Gotta get back the D of Team USA...

It's got to be said by someone...

so I am gonna say it.

Kobe has gotta remember back to last summer...

and start STOPPING people FIRST (and before people start saying TMac was off today... VLAD RAD was on him- that's how off he was).

I could care less if Kobe scores... I don't need him to prove he can play all 48... I need him to start shutting down the Anthony Parkers and Francisco Garcia's- heck, feel free to shut down Skip to My Lou if DFish can't check him...

The Lakers NEED Kobe to lead defensively. It has been so frustrating to watch... I am taking time before I give the baby her late night feeding to blog (the wife will be thrilled).

THAT is where the Lakers are getting killed right now.

Dude, I know Bynum and Gasol and Ariza are hurt...

But you have to learn the lessons of the past:

We DON'T need you to score.

We need you to LEAD WITH YOUR DEFENSE.

For too long now... since Pau came... the problem has been that theLakers believed that they could outscore everybody. And Kobe was leading the bandwagon AND playing D... until he seemingly started smelling an MVP trophy and coincidentally shortly thereafter Pau went down.

Well... it is time the folks watching the team start to hold him responsible (I love Phil, but there is no way that he is gonna say anything).

Kobe: get back to the summer- lead with the D.

When did Ted Stepien buy the Grizzlies?

The Lakers STOLE Pau Gasol (Ok, I will miss my man- and one time neighbor- Javaris)... just stole him.

They stole him so bad, I am waiting for Lawrence O'Brien to void the trade.

Pau was THE MAN at the world championships in 2006- MVP... and, I mean, Andrew Bynum was playing great but... Pau Gasol is an actual UPGRADE. 'Drew is the future and all and he was a dang manchild...

But Mitch didn't just get a replacement, he may actually have gotten an UPGRADE for the meantime (ok, 'Drew was really playing great... and I love the kid to pieces).

Anyways, the Lakers stole the tap-as...

if... ah, it's a kipling kinda time...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

ok...

IF kobe had said, "sure, include luol deng and let's get this done..."

well...

as i said a few months back... the difference in the bulls and the lakers...

PHIL.

sure, it's early in the four game swing... but the lakers played another terrific fourth quarter- because they ran the offense, played tough d and... well, made this future daddy proud.

jeez, at this point- i dunno if i'd trade ben gordon for jordan farmar... or hinrich for sasha. (and if you don't think that is all about coaching... well... you don't know phil.)

and how bout another shout out to mitch kupchak. here's to trevor ariza for the cancer that was brian cook and his errant three's that never came inside the offense (and mo evans- whose effort i liked... but wasn't comfy at all this year).



so what if...

here's what i like:

kobe: plays like crud in front of the chicago faithful... but the team stepped up. most importantly the guards aren't WAITING for 24... because if kobe had played d and run the offense in the first half tonight, the lakers would have beat the bulls by 30.

but i can't complain. all swell. on to cleveland...

tonight was a dang disgrace... so...
see post below...
man o manischewitz...
how do you come out so flat tonight.
look, i know andrew bynum is having a tough time on the defensive end... see career nights by kendrick perkins, chris wilcox, some guy named fesenko in utah but... but...
there is no excuse for not coming strong tonight vs. orlando.
so see my post below...
and fellas, start to come with some energy, some passion and some determination.
EVERY NIGHT.

why i love basketball... why i love magic.... why i love phil... why i MIGHT love this team...

i grew up with magic johnson. magic came to the lakers when i was 16 years old- the first year i could drive to games by myself. before magic, the lakers were an up and down team with a huge star (kareem) and some nice pieces (jamaal wilkes, norm nixon)... and some not so nice pieces (don't get me started on don ford)... and jerry west was as frustrated as could be... but the great bill sharman traded gail goodrich in 1977 for a draft pick (one that west wanted to use on sidney moncrief according to legend)... and of course jack kent cooke in his second to last great act (the last great act was selling the team to jerry buss) drafted magic.

now of course magic won... which is what it is all about.

but what many don't remember is that magic played crazy hard EVERY DANGED NIGHT.

for those who can't remember...



anyways, that is MY measuring stick- how hard magic brought it to say the richfield coliseum in mid-january in 1981... the same way he brought it to game 4 vs. the celtics in 1987...

EVERY DANG NIGHT.

why do i love phil?

well, i went to college in chicago in the mid-1980s and i got to watch mj. mj played hard a lot... but not EVERY DANG NIGHT,

mj wanted to win blah blah blah... but when phil got there, he played hard.

EVERY DANG NIGHT.

and watching the bulls was a beautiful passing of the baton from the lakers/celtics/pistons to a bulls team- each team not just wanting to "make the playoffs"... but wanting instead to make a statement about how good they were seemingly in a historical context EVERY DANG NIGHT which is why i loved watching those teams.

it reminds me of why do i not take the san antonio spurs seriously- it is a franchise built on the ability to lose. first they lost enough to get david robinson and then they really invented modern tanking (along with the celtics) to get tim duncan (who, btw, plays hard EVERY DANG NIGHT- but he plays for the spurs, so it's... well, it's the spurs).

so phil came to l.a. and the lakers won three in a row... the team was considered by some to be one of the greatest ever (i would put the second championship- the one where they almost ran the table as one of the great teams ever) but...

there was always the question of whether kobe wanted to play team ball... EVERY DANG NIGHT.

i loved those teams- they had swagger, they had power, they had personality but... with kobe it was hard to say that they brought the TEAM concept- it almost seemed too easy and so it was taken for granted.

and you can check the blog... you know how i feel about this... however... kobe (and again check the blog) made me a believer with team usa. ok, maybe not a believer... but someone who WANTED to believe!

with team usa, kobe played hard EVERY DANG NIGHT... and he showed just how remarkable an effect he can have on a TEAM if he plays within the team structure.

the last two lakers' victories over phx and utah are games that show how i- and i am sure others- always dreamed kobe could play within the team structure. i have used this quote ad infinitum, but here goes again... when kobe shut down leandro barbosa for team usa, phil's email lit up.

"I got more e-mails after that game than I could respond to," said Jackson. " 'If you can get Kobe to play defense like that, we'll win a championship. . . .' I saw what his dedication was when he went out there this summer. That's what his premise was, 'We're going to play D, and I've got to get ready to play the kind of defense that creates a standard for this team as a leader.' "

well... the last two nights are precise displays of this.

IF kobe has finally figured it out, well... huzzah!

the TEAM is here for him. the pieces, the coaches, the fans, the city awaits his leadership and his ability to play WITH his teammates- not in spite of them.

this is as hard as a lakers team needs to play EVERY DANG NIGHT. and if he kobe can play this way... with the TEAM... EVERY DANG NIGHT...

well...

i WILL love this team.

jerry west....

so i was two seats away from phil on opening night... and i watched ALL of last night's destruction of phx... all the way through d'antoni's bitchfest (btw, mike- do yourself a favor... until you win a ring... don't talk smack about playoffs, ok pally?)...

and so...

if kobe plays the right way... the lakers are contenders, and if he plays like he did vs. houston, it will be a disaster. actually, he is a disaster.

and in case anyone is watching, chicago is 0-3. deng and gordon and everyone look like they are being coached by scott skiles- oops, they are... and so if john paxson wants to keep that train together, god bless.

but...

the lakers shouldn't be beholden to 24 or...

jerry west.

look, jerry west, a proud man... a great american... the logo... is BEGGING for a job. he has enlisted everyone from ric bucher to mark heisler to peter vecsey (talk about bringing people together)...

but let's be clear: jerry west coming back should not happen UNTIL kobe has made a PROMISE to play the right way with this team.

24's game vs. houston is still in my mind- and it was a disgrace. he disgraced the game, his teammates, his coaches... and me, a guy who gave him handshakes and encouragement to try to be "all defense!" and until kobe says to the media and (first) to his coach and his teammates:

"I WAS WRONG. I AM SORRY. I WILL EARN BACK YOUR TRUST BY PLAYING THE RIGHT WAY"- the time that kobe holds the team and the city hostage must end and the team and the city needs to hold him responsible.

look... nobody would rather see jerry west come walking in that door... but here it comes... my defense of one...



MITCHELL KUPCHAK.

as some now know... the lakers have the making of a championship team. NOW.

they have the superstar. they have athleticism. they have a low post. they have shooting. they have quickness. they have veteran leadership. and they have the best coach in the history of the league. and btw...

this was all put together with mitch.

could mitch have done better? maybe.

i would like to have seen juan carlos navarro or grant hill or the like (i would also like to have traded kobe two years ago- correction, i would have re-signed shaq and phil and sign and traded kobe, but that's another story)... but here's some reality, for those who claim mitch has been absent:

mitch got javaris crittendon and lamar and luke and fish and farmar and bynum and mihm and mo and... the lakers have nice pieces for a superstar that pete newall has said to me personally is the hardest superstar he could ever imagine having to build a team around.

as anyone who has watched the lakers second unit play this preseason and vs. phx... these are guys who can play the phil system: namely: don't turn it over; play defense; beat people up from the inside out; deny post (and especially easy post) buckets.

and they like each other and will contribute.

and unlike jerry west, MITCH wanted the job (remember... jerry left).

would i rather that jerry was here three years ago?

absolutely. would things have gone down differently?

sure. would kobe have stayed?

uh...

i doubt it.

look... i love jerry west. i hope he comes back. but it has to be for the right reasons.

the lakers are on the right path.

they have everything right where it should be. phil is not signing that extension until kobe has either committed to play the right way or... he's traded for good stuff (luol, thabo, noah and gordon- see my post from june, btw). and so... there will be no repeat trade of shaq... no matter what.

but hey folks... look up now and the bulls are 0-3 and their guys are a bit more...

expendable.

so look, i hope kobe issues the necessary mea culpa... jerry west comes back to a place where he can add anything but...

drama.

but he doesn't need to come back to save things.

things is ok.

Someone should remind Kobe Bryant that IF he should get his wish=which he is not getting, btw... and nobody who writes on this blog... uh, me, was hoping it would be the case... but I can assure us all... for better or worse, it's not happening...

but... it's always subject to change, especially when you tank games... so IF he should get traded to say, Chicago...

Phil's not coming with.

Ok, I'll remind him.

Say, Kobe... you are a fan of the game. Remember how many rings Michael had without, um...

PHIL (the answer is one less than one).



Yes, Kobe, you can tank all the preseason games you want... go 0-8... don't D up on Kaleena Azuibuike or Ron Brewer in October... I guess we can all live with it. Nice leadership, btw. Way to lead by example.

But we all know what you can do.

We watched Team USA.

And we all know that the Lakers have some talent this year... so the excuse that you have to "save your energy" is your own made-up excuse. Last I checked, all we need you to do is play D with the intensity you displayed all summer... and run the offense... the one you have run for more years now than even MJ did... and we are all sorry, but... we doubt the coaches are begging for you to please go more one-on-one.

So you wanna "strap it up?"

Strap it up, pard.

Or don't.

But last night was another example of your doing so many fundamental things askew (dude, my mom knows not to jump when you pass... you have been in the league for 12 years... LEARN this. LIVE this.) while at the same time allowing the opponent to run out on you... oh, and you run the offense worse than the second unit- who have been playing the triangle now for a combined 12 weeks.

And if you wanna get traded...

waive the no-trade clause and the kicker... and let's strap it up.

Seriously, you wanna strap it up?

Tell Rob Pelinka you really will do ANYTHING to get out and then let the chips fall... because I am telling you now... Phil can win WITHOUT you... but I have been watching you... and I remember when you had "pieces" like Caron Butler... and another championship coach, a guy I remember about $9 million and 30 games ago called... oh, wait, I almost got it... RUDY T! (got it!) and I also remember that year ending in something called the LOTTERY.

So again, you wanna strap it up? Let's go son. Waive the no trade, immediatement.

Otherwise, and I'll say this politely... because I and others really do believe that if you come to "strap it up" for real like you did with Team USA... we are going to win... so... PLEASE come back and work with the team.

24, you have no idea what the cold hard world is like. I went to school in Chicago... you wanna go strap it up out there in February? Wait til the wind blows in on Vanessa's little booty just once... and... oh, and...

Have you ever played for Scott Skiles? You ever hung around him? Let's just say you and Scott Skiles (and Charles Barkley) have one thing in common: you have all challenged to fight Shaq. The difference is Scott Skiles will fight ANYBODY. You and Barkley know how to pick your spots. And while the Bulls made a big leap last year... Scott Skiles is not Phil.

And ditto lil' Avery. The Lil' General is nice enough and smart enough... and I am sure you saw the playoff adjustments he made vs. Golden State last year to make things easy for Dirk and to slow down the Warriors, you remember those? You don't? Oh that's right...

THERE WEREN'T ANY.

Let me just say, if you think Scott Skiles or say Avery Johnson is going to get you to the promised land before Phil Jackson... you are, um, politely again... wrong.

If you REALLY wanna win... you should ask to be traded to Utah. Jerry Sloan at least gives you the best chance this side of Phil (or maybe wait a week to see where Larry Brown lands... but be warned: wherever Sloan of LB show up... you better be ready to strap it up defensively and run the offense- those guys will blister your butt in a way you haven't had to deal with before).

Dude, you know there is no bigger critic of your game- as you have been playing it now for too long- than sole mi. However...

You got me over the summer.

I KNOW you can get to where you wanna go... to infinity and beyond... and I know you know I know you know that Phil is the guy to get you there.

Look, there's a secret only you and Phil and maybe Tim Duncan know... the regular season is like waiting in line at the restaurant... the playoffs is when you feast.

IF you can LEAD the team by example defensively... with some luck and some health, you can be where you wanna be in June.

Lamar Odom was the best player on the last Team USA before this one. And it wasn't close. He does all the things you NEED. He passes... he rebounds... he is a low post presence... and all he wants is for you to play WITH him and the team, not around them or in spite of them.

Bynum, Mihm, Kwame... all functional big bodies not requiring too many shots and keeping defense a priority.

Crittendon is a bad man... er, almost man (he's only like 14 I think)... Farmar is getting there and DFish and Sasha give you some sidekicks AS LONG AS YOU PLAY TEAM BALL.

You have what you need. NOW. Why go looking somewhere else?

Shoot... I KNOW Jim and Jeanie are now conversing regularly- YOU brought them together... and Mitch is not eager to trade you... especially when PJ has your back, which he does... so the non sense that there is all this strife in the front office is... ahem... an excuse not to play team d or run the dang offense as a leader instead of an "experimenter."

But in the end... it's on you to be a man.

You wanna strap it up? Go on, my brother, strap it up. But if you wanna go... go. Tell your boy Pelinka your REALLY want out... waive the no trade and we will miss you. But make no mistake... if you wanna feast... go to the restaurant with Phil. He knows how to get to the joint... and when he's there and he has healthy bodies, he knows how to order.

As Phil Jackson quietly proves to be the biggest $10 million bargain in basketball by building a TEAM while nobody notices (Red would be thrilled with the teamwork- especially the second unit)...

And as Jim and Jeanie Buss are now working as a unit (another item somehow missed by the press... it doesn't fit into the current story they want to pursue)...

THE question to me seems to become this:

Can Kobe Bryant be happy if the Lakers win if it means Kobe only scores say 24 pts a game and has to play within the team structure both offensively and defensively.

Kobe was able to do this with Team USA... because he trusted the guys.

Can he trust the guys he has now who are working hard and sticking to their assignments on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball and are gaining the most valuable thing I think is necessary for success:

CONFIDENCE!

So as Phil builds a team that for the past few preseason games seems inured and at the same time oblivious to the press' demand to some confrontational continuation of "What's going on with Kobe?"...

The question of can Kobe Bryant be happy if the Lakers win if it means Kobe only scores say 24 pts a game and has to play within the team structure both offensively and defensively. This question seems to be one the press might consider pondering.

"Together... again..."

Dateline: Bakersfield... er... Lakersfield... Heck, it's Buck Owens Country any way you slice it. Matter of fact, Magic Johnson's nickname is Buck. Coincidence? God bless, ole' Buck. He sure had some good stuff. And last night... so did the Lakers second unit.
The second unit moved the ball well, played d, ran the offense... and got everyone involved.
If only the first unit looked half as interested.
Maybe they don't know "Act Naturally."
They were so good that in the second half, Kobe seems to have awakened from his post Team USA slumber to contribute.
There is still a vast disconnect between Kobe and team... Damien Wilkins did his best Kaleena Azuibuike impression to start the game lighting up Kobe as Kobe had no interest seemingly in starting off with any defensive intensity.
However... let's talk about the positives:
Andrew Bynum is loooooong and he looked good vs. the Sonics J.V. Oh wait, that's the Sonics varsity.
Andrew and Chris Mihm looked good.
Ok, again, it's Johna Petro and Robert Swift... but the bigs are taking it strong and that is what makes Phil's teams successful- if the bigs can beat your butt's down.
BTW- Brian Cook had a career last night. He was actually as impressive as he has been since he had an orange "Illinois" across his chest.
Overall, the Lakers seem to not let Kobe be a distraction and that is a positive.
They actually looked like a team.
Good lookin' out, Buck.

Ok. Time to wake up folks from your basketball naps.

First,: If Kobe comes back and concentrates on DEFENSE and plays TEAM ball... alll will be well.

Period. (And you will not here a "peep" from me if he plays this way- witness my blogs from Team USA.)


All you idiotic sportswriters, let's be very clear:

Since JERRY Buss will most likely be fielding offers for Kobe, NOT anyone else...



Here is what will work:

Chicago: LUOL DENG has to be included. Sorry, Lakers all ready traded Shaq without getting DWade. Not happening again.

So...

if Chicago wants Kobe... get ready to send Luol... and Gordon... and Noah... and Sefolsha.

THAT works.

And you can take Brian Cook too.

Atlanta could work...


Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Marvin Williams. Done.

Phoenix:

Amare, Raja and the #1 they have from Atlanta...

again, done.

But remember folks, Doc Buss is a cagey guy. He knows he made a mistake with Shaq... and I think he knows he has Phil... which gives him a chance to win ALWAYS if he has a few healthy pieces.

Doc Buss isn't trading Kobe for dreck. And if a trade IS made (I still think Kobe is gonna bring it at some point- don't ask me why, I just do...)... it's gonna be for something like the above.

USA! We finally, for the first time since I can remember, BEAT up in a tourney.
Granted, 1992-2000 we had the pros, and the rest of the world was over matched...
but I am old enough to remember watching us lose in 1972... I am old enough to have seen Sabonis dunk on David Robinson's head... and I am old enough to know that in a post-Cold-War-hoops-era-where-all-things-being-equal-we-usually-gag-this-doesn't-happen...
now granted, Manu and Oberto are back taking siestas... but, well, at least So here's my thoughts:
MOP (Most Oustanding Player): Melo. He consistently played economically and with great energy- as did most of the team But Melo was the man.
MVP (Most VALUABLE Player): JKidd. He made D'antoni's lack of structure offense work, because he's... JKidd. His offensive identity was contagious.
MIGWWIBAHCDISBITHPWI (Most Important Guy Who Was Important Because All He Can Do Is Shoot But I Think His Presence Was Important): Mike Miller. Look, the past few years, we have needed a guy who can really stroke it in international play- and Miller is that guy. It even seemed like he and Kobe got along. But Miller can shoot... and I know we have Michael Redd, but Miller to me is the quintessential international baller... maybe it's just the hair, but I am giving him the MIGWWIBAHCDISBITHPWI because I think he earned it.
Best Defensive Player: #24, er #10. Yes, Kobe was the man out there. He had his masseuse/masseur (one or both)... and he only had to play 20 mins a night and he was a different player out there- all for the better. Again, if Kobe comes out next year and plays like he has for the last two weeks, he will win the NBA MVP AND.... DEFENSIVE player of the year. It's all about effort... and does Kobe wanna win... for team USA, the answers are positive. Let's see what happens...
lastly...

Best Mustachio: Guillermo Kammerichs. This wasn't even close. Guillermo Kammerichs and his mustachio came to Vegas and that mustache DOMINATED. He looked like Al Swearengen out there. In a good way.
I have to now write about the best thing about the tourney... the commentary of Bill Walton.
I know, I watch too much hoops. I know. My wife knows. My dogs know (and I don't mean that in the Randy Jackson sense of the word).

Listening to Bill report the games was like listening to a campus radio DJ.... no, a LATE NIGHT campus radio DJ- after the program director has left the building.
And because team USA was so dominant, there was, in the words of Marv Albert, "Extended gar-bahge time" and Bill made the most of it.
In the first Argentina game, I remember Bill making reference to:
-Stevie Wonder's new tour
-James Clavell (specifically "Noble House")
-Carlos Slim Helu
-quoted Coach Wooden at least three times
-Steve Nash/Yao Ming's charity
-the fact that sports is one of the 5 biggest industries in the USA
It reminded me that sports is a part of a bigger wheel in all our lives... that sport can be fun and serious and reach- and sometimes even touch- other issues. And most importantly, there was a humanity to Bill's commentary (Mike Tirico did a great job of playing Ed McMahon to Bill's Carson too) that was a joy to be around.
After a week with Bill... even my wife and Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith were moved to say, "Throw it down, Big Fella!"
Peace.

So before I write about how Kobe is a new man and they are beating the crap out of Uruguay and Esteban blah blah blah...
I thought the loyal Basketball Jones folks would enjoy my back and forth today with a journalist who has covered the NBA and the Lakers for twenty plus years (but who I am too lazy to email to make sure it's ok to use his name...)... so without further ado... and how did Brasil get Argentina to overtime... here is my email back and forth today...

From: Alan Elliott
Date: August 29, 2007 12:02:08 PM PDT
To: nba journalist i am too lazy to get an ok from
Subject: Re: RE: RE:

well...

the excuse that kobe can only guard leandro barbosa when he has lebron or carmelo around is a free pass... that i don't think kobe deserves.
(forget barbosa- kobe didn't guard anybody last year- arenas had 60 on him, redd 45, dwade 40+ and the list was endless...)

the defense kobe is showing now- he is giving us a glimpse of what a real TEAM player does- lead by example and within the team structure.

granted, kobe doesn't have shaq (his choosing, always remember)... but he does have:

odom (who was the best player on team usa in 2004)... and dfish, luke, javaris (who is gonna be real good) and bynum/kwame can, defensively, do what dwight howard is doing out there (namely plug the middle)...

and most importantly, he has phil.

there is, if kobe would lead defensively, a chance to be in the mix with anybody next year. when you look at any other team... there's not THAT huge a discrepancy in talent as long as kobe is THIS dominant DEFENSIVELY.
IF... and it's a big IF...

IF kobe wants to WIN... he will play defense like he has with team usa (defense is contagious, it involves TEAM-work and is not about personal glory, i would argue like say, leading the league in scoring).

but... if the guy who allowed barbosa to average 21+ during the playoffs (off the bench!)... well, i hope you guys will hold him accountable in the press.

because as we are watching nightly with team usa... kobe is that DOMINANT- and he can choose to do what's right... or he can choose to be the petulant guy he was after lamar got hurt last year (remember also- the lakers were 4-0 at the start of the year last year when kobe was injured).

kobe decision- now that we all can see that he can play defense and play as a leader through his DEFENSE... i think it's a story worth watching.

and btw... kobe didn't know play/lead this way when he had:

shaq, karl malone, gary payton, rick fox, dfish, horry, luke et al... because...

he has NEVER played defense like this.

if he had played this hard with THAT team with those hall of famers... )which is what detroit did to HIM (which should have been an eye opener- but instead the last few years have not been about TEAM- they have been about SELF)...)

i' m just saying... hold him accountable!
----
On Aug 29, 2007, at 11:44 AM, nba journalist i am too lazy to get an ok from wrote:

i think kobe has figfured out how to win if he has 11 great players with him

he's still trying to work out how to do it when he has none
-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Elliott [mailto:alan@alanelliott.net]
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 11:36 AM
To: nba journalist i am too lazy to get an ok from
Subject: Re: RE:

no doubt.
but...
kobe's defense- and the aggressive nature of taking over the opposing team's best player and really hunkering down- is night and day.
barbosa AVERAGED 21+ in the playoffs vs. kobe...
and...
team usa with wade (and wtihout kobe's defense) last year didn't have any of this... aggressiveness.
if kobe tried to lead by offense... nobody can keep up whereas if he leads by defense- that is something that everybody can keep up with.
i think there is a story here in that kobe may have finally figured out how to WIN- which is to lead by defense.
------
On Aug 29, 2007, at 11:27 AM, nba journalist i am too lazy to get an ok from wrote:

alan

it makes all the difference if kobe has 11 other guys to score

it's interesting watching both kone and lebron here, because when they don't have the whole other team guarding them, the game is child's play for them
-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Elliott [mailto:alan@alanelliott.net]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 7:47 AM
To: nba journalist i am too lazy to get an ok from

Subject:

good point today (nobody else seems to notice) about kobe playing defense.
i have never seen him play d like he is doing in this tournament.
it defies everything he has done up to this point and if he did what he is doing- started out games shutting his man down- nobody would ever complain about things.
when you think back on last year when guys like matt carroll had career highs on him, michael redd had 45. wade with 40+, vince carter embarrassing him with 31 in three quarters before phil had to put mo evans on vc...
well, it is hard to imagine that the kobe who has played the last two games is the same guy (granted it's virgin islands and venezuela- but even so, the intensity is night and day from how he let guys get started all last year).

Oh... Mexico... sounds so sweet with the sun sinkin' low...
Well... Kobe is getting lit up by some guy named Romel Beck (who went to Etiwanda H.S.- home of Darren Collison)... but...
Kobe is trying.
I really have no problems as long as the effort is there.... and it's ALMOST there... so 3 out of 4 games ain't bad...
and well... we'll always have Barbosa...

Kobe is now trying to get some gar-bahge time hoops. What he is doing in the game up 30 with 5 mins to go... well, Coach K, you are on your own there.
Here's some other thoughts...
Carmelo is awesome. Maybe the best player ever named after a candy bar.
But Melo... man, he is really stepping it up.
Coach K is resting JKidd- and the team is not as good without him- as we still run nothing but breakdowns and put-backs without him on the floor.
Did I mention that we still don't run anything without JKidd in there (and they only run freelance but at least JKidd spaces the floor when he's out there).
From what I know...
Kobe has flown in a masseur (or masseuse- not sure which)... and for those who care...

Phil is coming back especially early from vacation.
And he has made note of Kobe's D...

Alan Elliott says "Don't Trade Kobe." (LeBron can't believe it either.)
Yes, I said it.
IF...
IF... Kobe is determined to play defense like he has the past three Team USA games- he will win the MVP of the league next year (he MIGHT not win the scoring title... but he might... it would make no difference as the Lakers will be playing for a championship, not for a playoff berth) and I WILL NEVER COMPLAIN AGAIN.
Tonight, he shut down Leandro Barbosa...
The same Barbosa who Kobe refused to man up against just a few months ago in the playoffs (see my rant from April... under "wwmjd? (what would michael jordan do?)"... it is remarkable to watch.
What in the wide wide world of sports has gotten into #24 (#10 for team USA, #1 in my heart as long as he plays D like he is)?
I honestly have no clue.
And all I care about is that for whatever reason, the Kobe that some of us who REALLY only care about WINNING is HERE. NOW.
IF... IF!!!!... he plays and LEADS the Lakers with D like this- the others will follow. What I am noting is this:
The Lakers IF Kobe leads like this- WILL FOLLOW. So... the tempting talent that is Kobe remains...
but IF... THEN... I am now on record.

Add:
Kobe obviously still doesn't get it: YOU DON'T SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT YOUR TEAMMATES:
"My role here is different here than it is with the Lakers," Bryant said. "We have so many talented players and I don't have to score a lot of points. I just try to do the best I can defensively."
HEY, DUDE... you don't have to play with Lebron and co. to play D.
This has been YOUR choice all along.
It's comments like that that make people hate on you.

Game 3- USA- Canada...
Nothing says big game or strikes fear in the hearts of USA fanatics quite like these two words: Samuel Dalembert.
DEFENSE.
For the third game in a row- DEFENSE by #10 (#24 in disguise) and co-horts... particularly Melo... who is really, so far, the best player on the floor night in and night out (love that expression).
But...
Three games, three Kobe defensive stands.
I Love iT!

Ok, that's Butch Lee... I was having a Butch Lee day today. Anyways...
We are beating the heck out of the Virgin Islands!
Carl Krauser.... get that mess outta here! We own your Pitt/Virgin Islands' butt!
As much fun as it was to watch some teams yesterday... today... well... the USA looked like the Globetrotters vs. the...
Virgin Islands!
Here's what I like:
We are still playing D. Just ask Carl Krauser. And Kobe is coming out and playing D- which is VERY impressive. The Virgin Islands... well, they are...
not so good. I mean, they looked like lower D1- especially with the Harrick family in effect. They were, say, a good Cal State Northridge.
We are out-atheletic-ing teams (how about that!!... and we should get away with that for a while.
Here's what I don't like:
We run nothing.
Granted, nobody is getting back enough for us to have to run much offense- but what we do/don't run is...
not good.
But Kobe is playing a lot of d... as my friend said, "He must be playing D because everyone is watching."
Will anyone save me hold him accountable for this kind of "early-take-the-other-team-out-of-it" D that would make him the MVP if he played this way during the time he gets paid...?
And btw- Lamar Odom was the best player on Team USA in 2004...
so I am also hoping IF Kobe comes crawling back like we all expect (instead of holding to his word)...
he apologizes FIRST to Lamar and then...
hopefully he will have something to apologize to Andrew Bynum for too.

Ah, FIBA.
I tell-a you know fib-a...
So I watched Uruguay- Panama on NBA.com...
and I must say, all basketball is getting better in foreign countries. Both teams spaced the floor well- ditto Puerto Rico and Mexico (which I also watched) and Brazil looked good too.
Mexico surprised- they played real strong D.
The USA is playing well so far...
Kobe is playing more D in the first half than he played the entire year last year.
Hey, if he played that way for the Lakers...
even I would have no problems.
Here's the thing:
we are getting a lot of garbage buckets- run outs, etc... and JKidd is clearly having a impact on everyone.
And as long as we play D as a team and, as Bill Walton is saying (correctly), respect the game and our opponents...
we shouldn't lose...
until Beijing.
Anyways, 24 came out with the kind of energy and effort we don't EVER see from him- the kind that says I wanna shut you down from jump. Seriously... I have NEVER seen that from him. If he came out determined to shut people down like this, he is as good as it gets.

HOLD OUT.

Ok, that's what I am doing... holding out... hope.

If 24 has any real gets to back up his words, it's up to him to hold out. Yes, Dr. Buss is not one to be played with... don't ante up (or whatever poker people do) if you aren't all in... you gotta know when to hold em... so now's on 24. Either he stays true to his "outrage" and holds out....

or, 24 is just a fraud. Anyways, maybe Kobe will man up and just say what he's gonna do at Team USA...and move on

Speaking of which, Team USA training camp is on in a day....

And enough about 24 24 24 24... the bigger- BIGGEST issues of Team USA is lack of D... not that facing Samuel Dalembert or Jose Ortiz should tax them too much. But the lack of D during the first "training" session had to alarm someone else, no?

So what's new, eh...?
Well, some people I know... who know... tell me that their are really two folks who want Kobe traded to Chicago:
Me and... Kobe. Kobe is going to have to man up come team USA and make acouple comments so he can get moved... and I know you can do it, 24!
Kobe, bless his heart has been hanging out in Chicago and from the Lakers side... down to the Bulls giving up Luol AND Hinrich. (Yep, the Lakers want Kirk- and I can understand...)
(http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/490386,CST-NWS-SNEED31.article)
July 31, 2007
BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist
I spy . . .An obnoxious Kobe Bryant being turned away from a full house at Ontourage nightclub in the wee hours Sunday.)
The idea of Hinrich and Deng solves a lot of Laker issues...
and if Chicago wants to compete with Garnett and the burgeoning Eastern Conference, well... again, to paraphrase Henny Youngman:
"Take my Kobe, Please!!" (I know, I've done that joke twice now. What can I say?)

What does it say about you if Kevin Garnet would rather play with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen than move into his home town (Malibu) to play with you?

So KG is gone... did anyone honestly think: a) Kevin McHale was gonna trade him to the Lakers; b) KG wanted to play with 24; or... oh, there is no c. I don't know where I was going. In any case, KG wanted to go play in Boston more than he wanted to play in LA- or else he would have been making a big deal about it. Of course, the Lakers didn't have Al Jefferson... but whatever. Note that KG didn't EVER say he wanted to come play for the Lakers... and Smush Parker was busy talking trash about 24 on his way down south... "D-Wade is more of a people person than Kobe," Parker said of Bryant, his often-mercurial teammate. "I'm looking forward to jelling with Wade, and playing with him. He's going to be a great teammate."

Not that Smush ever developed the in between game I would have liked... but I was on the bench when Kobe would just lecture him on national TV and I cringed... and Smush, who is a nice kid, did too.

So now it's on.

KG is no longer an option...

Rumor has it that the Lakers and 24 have an unspoken agreement- unspoken being a key word- that if 24 isn't happy... they will attempt to move him.

From what I have heard, the Suns reached out (Take my shooting guard, PLEASE!)... but while they were happy to toss out Amare... they weren't eager to throw in Raja, Look, if Raja gets tossed in, I think this has a real shot (and the Lakers are taking that ATL pick next year too)...

So if I were Laker GM... and one day, who knows... a man can dream...

I am doing these three things, ASAP:

a) trading 24. Duh,

b) getting Artest for Kwame, Farmar and whatever...

c) getting Juan Carlos Navarro.

Navarro is a straight baller. It is amazing in this day and age, when Manu and Francisco Oberto have rings (as does T. Parker)... that GMs sleep on a guy as good as Navarro. The Wiz are silly to let him go by... and resign useless Deshawn Stephenson... the Lakers should PAY THE TAX and go hook this up. Because the next time the world will see him otherwise is when Kobe is "guarding" him next year in China and Navarro is Manu-ing his butt back to Niketown Beijing.

I love his toughness- willingness to play both ends... move with the ball... play inside a team structure...

I want to go on record now...
so there can be no, "you didn't say that..."
IF kobe is leading the usa team, we are going down.
we- the usa team... the one i WANT to root for... runs NOTHING.
Nada.
we run around and hope for the best- it's advanced aau ball.
sure, jkidd looks ok (without him, we are just a bunch of one on one)... so does mike miller (maybe the only guy who would fit in with the argentina team)...
but we have some seriously underdeveloped bigs in howard, amare and tyson (bosh is nice... but shies away from contact- can you say that about scola or noccioni?)- these guys do all the athletic things, but they can't... ball... and guys like scola and oberto are going to eat their lunch.
jkdd, lebron and mike miller need to play a lot for us to have a chance- they are really they only guys on the squad who have a complete game (durant is a little young... but he may catch up... IN A HURRY- boy is he loooooong. let me also firmly jump on the kevin durant bandwagon- the kid can play and he plays the right way.).
but for anyone watching, kobe is a killer.
he can't play team ball... and when he doesn't get a call on one end, he absolutely lies down while his man gets off (lbj had a huge opening w/ kobe on him.... ditto kobe's pal mike miller).
most of all for a team usa perspective... we run nothing.
and so... it all will probably look familiar next year when everyone is complaining about how argentina has been together for thirty years and our guys just met last weekend...
the difference is that their team has a coach (coach k sucks- i am sorry- he does- and the hair dye is an embarrassment
)... and though ruben magnano- their great coach- won't be coaching this time...
argentina has a bunch of guys who play team ball.
and a system. (i will miss you ruben!) we will qualify- as argentina is all ready in and they are resting guys... and who is gonna beat us, the virgin islands (i don't think tim duncan has any relatives playing- so we should be safe). but my gosh, usa basketball is as bad as it was when they stunk out the joint at the worlds last year.

There are times when it seems as if #24 is reading the blog... and that is a GOOD thing.

LAS VEGAS -- A seriously slimmed-down Kobe Bryant sat at a steakhouse table at the Wynn resort here with Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and head honcho Jerry Colangelo on Tuesday night and made one simple, strategic request.

"Coach, I'm ready," Bryant declared, according to Colangelo. "And I want the best player on the other team every single night."

Look, if Kobe EVER said that to Phil... even I wouldn't trade the dude. Of course, it's a lot easier to play defense against Puerto Rico and an Argentina team that will most likely be sitting all their guys (you see, real ballers play when it's WINNING TIME)... than it is to man up against Matt Carroll in January.

But make no mistake... if Kobe DID man up against Matt Carroll in January (Matt had career highs of 24 and 27 vs. Kobe in late Dec. and early Jan.)... IF....

IF 24 guarded or at least took the type of aggressive tone that he took to the dinner table with Jerry Colangelo and Coach K, then I am all for it.

IF...

I guess we have to admit we are licked.
We seem to be licked.
Kobe will now come back to the Lakers... he will abuse everyone in his wake (again) and get away with nary a nick...
as DFish becomes a figurehead of Kobe's needed "upgrade."
Here's the thing...
there are some positives POSSIBLY.
Kobe has used up all his "get out of jail free" cards with our pal Phil.
Phil may, for the first time since the book, be able to actually COACH Kobe.
I say this as if I were in the Von Trapp family and actually believed it.
Look....
MAYBE.
Maybe Phil actually calls Kobe out for it when he abandons the offense, skips playing defense and then blames it on Javaris Crittendon or Coby Karl.
MAYBE.
I am trying to find a positive here.
If the Lakers have any real guts... they go and get Ron Artest, And if Artest has any real heart, the minute Kobe stops playing defense, Artest knocks Kobe on his ass.
I can get behind thee, Ron Artest.

And what else can you say... the fans, the press, they all continue to fall over themselves to get to Kobe.
God bless.

My letter to Phil...

So I decided, I'd take one shot at going to the man himself.



July 6, 2007

Phil Jackson
c/o The Los Angeles Lakers
555 N. Nash Street,
El Segundo, CA 90245

Dear Phil:

You are a great basketball coach. I enjoy watching your team play when they are dedicated to working your system. I believe your ability to get a team to employ your system is responsible for the culture of winning more than any individual (any individual not named Tim Duncan- hey, even I know there’s always an exception.).

And though Kobe Bryant is exceptional (but not an exception), it is clear that Kobe lacks the ability to manage a game to your system’s dictates- one played in the 90s relying on sound defense and the confidence that comes with trust and teamwork.

Kobe’s inability to compete defensively while dominating offensively creates an unbridgeable divide between the team and Kobe’s ego. To add to this problem, when there is a choice between personal glory and team glory, Kobe will choose the former.

Kobe either can’t or won’t make the defensive commitment and with his age and his offensive ego, this won’t change. While Kobe is certainly the guy to take a big shot, his defense has deteriorated to giving games away in the first quarter.

If there is a possibility you can get a team of dedicated players to employ your system on both ends of the court, respect each other, the team (and the game), I believe this prospect potentially makes for a better experience and as a Lakers’ fan- but more a Phil Jackson fan- I wanted to write to let you know my thoughts.

I hope this finds you well and that you have a great summer in Montana. I look forward to seeing you come November.

Best,

Alan

The Kobe saga has taken on the look of the Iranian hostage crisis... I am expecting Ted Koppel to pop up on Discovery and tell me it's day 14 of Laker fans held hostage...
so here's what I wrote to my friends inside the organization yesterday:
once kobe says something... you can't get him to back off. ask phil. ask shaq.
there's no way. ask phil. ask anybody. kobe is that stubborn.
and there is an opportunity to really make this franchise new and vital by having phil coach a great young team for years.
kobe is a loser who will burn down the house by talking about jim and mitch ALL SUMMER until there is nothing you can get for him.
right now, you can get a lot for him.
after his tirades- which will start the day of team usa practice in july- and it will keep all the season ticket holders and fans off of the team- which means you will have to unload him for 50 cents on the dollar...
and the value of the franchise will be in free fall. because he will have the media's ear... and the franchise's reputation will be up to the competency of...
jim buss.
i wouldn't want that fight.
kobe is smart enough that the fight will not be kobe vs. doc buss or jeanie... it will be kobe vs. jim and mitch.
and in the middle will be laker fans who will abandon the organization.
you don't save $18 mil if he sits out and the team loses $30 mil at the gate and in ad revenue.
that was the kind of thinking that sacked phil, traded shaq, signed rudy t, paid off brian grant...
and lost out on at least two championships in the last few years.

My plan for the Lakers:
Ok, it’s mine, so there.
Here’s the plan:
Win.
Winning cures all ills
Luckily, the first piece of this puzzle is here:
Phil Jackson.
Phil, like Magic Johnson or Bill Sharman before him, WINS. He always wins.
Remember how the Lakers fell apart after Phil and Shaq left. Well, Phil came back and if Kobe had stuck to the plan- the Phil-wins-this-way plan- the Lakers would have won more playoff games BUT THEY WERE IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR ONE REASON:
PHIL.
Please don't forget this: PHIL WINS, not Kobe (yes you have to provide Phil with talent- which will be here... but PHIL WINS- this is the basic principle all Lakers need to embrace, becuase you can't do anything complicated until you can get a fundamental like this ingrained in your being.)
Remember Rudy T?
Rudy had this team WITH KOBE… with CARON (just like #24 always said he wanted)... in the lottery.
Phil turned this team around so that we are again talking about championships- something NOBODY discussed when Rudy T was here.
Remember: Phil Jackson won 55 games the year Michael Jordan retired on THE DAY OF TRAINING CAMP!! They replaced Michael with Pete Myers and won 55 games and came thisclose to going to the NBA FINALS… WITH PETE MYERS!!!
So Laker fans, take a deep breath, the hardest part- finding the guy who WINS is all ready in place.
Ok, so now what’s the plan:
1) trade Kobe ASAP. He wants to go only one place, Chicago… let him go if they give us the guys. I have a few options here… in case we can’t make a deal with Chicago.
a) Portland. Look, you have to ask. Greg Oden and Zach Randolph… YOU HAVE TO ASK.
b) Chicago. Ask Chicago if they are willing to part with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Thabo Sefolosha and whatever they want to give back to make the salary work. If they wanna dump Ben Wallace, great. If they wanna do sign and trade with Noccioni… even better.
Whatever.
Ask them.
NOW.
The Lakers want those three guys: Thabo, Luol and Ben Gordon… Phil will win NOW with those guys… and if Chicago wants to tell their fans that getting the best closer in the game isn’t worthy of the kids they have to give up… find out NOW.

c) Dallas would be willing to give up some combo with Dirk/ Josh Howard and Stackhouse and something…
And let me tell you, Phil Jackson can WIN with that.
And Dallas would be thrilled.
d) Boston (From Bill Simmons) trades Theo Ratliff (expires in 2008), Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, the No. 5 pick and its rights to Minny's future No. 1 for Kobe. I say if you put Delonte West in there… this is done.
e) Atlanta: Take Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, their #1 pick (fourth overall) this year and their #1 next year too. Marvin Williams scored 20 or more points in five-of-his-final-six games, averaging 19.7 ppg on .565 FG% during that span. And Josh Childress can play. This may seem like a long term win… but one which would make for a good team now and… long term.
f) Go find a three way. I’m guessing it won’t be the first time Dr. Buss found himself in the middle of a three way. Ok, cheap shot. Much love to the Doc… once he gets Kobe gone of course. The Knicks want Kobe… David Stern would be thrilled if he were in New York… There is some way to get him there but there is no direct two way as the Lakers need young, healthy, BIG, athletic bodies… and the Knicks don’t have ‘em.
And the point here is:
2) DON’T BE SCARED.
Yes, you are giving up Kobe, the best SALESMAN in the NBA- BUT RECOGNIZE: THIS HAS VALUE (not as much value as WINNING for us, but value to other teams without doubt). The Lakers aren’t giving up the best WINNER (that would be Timmy and Phil)… and as the Lakers are finding out now, people in Los Angeles won’t/don’t support Kobe as much as the will support WINNING.
Trust me, if you build a winner… the Staples Center will be rocking- Kobe or no Kobe.
What no one is anticipating… except anyone who has had to deal with Kobe in a professional capacity is that a load will be lifted immediately inside the team and inside the organization once this is done… and then the franchise can back to the business of professionalism and WINNING.

Blame it on the Barcelona...
One way or another, the fate of the Los Angeles Lakers goes down today in Barcelona as Dr. Buss and Kobe meet.
DUM-DUM- DUUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!
Do the Lakers allow Kobe to do whatever he wants, say whatever he wants, whenever he wants...
knowing he will possibly take the team into the toilet next year if he stays and then OPTS OUT?
And btw- if he stays, they are basically saying that he runs the franchise.
NOBODY will ever be able to make a move that he dislikes without knowing that at any point Kobe may start his own media assault.
Or... the Lakers have the chance to get some good young players (say Deng and Hinirch/Gordon and mebbe Noccioni), and have the chance to see what a great job PHIL can do with a young team.
Interesting stuff.
And if they do make that trade, they will have a more talented version of the Utah Jazz- a team who has a great future and great stability because they have a great coach.
Or... again... by keeping Kobe and making Phil and Kobe go together for one more year, it will surely be heading toward another year just like this one. And again, if they keep Kobe, you are putting the future of the franchise in the hands of a man who, at any time he disagrees with something they do, can repeat what he has done the past few weeks.
OR...by trading Kobe and keeping Phil, they are making a statement that the team's stability is dependent on the best coach in the history of the game. and the press AND the fans will support only one thing:
a WINNER- which, with a good young team and a great coach, WE will have for years to come.
Or...

four words (ok, five words if you count the contraction) we never heard from the cavs (or really the spurs):
let's run the offense.
ok, enough with the jokes.
TIM DUNCAN is the miggetty mack daddy.
it's so funny- everyone saying pépé le pieu (as my pal guy margo calls tiny tony parker) is the mvp blah blah blah...
yeah.
sure.
TIMMY is the man. when the spurs lag... when they NEED a play... while TIMMY may not actually score the bucket... but he will tip the missed shot out- LIKE FIVE TIMES IN A ROW- and the spurs will eventually put that juggernaut of an offense to good use.
there was one great stat tonight:
TIMMY has gotten 35 teammates- THREE-FIVE- a ring. (to put this in perspective, mj got 30 guys rings).
yes, the spurs front office is smart enough to put ginobili and parker (and horry and overto- both of them HUGE)... but TIMMY is it. as guy also used to say about magic johnson...
"no magic, no rings."
sub in TIMMY for magic.
long may TIMMY wave.

First off, a bunch of good wishes out to Phil Jackson and hopes for a successful, speedy, painless recovery from today's hip suregery.
What is hip? In the words of Lenny White and the Tower of Power, "sometimes hipness is what it ain't." With that in mind, Phil, let's hope the hip fairie brings you some young bodies... like say Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha and rids you of the cancer that eats away at your team.
And we all hope Jeanie is doing well too.
As for the other Buss family members...
well, here's a snap of Johhny O (maybe taken by Doc Buss?) from his myspace site.
Way to go Johnny. Thanks for the good words, dude.
In mandarin, my thanks:
謝謝, Johnnie o. 為講真相請確定您的爸爸貿易神戶, 將保存菲爾・傑克遜並且所有愉快。
Keep on truckin', Johnny O.

You see this guy? He is all that stands between Kobe and his greatest wish.
For Laker fans who come here looking for something...
so far in the whole Kobe soap opera, we are left with only one FACT:
Kobe wants out.
It's what both he and I have in common.
Yea, he keeps trying to make it SEEM like he's going back and forth...
but in reality, his last words to the L.A. Times the other day (to column pal Mike Bresnahan) was the answer to Bres' question, "Do you want to be traded?"
Kobe: "Yes."
So for all those waiting for something else...
THAT is all you need to know.
Now, Kobe and the Lakers are TRYING to position themselves- will he hold out? how ugly might it get?
But the reality is this:
Kobe wants to go to the Bulls.
If the Bulls put up Deng, Gordon or Hinrich, Thabo and the #9 pick or Noccioni...
Kobe gets what he wants and the Lakers get what they need.

LeBron was amazing... here's why:
29 pts. in the fourth on FOURTEEN SHOTS AND... he played GREAT d.
You know I loves me some team ball... and tonight certainly had it's individual moments... but LeBron's economy (48 pts on 33 shots) is something to behold.

What will the future bring...

Someone wrote to me that they couldn’t imagine the Lakers without a superstar who can lead them toward a championship.

I said to this person that the Lakers have that person. His name is…

Phil Jackson.
Do you know how many times Phil Jackson has NOT made the playoffs? ZERO. His teams have been in the playoffs EVERY YEAR he has coached.

For people who think Phil has done it with Shaq and Michael and yes, that’s MOSTLY true…

But Phil also won 55 games the year Michael retired. Phil won 55 games that year with Pete Myers as the starter. To put this in perspective, the Lakers won 42 games THIS year with Kobe Bryant available all year (to make even more of a point, when Kobe missed some early season games, the Lakers were 3-0 without Kobe). That is THIRTEEN GAMES LESS than the Bulls won in 1994 WITHOUT Michael Jordan.

Laker fans who worry about winning and stability…

You should all just hope that Kobe goes away and Phil, who has one year left on his contract, comes back to coach a team that- when Kobe gets his wish and goes to Chicago- the Lakers may sport the following lineup:

-Jermaine O’Neal
-Lamar Odom
-Luol Deng
-Jordan Farmar
-Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon

The Laker bench could sport
-the #9 pick from the Bulls or possibly Andres Noccioni
-Luke Walton
-Turiaf
-Evans
-Sasha

THAT IS A MUCH BETTER TEAM THAN WITH KOBE, FOLKS.

And…

Laker fans with any brains will realize that for the long term health of the team, if Phil Jackson coaches a good young team and loves the experience next year, he is liable to be here for a long time.

And again, only ONE Laker has made the playoff every year he has been in the league…

PHIL.

THANK YOU KOBE FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
Seriously.
I know you wanted to win and you did your best.
I was sitting RIGHT NEXT TO YOU when you won that first one vs. Indy... and I hoped you would be here forever.
But tonight I don't wanna get into it.
Seriously- THANK YOU for the good times.
I hope you can give yourself a graceful way out and know that you will be in a better place to win soon.

Om...

Well, see. The universe is perfect. Sometimes. Ok, not perfect... but karma is a bitch.

Look... it is time for a graceful exit.

Kobe was a part of three great championship teams and is the #1 attraction in the NBA... so he is gonna help somebody. So thanks Kobe for the memories.

(Note: Kobe is wearing the Jerry West throwback jersey back at the parade. Further note: the reason there was a parade is pumping his fist next to Kobe- not J.R. Rider, either.)



Some things to keep in mind during the Kobe story:

This is not the first time Kobe has dictated to management.



Although it was reported that Kobe Bryant was going to “opt out” of his contract and test free agency in 2004, Kobe himself called Coach Mike Kryzsewski while the finals series was going on.

Let that sink in for a minute. The Lakers were in the middle of trying to win a championship with a coach who has more championships than any other coach ever, and Kobe Bryant is busy calling Coach K.

Fact/ timeline: Kobe tested free agency until Phil was fired and Shaq was traded. (July 14, 2004 Shaq traded and Rudy Tomjanovich named head coach, July 15, 2004 Kobe signed with the Lakers.)

Now... Laker fans... FEELING US!!!!

Do you know how many times Phil Jackson has NOT made the playoffs? ZERO. His teams have been in the playoffs EVERY YEAR he has coached.

For people who think Phil has done it with Shaq and Michael and yes, that’s MOSTLY true…

But Phil also won 55 games the year Michael retired. Phil won 55 games that year with Pete Myers as the starter. To put this in perspective, the Lakers won 42 games THIS year with Kobe Bryant available all year (to make even more of a point, when Kobe missed some early season games, the Lakers were 3-0 without Kobe). That is THIRTEEN GAMES LESS than the Bulls won in 1994 WITHOUT Michael Jordan.



Also, please remember- Shaq was pilloried and traded because he did a very similar move by publicly calling out the owners (actually, the Lakers just reneged on their promise to give Shaq an extension after he recruited Payton and Malone to play for them in 2003-2004).

A few things to reference:

Here's a great Kobe quote to Jim Gray from when he was thinking of "opting out":

Kobe, “I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy.” (from here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1648431)

I would also refer folks about Kobe's psyche.. here: http://dwil.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/kobe-bryant-and-the-snakes-who-fill-his-life/

Anyways...

the Lakers without Kobe could be great and I think fans will get behind a great young team (you know the Lakers are gonna get some live bodies for the great one- and... AS LONG AS PHIL IS HERE... THE LAKERS WILL BE FINE!!

Om...

At least the Jazz aren't making me look too stoopid and we have a series.
Of course I was out eating dinner... so I missed it.
Figures.

Ok, about the Lakers...
I have come back to the zen of things.
All things Phil.
I can get into a lot of things, as I am sure that there are a lot of things... stirring right now.
But I have decided to have faith and experience the Zen of it all, because I have confidence that Phil will not go through the same mess next year.
Trades?
Yea... sure.
Let's start with something real:
the only tradeable asset is Kobe.
Period.
You can't trade Lamar- he has only one healthy arm right now.
You can't trade Kwame- he has only one healthy leg.
Bynum? He has potential... but he can't play with Kobe- and everybody knows it.
On the other side... the reality is:
- Indiana is NOT gonna give up Jermaine O'Neal unless Bynum AND Odom come- and I can't imagine the Lakers, er Phil saying "sure" to that...
- Minnesota is same re: Kevin Garnett
Now for something folks might not know...
The Lakers ratings on Fox Sports ad revenue are soon to be down with ratings down 33% last year. ANd for all the folks that think Kobe is such an attraction... again:
ALL WE CARE ABOUT IS WINNING.
And btw- there is only one Laker who hasn't missed the playoffs...
his name is Phil Jackson- he has made it EVERY YEAR.
So if the Lakers wanna win, and it comes down to Phil or Kobe... maybe FINALLY (om, zen)... the Lakers make the right choice... and these fact... lead us to one conclussion:
the only tradeable is Kobe.

And here's the real:
Kobe is still a huge asset. For anybody. But not for the Lakers. The Lakers need to get younger and more athletic and Kobe needs to go some place he can win.
And here's a confession... Kobe can help SOMEBODY. If he has enough other folks around him and maybe outside of the expectations of L.A. and Phil and the guilt of Shaq... he can help folks.
You watch the playoffs and there's only three guys who want to shoot the ball at the end of the game: Manu, Chauncey and Rip (maybe)...
Kobe is better in the end of the game then anybody- yes, he might let his man get off- ok, he would definately let his man get off... but if somebody can MANAGE the game like Phil used to with Shaq...
Kobe can go and win somewhere.
He won't win a championship.
But he can do his thing- which is what he wants.
And in the end...
I am zen.
I think Kobe deserves a graceful exit...
and hopefully he gets it.
We all deserve to be zen.
Go Jazz.

What happens to a dream deferred?
Well, in my case it means... no matter what, Greg Oden will NOT be a Laker.
And it means I have to watch another season of Kobe...
And it probably means Phil Jackson is moving to Oregon in a couple years.
Remember, I said that first!

Welcome people tipped from getgarnett.com.
above is a picture of a guy who IS the laker answer (for those interested in competing for CHAMPIONSHIPS not scoring titles for the next ten years, the answer is GREG ODEN).
evidentally, some think the idea of getting a guy who has been out of the first round ONCE in his life is the answer to the myriad of laker issues.
WRONG!
Look, i love da kid.
but...he is not a good fit for the lakers with kobe (nobody is).
and if you think the lakers have more to offer than most- or that kevin mchale- a life long celtic is going to trade kg to the lakers for spare parts, you guys are insane.
garnett is a nice player- a true hall of famer.
so you know, when i posted that there was a large piece...
what i meant was that i was going to write a large piece- and what will be in it is expert's thoughts that the lakers need to trade kobe- not that the lakers should trade for garnett.
go Jazz!

Thank goodness the overrated Suns are gone.
Thank goodness the overrated Spurs will lose in six to the Jazz (barring a Jazz injury).
Pete Newell, my new best friend, you know THE Pete Newell (my new best friend) had it right:
the Suns and the Spurs s p r e a d o f f e n s e is boring. Yes, it's effective because Tim Duncan is great... but my goodness (I know, third time I have used goodness)... it is boring. The Suns seemed to just not have it. They made some really silly mistakes when they climbed close- just a lack of discipline... which is why I still am a bit frustrated that Phil couldn't get everyone to buy into his system... well, one guy (and please, don't worry- a LARGE piece is coming- right after the draft lottery is concluded and we know what could be).

Yesterday I had the privilege of talking to Bill Sharman (anybody see a pattern of people I have been talking with lately?)... what a great man. He still has so much life in him and I feel very honored that he took the time to sit and talk.

Sorry to see Jeanie and Jim quibbling in the press.
I love Jeanie- she is really sweet and she loves Phil... and so do I.
I am still amazed with the lack of critical thinking by the L.A. media... say, guys (L.A. media):
Jim Buss was responsible for:
1) trading Shaq
2) firing Phil
3) not re-upping Derek Fisher
4) hiring Rudy T.
Guys, you think you might wanna ASK Jim about this the next time you get him to show up for an interview?

Does anyone want to win?
Seriously?
Anyone?
Buehler?
Cleveland "outscored" New Jersey 13-6 in the FOURTH QUARTER... and New Jersey WON. If this had been The Sopranos, Tony would have cut off the breathing of both teams.
New Jersey made one field goal in the fourth quarter on 1-of-15 shooting. The Nets were also only 4-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 12 minutes (cleveland went 3-17 n FGs... nice.)...
San Antone- Phoenix at least has some professionalism to it. SOME. But it is boring, badly played and... HOW DOES GINOBILI MISS THE GUY SPRINTING DOWN COURT!... honestly, I don't know who I want to see win less... I just hope Utah beats whoever wins. oy... If Tim Duncan ever retires Popovich should replace Bzdelik at Air Force and just slink out of town.
Pete Newell talked about how boring all this spread floor garbage offense is... they only relief being when Timmah touches the ball... otherwise it is spot guys on either side of the court past the three line... and drive and dish... yawn.
I miss Boom Dizzle all ready. I may have to go join my wife to watch "Lost."

Andrei Kirilenko! Andrei... he who gets thunderdunked on... knocks the ball out of the hands of Matt Barnes on a fast break... The play led to Kirilenko tipping in a missed shot by Deron Williams to keep the lead up two, at 85-83 with 5:45 left in the game.
And, scene.
Btw- I am not sure if the Golden State team has watched any playoff basketball- you know, games played in Utah (or regular season basketball for that matter), but if you didn't know before...
NOBODY gets good calls on the road in Utah.
EVER.
So... welcome to it.
That said, it was the most entertaining five game 4-1 series I ever saw.
Except for the blowout- which of course had the dunk (see photo below)... every possession felt like it mattered.
Congratulations to all on a great series.
Go Jazz- go win the dang finals.
A trend I am noticing...
nobody is really finishing lately.
By lately I mean once you get passed winning game 2.
The Spurs... well, they just self destructed.
The Jazz could have won that game much more easily last night... but for their myriad of turnovers... the Warriors just didn't have the legs to compete- but I was disappointed not to see the Jazz really WIN it... as opposed to the game just seem to end.
Same with Cavs a few nights ago at the Nets. The Nets just sort of pfffffttt. It's not like LeBron hit a couple big shots and they WON it... the Nets just, well... pffffft.
And I have no idea what has been up with Detroit the last two games (ahem, Flip Saunders...).
But enough about them... Basketball Jones spent the morning with Pete Newell yesterday (MUCH larger piece to follow soon).
At 92, Pete has, as his friend Bob Knight would say, forgotten more about basketball than we will ever know.
BUT...
he sent down some really great words of wisdom that I am looking forward to sharing.
Saf to say, Pete knows how to build winners...
and as a former GM of the Lakers- the man who traded for Kareem...
he had PLENTY to say about what he might do if he were in that spot today.
Stay tuned.

What a turn of events in the S.A. series.
What a show of what an average coach Greg Popovich is.
What a demonstration of how valuable Tim Duncan is (uh, I know he has five fouls... KEEP HIM IN THE GAME! He's the WHOLE FRANCHISE. Without him, Pop, you are coaching JV back at Pitzer or whatever).
Anyways, if my wife is reading this... chanukah is coming early.
Go Jazz.

This is what you get up for every morning.
Hat's off to Paul Brogan.

WINSTON CHURCHILL ONCE famously declared, "If you're not a liberal when you're 20, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative when you're 40, you have no head."

Well, at 43, I am a Jerry Sloan fan.

These playoffs have reminded me the joy of a tough team that plays as a team. The Jazz play fundamentally sound defenders on the floor at almost all time... ok, Mehmet Okur is not Greg Oden- but he plays as hard as he can now (I am sure Detroit would have loved for him to have played this hard).

And for Laker fans and Jim Buss- who fall in love with Phoenix and GState...

Note: the playoffs NEXT ROUND will be, as Phil calls it, the NBA: the No Boys Allowed League.

That means, it's about DEFENSE and TEAM- not superstars and cute little plays. It's gonna be Utah, S.A., Detroit... and whoever else... and that means the superstars left on the teams with a chance to win a championship are ALL two way players.

And btw, again... how about DFish?

He has so much soul to his game- just tremendous to be watching.

That said, I will not be surprised if GState comes and beats them in Utah- and I hope they do as this is my favorite series.

But if you had told me at 20 that I would be a Jerry Sloan fan...

Happy Mother's day to all you mothers.
I can't remember who said that... and if somebody does- please email me it.
Anyways...

Timothy Theodore Duncan is (still) the man.
I love him. I admit it. I love to see winners- guys who just... win.
And yes, the Spurs are boring.
But the other teams don't have it, I don't think. The Pistons... I can't see Flip Saunders making the adjustments- but MAYBE they have the motivation (Chauncey is in a contract year) to get past that.
The Spurs are great for ONE REASON:
They have Timothy Theodore and if he wasn't on the team, they would win... I dunno, MAYBE 25 games. But since he is on the Spurs- they win. Timothy Theodore is a great winner. I used to begrudge him because he plays center on offense, but on defense has always shied away from taking on the opposing center- particularly when Shaq was here- which was a cop-out. But now, since Shaq is gone... whatever.
I mean what can you say? The guy is a winner- and since Kobe got rid of Shaq- there is nobody for Phil to exploit that mismatch and Popovich and Timothy can do whatever they want.
Anyways...

Baron and the Jazz-Warriors is where the action is at!
I'm sorry, Raja and Shawn Marion and even Barbosa...
yawn.
Baron and the Warriors guarantee at least five times a game you are going to say, "Oh my gosh- no wayyyyy.... ouch! how did that go in?!?!?"
Nothing said that more than Baron's dunk over Kirilienko- who, god bless him, had the right attitude about it:
"I will keep doing my thing," he said. "I will keep coming, and once in a while, I will be posterized. But once in a while, I will block it. I've been posterized many times in my career."
You go, Andrei.
That is exactly the attitude- seriously.
What I am really enjoying is... the joy that this series has.
DFish... Baron.... Stephen Jackson... Andrei... Sloan and Nellie- this is great.
Why they have the game scheduled on at the same time as "the Sopranos" makes no sense though.

why can't the jazz and the warriors just play best of say, 31?
derek fisher?
ohmygosh.
how amazing is this?
jerry sloan...
smart man.
he keeps harpring or fisher (when he came back) on the floor- one or the other- so he has a tough guy on the floor.
dfish's defense on baron at the end- WON THE GAME.
this was the best.

The ABA Lives!
Utah-Golden State could not be more fun.
Yes, Tim Duncan will lead the Spurs to the championship unless he sprains an ankle- or unless the refs decide to keep punishing him for Joe Crawford (that rally could happen, btw- Timmah should not expect one more call for... his career, i am guessing- and btw- how is Timmah not the MVP every year. Seriously. If you take Tim off the Spurs and put him on ANY OTHER TEAM... that team will be playing for the championship.).
Anyways, the Oaks-Stars, er... Warriors- Jazz game was tremendous.
Jerry Sloan is great.
How the Jazz are going so strong... it's all because of him. If people don't get that when you get a special coach like that, he is the reason... imagine, say Mike Dunleavy coaching the Jazz and you will get the point.
I think the Warriors got jobbed a bit last night- but if you play in Utah, prepared to get jobbed. With six mins to play, up 102-98... the Warriors had a breakaway and the refs called a foul instead... Baron missed a 3... the Jazz came back with a layup... and the momentum had shifted... as it always seems to do in Utah.
This is going to be a great series.
Again, though... the Warriors need to get "the city" jerseys out.

Ok, I admit... I love TEAM BASKETBALL!

UTAH!
GOLDEN STATE!

LOVE IT!!!

Ok, kids... what's wrong with this quote:
"I said this team was going to go as far as I take it," McGrady said after scoring 29 points with 13 assists, five rebounds and three blocked shots only to come up short again. "I tried my best. I tried. Maybe I could have made an extra play here. Maybe I could have gotten those loose rebounds that we needed in the fourth quarter and didn't. Maybe I could have done more. I tried. I tried."

NINE TIMES TMac uses the word "I"...

Happy fishing, TMac. The man below- Jerry Sloan- the best coach in the league not named Phil... and the ONLY coach who refuses to buy into and b.s. is going to the next round with a rag tag team that Kobe Bryant would be calling out in the press as not good enough.

I love the Jazz. I love Matt Harpring. There isn't a tougher minded guy in the league. But first, this reminder of how tough Jerry Sloand was as a player:



Growing up a Laker fan, we were nervous playing the Bulls because Sloan and Van Lier were tough tough guys... and you knew they were gonna beat up Jerry West and Gail Goodrich (I remember the 1973 playoffs where the Lakers SQUEAKED by the Bulls... amazing series- go look it up). So it is nice to see Sloan- and his tough guys... including DFish! come together like they did for the first round over another guy talking about "me" and "I."

And while we are talking about teams... kudos and huzzahs to Golden State.

Baron Davis has finally figured out how to play WITH a team- and it is a lot of fun to watch.

Unlike certain players we have had to suffer through, BDiddy is MOVING THE BALL and imposing his will via the team.

Stephen Jackson...

what can you say?

He is like the Golden State version of Matt Harpring. I will watch as much of this series as my beautiful, newly minted Golden State loving wife will allow.

So here's what i'd like to see when the warriors come home for game 3 next series:
- return of "the city" jerseys
- return of short shorts (sleepy floyd style- maybe even world b. free/bernard king era)
- everybody must wear mutton chops. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Oh, and World B. Free needs to be at every game.

Just because.

Well, it’s over.

The season long “Kobe-Bryant-is-the-greatest-player-ever” campaign- the one that had milestones like: Kobe’s a facilitator, Kobe needs to be “aggressive” (the new definition of “aggressive” used to mean “ball hog”) and culminated with Kobe is on the All Defensive team… was the most effective public relations campaign since George Bush, Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld sold the American public the war.

There’s a sucker born every 48 minutes.

Now, we are in an unwinnable war- with no way out. That is, the Lakers, er, the country. BOTH.

Like our President, Kobe has no moral authority to lead- like our president he doesn't lead by example. Kobe is very boisterous and righteous when cameras are on, but he does not practice what he preaches. At this point, he doesn’t practice because his knees, at 29 (in August) going on 40, won’t allow him to practice.

Of course, those same knees are the knees that allow him to shoot and dunk… but he can’t “bend his knees” to play defense. Funny how that works.

And unfortunately, Phil Jackson has become Colin Powell. Phil KNOWS what’s wrong, but he is being the good soldier when all we want is for him to SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!

But Phil wrote the book… and he hasn’t said a negative peep about #24 since. Good soldier. Damaged coach.

WHY IT IS WHAT IT IS:

Kobe’s team doesn't play hard from the top because they are not a team.

IF Kobe ran the dang offense all year- ALL YEAR... F Kobe focused on defense all year- ALL YEAR... then things MIGHT be different.

Kobe’s teammates- whoever they are now and whoever they are going to be next year- don't enjoy playing with him- and Kobe is not gonna change. So while they may not be trading him, to expect Jermaine O'neal or Garnett to be better in the triangle (not too many older players adjust to the triangle) than ODOM (who played his heart out- literally) to turn the ship around... well... the ship be sinking.
here's some possibility (remember, Lakers 4-0 this year w/out Kobe)...

And before I go any further… (and I am gonna go a LOT further…)

Lamar Odom deserves a Croix de guerre for having put up with this crap AND PLAYING LIKE A MAN. Thank you, Lamar.


I wrote in the blog a few days ago that while I certainly hope the Lakers flipped a switch and played d and ran the triangle... the fact that they haven't all year- personally- I feel would be wrong to reward.

You can't go through the whole year not playing as you should and then turn it on for the playoffs (although, we both know- that IS what they did when shaq was here... and that probably taught kobe to take the regular season as one thing and then expect the team to go in another gear).

Kobe is the problem- he is THE issue.

They won three rings because guys like Fox, Fish, Horry et al didn't allow him to play as crazy as he would have liked and because he IS a killer down the stretch.
but the lakers won those titles with a Kobe NOT as a leader because… he isn't a leader and… never will be.

So they may not get rid of him, but he is never going to win. And laker fans need to get understand that.

Yes, Kobe can always take the big shot- but he isn't interested in taking your heart out defensively in the first quarter-, which is what the greats (and by greats, I mean WINNERS) do/did.

Kobe can't lead- and he can't get respect from teammates because he is a complete and utter phony.

MJ was not phony. Kobe is who he is.

For Laker fans (not Bulls fans) Kobe Bryant is like the anti-Magic Johnson. He is the dark side of Magic’s Spiderman or some such reference.

All Magic ever wanted to do was win. And he meant it. He would go rebound, loose ball, d-up… whatever it took. All he wanted to do was win.

And what some folks don’t realize about Los Angeles basketball is that all the fans care about is winning.

WHY THE LAKERS LOST LAST NIGHT:

First play- Kobe jumps, leaves his feet, turnover. Second Suns possession, Raja for three. Good. Kobe comes back and hits- with 21 seconds on the shot clock. Raja comes right back and goes around Kobe and scores. Kobe comes back and misses with 15 seconds left on the shot clock. Raja comes back and scores on another wide-open 3. Kobe comes down and shoots again and misses.

And we are going up and down. And it’s over because the leader has decided to mess up the game plan. Lakers give up 12 in the first three mins. (Kobe’s man has EIGHT of those)… give up 64 in the half and 119 for the game.

Again: here’s the game plan: slow the pace, pound the ball to the bigs, and take care of the ball.

Well, here’s the real: it’s over. With Kobe… if you fans want him…

IT’S OVER.

Yes, Kobe is the most competitive, most driven, most, whatever you wanna say… but he has no ability to win because he can’t defend and he doesn’t like/trust/want to work with his team.

That’s it.

Everybody can blame it on Smush Parker or Mo Evans or Vlad Radmonivic but…

Look, the reason the Lakers LOSE is because of Kobe.

I need to reiterate that Phil Jackson is the best coach in the world.

One year, he won 57 games when Michael Jordan quit the day training camp started. So he started Pete Myers… and he played defense and the Bulls won FIFTY SEVEN GAMES (and were one blown call away from beating the Rockets for a fourth straight title).

Phil KNOWS how to win. He has a plan- it’s the same most every game now for… ever. Pound the ball into the post. Run the offense. Beat them up with the offense- take your time and get a great shot. Most importantly, strangle folks on D.

So for those silly enough to think winning has anything to do with Kobe…

You are wrong.

Kobe is a loser.

He decided to get rid of Phil and Shaq so he could do it by himself and guess what…

The Lakers won because of Phil and Shaq. Because with Shaq- you pound the ball to the post and soften folks up by beating their butts down. So that at the end, Kobe

Laker fans need to be reminded: WITH KOBE and without Phil, the Lakers are a lottery team. Remember Rudy T.?

If Phil leaves Kobe- as I think he should- the Lakers are a 25 win team and Kobe can average 50. Yippee.

Laker fans need to know that WITH PHIL and without Kobe- the Lakers could be great.

Like Allen Iverson in Philly, Kobe doesn’t fit Laker plans anymore- and if Laker fans want to win, they should be pushing for Kobe to move on.

Here’s the real on Kobe:

He can’t guard anybody.



Back to the Suns… and why the Lakers are fishing.

Every time the Lakers have played the Suns the last two years and held them under 100- they have won. And every time it is over 100… they lose.

THAT’S IT. End of discussion

THE FUTURE:

Kobe doesn't seem- after three years by his lonesome- to understand how to lead a team- lead them by example... pace a game so that his team has a chance... and will take ANY opportunity to turn it into a referendum on HIM rather than winning and that is NOT GONNA CHANGE.

EVER.

And his getting older is not gonna help it (if ANYBODY- including Phil- thinks he is gonna wake up next season- especially after having played USA basketball for the summer- and start playing defense BETTER than he has of late- and by of late, I mean since Shaq left- they are nuts.)

So while the Lakers can fiddle with the symptoms (Odom, Garnett... whatever)...
the reality is that none of this changes on the fundamental level as long as #24 is your leader.

So while Kobe is the Tiger Woods of basketball... it remains a team game.

And while he is the greatest talent in the game... so was Pete Maravich. Both are tremendous one-on-one unstoppable guys. So you can have a breathtaking offense first ball hog… or you can win. Laker fans, you choose.

Me, personally, I would rather win.

The Lakers can't win with what they have- and all they have is Kobe. They aren't going to get guys for nothing to take them to the "next level"... so they have one option… or they can get ready for next year's lottery.

And make no mistake, Kobe is the problem. You can't win with him You can talk about Jermaine O'neal, Shaq O’Neal, Patricia Neal...





it doesn't matter.

BACK TO THE FUTURE:

If the Lakers don’t trade Kobe…

I think the best play here is Phil to step down and Larry Brown to come in- THAT is the only way i can see for some of this to work.

Phil just can't say anything to Kobe... but if Kobe thinks he is gonna get away with his non-d crap with Larry Brown around... he is in for a rude awakening.

If I were gm, I would be looking to add grant hill and some vets... but as long as he is here, Kobe is THE man- without the ability to be the man with a team.
it won't change.

They will never get another chance to possibly trade this guy. We should all be doing all we can to put that into the universe. And yes, I know- Phil seems to want Kobe.

I know.

Even Phil has drunk deep from the kool aid.

My LARGEST point on this is: the lakers have always been a franchise ahead of the game. Oden is a guy who will, if healthy, lead his team to deep in the playoffs for the next 10-15 years. his like doesn't come around... but once every 10 years or so (the last was Tim Duncan).

So IF there is ANY CHANCE... I think the Lakers have to take it.

If Philly or Memphis or some team that needs ATTENDANCE- we have the guy for you!

And this gets to the point of whether we want to win, or look good doing it (the fundamental issue I have with American basketball in general these days).?

I would rather win.

To shorten the question: coming off three straight mediocre seasons, if you have the chance to trade an aging (29) year old guard/forward for a 20 year who could be the next Duncan/Olajuwon- how can you NOT endorse that possibility(granted, this assumes on May 22 that a team who has the pick needs someone to sell tickets)?

With this in mind, here was my email to Jim Buss following last season’s year-ender:

dear jim
in time, you will hopefully see this as a great opportunity.
if the ping pong balls bounce right on may 22, you have a chance to possibly package kobe and Bynum for Greg Oden- a center who, like Olajuwon, Duncan and shaq before him in the last twenty years- guarantees that the team will be competitive for the next 10-15 years.
in phil, you have a man who can make this team competitive IF the focus becomes defense.
kobe is about to be 29, can no longer practice regularly, has no interest in SHUTTING PEOPLE DOWN FROM THE OPENING TIP OFF and because of this, he is a liability for a phil coached team- or any team that wants to compete for a championship.
however, to a team like Memphis or Atlanta or maybe some other lottery winner, he is a player who can save them financially.
I hope you will remember that without bold moves like this, the franchise will continue it's sink into mediocrity.
and this city does not support mediocrity,
with greg oden, the lakers can be great again.
I hope, if the opportunity break right, that you will see this as your chance to make the lakers great again.
best,
alan

i went to game 3.
as i left, i turned to jim cleamons, lakers assistant, and said to him, "coach, don't forget to mention to everybody that each time you have held them under 100 the last two years, you have won."
it's still true.
i will have a lot to say about the state of things after wednesday.
the price for for one's dignity has evidentally been set.
at least for phil jackson.
i am disgusted that my favorite coach not named john wooden has lowered himself to accept the "leadership" of kobe bryant- $10 million or no.
in asking wwmjd? it should also be asked, wwjwd? (what would john wooden do?)
well, wooden would never allow a player to control a team like kobe does.
perhaps that is why wooden turned down the lakers job when it was offered in the jack kent cooke days.
but i really don't see how phil does it right now.
it makes me sad to see our greatest coach of the day sit when he knows what must be done.
but....
it also reminds me of the joy of the game when watching don nelson!
nellie is doing exactly what he needs to do- and it is a joy to behold.
the warriors are now what the lakers could be- a very entertaining team led by an egomaniac player...
who play AS A TEAM and defend as well as they run their offense.
so until wednesday's inevitable ending of a horrendous season (look, phil may pull a miracle and it could be extended til friday- i did say at the beginning of the series that he- by himself- is good for 1 to 2 wins)...

wwmjd? (what would michael jordan do?)
i think if you are the leader- you play "you-are-not-scoring-on-me-or-i-will-kill-you" and send the message that i am THE MAN on d... and hope that becomes contagious.
and maybe... MAYBE you have a chance.
think about it- we have all been on the playground.
when somebody is killing you- your best guy has to get in his butt.
so far a perfect example of how NOT to lead by example:
someone will have to tell me why kobe is guarding james jones or shawn marion...
instead of being THE MAN and asking/taking barbosa or nash.

what else could tell your team I AM THE MAN better than d-ing up and shutting down barbosa or nash? seriously.
i think the biggest frustration for me is: kobe has ALL the qualities... but he wants to do it his way, which means it's about him, not about winning.
if he just gave in and listened to phil and played inside the triangle... he really could be the best- instead of just the most talented and most willful.
defensively, he is a mess.
i know kobe might stop someone with the game on the line...
but i am shocked that THE superstar hasn't publicly stated, "let ME guard barbosa. i will shut his butt down."
if THE superstar doesn't do that, it just means to me that he is more interested in the basket-for-basket POSSIBILITY of a win vs. the much harder, mentally tougher, "i-will-shut-you-down-and-you-still-can't-check-me" ethos that wins championships.
the lakers can beat the suns if they pound the ball to lamar in the post (their best mismatch), luke (especially with barbosa on him), not take any possessions off on d...
and they were on pace sunday.
but not last night.
anyways, it all comes down to this:
leadership and defense.

Post game one atrocity thoughts... and btw- WATCH THE GOLDEN STATE-DALLAS SERIES! ABA basketball... it's Fan-tastic!

Back to the load of shinola the press is missing...

lamar is a beast of a cover for the suns and the lakers win yesterday- and maybe the series- if they play through him and phil knows it, and so does the team (lamar, phil and luke's comments after the games basically said as much)... but kobe seems to be on a mission to prove that they need to play through him to win- which of course will lead to a quick exit.

the lakers built a 31-21 lead at the top of the second with kobe on the bench and the team playing great ball- solid defense, good ball movement and lamar establishing himself in the post.

kobe came back to play basket-for-basket and the lakers are outscored 16-6 to tie it at 37. yes, he has that unbelievable spree to end the half- but it took everybody out of the game and made the game about his scoring, not about the team defense or slowing the tempo down with ball movement. his shots were not in the flow of the offense- and while they are undoubtedly spectacular, in hindsight he used up way too much energy at a time when the lakers would have been better off doing what they were all ready having success with- grinding it out through the triangle and defense).

fourth quarter: kobe takes a break, lakers down 87-81. he returns lakers down 87-83 with the ball and after a lamar miss at 4:52 remaining (and save a luke walton layin at 2:27)- KOBE IS THE ONLY LAKER WITH A SHOT ATTEMPT until the game is virtually over (lamar takes a shot with 22 secs. left).

as a matter of fact- if you watch the tape- save for a tip out on the offensive glass, once kobe touches the ball on the offensive side in the last 4:52, not one other laker touches the ball on the offensive side.

kobe for the game: 33 shots, 1 assist (the assist coming because he couldn't get the shot up as bynum rolled to the basket).

as for the lakers defending barbosa- if it were michael jordan- don't you think jordan would have gone up to phil and said, "let me guard barbosa."? since kobe is the leader- and a supposed all-defensive force- how does he not say that?

some fun facts:

- kobe was out for 2:19 sec to start the second and the lakers gave up 2 pts. total to the suns (two barbosa fts).

- kobe was out for 2:32 in the fourth quarter and the lakers gave up 1 point total to the suns (diaw ft).

- for the almost five mins. kobe is out, the lakers hold the suns to THREE POINTS.

according to the lenovo stats- the lakers were outscored 92-79 with kobe in the game- according to lenovo, kobe' -13 was the least effective +/- on the team (kwame was the most effective, with the lakers +9 while he was in the game for his 29:10).

some quotes:

Luke Walton: "We were playing at the tempo we wanted and executing our game plan perfectly." Then ( YOU CAN WATCH IT HERE :)- a reporter asks Luke "In the fourth quarter it seemed like no one could hit anything, if someone besides Kobe scoring some numbers, it could have been a whole different story (even though, in the fourth quarter the OTHER Lakers were 3-7 while the game was in doubt and Kobe was 1-12)?" Luke takes a second, composes himself and says, "Yea, I guess. (pause) We gotta go win these games as a team."

I think that question sums up the L.A. media's adoration of Kobe. More quotes:

"Spacing killed us," said Walton, "We had to keep our spots on the floor, get the ball down low and space them out. When you space a team out, you can rebound better, you penetrate and do what you want on offense. When the opposite happens, you play into their hands, especially with a team like the Suns. We have to all commit to doing it (maintaining spacing on the floor). Offensively, our missed shots gave them a chance to run. We're confident that we can play with these guys and get wins, but if we play like we did in the second half, it's not going to happen."

"Tempo, tempo, tempo," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said. "We can't play at their tempo. We won't get any good looks offensively and we had the ball shoved down our throats."

Kwame Brown said. "In the second half, if you don't make your jump shots, don't take jump shots. You have to do something different. You can't just keep shooting jump shots. That's what they want us to do. The perfect scenario for them is for us to take jump shots, them to rebound and go.

Phil Jackson said that Kobe's first half finish took something out of Bryant. "I'd just as soon like to save that for the end-game situation."

"It's not easy to go kind of one-on-one that long."-- Steve Nash, on whether Kobe Bryant wore down in the fourth quarter.

finally... how about this for from mr. me-first quote (kind of reminds me of the old Al Franken bit on Saturday Night Live- "How does this affect me, Al Franken?"):

Kobe Bryant: "We didn't execute like we did in the first half, so as a consequence, my touches became a lot harder. When they were doubling and tripling me in the first half we did a good job of picking off the ball and I was able to catch it and operate. In the second half, we got away from that."

First, I gotta say, if I have to watch TWO MONTHS OF THE FRIGGING PUSSYCAT DOLLS...
I quit.
Which is what the Lakers team offense today- er, Kobe did, er, Kobe always does.
Ok, that's not fair- Kobe didn't quit.
Certainly not on the offensive end... he just gave in to playing for himself instead of playing within the team.
Yes, there were the usual "ohmygoodness" moments before the half...
but...
he shot them out of the game and then he shot them out of the game.
I know, what do you mean, Alan?
He was on fire to close the half.
Yes, and... the rest of the team stood still and watched and that continued in the fourth quarter.
There are two games going on, it seems, Laker fans.
One) the Lakers with Kobe chucking and maybe it's close and maybe it's not but Kobe is gonna do something spectacular... rah!
Two) the Lakers play without Kobe and play hard and stay close to their coach's gameplan... they run the offense... they stay at home on defense...
and they have a chance to win... rah!
And this happens especially in the playoffs and is most noticeable now.
But back to the Pussycat Dolls.
At least for a second.
Can we all please get it over and get the Dolls to move to Vegas? Because for me, watching them- especially in this stupid kind of product placement for no reason way- cheapens things.
So I am writing this with 33.5 seconds left- and if the rest of the world hasn't gotten how crazy it is to watch a team led by Kobe- they will never get it.
Leandro Barbosa is sweet but...
do you honestly think if MJ was around, he wouldn't have said to Phil, "Hey Phil... let me take him."
Instead, Kobe has kinda watched as Barbosa has gone around Smush and Farmar and Bynum... as he has saved his energy for getting more shots.
Today is a disgrace.
The Lakers should have beaten the Suns no problem today- and maybe they are shamed into playing team ball and come back strong in the second game like they did last year.
The Suns are BEGGING to get beat.
And all the Lakers have to do is run the offense through Lamar on the block instead of Kobe.
Lakers up 31-21... playing great... Kobe comes in and the tempo shifts (he came in with it at 35-27... and then a 10-2 run when Kobe comes back).
It's not so much Kobe going 4-16 in the second half... it's the fact that NOBODY on the team besides Kobe TOUCHED THE BALL the last five minutes.
Kobe, you are into history... remember... the Bulls won the 1993 finals with this shot... by John Paxson.

Point is... EVERYONE should have noted how great the Lakers played when Kobe was OUT OF THE GAME TODAY... they played defense- EVERYBODY played defense... they passed the ball... they controlled tempo...
and then Kobe decided it was Kobe time.
Disgusting.
Made me wish for more of the Pussycat Dolls.

Precautionary playoff preview…

Playoffs. Where the rubber hits the road.

Ah, yes... the playoffs… where it’s time to confess and give in to the truth. You are what you are... or are you?

Down the stretch last season, the Lakers finished 12-5 with only three games when opponents (Kings, Nuggets and Suns) scored over 100 points (all three resulted in losses). That carried over to the playoffs- as long as the Lakers kept the Suns under 100, the Lakers won (three games)- when the Suns scored more than 100, the Lakers lost (four games).

But... this year's team is allowing an average of 103.4 points per game (25th defensively out of 30 teams)- the highest any Phil Jackson team has ever allowed.

I was watching a
Phil interview on PTI yesterday , and it- TRUTH- just poured out of the old game coach.

This man wins playing defense.

“Up until the end of January I felt we were having a remarkable season. (When Luke went down) My ability to incorporate some of the players and make them fit in with the game plan we have, probably, I wasn’t good at that. I didn’t measure up to what I expect of myself. “

“I’m not comfortable with how we share the ball. Kobe’s gotta limit the amount of shots he takes, make really good shot selection. We have to use Kobe in his kind of definitive game in the fourth quarter.”

“This is one of those years you get worn down by players, their attitudes or perhaps their inability to see the whole picture as a group.”

Right on coach.

I sure wish you had been saying it all year…

But you better than anyone knows that the playoffs are a different season.

And because of that, Kobe has taken the year off again so he could put up big numbers at the expense of the team… and now, either the Laker team that played a really strong second half the other night against the NBDL’s Sacramento franchise… and gave ME hope that the Lakers might revert to that magical January level of play shows up…

Or the team that watches Kobe shoot jumpers after dribbling between his legs threes times (the Laker team that played a really crappy FIRST half the other night against the NBDL’s Sacramento franchise… and gave me NO hope that the Lakers might revert to that magical January level of play) and the Lakers are home in time to watch another coach-less version of the playoffs continue without them.

Here are my thoughts:

The Lakers can beat the Suns. Here’s why:

1) Phil coaches the Lakers. This is always good for one-two wins per series.
2) The Suns have that book by Jack McCallum out- where they talk too much.
3) The Suns have look tired.
4) Kobe KNOWS he has to be a good boy and play team ball or the rest of his teammates will just melt away.
5) Tim Thomas doesn’t play on the Suns anymore



Here’s why the Suns will win:
1) Kobe plays on the Lakers- and when Raja baits Kobe into one-on-one, the rest will lead to Laker meltdown
2) Kobe plays on the Lakers- and his own teammates don’t know what to expect
3) Kobe plays on the Lakers- and Shaq doesn’t anymore.

I love watching Phil coach. When he is not coaching, the playoffs are… yawn. So you know… I am rooting for the team to return to being a TEAM. But having watched them mess around for 82 games, it is hard to accept that a victory over a team like the Suns- who have taken the year seriously as a TEAM- should be rewarded.

He is right in that there have been a lot of injuries all year… and yes, they were playing magically in early January… but the defense, led by #24 (he is the leader, after all, so they do what he do…) was shaky and was always one crazy Kobe shot away from the rest of the team basically quitting.

That said, Phil is the kind of guy who can find a way. So it might happen again.

That said, Kobe is a guy who is more interested in himself than winning (if he had played defense in games 5, 6, or 7 last year, the Lakers would have won) and so…

Suns in 5.

Or 6.

I am excited by Greg Oden.
I watched this video and was reminded... how unbelievable Wilt must have been. This is from when he was 17!!!

“you play how you practice.”
“you reap what you sow.”
“we are what we are.”
“i am what i am.”
“so it goes.”
i’ve been thinking about the systemic problem that is the lakers in the kobe bryant era…
and i realize, it’s not just kobe’s fault- and so i started to think... who is kobe’s enabler? the fans? the media? the buss family? phil? who?
i mean every junkie has to have a pusher. (the answer, to the above question as to who is kobe's enabler is... e) all of the above.)
when shaq was here- and even now- shaq took the regular season to get in shape for the playoffs. sure, his first year under phil, he played the whole year hard. yes... that was a long time ago- and shaq was THE man… someone everyone loved and had to look up to so what he did was… what it was. and, for better or worse- it WORKED. the lakers won three in a row... might have won another if horry's shot hadn't bounced out in s.a. and if malone doesn't ding up his knee before detroit... that was close to another.
anyways, tex winter used to go out of his mind with shaq not playing hard during the regular season.
but…
there was some method to the madness.
there were safe guards so that the plan worked. guys like rick fox, brian shaw, robert horry, john salley… RON HARPER!!!... guys who were tough veterans who knew how to win (fox won a ncaa championship, salley won with the pistons and bulls, horry with the rockets before he started throwing towels at coaches to get traded)- not to mention derek fisher. yes, shaq was the leader- but these guys had toughness and you weren’t gonna bitch them out.
In the dynamic of all the taken-for-granted-winning-of-championships, kobe had to find his place… and so, what he did was be the nattering little brother. yes, phil’s offense was always about the triangle… but… the last few minutes of the game was always understood to be kobe time. even when it was championships time, it was kobe time down the stretch- and everyone was ok with it because during the first 45 mins of the game- everyone got a little taste… so when you kicked it out to harp for 3 or horry for 3 or fox for 3 or fish for 3…
they didn’t miss- because they were used to playing TEAM basketball.
but those guys are gone… and kobe is the leader now.
and I am sure all he wants to do is be able to kick it out to horry for a 3… or sasha for a 3 and…
well…
why can’t he make one, dammit?!?!
the reason, young grasshopper… is because if you don’t pass them the ball the first 45 mins… they won’t know what to do with it the last 3.
it really is as simple as that.
luke, sasha, lamar, smush… these guys could be a nice little team if they shared the ball the first 45 mins- and heck, they WILL give you the ball the last 3 mins- we ALL know you are the man come that time.
but you gotta man up too- you gotta guard somebody the whole game. you think harp would have let meggette get 39? or arenas 60? you think harp wouldn’t have made you hear about that all your life?
well, the buss family wanted to let kobe lead…
he said- and please, don’t try to tell us he didn’t- that it was him or shaq… and the buss family chose kobe- and laker fans let it slide.
just for kicks… let’s look at that for a second.
if the lakers had let kobe go…
well, they could have signed steve nash.
can you imagine that?
seriously…
wow.
had to just point it out, hindsight being what it is and all.
heck, if they had signed nash, rudy T. might still be coaching!
but back to my point about systemic problems and why the lakers are where they are:
kobe learned from shaq.
shaq was the older brother- before cain slew abel.
shaq liked the playoffs… kobe does too…
but…
kobe likes STATS more than anything- measuring sticks.
MJ scored this many by 28… I can top that!
so kobe has taken the regular season- even when shaq was HERE- and made it his place to put up big numbers.
and this, in hindsight, may be the most telling.
because shaq wanted to be with Russell and kareem and win championships- and he knew he couldn’t blow himself out during the regular season… but kobe wanted something else- what… besides to beat people individually… I don’t know. I’m not sure he does either. I am sure if you asked him now if he would like shaq back, he would say yes. But… eh! Too late!
when shaq was here, the big complaint during the regular season from the players on the team was that kobe wouldn’t run the offense.
this would anger those guys- fox, fish, horry, SHAQ- like crazy but…
come playoff time, kobe knew he had to run the offense and he could play his athleticism in the passing lanes because he had help in the middle AND because he was younger and things would work out.
but kobe is an OLD 28 now.
and the defense is the issue from here on out- not the offense… because if you wanna win… it is, as we can all repeat, all about the defense.
you can score 50.
but you can’t let a corey meggette get 39, 9 and 8 (I know kobe wasn’t on him all night… but when did you ever see mj let a guy on the other team go off before mj said, “I got him” and that was it for that guy all night?)- it can not happen.
after last night I was also thinking about when john y. brown traded the buffalo braves for the celtics… and so I though what if you could trade the clippers for the lakers- let dunleavy coach kobe and let phil have meggette, brand, Kaman, mobley…
my guess is the lakers with dunleavy and kobe win maybe 30 games, kobe averages 40… and the lakers with elton, meggette, kaman, mobley are going to the western conference finals.
just a thought, jim buss.
anyways, it is important to remember- EVERYBODY- that while the lakers are a mess to watch… these are all self-inflicted wounds.
shaq could still be here.
it is only due to the petulance of #24 that the lakers are not gearing up for a championship run right now. but they are possibly getting ready for ping pong balls.

Lakers- Suns...
Yech.
Another ugly, ugly showing.
Lakers give up 115 to the Suns... and the Suns didn't even look like they were into it.
What stands out... well, Raja Bell went 6-6 on 3 point shots. He had wide open looks and hit every big shot because he was wide open. I don't need to mention who was guarding Raja. It's redundant. And obvious. And other things- but I want to be positive.
What is very disappointing is how the defensive effort was not there- again- and how because Kobe is being so "aggressive" the rest of the team falls off the map.
But the Suns are beatable.
All somebody has to do is d-up that team. Stoudemire is a guy who can't get his own shot. If you stop Nash, you stop the Suns. But if you want to play basket for basket, they will beat you.
I wonder when Phil comes to work.
Seriously.
What is he waiting for?
Is he sandbagging us all and going to unveil something for the playoffs?
How has he not addressed the FACT that if his leading scorer became a lock-down defender, the Lakers could be a great TEAM- but for this entire year, Phil has kept his mouth shut.
Kobe is on now- doing the postgame show.
"Raja plays hard. I think he's a good defensive player. He tries to deny the ball in certain areas. I enjoy going against him. He has a willingness to play defense. A lot of guys put their tails between their legs and run."
When told Bell had gone 6-of-6 from 3-point range, Bryant replied: "Their players over there, they practice shooting all the time. They come early and stay late. That's something we have to learn."
No, fool- you have to play DEFENSE.
It's YOUR fault- not the fault of your teammates.
Your teammates aren't going to make shots... WHEN YOU DON'T PASS THE BALL TO THEM IN POSITION TO MAKE SHOTS.
Talk about redundant.
I gotta figure out how to make this sound positive... but it's like covering the Bush White House- EVERYTHING that seems to come out of #24's mouth is a lie/obfuscation/denial of responsibility.
Sorry to sound like a broken record... and more sorry that #24 does every time he opens his mouth.
"I've never been 0-for-10. I don't know if I've ever been 6-for-6. Two personal records for me," Raja said with a smile. "I felt good in the Oklahoma City game. They just wouldn't go in. I don't think there's any analyzing it. You just chalk it up.
"It was funny. The ball kept finding me (against the Hornets) at the end of the shot clock. I had to keep shooting `em. The ball kept finding me in really good positions today. I had some wide-open looks."
Yes, for professional players, open shots are EASY.
And no amount of your teammates staying late to practice shots they are not going to get will fix that.
Lakers...
Blech.

Cold turkey week.
That's what it feels like.
The NCAA's are done.
The NBA is in that strange, pre-playoff "don't hurt me" limp.
Has anybody noticed that somewhere it seems like the NBA turned off the offense this past week?
Yesterday, the Nuggets-Mavs played in the 70's... the night before the Spurs beat the Suns 92-85...
wha'happened?
And the playoffs are here to remind us that the regular season is like some extended training camp before folks actually have to play defense.
And it is also a reminder that with just one injury- a team is out of the championship loop.
It makes me wish the Lakers actually had been playing championship level defense for, oh, say, the last few months... because if they could just play some freaking D, they can beat somebody.
Ah, enough of my yapping about the Lakes.
The Mavs best player- Josh Howard tweaked his ankle yesterday, and if anybody thinks the Mavs are getting back to the finals without him, they are nuts.
I also watched the Spurs and Ginobili went down the other night hard- now while the Spurs can lose EVERYBODY save Timmah, Manu would be a loss.
But the last few weeks- with DWade down (come back, Shane!), Arenas and Caron Butler going down for the Wiz or Bargnani for the Raptors- wait, what the heck am I writing about the east for? Who cares as long as Shaq gets back.
Hey, wouldn't it be nice to see Shaq get another ring?
Seriously, wouldn't it?

BTW- quietly, the big fella has been carrying the Heat- and they are holding people DOWN (only two teams have scored over 100 on the heat since DWade went down)- and the Heat are like 16-5 or something since DWade got hurt.
I would love to see another Shaq ring.
Just...
because.
My pal Bill Walton has a great podcast- click here to listen to him talk about the NCAA tourney and why you ALWAYS keep the big fella involved (he has some really interesting things to say about Greg Oden, the Florida team and... why you always keep the big fella involved).

I have been flu-ish. It took me over like Florida took over my Bruins.

The Bruins will be fine.
It is time the program takes a next step- and they will with Kevin Love. I gotta believe Afflalo may come back too- and it won't hurt that Noah, Brewer and Horford go play with the big boys.
I am trying to put positive things into the universe- and it seems only redundant to talk about Kobe- let alone negative... which is redundant at this point too.
The Lakers are what they are- to paraphrase Bill Parcells.
Yawn.
I am looking forward- now that it has happened two years in a row- to Coach Howland starting to load up on (hopefully) some bigger bodies WITH talent.
There have been few things as impressive as Al Horford "hedging" up off the screens the Bruins set- he was all over the court. And Brewer was Scottie Pippen, Jr. out there- he was the reason they won two championships. Brewer could defend the ones, the twos, the threes... he could sell pop corn, programs... he was reall impressive.
Great O.J. Mayo story I heard:
evidently, Mayo has a friend who handled his "recruiting."
The friend calls USC coach Tim Floyd and tells Floyd that Mayo wants to come to USC.
Floyd said that this sounds great- could he get Mayo's number so he could call him.
Evidently, the friend tells coach, "YOU don't call O.J. Mayo!! O.J. Mayo calls YOU!!"
And so the story ends with the fact that Mayo has NEVER met Coach Floyd- nobody at USC has ever talked with Mayo... they have just been told that he will be there in the fall.
Here's to the next generation...
Kevin Love!

Final four...
Man oh man.
Two years in a row.
And we are coming up on a possible third- with the addition of Kevin Love, who I really enjoyed watching the other night at the McDonald's AA Game.
No, Kevin didn't win the dunk contest or the usual nonsense... he did not have a Jonathan Bender-esque "I am the next great legend!!!"... all he did was go out and make me remember why I love basketball. (Bill Simmons wrote a great article on it HERE
Between that and the UCLA documentary that HBO did, I am freaking excited for this weekend.
Go Bruins.

UCLA.
Getting it done.
Taking every defensive possession seriously... and going to the Final Four because of it.
At least one coach in town is getting through to his players- way to go Coach Howland, we are all proud of the hard work you are doing- and how it is paying off.
But... I am not impressed yet (I grew up expecting UCLA to win the tourney every year... old habits die hard). We still have ONE MORE WEEKEND TO GET THROUGH!

So I wanna hold off on any hoopla until the mission is accomplished. Coach Howland talks about how UCLA expects nothing but championships- well, when he says that, he was talking about me.

That said, it is a great accomplishment to have taken a program that was in tatters just a few years ago and now has the program in their second straight final four.
Defense wins championships, folks.
Just ask my man, future Laker Greg Oden (a man can always hold on to his dreams... and try to make them into reality- this blog being a prime example).

All those who come here to see what I am writing about the Lakers- PLEASE TAKE NOTE!
Darren Collison... huge.
Russell Westbrook- gonna be big and physical very soon.
Afflalo... yo!
Hey, one question: what does a guy have to do at Kansas to get his jersey retired (Brandon Rush is wearing Danny Manning's #25)?
Lastly, for anyone paying attention...
James Worthy is the best analyst in basketball.
Period.
His analysis of the tournament is better than anyone on CBS- or ESPN... or anywhere.
And he is the only level headed guy talking about the goings on in Los Angeles hoops (no Laker reminders today- today is all about Coach Howland and his Bruins).
Here's to big game James.

UCLA... beats Pitt.
It was eh...
not that interesting really.
But a win is a win at this point.
Kansas is next and they didn't look too great... SIU could have had them tonight.
I saw a few of the Kobe highlights tonight vs. Memphis... 60 pts on some more amazing plays... and a flagrant elbow that will prolly land him in the hoosegow.
Enough about him... here's to a Bruin team one win away from their second straight final four- a great achievement all due to the tenacity of Ben Howland.
Nicely done, coach.
Go Bruins.

UCLA... almost burps one up.
The Bruins, like they did vs. Wazzu a few weeks ago, played for 32 mins or so...
and then let IU almost steal one last night.
Eesh.
I am guessing it won't be hard to work for 40 mins. next week vs. Pitt.
Anyways, Florida is still in this thing, so it's gonna be tough out there.
Go Bruins.

Kobe... amazing.
Look, he was a show unto himself tonight.
Offensively, he was as good tonight as any player I have ever seen- and that includes MJ and Raymond Lewis and Cheryl Miller in high school and me versus my 8 year old cousin a few years back (he's now 6' 3" or so... so all I have now are my memories).
Kobe really wanted to win tonight...
and he did.
Literally by himself.
Kobe is the most talented offensive player to ever play the game.
Ever.
The highlights he put together from last night are like the Bird shot... TIMES FIVE.
Kobe is the Roger Federer of basketball- he is that dominant offensively.
He hit this shot from the corner over LaMarcus Aldridge... that was so Bird vs. the Hawks and guys on the Hawks bench cracking up good... that there's nothing you can say except that for #24 and his fans... this is the game you all can love.
So Kobe lovers... enjoy.
And for those who remember Bird...
watch this (his career high versus the Hawks... watch the first shot- at like 4:22 to go in the video- and watch the Hawks bench... and then watch the shot he hits with 1:35 left the video- and again... watch the Hawks bench- paritcularly Cliff Levingston- who falls over laughing- and Coach Mike Fratello... who looks like he is guarding Bird. I had forgotten that there were TWO of these shots!):

Now... compare that shot to the shot Kobe hits around 2 mins into the highlights from last night:

One thing to note:
Bird's teammates are a PART of his getting his points.
And they LOVE him.
And though he scored 60- you can see it was done with the team involved.
Kobe was amazing last night...
but like Roger Federer or Tiger Woods... it was one guy.
It was amazing to watch, but unlike the Bird footage- there are no teammates involved, no team.
Again, an amazing night... but it is a team sport.
The Lakers were lucky to get a victory last night because Portland is young and doesn't know better- or else it would have been just another huge night by the greatest offensive player I have ever seen (but that Bird stuff IS RIDICULOUS!).
Oh... and...
Go Bruins.

Selection Sunday... and why I STILL love Shaq.
Now why does the committee gotta front?
Why in the world do they have my Bruins playing my Zags...
IN THE SECOND ROUND?!?!?
Last year's UCLA miracle win over the Zags made Ben Howland... Ben Howland. And denied my man Few a final four too! So now they have the two of them in a rematch possibly on Saturday.
Yikes.
Well, what I have noticed is how much college hoops has been helped- talentwise certainly- by the NBA no high school rule.
Oden and Durant were really great today (again, Oden is the man... and his team won DESPITE the fact that OSU never gets him the ball)... and it feels less like some sort of NBA d-league tourney... even though it is MORE an NBA d-league tourney with guys like Oden and Durant in there.
I am very much hoping the Bruins- and particularly Afflalo- relax and come correct.
Aron- you are gonna be a first round pick if you play d and the TEAM goes far (if so, you prolly go around 10-18). Relax, AA. Don't try to do to much. Play defense first and the offense will come. If you don't... you'll have lots of time to try to convince somebody to pick you from 15-22.

Back to the Diesel, the MDE...
sure he is no longer in Los Angeles but...
his team looks good, he has a ring (and was thisclose to getting another) since he left...
and can you EVER imagine #24 havng this kind of esprit de corps?
How did the Lakers ever trade him?
I am still mad- and it's a Sunday nearly three years later.
Anyways, enjoy:

UCLA allows me to not have to worry about watching them for at least a week...
because they sucked today.
I am adding a few angry thoughts now.
The Bruins gave away the first round game to Cal by turning the ball over and reverting to the old fashioned, lose-in-the-first-round-because-we-run-nothing offense that Ben Howland's teams sometimes run.
The Bruins played turn-back-the-clock, aren't-we-so-great UCLA today... instead of getting up in Cal's face and getting stops and taking care of the basketball.
I was very disappointed to watch the highlighs and see Aron Afflalo get caught up on screens- just a lack of effort and energy and at the end of the day, the Bruins aren't THAT talented that they can get away with this lack of respect for the game.
I AM glad that Omar Wilkes- a guy Howland should have at least let walk on here- was THE MAN today.
Omar shut down Afflalo and it may not show up in the box score...
but I guarantee Coach Wooden and Jamal are smiling.
Did I mention how disgusted I was at the effort though?
Ok, that's a little tough and maybe there's nothing to worry about.
Howland is a smart, tough guy and I doubt the Bruins will get caught napping... for a third straight time.
But the Bruins were playing against themselves today and between the above stated unforgiveables and the missed free throws (Bruins shoot 15-29 from the line... which will NOT get it done...), it does give pause.
The Bruins played great up until about six minutes to go... AGAINST WAZZU LAST WEEK.
Since then, the Bruins have been average.
They had no bidness losing to U Dub... or today.
Coach Howland, time to get these guys back to fundamentals. Defense. Rebounding. Setting some picks. Going to the hoop. Free throw shooting. Get on it Coach.

March Madness.
It's MADNESS I SAY!
Ok, first off, I love Mark Few.

His best player goes and gets a felony possession... Few has to throw him off the squad (how many coaches would do that?) and somehow... some way... he goes and wins the conference tourney.
When UCLA was looking for a coach, I think Roy Williams was next in line. He is friends with Wooden (remember, Wooden told Jamal Wilkes to send his son Omar to play for Roy- not to go to UCLA... which ultimately helped rid us of the coach prior to Howland)... and he was ready to move outta Kansas and into Santa Monica.
But UNC KNEW this was gonna happen, so they fired Doherty and hired him.
But I always thought, Howland or Few... Few or Howland...
both are great coaches and I sure love how their teams play ball.
Anyways, the conference tourneys are this week, and that should be a good prelude to next week.
I know the Lakers lost last night...
But honestly, I am getting tired.
I know Kobe had a great game... I could care less, because they lost- and since I didn't see it I have no way of knowing his or anybody's reponsibilities for the loss...
but I am getting tired of the Lakers. I saw highlights- and Mo Evans looked like he was getting SMOKED on d- and there is no excuse for not being able to at least in bound the ball... so God bless...
and go Zags! (and Bruins!)

Now that Lamar is gone for the year (probably)… the issue of next year starts… oh… NOW.
First things first:
Phil next year...
well, upon some reflection, some interesting things could happen.
1) Phil WON'T put up with the crap he is having to deal with vis a vis being the good soldier... so if he does return next year... or maybe he starts being the ole' Phil some time soon... but by next year, the radio silence that Phil has maintained will go.
Phil has managed to rail against just about everyone this year- Bynum, Farmar, Sasha, Lamar, Shaq, Cook, heck... EVERYBODY save for one guy:
Kobe.
I figure this has to end... if Phil stays next year.
With the injury to Lamar, again the issue of TEAM D will be obfuscated- for those who forget- and that includes all those #24 is the MVP fans- the ONLY issue the team has is one: TEAM D.
But soon... not this year- maybe because of the injuries and the fact that this will always be a crutch for #24 and his fans- but soon- Phil has to really be Phil.
And it's a shame that since the publication of the book, Phil hasn't been able to be Phil save for drips and drabs we get on the pregame show with Phil McDonald.
Phil is HILARIOUS and we miss that... humanity, that honesty that he employs to focus his team. That hedging that he has had to do since the publication of the book has led to a less than honest Phil.
So that's plan one- Phil starts to be honest.
2) Phil leaves at the end of the year.
Anyways, those are the two options.
Of course I am writing this with 6 mins gone in the Phoenix game, and of course #24 has decided to play a team game today. Amazing what changes when they turn on the big lights.
Let’s hope he decides to ONLY worry about TEAM D now that Lamar is gone…
If he does, the Lakers- BECAUSE of PHIL and the amazing talent that is KOBE- are STILL dangerous.
(Lakers have held the Suns to 10 points in six mins.- Kevin Martin was responsible for more than that before Paul Haas sat down the other night- yes, I am still angry that Paul did not show up for tip.)
Ok- I am now writing after the game.
As I wrote... Kobe played team ball and the Lakers played very well. The game was in the 90's- right where it should be. If the Lakers play like this the rest of the year, they will be a tough out.
But again, today shows just how slim the margin of error can be. The Lakers can NOT afford to be sloppy with TEAM D because... well, there's no Shaq anymore- and so, unlike a few years ago, the Lakers aren't going to out-talent a team like Phoenix. But today's loss was... as these things go... a good loss. And big ups to Mark Jackson for calling it right about the Lakers defensive intensity today vs. two nights ago.

Now, no sooner to I write about how impressed with the Bruins than they fall and make me look like a fool. Yesterday, they laid an egg at U Dub- as U Dub pulled a classic Lavin/Harrick out of their butts- pulling it all together for ONE GAME. So for one night, U Dub plays D, plays hard and Spencer Hawes pulls a Jerome Moiso and will now exit, stage right for the NBA. Congrats to U Dub and the Black Lavin- Lorenzo Romar. But don't let me distaste for U Dub get in the way of the Bruins failing to bring some energy and intensity. If they rebound yesterday, they win. But yesterday, the Bruins- led by my man Ben came flat...
let's hope yesterday was the last time that happens this year.

YOU CAN'T WIN UNLESS YOUR LEADER IS READY TO PLAY DEFENSE.
I am writing after last night's disgusting effort vs. Sacto.
Kevin Martin had 7 points and two assists for two 3's before Paul Haas even showed up in the first row seats we all love soooo much (that's Paul on the right there… Hey Paul, come to the games on time or give the tickets to somebody who will ) ... and you ask yourself, who might have been guarding the unstoppable Kevin Martin as the Lakers were outscored 10-0 to start the game (Martin with 5 pts, an assist on a 3- so he was responsible for 8 of those 10)?
Mr. Leader... Mr. "M-V-P!!!" as the Staples Center likes to chant... #24 in your scorebook, #1 in lacking any clue...
KOBE!
So I watched the pregame show- and I shoulda known.
Jack Haley has to interview Kobe before each game to get Kobe's insights... and Haley, for once in his career, puts the hammer to the nail, asking Kobe if the difference in the last three wins is the fact that the team is playing TEAM D.
To whit, #24 answers by saying, no- it's not the d. It's the fact that the Lakers are in rhythm.
Ok, maybe he meant DEFENSIVELY in rhythm... so Haley presses... it's about the D, right Kobe? I mean, Haley WALKS him into the right answer... and Kobe again says, more firmly, NOPE, it's not the D.
And the question from this point on... is WHY AM I WATCHING THIS SELF-FULLFILLING GARBAGE?
Kevin Martin- nice player- comes out and just smokes #24... who probably needs to save his energy for the primetime game on Sunday (watch- he will show up and play all kinds of team game on Sunday on ABC on national tv)… and it was game over early.

I have been remiss in expressing my admiration (AGAIN) for Ben Howland for the Bruins win at Wazzu. The Bruins seem to take every possession seriously on the defensive end- and 90% on the offensive end- and it is a pleasure to watch.
Every night the Bruins are on, the Bruins are playing with passion, discipline and desire. The Bruins had a chance to put the dagger in- and missed. Mike Roll had a chance to put the Bruins up 13… but it just rimmed out. I am torn- I can’t tell if it was a quick shot (there was a lot time on the clock when Roll missed) or if I like the fact that he tried to just end it. Well, what I DO know- is that Ben Howland let him know about how HOWLAND felt about it at some point.

Phil starts afresh...
I guess Phil's daughter's wedding brought back some good mojo.
Granted the Lakers aren't beating the '86 Celtics, but a few things have changed to right the sinking ship that be sinking just last week.
1) Phil has gone to the vets.
Aaron McKie is getting action. Shammond Williams is getting action. Mo Evans is getting a lot of action.
2) Phil is taking control in the huddle. No more is Brian Cook, Jordan Farmar and Sasha checking to see who is going to win the Chevron Car race around the arena... which would never happen if Fox or Salley or an adult was in the huddle. Well, Phil is that adult, and play time is over. I am sure Phil was hoping, oh, say #24 would pretend to give this kind of veteran leadership, but it never materialized because I think everyone on the team was scared of #24- and all #24 was concerned with was #24.
That is why the Lakers had so much hope for JKidd. They were hoping he would be the adult in the huddle and on the court- someone to relieve #24 of the burden. Well, too bad, there's a new sherriff in town... same as the old sherriff. And from the looks of things since the break, he won't be putting up with watching any virtual car races or lack of...
3) Defense. Notice this: Lakers play defense- Lakers win. Simple as that. After giving up, say 112 at home to that firebrand Portland... or 114 to Cleveland... or 107 to the friggin' Knicks... Phil evidentally asked Mo Evans to explain to the team how Detroit played defense. The little psychological ploy has worked a charm... granted, Boston SUCKS- but the last three games: 96, 85, and 94. THAT will get it done.
4) Late game yesterday, the Lakers did not pound it to Kobe- thankfully, it was TEAM ball. Big plays by Odom, Evans, Smush AND #24 made the win. Note: no ego, no loss.
Make no mistake, last night was a big step forward- even if Utah was playing without Deron Williams who is their best player. The Lakers played dedicated defense for at least 70% of the night (look, it was a GOOD win, not a GREAT win- and Kobe allows Gordon Giricek to look like Jerry West WAAAAAAY too much for this to be anything but a stepping stone).
Still and all, with Phil taking the veteran roll that previously went to Fox or Salley... and with Evans providing some toughness- Lamar will respond.
Isn't it fascinating that Lamar's game is predicated on the Lakers playing TEAM ball? When they play team ball, Lamar is THE MAN! This is not to say Kobe didn't have a great Kobe roll- he led the team in scoring on a night where he shot 24 fts IN UTAH!- which has to be more fts than he has ever shot combined in Utah in his 10 years in the league- usually they can kill him and there's no foul. #24 made some big plays- he can do it more than anybody in the league- but he allowed the team to be there too which is to say that when Kobe plays team ball, Lamar is a FORCE.
Good win.

Sunday afternoon...
Greg Oden.
Gred Oden.
GREG FRIGGIN ODEN.
I am watching OSU- UW and Thad Matta... oy.
He rests Oden for four mins. from 16-12 min mark... and the guys has no reason to do it.
No foul problems... playing the #1 team in the nation... and he is resting Oden for... why?
Is he resting him for the NBA?
BTW- when Oden is on the court... they don't get him the ball... and he is still out setting high screens at the elbow... oh, they brought Oden back now with 41.9 secs. to go. Matta is obviously playing offense-defense-offense-defense... wait... what? WHY DO YOU NOT PLAY ODEN ALL DANG DAY?!
UCLA played well yesterday from what I hear... although I didn't see it- I had to work. I am excited- nervous evben- for the Bruins-WSU game this weekend,
I decided to post this video of Kevin Love... who will make UCLA even tougher next year, The kid has good skills, great court vision and he can almost jump better than, say Stuart Gray. ALMOST. So what if he's a little vertically challenged... well, OK, it worries me a bit. But he could be a Tyler Hansborough type (he sure is no Greg Oden type).
As for those who remember, please spare me any Bill Walton comparisons- it isn't fair to Kevin. But Kevin looks A LOT better than his dad... and I am not sure if he sings as good as his uncle. Anyways, here's Kevin. Go Bruins.

Phil extension... a hoax.
According to a few reporters I talked with... who talked with Todd Musburger- Phil’s agent... it isn't gonna happen.
Last night, although I had to teach, I turned in on radio.... how in the world do you allow the Portland Trailblazers to shoot 59.7% from the field..!!!!
I also noted, sadly, that Dwayne Wade hurt his shoulder... vs. the suddenly resurgent... DEFENSIVELY FOCUSED Houston Rockets.
What is the difference between the Rockets missing YAO.. and the Lakers having Kobe?
Well, the Rockets play DEFENSE.
And…
They are winning.
Here are some quotes from Bres' LATimes columns this morning:
See if you can see which "MVP"/Leader of the team is NOT mentioned...
(and how many six game losing streaks did MJ, Bird, Magic or the other
"I think we deserve it," Jackson said. "We've had a little bad luck with our injury situation, but we have not outplayed people or played harder than people."
"There's a pattern to almost all our losses," Jackson said. "We don't consistently play defense and we don't consistently rebound. We play tit for tat during the course of the game, and you can't do that continually."
Lamar Odom, "How do you expect to win?" he said. "You don't get any stops."
The main part of the Lakers' game that needs retooling is their defense, "without a doubt," Coach Phil Jackson said.
More from Bres:
The Lakers were giving up 102.2 points a game, 23rd in the league before Wednesday's game against Portland. It has started with lackadaisical defense up top and worked its way down to inconsistent defense and rebounding by the Lakers' big men, along with frequent foul trouble for Bynum.
"Andrew's been back there defending the basket and he's got these guards buzzing around him like hornets, coming in there unimpeded," Jackson said. "Our guards and wings have not been doing a good job of sealing the lane, and he's getting in foul trouble. It's tough for him to develop a sense of protecting the basket in the lane when he's got that many things happening to him."
For those of you who don't get it, let me tell you what this means:
Because Kobe likes to trade baskets and score points.
People can yell "MVP" all you want, but Kobe is playing no defense- which is why the Lakers aren't winning...
and why, come year's end, Phil will probably amscray.
As most of you know, I am a HUGE Phil Jackson fan...
but realistically, this thing may have to absolutely fall apart- meaning Kobe is left to his own devices next year- as he was in Rudy T's brief stint.
For those that don't remember, Rudy T. was actually 22-19....
not too far from where they are now under my man Phil.
A year ago, Phil seemed to have things going in the right direction...
A year later, it seems that Kobe has literally taken over... AGAIN.
Has anyone noticed that every off day, there is some article about how Kobe has "changed" and then after every loss, in which the defense is softer than a fresh marshmallow, Phil and Lamar and Tex talk about how bad the defense is on the perimeter?
End of the year, the day of reckoning comes:
Go with Phil and get back to winning...
Go with Kobe and the "MVP" will lead the Lakers... to the lottery.
Anyways, the Bruins play tonight.
Go Bruins.

Just because I dislike lies...
or P.R. spin...
here's some news:
The Lakers "leaked" to Randy Youngman of The Orange County Register that "The Lakers haven't announced it yet, but the word is Phil Jackson has agreed to a five-year contract extension that includes a provision for moving into the front office at the appropriate time.

Owner Jerry Buss is hopeful the Zen Master will be able to attract marquee players in his new role once he leaves the bench. That also sounds like a reduced role for Mitch Kupchak."
Let me tell you what this means, because the Lakers aren't just putting this out there for no reason:
The JKidd deal is dead.
Phil, unless things RADICALLY change, will be gone as coach- probably at year's end.
I think it's too bad. I know #24 really wanted to get JKidd too- for all the right reasons.
But this is gonna be what it's gonna be.

For those new to this blog, welcome.
It was a good weekend to watch hoops.
UCLA looked good on Saturday.
They took it to a confused UofA team.
I am very impressed with how seriously the Bruins took most every possession- a sign of a maturing and well-coached team.
The All Star weekend showed some of the joy that is bball.
The Bavetta-Barkley match up... hilarious. TNT's coverage... hilarious. The only bummer of that night was that since Tyrus Thomas broke the net in the dunk contest, the show ran long... and my Tivo ran out right before the finals of the dunk contest.
So I missed Nate vs. Gerald Green (who I have always LOVED!).
The highlight tho... the STICKER DUNK by Dwight Howard.
That was great.
The thing that I was reminded was how much fun the NBA is. The personalities- the majesty of Bill Russell's presence, the cool of Jordan in the leather jacket, the camaraderie of most of the guys, the fun that follows Shaq.
It was a lot of fun.
Of course Kobe was the guy who seemed to take it the most personally- and so he won the MVP in a game which was never close and never had any real intrigue- let alone defense... the perfect Kobe game!
Look, for those who think all I do is hate on Kobe, well, whatever.
Kobe was the best second banana the modern day Lakers have had. When it was Shaq's team... Kobe was the man!
I loved him... sometimes.
I mean he always has his own agenda, but when Shaq and Foxy and Salley and Horry were around, you KNEW it was all good- that the bigger picture of DEFENSE, TEAM and... WINNING were the end game.
The holy trinity really- DEFENSE, TEAM and... WINNING.
Do any of the Kobe folks that have come in here think that that is what's FOREMOST on Kobe's mind?
As a fan, it's foremost on mine.
It was again interesting- and I gotta say, I feel a bit bad for ole #24.
He looks a bit out of place with all the guys. J.A. Adande had an interesting article in the LA Times today... that I think tells it like it is:

"From the time he entered the league, Bryant never made much effort to socialize with the other players. Then he got a Man Code violation for bringing O'Neal's name into his rape case in 2003. He may not be in the top five for many players' cell phone plans, but he's been so good for so long they all acknowledge his basketball greatness.

Still, it was telling to hear the long pauses before Ray Allen and Allen Iverson answered my question about where Bryant fits within the NBA fraternity.

Iverson said: "I really don't know how to answer that. I'm not around him that much, unless it's All-Star or whatever. Kobe's a good dude. I think, sometimes, people are unfair to him. But people are unfair to everybody." "He's still one of the best players in the league," Allen finally said. "It doesn't take away what he's done, what he's accomplished. You've got to respect him."

"Kobe, regardless of how people feel about him, he's always going to be a fan favorite," Anthony said.

He didn't explain what he meant by "people," but I'm guessing it's other players."

That was J.A. Adande from the LOS ANGELES TIMES.

And yes, for those that come here to see me hate on Kobe… YOU are the fans Carmello is talking about.
It was interesting to see some folks on ESPN talk about teams and the projections... and NOBODY talked about the Lakers. I mean the usual suspects were noted... and even HOUSTON was brought up- because since Yao went down, they are playing DEFENSE every night.
And after watching how athletic Kobe was at the All Star game, it is hard to see how TMac can play more D than Kobe. It's not like Kobe is less athletic than TMac... but while Kwame and Luke- I know... it hurts sooo much without our Luuuuuke- but while Kwame and Luke are down... YAO is down- and YAO is, theoretically, more valuable, one would think, than KWAME BROWN, right?
Anyways, it is coming down this week:
Either the Lakers go get Jason Kidd (it's a waiting game and Jerry Buss is usually great at this) and that'll make Kobe the second banana that he is so good at being...
or...
come year's end, I think it is gonna be Phil or Kobe.
Because Phil is not gonna coach another year where the focus is not on DEFENSE, TEAM and... WINNING. And unless the Lakers can add Kidd or someone immediately... I don't know how that focus comes back as a day-to-day thing.
Thankfully, it is the norm for Ben Howland and UCLA.

Since T.J. Simers has decided to write a piece about the blog...

I figured I'd let those so interested read the letter I sent in response to the L.A. Times (see below).

To me, the problem is that he is dealing with the messenger, not the message.

What's strange, from a journalistic standpoint is that T.J. doesn't quibble at all with what was written- only who wrote it.

Kinda like a journalist who was sent to cover a car crash... and came back to the city desk with an article about the reporters covering the crash. Hey, didn't we ask you to write a piece about the car crash?

I mean, I enjoy the sheer meta- of this... writing about a guy writing about basketball (yawn)- as opposed to writing about basketball... shoot- I TEACH process of writing every Wednesday to two different classes... but what does this have to do with Kobe not playing team ball, T.J.?

Anyways, T.J. and I have talked a few times on the phone. He is a nice enough guy... but he shouldn't be doing Kobe's bidding. It doesn't suit him. And I don't need the headache, dude.

Here's my letter:

Sir:

Seven years ago when I met T.J. Simers I asked him why he supported Steve Lavin when it was clear to many that Lavin was not the best man for the job.

T.J. wrote an article about our meeting, but instead of focusing on Lavin’s ability as a coach, T.J. emphasized the fact that fans would even raise the point on the internet, which I believe focused readers on the messenger, not the message.

On Sunday I sent an email about the Lakers to Jim Buss that I forwarded to friends including Peter Vecsey of the New York Post and Mike Bresnahan of the Times. That day, I posted the email on my blog, www.igottabasketballjones.blogspot.com (T.J, if you are going to write an article about the blog, at least give readers the web address so they can read for themselves).

Monday, Peter Vecsey and I had a 30 minute conversation about the email. Tuesday, Peter’s column included some of what we discussed. Wednesday, I received a call from T.J. asking if I knew that Peter Vecsey had written an article that shared my views and I filled T.J. in on the rather trivial details of Peter and my conversation.

T.J. Simers’ stylized account of Peter’s article on the Lakers (which included enough mundane events to put me back to sleep at the breakfast table) left out one small detail, the actual topic of discussion, the point of which, from my viewpoint, remains this:

Until Kobe Bryant dedicates himself to playing team defense every night with the same intensity that he occasionally lapses into individual offense, the Lakers are not much fun to watch and I don’t think they can win a championship.

T.J., what do you think?

Best,
Alan Elliott

After the 8 game road trip...
could it be any more clear as to how smart it would be to trade #24?
Phil Jackson looks like a beaten man- beaten by his own player.
And… me thinks things have to change… soon.
Either Luke comes back and the team gets a huge resurgence as a TEAM (it’s possible… not probable- but possible)… or the Lakers make a major move for JKidd… (could happen)… or the Lakers just play .500 ball and hope for the best.
But this team is no fun to watch- and ok, for those that think me silly for saying it, I am saying EVEN THOUGH they have one of the most amazing players to ever play the game- the Lakers are a boring, predictable, non-disciplined yawn.
Phil looks to have lost the semblance of order- the Brian Cook brouhaha I could care less about- it’s more about the fact that Phil is calling the team out in the press more and more (with one notable exception)… which is not good (he can’t ever say that it’s Kobe’s fault… he has not said ONE UNKIND WORD since the book… oy.),
And the most obvious thing is:
The Lakers play no team defense.
I know I have been saying it for… a long time… and it’s redundant… and Phil and Lamar say it after almost every game… (without saying who’s responsible)…
But Kobe’s lack of focus on the defensive end is embarrassing.
And contagious.
And every time there is any nationally televised game, Kobe makes a point of making sure that at least three or so times during the game he is seen lecturing someone on the team as if he is a coach… but usually it is almost always on the offensive end.
In the past, there have always been some veterans- Rick Fox, John Salley… who would keep the team together.
And with Luke gone, the only voice is Kobe’s- and this is not good- as there is nobody to make sure the team is on point- including PHIL.
So JKidd may come… because the Lakers need a veteran voice- and the franchise now is starting to realize that if they want to compete… they are going to need another voice.
Kobe so dominates EVERYTHING... and the funny thing is that the past few weeks have not been about the team, the injuries, the coaching, the bench, the road trip...
The SOLE FOCUS has been the continued rehabilitation of #24's tarnished image- with articles in just about every place- ESPN, Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press- about the remarkable "team player" that is Kobe.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are a completely joyless team to watch- and something has to change.
The reality is:
Kwame not being there hurts, but he probably isn't coming back. THIS YEAR.
Luke's absence hurts a lot- for various reasons:
1) Lamar Odom gives up with out Luke. I am not saying this is the right thing, I am saying it is the reality. And we can see why- when the Lakers initiate the offense, Lamar gets one touch and... THAT'S IT. Lamar will never see it again... and so he has quit.
2) The TEAM does not pass beyond the first initial steps. The Triangle breaks down about 12 secs. into the 24 second clock- and then... it's one on one time.
3) the rest of the team is WATCHING... not playing. With Luke, there is a genuine commitment to TEAM... without him, the team reverts to the whim of Kobe of every possession. Watching any possession on this road trip, you can see the rest of the team sort of stop for a split second every time Kobe gets it- as if to ask: "Is he going to run the offense, or is he going to do something so spectacular that I should just watch?"
Look, I am not saying that Kobe isn't the most spectacular show on earth- he is.
But at some point there has to be a reckoning. I am fine if everyone wants to write about how hard he plays, how much of a "team" player he is... what a coach on the floor he is... whatever.
But this is not fun- painful really.

My pal has the best basketball tickets ever invented. We sit RIGHT NEXT to the bench. Today, vs. San Antone I got the nod.

Lakers- Spurs, yours truly, courtside. (I have posted these videos to show how AWESOME these seats really are.)

Kobe makes a shot with seven secs. left in OT to put Lakers up 1.

Here is what a time out looks like from the seats.



My pal has the best basketball tickets ever invented. We sit RIGHT NEXT to the bench. Today, vs. San Antone I got the nod.

I like those five words strung together just so.

Today’s realization, post a few hours, post- giveaway loss:

Luke Walton + Lamar Odom = ball movement.

Today, the team looked a bit kurfluffle out there- Lamar is coming back… and I gotta say, watching courtside makes it a bit more difficult for me than watching on tv.

All this is part of a strange couple of things we witnessed, up close and personal.

30 seconds to go, Lakers down three.

Kobe goes down the lane and misses a dunk- starts complaining… meanwhile. The Lakers still are down, the game is still going, Andrew Bynum gets the rebound and kicks out to Vlad Radmonovic for a three… GOOD!

San Antone, tie game, the bench, all of Staples goes crazy, timeout.

And so the players come to the sidelines- RIGHT NEXT TO US- and Kobe…

Is complaining about the call while everyone else is celebrating the tie game.

And this goes on for a good minute.

The dude is in his own world.

The other time during the game was when Kobe thought he got fouled going to the basket, didn’t get the call and STOPPED. Just STOPPED. Didn’t get back as San Antone ran their offense. He just STOPPED.

AND NOBODY SAID ANYTHING.

First hand, it is plain to see that Kobe is in his own world and the rest of the team sort of has to help him out. Sure, when HE hits the shot or makes the pass or grabs the rebound, he is at one with the team. But if that’s not the case, then he has his own world that only he can deal with.

Anyways, without Luke, there is no ball movement and with the Lakers now playing a lot of zone- there are now rebounding problems.

But it is always fun to go to the game and sit on the bench.

Time to trade Kobe... oh and UCLA: good stuff.

I know I may be the only besides Phil (and Tex!) who understands this- but the time to consider this for the betterment of the TEAM has come. It may take some time… say to the end of the year and some humiliating (and tantalizingly close) playoff loss that leads us to no longer ask “Who is going to give Kobe help?” but rather “What needs to be done to win a championship?”

I know, we have to make it through the year.

But if I were a Jim Buss and wanted to insure my mark on the future of the franchise, I would look to move Kobe at the break.

Lamar will be back. The Lakers are 4-0 without Kobe this year. They might be able to get some young bodies AND a pick.

I know, crazy talk, right?

How about if you traded #24 to the Nets (just an example- there’s gotta be 10 teams that would maybe do this) for JKidd and their pick for the next two years?

Crazy, right?

Ok, JKidd is old... so how about these thoughts, send Kobe to:

- Chicago, for Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and their pick from the Knicks
- Detroit! (“Fist Full of Yes” reference intended), for Chauncey Billups (expiring contract) and Rip Hamilton.
- Houston, for Yao. Or better yet- throw in Bynum and take back TMac.
- Boston for Paul Pierce, Delonte West and their #1
- Atlanta for Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and a #1
- Memphis, with, say Kwame for Pau Gasol, Mike Miller and their #1
- Clippers!!! for Shaun Livingston, Corey Maggette and a couple #1s (ok, this will never happen... but it actually would help both teams and, believe it or not, the Lakers long term more than the Clips)

Point is, wherever Kobe goes, it’s not like he’s gonna change a team. HE IS NO LONGER THAT GUY. But… he has value. Basketball “experts” still think he is MVP like (he was just anointed by some guy in the LA Times TODAY as the midway MVP!!!).

So there is value for someone- plus he’ll fill up your stadium and sell you jerseys!

From a Lakers TEAM perspective, if you are worried that Kobe is going to go somewhere and… turn that team into a contender… I would like to refer you to the Rudy T. era.

I am not sure if anybody remembers the Lakers with Rudy T. coaching… but it wasn’t pretty. What makes you think if you were to dump Kobe somewhere where Phil Jackson or Larry Brown (who would NEVER put up with Kobe’s lack of defensive intensity) isn’t that Kobe would “turn it around” for somebody else? He won’t… and if you trade him for a probably premium pick… you have yourself a real future- not the withering transience we are doomed to have as long as “Kobe-no-D” is a Laker.

After last night’s embarrassing effort, that question creeps closer. The Lakers are now 11-9 with Kobe and without Lamar Odom. They are also, if anyone cares, 4-0 without Kobe and with Lamar.

And I am sure that Phil’s thinking is that you need that guy who can WILL your team to a win- and in the past I would concur… but at this point in his career, Kobe is no longer that guy.

Yes, he has more sheer will than TMac and LeBron and most everybody- but think about really making the Lakers into a team. The Knicks of Phil’s day would NEVER have put up with Kobe’s lack of D.

NEVER.

EVER.

And the Bulls… well, I don’t wanna even go down this road. MJ would never allow Rasual Butler- even when he was 40 and playing for the Wiz on one leg with no cartilage- to abuse him like he abused #24 last night. Let alone Anthony Johnson in Dallas. Let alone anyone Kobe guarded in Dallas (Devean George, Stack, Josh Howard… and it’s not like Avery Johnson was hiding it- he just saw whoever #24 was on and THEY WENT RIGHT AT HIM).

Ok, why the Lakers WON’T trade him:

- Kobe is still the most fun player in the league to watch- albeit at best, once a week now.
- Kobe’s jersey is the best seller in the league
- Kobe is the most popular player in this town since Shaq and you don’t trade guys like Shaq or…

WAIT! They did. They could! They SHOULD!

Yes, Kobe plays SO hard (once a week- like this past week vs. Spurs) that you have to wonder, could they? SHOULD they?... but then we all need an inventory of the TEAM’s priorities and do a reality check.

At this point, Kobe is a guy who can gear it up once, maybe twice a week during the regular season. He is doing what Laker "fans" always thought Shaq would do if he stayed here. Except Shaq has a ring and was really close to another since he left town.

So you remember a few years ago, the Lakers had to make that choice: Shaq or Kobe (because Kobe said we had to make a choice)? Well, cut to a few years later... and Kobe is now 28 years old with a LOT of wear on the old tires.

And unlike a few years ago, where he was quite clearly the best 2/3 guy in the league- depending on which night it is, he may not even be the best guy on the court. Witness guys like Rasual Butler just taking it to him last night (after a night off). Let’s review that once more:

Rasual Butler.

And yes, I know... it's N.O./Ok. City... but the Lakers are coming off a shellacking at Dallas- where, to those of us paying attention, Kobe LOST the game on the defensive end to close the half but you have to LEAD if you are the leader.

Let's review the Dallas loss for a second so those who might not understand get it: Lakers down 52-46... with 2 mins to play in the half. The game is CLOSE.

Then… guys- whomever- just start TAKING Kobe. ABUSING Kobe. And whomever Kobe guards- the Mavs go RIGHT AT KOBE. EVERY TIME. Stackhouse takes him to the block. Bucket, 54-46. Kobe now goes into give-it-get-it-back mode: misses a 20 footer, goes back on the other end to guard Anthony Johnson- who takes Kobe again... 56-46... Kobe comes back on the other end... forgets that he has a TEAM... CHARGING foul on Mamba. Smush fouls AJ- 58-46... Kobe makes a jumper- 58-46... Anthony Johnson then takes Kobe for a little runner- 60-48 and we got to half, ballgame over and... scene.

Look, if Kobe is going to continue to try to lead the charade that he is "leading"... you can't do get just housed to end the half/game. And, Laker fans, we are now 10 years in- he isn’t going to get any younger.

To make up for his lack of leadership ON the court, the new thing, for those watching is Kobe pretending he is a coach- telling other players where to go during timeouts.

And it is sad. Really. It is. When the camera shows this, inevitably the other player- often Smush or Sasha or Bynum or Mo Evans is visibly trying to tune him out- looking the other way as if to say, "Dude, Kobe, leave me alone."

The point is: the Lakers should be a team. And as long as Kobe is here, they never will be.

And speaking of teams- UCLA is a team.

I went to see them beat Arizona yesterday (Chace Budinger is GOOD, btw)… and without Luc Richard Mbah a Moute… they beat down UofA. Good win. If the Bruins can cut down on the TO’s and start making free throws, they are going back to the Final Four.

That’s what I like about TEAMS- you don’t have to write too much about them.

Go Bruins.

Trade Kobe.

CWebb... UCLA-USC... Greg Oden...

I still love Greg Oden. They ran some plays in his direction today as OSU beat Tennessee... but not nearly enough.

I have noticed how he looked like the second coming of Bill Russell in his first few games, and now he has moments where he looks like Marcus Camby.

Well, he still looks better than Andrew Bynum.

Andrew Bynum will be a nice player- he is sort of if Bill Cartwright and Tracey Morgan had a love child. Better post moves than Tracey Morgan. Which leads to my first subject: CWebb... triangle offense dream.

And evidently, a game of chicken is going on. Phil wants him- I want him (because Phil wants him)... but I think Phil wants him to be a team player - he all ready has one prima dona... but it seems that CWebb wants to come- only on his terms with a guaranteed starting position, 30 mins.- which may explain why Phil is blaming it on CWebb's agent for "not calling back."

CWebb would be nice- but he better get his butt back on D if he's coming- and if he isn't willing to earn his minutes...

well, maybe the Lakers should stick with Tracey Morgan.

UCLA-USC today was tremendous. Bruins broke in the Galen Center with a come from ahead last shot by Aaron Aflallo after squandering a 6 point lead down the stretch.

But Tim Floyd is doing a GREAT job at USC- and they are going to be REALLY GOOD. Taj Gibson is a first round pick- one and done, no doubt. And the USC defense is ferocious- today was the best college game I have seen this year.

Next year, when/if OJ Mayo shows up/buys in- USC is going to be amazing.

But UCLA all ready is- because Ben Howland just keeps them coming forward. I am worried that UCLA has gotten down double digits the past two weeks and then tried to recover (they did today, didn't vs. Oregon)... but the Bruins just keep coming. I was also not happy that they didn't put the game away and that the Coach wasn't smart enough to sub out Mata when they were up 3 with the ball down the stretch- but I think he knows it.

And I was watching "Idiocracy" last night (really hilarious movie)... so I didn't watch Kobe last night. Consider this a day off for you, Kobe. Like every first quarter when you are on defense.

Greg Oden and the Lakers...

Well, a man can dream.

So the Lakers gave up- and I do mean gave up- 46 points to the Memphis Grizzlies in the third quarter.

Mike Miller, Hakim Warrick... CHICKY ATKINS... everybody ran by the Lakers. It was as if all the good will was spoiled... and the soul of the team was again put back in the hands of #24.

A shame. All the talk of deeds done well this past weekend were run out of the FedEx Center or whatever that second rate team's building is named for the time being, and as usual, anything that goes on with a Kobe Bryant-led team becomes an adventure (and yes, in one game, Kobe indeed showed this is still HIS team- with Mike Miller scoring 25 and the Lakers giving up 128- it could have been 140 if Memphis had kept going- in a display that was disgraceful).

Yea, I know. Everbody can say how hard on #24 I am... because I am...

But for all the other folks who- with justification- say that Kobe is not the WORST defender for a superstar as long as LeBron and a few others are out there (guys, who btw have never won a ring- so they DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!)- let me just say...

do you think, coming off big wins versus Denver and Dallas, that, oh... say, MJ would allow Mike Miller to get off 25 and his team to get off 128 (108 in the last THREE QUARTERS)?

Here's a question: does Kobe mind getting outscored 30-20 and win tomorrow night vs. TMac and the Yao-less Rockets...

or does he try to keep up mano a mano?

History says he tries to trade baskets... and the Lakers go 0-2.

I hope i'm wrong- but this would be a place to start proving me wrong. If Kobe wants to lead...

LEAD, Mamba. Get into Memphis' ass and bury them (it's MEMPHIS). And oh yes, to be fair... my man Luke was 1-8 and was not exactly Scottie Pippen out there... so I said it- a negative word against a Walton. Nate, you are next.

Anyways, there was something on ESPN that made me even angrier: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin.

Look, Wisconsin is a nice team- they play hard, the kid Alan do (GREAT NAME) Tucker is a stud...

but OSU has GREG FRIGGIN ODEN...

and OSU has not run ONE PLAY FOR THE GUY ALL YEAR.

I am starting to think that with the new age restriction in the NBA that Oden would have been better off going back to high school- maybe even middle school.

Thad Matta is a joke. OSU has so much talent... and they run zip, zilch, nada. They may make the final four (they should- they have the best post player since Shaq)... and yet, blech! Thad Five... that's what he should get for the horrible offensive sets they run. Greg Oden is out setting picks and somehow his team always seems to reverse the ball to whatever side he is not on. The team reminds me of all the people who jump up and down in back of Marv Alpert when they cut to him before the second half- "Hey Ma! I'm On TV!!!" I guess OSU will be a bunch of guys who can say, "I played with Greg Oden!!!!"

Look, I know people are gonna get into the fact that they have lost twice with Oden- tonight and to Florida- but there is no excuse for the fact that they run nothing for Oden- and I don't care that he has two broken wrists, torn tendons or whatever... GET HIM THE DAMN BALL DOWN LOW.

Anyways, in a perfect world, Kobe Bryant would be coached by Thad Matta (or Dick Motta even) and Greg Oden would play for Phil Jackson.

Hey, it's my blog.

LUKE WALTON- LAKERS AND BRUINS MVP

sure, i may be still glowing over the fact that in the last week, the immergence of luke walton- bill walton's son (note: as the son of a famous dad, it is always worth an exhalation when your dad is known for being your dad as opposed to you being known as his son)- has become the heart and soul of the los angeles lakers franchise (i love it when i can put together a sentence that sounds like it could have been spoken by chick hearn).

that is not to say that kobe is not still the most dominant ever- or even being most dominant on the team at least (whatever makes kobe happy really- as long as he continues to play the team ball that, with the exception of the hiccup in sacto the other night- is exactly what championships are made of) but...

the team- the way the team runs, acts, passes, LIVES now resembles young luke ("use the force for good, young luke!")- and i am not saying that just because he personally outscored the mavs 7-2 to bring the TEAM from down 88-83 to up 90-88... i am saying it because guys like turiaf, farmar, sasha are contributing nightly because the flow- the force is going through luke (i also love it when i can fashion a sentence that sounds like it could have been spoken by luke's dad).

and it is a beautiful thing because when the soul of the team lives with luke, it lives with the TEAM- and THAT is why i watch these derned things night in and night out.

and because the tone- the timbre- the soul of the team is starting to resemble luke, all is swell in lakerland.

read these quotes post game:

luke on scoring, rebounding, whatevering: "it has to be done if we want to win. You don't have time to think about it. You do whatever it takes, whether it's passing, scoring, rebounding. You get in there."

how about this from sasha vujacic after being told he was the hero of the game.

"A hero when we win the championship," he said. "Not yet."

i'm sorry, was that sash vujacic with that last comment? hot dang, we got ourselves a TEAM!

phil on smush: "he came out of nowhere to get to that ball. smush just came off and found him, did a great job."

i had to give a shout out to smush- that play will be talked about back in new york city all summer long... it is rare when the defender POSTERIZES the guy going to the hoop... and this is one of those occasions.

but in the end, it's luke who is setting the table- and the tone- and i can only hope it carries: "teams like Dallas and the Spurs play like that every night and right now, we're playing like that against them, then we kind of drop off the level of play against the teams that aren't that good. So to be an elite team, you have to be playing at that level every night."

throw it down, big man- throw it DOWN.

NOW- I SAID LUKE IS UCLA'S MVP... WHY IS LUKE THE MVP OF ALL LOS ANGELES BBALL? HERE'S WHY:

last night, post game, i was so psyched, my wife actually indulged and allowed us to watch the fox postgame special on young luke.

and it got me thinking- not only is luke responsible for turning the lakers back into a TEAM... but he is solely responsible (ok, partially- but here me out) for BEN HOWLAND coming to ucla.

how so, you wonder...?

here's how: if luke had come to ucla and played under whoever the coach was before howland, that coach would still be here.

NO DOUBT.

and though MY bruins- yes MY BRUINS- took a loss to oregon, i could not be more proud of how ben howland has turned around ucla- and it is partially because luke wanted to play for a real coach.

now i am sure that if coach howland were at ucla when luke was in h.s., he would have come- there is no way any of us (including his dad) would have had it any other way.

but the fact that he did the right thing, and went to a place where they took the game seriously from a TEAM perspective, made u of a great... and eventually turned the ucla program around too.

because IF luke had come to ucla, the old coach might still be here.

and that would be a bad thing.

but i was most impressed with how the bruins took their only loss of the year.

aron afflalo had the responsibility of guarding aaron brooks- who had a huge game, said: "I never did (stop him). it was my fault. I never thought I'd feel this low, I just thought this team couldn't be beat.""

"The last play of the game was really my fault. I wanted to go for the win," coach howland said. "I thought we would be able to penetrate and kick out for a 3, and it wasn't there. We were really tentative and did not get a good shot at the end of the game. You never want to lose. Everyone wants to be undefeated, but it's very unlikely that it will happen.""

no doubt. painful bur realistic. thank god ben howland has changed the tone of ucla...

and we can thank luke walton too. sometimes the light is shining on me...

Kobe reads... Laker fans love it!

Since Last Friday's Peter Vecsey article, the Lakers are on a roll- with last night being the best game they have played.

Some were worried when Kwame went down, but again, as last night showed... if Kobe concentrates on TEAM- the TEAM WINS.

"Kobe facilitated a lot of things tonight," Jackson said. "I know there's some people out there that really wanted him to score … but he did the right thing in the type of game that was being played. I think he felt very comfortable with that too."

No doubt, Coach.

ANd this... "It felt great," Bryant said. "Fantastic. I said I needed a night off. You guys are working me too hard — double overtime, triple overtime, overtime. In all seriousness, I'd much rather have this type of game, everybody just playing, having fun. It was the most fun we've had all year."

Well, at least he's SAYING the words- and living them.

"It's contagious, man," Luke Walton said. "That's the way the game's supposed to be played. [Bryant] should have had, like, 16 assists. We blew a couple of them. I blew one or two myself. Whole defenses collapse on him because he's such a dominant player. When he kicks it to us, we get wide-open shots, wide-open layups. It's fun to play. It's fun to watch. I think that's the way as a team we will be the most successful, is if we play like that. Kobe's talented enough to get us a win, doing it by himself, but when we get to the playoffs in the West, it's got to be a team game. We're talking playoffs around here."

Coincidence?

NOT!!!

Amazing how Peter's article paid dividends...

The Lakers beat Sacto in OT last night in a game that shows the joys and pain that it is to follow the Lakers with Kobe.
They won.
Exhale.
It was exciting.
Waahoo.
But there was no reason for the excitement.
Friends of mine have always made fun of my love for the blow-out... but I can't lie, I love em.
And the Lakers were DOMINATING Sacto for a while... they gave up 18 in the first- EXACTLY how they should be playing... inside out baskteball with Bynum and Cook and Kobe playing as a TEAM (even tho I should have seen the signs when they gave up 40 in the second quarter).
And then... because (prolly) they were playing basket for basket... it escalated...
and then they can't stop the pick and roll and there's a mess.
Well, a win's a win I guess...
but when Kobe has as strong an offensive performance as he did last night- for some reason, Eric Musselman didn't run Kevin Martin ANYTHING last night... which is why he probably isn't long for the job... anyways, when Kobe has that strong an offensive night- it means the defense isn't what it should be.
NOW...
CAN WE TALK UCLA!!!!
Ben Howland did a great job of getting the Bruins to do what the Lakers couldn't do- namely play d on the road. The Bruins shut down a very much improved OSU squad in the Bruins first real road game of the year (they won the Maui classic on the road but it is a neutral court).
I can't say what a pleasure it is to watch Howland and co.- it really warms my heart.
Makes me even forget about the last coach.
What was his name again?

Well, somebody paid attention: our pal Peter Vecsey.
Huzzahs to Peter.
You know the fascinating thing about getting press to cover the Kobe situation is that Kobe READS it.
You KNOW he does. And good for him for taking the criticism and dealing with it.
And the even better thing- in this reporter's humble opinion (God how we all miss Chick)- is that HE ADJUSTS!
Kobe comes out- granted it was against Philadelphia- and plays his best game of the year after the article.
He is economical on offense and the defense is- well... better.
Andre Miller missed some chippies- but all in all, the Lakers hold Philly to 94 and give hope that even without Kwame, if Kobe actually plays defense, it won't matter.
Well, we'll see.
Happy new year to all!

when will the press pick up on the fact that kobe plays no defense.

when?

i know the lakers keep winning- and as phil said the other day, "you gotta love the one you're with"... but my god, can nobody see this?

the brunt of the work vs. orlando- as is most nights since lamar went down...is being done by the second unit- when kobe is off the floor not trading basket for basket,

last night grant hill looked like turn back the clock night against kobe- and trevor ariza hasn't looked that good since he was back at westchester high.

watch this, it happens almost every time and coaches are catching on- pick and roll with the lakers- kobe basically goes right into the screener- almost tackles him every play- leaving all responsibility to kobe's guy (who has no position because kobe has basically set a double pick then).

roland lazenby had some insight- FINALLY from someone with enough guts to say it (tex- as always) here:

http://lakernoise.blogspot.com/

here's the quote: Tex Winter: The problem is even more pronounced defensively.

“Kobe’s defense is not what it used to be. He’s kind of a roamer and he’s getting burned quite a bit.” “Perhaps he’s trying to do that too much. He needs to be more selective, but — you almost hate to say it — he also needs to be more aggressive. He can’t be so passive. It’s gonna be very hard for us, the way he’s playing right now.”

let's look at the last few games- within a week, mamba let an opponent score 60 (Gilbert Arenas) and another 40 (Dwayne Wade)- to say nothing of Vince Carter's 31 in three quarters before Mo Evans came in to rescue him defensively in the fourth quarter- i figured maybe SOMEBODY would catch on to this... but it hasn't been reported ANYWHERE.

how about this:

kobe is now the first guy to score 60 and GIVE UP 60.

hello? anybody in the press gonna see this?

and... NOBODY is writing that phil is hiding kobe on the defensive end- because he can't check anybody.

the lakers are starting to play zone more to hide kobe's inability to get over/through picks... and as the road trip is proving, when #24 is not on the court, the defense picks up the team (the 34-7 run at minnesota to win the game w/ #24 on the bench- mo evans checking v.c. in the fourth at nj)... and if kobe stays on the court, it is basket for basket- a game the lakers cannot play (the wizards, the heat)...

and the TEAM wins.

even tho kobe may be the most competitive one-on-one player... ever (maybe)- kobe stopped playing d somewhere after the second ring- saving it all for the offensive end- but it is now getting a little crazy- and how does an entire sporting press MISS THIS?

Now Kobe is blaming his teammates post-dwade, (so phil took another public dig at shaq to try to get people's attention to something- ANYTHING! else)- and, unfortunately... kobe is not taking responsibility: ""When we have Kwame [Brown] in there, there's certain things that we can do defensively. But he was in foul trouble most of the night, so when he would go out, we'd put Andrew in there. Putting an 18-year-old kid up there, trying to control Wade coming off that pick, it might be a little too much for them." Way to man up, Kobe. Way to be a good teammate.

anyways, thought i'd vent here. as much as i love phil and think that the job he is doing is of legendary proportions (imagine this team with, say rambis or rudy t)... #24 drains my love of the game.

of course... i guess it could be worse.

i could be in new york.

opening thoughts...

i gotta basketball jones. i love basketball... GOOD basketball- well played basketball. i love it. at times, i can get into the skip-to-my-lou of it all. but at the heart of my love of the game- and why i start a blog or care enough to spend time sharing my opinions- is because i love the game when it is played as a team- when everybody is working toward the same goal- literally and figuratively- on both ends of the floor.

so here's my ground rules:

as long as it's for the betterment of the team- i will always be kind. if it's not... well...

so you know- about me: i grew up two miles from the ucla campus. my first basketball loves were two fold: the wilt led lakers team and the walton led ucla bruins of 1971-1972. and it has been all down hill since.

ok, i slightly exaggerate- the magic led lakers of the 1980's and the larry brown bruins fo 1979-80 got me through puberty. phil jackson and, exhale, ben howland have ushered me into what sometimes passes for adulthood.

my point: these are the standard bearers: john wooden. bill sharman. phil jackson. larry brown. bill walton. wilt. magic. magic. i'll say it again: magic. kareem.

i know you might not be able to relate- but these men played the game and coached the game how I like it. as i said, i can put up with highlights as much as the next guy- i remember the ORIGINAL dunk contest (they showed it i think on kcop or channel 5 lo those many years ago...)... i can put up with watching steve nash (it's fun- but it doesn't win championships- DEFENSE does, always will)....so...

i am starting this blog so i can stop bugging people online and just vent. here we go!

ple online and just vent.

i love this game and so...

here we go!