Archive for August, 2007
Special thanks to Faith for writing this take and giving us the privilege to add it to TheLakersNation.com. Again, if you guys see anything Lakers related that you think deserves to be put up, just e-mail us at articles@TheLakersNation.com.
Phil Jackson has won 9 rings.
After last season, many will say he has lost his touch. Some will even go as far to say that he never had it to begin with. But the fact of the matter is, he’s doing the best with what he’s got and that isn’t much.
Earlier in the year, with the team up in the standings, Phil Jackson was hailed brilliant. Some were even counting on a Coach of the Year recognition. Most believed it was his best coaching job ever.
He got a passive Lamar Odom to be the most aggressive he’s ever been in his 8 year career. Luke Walton was putting up career numbers, and really was on his way to be considered for the most improved player of the year. Kwame Brown threw away less passes! And even Sasha Vujacic had a game winning game*!
Then the tide turned, injuries started to plague an already unstable team, and we made the playoffs only on the shoulders of one Kobe Bean Bryant.
Was Phil Jackson brilliant in his decision to let Mamba loose? Perhaps. Was he as much to blame for the downward spiral of our team? Probably. After all as the coach, he could have emphasized defense a bit more, effort a bit more, not to mention heart. But the fact of the matter is, he did what he could with this team. Yes, he could have and probably should have played Smush Parker less, Mo Evans, Farmar and Shammond Williams more. But with our roster, he really didn’t have much of a choice.
+Continue Reading
ESPN: A new and improved U.S. team was too good for Argentina’s B team.
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points — 15 in the first quarter — and the United States cruised into the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament as the No. 1 seed by beating Argentina 91-76 Thursday night.
The Americans took control early and were never threatened in the matchup with the defending Olympic gold medalists, who also came in undefeated despite playing this qualifying tournament without the core of their team.
Carmelo Anthony added 18 points and LeBron James had 15 for the Americans, who will face Puerto Rico in one of Saturday’s semifinal games. A victory there gives them a berth in the 2008 Olympics.
That seems likely for a U.S. team (8-0) that had overwhelmed its opponents before playing their toughest foe in the finale of round-robin play.
The Americans averaged 117.6 points while beating their first seven opponents by 42.7 per game, not too far from the 121.2 points and 51.5 victory margin averaged by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and the rest of the Dream Team in the Olympics 15 years ago.
Continue reading ‘Bryant, Team USA flatten Argentina to reach FIBA semis’
The site looks pretty cool, click on the bottom link to get a “glimpse” of it. I wonder though, what made them change it. 
Lakers.com will re-launch with a new look, new feel, and new content to coincide with our 60th anniversary. Check back in early October to see the all new Lakers.com!
People’s Daily Online: Kobe Bryant, the U.S. basketball superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers, is expected to descend on the Philippine capital of Manila on September 5, local media reported Wednesday.
During his one-day visit, Kobe Bryant will take part in a new Nike shoe launch and share his skills with young Filipino basketball players, the Manila-based GMA TV said.
“Kobe Bryant serves as a basketball icon, inspiration and role-model to a lot of our young Filipino athletes and we are proud to bring him closer to his fans,” said Melissa Crucillo, the country marketing manager of Nike Philippines.
After Manila visit, Kobe will fly to Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, as part of the Kobe Bryant’s Supernatural Asia Tour 2007, the report said.
The Filipinos have an undying passion for basketball. Street ball games are played in nearly every district in the urban and rural areas alike. Some roads are dotted with so many make-shift courts that sometimes the traffic is blocked.
Local television also air basketball games on a more than regular basis that NBA superstars become no strangers to average Filipino.
Very intriguing article about tonights game but the last paragraph caught my attention.
ESPN: Bryant, by the way, said he “hadn’t really had a chance to speak to” Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who was in attendance Wednesday night.
‘He’s easy to coach,’ the Duke legend says of the Lakers’ superstar. The pair has bonded even more while working with the U.S. team.
L.A. Times: On the court, Kobe Bryant has been a ferocious defender for Mike Krzyzewski in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament. Off the court, Krzyzewski is an equally strong defender of Bryant.
The bond between player and coach was formed when Bryant considered coming to Duke rather than jumping directly from high school to the pros. It was strengthened when Krzyzewski considered leaving Duke to coach the Lakers after Phil Jackson’s departure in 2004.
And it has been sealed now that they are finally united on the U.S. basketball team.
While Bryant has been heavily criticized for his meltdown after the NBA season, when he went back and forth on his desire to remain a Laker, Krzyzewski is sympathetic.
“I would always want guys who would want to win,” Krzyzewski said. “The fact that he’s frustrated because they are not winning at the level he would like, I think that’s a good problem. I’m sure the Lakers will work things out. The thing about Kobe is that every thing he does is so public. It’s the scrutiny placed on an individual who has won three world championships and is considered the best player in the world. That goes with the territory.”
Krzyzewski says he has been there for Bryant behind the scenes.
Continue reading ‘Krzyzewski has Bryant’s back’
Unlike his role on the Lakers, the guard sets the tone with intangibles such as defense, work ethic and hustle.
LA Times: Heavenly shades of night are falling, it’s twilight time for another U.S. basketball team.
Suspended between America’s dreams and recurring nightmares, this team is living up to the usual great expectations amid the usual casual interest: small crowds, a thin press corps, ESPN announcers doing the games from the studio in Bristol, Conn.
Unlike any team that ever competed in the NBA or NCAA, a U.S. team is judged solely by its bad outings.
If it destroys all in its path, it goes into the pantheon with Bill Russell’s 1956 team, Jerry West’s and Oscar Robertson’s in 1960, Bob Knight’s in 1984 and the 1992 Dream Team, itself.
Winning unimpressively, or even letting Mexico score 100 points as it did Monday, is a mild embarrassment.
Losing a game, let alone a tournament, is a disaster.
Losing year after year. . . as the U.S. has since 2000, failing even to make the finals in one Olympics and two World Championships. . . well, that’s where this team comes in.
Without fanfare, nine players have turned over from last summer’s young U.S. roster to this grown-up one, led by veterans like Jason Kidd and. . . Kobe Bryant?
Continue reading ‘Bryant scores bigger as a leader with U.S.’
I know this isn’t Lakers related in a bit, but the Lakers were one of the six teams rumored that Camp Yi would like to call his NBA home.
HOOPSWORLD.COM: While it’s difficult getting a clear report when filtering Chinese news reports through translation software, it appears the Milwaukee Bucks have finally landed Yi Jianlian.
Bucks owner Senator Kohl made the trip personally to China to resolve whatever issues were causing Yi’s hold out.
For awhile it seemed like the Bucks would have no choice but to trade the player they took with the sixth pick in this year’s draft, but they were patient and persistent.
A press conference was held in the wee hours of the morning (American time) but details are quite sketchy.
More on Yi Jianlian and the “gigantic male deer team” (courtesy of Babelfish) as it develops . . .
Washington Post: The focused look on Kobe Bryant’s face before the U.S. men’s basketball team tipped off Tuesday gave some indication of what was in store for Puerto Rico: The Americans weren’t about to let another inferior opponent hang around longer than necessary.
The United States had learned its lesson Monday night against Mexico. Although the Americans won by 27 points, they were disappointed in their overall effort, blaming everything from tired legs to the sparse crowd for their lack of energy.
That wasn’t the case against Puerto Rico, as the U.S. team got back to playing suffocating defense and efficient offense and won, 117-78, to clinch a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
For the first time in this Olympic qualifying tournament, a player other than Carmelo Anthony led the United States in scoring, as LeBron James had a game-high 21 points. Anthony had 17 points, Michael Redd 15, Bryant 14 and Amare Stoudemire pitched in with 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds as the Americans improved to 32-0 all-time in this tournament.
The United States will play Uruguay on Wednesday and conclude the second round Thursday against Argentina, the only other unbeaten team in the tournament.
Continue reading ‘U.S. Rolls, Clinches Spot in Semifinals’
Washington Post: The ever-present focus and intensity that defined the United States men’s basketball team as it steamrolled through the preliminary round of the FIBA Americas Championship was evident only in spurts Monday against Mexico.
The Americans still won in blowout fashion, 127-100, but often appeared uninterested as the second round of this Olympic qualifying tournament began. Carmelo Anthony again led the team in scoring with 28 points. Kobe Bryant had 21, and LeBron James and Dwight Howard had 19 apiece, but the United States failed to win by at least 40 points for the first time.
Before the game, U.S. Coach Mike Krzyzewski greeted a familiar foe with a huge hug before the game began. Nolan Richardson, the former Arkansas coach who is leading the Mexican national team, had the highlight of his career against Krzyzewski, defeating Duke for the 1994 NCAA championship. He has brought his “40 minutes of hell” philosophy to Mexico, and his team stayed within 20 points for most of the game before falling into purgatory.
Mexico got within 15-11 in the first quarter, but the United States closed out the period on a 30-12 run that featured seven dunks — including three each by Anthony and Howard — and two three-pointers.
But the Americans’ intensity level dropped considerably in the second period, and they appeared to become complacent in anticipation of an inevitable romp. They got caught up playing one-on-one and forced tough shots on offense and surrendered easy baskets on defense.
Continue reading ‘U.S. Lets Up a Bit, But Still Romps’
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