Sunday night marked the arrival of a new, long-term houseguest in Lakerland – the ghost of roster future. In the absence of Kobe Bryant – a scenario initially not expected to come to fruition for handful of years – all eyes will be on Dwight Howard to recapture his MVP form of years past and […]
The Lakers And All-Star Saturday – A Retrospective
Halfway (well, 65.8%, but who’s counting) through its annual marathon, the NBA bestows upon its rank-and-file (players, coaches, hell, fans) a much-needed four-day respite from the mental and physical grind of 82 in ~175. In 2013, nowhere is this midseason oasis more welcome than in Lakerland, where, in depressingly short order, euphoria and stratospheric expectations […]
Preview and Chat: The Charlotte Bobcats
Records: Lakers 23-27 (10th in the West), Bobcats 11-37 (15th in the East) Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.1 (8th in the NBA), Bobcats 98.7 (29th in the NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.2 (t-17th in the NBA), Bobcats 108.7 (30th in the NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Earl Clark, Dwight […]
Preview and Chat: The Utah Jazz
Records: Lakers 17-25 (12th in the West), Jazz 23-19 (7th in the West) Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.5 (6th in the NBA), Jazz 103.6 (12th in the NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.7 (t-19th in the NBA), Jazz 103.8 (21st in the NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Earl Clark, Dwight […]
Lakers/Thunder: This IS Happening
Are there really no twists in this plot? Nearly eight weeks removed from their lone, 24-hour peek over the .500 threshold, and losers of five straight since last sporting as many wins as losses, the Lakers took the Staples Center floor Friday night desperate, desperate to put a tally in the left hand column of […]
Preview and Chat: The New York Knicks
Records: Lakers 13-14 (11th in the West). Knicks 20-7 (2nd in the East) Offensive ratings: Lakers 106.3 (6th in NBA), Knicks 109.8 (2nd in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 102.2 (15th in NBA), Knicks 102.4 (16th in NBA) Projected starting lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Devin Ebanks, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard Knicks: Carmelo Anthony, Tyson […]
Preview and Chat: The Houston Rockets
Records: Lakers 8-9 (9th in the West), Rockets 8-8 (7th in the West) Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.1 (5th in the NBA), Rockets 104.1 (t-7th in the NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 99.4 (8th in the NBA), Rockets 103.4 (21st in the NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Chris Duhon, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Antawn Jamison, Dwight Howard Rockets: Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, Omer Asik […]
Preview and Chat: The Sacramento Kings
Records: Lakers 6-5 (6th in the West), Kings 2-8 (15th in the West) Offensive ratings*: Lakers 105.9 (5th in the NBA), Kings 94.5 (27th in the NBA) Defensive ratings*: Lakers 98.4 (8th in the NBA), Kings 102.1 (18th in the NBA) Probable Starting Lineups: Lakers: Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight […]
Conflict Resolution
Imagine watching your dad parking a brand new Corvette in the garage, knowing that it’s all yours, but having to wait six months to get your license. With the strangest summer since… well, yet another strange summer in Lakerland in the rearview, the goings-on of recent months have begun to take root in reality. Learning […]
The Laker Way
I stand corrected. It appears the “new Laker fandom” will bear a striking resemblance to that which preceded it. Ever since Andrew Bynum schooled J.J. Barea on the nuances of Newtonian physics in the spring of 2011, it was apparent that the Lakers — as then constituted — required a facelift. As that spring gave […]