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has added a new journalAfter the 2006-2007 season ending defeat in the first round of the playoffs, it's obvious the Lakers need to make some serious changes in the off-season to improve the team! Let's hear your ideas Laker fans.... ???
Ali-babooo
well... we've been saying it for so long.. and now they FINALLY traded kwame brown!hopefully, the addition of pau gasol will make the Lakers a legitimate contender in the west.
lowCortisol
Keep Kobe (if his 'tude changes for the positive.)get rid of Kwame (for Artest?)
get rid of Brian Cook and his wooden knees.
get rid of Sasha (or send her to the WNBA)
Artest and Jason Kidd are free agents at the end of the year...
Ali-babooo
I would start by trading Kwame Brown.... that guy is a major disappointment!
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has added a new journalkeeping my fingers crossed .... hopefully they can go on a streak now while they play some average teams over the next week !!!!
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has added a new journalso, it looks like the deal will be done today. there has been speculation for the past month or so, that Ron Artest may have actually ended up as a Laker. this would have given the Lakers a very strong defensive presence and a much needed second scoring option. unfortunately, what the Pacers wanted back in return was too much for the Lakers to let go. Odom and Bynum were off the table. obviously, Kobe is, and rightly so, untouchable.
i had secretly hoped to land Artest but wasn't willing to give up on Odom just yet. i think he'll be great as a third wheel if we do ever get a second marquee player to battle along with Kobe.
well, with the deal going down and the Lakers not being involved, you'll start seeing a flurry of trades before the February 23rd trade deadline.
there is some friction in Minnesota, with Kevin Garnett supposedly asking to be traded after their last game/loss (and a 19 point come from behind victory by the 76ers.)
now, i'm daydreaming of KG and Kobe on the court together. i will gladly ship Lamar out to the freezer drawer called Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. again, a very long shot with all sort of salary cap implications which would make it unlikely... but hey, i can dream. right?
i'd like to keep Smush, Kobe, Lamar, DGeorge. Kwame and Bynum but they rest of the Lakers are trade bait, as far as i'm concerned.
i was wondering what your guys thoughts were on the current roster and who'd you like to see in a Lakers uni alongside number 81?
last but not least... Kobe has my vote for MVP so far this season. no one else is as important to their team right - not even Steve Nash.
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has added a new journalSeems like a good time to find out a little more about just what kind of NBA fan you are. Play along, and all will become clear in a few minutes
1) Which approach would you prefer to see from an NBA player?
A: Always work hard but enjoy free time
B: Live it up, then take the games seriously
2) Now being the crucial time of the NFL season, whom would you rather watch as a hoopster?
A: Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme, because his daring and skill would make him an exciting, gritty gunner
B: Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis, who would be a Charles Barkley-like power source with surprising agility to awe and inspire
3) What's the main reason to respect LeBron James?
A: Michael Jordanesque work ethic to make what is already great into the best
B: Magic Johnson-like power to be a solo star dedicated to team ball
4) What's the main reason to root for Mark Madsen (besides hoping he wins another championship so he'll bring back those memorable dance steps)?
A: Truly a good-hearted, nice guy
B: An underdog making the most of what he has
5) Which is the cooler accomplishment?
A: Inspiring a home crowd and celebrating with your team
B: Silencing a road crowd and celebrating with your team
6) Which is more important?
A: The first three quarters
B: The fourth quarter
7) Which better summarizes your take on the NBA dress code?
A: Players should get to wear what they want and not be forced into being serious
B: A willingness to be professional is part of the maturation process that can never happen too fast
8) Which is the better approach to working with teammates?
A: Congratulate or berate them immediately when stuff happens
B: Joke around or give gifts to foster team harmony
9) Which was more embarrassing to you?
A: Not winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics
B: The Pacers brawling with Pistons fans
10) Which is worse?
A: Missing free throws
B: Missing open teammates
The scoring:For questions 1-3, give yourself one point for every A response and three points for every B response. For questions 4-7, three points for every A and one point for every B. For questions 8-10, one point for every A and three points for every B.
Once you have tabulated your score, read on.
Let's assess the results using the concise terminology of those close to the Lakers in recent years: If you scored 10-19, you are "a Kobe guy." If you scored 21-30, you are "a Shaq guy." The closer you are to 10, the closer you are to No.8. The closer you are to 30, the closer you are to No.32.
And if you scored 20, you are stuck in between and your name is Phil Jackson.
The point of this exercise is to address the reality that many local fans are torn over what happened to the Lakers and the split of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. It is especially true when games like Heat-Lakers on Monday night roll around and difficult for those who would score the biggest numbers on this quiz in support of the Big Fella.
One might argue that if you're a deep-seated Shaq guy, you should adopt the Clippers. They're decent now, and you're never going to love the Lakers with Bryant as their darling as you once did.
But consider Jackson. He was a Shaq guy, one would say - though not as unswerving as some might think - and has turned with the tide and become a Kobe guy. It is possible to be one while respecting the other.
Which is exactly what happened for a good stretch there in 2001-02 when Bryant and O'Neal were friends. They respected what was different about the other and used it to make themselves more whole.
It was wonderful to see O'Neal reach out to Bryant before the game. Maybe the wall can start to crumble now the way Jackson hopes it can.
I asked Jackson, a clear opponent of the O'Neal trade at the time, before the season if it had occurred to him that should he win a title with Bryant and Lamar Odom, it would only validate the Lakers' decision to get rid of O'Neal.
"Yeah," Jackson said. "That would be the obvious justification for the move."
He didn't have any more to say about it. It is what it is, and it was what it was.
After our little test, you should know definitively on which end of the court you stand. It is up to you whether you're now further fired up to throw more spitballs at that other camp or you decide to appreciate the good qualities of the other - as perhaps Bryant and O'Neal are starting to again.
-OC Register
Kevin Ding