So what’s going on here? The Lakers aren’t playing good or something or is it Kobe? Didn’t he just passed Michael Jordan for the third all time leading scorer in the NBA?
In any case, this video surfaced, staring Kobe Bryant in Frozen’s Let It Tank!
Tag: Lakers
ESPN is reporting that the new President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks, Phil Jackson, is considering signing embattled baller Lamar Odom. A source says a contract could be offered before the season ends next week.
Bryant and the Lakers will continue their relationship… for a couple more years.
…next year that is. Yes, the 2013-2014 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers seems more like a throw away season. The Lakers have lost their “next in line” player in Dwight Howard, have an aging Gasol, Kobe, and Nash, and have no cap space to sign any big name player this free agency. Heck, looking at the Lakers roster right now any person would laugh at it. This of course is all part of the Lakers plan for the 2014 free agency period.
Probably the Lakers biggest free agent signing, Center Chris Kaman
After this coming season, the Lakers will have around $40 million in cap space and only two players under contract, Steve Nash ($9.7 million) and Robert Sacre ($915,243). The Lakers can even waive Nash since he’ll be in his final season and stretch his money owed and only take a $3.2 million dollar salary cap hit in 2014-2015. Kobe Bryant will be the only big question mark considering he seems to want to play another three to four seasons, so let’s just pencil him in for around $10-15 million.
Lebron can become a free agent after 2014 and the Lakers are gearing up for a run at him
Let me read off some big names who will be free agents in 2014: Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Danny Granger, Loul Deng, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade. The list continues if you want to add in the Restricted Free Agents which focus around up and coming stars like Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Eric Beldsoe, and Paul George; all of them though aren’t leaving their respected teams no matter what. The 2014 free agent class is massive in terms of star power to say the least and a team like the Lakers plan to take full advantage of it.
Teammates? It’s not as far fetched as you’d think
Let’s get this out of the way, Lebron James will not be taking his talents to L.A, that’s a total pipe dream. The same can be said for any of the young restricted free agents, especially Kyrie and Paul George. The only possible star the Lakers can land would be Carmelo Anthony. In his current tenure in New York, Melo hasn’t had incredible playoff success and coming to a town like L.A where he will be the man and be paired up with another super star is an intriguing offer to say the least. Plus, the Lakers can offer Melo a huge contract of four years and around $100 million dollars. It shall be a very interesting off season to say the least and the 2015 free agent class promises to be the same with players like Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, and LeMarcus Aldridge becoming free agents. God I love the NBA.
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Rolling The Dice With Andrew Bynum
Bynum was pursued by the Mavericks and Cavaliers this free agency
The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially signed Center Andrew Bynum to a two-year deal worth a total of $24.5 million. While this sounds like a risky deal for Cleveland, it’s actually a brilliant pick up.
A new team requires a new hair style
The details of the contract only guarantee Bynum $6 million dollars and one single year; Cleveland has given him an incentive heavy contract and holds the option for a second year. This ensures that Cleveland will have plenty of cap space come the 2014 free agency period to lure a big name free agent, Lebron James, and bring him back home. On top of ensuring plenty of cap space Cleveland now has, when healthy and engaged, easily one of the top five big men in the league.
Cleveland is clearly hoping for the Bynum who played in L.A to show up
Bynum, who didn’t play all of last season with the 76ers, was an up and coming All Star back in Los Angeles. In his final year in L.A he averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and made his first NBA All Star appearance. On top of all that he was also part of two NBA Championship teams during his tenure as a Laker. Andrew Bynum is a very good, if not nearly complete basketball package; he has a good post game on offense and is a big body to deal with on defense.
The Eastern Conference is becoming much more interesting…
I will just like to put this out there now, I’m a big Lakers fan so pardon me if this article has any bias based opinions.
Back in August of last year the Dwight Howard to LA trade went down and my beloved Lakers went to the top of the charts and instant favorites to be serious contenders for our next NBA Championship. Our front court had the most dominant center in the league in Dwight Howard, the best passing big man in Pau Gasol; add to that one of the greatest shooters in NBA history in Steve Nash and one of the best to ever play the game in Kobe Bryant. Fast forward to April of this year and we are swept right out of the playoffs, the ones we just barely crept into, by the San Antonio Spurs. Now Laker Nation awaits July 1st when our next “franchise superstar” in Dwight Howard marches his way into free agency. After watching him this season, I say let him go.
How Laker Nation last saw Dwight during game 4 against the Spurs
This years free agency class is highlighted by Dwight Howard (seeing that Chris Paul will most likely stay with the Clippers) and the teams measuring their interest in the big man revolve around Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas. Only the Lakers though can offer him their franchise max contract of five years with $118 million dollars along with their history of storied big men and the tradition of winning no matter what. Houston can offer four years with $98 million dollars and their young up and coming star in James Harden. Dallas can offer Dwight the same as Houston. From a money point of view the Lakers are the clear-cut winners and from a historical point of view the Lakers also are clear winners; from a pure basketball point of view though Houston are clear winners as they only need a man like Dwight to contend in the West.
Dwight Howard received a lot of punishment from the media for leaving Orlando the way he did, is that bound to repeat?
Statistically Dwight Howard has been declining over, especially over the past season. Between 2008-2011 Dwight took his Magic team to one Final appearance and a 219-102 record; over the past two seasons with the Magic and Lakers he’s finished with a total 75-55 record. Wow. His offensive production has also dipped sharply; in 2011 he averaged 22.9 PPG, 14.1 RPG, and a 59% FG. In 2013 he was averaging 17.1 PPG, 12.4 RPG, while shooting %58 from the field. Dwight has clearly past his peak production and no team should commit such a large amount of their salary cap or build their team around a star who has already started dropping off. Of course..the Lakers are run by Jim Buss so that’s still possible.
Looking past the numbers it isn’t hard to see that Dwight just cannot handle the pressure of playing in L.A. Playing for the Lakers, especially to be the next franchise player, means you must live up to some huge names and live up to the Laker tradition of winning. The Lakers, since 1960, have sent 25 teams to the NBA Finals, won 11 championships, and have had our court graced by the likes of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal. To top that all off the L.A Lakers have had four of the ten best basketball teams ever (’72, ’82, ’87, ’01), have been run by one of the greatest owners in history by Jerry Buss, and have been coached by the future Hall of Famer in Phil Jackson. If all that wasn’t hard enough to live up to as the next franchise player in Los Angeles, Dwight Howard would be filling the void of the greatest Laker of all time in Kobe Bryant. It’s sad to say that faced with any type of pressure a man like Dwight Howard who stands six foot and eleven inches shrinks back to a normal height.
Perhaps the self-proclaimed “Superman” isn’t so “super” anymore
No matter what the media is saying about the pending free agency of Dwight Howard and no matter what team does land the big man, it will be a question if the team wants to roll the dice on Howard or chooses to pass. Houston is the clear basketball choice for Howard as that team is young and ready to make an even bigger splash next season than they did this past season. A James Harden – Dwight Howard combo would be a mighty force to reckon with no matter who they face. As for my beloved Lakers please Jim Buss do not even approach the table and pick up the dice.
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And The MVP Is..
Lebron is poised to win his 4th MVP Award
The Maurice Podoloff Trophy is given to the Most Valuable Player each year in the entire NBA. This year the clear favorite to win his fourth MVP award if Miami Heat Forward Lebron James. I will not sit here and say Lebron James is not an amazing basketball player, but I do not believe he deserves the award this year. Yes, he led the Miami Heat to a franchise record 27 win streak, yes he is the most dominant player right now, and yes he is a full-fledged superstar, but he is on a team built to achieve above and beyond the known limits. He is a very important corner-stone to the team, but not the most valuable player in the league.
2008 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant
No matter what arena you see him play, no matter what team he is playing against, Kobe Bryant will always hear “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants. Oddly enough Kobe has only won one NBA MVP award back in 2008. This year he easily deserves to be a front-runner in the MVP conversation. The horribly underachieving Lakers have been willed on by Kobe alone and even though he is now out with a season ending Achilles tear, he has gotten them into the 8th seed of the playoffs.
Clippers Guard Chris Paul
Chris Paul (a.k.a CP3) has made the Clippers the team in Los-Angeles now and for years to come. He will become the corner-stone of the new dominant west coast force that are the Clippers. Chris Paul is long due for a MVP award and after watching him this year lead the Clippers to their first division title in decades, hitting the 50 win mark for the first time since 1976, and taking the Clippers on a dominant and undefeated month of December.
New York Knick Forward Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony is poised to win his first NBA Scoring Title after this season just nudging out Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. Over the month of April Carmelo has averaged nearly 29 points per game and lead his Knicks on a 13 game win streak that ended in Chicago. Anthony has always been an elite scorer but this season in New York he is proving to be a real MVP candidate. Over this season the Knicks were written off as “too old” but they have secured a second placed seed in the Eastern Conference and will match up against Boston in the first round (a real good game by the way). While Carmelo’s stats are no where as nice as James or other players, his Knicks are only 6-7 without him. I would easily give him the MVP Award this year since Melo is long overdue and has clearly proven his worth.
Spurs Guard Tony Parker
Ah, Tony Parker, he was once the “dark horse” MVP candidate throughout this season. In 65 games this season, Parked has averaged 20.4 points, 7.6 assists, while shooting 52.4%, and 35.3% from beyond the arc. He has once again lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 58-23 record while securing the second place seed in the Western Conference. Earlier this season some people would’ve penciled in Parker as the favorite to win the MVP as he was and the Spurs were just on a roll. Sadly in the month of April he has dropped off due to injuries and has only played four games. No matter what though, Tony Parker is still the dark horse candidate to win MVP.
Once again, I am not putting down Lebron James and his amazing talent and ability to play the game of basketball. He is the most dominant force in basketball right now and will be for a couple more years. James though, does not deserve another MVP award as he is clearly not the most valuable player for the team compared to others. Sadly though, a fourth trophy is inevitable.