Today's Game
No Game Today. Coming Up
Saturday Jan 28 5:30 PM
at Milwaukee Bucks (Bradley Center) Game After
Sunday Jan 29 4PM
at Minnesota Timberwolves (Target Center)
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Lakers Record: 11-8, 0.5 Games Back In Division. Playoff Seed # 7 In Conference.
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Posted by: SPQR on Monday, January 23, 2012 - 04:21 PM
Lakers Blog
In the known universe, one of the most awesome and complex and frightening habitués is the black hole. A massive star that has collapsed on itself, birthing a machine of destruction like no other. So voracious and powerful is its gravity that not even light can escape its lethal clutches, rendering the hole itself black and invisible. They move through the universe devouring anything that crosses their wake.
When an unfortunate planet, spaceship, star or any other celestial body approaches a black hole, it meets up with the Event Horizon. This is the point of no return that surrounds the hole. Once you cross it, you are doomed. No amount of energy or effort will enable you escape the holes relentless embrace.
One of the problems the black hole presents to scientists is this: since we believe information born into this universe cannot be lost, how can something fall into a black hole and it and its information then become lost without a trace? It is a paradox that has engendered debate among the scientific community for decades.
A physicist named Leonard Susskind finally postulated a solution that currently is accepted by most others in the field. He says that when an object hits the Event Horizon, its image, a hologram of its information, if you will, becomes imprinted on the Event Horizon, therefore, the information is not lost, just the real object that falls into the hole.
Let us say that some on LTB decide to investigate a monster that is a black hole. We take our little LTB spaceship, piloted by Dave and occupied by some of us members who want to see what’s up. And so we park our trusty little craft a safe distance away and take our scientific measurements. But like all good scientists, we want to know more. What happens if you ender the hole? And so some volunteers emerge. Brave, intrepid Lakers fans who have always had the guts and courage to speak their minds here and continue their great tradition by leaving the ship to get a close up look at the hole. Haterade, Gemfow, Brown’s a Clown, Lakerdude and LKnight all step forward to take the plunge. Brave men all.
They don their space suits, shake our hands and say their goodbyes. They leave the ship and slowly drift towards the silent, dark beast that awaits.
Haterade, Gemfow, Clown, Lakerdude and Kight all turn to us as the float away, smiling and waving to let us know they are OK. And as we watch, we feel secure in seeing that they are safe as they approach the Event Horizon.
A funny thing about black holes is that as you approach, their gravity is so strong; it actually slows down the fabric of time that reflects out. And here is where we get deceived about our friends fate. For they continue to approach the Event Horizon apace, but we get a slower, more delayed view of their reality the closer they gets. So finally they hit the Event Horizon and cross over into the rapacious hole. And at that point, Haterade, Clown, Lakerdude and LKnight meet a fate nobody should ever suffer. Literally pulled apart, stretched to pieces on a molecular level, a death one cannot even imagine.
But do we see this, miles away, safely ensconced in our LTB ship? No. Because time has been slowed at Event Horizon, we still see our friends smiling, waving, looking at us, as fine as when they left the ship. But what we see now is simply the holographs of them, information left imprinted on the Event Horizon. Our real friends no longer exist.
And as we sit in our ship, watching our friends’ wave and smile, after a while, we realize something is horribly wrong. They should have met and crossed the Event Horizon by now, should still be floating in space, still showing us they are safe and sound. And eventually we are no longer fooled by their seemingly fine condition. We realize what we see is but an illusion. That something very bad has happened to our brave explorers.
And as it is with information on the Event Horizon, so it is with championship sports teams. As time goes on, the months and years pass, a team inexorably, slowly drifts to its own athletic black hole. And at some point in time, it meets and crosses the Event Horizon. At that point, to us fans safely in our living rooms or in the stands, the team looks ostensibly the same: Kobe still playing hard, Pau still there, Drew, Fisher, Artest all seeming to do their thing. Just like our LTB crew members smiling and waving back at us. But now, just like those crew members, the team is really just a hologram, a hollow reflection of data stuck on the Event Horizon that looks so very real, but is in fact only a sad replica of what once was real.
That the real thing, the flesh and blood essence of that team has died in the black hole.
Look at the Spurs as an example. For years they have been waiting on that one more ring. They have the same core: Parker, Ginobilli, Duncan. They have reworked the team several times. The players all smile and wave back at the fans, looking all the world like the team that used to win titles, but it is no obvious they are not. It has become apparent that they are but an illusion of the past on the NBA Event Horizon. And illusions cannot win championships.
And so it now seems with the Lakers. More and more it looks like that somewhere between that great and gutsy win over Boston in the finals, and our very lackadaisical and disappointing loss to Dallas last year, this team crossed the athletic Event Horizon and became mere images of what once was.
And if this is true, what course should a Lakers fan take? What road should he follow? That is something each must decide on his or her own.
There is an interesting post just put up about how losses are not such a bad thing now. That it may lead the Lakers to make a trade. I understand that philosophy and have no problem with it. But the thing about trades is this: First you need a willing trade partner. And second, you don’t know if a trade made will fix the problems you have. This is not a argument against trades, just a statement of fact about them.
But the idea of wanting your team to lose is not foreign to me. In past years, I have indeed rooted for my favorite teams, the Lakers and football Steelers to do just that. I felt it was in their best interests to lose. Some fans may consider this heresy, disloyal, traitorous even. But that Is but one point of view.
I have never enjoyed knowing my team will just end up fodder for more powerful teams to feat on come playoff time. I take no moral victories in making the playoffs. For me, having a chance to win a championship is really all there is. Yes, I know that it is impossible to be a contender every year. But I also know that it is paramount to strive to get to that point with every breath and move you make. That every increment you make that helps you get better players, even if it is a loss of games, eventually brings a brighter future closer, faster.
There is another avenue available for depleted teams besides trades. That avenue is there for us every single year: the draft. And more you lose, the higher you pick. And the higher you pick the better player you get and the more you can help your team. And the draft comes every year.
For those who find rooting against their own team anathema, I will give the last example of when I did this eight years ago. My Steelers at that time had been one of best teams in football for a decade. The best defense in the NFL, the toughest players, the best running game. Yet for all this, they had no championships to show for it. Because in the playoffs they always lost to a team with a better quarterback. So finally I hit a point where I realized that we needed this very important piece to get over the hump. And so I began to root for my team to lose. And I am sure many Steelers fans would have castigated me for doing so. And eventually, eight years ago, it happened. The ball didn’t bounce our way, injuries struck, things happened and a very good team bottomed out to a 6-10 record. And low and behold, in that draft, six teams passed on a QB that I desperately wanted- Ben Roethesberger. Several teams made a big mistake and let him drop to the Steelers seventh selection. And we took him. And now, eight years later, three super bowl appearances and two championship rings later, I would bet that all the Steelers fans who would have faulted me for rooting against my own team are so very glad we did have that bad year and got that QB. Because if we didn't, we would have won none of those champions a long eight years later.
This kind of fandom is an extreme measure. Not to be entered lightly and is not for all. I liken it to a cancer or heart patient accepting, even welcoming chemo therapy or open heart surgery. It is not something you would ever wish upon yourself if you are healthy, but when the sickness is great, the prospects dire, you gladly do it to ensure a better tomorrow for yourself.
As for this fan, I have been down that road of tough love for my teams before. And as for this fan, I can say, I would have no problem taking it again. But that is just how I am. It is not a remedy for everyone. And I think I have reached a point of evaluation on this team where I may not view losses as a bad thing at all. But perhaps just the opposite. But that is not for everyone.
And as we watch Kobe and Drew and Pau and Fish and Artest, see this team that just won a title and think, “Their they are, they can do it again,” just like San Antonio fans say to themselves every year, the nagging thought of the Event Horizon is in our minds, and in our darkest moments we ask, “Is that really them, or just a mirage, is it all over for keeps?”
And as we watch them, as we think of the fates of Haterade, Gemfow, Lakerdude, LKight and Clown, as we think of the Spurs, we ask ourselves as fans, what is really best for this team? Is it winning, or losing?
PS: apologies to the great LTB members Haterade, Gemfow, Brown’s a Clown, Lakerdude and LKight. I used all of you, and killed you off, lol, only in admiration of your courage and brave, outspoken personalities. You are the types who would take that explorers chance, so I had you do it! All of which LTB would be less if we really did lose you to a black hole!!
Posted by: SPQR on Saturday, January 21, 2012 - 02:45 AM
Lakers Blog
Well, the much anticipated "battle" between Drew and Howard has come and gone, with Dwight getting much the better of it. And the Magic getting the edge on the Lakers.
Cause and effect? To a degree, but its not really the story. But the story was plain to see for those who watched. This game was a petrie dish microcosm of what ails us. An anatomy of why we lose against the these good teams.
First off, to the hyped center battle itself. I saw one thread here where the author said Drews first two fouls were not really fouls.
Is that so? I don't know. I did not tape the game nor would I really be interesting in watching those fouls if I had.
I long ago stopped complaining about refs calls in any sport, be it hoops or football. The refs are human beings. They are trying to watch a game played at break neck speed by the fastest athletes in the world. Being human, they will make mistakes. Unless they are robots with 360 vision, there is no way they will get all the calls correct. And its been my experience that calls will eventually even out, if not in a game, in a season, and the best team, the deserving one, will win out at the end.
Drew got those fouls, whether good or bad, and he had to play with them. Thats sports. And as an athlete, you better be prepared for it.
In any kind of defense of Drew, I would simply state that he was not afforded the chance to go at Dwight, like Dwight was given to go at him. The reason, beside the foul trouble is simple: On this team, Kobe gets to go at people. On Orlando, Dwight is the Kobe, he gets to go at people. We will never get a real "showdown" in the truest sense of the word between these two unless Drew is given the touches and chances to go after Dwight on the offensive end that Dwight gets to put on Drew.
That is no excuse. Dwight is clearly the better player right now and he showed it tonight. But it is a fact that nobody can deny. So until that day comes, we kind of get half a Drew-Dwight matchup to evaluate.
But for those who watched the game and divorced themselves from the center game within the bigger one, the reason for the loss was apparent.
This Lakers team, the peripheral, ancillary players just can't hit wide open shots.
There has been much debate here on whether Kobe shoots too much, if the post isn't fed enough. But none of that really matters.
No matter what the Lakers do, if these other players can't hit wide open shots, it is immaterial how we play it on offense.
Lets say Kobe shoots more. The defense will pack on him over time, leaving others open. Lets say we feed the post, same thing. No matter what we do, the defense will try to take it away, whether its Kobe or the post. That of course will leave others wide open, as happened tonight.
Now I don't expect these guys to make twisting, turning shots with three guys on them, like Kobe can do. That's the stuff of greatness and so very few could ever pull off that kind of athletic legerdemain. And certainly nobody on this Lakers team but Kobe can do it.
And I'm not even talking about a shot where the defender is three or four feet away and running at the shooter, making him rush the shot.
I am talking about clear, wide open, take your damn time with your stroke and make it like any top highschool player can do most of the time.
Whether its Kobe shooting big on a night, or Pau or Drew getting fed in the post, the Lakers ancillary players will keep getting these ridiculously easy shots available to them. Night in and night out.
As I watched this motely outside crew clank one wide open brick after another, I thought to myself, "How did these guys make it into the NBA?"
I mean, even the worst permimeter players in the league should be able to make wide open jumpers more often than not. I mean they were all highschool stars. Most were college stars and have been shooting balls since they were most likely six years old.
So how do these guys after all those years, with all that athletic ability and coordination that got them into pro ball, continually miss wide open gimme shots?
I don't understand it. But I do understand that if this is what they can do as a whole, given the open looks Kobe and Drew and Pau get them, if this is the best they have to offer given these scoring opportunities, this team is dead as any kind of playoff threat or championship contender.
Argue if you will about whether you want Drew or Howard, or whether Kobe should shoot more or less, but either way, our winning or losing ways will be decided by these open shots the others have to make.
Think about the very game tonight. Think about Dwight outplaying Drew. Then think about this: had the Lakers tertiary players hit most of those wide open shots, like Orlando's players did in the second half, how close would that game have been? We even could have won. Even with Dwights domination of Drew.
And that tells you the real story of what ails this team. We may get a point guard, we may not. Kobe may shoot more or he may shoot less. Drew and Pau may get chances, or maybe not.
But none of that is gonna matter one bit if the guys who are open, who will continue to be open because of Drew, Pau and Kobe, keep shooting like fifth graders who aren't even strong enough to get the ball up on the rim.
And in the end, it won't matter if Kobe shoots 40 times a game or gets the ball to Drew and Pau 40 times a game. Because teams will adjust and defend those guys. It won't make us a champion. The only way we will be able to compete with the cream of the crop is if we take advantage of the opportunities our best players afford the others.
So while the sexy, glittery, facile discussion of tonights game among many fans and media will be about the Drew-Howard "matchup" the other, deeper, truer, more prosaic reason for this loss and others will keep haunting the team unless a solution is found. And that solution may be harder to find than any trade between our center and Orlando's.
It is no surprise we win when those shots fall. No surprise we lose when they don't. But it is always surprising when NBA players consistantly miss shots they should make in their sleep. And thats a big problem.
And right now, that looks like it is about as far away and as tiny as the basket must to those who keep failing us night after night, brick after wide open brick.
Posted by: SPQR on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - 03:05 AM
Lakers Blog
You know, over the years, watching Mitch, I have graded him out as a "C" GM. I won't go into detail as to why, but he has some chits on both sides of the ledger.
I always thought his worst move, at the time he made it was the Walton super contract. When I heard the news on ESPN, I thought, "What the hell is he doing giving this very average player that kind of money for that many years!!???"
We are still paying a price for that bit of business in more ways than one.
That was Mitch's worst, until now. Not even close anymore.
When we shipped Lamar for nothing to Dallas, I was stunned. As were many here. Mitch's excuse was, "Well, he demanded a trade."
My response: So damn what? Many players demand a trade. Few get them in two days. Smart GM's wait on that. Explore all options. See whats out there, what their team needs. They wait weeks, months, sometime years before they pull a deal with an unhappy player. Dwight Howard wanted traded a few weeks ago. He's still playing with Orlando. Thats because their GM isn't dumb. Hes playing the waiting game.
Hes playing it because he has the power. Like all GM's. Dwight has to stay put and play..or not get paid. Same with Lamar and every other player under contract. All players who demand a trade cool off. All players who demand a trade will play their contract out if they have too, because they want paid.
All Mitch had to do was wait. Let Lamar cool his heels for a few days, even a few weeks, and he would have played here. And all the while, he could have evaluated the team and its needs, explored trade possibilities with countless teams in the league.
But no, he like a scared rabbit, like Lamar had the power, which he most certainly did not.
So now look at us. We actually have a pretty nice squad. Kobe looks almost 28 again. Drew and Pau are playing great guns. So is Barnes. McBob is a new, bigger, more athletic Rambis. We have one of the best records in the league and just beat Dallas which was very nice considering last years playoffs and Mark Cuban sticking his nose in our business with the Paul deal...for his own purposes.
After the game tonight, Reggie Miller said the only thing the Lakers lack to compete for a championship is a good point guard. Of course we all know that. We really are just that close. Just one good point guard away.
The question is, who and what can we deal to get one? Well, that answer is obvious. The one top flight chit we can afford to lose for a point and will not really hurt us, will actually make us better. The one good chit we can afford to lose but that other teams with certain needs would take for a good point: Lamar Odom.
Ohhh, but thats right. We already gave him away for nothing. So now who are we gonna trade for a good point? Drew? Pau? Half the team? Either way, if we do it, its gonna hurt. Not like if we had Lamar.
So you see, having a GM who can't think, who cracks under pressure, who isn't staid and cool and intellectual and calm, right when you need it most can really bit you in the *ss.
And this time, Mitch's mistake may well cost us and Kobe a chance for a ring. And that is one real big shame. I mean it goes in the capital letters SUCKS classification. As in, Mitch SUCKS. His thinking SUCKS. His deal SUCKS. Because he has now earned that appelation in spades with that hasty, dumb, precipitous Lamar move.
That move may not only keep us from winning a title, it most likely will hurt this team for years. Its the kind of move that can break a team, change its very destiny and future. Our future. Kobe's future. The NBA's future. That's what can happen when you so much depends on you, your ability to think and react correctly, when so much rides on your decision making prowess, and you flat out drop the ball and fail miserably.
So Mitch was a C with me. Now he is a D. And if we lose in the playoffs, lose that precious chance to win it all again, because our point situation is so bad, well, its just a fat F.
And the worst part of all? Mitch knows we need a point. He knew it back then. But instead of holding Lamar like that ace card to draw a royal straight flush, he threw it away for two of a kind. And man, thats bad poker in anyones book.
I have to assume Jim Buss was on board with the Lamar giveaway. I can't imagine Mitch has the ability to make that kind of move without the OK from above.
And I will say this with all seriousness, with what was at stake, with what Mitch and Buss knew about the needs of this team even back then, both those guys deserve to fired for throwing away what could have been our last, best chance to return to the top of the heap.
The more I watch this team, how close we are, the more I think about what Mitch and Buss did, for no good reason at all, the sicker I feel.
Posted by: SPQR on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - 01:33 AM
Lakers Blog
Back in the day, long long ago, there was different type of entity that walked the planet with us mere mortals. They were the product of active, salacious, interfering gods. When those gods grew bored, when they wanted to meddle and intercede for fun, pleasure or malign purpose, they would descend from Mt. Olympus impregnate human females and sit back and watch the results.
The product of these unions was special. Their names are legend, even today, thousands of years later: Heracles, Achilles, Theseus, Hanuman, Garuda and others whose superhuman nature and feats of glory live on through the generations.
As the centuries passed, the old gods were forgotten, wars and tribulations faded and civilization took hold and the need for demigods, even the belief in them disappeared.
In all areas but one: the sporting arena. It is here that the old gods, sleepy and weakened by a lack of faith and belief still stir to meddle in human affairs, sending us their offspring to perform godlike deeds that like their forbearers will become legends told and retold for posterity.
How else to explain the superhuman, demigod like abilities of a George Mikan, a Wilt Chamberlain, a Bill Russell, a Larry Bird, a Oscar Robertson, a Magic Johnson, a Michael Jordan, a Kobe Bryant.
Is not the touch of divine, the seed of a gods conception the only explanation for what these more than mere mortals show us over their bright, comet like existence? Because what pure human of terrestrial birth can perform such deeds, achieve such god light heights and flights of greatness?
And tonight, watching Kobe Bryant unveil the whole divine package, the jukes and footwork nobody should be able to practice, let alone perfect, the fakes that leave mortals gasping for air and defending the same, the turn around three point jumpers off the wrong shoulder, the drives to the hoop with winged feet, the unlimited stamina that no mortal man possesses, you know you have seen something rare, a sprite, a spirit, something more than flesh and blood, something that only the gods could grant.
I remember the rumors when Kobe came to the Lakers. A player who may indeed have that spark only the gods grant with such jealous paucity. And though young and inexperienced, unformed and inchoate, he showed flashes of rare touch of the immortals. Yes, he had much to learn, much time to go to harness his prodigious talent, but the flashes made you wonder: Is this a mortal player, another very good, very athletic mortal like Eddie Jones, or did a long forgotten deity make the long trip to earth and infuse the womb with the seed of legend?
It happened in Miami, so long ago. Bryant broke through, showing that package and ability that only the blessed can obtain. He did it all that night. I know, I watched it. And as I watched it, I knew, I knew this was no man, but that frightening offspring of the ethereal and flesh. And I knew the Lakers were heading for the type of glory only an Achilles, a Heracles could lead a group of men to achieve.
Miami didn’t mean he had harnessed his abilities yet. There were still many games, many weeks and months of work and sweat and blood to sacrifice before the young demigod would perfect his craft and hone his ability to fine warriors edge. But the die was cast, the truth was out and the gods on old Mt. Olympus smiled.
And so it happened, the skills god given and the work ethic, human driven combined to produce the inevitable result. And the glory followed. For him and the team. The championships came for him, the organization and the fans. Because when you are touched by a god, the road to legend will rise and burn bright, as sure as the desert sun.
Perhaps his most miraculous season was one where his team, bereft of talent, with no chance to win a title, was carried, pushed and pulled inexorably towards the playoffs. For those who watched Kobe that year, seemingly scoring 40 points a night seemingly every night, in the teeth of every teams defensive efforts, you knew you were watching a young demigod in full flower, in full attack mode, so confident in his superiority, so confirmed in his invulnerability, so supreme in his command over the mortals who must have seemed like ants scurrying around, smashed and trampled under basketball shoes that never seemed to touch the ground for 82 games. That was the year, the season, when anyone lucky enough to be witness understood what the old Greeks and Indians felt and observed when their own demigods ruled and crushed the monsters and mortals who dared cross their path.
Time always destroys. Entropy tears up what even gods conceive. Even the gods themselves atrophy, weaken, mellow and are forgotten with the passing of the centuries. Those on Olympus are prisoners of this truth. Dissipated and enervated by your lack of belief, our worship of newer gods and technology, they don’t influence events as they did in the times of yore. But even know, in their more attenuated way, once in awhile, a god will make his way to earth, do the deed in secrete, and let a rare offspring roam, not in field of battle, but on the athletic fields of play, our modern substitute to the old games of blood and gore.
And tonight, watching Kobe Bryant play as in his best days, you remember. You remember how rare he is, how great he has been, how totally inhuman his half side is. And you remember to enjoy what he was, what he still is, what he can still do when the blood of his particular god runs wild in his veins.
Back in the day, many gods descended from that lofty perch to do the deed. And it begs the question, who was it that came down 33 years ago to produce this incandescent, ethereal offspring?
For anyone who has watched Kobe, that is an easy question to answer: From his inscrutable, chiseled bony, almost kinglike face, to his lithe, indestructible, lissom body, to his cat quick reflexes, the ferocious, take no prisoners attitude, no quarter asked, none given, the imperviousness to pain and injury; the entire package screams only one thing: WAR!
I didn’t see it happen. Nobody did. But I know, as sure as I live, when a god came down from Olympus, silent as the night, on misty cats feet, to do the deed that produced Kobe Bryant, it could only be but one- Mars, the god of conquest and war. Only one god, the lover of war could have produced this machine of athletic brilliance and destruction. That is plain as any DNA test could be.
And as the last years of Kobe Bryant unfold, as he slowly disappears in the mists of time and legend, as his siblings did through the eons, remember him for tonight, for the future nights like this, and for the all the past nights he showed his true bloodline. Because like the gods themselves, even Kobe will fade into that good night and someday join his predecessors as a legend to be told to half unbelieving but enthralled children listening with wide open eyes and mouths.
Tonight, Kobe Bryant, the demigod showed us his true bloodline. Showed us the best of what he has, the reach he has that mortals cannot hope to grasp.
Tonight Kobe Bryant went for 48. And tonight, up on ancient Mt. Olympus, Zeus, the King of all the old forgotten gods, watching something that begat memories of their halcyon glory days, stirred from his crumbling, dilapidated throne, brushed the dust off his robe and rubbed his long rusted shield and sword into a shine, ordered flagons of strong wine, called his fellow gods to order, patted Mars gently on the shoulder, smiled and said simply, “Well done, so very well done.”
Then they both smiled, toasted and drank deep. And the wine tasted so very good.
Posted by: SPQR on Saturday, December 31, 2011 - 06:15 PM
Lakers Blog
You went away and left me long time ago and
now you're knocking on my door
I hear you knocking but you can't come in
I hear you knocking, go back where you've been - Fats Domino
For me, Kobe Bryant has always given a dichotomy of feelings. Watching this great, once in a life time player do perform like someone playing his own game, seemingly in his own private league, giving me sublime athletic shows, memories and championships, he has generated nothing but warm feelings, excitement and sense of wonder.
Then there is the other Kobe. Whose ego and desire to place himself above anything else, including team and teammates engenders a sense of disappointment and yes, anger. As much as I love the other Kobe, just as much I wish this Kobe didn’t exist.
Last year, after the humiliating loss to Dallas, the bad Kobe emerged again. When Andrew Bynum, the young center who was the best player for us in that losing series stated that he felt ready to expand his game and contribute more to the team, Kobe was asked about that remark by a reporter. His answer was telling about exactly how predominant bad Kobe can be and how insecure he is about his lofty position atop the Lakers hierarchy.
Now If I were a 33 year old aging superstar, after a heartbreaking loss to Dallas, and if I had a young, huge capable center on my team, and he said he wanted to start carrying more of the burden, my thoughts would have been, “Nice. That’s exactly what I need at this stage of my career and exactly what this team needs.”
But not Kobe. He could have and should have said, “Great. I hope the kid can do just that.” Or perhaps, “That will be up to the coach.”
But no. Kobe, Bad Kobe, revealing his insecurity and ego said, “No, Drew will be third in the pecking order next year behind me then Pau.”
And of course, anyone who has followed Kobe, watched Kobe and listened to Kobe knows exactly why those thoughts came to mind and words to mouth. Because of all the players on this team, only one, Drew, has the size and ability to take over from Kobe as the top option on the team, the main man. Kobe knows as everyone does, that Pau can’t do it. And if Drew has an artificial lid put on him, if he is kept at not even second, but a safe third, then Kobe can go on about his business without fear of losing what he has held onto so long. There is no possible other explanation for Kobe’s reasoning and what he said that night.
But unfortunately from Kobe’s perspective, but very fortunately for the THE LAKERS, something has changed. Phil Jackson, Kobe’s martinet is gone to sit on his pillow cushion at home. And the new coach doesn’t see things exactly like Kobe and Phil did. Mike Brown looked at Drew’s performance last year, saw what is so obvious and thought, “This guy needs a bigger role on the team, not less, not the same.”
And so, with the return of Andrew Bynum today, on a night when the outside shots were not falling, when free throws were rattling out, when Kobe did his best down the stretch in the final minutes to give the game away, on a night when all this was a prescription for a loss, the kind of game we have lost so many times in the past, Andrew Bynum, not third in the pecking order, as Kobe would like, not second, but first, rose up and gave us 29 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks in 31 minutes of play, and more importantly, carried the team to the win.
So for tonight, Kobe didn’t get his way with the pecking order and that was a good thing, because if he had we would have lost. But he didn’t and Drew did get to carry us to the win.
Tonight Andrew Bynum was not third in the pecking order, not second, he was first. He was not a teenager who should have his “*ss traded for Jason Kidd”; tonight he was man, a dominant man in every respect, and by far the best player in a Lakers uniform. And that is the player that all of us few, who have supported Drew over the years, who saw his size, athletic ability, work ethic and blind, furious determination to keep coming back from injuries and a team; a player our resident superstar and old coach who really didn’t want to see just how good he could be for all their own, private, selfish reasons, thought we may have in this guy.
Yes, this was but one game. But the fact is, we have seen this ability before. Years ago, before injuries robbed him of the ascent he was taking. And last year, in the playoffs, that prompted Dallas’ coach to say, “He was the best player on their team”, and Dirk Nowitskie to say, “He is the best center in the league. So while it is one game, it is not a singular moment by Drew. And this Drew is now 24, healthy, with a year of real experience, conditioning and game work over the summer behind him. Because of that fact, I said coming into this year, we would finally find out what Drew has, what he is. And I felt confident we would see a dominant player.
So now the question remains, what next for us..and our pecking order? Because if this year, at 24, this is real Drew, the best defense against him would be Kobe Bryant’s ego and his pecking order. If this is the real Drew, then we can end up getting one of two teams: one smart, one efficient, one that will get the most of Drew and itself. That team will indeed be a TEAM, the Los Angeles Lakers. A team where Drew will not be consigned to some arbitrary pecking order as determined by Kobe, but team where he will be allowed to settle in where his skills and ability merit. And if that is second, or even first, then that is where he should reside, for the best of this team and our chances to compete again for that title we all want so badly.
The other team will be not so good. I would term it, the Kobe Lakers, not the Los Angeles Lakers. Because if Kobe decides to keep Drew down, for the sake of his own position, we are not really the LA Lakers anymore, but just a group of players doing what is best for one player who sets his own ego and agenda above winning, above having the best team we can be. And let’s not mince words, any Lakers fans on LTB or anywhere else who would accept and agree to that, only because it is what is best for Kobe and not in the best interest of the team and winning, like we all claim we are, are not really Lakers fans at all, but have sacrificed that noble honor on the alter of Kobe Bryant’s personal desires.
Let me make It clear, I am not advocating Kobe step aside right now in deference to Drew. It is one game. If this was just a mirage, a way Drew can play, sometimes, but not often, we will soon know. But if this Drew is the real Drew, what he appeared tonight, there is no way in any good conscience that he can be less than the first option and the alpha on this team.
And if the second case is true, then it will be up to Kobe to decide, will this team be The Lakers, a team, as good as it can be, playing as best as it can with all its component parts, smartly, efficiently, or will it be The Kobes, just a group people along for the ride that has to sublimate it’s most efficient player to allow him to play out his string as he sees fit in order to feed his own ego.
In the end, if Drew really is what he appeared tonight, whatever decision Kobe makes will decide exactly which of these two teams we see in the year 2011-2012. And if Drew is all that, let’s all hope, despite how much it may grieve Kobe, that in the twilight of his astounding career, he makes the right choice, for the team, for Drew, for us and yes even for himself and his desire to get another championship.
Because if Drew is all that, and Kobe makes the wrong choice, the selfish one, it’s gonna get ugly for him, for the team, the coach and his legacy.
Welcome back Drew, you got here just in time to get us this win. Without you, we would have lost. Great to see that whole game, the rebounds, the blocks, the scoring, the hustle. And great to see you get a chance to be on top of the pecking order for a change.
Here’s to hoping this is just the start of the beautiful basketball we have been waiting for. And yes, If you earn it, a place at the top of the Lakers pecking order.
Posted by: SPQR on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 01:23 AM
Lakers Blog
Another good performance by our Lakers on both sides of the ball as we crushed the life out of supposed superteam Knicks.
This Lakers team is really showing some great signs on both sides of the ball and despite the short time, a real ability to acclimate to and enable Coach Mike Browns system and philosophy.
One thing that really catches your eye is the bench. In the Kobe-Pau era, the truth is we had no reliable bench. Yes Lamar was fantastic. But he was only one guy. Not a bench.
When you looked at the guys who were supposed to help carry that unit, they failed and failed miserably. Sasha was counted on to supply much need outside shooting. And for a while he did. But then his shot left, forever. Why? Who knows.
And Jordan Farmar was counted on to handle the ball, drive, score and dish like a good point. He could do none of them with any consistancy.
In the past, our bench has started out fine. Remember the Killer Bees? So why should we think this bench will stand up over time and the season?
Here is why, this bench brings something different to the team. This benchs production and effectiveness is predicated on defense and rebounding and is much more a post bench than a perimeter one.
Metta, Murphy and McRoberts are down low, providing defense and rebounds in the paint. To do this you have to have both the athletic ability, the strength and the desire. They have all three. It is not like asking a guy to have a certain skill, like hitting threes or passing or running a teams offense with the ball. Yet these guys are just as important in what they bring. Remember Rileys old refrain, no rebounds no rings? And how many teams have you seen win a title without playing that hard defense in the paint? Just ask Nash's old high scoring, soft Suns. They will tell you about that. Or ask tonights Knicks.
And with a rejuvinated Blake who bombed out last year in Phil's triangle and Matt Barnes looking like the old pre injury Barnes, you just have more on top of what we are showing down low. If Kopono, Murphy and Goudelock can hit threes with any consistancy, the bench becomes even stronger yet. And with the return of Drew and moving McRoberts to the second unit, yet stronger still.
I was a bit surprised in the pre season when some media types bemoaned our bench this year compared to the past. What bench did we have in the past? We never had one. That was one of our problems. As we signed all these new players, my thought was, "It looks like we may actually have a freakin bench for once. One that may be there to depend on all year." And so far, so good.
With this bench, given what these guys bring, as long as they keep that desire and effort to rebound and defend, unlike in years past, it is a perscription for true, all season long unit we can depend on.
Of course the one area of concern that we will all watch closely is the point guard spot. Can old man Fish and the recharged Blake give us enough on both sides of the ball, even if Blake continues his current play?
That is a risky proposition and a gamble. Reggie Miller tonight said that the Lakers don't need to trade for Dwight because we have Drew. He said the Lakers need to find a point who can defend, penetrate, score and dish. Not to open that old can of Dwight worms, but you understand his point. Drew is an asset. In making that trade, you are getting rid of one good center for another. Now Dwight may be better, most think he is, some think Drews potential as a scorer may be more needed here, but his point is clear and valid; that trade doesn't rectify our major problem. A trade or move that would rectify it would be far more benificial to the teams chances to win a title.
So we shall see what develops there. Will the Lakers stay with Fish and Blake? Will they try to pull out a rabbit and make a move? Maybe the best solution would be if Morris could claim that spot, but in all reality, that seems very unlikely. Unless he is one of those very, very rare special players, he won't be much help manning probably the most difficult position in basketball for us this year.
A final note on Coach Brown. I really have to say I have been surprised at some of the comments aimed at him over the last few days. Nitpicking at every little decision he has made. How many coaches have you seen that you agreed with every game decision? I can't think of one from my view. Yet after only three games, here where the critics and so many saying, "Oh we should have hired this guy. We should have hired that guy!" Really? And what exactly have these other coaches won? How many rings has their genious wrought on the league? I can't think of any.
After three games? Really. His die is cast, judgments are in and he sucks? With a new system, a new team, hardly any practice or camp?
Man, good thing we don't judge players that way. We would have cut Kobe after three games his rookie year. I guess its a good thing we didn't.
When looking at Brown, or any coach, I take the overall view. How does the team look on both ends of the floor? Do they look downcast, disorganized and lazy, out of it, like in Phil's last year? Or with other coaches? Or do they seem into what is going on? Are they lively, energetic, optimistic, do they move with brio and and purpose. Do they look like they are having fun and are you seeing results? Do they look like they are buying into the program, and not just on offense, but more importantly the defensive program?
I see all those things with Brown's team right now. On both sides of the floor. I love how he is using Metta down low, where despite his age and declining skill, he can still use his strength and size to defend, rebound and post up score. Something that my good friend Gemfow and others were screaming for old Mummy Phil to do with him last year, but didn't.
Love how he is getting Kobe screens to get free and do what he does best. I love how I hear he is practicing defense sixty percent of the time in training. How much do I love that? Well, think about playing Oklahoma, Miami, Dallas, Memphis or some other teams in the playoffs. Do you want to engage them in a pure shoot out or would you rather have a pit bull defensive team to go head to head? I know how I want to play it, just as Coach Brown wants to as well. Thats the path for us to try win this thing. We tried the soft offensive side last year. Remember what it got us? If you don't take a look at idiot Cuban's goofy smiling face. That is a reminder.
If the bench keeps up, if the team continues to exact Browns price on defense, if Kobe stays healthy, if Drew continues to improve from last year, this transition year of new players could end up being a transition to another team that may compete for a championship. And that is one hell of thing to do in any transition year.
Posted by: SPQR on Friday, December 23, 2011 - 02:46 PM
Lakers Blog
I have heard stories that fans from other teams, on their websites are chuckling over the Lakers inability to land Chris Paul or Dwight Howard.
And as a Lakers fan, reading so many posts here about how we should have gotten Paul, how we should get Dwight, I can understand their ribaldry over us not getting what WE want.
Over the last few weeks, I have been struck by so many Lakers fans feeling of entitlement. You know, we are the Lakers, and we should get what we want to keep the good times rolling forever. You know, Stern should have let the first Paul trade go through, because well, we made the offer and we wanted Paul. Forget that he could cast around, be patient, look for a better deal..from us or someone else. Or, Dwight Howard certainly wants to come to us, play in LA with Kobe, instead of perhaps having other ideas about where he wants to take his career. It’s a feeling of entitlement that plays well here, but looks so very elitist to other fans.
But reality has a way of intruding into life. Stern did not see fit to give us Paul on our first offer and Dwight Howard told Orlando that he would like to play with Deron Williams in their new Brooklyn digs over coming here, if given his druthers. His first choice is not LA but another.
It is notable to observe that the outrage Lakers fans felt at not getting Paul on that first offer was not extended to the cross town Clippers when their first offer was rejected. I also have serious doubts had Dallas, Miami or Boston had a first offer rejected by Stern if the Lakers fans would have expressed outrage for those teams. But it wasn’t Dallas or Boston or Miami, it was us, and well, we deserved to get Paul. Because we are the Lakers and we are entitled to get the best players all the time, we are entitled to get who we want and need, when we want and need them, and for the winning to go on forever.
Sometimes, success can spoil a fan. From the day we got Shaq through the current Kobe era, we have had the best player in basketball for over twelve years. And we have seven NBA finals and five NBA championships to show for it. Think about that. Since the day Shaq got here through Kobe, we have had the best player in basketball and been in seven championships, winning five. How did the other teams do over that time? Yet in our entitlement, we expect to get Paul or expect Dwight to demand to come here as his first choice, as though Stern, Dwight and everyone else should give us what we want so that our success and spot at the top of the heap can go on indefinitely, forever. The truth is, there is no Lakers entitlement and nothing lasts forever. Not even this current run we have all so enjoyed for so long.
Is it any wonder that fans of other teams look at us and shake their heads, laugh when our sense of entitlement is not reciprocated by others?
And since that entitlement was not granted, where are we now? Well, there is no doubt we are a team in transitions. Perhaps so much so, any realistic desire to win a championship may not be within reach. Our star player, Kobe Bryant, is 33. On the downside of his career. Once again, the injury bug, which has been plaguing him in recent years, has reared up. Not a surprise, considering his age and the all out way he has played the game all these many years. With Fisher shot and Artest aging fast, with Lamar and Phil gone, this team is now becoming something different than we are used to.
I think this year, we will rise and fall with the play of our younger athletes. I think the long term success of the team will depend on what Drew, Morris, Ebanks, Goudelock can bring to the table. I think if during the long year, these guys can step up and contribute in a strong, positive way, we will have a very exciting, fun year. I will also say that right now, I am not thinking about an NBA championship. I am thinking about seeing the outline being built of a future Lakers team that will eventually be able to complete for a title down the road. Not to say we won’t compete this year, but right now, that is not the measuring stick I am searching for.
I am also thinking down the road a few years. If Drew and his younger compadres show the right stuff, then a core is being put in place. A core for future success and contention. You look down the road and see a day when Kobe will retire. At that time you will have the money to bring in another top tier star, if you are lucky. Then you will have Luke’s contract ending too. More money to bring in another very good player, a player who will actually earn the money Luke is being given for no return. In those intervening years, between now and then, if we are not a top tier team, if we do not compete for a title, it will mean we will get higher draft picks than usual. More good players, if Mitch does his job, to add to the mix.
So in looking down that road of the future, if things go well, we would conceivably be a team that can compete for a title within the next five years. And anyway you slice it, that aint too bad for a team coming off the glory of the Shaq-Kobe run. And that’s a future most teams would gladly trade for.
So I would tell Lakers fans, don’t let a sense of entitlement warp and destroy your enjoyment of the game or our team, not the present version, nor its future. Take this season for what it is, an incubator to nurture and grow the team from its present iteration to a better one we will see down the line. And if we are lucky enough to compete this year for a title, then look at is as icing on a very surprising, tasty cake.
If the worst happens, if the Shaq-Kobe run is finished as far as winning titles is concerned, yet in five years we once again are poised to compete for the big prize, how many fans of other teams wouldn’t sell their souls to have been in our shoes in the past or have our future?
No matter how much we want, no matter how much the Shaq-Kobe run spoiled us, there is no way we can always have the best player or players in the league on our team, no way we can always be a top threat to win a title. Sometimes you are going to drop for a while. And if our wait is just four or five years, then I will gladly take it. That is really not a long time in sports years.
I have never felt a sense of entitlement as a Lakers fan. I understand that we have more good happen here than any sports fan deserves. For me, this year will be one where I want to see good things happen with your young players and our new coach. Anything else- including championship contention- will be gravy. For me, this season will not be just about now, but for the future that all of us face as fans of this remarkable franchise. If the new coach and young players come through, it won’t be all that long before we are in championship mix again. And then, it will be the Lakers fans who as usual, will have the last laugh at those fans of other teams who so often have to spend their years looking up at us on our march into the history books.
Posted by: SPQR on Sunday, December 18, 2011 - 02:24 PM
Lakers Blog
With the short preseason upon us, and regular season just a week away, with all the disappoint expressed on LTB about Phil retiring, not getting Paul, not getting Dwight, losing Lamar what is my main feeling about what is rapidly approaching? Nothing less than excitement and hope.
The big topic of conversation here in the last week has been the Chris Paul debacle. And nobody here wanted Paul any more than I did. For many reasons. And when we didn’t get him, I felt a keen disappointment, a malaise. I suddenly felt a loss of anticipation for the coming campaign. I thought that was an emotion that would last for weeks, perhaps longer; but surprisingly now has been completely purged.
How and when did it happen?
In the last couple of days, my attention left Paul and moved onto players who are actually on our team. I read an article about how well Andrew Bynum is looking. Soon after, I read another about the stellar play of second year pro Devin Ebanks. Soon after, another, about the nice passing and defense of our rookie point guard Darius Morris has exhibited in camp. And as I read these articles, I realized that information was making me excited. And afterwards, I realized I was getting excited over players not named Chris Paul. And I realized, I hadn’t been thinking about Paul for quite a while. And this made me realize it was stupid to get upset about a player who had never even been a Laker in the first place, when we have players on this team, some of them young and coming up, like Drew, like Ebanks, like Morris, who will be fun and exciting to watch, who have their own abilities and gifts to contribute both as individuals and as parts of the team as a whole. I realized, I want to see Drew play, I want to see Ebanks, I want to see Morris.
In not obtaining Paul or Dwight, it’s not like we lost a player who had been in purple and gold. Not like when Magic retired because of HIV. Not as though Kobe announced today that he has to retire because his knees are shot. Dwight and Paul never played a second for us. They never came through in the clutch for us, never led us, never won a ring for us. Yet on this current team, we have players who have won two rings and plenty of glory for all of us. And in Kobe, a once in a life time player who has brought five more championships to LA than Dwight and Paul have to their teams, combined!
And I am to feel down and out because Dwight or Paul are not in Lakers uniforms? I realized, that was nothing but self flagellation for the most banal of reasons. It made no sense at all. Like the Lakers, I am resilient. We don’t always get our way, but we always bounce back. The tradition goes on. The great teams and championships accrue. Nothing stops that.
Should I be upset and downcast because we traded Lamar? I loved Lamar’s game. But I hate his childish attitude about being a chit in the deal to try get Paul. If he doesn’t understand the profession he is in, the one that pays him millions, even after he has been traded multiple times before, and wants to leave the Lakers, then the hell with Lamar Odom. And I think, this guy isn’t 26, or 28, he is 32 years old. His best days are behind him, like all 32 year old athletes. Will we miss him this year and perhaps the next, probably. But if Mitch does his job, that first round pick we got for him will evolve into a good player. And in three or four years, a better player than a 35 year old Lamar Odom. So screw Lamar, I’m excited he’s gone, I look forward to who and how we replace him, and what player we get in with that pick in that draft.
Kobe Bryant had a procedure done on knee in the offseason. This gives hope, that this year’s Kobe will be more effective than even last year’s Kobe will be. And for me, that’s an exciting thought, because last year’s Kobe, even given his injuries, was pretty damn good.
We have lost our great coach, Phil Jackson. And for me, that’s exciting. Yes, a strange thing to say and feel, but true nonetheless. As time goes on, well change, physically and mentally. And in the last couple years, you could see a change in Phil. A certain remove from activism, a detachment from activity, an inability to make adjustments. He looked old, he looked tired, he looked sick, all of which he is.
Two years ago, against Oklahoma, in the playoffs, Phil opted for a certain defensive alignment that was killing us. The media could see what was happening. We could see what was happening; the players could see what was happening. Phil could not. It took Kobe Bryant to go to Phil and suggest a change for the coach to finally do what he should had done, should have known, should have seen so easily. If Kobe had not stepped forward, who knows how long it would have went on, or what it would have cost us?
Last year, it became apparent that team has tuned out Phil’s system and message. The old magic wasn’t there, and Phil really couldn’t do anything to right the ship. Filet mignon is so very good. The top of the line, the best, like Phil once was. So good, that you can eat two for dinner. But after two, when you try a third or fourth, no matter how good, it loses its appeal. And with Phil, both the team and myself, had moved onto the fourth serving. It was time for a change. A different meal.
I was tired of the triangle on offense and the lack of any defense. And it seemed the players were too. And as I read articles about Coach Brown, I find myself excited. Excited about his energy, his attention to detail, about his hard training camp, about his demands that the players execute, about how he says his system, both offense and defense, will take only two weeks for the players to learn. As opposed to Phil’s system that seemed to take veterans five years to learn and rookies 25 years. I am excited that this coach, may actually teach and play youngsters, rookies, instead of bench them and forget them, like Phil.
So I think, Morris doesn’t have to be Paul. He just has to be a better passer and defender than Derek. He just has to be a budding talent, and we improve. And that’s exciting.
I think, Drew doesn’t have to be Dwight. He just has to stay healthy and add to what he showed last year. And that’s exciting.
And I think, Ebanks will get a chance to really show his skills, not in practice, but in actual games, where we can all see and enjoy it. And that’s exciting.
And I think, this year, we will have a coach, with a totally different system, with energy, verve, enthusiasm, ambition, a young, healthy coach, who wants to win his first championship as bad as Kobe wants to win his sixth. A coach who may see young players with fresh legs as an asset, not a detriment. And I think back on the Phil Jackson I saw last year, and I get excited.
No Paul, no Dwight? I don’t care. How many games have they won for us? How much did they contribute to our last two championships?
No Lamar. Big deal. He is 32, he acted like a child to the trade, he if he doesn’t want to stay here, then I don’t want him here. It’s not like you can’t win a championship without Lamar Odom. Other teams have.
No Phil? I’m excited. I am glad Phil is gone, no matter what kind of coach Brown ends up being. If Brown isn't the answer, we will look until we find it. But I am excited to see what he does.
So here we are, on the cusp of a new year. With all the promise that brings. Will we win a championship? I don’t know. But I know we have a strong squad. I know we will be among the better teams in basketball. I know we have a new coach and some young players I can’t wait to see. How much more does a fan really need to get the party started?
No Phil, no Dwight, no Paul, no Lamar? Well we have Kobe, Pau, Drew, Artest, Ebanks, Morris and more, young players and new players we signed this year.. We have a new coach and new system. And when I think about those things, I realize, I feel very excited.
The season starts in a week. And I realize, I’m not thinking about Chris Paul anymore. I realize, I don’t care about him anymore. Nor Phil, nor Dwight or Lamar, or anyone who is not part of this current Lakers team. Who is not representing our history, our dynasty, our tradition, or way of life that stands alone in NBA history. They aren’t part of this team, not part of our goals or future. It’s they who are missing out, not us, not me, not you. We are the Lakers and they are not. It's their loss, not ours. Screw all of them.
We are the Lakers, not them. In the end, it’s always our gain and their loss. That’s what being a Laker and Laker fan means. That’s why the rings are on the fingers and the banners float in the rafters. And those rings and banners are what we are.
The season starts in a week. I realize, I am excited. I realize, I can’t f*cking wait.
Posted by: JamFan on Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 11:05 AM
Lakers Blog
According to a prediction that Stephen A Smith made on national TV in front of an ESPN audience, Kobe Bryant will ask for a trade before the season is done.
Lets see if there is enough evidence to support Stephen's claim. First, Jim Buss refused to try and trade Andrew Bynum for Carmelo Anthony. Then, the Lakers get swept in the playoffs by Dallas. Then, the Lakers are unable to get Chris Paul.
Then, Jim Buss trades Lamar Odom for chump change to Dallas, a rival who just swept them. Then, Orlando backs off talks on a trade bringing Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Then, the Clippers get Chris Paul, and are now annointed the new hip team in LA, the hot ticket.
In so many words, Stephen said that Kobe is putting up a brave face in front of the cameras, but he is seething when off camera. Smith says that Jim Buss makes decisions on emotion. The implication is that it is not serving him well. He says that he knows Kobe very well and he thinks Kobe will ask for a trade before the season is done.
Many fans feel that Jim Buss should give all player decisions to the GM Mitch Kupchak and go back to just having beers with the boys. All of the speculation about Kobe asking for a trade is avoidable. But the Lakers need to pull off a blockbuster deal. It is being questioned that Jim Buss is up to the task. If the Lakers don't make a deal, and the team flounders during the the season, will Stephen A Smiths prediction come true?
Posted by: SPQR on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 06:32 PM
Lakers Blog
I know for a fact, nobody on this thread wanted CP3 anymore than I did. I was dying to get this guy.
When we made the offer to get him, I was excited as I have ever been as a Lakers fan. When the deal was rejected and the team moved on to try get Dwight, I felt as low as I have ever have as a Lakers fan.
I will always remember Dan Gilbert and Mark Cuban putting their big mouths where they didn't belong when we made our first offer. Gilbert because he is so bitter about Lebron and sees us a west coast version of Miami, call it basketball penis envy, and Cuban because he will do anything to hurt and cripple the Lakers.
I will always root against Dallas and Cleveland as long a Gilbert and Cuban rule those teams.
But looking back on this, one person I can't critisize and hate is David Stern.
As the de facto owner of the Hornets, it was his charge to get the best deal possible from a very bad situation: the departure of super star Chris Paul. And as a disappointed, yet realistic Lakers fan, I have to understand he was not our "owner" not trying to help us get the best deal, but he had to get New Orleans the best deal.
Most of us are disappointed. But just imagine if you were a New Orleans fan, how happy you would be tonight, that Stern held out for the best possible deal for you and your team. If I were a New Orleans fan tonight, I would want to kiss Stern for rejecting the Lakers offer and waiting. Wouldn't you feel the same way?
And if the Lakers had been in New Orleans position, wouldn't we all be on here right now, sceaming with joy that Stern had held out? Of course we would.
So as a Lakers fan, although I am disappointed, I have to actually give Stern credit for doing his job, doing it well, and doing it under very hard circumstances when he was getting pilloried by fans and the press.
And if the fans and press have any integrity, with what has happened now, to the benifit of New Orleans, then they will saying and writing columns tomorrow about how wrong they were. How Stern was right all along, being patient, waiting, for the best interests of the team he was in charge of, not LA, not any other team, but New Orleans.
Somehow, fans and the press lost sight of that. Including this fan. Maybe thats why fans are where they are, reporters are where they are, and Stern is where he is, and why New Orleans fans are happy tonight.
Stern has come a long way in life. He has done so for a reason: he is a very smart and capable man. And once again, he showed that very same mettle, even when others were way too fast to jump the gun and hang him from a tree.
As a disappointed Lakers fan, I would tell Stern, "Good job, you did exactly what that particular team needed and expected of you to do. You did your job well."
