New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[FrantzM]

Lakers come back to win in OT vs Dallas again without Kobe

Lakers bench has been playing really well (Ron you have to admit that Barnes has upped his game at both ends of the court)

And Andrew Bynum is making the Lakers from Office look like prescient geniuses . The kid is good and it seems his ceiling is even higher.. There doesn't seem to have a lot of guys in the NBA that can go one on one with him... Lakers do look good.

 

[Ron Party]

Lakers come back to win in OT vs Dallas again without Kobe

Laker bench has been playing really well (Ron you have to admit that Barnes has upped his game at both ends of the court)

Hi Steve. Hope all is well. I'm envious of your upcoming trip to AZ. Marty is a great guy. Please say hello for me.

Re the Lakers, I have not been able to watch them lately. Been extraordinarily busy. Right now, Sunday evening at 6:36 p.m., I'm in my office working. I should be home with my family sipping the good stuff.

How's Artest, errr, World Peace playing? I'm guessing that if the Lakers are winning without Kobe, WP is playing great defense and stealing the ball with that tremendous left hand of his.

What little free time I have to watch sports, I've been watching the Stanley Cup playoffs. I don't know what is more exciting: NBA or NHL playoffs. Both of my kids have been watching the Stanley Cup playoffs with me and shouting just as loud as me.

 

[steve williams]

Chicago is looking vulnerable without Rose and a loss to the Wizzards.

Miami pulls out a win at the end as LBJ scores all the last 17 points to win it

 

[steve williams]

I also watched OKC vs Clipps and once again not only did the Clipps beat them but they held OKC to a season low of 77 points. Turnovers continue to be the bane of Westbrook and Durant with both having 5.

It'll be interesting to see if Lakers or Clipps win the Pacific Division

 

[jadis]

It'll be interesting to see if Lakers or Clipps win the Pacific Division

Interesting. 5 games left and only 1 game between the two teams. I just noted that the Clips have a winning road record and the Lakers are 14-16 on the road. Hmmm...

 

[jadis]

I also watched OKC vs Clipps and once again not only did the Clipps beat them but they held OKC to a season low of 77 points. Turnovers continue to be the bane of Westbrook and Durant with both having 5.

With their run and gun style, OKC is more likely to commit turnovers, and that will really kill them in the playoffs if they don't correct it. They have to be consistent, but not on turnovers. Their offense should be consistent too and they have shown in the past games they can be explosive from the outside with Durant and Westbrook hitting the long bombs. But playoffs isn't all about the long bombs. OKC's defense is ranked 17th of 30 teams. They've got to hold down opponents points more in the playoffs, strong D is always a good formula for success.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Knicks pick off the Celtics last night! 19/32 from 3-point land.

 

[jadis]

On these kind of nights, you just gotta throw in the towel and empty the benches. Knicks have lots of offensive firepower, notwithstanding Lin's and Amare's injuries. They just need to jell and think TITLE. They have to be mentally hungry for the crown to win it.

 

[steve williams]

Wow Phil

This would have upset you if it had gone through

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--celtics--big-three-nearly-split-at-trade-deadline.html

 

[jadis]

Wow Phil

This would have upset you if it had gone through

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--celtics--big-three-nearly-split-at-trade-deadline.html

Steve,

Wow! And how could Danny Ainge even think of trading Pierce at all - and for Mehmet Okur and a lottery pick??? And Allen of OJ Mayo plus some? It would be a shock, and worse than the Perkins trade last season.

Talking about Ainge, I recently chatted with 2 old friends who now live in States and when talking about Boston, they would say they 'hated Danny Ainge', as a player. One was a Detroit Piston fan and the other a Laker fan. I recall Ainge was spunky player who after harassing Isaiah Thomas all game, almost drew a punch from Thomas at the end of the game. IF he makes more crazy trades soon, he'll be a 'hated GM' too in the eyes of the Celtic fans themselves.

 

[Gregadd]

it's a different game now than it was then but agree about Bird but let's not forget Magic

Or the whole Celtic team.

 

[FrantzM]

Steve,

Wow! And how could Danny Ainge even think of trading Pierce at all - and for Mehmet Okur and a lottery pick??? And Allen of OJ Mayo plus some? It would be a shock, and worse than the Perkins trade last season.

Talking about Ainge, I recently chatted with 2 old friends who now live in States and when talking about Boston, they would say they 'hated Danny Ainge', as a player. One was a Detroit Piston fan and the other a Laker fan. I recall Ainge was spunky player who after harassing Isaiah Thomas all game, almost drew a punch from Thomas at the end of the game. IF he makes more crazy trades soon, he'll be a 'hated GM' too in the eyes of the Celtic fans themselves.

Well if Danny Ainge goes on making that kind of trades he will be soon be a "former" GM .. Those would have been bad trades and the Perkins trade was a bad one .. That the team is functioning doesn't change that fact.

 

[jadis]

Blazers eye Mitch Kupchak as GM...

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/...azers-eye-los-angeles-lakers-mitch-kupchak-gm

"The Portland Trail Blazers have strong interest in interviewing Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak for their GM vacancy, according to sources familiar with Portland's thinking.

Kupchak is one of the Blazers' top targets in their quest to land an executive with experience running a franchise's basketball operations, sources told ESPN.com.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the Lakers would be willing to grant Portland permission to speak to Kupchak, who has spent more than 25 years in L.A.'s front office.

Kupchak took over for Jerry West as the club's lead decision-maker in the basketball department in summer 2000 before gradually ceding that status to Jim Buss, who serves as the Lakers' executive vice president of player personnel.

Blazers president Larry Miller could not be immediately reached for comment and Kupchak did not immediately respond to messages left by ESPN.com. One source said Thursday that Portland has not yet contacted the Lakers for formal permission to speak with Kupchak.

Sources close to the situation said Kupchak's latest contract with the Lakers is a lucrative multiyear deal. But Jim Buss -- son of longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss -- is widely perceived to have the deciding vote on basketball matters and is regarded as the driving force not only behind drafting Andrew Bynum in 2005, but also the decision to hire Mike Brown over Rick Adelman as Phil Jackson's replacement as coach.

And that has spawned a growing belief among several of Kupchak's peers that the architect of the Pau Gasol trade in 2008 that ultimately led to two championships would have some interest in listening to outside proposals."

 

[steve williams]

Report: Howard says he will have back surgery

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/04/19/magic-howard-surgery.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

 

[steve williams]

The Pacers IMO could be the unsung team to advance to the Eastern Finals. They now have the 3rd best record in the East and are one game ahead of the Lakers in the West

Only 7 teams have winning records on the road, one of which is the Pacers

 

[jadis]

The Pacers IMO could be the unsung team to advance to the Eastern Finals. They now have the 3rd best record in the East and are one game ahead of the Lakers in the West

Only 7 teams have winning records on the road, one of which is the Pacers

They've got a bunch of hard working players who don't get much media hype in having 'superstar status', almost like the group of players who faced Shaq and Kobe in the Finals many years ago. Grainger is always a dangerous scorer on any given night and I've seen 7'2" Roy Hibbert run over opponents at will with his inside game. It would be nice to see this team advance up to the Eastern Finals if only to show how no-nonsense basketball can still succeed in the NBA and not just superstar player power.

 

[rblnr]

The Pacers are going to be tough for the Bulls or Heat -- the last team I'd want to play.

No superstar, but multiple playmakers and quality at all positions - the Grizz of the East.

 

[jadis]

a close friend of mine had talked about this scenario - if ever the pacers get to face the grizzlies in the finals, against all odds, this would be a nightmare of sorts for david stern and his usual desire to shoot the finals to sky high tv ratings. can you imagine the commercials? maybe a few, and we'll be watching a lot of 'wired' coaching huddles instead.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Report: Howard says he will have back surgery

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/04/19/magic-howard-surgery.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Season over.

 

[steve williams]

Watching the Lakers get pounded by the Spurs last night in spite of Kobe's return has changed my thinking re the Spurs. They have a well greased team with a very deep bench and can shoot 3's better than any other team. In fact they looked so good last night that I can see them beating my favorite team the OKC.

I continue to think that the Pacers and Grizz will shake things up in both conferences