The 2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers thread

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Linderbee

I knew that was coming when I hit submit.

[Linderbee]

Originally Posted by abomb

I knew that was coming when I hit submit.

You just didn't know WHO.

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Linderbee

You just didn't know WHO.

:molli:

[Donald]

Cool post game interview with Kobe mostly about Andrew.

Bryant's teammates respect what he says because Bryant puts in the time to understand the nuances of the game--and that leads us straight to the leadership that Bryant demonstrated before the game. It was no accident that Bynum blocked O'Neal's shot twice in rapid succession; Bynum explained after the game, "Working with Kobe before the game, he told me how to play Jermaine; he likes to go to his right shoulder a lot and then he spins back. I was just trying to be ready to bother his shot and I got a couple of them." Some people might assume that a shooting guard can't help a post player's development but clearly this is not true, at least in Bryant's case. This kind of leadership may not earn any p.r. points--unless the media chooses to report it--but it builds team chemistry and helps to win games.

When Bryant emerged from the training room for his postgame standup, I mentioned what Bynum had said and asked Bryant to describe his mentoring relationship with the young center. Bryant replied, "It's just trying to help us win a ball game. He's very bright, so the information that I pass on to him he can quickly process, register and then go out and execute it. He did a great job of it tonight. I just try to continue to guide him. He has a lot of promise and I am trying to help him along as much as I can." Later, Bryant said of Bynum, "He's very competitive. He's quiet but he has a lot of fire inside. When he has matchups like this (against former All-Star O'Neal) or matchups with Yao Ming, he really steps forward and takes the challenge personally and I like to see that. I take a lot of pride in my defense. I've spent many nights studying players, so when he has a big matchup against Jermaine--a person who I've known since I was 16--I have to help him out as much as I can and pass along the little nuances about defense and how he should view playing certain players so he is not just playing with his physical ability but he's using his head as well."

As the other reporters drifted away to file their stories, I asked Bryant this follow-up: "At one point, you were in Andrew's position on the team--you were the young guy out of high school on a veteran team and now this is almost a role reversal. What did you learn from your experience of being the young player on a veteran team that helps you know what to say, when to say it and how to say it to Andrew?

"It's not just giving the right information; how you present it to him affects how open he will be, as a young person, to receiving it." Bryant answered, "I understand how to communicate to him a little bit more because I was in that position and a lot of times I felt like people really talked down to me, you know what I mean? 'This kid this' and 'this kid that,' that sort of thing, and it just rubbed me the wrong way. So, from my experience of going through that I understand now that I don't want to put him in that position. I want him to feel like he can come in and contribute, that he is valued on this ball club and that all I am trying to do is help him out to be the best that he can be."

I then asked Bryant, "Do you give him advice about how to relate to other players, from your own experience as a young player that maybe you did things, not intentionally, that rubbed veterans the wrong way in some sense?"

Bryant replied, "It's funny, because when I came into the league the age range was completely different. If I came into the league nowadays out of high school I never would have had that problem (because there would be plenty of other young players to interact with). People don't understand that's how young kids behave. This team is different (than the Lakers team that Kobe first joined). We have a lot of young guys here and also I'm here to help him out a lot. We bring him into the group; if we go out to dinner or whatever we do, we include him in it and that is part of it."

Next, I asked, "Do you feel like you weren't included as much when you were a young player? Was that partially because the age difference was much greater?"

Bryant answered, "It's all about age difference. Those guys were 28, 29, 30 years old, married--and I was 17, 18 years old, couldn't go anywhere. A lot of times I felt like I was a burden to a lot of guys and they didn't want to deal with that burden. I don't want Andrew to feel that way."

http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/


Good stuff that usually goes unreported.

[abomb]

Let it be known, I've loved Bynum since we drafted him.

[Donald]

Originally Posted by abomb

Let it be known, I've loved Bynum since we drafted him.

Let it be known, I had serious, serious concerns about Bynum being kleenex soft.

I am happily being proven wrong and I love it. It seemed the lightswitch flipped over the offseason. He completely dominated Jermaine Oneal last night. His defense is still suspect in that he pushes in the back a lot and is a bit of a foul machine, but I am confident that will improve with time as well.

[Donald]

let it be known, I've loved Farmar since we drafted him. Critt is my new guy.


Now that Mo and Cook are gone, poor Coby Karl is at the bottom of my favorite Lakers list and I actually like him.

I was trying to rank this and it turns into just a hodgepodge of 3 or 4 a, b, c.

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Donald

Now that Mo and Cook are gone, poor Coby Karl is at the bottom of my favorite Lakers list and I actually like him.

I was just going to post this, asking you who the bottom of the list was now.

There is some speculation that the Lakers arent done and I was trying to come up with some fodder .

[Donald]

Let's see...


1. Kobe (since day one)
2. Lamar (despite the Sacramento game...love this Dementor)
3. Farmar (passed Fish)
4. Fish (pure class. .4)
5. Bynum (with a bullet)
6. Vlad (Shooting hand healed, now playing like we expected him to)
7. Ronny (hard worker, intense energy and improving daily)
8. Luke (good at everything, great at nothing...if he develops some "great" aspect he'd be very dangerous)
9. Critt (athletic as hell, will be a two on this team and can play the one when Jordan needs rest.)
10. Kwame (I love him...and I am saddened by him. Fantastic defender, god-awful hands. If his hands were remotely decent, he'd dominate. Throws a mean cake.)
11. Ariza (already love the guy...athletic FREAK who is long and can defend.)
12. Sasha (if practice sasha showed up, laker fans would get ridiculous about the guy. As it is, he was outscoring Mo in half the minutes. Pesky defender)
13. Mihm (I like Mihm a lot...he's still very rusty though...needs to get back to top form with Kwame out)
14 Coby (his dad is a douche, he's a cool kid. Glad he made the team)



After Lamar, the difference in one player or another on this list is minor. They could all be third favorite.

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Donald

2. Lamar (despite the Sacramento game...love this Dementor)

LOL. I cant wait until you and I are in our 70s, sitting on a beach somewhere with our wives and you say "A-Bomb, I am FINALLY over the Sacramento game!".

[Donald]

Some Ariza highlights from his knicks days (mostly dunks...sick dunks)

[Mulli]

Let it be known that I made it three seconds into the highlights. That music was retardinous.

[Donald]

Originally Posted by Mulli

Let it be known that I made it three seconds into the highlights. That music was retardinous.

Let it be known that most highlights on youtube must be watched with sound off.

[Donald]

Originally Posted by abomb

LOL. I cant wait until you and I are in our 70s, sitting on a beach somewhere with our wives and you say "A-Bomb, I am FINALLY over the Sacramento game!".

Unfreakinglikely.

0:32 102-98 Brad Miller makes free throw 2 of 2
0:22 Lamar Odom offensive foul (Kenny Thomas draws the foul) 102-98
0:22 Lamar Odom turnover 102-98

10 seconds off the shot clock with a freaking 4 point lead. He just charged up court then charged into Thomas. UN-REAL. Biggest mind-meltdown in basketball...HS players know not to do this. I'd rather have a freaking shot clock violation.

0:22 Sacramento full timeout
0:18 102-101 Mike Bibby makes 27-foot three point jumper (Peja Stojakovic assists)
0:13 102-101 Francisco Garcia personal foul (Kobe Bryant draws the foul)
0:13 Kobe Bryant makes free throw 1 of 2 103-101
0:13 Kobe Bryant makes free throw 2 of 2 104-101
0:13 Sacramento 20 Sec. timeout
0:04 104-104 Brad Miller makes three point jumper (Kenny Thomas assists)

Think we could have used those extra 14 seconds? The cowbells were going WILD at this point. My heart was hurting.

0:04 Los Angeles full timeout
0:04 Luke Walton enters the game for Kwame Brown 104-104
0:04 104-104 Jason Hart enters the game for Brad Miller
0:00 Lamar Odom misses 25-foot three point jumper 104-104
0:00 End of the 4th Quarter
0:00 Los Angeles offensive rebound 104-104

And it was a HORRID shot, too. He had time to try to drive and lay it up or get a foul, and he took a fadeaway three not even square to the basket.

He promptly fouled out a minute into overtime and the Kings won.

One of the absolute worst 40 seconds of basketball I've ever seen. I will never get over it. The fact that I still love Odom as much as I do says a LOT.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260119023

"I'll take the blame for that," said Odom, who was called for a charging foul with 22 seconds left in regulation. "I should have let the clock run down more. It was a flop call on a team that was dead. I gave them life. He drew the charge, that's what Mr. Crawford saw. It gave them momentum."

[Donald]

Originally Posted by abomb

LOL. I cant wait until you and I are in our 70s, sitting on a beach somewhere with our wives and you say "A-Bomb, I am FINALLY over the Sacramento game!".

BTW, with all the great games the Lakers have had against Sacramento there are only two that are "The Sacramento Game."

Only way to tell them apart is whether I am smiling or frowning.