Laker Linkage – 11/30/09

• The Story: Robert Horry is willing to return to the Lakers if they just call him.  The Fire Says: I hope Big Shot Rob isn’t waiting by the phone because that call ain’t coming.  He says he is in shape, but there is a reason he is out of the league right now.  Besides, the Lakers don’t need another big off the bench right now.
• The Story: Ron Artest and his half-sister are being investigated for welfare fraud.  The Fire Says: This sounds worse than it is and Ron looks to be possibly the target of a witch hunt.  His sister is receiving rent assistance which she shouldn’t be eligible for if she reported the money she regularly receives from Ron as income as she should.  It sounds like they are trying to paint Artest as the mastermind of this scam, but that could well just be to get his sister to feel the pressure and cop a plea.  Please note that my entire assessment of this legal case is based on watching a Law& Order marathon this weekend.
• The Story: The smalls annihilated the bigs in the annual Laker Turkey Trot scrimmage.  The Fire Says: Ironically, this might be the best performance by the Laker reserve guards all season long.
• The Story: The Lakers credit their tough defense this season to the addition of Ron Artest.  The Fire Says: Good, because that is exactly what they signed him for.
• The Story: Trying to figure out the right roles for Lamar Odom and Ron Artest.  The Fire Says: Odom is getting crap for not scoring much, but Phil has said he wants him to focus on rebounding and passing, so don’t blame LO.  As for Artest, it sure sounds like Jackson wants Ron-Ron to stop focusing on being so unselfish.
• The Story: Lamar Odom is lacking energy since moving to the bench.  The Fire Says: Phil Jackson joked about taking away Odom’s pre-game coffee, but it actually seems like diet might really be an issue for LO who has stated he is trying to quit candy this year and it would be no surprise if his body was having a hard time adjusting.
• The Story: Ron Artest is trying to blame an old shoulder injury on his free-throw shooting woes.  The Fire Says: Apparently the injury causes a “hitch” in his shooting stroke, but only at the free throw line, not on his jumper.  Apparently that makes since to Ron-Ron so I guess I’ll just go with it.
• The Story: Pay attention to margin of victory to gauge the Lakers’ level of dominance compared to last year.  The Fire Says: You might also want to factor in the opponent for while the Lakers have demolished everyone in their path since Pau Gasol returned to action, they haven’t really played anyone good in that span either.
• The Story: Magic Johnson believes the Lakers should f0rget about trying to go 72-10 or better and just focus on repeating.  The Fire Says: Magic is a little late to the party on this one, but thanks for chiming in, Magic.

Tags: bench mob, Daily Links, injuries, Lamar Odom, legal issues, Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Robery Horry, Ron Artest