Archive for October, 2011

These days the term job security is an oxymoron when it comes to NBA coaches. Teams that are rebuilding aren’t even patient enough to let new hires make it through an entire season. So if that is the case then Mike Brown knows he’s on the hot seat without even coaching his first game in Los Angeles. Brown inherited a job where coaches can become legends. The names Pat Riley and Phil Jackson are as iconic as Magic Johnson or Kobe Bryant. That is what the Lakers job means. But it comes at a cost. For every Riles and PJ [...]

Kobe Bryant being linked to a proposed slate of exhibitions games never to be and NBA games being canceled: two things you can set your watch to these days. It seemingly all came crashing down today. All hope is not loss but the hopeless proposition of a 50-50 split is still proving problematic. So too is any chance of Kobe Bryant balling anywhere except the NBA. Imagine the irony. Bryant continues to be linked to doomed attempts to play elsewhere. Meanwhile the league he and every other NBAer want to play for continues to take away opportunities. A week’s worth [...]

The NBA lockout has put the entire hoops world in limbo. Right about now we’re doing what all interested parties involved are doing – waiting. Despite all of the doom and gloom there is reason to be optimistic. I mean no way both sides simply walk away with their hands raised in the air and that Bud Selig look of impotence on their faces. Right? After all that goodwill built up by the drama of last season it would be straight up suicidal for David Stern to allow his legacy to be tainted by a costly cancellation. That’s why LSL [...]

It is with great hesitation that I write yet another post about Kobe Bryant going to play somewhere other than in the NBA this year. We’ve been down this path too many times already. Besiktas, Virtus Bologna, barnstorming China, the only thing missing was a report of Bryant balling on the Moon. That would be about as probable as KB24 playing with any of the other aforementioned teams/countries. But this time it appears to be real. Partly because the dude that shot down every previous KB overseas report, Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowksi, confirms this one. Also because this time it involves [...]

Remember that scene in Total Recall when The Governator Nannynator touches down on Mars and tries to sneak through dressed as a woman with an animatronic head? If you’ve never seen the flick then that sentence must sound like one of Shawn Kemp’s drunken ramblings. If you have seen it then you know what I’m talking about. If you’d like to be in on the analogy then peep it here. Basically Arnold thinks he’s being hella slick until the robot dome gets stuck in a loop when he’s asked how long his stay will be. The head starts to repeat [...]

Among the many problems plaguing the NBA lockout is the fact that the owners are anything but a united front. At the heart of the matter, as you’d expect, is the continued insistence on restructuring the NBA’s business model. Some owners demand economical reform. Others are telling those same owners they need spending restraint. Whatever the case this just further illustrates how big of a Lindsay Lohan-esque mess this situation truly is. The L.A. Times put together a fantastic piece that breaks down each owner and where they stand on the lockout. Now keep in mind the league has instituted [...]

Can we have an honest talk for a second? You see, it has been a long week for us. We’re tried. We’ve been grinding, fighting traffic to and from work, fighting deadlines, dealing with unwanted stress. You know the routine. I don’t know about you but at the end of a long week there are few things I like better than coming home, popping the top on a cold one (an over-the-top hopped Cali brewed IPA is how I roll) and watching the Lake Show. A funny thing happened on the way to my usual Friday routine in the fall. [...]

After three days of meditation including one 16-hour session no progress has been made in NBA labor negotiations. No doubt David Stern is on the horn with Santa now telling him not to make any plans to stop by an NBA game during his rounds. No real surprise there. Despite the extra effort there is still one sticking point that is holding up any chances of an NBA season in 2011-12. The continued insistence of the owners on a 50-50 revenue split is what appears to be the pony holding up this show. It is reported that the players have [...]

Mike Brown is still putting together his coaching staff despite the fact that he might not have a team to coach. Today it was reported that former NBAer Darvin Ham has interviewed for a position on Brown’s staff. No word on what Ham capacity Ham would serve. One thing we do know is that Ham can teach the Lake Show a thing or two about how to bring down the house…err…backboard.

David Stern isn’t making any friends by the way he’s handled the current NBA lockout. His self-imposed deadlines and general ill will towards the union have helped to further the feelings of frustration between the two feuding sides. Bryant Gumbel’s rant on HBO Real Sports echoes the many hard feelings brought on by Stern’s approach. Though many might not agree with Gumbel’s choice of words, the emotions conveyed speak loudly and ring true in many ways. None the less Stern’s approach has helped to finally light a fire under the involved parties as evident by the hideously long mediating session [...]