Category — Lakers

“When someone as celebrated and charismatic as Jerry Buss dies, we are reminded of 2 things. First, just how much 1 person with vision and strength of will can accomplish. Second, how fragile each of us is, regardless of how powerful we were. Those 2 things combine to inspire us to reach for the stars, but also to remain with our feet firmly on the ground among our loved ones. Dr. Buss embodied that compassionate entrepreneurial spirit. He strove to reach greater heights without forgetting his community roots. During his stewardship, the Lakers exemplified his personal standards of excellence and became one of the dominant teams in the NBA and a force of good within the community. The man may be gone, but he has made us all better people for knowing him.”
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The greatest owner in sports, who turned the Lakers into 1 of the NBA’s hottest franchises, passed this morning in L.A. after complications of cancer. He was 80.
L.A. Times

Is that you Lil Wayne? Crying again? Dude can’t even go to an NBA game without creating some drama.
Ball Don’t Lie

All of these yahoos hollering about Pau Gasol needs to shut up and accept his role coming off the bench for the Lakers need to get a clue. Seriously. The Lakers have treated Gasol worst than any player on the team. So for him to bitch and moan about misguided Mike D’Antoni’s inconsistent rotation and who he plays in the 4th quarter is Gasol’s right.
The Lakers traded Gasol last year. For the past 2 years or more, he has frequently been the most mentioned Laker when the trade winds blow. Still, despite how he’s been treated, Gasol has been as professional as any Laker or any player in the NBA. Just bizness, right?
Further, how about some of the L.A. media quit kissing Mike D’Antoni’s ass. Though we’ve always sucked at math, how many rings does Gasol have? D’Antoni?

Our good friend and colleague Evan Barnes provides an excellent take on the Lakers and says Mike D’Antoni can take a page out of Ben Howland’s playbook. Howland, if you’ve been asleep at the wheel, has rejuvenated the young and talented Bruins, who knocked Arizona last night in Tucson.

So let me get this straight. The Lakers hold a team meeting to clear the air and all they do is point fingers at Dwight Howard?
It’s mind-boggling all the blame being dropped at the feet of Howard by Mike D’Antoni, pundits, writers and columnists for the dysfunctional Lakers. Granted, Howard hasn’t helped himself with some of his childish behavior and immature displays, but the real problem is D’Antoni (or “Antoni” as we Angelenos are fond of saying because there is no ‘D’).
Initially, I foolishly believed D’Antoni would tweak his uptempo system to fit the Lakers’ personnel. Use it at times, but design a halfcourt game to take advantage of the skills and size of Howard and Pau Gasol.
So what does D’Antoni do? He has Pau shooting 3-pointers and hanging out around the perimeter. Howard? He barely touches the ball. For Howard to get less than 10 shots a game (and Kobe to jack up more than 30) is a felony a criminal defense attorney couldn’t defend.
Defense? I can’t recall a coach as clueless on the subject as D’Antoni. Help us out here Bernie Bickerstaff. What are we missing? Seriously, the franchise pays D’Antoni millions and this is what Laker fans get? And Bernie just sits behind the bench watching the wheels go ’round and ’round?
If I’m Dr. Jerry Buss, I walk into Laker headquarters and tell my spoiled-ass idiot kid Jim, “pack your shit and get out.” Jim Buss is hemorrhaging the old man’s money on coaches. Coaches, in our best Allen Iverson imitation.

He picked Mike Brown (I still roll my eyes, but laugh recalling the Laker players calling him “All Day” because of his marathon practice sessions) when he should have hired Brian Shaw or at worst, Rick Adelman. He picked D’Antoni instead of Shaw or Phil Jackson. He even seriously considered Mike Dunleavy, who later admitted he texted NBA headquarters and protested the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers. Imagine that.
Seeing how Jim Buss won’t be able to justify bringing D’Antoni back after the Lakers miss the playoffs, he will be forced to eat another contract. Get in line. It’s a long 1. Aren’t the Lakers still paying Rudy T?
Further, trading Howard would be foolish. I know he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, but the Lakers could easily get him to ink a deal and show their faith in him by firing D’Antoni and hiring Shaw as coach.
Shaw could smooth over the rough edges in the clubhouse and also produce a winner. He knows the game and he knows the Laker personnel and their huge egos as well as anyone.
And he is the only coach, with the exception of Phil, who can keep Kobe in line. The latter is priceless.
D’Antoni has to go. If the Lakers sacrifice Howard for D’Antoni’s sake, they will be paying a huge tab that will have them reeling in the years. Just cut your losses and dump the dude.

Think Dwight is thinking if I knew back then what I know now…
Kobe Bryant, who apparently can’t tie a tie, ranks 1st and LeBron James is 2nd as the NBA’s highest-paid players. No surprise there. Did you know 4 of the top 10 ballers play in L.A., 3 of them members of the poo-butt Lakers. OKC’s Kevin Durant, who is generating bigger dividends than any of the Lakers, clocks in at 5th. The rest of the story…
Forbes.com

What I wouldn’t give to see Richard Flowers again.
Tell us again why Earl Clark has been buried on the Lakers’ bench? The 6-10 forward, a Louisville product, has been an athletic presence and a key contributor since Mike D’Antoni was forced to use him because of injuries to Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. Though I wouldn’t pull the trigger on it, he might force the Lakers to deal Gasol. Regardless, D’Antoni (OK, he gets a pass, but is that you Mike Brown?) is forced to provide some minutes for the impressive Clark.
“He’s playing great. I’m real happy for him,” said Dwight Howard after the Lakers hammered the Cavs Sunday night. Clark came to the Lakers in the deal for Howard.
Clark’s numbers in the past 3 games: 13 and 9 with 4 blocks in tonight’s blowout of the Cavs; 10 and 10 with 3 blocks in Friday’s loss to the Thunder; and 22 and 13 in Wednesday’s defeat by the Spurs.

Excellent piece today by former co-worker and 1 of our favorite writers Ben Bolch on how accommodating Laker center Dwight Howard is. Howard is 1 of the few athletes who gives reporters the time of day before games. That’s a rare occurrence in this day and age.
L.A. Times