1- Los Angeles Lakers 37-17, They no doubt have been the best NBA team over the last month. They went 7-2 on a long grueling road trip where they easily could have been 9-0. They are 9-1 over the last 10, they have won 6 in a row, and their win on the road over the Suns and the Big Cactus now make them the team to beat. They will only be stronger when Andrew Bynum and Ariza return.

2- New Orleans Hornets 37-15, have won 5 in a row and just keep rolling. Chris Paul still leads the way. But do they still have enough to take on the Lakers new machine. They might trade Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells and Mike James today.

3- Boston Celtics 41-11, still have the best record in the NBA but have lossed 2 in a row. They showed that if they have an injury to a key player, they do not have the depth to adjust. They lost again last night with KG back in the lineup.

4- San Antonio Spurs 35-17, have won 3 in a row and traded to bolster their front line by trading for Kurt Thomas, but gave up one of their deep threatsin Barry. Another knee jerk reaction to Pau.

5- Utah Jazz 35-19, quietly and without much fanfare have gone 9-1 over the last 10 and won 3 in a row. Playing really well without any blockbuster trades to bolster their lineup.

6-Detroit 39-15, playing really well, 8-2 over their last 10, but suddenly have lost 2 in a row.

7- Phoenix Suns 37-17, after trading away Shaun Marion they have been struggling lately losing 4 of their last 10 and suffering a big blow at home last night at the hands of the Lakers. The Big Cactus showed he can help in some ways but he changes their game plan and could be injured again and not there for the playoffs.

8- Houston Rockets 33-20, quite possibly the biggest shock in the NBA as they have now won 9 games in a row. Who would have thunk it after the slow start they endured.

9- Dallas Mavericks 35-19, stuggling like the Suns, losing 4 of their last 10 and losing their last 2. Mortgaged their future for Jason Kidd who is 35 and has bone on bone knees. Bad trade, and with what they lost they are only marginally better. What happens if the Kidd's knees fail and he is not there for the playoffs?

10- Denver Nuggets 33-20, won 7 of their last 10 and working feverishly to make a trade to bolster their lineup. Yet another reaction to Pau.

JamFan

The achievements of Shaq are well documented. Unfortunately for the Suns, none of them have occured in the last couple of years. The last two seasons have been a litany of injury after injury, comeback after comeback, stuggles with weight and conditioning, and ending with declining numbers and his first exit from the All Star game. Who would vote for him now? Not many.

At age 35 and still carry a load of weight, things are unlikely to get better for Shaq. You can eventually recover from some of the injuries that he has had. But when your hips start to go....well....it's not like a hammy. When hips start to go bad they usually never fully recover. Eventually they end up with a hip replacement. Just ask PJ.

So one has to wonder what the Suns were thinking. They run a quick strike offense and the only thing that Shaq can strike quickly is Fatburgers. They will be playing offense four on five. One has to also wonder what their doctors were thinking. The last report I read on his hip was that he was heading towards surgury to clear out some junk. They must have decided that it can wait until summer and gamble on his being able to make through the season.

They have rolled the dice. If he doesn't make it, they could go into the playoffs without Shaq and Shawn Marion. If that happens this trade will spell doom for the Suns. Even if it doesn't happen, they have spent 40 mil on a player that the Heat were happy to unload. It is just a matter of time until father time catches up with Shaq. If he hasn't already.

Either way, mark you calenders for Wednesday, February 20 at 6PM. Speculation is that Shaq will make his debut at home in Phoenix against....you guessed it, the Lakers.

JamFan

Many Laker fans have been clamoring for such a trade with the thinking that what the Lakers really needed was a legitimate power forward that could help propel the Lakers to another championship, or at least be in contention to go to the finals. This season Pau is scoring 19 PPG, with 9 RPG, while hitting 50% from the floor. This move allows the Lakers to permanently move Lamar Odom to small forward, and when Andrew Bynum returns, they will have one of the most formidable front lines in all of basketball.

Moreover, in a recent report out of Spain, Pau's brother is reportedly one of the dominating forces in the Euro league playoffs and is a candidate for MVP. The Lakers drafted Marc Gasol in the second round last summer. One has to wonder than when they drafted Marc, they did so knowing that Pau was going to be their primary target all along. However, the Lakers had to send the rights to Marc in the deal. They also did a sign and trade with Aaron McKie to make the salary numbers work. There is also cash considerations involved and the Lakers receive a future 2nd round pick from the Grizzlies. Certainly having both Gasol brothers together on the Lakers roster would have made quite a story, especially with them being on the floor together at the same time. Now, that will never happen.

This seems like a great trade for the Lakers. They gave up Kwame whose contract was expiring anyway and has been on the butt end of endless jokes by Laker fans because he has never lived up to being a #1 pick in the draft, and we gave Caron Butler to get him, which was a big mistake. Critt, is a future star, but he was the Lakers 3rd PG and rarely used. And as for giving up a couple of future 1st round draft picks, well, the Lakers future is now while Kobe is in his prime and we are definitely not rebuilding.

Rejoice Laker fans, Kobe's wish has come true. When we get everyone healthy there will be no excuses anymore. We have all the pieces in place, We have all the horses to make a run. Hopefully we will be peeking into Chick Hearn's refridgerator over and over again.

Jamfan

For the first time, it has now become official that Jason Kidd through his agent has formally asked to be traded and the Lakers are among 4 teams that are reported to have interest. In past conversations, it has been reported that Jason has expressed interest in coming to the Lakers and playing along side Kobe. But if he comes one thing has changed. In repoted negotiations last summer, the deal died the miniute the Nets asked for Andrew Bynum. And that was before AB became a monster on the court.

Because of salaries and to make the numbers work with Kidd making close to 20 Mil, any deal for the Kidd would probably have to include two of the following players; Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Vlad Ramanovic, or Luke Walton. A draft pick and other players like Sasha or Critt might be in the mix but Rod Thorn has said that he does not have to have a PG coming back to make the deal work. If we do not send Critt we would have 4 PG's, even though Fish could be moved to SG to back up Kobe. With either Kwame and Lamar, or both, likely to be included, one of the young "Bigs," either Williams or Josh Boone would probably have to come back from the Nets to the Lakers or our roster would be to short and that is after AB and Mihm returned.

With the February 21 trade dealline rapidly approaching, you can speculate that if this deal is going to happen that negotiations are already underway.

Jason Kidd and the Nets roll into town next Tuesday for a matchup at the Staples Arena. So let's get the deal done and the Nets can drop Jason off as soon as they get to town. That way Kobe and the Kidd can beat the Nets 120 - 89. Well, that's my prediction anyway.

JamFan

JamFan

He was honored as the MVP of the All Star Game where he scored 26 points on 7 of 8 from the 3. This was after he had just placed second in the 3 Pt shooting contest during All Star weekend. One scout said, if he shoots the 3 and hits the 3, there just isn't much you can do about it.

http://www.interbasket.net/players/zhizhi.jpg

JamFan

Since being released by the Nuggest a short time ago he has joined the LA DeFenders. Known for his defense and shot blocking, he displayed some offensive skills in the games I viewed while with the Nuggets. Since returning to the DeFenders he is only hitting an embarassing 87% from the field. Well, embarassing for whomever is suppose to be stopping him. No missed dunks or layups around the rim for Jalani.

JamFan

The Lakers management have been so impressed with the progress of this team and the chemistry that they now have, that they have been reluctant to trade anybody and break up the current squad. But the need for another power forward has been there and they do have an open roster spot. So how do you add without substaction? Sign a free agent.

The likely candidates have been DJ Mbenga, PJ Brown and Chris Webber. GM Mitch Kupchak is reportedly confiming that they were already in contact with CWebb even before AB's injury, an injury that makes the need for a PF/C even more glaring. What happens if Lamar or Kwame gets hurt again?

In a recent TV interview CWebb made several comments that would lead one to believe that the Lakers are his first choice as well. He said that if he were starting an NBA franchise he would start with Kobe, and we know Kobe has been in contact with him in the recent past about joining the Lakers. He also said that he took time off to be with his family and how important that was to him. He spoke glowingly about how his restaurants. Both his family and his restaurants are in California.

He doesn't need the money, so why would he come back at age 33. Two reasons, he wants to be with a team that has a chance to win a championship and he wants to have fun on the floor again, play with a smile. So now he gets to choose his own playground. Will it be the Lakers? Can he help the Lakers?

Personally, I watched him play last season and he played really well when I was watching. His numbers for Detroit were not huge at 10 and 6 in 25 minutes, but he did hit 52% from the field. It seems his role would be similar on the Lakers and those numbers would be good enough to help. Is he healthy? His agent says he is. Can he stay healthy? Only time will tell. But he has taken some time off and has been working out consistantly with his trainers. Is he readly to go? They say the answer is yes.

The Lakers will be giving up nothing to bring him in except some cash. All current players and draft picks will remain intact. With CWebb on the floor it allows Coach to put Lamar at the 3. Moreover, he give us insurance against an injury to another one of our Bigs. Hopefully, if he comes here, he will get his smile back. And the Lakers will smile as well.

JamFan

UPDATE: PUT THOSE ALL STAR ASPIRATIONS ON HOLD. WITH LAST NIGHT'S INJURY, AB WILL BE OUT 8 WEEKS. YIKES!

The progress of Andrew Bynum is now apparent to everyone. Chided by Kobe Bryant last summer while Kobe was lamenting on why Andrew was not traded for a better player, Andrew has not only won over Kobe but the entire NBA. How could a kid so young be so good?

Having the job of impressing one Kobe Bryant is motivation enough. So last summer AB went to work with a personal trainer to increase his strength and endurance. He continured his work with the greatest center of all time, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The results are unmistakeable.

Last season AB was not one of the primary or secondary scoring options. Now, everybody looks to lob an alley oop pass into Andrew's hands around the rim. Why? It is one of the most unstoppable plays that ends with one of the most unstoppable shots in all of basketball. He is just taller, longer, faster, and more athletic than everybody else around the basket.

Andrew Bynum is now tied with Andris Biedrins (depending on who played last) to lead the NBA in field goal percentage with 63.4% from the field. On a per minute played basis, he is 8th in rebounding, and 3rd in blocked shots. He now averages a double double With 13 PPG and 10 RPG and has 18 for the season to place #5 among centers and #11 in the league.

This all translates into a rising EFF rating of 21.91 (Kobe is at 24 EFF) to make him the 6th best center in the NBA. Those are All Star numbers, but what will keep him from being an All Star? Only 1 of the 6 centers rated ahead of him is from the East, Dwight Howard. But 4 centers from the West have a better rating Yao Ming, Amare Stoudamire, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman.

If AB were in the East, one would argue he should be an All Star. But most of the best centers in the NBA are in the Western Conference so AB loses the numbers game. The top 6 centers should go to the game and he is #6. But he is #5 in the West. Too bad! At the ripe young age of 20, his day will come.

Meanwhile, who do you think Kobe would trade AB for now? There are other great players in the NBA who could help the Lakers, but it could be AB who has helped the Lakers become one of the premier teams in the league. His departure could mean the Laker slide backwards no matter who he would be traded for. Who would replace him? Certainly not Chris Mihm or Kwame Brown. He is now one of the most untouchable players in the NBA. He is not going anywhere. He now represents the best trade that was never made. He sells tickets!

JamFan