7/28: Happy birthday, NPZ and Larry Coon!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:48 am    Post subject: 7/28: Happy birthday, NPZ and Larry Coon!

I'd just like to take this chance to wish a happy birthday to two integral members of LakersGround: the famous non-player zealot, and Larry Coon.

I'm sure the vast majority of you will agree that they are the most renowned and respected figures we've ever had here. Posters and admins come and go, but this place would not be the same without these two and their unique contributions.

It is the greatest of coincidences that they share today, July 28th, as a birthday.

You will not find anyone more knowledgeable in their respective fields (Lakers history for NPZ and salary cap calculations for Larry), and that's why they are held in such high regard.

The first ever YouTuber to provide comprehensive edited game recaps, NPZ has been a trendsetter with his now widely-imitated style and oft-stolen highlight compilations. He has inspired millions with his incredibly rare footage and unique insights into the Showtime era.

You young cats take highlights for granted these days, but 10 years ago - especially as an international fan - I was starved for high quality in-depth footage. (Note: I don't mean the mangled mixtape-style stupidity where the uploader tries to tell a David Chase-level story by mixing shots of Kobe chewing his jersey with inappropriate emotional music and Star Wars clips. I mean unadulterated basketball purity, in its original form, with its original commentary.) NPZ was the one guy that came through with the goods. He has educated and inspired a generation of Laker fans all over the planet.

Let me tell you a story about NPZ. One day, in a ’95 Lakers-related thread, I casually replied to him asking how good a dunker Eddie Jones was. (Growing up in Birmingham, England I had seen very little footage of that particular team.) Within a week, NPZ put together the be-all, end-all Eddie DUNKS! compilation on YouTube. This was a decade ago. To this day, I see jumped-up highlight accounts on Instagram stealing parts of that compilation and uploading it as their own. That's NPZ's footage. No one else has it.

If you love Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Orlando Woolridge or Sedale Threatt, NPZ is your man. He has the rare tapes. He has the rare insights. And he has the rare generosity to share them with the world, free of charge. This is a man whose edits have been featured on Spectrum SportsNet, a man who has been hand-picked to assist in the production of ESPN's "30 for 30" show on the Lakers/Celtics rivalry.

He remains just as focused on being gracious and giving to all who cross his path as he was all those years ago when I asked him about Eddie. He somehow manages to combine that superstar editing talent with the affable, friendly nature of Ron Harper. Remember that Harp was one of the few guys respected and trusted by Kobe, Shaq, and Phil alike. Harp would joke with the refs and spend time with the John Celestands and Mike Penberthys. NPZ is exactly like that - a friend to all. Even in the face of rude, hostile posters, I've seen him remain pleasant and informative. These are remarkable traits that speak to the greatness of NPZ the man, much less NPZ the poster.

Meanwhile our other birthday boy, young Larry Coon, has been a key figure in the NBA's evolution.

This is now a trade machine league as much as a basketball league. Even casual fans have a basic understanding of the salary cap, and you can thank LC for that. He was poring over those CBA minutiae and churning out those numbers in his basement long before many of us had even heard of things like the luxury tax and the Arenas provision.

Some say he parties too much like D’Angelo Russell, but that has never affected his productivity. This lad’s number-crunching is performed with the precision of a D’Lo eyebrow slit, and I salute him for that. He is wise beyond his years.

Larry has always been relatively generous with his time too. You guys know by now that I'm a storyteller. Well I vividly recall once posing a question to him on here about the status of Brian Grant's contract. You might remember that we waived him using the amnesty clause and made a luxury tax saving of millions of dollars. Larry was right there with the exact figures and cap ramifications for me that day.

When a poster is helpful and unselfish in his nature like that, you just know that he is a good person. Likely as inspired to be great by NPZ as we all are, LC is the kind of human being we want and embrace around here.

And ultimately, the most important thing these two gents have in common is their reluctance to self-promote or revel in the relative fame they have RIGHTLY earned.

I'm posting this because they deserve to be celebrated. I don't know if either of the lads will read this, but if they do, I hope it makes them feel cherished.

Mods, please feel free to sticky.

Thanks.

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:08 am    Post subject:

Happy Birthday to both! Two of Lakersground's finest!!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:09 am    Post subject:

Happy birthday Gentlemen!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:17 am    Post subject:

Great write up Birm. I will make sure my twin boys, Charles Roast & Beef Wellington, will be born on July 28th in their honor. Larry has been a wealth of information through the years and NPZ is my invisible best friend ala Ike Seaver. What I would give to take you both to Shakey's, order mojos and extra pepperoni and just go nuts in their 30sqft arcade.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:50 am    Post subject:

Happy BDay, guys!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:25 am    Post subject:

Happy Birthday NPZ and Larry!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:03 am    Post subject:

Happy birthday to two LG legends!!!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:46 am    Post subject:

Happy bday to two LG legends, and to Jackie O!

I only know Larry through his incredible work but have been fortunate enough to get to know NPZ outside of just his amazing vids, and the man is the Magic of the board -- bringing it to life, dishing out amazing tidbits and facts and highlights and knocking down 20-footers if you lay off him too much.

NPZ is incredibly grateful with his time, energy and knowledge and I feel fortunate to have gotten the chance to know him. Plus....the man's just the best there is when it comes to Laker history. Other pretenders could have Magic mixes (though they'd be inferior). But no one else would have a Byron interview like this, plus the knowledge he lays down in the description about Byron beating up Mychal T.

http://bit.ly/2eVdRc9
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:55 am    Post subject:

Happy Birthday to both. NPZ you know you my peeps.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:00 pm    Post subject:

Happy birthday guys!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:02 pm    Post subject:

Happy birthday
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:11 pm    Post subject:

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:14 pm    Post subject:

Heh heh (snorts). Epic, Davo. Had to be done. Did you guys pick up on the "By now you know I'm a storyteller" line? Did U C that? Thanks, bro and thanks to Dladi, spf, et al. The usual suspects. To show how young at heart I am, I'm going to get my eyebrows done like D'Lo's.

I've actually (generally) known Larry since asbnll, Davo. He and bozak used to run that asylum. I recall him being the gent who informed me that the song Baba O'Riley was not called Teenage Wasteland. I wanted to look the song up on Napster after hearing it in a commercial for American Beauty. Ever-informative, that gentleman/scholar. Hope you have a great one, Mr. C!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:15 pm    Post subject:

Happy birthday. You share a birthday with Sally Struthers. I'm sure that there's some deep meaning in that. (Last week, I shared a birthday with Benedict Cumberbatch. I win.)
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:16 pm    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
Happy birthday. You share a birthday with Sally Struthers. I'm sure that there's some deep meaning in that. (Last week, I shared a birthday with Benedict Cumberbatch. I win.)


Manu's bday too, but screw him. Liz Berkeley of SBTB/Showgirls fame. Jackie Kennedy. Aaayy. You shoulda told us it was your day. I woulda posted for sure. Happy belated, homes.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:38 pm    Post subject:

non-player zealot wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
Happy birthday. You share a birthday with Sally Struthers. I'm sure that there's some deep meaning in that. (Last week, I shared a birthday with Benedict Cumberbatch. I win.)


Manu's bday too, but screw him. Liz Berkeley of SBTB/Showgirls fame. Jackie Kennedy. Aaayy. You shoulda told us it was your day. I woulda posted for sure. Happy belated, homes.


Thanks. You also got Earl Tupper. Guess what he invented? You got Richard Wright of Pink Floyd. Vida Blue. More recently, your list is a bit disturbing. Hugo Chavez. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Manu Ginobili. There seems to be a trend there.

I got Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas, Lizzie Borden, George McGovern, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, and Brian May. Not much of a pattern there.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:45 pm    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
non-player zealot wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
Happy birthday. You share a birthday with Sally Struthers. I'm sure that there's some deep meaning in that. (Last week, I shared a birthday with Benedict Cumberbatch. I win.)


Manu's bday too, but screw him. Liz Berkeley of SBTB/Showgirls fame. Jackie Kennedy. Aaayy. You shoulda told us it was your day. I woulda posted for sure. Happy belated, homes.


Thanks. You also got Earl Tupper. Guess what he invented? You got Richard Wright of Pink Floyd. Vida Blue. More recently, your list is a bit disturbing. Hugo Chavez. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Manu Ginobili. There seems to be a trend there.

I got Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas, Lizzie Borden, George McGovern, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, and Brian May. Not much of a pattern there.


I think Manu's onerous nature is something that me and Abu Bakr can actually agree on.

Look at this: Manu is one of only two players, along with Bill Bradley, to have won at least a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.[1]

Bill Bradley's birthday? July 28!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:57 pm    Post subject:

non-player zealot wrote:
Look at this: Manu is one of only two players, along with Bill Bradley, to have won at least a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.[1]

Bill Bradley's birthday? July 28!


You and Larry are such slackers.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:03 pm    Post subject:

Salute to the greats. Have a good one guys!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:18 pm    Post subject:

Thanks guys -- much appreciated!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:24 pm    Post subject:

Happy birthday, lakers kin!

npz is a magnificent, magical sumbitch, like Bham says. He is maester of Lakers/NBA lore and a good friend. You should also know that he can destroy you on the basketball court, at range, with or without your hand in his face, it won't matter.

love ya man, hope you have the best day
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 8:17 pm    Post subject:

Little known NPZ tidbit. He was brought in as script doctor on Die Hard. Thankfully director and producers ignored most of his changes: He had John being killed by Ellis in a dramatic twist, the bad guys getting away with the money, movie ending with Powell being assigned a desk job. Awful ideas. BUT. He put in the best line in the whole damn movie:

"So Kareem rebounds, right, feeds Worthy on the break, over to AC, to Magic then back to Worthy, right. Boom, 2 points."

The guy's Lakers love comes through all the time.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 8:20 pm    Post subject:

Now we just gotta put them together in the same room. Happy Birthday!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:29 pm    Post subject:

Gimme_the_rock wrote:
Happy birthday to two LG legends!!!
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 4:55 pm    Post subject:

Happy birthday Larry and brother NPZ!
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