Comments on: Preview & Chat: The Memphis Grizzlies

By: wondahbap

wondahbap — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:58:31 +0000

I think Kobe was padding stats, but he is usually a class act, and I don’t think what he did was reprehensible. Maybe a little tacky. That’s it. Not something he nor NBA players in general always do.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:53:41 +0000

New post up, Hornets preview.

By: kwame a.

kwame a. — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:51:04 +0000

I dont get the need to split Laker fans into categories. I dont think there is some defined group of “negative fans”, just people who view the game differently and voice their opinion differently. In the end, all of here at FBG just want the Lakers to win

It’s the holidays Laker fans, relax, we don’t need to be bicker with eachother, we have Celts Nation for that!

By: Joel R

Joel R — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:47:54 +0000

Going way back to #129 – Thanks … I thought your question deserved some thought, and I tried to give it an honest answer. However, I don’t think I explained my position very well because I honestly won’t (necessarily) deem this season a failure if the Lakers fail to return to the Finals. My best guess is that this team will go deep in the playoffs but my real point (a point that so many others here have expressed more eloquently than I) is that we do ourselves a disservice when we speculate about June games in December. Fretting about playoff positioning now takes the fun out of the regular season, and we should all try harder to enjoy the ride.

The frequently hilarious and always Laker-phobic Basketbawful blog actually had some excellent thoughts today on this very subject:
http://www.basketbawful.com
If a dyed-in-the-wool Laker hater can say that, then we as Laker True Believers owe it to ourselves to take a step back and gain some perspective.

Of course, Basketbawful also harshly critized Kobe for his last-second dunk to end last night’s game, when he could have simply let the clock run out. Anyone here take issue with it? I figure Kobe was frustrated with the two-game losing streak and wanted to put … as the AP wrap-up said … an “explaination point” [sic] on the win. Still, since we’ve been giving KG a hard time around here for his displays of poor sportsmanship I don’t want to necessarily give Kobe a free pass on this one.

By: Sean P.

Sean P. — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:39:46 +0000

140.

on my post in 138.:

After re-reading my comments, I feel that I was too harsh in my third paragraph. I think that it would be more fair to say instead:

“I, for one, would not care if the opinions you offered were more constructive in nature. The problem is that your constant snippets, in which your offer little numerical analysis or tactical acumen, are overwhelmingly negative in tone.”

As for personal attacks, there were none in my post.

By: Zephid

Zephid — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:33:07 +0000

I personally think Sasha is a better fit at point guard than Farmar. Farmar just doesn’t seem to fit in with the Laker’s offense, which is predicated much more on post play and off-ball movement in the triangle. Farmar doesn’t excel at either, and he isn’t the best shooter (although pretty decent). Sasha is a better shooter (usually), he’s bigger, he’s a better defender, and he’s scrappier.

But for all the negative people, chew on this for a lil’ bit: Our team is so good, that we have 2-3 quality players at EVERY position. Chris Mihm and DJ Mbenga would probably start for the Miami Heat (with their starting C and PF being 6’9 and 6’8), and we all know that Ariza, VladRad, and Luke could all start for other NBA teams. Really our weakest position, depth-wise is shooting guard, and we happen to have one of the top 5 shooting guards ever at the tail end of his prime on our team. Honestly, imagine being a Clippers fan instead.

Yea, the team can improve, but that’s part of the joy of watching the game. Imagine reading a story in which the protagonist already knows all the answers and has all the solutions to all problems right from the start. The joy of stories is reading them from the beginning and watching characters evolve and having taken the journey with them.

Heck, Bynum could start dominating in January, and we’ll all forget about this time when we called him lazy. Odom could get traded and Powell could step in *fingers crossed* and we wouldn’t miss a beat. Luke and Vlad may actually merge into one person and become a complete NBA player. That’s the fun in professional sports: you have no idea what can happen in any given moment.

By: MannyP13

MannyP13 — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:31:47 +0000

I agree with #138 and #139. I think that some fans are so ravid that they can’t stand the fact that the C’s have less losses and no matter how the team plays, as long as the C’s remain ahead of us then the sky will be falling.

Conversly, these are the same fans that were prematurely planning for a Laker victory parade when the team was on fire at the start of the season. In fact, I remeber reading a post on another site where people were *seriously* arguing that this team could go undefeated or win close to 80 in the season. Jeez, with unrealistic expectations like that its no wonder some see that the sky is falling.

By: wondahbap

wondahbap — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:18:33 +0000

Sean P & Craig W,

Well put.

By: Costa

Costa — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:18:02 +0000

Wow talking about defending your kin…
I never attacked wondahbap so why is everyone so quick to the resque?
I for one will not resolve to name calling as you did nr.138.If the comment goes through i’d like to end this here.I have no personal likes or dislikes with anyone here. If my opinion is not in conjuction with yours ignore it.

5) No personal attacks on other commenters.

By: Craig W.

Craig W. — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:08:54 +0000

Because you are not overly critical in a loss doesn’t mean you don’t have questions, or that you don’t pound your head in frustration on a seemingly dumb play during a game.

Being critical has very little to do with being an avid Laker fan. My friends say I am the most fanatical Laker fan they know, but I can also sleep after every game – win or lose.

In truth this is entertainment, after all, and a lot of the beauty is the game itself. Of course, that is also it’s frustration.