As you’ve likely read, Kurt is leaving Forum Blue and Gold. He leaves us to pursue the dream of any NBA junkie that loves to talk, debate, and write about basketball – a full time gig covering the entire league. I wish him nothing but the best of luck and plan to bookmark his site the day it goes live. Kurt is nothing short of a legend around these parts (and by “these parts” I mean the entire basketball blogosphere) and he deserves a big congratulations from all of us and a thank you from me. I thank Kurt for creating Forum Blue and Gold. For providing a place for me to come every single day, discuss the team I love, and learn something about the Lakers and the game of basketball. For being smarter, wittier, and more level headed than any other Lakers fan I know. And, most of all, I thank him for handing me the reins of this tremendous site.
First things first, this site and all of its core values are not going to change. FB&G has always been a community that thrived on high level discussion and analysis about the team we follow every day. None of that is going away. In fact, we’re going to try and bring you more of it. More analysis. More information. More topics to discuss and debate with a style and substance that all of us who have called this site home have come to love and appreciate. And that’s where you come in. In order to move FB&G in this direction, I’m going to need some help. I’m going to need more people that love this team to help contribute to the growth and further development of this site. Do you love to break down the X’s and O’s of the game? Are you a person that can’t get enough of the statistics and advanced analytics of basketball? Are you a Lakers fan with a unique take that wants to write about our team? If so, I’m looking for you. And if you’re looking to contribute, get at me. Submit writing samples, links, proposals, etc. to me at lakersfans@forumblueandgold.com
My goal for the future of this site is simple: I want to grow this site while keeping alive the tradition that has been established over the past 5 years. The foundation has been laid, let’s build this thing bigger than ever before and evolve the site to its next incarnation. We’ll be here every single day trying to make this site the best place for Lakers fans to follow our team. I hope to have you join us.
Darius
Samy says
Sounds a bit too ambitious buddy. I’ll still come here and participate – but nothing so obviously stated is so easily digestible. Give a few days before you discuss becoming THE site … With that said you’re a great bball mind and I look forward to seeing you bring your new edge to the forefront.
LostJello says
@Samy –
There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to achieve greatness. There are a lot of great people who started small and had many doubters, but because they were determined and envisioned something beyond the average person, they became legendary.
Congrats, Darius.
spaniardred says
Good luck to Kurt, and congrats! I’ve always enjoyed reading this blog and will keep on coming. I especially liked it when Darius said that there’s gonna be “More analysis. More information. More topics to discuss…” More, more, more! Yes, yes, yes!!! I hope to contribute something here and there, but let’s be realistic, I don’t know much bball strategy.
phineas says
Congrats, Darius. Couldn’t have hoped for a better successor for the site. As has been said, you have large shoes to fill, the best way to do that is dream big.
LT says
Sad to see Kurt go, but I am doubly excited to see Darius take over. Darius’ posts were the reason I came to this blog, and I would guess I am not the only one.
DonFord says
Thanks Darius, for a nice post, and especially for taking the reins of this great blog. Looking forward to to FB&G 2.0.
Brian P. says
FYI this site is already the BEST place to go for laker fans hands down.
Doesn’t mean improvements aren’t welcome, but this site is already great.
The Dude Abides says
Darius, congrats on the new gig. You’re going to do just fine, as anyone who reads or contributes to this site already knows.
Craig W. says
Darius,
I will continue to read and react.
My background is as a Laker fan since 1961 – so I am one of those old buzzards. I am reasonably good with words, but am not in the writing profession.
I am probably better in a reactive position, but can add historical substance and perspective to a lot of fan cycles and cries.
If there are stories/viewpoints that I can add to proposed columns, I will be glad to help out. Whatever I can do to maintain and improve this blog is what I will commit to.
Simonoid says
Congratulations, Darius. I’ll look forward to your ever-insightful posts.
luubi says
#1: Darius is doing what we keep telling Pau and Bynum to do — take it STRONG to the hole! Throw it down, big man, throw it dowwnnn!
Congrats Darius, and best of luck to you.
lakergirl says
Congrats Darius…no pressure, Kurt is an easy act to follow…NOT…:)
Either way good luck
MannyP13 says
Does this mean we can now speculate how we can trade Ammo, Sasha, Fisher and Walton for Lebron, Daron Williams and Chris Bosh?
.
.
.
.
.
.
KIDDING!
emh101 says
Darius, you will do an amazing job. I always considered you Kurt’s “wife” on the site anyway. Congratulations and good luck!
DirtySanchez says
Checking this blog for only a short while, but it has been a good release of frustration being from the east coast.
Chownoir (was J) says
Congrats Darius or should that be condolences for the extra work?
Either way, I echo the sentiments that this site is already THE site for Laker fans. The level of discourse is amazing. Not just in the articles but even in the comments (for the most part).
Not to sound too sappy, but I think all of us can help contribute, not necessarily through articles but through the comment conversations. By trying to match our comment quality to the standards of the articles.
penston says
Less than two hours to game time and no preview and chat yet? Jeez, back when Kurt ran this place…
Darius says
New post up for the Philly game.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2010/01/29/preview-and-chat-the-philadelphia-76ers-2/
Darius says
Also, I’d like to thank everyone for the kind words and for the encouragement. Kurt can never be replaced. But just know that I will try to do the best job that I can everyday to live up to the standard that he set. This is a fantastic community and with all of your help I think we can continue the tradition of quality that currently exists.
drrayeye says
Hi Darius,
Good luck!
I may be able to help from time to time as I have done for Kurt.
ray says
Darius. Congrats man. We’ll criticize you and disagree with you just as much as we did with Kurt!!
just kidding. Probably.
aB says
Darius,
You had me at hello.
pb says
If Kurt were the reason I started coming and reading this site, Darius, you are the reason I started writing comments more frequently. Seriously, I always thought your comments are like another post as they weren’t mere immediate reactions to the posts, but careful analysis filled with useful basketball knowledge and insights. In a way, as you are following Kurt’s footsteps, I hope to follow yours, not that I have the ambition to take over your job eventually. LOL…
However, I must say that your “ambitious” plans will take this site to next level in which individual team blog site may surpass the main stream media blog site. And I hope to become a small part of that process as many members of this community are willing to. Finally, to complete this post, I would like to wish that the transition going from Kurt to Darius would be similar to the Lakers’ rein going from Pat Riley to Phil Jackson.
Good luck!
Mimsy says
Kurt, thanks for creating a great Laker blog!
Darius, the game’s on. Go up and dunk it. 🙂
Snoopy2006 says
Can’t think of a better person to take over. Congrats, Darius!
Renato Afonso says
Congrats Darius! You have big shoes to fill indeed but… you’re more than capable to do so.
I’m sure that help will be around if you need it.
Warren Wee Lim says
I would not miss congratulating Darius on this one. You sir, have inherited a very nice piece of treasure. Without a spot of doubt, you can take us to the next level. But seriously, just the same is more than enough. That speaks of the quality of work one Kurt Helin has placed.
I am 28 (soon to be 29) living in a 3rd world country where internet connection used to be spotty at best, tv networks thrive on “days-of-our-lives-ish” format and where the only professional basketball league in Asia exists.
I grew up loving the game, even though the game doesn’t love me as much (LOL) and I have the luxury of choosing my own team as supposed to you guys in the states where you are more or less forced to root for the city you’re in. Guess what, purple, blue and gold.
I have been a fan since the late 80s where I was an 8-yr old. Then, the Pistons were my Dad’s favorite team. Ironic since he is a clean man to be rooting for a dirty team. When that era was over, here comes my brother who is 9 years older than I am, rooting for the Bulls. To make the long story short, I still owe my brother 600 Pesos to this date on losing the series to the Bulls back in 1991.
To sum it all up, I was a Laker fan by choice and by heart. I haven’t been to the States and my 10-yr Visa is soon to expire without me being able to go. But I remain quite the fanatic and I thank the Laker-biased tv networks in the Philippines for showing us more games than we are used to. Thanks to justintv and atdhe.net for covering the ones I can’t watch live.
But in all this, I thank FB&G because its one site I was able to express, emote, vent and explain my fanhood. This is where I grew as a Laker fan and in writing in general. I was interested at journalism back in College but iono what led me to be an accountancy graduate. In here, I learnt the best of the best of Laker fans, not only homers, and in here I found a family.
sT says
Darius, I was so happy to hear that you will be taking over the reins at FB&G, I always looked forward to your posts or comments with a passion. I am looking forward to the future here very much, and it is in good hands for sure.
“See things as they are and write about them. Don’t waste your creative energy trying to make things up. Even if you are writing fiction, write the things you see and know.”
Hillary Ocholla says
Good on you Darius. With the task of controlling a bunch of level heads and, the odd lunatics on this site, it should be a fun experience.
Alex Aronsohn says
This sounds great Darius. I have always noticed that you seemed to have the best understanding of the way the game actually works, and I look forward to partaking of (stealing) some of your knowledge
Pato says
Damn, I really envy Warren’s English.
So, I’ll use it in the “copy & paste” way:
Congratulatios Darius!!! Without a spot of doubt, you can take us to the next level. But seriously, just the same is more than enough. That speaks of the quality of work one Kurt Helin has placed.
I am 31 living in a 3rd world country (Argentina). I grew up loving the game, even though the game doesn’t love me as much and I have the luxury of choosing my own team as supposed to you guys in the states where you are more or less forced to root for the city you’re in.
I have been a fan since the late 80s where I was an 8-yr old. (My father, opposing the Warren’s one, hates the bball, there’s only soccer in his heart). When Lakers-Celtics & Lakers-Pistons era was over, here comes my brother who is 5 years younger than I am, rooting for the Bulls (and now, because of Manu, of course, for the Spurs).
I am a Laker fan by choice and by heart. I haven’t been to the States.
I thank FB&G because its one site I was able to express, emote, vent and explain my fanhood. This is where I grew as a Laker fan.
Well, thank Warren too and I hope you enjoyed the way I used your words
Mark (post-marxter) says
Darius,
First and foremost, my utmost regards to the successor of the Kingdom FB&G.
I have this site bookmarked ever since the Brown-Parker days (Hint: Not Shannon and Tony). Quality post after another baited me into a world of the intellects. Though I haven’t wrote as much (considering this is my – rough guess – 5th post in 4 years), I never had a day without FB&G. What attracted me was the unimaginable – how could a certain team site be this impartial? Although in the past months (partly because of the ESPN affiliate thing) comments have been mind-boggling, still the quality of this blog is beyond standard. Not that I seem to be rude, but there will never be another Kurt Helin. That being said, you are Darius. And although it’s good to follow the footsteps of a great leader, there is nothing more fulfilling for a mentor than to see his apprentice overtaking him. To borrow Edwin H. Friedman’s words : “Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future.”
Expand the vision of the future of our Kingdom FB&G!
All Hail Darius!
P.S.
Warren, Filipino here 😀
Warren Wee Lim says
Pato, for a moment there I thought it was my post =)
CheakenoLen says
When I go online using firefox