http://www.forumblueandgold.com A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers). Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:06:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 The art of negotiation is one of mankind's most evolved skills. Humans evolved into our present relatively properous state because of our ancestors (for the most part) realized that bartering and trading increases overall wealth and welfare and the means of maximizing ones welfare is via negotiation. Reasonable discussion to reach understanding, history has shown, and all of us agree, is preferable to fisticuffs. So it is not surprising that negotiation has evolved into a discipline, a science. Taught at the finest of higher learning establishments, fueled by gurus such as Bill Ury, most people agree that superior negotiation skills is an important corner stone to career success. Unless you are a sports agent. Bill Ury's seminal work "Getting to Yes" speaks of reaching common ground with your adversary. Ury espouses quite common sense concepts such as: Treat your opponent with respect Put yourself in their shoes Don't deduce their intentions from your fear Don't blame them for your problem Discuss each other's perceptions Face saving: make your proposals consistent with their values Be patient Speak about yourself, not about them Speak for a purpose Build a working relationship For a wise solution reconcile interests, not positions Ask "Why?" Ask "Why not?" Think about their choice Realize that each side has multiple interests Unless you are a sports agent. If you are David Lee, and your qualification as "training" as sports agent is repeated watching of "Jerry MaGuire" on late night TV, you eschew any serious study of the science of negotiation.  After all, didn't you take audit "So you want to be a Sports Agent, Intro" class at your junior college? Instead of learning from the master negotiators and teachers, you adopt the Hitlerian techniques of: Denounce your opponent in public Paint your opponent in a corner Threaten your opponent with consequences and repercussions Complain about lack of appreciation from your opponent (Boo hoo, my feeling is hurt) Blame your opponent for the lack of agreement Especially since you saw that when Shaq publicly called out Jerry Buss ("Pay me", "Pay me") he caved and paid Shaq whatever he wanted..... wait, maybe Jerry and the Lakers didn't cave. In fact, the Lakers have demonstrated time and time again that they will not be bullied, like to handle matters in private; and when you treat them the right way, they always treat you fairly. In John Belushi's immortal words, "But Noooooo...." If the failure to learn from history is a sign of stupidity, then consider yourself labeled. It takes a special sort of skill to achieve what David Lee has been able to achieve. Your client is a role player one year removed from a season ending foot fracture. (There are well-reported fears of a congential foot defect). Your client was a bench player for half the season and his highest points per game was not double digits. Yet he has certain advantages: 1. His team has just won the championship and the GM has stated publicly that his intention is to re-sign your client (You sneered at such weak negotiation skills) 2. Your client is a native of the city, with family and friends. 3. The system the team plays is a perfect fit for your client, who cannot create his own shot 4. Your client is part of a tight community. His teammates and coaches love him and vice versa 6. Your client wants to continue to play for the team 7. The team is the marquee team in the league, playing in a top 2 market, for the champion. Your client will never have more chances to maximize his celebrity into endorsement money. 8. Contrary to how you are spinning it your client, not the burly guy with the words in his hair, was option A , not option B [1]. Thus, even during the worst bear market for free agents - a buyer's market - the team is willing to pay your client more than any other team [2]. And you still can't get the deal done. Instead, your client has to sign for a team out of contention in now his fourth state (you know that it is hot and humid in Houston right?) for less money than he was offered by the Lakers. This takes a special skill. Your client should have stayed home with family and friends, playing for a champion, in the spotlight, and for more money. But you blew it. The only reason David Lee does not take the "Worst Sports Agent" in history is because in 2003 [3], Anthony Carter's agent, Bill Duffy [4] (now gainfully unemployed as a mortgage salesman) failed to file papers with the Miami Heat that his client was exercising his option to remain with the team for $4.1 Million. Surprised at not finding such paperwork, Pat Riley immediately cut Carter and signed Lamar Odom with the increased cap space. So in the pantheon of worst sports agents in history the standings are as follows: Gold: Bill Duffy Silver: David Lee Bronze: Everybody else. Don't worry David, you have plenty of time to catch up to Duffy. Or maybe not. —Bill Bridges [1] http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13174 [2] http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13174 [3] http://www.miamiheatweb.com/history.html [4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/us_sport/3114175.stm http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/07/03/david-lee-shunned-by-many-liked-by-few/ [1] Things are about to get even more interesting for the Lakers. Ron Artest will be a Laker come July 8 (nothing can be finalized until then, just as a caution). And he comes at a very good price — three years of the mid-level exception. Or three for essentially $18 million. Although some suggest it will be the full five years ($32 mil). That is basically what Trevor Ariza would have cost. (Ariza apparently has an offer from Houston.) This is the definition of a high risk, high reward move. I’ve got a lot of thoughts. • I have led the “No on Artest” camp in these parts, but now to me the question is can a combination of Kobe and Phil Jackson keep him playing within his role. As has been said, the question is not "could" he fit in the triangle offense but "would" he. I have serious concerns here, but if he just plays balls out defense, intimidates a little, hits threes (in the rhythm of the offense) and posts guys up when mismatched, we will be fine. The question is will he just do that? • If Phil Jackson can keep him in line, great. What about the next coach? • He gives us another guy that can post up — Bynum, Gasol, Kobe, Artest, Odom are all big guys who can post up smaller guys, a tough matchup. • Artest will be great as a perimeter defender on twos and threes. But the Lakers at times used Ariza on PGs, Artest is not that quick. This puts more pressure on Fisher, Farmar and (if they sign him) Brown to be stoppers. • He can shoot the three — 40% this season, 38% last season. And he will get a lot more open looks now (if he plays within the system). • I dare you to call the Lakers soft now. • That is one thing that Artest brings — intimidation. Not just physically, but because you just don’t know what he is going to do at any given moment, and that is scary. And can win you games. • Will Kobe and Artest have a “who can get the most technicals” competition next season? • Every game we will get to ask: What has Ron-Ron carved into his hair tonight? • Does anyone else have the feeling part of the Lakers looking at Artest was not wanting to deal with the public negotiations of Ariza agent David Lee? They put up with him in the Bynum case because there were no other options — young guys with Bynum’s potential are rare. But quality swingmen who want to be on a contender are more common. Lee tried to get the most for his client, but he negotiates in a very public way and the Lakers are a very private team (in terms of front office dealings). • I feel bad for Ariza — although I’m not sure if he feels bad. I get that this was his first big kick at the can and he wanted to get paid. But once Portland signs Hedo, the only team that can offer him more than the MLE is Toronto, and they’d have to waive the rights to Marion to do it. The market is set for Ariza, and he may even have trouble getting the full MLE now as teams don’t think they have competition. And he has to leave LA, his hometown. I’m not sure how he feels, but a part of him has to be sad. And I feel for him, we really grew to love him as a player. [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=4846643 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/07/02/ron-artest-is-a-laker/ [1] The genre of the sports list [2] book has received a new addition. This new series that has been released has gone to several of the major sports towns [3] (or at least those with rabid sports fans) and tapped local sports personalities or journalists to create an insiders view of that city’s sports culture. A nice idea, as fans can become agitated by the broad brush strokes that the national media paints a certain town’s fans. In Philly they boo Santa Claus [4]; in New York they are knowledgeable but ruthless; in Boston they’re die hard but eternally pessimistic; in Cleveland they know even when their team is good, at some point they will find a way to lose; and of course, we arrive late, leave early and talk on our cell phones the whole time. (See: "Top 10 Reasons People Say We’re Terrible Fans”) With any stereotype there is a grain of truth, but these books allow the individual city’s to create a more three dimensional view, through guest spots by local athletes and luminaries of the local sports culture. The authors of the Los Angles book are Matt "Money" Smith [5] and Steve Hartman. Money is the everyman fan in a lot of ways and he's So Cal to the bone. In his bio at 570 KLAC he lists his favorite sports moment as "Heckling Jim Mcilvaine [6] from the Forum stands and having him try to hop the railing to beat the crap out of me." He was also an intern at KROQ and is known for breaking "a little band called Sublime [7]." (It's also the reason he can sneak in the "Top 11 So Cal Punk Bands You've Never Heard of But Should Have" into a sports book.) Steve Hartman is knowledgeable and has a long historic view of sport, but in a lot of ways many see him as insufferable, especially Laker fans who have trouble with his pragmatism and criticism, dubbing him "Hater Hartman" [8]. But for the cause that is the book, they are both good choices. The book covers all aspects of LA sports: Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angels, and Kings. For our Laker-centric purposes, we’ll focus on the section that highlights the boys in Forum Blue and Gold. Top 10 Reasons For A Laker Fan To Own This Book: 1. It will fit nicely into your lavatory library. You can put it into the rotation with Brain Droppings [9] and Nine Stories [10]. 2. It will either enhance your depth of Laker history [11] and take you on a wonderful stroll down memory Lane (Top 10 Greatest Laker Moments) or let the neophytes in on the rich history of the franchise. 3. The folly [12] that is The Clippers [13]. 4. Francis Dale Hearn’s [14] most utilized colloquialisms are included, but you probably could have called that one with Braille. 5. Because FBandG [15] is in it (Best Los Angeles Sports Blogs). Checking in at #4 on the list, and it refers to Kurt as “sound, articulate and interesting”, a spot on assessment [16] to me. But there is a glaring error [17] on this list, and I think I know why [18]. 6. It will help you with your Lakers bar trivia… “Who are the top 10 Johnsons [19] in L.A Sports History?” also known as the “How can we put Magic [20] at the top of another list?” list. 7. You can relive how Jerry West [21] bamboozled the NBA for an extended period of time as G. M. (Mitch [22] has followed in his footsteps with that big Pau Gasol [23] feather in his hat.) But you’ll realize that he did this mostly through his draft picks. 8. Kobe lists his favorite arenas, and many fans are always looking for some insight into who that guy really is, the list is surprisingly nostalgic and emotional. Mentioning the arena’s in Italy, PalaEUR [24] where his dad played, and Philly, “The Palestra is Philly [25]”, as well as being one the guys who played in both the Forum and Staples. 9. “Big Game James” [26] gives us a nice insight into who he felt could have shared his moniker, most of them guys he competed against, but not surprisingly, the top 2 he played with. 10. It will cause [27]/resolve/complicate some good sports related discourse [28]. I'll end by quoting the authors... “Depending on your level of sports knowledge, you will either find this book a great source of information, a great trip down memory lane, or a great reason to insist “these guys don’t know what they are talking about.” -Gatinho aka Scott Thompson [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=4999314 [2] http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Better-Best-Basketball-Straight/dp/0071417885 [3] http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+great+great+book+of+sports+lists&x=0&y=0 [4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NctWTQ72kmc [5] http://www.am570radio.com/pages/money.html [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_McIlvaine [7] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHdA3Z44VMg [8] http://cbs2.com/video/?id=56140@kcbs.dayport.com [9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVwULm2ooSg [10] http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3256131/Salinger-s-Nine-Stories-fifty.html [11] http://www.forumblueandgold.com/category/laker-history/ [12] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdhAJY0ZmTE&feature=related [13] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWBfb0XbCKY [14] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7voVqC-NJDk&feature=channel_page [15] http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2004/11/10/tip-off/ [16] http://www.forumblueandgold.com/what-fbg-is-about/ [17] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgerthoughts/ [18] http://www.amazon.com/Things-Dodgers-Fans-Should-Before/dp/1600781667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246560044&sr=1-1 [19] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TgiQRo5g9g [20] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KQfSmcThoQ [21] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8oGUyREHcQ [22] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwW-Azk7_5c [23] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bXZKJ9isg&feature=related [24] http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_5_97/ai_59021267/ [25] http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0707/campus.top10.venues/content.5.html [26] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTISFJ1Jls4 [27] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3C-aferYS8 [28] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt-f49jyMmo http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/07/02/the-great-book-of-la-sports-lists-a-link-tastic-review/ [1] The chum has been in the waters for days and as of the stroke of Wednesday (or, 9 p.m. out here on the West Coast) the free agent feeding frenzy begins. Like an actual feeding frenzy, the water is murky, there are sharks everywhere trying to get their piece, it’s really hard to tell who is doing what and what is actually happening. Rumors and reports will be flying around for the next week, many of them false as agents and teams try to game the system and gain leverage. Through it all, the Lakers goals are really clear: Sign Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown. My gut read on the market — the Lakers shouldn’t have much trouble getting Brown and Odom back at a price management is comfortable with, while there is some demand for their services it is not out of line with what the Lakers would be willing to pay. Ariza, to me, is the one guy who could get a crazy offer. But that’s my gut. Here’s what we know (and check back for updates) at the bottom: • Kobe Bryant has chosen not opt out. It amuses me to read the occasional headline on this saying “Kobe chooses to stay with Lakers” as if that was actually in doubt. This was about business. What this means is that he will save the Lakers no money next year. His two options are to sign an extension of the existing deal or he can opt out next summer, then re-sign a new Max deal. Rather than me explain it, read Larry Coon’s excellent primer [2]. The bottom line is this — with an opt out next summer he makes about $135 million over five years, with an extension it is $127 million. That $8 million would be doubled by the luxury tax making it a nice savings for the Lakers, but only over the lasts few years of that deal. No money will be saved this year or next. For the record, I know there are those that think Kobe should take less money for the good of the franchise. I’m not one of them. The money he is paid is but a small share of the money he makes this team because it is Kobe that fills the seats, sells the jerseys, gets people to watch on television. Right now he is the Lakers, and he is making the Buss family a lot of money. He deserves every penny he gets. • For all the buzz of the free agent market, there seems to be a few teams taking on salary — ones in title contention — and ones shedding it due to the economy. It will be a rich get richer summer. The question is how rich they get in comparison to the current World Champs. [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=4058515 [2] http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/791/20090618/the_official_kobe_bryant_free_agency_primer/ http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/30/free-agent-feeding-frenzy/ [1] A couple years ago I got to meet and hang out with Xavier, FB&G’s defacto European corrispondent, and at the time he said I needed to see more of this 16 year old named Ricky Rubio. Now, Rubio and his future plans are the talk of the NBA, and Xavier (a professional youth team coach) kindly has provided us a perspective from Spain on the player and everything going on around him. Since Ricky Rubio said he was planning to enter the 09 NBA draft I’ve been reading plenty of things about him, some of which I do not agree with. I’ve wanted to talk about him since before the playoff started but the Lakers where on the championship run and Rubio was not in team’s plan I decided to postpone this conversation to a better time. I think this time has come. First of all, on the court basketball. Rubio is not NBA ready. He has incredible talent, feel for the game and has been playing pro since he was 15, 4 years ago. I read somewhere he has zero althletic ability and the PG transition from college to NBA is tough but from FIBA ball to NBA is even harder. Not every PG hits the league as ready as Rose or Paul. His shooting mechanic scares me, a lot; he has to work on it. Of course his shooting is a concern but so was Calderon’s and look at him right now. Ricky is the kind of kid that would hardly make the rookie all-star team but probably be starting with the sophomores a year later. I have no doubt that Ricky is the second best thing of this draft. He won’t save any franchise, nor will Griffin, but in this weak draft those two are the cream of the crop. Minnesota or the team that finally signs him if he makes it to the NBA, will have a gem to work on, but have to understand that his first year will be a transition year, he’s very young and will take a big leap upwards by his second NBA season. In the future I could see him being an above average defensive PG, Nash-like passing skills but not as close as a shooter. But then there is the off court issue. Things could have been done better, for sure, but the situation is at a point that is impossible to go back. The buyout issue: Back when he was 15, Ricky signed his first professional contract that settled a high buyout along with a high salary for a 15-year-old boy, which he approved. Joventut is mostly a club that creates players, finds them at 11-12 and teaches them basketball so they can someday play on the senior team (for the record, two Joventud players have been drafted this year in the first round, Rubio and Eyenga, and also Henk Norel in the second round, Rudy Fernández has also been raised in Joventud youth teams). The buyout is like a security for the team that all the money invested in raising the player will not be lost whenever a richer club comes and pays a few bucks for the kid. During 08 summer, Ricky asked the team to reduce the buyout. There were rumors of other top European teams trying to sign Rubio and Joventut offered him to lower by the half his NBA buyout by doubling the money an European team should pay. Rubio didn’t accept that saying he was planning to complete the whole contract with the team. A year later, he denounced the team that has created him for not lowering the buyout to let him play in the NBA. His agent says that his salary is too cheap compared with the high buyout. Usually, it’s the new team that pays the buyout or a compensation agreed with the club, but as the NBA do not allow teams to pay it, the player has to clear that issue. A friendly agreement was arranged last year with Rudy Fernández but after this public denouncing a friendly ending seems almost impossible. Being the 5th selection: That was really a kick in his balls. If Minnesota jumped on the 2nd pick and drafted him there would be no problem (unless the second was Memphis where he wanted nothing to do with them, his feelings are that Mayo is Memphis PG of the future plus other Spaniards with similar winning mentality as him having trouble there). Don’t make any issue about the “Minnesota is cold” thing. He also said about OKC that his best friend lives nearby. As I read that I talked to that friend. After the conversation I had the impression that the answers where just that, quick answers. The important thing here is the money. Being a 2nd or 3rd pick guaranteed him an easy buyout payment in the case a friendly arrangement wasn’t possible. The 4th pick had more problems but he liked the situation for him (few pressure, nice weather and still an interesting contract) but then Sacramento took Evans and Sota just drafted the PG they wanted right after him. That doesn’t give him confidence. How would you feel if you had to pay to take a job and your new company just hired someone to do the same exact thing as you? With his contract set by the 5th pick, his chances of paying the buyout and still make some money rely on playing on a big city team where he could sign for bigger sponsor endorsements. But the reason the Kings or the Thunder didn’t select him is Dan Fegan. Rubio did few workouts because of his agent. A big buyout from Spain and no possibility to really test the kid against other players is what kept the Kings perfect fit away from him. His aggressiveness and bad ways were well reported as happened with Yi. When I found out that Rubio signed with Fegan my first thought was “Oooh god, that’s gonna be ugly”. The future: in coming days we’ll know what the judge say about the buyout issue. That will determine how hard will it be to be free from Joventut. Coming back to his longtime club seems unlikely as team president said, “asking a judge to take part opens a wound which remains open” so he’ll probably be looking for another Euro team (Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Unicaja Malaga are considered frontrunners) or signing with the Wolves or the NBA team that hold his rights. I’m a Joventut season ticket holder, I coach for the youth program that developed Ricky before he went to Joventut. I’ve seen a lot of this kid and he deserves being in the NBA. I fully understand that he doesn’t want to go to a losing team or a team he feels he don’t fit if he has to pay for it and I really wish him the best, but I’m not happy with how the things have evolved. Both Spanish and American agents have done a bad job and the kid is paying for it. —Xavier [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=706867 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/30/thoughts-on-ricky-rubio/ [1] Right about now basketball fans will listen to just about anything "to hold the terrible silence at bay.” So, here are a few thoughts to fill the void. • First, as is a bit of an annual caution, here is my primer on the trade and free agent rumors you will hear swirling over the next months: When an insider gives a rumor to a reporter, they are doing so with an ulterior motive. Always. And what is being told that reporter may be anything from the entire truth to an entire falsehood, or some level in between (i.e. just telling them part of the story). There are about 8 million reasons for this. An agent may tell Ric Bucher something to help his client gain some leverage in negotiations. (Say player X is heavy in negotiations with one team, when the agent gets a feeling out call with moderate interest from another team. Why wouldn’t the agent tell a reporter about that second call, let the first team read about it and hopefully drive up the price?) Often, there are different factions within a front office and one faction may leak their plans to gain fan support vs. another faction. Agents or front office people may tell something true as a sign of good faith to a reporter they like and so they believe them next time when the use the same reporter to gain leverage. And that list of reasons goes on and on. When you look at what is in the media — for example, sudden reported interest of the Lakers in Jason Kidd or Nate Robinson — think about who gains from the information released. That almost always tells you where it came from. In those cases, it sounds to me like the player and his people are leaking this to gain some standing. • The news about Yao Ming maybe being done for all of next season — if not longer — is bad for basketball. Bad for us as fans who don't get to see him play. Not many guys over 7 feet, let alone 7-6, with that kind of well rounded game. • Why I think we’ll see a better Jordan Farmar next year — contract year. • As for defending little point guards, a popular topic in Lakersland these days: The Lakers have had their best success not with small and quick but with bigger and longer. Look at it this way, under today’s rules Tony Parker could not defend Tony Parker, Jameer Nelson could not stop Jameer Nelson. Defending these guards with bigger, longer players allows some room for mistakes with good recovery. They Lakers had some of their best success this season when Trevor Ariza was switched to a PG. Just something to think about. • If you want to relive the Lakers season and Finals run again — and why wouldn’t you? — here is a good tribute video [2]. • Here is a great — but long, 20 minutes — recap of the Lakers path to the title [3]. • Part two of a tribute to Magic [4] well worth reading. [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=5060390 [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTjaSHmvGRw&fmt=22 [3] http://vimeo.com/5265307 [4] http://steveodesignedge.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/magic-johnson-30-years-of-showtime-part-ii/ http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/29/waiting-for-godot-or-free-agency/ [1] In the wake of our Lakers' brilliant 2009 NBA Championship campaign and subsequent selling of draft picks, [2] the league has sprung full-force into the off-season: Jefferson to the Spurs, Foye and Miller to the Wizards, Crawford to the Hawks, and most recently, Shaq to the Cavs, are just some of the big trades that have gone down. Here at FB&G, there has been much discussion about free agency, mostly dedicated to the luxury tax [3], Lamar Odom [4], and Trevor Ariza [5]. But as we all know, there are the three "other" free agents on our team: Shannon Brown, Josh Powell, and DJ Mbenga. The consensus amongst us fans at least is that Shannon Brown must be brought back as “Farmar-insurance,” but not much has been made about re-signing Powell or Mbenga. While neither is nearly as important as Odom or Ariza, each brings his own special niche to the team. Powell had a solid regular season, going from a bench-warmer playing only during garbage time, to a rotation player, his high point coming 3/11 in Houston, starting in the place of suspended Lamar Odom (for taking half a step off the bench during the “scuffle” in Portland), dropping in 17 points on 8-14 shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds in a narrow 102-96 Lakers victory, including a very un-Josh-Powell-esque two dunks (he still needs some serious dunking practice). DJ was in a similar situation, playing 3 minutes through the first 3 months of the season, then getting good minutes after Bynum's injury, leading to a couple “volume scorer” comments from Stu Lantz. Both were called upon in the crucial Game 4 win in Orlando in which Pau, Lamar, and Andrew all picked up 2 fouls in the first quarter. While neither played spectacularly, both played well enough to keep the game close and eventually lead to Fisher's soon-to-be-legendary 4.6 shot. Yes, compared to Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Ariza, and even Fisher, these two had marginal contributions at best and unnoticeable contributions at worst. Yes, letting either walk this summer probably wouldn't crush our title hopes for next year. But, perhaps more important than their on-court contributions are their off-court stories. Each has come through his own adversity, taking a long hard journey to the NBA. Neither deserves our pity; simply being basketball players in the NBA for a couple years will earn them more money than some of us will earn in a lifetime. But they have certainly earned our empathy, not only as players, but as hard working individuals who have come through adversity to achieve their dreams of an NBA championship. Josh Powell spent two years at N.C. State, earning All-Rookie Honors in 2001-02, and earning N.C. State’s Most-Improved Player Award the following year. Yet, most likely due to the staff-induced ball-hogging by Julius Hodge [6], Powell chose to leave N.C. State after only his second year of eligibility, entering the NBA Draft in 2003. After going undrafted, Powell was the No. 1 pick in the CBA draft, but instead chose to play overseas, taking him on a two year journey through Russia and Italy. After playing for Lokomotiv Rostov in the Russian Super League, Eurorida Scafati (now Harem Scafati) in the Italian Lega 2 (formerly Serie A2), and Pepsi Caserta (now Eldo Caserta) in the Italian League (formerly Serie A), Powell returned to the NBA, signing with the Dallas Mavericks before the start of the 2005-06 season (you don’t want to know how long it took me to look those up). Within short order, Powell was relegated to the D-League, playing for the Fort-Worth Flyers before being recalled by Dallas for their 2006 postseason run (and to think, if not for some suspect officiating and a massive team meltdown, Josh Powell could have two more rings than Lebron James). In the ensuing offseason, Powell was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with Darrell Armstrong and Rawle Marshall for two bags of chips (aka Anthony Johnson). Powell was summarily included in the Stephen Jackson trade, landing him in Golden State as an expiring contract. The following season, Powell signed with the Clippers (talk about desperation), only to be waived when the Clippers signed Marcus Camby in the off-season. Finally, almost by some miracle, he was signed by the Lakers, winning a championship while playing a crucial 8 minutes in the critical Game 4 of the Finals, all this after being told by one Patrick Ewing that he would never make the league [7]. And now, he’s got one more ring than Ewing. While Josh Powell’s story is one of perseverance, never quitting on his journey to achieve success in the NBA, DJ Mbenga’s is a story of strength and hope. Born Didier Ilunga-Mbenga, DJ was raised in the war-torn Zaire, officially known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which is almost as ironic as “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”). When President Mobutu Sese Seko was ousted by rebel forces led by Laurent-Desire Kabila (a Marxist, surprise!) with support from Rwanda and Uganda, DJ’s father, who worked for the former regime, was thrown into a political prison along with DJ and his brothers (for more information, Wikipedia “First Congo War.”). His father, who later died during imprisonment, negotiated the release of DJ and his brothers, who fled as refugees to Belgium (which draws on the rather sad point that DJ’s Laker teammates don’t know where he’s from [8], showing their ignorance on national television on Jimmy Kimmel [9]). After being discovered by Belgian basketball player Willy Steveniers, DJ began playing for the Antwerp Diamond Giants in the Belgian Junior Youth League, the Spirou Gilly in the Belgian Second Division, then the Basket Groot Leuven and Spirou Charleroi in the Belgian First Division (I have no idea how to pronounce any of those). In 2004, DJ was signed by the Dallas Mavericks, a three year tenure that would include an ACL tear [10], going into the stands [11], and the same championship run enjoyed by Josh Powell (and to think, he could have two more rings than Lebron James). After a short sign-and-waive contract with the Warriors, DJ signed two consecutive 10-day contracts with the Lakers before inking a one-year deal in 2007-2008. DJ was re-signed this past fall, and we all know what happened after that. And yes, he also has one more ring than Patrick Ewing. Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga are not stars, not by any stretch of the imagination. Neither of them are even solid contributors, both being relegated to mostly garbage minutes and the occasional 1st quarter cameo due to foul trouble for Bynum/Gasol/Odom. Yes, most of their value comes in practice, making Bynum and Gasol work(according to Mbenga [12], at least). But you can’t grow heart; you can’t practice effort, or get better at determination. You either have them or you don’t. Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga have heart, effort, and determination, not just in basketball, but in life. And that is a rare skill indeed. -Zephid PS: For the regulars, this is my first post here, so please, any constructive thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=4773390 [2] http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/25/lakers-draft-american-overseas-at-42/ [3] http://www.forumblueandgold.com”http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/18/the-lakers-the-luxury-tax-and-you/” [4] http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/19/cant-lose-situation [5] http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/22/cant-lose-situation-part-ii [6] http://www.tunl.duke.edu/~lokitzsj/9087258.htm [7] http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-41-86/Nine-Things-to-Remember-About-the-2009-NBA-Finals.html [8] http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mbenga-says-one-2324360-story-father [9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6Oj4D37VPg&feature=channel [10] http://www.insidehoops.com/mbenga-acl-020807.shtml [11] http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2466652 [12] http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/06/dj-mbenga-exit-interview.html http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/26/the-end-of-the-bench/ [1] In the first round, exactly what was supposed to happen, happened. The Lakers selected Toney Douglas, who very soon was traded to the Knicks for much needed cash (rumored to be $3 million) and a future second rounder (2011?). The second round, the Lakers took an American in the Ukraine — Patrick Beverley. Then, just as we were learning about him, the Lakers traded him to the Miami Heat for a future second rounder and more cash. It's all about the cash — we want Ariza and Odom both back. With the 59th pick, the Lakers took Chinemelu Elonu — a 6-10 F/C out of Texas A&M who likes to bang and has a real NBA body, but who apparently is very raw. Let's be honest, this is the kind of guy the Lakers likely bring to Summer League and in as camp fodder, but who will likely spend a year at least in the D-League before making an impact. The Lakers front office is saying he can compete for a job, that they had him the 34th best guy in the draft, but to get a roster spot he is going to have to beat out DJ Mbenga or Josh Powell, two proven pros with some diversity to their games. And they are guys who know the system. Elonu has a real uphill climb. The fact of the matter is, the Lakers are not going to pay the luxury tax money for some guy to learn on the job, he has to prove he can contribute. No, the Lakers did not take Nick Calathes, the one guy a lot of us wanted at 42. But to be honest, we wanted him because he is a known quantity. He played at Florida and worked out with David Thorpe (who promotes his guys hard). But the fact is, we never really see any of these guys. We don’t really know, it’s all second hand stuff. So, we need to trust the judgment of the Lakers overseas scouts. [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=4297695 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/25/lakers-draft-american-overseas-at-42/ TrueHoop Network NBA Draft Liveblog-O-Rama-Rama [1] [1] http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=c107dde33d http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/25/truehoop-network-live-draft-chat/ [1] We all knew two things: 1) The player selected at 29 by the Lakers was not going to see any meaningful court time on a stacked Lakers roster; 2) The Lakers needed money to resign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom. So the deal that the Lakers apparently struck with the Knicks makes sense. ED Note: Okay, I've got confirmation on this now from several sources: The Lakers cannot trade this pick, only the right to the pick once it is made. So on the dias tonight they will say "The Lakers select X" but said player will instantly be traded for cash once the selection is made. That deal just cannot be executed until after the pick is made. NBA rules prohibit the trading or selling of first round picks in consecutive years, and the Lakers 2008 and 2010 first rounders belong to Memphis in the Gasol deal. And if that number is right and the Lakers really get $3 million for that pick, that is a great deal by Kupchak. Combine that with the money saved not having to pay a first rounder and it is more than $4 million in savings, which covers a lot of what Ariza will get next year. And I’m good with this. The Lakers need the cash more than a Euro player to stash away for a couple years. And I expect them to take at least one of those guys in the second round anyway. Now, a few final thoughts heading into tonight. • My short and sweet take on the Shaq to Cleveland trade: Cleveland is a desperate team and this is a desperation move, but it’s not a bad one. Now you will have Shaq taking up Big Ben Wallace’s useless minutes, and that will be an improvement. He will split time with Big Z (I bet 26 for Shaq, 22 for Z, in that range) so Cleveland gets some frontcourt depth. Shaq has defended Howard well in the past. Shaq can still score in the paint pretty efficiently. I think this makes them better if everything goes right. But there are 423,856 ways this could go wrong. Shaq brings a lot of ego to Cleveland. He and Big Z are not exactly known for staying healthy. And this is just one piece of what Cleveland has to do — they shot 32% from three against Orlando and Shaq makes it easier to just pack the paint on Cleveland and dare them to beat you with the jumper. They still need some guys on the wing to compete with the Lakers and probably a healthy Orlando or Boston. And I have serious questions if Mike Brown is the coach that can pull it all together. Still, this is a step forward for them. • I don’t put much stock in these, especially with all the trades we will likely see tonight, but here are the Final results from some top mock drafts regarding the Lakers: DraftExpress: Nick Calathes 6-5 PG/SG, Florida and Greece (Jon Brockman 6-7 PF Washington; and Lester Hudson 6-3 PG/SG Tenn. Martin in the second round) Chad Ford, ESPN: Toney Douglas, 6-2 SG, Florida State. (Rodrigue Beaubois, PG, France; and Dante Cunningham, F, Villanova in the second round) NBAdraft.net: Toney Douglas, 6-2 SG, Florida State (then traded to Knicks). (Darren Collison 6-1 PG UCLA; and Courtney Fells, 6-6 SG NC State in the second round). • I like Top Chef Masters, but it lacks the drama of the regular Top Chef. The problem is these chefs, while great, have made it to the top. And they all like and respect one another. So if they fall short they still publicize and get a little money for a favorite charity, then go back home to being a rock-star, James Beard Award chef. In the regular Top Chef, these people are cooking for their careers, that gives real drama to it. Still, with no hoops on it’s a fun summer watch. • Top Chef Masters has about all the drama of the #1 pick in the draft, basically. But what the Clippers do the rest of the summer will be much more interesting. • Now a little technical site stuff. This post will be up and going through the draft if you want to make comments here and we can discuss the trades and moves here. Later, closer to the draft, I will post the TrueHoop Network Chat up, which you can read/participate in as you choose, or just keep the comments flowing here. At some point during the draft when we have Lakers news to discuss, I’ll start a new thread where we can break down what they and everyone else did. [1] http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=*&iid=4399484 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/25/lakers-moves-and-draft-day-fun/