Odom keeps L.A. on top
The Lakers officially became the best team again with the re-signing of Lamar Odom. I give Odom more credit than the Lakers in the decision to continue this relationship. L.A. gave him every chance to leave, but Odom – unlike Trevor Ariza – understands that chasing the pot of gold can lead you to oblivion and despair. So he made the correct decision and stayed.
I like Miami, but quite honestly the only team Odom should have been looking at was Portland. I am extremely surprised the Blazers did not chase Odom more aggressively and offered him more money instead of committing to Andre Miller. Miller has never played without the ball and I can’t see Brandon Roy being effective without it. The jury will be out for a while on this decision by Portland.
Odom would have given them a devastating frontline. A rotation of LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez and Odom to surround Greg Oden would have been unbelievable. Well, it did not happen and the Lakers along with San Antonio are now the class of the Western Conference. Can I say Groundhog Day? Haven’t we been here before? Only a few years ago did we foresee both of these teams going downhill. Now not only are they back in command, but they are deep.
Odom was the last piece of the free agent period and he solidified what most teams were hoping would not happen. He re-signed with the NBA champions and now the repeat has become extremely attainable in 2010.
Dark horses that could spoil the Spurs-Lakers party in the West…
Denver
No significant moves that make a huge difference from an extremely talented and versatile team. They will have a great record at home because teams struggle in that altitude.
Dallas
The Mavericks will be deeply improved with the addition of Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas. Marion will reach usual heights playing with Jason Kidd.
Portland
A very talented team, but they did not add more veterans to the young mix – which will hurt them again come playoff time. They still remain extremely dangerous.
Utah
They always have a chance in the playoffs with the best home-court advantage in the league.
Teams that could spoil the spoilers…
LA Clippers
Please find me a more talented team in the NBA? If Baron Davis returns in great shape, he will have an abundance of big bodies – Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, DeAndre Jordan – and versatile players – Eric Gordon, Al Thornton and super rookie Blake Griffin – to pass the ball to.
Phoenix
A return to Seven Seconds or Less might not secure an NBA title, but it will surely force teams to adjust to the fast-break style that made the Suns one of the most popular and consistent winning teams prior to last season. Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudemire will be asked to carry a heavy load.
Kaveh Said,
August 2, 2009 @ 11:24 pm
I don’t understand your reasoning. Don’t get me wrong, I fully agree that the Lakers are the number 1 team in the league by far. However, after the Lakers won the championship (a team, the lakers, which you HATE and have admitted to hating), you said that the team with the least talent won this series. You said that the Magic had more talent than the lakers, but the lakers only won due to experience.
So if the Lakers didn’t have the most talent then, how do they now have the most talent? Furthermore, you picked the Cavs to win it all. When they lost, you picked the MAgic to beat the Lakers. One would assume that you rate the talent level on the Cavs higher than the Magic, and you already admitted that the MAgic have more talent than the Lakers.
I just don’t understand your change of heart. Is it that you’re just attempting to be less biased against the lakers? Although i still see your bias for the Suns, so perhaps not (on a side not, the Suns will not do anything worth of pondering this year. Just forget that they exist). Surely the free agent move of trading Ariza for Artest doesn’t make up all the talent deficiency? Especially since the Magic/Cavs have also been busy in free agency.
Andre Miller | All Days Long Said,
August 2, 2009 @ 11:25 pm
[...] Odom keeps LA on top Hoops Hype I am extremely surprised the Blazers did not chase Odom more aggressively and offered him more money instead of committing to Andre Miller. … See all stories on this topic [...]
Coach T Said,
August 2, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
The Lakers did well in keeping Odom but they lost big time when Ariza escaped and they got Artest. The Spurs are the team to beat now that they added significant pieces to an already great team when Manu is healthy. If both teams are healthy, I’d give a pretty big edge to the Spurs because of their overall depth. The Lakers are clearly riding a high wave because they capitalized on some major injuries this past season. Boston would have certainly repeated if Garnett had been healthy. Boston vs. Spurs in next year’s Finals (7 game series, winner is a toss-up).
Paolo P Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:14 am
Lakers will repeat. They landed an ALL STAR and former defensive player of the year, retained the most talented 6th man in the league and a healthy 7ft. center is about to have a breakout season. I don’t think any other team had a better off season. I don’t know why everyone is big on the Spurs with the addition of RJ, he can’t defend and has a terrible jumper. I think the Nuggets will challenge the Lakers in the west.
Even with a healthy KG, Boston will not come out of the East. They got their rings now it’s over (much like when the Heat won it). The Cavs and the Magic will have a much closer Eastern Conference Finals and this time Lebron will make it through, not because of Shaq. just because he’s another year older, mature and much better.
In the big show, the Cavs’ depth and Lebron’s supporting cast will be exposed by the defending champs. Lakers repeat and will face Lebron and DWade who will be with the NYK in 2011.
egopotato Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:31 am
After it was all said and done the only thing left for Odom was to save face. That was like squeezing the last drop of juice out of a dessicated turnip. Hopefully, he will somehow be able to manage to stretch the little over $8m/yr to help his favorite charity and other meritorious endevour. After all, “Its not about the MONEY”.
JAM13 Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:32 am
I like the Ariza for Artest “trade”. Artest is a better defender, not as versatile or athletic as Ariza but certainly more proven. It’s just a matter of Kobe and Pau letting him know whos boss.
The Spurs are a much improved team but it is yet to be seen how reliable are their health since they are constantly getting injured.
Boston is still a great team and with the addition of Sheed they are once again one of the favorites. For some reason I really don’t think Boston would have beaten Cleveland or Magic even with Garnett. Lakers, in my opinion, are still the better team even with the Celtics having a healthy Garnett.
sweetestbaby Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:36 am
I’m going to have to disagree because I think Artest more than makes up for what Ariza brought to the Lakers. The only thing they will truly miss is Ariza’s ability to shoot the three. Artest gives them the toughness they’ve been lacking, extra scoring (especially when Kobe’s on the bench), and a solid defender. L.A.’s questions will be who will shoot the three and will Bynum bounce back to dominance.
San Antonio is improved I’ll give them that but to me they raise a lot of questions. Will Manu still be effective with how many scorers he now has to compete with for playing time? Will Richard Jefferson be anything more than a stats guy come playoff time? With the underrated defender Bruce Bowen now gone, who will guard guys like Kobe Bryant? and is Tim Duncan already starting to show his age?
Boston could easily return to being the best team in basketball but that relies heavily on two things: Garnett staying healthy and big baby re-signing. Leon Powe is already as good as gone and if they have to play a lot of playoff games without Garnett or even big baby they will have lost almost all their inside game and rebounding.
I disagree about how strong Portland’s frontline would be with Odom since Oden too often gets injured and Odom would have to carry a larger load in Portland than he had to with the Lakers.
Rorshoq Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 1:13 am
I still chuckle at the mini Spurs thinking they can contend with the Lakers…the Spurs are tiny up front and O.L.D. with an aging Tim Duncan and an AGED McDyess…and virtually no other size…
Portland and Denver can compete with the Lakers…and POSSIBLY make a series. The Spurs? 5 game series…
Stephen Janetzki Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 2:40 am
I believe Eddie’s opinion on Andre Miller and the Blazers is short sighted. Yes, perhaps they should have made a run at Lamar Odom (I was hoping that they would) but I am very pleased with the addition of Miller.
I believe Miller and Roy will make for a formidable backcourt together. The only time the Blazers appeared dangerous on the offensive end last season was when Roy was dominating the ball. There was NO other option for the Blazers to go to. Roy was worn down come playoff time because he had to score and be the primary playmaker on the team.
The addition of Miller will alleviate some of the enormous pressure on Roy. Miller will be able to provide better touches to scorers such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Martel Webster (if he returns healthy) and he should make an impact to Greg Oden’s offensive game.
Is there a deeper team in the NBA? Except for acquiring another power forward (if Martel Webster isn’t ready) they’re absolutely two deep at every position (Oden / Przybilla; Aldridge / Outlaw; Batum / Webster; Roy / Fernandez; Miller / Blake with Bayless and one of the second rounders as 11th & 12th man).
I fully expect the Blazers to win 58 games this season. They’re still a year or so away from being a title contender, but given the right circumstances they could certainly challenge for the NBA Finals.
Kimo Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 2:41 am
Coach T must be a Spurs fan or a Laker hater. None of the Spurs big three are ever healthy. So adding Jefferson will NOT get them even to the western finals and the Lakers will be CHAMPS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Vincent Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 3:16 am
Well here we go again, I agree that other very good teams have improved ie boston, spurs, orlando, cleveland yet here’s what the lakers have that no other teams has. The lakers had sasha, farmar and bynum have below average season and in sasha case a horrible season and they still won, with the addition of artest others teams will have a very very hard time matching up with have two not one but two very very good defenders I’m speaking of kobe & artest guarding and/or scoring on their respective opponent. I challenge and write both professional or fan to call out a team that has two players like kobe and artest and then you throw in three mighty big and skilled bigs like odom, gasol (29) and bynum (22). I challenge anyone to name that team, avoiding injury will be the biggest obstacle for the 09\10 lakers. There only one team that truely matches up well against the lakers in talent and youth and that portland and if history is any indication how this will play out it will show that by the time portlands, clevelands and even orlando are really ready to challenge the lakers their personnel with either change or they will be a broken unit in spirit due to the losing that will occur between 2009 thru 2013, remember the Dallas Marverick ie Mark Aguirre, Ro Blackmond, Derrick Harper, Donaldson, Ellis and that bunch, that had as much or more talent than the showtime lakers but never got over the hump. This story may play itself out again with this lakers team and all the other team trying to re-acquire the mountain top or get to the mountain top but never quite make it, there only hope is injury and prayerfully as a never say die laker fan this won’t happen, I LOVE MY LAKER FOREVER LIKE NO OTHER, peace vincent.
alex Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 3:36 am
Coach T, The jury is still out Ariza, he had a career year last and had an awesome playoff run for sure. But then again so did Devon George and Kareem Rush back in the day and they never amounted to anything after that. Not saying that Ariza wont have a productive career, but hes still an unproven commodity. Arterst will replace what Ariza brought, although there is always that mental aspect that could blow up any moment. With Kobe and Phil there though, he should be kept in check. For the first time in a long time he is where he wants to be.
The Spurs will have to work Jefferson and McDyess into the fold, but as always they have to keep their big three healthy to have a real shot. The Lakers and Spurs should go toe to toe for the right to fight for the NBA championship
sam Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 3:41 am
new orleans should be there instead of suns, okafor is a huge addition, though not contenders imo, they have a better shot than the suns (who are my team) and will end up with the better record
maz1lo Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 6:52 am
Paolo P has it right!
Healthy Lakers are the team to beat and will face the
CAVS in the finals.
yuan Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 7:42 am
coach T how can you even think the spurs can get past the lakers? honesly the spurs did imroved but its never enough by far… barring any injuries the lakeshow will surely win handsdown….
Jorel Jenious Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 7:55 am
Somehow, everyone over inflated Ariza’s worth…he had a few good quarters against Orlando…did virtually nothing defensively against Turk and Lewis (when they decided to attack him)…he was dominated by Ron Artest, and owned the entire Nuggets series by Carmello…is he young, yes..Is he athletic, yes…but somehow, playing with Kobe has put rose tinted glasses on everyone…Artest is a better defender, by far, it’s not even close…The Lakers can score, hell they are getting a near rookie in Adam Morrison (avg. 11/12 points as a rookie and then injury)…I think the Lakers will be more than fine…Now with Boston adding Sheed, and Daniels…I like the two of them in the finals, as long as the Celtics keep Big Baby…
Craig Bailey Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 8:01 am
HAHA THE SPURS?!?!? REALLY?? OK ITS TIME WE STOP BEATING THIS DEAD HORSE. LOL. THE SPURS SIMPLY DON’T HAVE THE DEPTH TO CONTEND WIT THE LAKERS.. OK THEY ADDED RICHARD JEFFERSON WHO HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE, AND MCDYESS IS OVER THE HILL. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WAT HAS PPL SO EXCITED ABOUT THE SPURS HAVE ADDED. THEY SIMPLY DON’T MATCHUP WELL WITH THE LAKERS. WHO’S GONNA GUARD KOBE? GINOBLI? YEA THEN HE GETS IN FOUL TROUBLE AND U LOSE UR BEST CHANCE OF WINNING. SMH. PPL BE REAL, THE LAKERS REMAIN THE TEAM TO BEAT, NOT ONLY FOR HAVING THE BEST TALENT BUT ALSO, LAST I CHECKED THEY ARE THE NBA CHAMPS AND HAVE TO BE DETHRONED BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE IS THE TEAM TO BEAT.
Michael Bennett Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 8:04 am
Now the question is:
Who are the Lakers going to beat in the Finals? Cavs, Magic or Celtics?
I still don’t think this Laker team is fair. They are SO good. Kobe and Artest with a decent supporting cast would be the favorites to win the title. But, add in Gasol (an All-Star PF), Odom (underrated in and coming off the bench) and Bynum (a legitimate seven-foot center) and the Lakers are shooting for 70+ wins.
This will be the most dominating season since 95-96 Bulls…
sweetestbaby Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 8:42 am
If Garnett stays healthy and they re-sign big baby I pick Boston as the team of the east. In the playoffs last season they were without Garnett and Leon Powe but still managed to survive a whole series of long and close games against a Chicago team that had Ben Gordon and then came only one game short of the east finals against Cleveland (who by the way lost that series against Orlando) whereas Cleveland spent the playoffs sitting and watching in hopes of a Garnett-less Boston team to win against Orlando, FEARING Orlando and apparently it scared the Cavs so much that a lot of their so-called deph players played like nobodies in that round and I’m not sure how much Shaq helps them because teams with good bigs won’t need to double him and will the Cavs players be sitting and watching on Shaq again instead of making names for themselves? Also, it would have to be very distracting for Lebron to think about his upcoming free agency. The difference in wins between Boston and Cleveland wasn’t that big to begin with and a healthy Garnett more than makes up for that, giving Boston back its homecourt advantage.
David from Germany Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 9:10 am
Hi Eddie,
excited to read you giving props to the Lakers.
I was really worried the Lakers would loose Odom to the Heat despite everything was in favor for the Lakers. I’m sad to see Ariza leave, like him a lot. He got screwed from his Agent. There is no reason to sign elsewhere for the same amount of money, when you can resign with the champs. He has a lot of potential but I’m not sure he will be as good for the Rockets than he showed for the Lakers last year.
On this, we have pretty much the same opinion. The Lakers are the favorites to win it all, since they added a better player and can bring back the same group which has won them the last title. Yet, I still don’t see them getting 70 Wins or be as dominant as the bulls were. But 60 wins are they going to get for sure, if everybody stays healthy.
All the other teams, maybe except Denver, have to integrate new Players or did lose a lot of players. Like the Jefferson gift to the Spurs. After Popovich was angry about the trade that was sending Gasol to the Lakers, he now got his own gift for basically nothing. Dallas did a lot of roster changes and looking good on paper, but with that many changes it will take time to get this crew up and running.
Your Suns did the right thing in trading Shaq, although I hate the pick up for the Cavs. Shaq will draw some attention on the court (more often off the court) but basically slow down the Cavs as he did with the Suns. The Suns have still the pieces in places to compete for the playoffs but I don’t expect them to go deep into the playoffs, until they maybe move Stoudamire at the deadline get somthing worthy back.
Go Lakers!
Holla Bolla Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 9:54 am
Holla!
Bout time you laid off the sauce Eddie. Welcome aboard.
BTW Laker Nation, the championship video is a keeper. This title was so d@mn gratifying.
Game 3 @ Denver is still the game that stands out. What a freaking dub.
J. Buss knows when to HO-dom
chris Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 10:00 am
I think people are sleeping on Boston. Garnett healthy will bring them back to the finals!
I am a laker fan, saying this!
Ty Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 10:08 am
Notes on the prospective NBA title contenders
1. Lakers- Agree with Vincent, other than Kobe, Gasol, Ariza and Odom, none of the bench players were either healthy or played to their normal production. Sasha, Jordan and Bynum are all young enough and talented enough to bounce back. Artest for Ariza is essentially a wash. While Ariza was younger and may have more upside, he is still unproven to a certain extent. Artest is better able to defend stronger 3’s like Lebron, Pierce and CArmelo, while still fast enough to cover taller 2’s and some 4’s. He may be volatile, and of course that is the risk. This team has the most depth and talent overall throughout their lineup while still being one of the younger teams in the NBA, with Kobe at 31 being the oldest core player. Fisher is 34, but he is more of a role player at this point, and can still hit his threes and take charges
2. Spurs- when healthy, will match up with and contend with the Lakers. No one on the Lakers can defend Parker, which has always been a Laker prob against fast 1’s like Paul,Jameer,etc. and the additions of Jefferson and MCdyess with no substantial losses was a great move. But, they have no favorable matchups at any position other than Parker and Duncan, and the edge Duncan has over Gasol is not as large as it has been. Depending on the health and production of Dejuan Blair and Manu will dictate how well they do
3. Portland- tons of quality talent, only one true star in Roy, and not enough defined secondary players or roles to really challenge yet. They match up well with both LA and SA, and when they are hitting 3’s from everywhere they are difficult to stop. however, besides Pryzbilla, they are thin and unproven up front and Aldridge is not a strong rebounder. THis is more of a perimeter team than a post up team, and they don;t challenge teams or get to the line enough.
4. Denver/utah- tied for 4th in my opinion- both are great home teams with solid cast of stars. Not enough depth or athleticism on either team. Denver did not get better at any position, they have a nice core in Carmelo, Billups, Nene, Smith, Birdman and Kenyon, but beyond that the pickings are slim and losing Klieza and substituting Afflalo for Jones weakens the team a little more. Utah also essentially stood pat, any may still trade Boozer for a salary dump, so it is ahrd to predict how well they will do. They lack consistent 3 pt shooting, athletic wing talent, and strong defenders in the post.
5. NO- Had a good off season despite a lack of salary flexibility. Diogu was a good pick up and Okafor was a smart move over Chandler. Plus, they have Paul, one of the top 3-4 players in the NBA, after Lebron, Wade, and maybe ahead of Kobe(PER standpoint). But they still have a shallow bench and no guard talent beyonf Paul
6. Dallas- if this team were competing in 2003, yes, one of the top two teams. Marion, Kidd and Tim Thomas are all over 30, and the only core regular under 30 is Howard at 29.
East
A much tighter race for the top three, I’d pick Cleveland as the 1 seed because Lebron is far and away the best player on the top three teams
and the CAvs have had a solid off season considering the limitations of the economy, Cleveland and impending free agency
1. Cleveland- Added Parker, The Diesel, Moon, and re-signed Varejao to the Lebron, Mo, Delonte, Z, Gibson core. This team has some flaws on offense, no one can create their own quality shot besides Lebron, but the addition of SHaq forces a post double which was a facet they did not have before. The rotations on opponent D that causes will create open looks for the shooters, and the CAvs have enough spot up shooters to make teams pay. On D, the other post defenders will have to make up for Shaqs lack of mobility, but Mike Brown is a defensive coach, so this won’t be a huge problem. If only he was an offensive coach too. Shaq needs to play 70 games.
2. Orlando- added a healthy Jameer to a team that gained Vince, Matt Barnes, Bass and resigned Gortat(at great expense) while losing Turkoglu, Alston and Lee. Great offseason, they are strong at every position other than backup PG and they still lack a true PF. howards development and Vinces health and motivation will dictate how far they go.
3. Boston- even if they re-sign Glen DAvis, this team is pretty thin, the addition of Wallace not withstanding. Pierce is the known commodity. Rondo merits consideration here too, despite the offseason trade rumors and turmoil. Their success really hinges on the health and remaining juice of Garnett and Ray allen If those guys bring even 80% of their game, this team could vault Cleveland. The potential upside of Garnett, Pierce, Ray, Rondo and Wallace is higher than any combination the CAvs or Magic can put together. The key word their is potential. They lack a true backup PG(I consider House a n off bench scorer), SG, SF, and center.
David Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 10:20 am
Just a remark to David from Germany:
I don’t see Shaq slowing down the Cavs all that much since they didn’t ever really have a big running the floor and the fast breaks were all LeBron anyway. They run so many half-court sets and Shaq, though he’s aging, is still one of the best in the half-court. Maybe he doesn’t put up the numbers, but he’s such an intelligent player these days I think him and LeBron can feed off of each other.
Curious to see a similar article from Eddie about the east. My team is the Raps, so I’m very optimistic for the coming season but I don’t know if the moves will translate into Ws, but the talent there is by far greater than it was and the roster is much more balanced (except for the huge void at the wing behind Hedo).
Cheers.
T Diggs Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 11:15 am
Everything Coach T said: Ditto!
Except Boston wins it all. It’s amazing all the attention the Lakers get. The Celts are more talented top to bottom. 3 Future Hall of Famers (Lakers have 1, MAYBE 2) and Rondo who this season will likely be a top 3 pg in the league. Watch him run circles around Fisher. Bynum does nothing against Perkins either, look at old box scores.
Boston Celtics, 2009-2010 NBA Champs
Harry Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 11:55 am
My uncle Edward Wilson a lifelong Laker fan from Alabama past away in March prior to the Lakers winning the championship. He lived on the East Coast but would stay up late in the morning watching the Lakers play. He always said if the Lakers got Kobe a little more help on the defensive end there would be nothing to stop them from winning it every year. Well this year we will have Bynum being a force in the middle with a strong healthy knee, Gasol the most offensively skilled big man in the league adding a couple more pounds of muscle to his base, Odom finally understanding what it takes to play at a consistent winning level, Shannon Brown providing some valuable defensive minutes at the point. With Artest on the roster it will enable Phil to rest Kobe a few more minutes and we all know what a rested Mamba can deliver, still the best player on the planet. Portland is athletic but too young and inexperienced, San Antonio is gambling with health issues with McDess and Ginobli. Boston will really be hurt by Garnet’s injury from last year, Cleveland’s guards still can’t play defense on a consistent basis and the Shaq experiment will not work. Orlando gets better at one position but lost key players, again they opted for offense over defense. Lakers will have a healthy year and win it back to back like we did it in the good old days, I know my uncle would have agreed with me. Go LAKERS!
frank B Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
Eddie,
You were doings so great with this article until you mentioned the Clippers as a possible spoiler. No way.
Sorry, but the Suns are going to be lucky to make the playoffs as well.
sweetestbaby Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:25 pm
The Cavs don’t want it (a championship), they didn’t show it last season and Shaq may be the only one to show it this season. Even worse, Cleveland won only 4 more games than Boston did and that was WITHOUT GARNETT.
With all due respect Denver is a better team than Portland. Brandon Roy has to do most of the scoring and they’re thin up front without Oden who hasn’t reached his full potential. It won’t even be a close race if Denver can find a player to play beside Billups (SG) and a player to play behind him (backup PG).
The Jazz won’t be contenders because much of their offseason was spent retaining players than adding pieces.
Cody K Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 1:38 pm
How can u not pick the Lakers to Repeat…they kept the same team and basically traded Artest for Ariza…Artest is a better defender and unlike Ariza he can create his own shot..Ariza is a ROLE PLAYER guys Artest is proven and more motivated then ever n now since hes the 3rd option instead one of 2 he can shine…Gasol did good by himself in Memphis n did better now hes not the number 1 option same as Artest…n every1 on the lakers is a year older and mature and by the way Bynum will be 100% healthy and Adam Morrison is healthy again hes averaging 22ppg in summer league….RJ to the spurs is big but not that big with his no D and inconsisitant jumper Manu cant stay healthy and Duncan is old….Sheed to the celts isnt that big he will cost them games wit his crazy 3 point shots and Techs…so we could be lookin at a Lakers vs Magic finals again….
Suede Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 1:47 pm
Boston Fans are drinking to much of there own Kool-aid…I’ll say it like this lets wait until the season starts and watch what happens. Because it will be a great 1.
ronh Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 2:36 pm
The spurs and the Lakers will play in the conference finals. who wins that series will win the championship.
Earl Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
The Lakers are definitely the team to beat. I only agree with the Spurs being the number 2 team depending on health and match ups. They have enough fire power and x factor to beat all but 4 of the West teams convincely. Dallas, Lakers, Denver, Portland will give them fits. They could probably beat Portland and Denver with their veteran savy but Dallas is a grudge match and they are deeper than the Spurs. Lakers are you not fair in terms of talent and age. They are younger than the Bulls team that one that last 3. Spurs if not healthy did not add much also Boston looks good in the regular season with Wallace to balance KG minutes but they still have to go through two great teams in Cleveland and Orlando. Also there could be other young teams playing with no fear like Atlanta and Chicago did that could give them fits. Atlanta wants Boston bad and I think they have a better team than the one that pushed Boston to the limits the year they won it especially if Jeff Teague shows a Chris Paul side early on.
laker fan 4ever Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
i think lakers are going to repeat again since LO sing again with the champs and everybody knows it even eddie!!.with the adding of artest it when from strong scoring squad to a super one. i can’t wait to the season starts.an for the one’s the think that the celtics can beat the lakers even with the aged R wallace they wouldn’t. we kick their butts in boston an La last season just can’t wait to do the same this year again n i hope to see celtics vs lakers face up in the finals again this upcoming season so we can see who is the real champions.
HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson » Odom keeps L.A. on top | Jordan today Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
[...] the original: HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson » Odom keeps L.A. on top Tags: bounce-back-, lakers-agree, texas, their-normal [...]
scain Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
The Spurs are the second best team in the Western Conference? Eddie, stop eating those shrooms during your walks in the forest. The Spurs lost 3 key members of their bench who play solid defensive and gave the Spurs some toughness. (Bowen, Thomas, Oberto) RJ can score but he is soft and is due for an injury. Bottom line, Spurs got no bench or depth and T.D. is a year older. I’m going to copy this next prediction for posterity. Here is how the western conference will shake up come April.
1. LA Lakers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. San Antonio Spurs
5 New Orlean Hornets
6. Phoenix Suns
7.Portland Trailblazers
8. Los Angeles Clippers. (If healthy)
Norv Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 6:37 pm
Some people just don’t know basketball!
Its about a team..not one player!! Its about defense, depth!!!
1.Celtics
2a.Lakers
2b. Spurs
4.Cavaliers
5.Magic
Now when you break it down HOW are the laker a more talented team than the Celtics! Lets break it down!
1. Point guard
Rondo vs Fisher
Fisher is not a point gaurd and can’t get into the lane! He rarely gets more than 3 ast in a game! On the one other there is not a PG in the league that can get it done like Rondo..and both Phil and Kobe know it! Why do you think Kobe’s 31 year old behind tries to guard him! Fisher being effective offensively depends on whether or not Kobe WANTs to kick it out to him!( he also take alot of bad shots) Defensively he cant play anyone with speed at this point! ex. Aaron Brooks! Rondo can have is way with their so called defense!
2. Kobe vs Ray allen
Its obvious..Kobe all day! I can tell one thing though, somebody named Ray Allen is the best shooter in the NBA and will be a hall of famer much like Kobe!
3.Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest
Mr. Artest has been on record as saying Paul Pierce is his one of his toughest match ups! If you can recall back in Indiana when Ron was clearly the best defender in the league Paul put 40 on him in a playoff game! Remember, that was the game Ron pulled Pierce’s shorts down! Paul is a good defender and Ron Artest can’t shoot as well as Ariza! Ron is very unpolished offensively and teams will leave him on the perimeter, daring him to take more shot away from kobe!
4. Garnett vs Gasol
Garnett is more talented!!! Hes a better shooter, Hes a better Athlete, hes a better defender, hes a better rebounder! Look lets keep it real! KG is the realest on the court! Not only is he better, but he is tougher! No dude from eroupe is taking anything from KG in 7 games! Stop dreaming!
5. Kendrick Perkins vs Bynum
Have you noticed that the only people that think Bynum is nice are Laker fans! Its clear that he is extremely awkward! He has no coordination period! he look like he’s in the 8th grade! It doesn’t matter if Kareem is helping him! Kareem was smooth and was blessed by the basketball gods! You can’t teach that! Bynum is an awkward Dinosaur! Remember the kobe video!! Kobe being the most skilled player in the league knows it! Ship em out!!!! Now since Jerry West gave his team Pau for nothing Kobe has stopped crying! Outside of Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins is the best defensive center! Why do you think the Celtics don’t double Dwight!
Bench
Jordan Farmar
Shannon Brown
Sasha Vuajacic
Lamar Odom
Josh Powell
vs.
Eddie House
Marquis Daniels
Bill Walker
Glen Davis
Rasheed Wallace
C’mon now! The celtics have more overall talent in the starting line up! Now look at the bench! Farmar is lost! Sasha is a soft Euro! Shannon Brown I like, but he is undersized and could easily be in the D league! Odom is very talented, but plays every other game and might score over 20 in 20% of the years games..keep it real! Josh Powell probably wont even play!
The celtics can get good production grom both wallace and Davis! Both can spread the floor as big men! Those are tough guys that will bully the laker bench! Keep it real! Eddie House can play off the ball with Daniels coming in! Hes a ball handling wing! Plus he averaged nearly 14 point a game last year!
Celtics are much more talented! Get off of Kobe’s nuts! He is one man! Didn’t the Celtics beat the Lakers by a record 40 points in the 08 finals elimination game! Kobe made history that night..FOREVER!!! As far as the best franchise in history..well the Celtics have 17 banners and the Lakers have 15! Oh and by the way 9(more than of half) of the Celtics rings came against the Lakers! Thats a record in any sport! Slaughter!! Thank you LA!!!
frank B Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Coach T and T Diggs,
Nothing would be more sweet than for the Lakers to demolish the Celtics in the finals next June.
The advantage that the Celtics had over the Lakers in 2008 was defensive toughness. Oh, and Eddie said that they didn’t have a bunch of foreigners , but you’ll have to look back into the Eddie archives to find that analysis. With the addition of Artest and Bynum into the starting lineup replacing Vlad Radmonivic and Lamar Odom, even a Celtics fan has to see the Lakers are much tougher now then they were in the 2008 finals. The Celts still have a ways to go to have a bench like they had in 2008 as well.
I think the Rasheed Wallace pickup is a good one for Boston. Rasheed isn’t the most polite guy, but he has skills, size, and intelligence.
Unfortunately for Laker’s fans who would love to see Boston in the finals, Cleveland’s acquisition of Shaq trumps Boston’s pickup of Wallace. I personally thought Mike Brown did the least with the most last year in the playoffs but let’s see if he has learned from his mistakes. If he tries to make Lebron a one man band again, the Celts with a healthy Garnett will take them apart. If he can develop an offense with multiple facets and more balance, Cleveland will be tough to beat with a healthy Shaq, especially in the playoffs.
I think Orlando got worse with the moves that they have made so I don’t expect them to back in the finals any time soon. I strongly disagree with Eddie that Orlando has or had more talented players than the Lakers. Vince Carter may be Dr. Dunkenstein or whatever but he only plays half the floor so I don’t expect improvement. Jameer Nelson is an adequate but not great point guard so I don’t see his return improving the team.
Everyone else in the East is a question mark.
In the West, the 6′10, 6′9, and 6′7″ frontline of the Spurs isn’t striking any fear into Lakers hearts.
Denver is tough, but we’ll let Artest wrestle with Carmelo this year and at every other positon the Lakes have an answer to what Denver is putting out there.
Thank goodness Portland got Andre Miller and not someone good or Lakers fans would have worried about Portland. We’ll see how much better Portland is not when Miller has the ball half the time on offense and Roy is relegated to being a spot up shooter.
I expect to see the Lakers and Cleveland in the finals next year.
SKY Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
Odom should’ve just signed a big fat contract and went Jerome James.
Kaveh Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 9:08 pm
Mr. T says: you’re a fool Coach T!!!!!!
Just kidding, not a fool, just misguided. Boston would have won last year if they were healthy, are you kidding me? If you really look at it WITHOUT bias, then you would see that the Lakers would have already repeated if THEY were healthy in the 08 playoffs. The celtics beat a team that didn’t have 2 of their starters –Ariza and Bynum. You even said that you have the greatest of respect of Ariza. Well, Ariza was injured during the 08 NBA finals. Bynum was also injured, and he was injured this last NBA finals as well. He got back with only a couple games left in the regular season —for a 21 year old, this means RUST RUST RUST, a lack of mental focus, and a still nagging injury. We can assume that he will be healthy next year. A healthy Bynum and Ariza are more valuable than a healthy KG —and the Celtics barely made it past the 1st round last year without KG and lost in the 2nd round while the Lakers made it all the way to the NBA finals in 08 without 2 of their starters.
Fred Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
June 15th,2010..Mike Breen from ABC announcing: Kobe Bryant for the winnnnnnnnnn…Puts it in..and the Los Angeles Lakers are again the world champions..For Mark Jackson,Jeff Van Gundy..i am Mike Breen..so long everyone..End of story
adklajdsfj Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 3:11 am
Norv, obviously, you’re a celtics fan. Why you kept talking ’bout the past? like how Celtics beat Lakers by 40 points in 08. Well, as far as I know, Lakers is the defending champ RIGHT NOW! You made an argument of Celtics with 17 banners and Lakers only with 15…. how many of Celtics banners came from the early days when there were only 8 or less teams in the NBA. It’s MUCH HARDER nowadays to win a championship because now you have to compete again 29 other teams instead of just 7 teams. It’s MUCH HARDER to build MULTIPLE dynasty and Lakers have done that repeatedly. Yes, Lakers have less banner than the Celtics, but Lakers WILL catch up.
Lakers is the most talented team in the NBA right now. When they first acquired Gasol, everyone already rated Lakers as the #1 team in the NBA on paper, now you add Artest to the mix, it’s just scary to think about how good the Lakers can get next year.
remember, Lakers won last year without much production from Bynum, Farmar and Sasha, and Boston struggled big time against Bulls without KG. If they’re really that good, they shouldn’t be struggling with Bulls. Yes Lakers did struggle against Rockets, but everytime they lose a game to the Rockets the Lakers bounce back and trashed the Rockets.
Celtics players are old, they will not be able to hang with the Lakers anymore. As far as I know, Lakers swept the Celtics last year with a healthy KG! So Norv, please eat your words, just remember, Lakers are the defending champ and until someone dethrones them, otherwise, they’re the team to beat.
I say it’ll be Lakers vs Cavs next year. LeBron is just too good, he’ll constantly command double or even triple team, so is Shaq, despite the fact that he’s getting old. Surround those players with quality shooters and you basically have yourself a contending team period. Magic had a good pickup in Vince Carter, however they also lost Turkoglu. It’ll come down to the Lakers and the Cavs and that’s what everyone wants to see, Boston vs LA hype is over.
David from Germany Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 3:22 am
I still have to smile, when somebody is lobbying for Garnett like Norv did it. The Celtics are a great Team and will be the team to beat in the east, just because they have too much (proven) weapons. But Garnett is and was always a choker when it comes to crunch time. He just doesn’t have the guts to go toe to toe with his opponent. Remember that scarry look on his face when Anthony Peeler elbowed him in the palyoffs when he was with the wolves? He is a great role player which is always good for 20 and 10 if healthy. A solid Allstar, but no way he is a superstar. Pierce is the one who steps up when it counts, or even Allen and Rondo. It all depends on the healtyness of the celtics…and speaking of dinosaurs…the Celtics roster looks like a group of dinosaurs (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Wallace) with some promising young guns (Rondo, Daniels, Davis if he resigns). The decreasing of the dinosaurs can’t be tied with the developement of Rondo etc. So for the Celtics, its now or never (ok, until they get another gift from some of there former players).
Anyway, they still have a chance to dethrone the Lakers. And I have to agree, that the Lakers can’t guard any PG in the league. It is like they playing against a Tony Parker every game at the PG spot.
cv Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 10:28 am
Artest is a better 3 point shooter that Ariza.
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 11:41 am
You don’t have to lock down all 5 positions in order to win, no team is good enough to do that. I agree that fast PG does give Lakers problem, but Kobe + Pau + Odom + Bynum + Artest will give opponents even more things to worry about. Lakers did well in the playoffs against some of the elite PGs in the current NBA in DWill & Chauncey. With Ron Artest in the lineup I’d expect Lakers defense to go up to another level now.
P Lewis James Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 2:51 pm
Most Laker fans are still riding high after winning the championship. A word of caution however. There are flaws on this team starting with their superstar Kobe Bryant who has logged many minutes after 13 seasons and probably has peaked as a player. Don’t get me wrong Kobe would have to be carried out on his shield before he would admit how much last season took out of him. The Lakers need an upgrade at PG where you have a aging Derrick Fisher, and a shoot first Jordan Farmar. Adding Artest helps but he is still Ron Artest baggage included. Let’s not forget, the Lakers were very fortunate on the injury front. Any injury to any one of the key players could spell doom for the Lakers. The resigning of Odom cushions the lost of Ariza. It may however prove to be shortsighted because Ariza has the skill ,and talent, not to mention time to become a star in the NBA. The Lakers may be the favorite to repeat as champs but the are not head and shoulders above other teams. There are several teams out there who are capable of beating them in the playoffs!
Porky Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
Eddie- thanks for picking the Lakers.
Based on your incredible track record with predictions, I can be fully assured that my Boston Celtics will win it this year.
Thanks again!
Michael Bennett Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
I love the Cs, but I don’t see them beating Orlando or Cleveland.
LeBron and Shaq will do better than most are predicting - they’re the two most dominant players over the last ten or fifteen years of basketball. People aren’t looking at that team properly. Shaq won’t give them 30+ mpg. He doesn’t need to. He needs to give the Cavs 20-25 solid minutes. When he and LeBron are on the court together, they will be too strong on offense and will close the basket down on defense - NO ONE will get to the rim, EVER.
The Magic got worse from last year. People undervalue a player like Turkoglu - a 6′10″ guy who can shoot the three; dribble, drive and penetrate; and he’s clutch. And although I dislike Alston as a player, he went bananas in a pivotal game against Cleveland in the Conference Finals. Carter will not fill the void left by Hedo - he’s not a team player/winner.
In the West, NO ONE has a chance against the powerful Lakers. It’s pointless to even discuss. The Spurs are better than last year, which makes them what? Able to make it out of the 1st round? I’ll make a prediction: Manu Ginobili will be injured for a major stretch of the season. You don’t need to be Miss Cleo to see that. If the Spurs are 100% healthy (which they’ll NEVER be), they might beat an ailing Lakers. MIGHT. But, Bynum has to lose a leg, Gasol has to get lost on the way to Staples Center, and Kobe has to visit a Denver area hotel again. No way. Not happening.
CHRISTMAS DAY will be the Finals Preview.
yuan Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
orlando will be back in the finals.. dont sleep on this team… dwight is on the rise and shaq will not last… gortat,bass, and barnes gives them toughness. VC and rashard makes scoring a certainty.. the celtics is tough but it will not get past the magic more so now that the magic is one year older and have experienced the finals…. having said that barring any injuries, the lakers will still win it all. they are so intact and deep more so with another trade or signing that i forsee happening during the season the lakers will be B2B champs..but at the end of the day everything is in the hand of GOD…..
frank G Said,
August 4, 2009 @ 7:59 pm
norv is crazy, you can tell he is a crazy celtics fan, and a laker hater…
release11 Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 12:59 am
This is really a no brainer. nba championships are won on the frontline and boston has the best frontline in basketball. they have a allstar point guard and the most depth in the league. kg, perkins,rasheed,pierce,big baby! no one has a better front line.i cannot ever remember a championship team with a 4 and 5 that can defend in the post as well as defend screen and roll and on the offensive end stretch the floor. kg and rasheed are a nightmare match up. The best defensive team only got better defensively.
egopotato Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 9:35 am
Will this be the year that the great “WANNA BE” will get to finally fulfill and live up to the hype that he was suckered into? It’s not surprising that he bought in to the idea that a washed up, overweight, WRESTLER, will be able to help him achieve his goal of winning an NBA championship. We have seen this before (like most fading over the hill athlete), it’s difficult to give up the limelight. Like a parasite to a host, the next best thing is to attach yourself to the brightest up and coming sap who would buy in into your over inflated potential contribution to be, mostly concocted by myopic media types from the past who “party’d down” with you during your glory years. This will be a re-enactment of that circus in Phoenix. Come 2011, everyone will be gone, including the KING. I hope that CLEVELAND is wise enough not to give him another extension. But, if he wants to humble himself to a veteran’s minimum? ENVY is insidious.
Michael Bennett Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 11:47 am
egopotato - Shaq played 75 games last year with Phoenix, averaging 18 ppg and 8 rpg while shooting 60% FG - this was in a system that didn’t fit his style of play AT ALL, but he was still successful. So…
How is Shaq “a washed up, overweight, WRESTLER”?
What he’s doing with WWE and SHAQ VS. is marketing himself, the NBA and the Cavs this season. That’s brilliant. What’s wrong with that? The NBA is entertainment and he realizes this better than most.
You sound very bitter using words like “WANNA BE” and “sap” when describing LeBron James. For all of our sake, sit back, relax and just enjoy the game (’game’ being the key word).
frank B Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
P Lewis James,
The Lakers didn’t have horrendous problems with injuries, but you can’t say they were very lucky either. Our starting center has been injured two consecutive seasons, and Kobe has had hand and shoulder injuries that would have sidelined virtually any other player over the same time frame.
Everyone needs to stop picking on Fisher. You know what, he can’t stay in front of the fastest guys in the league like Tony Parker but no one else can either. When he covers floor general types of point guards like Deron Williams and Chris Paul, his defense is more than adequate.
Fisher is an anchor to the team. He has started every single game since he re-signed ( he resigned earlier when he went to Golden State) with the Lakers after Utah. He does the dirty work out there. He provides physical and mental toughness. He is one of the greatest playoff three point shooters of all time. He is a proven winner. We would not have beaten Houston without him this year in the playoffs.
With Shannon Brown and Farmar coming of the bench, he should have more than adequate rest during the regular season for his 34 year old legs.
Logan Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
Norv,
Lakers are Much more talented! they have the best player in the league (Kobe), 2 all NBA defensive players (Artest and Kobe), 3 beast down low (Odom Gasol and Bynum)
and your little position by position breakdown seems a little biased to me…. i take that back that breakdown was SOO biased its not even funny. you mentioned how good Rondo is at getting to the rim and how good of passer… but how is his jumper? hmmm pretty pathetic if you ask me. and you mentioned how bad fisher is at getting to the hoop and how bad his passing is. you said he never gets assist in a game and yet he averages more than 3 assist and if youve been paying any attention at all to the lakers you would know hes gotten ALOT better at getting too the hoop. and is shot is 100x better than rondo not to mention how clutch fisher is.
and you say Allen is the best shooter in the nba. he WOULD be the best shooter in the game if he didnt have those streches where he scores 5 ppg in a 10 or 15 games. while kobe consitantly scores 30.
And you say Artest is unpolished in the offencsive side of the ball while scores just 3 ppg less than your fuck buddy paul Pierce. and not to mention Artest is just as good as peirce from 3. and you say artest is not as good as 3pt shooer, yet he shoots 40% from 3 while ariza shot just 29% from behind the arc
and you said perkins is the best defensive center other than dwight???? hahahaha thats just stupid. thats why howard dropped 30 a game on yall while only get 12 a game against us. haha
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 6:40 pm
Release 11, Boston is NOT the best defensive team AND they didn’t get better, don’t forget they lost Posey from their championship year, who happens to be their best lockdown defender. If you can’t remember when was the last time a team won without crazy frontline, then look back at Lakers’ 3-peat. Lakers had who? Fox & Horry? I don’t think that’s super awesome and they got it done.
Boston has good lineup, but at the same time, they’re also OLD. KG, Allen, Pierce, ‘Sheed, they simply aren’t the same anymore. If anything, Lakers have improved defensively in acquiring Artest. Kobe will still be Kobe, his game has not degraded yet. Pau has raised his game to another level so is Odom as 6th man. Artest had an excellent year with Rockets last year, and I’ll expect the trend to continue. Bynum is a big variable, but he’s got the size and barring any major injuries, I’d expect to see major improvements on him. Fish will have limited production, but that’s always how it is, we don’t expect big minutes from him, just the leadership. All of Lakers core players will at least perform at the same level as last year, if not better, while Boston is only going downhills from this point on due to age.
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 6:53 pm
well said frank B
Zaneos Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
West favourites: Lakers
East favourites: Boston
I personally think Orlando went backwards, Turkoglu was the glue to that team last year and this is a team built on chemistry. I don’t see how Carter is going to make a positive impact on this team. They are also going to regret losing Courtney Lee.
I also feel Cleveland didn’t really upgrade much if at all, and Shaq could see a lot of bench time until they figure out how to play with him. He’s going to clog the lane, and Cavs will be a jump shooting team - which they aren’t great at.
Boston made a good move with Wallace - between him and Garnett they can both get a good rest when needed and still win. Lakers made a got much tougher with Artest and have the 2 best perimeter defenders in the league. SA lost a tough defender in Bowen, and inherited a soft player in RJ - injuries and age will still catch up with SA.
Pheonix got better by losing Shaq and keeping Amare and Nash.
adklajdsfj Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 12:09 am
I don’t understand how people think the addition of Shaq is bad for any team. I do not believe Phoenix got better by getting rid of Shaq. Amare was out for big portion of the season and they traded away key players like Raja and Boris. At the same time, Nash isn’t the MVP self anymore, and Grant Hill is also old. Despite how old Shaq is, he’s still top 3 center in the NBA RIGHT NOW. Cleveland basically gave up an old Wallace for Shaq, which is a superb trade IMO. Shaq will command double team constantly just like Lebron and with the shooters around they’ll be hard to stop. If having Shaq means clog the lane, then Shaq should NOT have won 4 rings.
mike Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 12:17 am
i honestly dont see the big deal about lamar odom.ok he might have played a part in the lakers championship but lets be real pau gasol is mainly the reason why they won.kobe is the best player in the nba.he cant even do it himself just like if it wasnt for pippen and rodman jordan coudnt do it himself. Lamar odom is a mediocre player.if hes so good what has been goin on the last 4 or 5 years since shaq was traded. i like odom when he played for the miami heat.if im not mistaken he put up career numbers with the heat and maybe one year with the clippers. since hes been wit the lakers hes averaged 15 points a game!and in the playoffs this year he averaged about 12ppg.so lets stop the b.s about odom being good
ariza in my opinion has played a bigger part in the playoffs and this season then odom has in his whole lakers career.
point blank im not going to take away from odom he helped in there championship run but kobe and pau and even ariza are the main reasons gasol was like kobes “shaq” and thats wats been missing from the lakers since shaq left a great big man cuz Andrew Bynum(biggest bust) ,chris mihm, brian grant(if any1 even remembers him) and kwame brown(super dooper!!! bust of all time) were not doing it !
egopotato Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 12:54 am
Relying on stats is a good way to support a lie. What style are you talking about? The walk the ball to a half court set (wait up fellas offense)? Maybe you’re refering to the “bumper butt” get out of my way stumble? Phoenix was so much better before they traded Bell and Diaw to accomodate his STYLE. Is Kerr still employed?
Norv Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 2:34 am
Why people hate on the Celtics???
1. La Fans..”Its the Lakers yo! Kobe, Kobe!
Everyone in LA loves Kobe! Despite the fact that he thinks hes Jordan! Despite the Fact that he Snitched on Shaq and got him Traded! Despite saying just two years ago “Publicly” I want out of LA” Despite the Kobe video! Despite the fact that he being the man he his Fucked an ugly ass white chick w’ asspimples while married(then you snith on Shaq for what he was doing, what a bitch ass human) Despite the fact that his on Dad thinks hes a sellout after marrying that Mexican chick! His dad don’t even fuck wit him like that! Oh yeah and despite the fact that knowing LA is a city were you would hope to look your best, Kobe is running up and down the court with the WORST hair line in sports today! C’mon Kobe cut that nonsense off your dome! Whoaa! Talk about HD!!
You Can’t say all that about any players in sports! A cheater, A sell out, a snitch, and a guy with bad taste! Despite all this i still think KObe is the most Skilled offensive player in basketball History!
People in LA need to remember how Gat kobe can act as a person!! How can you forget ” I want out of LA, I want to be traded!!” Then Jerry West gets to Chris Wallace, and walla..Pau Gasol for nothing! Forget the La Lakers, it should the the La..hmm Magic..no thats taken…hmm Wizards..no..the the La Harry Potters! How the hell did get Gasol! Thats illegal! Ask Greg Popavich! You don’t trade All star Pfs for players that aren’t expected to get to that level!
But again with all the people in LA…Everyone is on Kobe’s nuts! So its all about KObe! The Lakers have more fans than any team in the NBA because of the city and because of KObe!
2. The Celtics are too old now!!!!
OK! Because are so young! So young yes! Well lets see how young they really are….
LAKERS
Derek Fisher-35
Kobe Bryant-31
Ron Artest-30(start of season)
Pau Gasol-29
Bynum-23 (start of season)
Average age= 29.6
CELTICS
Rajon Rondo-23
Ray Allen-34
Paul Pierce-32(start of the Season)
Kevin Garnett-33
Kendrick Perkins-25(start of season)
Average Age=29.4
LA starters 29.6 BOS starters 29.4 hmmmmm!!!!
It turns out that the Lakers syarters are actually older than the Celtics starters!
Lets now look at the bench
LA
Jordan Farmar-23
Shannon Brown-24
Sasha Vujaic-25
Luke walton-29
Lamar Odom-30(start of season)
LA=26.2
Eddie House-31
Marquise Daniels-28
Bill Walker-22
Glen Davis-23
Rasheed Wallace-35(start of the season)
BOS=27.8
La’s Bench is younger, but how many guys are going to play consistent minutes! Wants funny is the Lakers don’t have any back up Legit Big Men! Odon is sf that can play the 4 because he’s 6′10! But C’mon..KG, Perkins, Big Baby, Rasheed Wallace, and Sheldon williams! The Lakers will definitely be outmatched in the Paint! Thats a bunch of amped gorrillas down there! All 5 guys are tough and strong without question! When you look at the Lakers Its Mr. Foul trouble Bynum and Gasol! Gasol is a soft looking euro and will be ambushed by the ghettoness of the Celtics bigs! Who then will they turn to..Josh Powell? Even he is not enough! The Celts are 5 deep full of bullies and four will definitely play! La is 2 deep, if include Odom as a banger in the paint than thats 3! Powell probably won’t play! The Celtics will dominate the paint against any team in the league! The lakers will be beat on the glass in every game!
In order for the Lakers to beat the celtics they will have to dominate the perimeter because the Celtics will run the paint! So Fisher,Bryant,Artest, and Odom will have to out to out work Rondo,Allen, Pierce, House and Daniels! The celt have 2 all stars on the perimeter and maybe 3 with rondo! Kobe is Kobe, but Odom and Artest are not all star level players at all!
Well the overall the celtics are slightly older with a team age average of 28.0 and the lakers age average comes in at 27.14! Wow A .86 differnce! Thats 314 days of a year! A little over 10 months is the only difference betwwen the 2 teams! Can somebody say same age! When you also consider that of the two the only team that will have a players 25 or younger playing over 30 minutes is Rondo! The Lakers don’t have any really young player playing MAJOR minutes! So with that said Kill the Idea that the Celtics are too old! KG is 3 or 4 years older than Pau, but he way better in every area! Hall of fame type shit!
P.s Derek Fisher can’t bring the ball up against all defensive PG Rondo! Give it to Kobe like you know your suppose to! What kind PG is he!
People in LA get youself a point Gaurd, and tell Kobe to cut his thirty hair off his dome! That 2k10 cover is chaos!!! Sales could drop!
Craig Bailey Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 5:12 am
WOW NORV UR DEFINATELY A TRUE BLUE KOBE HATER. LOL. HOW CAN U BE SO JUDGEMENTAL OF WAT ANOTHER GROWN MAN DOES WIT HIS LIFE? CRITICIZED THE WOMEN HE PICKED FOR HIS WIFE, WHY NOT CRITICIZE THE KIDS THEY HAVE, HIS RELATIONSHIP WIT HIS FATHER (ALL WE KNOW ABOUT THAT IS WAT IS SAID ON TV WHICH IS NOT MUCH) I MEAN DO U CARE WAT OTHER PLAYERS IS COOL WIT THEIR FATHERS? I DOUBT IT. LOL.
I CAN TELL BY UR RESPONSE THAT UR A “STATS GUY” WHICH WILL SEND U IN THE WRONG DIRECTION MOST OF THE TIME. STYLE OF PLAY IS A BIG FACTOR IN ANY SPORT. ITS NOT ALL ABOUT STATS. WHEN PPL REFER TO THE CELTICS BEING OLDER THEY’RE TALKIN ABOUT THE BIG 3, I GUESS 4 NOW WITH RASHEED. THEY’RE CLEARLY OLDER THAN KOBE, GASOL, ODOM, BYNUM & ARTEST. BUT U DID WAT A LOT OF PPL DO, TRY TO REARRANGE A STATEMENT OR THOUGHT IN ORDER TO MAKE IT RIGHT FOR THEMSELVES.
OH YEA AND STOP BEING SO CONSUMED WIT HATING EVERYTHING KOBE DOES. THAT’S LOW KEY VERY GAY, U SPEND THAT MUCH TIME WORRYING ABOUT WAT KOBE DOES, WHEN HE HAS NO DIRECT IMPACT ON UR LIFE. SMH. U HATERZ, @ THE END OF THE DAY ITS JUS A GAME
Michael Bennett Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 8:04 am
Please stop saying “Shaq will clog the lane.” That might be one of the most overused phrases when discussing Shaq and the Cavs. Saying that admits you don’t know much about basketball.
It’s a really simplistic, slightly moronic take on the big fella’s game. Did he ever “clog the lane” for DWade? Did he ever “clog the lane” for Kobe? He never even “clogged the lane” for Phoenix - he just didn’t fit into the uptempo system that makes Phoenix successful with the ball in Nash’s hands. But, there was never any lane clogging going on.
Really people… Let’s think about the game with a little more depth and reverence.
Jeff Rotondi Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 10:18 am
Celtics are the best team in the league now hands down - Rondo is a legitimate all star, Pierce and Allen with be rested with the team’s latest acquisitions, Perkins plays D on big men better than any center in the league, Garnett is pissed and hungrier than he has ever been, and Wallace wants to win…The bench is deeper and sharper…
I want LA in the finals with another fun, embarassing 40 point blow out…That was awesome!!!
Its already over. C - ya!!!!
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 11:33 am
Jeff Rotondi, we can all make that same argument, Lamar is a legitimate all star, heck, with Yao & Shaq both out and with a bit of luck, Bynum might even make it to all-star, Kobe is one of the top 2 player in the NBA, Pau is one of the top PF in the NBA right now who’s still young and Artest is super hungry, not to mention that Artest & Kobe are both excellent defenders, and Fish always wants to win. Phil has 10 rings, so.. we know LA is good on the coaching front.
You Celtics fans want LA vs Boston unfortunately you’ll have to pass Cleveland first.
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Norv, it seems like you’re beyond biased on your “basketball opinions”. It doesn’t matter whether or not LA fans love or hate Kobe, I personally do not like him but he’s a great player regardless of what happened off the court.
When you look at Celtics team, their CORE PLAYERS are way too old, KG used to be an ironman, almost never miss a game, but age caught up on him and injuries happened. Why don’t you do the math and calculate the avg age of “KG, Allen, Pierce and ‘Sheed” vs “Kobe, Pau, Odom and Bynum”? Like you’ve indicated, bench players not gonna get many minutes, so.. it comes down to the core players, and the core players are OLD for the Celtics. So.. please bring back the “Celtics are old” topic.
Stop judging on Kobe, please talk ’bout his performance on the court only. You think Celtics have all the good personalities there? Is that why Pierce got stabbed multiple times and couldn’t play for one whole year because he was sOOOo loved over there?
LA don’t need a “real PG” in order to win, Triangle offense is NEVER about the PG, never. That’s why even solid PG like GP could not shine in Triangle offense.
You can believe that Boston has the best team all you want, you can bring out all the stats and stuff. It comes down to one FACT, Lakers ARE the champion, regardless whether or not Lakers have the best squad, they ARE the champion and they ARE the mountain to climb over. Until someone dethrones them, they ARE the best team in the NBA.
Michael Bennett Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
Wow… this Rashard Lewis story is really tough to wrap my head around.
In baseball, there are so many other factors to winning, so I never saw a single player using steroids as that big of a deal. Same with football… too many variables.
But, in basketball, it’s the same five guys playing offense and defense. I hate to say it but…
No wonder the Magic beat the Cavs…
David Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
MB…this is like a modern day “Say it ain’t so…Joe”. And everyone thought Rashard was finally almost worth his contract.
I really hope this is not the beginning of something bigger…
Michael Bennett Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
Oh, I know. Imagine if the NBA had something like the Mitchell Report…
I just hope the steroid conversation is detailed and nuanced, and not just brushed over by the media like the do in baseball. There are many types of steroids and performance enhancing drugs - the public should know as much as possible.
The testosterone producing DHEA found in the Rashard Lewis tests scare me. That leads me to think that he definitely had an edge while taking those supplements. Man…
Just sad…
Joey Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
aldkjaksfajf Said: “Lamar is a legitimate all star”
In what alternative universe is Lamar Odom a legitimate all-star? Considering he has made the all-star team 0 out of 10 years, I find that to be an interesting comment. He is a bi-polar talent who has never lived up to his potential and loves having a star, or better yet, 2 stars to keep the pressure off of him. That is why Phil Jackson brings him off the bench. When the pressure is on, Lamar is off! He finally produced when it counted - with 2 other big guys shouldering the load so he could clean up against shorter players.
The Lakers got real lucky this year, they got healthy at exactly the right time, they scraped by the the Rockets with Yao going down and Mutombo out, and they got the Magic with Nelson at half-speed and they did not have the chance to have their asses handed to them by the celtics because KG was out. Count yourselves lucky, be happy about the dirty Gasol trade, love the fact that the refs were in your pocket, eat a slice and be quiet.
Holla Bolla Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
Joey,
You are still having trouble with this. Just know that haters like you are what makes this title so d@mn gratifying.
As you wait for another Bill Simmons article to help your healing process, try to inject yourself with a dose of reality. LA was in the finals last year and they came right back and won. How is that lucky? This wasn’t George Mason a few years back or Nova in 85. It wasn’t lucky. Assuming you are a Celtics fans, your logic would call their title lucky last year too. I could say they almost lost to Atlanta in rd 1..or the Cavs in rd 2.
In fact just about every championship team that has ever won a title has had some moments that could have gone either way…it’s usually part of the journey. So, your point is worthless.
Laker nation ate it hard last year, and this year, it’s time for you to do the same..if a slice or two will help you get through the summer, then make it happen. And, if you still want to continue whining on these blogs, that is great too. We appreciate the reminders.
BTW–Mamba is a champion..again. It is real. Deal with it.
Michael Bennett Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 9:09 pm
If no one else will, I’ll keep on bringing it up…
Why is it that Chris “Birdman” Andersen received a two-year ban from the NBA for violating its drug (marijuana) policy and Rashard Lewis receives a 10-game punishment?
I obviously know the answer. But, I don’t think it’s fair. Save all your “life isn’t fair” and the like.
This topic should be discussed with some intelligence if we want to grow as a society and a league.
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
Joey, Lamar might not have been an all-star yet, but anytime when a person can give you 15/9 that person will have a legitimate shot at making the all-star, especially if the team is faring extremely well.
Boston was extremely lucky that Bynum wasn’t playing last year, if you really wanna count the luck. From what I remember, here are the latest result of Boston vs LA
in Christmas Day, Boston comes to LA with their sky-high 19-game winning streak and bang! hit the brick wall. After that, Boston had hard time recovering and lost 6 more times in the next 8 games.
then Lakers visited Boston WITHOUT BYNUM. Boston is fully healthy and ready for vengeance, BANG Lakers beat them again. How’s that for luck? Lakers beat them, on their home floor, without their starting center. If Bynum did not get injured for the past 2 seasons, things might turn out very differently. So.. consider Boston lucky that they didn’t make it to the finals or they’ll be humiliated by the Lakers.
Odom is never the goto guy in the first place, he would never shine as the main guy or even the second guy. He knows that, and that’s why he chose to stay with the Lakers because being the 3rd or sometimes even the 4th option makes him shine.
Dirty trade, yes I agree it was basically a free trade that Lakers got. However, you don’t think trading away Jefferson for KG is also a steal? You don’t think the trade to bring Ray Allen to Boston is also a steal? and you don’t think Spurs got Duncan because they were “lucky” enough to be the last-placed team the year before ‘cuz David Robinson was injured? You dont’ think Boston is lucky that they had a good team when NBA first started and there were only 8 teams so they can have multiple championships? Like someone pointed out, Kobe was injured, he put off his surgery so he can play. If KG is man enough, then he’ll play hurt, not to mention that Bynum was injured for majority of the season and couldn’t really perform when he first came back.
In all truth, Lakers are the champion, lucky or not. Boston is lucky that Byron Scott AND Magic Johnson were injured in 1988-89 or Lakers will have another championship; Boston is lucky that Karl Malone was injured in 2004 otherwise Detroit would not have won; Boston is lucky that Bynum was injured last year otherwise Lakers woulda beat them. So.. Boston is lucky to have 17 banners to Lakers’ 15. Putting all luck away, Lakers should have 18 right now while Boston should have 16. How’s THAT for your luck analysis?
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
Michael Bennett, good question, I actually don’t know the answer. Why is that?
egopotato Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 11:25 pm
SHAQ WILL CLOG THE LANE like an oversized turd that you cant flush down the commode! On the second thought, maybe you’re right about him not clogging the middle on high post pick and roll because he has always been an oompah loompah trying to recover defensively when he shows. The lane is always left WIDE OPEN for a quick guard to slip by. MEMO: Suns did not make the playoffs last year! PREDICTION FOR 2010: BOSTON DEFEATS CLEVELAND in the eastern conference finals, Shaq unhappy for not getting enough touches, BUT WANTS AN EXTENSION…
adklajdsfj Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 1:20 am
epopotato, maybe you should factor in the fact that Amare was out 29 games last season, key players like Raja & Boris were both traded. Base on your logic, Shaq should not have won 4 rings.
Joey Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 6:02 am
adklajdsfj, I will give you credit for admitting to the dirty trade. No, I am not a Celtics fan I am a Knicks fan so nothing anyone can say can hurt me, it has all been done to me before. Yes, the Garnett trade was total bullsh!t, I agree. It makes me sick and I think the NBA should not let obvious stuff like that go. (Unless I can get some too!)
Yes, luck plays a big part in everything for everyone. The Lakers got 2 huge lucky breaks (Literally) with both the Rockets centers going down and no Garnett to bring the celtics out of the east.
The other thing that realy bites my ass is the ref manipulation of the outcome. The Lakers would have beat the Magic anyway, but the fact that Kobe cannot foul out or can literally get away with anything in the fourth quarter annoys me, even if he breaks Jameer Nelson’s jaw with his elbow. Same thing with LeBron. With the Kobe-LeBron puppet commercials it is obvious to see which way thing were slanted and I am frankly getting tired of a game that is more interested in marketing than the best basketball.
I don’t thin Mailman being injured cost the Lakers that series. They imploded under their own egos. Detroit was nowhere near as good as they played.That was self-destruction.
I don’t think you can put the Spurs fortune in the same category, but the Rockets may just do a repeat of that next year when they bring Yao back.
Getting back to your luck analysis and how the Lakers should have more titles, you left out Larry Bird’s premature career ending Len Bias, and Reggie Lewis. PLease resubmit your luck analysis.
P.S. I don’t care for the Lakers, but I hate the Celtics. I actually like the Rockets even though we lost to them back in the day.
Joey Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 6:33 am
aldkjaksfajf Said:
“Joey, Lamar might not have been an all-star yet, but anytime when a person can give you 15/9 that person will have a legitimate shot at making the all-star, especially if the team is faring extremely well.”
15/9 is very unlikely to get anyone to the all-star team unless they are a amazing defensive ace. Kobe, Gasol, and Artest will make the all-star team before Lamar Scrotum does!
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Joey, from what I know Ilgauskas is a 2-time all-star and has a career avg of 14/8, I don’t think he’s a defensive wiz either; Jamaal Magloire is a career 8/7 guy and he’s a one-time all-star, do you think he’s a defensive threat, not to mention other players like AK47 and KMart who are one-time all-star as well when their career avg wasn’t all that great at the point when they made it to the all-star. I’m simply saying a career 15/9 “might” be a potential all-star. Career of 15/9 means they can possibly have a season where he avgs 17/10 which is a legitimate number for an all-star. Heck, it really doesn’t take that much to make it to the all-star.
release11 Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
re: aldkjaksfajf
2 good points that u made are 1) Boston has no lock down defender and 2) the Celtics r old. The rest of your points I disagree with. I believe that when there are 2 taleneted teams the team that is the better defensive team and is mentally tougher comes out on top. I did not compare the c’s to the lakers, i only said that they were the best defensive team. but since u made the comparison let’s go there, 2 years ago when they played i thought that it was a mismatch in the finals and i bet boston every game and was rewarded.the lakers only covered 1 game. last year with the lost of posey and pj they were not the same team defensively even though they were in the league stats. with the addition of wallace this allows them to defend kobe in the lakers bread and butter late in games which is the screen and roll. he and garnett will do an excellent job. the lakers have no consistent low post threat. bynum may not even be healthy enough to play. i have never seen a guy get so much props for doing so little. as far as defending kobe he is a jump shooter. he may be the best scorer of alltime but he shoots only jumpers. the key to defending him is to contest the shot because he is not passing the ball late in the game. gasol is soft, enough said. bynum has potential but how many players have potential and never live up to it? if he played 15 years ago he would get killed. he is the beneficiary of playing with a collection of talented players. all he did in the finals was foul. artest should flourish with the lakers and i like him a lot. he brings toughness to a team that has none. other than he and fisher none of those guys could have survived growing up in my neighborhood w/o being slapped around. l.o. has and always will be a mystery player, top 5 talent but is never there when u need him. finally the lakers r just SOFT they were the best team last year and deserve to be called champs. if both the lakers and boston meet this year i will go with the team toughness and resilency of the c’s to defeat the lakers but boston must be healthy because age is there only concern.
aldkjaksfajf Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
release 11, I felt that Lakers have grown lot tougher ever since they lost to the Celtics in the Finals, whether or not they’ll be tough enough for next year, it’s up for debate, however I felt that if they maintain the same toughness from last year + a healthy Bynum + addition of Ron Artest, then I would not call Lakers soft. That’s my input on that.
Kobe is a jump shooter… this reminds me of one statement that Barkley made, Barkley said that Jordan is a slasher who can shoot, Kobe is a shooter who can slash. I cannot agree with him more. Kobe is very fundamentally sound, he knocks down his jump shots so it’ll open up the floor for his game. Whether or not Kobe passes the ball to his teammates is up for debate as well. When he passes, people criticizes him for not taking the shot, when he takes the shot, people criticizes him for not passing. This guy can never do anything right. I do admit that he sometimes wants to be the end-game hero and cost the game, but often enough he’s good enough to take over the game when it counts.
In regards to Lakers not having any post presence. I disagree with that quite a bit. Let’s throw Bynum out of the question, you still have Kobe and Gasol who constantly post the defender up, so is Lamar or Artest. So.. I disagree on the idea that Lakers do not have a consistent low-post threat.
Like you’ve indicated, Lamar has always been a mystery, lots of talent but never really live up to it until last year. However, I truly believe he has found his identity NOW. Throughout majority of his career, he’s either the best player or the second best player on the team. He was never the 3rd or 4th option on a team. By being the 3rd or 4th best player he actually has found his true basketball identity in the NBA.
egopotato Said,
August 8, 2009 @ 12:04 am
Bell and Diaw were let go to bring in the great SHAQ. So what is your point MR.? Besides those rings were won with Bryant and Wade a few years back. He would still be a Laker winning championships had he been an exemplary off season workbee. Like ARIZA he misread the ownership’s intention. All that’s left for him to stay relevant is to be a DENNIS RODMAN incarnate. PATHETIQUE!
Zoom Said,
August 8, 2009 @ 12:17 am
Lakers are younger than the bulls team that won the first 3 championships. These lakers have a chance to be the overwhelming favorites every year for at least the next 4-5 years. This team is scary good. Kobe could end up with 8 rings. Crazy thought!!!!
Kingsblade Said,
August 9, 2009 @ 3:25 am
Michael Bennett:
The answer to your question is found in the CBA.
Lewis got suspended, Andersen got disqualified from the NBA. A player is only disqualified from the league for a fourth positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, or a first positive test for, in CBA terms, “drugs of abuse.”
They list out what that means, but essentially it means what you would expect, amphetamine and its analogs, like methamphetamine; cocaine; opiates, like heroin, codeine and morphine; and so forth.
Since Andersen had not previously been suspended I would have to think he was disqualified for testing positive for a “drug of abuse.” This does not include marijuana, but I’m not sure where you got that from, but he would not have been disqualified for it. He was on something else.
Here are the marijuana penalties as per the CBA:
(c) Penalties.
Any player who (i) tests positive for marijuana pursuant to Section 5 (Reasonable Cause Testing), Section 6 (Random Testing), or Section 14 (Additional Bases for Testing), (ii) is adjudged by the Grievance Arbitrator pursuant to Section 5(e) above to have used or possessed marijuana, or (iii) has been convicted of (including a plea of guilty, no contest or nolo contendere to) the use or possession of marijuana in violation of the law, shall suffer the following penalties:
(A) For the first such violation, the player shall be required to enter the Marijuana Program;
(B) For the second such violation, the player shall be fined $25,000 and, if the player is not then subject to in-patient or aftercare treatment in the Marijuana Program, be required to enter the Marijuana Program;
(C) For the third such violation, the player shall be suspended for five (5) games and, if the player is not then subject to in-patient or aftercare treatment in the Marijuana Program, be required to enter the Marijuana Program; and
(D) For any subsequent violation, the player shall be suspended for five (5) games longer than his immediately preceding suspension for violating the Marijuana Program and, if the player is not then subject to in-patient or aftercare treatment in the Marijuana Program, be required to enter the Marijuana Program.
Lewis has now tested positive for the first time for PEDs, which explains the suspension. Again as per the CBA:
(c) Penalties.
Any player who (i) tests positive for a SPED pursuant to Section 5 (Reasonable Cause Testing), Section 6 (Random Testing), or Section 14 (Additional Bases for Testing), or (ii) is adjudged by the Grievance Arbitrator pursuant to Section 5(e) above to have used or possessed a SPED, shall suffer the following penalties:
(A) For the first such violation, the player shall be suspended for ten (10) games and required to enter the SPED Program;
(B) For the second such violation, the player shall be suspended for twenty-five (25) games and, if the player is not then subject to in-patient or aftercare treatment in the SPED Program, be required to enter the SPED Program;
(C) for the third such violation, the player shall be suspended for one (1) year from the date of such violation and, if the player is not then subject to in-patient or aftercare treatment in the SPED Program, be required to enter the SPED Program; and
(D) for the fourth such violation, the player shall be immediately dismissed and disqualified from any association with the NBA or any of its Teams in accordance with the provisions of Section 11(a) below.
Does that answer your question well enough?
Kingsblade Said,
August 9, 2009 @ 3:34 am
A further interesting note, it seems upon further reading that marijuana is categorized with drugs of abuse for testing purposes, but is treated differently in the penalties imposed and the treatment programs offered. Odd.
Norv Said,
August 12, 2009 @ 10:00 am
You LA dummies!!!
Lets get something straight!!! The Lakers are far behind the Celtics! In fact the ONLY reason the Celtics have 17 Championships is because of the Lakers!!! Thank you LA, where would we be without YOU!!! Laughing!
News Motherfuckin flash…Listen carefully please, I know its hot out there but damn!!! OF THE 17 RINGS CHAMPIONSHIPS THE CELTICS HAVE, 9 have came against the LAKERS! THE LAKERS!!! THE LAKERS!!!! I don’t care if it was in 1950 or the year 3000.. IT WAS AGAINST THE LAKERS!!! The Celtics have historically and just recently in 2008(by 40 points in record fashion) beat the shit out of the LAKERS!!!! What don’t you understand!!! Are you slow??? Its Traditional to beat the Lakers!! C’mon Dog!!! The Celtics have been beating up on the Lakers while the Lakers beat up on the other teams!
Oh yeah..17-15 Boston!!! And its always been in BOSTON!!! Lets look at the Lakers history….ummm last time I Checked there aint no LAKES in LA!!! Oh yeaahh..It was the Minneapolis Lakers..I get it…the LAND OF 1,000 LAKES! LAKERS>>LAKES..I GET IT.. I GET IT!!! Well of the “15″ Championships that LA has so called one, 5 of those shits were won in Minnesota!!! People in the Minn were celebrating those Championships!!! Having parades and ish! They weren’t giving a damn in LA!!! Ask some OLDER relatives of yours if you have him!!! Your Grandfather who was raised in LA, did not care in 1960 if the Minn Lakers won! How can you really claim them CHIPS!!! Those rings are for the people of MInnesota more than they are for the cats in LA!! None of ya was at those games…Ya really got ten in that City!! The City of LA has celebrated 10 Chips!!! Keep it real!!
The Lakers have been successful because of the wonderful city it has! Like I said LA has celebrated 10 chips since the franchise moved to LA! The main reason for all your Championships have been through Legendary Big men THAT HAVE FLOCKED to LA since the Move from Minnesota!!! Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabar, and of course Shaq! All three of these dudes left their REAL teams to live in the beautiful city of LA!!! Hollywood..I guess!!! Whats funny is all three guy had ultimate success before they even got to LA..Wilt one a ring with Philly…Kareem one a ring with the Bucks and Shaq got to the finals against the Rockets!!! So its so funny how Lakers got all three guys from other teams and couldn’t get their own!!!” Hey If your good..come play in LA!!! Kareem played his first 7 years in Milwuakee on some all time great teams! Wilt played on a like 5 teams, and was only in LA for 2 years..and Shaq..well he was on an Orlando team that HAD a good future until LA came a callin LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO!!!! Guys who flock to LA arent TRUE LAKERS, especially if they had a Leagacy in another city like All three Big men did before arriving LA!!! Shaq was DRAFTED by the Magic and played 4 years there..He did Play 7 years in LA…but then he played 3 years in Miami and won another ring..then on to Phoenix..now he’s in Cleveland…and judging by the way the Lakers treated him..LA can’t claim him! Kareem and Wilt were Championship Veterans destroying the league BEFORE they got to LA..so LA definitly can’t claim them either.. LA WOULD NOT HAVE ONE CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE RELOCATING TO THE CITY, IF THESE THREE BIG MEN DIDN’T FLOCK TO LA!!!.Kobe and Magic are true Lakers though! Two of the greatest!! But the Lakers tradition is a little weak!!
On the other hand the Celtics have always been a tight with their players!!! Never chasing OTHER teams players for success..All the Great Celtics have always BEEN Celtics…Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Bill Russell, Pau Pierce..just to name some!! They Have always been Celtics!! If The Lakers can Claim Wilt and co. then Celtics at the end of his career can claim KG!! Now am I lying???
Norv Said,
August 12, 2009 @ 10:43 am
ITS A FACT THAT THE LAKERS STOLE PAU GASOL FROM MEMPHIS!!!
You dodo dipped dick heads!!!
Wha did LA GIVE up?? ahhhhhh a bunch of scrubs with limited futures!!!
lets review it…
Kwame Brown-Might be the worst 1st pick ever
Aaron Mckie-An assitant Coach..wowww!!
Javaris Critteton-he’s good..but Memphis had Conley and Lowry at the time..so its pointlees and plus Javaris isn’t doing anything on the Wizards now!!
Marc Gasol- A back up Center, hes active..but C’mon
2 late first rounders for a young team= nothing!!!
Gregg popavich said:
“What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension. There should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense. I just wish I had been on a trade committee that oversees NBA trades. I would have voted no to the LA trade.”
Now you know Jerry west had somthing to do with this..now are you happy Kobe!! I rest my case!
I hate when DUMb people like to compare it to how the Celticks got KG and Ray Allen!!! Wowww!!!
lets review it….
The KG trade..
Minnesota got
Ryan Gomes-12ppg
Sebastian Telfair-10ppg
Gerald Green-10ppg(at the time, and dunk champion..put fans in the seats)
Al Jefferson 22ppg 12rpg
Wayne Ellington-(just drafted and could be starting)
Woww..All that YOUNG talent for KG at 31!!! Al Jefferson who is 10 YEARS YOUNGER has single handedly out performed KG! Big Al came out of HS and will be an All star well after KG calls it quits!!! The other guys like Telfair, Gomes, and Green all are young guys that have produced some, especially Gomes!!! The T wolves easily got the best out of this deal! They got the face of theitr franchise from Boston..and some good young players…what did LA give Memphis again? Cased Closed!!!
The Ray Allen Trade
Wellll…
The 5TH pick in 2007 draft (in a deep draft, news flash.. when your a top 5 pick your expected to be an all star one day)
Delonte West-12ppg
Ohh and Ray Allen was the 5th pick in the “96″ draft!!! At the time he was 32 years old and we threw in Delonte, who is a starter for the Champion contending Cavs!!!! Boston gave up Delonte west and a 21 year old 5th pick for a 32 year old 5th pick!!! What are you saying?
What did LA give Memphis again????
Steve Watkins Said,
August 16, 2009 @ 10:46 am
Denver will be better this year because they did NOT make any changes to a solid lineup that showed continuous improvement last year. Also, I agree that Denver has an advantage because they play at high altitude, which will be even more important when playoff fatigue sets in.
I don’t understand why teams don’t train as much as possible at high altitude rather than going to Florida or some place like the Knicks. I just got back from vacation in Kenya and I talked to a guy named Sumaru who told me the key to running marathons is to train at high altitude. Sumaru was the best runner in his local area but he lived at an altitude of only about 1200 ft. When he went up against other runners in national competitions, he couldn’t compete against guys who lived at 8000 ft elevation. All the best runners in Kenya (and probably the world) are from that area.
I can’t resist mentioning that I went out for a little 5K run while I was there and after a few Ks I heard a big roar off to my right. I looked up and saw two full grown male lions staring right at me about 20 yards to my right. Apparantly I woke them up. There was a Toyota Land Cruiser following behind me but it was about 100 yards back. It was awesome. Lucky for me lions are afraid of man and just ran off.
Steve Watkins Said,
August 16, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
As an OU Sooner and Blake Griffin fan, Eddie’s subtle assessment of the Clippers and Baron Davis is painfully appropriate. Griffin will be the top offensive rebounder in the league if he stays positive and focuses on that aspect of his game.
adklajdsfj Said,
August 22, 2009 @ 12:28 am
NORV, you’re a dumb ass idiot. There’s one fact sitting straight up there right now. Lakers ARE THE CHAMPIONS… Boston eat shit right now. NO EXCUSE, LAKERS ARE THE CHAMPION. When KG was traded to Boston, it was very one-sided, and like Kevin McHale had nothing to do with Danny Ainge, that’s complete bull. As far as I know… how many championships did Boston have the last 20 years??? oh oh oh, I’m so sorry, pitiful one. Accept it Norv you dumb piece of shit Lakers are the champion. Let me repeat that one more time, LAKERS ARE THE CHAMPION and Celtics are sitting at home crying right now. KG wasn’t really a Celtic in the first place, if it wasn’t the Ainge-McHale connection Boston will probably never ever win another championship again. TOUGH LUCK BUDDY, accept it, LAKERS ARE THE CHAMPION. Boston went home and eat shit.