Lake Show Countdown – 2/8/10: Spurs @ Lakers

VS.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, Game Countdown, injuries, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, San Antonio Spurs, Shannon Brown, Tony Parker

In a World With No Kobe

In a world where the Lakers have no Kobe Bryant (cue dramatic movie music), one team stood alone.  Their leader fallen, a group of men must look deep within their hearts to find the players inside.  Now they must play for more than a win but to prove to themselves that they are winners.  With just once chance at glory, who will rise to the occasion and who will falter?

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Analysis, injuries, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Shannon Brown

Laker Linkage – 2/8/10

• The Story: The Bulls want to move Kirk Hinrich, but the Lakers don’t want to add salary.  The Fire Says: I am not buying this fiscal responsibility line, the Lakers desperately need Kirk Hinrich as was evidenced by how badly their perimeter defense got torn apart in the Denver game.  Sooner or later Kupchak will cave and make the deal… I hope.
• The Story: Kobe Bryant snapped his streak of 235 consecutive games played.  The Fire Says: Bryant sat out the Portland game but there is no word yet on his availability for tonight.  If the Lakers are smart, they will bench Kobe through the All-Star Game to try and get him fully healthy.
• The Story: Derek Fisher is still good for the Lakers.  The Fire Says: I agree, Fisher can still be great for the Lakers with his leadership and mentoring.  Then again, these are all things he can do as an assistant coach, not the starting point guard.
• The Story: Andrew Bynum braces for the worst.  The Fire Says: Bynum is sporting a new knee brace after experiencing some swelling in his left knee, plus now he has a bruised hip.  I am guessing he sits out tonight’s game, but he remains a game-time decision.
• The Story: Pau Gasol can’t wait for a day off.  The Fire Says: Pau has been pretty outspoken about how tired the team is right now and it is pretty evident in some of their recent games.  The All-Star Break is coming at a perfect time for a bruised and battered Laker squad.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Andrew Bynum, Daily Links, Derek Fisher, injuries, Kirk Hinrick, Kobe Bryant, Mitch Kupchak, Pau Gasol, trade rumors

Lake Show Rewind: They Just Won’t Miss – Nuggets 126, Lakers 113

Alright, I’ll be the one to say it, I really really don’t want the Lakers to have to face the Nuggets in the playoffs.  After trading punches with the Lakers in the first half, the Nuggets took it to another level in the second half and there was simply nothing that the Lakers could do to stop them.  Oh, and they didn’t even have Carmelo Anthony.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets, Derek Fisher, Game Rewind, Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Mitch Kupchak, Sasha Vujacic, trade rumors

Lake Show Countdown: Nuggets @ Lakers

VS.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Arron Afflalo, bench mob, Carmelo Anthony, Game Countdown, injuries, Kenyon Martin, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol

Discussion: Should Kobe Sit?

A fractured finger, a balky back, a tweaked groin and now a sprained ankle.  These are just a few of Kobe’s favorite injured things, but as the injuries pile up, Bryant’s resolve to stay on the floor only grows.  Is it the right decision though?  I’ve personally called for him to be rested on at least two different occasions this year, but it is only now that the team has gone public with similar sentiments.  We can all agree Kobe needs to get healthy, but is the timing right for him to take a break from action?

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Discussion, injuries, Kobe Bryant

Laker Linkage – 2/5/10

• The Story: Kobe is back to square one with his injured left ankle.  The Fire Says: Kobe just can’t catch a break.  Lamar Odom stepped on Kobe to re-injure the ankle, so send your hate mail to Mr. Kardashian.
• The Story: Phil Jackson thinks Kobe might need to sit.  The Fire Says: Kobe did not practice yesterday, so this comment by Phil certainly carries greater weight since he hasn’t intimated that he would sit Kobe earlier in the year despite the myriad of injuries he has suffered.  Personally, I don’t think there is anyway Kobe sits with Denver coming to town, not after last year’s heated playoff series.  At best, the Lakers will convince Kobe to sit out the All-Star game and maybe the Warriors game after it if he still isn’t feeling recuperated.
• The Story: Phil Jackson has made Pat Riley irrelevant.  The Fire Says: I really don’t even see the need to compare the two coaches, can’t we just agree they are both great and just be happy about it?  Why does someone always need to be the greatest?  Laker fans should consider themselves lucky to have two immensely successful coaches helm the franchise when many teams never come close to even getting one truly legendary coach.
• The Story: What is wrong with the Laker offense?  The Fire Says: Well, we know what Pau thinks is wrong with it, but while there are many small issues plaguing the stagnant offense, I believe it ultimately boils down to a lack of line-up regularity.  Too many key players have been in and out of the line-up and Kobe has been forced to alter his game on an almost weekly basis to accommodate his latest malady.  The fact of the matter is the team has just never been able to get in sync with each other because of all these fluctuations and there is no solution to that other than to keep working at it and hope nobody else goes down with injury.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Daily Links, injury update, Kobe Bryant, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson

Laker Linkage – 2/4/10

• The Story: Phil Jackson is still answering questions about Kobe shooting too much.  The Fire Says: It is interesting that Phil seems to be flip-flopping a bit here as he kind of piled on Kobe after the Memphis game but now he is defending Kobe to a certain extent.
• The Story: Kobe Bryant is only the third-greatest Laker of all time.  The Fire Says: I am inclined to agree that Magic is better than Kobe, but the argument that West is better because of his work as GM after his playing days seems both incorrect and irrelevant to the argument.
• The Story: Lamar Odom will soon be one of the fastest players to total 6,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists in his career.  The Fire Says: I a not much one for milestones like this, but the only guys to do it faster than Lamar are all NBA legends, except for Chris Webber who is just a legendary choke artist.
• The Story: A big trade is unlikely for the Lakers.  The Fire Says: Mitch Kupchak sees no “compelling reason” to change the team.  He must not watch the second-unit play very much, I guess.  Frankly you shouldn’t believe anything a front office exec from any team says this time of year since they are all trying to play things close to the vest with the trade deadline approaching.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Daily Links, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, milestones, Phil Jackson, trade rumors

Lake Show Rewind: Laker Bench Untangle Charlotte’s Web – Lakers 99, Bobcats 97

If the Lakers never see the Bobcats again, it will be too soon.  Even though the Lakers got the gift of facing the up-and-coming Bobcats without the services of their best player, Gerald Wallace, the Lakers still needed every second of the clock to free themselves from Charlotte’s web of domination over LA the last few years.  Of course, it would have helped had the Lakers known they basically were going to be playing without their best player too.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Andrew Bynum, bench mob, Charlotte Bobcats, Game Rewind, Gerald Wallace, injuries, Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Nazr Mohammed, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Ron Artest, Shannon Brown

Lake Show Countdown – 2/3/10: Bobcats @ Lakers

VS.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Tags: Charlotte Bobcats, Game Countdown, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Shannon Brown, Stephen Jackson