Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:54 am Post subject: Lakers in the News 9/24/12 & 9/25/12:
Quote:
James Worthy: Miami Heat still has the edge over the Lakers
With Lakers training camp only eight days away, I talked with former Laker James Worthy for insight into this year's team. Worthy is also an analyst with Time Warner Cable SportsNet.
You mentioned the other day that the Lakers "look really good on paper." So does a counterfeit $100 bill until you try to spend it. Is there anything specific that leaves you tentative about this year's team?
There's nothing in particular that leaves me tentative. It's just from my experience, it's there anytime you bring in new aspects of the team. Steve Nash is the most important key to this team. He's the point guard and the coach of the floor. But anytime you bring in new parts, it's going to take some time for it to mix up. These guys have never played together and have never played under this new [Princeton offense] system. We're also not sure when Dwight Howard will be in the lineup. All of that makes it look good on paper. Anytime you have Dwight Howard on your team, it's going to look on paper. But it still has to gel. When he was in Orlando, they looked good on paper from time to time. ... We also can't forget the Clippers are improving, Oklahoma City is still great. You can't just give it to the Lakers. They have to go out and earn it. It looks good on paper, but [Coach] Mike Brown still has to make it work.
Do they have enough to beat Oklahoma City?
Oklahoma City is younger. But with Dwight in at the same time with Pau, with Steve Nash, that makes a big difference. Last year, Ramon Sessions was young. Before Howard, the Lakers were second or third in the West. But with getting a 38-year-old point guard that still has some left and bringing in a franchise player, that puts them right back at the top. I don't think too many people will bet against the Lakers against anybody in the West, assuming they're a healthy team. But they still have to make it happen.
What about the Miami Heat?
I would have to say Miami still has a little edge simply because they won last year. It will be so much easier for them to win again because they know how to do it. With them adding Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, they have tremendous scorers and three-point shooters off the bench. Then they also have the greatest player in the game with LeBron James. I give them the edge because they're defending champions.
LINK to full article _________________ Nobody in the NBA can touch the Laker brand, which, like the uniform color, is pure gold.
Last edited by 32 on Wed Sep 26, 2012 7:39 pm; edited 3 times in total
It will be interesting to see if Rashard Lewis is still a great scorer at this point of his career and with the limited shots that will be available to him - along with his ability to stay on the court given his defensive abilities.
How will the Heat function when Lebron is the Point Forward in a lineup of DWade, RayRay, Bosh and Haslain/Lewis with Lebron the only presence in the paint. How will this "Jump Shot" team with only Haslain/LBJ being bonafide rebounders deal with teams that has a strong presence in the paint?
James Worthy is totally correct. I believe our best title chance is next season when the guys have a season under their belt together. _________________ Back to Back Yeah, Yeah...and you know that!
- Magic
NBA betting odds: Lakers, Miami Heat listed as preseason favorites
Las Vegas oddsmakers have Lakers and Heat at 9-4 to win NBA title, followed by Oklahoma City Thunder at 4-1, Chicago Bulls at 10-1 and San Antonio Spurs at 12-1.
Odds to win 2012-13 NBA title
LAKERS 9-4
Miami 9-4
Oklahoma City 4-1
Chicago 10-1
San Antonio 12-1
Boston 20-1
Indiana 25-1
CLIPPERS 30-1
Memphis 30-1
Philadelphia 30-1
Dallas 40-1
Denver 40-1
New York 40-1
Brooklyn 100-1
Atlanta 100-1
Milwaukee 100-1
Utah 100-1
Portland 100-1
Minnesota 100-1
Sacramento 200-1
Phoenix 200-1
Cleveland 200-1
Detroit 200-1
Washington 200-1
Toronto 500-1
Orlando 1,000-1
Charlotte 1,000-1
Source: The Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.
LINK _________________ Nobody in the NBA can touch the Laker brand, which, like the uniform color, is pure gold.
James Worthy is totally correct. I believe our best title chance is next season when the guys have a season under their belt together.
Lakers are set up to win now. The Heat wasn't matched well that needed to compensate their weaknesses at PG and C that still exist. Nash is now like a kid in a candy store with so many sweets. Nash will get the ball to anybody who is open.
Yup he's right. Miami still team to beat and LeBron is getting scarier and scarier each year.
Yup, LBJ is a scary player. Question - would you want the Black Mamba or King James with the ball with less than ten seconds and down by one point in Game 7 of The Finals?
Yup he's right. Miami still team to beat and LeBron is getting scarier and scarier each year.
Yup, LBJ is a scary player. Question - would you want the Black Mamba or King James with the ball with less than ten seconds and down by one point in Game 7 of The Finals?
Well judging by recent momery, Kobe didn't make a good case for himself in that Oklahoma series, while Lebron ate them all in the post from start to finish. Of course I will always take prime Kobe if thats part of the discussion. _________________ My Dream Starting 5 next Season
Yup he's right. Miami still team to beat and LeBron is getting scarier and scarier each year.
Yup, LBJ is a scary player. Question - would you want the Black Mamba or King James with the ball with less than ten seconds and down by one point in Game 7 of The Finals?
Well judging by recent momery, Kobe didn't make a good case for himself in that Oklahoma series, while Lebron ate them all in the post from start to finish. Of course I will always take prime Kobe if thats part of the discussion.
well, judging from the Olympics - everybody knows that with the game in the balance, hands down Kobe is The Man.
Even with a djsfunctional Lakers team, Kobe did what he could with a team that was playing 4 on 5 with Ramon being benched and Steve Blake was missing shots. With all that said, they came close to beating the Thunder - even with Pau, Blake, Session, Bujumbura and others fading at the end of playoff games.
Joined: 02 Aug 2002 Posts: 18408 Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 6:17 am Post subject:
Sniper008 wrote:
Yup he's right. Miami still team to beat and LeBron is getting scarier and scarier each year.
I think people are starting to over-rate the HEAT. They struggled against the Pacer's size even falling behind in that series. Yes., they took OKC's lunch money but that's because OKC is a jump-shooting team that doesn't have the post presence to take advantage of Miami on the inside. In terms of the perimeter, both squads are elite but the HEAT was on fire from outside in that series. No one could miss a long range bomb for that team. Reminds me of a playoff run in which Fisher simply couldn't miss from outside and we barely lost 1 game the entire run to he title.
I don't believe the HEAT would get past this Lakers team. We have elite perimeter players AND we have elite post players AND we have 2 legit starters off the bench AND we have bonafide shooters. The Lakers are a far better balanced team with high end players, a solid bench and pieces that actually fit together. We don't have to play guys out of position to try to create something beneficial in order to cover up weaknesses. Our best players each brings a needed and unique skill set to the team. Even then bench guys bring different things to the team.
I'm not Marc Stein where I have to assume that last year's champs automatically takes the top spot just because they're the champs.
Darius Morris not letting possible limited role sour work ethic
Staring at an attentive audience, Lakers guard Darius Morris shared some insights and advice based on his journey.
Morris had just set foot at Lafayette Park over the weekend where the Lakers and Time Warner Cable Sportsnet hosted a basketball clinic for about 75 children from Heart of L.A., which provides after-school programs for disadvantaged youth. So Morris brought up his childhood in Los Angeles dreaming about playing for the hometown Lakers. He stressed how anyone can reach their goal through hard work. And Morris emphasized the need not to let any obstacles obstruct that pursuit.
As he enters his second season with the Lakers, Morris knows all too well how a limited role and a steep learning curve tested his zest for the daily grind. He only averaged 2.4 points in 8.9 minutes through 19 games his rookie season. Though he showed enough potential for the Lakers to provide a $962,000 qualifying offer to play at least one more season, Morris will join a bloated backcourt that features Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Chris Duhon. Even with the Lakers expecting Blake to miss at least three weeks because of a puncture wound in his left foot, it's unclear to what degree Morris will compete with Duhon for minutes as the team's backup point guard.
Yet, Morris has vowed not to worry about those variables. Instead, he maintains he's centering on strictly improving his own play.
"I focus on my game and I'm confident," Morris said in an interview with The Times. "Whenever it may be, I just have to be ready. During an 82-game season, chances are likely your name will be called at some point during the season. You have to be ready at all times. When it's called, take advantage of it."
Morris spoke those words before it became clear Blake would be sidelined after stepping on a spike strip over the weekend at a beach parking lot. But Morris offered plenty of detail on why he believes he's ready for such circumstances.
Laker assistant coaches have marveled how Morris reported to the team's practice facility nearly every day for informal offseason workouts. Morris worked endlessly with Lakers strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco to increase his weight from 195 pounds to 205 in hopes added muscle will make it easier to absorb contact as he drives into the lane. Morris pored over game films, studying elite point guards such as Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo and James Harden, and took detailed notes on how they run pick-and-roll sequences.
Morris led the Lakers' Summer League team in points (15.2) and assists (4.2). A recent informal workout showed he improved his shooting stroke. And Morris practiced the shooting guard position in hopes that could lead at least to some minutes at that backup spot.
"As of now, I still imagine I'd be playing point guard," Morris said. "But because of my size, I have an ability to play the off guard. In the new offense, both of the guards have to be able to do the same things. You really just have to make plays in the new offense. They haven't come and told me anything so I'm just going to keep doing what I've always done and play point guard."
Morris also had high hopes last season for a large role even though the second-round draft pick played behind a veteran unit, including Derek Fisher and Blake. That chance came when Blake suffered a rib injury. But Morris' seven-game stretch where he averaged 3.6 points on 40% shooting made the coaching staff feel he tried too hard in showcasing his athleticism and quickness instead of just running the offense.
It remains unclear if Morris will have an increased role during Blake's absence, or if he'll still have limited playing time. But one thing's clear: Morris said he learned not to try to treat playing time as a highlight tape.
"That comes with time and maturity in the game," Morris said. "Knowing a lot of times last year when I got thrown in for two minutes, I felt like I had to show everything that I could. In Summer League, I was able to get in a rhythm and get used to that feeling again. It let me know I don't have to hit a home run every play. Just let the game come to you. Just playing the game and getting more comfortable."
For now, though, Morris plans to keep the same mindset that he stressed to the children at the clinic about working hard to reach their goals. By staying a Laker at least for one more season, Morris' dream stays alive.
"When I re-signed, I knew I had to work as hard as I've ever done this next year and be ready for the upcoming season," Morris said. "It was a definite blessing."
LINK _________________ Nobody in the NBA can touch the Laker brand, which, like the uniform color, is pure gold.
Jordan Hill's attorney hoping for resolution soon in assault case
Jordan Hill’s attorney said late Monday night that he hopes to reach “some kind of resolution” in the felony assault case involving the Lakers power forward by the time the team opens training camp Oct. 2, if not shortly thereafter.
“I hope within the next week or two we can get something done,” attorney Rusty Hardin Jr. said in a telephone interview.
Hill faces third-degree felony assault charges for allegedly choking a former girlfriend in February at a time when he played for the Houston Rockets.
Should the case proceed to trial, Hardin said, it would not be a distraction for Hill until after a season that is expected to stretch into June. Hill faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
“There’s not going to be a trial during the season," Hardin said, "not because he’s a [pro] basketball player but because of the normal progression of the trial setting. It would be sometime next year.”
Hill signed a two-year contract with the Lakers for $7 million in July after playing well late in the regular season and the playoffs, when he logged three double-doubles in a span of six games.
“He’s very eager to get this behind him and concentrate on playing basketball,” Hardin said.
An attorney representing the Harris County (Texas) district attorney's office did not return a call seeking comment.
LINK _________________ Nobody in the NBA can touch the Laker brand, which, like the uniform color, is pure gold.
Snoop considers the Lakers the 'team to beat' in NBA
The man who refined G-Funk and ebonics also just brought some good news for Laker fans.
Snoop Lion, or Snoop Dogg as he used to be called, proclaimed in an ESPN SportsCenter interview that the Lakers will be the "team to beat" in the NBA's 2012-13 season.
"We'll see you in June," Snoop said as he stared at the camera.
Don't take Snoop's words as gospel even if he delivers it with that smooth and laid-back voice, a signature in his numerous rap albums. Two years ago, the Long Beach native predicted in "Purp & Yellow" that the Lakers would win a third consecutive NBA championship and expressed little concern about the Miami Heat's touted Big Three. LeBron James may have shrunk in the fourth quarter that season. But the Lakers fared worse, falling in a four-game sweep to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.
Meanwhile, Lakers legends seem split on the purple & gold's championship prospects. Magic Johnson instantly gushed about the Lakers' title chances. James Worthy still pens the Heat as the favorite because of last season's championship. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hesitated in making any predictions other than conceding the Lakers will become a contender.
Still, Snoop's optimism epitomizes the high spirits among Laker fans after watching a season that entailed a new coaching staff, limited training camp, a shuffled roster and a nixed trade. Now those fans are gushing over the Lakers acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.
"We want to thank Commissioner David Stern for vetoing the Chris Paul trade and allowing us to get Dwight Howard," Snoop said. "I didn't like it before, but right now I'd like to personally thank him from the city of Los Angeles to open up the Dwight Howard trade. We got what we needed, so thank you Commissioner."
LINK _________________ Nobody in the NBA can touch the Laker brand, which, like the uniform color, is pure gold.
It's the bow to the wow, creepin and crawlin
Yiggy yes y'allin, Snoop Doggy Dogg in
the mother(bleeping) house like everyday _________________ On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
Steve Blake's injury: 5 ways it affects the Lakers
Laker fans haven't just scratched their heads wondering if Steve Blake will ever become that consistent three-point shooter the Purple & Gold hoped he'd become.
Through two seasons with the Lakers, Blake has experienced several odd mishaps that left him sidelined. Blake sat out for a week, including the first game of the 2011 NBA playoffs, when he suddenly contracted chicken pox from an unknown source. Last season, Blake also missed 13 games because of a rib injury that worsened after making an awkward twist during a regular-season contest.
But Blake's latest injury, which the Lakers expect will sideline him for at least three weeks, seems the most bizarre. He stepped on a spike strip over the weekend at a beach parking lot and suffered a puncture wound in his left foot. More details will likely emerge on exactly happened, but for now, it's safe to presume that Blake's absence could affect the Lakers in a number of ways.
1. Blake loses early chance to instantly build off his fairly promising playoff finish. His exit interview with Coach Mike Brown and General Manager Mitch Kupchak mostly focused on their desire for Blake to become more aggressive. Even if that's an ongoing process, the Lakers' assistant coaches liked how Blake showed signs this offseason of improving in that area.
Accounts suggest Blake improved his shooting stroke, didn't pick up his dribble as quickly and kept his conditioning sharp. Of course, it's necessary to take offseason developments with a grain of salt until the games start. But Blake's relatively improved three-point shooting and aggressiveness in the 2012 postseason left the Lakers with some feeling that Blake could build off that.
2. The Lakers lose a dependable playmaker. Despite Blake's shooting inconsistencies, he always remained reliable in running the offense, keeping it organized and finding open teammates. That's the biggest reason why I've had a hunch Blake would have kept the backup point-guard spot.
That familiarity would do wonders in minimizing any transition period Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks experience in finding their shot. Blake's track record also would've made it more likely that Brown would put him in with the starters at times whenever Steve Nash needed a rest.
3. Nash might have to play more minutes. The Lakers will still have a dominant offense with Nash running the show, but Blake's absence could seriously dampen the team's hopes of minimizing the 38-year-old point guard's minutes. Of course, the Lakers have a star-studded lineup that could absorb Nash sitting out a bit. But they run the risk of undermining their offense without Nash organizing everything. Blake would've at least been able to hold things together on a short-term basis.
4. The Lakers' backup point-guard spot suddenly becomes open. The crux of the conversations I recently had with Chris Duhon and Darius Morris centered on the same things. Both of them want to be in the rotation. But both recognized the possibility that it might not happen. Well, now the opportunity is right in front of them and it'll be interesting to if one emerges as the better alternative.
Duhon is an eight-year veteran with dependable defense and a promising stroke from three-point range (43% in 2011-12 with Orlando). But he admitted he lacked confidence in his shot last season, particularly on shots from 3 to 9 feet (23%) and 16 to 23 feet (38%). His high turnover rate (27.6%) also suggests he's struggling in organizing the offense. Even though Duhon said he's improved his conditioning, he's not equipped for driving to the rack.
Meanwhile, Morris has built a reputation as the ultimate gym rat, but it remains unclear how much he can help. The Lakers like his athleticism, speed and confidence, but the coaching staff called him "Showtime" last season for his tendency toward trying to do too much with his limited playing time.
Because of this dynamic, it's possible the Lakers will figure out this position based on who makes the fewest mistakes.
5. How will rehab affect Blake's game? Of course, Blake will try to work toward getting back into rhythm once he's fully healed. But it's possible Blake will feel tentative and uncomfortable with his shot whenever he returns. After he recovered from his rib injury last season, it took Blake four games to shoot at least 50% from the field. Even after that happened, Blake soon went on a six-game stretch where he made only three field goals.
LINK _________________ Nobody in the NBA can touch the Laker brand, which, like the uniform color, is pure gold.
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