Showing posts with label Lakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lakers. Show all posts
Lamar Odom: Flesh and Blood
by Matt Silverston
Say what you want about Lamar Odom, and go ahead and criticize his lifestyle and the choices he's made, but I will never hesitate to stand up for those human beings who suffer from addiction and mental illness.
Given that Odom's story as well as his whereabouts are uncertain and up-in-the-air at this time, the biggest issue at stake here is so much more than money, a reality TV drama, or a basketball hoop. His future livelihood as a healthy, spirited human being is under attack and in immediate jeopardy.
Don't Kill My Vibe: I'm excited for the "New" Lakers
by Matt Silverston
It's been a long time since the Lakers were the clear losers in ANY free agency battle, but that is the reality in Tinseltown as we speak.
For the first time in decades, critics are seriously debating whether the 2013-14 Los Angeles Lakers squad will even make the postseason, a feat that they've accomplished 18 out of the last 20 NBA seasons.
Oh boy, let me pour a glass of wine for this one.
Podcast: 5G Sports Talk "Turning up the Heat"
Player After Jump
ALL ON DWIGHT
With the news that the Lakers
HipHopNonStopTV: NBA: Lakers Dwight Howard Raps. Kobe Bryant's favorite song
I told you this was coming...Follow @HipHopNonStopTV
Shawn Marion tells it like it is after loss to Lakers
All most forget about this video...You got to respect a guy that keeps it real
Dallas Mavericks Postgame Live - Mavericks vs Lakers - Watch Live
WATCH LIVE tonight after the Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers game for our live postgame coverage. Go behind the scenes and here from the coaches and players. Hosted by Rodney Fisher of RFSportsRadio.comClick HERE to watch Live
Video streaming by Ustream
Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni before Mavs vs Lakers
Don't miss our Live Postgame Show after tonights Mavs vs Lakers game. Click the "Watch Live" tab to watch
NBA Lessons from Comedy Central's "Workaholics" PT. 1: Let's Get Weird
Comedy Central's "Workaholics," might be more than just a satirical,
hippied-out, sarcastic dedication to today's working class (Who knew?).
Between the drugs, drinking, and controlled substances that Anders,
Blake and Adam consume on a daily basis, the troubled trio manages to
spit out some important (and strange) life lessons; lessons that the
sport of basketball (NBA included) have recently come to admire, adhere
to, and even practice.
Bare with me here (pun intended).
Lesson 1: "Let's Get Weird"
-It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the first three weeks of this NBA season have been as odd as they come. First things first, the Lakers have a worse record than the Bobcats, the Hornets, the Warriors, and a number of other less-talented teams, and they selected Mike D'Antoni over ex-Lakers Head Coach, Phil Jackson, to be the chosen figure that will solve their multitude of problems and lead them to the promised land.
For a team that's "championship or bust" most analysts assumed that Phil was the easy and obvious choice between the two coaching candidates. However, Jerry Buss and the Lakers' management went with D'Antoni instead who is arguably the most gifted NBA offensive mind over the past decade. The downside is that he's not known for his defense (he's an average defensive strategist at best), and he's never been to an NBA Championship as a Head Coach whereas Phil owns 11 championship rings.
If I wanted a championship this year, I probably would've gone another direction, aka the " Phil Zen Way." However, it seems like the Lakers are hellbent on out-scoring their opponents rather than locking down defensively; a strategy that rarely pans out favorably.
Also, when was the last time that the Knicks were the best team in the league? 1999? Maybe 1973? (the Dave Debusschere, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, and yes, Phil Jackson playing days). Regardless, at this exact moment Melo's squad is balling out of control (Jim Jones' Dipset style) and tearing apart the competition one team at a time.
What's more is that Amare' Stoudemire's absence from the active lineup is arguably the prime reason for their recent success. That's right, the Knicks play better without one of the game's most dynamic forwards of the past ten years. Also, for a team that's older than a good 99% of the league (avg. age is 31), they are out-running and out-gunning teams to the tune of 103+ ppg. Plus, JR Smith is having the best season of his career thus far, with insane off-the-bench averages of 18 points and 5 boards a night on 72% shooting from downtown! However, the most impressive statline for the Knicks right now is their stifling defensive numbers. Their defense is allowing the league's least amount of points per game (87.8ppg), and they are leading the league in defense per 100 possessions (only giving up 96 points). Also, they are forcing opponents into a very pedestrian FG% (42%). If they keep this up, they might as well just bench Amare' for the remainder of the season because you shouldn't try and fix something that's not broken.
Frankly, the Knicks and the Heat may be the only NBA Championship contenders from the Eastern Conference.
Also, how long has it been since the 6th man of the year was up for NBA MVP bragging rights? Since the creation of the 6th man of the year award in 1982, no reigning 6th man of the year has ever been considered a top MVP candidate the following season, but James Harden deserves to be in this year's MVP conversation.
You have to give credit where credit is due folks.
In all my years of basketball research and analysis, I've never seen a player as instantly explosive as Harden. He's ready to score the second the game starts, and his ability to fight through double teams and make intelligent basketball decisions in only his first season as an NBA starter is uncanny. The only other "James" that might be more explosive than Harden is King Lebron (who's currently ranked #1 in ESPN's MVP rankings). In his first season as a starter, Harden's averaging 26 points, almost 5 boards, and close to 5 assists per game, and he's turned his Rockets into a legitimately competitive team that recently gave Lebron and the Heat fits in Houston a few nights ago (it took a 38 point effort from LBJ to get MIA a "W"). I don't know what's more strange: the fact that he's averaging the 3rd most points per contest in the league as a first-time starter on a new team, the fact that he stole the spotlight from Jeremy Lin, or the fact that he's a credible MVP candidate the year after he won the 6th man award.
Right now, the Thunder might wish that they hadn't wasted their max contract on Westbrook last January because Harden is worth franchising and he's worth every penny of his 5 year, $80 million max deal in Houston.
He's just scary good.
Tune in this weekend for some more NBA lessons from the "Workaholics."
Thanks for stopping by,
The Mattman
Bare with me here (pun intended).
Lesson 1: "Let's Get Weird"
-It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the first three weeks of this NBA season have been as odd as they come. First things first, the Lakers have a worse record than the Bobcats, the Hornets, the Warriors, and a number of other less-talented teams, and they selected Mike D'Antoni over ex-Lakers Head Coach, Phil Jackson, to be the chosen figure that will solve their multitude of problems and lead them to the promised land.
For a team that's "championship or bust" most analysts assumed that Phil was the easy and obvious choice between the two coaching candidates. However, Jerry Buss and the Lakers' management went with D'Antoni instead who is arguably the most gifted NBA offensive mind over the past decade. The downside is that he's not known for his defense (he's an average defensive strategist at best), and he's never been to an NBA Championship as a Head Coach whereas Phil owns 11 championship rings.
If I wanted a championship this year, I probably would've gone another direction, aka the " Phil Zen Way." However, it seems like the Lakers are hellbent on out-scoring their opponents rather than locking down defensively; a strategy that rarely pans out favorably.
Also, when was the last time that the Knicks were the best team in the league? 1999? Maybe 1973? (the Dave Debusschere, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, and yes, Phil Jackson playing days). Regardless, at this exact moment Melo's squad is balling out of control (Jim Jones' Dipset style) and tearing apart the competition one team at a time.
What's more is that Amare' Stoudemire's absence from the active lineup is arguably the prime reason for their recent success. That's right, the Knicks play better without one of the game's most dynamic forwards of the past ten years. Also, for a team that's older than a good 99% of the league (avg. age is 31), they are out-running and out-gunning teams to the tune of 103+ ppg. Plus, JR Smith is having the best season of his career thus far, with insane off-the-bench averages of 18 points and 5 boards a night on 72% shooting from downtown! However, the most impressive statline for the Knicks right now is their stifling defensive numbers. Their defense is allowing the league's least amount of points per game (87.8ppg), and they are leading the league in defense per 100 possessions (only giving up 96 points). Also, they are forcing opponents into a very pedestrian FG% (42%). If they keep this up, they might as well just bench Amare' for the remainder of the season because you shouldn't try and fix something that's not broken.
Frankly, the Knicks and the Heat may be the only NBA Championship contenders from the Eastern Conference.
Also, how long has it been since the 6th man of the year was up for NBA MVP bragging rights? Since the creation of the 6th man of the year award in 1982, no reigning 6th man of the year has ever been considered a top MVP candidate the following season, but James Harden deserves to be in this year's MVP conversation.
You have to give credit where credit is due folks.
In all my years of basketball research and analysis, I've never seen a player as instantly explosive as Harden. He's ready to score the second the game starts, and his ability to fight through double teams and make intelligent basketball decisions in only his first season as an NBA starter is uncanny. The only other "James" that might be more explosive than Harden is King Lebron (who's currently ranked #1 in ESPN's MVP rankings). In his first season as a starter, Harden's averaging 26 points, almost 5 boards, and close to 5 assists per game, and he's turned his Rockets into a legitimately competitive team that recently gave Lebron and the Heat fits in Houston a few nights ago (it took a 38 point effort from LBJ to get MIA a "W"). I don't know what's more strange: the fact that he's averaging the 3rd most points per contest in the league as a first-time starter on a new team, the fact that he stole the spotlight from Jeremy Lin, or the fact that he's a credible MVP candidate the year after he won the 6th man award.
Right now, the Thunder might wish that they hadn't wasted their max contract on Westbrook last January because Harden is worth franchising and he's worth every penny of his 5 year, $80 million max deal in Houston.
He's just scary good.
Tune in this weekend for some more NBA lessons from the "Workaholics."
Thanks for stopping by,
The Mattman
Watch "Mike Brown talks his plan for the new Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash"
In Los Angeles last week, Laker head coach Mike Brown addressed the media his thoughts on his new players and adjustment to the Princeton offense.
Dallas Mavericks rookie Jae Crowder talks about his first NBA game
We caught up with reigning Big East player of the year and now NBA rookie Jae Crowder in Los Angeles after his first NBA game. Mavs defeated the powerhouse Lakers 99-91.RF: Your first NBA game man...how does it feel?
Crowder: It feels amazing man! To go out there and compete with a great team like that on their stage, it feels great.
RFSportsRadio.com - Mavs vs Lakers - From LA - Episode 1, Season 2
RFSportsRadio.com kicks off Season 2 from Los Angeles for Mavericks vs Lakers. Go inside the game and hear from O.J. Mayo, Kobe Bryant, Elton Brand, Rick Carlisle, and rookie Jae Crowder. Subscribe for the rest of the new season...Follow us online at http://www.rfsportsradio.com or @RFSportsRadio
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