What do you do when you’re in need of a little motivation in order to defend your title as world champions? If you’re Sean Payton you call on 5-time world champion Derek Fisher.

Saints want to know the secret to Fisher's success. (Photo: YardBarker.com)

According to TMZ, Fisher has been asked to deliver a pre-game speech to the New Orleans Saints on their September 9th season opener against the Minnesota Favres Vikings.

Hoping to unlock the secrets to repeating as champions, the Saints could learn a lot from a guy working on the second three-peat of his career.

Who knows, D-Fish could have a second career in the works. Dan Loumena of the L.A. Times Lakers Blog sees Fisher as a Tony Robbins of the sports world and why not. Fisher’s poise and composure have been the rock which Phil Jackson has built his twin L.A. dynasties on. Of course, repeating in the NBA is a much more reasonable feat to accomplish than doing so in the NFL.

Good luck with that, New Orleans. While the NBA has seen 5 repeat champions, including three three-peats, in the last two decades the NFL has just three instances of repeating with no three-peats to speak of.

With Pau Gasol in India, Kobe Bryant doin’ work (on-line) in the Philipines and now Fisher off to motivate the N.O., the Lake Show is in high demand this offseason. No word yet on whether or not Adam Morrison will be asked to speak to the Cal Sate San Marcos women’s cross country team before they begin their NAIA title defense this fall.

Let’s keep this short and sweet. Since Ron Artest has already taken Doc Rivers to task on Twitter, there really is no need to continue to beat this dead horse. However, it bears discussing just how ignorant Doc is for his assessment of the defeat the Lake Show handed to his C’s in the Finals.

Doc thinks that the Lakers wouldn’t have won if Kendrick Perkins was healthy. I’m pretty sure Phil Jackson could have said the same thing about the Celtics back in ’08 when Andrew Bynum was injured. Notice you don’t hear PJ making excuses since Bynum wasn’t at full strength again this year either.

Way to motivate, Doc. You sure had his team ready to go in game 6. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if the C’s close out in 6 we’re not even tripping on who is healthy and who is not come game 7, right?  

Doc seems to believe that an injured role player, not his team blowing yet another fourth quarter lead, was the reason for their demise on basketball’s biggest stage.

Why stop there though? Why not dig deeper, Doc? I’m sure there’s some way you could have blamed Len Bias for your team hoeing game 7.  

News flash, Doc, Perkins was playing on borrowed time any way. The big man with the perpetual scowl was one tantrum away from being suspended for a game. You had to expect losing Perkins at some point in the Finals, too bad for the Celtics it was due to injury.

Yawn…

Kiss the ring, Glenn…err…Doc.

If it would make Celtic fans feel better, maybe you should go ahead and hang a banner with an asterisk.

The NBA’s regular season MVP is award is about as meaningful as Heidi Montag’s opinion on the economy. In an era of hype, highlights and sports celebrity the MVP award has become nothing more than a popularity contest. Look no further than the combined 4 MVPs and 0 rings Steve Nash and LeBron James have amassed while Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have just 2 MVPs against a combined 9 rings.

Bodog.com – your one stop shopping site for degenerate gamblers worldwide – is giving odds on who will win the MVP next season.

No surprise at all, the best player on the planet (ahem…KB24) is going off at 3 to 1 odds. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant and self-proclaimed “King” James are both the odds on favorites to hoist the meaningless piece of metal next year.

Sure, those awards are nice and shiny but hanging banners is what really matters…right? I mean, maybe Kobe’s 2 consecutive Finals MVP awards aren’t as sexy as LeBron’s look-at-me regular season MVPs.

Let’s face it, winning is overrated. Which is why it’s a good thing that the Miami Heat are favorites to win the title since that would mean LeBron will certainly become irrelevant if he wins…right? I mean, that’s the logic these days.

Oh well…sigh…

I guess us poor Laker fans will have to settle for cheering for a great team since we don’t have a great, MVP caliber player on our roster…right?

Quiet as kept, the Philippines is one of the most hoops crazed nations in the world. In fact, Pinoy Pugilist Manny Pacquiao has stated that to this day his first love in the sporting world is the game of basketball.

With millions of fans hungry for hoops, Kobe Bryant is bringing his knowledge to the archipelago nation.

“Dream Makers: Kobe Bryant” is a series that will be broadcasted on-line in the Philippines, concluding with an hour-long special. Slated to complete an 8-webisode run, the US based production company involved is still seeking worldwide distribution for the series.

With Pau Gasol taking the hoops gospel to India and now KB24 doin’ work in the Philippines, there is little doubt as to which NBA franchise is the world’s most beloved. Sorry ESPN, looks like you’ll have to do more to get the rest of the world interested in South Beach hype.

Expect big things from Odom, just don't expect big numbers. (Photo: YardBarker.com)

As Team USA prepares for the FIBA World Basketball Championships, it has become clear that Lamar Odom will factor heavily in Mike Krzyzewski’s gameplan. The 6’10” jack of all trades isn’t likely to lead the team in any major statistical categories as evident by LO’s 0 point, 3 rebound effort in an 87-59 rout of Greece today. However, the Laker 6^th man does provide Krzyzewski with valuable minutes filled with contributions on both end of the court.

Lamar’s defense (4 steals) was key in Team USA’s final tune up before the championships begin. The Queens native is perfectly suited for international hoops. With his patented Swiss Army Knife game, Odom will pose matchup problems in every contest in addition to doing all the little things necessary to take the crown.

Krzyzewski made headlines when he opted to start Lamar at center. In the NBA, Odom might be a little out of place as a 5 but in world hoops he’s more than capable.

Perhaps the most valuable role player in pro ball, LO is an athletic freak capable of playing all 5 positions on the court. In high school his game was likened to that of Magic Johnson and as a Laker Lamar’s done a decent Earvin impersonation with two rings to his name.

Now all that remains is for Odom to atone for the bronze medal he and the US Olympic team came home with back in 2004. The United States hasn’t won the FIBA World Title since 1994. An inexplicable shame when you consider all the talent this great country contains.

If all you do is read boxscores then you won’t know how valuable Odom is to Team USA. Ask any Laker fan and they’ll tell you that Odom’s true value can only be revealed by actually watching him play. We’d all love it if Lamar had a Black Mamba mentality but if winning is all that matters then the only stats one should use to measure Odom are number of championships.

Hopefully Lamar will be bringing a FIBA title back to L.A. to go along with his second consecutive Larry O’Brien. Just don’t expect him to feature prominently on SportsCenter highlights.

In the ongoing efforts of David Stern to make the NBA a worldwide brand, Pau Gasol is being dispatched on a journey to India. The Spaniard won’t be alone in his journeys as he’ll have the Larry O’Brien Trophy riding shotgun to Mumbai.

Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times details Gasol’s “relaxing” summer as the two-time world champion takes a break from his commitments to the Spanish National team, works twice a day with his personal trainer, all the while prepping for his first trip to India.

Gasol’s selection as ambassador to India speaks to how far he’s risen in the hoops world since becoming a Laker just three seasons ago. But that is to be expected when you’re winning titles for the most glorious franchise in all of basketball.

So go forth and spread the gospel, Saint Pau!

Perhaps Pau’s pilgrimage will inspire some youngster in Mumbai to become the Indian Gasol. Hopefully Dr. Buss will own exclusive rights to said Punjabi Pau. And Commissioner Stern making in roads with over a billion potential NBA fans ain’t bad either.

When you shell out nearly $100-million for a basketball team just making the playoffs isn’t enough. When you’re Jerry Buss and you’ve put together many a title contender for a much cheaper price tag then winning the championship is the only consolation for all that coin.

Just in case Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and company weren’t already feeling enough pressure to three-peat (again), Hall of Famer Dr. Buss went out and slapped the “best Laker team we’ve ever had” bullseye on their backs.  

Dr. Buss opened up about the offseason that was – and is still on going – during a Q&A session with reporters at a charity poker tournament yesterday. Buss is confident his team will defend their title (again), even if that means taking out the new King of South Beach and his other Miami Heat teammates in the process.  

“Quite honestly, I think we can beat them [Miami] and I’m looking forward to playing them.”

As if the pressure on his players weren’t enough, Dr. Buss holds all of the organization to the same standards.

“Some time ago, I’m talking to some people and they wanted a bonus if the Lakers make the playoffs. I said, ‘If they don’t make the playoffs, you don’t work here anymore.’ “

While defeating the Heat would be the ideal scenario for Dr. Buss, he does see the Boston Celtics as the true team to beat (again). One more title and the Lake Show would be level with the rivals in Bean Town for hoops supremacy.

“When I bought the Lakers, that was obviously uppermost in my mind: We’ve got to catch up and do to them what they did to us. So Boston has always been very, very special and beating them is always and forever will be special.”

There’s that and then there’s also the added nugget of getting a little more revenge on Shaquille O’Neal. But Dr. Buss is thinking more of what it would mean to Kobe than himself.

“Shaq and Kobe [Bryant] have a little thing going as to who wins the most rings, and so Shaq signing with Boston sets up a potential showdown. I like the drama. I think it’s fabulous. You can’t help but love Shaq. He’s a very funny man. Sometimes he gets a little carried away in his analysis of former employers. But outside of that, he’s quite a guy and we look forward to it.”

We’re not even into September yet and already the upcoming season has all the makings of a classic. Make sure you get your tickets now, Laker fans. With all the expectations Dr. Buss has for his organization you’d better believe he’s holding the fans to the same standards.

For the right offer, Magic will wave "bye" to the Lakers. (Photo: YardBarker.com)

It was bound to happen. Given Magic Johnson’s ever growing business acumen and the perpetual grip the Buss family has on the Los Angeles Lakers, you knew it was only a matter of time until the Magic Man was going to have to leave the coup in order to spread his wings.

In a recent interview, Magic expressed his desire to have a bigger stake in an NBA franchise.

“I’ll still be a Laker forever.  If there’s a chance for me to go run a team, if I felt that’s what I wanted to do, would I take it? Yeah, if the right situation came. I know one day that’s gonna probably happen. I love being with Dr. Buss and the Buss family and working with them, but I know one day something is going to happen. I can definitely see me not being with the Lakers, yeah.”

Magic was rumored to have been in discussions with his hometown Detroit Pistons regarding possible ownership or a front office position. I think it’s safe to say that Magic would have drafted Melo over Darko, but that’s another conversation all together.

The Lakers are the only franchise Johnson has ever kown during his pro career. After retiring, Magic set out to firmly establish himself in the Los Angeles business community and did so with great success. His accomplishments eventually allowed Johnson to purchase a small share of the Lakers.

Aside from the countless fans that would surely miss seeing Magic courtside, it might be Dr. Jerry Buss that would miss his presence most. Buss has been an instrumental figure in Johnson’s professional life and expressed his regret knowing that it is only a matter of time until the right offer comes along for Magic.

“I think he [Magic] would always have a temptation to run the show. He’s a pretty aggressive guy. On the other hand, he loves the Lakers. It’s such a hard decision for him. I don’t know which way that’s going to go.”

Whatever the future may bring for Magic is there any doubt success will follow him no matter where he goes? In addition to being one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Johnson is also one of the more shrewd businessmen to ever come out of the sports world.

No matter what happens Magic Johnson will always be a Laker and will always be welcomed with open arms in Los Angeles. Magic’s roots might be in Michigan but his heart will always be in L.A.

It is long overdue but on Friday, August 13^th, Dr. Jerry Buss was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. As one of the most successful owners in the history of sports, Dr. Buss has helped continue the winning traditions of the Los Angeles Lakers and has grown the team’s following to worldwide support.

We at Lake Show Life wish to extend both congratulations and thanks to Dr. Buss and his family for their continued dedication to making the Lakers the gold standard of professional sports franchises.

In case you missed his induction speech, you can see it in its entirety below.

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