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Author Archive for Ahmed Sedam

The Swag is Back!

Published by Ahmed Sedam on March 21, 2008 in Cougar's Take. 32 Comments

After what happened in the first quarter of the New Orleans game last Friday, and Sunday in Houston, the Lakers looked down and out. Not only could they not stop a point guard, they couldn’t find a way to put the ball in the hole over a consistent period of time.

They looked dead in the water, like a team in search of its soul.

The Lakers task on the rest of the road trip would not be any easier going against the two best home teams in the NBA without Bynum, Gasol, and Ariza. So what do the Los Angeles Lakers do?

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The BIG Test

Published by Ahmed Sedam on March 13, 2008 in Cougar's Take. 21 Comments

When I was in high school, the day I hated most was test day, there was nothing worse than having the strain that comes with preparing for a big test, and the stress that comes with actually taking the test. Well that is until I started at APU this Fall, now Mid-Terms and Finals take that spot.

With that being said, the Los Angeles Lakers are about embark on something more challenging than their 9 game road trip in February. A 4-game Mid-Western swing, where they will step toe-to-toe, like 2 dancers on the floor, with 4 of the top teams not only in the Western Conference, but the entire NBA.

With such a test in front of them, what are the questions that will need to be answered for the Lakers to have a successful roadie?

How do the Lakers match up with each team?

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A True L.A. Story

Published by Ahmed Sedam on March 6, 2008 in Cougar's Take. 30 Comments

Jordan Farmar has emerged as one of the best young point guards in the NBA. His quickness, toughness, and work ethics have made him a fan favorite. He is a true Angelino and I am proud to see him wearing the legendary Purple and Gold.

Growing up in Woodland Hills as a young man, Jordan Farmar could not have predicted the road his life has gone down.

Farmar started his high school career at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, before transferring to Taft in Woodland Hills. At Taft, he came into his own as a basketball player, playing tenacious defense as well as an uncanny ability to make everyone on the court better, Farmar got noticed by a number of college coaches. He scored a school record 54 points in a game, and averaged 27.5 points and 6.5 assists per game to lead Taft to their first ever L.A. City Title.

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The Birth of “The Machine”

Published by Ahmed Sedam on February 29, 2008 in Cougar's Take. 49 Comments

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It is the 2004 NBA Draft live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Players such as Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Andre Iguodala, and Luke Jackson have all been taken in the lottery, and thus went up to take their picture with the Commissioner David Stern. All the players that were scheduled to be there had already heard their name called.

Now the Lakers are on the clock, and draft little known (at least by most Lakers fans) Sasha Vujacic, a 6’7 guard out of Slovenia. Unexpectedly, and without an invitation, Sasha is in the building and proceeds to put on his purple and gold Lakers hat, and go up for his picture with the Commissioner. Lakers fans were left pondering how would this young man pan out. Now in his 4th season, “The Machine” has emerged.

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Kobe Bryant: Unexpected Epic Season Deserves MVP

Published by Ahmed Sedam on February 22, 2008 in Cougar's Take. 36 Comments

The Los Angeles Lakers have 28 games remaining in the 2007-2008 season. And for the first time in what seems like decades, the Lakers are 20 games over the .500 mark, and have a legit chance to reach the Promise Land, that Kobe and Phil have longed for.

Saying the Lakers off-season was a circus, is an understatement to say the least. Kobe Bryant went into a trade me, trade me not scene that dominated sports talk shows up until opening night. The turning point of the year might not have been anything to do with the Lakers. It’s when Bulls General Manager, John Paxon, came out and said the Kobe talks were dead, the Los Angeles Lakers then took off like a bottle rocket.

A season so unexpected and so remarkable, that Kobe Bryant deserves to have the best player to never win an MVP monkey off his back.

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