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A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

Preview and Chat: Portland Trailblazers

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Records: Lakers 53-24 (2 seed); Blazers 38-39 (10 seed)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 114.5 (3rd); Blazers 107.9 (19th)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 107.3 (7th); Blazers 109.6 (16th)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol
Blazers: Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, James Jones, LaMarcus Aldridge, Channing Frye? (Przybilla is out after breaking his hand on the rim, so I’m not sure what McMillan does)

Lakers Notes: Luke Walton is a game-time decision tonight, although in my mind a few more days on the bench are probably good for him. Plus, we know his weakness is matching up with long and athletic teams, and we get one of those tonight.

Last game against Sacramento saw some of the best defense the Lakers have played in a while — the Kings never shot better than 42% for a quarter after the first quarter.

General NBA Notes: Count me among those thrilled that Adrian Dantley finally made the Hall of Fame. Talk about a guy with a sweet stroke and an effortless scorer.

If you haven’t seen this, the guys at Memphis Grizzlies blog Three Shades of Blue got to sit down with the team owner and ask questions. Look for the fun spins on why trading Pau for Kwame was a good move long term (I love that trade as a Lakers fan but find it hard to think Memphis could not have done better than that deal).

Lots of talk yesterday about bumping the age restriction for the NBA to 20. Personally, I know it led to some bad decisions by kids who are surrounded by sycophants, but I don’t like the 19 age limit. So, you’re old enough to vote, you’re old enough to join the military and be trained to kill and possibly die defending our country, but you can’t play in the NBA? I get why the NBA, the NCAA and team GMs think the age limit is a good idea, but to me basketball (and just about everything else) should be a meritocracy.

The Blazers Coming In: A year from now, I think we’ll be talking about how we don’t really want to face the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. But this year they are slumping toward the end of the season, having won just three of their last 10 and losing five in a row.

Part of that is injuries. Tonight no Martell Webster, no Przybilla in the paint, no Miles (a blessing for the Blazers) and still no Oden. Brandon Roy just returned from his injury. How, bad are they playing? Look at this post from the OregonLive Blazers Blog:

Last night’s 72-65 loss to the Spurs was probably the ugliest game I’ve been associated with, and I’ve done a number of high school games with no shot clock.

However, even with all the injuries the Blazers are a young and athletic team, something that will be more true with Frye in the starting lineup. Those kinds of teams give the Lakers trouble traditionally. For more Blazers info, check out The Blazers Edge.

Keys To The Game: Despite all the athletes, the Blazers play at one of the slowest paces in the league (86.6 possessions per game, 29th in the league, about 8 less per game than the Lakers). The Lakers fast breaks come off of good defense, as we saw in the third quarter of the Kings game two nights ago — if the Lakers play good defense they should be able to run on the Blazers and get some easy buckets in transition.

Whoever has to guard Gasol tonight should be a power forward (either Frye or Aldridge) and Pau should be able to get points on the block and in the paint. Odom needs to get inside as well, the Blazers are not a good rebounding team and the Lakers should be able to get some easy putbacks and second-chance points.

The Blazers do not have a real good answer for Kobe either, he should have a good night.

We need Odom to show up on the defensive end tonight, as he (and others) will have to slow Aldridge, who has been the best scorer on the Blazers in the last 10 games. Fisher cannot sag off Blake at the three-point line. The bench needs to keep a lid on Travis Outlaw, who can fill it up (especially from three) off the Blazers bench.

Where you can watch: Game time is 7 pm on KCAL 9 or League Pass


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rob S. says

    The word out out Portland, where I live, is that Channing Frye will start in place of Prysbilla. FYI.

  2. the other Stephen says

    hey, they recalled josh mcroberts for a reason, okay? don’t snub him, okay? don’t be so presumptuous, okay?

  3. KurkPeterman says

    Kurt – I couldn’t agree with you more on the 19 age limit issue. I think they should bring it back to 18 (it’s not like these guys have physical development that needs to happen in order to not get killed like in football) and I’m also in favor of allowing NCAA athletes to be paid. I think that this might solve both problems (players not staying for college and players not being ready for the pros) by creating more incentive for players to go to college where they can make some money, get an education, and develop their basketball skills before entering the NBA. It also allows amazing players like LeBron James, Andrew Bynum, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, etc. to jump into the league at 18 knowing full well these guys will be NBA stars for their whole professional career.

  4. Chris J says

    I don’t watch college basketball at all; for whatever reason, I’ve always liked the NBA more.

    I’ve never seen Greg Oden play so I ask this question in all seriousness of those who have: what kind of NBA player do you believe he’ll be?

    There have been a lot of big men drafted high whose pro impact didn’t live up to their draft position (Bradley, Olowokandi, Laettner to name a few).

    Does his addition make the Blazers that much better, or do you think we’re looking at a 12 and 9 guy — a solid contributor but not an All-Star caliber game changer? Opinions, anyone?

  5. P. Ami says

    I am taking my 2 year old son to his first NBA game today. I’ve had him on my lap this season as he points at the screen saying, “LO…. Feeesh…. LO”. After I told him that one of the players’ names is Fish he wanted to know which one was Duck. He’ll be wearing his slightly too small Lakers track pants (which he calls his LO pants) and Lakers wind-breaker. I suppose you all can tell how excited I am to be seeing this game with my boy and only hope he won’t get too pooped out to watch the whole thing. I figure if he’s two and can just about sit through 12 minutes of basketball while at home, an arena full of people might keep him awake.

    We live in Portland and I’m excited by the prospects of my boy getting to grow up in this city where they love their team. You all are probably aware of how disillusioned this city became with their team during the Jailblazers era. I was at a bar up on NW 23rd last Spring when the draft lottery was held. A good number of locals were watching the playoffs, Jim Paxon being one of them, (I think it was during the Dallas-GS series, so the bar was packed for that) and looking around the bar I could see that the shock of their winning the lottery redoubled on itself from the shock in realizing that they still cared. My buddy and I drove home later on and some teenager had donned his 1999-2000 era Blazers gear and made a sign with red and black markers having written “Welcome Odem, Go Blazers”. This kid was on a corner of a busy intersection dancing and waving his sign. I’ll know I’ve done my job as a father if my boy grows up a Lakers fan in this city, even if they can’t spell their star players’ name correctly.

  6. Kevin L says

    To add to the discussion about raising the age limit or reducing the amount of “one and done” rotation – I have always felt that using an age limit is not what will encourage players to make the right decision about moving to the next level.

    Money will always be the main determinant of whether they move up, or stay. I think the NBA should widen the rookie contract/pay scale to a more staggered scale (increasing the difference of pay between picks) and reducing the pay for the #1 pick. Also changing 1st round, non lotterly picks to unguaranteed contracts will also keep the lottery bubble players in college and encourage the players to think twice before declaring for the draft.

    This will provide sufficient motivation for players to polish their games before moving on. Lets be realistic – the Michael Beasley’s and the OJ Mayo’s of the world will get drafted no matter what. The better product for both the NBA and NCAA is for the Kevin Love’s and the Eric Gordon’s to think twice about moving on.

  8. hertagnism says

    Chris, Greg Oden reminds me of Bill Russell. His addition should make the Blazers extremely good and he will be a solid contributor and steadily grow. My friend is a Blazer diehard (who would’ve thought it, eh, Laker fan and Blazer fan friends) and he’s actually more excited about Aldridge than Oden.

    With only 5 games left to play, time for the team to buckle down on defense, which has been like the only key for the past few months since our offense has been extremely potent.

    Bynum watch, a newspaper reported that he and Chris Mihm went at it 1 on 1 and looked good.

  9. Chris J says

    I keep hearing Oden mentioned in the same breath as Russell, and that seems like such a tough comparison to make. An All-Time great vs. a 20-ish kid who played one year of college ball. But I suppose Shaq had his Wilt comparisons coming out of LSU and while he’s not matched Wilt — no one could — he’s been an exceptional player without question.

    As a Lakers fan, I’m hoping the GO fails to live up to the hype.

  10. Craig W. says

    I have to disagree with eliminating the age restriction. I think it should be raised to 20.

    Businesses have the right to specify the conditions of employment. We don’t demand companies hire professionals out of high school. The business can say we first want to look at college graduates. There may be ‘back doors’ but they are few and far between. The NBA has a vested interest in 1) getting the highest trained athletes for their draft, 2) demanding a time frame for them to look at the potential employees, and 3) getting added exposure for potential stars before they are drafted.

    Two years of college (or other advanced training) would give the athletes more grounding in fundamentals – something sorely lacking in most current youngsters. It allows the scouts to view the prospective employees in game situations (we continually complain about scouts inhabiting high schools).

    The NBA is a type of sports monopoly, in that they hold a draft instead of just bidding for the players. In that respect they have some common rules about their conduct. The draft requirements is an example of this and the NBA should be free to work in their best interest. They are the employers and not responsible for ‘babysitting’ their employees. The colleges would benefit from this decision and I wouldn’t see much complaint from the NCAA.

    The added experience and personal growth for players is, I think, an undervalued benifit, but is not the reason for my wanting the age limit raised. It is all about the NBA being able to present a better product with their younger players. There are plenty of other placed for players to play for money, if that is their desire. The NBA is NOT a public concession – see the Seattle situation – and we should not be treating them as anything but a business.

  11. Kurt says

    P. ami, have fun with your son at the game tonight, I took my three year old daughter to one game, and all she wanted to do was play with the seat (it’s amazing to watch the seat snap up every time you get down, I guess).

    Chris, I think Oden is more like a 15 and 15 guy — his specialties will be rebounding and defense. He can score, but with Adridge and Roy he doesn’t have to put up Shaq-like offensive numbers. I think the Bill Russell comparison is accurate in this sense — he is a lynchpin on the defensive end of the floor and in the paint for them. Not by scoring but doing everything else.

    Can he do all that? We’ll see. But he’s no Bradley.

  12. Craig W. says

    One problem with the Russell comparison – Bill Russell could really run the floor, whereas Oden is more like a 30yr old Shaq.

  13. Craig W. says

    It is interesting to note that the Lakers started to win more than they lost when they drafted Baylor and have rarely had under .500 seasons since that time. Baylor, then West, then Wilt, then Kareem, then Magic, then Shaq & Kobe, now Gasol.

  14. Bill Bridges says

    Blazers. Good talent for the future. I like this team even though the Blazer fans seem to hate ours.

    What are they going to do next year when/if Rudy Fernandez signs. Blake/Jack/Rodriguez/Fernandez. All point guards. All young. Something has to give.

    Why am I writing like Hemingway?

    Anyway. I really like Rodriguez and he may be the odd one out. If we can’t find a true slasher (Bonzi?) to back up Kobe, Rodriguez to push Farmar is not a bad idea.

    Question. Why do the Blazer blogs refer to the Lakers as the L*kers? What is with the *? I understand the Sp*rs as their first title was in a strike year. Although the * really would only be germane had the title been their only one. After 4, they deserve to be rated as a high caliber team.

    Is the * simply a sign of disrespect? Or do they think the Lakers are a fly-by-night franchise whose success has been a fluke? I’ve seen it on too many Blazer boards (and only Blazer boards) to think it is a coincidence. There must be a coherent reason why all of the Blazer boards have agreed to adopt this moniker. I mean do they think it was luck that caused their team to collapse in the 4th quarter of game 7 of the 2000 WCF finals?

    Explain

  15. Rob S. says

    P Ami – I too have a young son. He’s 18 months old, and I haven’t taken him to a game yet. Probably next season.

    I completely understand how excited you are to take him to the game though. I cannot wait to take my son to his first game.

    I, however, will probably let my son be a Blazers fan if he wants to. I grew up in Idaho in the 80’s and became a Lakers fan because they were always on TV. I think there’s something special about being a fan of the hometown team that I missed and I think my son should have that chance.

    Maybe other Lakers fans won’t think highly of this, but oh well.

  16. chris h says

    bill, isn’t the * usually used when using a swear word, but don’t want to write it in that particular forum.
    I guess they think the word lakers is a swear word.

    maybe, (like that classic south park, sh*t episode), we are a CURSE word, haha

  17. Kurt says

    Bill, that brusk Hemminwayesque style is very in within literary circles these days. So, you’re just trendy, I guess.

  18. kwame a says

    The Laker coaching staff has some nice adjustments on the pick and roll. Instead of going under the screen the Lakers have allowed the big involved in the screen to stay at the top of the key and the team falls into a 1-2-2 zone. One thing I’d like to see them also employ is a hard trap on the pick and roll, getting the ball out of the hands of the PG

  20. Reed says

    Let’s all start guessing the final score of games, contribute $20 to a paypal fund, and then give the proceeds to whoever is closest. Would make for exciting garbage time. Kidding — looking for distraction from work.

    Do we have any good precedent for Bynum’s return? Can anyone think of a center with a similar skill set (long, mostly dunks and jump hooks on offense, explosive rebounder with length and leaping, good shotblocker, etc.) that missed a few months in the last few years with a leg injury? After scouring the internet for the daily dose of Bynum return updates, I realized I need to greatly temper my expectations. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so excited to read about someone playing one on one with Kurt Rambis or flying on the team airplane.

    I think we all need to be very patient when he returns, despite the built anticipation and hope he’s the missing piece. He’s going to be out of shape and his timing will be off. This isn’t as big a deal for a big man than most other positions — especially for one that almost exclusively relies on length to shoot right at the rim and defends by being taller than everyone. But the rustiness is going to hurt his footwork and timing on post moves, alley oops, rebounds, shot blocking, general footwork, etc. I expect we see a lot of quick foul trouble and frustrating misses his first few weeks back. But, it will still make us better. Hopefully he gets the feel back faster.

    Any precedents for believing so?

  21. kwame a says

    20-Amare suffered a more severe injury, but is similar skill set in terms of dunking, leaping, rebounding. He looked tenative initially and many people predicted his demise. Those thoughts were quickly extinguished (10 games in or so he was playing well, but had setbacks along the way), however, the hardest part about coming back from an injury is the fear of putting full weight on the leg, the fear of re-injury is a strong psychological factor, and may be just as tough for Drew to overcome as the physical. Either way, we are better with him than without him and I can’t wait till he’s back too.

  22. Reed says

    Amare is helpful and yes, he did look AWFUL for those first few weeks back. But I think Bynum will put it together faster. He relies less on quickness and leaping and more on pure length and size. He’s never been one to go around and over someone while facing up and that is Amare’s bread and butter.

  24. Sports Tsar says

    apparently i drank too much whilst watching chelsea win against fenerbahce and forgot english grammar in my previous post. i hope to regain this by the time 7pm rolls around for the liveblog…

  25. Brian Tung says

    Craig W (10): I think your analogy is misplaced. No one is talking about forcing people to draft 18-year-olds, because teams were clearly doing that up until the moment they were forbidden to do so. We’re talking about allowing them to do so.

    I agree that the NBA is a business, and should morally have the right to raise the age limit (even if they didn’t legally have the right). The question is whether it makes sense for them to do so. Your claim that it allows them to put a better product on the floor does not follow non-trivially. In fact, if anything, lowering the age limit could improve the product, since it strictly increases the pool of talent teams select from.

    If I were to argue against lowering the age limit, I would base it on issues such as that younger players tend to make poorer money decisions, are more susceptible to long-term injuries (if that happens to be true–I don’t know), that sort of thing. In my opinion, such considerations merit limitations, perhaps, on the time played and money earned by younger players, but not an outright age limit increase. But I could see how people would support a higher age limit on such a basis.

    Bill Bridges (14), chris h (16): L*kers is definitely done to liken it to a swear word. Some long-timers on the Lakers Usenet group use C*ltics. Taboo words have a long and distinguished history: It’s a sign of fear and respect. No one puts an asterisk in the Grizzlies. (Ironic, since the Greek word for “bear” was a taboo word, I think.)

    KurkPeterman (3): I’m not sure what the age limit should be (although I definitely think it should be at least 18, for legal reasons), but I like the idea of at least loosening the Draconian NCAA financial aid regulations. The whole “student athlete” thing is so way overplayed. Early in the NCAA tournament, they were showing a game, and one of the commentators said, over and over again during a timeout, “Look at him [the coach] teaching his players.”

    Excuse me? Would we even speak of the Zen master (let alone someone like Avery who likes to call every play down the court) “teaching” his players? It’s time for the NCAA to put away the pretense that the kids are on the court primarily as scholars. They might, if they’re smart, be scholars in the classroom, but on the court, they are athletes, making plenty of money for their schools and their conferences. A scholarship shouldn’t prevent them from earning money, too. I think you’re right that it would reduce some of the incentive for them to make the early leap.

  26. alex v says

    I think the real villain in the age limit debacle is the NCAA, whose sole focus seems to be keeping its profits up and its labor costs down. (Don’t get me started on all the commentators/analysts that get rich off these kids and then talk about about this one “needs another year of school” or some other BS.) And if a kid actually seeks professional help (an agent, or even a team), he gets bounced from the system. The thing that actually amazes me the most is that hockey and basketball leagues start drafting kids in high school and somehow those sports haven’t collapsed or burst into flames.

    Don’t get me wrong – college life is great, but it isn’t right for everybody. Pretending that it is is bad for all concerned.

    Speaking of college (heh), I’m amazed that there isn’t more talk of the NCAA final last night here. Memphis was up three with ten seconds to go, Kansas had the ball. What strategy should they have used? What would Phil have done?

    (In Memphis’ defense, I’ve heard that their players tried to get a foul, and the Kansas kid that made the final shot said he thought he got fouled, but still: where was the open field tackling?)

  27. chris h says

    thanks Brian, but you missed my double entendre, in that we are a curse to the Blazers, and THAT is why they do the *.

  29. matt. says

    Oden will have an immediate impact defensively, the question is what his offensive potential is. He’ll likely develop at least a few post moves, but whether he’ll be a dominant scorer is uncertain. But defensively he’ll be a game-changer.

    I don’t like the Bill Russell comparison because so much of what made Russell so great had to do with his fire and passion. Temperament-wise I think Oden is closer to David Robinson than Russell. He’ll impact the game, but I don’t think he’ll dominate the game the way Russell did.

    The second big question on Oden is his body. Is this injury a one-off thing, or a foreshadowing of his entire career?

    Regarding the age limit, I think 19 is just right. The problem is that the NBA has been somewhat disingenuous, claiming that they’re doing it for the good of the players. That’s nonsense. They’re doing for their own good, first and foremost.

    But I do think the age limit is a good idea. It serves the NBA by:
    1) eliminating the need for scouting high school gyms;
    2) protecting teams from making mistakes on high-potential, no-heart guys like Kwame and Eddy Curry, who dominate in high school but would likely be exposed in college (they’d certainly still get drafted, but not in the top 5);
    3) giving the league a marketing boost when players become stars in college (witness last year’s season-long Oden vs. Durant debate).

    The age limit serves the NCAA for obvious reasons.

    And I even think it protects a lot of the players who aren’t ready for the NBA right out of high school but think they are. The only guys who get hurt by the age limit are the star-caliber players who are clearly capable of jumping straight to the league.

    The whole “he’s 18 he’s got a right” argument also falls flat for me. Voting is right, getting a job with the employer of your choice is a privilege. Obtaining that privilege at the age of 18 used to be a right, but not anymore. 18 year-olds don’t have the right to play in the NBA because the union that represents them gave up that right in exchange for more money.

  30. UCSBShaw says

    As far as Oden goes no one can truly say how good he will be. Remember his only year in college he started off with a bad right hand, it was wrapped up when he played. The only thing I can base it off is during the NCAA run. He did a great job against Noah and Horford in the title game. I think given time and opportunity he will be a Dwight Howard number kind of guy. He can pull boards, block shots and he will be able to score.

    For the whole age limit thing. It’s tough. I dislike the athletes making money. Maybe I have an old school mentallity(I am not old) but that notion just rubs me the wrong way. I do believe that things need to be changed. I think certain players going straight isn’t a bad thing but how often do they come around? What I really would like would be for the athletes to have agents. Whether it is paid with their own money or if they are in college the NCAA provides them with one. Kind of like a defense attorney. An agent will say anything and do anything to get a player signed so he can get drafted.
    My fav soccer team(AC Milan) has two teenage strikers right now and I am always excited to see them play. They score more and play harder than the veterans on that team.

  32. Brian Tung says

    alex v (26): Great game. I feel bad for the Memphis players, but they misplayed the last play. I think you definitely go for the foul, and you don’t wait until the last moment like the Memphis players did (allegedly). This may sound strange, since I’ve previously argued that Phil didn’t necessarily make the wrong call in not fouling the Mavericks before Dirk hit his big three to send it into OT when we played them earlier this season.

    The differences? First of all, college has the 1-and-1, unlike the NBA, and that’s where Memphis was in terms of fouls. I know that Kansas was hitting their throws down the stretch, but the presence of the 1-and-1 still makes the foul more attractive than if they were in the double bonus.

    Secondly, Kansas was out of timeouts. That means that when Memphis gets fouled after the Kansas FTs, they have to go the length of the court in just a few seconds, instead of being able to just work it up to the frontcourt for the timeout.

    There are risks with the fouling tactic, but they are the same risks that are present in the NBA game. So if it’s a tossup in the NBA game (I think it’s pretty close to a tossup), then with the 1-and-1 and the lack of TOs, I think it’s a pretty solid call to foul. In fact, I’d work a pretty hard press in the backcourt, make them take up some time even if I don’t get the foul.

    chris h (27): I didn’t miss it, I just didn’t mention it (sorry).

  33. matt. says

    alex v — I agree with you on the hypocritical NCAA, which pockets billions of dollars for its schools but punishes a player for getting a free pair of shoes from the wrong guy, or letting someone buy them dinner. That system is in serious need of overhaul.

    kwame a — I tend to think that the performance of the high shoolers in the NBA is skewed by the presence of all the superstars in that group (KG, Kobe, McGrady, Amare, LeBron, etc). Basically, the cream of the talent crop went straight to the NBA every year for about a decade, while everyone else went to school. Those guys were going to succeed in the league whether they had 4 years of college or 0. What interests me more is the second and third-tier guys. How did they fare in going pro out of high school? And would they have benefited from going to college for at least one year?

  34. The Fanalyst says

    I like the idea of Bynum and Oden locking up for the next ten years. I think, for all parties considered here, that it would be a great thing to have the legacy of these fine young centers be tied together in Pacific Division battle. I see many exciting Western Conference Finals with them as a focal point. I believe that’s what’s important beyond all the talk of knee joints, skill sets, and age eligibility requirements.

    Guys coming out of high school into the pros is a problem for the NCAA to deal with, and I guess I’m biased because I don’t enjoy college ball. The NBA should welcome all comers, period. Sure, Kwame wouldn’t have embarrassed Mike Jordan maybe if he had to go to school, but that aside…what harm has it caused? For every player that flopped out of high school and cost a team a pick, there’s a player who played four years in the ACC or Big East that sucks now. Drafts are always a side-sport of dice rolling, and no matter how much scouting and analysis is done, whether a guy is a well-adjusted 17 year old or a 23 year old thug will never change. It all comes down to the most unpredictable factor that anything in nature has to deal with: the human species. Do people forget Sam Bowie was drafted over Sir Mike? What was right about that system in the 80’s that they have a problem with what is happening now? Moses Malone, Garnett, Kobe. LeBron…forget it, it’s stupid bureaucracy just like most things NCAA related.

    Sorry for the rant. I enjoyed the comments above about taking kids to their first game. I grew up a Lakers fan in Pennsylvania and still, at the age of 31 and now living a few miles above Miami, haven’t seen a live game yet. My 9 month old daughter isn’t too interested in the TV yet, but my wife and I aim to get her some Lakers garb to swing her affiliations as she gets older. I’m not raising a Heat fan. Take care everybody and enjoy tonights win at Portland.

  35. Darius says

    I’m not really for an age limit. I’m for smart GM’s and practicality from the NCAA. There needs to be a meeting of the minds with the best interests of the kids always on the front burner. Dumb GM’s make bad decisions and the NCAA is so rediculous and set in the middle ages with what goes on and the limits they place on kids with eligibility that something needs to be done. And sorry for the mini rant, but this concept of “student athletes” is a joke. Anyone who watched the post-game presser from the Memphis/Kansas game knows what I mean….those poor Memphis kids had to answer questions about missed free-throws and mistakes in the clutch like they were pros, all while some moderator says “and the STUDENT ATHLETES will take one more question”. I really felt bad for them….they’re college kids. I know some are 21 or 22 but still. How many of us have ever had to be accountable at that level (national media inquiries) in our lives for anything? Anyways.

    As for expectations and Bynum, I’m with Reed. I don’t want any “savior status” to be dropped on him. Save that stuff for Kobe, or Gasol, even. I think that we’ll try to work in Bynum slowly, but the load is going to have to be carried by Kobe/Gasol/Odom with Fisher and the bench being the guys that fill in and raise their games in the big moments. Expecting Bynum to be that 18/10 guy that got hurt is pointless….1- because of his injury and recovery, but also 2- because the team has changed. Gasol is much more polished as a scorer and is also a veteran who knows what the playoffs are about. I actually expect for Gasol to step up his game ON BOTH ENDS, rather than expecting anything from Andrew.

    And I don’t think there really is a good comparison for Bynum and his level of play upon return. His injury was kind of fluky….I can’t ever recall another player even having this happen. At least with Amare, everyone knew what it was…even though it was the dreaded “micro-fracture” surgery.
    (As a side note, I also think that contributed to how slowly Amare came back and how bad he looked. It was almost that self fulfilling prophecy of “this is a terrrible thing. guys aren’t the same after this” and his game/confidence suffered. Remember the Suns didn’t start him at first and he was really BAD. Then D’Antoni said “screw it” and started him, and everything went back to normal.)

    Drew reminds me most of guys like Parish or even Kareem (though more filled out). Just tall/lanky/rangy athletes that could do a variety of things on the court. To my knowledge, neither of those guys really suffered a “major” injury…so I’m at a loss there.

    Sorry for the long post, so let’s beat Portland.

  36. RHYbread says

    I see more soccer fans!

    AC Milan’s other starlet is homegrown, 18 year old Alberto Paloschi made his debut on Feb. 10 against Siena. What was really interesting he scored after only being for 20 seconds off literally his first touch.

    Now they just need some more youth everywhere across the field and they can go back to dominating Serie A.

  37. Craig W. says

    It is still a privilege, not a right, to get a job in the NBA. That is the key point in all this. We can argue all night and day about the benefits/harm to the players involved, but it is not their call.

    The NBA, in conjunction with the union, creates the Collective Bargaining Agreement. People outside the NBA have nothing to do with it – and should not. Age is not a civil rights issue for these situations.

  38. Kurt says

    Craig, no doubt the NBA has the right to put in the age limit. But I still think it was largely put in to protect owners and GMs from themselves, and to me that is not a smart way to do business.

  39. RHYbread says

    Bynum’s return is just huge list of questions.

    Will he be very rusty?
    Have his skills atrophied?
    How will he fit in?
    Is Phil saving him to play the deus ex machina role?

    The only thing we can do is wait till Phil subs him into a game.

    I think it would have been easier for Bynum to come back in the regular season against some chump teams, like Charlotte/Memphis last week. The intensity of the playoffs might be hard to deal with in his first game after the long layoff.

  40. KurkPeterman says

    23: Sports Tsar – Glad to know I’m not the only Stu fan(atic). My favorite Stu move is when he makes up the fake conversations between players. Classic Stu.

    25: Brian Tung – I think you hit on a key point here when you mentioned that they legally didn’t have a right. I’ve seen a lot of arguments where people use the fact that the NBA (or some other pro-league) is a business as a basis for saying they have a right to institute whatever rules they wanted. If this was the case, players would still be making peanuts. It’s because of the balance of power between the players association and the league that allows for the sport to develop as a business. Raising the age limit doesn’t necessarily favor the players (who are a big part of this business equation); I think that it’s good that because of the collective bargaining agreements, the league doesn’t have a legal basis to do whatever it pleases. Also, let’s not forget that the league is a monopoly and is subject to antitrust laws should the government want to get involved (very different from most businesses).

    League keeps Players happy,
    Players keep Fans happy,
    Fans keep League happy

    28: Kwame A – Interesting facts in that article, particularly the one about high schoolers being arrested less than other groups (something you’d think the maturity of going through college would help). One of the things that seems to have changed is that young athletes now know that they need to be surrounded by the right people and they have access to teams of people willing to help them plan their finances. I’m hoping that we won’t hear many stories about washed up athletes who squandered their fortunes or made poor decisions as time goes on…

  41. KurkPeterman says

    For all fellow scoreboard watchers, NOH vs. UTA on NBATV right now.

    27 – 24 : Utah winning at the end of the 1st!

  42. Brian Tung says

    Craig W (37): Since no one is disputing that the NBA has the right to increase the minimum age, I disagree that this is the key point. The key question is whether it is sensible for them to exercise that right. I think that question ought to be answered on essentially pragmatic (rather than legal) grounds.

  43. Brian Tung says

    KurkPeterman (40): Actually, what I said was that I believe the NBA has a moral right to raise the minimum age, even if they didn’t have the legal right to do so. Depending on what you include under the term “the league,” I think they do actually have that legal right, monopoly (or near-monopoly) status notwithstanding. Larry Coon would know for sure.

  44. KurkPeterman says

    43: Gotcha, parsed it incorrectly the first time. I’m curious to know what the legal status of changing that would be? Anyone now? I believe that at a minimum it would have to be adopted by the players association in the next CBA. Are there any other barriers preventing them for making the shift?

  45. KurkPeterman says

    Kurt I remember you were talking about ideas for additions to the site in the future. The ability to edit your posts for a limited period of time after posting would be great. It would prevent me from making an idiot of myself and not proofreading stuff like ‘now’ vs. ‘know’ =)

  47. Kareem says

    The whole discussion of “age limits” and the NBA’s right to impose restrictions is a perfect case study in economics (and in what is wrong with this country). Somehow the league is seen as an authority beyond the players and potential players. It is their decision, yet without the players they have no product. Yes, with the age restriction the NBA can market “their” product better; but why is that good for the players, for the fans, or the teams? Yes, they make the owners more money (so they can pad their profit margins on top of salary cap limits); yes, the media establishment has plenty of fodder to fill their print pages and hours speculative repeat TV news-updates; yes, the NCAA makes millions (probably totaling billions) for their schools, while their players slave between school and (free) work instead of ACTUALLY making money for themselves.

    Most of the arguments for college revolve around “maturity”, which many college-run students thoroughly lack (I can vouch for this) even several years after the fact. The other? Why don’t we give them an education. An education that will provide them some “security”. The average college graduate from a BA program makes 30 grand these years; and most kids don’t learn anything between beer bongs and real bongs.

    What do you say to the player who gets injured in college and is SOL? Loses that fat contract and has nothing to show for his natural talent or hard work during high school. How about GM’s own up to their responsibility. Avoid drafting immature talent, talent lacking talent, or immature talent lacking talent (Kwame). The D-League is a much better answer than college. Make it a viable alternative; a decent paying job where players can mature. Focus the teams in ancillary markets, like where big college schools are that don’t have an NBA team. I’m sure there are many prospective talents who would love to be working 35 grand a year in the D-league (salaries now range around 12-24 grand).

    I don’t understand why the alternative to “right out of high school” has to be unfairness. By the way, I’ve never really enjoyed college basketball, but I don’t think it really matters. The idea of people working “for” their education so that some trust board can sit fat and make 500,000 a year (like my chancellor) is ludicrous.

  48. matt. says

    KurkPeterman — Age restrictions, by law, must be collectively bargained with the union. And that won’t happen until the current CBA expires in 2011.

    I also think the NBA might be raising the idea of increasing the age limit as a bargaining chip – something they can “give up” in exchange for something else during negotiations on the next CBA.

  49. kwame a says

    Think Derron Williams reads the paper much. Utah up 9 early 3rd quarter, CP3 is 0-7 and just ran D. Will over for a charge.

  50. JONESONTHENBA says

    The Lakers better not blow this game tonight. With the Hornets losing right now, the Lakers can tie the Hornets in the loss column when they play them on Friday. I will definitely be at that game. Not only will first place in the west be on the line, but likely Kobe’s MVP.

  51. The Dude Abides says

    NO-Utah: Utah has an 18-pt lead with 11:30 left in the 4th quarter. If NO loses tonight and the Lakers can win out, we get the top seed and avoid Dallas in the first round. In addition, a first-round sweep gives us more practice time to integrate Andrew.

  52. kwame a says

    Utah up 19 with 8 minutes to play, Paul only has 2 pts. Lakers better not blow it.

  53. Stephen says

    NHL and MLB have Minor League systems. When the NBDL expands so each team has a NBDL team the age limit will fade away.
    It’s been pointed out that Europe will prob become a viable option for a talented player who doesn’t want to go to college. Imagine a dirt-poor LeBron,Kobe coming out of high school and having to wait 2 yrs for the NBA or a nice Euro contract.
    However,there is another way to go. First the rookie salary is the same for every rookie. Perhaps a rookie contract of $500thou,$750tho,$1.25mil w/first yr guaranteed and team options on 2,3 yr. Undrafted players get a $100tho signing bonus,Second Rd get a $250thou signing bonus and First Rd picks start w/1 pick getting $4.5mil and each following pick to a hundred thou less.Signing bonus doesn’t count towards cap and player gets as soon as signs. NCAA lets players get signing bonus and attend Summer Camps while still retaining eligibility.
    So a player could get drafted,attend summer Camp and be told they’re better off going to school for a couple of yrs.They get the signing bonus to help family and if they blow out a knee or something they have the first yr’s money to start a new life. If they don’t want to go to college they can be sent to NBDL w/out huge financial waste to team. The college has to insure player for contract’s terms and team reimburses college for scholarship when player leaves.

  55. Underbruin says

    Honestly, even though LA is down (16-18 atm) I feel like the Lakers are playing far better than the Blazers for the most part. All the Lakers’ points have been in the paint, easy layups and the like. The Blazers have hit almost entirely on jumpshots, 18-20 feet from the hoop.

  56. Kurt says

    The flip side of that Utah/NO score: A lot of people said they didn’t fear Utah in the playoffs, but I still do.

  57. chocomm says

    give up offensive rebounds to the likes of Mark LaFrentz and we will lose this game for sure.
    Don’t take anything for granted, Lakers. You know better than anyone else that these Blazers never give up and are always competitive and we’ve lost at the Garden 5 straight times.
    I cringe every time Kobe and Radmanovic are exposed on defense.

  59. Craig W. says

    For the record, I think the age restriction should be 20yrs – as I stated above. I have my reasons for this and they are not equally fair to everyone, but no reasons ever are. That being the case I support the current CBA. The question of the NCAA gorilla tactics against student-players is an entirely different matter. If we are going to discuss that then I suggest we leave the NBA out of the discussion.

    I am TIVOing the game so I can skip the commercials.

  60. kwame a says

    56-I’d still rather go Denver (or GS) and Utah to get to the conference finals than Hou (or Dal or Pho) and SA (or NO) to get to the conference finals.

    Lakers gotta play D, Kobe could help by not roaming so much.

    Oh, one more thing, Leauge Pass has blessed us with the Blazer announcers, who many here have noted are priceless with there homerism.

  61. RHYbread says

    Why does Ronny /always/ bite on the head fake? Every game he picks up at least one foul when a player shows him this move.

  63. harold says

    i always thought that the age limit was pointless. i see how the NCAA and the NBA benefits from it, but the players and the fans really don’t.

    Besides, I don’t see why the league cannot allow NCAA players to declare, be drafted, yet stay in the NCAA much like foreign players who stay in their league until they’re called up. Sure some limitations, such as not being able to call up a player mid-season, should be placed, but if MONEY / DEVELOPMENT is the primary point of contention, why not have both?

    That of course could render the development league a bit redundant, and teams may wish to opt for certain players to be in the development league rather than their college teams, but there’ll always be players who ‘have already graduated but not quite NBA worthy.’

  64. phineas says

    So tired of lackluster first halves. We need to get on a roll heading into this final short stretch and into the playoffs, and I’m just not seeing it happen. Of course there’s a whole other half to play tonight, but c’mon: let’s roll over somebody already!

  66. laughing hard says

    … at least we don’t have to play at the Rose Garden again until next season…

  67. phineas says

    I’m pretty sure the Portland color guy has called Oden “Odem” twice now. (Odom?)

  69. Ari says

    i said it before…ship gasol back for kwame..he is too soft…he’s struggling playing against bigger guys like aldridge..

  70. kwame a says

    guess they answered the run, hope the leauge doesn’t overreact, that was not as hard of a foul as it looked.

  71. phineas says

    No one wants to see Roy hurt like that, but is it just me or was that not quite as bad as they’re saying?

  73. Muffin-Man says

    Note to Farmar: next time you’re on a 2-1 fast break with Kobe Bryant, pass the damn ball!!!

  74. RHYbread says

    Lakers are closing the lead but stupid things like turnovers and bad shot selection is keeping us from powering over the hump against this team.

  75. harold says

    only saw the telecast, but really what was wrong with our defense? they made jump shot after jump shot as if nobody was really defending…

  76. TCO says

    Two plays stick out to me at the end. The Brandon Roy 3 point play that essentially made it a 3 poss game, and the wild 3 atempt by Vlad w/ 1 minuteish left w/ us down by only 6. Disappointing.

  77. adb says

    For some reason or another, Portland just seems to make some tough and timely shots. Although our defense wasn’t lockdown……..Portland just seems to hit every jumper.

    Also, the referees were horribly biased today. They would call ticky tack fouls on the Lakers, and the Lakers just didn’t seem to get any crucial calls.

    Of all the premier teams in the league, the Lakers get fewer calls than any other team. Of course………I’m horribly biased.

  78. me says

    Bobcats, Grizzlies, then Blazers. This defense or lack thereof, assures that the Lakers cannot and will not go deep in the playoffs. Defense is the problem period. They cannot defend the lowliest of teams. Bynum returning will not solve the problem of this teams’ poor defensive efforts which have been proven to be their main obstacle. Another disappointing loss to another truly shitty team confirms what I tried not to believe. I hope I’m wrong.

  80. Craig W. says

    I can’t say the Lakers deserved to win this game in any way. When Sasha is the best defensive guard and he can’t break into the starting lineup, this is the best you are going to get. These guys couldn’t guard a fencepost.

    Ok, now that I got that out, we really do need a big and defensive guard; someone who won’t roam all over the court trying to find someone else’s assignment to guard.

    This game and Portland’s last against San Antonio really make a bookend set explaining why we may have some problems in the post season.

  81. j. d. hastings says

    Man. Can we really just not win up there? Is there a gas link in the visitor’s locker room? Do all our players follow the Zach Randolph Guide to Portland Nighlife? I wonder if we’d beat a YMCA team in that building. Everybody was just a little off tonight

  82. Coop says

    @ 69, Ari

    I certainly hope that idea of yours is supposed to be some kind of humor. If it isn’t, then I beg of you sir, kindly pass whatever it is you’re smoking.

    As for the game itself, I imagine that this kind of thing must be bittersweet for Portland fans. Of course they love to beat the Lakers, but really, how frustrating it must be (lord knows it drives me nuts when this .500ish team plays like this out of the blue against us) for them to see their team look all unbeatable against a team competeing for number 1 in the conference and then go out and stink it up against everyone else (for the most part). A team that can shoot like that should have a much better record than it does. Either that, or they are getting magical fairy dust sprinkled on them for only home games against the Lakers. Go figure.

  85. Laker Pauer says

    Man… watching the Suns game, it is apparent how important it is to have a defensive minded big. Shaq really shut Duncan down. All those that don’t think Bynum will be the difference only need to watch the Suns game tonight. If Bynum can box out and dominate down low I think that our defense will be much better.

    The other thing is that we need to send a message to our guards to stop gambling on D. If they can just get in front of the other teams back court, our perimeter D will also dramatically improve. It seems like Sasha is the best defensive guard we have after Kobe. I think that maybe he should pick up some more minutes at point.

    If we have Bynum come off the bench with Turiaf, we will have a bench that can really lock down their opposition and embarrass them on the boards.

    I really think that Bynum fills that void that Shaq left and is going to give us our interior game back. That should be enough of a difference to put us back on top.

  86. anoni says

    Anyone else think that rock-paper-scissors analogy has carried on to these new teams?

    Suns can beat Spurs, not Lakers
    Lakers can beat Suns, not Spurs
    Spurs can beat Lakers, not Suns

  87. harold says

    86- oversimplification, really. I hope that’s true tho 😉

    off topic, but anyone else think Kobe ruined Chicago’s season? They were a relatively decent team until this summer, and now they’re doormats, really.

    Kobe should get an MVP for single-handedly causing the biggest turnaround (the other way) without being on the roster 😉

  88. Kurt says

    I did not delete the comments on this post, I’m not sure what happened. This is not the first time this has happened, usually I can get them back but it takes time. Sorry.

  89. calvin says

    hey does anyone know what happened to janeiro/raptorsnation?
    they only show raptors game now and i was wondering if anything had happened

  90. matt. says

    86 anoni — I posted this before, but I think every top team in the West has at least one “kryptonite” team. For New Orleans, it’s Utah. For Utah, LA & San Antonio. For Phoenix, it’s LA. For San Antonio, New Orleans, and possibly Phoenix. For LA, it’s San Antonio, and possibly New Orleans.

    That’s why matchups & seedings are going to determine the West this year. The Hornets could win the West, or lose in the second round to the Jazz. The Spurs could win the West, or lose to the Suns in the first round or the Hornest in the conf. finals. And on and on.

  91. Goo says

    89, i know they had alot of problems with hosting and servers crashing and all that, i think it just got too popular unfortunately, there’s probably a sister site that they’re hiding from the general public

    you can use myp2p.eu for the time being

  92. Goo says

    sorry to not add this to the last comment
    86, kind of reminds me of the last 2 years, where it was generally considered

    Mavs could beat the Spurs
    Spurs could beat the Suns
    Suns could beat the Mavs

  94. Xavier says

    14. Rudy Fernandez is not a PG. Look at Rudy as a 23-years-old Manu Ginobili (I wont stop saying that the lakers will regreat not having him as well as Marc Gasol but having Pau at this moment is kind of a bless).

    And I have to disagree with you. I don’t like Rodriguez. I’ve seen him since he was 15 and yes, he’s a flashy PG with talent but not the PG the lakers need. I don’t even think he’ll make the Spanish team this olimpics, Calderon, Ricky Rubio and either Cabezas or Mario Fernandez will take the PG spots…

  95. UCSBShaw says

    Check out this link. It got my blood boiling since this is how some people feel about it. I always remind myself, Jerry West, Mr. Logo, never won an MVP.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/080407&sportCat=nba

    Kwame sorry I didn’t answer your question earlier work got the best of me and didnt check it til last night. I saw somone answered your question. Alberto Paloschi is 18 years old. From what I have seen he is not as talented as Pato(who is really good) but with Pato and Kaka that trio will be tough in a couple of years.

  98. Frank X says

    Does anyone know where to find the names of the MVP voters? Are the LA time guys voting? Also are the results open record so we can see who voted for whom?

  99. KurkPeterman says

    93 – Great link. My favorite part is:
    Elie: “Alright…I’ll give you..I saw that one go in.”
    Kobe: “Huh.”
    Elie: “I saw that one go in.”
    Kobe: “I know you saw it! We all saw it!”

  102. J.D. Hastings says

    Per the LATimes Laker Blog, Bynum has been ruled unready to return to action by the NY specialist. I didn’t think it was a good sign that they sent him accross the country to get clearance from a doctor who hasn’t been involved in this injury (though he worked on Drew in HS)…

  103. Craig W. says

    Hey people, Scoop has it right. The MVP award is as much about likability as it is about skill. It is a place for the haters to say, “We got you again!”. Since they cant’ stop Kobe on the court, they have to stop him off the court.

    Yea! Jerry is the only player on a losing team ever to win the Finals MVP award and he never won the season MVP. Keep your eye on the prize – trophywise.

  105. The Dude Abides says

    The reports keep citing Andrew’s “dislocation” of the kneecap, when it was really a subluxation, i.e. the kneecap immediately popped back in spontaneously. IMO, the most severe aspect of the injury was the bone bruise to the kneecap. A kneecap subluxation with no other injury just doesn’t take more than three months recovery time. A severe bone bruise can take months and months to recover from.

  106. pw says

    About the “Kobe jumping over the Aston Martin” video. My belief is the car only goes by behind him making it an optical illusion that he is jumping over the car. Look at Kobe’s shadow. There is a faint hint of Kobe’s shadow on the car which implies that he is in front of the car and not exactly above it. It’s a great athletic feat still, not as dangerous though.

    Henry abbott is right. No way the Lakers would let him do anything as dangerous as that.

  107. adb says

    Horrible news on the Bynum front. I hope it is not as bad as the suggested rumor of him “missing 6 weeks”.

    On a lighter note, the video of Kobe jumping over the car is really cool! Fake or not, that is some great viral marketing and it also shows a more natural side of Kobe. Great job!

  108. matt. says

    106 pw — you’re right. Bright Side of the Sun has a video of the Kobe jump slowed down so you can clearly see his shadow on the side of the car. Still a great video/ad, even though it’s camera trickery.