This year the TrueHoop Network has put together a book of NBA team previews, which you will hear more about soon. Due to book publishing deadlines, my first version of this was written in August, well before training camp opened, and had tight word counts to fit space.
What follows is a modified version of that printed preview — my views have evolved with what we have seen in training camp and preseason, and with your comments and the discussions here. Also, this is longer. Enjoy, then check out the list of other blogger previews for their teams below.
————————————————————-
God, it is good to be hated again.
It’s an oddly comforting thing for Lakers fans when the entire world seems to be passionately wishing for your team to fail, hoping for an earthquake that will break off Los Angeles and dump it in the ocean so that they don’t have to hear about the Lakers again. When the Lakers are hated, you know they are good.
And they are good — very good. Not only did they win the NBA title, they brought back virtually every piece of that team, and made a move to bring in a unique talent (and personality) at another spot. On paper they should be a better team this year — Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant are back to lead, with a more mature supporting cast.
But they also will be a different team.
Two things change the Lakers dynamic this year, meaning they will play at a little slower pace and likely be better on defense.
The first of those is Ron Artest, who will make the team different because he is, um, different. But forget the under/over on how many times Phil Jackson is asked a question that begins, “Ron Artest tweeted…” (the betting line is 225), he changes the Lakers on the court. He is a more physical defender, a guy who can slow down the big threes in the league like Paul Pierce or LeBron James (as much as anyone slows them). His offense within the triangle has been a pretty good fit through preseason, as Darius explains:
I’ve described Artest as a souped-up Walton and I believe that even more now. He’s barely looking to shoot and he’s focused almost entirely on making plays for his teammates whenever he touches the ball on offense. But because he’s still such an offensive threat and so strong, he’s able to occupy defenders in a way that has been effective so far and allowed him to be a playmaker from the perimeter that we don’t have outside of Kobe and Odom (who is not nearly as controlled as Ron has shown so far).
That said, Artest will shoot (and likely at some points this year more than we would like). Artest shoots the three better than Ariza and is a beast down low, a dangerous combination in the Lakers offense. But Reed adds this note about comparing Ariza and Artest:
Ariza proved that, more than perhaps anyone on last year’s team but Kobe and Fisher, he is a winner; he is not scared of the big moment; he asserts himself to change the game when everything is on the line. That’s a rare and special quality. He clearly had Horry and Cassell’s role player killer instinct…. And that’s what this team really needs after Kobe and Gasol — talented players who rise up in big moments. We’ll see if Artest has it in him. He’s never been tested like that before.
The other big change will be having a healthy Andrew Bynum. (*knocking on wood*). So far in the preseason, Bynum has moved well and he has been devastatingly good — he is running the floor, beating the other big down and getting deep position on the block. Reed adds to that point.
Bynum looks to have regained his explosiveness. I think he’s going to be a man on a mission to prove himself, resulting in big numbers and lots of ball hogging. I won’t care about the latter so long as he doesn’t pout about sitting at the end of games and can keep his selfish tendencies on hold for the playoffs (like Kobe was able to when young). But I think he’s going to give himself an Antoine Walker in Boston level green light and just fire away whenever he has the slightest opportunity.
There will be other things to watch during the regular season (besides the one time a game — at least — when Kobe just makes your jaw drop to the floor like you’re in an old Tex Avery cartoon). Point guard is going to be one thing to follow. Derek Fisher is the starter, the guy who hits the big shots, but he is almost old enough to start for the Celtics. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown will get the chance to supplant him, but the question remains if one of them can step up and do it. Brown may be the crowd favorite — he is certainly the YouTube favorite with his dunks — but Farmar may have had the better overall preseason.
That said, what Ty Lawson did to the Lakers PGs (all three of them) in the last game is a reminder that this is a lurking issue. Somehow the Lakers need to find a way to defend quick point guards, or that will come back to bite them this season.
The ultimate keys to the Lakers are: 1) Kobe; 2) A front line that is long and versatile. Reed chimes in with this
The obvious strength of this team is its frontcourt size, skill, and quickness. No other team can match up with Gasol, Bynum, and Odom up front when they are all healthy and playing well. I don’t know if we’ve seen a front line with this much potential since the 86 Celtics…. I do hope that our closing offense in tight games is much less spreading the court for Kobe the last 3 minutes, and much more throwing the ball inside and reserving the Kobe clear out until the last play or two.
With that front line, expect a lot of post-up play and a slower pace from our starting unit. Zephid talks about that:
On offense, the starters are pretty much a post-up unit. Kobe, Artest, Pau, Andrew, they’re all at their best when posting up, so we could be in for a ton of grinding first quarters. Heck, even Fisher posts up smaller guards from time to time. I really like Artest’s “post game,” even if it consists mostly of bull rushes to the hoop and no actual back-to-the-basket moves. Man, but when he gets his shoulders around his defender, he’s pretty much unstoppable, with a couple of really nice assists coming off these bull-rushes.
On defense, things will be a little different this year. With Artest as another strong wing defender to go with Kobe (when he wants to be a good one on one defender), the Lakers now have a healthy Bynum in the paint. The Lakers moved away somewhat from the strong side zone in this preseason, but worked hard to force penetration to the baseline and get the help there early. The Lakers will still trap and try to force turnovers, something else we saw with the team near the end of the preseason. Particularly with the second unit, which is more likely to run on the turnovers they create.
The unenviable challenge for other teams is to match up with the versatility of the Lakers — want to go big and the Lakers can stack three guys 6’10 or taller along the front line for you. Want to go small and the Lakers can move Kobe Bryant to the three, Ron Artest to the four (or Odom) and have one of the better running/passing true seven footers in Gasol in the middle (plus Bynum can run the floor).
No matter what you want to do, the Lakers can match up with better players. That just makes everybody hate them. Which is a good thing.
Predicted Win total: 64. One less than last year, the West is deep and the Lakers will have an adjustment period with Artest, but in the end they are still the class of the conference. (The crystal ball of the rest of the TrueHoop Network said 62 Lakers wins.)
Why they will fail (Thoughts from the rest of the network on why the Lakers will fall short): Because one day Derek Fisher will stop saving Kobe’s teams. (Ryan Schwan)
I paid a voodoo priestess to curse them. I even let her use some of my blood and my lucky chicken’s foot. I’m sure that should do it. (Matt McHale)
Best Tweet of the Team: “Stop me if you can opponents. Then I will just pass to Kobe. Or maybe Kobe might pass to me. Or maybe Gasol might pass to Bynum. Your F*&#ed”
From Ron Artest, who is so pumped to be a Laker he is even willing to give up the rock and was a good playmaker in preseason (readers in Sacramento and Houston just involuntarily said “we’ll see about that”).
The People’s Player (besides Kobe): Lakers fans love them some DJ Mbenga. He sparked more of that love this preseason with a seven-block game. Last season one section of Staples Center all had made “Banging with Mbenga” T-shirts. When he comes in during mop up time, the elbows are out and Lakers fans will be begging him to shoot. And with this Lakers team, he should get lots of mop up chances.
The play the Lakers run if down one point with the ball and :09 left on the clock: Lamar Odom inbounds the ball to Derek Fisher, who quickly gets the ball to Pau Gasol in the high post. He has a plethora of options: There is Andrew Bynum looking for the backdoor lob, Ron Artest has set himself at the three-point line and his man is coming to double Gasol; and there is Lamar Odom making a sharp cut toward the basket. Gasol surveys the situations and…
Who are we kidding? It’s a clear out for Kobe.
Legalese (the contract stuff): The question is how you keep the team at its peak through a championship window without having an Isiah Thomas level payroll (Gasol is a free agent in 2011). If the Lakers can make a trade to save money and get a decent player this season (as they did sending Vladimir Radmanovic away), they may well take it.
Kobe Bryant has been working with Lakers brass on a five-year extension. If he wants at the end of this year he can opt out of his current deal then turn around and sign a new max five year deal with the Lakers. It will mean a short-term savings of a few dollars, but some issues near the end of that contract.
The other coming contract (and on the court) issue is the point guard situation — Derek Fisher’s contract is up after this season, Shannon Brown has a player’s option for next season (he makes $2 million if he stays) and the Lakers chose not to extend a qualifying offer to Jordan Farmar, who will become a restricted free agent at the end of the year (the Lakers could match any offer to him). With Adam Morrison’s $5.2 million coming off the books after this season, look for the Lakers to spend some money on a point guard of the future next summer. The question is who will that be?
————————————————————————
| TEAM | BLOGGERS SAY | WINS* |
|---|---|---|
 |
Bret Lagree | Hoopinion“The Hawks have not built, nor do they appear to be building, a championship |
45 |
 |
Zach Lowe | CelticsHub“It seems reasonable to say anything short of an 18th championship would be |
58 |
 |
Brett Hainline | Queen City
|
36 |
 |
Matt McHale | By the Horns“During the offseason, the Bulls lost free agent Ben Gordon, whom many |
43 |
 |
John Krolik | Cavs the Blog“After last season’s playoff heartbreak, Danny Ferry has changed up the |
61 |
 |
Rob Mahoney | The Two Man Game“’Rebuilding’ teams seek financial flexibility and the acquisition of young, |
50 |
 |
Jeremy Wagner | Roundball Mining Company“The only players still on the roster who exceeded expectations in 2008-09 |
53 |
 |
Dan Feldman | PistonPowered“However the minutes shake out between Chris Wilcox, Kwame Brown and Ben |
36 |
 |
Rasheed Malek |Warriors World“Under the ownership of Chris Cohan, the Warriors have made the playoffs |
28 |
 |
Anup Shah and Brody Rollins | Rockets Buzz“The speed revolution has overtaken some of basketball’s peers, most notably |
39 |
 |
Jared Wade | Eight Points, Nine Seconds“It’s hard to believe that anything short of the postseason will remove the |
32 |
 |
Kevin Arnovitz | ClipperBlog“[Blake] Griffin and [Eric] Gordon may not be saviors, but they’re |
32 |
 |
Kurt Helin | Forum Blue and Gold“God, is it good to be hated again.” |
64 |
 |
Chip Crain | 3 Shades of Blue“The 2009-10 version of the Grizzlies have put together a starting five |
20 |
 |
Matthew Bunch | Hot Hot Hoops“38.6 minutes. 30.2 points. 49.1 percent shooting. Five rebounds. 7.5 |
44 |
 |
Jeremy Schmidt | Bucksketball“If the Bucks get anything out of their three small forwards, if they can |
29 |
 |
Patrick Hodgdon | Howlin’ T-Wolf“”Ever since his arrival, David Kahn has had seemingly one mission, other |
23 |
 |
Mark Ginocchio and Sebastian Priuti | Nets are Scorching“Lingering doubts about Brooklyn could spoil any change the Nets have of |
29 |
 |
Niall Doherty and Ryan Schwan | Hornets247“Enter Emeka Okafor. He’s a near match to a healthy Chandler, is more |
47 |
 |
Mike Kurylo | Knickerblogger“2010 could be New York’s return to winning.” |
31 |
 |
Royce Young | Daily Thunder“The Thunder may not win more than half their games, but with over half the |
34 |
 |
Zach McCann | Orlando Magic Daily“Take away either Hedo Turkoglu or Courtney Lee and the Magic aren’t getting |
59 |
 |
Carey R. Smith | Philadunkia“The travesty of a deal that Billy King gave to Samuel Dalembert remains |
39 |
 |
Michael Schwartz | Valley of the Suns“Two years ago the Suns were chic championship picks. Last year, the Suns |
46 |
 |
Max Handelman | Beyond Bowie“The Blazers effectively bumbled their way to a 54-win season despite a |
53 |
 |
Zach Harper | Cowbell Kingdom“Enter Tyreke Evans — a bulldozer-sized menace who will test the strength |
22 |
 |
Timothy Varner | 48 Minutes of HellDuring the Celtics heyday, Red Auerbach boasted a winning percentage of |
55 |
 |
RaptorsRepublic“How is a rookie(ish) head coach going to integrate nine new players into a |
41 |
 |
Spencer Ryan Hall | Salt City Hoops“With young Wesley Matthews providing the good luck charm, Boozer in a |
46 |
 |
Kyle Weidie | Truth About It“Flip Saunders has never gotten a team ‘there.’ That worn out cliché always |
42 |
* As predicted by a consensus of all TrueHoop Network bloggers. |
||
anon says
nice shot at the celtics.. maybe more about matchups w/other condender’s frontlines?
sheed/kg.. shaq/z-whats-his-face.. dwight/gortat.. TD/blair..
everyone else obviously knows the lakers biggest advantage is their frontline..
my take is gasol odom 1st team n bynum artest off the bench.. everyone else added size but not depth/youth.. except orlando but i think we settled them recently..
Ryan says
The play the Lakers run with 9 seconds left was pretty funny. But I guess there is a second play and that is a Fisher 3. But they will probably save that for the playoffs.
Warren Wee Lim says
I was happy to see the Legalese stuff being hinted out there…
Kurt, the only way such a deal you referred to can happen is if we are able to find a taker for Sasha (1 more year at 5.2m) in exchange for an expiring contract and a less useful player.
Another angle would be to trade Luke Walton (3 more years at an average of 5.7m) for a player whose contract is that of a Jared Jeffries (bigger in the 1st 2 years but none in 2011) and again, a less useful player than Luke Walton (who is the longest-tenured Laker under Phil not named Kobe and Fish.
Speaking of these scenarios, and they are not speculative, I am more inclined to believing that the Lakers will be sending Adam Morrison for a TPE (traded player exception) and $3 million cash during the deadline for whosoever team has such a TPE and is willing to gamble on AmMo for free.
Another scenario, (the scenario I’d hate to see happen) is to move Farmar for such a TPE for a 2nd rounder or if we are lucky, a late 1st.
Essentially, the Lakers IMO are more concerned in saving some money for the next 2 seasons of high payroll than 2011 when Gasol will be FA.
chibi says
Last season, the Lakers were 19th in the league in 3pt%. I am counting on Artest and the return of the Machine to make the Lakers shoot efficiently enough to win low-possession games outright.
lakergirl says
“Derek Fisher is the starter, the guy who hits the big shots, but he is almost old enough to start for the Celtics”
Nice one Kurt
sT says
Great season preview Kurt. Our front line is just awesome, with length and quickness. I would like to see Pau Gasol take a little more time off, like the whole month of November, just to be sure he is ready for the months of 2010. I believe the Lakers will try to shed salary any way they can, period, you know, get below that 100m mark or so. Bynum is looking very good so far this season and I am hoping for another breakout year from him, just healthy the WHOLE year this time.
Good luck for the 2009-10 season, starting tomorrow, Lakers…
DY says
Kurt, excellent article. Being DEEP in Phillies baseball country, and being subjected to a hostile work environment based upon my Dodger orientation, I am so glad that our champion Lakers’ season is about to start!
Sad to see Gaffney go, but he wasn’t going to get much burn anyway. Let the fun begin!
Craig W. says
Gaffney was let go so late that I wonder if there is a chance the Defenders can sign him?
Kurt says
I just added the links to all the other team previews on the network, possibly making this the longest post in the history of FB&G. But there they are.
Re: Gaffney. I’m sure a D-Fenders offer was made. But it depends on if other teams have space and interest. I know the Lakers would like him back, but he’s going to go where he stands the best chance of getting on an NBA roster soon, and that may not be here.
MannyP13 says
I don’t want to get into trade or signing speculation here since (1) it is against the rules of FB&G, (2) the season has not yet even started, and (3) the season has not yet ended.
So with that in mind, I will say that I hope the Laker organization gives this core at least until January before they decide whether any moves are warranted.
Mamula says
Sad life of Jordan Farmar… going from “future starting point guard” to “possibly getting dumped to clear salary”. WOW!
JB says
:09 left: Odom (Player #1) inbounds to Fisher (Player #2), who passes to Gasol (Player #3), who looks for Bynum (Player #4) or Artest (Player #5), while finally settling on dishing to Kobe (Player #6).
I mean, I know the team’s deep and all, but 6-on-5 is just flat unfair.
chris h says
hey Kurt, thanks for the best season preview around!
the LA Times was pitiful for the day before the season starts, it’s no wonder the print/newspapers (and even their on line counterparts) are losing their customers.
with regard to the Lakers right now, I agree that Pau should sit out the start if there is even a hint of pain in the hammy. better safe than sorry, especially, as PJ says, “we’ve got a pretty good guy to replace him”, ie; LO.
everything I’ve read is in sync with what you said, stay healthy and we can win it all again, how nice.
but, if we go back to the years when Magic led the team, after a Championship year, every, and I mean, EVERY game is going to be tough, we’ve got a huge BULLS EYE on our backs, every team, every city, has the Lakers game circled with an idea that even if they don’t wing the ‘ship, (which they know they won’t) if they can beat the Lakers, that’s like a panacea for the season, “well, at least we beat the Lakers” satisfaction.
So in other words, we may have the talent, but we’re going to have to bring it every night, match the intensity every night, it’s not going to be some cake walk to the finals.
should be a fun season to enjoy!
jilab says
Why is it taking so long for it to be Tue evening?! The first time when we can watch our new unit play focused-ball within a real game. I can’t wait for the first time in such a game when Kobe and Artest have their manimal cranked on at the same time. And then when the timeout comes we see them almost knock each other over in excitement heading to the bench to take a seat (as the coaches stand up) and the commercials role…
Asteri says
Kurt, if you really wanted to feel hated, you should have predicted a 73 win seaseon – Chicago might not hate us as much as they should….let’s get them on the bandwagon a little more!
chibi says
article on cap’s sitting in on practice, meeting w/ grizzlies young bigs.
http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/the_memphis_edge/2009/10/kareem-abdul-jabbar-to-join-grizzlies.html
The Dude Abides says
I’m still hoping that Phil decides to break out the big lineup at some point in the season, with Lamar at PG on offense. After those huge threes that he hit in Game 5 of the Finals, it looks like his confidence in his outside shot is sky high. He, Kobe, and Ron-Ron can all spread the court and all will have size advantages in the post on offense. And on defense, it won’t be easy to penetrate the lane and shoot over all those trees.
Don says
“God, it is good to be hated again.”
– Ah, what a wonderful feeling.
12 JB, haha good point.
On Odom’s shooting, any ideas why he was a 50% shooter in the playoffs and seems to continue that trend during the preseason? Can we look for him to shoot 40% this year?
themojojedi says
My favourite individual subplot for the early part of the season is to see when (if?) Kobe overtakes Iverson on the career scoring list. Iverson is currently 163 points ahead. Depending on injuries, Iverson’s playing time and frequency of jacking shots this could happen anywhere from 5 to 50 games into the season.
My prediction is the Dec 22 game against the Thunder.
emh101 says
I am very excited for the season to start. I hope Pau gets well soon and I hope Bynum gets into a defensive mindset.
j. d. hastings says
Know what time it is?
TIME TO SET MY DVR TO RECORD THE SEASON OPENER!!!
This is like getting the cookies out to leave for Santa, but better.
sT says
Thanks J. D. hastings for the reminder… and Santa’s going to leave our 1st win of the season under the tree, right? So is Griffin playing tomorrow or not? Heck, I live in LA and have no idea what my local teams are doing with their players, of course without FB&G, I would not even have known he might not play. BTW, he is a fantasy player of mine, that is one reason I am curious.
Aaron says
17,
If Phil doesn’t play a lineup of Kobe, Artest, Lamar, Gasol, and Bynum defensively guarding the 1 through 5 spots and offensively with Lamar and Artest at guard and Kobe at the wing position in the triangle with Gasol and Bynum down low the last 5 minutes of every game… it would be like keeping a Ferrari in the garage. With Lamar shooting the way he has been since the playoffs I would be very surprised to not see that lineup this season.
Chris J says
Let’s get real here, folks.
If Phil were to trot out a lineup whose fastest player were Kobe, the opposing coach would simply go small and watch as point guards ran through and around, or shot over, the Lakers defenders, negating any size advantage L.A. would have by playing an oversized lineup.
7-footers don’t block every shot put up by a guard who gets near them. If you doubt that, watch Tony Parker or Aaron Brooks or Allen Iverson or Jason Terry or …. (anyone could list two dozen smaller scorers here).
Basketball’s like anything else in life: there are strengths and weaknesses, and accompanying give and take responses.
We won’t see an all giant Lakers roster for the same reason we’ve never seen an all-guard lineup win in this league (and God knows Don Nelson’s tried) — you need balance to win. If stacking the squad with size alone worked, someone would have done it years ago.
Plus, L.A. will be good enough smack most teams around all season without resorting to gimmickry.
j. d. hastings says
23- Griffin is out 6 weeks with a stress fracture. The Clippers just shouldn’t be allowed to draft high picks any more. Griffin is the type of player that will be great for the league. I just hope he doesn’t waste away like Elton Brand did for all those year. Now I’m sad.
drrayeye says
Kurt,
Let me add just a bit of a futureshock forecast. Unless there are serious injury problems, the Lakers should do very well in the first half of the season. Everyone else in the league will split into “contenders” and “also rans.”
This year, there is an especially good chance that exceptional players from the “also rans” will be made available in trade for expiring contract players from the “contenders.”
It is unlikely that the Lakers will be able to do as much “correcting” as other contenders. Also, they will be playing more away games in the second half.
What seems to be a big Laker lead in the first half of the season could shrink appreciably if some other contenders trade well and fix problems exposed in the first half of the season.
The “contenders” could be very different more dangerous teams by playoff time.
sT says
J. D. hastings, I am even more sad than you now, I just do not believe what that team does to great players, unreal, unbelievable indeed, but we are in Hollywood, right?
Don says
Happy NBA opening day everyone!
Snoopy2006 says
^Except for Blake Griffin and his family.
And me, who drafted him. Damn it all. I didn’t believe in the curse before, but now I do. Someone with Sterling’s karma will never have a sustained great team.
Darius says
I feel bad for Griffin. He doesn’t deserve this. BTW, I also drafted Griffin for my fantasy team (Lamar&Khloe’sBigDay). I just dropped him and picked up Greg Oden.
As for tonight, I just hope Kobe does a better job than what he’s done in the past in marking Eric Gordon. Kobe, for some unexplainable reason, loves to leave Gordon open to shoot jumpers in the short corner. Can’t have that tonight as the Clips will be even more reliant on their perimeter players to get them points. I also want to see how we do against Baron. He’s typically played very well against us and, with his commitment to getting in better condition in the offseason, I expect him to be in good form tonight and have a really good season. It’s going to be a real test on defense for our guards tonight.
chris h says
aren’t we due for our VERY FIRST (of the 2009/10 season), game preview pretty soon??? hehehe, and very much looking forward to it.
as always, the summer doldrums seem to go on forever, but as always, eventually end and we get back to…
LAKER BALL!
Kurt says
Preview coming soon. As soon as the real world gets out of the way and lets me finish it.
Travis says
man, Blake Griffin just made Bill Simmons look like a prophet.
Broken kneecap? Did anybody watch the play that he did it on? It was phenominal.. Final preseason game, he blocks a shot, runs down the court and throws a monster jam. Then he comes up lame after the dunk with a no-contact injury… if the Clips aren’t cursed, it sure doesnt seem that way.
PJ says
@Darius 30-
My friends and I refer to Oden as “Benjamin Button”…The good news is: he should be younger this season and thus injury free.
Mimsy says
That said, what Ty Lawson did to the Lakers PGs (all three of them) in the last game is a reminder that this is a lurking issue. Somehow the Lakers need to find a way to defend quick point guards, or that will come back to bite them this season.
That is my biggest concern, and has been my concern in the off-season. We brought in Artest to give us a strong defensive presence, and he will do his best to deliver, but I’m not sure he will be as effective on a small and quick point guard… someone convince me I’m wrong?
From looking at our offensive line-up, it’s not like we need an effective scoring weapon on the point guard position, but though I love Fisher we need to find someone who can start in his place, if nothing else because the older a player is the slower he heals when he’s injured… just ask the Celtics or Spurs about that. In an ideal world, this season starts out with Farmar and Brown openly competing for the starting spot, and one of the earning it somewhere around the All-Star break.
Gym appointment successfully canceled… There will be cold beer and steaks for TV dinner tonight! 🙂
Gr8 Scott says
Does anyone have a link or picture of what the rings will look like?
Paulus says
@36
link for ring description and pics
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/10/27/lakers.rings/
Mimsy says
Oh, wow, gaudy….. I will have to try not to look directly at the TV when they zoom in on them! I’ll blind me!
gxs says
Title defense begins today!!
Have a good season folks and lets remember to enjoy this special team.
chris h says
can someone explain why the article says 15 diamonds? I see 7 on each side of the center piece, but the centerpiece seems to have maybe as much as 100…. can’t figure how they came up with 15?
Gabriel R. says
A ring befitting of such gracious champs.
I see the mold they made for the ring has room for a few more diamonds. 😉
Bye.
Anonymous says
39.) @ chris h.
I’m guessing there’s one more right above the Lakers logo, right above the Staples Center-like rise. Of course, I’m just assuming that because that part is hidden from view in the pictures.
themonkey says
Yup the Clipper are curse lol.
magic says
that is an awesome ring. anyone who knows the value of diamonds and rings want to take a guess at how much each ring cost? curious to know how much Buss shelled out for them.
Kurt says
Lakers/Clips game preview live.
anon says
Article over at truehoop: Good teams have players who are good at putting the ball in the hole
shocking.
Aaron says
24,
Ron Harper was a lot slower than Kobe and he was in there to use his length against small quick guards with the Bulls. The best defensive PG’s were all big PG’s.
Kurt says
But the rules on perimeter play on guards were different in Harper’s day. Fisher would be a better defender if he could hand check and use his strength.