[::OFFICIAL LAKERS 2010-11' SEASON THREAD Vol. It Was Fun While It Lasted::]

[night marcher01]

Originally Posted by badboyf0life420

Isnt do be doo banned or something?

Oh I see, probably explains his situation. But how about my best friends HANNSUM and LuketheJediKnight? Those are my buddies!

If only someone had been saying not too panic all these months. Oh, that's right....

They don't even know CP1708, they don't even know...

 

[mr j 858]

Originally Posted by CP1708

If only someone had been saying not too panic all these months. Oh, that's right....

Classic CP

We all know who the real fans are especially around the trade deadline and we see all of the other Laker fans come in with crazy trade ideas they made up through ESPN trade machine

Because for I don't know about 4 straight years now Bynum's name gets mentioned in rumors.

Fast forward to this time of the year and the playoffs & Finals. Now where are those same people that were begging for Bynum to get traded

 

[mr j 858]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Snub Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant again?[/h1]

It may not be today.

It may not be tomorrow.

It may not be next week or even next year.

But one day the media is going to have to answer for its sins.

One day we're going to have to explain how Phil Jackson, arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game, has only one coach of the year award to his name, and his top current player, Kobe Bryant, the best player of his generation, has one regular-season MVP trophy.

Just one I tell you.

If there ever was a sports example of taking life for granted, this would be it.If there ever was a sports example of no good deed going unpunished, this egregious oversight would also fit.

LeBron James may be willing to cede the hardware to Derrick Rose -- and don't get me wrong, watching Rose bloom into a superstar has been wonderful -- but even that would be a mistake. James tops the league in player efficiency and Rose is not even in the top 10 (OK, he's 11th). But stats aside, Rose also benefits from not only James' narrative being soiled by his defection to Miami, but also that the Kobe narrative is the same old story.

Bryant is doing work -- again.

Yaaaaawn. What else you got?

Yes, the Bulls point guard has carried his team as it battled injuries to key players (Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer). But the Lakers have also had injuries this year (Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Matt Barnes), and that doesn't get talked about as much. It doesn't get talked about as much because for the past decade we have grown so accustomed to Kobe's exploits, we take him for granted.

Or we nitpick at his legacy with hollow criticism such as he's had All-Star teammates or a great coach -- as if Magic Johnson (three MVPs), Michael Jordan (five) and Larry Bird (three) didn't have Hall of Fame teammates or great coaches. True, he's having a down year compared to himself, but compared to the league? Please son. And I'm not even a Kobe fan. But I do know for the past decade, when the game's on the line, he's been the most feared player on the planet.

The only omission more glaring than the lack of MVP trophies in Kobe's case is the lack of coach of the year awards in Jackson's. At least Bryant's been recognized this century. Jackson's only award came in 1996. Here is a man with the highest winning percentage of any Hall of Fame coach, a man who has managed locker rooms with two of the most eccentric players in history (Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest) and yet somehow, he has gone 15 years without another end-of-the-year award.

Except for championships, of course.

Yes, decades from now, at some sort of futuristic barbershop where they cut hair using laser guns, NBA fans will be floating on their pods trying to figure out how Bill Fitch, a man who won only 46 percent of the games he coached, ended up with twice as many COY awards as Jackson. At the sports bar of the future, where we'll be able to order our drinks using telepathy, basketball historians will fry their cortexes trying to understand how Don Nelson, a man who has never coached a single Finals game, owns three times as many COY awards as Jackson.

If you love the game the way I do, you don't see how any of this is right. Heck, if you love the idea of logic, you don't see how it's right.

Put it this way: at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season with a 50-32 record and having won the previous three championships, Jackson finished 14th in the COY voting, just one point ahead of Pacers coach Isiah Thomas. This year Tom Thibodeau, George Karl and Gregg Popovich are mentioned, but it's Jackson who is favored to win a title for the third consecutive time (and if it happens, it would be the fourth three-peat of his career). How a man can repeat as champion on seven separate occasions and be considered the top coach only once is beyond me. Yes, it's a regular-season award, but Jackson has never had a losing season and is the only man to have coached two of the 10 greatest teams of all time.

Like Bryant, Jackson is being punished because in this culture our appreciation of things that are hard to get is much greater than our appreciation of things we already have. We want something new and shiny and we want it often, so we heap all of the accolades on Rose and this year's COY front-runner, Thibodeau, because they are doing something unexpected -- not great, just unexpected. Meanwhile Kobe and Jackson are afterthoughts because, well, of course the Lakers have won 16 of 17 games.

They're the Lakers.

What else you got?

And that's the problem with assumptions of success. If blending talented players together was easy, Mike D'Antoni and Erik Spoelstra wouldn't be updating their résumés. Boston's Red Auerbach was similarly dissed, garnering one COY award despite all of his success. But at least the trophy's named after him. It seems Jackson only gets shout outs by talking heads and in columns like this one. I guess it's partially his fault. Jackson makes it look so easy, we lose sight of just how hard it is.

Just as Bryant's continual brilliance has desensitized us to Bryant's continual brilliance.

I get it, dude rubs people the wrong way. He used to take ill-advised shots. He's been accused of tanking games to make a point. He's had legal trouble. He ratted out Shaq. He tried to be a studio gangsta. Trust me, I get it all. But he's not being considered for Miss Congeniality. And neither is Jackson, who comes across as arrogant at times and pretends he doesn't like drama but is not above starting and picking fights as he did with Bryant earlier this year.

However, if predictions hold true to form, come summer the two will not only make it to their eighth Finals in 11 years together, but also hoist their sixth trophy. Bryant would tie Jordan in that department, revitalizing the comparisons, and Jackson would sail off into the sunset as the greatest coach in the game's history -- but its best only once, the year Kobe was drafted.

Who knew back then the two would go on to be bonded by years of winning together? Who knew the media would go on to punish them for doing so?

Link:

http://sports.espn.go.com...ry/news/story?id=6280773

Great read. The writer of that article brings up a lot of great points.

 

[ag 47]

Originally Posted by knightngale

Luke Walton wouldn't get the ball in pickup games with his own fam. It is like dude NEVER practices anything basketball related other than that through the leg pass.

He should at least work out.

To his credit, he did make some really nice decisions with the ball.

But about halfway through the 3rd, the team played some of the best basketball I've seen from them all season. Every pass, every shot, was delivered with machine like precision.

Right after that incident with Kobe, he came back fired a jumper, missed and the next 4 possessions hit Fish, Artest, Gasol, and Odom for 3 buckets. I was expecting him to get pissed

and play outside the offense. And then the defense played by the 2nd unit was solid. I believe they extended the lead.

I'd love to know what Phil says to these guys at halftime lately, "They are NOT better than you." Talk about re-focusing.

I think getting 1st place gives everyone that extra "uumph" going into the playoffs knowing that as long as they play to their potential, they can't be beaten.

 

[va757va]

Thats a great read..alot of damn good points..

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

It's a damn shame that Phil Jackson only has 1 COY award. I felt that the year he joined the Lakers he showed that he was Coach of the Year. Instead Doc Rivers won the award with a 41-41 record. The team didn't even make it to the playoffs.

Jackson first year with the Lakers, brought them the NBA best record with 67 victories. You can argue that he had Shaq and Kobe that year, but what he was able to do with the duo was something that Rambis and Del Harris couldn't do. If there was any year that I felt Jackson got the "screw job" was the 99-2000 season.

About Kobe and the MVP...I don't even know how they judge who is the leagues best player no more. All I know is that the only MVP award I look forward Kobe to having the is the one given out in June.

 

[hybridsoldier23]

shoulda had it this year...

How Nash won is beyond me. We shoulda won that series too...

 

[mr j 858]

Phil's best year coaching IMO was the 2005-2006 season when he came came back for his 2nd run to coach the Lakers.

Seriously no other coach & super star player would have taken a team with a starting line up of:

C: Kwame Brown
PF: Lamar Odom
SF: Luke Walton
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Smush Parker

Anywhere close to the playoffs and still finished the regular season with a winning record.

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

Originally Posted by MR J 858

Phil's best year coaching IMO was the 2005-2006 season when he came came back for his 2nd run to coach the Lakers.

Seriously no other coach & super star player would have taken a team with a starting line up of:

C: Kwame Brown
PF: Lamar Odom
SF: Luke Walton
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Smush Parker

Anywhere close to the playoffs and still finished the regular season with a winning record.

Man oh man. Luke as a starter!?!?

Just a shame that year. Clipper making it farther than the Lakers

in the playoffs. It would of been great to see Lakers vs Clippers playoff matchup. I'm for certain the Lakers would of made it to the conference finals that season if they passed the Suns.
What a long road it has been since those times. Kwame couldn't catch the ball to save his life.

 

[kobe8is]

Originally Posted by Mjvskb24vs23

I hope to god we trade Shannon this off-season

This!
Good W!!! 

 

[mr j 858]

Originally Posted by mrdieselfuel09

Originally Posted by MR J 858

Phil's best year coaching IMO was the 2005-2006 season when he came came back for his 2nd run to coach the Lakers.

Seriously no other coach & super star player would have taken a team with a starting line up of:

C: Kwame Brown
PF: Lamar Odom
SF: Luke Walton
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Smush Parker

Anywhere close to the playoffs and still finished the regular season with a winning record.

Man oh man. Luke as a starter!?!?

Just a shame that year. Clipper making it farther than the Lakers

in the playoffs. It would of been great to see Lakers vs Clippers playoff matchup. I'm for certain the Lakers would of made it to the conference finals that season if they passed the Suns.
What a long road it has been since those times. Kwame couldn't catch the ball to save his life.

That 1st round playoff match up was pretty wild. I went to games 3 & 4 at Staples when Kobe dropped the game winner over Raja Bell & Boris Diaw in OT.

It still kind of pains me that in game 6 if it weren't for game F'in Tim "Contract Year" Thomas's lucky bank 3 point shot to tie and send the game into OT

 

[cedric ceballos 1995 lakers]

Originally Posted by Night Marcher01

I'm sorry guys, but I just had to do this:

Night Marcher01 wrote:

I just can't wait until All-Star break so all you dudes can shut the hell up!

 

The beginning of the season, all I read was "Man this team is scary!" "Oh yeahhhh the killer B's" "Lakers definitely getting 3peat"

And now it's "We need to trade Pau and Artest"

 Seriously? Pau? The same guy that helped us get into 3 straight finals, winning 2 titles? Or Artest? The guy that helped us beat Boston?

All i'm trying to say is the only thing killing the Lakers is rest period, they just need to rest their legs! I mean this team played 3 straight years into June, then practicing at the same time as everyone else. And also in the last 3 years Pau, Kobe and Lamar have been playing for their Country.

They get NO break! Trust me, come All Star break, I expect to see the Lakers we saw the beginning of the year. 

This is from page 165, February 2nd, 2011. And trust me, I WILL quote myself again on our next win, and the next win after that! I promise.

Upon further notice while grave digging. I definitely noticed that we haven't been seeing our friends lately? HANNSUM and Do Be Doo... Ohhhh where, where, where might you be?

 

[jcbacall]

NO ONE IS TOUCHING THE LAKERS. NO ONE!!

 

[onlyXXVIII]

The past couple games have been great.
Lakers are so lucky to have Lamar. Period. Its even more of a luxury to have him off the bench. Sixth man of the year!

Id like to say the Lakers will catch the Spurs, but as we all know, things can take a turn for the worst like nothin.

Im hopin for it though!

 

[fearless]

surprised we won tonight. odom has to be sixth man of the yr. they better not give it to bum $%* Jason Terry.

 

[xsalvioutlawx]

Lamar is getting 6th man of the year for sure, especially since he got snubbed from the ASG.

 

[darthska]

mogzz04:

---

There's games where you feel like even if the team is down big early, they'll eventually get it and make a run to tie.

This game felt exactly like that from the jump.
Man that's exactly how it was for me.

I was watching that crappy 1st half thinking "Yeah right we're gonna lose to a Jazz team without AK47, Okur, Bell, Devin Harris... c'mon."

And it's not even 'cocky Laker fan' status, either, cuz there have DEFINITELY been gameswhere we're getting outplayed by an inferior team and I knew the whole game we were either going to lose, or it would be close at the end. Not this game, though. Never felt like that.

 

[guttagetsbusy]

I woke up in the 2nd half. Was kinda surprised when I heard that we were down 17

 

[thebsprky]

Originally Posted by HybridSoldier23

shoulda had it this year...

How Nash won is beyond me. We shoulda won that series too...

Yup...
Up 3-1 Too

 

[e3lal]

Originally Posted by thebsprky

Originally Posted by HybridSoldier23

shoulda had it this year...

How Nash won is beyond me. We shoulda won that series too...

Yup...
Up 3-1 Too

And then we woul have played the clippers the next round...

 

[toutle5]

How does Phil only have one COY?!? Because he's always had a good team? I mean the guy had won 11 championships. Is it because he is expect to win? Kinda like Kobe would rather win it and finals MVP than regular season MVP.

 

[moe fab uafa]

Originally Posted by toutle5

How does Phil only have one COY?!? Because he's always had a good team? I mean the guy had won 11 championships. Is it because he is expect to win? Kinda like Kobe would rather win it and finals MVP than regular season MVP.

i always thought this too.

 

[ryda421]

haven't been here in a while but it's funny to see all the

compared to all the

that were seen before the all-star break

 

[ryda421]

Originally Posted by kobe8is

Originally Posted by Mjvskb24vs23

I hope to god we trade Shannon this off-season

This!
Good W!!! 

are you serious ?

shannon is the charge we need of the bench. his explosiveness revamps are team. not to mention, kobe gets hyped off that stuff as well

either way, seems like your type of people are never satisfied. either we are losing and the whole team must be reshuffled or we are winning and some kind of roster move must be made

 

[tonyreali]

Originally Posted by xsalvioutlawx

Lamar is getting 6th man of the year for sure, especially since he got snubbed from the ASG.

As much as i tend to hate on the Lakers, LO is 6th man of the year.