Lakers Look Lost in Denver

Fortunately for them, it was a game in November, and not May or June. The game was competitive for about 24½ minutes and then the Nuggets took over and turned it into a blowout. Final score: Home Team 105, Visitors 79.

The Lakers did manage to get balanced scoring from four of the five starters, but Derek Fisher was virtually unheard from tonight, and the entire bench with the exception of eight Jordan Farmar points was non-existent. Kobe and Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 19 points apiece.

Back home on Sunday with Houston. Trevor Ariza gets his ring.

Gasol Update

While the Lakers are battling it out deep in the heart of Texas against the Rockets and former teammate Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol was cleared today to resume all basketball activities after his extensive MRI revealed he did not have a tear in his hamstring. That said, he's expected to practice tomorrow and could see game action as early as Friday.

Meanwhile, Ariza and Ron Artest were assessed technical fouls in the first quarter, and Artest, who played for Houston last season, was booed mercilessly by Rockets fans every time he touched the ball.

The game was tied at 22 after one quarter.

Pre-season Winding Down...

Opening night is just three days away. Championship banner number 15 will be raised to the Staples Center rafters that night, against their in-house, in-town rival Clippers, with number one pick Blake Griffin making his official pro debut for the Clippers.

So many storylines heading into the 2009-2010 season.

For the Lakers, the big question is, can they repeat? Many people they can, and a lot of people think they will. Some don't think Ron Artest will make them anymore better than Trevor Ariza, and those same people don't think they can repeat. Either way, it won't be easy. And it looks like they'll have to start their quest to repeat without the services of Pau Gasol, who is still nursing a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last six pre-season games.

Back to the task at hand: repeating.

The West is loaded again. Denver still appears to be their biggest challengers, but Utah is still there, Dallas has gotten better with the addition of Shawn Marion, Portland is a year older and experienced, San Antonio is another year older but added Richard Jefferson, and just to throw them into the mix, the Clippers might contend for a playoff spot if they stay healthy.

The East still has its three beasts: The Celtics, who are a year older but added Rasheed Wallace to the mix, the Cavs, who added Shaq, and Orlando. All three teams have 60 wins written all over them.

All but the Clippers are serious contenders, and any one of them (minus the Clippers) can dethrone the Lakers. But really, the only team that can really beat the Lakers, is the Lakers. They've got to stay healthy. Artest has to be on his best behavior. (He's been seeing a sports psychologist for the past year to work on his anger management issues front he past.) Lamar Odom needs to stay focused and be accept his role off the bench. If all that happens, there's no reason the Lakers won't repeat.

The roster is virtually the same with the exception of Artest. And you can't help but think that the former Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Defensive Team can only help. And not to mention his 17-point career average is a little more intriguing than Ariza's eight-point average.

So let's get the banner up and defend that title.

An Insider's Take on Artest, Plus Ariza To Houston

I just happened to be rummaging through some of the Laker blogs on the big WWW to see what was being said about the Ron Artest deal, and came across this posting by John Ireland, who covers the Lakers for KCAL 9, and is the co-host of the Mason and Ireland Show on 710 ESPN in L.A. from 10am to 2pm.

Also, in reaction to the Artest agreement, Trevor Ariza has accepted the Rockets offer of their full mid-level exception of five years, $32MM. Artest reportedly is getting part of the Lakers mid-level exception of three years and roughly $18MM. As Ireland notes, this leaves more than enough for the Lakers to re-sign Lamar Odom, a childhood friend of Artest.

Lakers Agree with Artest

According to the L.A. Times, the Daily News and CBS Sports, the Lakers and Ron Artest have agreed on a deal. The Lakers, and Kobe, have coveted Artest for several years now, and almost traded for him two seasons ago when he was traded by Sacramento to Houston. Now, they apparently have their man.

The addition of Artest will take the sting away from the possibility of losing Trevor Ariza. Ariza is said to be upset with the Lakers for the way they've handled his free agency and is now talking with Cleveland and Houston, among other teams. Meanwhile, Artest is expected to sign for the Lakers full mid-level exception, which is roughly five years and about $32MM, and should give the Lakers enough in their budget to re-sign Lamar Odom, as well.

Artest has been meeting with Jerry Buss and other members of the Lakers management team, including Phil Jackson for much of the day. His agent says an official announcement of the agreement could come later today.

Is Ariza a Goner?

According to this ESPN article just posted a bit ago, all signs point to swingman Trevor Ariza signing elsewhere, perhaps with Cleveland. The article suggests that both the Lakers and Cavs are offering just their mid-level exception for him, but Ariza is apparently not happy with the Lakers "blase attitude towards his free agency." The Rockets, Clippers, Raptors and Blazers are also said to be interested.

Stay tuned as this story continues to develop.

Looking to Next Season, Tomorrow's Draft, Phil & Kobe

Now that people have had a chance to let the title run sink in, and enjoy the parade and the hoopla that came with it all, it's time to look ahead to next season. The Lakers, like most NBA teams, have some things to take care of that need to be addressed.

The first order of business is tomorrow's draft. The Lakers have the 29th pick of the draft/first round, but it is becoming more and more apparent that they don't want to add any more guaranteed contracts to the payroll, so chances are pretty good at this point that pick will be dealt. They also have two second round picks (Nos. 42 and 59). Part of the reasoning behind all this is they want to re-sign two of their own unrestricted free agents, Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, both small forwards who were two key components of their title run.

I was sure, that because of the uncertainty of whether or not they could re-sign both Ariza and Odom, the Lakers would use that first round pick and draft some insurance at the forward position, such as 6'9' Georgetown power forward DaJuan Summers, or possibly even go for point guard depth and draft UCLA's Darren Collison, even though Collison's size doesn't really fit into Phil Jackson's likeness for bigger guards. Either way, late word suggests the Lakers really aren't expected to make a splash at the draft tomorrow night in New York.

The only certainty of tomorrow's draft, by the way, is that L.A.'s other team will be drafting Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin with the first overall pick. After that, the rest of the draft is a crapshoot.

Back to the Lakers. The Lakers have made it clear that they will do everything in their power to re-sign both Ariza and Odom. And both players have said they not only want be back with the team, but that team also expressed the same willingness to want them both back. Whether or not they can actually do it remains to be seen. Both players, especially Ariza, will command a hefty pay raise in free agency this summer, so the Lakers will have their work cut out for them to try and get them both re-signed.

The Lakers very own human highlight reel, Shannon Brown, is also a free agent, and it is believed the Lakers want him back, as well.

The situation with Phil Jackson is more simple. He's either coming back, or he's not, but health issues have put any decision on hold until early July. There was speculation as early as yesterday that the Lakers might allow him to coach only home games, and let assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach road games. But GM Mitch Kupchak shot that idea down today saying if he comes back, he'll coach all the games. There will be no in-between. My guess is as good as anyone's but my gut tells me he will be back next season.

Finally, there's Kobe Bryant. This much we know: he will be back next year, and the year after. He does have an opt-out clause in his contract, and there was speculation he could do that to renegotiate his contract to save the team some money to allow them to re-sign Ariza, Odom and Brown. But even if that scenario played out, Kobe wouldn't get that much less than he's already making, and the Lakers wouldn't save that much on Kobe to free up addition money to re-sign Ariza, Odom and Brown. That said, its very likely Bryant will not use the opt out, and play out the final two years of his contract.

Obviously, the Lakers do have a lot issues to settle before training camp next season, but I'm pretty convinced that everything will work to the Lakers favor, and all of this talk will have been for naught.

Mission: Quest for 15 - COMPLETE!

Your Los Angeles Lakers are NBA Champions for the 15th time in franchise history after an impressive Game 5 victory over the Orlando Magic last night by a final score of 99-86. Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP after securing his legacy with one of the great Finals performances we've seen since Michael Jordan. Kobe averaged 32 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the five games against Orlando, just the second player ever to accomplish that in an NBA Finals series.

For Kobe and Derek Fisher, this is their fourth title together as teammates, who joined the league at the same time in 1996. Kobe was part of the Vlade Divac trade on draft day in 1996 that sent Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the rights to Kobe, who was drafted by the Hornets for the Lakers as part of the deal. Fisher was the Lakers first round draft pick later that night. The two struggled through three playoff seasons from 1997 to 1999, and finally won their first of three straight in 2000, against Indiana in six games, when Phil Jackson took over as head coach at the beginning of that season in 1999. The Lakers beat Philadelphia in five games in 2001, and swept New Jersey in 2002.

Jackson, with the win, becomes the winningest coach in NBA Finals history with his 10th title as a head coach, surpassing the late, great Red Auerbach, who won nine titles with Boston in the 50s and 60s. Jackson won six with the Bulls from 1991 to 1998, including three-peats twice, from 1991-1993, and 1996-1998, before coming to the Lakers in 1999. He has now won 10 of the last 19 NBA titles as a head coach, and is 10-2 overall in the NBA Finals, the two losses coming in 2004 against Detroit, and last season against Boston.

As for the game last night, the Lakers thoroughly frustrated Orlando after the Magic started off quickly and ran off to a nine point lead early. The Lakers battled back, weathered the storm, and then ran off a 16-0 run that would essentially seal the deal as the Magic never really challenged them again.

Not to be forgotten, are the performances of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza throughout the game, and the series. And of course, not mentioned yet and surely not forgotten, here in this space, were the two big three-pointers by Fisher in Game 4, the first sending the game into overtime, and the second helping ice the game in overtime that led to the all important 99-91 win.

In that game, the Lakers trailed at the half, after looking lost for 24 minutes. The Lakers battled through adversity, and early foul trouble, and came out of the locker room at halftime a much more aggressive team, led by Ariza's 13 third quarter points, and it carried over into Game 5. As aggressive as the Lakers were in the second half and overtime in Game 4, they did not shoot a single free throw after the third quarter. But it didn't matter.

The Magic made costly turnovers and missed numerous key free throws late Game 4, much like the Lakers did in Game 3, that enabled the Lakers to rally from five points down, and gave Fisher the opportunity to hit that game-tying three pointer with just under five seconds left in regulation.

In the decisive Game 5 win last night, the Lakers dominated many of the key components of the game, including the boards, offensively and defensively, and kept the Magic off balance much of the game, forcing them into key turnovers that led to key Laker points. As a result, the Magic played frustrated all night, and it was never more evident than in the play of Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu.

Congratulations to the Lakers on a remarkable season that saw them win 65 regular season games, third most in frachise history. Congratulations to the 15-time NBA Champion, Los Angeles Lakers!

Lakers Lose Game 3, But All Is Still Good

Talk about a weird game last night. Orlando shot an insane 63% from the floor, and Kobe missed some critical free throws late in the game, and turned the ball over and missed a layup, also late in the game, and the Lakers lost a tough one, 108-104 in Orlando.

Kobe scored 17 first quarter points but was relatively ineffective the rest of the night in spite of the miscues and missed free throws in the fourth quarter. Kobe led five Lakers in double figures, finishing with 31 points and eight assists for the third straight game. Pau Gasol had 23 points, Trevor Ariza finished with 13 points and Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar added 11 apiece off the bench for the Lakers, who shot a respectable 51% from the floor.

Meanwhile, the Magic had three players score 20 or more points, led by Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard's 21 points apiece. But the key to Orlando's win last night was a breakout performance in the series by Magic point guard Rafer Alston, who finished with 20 points.

The Lakers overall played a solid game, and well enough to win. But Kobe's mistakes, miscues and misses would prove costly, and a bit too much to overcome late in the game.

If the Lakers continue to play as well as they have in the series, they should be in great shape as they continue their march to their 15th NBA title. I don't expect Orlando to shoot 63% from the floor again, and you can bet Kobe won't have the kind of fourth quarter as he did last night again. That said, I expect the Lakers to come out victorious in Game 4 tomorrow night in Orlando.

**********
By the way, I heard on local ESPN Radio 103.3 FM here in the Dallas area today that the L.A.P.D. sent a memo out to the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles, that should the Lakers clinch the title on Sunday in Game 5, they could be ready for a parade on Monday morning. The memo apparently also said that if it takes the Lakers longer, a parade could take place next Wednesday, next Friday, or the following Monday. The L.A.P.D. has apparently already mapped out a parade route that would begin at Staples Center, and wind through downtown, ending up at the Coliseum where the rally would take place.

Now if you ask me, this is a very bold move by the L.A.P.D. because they're already under the assumption that the Lakers will win. The department's reasoning for the memo will obviously be that they're planning ahead to be prepared from a security standpoint, and chances are the city would buy into that. I just hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Lakers and they wind up not winning this at all.

T-Minus Two Hours

Well, we've finally reached that time of the day when we can really begin to prepare and get ready for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. There isn't a whole lot new to report on the Lakers side, but there might be some on the Magic side.

Earlier in the week, Jameer Nelson (shoulder) began full-contact drills and workouts with the Magic in hopes he might be activated and ready for the Finals. After the first two practices, teammates proclaimed Nelson ready, and that he would play in the Finals. Then earlier today, we heard the Magic rule him out and Nelson would not be activated for the series. Now late word out of Staples Center is that he will be activated for the series. But how effective he will be if he even plays remains to be seen.

Nelson was an intrigal part of the Magic's two wins against the Lakers during the regular season. However, those games were back in December, roughly 61 games ago for the Lakers.

Back on the Lakers injury front, both Lamar Odom (sore back) and Trevor Ariza (hip/groin) both practiced at 100% today are both expected to be ready for tonight. Ariza will continue to start while Odom comes off the bench.

The Quest For 15 Continues...

And it's back to the Finals for the 30th time in franchise history.

The Lakers completely dominated this game in every aspect, and used another solid balance scoring attack, coming away with a 119-92 blasting of the Nuggets. Kobe topped off his Game Five performance with an even better one in Game Six, pouring in 35 points, while shooting 60% from the floor, making all nine of his free throws, and most importantly, dishing out 10 assists. The Lakers got solid contributions from Paul Gasol, Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Luke Walton. All four scored in double figures, with Gasol and Odom scoring 20 and Ariza 17. Gasol and Odom also combined for 20 rebounds. Walton hit a couple of big baskets along the way for 10 solid points.

Game One of the Finals is June 4th. If Orlando wins the East Finals, they'll open in L.A. If the Cavs win, the Lakers will travel to Cleveland for Game One.

The Lakers dominated this game inside and outside, playing aggressive basketball, smothering defense, and penetrating and breaking down the Nuggets defense. In the process, they shot 57% from the floor and made all 24 of their free throws. They came with a purpose, the executed their game plan, played with a sense of urgency, and they conquered. This was, arguably, the Lakers best performance of the season, and most certainly, of the playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 for Denver, and J.R. Smith added 24. Chauncey Billips took just seven shots in the game again, five before halftime, and finished with 10 very quiet points. Denver shot just 43% from the field while missing 11 of 19 from behind the three-point line.

The Nuggets gave the Lakers a series in the first four and a half games, but the Lakers took control of the series mid-way through the third quarter of Game Five and never really looked back. They exposed the Nuggets weaknesses, and tonight, they nailed Denver's coffin shut.

Goodnight, "Birdman."

Lakers Lead Game 6 at the Half

So far, so good. Lakers showed up tonight. At the break, they're up 53-40. They're attacking the baket, they're playing aggressively, they're playing with a purpose tonight.

Lakers are shooting 60% to Denver's 37%. They're also shooting 60% from behind the three-point line. Kobe leads all scorers with 18 points, but he also has six assists. Ariza has 13.

Now That's What I'm Talking About

Well, that was a better performance by the Lakers last night. A well-balanced scoring attack propelled the Lakers to the brink of another trip to the NBA Finals with a 103-94 win at Staples. The Lakers slashed and dashed their way through the Nuggets defense all night, in particular from the middle of the third quarter to the end of the game. Kobe penetrated, drew double- and triple-teams while breaking down the Nuggets defense, and dished the ball out to the open man all night, racking up eight assists in the process, to go along with his 22 points on just 13 shots.

The result was a big night for Lamar Odom, who poured in 19 points with 14 boards, and Pau Gasol, who added 14 and 10, as the big men dominated the inside game.

The game was tied at the end of the first three quarters, but the Lakers used a 21-3 run that began mid-way through the third. They started the fourth with an 11-0 run to bust the game open. The balanced attack also featured 12 points each from Trevor Ariza and Derek Fisher. And Shannon Brown, who had just six points, hit a big shot late in the game to beat the 24 second clock that would turn out to be a huge basket.

Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 31 points, but unlike Game Four, when Denver had seven players in double figures, he had very little support from his teammates. hauncey Billips was limited to just seven shots all night for 12 points, the second highest scorer for the Nuggets. Only two others scored in double figures for Denver, who now trail the Lakers 3-2 in the series with Game Six back in Denver tomorrow night.

The Lakers were out-rebounded again, but this time by one board, but they did a much better job on the offensive glass, finishing with 14 offensive rebounds to Denver's 10. The game was more balanced from an officiating standpoint, as the Lakers shot just five more free throws than Denver. And despite that, Nuggets coach George Karl, much like Phil Jackson did after Game Four, criticsized the officiating after the game, although using much lighter words. Jackson was fined $25,000 for his comments. The league didn't fine Karl.

A little something to ponder heading into tomorrow's showdown...

A Mile High Embarassment

Well, that was fun, wasn't it?! Last night's game has to rank as one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a Laker team in the playoffs. They were out-played, out-hustled, out-rebounded, out-coached in every aspect of the game. Sure, Kobe did his thing with 34 points despite showing signs of fatigued carried over from the end of Game Three. Pau added 21 and 10, and Bynum chipped in another 14. But they displayed no sense of urgency last night, and played the game as if it were another regular season game in November instead of a key playoff game in a seven-game series. And while the Nuggets went to the free line 49 times to the Lakers 35, the Lakers have no one to blame but themselves for that, as well. They just weren't aggressive enough. And it showed, even on the offensive glass where they were badly out-rebounded 20-9 (58-40 overall). The bench added no support, either. Jordan Farmar led all Laker reserves with just 10 points.

Once again, Chauncey Billups was a thorn in the Lakers side, pouring in 24 points. Nuggets reserve J.R. Smith, who's been cocky and arrogant all series, displaying unsportsmanlike gestures throughout, also added 24. Five other Nuggets scored in double-figures for Denver, who won 120-101.

And, for whatever reason, Kobe was on the bench for a good part of the 4th quarter, again, which seemed to be a hot topic on numerous post-game shows last night on both radio and television. Many people suggested that Phil Jackson was throwing in the towel for this game much too early by sitting Kobe when he did.

Pau Gasol questioned the way the offense lacked the involvement of the 'big men' more, as well. And while I understand his frustrations and being the spokesperson for the 'big men', I personally am still not convinced that Andrew Bynum is altogether with it defensively. His inability to dominate the boards as a seven-footer has not warranted the playing time he commands, thus, making his availability to be an intregal part of the offense limited.

Of lesser concern, both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, are both recovering from minor injuries. It is believed that their injuries limited their effectiveness last night. Neither are expected to lose any significant playing time, and both hope to be more effective in Game Five tomorrow night at Staples.

Also, Andrew Bynum was assessed with a flagrant foul last night after making a hard foul on Nuggets forward Chris "Birdman" Anderson. Bynum brought both of his arms down hard on Anderson late in the game while Anderson was driving to the basket. When the play occurred, and ended, Anderson's headband was down over his eyes. However, replays showed that Bynum made every effort to hit the ball when this arms came down on Anderson, that there was no intent to injure Anderson, and the league today rescinded the flagrant foul on Bynum after further review.

Likely still under review, however, is the tripping of Kobe in third quarter by Dahntay Jones. Unintentional or not, Phil called it unsportsmanlike; Kobe said it was good defense and added, sarcastically, that he was a "klutz."

Having said all that, with the series dead even at two games apiece, the Lakers did what they set out to do when they arrived in Denver: they regained home court advantage, and have two chances at home versus one for Denver, so the odds are still in their favor. Hopefully they'll take advantage of it.

Lake Show Regains Home Court

This series is really turning into a closely contested battle between two teams looking to gain whatever edge they can. Tonight, Kobe, Ariza and Gasol stepped it up and carried the Lakers, making the big shots and the big plays when they needed it, and the Lakers gutted out a 103-97 win from the Nuggets up in the Mile High City.

The Lakers trailed much of the game, and as was the case in the first two games, both teams had to overcome inconsistent officiating from the referees. But in the end, the Lakers were victorious as they held their cool over an emotional Nuggets team that made some costly mistakes again late in the game. The biggest play of the game, no doubt, was a replica of a play that turned out to be the biggest play of the Lakers Game 1 win. Trevor Ariza stole an inbounds pass at midcourt from the Nuggets, and was fouled in process, making the two free throws that gave the Lakers a four-point lead.

Kobe finished with 41 points, his second 40-point effort in the series. Game 4 is Monday night.

Catching Up: Lakers Play; Officiating

I didn't get a chance to blog at all during the past week, but I was finally able to watch the games. I saw the final two games of the Houston series, and have watched Games 1 and 2 of this series with Denver. And two things have become increasingly apparent. One, the Lakers do not look like a title contender with their Jeckyl and Hyde play. And two, the officiating is getting ridiculously worse and worse as the playoffs get closer to the Finals.

First, the Lakers play. How does one explain a team that wins by 40, then loses by 20, then wins by 20 in three straight games? Kobe said it best earlier in the week on Mason and Ireland on 710 when he said, and I'm just paraphrasing here, that the Lakers are bi-polar. This team, probably more than any other Laker team that I can remember, gives their fans major heartburn and headaches. I have never seen a team play so inconsistent through 48 minutes than this one. It makes me wonder sometimes, how this team ever won 65 regular season games. It's probably a miracle they got this far, as well. And when I say "this team" I'm referencing to last year's team, as well.

I could sit here and break down how each of the 12 players on the team has been brutally horrid at one point or another in the playoffs. But let's stick to what we already know. Lamar Odom is the most passive-aggressive player I've ever seen. I've never seen a guy try to do more than he has to to make an easy layup. Luke Walton is probably worse. As smart of a player as he is, he's also the most mistake-prone. He, too, like Odom, can't seem to make a simple layup. And where do we begin with Andrew Bynum? Phil Jackson has literally lost all confidence in him because of his defensive deficiencies, as well as his inability to dominate the glass, that his playing time has been cut nearly in half. And Derek Fisher, while he can still hit a big three when they need one once in a blue moon, just isn't the same player he once was. The smaller, quicker guards in the league are just simply abusing him defensively. It might be time for Jordan Farmar to take over the point guard duties.

Now my rant on the officiating. Bottom line: it stinks! The officiating has gotten worse and worse every year, and it has become more prevalent in the post-season. And I'm not just talking about how bad it has been against the Lakers, it's been bad for everyone. One example: Dallas got robbed of a win in one of their games in their Denver series. It wouldn't have made a big difference in the series outcome, but the point is that the horrific officiating has taken the games out of the players hands, and right into the referees hands. The games aren't being decided by the players anymore. And it's been like that for years now.

As for the officiating against the Lakers, Lamar Odom nearly had his jersey pulled right off his back in Game 7 of the Rockets series after he made a steal, and no call was made. Chauncey Billups clearly stepped out of bounds late in Game 1 when he made a key three-pointer right in front of a referee, and it wasn't called. Kobe suffered a dislocated finger again when he got hacked in the same game, and no call was made. Trevor Ariza got hit on top of his shoulder after he made that steal of the inbounds pass late in Game 1, and no call was made.

The technical and flagrant fouls have gotten way out of hand, as well. Again, I know the league and officials, probably in light of the Detroit-Indiana brawl of a few seasons ago, are trying to control the games before they get out of hand, but it seems as if they're taking control of the games instead.

I know the league would prefer to have the higher profiled teams in the Finals because the ratings would be higher, and you'd have two of the biggest profiled players in the league in the Finals going head-to-head. Sometimes I wonder if the league is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites because one day you get the feeling the league is doing whatever it can to avoid having certain teams advance, and then the next day its the complete opposite. You almost get the feeling that the league is fixed, that the games are fixed.

But here's my real problem with the officiating in the NBA. The officials in the NBA hold grudges against teams and players moreso than in any other sport. And they become that much more magnified on a bigger stage such as the playoffs. There is also no consistency what-so-ever. There never is. It's gotten worse every year. The officiating isn't the same now as it was 10 or 15 years ago. I do wonder if the ever-changing rule changes every year might have something to do with it, or if perhaps Commissioner David Stern is just dictating to the refs what he wants for his own personal agenda.

It has gotten to a point now where if it weren't for the Lakers, I would probably never watch the NBA. In fact, I really don't anymore. And as big of a Laker fan as I am, living outside of Southern California, I refuse to pay extra for the Full Court satellite package so I can watch the Lakers when they aren't on national television (ESPN, ABC, TNT, NBA TV). I refuse to give the NBA any of my money. I would rather watch an NHL playoff game instead, because the officiating is consistent from game to game, and they let the players on the ice decide the game. Seriously, turn on an NHL playoff game and you will rarely see penalties called late in the game, or in overtime if it gets that far. NHL officials, in my opinion, are probably the best of the four major sports in America. NBA officials? The absolute worse. And it's not even close. And what makes it even worse is when it is brought to David Stern's attention, he refuses to acknowledge that it's a big problem.

I could probably go on and on about this but there's no point in beating a dead horse. But my points are made. If the Lakers somehow win this series, and even the next one, it will be a miracle at this point. Their inconsistent play is their biggest achilles heel at this point, and they better turn it around quick or its going to be another long off-season of finger-pointing and what-ifs. They need to get tough. They need to care. They need to play these playoff games as such, as if every game is a game seven, not a regular season game in November. And as for the officiating, good riddance to the team that does win because chances are they'll get plenty help on the court from the guys in stripes.

Has Anyone Noticed...

That Chris Mihm was traded yesterday? Well, if you're wondering, today is the trade deadline in the NBA, and that move obviously stirred some questions around Laker camp as to whether that was a precursor to another move today by GM Kobe (just kidding, Mitch!). I guess the main concern is the Lakers sudden lack of big men (Bynum's out until at least April, and Gasol is really now the only center on the team). Is Amare on his way in? Is Shaq coming back for one last hoorah? I highly doubt it. But Josh Powell sure seemed to like the move as his minutes suddenly skyrocketed to the point he played enough last night to score 12 points... by half-time!

Speaking of last night (and the night before), it looked like the Warriors were going to run the Lakers off the court much in the same way the Lakers did to Atlanta the night before at Staples. Instead, the Lakers held their own, and then Trevor Ariza - yes, Trevor, and not Kobe - took over the game. Ariza hit two huge three-pointers that would prove to be too much for Golden State to overcome. And what's with Lamar Odom suddenly becoming this force to be reckoned with? Oh, maybe it's just the fact he's playing for a contract next year! But who cares! He's actually playing his best basketball as a Laker right now, and the Lakers will gladly take it in the absence of Bynum.

By the way, anyone see new Laker Shannon Brown's block late in the game against Atlanta the night before last? Talk about being light on your feet. I don't ever remember seeing a block like that... ever! Enjoy!

Lakers Rule the NBA

Back on October 30th, I wondered, if after two games, they were as good as they had played in those first games. Thirty-one games later, and after a horrid stretch were they were finding ways to blow big leads and either barely hang on for wins or lose games altogether, I'd have to say, "Yes, they are this good."

Even after losing last night at home for the just second time all season against a very good New Orleans team, the Lakers have shown that they can be mentioned in the same breath with the elite teams in the league. Because they ARE an elite team in the league. For a while it looked like the Lakers were one of the worst elite teams we had seen in years. They were winning games, as their record had proved, but they weren't pretty. They had lost two games on an East Coast road trip that proved they weren't an elite team, yet. Then they went home for Christmas and the red-hot 27-2 Boston Celtics, the defending champs, arrived, and the Lakers ran them off the court like they were a bunch of teenage street players just learning how to play "HORSE". Since then, the Celtics went spiraling into a 2-5 record and have shown they are a very beatable team, and the Lakers leapfrogged both Boston and Cleveland into the league's top spot with the best record.

Kobe Bryant continues to be Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol has become a huge fan favorite with his likeable charm on and off the court, and his ability to step up and come up big late in games as a second option. Andrew Bynum hasn't had the season he would have liked so far, but when you realize he would still be a Junior in college right now, the Lakers can't really complain too much. The biggest surprise so far has been the consistency from the bench, in particular from Trevor Ariza, who has provided much of the hustle and spark of the bench left behind by the departed Ronny Turiaf to Golden State.

If the Lakers can shore up the defense a little (they're giving up 100 points a game), they should be in good shape heading into the second half of the season.

Pre-season Notes

First, and most important, Kobe Bryant's hyper-extended knee suffered in Tuesday night's pre-season game in San Diego against Charlotte is fine and he is expected to play in tonight's pre-season game, also against Charlotte.

Sasha Vujacic, who suffered a foot injury early in training camp, is expected to see a foot specialist to determine his availability for the final two pre-season games before next Tuesday's opening night game against Portland.

The Lakers waived 2008 second round draft pick Joe Crawford, and C.J. Giles yesterday, trimming the roster down to the required 15. All indications are Coby Karl has made the opening night roster.

As of today, the roster is as follows:

Forwards: Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Josh Powell, Valdimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton and Sun Yue.
Guards: Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Coby Karl and Sasha Vujacic.
Centers: Andrew Bynum, DJ Mbenga and Chris Mihm.

Let The Rumors Begin

Here we go! The fun part of the off-season: the trade and free agent rumors before free agency. And the Lakers are right in the middle of it all.

Despite coming two wins shy of their 15th title in franchise history, the Lakers will obviously be looking to find ways to improve the roster. Here's what we know so far:

• Trevor Ariza exercised the option on his contract, and will return next season.
• Chris Mihm will not opt out of his contract, and will also be returning next season.
• Salary cap restrictions will make it difficult for the Lakers to be active in the free-agent market if they intend to re-sign restricted free agents Rony Turiaf and Sasha Vujacic.
• Lamar Odom could be on the trading block with one year left on his contract.

Now for the BIG rumor: word is circulating around Laker and Sacramento King-land that Kings forward Ron Artest will opt out of his contract to sign a mid-level exception contract with the Lakers. This hasn't been confirmed obviously, and Artest has already indicated he's 99.9% sure he won't opt out. Obviously he's not going to say anything else otherwise until he actually does opt out. But word is he wants to play with Lamar Odom (even though other rumors suggest he could be traded to clear salary cap space) and Kobe. Either way, adding a player of Artest's stature would certainly help the Lakers, primarily because he's a defensive specialist who also happens to average about 18 points a game. This could be a HUGE signing if everything falls into place. Stay tuned...