Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Drama in Lakerland


This morning on ESPN radio, Kobe Bryant told Stephen A Smith that he is frustrated and wants to be traded from the Lakers. Kobe said there is nothing the team could do to change his mind. After reviewing the comments that Bryant made to Smith, I am still a little shocked about the whole situation. It seems to be a big mess of reports and leaks within the Laker organization that have upset Bryant. Los Angeles Times reporter Mark Heisler wrote that a Laker’s insider said that Kobe Bryant ran Shaquille O’Neal out of Los Angeles. This report seems to be the bulk of Kobe’s frustration.

Greg Anthony reported on ESPN’s Outside the Lines that he had spoken with Bryant after the Bryant/Smith conversation on the radio. Anthony claimed that Bryant had a conversation with Phil Jackson which calmed Bryant down. Anthony said that Jackson asked Bryant to sit back and evaluate the steps the Lakers organization takes to resolve the insider leaks and player acquisitions in the near future before demanding a trade. Anthony believes that Bryant will do just that. Kobe has reported that he wants to be traded, but most likely the Lakers will resolve the problem by firing the insider who leaked to the press. Then if West comes and the team gets some quality players, we will still be able to see Kobe in uniform next season in Los Angeles.

Kobe Demands a trade!

As soon as I finished writing my blog this morning, I turned on the news and saw that Kobe Bryant has demanded a trade. I find myself eating my own words. I would have never expected Kobe Bryant to demand a trade. I thought that he loved being a Laker. I guess I was wrong. As soon as I find out more about the breaking news I will be writing more on the subject.

Off-season Frustration from Kobe Bryant

Three years have passed and the Lakers have not made any progress. Kobe Bryant let his frustrations be known in the past couple of days and a lot of questions are coming to mind. Does Bryant want to be traded? Should the Lakers get Jerry West? Did the Lakers make a mistake when they traded Shaquille O’Neal? I will do my best to try to answer these questions.

Kobe Bryant does not want to be traded. He loves being a Laker and he wants to retire that way. Kobe’s comments were merely an attempt to get the Lakers front office to acquire some talented players this off-season. Bryant wants to be surrounded by players that are motivated and willing to put out the effort that he displays in practice and during games. Kobe remembers the days when Jerry West would make those risky moves to get the right group of players necessary to win a championship. Bryant has yet to see any trades being conducted to improve the team. He wants action, and he wants it now. Jerry West is his solution to the problem.

Jerry West has a great talent for finding and acquiring the right players necessary to win. He assembled the 1980’s Lakers Showtime team. Then he put together Kobe and Shaq to win three more championships. Since West left, the Lakers have not won. Trading Shaq was a decision made by Mitch Kupchak and the Buss family that raised a lot of questions. West is missed across the southland and the fans would love to see him back in the front office. The Lakers should definitely bring West back.

Should the Lakers have traded Shaq? Trading Shaq was a decision that was made and it cannot be changed. As far as I know, Shaq demanded he be traded if Kobe was going to remain a Laker. If that is the decision the Lakers were forced to make, then they made the right choice in trading Shaq. Kobe is younger and in order to make moves to benefit a franchise, going younger is always a safer bet. Bryant still has many great years of basketball left and Shaq is on the downside of a steep hill. I wish Shaq the best, but I am okay with the decision to trade Shaq.

The Lakers do need to make some changes in order to win. The players surrounding Kobe are not nearly talented enough to win.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Ducks Vs Senators

The Anaheim Ducks have finally made it to the Finals. They started the regular season as one of the favorites to win it all, and now they are in contention to win the Stanley Cup. The Ducks have never won a championship and are excited to bring the cup to Anaheim. They will be facing the Ottawa Senators who have played exceptionally well through out the post season. The Senators have won all three series in five games with out trailing once. The Ducks have not been as consistent as their finals opponent. The Ducks will have to rely on Teemu Selanne hot hand heading into the matchup. Jean-Sebastien Giguere must also play well defending the net in order for the team to have any success. It should make for an exciting series for Southern California sports.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Ducks defender will miss game 4

Ducks defensemen, Chris Pronger, suspended for crushing Thomas Holstrom Tuesday. The Ducks were outplayed on Tuesday against the Red Wings and Pronger let it be known that the Ducks were going to fire back physically. Isn’t hockey supposed to be a physical sport? Apparently the NHL allows checking and fighting, but when does it go too far? When a player maliciously slams another player into the glass? In other words, checking is not allowed any longer. At least, it is not allowed when victim spills blood.

Hockey is an interesting sport. When a team is losing, it must flex some power by playing physical. This is how every game turns out. If it is a blow out, expect to see fireworks! The replay clearly shows that the two Duck defensemen were merely checking Holstrom into the boards. They were playing physical, but I did not see malicious intent. Take a look at the video: (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/news/story?id=2872561 ). I still have a hard time seeing the elbow, but it’s a playoff game. Expect it!

Hopefully the Ducks can use this incident to gain some momentum on their side to tie the series. As of now, they are down 2-1.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Western Finals


In the quest to win the Stanley cup, the Ducks are now just four wins away from reaching their goal set at the beginning of the season. The post season play by the Ducks has not been spectacular on the offensive side of the ice, rather their success has come from their defense. The Ducks have the highest save percentage of the final four teams remaining. Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been the MVP of the Ducks team with a .952 save percentage. Giguere will need to continue his success in order for the team to beat the Red Wings. Six of the Ducks' eight playoff wins have been decided by one-goal margins (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270503025).

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Raiders Mini Camp



The Oakland Raiders have a tremendous fan base in southern California. Therefore, discussing their amazing draft weekend is relevant.

There have been reports praising JaMarcus Russell’s presence in mini camp. He practices with intensity. He has a strong arm and has great footwork and the new coaching staff is excited. Lane Kiffin has also made a presence in the mini camp by running a tight ship with quick fast paced practices. Not only is Kiffin getting the team back into shape, but he is earning their respect as well. Some Raider players have even compared Kiffin to John Gruden.

Jerry Porter is coming into the season with a new attitude and a new number. He is now the number one receiver after the dismissal of Randy Moss. Porter is paying tribute to his mentor and Raider legend Tim Brown by switching to number 81. His new image and new attitude is what all the Raider players need adjust.

The Raiders are in a process of turning things around. It is good to see a new coach and a new attitude from the players. The Raiders might even be turning some heads and reaching the 8-8 mark in 2007.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Penny pitched well in win against Marlins


Aside from parking problems, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking good so far this season. Dodgers improve to 19-13 as Brad Penny pitched a great game. Penny had 14 K’s and no walks to improve to 4-0 on the season. Tonight Jeff Kent came through with a Home Run and scored twice, Penny and LaRoche batted in two runs each as well. Dodgers win easily, 6-1.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Season Over for LA

Another Lakers season ends in disappointment. The Suns, once again, dominated in game 5. Nash did not play his best, but the Suns played like a solid team. Stoudemire played well, Barbosa was huge off the bench, and Marion played his game. The Lakers came out soft. They looked defeated before they even tipped off. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom came to play, but that was about it. Defense was lacking and the Suns took advantage. Bryant and the Lakers complained on every call which frustrating me. I am sick of seeing the players complain, especially when they have to get back on defense as fast as possible with the Suns running offense. It was a disappointing end to a frustrating season.

One can only hope the Lakers organization makes many personnel adjustments. Kobe needs another by his side or the Lake show is going to be in the same place next year. Phil's last season better end well or he might be gone and the Lakers may collapse with Mitch Kupchak in the front office. Jerry West is available...maybe a West/Laker reunion?