Archive for October, 2010

Out with the old and in with the new. This summer, Mitch Kupchak sought to redefine the bench by giving Phil Jackson some new weapons in his championship arsenal. Enter Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff, mix in the ever expanding game of Shannon Brow, add a couple of impressive yet green rookies (Derrick Caracter, Devin Ebanks) and you’ve got yourself a group of ‘Renegades’. At least that’s what PJ is calling his second string. On Saturday, Jackson gave his starters some early season rest and held a practice session with the bench players only. Afterwards, while speaking to the [...]

Who needs Andrew Bynum when you’ve got a 6’10” do-it-all forward dropping 16 points and pulling down 13 boards a night? Ok, so Lamar Odom still isn’t the defensive force in the middle of the paint that Bynum is but he’s definitely proving why Dr. Buss was so willing to foot the luxury tax bill just to keep LO with the Lake Show. Two games into the young season and Odom is in All-Star form. Last night in Phoenix Odom abused Hedo Turkoglu to the tune of 18 points, 17 big boards and 5 dimes. The type of stat line [...]

Sometimes the Lakers make winning look all too easy. As the sun set on a 114-106 victory in Phoenix a couple of things became clear. For one, the Suns are reaching the conclusion of their JV dynasty with nothing more to show for their troubles than a couple of meaningless regular season MVP trophies and a perpetually disappointed fan base. Secondly, these Los Angeles Lakers have winning down to a science. At no point during last night’s contest did the Lakers seem in danger of taking an L. The Lake Show even beat Phoenix at their own game shooting 44% [...]

Thanks for the memories, Sasha Vujacic – all two of them. Those two throws you sank to seal the deal against Boston will always be remembered. But that DNP-CD you got the other night could be a recurring theme. You got your contract. You have your rings. You’ve even got a tennis starlet ready to exchange vows. Now, you’ve also got a courtside seat at Staples with a worse view than Jack. Give Vujacic credit, he parlayed one stellar post season into $15-million. Shooting 70% from downtown in the playoffs against Phoenix a few years back made us all think we [...]

The curtain went up on the 2010-11 version of the Lake Show and it was a Hollywood ending that had Steve Blake making a curtain call. After one of the classiest ring ceremonies you’ll ever see, the Lakers rose banner number 16 and began the quest to three-peat. The first half was a defensive nightmare for the Lakers. Perhaps a sign of Kobe Bryant’s continued road to recovery and Derek Fisher’s age, the Houston Rocket backcourt demolished the Lakers as Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin did damage. By game’s end Brooks put a healthy 24 points and 9 assists in [...]

The Sacramento DA will not file charges against Matt Barnes. After being arrested on September 8th, Barnes was facing the possibility of being brought up on domestic violence charges. A disconnected 911 call led deputies to his home after an alleged altercation occurred between Barnes and his fiancée. Citing a lack of evidence, the district attorney has chosen not to move forward with the case. While his fiancée denied any altercation occurred, one can only hope this is an isolated incident. As it relates to his professional career, it would be a huge distraction for both Barnes and the Lakers [...]

There is a certain level of celebrity that comes with being a Laker. There is also another level of visibility that is inherent with being a World Champion Los Angeles Laker. Over the years, Laker wives have become almost as well known as their on-court counterparts. Cookie, Vanessa Williams, Vanessa Bryant and the most recent addition, Khloe, will attest to the marrying power achieved by entering into the Purple and Gold family. Not to be left out of this famous fray, both Sasha Vujacic and Shannon Brown announced themselves as the latest to join the Laker celebrity wives club this [...]

Things are supposed to be different for the Golden State Warriors this season. New coach, new players, new attitude…same result though. Last night the Lake Show issued a 120-99 preseason beat down that had the feel of a regular season outcome. No Kobe, no problem. Brian Shaw steps in for Phil Jackson, same result. If GSW is supposed to be a different team then that memo never got to Keith Smart’s locker room. For a team struggling to find a rhythm this preseason, the Lakers certainly were in a groove, failing to reach the 30-point summit only once in four [...]

As expected, Kobe Bryant will not play tonight in the first of two tilts with the Golden State Warriors. What’s unexpected is the absence of Phil Jackson. PJ has come down with the flu meaning Brian Shaw will take the reigns tonight in San Diego. Perhaps an audition for his shot at taking over for Jackson on a full-time basis in the near future, there’s a good chance B-Shaw will be filling in again for Jackson on Friday night as well when the two teams meet in Ontario. Both Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton are expected to go tonight in [...]

The shooting woes, the limited minutes and the pressure to perform are hogging the early season headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers whenever Kobe Bryant is discussed. Bryant’s body is finally showing the wear and tear of playing through countless injuries spread across some major minutes being logged in the preseason, regular season, postseason and even the Olympic Games. Thus far in 6 preseason contests, Bryant is just a shadow of the Black Mamba we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing perform at the highest level night in and night out. Averaging just 19-minutes per contest, Bryant is shooting a pathetic [...]