluidly?

"Not since Sheed."

Surprised at Phoenix's last game?

"Pistons have such great success against Shaq. Two years ago Pistons got deep but Heat beat them, even during that series it was weighed, Shaq had trouble with Sheed. Sheed kinda likes that challenge, long arms/strong shoulders, Shaq has trouble against him. Phoenix looked like they had no one else to go to except for Amare. Detroit is good defensive team."

Courage, how much is Kobe showing playing through pain?

"It's taken enough of of his game where he is playing best bball since playoffs of 2001 when he came back from injury and we went on tear. That's the level he's playing at now. Time before he got hurt that year where locker room was little volatile, halftime in Minny, Kobe was little angry at reproval he got from Harper, Ronnie was kinda my spokesperson about team ball, Kobe tried to get after Harper, Harp said we're here to help you, not here to hinder your game. You have to include us when you play, when you do that you get better and we get better too. That's basically what Kobe feels now, everyone can help this team win, he's just there to kinda facilitate and help everyone else, he's doing that exceptionally well. He hasn't had to pull back and do that one on one stuff, he did that a little against Phoenix, but he went right back to team ball after one of those efforts didn't come up right, that's where his judgment has really improved over the years."

Evolution of relationship with Kobe, tough times this summer, one thing that was clear was that he considered you his number one man in his corner, far cry from the way it was, how did that change between the two of you?

"Kobe understood when I was out on sabbatical he was blamed for a lot of what went down with the Lakers (i.e.) he was the reason for the Shaq trade, reason team didn't succeed, easy to point finger at him. Unfortunately no one stepped up and defended him. When I came back, I wanted to contact Kobe and let him know I knew the truth of the situation, I wanted to try and help and organize the team. That if he wanted to collude with me on that, that we could team up together and get this done. He was willing to take that step. Wasn't an easy step because I've been critical of Kobe and written about it, he knew that. He said if you have something to talk about or critique my game, come talk to me about it. That's what we've done."

Kobe's future?

"If we get Drew back and have full roster in the playoffs, I'm sure a lot of it will depend on success of how we play. If we don't get healthy roster, we'll have summer where everyone will come back next season pointed towards one goal, Kobe will be on board with. Won't have allure to go anywhere else when he knows the potential of this team, I think he's seen (seated?) here."

Kobe's iron will? Most valuable player in this league?

"Only one other player that stands at this level. Garnett. Remarkable trade, the collusion of those teams to get together and Boston's resurgence will be an MVP factor. But only other person that's there is Lebron, plays at high level. Although not quite as successful, they did get to Finals last year, I don't see voting going anywhere else except those three players."

Kobe has better skills than MJ, agree?

"He does. There are some things MJ had that Kobe doesn't. Bigger body, stronger, Kobe's strong, but Mike had incredible hands, million dollar hands, could do so many things besides being fouled and make baskets, take ball to hoop and getting hit without losing control of ball. Physically irreplaceable. Kobe's outside shooting is perhaps better, MJ's interior better, nobody's been a better inside player, that's including Oscar who was very good in the low post. Thing about MJ was he would go on scoring tear, a retribution night, he would go against the opp leading scorer since 'he and I are matched up and I need to take him down a notch', he wouldn't do the kind of 50 pt sequence that Kobe did last year though, where Kobe just obliterated the record books and just went out and had a hot tear where he tore up the league, 10 games over 50. When you look at it, MJ shot 49-50%, Kobe hasn't been able to do it. Shooting percentages were quite a bit different."

Do you still relive that week in Detroit during 04 Finals? Karl Malone injury. Game 4 where Shaq was absolutely destroying Ben and Kobe was just gunning and went 10-28 and lose by 4. It seemed like he had a mindset that they were going to win a championship but he was going to walk away with MVP, and it backfired, lousy shooting games. Let's say you get to Finals this year and win, and Pau wins Finals MVP, will that upset Kobe?

"No, I don't think those things, that won't matter to him, those personal wars. I'm sure he would love to have an MVP award, in the end result, he knows that winning is key, it's what keeps everyone happy. He has the personal accolades with scoring titles and being touted best player in the NBA. The Pistons finals, there are times when you feel planets are not aligned right. Every time jump ball Shaq was called for stealing the tap. Series was weighted against. Nothing Shaq could do inside that wasn't offensive foul, three seconds in the lane, Kobe saw that, he saw the daunting nature of what was holding Shaq back from exerting his force that he could or he had in the previous three championships. Larry Brown did good job lobbying for all those things, stealing the tip and offensive fouls. It was a myriad of those types of things that I think weighed in on that series."

Your sense of calm, stoic composure in the face of chaos, you know you freak out Laker fans when you let squad play through it, is there a process you go through when you finally call that timeout?

"Yes. You noticed that's something I do as far as teaching tool. Reorganizing yourself, nonverbal communication, the right kinda sequence you want to have happen. Rarely do on road, typically at home. Teach certain sense of determination. When I was a player my mentor Coach Red, would ask what do you guys want to run, your the ones on the floor, what do you feel, take it inside, outside shot, penetrate, punish this team? Those Knicks team were extremely poised and had self contained and had awareness. I'd like to see that happen with this team. I have the leadership now with Fisher and Kobe."

Sabbatical you went on, New Zealand, hanging out with Luc Longley. Coolest thing you saw? See any great whites?

"Unfortunately I was really testing myself to see if I was going to be able to make it as a world traveler on my own with my hip. I was in Bora Bora in this hotel where these rays, large as 7 or 8 feet wide, snorkeling in that water was pretty phenomenal. Beautiful place to go and experience the environment. Luc took me on 4 x 4 atvs, he has this "ranch", I call it his kangaroo ranch because there really is no ranch there. We were riding the beach, totally open for miles, goes into circular bay, came into this area where he said let me go first, we'll get these giant waves. Glad we didn't lose our atvs, that was the feeling you had, how wild this country was. We were riding these giant waves fishing for herrings. Pretty exhilarating."

Trip give you great tranquility?

"It did. I had great amount of time by myself, segment of trip where I went to Australian Open where I was kinda guest of tennis match. That part of the trip was public, the rest was very private and personal."

Subliminal messages, listen to what you don't say?

"Space between the music is what they always say a great composer is able to do or great songwriters. Not always the music that's played, but the space between it. Vic and I understand each other."

Ariza timetable?

"Anxious to get him back. With Luke and Vlade a little dinged up as season has gone through it's course, we need another SF. Kobe has amply taken over that spot and been comfortable there, but we miss/need someone else to take over that load with speed/quickness/defense. Trevor was set back a little bit, doctor says there still is healing process still needs to go on, so timetable pushed back a little. Hope to have him on floor in last week of April. If he can get few games in he'll be able to help us right away in the playoffs."

 

[abomb]

Phillip interviewed on Loose Cannons yesterday. Audio Link here. LG member transcription below. Good.Damn.Stuff.

Thanks man, that was excellent!