This was orginally posted 2/1/08 and is being reposted due to an error.
By: Nate Gordon
I'm sitting on my buddy Steve's couch this afternoon watching ESPN after stopping by the rental office to pay the rent, it is the first of the month after all. After the relief of paying for the housing and partaking in some after class activities Steve and I stare into the television and allow the PTI guys to inform us of the days events. The problem was that neither of us were focused on what was actually on the television, Steve was ignoring his girlfriend who was talking to him from the other couch, and I was just staring off thinking about everything that had happened in my life in the last 24 hours. I come out of my day dreaming slightly because I see Lakers on the TV but I can't figure out why; then the words at the bottom of the screen jumped out and inject me with a shot of excitement: "Gasol traded to Lakers". I payed attention just in time to hear Korn-hole say that the deal was for 2 picks, Javaris Crittenton and Kwame Brown and Aaron McKey's contracts.
Futility be damned! No longer shall you haunt the halls of Staples Center! No longer shall you turn sure dunks into missed lay ups, and easy And 1s into missed a lay up plus two missed free throws! Kwame Brown had finally been traded from the Los Angeles Lakers and no longer would the fanbase, and team have to suffer through his uselessness and offensive impotencey that could only be compared to another different impotence. I had to call Jeff (who is home sick with the flu) right away and let him know that the days of Kwame Brown were finished.
"Hello"
"Jeff, the Lakers finally traded Kwame Brown"
"What? Are you serious?"
"Ya man, they traded Kwame, two picks and J. Crittenton for Pau Gasol."
"What!?!?! Dude..."
"What? You don't like it?"
"No dude - J. Crit. is going to be a star man, that was a big mistake"
"But dude, Pau Gasol -"
"Dude, Kwame, whatever, J. Crit is gonna be huge." *click*
I'm thinking to myself the fever has gotten to Jeff's brain, one of the big reasons this blog was started was that Kwame sucked and needed to be traded. We finally got what we wanted and the kid is hung up on J. Crit? *ring*
"Yo Jeff."
"Dude, I'm sorry, the flu must be getting to me, I didn't even realize you said Pau Facking Gasol!"
"Ya dude can you believe it? The Lakers get an All Star big man in his prime to go with Bynum, Lamar, Kobe and D-Fish, this is gonna be huge"
"Ya man Pau can help the Lakers make the Finals"
"And like Steve said to me Jeff, J. Crit would breakthrough before Kobe is done in LA and he will leave for bigger money, this way we get a top notch player for his potential."
That summed it up right there, Lakers management found the right mix of youthful potential, picks and contracts to get the player that could propel the Lakers into the Conference Finals and maybe into the NBA Finals. I would love to see a modern day Lakers vs. Celtics Finals.Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum vs. Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins - what a 7 game series that could turn out to be! There are 6 All Stars in those line ups combined, the ratings would be through the roof. The Finals would finally bring household appeal back to the Playoffs with such an match up. Of course, this is all hypothetical, but one can dream in the hype of the minutes after a blockbuster trade.
The Lakers fanbase pretty much are united in the belief that this trade was a huge step in the right direction for the franchise. Some have gone so far as to say that this is already enough to make Kobe want to commit to the team past 2009. I won't go so far as to say that, but I will say that if he was sitting on the fence when he woke up this morning, he is most likely leaning towards ending his career as a Laker as of right now.
Steve and I agreed that this was a great move and Steve even proclaimed "I'm now going to watch every Lakers game for the rest of my life." He was so happy he even started paying attention to what his girlfriend was saying. I sat back and smiled, finished the after school activities and gathered my things to go home and take care of family business. Even though things were so high in the aftermath of the trade breaking, I was about to be brought back to earth. But then I thought to myself "there is no reason to be brought back down by the upcoming errands, the removal of Kwame Brown from my life was like finally breaking all contact with an ex that was 10% sex and 90% drama and bullshat.
So the Lakers rolled into Toronto with a short bench, but who needs Kwame when Kobe Bryant goes for 46 on 19 of 28 shooting, adding 7 boards and 5 assist. With this 40 point game Kobe moved to 3rd on the all time list with 89, passing James Worthy. The Lakers cruised to a 121-101 victory, Sasha Vujacic was huge in his 26 minutes off the bench dropping 22 points with 4 threes. The Lakers shot 55% and got a much needed win after a tough loss the other night against the Pistons. They are now 1-1 in the 9 game road trip, the inclusion of Gasol on Sunday should increase their odds of finishing the road trip strong.
I called this Good Friday not because it was all good for me, but beacuse it was wonderful for so many people. The day was beautiful, the blockbuster move was made and the Lakers short handed played the Raptors off their own court. Upon reflection it was a good Friday for me as well - the dream I lobbied to have realized for so long was finallly reached - and as Newton theorized "for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction".
E-mail: LASportsblog@gmail.com
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Monday, December 17, 2007
LA Sports Blog: Lakers Prevail in Hallway Brawl
By: Jeff Girouard
So in an attempt not to pull a jinx of monumental proportions, I decided to hold off on any predictions about Kobe’s health in a Weekend Laker Report until I got to see him play on Sunday. Well after intense around the clock therapy, Bryant went and dropped 32 on the hapless Clip show in a 113-92 Laker victory. "We did a good job staying on top of it and making sure that it was good enough for me to go out there and play and help the team. I didn't sleep. I was doing therapy for 24 hours, iced it down, had a weight-training session for my legs, kept stretching and doing what I needed to do.”
He didn’t sleep.
Are you kidding? Without naming names, I ask: Would your franchise player go to such lengths in a 36 hour period, just to play the Clippers? The man treats DNP’s like the plague. He had decent elevation of his jumper and seemed pretty active on D. By the second half he was skying for rebounds (8 on the night) and sinking ridiculous and 1's. Critics will question his shot selection until the day he’s enshrined in Springfield, but no one can ever question his toughness.
After a hot start the Clips have struggled as of late. A quarter of the way through the season and Elton Brand’s absence has taken its toll. Even in Brand’s “down season” in 06-07, you could pencil him for 20 and 10 with a couple blocks. Chris Kaman has filled in admirably this year and as the Clipper’s most formidable post option you knew he was going to come out firing Sunday. Chris ended up with 18 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. His 20 year old counterpart grabbed 9 boards and had 14 points on an efficient 7 of 9 shooting. Though statistically Kaman may have gotten the better of him, Drew’s defense including 6 impressive blocks proved to be the difference. His length challenged Kaman from the outset, forcing him to miss 7 of first 8 shots. As a result, the Lakers were able to build an early cushion and never really looked back.
Luke Walton also had a nice game shooting a solid 6 for 6 from the floor. In Friday’s loss his over-dribbling and ill-timed turnovers cost the team down the stretch. He’s also struggled shooting the ball this season so Sunday’s perfect night had to have boosted his confidence a little.
I’d like to acknowledge the play of Sasha Vujacic. Yes, the Sasha Vujacic. He has certainly endured his lot of hecklers and criticism in his short professional career, but believe it or not his play this season has been...gulp... not bad. He’s actually putting up some decent numbers this season. After cleverly flying under the NBA radar for the past few seasons as a shoot first point guard that couldn’t shoot, Sasha has reclaimed his shooting percentages and is starting to see regular playing time. He’s shooting 45% from the field and a respectable 38.5% from the land of three. In the post game interview Sasha revealed the secret to his most recent success.“Whenever he (Coach Phil Jackson) gives me that confidence that I can let it go and play certain minutes... between 15-20. I’m happy and I like to develop.” There you have it folks. Contrary to popular belief, Sasha Vujacic does in fact like to develop...and he wants 20 minutes a game.
So in an attempt not to pull a jinx of monumental proportions, I decided to hold off on any predictions about Kobe’s health in a Weekend Laker Report until I got to see him play on Sunday. Well after intense around the clock therapy, Bryant went and dropped 32 on the hapless Clip show in a 113-92 Laker victory. "We did a good job staying on top of it and making sure that it was good enough for me to go out there and play and help the team. I didn't sleep. I was doing therapy for 24 hours, iced it down, had a weight-training session for my legs, kept stretching and doing what I needed to do.”
He didn’t sleep.
Are you kidding? Without naming names, I ask: Would your franchise player go to such lengths in a 36 hour period, just to play the Clippers? The man treats DNP’s like the plague. He had decent elevation of his jumper and seemed pretty active on D. By the second half he was skying for rebounds (8 on the night) and sinking ridiculous and 1's. Critics will question his shot selection until the day he’s enshrined in Springfield, but no one can ever question his toughness.
After a hot start the Clips have struggled as of late. A quarter of the way through the season and Elton Brand’s absence has taken its toll. Even in Brand’s “down season” in 06-07, you could pencil him for 20 and 10 with a couple blocks. Chris Kaman has filled in admirably this year and as the Clipper’s most formidable post option you knew he was going to come out firing Sunday. Chris ended up with 18 points and 16 rebounds in the loss. His 20 year old counterpart grabbed 9 boards and had 14 points on an efficient 7 of 9 shooting. Though statistically Kaman may have gotten the better of him, Drew’s defense including 6 impressive blocks proved to be the difference. His length challenged Kaman from the outset, forcing him to miss 7 of first 8 shots. As a result, the Lakers were able to build an early cushion and never really looked back.
Luke Walton also had a nice game shooting a solid 6 for 6 from the floor. In Friday’s loss his over-dribbling and ill-timed turnovers cost the team down the stretch. He’s also struggled shooting the ball this season so Sunday’s perfect night had to have boosted his confidence a little.
I’d like to acknowledge the play of Sasha Vujacic. Yes, the Sasha Vujacic. He has certainly endured his lot of hecklers and criticism in his short professional career, but believe it or not his play this season has been...gulp... not bad. He’s actually putting up some decent numbers this season. After cleverly flying under the NBA radar for the past few seasons as a shoot first point guard that couldn’t shoot, Sasha has reclaimed his shooting percentages and is starting to see regular playing time. He’s shooting 45% from the field and a respectable 38.5% from the land of three. In the post game interview Sasha revealed the secret to his most recent success.“Whenever he (Coach Phil Jackson) gives me that confidence that I can let it go and play certain minutes... between 15-20. I’m happy and I like to develop.” There you have it folks. Contrary to popular belief, Sasha Vujacic does in fact like to develop...and he wants 20 minutes a game.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Why Trade Kobe Whe Other Options Aren't Exhausted?
By: Nate Gordon
Since the NBA Finals the only story in the Association bigger then the referee betting scandal are the trade rumors surrounding one Kobe Bean Bryant aka Black Mamba. Pundits have flip flopped non stop for nearly 5 months telling the world first that Kobe is untradable, then he is the only player every team in the league has to make a move for, and again he isn't worth trading for. This week Chad Ford of ESPN.com explored the idea that Kobe isn't the most desirable or talented player in the league. In the article, Ford uses John Hollinger's PER system, as well as another websites plus/minus stats breakdown to support his point. While I appreciate and respect Chad Ford's opinion, I must purpose a caveat, Kobe Bryant is not only the most desirable player in the league, trading him is both impossible and preposterous and the Lakers are not only at fault, but should of been focusing on getting Kobe help all along.
Kobe Bryant posses the Associations only no-trade clause, the most powerful contract weapon a player can have in their business arsenal. If the pieces aren't in place with another team, Kobe would rather stay in Los Angeles where his family is happy. Would it make any sense for him to uproot his whole life to move into the same situation he is currently in while playing for the Lakers? The Lakers brain trust (if you can all these incompetent men that) led by the Owners son, Jim Buss require any other teams major pieces in a trade for Kobe Bryant. Obviously they don't want to repeat the nightmare that was the Shaq trade (Lamar Odom, Curon Butler and Briant Grant for Shaq, the literal .75 cents on the dollar.) However any trade in which that much talent leaves a team that Kobe goes to in return will be vetoed by the Black Mamba. So what should the Lakers do? What they have done all along, make a public announcement that Kobe is going no where until '09 when he can opt out of his contract, and do everything they can to help Kobe win.
Some people will argue that Kobe is too much of a distraction to keep around, I would strongly disagree. When Kobe re-signed before the '04 season Jerry Buss promised him that he would surround Kobe with enough talent to win another championship. In 2004 the Lakers started Chucky Atkins, Bryant, Butler, Odom and Chris Mhim. You would believe that Atkins and Mhim don't play defense because it is against their faith, Butler needed another year to develop and the bench depth was as frail as the starting depth on the court. In 05 and 06 the Lakers rolled out Smush Parker (the first downgrade a team has suffered after starting Atkins) Bryant, Luke Walton, Odom and Kwame Brown (who they traded Butler for in the off season.) Kwame's hands are smaller then mine, and I'm a foot smaller then him, making him next to useless offensively, the young Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf are young, under developed big men and the questions remained at the Point. Bryant is looking around through 3 seasons and realizing that management have actually regressed, not progressed the squad around him. Frustrated by feelings of losing and betrayal Kobe made his move, he spoke out and demanded that if the team wasn't going to hold up their end of the bargain, then maybe it was time for the relationship to end.
Naturally everyone ignored the feelings of betrayal and lies that the Buss family had fed Bryant 3 years before, focusing on the endgame trade demand. Kobe didn't turn around and start complaining after 1 season, he gave them 3, 3 full seasons to show him that they were committed to the promise they made him and they should no good will in that effort. Kobe spoke up and finally the management began to respond. Instead of letting Derek Fisher go to New York or the Clippers, the Lakers took advantage of Fish's family situation (one we hope is resolved and Tatum Fisher returns to full health) to bring Fisher back home to Staples Center. With the point guard depth and leadership solved you would expect the team to try and fix the issues in the front court; instead they focused on trading Kobe.
The rumors and talking radio shows finally got to Jerry Buss, he was sick of being painted as the bad guy in Los Angeles. He's Dr. Jerry Buss, he's brought countless championships to Los Angeles and he is going to have his ego and ability challenge by 1 player? Hardly. Dr. Buss let his ego get the best of him and decided that the situation was all about Kobe leaving, naturally Dr. Buss again missed the point. So what is the point, and what should the Lakers do instead of this dance of death with the leagues most feared talent? Use what they have to get Kobe the on-court help he desires.
Kwame Brown is in a contract year in which his salary is about 8.8 million dollars. As the trade deadline nears, and with the Lakers crowded in the front court, it would make sense to use Brown's expiring contract and Luke Walton's deal to get Josh Smith from Atlanta, a highly talented defender and team player. Atlanta doesn't want to pay Smith what he will be worth when his contract is up and getting the cap space from Browns contract can be appealing. Smith could seriously upgrade the Lakers at the 3 spot and give Bryant the "Scottie Pippen" he desires. With Odom and Turriaf at the 4 and Bynum's improved play backed up by Mhim at the 5, I see this as an improvement. It may not be an ideal option but it's the first step in the right direction, the direction the Lakers should of headed down in June.
e-mail: LASportsblog@gmail.com for more visit www.ArmchairGM.com search user: LASportsblog or www.RootZoo.com search LASportsblog
Since the NBA Finals the only story in the Association bigger then the referee betting scandal are the trade rumors surrounding one Kobe Bean Bryant aka Black Mamba. Pundits have flip flopped non stop for nearly 5 months telling the world first that Kobe is untradable, then he is the only player every team in the league has to make a move for, and again he isn't worth trading for. This week Chad Ford of ESPN.com explored the idea that Kobe isn't the most desirable or talented player in the league. In the article, Ford uses John Hollinger's PER system, as well as another websites plus/minus stats breakdown to support his point. While I appreciate and respect Chad Ford's opinion, I must purpose a caveat, Kobe Bryant is not only the most desirable player in the league, trading him is both impossible and preposterous and the Lakers are not only at fault, but should of been focusing on getting Kobe help all along.
Kobe Bryant posses the Associations only no-trade clause, the most powerful contract weapon a player can have in their business arsenal. If the pieces aren't in place with another team, Kobe would rather stay in Los Angeles where his family is happy. Would it make any sense for him to uproot his whole life to move into the same situation he is currently in while playing for the Lakers? The Lakers brain trust (if you can all these incompetent men that) led by the Owners son, Jim Buss require any other teams major pieces in a trade for Kobe Bryant. Obviously they don't want to repeat the nightmare that was the Shaq trade (Lamar Odom, Curon Butler and Briant Grant for Shaq, the literal .75 cents on the dollar.) However any trade in which that much talent leaves a team that Kobe goes to in return will be vetoed by the Black Mamba. So what should the Lakers do? What they have done all along, make a public announcement that Kobe is going no where until '09 when he can opt out of his contract, and do everything they can to help Kobe win.
Some people will argue that Kobe is too much of a distraction to keep around, I would strongly disagree. When Kobe re-signed before the '04 season Jerry Buss promised him that he would surround Kobe with enough talent to win another championship. In 2004 the Lakers started Chucky Atkins, Bryant, Butler, Odom and Chris Mhim. You would believe that Atkins and Mhim don't play defense because it is against their faith, Butler needed another year to develop and the bench depth was as frail as the starting depth on the court. In 05 and 06 the Lakers rolled out Smush Parker (the first downgrade a team has suffered after starting Atkins) Bryant, Luke Walton, Odom and Kwame Brown (who they traded Butler for in the off season.) Kwame's hands are smaller then mine, and I'm a foot smaller then him, making him next to useless offensively, the young Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf are young, under developed big men and the questions remained at the Point. Bryant is looking around through 3 seasons and realizing that management have actually regressed, not progressed the squad around him. Frustrated by feelings of losing and betrayal Kobe made his move, he spoke out and demanded that if the team wasn't going to hold up their end of the bargain, then maybe it was time for the relationship to end.
Naturally everyone ignored the feelings of betrayal and lies that the Buss family had fed Bryant 3 years before, focusing on the endgame trade demand. Kobe didn't turn around and start complaining after 1 season, he gave them 3, 3 full seasons to show him that they were committed to the promise they made him and they should no good will in that effort. Kobe spoke up and finally the management began to respond. Instead of letting Derek Fisher go to New York or the Clippers, the Lakers took advantage of Fish's family situation (one we hope is resolved and Tatum Fisher returns to full health) to bring Fisher back home to Staples Center. With the point guard depth and leadership solved you would expect the team to try and fix the issues in the front court; instead they focused on trading Kobe.
The rumors and talking radio shows finally got to Jerry Buss, he was sick of being painted as the bad guy in Los Angeles. He's Dr. Jerry Buss, he's brought countless championships to Los Angeles and he is going to have his ego and ability challenge by 1 player? Hardly. Dr. Buss let his ego get the best of him and decided that the situation was all about Kobe leaving, naturally Dr. Buss again missed the point. So what is the point, and what should the Lakers do instead of this dance of death with the leagues most feared talent? Use what they have to get Kobe the on-court help he desires.
Kwame Brown is in a contract year in which his salary is about 8.8 million dollars. As the trade deadline nears, and with the Lakers crowded in the front court, it would make sense to use Brown's expiring contract and Luke Walton's deal to get Josh Smith from Atlanta, a highly talented defender and team player. Atlanta doesn't want to pay Smith what he will be worth when his contract is up and getting the cap space from Browns contract can be appealing. Smith could seriously upgrade the Lakers at the 3 spot and give Bryant the "Scottie Pippen" he desires. With Odom and Turriaf at the 4 and Bynum's improved play backed up by Mhim at the 5, I see this as an improvement. It may not be an ideal option but it's the first step in the right direction, the direction the Lakers should of headed down in June.
e-mail: LASportsblog@gmail.com for more visit www.ArmchairGM.com search user: LASportsblog or www.RootZoo.com search LASportsblog
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