OFFICIAL LAKERS 2009/2010 (57-25) 2009-2010 CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

[notorious 858]

^^

What a Knicks fan doing in this thread.

 

[th0mas cr0wn]

Originally Posted by got shoes

Originally Posted by Notorious 858

Any NT Laker fans going to the Christmas day game ?

I heard they're handing out the the new NIKE MVP puppets foam finger at Staples Center:

That's clean. I wanted to go to. But money is tight for the holidays

this is too dope. i need one

 

[welcometothetonezone]

There's a shirt that's out already, I just threw in this photoshop together though. That foam finger is legit.

 

[enrique23]

those foam fingers are too sick

 

[CP1708]

Ya'll be prepared, because if we ever lose a game again, someone will cut out the A part of those foam fingers, and leave just the L. Bank on it.

 

[kb8sandiego]

Originally Posted by Notorious 858

From the new ESPN Los Angeles website .

 

[kb8sandiego]

I know, this should go in the Nike forum and it already probably has been posted there but I can't keep up with that ZKV thread.

But damn, this pic is gorgeous:

 

[es el]

anybody knw if the foam finger is goin to be on sale??

 

[th0mas cr0wn]

Originally Posted by Notorious 858

^^

What a Knicks fan doing in this thread.

 

[erascism]

BTW - How was Sedale Threatt ranked 44th on the greatest 50 Lakers list.

 

[darthska]

OH SNAP!!!

I TIED YOU IN FANTASY LAST WEEK, CP!!!

Didn't even know.

I work weekends, and I can't really get online at work, so I had no clue how the weekend. Figured you just destroyed me.

Not so much.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by TH0MAS CR0WN

Originally Posted by Notorious 858

^^

What a Knicks fan doing in this thread.

i think he was talking about erasicm

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

OH SNAP!!!

I TIED YOU IN FANTASY LAST WEEK, CP!!!

Didn't even know.

I work weekends, and I can't really get online at work, so I had no clue how the weekend. Figured you just destroyed me.

Not so much.

See, I told you it ain't so bad.

See, half my squad has been in and out. AK, Billups, Hinrich, Barbosa, all of em have missed games the past couple weeks. I'm just too lazy to doanything about it. I just kinda figure, get to the playoffs, and then make my run. It's what I just did in football, and I find myself in thechampionship this week, even though I have about 4 brand new players just from the week before.

Anyhoo, I figure Barbosa will get numbers when he gets on the court, and certainly Billups will make meaningless buckets every once in a while, AK gets acouple in every category, so why drop them because of just a few games?

So good job man, maybe we'll meet up in the playoffs and have a real battle on our hands.

 

[Los Angeles]

Gettin XMas tickets are impossible.

Edit: What page was it where that Celtics fan posted those stupid NBA standings?

 

[notorious 858]

[h1]Who is the NBA MVP so far?[/h1]
[h2]Usual suspects on list (Kobe, Dwyane, Carmelo, LeBron), but 1 stands tall[/h2]

Signed, sealed, delivered

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel

Can it be anyone other than Kobe "Nine Fingers" Bryant? The best player on the best team. Case closed. Already, Bryant has the season's signature moment with his off-balance 3-pointer against Dwyane Wade and the Heat.

Otherwise, you have Carmelo Anthony, who has had some of his best performances in losses, taking the word "valuable" somewhat out of the equation. Then there's LeBron James, who is struggling under the weight of having to carry Shaquille O'Neal. It could be argued that Puppet LeBron has been more impressive than Actual LeBron.

As for Wade? He already has said the scoring title has become a been-there, done-that experience. Also in position to make moves are Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Joe Johnson, based on their teams' finishes.

[email protected]

No catching Bryant

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

Is this a trick question? Even those clueless people Jay Leno finds to interview on the street know that Kobe's the MVP.

The better question: Who's second? It's a long way. You'd have to make two connections and a layover before you get to LeBron or D-Wade.

Kobe has tried to add some suspense, playing with a broken finger, and it's still not close. He could score 20 in a body cast.

All he has done is make this season's Lakers better than last season's title team ... hit a couple game-winning shots ... score at will ... keep Ron Artest from becoming a reality show ... and allow Phil Jackson to remain in his orthopedic highchair.

We have a BCS title game, a Super Bowl and a Final Four to play, and the race is over. Kobe doesn't blow these kinds of leads.

[email protected]

Kobe's value is sky-high

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

Kobe Bryant is the NBA's MVP, MVC and MVW. He's the most valuable player, competitor and winner -- even if he breaks nine more fingers.

Beyond Bryant's spectacular scoring ability and still-dominant defense, his will wears down opponents and emboldens teammates.

Funny how Pau Gasol no longer is considered soft now that he's Bryant's super sidekick.

Bryant still can score in bunches when he wants or needs to. But his recent game-winner against the Bucks proves yet again why he's the league's most valuable player:

He wins.

[email protected]

Best choice is obvious

Lisa Dillman, Los Angeles Times

What hasn't Kobe Bryant done in the first quarter of the season? If there is a glaring, missing link, we can't think of it.

He has played hurt and sick -- of course, he always has been able to do that; the worse he seems, the better he plays. And the Lakers (22-4) were without Pau Gasol for the first nine games and still sit atop the NBA.

On top of it, Bryant has, more or less, tamed Ron Artest. (We can revisit that last, miraculous feat in April).

The intangibles favor Bryant as the league's MVP at the quarter mark, and so do the hard numbers. He's shooting better than 48 percent and averaging 28.9 points, ahead of his MVP pace of 2007-08.

As a colleague put it best: Best player on the best team. Best way to end an argument.

[email protected]


Link:

http://www.chicagotribune...s-dec21,0,5465201.column

 

[oneforall]

I love that ''He could score 20 in a body cast''.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

As much as Kobe may deserve it, I'm almost certain he won't get it. Something will happen with one of the East's teams and they will be propelledinto the playoffs by one particular player and that player will win the MVP.

Of course, I'd be very happy to be wrong.

 

[got shoes]

Originally Posted by Th3RealF0lkBlu3s

As much as Kobe may deserve it, I'm almost certain he won't get it. Something will happen with one of the East's teams and they will be propelled into the playoffs by one particular player and that player will win the MVP.

Of course, I'd be very happy to be wrong.

i feel the same thing. i think they are going to base it on that he has a good supporting cast. But who cares he got one and i'm good withthat. Rather see him collect rings anyway

 

[kobe8is]

Originally Posted by ONEFORALL

I love that ''He could score 20 in a body cast''.

 

[notorious 858]

Man starting on Christmas it's going to get brutal on the Lakers schedule. 4 games in 5 nights:

[table][tr][td] Fri 25[/td] [td] vs Cleveland [/td] [td] 2:00pm[/td] [td] [/td] [td]

[/td] [td] 710/1330 AM ESPN[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Sat 26[/td] [td] @ Sacramento [/td] [td] 7:00pm[/td] [td] KCAL[/td] [td]

[/td] [td] 710/1330 AM ESPN[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Mon 28[/td] [td] @ Phoenix [/td] [td] 6:00pm[/td] [td] KCAL[/td] [td]

[/td] [td] 710/1330 AM ESPN[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Tue 29[/td] [td] vs Golden State [/td] [td] 7:30pm[/td] [td] FS West[/td] [td]

[/td] [td] 710/1330 AM ESPN[/td] [/tr][/table]

Cavs will be the showdown game against Lebron. Then road back to back in Sac against the Queens where they always play us hard, then only get 1 day rest and goto Phoenix against another run & gun high octane team who we're due for a loss against, then come home for another run & gun, pick & roll,crazy 3 point shooting team with the Warriors.

 

[notorious 858]

[h1]Lakers are giving more of the same, but better[/h1]They come, they see, they conquer . . . nightly.

Something has changed in Lakerdom, although it's so subtle, this season seems like last season with Ron Artest instead of Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom married to Khloe Kardashian instead of going home without being greeted by a camera crew, and Sasha Vujacic going out with Maria Sharapova instead of worrying about his slump.

As the Lakers are doing once more, last season's team was already leaving the West behind by its marquee Christmas matchup with some Eastern power.

Actually, there's one difference: This team is way better than that team, at least at this point, winners of 15 of the last 16 after Tuesday's 111-108 win over Oklahoma City, which distinguished itself by becoming one of the few teams to make it close.

A year ago, the Lakers' record stood in contrast to their play, which was sloppy and casual.

This led to brilliant repartee such as this after a 115-110 win last December over the Phoenix Suns, who dressed eight players but battled the Lakers to the end:

Reporter: "Do you feel you're saying the same stuff after every game -- we played OK, Pau [Gasol] was great but nobody else has stood out the last few games?"

Coach Phil Jackson, straight-faced: "You know, I thought Fish [Derek Fisher] played very well. Maybe I should mention that. His defense was solid. He made some steals. I like that."

Reporter: "But do you sense repetition in these games, as you talk about them afterward?"

Jackson, smiling: "Maybe I'll put it on tape and just run it right here on the podium so you guys don't have to ask me questions."

This season has been different since Nov. 19 when Gasol joined the 8-3 Lakers, playing for the first time with an Andrew Bynum who wasn't struggling to come back from injury, but averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds instead.

The Lakers are 15-1 since. They looked so impressive on last week's East Coast trip, Jackson was alarmed to hear the media ask Kobe Bryant whether he was pursuing Michael Jordan's six titles, as if it was already assumed Bryant will get No. 5 this spring.

There's another Bryant this season too, forgoing the patience he tried out last season when he bought the house line that their young players needed time to develop.

Bryant ran clean out of patience when their development, and the team's casual play, popped up again at a particularly inconvenient time, in the playoffs.

In the midst of their seven-game embarrassment against Houston, ABC's Mark Jackson railed, "I'm never picking the Lakers again. I'm picking the Denver Nuggets, and I'm picking whoever comes out of the East."

Said Bryant, asked to respond after the Lakers' escape in Game 7: "Mark's right."

Bryant now reminds Jackson of Jordan, who kept coming up with reasons to be upset to fire himself up:

They don't think we can win on the road.

They don't think I can play with a broken finger.

Nike pays LeBron James more than me.

"I just think that's his evolution, getting into it," said Jackson. "The injury really makes him focus on every day because every day it's a new process."

Tuesday night was typical: therapy, rest, tape, loosening exercises, 40 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

For anyone who hasn't figured it out, something is going to have to change to keep Bryant from winning his second MVP.

Even if the Celtics win the East, they have an ensemble cast, so credit is split three ways. Dwight Howard would have a shot if Orlando takes the East, but his numbers are down from last season.

James' Cavaliers are No. 3 in the East, which is not where MVPs come from.

"One of them is up and coming and one of the most remarkable athletes any of has ever seen," said Jerry West last week. "The other one, and I'm talking about Kobe Bryant, is a polished, confident, tough-minded guy who's going to drive his guys so much that, with the talent they have there. . .

"There's a few players I'd pay to see play and he'd be one of a very few, OK?

"The guy is just one of those players of a decade, that's what he is. And I don't think people even know that."

At this rate, they'll figure it out.



Link:

http://www.latimes.com/sp...09dec23,0,5696888.column

 

[notorious 858]

[h1]Pau Gasol's Lakers contract extension becomes official Wednesday[/h1]If you're reading this in the afternoon, it might already be official: The Lakers will announce today that Pau Gasol has signed a three-year contract extension.

The sides agreed to terms late last week, but Gasol had to return home with the team and pass a physical exam before signing an extension worth up to $64.7 million, depending on NBA salary-cap figures to be determined in 2011.

Gasol made the All-Star team last season and could do it again this season, averaging 17.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game before Tuesday.

He has helped turn the Lakers into championship contenders since his arrival from the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2008.

He is making $16.5 million this season and $17.8 million next season in what would have been the last year of his contract. He will be under contract through the 2013-14 season with the extension.

Reserve power?

The Lakers continue to get low wattage from their backups, a theme Coach Phil Jackson revisited with the team during Tuesday morning's shoot-around.

"No doubt about the fact we have to work on that," Jackson said later in the day. "That second unit knows it. When three or four of them get on the floor together, they've really got to work hard on what they've got to get accomplished. It's not about scoring time."

Lamar Odom, the leader of the second unit, continued to be irked by its underproduction, again pointing to a large lead that was trimmed in the fourth quarter Sunday night against Detroit.

"It just shows weakness in our team for the coach to have to put Kobe Bryant back in the game," Odom said ruefully.

Getting closer

Luke Walton is still a few weeks from returning to game action, but he is expected to start shooting soon and practicing with the team in a couple of weeks.

Walton has been out a month since undergoing a procedure in which a nerve in his back was zapped to dim pain signals transmitted to the brain. He was averaging 3.7 points in 10.6 minutes a game.

Back at the microphone

Stu Lantz returned to his duties as the team's TV color commentator after missing six games to help his wife, Linda, recover from foot surgery.

Lantz had missed only two games in his first 22 years of broadcasting, one for his mother's funeral and the other for his daughter's college graduation.

"It's going to feel a little different," Lantz said before Tuesday's game. "I'm not used to that type of a vacation when the season is under way. Once the camera goes on, I'll figure out what to do."

Lantz was replaced by Rod Hundley for the games he missed.


Link:

http://www.latimes.com/sp...009dec23,0,4862243.story

 

[ryda421]

Originally Posted by bright nikes

LAKERS [h1]Lakers, Pau Gasol agree on contract extension; Kobe Bryant next?[/h1] [h2]Power forward Gasol agrees in principle to an extension that would keep him under contract through the 2013-14 season. And talks with Bryant about a similar extension are said to be progressing.[/h2]Reporting from New York - Lakers forward Pau Gasol has agreed in principle to an extension that would keep him under contract through 2013-14, and Kobe Bryant has had ever-improving discussions on a contract extension that would keep him with the Lakers for the same period.

On Friday, Gasol smiled and said, "I haven't signed anything yet," but it was merely semantics, the stroke of a pen probably completing his extension within a few days after the Lakers' trip ends Sunday in Detroit, according to sources close to the negotiations but not authorized to speak publicly.

Gasol, 29, made the Lakers instant championship contenders when he was acquired in February 2008 from the Memphis Grizzlies, but his current contract expires after next season. He is making $16.5 million this season and $17.8 million next season, though a three-year extension would net him an additional sum of up to $64.7 million, depending on NBA salary-cap figures to be determined in 2011.

Bryant, 31, is also having positive talks with the franchise with which he began his career in 1996. He is making $23 million this season and will make $24.8 million next season in the last year of his contract, but he can tack on a three-year extension worth up to $91 million, depending on future salary-cap figures.

Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak declined to comment on Bryant or Gasol other than to say, "Generally speaking, we'd love to have both players finish their careers as a Laker."

The Lakers have offered Bryant the most they can under salary-cap rules, but the sides are believed to be discussing smaller items such as whether the 11-time All-Star can get most of his annual salary at the start of each season, which has been the case throughout his current contract. Another sticking point possibly includes whether he can again have a no-trade clause, which came into play when he demanded a trade from the Lakers in May 2007.

Bryant has declined to talk about the status of his contract extension, saying most recently he wanted to "keep my business behind closed doors."

The Lakers have been to the NBA Finals the last two seasons with Gasol and have not lost three consecutive games since acquiring him. His value was obvious earlier this season when the team went 8-3 while he was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Since his return, the Lakers have won 12 of 13 games. "It's crazy to think it, but he's still underrated," Bryant said. "He's a great, great player."

Gasol made the All-Star team last season, representing the Western Conference as one of the NBA's most versatile forwards. He is averaging 17.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game this season, and has been on a recent rebounding tear, averaging 19.5 over the last four games.

Title talk

Bryant is two NBA championships short of Michael Jordan, who won six titles with the Chicago Bulls, but he insists he doesn't think of it as a goal. "I never gave it consideration," Bryant said. "I wanted to try to gobble up as many as I could. With this team that we have, we want to try to milk the cow and just see what happens, see where it goes."

Could this team gobble up quite a few?

"It could," Bryant said. "But the Lakers had the chance to three-peat in '89 and then the injury to Magic [Johnson] and the season, boom, it's gone. You have to have a little bit of luck there."

Two thumbs up

Ron Artest got a strong vote of approval from Bryant. "It's like a breath of fresh air. He's fantastic," Bryant said. "He just has great energy, is extremely competitive, plays hard and has a high basketball IQ. Plus he has a sense of humor. You have to have that on this team -- a sense of humor and thick skin."

Artest (6 feet 7, 260 pounds) replaced the thinner but quicker Trevor Ariza (6-8, 210), giving the Lakers a different look at small forward.

"Last year we used our length and speed a lot more," Bryant said. "With Ron, we can be more physical and make teams more uncomfortable physically. Once he puts his body on people, it's hard for guys to move."

The Lakers still haven't faced two of the NBA's top small forwards -- Cleveland's LeBron James and Boston's Paul Pierce -- but that will come in the next month and a half. "He's going to make them take contested jumpers, make them take tough shots," Bryant said. "If they make them, you live with it."

Etc.

The Lakers practiced Friday in New York and will play at New Jersey tonight.

[email protected]

twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan


Copyright [emoji]169[/emoji] 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Just for giggles of course:

Spoiler

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[h2]Radmanovic Understands Boos[/h2]
Dec 18, 2009 4:36 PM EST

Warriors forward Vladimir Radmanovic understands why fans have booed him heavily lately.

"As harsh as it is, I can't really blame them," said Radmanovic. "I understand how they feel. I feel the same way. If I could boo, I would do the same. But it's not going to help."

Radmanovic went 0-for-8 from the field in a 103-91 home loss to San Antonio on Wednesday night.

He is averaging 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for Golden State this season.

you must love seeing other ppl fail. shows how you approach life, and what your life consists of. i bet you're having fun listening to yourdaddy walton do the play by play announcement

on a side note.
good game today.

i regret not buying those tickets earlier

 

[nermindee]

the wallpaper of the dark night and chaos is amazinngggg

 

[socluis90]

i need xmas tix baaaad