First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Today is the day, hopefully, that we all get to sit back and enjoy time with our loved ones, watch some football, and eat so much multiple naps will be in order. Good times, indeed.
Every year, it seems, the life of a Laker fan changes yet stays remarkably consistent. Once again the team is chalk full of superstar talent and, if they improve at even a standard rate, will once again be in the hunt to compete for a championship. And while there are players and things every game that draw our ire, we must admit we have it pretty good in rooting for the forum blue and gold.
So, for that, I give thanks. Here are a few more things I’m thankful for today…
*For Kobe Bryant. 17 years into his career and he’s still going strong. Leading the league in scoring, shooting the ball better than he ever has before, and thriving in whatever offensive scheme his team is running. Such a special talent.
*For Mitch Kupchak who, regardless of circumstances, finds a way to improve the team and get his hands on players that the rest of the league would love to have. This man traded for Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the same off-season. What more could we ask for?
*For the Buss family and their insatiable thirst to win and willingness to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Jerry remains the best owner in pro sports and even though we had our questions about Jim, he too is proving that he’s capable of carrying the torch.
*For Ron-Ron and his summer of rededicating himself to his training and improving his game. He looks as good or better than at any other point in his Laker career.
*For Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. The former is showing his value every night and is playing at a high level even though he’s not yet 100% physically. As for Nash, he’s not yet gotten to play that much, but just the thought of him coming back and running D’Antoni’s offense has me giddy.
*Speaking of D’Antoni, I’m thankful for his presence and the change in outlook he’s provided this team. I wish no ill will on Mike Brown, but it’s obvious that D’Antoni’s presence has helped this team take a positive step forward.
*For all the contributors that makes this site what it is by putting up great content everyday. Phillip, Dave, J.M., Emile, Rey, Zephid, and Ryan. Without their insight, this site simply wouldn’t be what it is.
*Speaking of Zephid, he sent over some additional things he’s thankful for:
*Pau Gasol – No other big man can do quite what Gasol does. If Tuesday’s game against Brooklyn showed us anything, it was that Gasol is probably the only big in the league with the combination of physical and mental gifts that this team needs. Gasol’s outside shot has started to fall, forcing teams to respect it. This will open the paint for Howard and give driving lanes for Nash and Kobe, as well as more wide open three’s for MWP. Gasol is also a true pass-first big, and his size when standing at the middle of the floor makes is what makes it impossible to stop the 2-4-5 PNR destruction that has been raining down on opponents. Gasol has the tools and pride to take on the opponent’s best post player on defense, allowing Howard to roam and be a help defender. Gasol’s selflessness in all these regards makes him the perfect fit for this teams needs next to Kobe, Howard, and soon (hopefully), Nash.
*Andrew Bynum is no longer our problem – With Bynum not returning till at least December, and some reports saying he may miss the entire year, it feels wonderful to not have our season ride the unsteady shoulders of an injury-riddled young man. Although I wish he would have let his hair go the way he has in Philly, seeing Howard throwing down dunks on people’s heads, actually having our star big man on the court, leaves me thankful that Bynum’s injury woes are no longer the concern of Laker fans.
*Sacre celebrations – self-explanatory.
*Lastly, I want to thank everyone that supports this site by reading our thoughts and contributing in the comments. This really is a community of smart and passionate fans. We may not always agree but we all love the team.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
KenOak says
Thankful for family and friends. Thankful for really good food today! 🙂 Thankful for FB&G which is my favorite place to come for reading about this team. Thankful to be able to watch Kobe Bryant who is currently 15th in FG%, leading the league in scoring, and second in PER at the ripe old age of 34! So thankful that we sold high on Andrew Bynum and now have DH12! Thankful for Pau- when he plays well… I’m really gonna be thankful when Nash is back running the show.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Go Lakers!
kaifa says
Second the thanks for Sacre celebrations – easily the best Laker finger pistols since Turiaf.
Ko says
Just wanted to thank you Darius and all the fans who post on this site. I know I am an over the top passionate Laker fan that can be as my wife calls me “The most annoying man in the world”. The Lakers of 45 years are clearly my longest relationship and I am probably too critical. But with criticism often comes change.
As a side note: As I have mentioned before one of my companies, which developed a $3 FDA approved pocket Alcohol Detector (bet
a certain current Laker wished he had one) is a sponsor of the
Legends of Basketball (retired NBA players) and my partners are
former players and executives . I have consistently directed all to this
site and call it the best one on the net.
Again thanks for the outlet and for great writing and happy Thanksgiving.
Edwin Gueco says
I or We also appreciate what you all have done for this site. Happy Turkey Day and don’t censure and moderate debates while having Thanksgiving meal. (Haha! I’m sure this will be again under moderation.)
More than anything else, we are all blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving and the forthcoming holidays in 2012.
Go Lakers
Scorchee says
Sacre is like a freakish combination of Turiaf and Mark Madsen. Amazing bench celbrations with great in-game timing as well.
Although none of us expect Sacre to reach the level of Brian Scalabrine benchdom, I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy goes down as one of the best in Laker’s history :p !
Happy Turkey Day, Fellas!
P. Ami says
Thankful for this site and all the contributors.
Thankful for the 16 we have and the chance to chase #17
Thankful for the nights I spend w/my kids falling asleep to the telecast. Wish the narration to their formative Lakers years was the same as mine. Thankful for the Chick we had.
Thankful for the commentators on this site that make sense, retain reason, and provide interesting takes.
Thankful for the decisiveness of the Buss family.
Thankful for all the great NBA blogs and podcasts. I suggest you guys check out the Disciples of Clyde, Hoopspeak Live, and CBSSport Basketball Podcast. I still have hope for the NBA Today Podcast. I think Chad Ford was the original host, and he was quite good. Ryan Russilo was really, really good. Now, the show is inconsistently posted and has slipped into the typical talking-point driven opinionation. Hope it gets fixed. Also, anytime the BS Report talks NBA, it’s usually very good.
Thankful for League Pass, even if I have some very serious criticism of it.
Thankful for #24. MY LORD. You can’t jinx what has already been. Kobe’s career is one of the most sustained examples of athletic excellence on record. From the first whispers of him in a 1996 issue of SLAM!, to a triple double two nights ago, the man has pressed every ounce of ability from his bountiful DNA. We are blessed.
Thankful for YouTube. Be it Pistol Pete’s video of dribbling drills, to highlights of his using those moves in a game- be it watching that smug Auerbach grin while he hosts basketball drill videos with Larry Bird or old video of the FB&G making him eat that cigar of his in game 6 of the ’85 finals- be it videos produced by BBall Breakdown that analyze new games and old, or posters that uploaded a full game of Hakeem doing things in the pivot that have not been done much since; I am thankful the NBA does not limit the old NBA content on YouTube.
I’m thankful that my ankle is getting better and that I’ll probably get back to shooting drills next week and maybe some games next weekend.
I am thankful for basketball.
jodial says
I’m thankful for so much, but on this site I will just express what I am most thankful for as a Laker fan, which is just that my favorite team is so rich in history, adventure, identity, intrigue, memory, and eternal promise. There are so many teams, in so many sports, that wander aimlessly in the desert for decades; whether it’s a championship season or not, you never forget, as a Laker fan, where your place is in the basketball cosmos.
Mark Sigal says
Great work on the site, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone. It’s great to have a forum where everyone is informed on the nuances of the game, and deeply passionate about the outcome.
It’s tough to judge the Lakers product on a night to night basis given how newly formed they are, the upheaval, injuries and the like. But, I’d encourage everyone to trust that come end of season, we will be in the hunt, which is about the best you can hope for – a fighter’s shot.
I will add that I am thankful that for the first time this season, the Lakers are showing the inklings of an identity, something that I never felt they had during the MB era. Marry identity with sense of purpose, and fortify it with lots of reps, and good things will brew over time.
Cheers.
Robert says
Thankful for our 31 trips to the finals, and 16 titles.
Thankful that during my years as a fan, we have way more trips to the finals and way more titles than any other team, and the only one who can challenge that statement better live in Boston and be more than 65 years old.
Thankful for Jerry West and the fact that his impact on our organization is still felt in the form of Kobe and the fact that he tought Mitch everything Mitch knows (but not quite everything Jerry West knows).
Thankful for Jerry Buss as his influence from his earlier years is still felt on this organization.
Thankful for Phil; Thankful for Pat Riley
Thankful for Magic, Kareem, James, Shaq, Gail, and many others.
Thankful for Kobe who has been the most important athlete in all of sports for me.
Thankful for double teamed, turnaround, fadeaways during crunch time. I live for those.
Happy Thanksgiving all !
Kenny T says
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Enjoy the many blessings that life affords us.
PurpleBlood says
Most of you have already expressed my own feelings about our Lakers, present and legendary past (Magic showed me the light back in 1980!) – I still miss Chick and simulcasts too.
Thanks to Darius and all the contributors at FB&G; after having stumbled onto this wonderful blog (fyi: my initial participation in blogging) toward the end of last season, it certainly feels good to know that as far away as I have been for some time now (in Patagonia, Argentina) everyone here helps keep me close to the Purple and Gold, Staples and the City of Los Angeles. Best wishes on this day to all of you die-hards! And here´s to getting 2 wins this weekend!
Jerke says
i think the coaching staff of the Lakers is thankful for Mike D’Antoni for keeping the entire staff around instead of bringing in his own guys. Classy move.
T. Rogers says
While I don’t post as much, this site is still a must read for me on a daily basis. Thanks to Darius and company for running an excellent operation here. I appreciate all the hard work and quality work that goes into this site. A top level organization like the Lakers needs a top level fan blog. This is that blog.
Thank you very much FB&G!
mud says
thanks all.
sT says
Happy, happy Thanksgiving all. Let’s just be greatfull for all of the possitive things in our lives.
Hindi says
Not from US, but a serious Lakers fan. Watch the game from same eye as all you guys. And FB&G is my daily dose. Darius for putting up one of the best and most relevant basketball blogs, KO, edwin, Karim, Aaron!, LT, Robert and funky and everyone for their meaningful comments. Thanks everyone! A lot of people are FB&G faithful even if they don’t come up with posts. 🙂
trish1999 says
being a loyal laker fan,,,thanks to forumblueandgold.com for a daily dose of laker tidbits 24 hour a day, 7 dys a week,,,
Tom Daniels says
I’m thankful for a whole lifetime of the Lakers being the best and most melodramatic organization in the NBA. Boring times have have been brief. And without Elden and Kwame and Smush and ‘Chise, we wouldn’t have a proper measuring stick for how lucky we are most years.