staplescenter257

Lakers Surprise Even Me

2006-07-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to try to go 3 and 1 this afternoon against the Phoenix Suns. It is no secret that they have dominated the Suns thus far and things are looking good for the Lakers to win this series. I have to admit I was skeptical at first and didn’t see the Lakers really standing up against the best teams in the league, but they have proven themselves worthy of winning this series and possibly advancing further in the playoffs than I ever imagined.

Lakers Surprise Even Me

2006-07-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

pocket digging season opens

2006-07-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

Now that the draft has passed we find ourselves on the eve of free agent frenzy a period that sees some serious money get thrown around to proven players. This year's crop of players ressembles very much the description bestowed upon the draft no "franchise" bidding war is going to break out but solid role players can be had.

Top free agents

Ben Wallace
Al Harrington
Peja Stojakovic (PO)
Drew Gooden (R)
Mike James (PO)
Jason Terry
Nene (R)
Bonzi Wells
Sam Cassell
Joel Przybilla
Vladimir Radmanovic
Chris Wilcox (R)
Nazr Mohammed
Fred Jones
Tim Thomas
Ronald Murray
Jumaine Jones
Francisco Elson
Speedy Claxton
Darius Songaila (PO)
Melvin Ely (R)
Alonzo Mourning
Bobby Jackson
Jared Jeffries (R)
Reggie Evans
Reuben Patterson (PO)
Keith Van Horn
James Posey (PO)
Matt Harpring

(p.s. don't forget Lattrell Sprewell)

more players listed here by position (please excuse the redundancy if any):

POINT GUARD

David Wesley, Houston
Marcus Banks, Minnesota
Chucky Atkins, Memphis
Jason Hart, Sacramento (PO)
Jannero Pargo, Chicago
Gary Payton, Miami
Tony Delk, Detroit
Nick Van Exel, San Antonio
Jacque Vaughn, New Jersey
Milt Palacio, Utah
Anthony Carter, Minnesota
Keith McLeod, Utah (Team option)
Rick Brunson, Seattle
Howard Eisley, LA Clippers
Lindsey Hunter, Detroit
Royal Ivey, Atlanta
Andre Emmett, Miami (Restricted)
Moochie Norris, Houston
Darrick Martin
Jeff McInnis, New Jersey (Player option)
Eddie Gill, Indiana
Darrell Armstrong, Dallas
Troy Bell
Mike Wilks, Cleveland
Mateen Cleaves, Seattle
Alvin Williams, Toronto (Player option)
Anthony Goldwire, LA Clippers
Antonio Burks, Memphis (Restricted)
Lionel Chalmers
Aaron Miles, Golden State
Anthony Roberson, Memphis (Team option)
Horace Jenkins

SHOOTING GUARD

Keith Bogans, Houston (Restricted)
John Salmons, Philadelphia (Restricted)
Derek Anderson, Miami (Player option)
DerMarr Johnson, Denver
DeShawn Stevenson, Orlando (Player option)
Greg Buckner, Denver (Player option)
Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando
Jimmy Jackson, SG, Phoenix
Lamond Murray, New Jersey
Aaron McKie, LA Lakers (Player option)
Richie Frahm, Houston
Eric Piatkowski, Chicago
Linton Johnson, New Jersey
Matt Carroll, Charlotte (Team option)
Voshon Lenard, Portland
Shandon Anderson, Miami
Rawle Marshall, Dallas (Team option)
Awvee Storey, Washington (Restricted)
Stacey Augmon, Orlando
Andre Owens, Utah (Restricted)
Charles Smith, Portland
Bernard Robinson, Charlotte (Restricted)
Alex Acker, Detroit (Restricted)
Kevin Burleson, Charlotte (Restricted)
Reece Gaines, Milwaukee
Tony Bobbitt, LA Lakers (Restricted)
Jermaine Jackson
Von Wafer, LA Lakers (Team option)
Alan Anderson, Charlotte (Team option)
Devin Green, LA Lakers (Restricted)

SMALL FORWARD

Jumaine Jones, Charlotte
Tim Thomas, Phoenix
Rasual Butler, New Orleans
Devean George, LA Lakers
Trevor Ariza, Orlando (Restricted)
Justin Reed, Minnesota (Restricted)
Devin Brown, Utah (Team option)
Walter McCarty, LA Clippers
Laron Profit, LA Lakers
Jiri Welsch, Milwaukee (Restricted)
Qyntel Woods, New York
Eric Williams, Toronto (Player option)
Toni Kukoc, Milwaukee
Lee Nailon, Philadelphia
Ronald Dupree, Minnesota (Restricted)
Ryan Bowen, Houston (Player option)
Maciej Lampe, Houston (Restricted)
George Lynch
Adrian Griffin, Dallas
Calbert Cheaney, Golden State
Shavlik Randolph, Philadelphia (Restricted)
Matt Barnes, Philadelphia
Bryon Russell, Denver
Ndudi Ebi
Donta Smith, Atlanta (Team option)
Sean Banks, New Orleans
Terrence Morris, Orlando

POWER FORWARD

Darius Songaila, Chicago (Player option)
Jackie Butler, New York (Restricted)
Alan Henderson, Cleveland
Jackson Vroman, New Orleans (Restricted)
Clifford Robinson, New Jersey (Team option)
Stanislav Medvedenko, LA Lakers
Lawrence Roberts, Memphis (Team option)
Samaki Walker, Indiana
Sean Marks, San Antonio
Aaron Williams, New Orleans
Brandon Bass, New Orleans (Team option)
Bo Outlaw, Orlando
Josh Powell, Dallas (Team option)
Jared Reiner, Phoenix
Lonny Baxter, Houston

CENTER

Melvin Ely, Charlotte (Restricted)
Lorenzen Wright, PF/C, Memphis
Kelvin Cato, Detroit
Jarron Collins, Utah
DJ Mbenga, Dallas (Restricted)
Mario Kasun, Orlando (Restricted)
Scott Pollard, Indiana
Michael Olowokandi, C, Boston
Jake Voskuhl, Charlotte
Antonio Davis, Toronto
Brian Grant, Phoenix
Ervin Johnson, Milwaukee
Loren Woods, Toronto
Boniface N'Dong, LA Clippers (Restricted)
Michael Bradley, Philadelphia
Curtis Borchardt, Boston (Restricted)
Ha Seung-Jin, Portland (Restricted)
Jamal Sampson, Sacramento
Pat Burke, Phoenix
Zendon Hamilton, Cleveland
Earl Barron, Miami

The Waffling Warrior's Nigger Happy Wet Dreams

2006-07-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Listen Yeagley, this is NOT a travesty. I wish it were, but it isn't.

Got me? N_O_T__A__T_R_A_V_E_S_T_Y_!

It is your original sound, what we call "O-Ton" in German, meticulously documented and and unambiguously presented.

Let me kow which part of "not" and of "travesty" you don't understand and I will try to explain. But then... maybe I'll not because I am starting to get a bit miffed by your stupidity.

So you are very welcome to sue me should I have not quoted you correctly and don't forget to ask your dusky Middle Eastern bitch (yes, the one whom you are trying to sell as an "Aryan" and whom nobody wants to buy) for the contact details of Mr. Frank. D. Sciples, Attorney at Law.

This is about racism and double standards, Yeagley. Not that I mind racism all that much. I'm a racist myself, but to which I object is your intellectual dishonesty, your lack of integrity and sickening overflow of old-woman-bile. Okay, case one! Here it goes:
As I've said all along, Koby raped the white girl. Too bad she just couldn't hold it together to go through with the trial. She knew the liberals and weak conservatives of her town destroyed her case. She knew she couldn't win. Who can blame her.

From the very beginning, the prosecution said they have overwhelming evidence, and that's why they filed the case, regardless of the girl's "emotional problems" that were immediately known as well.

She was a young kid, and Koby isn't that mature himself. She was playing with him, indeed, but, she was obviously inexperienced with someone like him.

Let this be a lesson to all. And in 'nother post:

Kobe's attorneys will not stop until there is no protection for any rape victim anywhere. Now they're demanding the victim's identity be made public even in the civil case.

This it the power of self-hating whites, who use the Negro to denigrate the white race.

What a pathetic spectacle.From yet another one:

There is a tremendous drive in many white women to experiment with the darkies. I've published articles about it on FrontPage and more here on BadEagle. [Indeed. I have a hunch that is because even FrontPage has a repulsion-threshold, although it seems to possess a summit of Himalaya-proportions...] Certain Jews are not the only one who see the sexual promiscuity and exploration as a marketable item. [How do Jews come suddenly into all this, you great "philosemite"?] The sexual aggression of the Negro, particularly when surrounded by those not of his race, is well known.I think I got it. The White girl who gladly went with "Koby" (btw, I think that the spelling is neither another one of his coy little-boy-cutey-isms like "nudy", nor a typo. It's sheer and undiluted, putrid, foetid and not even thinly veiled racist hatred -- he doesn't dare to call him Leroy or Sambo -- YET and JUST) to his room, presumably to watch his stamp collection, because she wasn't aware of "the sexual aggression of the Negro", is an innocent "young kid" and the -- successful -- attempts to prove that she isn't are (are we amazed?) a conspiracy of "liberals and weak conservatives of her town".

Pity you didn't do your homework AGAIN, isn't it, Yeagley? Remember the "Prussian Blue" gaffe, you know, the one where you mistook two little Nazi sluts for paragons of "White pride" (a cause that is, for reasons only you can fathom, oh-so close and dear to your Indian warrior heart) because you didn't read past the first page of your information? Is this because you seem to get sort of ... well, let me call it "overexcited" (to avoid accusations of vulgarity) when it comes to "racial issues", specifically if White women and Black men are involved?

What about the DNA evidence that showed that little Ms. Innocent had had sex with another man soon after the time she claimed Bryant raped her?

And what about the, of course negligible, fact that Bryant's defense had won a bid to introduce evidence regarding benefits the little slut received since reporting she was assaulted, including $20,000 for mental health care and other services, which she had to pay back? Another conspiracy of self-hating Whites using "the Negro to denigrate the white race"?

See, all the information is freely available in the Internet, like this interesting little snippet from a pretty tawdry but usually well-informed website:

Here is a fact check concerning Kate Faber’s life style according to our sources. With respect to Faber’s activities before the Kobe Bryant encounter involving Sex. Kate Faber had only slept with her boyfriend Matt prior to entering college. After she began college she went from sleeping with just Matt, to at least an estimated 65 different guys between October, 2002 and June 30, 2003. The last date is when she claimed to have been raped by Kobe Bryant. There were at least two occasions during that time when Kate Faber slept with three different guys over a three day period. She had on more than one occasion slept with either the boyfriend of one of her girlfriends, or a male friend of her boyfriends. Kate Faber had allowed men she slept with to earn their "redwings" with her. She had her tongue pierced when it was explained how that would enhance the experience for her partner when she performed a specific sexual act upon them.

Kate Faber had an ongoing problem with telling Lies. According to several sources Kate Faber had a long history of not telling the truth, or if you prefer lying, to achieve her goals or to get what she wanted. Kate Faber was known to have lied to almost everyone she had come in contact with. Kate Faber had a pattern of forming close friendships with three girls at a time. It becomes apparent as you listen to the stories surrounding Faber’s relationships with different friends that she used people to get whatever she wanted.Yeah! Right! "She was playing with him, indeed, but, she was obviously inexperienced with someone like him." Ha ha ha!

Fine! Great! Well done! That was little Ms. Innocent White-as-Driven-Snow and her encounter with the sexual aggression of the Negro. And now let's have your take on another, more recent rape case, namely the one of the Duke "exotic dancer" (by the way a euphemism ALMOST as repulsive as your "sex exhibitionist").
But this wasn't a normal social encounter. This was a sexual encounter by nature, for that purpose, at least in spirit. [And I guess nobody but He-who-doesn't-know-about-what-he-is-talking will ever be able to create anything like "a sexual encounter by nature... at least in spirit", a term as oxy-moronic as blathering.] How does a drinking teenager treat a 27-year-old mother of two drinker/sex exhibitionist like a lady? She's clearly abandoned all that when she drove up.

And are you aware of the news? She accused three white men of raping her when she was 14, too. She has a horrible record of violence, lying, drinking, etc.

It's very, very hard to believe her. It could have happened. But everyone's been punished just on the basis of her accusation. Other teams with problems don't get their season cancelled. Hey, did the Lakers cancel their season when Kobi Bryant raped that white girl in Colorado? [Maybe that is because here a major part of the team was involved and not just one guy? Oh well, to hell with reason. Hey! It's Negro-baiting time!]

The media buried her alive. The attorneys couldn't wait to get her name out in public. She backed off. [And when that happened to the little White hobby-hooker in Colorado you said... WHAT?]

The "racial" tensions caused this imbalanced reaction of Duke toward these accusations. [Right! It's the Negress' fault who caused all that strife by her search for help and justice, kinda like them Jews who are responsible for all that antisemitism, too...]

If the boys are guilty, they should hang, figuratively speaking. If the girl is lying, she should hang. [Oooops... NOT "figuratively speaking"?] Now, if something happened, let's find out who really did it. That's the person who should really hang. I think the girl's covering something up, like a beating from her boyfriend, who skipped town, of course. [Of course!] Did you read that? [No I didn't. But then, *I* am not the one drooling over "black teats".] Do you understand all that perverted, warped tripe? I will tell you what I think it is, apart from perverted, warped tripe, that is.

So what about this little gem? "How does a drinking teenager treat a 27-year-old mother of two drinker/sex exhibitionist like a lady? She's clearly abandoned all that when she drove up."

Yes how? Maybe like a female human being? And she gave up... exactly WHAT? To quote an old and maybe corny, but nevertheless true saying: A gentleman treats a queen like the daily (or a hooker) and a daily (or a hooker) like a queen. What coven ON EARTH was it, out of which the Waffler crawled? Can you imagine saying a mother: "Listen my son, there are good girls and no-good-girls. The good ones you treat like delicate china and never DARE touching them because none of them is as precious as your mother anyway and the not-so-good ones, you know, strippers and such, you may gladly fuck with a broomstick. I, your mother, am telling you that, so it must be right." But even so, what man who has ever been in a loving relationship with a woman would swallow that? Well, there obviously ARE mothers (and sons) like that or monsters like Yeagley wouldn't exist.

But it gets better:

A boy threatened to sexually asssault the girls with a broom stick? Surely such a remark cannot be considered seriously. It is the refulgence of adolescent passion, and braggadicio [As usual, he got carried away with his own waffling and the spelling mixed up. I guess what he meant was braggadocio] in the midst of a stimulating situation, with the 'gang' to impress. But, unfortunately, it it precisely the kind of remark that DA Mike Nifong will twist into an accusation. We can expect nothing sensible from Nifong at this point, or even from the beginning, when he immediately tried to make a Hollywood-style case of it all. He's hoping to win an election, of course. You got that? Threatening to fuck a woman with a broom handle is not a threat, but a "refulgence of adolescent passion, and braggadicio [sic!] in the midst of a stimulating situation" and if the DA is not amused and "will twist [that] into an accusation" because he's got a political agenda.

It's quite revealing what this priestly man considers a "stimulating situation", isn't it?

I swear Yeagley, if somebody would "sexually asssault" you with a broom handle, it would make you walk differently next morning and WOW would it loosen you up! And never forget, it would all be performed in the spirit of "refulgence of 'braggadicio' [sic!] in the midst of a stimulating situation."

Interestingly, Yeagley started his sequence of embarrassing simpering about the hardships to which the White race is subjected at FrontPage:
It’s racism at Duke, all right. Racism against white students. Members of the Duke University Lacrosse team may have abused a black party girl, but, without any proof or trial, the Duke Lacrosse team was punished by the university, suspended from further games. So terrified was the administration of being charged with “racism.” The black female wins again. She is truly an ace on the field and in court. [Ohmyohmy... and again it's the Negress' fault who caused all that strife because she had the temerity to seek justice for herself!]

Naturally, the name of the black girl has not been released – appropriate if she is a rape victim, inappropriate if she is engaging in scurrilous race-baiting. ["Scurrilous race-baiting" -- That's a beauty! I've got to remember that!] The reports say the woman is a divorced, 27-year-old “mother” of two, attending North Carolina Central University. She is not a person of note [You don't say! Aren't usually socialites and university dons doing that sort of job...?], and is said to do exotic dancing as a side job to pick up extra cash.Honestly, is there ANYTHING David Horowitz of FrontPage fame will NOT print, as long as he thinks it might help him in his war against certain elements in academia? Gosh, his case must be shaky if he needs a wackjob like Yeagley for that!

But I digress... Yes, the amount of old-woman-vitriol Yeagley is able to work up and spew is amazing! He must have a gall-bladder of bagpipe proportions. Come to think of it... Does he wear stiletto-heels when thinking up a phrasing detail as contemptuous, hate-filled and mean as putting "mother" in quotes as long as the mother in question is a Black "sex exhibitionist"?

And that is the man, who swoons over The Eyes of Diane, over a have-been Middle Eastern "Empress", over Maria Callas ("A woman in tears is a wonderful thing"), The Persian Woman, Hindu Women, not to forget The Women of China and The Mongolian Descendents [sic!], all swoonings chock-full, of course, with racist clichés, and, finally, The Jewish Woman, a real extravaganza for David "I am not good enough to marry a Jewish girl" Yeagley and, incidentally, yet another invitation for all those many crazed antisemites for whom BadEagle is only too happy to cater, not to mention various beauty queens (I kid you not!).

Yes, the man who writes all that pseudo-romantic claptrap is the same who drowns a poor, pathetic, battered black stripper relentlessly in bile.

I have a hunch that it may be really asked too much of a man with limited intellectual, non-existing moral-ethical resources and a coldness of the heart that chills one to the bone to see the difference between a woman who works for a living as a stripper and has every right not to be touched IF SHE DOES SO REQUIRE and a little amateur hooker, attention seeker and celebrity fucker who follows a Black buck to his hotel room and then cries rape after the act to fill her coffers.

Oh wait, he DOES see a difference... one is Black, the other is White!

And now, to quote Monty Python, for something completely different.

People who have followed my WafflingWarrior series will know that I think (and can prove) that this alleged friend of the Jews does nothing but instigating antisemitic rants so he can drool and pontificate. And let me remind you that he made a Stormfronter moderator of the "Anti-Semitism" Forum at BadEagle and specifically created the "White Race" Fora for them, not to mention this little gaffe: "The Holocaust terror at least had a racial divide of some kind. During the French Reign of Terror the French endlessly slaughtered each other. Which is the more reprehensible?" Yes, he really DID say that, this great friend of the Jews: AT LEAST (as opposed to the French Revolution) THE HOLOCAUST WAS CAUSED BY RACISM.

Well, the following little gem of Yeagley-esque manipulation is hidden in the "Koby"-thread and hadn't it been for my little research, I would have overlooked it, which would have been a pity, really:

Yeagley: Why, that's the perfect formula for justice! That's the way they [i.e. generally anybody who didn't send "Koby" to hell straight away] played the part, that's the orchestration of the case, the staging, the casting.

Funny, there's nothing Jewish in this case.An observation as astute as superfluous, which predictably triggered off a stream of antisemitic abuse, over which he could then (you guessed it!) drool and pontificate.

Interestingly, serious critics of racism against Whites, which doubtlessly exists, leave him unconcerned. But of course, getting acquainted with Jared Taylor's AmRen or Nicholas Stix' work (see HERE or HERE) might teach him something and we can't have that, can we?

Why do I want to SCREAM now?

Okay, let's close this with the Waffler's own words: "What a pathetic spectacle."

Here are some of the previous instalments of the Waffling Warrior series:

The Waffling Warrior on The Many Faces of Manliness

Reality Beats Satire Again

Did Ward Churchill kill JonBenet Ramsey?

The Waffling Warrior on Father Mychal Judge - The Suicidal Homosexual

Master of Selective Disrespect or Mephistopheles Decaf

Basketbawful responds: The Bill Simmons edition

2006-07-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

More often than not, reading the analysis of the so-called "basketball experts" annoys me. They're totally biased, and yet they pretend not to be. At least there's some level of honesty (or at least partial honesty) among bloggers. For instance, everybody who reads this blog already knows we hate Kobe Bryant. What this means is you don't have to waste any time speculating about whether we spend our evenings covered in goat blood and imploring the Dark Powers to unleash savage justice on Kobe. Of course we do. And FYI -- goat's blood? Great for the skin.

Bill Simmons recently climbed to the top of our "Sports Analysts We'd Like To Throttle About The Head And Neck" list, thanks mostly to his continuing diatribe against Steve Nash. Simmons claims to love Nash's style of play and team-first attitude. Yet he hates, hates, hates the fact that a funny-looking, floppy-haired little white guy won back-to-back MVPs. And that's fine. As a basketball fan, you can love or hate whatever you want for whatever reasons you want. But when you try to represent your feelings as fact, that's when I have to step in and insult you. And your mother. Have I mentioned she's a fatty? Well, she is.

Anyway, I'd like to take some time to refute some of the bull feces I read in Simmons' latest column:

I hate to keep harping on Steve Nash's faults because he's such an extraordinary offensive player to watch, and he was spectacular in back-to-back Game 7s...Here's a standard rule of thumb. When someone begins a sentence with "I hate to say this, but...", they're probably about to say something stupid. And the reality is, they don't hate saying it at all. They want to say it. Bill Simmons has been disgruntled ever since Nash was selected for his second consecutive MVP Award, and he seems incapable of talking about Nash or the Suns without belittling Nash's game. It's like he has some rare form of Tourette's that revolves entirely around how Steve Nash shouldn't be MVP.

...but when you play 35 minutes a game during the season, followed by a seven-game series against the Lakers in which you didn't have to play any defense at all, followed by a couple of tough games against the Clips, I don't want to hear how tired you are.Fine, Bill. Don't read the news then. Or read it, but try to take some time to discriminate between what a player said and how what he said was interpreted and portrayed. When you see a headline like "Nash Complains Of Tired Legs," it's easy enough to heap criticism on him. I mean, what's he complaining about? He's a two-time MVP, for Chrissakes! Everybody's tired at this point of the season, aren't they?! What a whiner!

It's not that simple, of course, and Bill Simmons -- of all people -- should realize that. I did a Google news search for every possible iteration of "Steve Nash" and the word "tired" that I could imagine. Then I searched Yahoo news. Then I searched Technorati. Nowhere could I find a direct quote of Steve Nash "complaining" about anything. He went through a mid-series shooting slump against the Clippers, and the sports writers (as is their way) pressed him relentlessly for The One Reason for his faltering jumper. "Is it your bad back, Steve? What about the hamstring you've been having problems with? Is that sprained ankle from the Lakers series still bothering you? What's the story, Steve?"

Instead of playing the injury card, Nash simply gave credit to the Clippers' double-teaming defense and said that his legs were fatigued (which they were) and he therefore couldn't have his normal jump shooting range (which he didn't). He only confirmed what we all could see with our own eyes while watching the games. That was it. Or it should have been. But the news media, always searching for a scoop, couldn't leave well enough alone. They had to editorialize. According to one article, "It's been a long, arduous season for Steve Nash." According to another, "Steve Nash continues to play bravely through pain and exhaustion, despite an ever growing fatigue that has robbed him of his jump shot."

For the record, Nash has not (to my knowledge) described this season as arduous. He has not (as far as I know) discussed his "brave" play or his "growing fatigue." That's simply the media creating a story where no story really exists. And then, of course, Bill Simmons jumped all over it and used it as another piece of ammunition in his running critique of Nash.

Lastly, Bill also failed to point out that Nash has been logging more than 40 minutes throughout back-to-back seven game series...while directing an offense that's more like a track meat than a basketball team. Throw in the fact that he might have a spinal stress fracture, still has the bad hammy, and suffered an ankle sprain a fews weeks ago, and you have a guy with some very valid reasons to complain a little. And yet...he really hasn't.

Especially if you're a two-time MVP. The fact remains, Nash played only two good games in that series -- Games 1 and 7 -- and the Suns still won the series. If Nowitzki goes 2-for-7 against the Spurs, Dallas is going home right now. So who's more valuable? You tell me.I guess MVPs never complain, do they? I'll get to that in a minute. According to Mr. Simmons, "Nash played only two good games" in the Suns/Clippers series. That's a fact. Bill Simmons said so. But here are a few other facts for you to chew on. Nash averaged 18 points and 11 assists for the series. Those are pretty amazing numbers considering he had only two "good" games out of seven. I've got an idea. Let's take a peek at Nash's series against the Clips.

Only two good games? Hardly. It looks to me like he had two great games (Games 1 and 7), four good -- or even very good -- games (Games 2, 3, 5, and 6), and one bad game (Game 4). And despite the shooting slump (6-for-20 from the field and 0-for-8 in threes over one stretch), he still shot 48 percent for the series. And he's shooting over 50 percent for the playoffs. MVP also-rans Kobe and Lebron shot 49 and 47 percent respectively. For the sake of comparison, Allen Iverson shot 38 percent in the playoffs during his MVP season, and yet nobody talked about him being in a shooting slump. Interesting, isn't it?

And he's right. The Mavericks wouldn't win if Dirk Nowitzki went 2-for-7. He's a scorer. That's what he does, and that's what his team counts on him for. Nash is a passer first and a scorer second. He can run the offense and guide his team to victory even when he's not shooting well. And, frankly, the ability to find a way to win without a major scoring outburst does make him more valuable. I shouldn't have to explain that to an expert.
(You know who should have been tired? Shawn Marion, who played 3,268 minutes in the regular season, nearly 500 more than Nash, then upped it to 42.3 minutes a game in the playoffs as Phoenix's only reliable rebounder/shotblocker -- he had to play both ends of the court and guard everyone from Odom to Kobe to Kaman to Cassell, then have something left as the second scoring option. And while we're here, Larry Legend logged more than 4,000 minutes over eight grueling months during the '86-87 season without hearing a single "Wow, he's getting tired" excuse. Warrants mentioning.)This is another thing that bugs me about Simmons. He loves to toss out Larry Bird comparisons to prove his points. That doesn't work with me. I don't like to brag, but I've read almost every book and magazine article that's ever been written about Bird. When I'm feeling really frisky, I go to the library, reserve a microfiche machine, and read through old Boston Celtics game recaps and box scores. Harvard University is even considering awarding me an honorary Ph.D. in LarryBirdology. So, suffice to say, I know at least as much about Larry Bird as Simmons, and probably more.

Regarding Bird's '86-87 season. The Celtics were the defending champions. They had a a litany of injuries -- Walton's foot, McHale's foot and ankle, Parish's ankle, Ainge's knee and hamstring, Bird's back and elbow -- and the worst bench of all time. The starters all averaged between 38 and 42 minutes a game, and they were noticeably worn out as the season progressed. Don't listen to Simmons. The press made a very big deal of the Celtic's exhaustion, especially when the team lost 10 of 11 on the road, and finished with the first (and only) sub-500 road record of the Bird era (20-21). Even more was made of it during the playoffs, when the Celtics endured back-to-back seven game series against the Bucks and Pistons. The Celtics had squandered a 3-1 series lead against the Bucks, mostly due to Bird's disappearing act in the fourth quarter of Games 5 and 6 (he didn't hit a shot in the fourth of either game). Tommy Heinsohn, who called Game 7 for CBS, talked about how tired Bird looked. And how emaciated (Bird had gone on a "7-Up and popcorn" diet before the playoffs, because he thought dropping 20 pounds in three weeks would help his game).

It wasn't just the press, either. According to Peter May's book The Big Three, Bird himself admitted to being exhausted after beating the Pistons and making it back to the NBA Finals. Bird even said, and I quote, "I wish we didn't have to play another series." I think that warrants mentioning too, Mr. Simmons.

And as long as we're using Larry Bird comparisons to prove our points on Nash, one of Simmons' biggest gripes is how Nash rests on defense so he can go all out on offense. It's funny, but you know...Bird did the same thing. In Jack McCallum's book Unfinished Business: On and Off the Court with the 1990-91 Boston Celtics, it was described in great detail how Bird would be allowed to guard the opposing team's least effective frontcourt player while McHale and Cedric Maxwell would be forced to guard the Dr. Js and Dominiques of the world. Bird, meanwhile, was given the freedom to zone out and pick off passes. Bird is therefore often described as a great team or "help" defender. But you won't hear Simmons direct criticism at Bird's defense.

Bottom line: Nash deserved the be named MVP. Kobe quit on his team and quite possibly cost them any chance of winning Game 7 against the Suns. Lebron was eaten alive by the Pistons in Games 6 and 7 of the Detroit/Cleveland series. Nash, on the other hand, came through for his team in two fabulous Game 7s, and he put them on his back and willed them to victory last night on the road against a superior Mavericks team. He won it. He earned it. Get over it, Bill.

Marcus Banks

2006-07-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I don't know anything about Marcus Banks' game. I know he was part of dealing Gary Payton until the mitten failed his physical. But the latest rumors are that Banks is coveted by management....

The word is that Wolves free agent point guard Marcus Banks is headed for the Los Angeles Lakers. Two years ago, the Boston Celtics and the Lakers made a trade that had Banks going to the Lakers and Gary Payton moving to the Celtics. But Payton failed a physical and the deal was called off. The Lakers have been trying to land Banks ever since, and that is where he is likely to be when the 2006-2007 season starts.

Jones Summer Scouting Report: Kareem Rush

2006-07-10T18:19:00.001-07:00

I’m going to have the opportunity to watch several NBA players and prospects work out throughout the summer. So check back from time to time to get my own review on various players that I witness work out throughout the summer.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to watch Kareem Rush work out. The former Laker sharpshooter is a free agent this off-season, and will be the perfect fit for any team that lacks outside shooting. Although Kareem has shown that he is capable of doing things other than shooting in the past, in this work out he focused solely on showcasing his outside shooting touch. His left handed touch reminds me a lot of Michael Redd, in terms of form and accuracy. Obviously he is not the type of all around player that Redd is, but believe me their outside shots are very, very similar. In the portion of the work out I attended, Rush put up at least 500 shots in the workout, and it’s safe to say that he made at least 350-400 of them. And this wasn’t just him standing still and shooting. His trainer had him running a variety of drills that had him moving all over the place before he would have to catch the ball and then release. Let’s just say I left the gym rather impressed with Mr. Rush.

Kareem was cut at the end of the season because of some bickering between Bernie Bickerstaff (no pun intended) and himself. Bickerstaff claims that Kareem did not fit into the Bobcats system because he did not work hard enough. I find that hard to believe since the guy has been in the gym every morning since the end of the season trying to get himself into better shape. As well, his best friend from his Laker days was Luke Walton, and the two of them were known to be gym rats. I don’t know what the thinking was behind Bickerstaff’s move, because there were only 12 games left in the season and the team held an option on Kareem for the next season, so all they had to do was not re-sign him at the end of the season. But by vindictively cutting a guy with 12 games left in the season and accompanying it with disparaging comments, all he did was possibly harm the kid’s future earning potential. Which is sad because it seems like Kareem suffered more from a lack of consistent minutes than a lack of consistent effort. If you take a look at Kareem’s stats prior to the getting injured in January, you can see that he could see that he was a pretty consistent double figure scorer, and that he was playing thirty plus minutes per night. After his injury, he came back only to see his minutes were being filled by Ray Felton, Gerald Wallace, and Jumaine Jones. Instead of playing Kareem in the same fashion he did prior to his injury, Bickerstaff started to play Kareem very inconsistently. He would go from playing 20+ minutes one night, to less than 10 minutes the next night. There is no way a player can stay consistent if you are jerking him around like that. And if you look at his performances when he played 25+ minutes you’ll see that he was consistently a positive contributor in those games. What I don’t understand is how you can cut a guy who had just scored 21 points and shot 8-15 from the floor two games before you cut him. I mean these are the Bobcats we’re talking about here, so it’s not like they were loaded with so much talent that there was room to let Kareem go. Something just seems really fishy about the entire situation.

Despite how his season ended, Kareem seems to be handling himself in a professional manner. Rather than throw shots at Bickerstaff and the Bobcats, Kareem headed right to the gym and started preparing himself to be picked up by another team for next season. After watching Kareem work out yesterday I couldn’t help but think about what a help he could have been to teams like the Lakers, Heat, Pistons, or Cavs, that seemingly were one shooter away from being much better teams than they already were/are. The Suns would also be a good fit for him since they are looking to add depth and his three point shooting ability would be fully utilized with them. Playing along side Nash and Diaw, all he would have to do is spot up and be ready to knock his shot down. The Lakers would probably be the most ideal fit, since he already has played with them, and has fans in Phil Jackson and Luke Walton. The Lakers desperately need an outside shooter at the guard position. If Kareem could work on his defense and handle guarding smaller guards every night, I think he would be a candidate to start next to Kobe Bryant next year. Kareem knows the triangle and would be the perfect three point threat for the weak side of the Lakers triangle offense. As well, imagine if Kareem were on the Heat right now. I fully believe that team would be in a completely different situation against Dallas if they had someone to relieve pressure off of Shaq by being a consistent three point shooting threat. In other words, Kareem has nothing to worry about, because with the dearth of outside shooting in the league, someone is going to sign the kid.

Jones Summer Scouting Report: Kareem Rush

2006-07-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Jones Summer Scouting Report: Kareem Rush

2006-07-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jones Summer Scouting Report: Kareem Rush

2006-07-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Lakers Pick Farmar

2006-07-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted former UCLA Bruin Jordan Farmar with the 26th overall pick. Looks like Farmar made the right choice of going pro and getting drafted in the first round. Even if he played another year, I don't think his draft stock would have gotten too much higher. I do wish him the best of luck. I do not really follow the NBA too much so I really don't have a favorite team. However, I do not like the Lakers the most!

Former UCLA center Ryan Hollins was chosen by the Orlando Magic with the 20th pick of the second round. Congratulations to him for turning his game around in his senior year. He was not even a starter in the beginning of the season, but he came on strong in the end, especially in the NCAA tournament.

Technorati Tags: UCLA Basketball, NBA Draft

2006-05-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Lakers to aim higher next season

By JOHN NADEL
AP SPORTS WRITER

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Phil & Kobe reunion worked out well, with no apparent glitches. And outside of an ugly finish, so did the Los Angeles Lakers' season.

As for the future, Lakers fans probably shouldn't expect much roster shuffling or a championship contender very soon. The hope is, a title shot isn't too far away.

"We were all about getting to the playoffs and make some noise in the playoffs. We met our goal," coach Phil Jackson said Monday during a break from conducting exit interviews with his players.

The Lakers went 45-37 for an 11-game improvement over the previous season, and took a 3-1 lead over the Phoenix Suns before losing the last three games to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

"We're pleased. We maintained from day one that was achievable," general manager Mitch Kupchak said of a return to the postseason.

But Game 7 was ugly from start to finish - a 121-90 victory by the Suns.

"They're holding themselves responsible," Jackson said of his players. "I have to make them let go of that. The first four games were pretty good."

And the last three weren't.

"We think our future is very bright," Kupchak said. "The good news, really, is this team is together. You cannot predict a major change.

"This is not a stellar year where you're going to see eight to 10 stellar free agents available. We're in the exact same boat as 25 or 26 other teams are in. We have a big window two years from now."

That that might be when something big happens in free agency that makes the Lakers viable championship contenders.

"I wouldn't discount it a year or two down the road. I'm not prepared to say that, although I think that's a possibility," Kupchak said of returning to elite status.

Added Jackson: "Usually you have to go two or three rounds of the playoffs before you can compete for a championship. "We have some core ingredients that are pretty good."

The Lakers have three legitimate big men in Chris Mihm, Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum. Bryant is a superstar and Lamar Odom is an All-Star caliber player.

The biggest question mark is in the backcourt. Bryant's 35.4-point average was the NBA's best in 19 years, but the youth and inexperience of starter Smush Parker and top reserve Sasha Vujacic hurt the Lakers against the Suns.

"The question is, are we good enough at that position? Are we experienced enough? Both of them made strides this season," Jackson said. "We don't believe we have to have a superstar come in for us to advance (in the playoffs). We know we have enough physical talent, we have enough size, we have enough expertise to compete."

Kupchak said he didn't anticipate a major trade this offseason, but did acknowledge a possible need for an upgrade in the backcourt.

The Lakers, well over the salary cap, have only three unrestricted free agents on their roster - veterans Devean George and Jimmy Jackson and rookie Devin Green. George was a key reserve on this team.

"He's probably the one challenge we have during the offseason," Kupchak said. "Basically, the core of this team is intact."

George said he was going to explore free agency.

"I just let them know that I enjoyed being here and I'm open to coming back," he said.

Jackson, who coached the Lakers to three championships in five years, returned this season after a year off. He wrote a book slamming Bryant while he was gone, so there was intrigue upon his return. When training camp started, all eyes were in the record-setting coach and his star player. But no problems surfaced.

"We worked together really well this season," Jackson said. "It was remarkable, from Hawaii on. I think at first, it was like, `How's this going to work?' He really took to the offense, where he was going to play in it. It was a remarkable year for him."

Jackson said Bryant did an especially good job with leadership.

"Kobe was a lot more personable for us this year, was great as a leader," teammate Brian Cook said. "A lot of people did a lot of growing up. Everybody got along from the standpoint of off the court - just a great group of guys."

Bryant said he believes the Lakers grew up.

"When you go through a season like we went through and a playoff series like we went through, those are big steps in our development process," he said. "When we come back next season, you'll see a team that executes better, understands better, is better in pressure situations, is just mature."

Los Angeles Lakers

2006-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

The Minneapolis Lakers were one of the dominant teams of the fledgling NBA. With Hall of Famers George vodka, Vern Mikkelsen, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, and Clyde Lovellette, they were the NBA's first "dynasty", winning five championships in six years (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954).
After their move to Los Angeles in 1960, the team featured Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Wilt Chamberlain, but despite the wealth of talent, they were repeatedly foiled by the Boston Celtics, losing the championship to them six times in eight years. It wasn't until 1972 when they strung together a record 33-game win streak under Coach of the Year Bill Sharman that they were able to secure their first championship in Los Angeles.