Emile Avanessian runs the fantastic site Hardwood Hype and is a friend of FB&G. He’ll be contributing to FB&G periodically and his first effort looks at Andrew Bynum as a building block and franchise player of the future. Please join me in welcoming him. You can follow him on twitter here. Barring a league-altering trade […]
Archives for December 2011
Examining A Potential Dwight Howard Trade
In a vacuum, trading for Dwight Howard is a no brainer. He is, by any measurement, the premier big man in the league. He’s been the defensive player of the year 3 years in a row, has been the 1st team all-NBA Center four years in a row, was 2nd in last year’s MVP vote, […]
Around The World (Wide Web)
From Dexter Fishmore, Silver Screen and Roll: “It’s a strange thing to contemplate but no less true for its strangeness: Andrew Bynum might have already played his last game as a Laker. By the time his five-game suspension ends, he could be learning a new playbook in New Orleans or adjusting to life with Stan […]
Los Angeles Is Where Leverage Lives
The trade and free agent rumors are coming fast and furious. Every “available” player is now seemingly being linked to the Lakers. Just taking an inventory, here are the names that I’ve read the Lakers are interested in acquiring either via trade or in free agency (includes potential amnestied players): Dwight Howard Chris Paul Jamal Crawford […]
Wanting An Impact Point Guard?
The Lakers’ point guard woes are not a secret. In his player profiles John Hollinger questioned if the Lakers point guards were the worst position in the entire NBA, and he’s not alone in that thinking. When I was asked what the Lakers biggest need for next season was, I answered improved point guard production. This isn’t […]
Kobe Bryant And The Lakers’ New Offense
If there’s one thing we know about the Lakers it’s that they’re an elite offensive team. In the past ten seasons they’ve ranked in the top 10 of offensive efficiency every season (save for 2009-10 championship team that ranked 11th), and with the talent on the current roster that doesn’t look like it will change […]
Sunday Reading: Lineup Optimization
If there was one criticism that Phil Jackson consistently received (besides frustration about his usage of time outs) it was his lineup management. Every game it seemed people wondered why he was closing out games with a particular group (mostly a debate about Bynum vs. Odom) or why he kept a lineup on the floor […]
Shaq Uncut: Tales of a former Laker
Stop me if you have heard this before: Shaquille O’Neal has always been entertaining. Whether it’s in his press conferences before or after games, or simply being interviewed by reporters, the man never minced words and always found ways to keep the mood light all the while providing good sound bytes. And thus, when news […]