Archive for December, 2010

This is not how champion are supposed to go about their business. With the game well in hand in the third the Lakers got sloppy and cocky. After opening up a 19-point lead, the Lakers busted out the Harlem Globetrotter act. That combined with more terrible defense led to a nail biting 115-108 victory. The Wizards are a team that still hasn’t figured out how to win on the road this year. Funny thing is the Lakers nearly gifted them a cheap W. John Wall looks like the Leo Messi of the NBA the way he runs at defenders. Continuing [...]

Technically, tonight is the last home game the Los Angeles Lakers will play until December 21st. While their road trip officially begins tomorrow, it is hard to call taking on the Clippers at Staples a road game. In order to maintain their rediscovered momentum, it would be in the Lakers’ best interest not to take their next two opponents lightly. Tonight the Washington Wizards and top pick John Wall come to Staples. Tomorrow it’s the Clippers and their second year rookie sensation Blake Griffin. With a combined record of 11-30 it is easy to overlook the Wiz and Clipps but [...]

Kobe Bryant put Lower Merion High School on the map. The hoops world is all too familiar with Bryant’s alma mater as it produced perhaps the greatest to ever play the game. On December 16th Bryant’s legacy will be forever honored at Lower Merion as the school will be naming its new gym after their most famous alum. Yet another magical moment for Mamba who has been very involved with his former school over the years including making the occasional call to give the hoops squad a little pep talk. In addition, all the proceeds from the unveiling ceremony will [...]

Recently the folks over at the L.A. Times have opened the floor to suggestions for Shannon Brown’s nickname. Just over a year ago Slam Magazine hit Brown with the moniker of ‘ShanWow’. Others have referred to him as ‘Cannon Brown’ or even the less inspired ‘Slammin Shannon’. While I’m not proposing a better title, it does seem like something a little more specific is in order.   Shannon’s game is much more than those highlight dunks but that is truly his calling card. Keeping with that theme, if you check his reel you’ll notice a propensity for double clutch dunks. So, [...]

It wasn’t so long ago that I said to rip up the Andrew Bynum timetable. Well, as it turns out I just might need to fish that schedule out of the trashcan. This weekend, Bynum played in 5-on-5 drills for the first time making a mid to late December return a real possibility. While Phil Jackson isn’t ready to give a date for the return of Drew, there are plenty of indications that he could be on the court in the coming weeks as the Lakers take to the road for a 7 game trip. If Bynum isn’t in the [...]

The Sacramento Kings were just what the Lakers ordered. Coming into tonight’s contest, the Lakers were badly in need of three things: A win, rest and to find their rhythm. Mission accomplished. This one was over before it started. In a game that felt more like a scrimmage, Sacramento put up little fight as the Lake Show cruised to a 113-80 victory. First and foremost, the Lakers got back to basics by controlling the boards, owning the paint and most importantly playing good team D. It wasn’t until the final frame that the Kings actually posted 20 points in any [...]

It was only a matter of time until all these minutes took their toll on Pau Gasol. On Wednesday night in Houston Gasol was slowed by a strained left hamstring that first flared up in Memphis. At one point in the second half the Spaniard left the game for treatment yet returned in time to be on the court for the Lakers’ fourth quarter collapse. As Gasol told the Times’ Broderick Turner the injury prevented him from being able to run and sprint and that has definitely slowed this once unstoppable offense. This past week has shown just how important [...]

So, how did Ron Artest deal with the crushing 109-99 defeat in Houston last night? Well, he dealt with it the Ron Ron way. What exactly might that be, you ask? By calling a local radio show and pretending to be Luis Scola. You can listen to the entire exchange here. Taking a page right out of the Derek Anderson School of dealing with an embarrassing loss, Artest didn’t even try to disguise his voice initially. On top of it all, he said he (as Scola) was going to “celebrate by eating Spanish food.” Which I’m sure can be found [...]

Ummmm…yeah…where to begin? Colin Cowherd has been called many things over the years. The ESPN blowhard is always a sparkplug for controversy. Whether it’s his asinine arguments or his quasi-racist rants, Cowherd has a knack for inserting his foot into mouth often. One thing he’s not ever going to be called is hoops aficionado. This morning, for whatever reason, Cowherd was arguing that Kobe Bryant had a better supporting cast in 2006 than LeBron James in Cleveland around the same time. What was the lynchpin to Cowherd’s argument, you may ask? That Lamar Odom is a Hall of Famer…no really! Look, [...]

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially out of excuses. This team has some serious issues and I’m not sure even Ron Artest’s psychologist could diagnose their problems. To begin, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were pathetic. The two MVPs combined to shoot 12 of 32 from the field with Gasol putting up just 8 attempts scoring only 8 points. Gasol has the excuse of being tired as he put in another 38 minutes of work. As for KB24, well he’s reverting to Kobe circa 2006 when Mamba thought he had to do it all and trusted only his shadow. Lamar [...]