Cuban Hating on Artest and the Lakers

Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, is known for being vocal and controversial. These are the attributes that make Cuban one of my favorite NBA owners. Cuban’s more recent opinion about Ron Artest joining the Lakers pumps me up for the Lakers v Mavericks game.

Cuban made an appearance at ESPN radio in Dallas on 10/2 and voiced his opinions about Ron Artest. “If you would have said, what one player…would you like to see on the Lakers? – Ron Artest,” Cuban said during the interview. Cuban was implying that Artest is going to destroy the dynamic of the Los Angeles Lakers. Follow this link to read the ESPN article and hear the podcast radio interview.

I’m not going to hate on Cuban for his opinion, I will let the Lakers play do the talking. Mark your calendars for Friday, 10/30 on ESPN when the Lakers trounce the Mavs!

Referees Vote Down Latest NBA Proposal

The NBA is turning to its replacement referee’s after the latest attempt to mend the relationship with the National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) failed. According to an ESPN article, 43-14 locked out NBA referees voted to decline the NBA’s latest proposal.

As a Lakers fan, I hate to see replacement referees for two reasons:
1) The flow of the game is key. No fan wants to have busch league refs making terrible calls creating frequent stoppage of play.
2) The Los Angeles Lakers are notorious for complaining on calls! I must say this is one of my pet peeves about the Lakers. They all complain! Especially Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic. Kobe, As the leader of the team, you need to shut your mouth and play...Lead by example!

Expect to see the NBA cave before the start of the regular season and give the NBRA a worthwhile proposal.

Congrats Pau!

Pau Gasol hasn’t been sitting on his butt this offseason. Instead, he went out and got himself the Eurobasket Gold. He also nabbed the Eurobasket tournament MVP averaging 18.7 points, 8.3 boards, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 assists.

What a great year for the Lakers C/PF - I look forward to having that same production during the NBA’s 09-10 season.

The Eastern Conference Breakdown

Much like last year, the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference will be fiercely competitive in 2009-10. The Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Orlando Magic have all made significant improvements.

Boston added Rasheed Wallace to the already stellar cast of veterans. Rajon Rondo gained some confidence and clout from his playoff performance last season. If the Celt’s stay healthy, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Lakers get their revenge at the NBA Finals. Boston re-signed all of their significant role players as well.

Cleveland has added Shaquille O’Neal – Which is just about the only thing worth mentioning. Oh, assistant coach John Kuester left the team to become the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Which means the reigning coach of the year, Mike Brown of Cleveland, will be forced to show his true colors – OVERATTED!

Orlando added Vince Carter and lost Hedu Turkoglu. Carter is an exciting player, but is on the downhill slide of his career. Look for Carter to either make or break the Magic’s chemistry. Hedu’s 3-point brilliance in the playoffs last year gave them the edge they needed to make it to the Finals. If I was Van Gundy, I would be a little worried about the loss of Turkoglu.

Playoff predictions in order:

1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Orlando Magic
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Miami Heat
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Chicago Bulls

Most Improved Team: The Raptors. With the addition of Hedu Turkoglu and a healthy Chris Bosh, they should be a force in the East. I wonder if ranking them 7th is a little low…Time will tell.

Sleeper: Washington Wizards – I expect Gilbert Arenas to sack up! Come on Agent Zero - You’ve got your money, now play some basketball!

Western Conference Breakdown

There is really only one team in the West that can challenge the World Champions, The San Antonio Spurs. All other competitors in the West are not even worth uttering in the same breath with the Lake Show.

If the Spurs can maintain a healthy Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, they will be solid. The addition of Richard Jefferson will reap dividends. They have many of the same bench players returning as well. I expect them to challenge the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. By “Challenge,” I mean the Lakers will win in 6 games.

Here’s a peak at how the West will shake out for the playoffs:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Utah Jazz
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. New Orleans Hornets
8. Phoenix Suns

Lo Siento: Houston Rockets lost Yao Ming and Ron Artest…I’m not counting them out though, Houston could sneak in if the Suns continue their downward spiral.

Sleeper: The Los Angeles Clippers…With Blake Griffin and a healthy Baron Davis, this squad could be the NBA’s most improved team.

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.

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?

The Awakening

The last few weeks have been depressing. I have not been able to maintain my writing because of it. I was so sick to my stomach; the last thing I wanted to think about was the terrible play of the Los Angeles Lakers. Tonight, the Lakers have awakened which in turn created an awakening in me as well. Discussing the past would be pointless. The new team that emerged tonight was the team that has been on the side of the milk carton since late December. The deep and impressively ranked team that dominated has returned from hibernation. Kobe Bryant dropped 45, Lamar Odom threw in 18 points and grabbed 16 boards, and Kwame Brown had several crucial dunks in the 3rd quarter to add to his 19 points in the game. More importantly than the scoring from other players other than Kobe, the team defense is what allowed the Lakers to get back in this game. Holding the Suns to 89 points is incredible. Success in game three was crucial to shift the momentum.

Game four will be equally as important. In order for LA to win, they must continue to have balanced scoring and great team defense. I look to see Luke Walton come out and have double figures and Smush Parker will be looking to break out of his slump. Parker had some crucial fourth quarter minutes in game three that will boost his confidence for the rest of the series.

In the Midst of Greatness

Kobe Bryant is performing at a higher level than any player I have ever seen. I’ve seen Jordan, Magic, Bird, Wilkins, Malone, Iverson, and many others since I can remember watching basketball. None of which have been as impressive as Kobe Bryant is right now. What is even more amazing about Bryant is that this is expected. Kobe has been playing at such a high level for the majority of his career, that these last three nights have not even shocked me. I watch his games, marvel at his abilities and turn off the TV as if it was a re-run. Simply put, I have seen it before, and I know I will see it again. We are so lucky to live in Los Angeles and have the privilege to watch KB play night in and night out.
Don’t get me wrong, it is such a thrill to watch Bryant take over the game and dominate every aspect of the other team offensively and defensively. It is great watching him take three point shots from the parking lot. When he is on fire, there is nothing more exciting in the world to watch. He is the ultimate entertainer and the best basketball player alive. It is just something that I have come to expect. Kobe’s greatness is something I expect, because he is so amazing! Take a look at the chart from ESPN.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270322029 )…Kobe’s name among some elite company in the history books. I expected this!