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A while ago we discussed bringing Horry back to the Lakers. It now appears Horry would consider the Lakers to close out his career. So I bring up the question again, if we signed him for cheap, would you take Horry (especially since Kwame just signed with Pistons).
Herald-Zeitung: Horry has said he’d like to remain with the Spurs. If the organization decides to move on, however, he said he’d like to return to Los Angeles or to Houston, where he began his career.
Well, the “Kwame Dream” is officially dead. The former Laker has inked with the Pistons for 4 million a year…
ESPN: Brown’s agent, Mark Bartlestein, told ESPN.com on Monday night that the former No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft has reached a verbal agreement on a new contract with the Detroit Pistons. The contract is believed to be a two-year deal worth $8 million.
Forum Blue & Gold: Kurt’s post about Riles really got me thinking. It had me reminiscing about past Lakers glory, our current team, and taking the next step. Riley was part of one of the most famous teams in Lakers lore…33 straight wins and a world championship. They exemplified teamwork and player sacrifice for the greater good.
After thinking of that team, my mind drifted to the golden era of the 80’s….Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Cooper, McAdoo, Wilkes, Rambis, AC, Scott…I could literally go on forever. I grew up on the execution and flare of those teams. To me, that was how basketball was supposed to be played. Fast breaks, excitement, the sky hook, high fives, the opposition laying collapsed in the wake of another Lakers tidal wave. 8 Finals appearances and 5 titles in a decade. For any Lakers fan, the combination of the titles and the style of play made the 80’s the peak of our basketball fandom. We were in heaven.
Then I think about the Shaq/Kobe teams. Power and grace. Execution and turmoil. (Two of) the best players in the league flanked by the types of veterans that championship trophies are crafted for. We had the juggernaut at Center, the 2nd coming at Shooting Guard and players like Horry, Foxie, Fisher, Harper, and Shaw that made those teams the perfect blend of high profile talent and anonymous, yet deadly role players that would do anything to win.
But looking back on that specific team (and to some extent, the team that Riley was on too) made me realize that it wasn’t always so. We weren’t always the unstoppable bully. We weren’t always the favorite. There were doubters, and their voices were loud and piercing.
HOOPSWORLD: Negotiations are reportedly going nowhere between the Atlanta Hawks and restricted free agent Josh Smith. Smith is hoping for an annual salary in excess of $10 million while the Hawks are reluctant to meet his price.
At this stage, it looks like the Hawks best bet might be to sign and trade Josh Smith. Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated that a “Western Conference power” and an “Eastern Conference big dog” have already submitted offers to the Hawks, and that the team is currently in the process of weighing those offers.
This can’t help but make one wonder who exactly the teams are that Sekou Smith was referring to. Could the LA Lakers be the “Western Conference powerhouse” poised to make a play for Smith?
Well, the Lakers could offer Lamar Odom to the Hawks and take back Smith and point guard Speedy Claxton, provided the deal Smith signs with Atlanta before being traded is enough to match salaries given his BYC status. The move would give the Lakers the defensive presence it lacked in the Finals against the Boston Celtics, and it would also provide the Hawks with a good player and an expiring contract in Odom valued at over $14 million.
HOOPSWORLD: There have been some changes made in the Western Conference this summer, and there will likely be some more before it’s all said done. Here’s a look at the way the conference shapes up today with the rosters as currently constituted.
1. Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers were the odds on favorite to win it all heading into The Finals last month. Since that time, they’ve lost Ronny Turiaf. That might sound like a little bit of a problem for LA until you remember he will be replaced on the active roster by some kid named Andrew Bynum. Simply put, if Bynum is healthy the Lakers will be the favorites again in the West next year barring a major by one of the other top teams in the conference.
Team USA shined against Canada. It’s awesome to see the talent come together through chemistry and also to see D-Wade really look phenomenal in his first action in months!
ESPN: Mike Krzyzewski wanted Dwyane Wade on the U.S. team, just in case something ever happened to Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.
With James out Friday night, Wade proved he is definitely back.
Wade stepped into the starting lineup and scored 20 points in his first action in more than four months, and the United States beat Canada 120-65 in the opener of its exhibition schedule.
“D-Wade is a warrior to anybody who knows him. He’s been rehabbing and he’s been working out probably more than anybody, just trying to get back in shape,” point guard Chris Paul said. “That’s D-Wade. We see it every day in practice and you saw it tonight, that he’s back. When he’s aggressive like that, we’re a dangerous team.”
James, the NBA’s leading scorer, missed the game because of a mildly sprained right ankle, but the Americans have plenty of offense without him. Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd also finished with 20 points, and Bryant added 15.
The Americans made 16 of their first 20 shots and ended at 65.7 percent (44-of-67), getting plenty of layups and dunks at a sold out Thomas & Mack Center in their lone game on home soil before completing their Olympic preparations in China.
Continue reading ‘Team USA: Wade, Redd, Melo and Kobe dominate Canada’
This would be a great piece to add to the bench. What are your thoughts?
SportingNews: Speculation around the league, though, has Finley looking at league powers like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
“There are other teams, championship-caliber teams that want Michael,” Thomas said. “But he is not going to be in a hurry. If you know Michael, you know he is going to think about this very carefully and make the right decision for him and his family. He won a ring with San Antonio and he will never forget that. So, that will weigh into his decision.”
Forum Blue & Gold: For the newest of NBA fans, Pat Riley is the guy with the slicked-back hair who slid Stan Van Gundy aside to win a coaching title in Miami a couple years back.
For somewhat older fans (and those younger ones who watch NBA TV classic games), Riley is the coach with the slicked-back hair who led Magic, Kareem, Worthy and the Showtime Lakers to four titles in the mid 1980s.
But there was a time, before Dep ever touched his hair, that Pat Riley was a very good basketball player, a guy who was a key role player off the bench for the championship 71-72 Lakers team. It is that Pat Riley that I miss sometimes — and it is a player like that Pat Riley that the current Lakers team could use.
Riley may have always seemed like an urbane, big-city guy as a coach, with the Armani suits and tailored look, but he was born in quiet upstate New York. Rome to be specific. He grew up in Schenectady, where by the time he was at Linton High School he was already a standout athlete and a two-sport star in both basketball and football.
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