You’ll find no bigger fan of Derek Fisher than me. Over the years I’ve defended his play, preached about his value, and downplayed some of (most of?) his shortcomings. He’s a player that I have a huge amount of respect for; a player that I’ve seen as a vital ingredient to the recent run of […]
Archives for June 2011
Around the World (Wide Web)
From Brian Kamenetzky, Land O’ Lakers: Kobe Bryant can still make it happen, but not nearly with the same frequency as he once did. According to Hoopdata.com, Bryant’s shot attempts at the rim dropped by nearly 1.5 a game this season, while his attempts from 3-9 feet jumped from 2.3 in 2009-10 to 3.1. By […]
Post-NBA Finals Thoughts
With the NBA season ending last night, a few final thoughts on the Mavs and Heat (with some Lakers mixed in too…) First off, congrats to the Mavericks for winning their first championship in franchise history. They played fantastic basketball, not only against the Heat but the entire playoffs. What I found most impressive about […]
NBA Finals: Game 6 Chat
The NBA championship could be decided tonight. No, the Lakers aren’t involved. There are no crucial moments to fret over; no stomach churning lead up to this contest. Instead, it’s two teams – the Mavs and the Heat – that will take center stage while we all watch. I know many have a desired outcome […]
Cerebral Play, Passiveness, & The Critiques That Come With
The other day I found myself in a discussion about LeBron James. Game 4 had just ended and LeBron had just turned in a baffling performance. He’d scored only 8 points in an NBA Finals game and was routinely being skewered for his play in one of the most important games in his (relatively) young […]
Around the World (Wide Web)
From Andy Kamenetzky, Land O’ Lakers: First things first: Age, in and of itself, is not the problem. The Mavs, older than the Lakers, dominated the Western Conference en route to the Finals, where they continue to acquit themselves nicely. No question L.A.’s core carries real mileage, but upgrading the roster isn’t simply a question of […]
Talking Draft: Need vs Best Player
With the draft only 14 days away, it’s time to start to discuss what the Lakers may do when they’re on the clock. With 4 second round picks the Lakers have quantity, but the key will be finding some quality in a part of the draft that doesn’t often produce impact players. Last year, the […]
Around the World (Wide Web)
From Dexter Fishmore, Silver Screen and Roll: On Monday we booted up our postseason report cards with a look back on Sasha Vujacic and his final moments in Lakerdom. Today we grade someone we never would’ve seen had Sasha not been traded. The Lakers signed Trey Johnson on the last day of the regular season to fill out […]
Improving From Within: Ron Artest
When fans and media talk about how to improve a team, the conversation normally drifts towards player acquisition. If a team could only replace player X with a more capable guy via the draft, trade, or free agency, the team would take that next step forward. However, going this route isn’t always easy and is […]
Fast Break Thoughts
A fantastic look at every championship ring, by team, in NBA history. My first thought: Look at how many of those things the Lakers (and Celtics) have designed. (My favorite, by the way, is probably the one from 1985.) With the draft coming up in a couple of weeks, it’s about that time for us to start […]