Upstart Could Be Lakers Biggest Challenge

One of the most discussed topic of this NBA preseason is who will present the biggest challenge to the Lakers quest for another three-peat. 

Will it be LeBron, Wade and Bosh in Miami? 

What about Boston and the Big 3 plus Shaq? 

Or will the most dangerous challenge come from within the conference?  If you ask the Lakers, the answer just may be the latter.

No diehard Lakers or Celtics fan will ever forget last year’s epic seven-game series, which ended with the Lakers cutting down the nets for the 16th time in franchise history thanks to an 83-79 win in the deciding game.  Considering how physically and emotionally draining that series seemed to be, one might argue that the Boston series was the Lakers’ most difficult postseason series in 2010. 

Well, one might be wrong.


foxsportswest.com: Upstart Could Be Lakers Biggest Challenge

Regardless Of Celtics Signing, Shaq Is A Laker For Life

Sports fans have long been known for short memories.  Although Janet Jackson was speaking on behalf of neglected women back in 1986 with her song, "What Have You Done For Me Lately," she might as well have been speaking for fans of sports teams.

It's amazing how a player can be so beloved one day and despised the next, and vice versa.  Remember how much Lakers fans hated Karl Malone during his Hall of Fame career in Utah, only to make a 180 degree turn when he signed with the Lakers in 2003?  And should I even mention LeBron James?  Yeah, probably not.

The latest example of a fan base turning irate towards one of their former players involves one of the game's and the Lakers' best players of all-time:  Shaquille O'Neal.

foxsportswest.com: Once A Laker, Always A Laker 

Kobe Named Player of the Decade

Los Angeles Lakers guard and 2009 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant is Sporting News‘ NBA player of the decade.

The honor is part of a 14-page tribute to the athletes, coaches and teams of the 2000s in the new issue of the magazine, which arrives this week at all Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets. SN honored one athlete in each sport and enlisted the help of teammates, coaches and legends to make a case for both the winner and runner-up.

Said former teammate Shaquille O’Neal of Bryant: “The thing about Kobe is that, over the course of my career, I have never played with anyone who was as fierce as he is. By fierce I mean just having that extra killer instinct that you know when the game is on the line he is not going to shy away from the big shot, he is not going to make excuses. If we would go into the fourth quarter, playoffs or just some game in the season and we were within a little bit of the other team, Kobe was not going to shy away from the challenge of getting the win. He was going to take the shots.”

Bryant was SN’s player of the year in 2008. But 2009 was his favorite. “This year meant a lot,” he told SN. “We won a championship. It was satisfying, very satisfying, because we put in a lot of time and effort to fix things and get better. It’s a great memory. I feel that we just had such a great team, such a fun team, from our chemistry to the way we executed. We went through some years and years of frustration to get to that point.”

Bryant also made SN’s NBA all-decade team:

FIRST
G Steve Nash
G Kobe Bryant
F Tim Duncan
F LeBron James
C Shaquille O’Neal

SECOND
G Allen Iverson
G Dwyane Wade
F Dirk Nowitzki
F Kevin Garnett
C Yao Ming

Jury Duty Musings

Welcome to the LA Superior Courthouse Jury Assembly Room in Torrance. That is where I sit as I type this post. I was called Tuesday to serve after postponing a previous requirement. With my schedule, it's really hard to predict when a week in the future will be better or worse than another. So, thus, here I sit.

We are at lunch right now as jury selection continues. If I am not called to serve on this particular trial, my service will be completed. Wish me luck!

I'm trying to use this time to prepare for tonight's Lakers/Suns game. Regardless of what happens here at LA Superior Court, I will be working courtside tonight at Staples Center.

As I do my normal research, I stumbled across a few tidbits I thought I would share with you.

I know several Lakers fans will be disappointed not to see Shaq in the house tonight. After last night's 35-point performance against the Bucks, he left Phoenix bound for New Jersey to attend the funeral services of his 92-year old great-grandmother. My condolences go out to Shaq and his family.

Speaking of Phoenix, check out this excerpt from an article by Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times: "The NBA is going to announce today that it will present its All-Star Saturday night program of the slam dunk contest, three-point shooting contest and skill challenge in a three-dimensional format at 80 movie theaters around the country Feb. 14. 'This is about embracing new technology and being innovative,' said David Levy, president of Turner Broadcasting Sales Inc. and Turner Sports. Levy said he is not concerned that the theater showing would negatively affect television ratings on TNT. 'We're aiming at the Saturday night moviegoer,' Levy said. 'And we'll be able to do things with the 3-D cameras that we wouldn't normally be able to do with a live game.'"

Is it just me or do you think we are getting closer and closer to having technologically-manipulated sports games and leagues? Guys sitting at home on their couches calling plays and substitutions through their Xbox3600 or PS30? Ok, well, that might be a stretch, but you feel me, right?

We often view owners of sports teams as money-grubbing old men who don't give a damn about the fans. They only want their money, and are unwilling to go the extra mile to earn the fans trust and respect. At times, that feeling is spot on.

However, that's not always the case as Mark McLane of Black Jesus Disciples explains: "Years ago, I worked for The Home Depot. A coworker of mine was an older gentleman whose retirement hadn't quite stuck the way he hoped. Bored out of his mind sitting around the house, he decided to don a hideous orange apron and make some extra dough while keeping himself busy. Every once in a while, we'd talk Suns basketball (this was during Nash's first MVP season) and while knowledgeable, he admittedly didn't follow the team all that closely any more, and didn't plan to despite my pleas and the Suns incredibly entertaining brand of basketball. The reasons cited were your standard, run of the mill cultural differences, getting too old, that kind of thing. Except the last one he gave. Jerry Colangelo no longer ran the show. It turns out my friend was once a Suns season ticket holder and had been for a number of years. 1988 rolled around and due to a rough economic spot in his life, he and his wife were forced to cancel their season tickets. They made the necessary calls and were soon no longer Suns season ticket holders. Finishing up dinner one night not long after canceling their season tickets, there was a knock at the door. My friend answered to find Jerry Colangelo, donning a three piece suit, hoping to discuss what brought on the cancellation of their season tickets and how he could bring them back into the fold. Colangelo had a cup of coffee, made his pitch, thanked them for their time and continued support of the Phoenix Suns, and went on his way, leaving behind a couple of renewed season ticket holders."

Could anyone imagine Donald Sterling making such a trip? Probably not, but I could totally see Arte Moreno doing it.

And last but not least, you HAVE to read this NY Times article about the oldest college basketball player in the country. I'll give you a little hint, he's old enough to be your grandfather. So much for using the "old" excuse as a reason for no longer balling!

Lakers Media Day

I just returned from the Lakers Media Day festivities held at the team's practice facility in El Segundo.

No real earth-shattering news to report, but there were a few things I thought you might be interested to know.

First, this was one of the more civil and drama-free Laker Media Days I can remember for quite sometime. In the past, there was always seemed to be some underlying tension in the room, whether it was Shaq vs. Kobe, Phil vs. the Lakers or Kobe vs. the state of Colorado. But that was definitely not the case today. And to be honest, it was quite refreshing.

I spoke to Kobe for a few minutes. We were just shooting the breeze, as my dad used to say. He asked about my summer. I congratulated him on his gold medal and asked him about the trip to Beijing. He echoed the sentiments that I have heard from so many people who attend this summer's Olympic Games: it was unbelievable. Kobe has obviously been to the city several times before, and because of that he was able to attend more of the other Olympic events since most of his spare time wasn't spent touring the city. I believe the experience really gave him a greater understand of the entire Olympic experience.

I also spoke to Chris Mihm and he seems as anxious as anyone to tip-off the season. Who could blame him, considering how many games he's missed the last couple of years with a bad ankle. He told me that he spent two weeks in Austin rehabbing with the University of Texas athletic training staff. His trip to Austin wasn't so much about getting better care at UT than he could have gotten with the Lakers, as much as it was just to get away from the constant reminders of that dark rehab period he had to endure. He hopes to have a good season coming off the bench to backup Andrew Bynum. If he is indeed healthy, his availability will go a long way in off-setting the loss of Ronny Turiaf.

One other thing I heard that might be worth paying attention to is that Phil Jackson is considering starting Trevor Ariza over Lamar Odom. Now, there are a couple of reasons why that move could be made: 1) L-O may have fallen out of favor with Jackson and/or the front office and 2) coming off the bench would pit him against the opponents second unit with the belief that Odom could dominate those stretches of the game. Plus, if he comes off the bench, he won't be playing directly alongside Kobe all the time.

Again, it's just a rumor and this point, but it's definitely something worth watching as we get closer to the season opener: Tuesday, October 28th at home against Portland.

Shaq Takes On An Escalade

Just spotted this video on break.com. Check out Shaq trying to out do Kobe by jumping over an Escalade.



Shaq Jumps Over Escalade - Watch more free videos