New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[WLVCA]

2 more Celtics trade rumours:

Howard - Rondo:

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/21710534/whats-right-for-dwight-will-lakers-deal-howard

Garnett - Bledsoe/Jordan:

http://www.celticslife.com/2013/02/celtics-and-clippers-discussing-kevin.html

What makes this possible is that Garnett owns a Malibu home and is godfather to Billups' son or daughter.

I am hoping that the Clippers don't trade Bledsoe and Jordan for Garnett. However great KG may have been over his career, I don't think he will put the Clippers over the top or be productive or even willing to play for much longer, especially if its not Boston. Bledsoe has a lot of value and Jordan, while not playing up to his contract, is a valuable piece as well as a young, strong and athletic 7 footer.

Clippper should hold on to extract more value for Bledsoe and DJ down the line.

I was very happy to see Chris Paul win the MVP Award at the All Star Game. Also fun to see Kobe block LeBron's shots in Q4 to kill the East's comeback.

 

[jadis]

http://m.yahoo.com/w/ygo-frontpage/...oors&view=today&.intl=us&.lang=en&.tsrc=yahoo

Amazing story of Jerry Buss' legacy. His 80s championship teams are still my top choices as one of the top title teams of all time. How to beat the Kareem/Magic anchored Lakers was a coach's nightmare and those series were on my radar since 3 of those had them battling the Celtics. Even today, I wonder how the great teams after that era (like the 90s Bulls) would have fared against those Lakers.

 

[jadis]

I am hoping that the Clippers don't trade Bledsoe and Jordan for Garnett. However great KG may have been over his career, I don't think he will put the Clippers over the top or be productive or even willing to play for much longer, especially if its not Boston. Bledsoe has a lot of value and Jordan, while not playing up to his contract, is a valuable piece as well as a young, strong and athletic 7 footer.

Clippper should hold on to extract more value for Bledsoe and DJ down the line.

That would seem like a strange trade too, from my end. If the C's are looking at younger players in the near term, yes. But when Rondo comes back next season, they would have a crowd at the guards spot. Garnett has been playing well last few weeks. Too bad they had to lose 3 players to injuries.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi
From the always entertaining Bil Simmons of Grantland . This article on Jerry Buss

 

[Steve williams]

Hi
From the always entertaining Bil Simmons of Grantland . This article on Jerry Buss

Terrific read Frantz. Thanks

 

[WLVCA]

Liked Bill Simmons article on Jerry Buss. Buss obviously was a great owner and made LA a Lakers town.

About 10 years ago a friend of a friend had access to a luxury suite at Staples about 4 doors down from Jerry's personal suite. I went to 4 games that year and sat in the luxury suite.

There was an amazing parade of young and beautiful women in and out of Jerry's suite. Sometimes watching the parade was more fun than watching the game.

Always wondered what was going on in that suite but could never wrangle an invitation.

Should point out that Simmons is a big Celtics fan and holds Clippers season tickets. Always enjoy his perspective on sports..

 

[Steve williams]

Here is another endearing story from today's NBA.com

By Sekou Smith

Buss’ legacy helped Kobe stick with Lakers — With legendary Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss dying yesterday at 80, a dark cloud hangs over the NBA this morning (and likely will for several days) as the league mourns not only one of its most successful owners, but one who shaped the vision for several other franchises. Our own Scott Howard-Cooper has a great look at Buss and how he turned Los Angeles, which was not an NBA hotbed when Buss bought the team in 1979, into a hoops town. One of the hallmarks of Buss’ stint as an owner was his ability to build the Lakers into a contender two separate times — once with the Magic Johnson-led group of the 1980s and again in the 2000s with the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal-led group. But once O’Neal was dealt to the Miami Heat in 2004 and Bryant was left with a less-than-stellar team in L.A., Buss faced the challenge of not just building a new contender, but keeping Bryant from forcing his way out of L.A. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports, a near-trade for Bryant in 2007 helped Kobe realize just how good of an owner Buss was:
After all the anger and angst and fury of the immediate post-Shaq era had inspired Kobe Bryant to make a trade demand, Jerry Buss finally called his superstar guard to the owner’s home in the Los Angeles hills on an autumn evening in 2007.
The Los Angeles Lakers had found a trade for Bryant, but Buss warned him that it wasn’t to one of his selected destinations.
“Detroit,” Buss said.
The Lakers had agreed to a deal to send Bryant to the Pistons and needed Bryant’s approval to waive his no-trade clause. The package included a combination of Detroit’s core players and draft picks, sources say. Buss and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak needed an answer soon, because they refused to let the issue linger into training camp.
Looking back, Bryant isn’t sure it would’ve mattered whether it was Detroit or Chicago, Dallas or New York. In that moment, in Buss’ house in the hills, it washed over Bryant how much staying a Laker for life meant to him, how no matter how dire the state of the franchise seemed, that Buss had a history of restoring the Lakers to championship contention.
“It hit me that I didn’t really want to walk out on Dr. Buss,” Bryant told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.
Months later, Kupchak honored Buss’ faith and made the trade for Pau Gasol. Soon, the Lakers were back in the NBA Finals three straight years and winning two more titles. Soon, Bryant was back to understanding the inevitable essence of Jerry Buss’ prowess: In the end, the old man was a force of nature.
…
Now, the Lakers understand that relying upon Bryant as the franchise player is coming to an end in the next couple of years, and Dwight Howard must be convinced to stay and be the cornerstone for the future.Buss had been seriously ill, less connected to the franchise in the past year, but you’d have to believe at a different time in his ownership that he would’ve forged a relationship with Howard that would’ve made it impossible for him to leave. Those days are done; Jim Buss isn’t Jerry. No one will ever be Jerry Buss again.
In that meeting in the fall of 2007, near the start of training camp, Buss presented Bryant with a scenario of Bryant’s own request: a trade out of Los Angeles, out of the franchise that drafted and groomed him and taught him to be a champion.
Even now, Kobe Bryant still thinks about that time in his life when he was too impatient, when he failed to give Buss’ own history and greatness its proper due. Whatever the owner had told him that night about a trade – Detroit or Chicago, Dallas or wherever – it probably wouldn’t have mattered.
For all Bryant’s impatience, there was still such an immense part of him that was comforted in the company of the Los Angeles Lakers’ patriarch. True for Bryant, true for all of them.
No one walks away from the Lakers, from Buss, and does so without a deep, lingering regret. These were the Showtime Lakers, and they would be again with Bryant and Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. In his 17th season, Bryant’s belief that he’ll never wear another uniform is unwavering.
Jerry Buss gave Bryant the gift of Jerry West trading for him on draft day in ’96, of Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson, of five NBA championships that perhaps wouldn’t have been available anywhere else.
All these years later, Kobe Bryant is blessed to know that he never walked out on Dr. Buss, that he’ll share something with the late, great owner forever: Lakers for life – and beyond.

 

[jadis]

Phil Jackson talks about LA and Howard:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...w-laments-way-los-angeles-201832258--nba.html

 

[Steve williams]

Does anyone really believe that D12 will remain a Laker after July?? He and Kobe have an acrimonious relationship at best

By The Sports Xchange

Dwight Howard isn't going anywhere, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak repeated on the eve of the NBA trade deadline. Kupchak went so far as to call the center the future of the franchise.
Kupchak reiterated Wednesday in an interview with ESPN Radio that Howard is not on the market.
"We've been very consistent," Kupchak said. "We're not trading Dwight Howard. He will not be traded and there's nothing that anybody can do today to call me today and ask me, 'Would you do this?' and get a positive result."
With Kobe Bryant on the tail end of his career, Howard is looking to build around Howard.
"Kobe has one more year on his deal (after this season)," Kupchak said. "That's all I can bank on or this organization can bank on. I have no idea if he wants to continue to play beyond next year. As of now, we're looking at a two-year window."
Kupchak said it wouldn't make sense to trade a player he calls the best center in the league.
"It's hard to get talent in this league," Kupchak said. "He belongs to have his name on the wall and a statue in front of Staples at some point and time."
Howard joined the Lakers before the season amid much hype but has battled through back and shoulder injuries and struggled at times. He's averaging 16.3 points per game, his lowest output since his second season in the NBA.
Plenty has been made of his relationship with Bryant and how Howard has meshed with fellow big man Pau Gasol.
Kupchak said he doesn't expect to trade Gasol any time soon but that his name has come up in conversations with other NBA teams. Like Howard, Gasol has fought through injuries this season.
"It would be misleading to say (his name) won't come up in the future," Kupchak said.

 

[jadis]

Does anyone really believe that D12 will remain a Laker after July?? He and Kobe have an acrimonious relationship at best

By The Sports Xchange

Dwight Howard isn't going anywhere, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak repeated on the eve of the NBA trade deadline. Kupchak went so far as to call the center the future of the franchise.
Kupchak reiterated Wednesday in an interview with ESPN Radio that Howard is not on the market.
"We've been very consistent," Kupchak said. "We're not trading Dwight Howard. He will not be traded and there's nothing that anybody can do today to call me today and ask me, 'Would you do this?' and get a positive result."
With Kobe Bryant on the tail end of his career, Howard is looking to build around Howard.
"Kobe has one more year on his deal (after this season)," Kupchak said. "That's all I can bank on or this organization can bank on. I have no idea if he wants to continue to play beyond next year. As of now, we're looking at a two-year window."
Kupchak said it wouldn't make sense to trade a player he calls the best center in the league.
"It's hard to get talent in this league," Kupchak said. "He belongs to have his name on the wall and a statue in front of Staples at some point and time."
Howard joined the Lakers before the season amid much hype but has battled through back and shoulder injuries and struggled at times. He's averaging 16.3 points per game, his lowest output since his second season in the NBA.
Plenty has been made of his relationship with Bryant and how Howard has meshed with fellow big man Pau Gasol.
Kupchak said he doesn't expect to trade Gasol any time soon but that his name has come up in conversations with other NBA teams. Like Howard, Gasol has fought through injuries this season.
"It would be misleading to say (his name) won't come up in the future," Kupchak said.

Statue in front of Staples Center? Dwight Howard?? And Kareem almost was forgotten to be given one after 5 titles. Is Mitch serious?

And those rumors at the all star locker room where he put on a Kobe jersey and mimicked him? And that Kobe didn't greet him among all players? Hard to see WHY he'd still be with Kobe after July, for another year. Well, actually, Mitch won't have the luxury of being able or not to trade Howard come July because Howard becomes a free agent and can walk to any team that will sign him to his heart's delight. Mitch can still trade him within 24 hours from now but either he won't or no team would want to 'rent' Howard via trade for only 3-4 months and let him walk again.

 

[WLVCA]

Lakers are in a tough spot with Dwight Howard. He certainly hasn't made any friends in LA.

I think Mitch went a little over the top with the statue comment, too.

I'd be tempted to trade him if I was Mitch.

 

[jadis]

Celtics - Lakers later in a few hours.

We just have to pretend that it's still a glamorous rivalry as the only thing as stake if fighting to be in the playoffs.

 

[WLVCA]

Very nice tribute to Dr. Buss before the Lakers / Celtics game tonight.

 

[Steve williams]

I thought it was a stirring tribute and tastefully done.

 

[WLVCA]

Even Dwight Howard is playing with enthusiam and energy tonight.

 

[Steve williams]

Great game so far but of course Lakers are leading (sorry Phil but game is far from over)

 

[WLVCA]

I am rooting for the Lakers tonight out of respect for Jerry Buss.

 

[jadis]

Great game so far but of course Lakers are leading (sorry Phil but game is far from over)

yeah steve, we're on the road, so i am expecting my c's to lose. they're not a good road team.

 

[Steve williams]

well there is the second half and Paul P is unstoppable with 23 in the first half.

 

[jadis]

Even Dwight Howard is playing with enthusiam and energy tonight.

That's what Howard is capable of doing, if he puts his mind and will on it. It's the least he can do as he showed in tonight's C's game and the big difference from past games is that he played with intensity and emotion. I think he even said something in tribute to Jerry Buss, and the LA club played with emotion tonight. If Pau comes back with the fire he has in those 2 title wins a few years ago, I am convinced this is the team to challenge Miami, it was built for that.