You Stay Classy Derek Fisher!

I'm more than 650 miles away and I feel it.  this morning was much like any other morning in Los Angeles but slightly different because while everyone is busy doing what they do everyday, there is a small void in their hearts.  there is a hole in the middle of Lakerland and in the hearts of Laker fans worldwide because this morning ... Derek Fisher is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

I can't speak for the rest of the Lakernation because that would be presumptuous of me.  I can, however, tell you why I'm gonna miss D-Fish.

Laker fans will tell you.  non-Laker fans will tell you.  Fish is old.  Fish is slow.  Fish doesn't score enough.  Fish rarely posts double digit assists.  the Lakers have THE WORST point guard play in the NBA.  Fish and Blake were horrible.  these things are well known and well documented.  and many Laker fans will agree ... Fish needed to go.

but not like this.

not traded away to nothingness.  Derek Fisher should have retired last year as a Laker and went out with the organization that he spent all but 2 and a half years with.  but he didn't.  

and here we are.

though his play on the court will not be missed (except in crunch time), it's the other things that Derek Fisher brought to the Lakers organization that have Laker fans feeling like they've lost a member of the their families.  character.  class.  toughness.  clutch.  leadership.  savvy.  loyalty.  these are some of the intangibles that Derek Fisher brought, not only to his game but in the locker room and to the organization.  

remember when Derek Fisher hit that shot with .4 seconds on the clock against the Spurs?  clutch.

remember when the Lakers were on the verge of collapse in the Finals against Boston and Derek Fisher drove the length of the court and got pummeled by 3 Celtics as he hit the layup and kept the Lakers in the game.  toughness.

hey Luis Scola, I know you guys are teammates now but do you remember Derek Fisher?  loyalty.

remember when the Lakers were falling apart earlier this season amidst trade rumors and poor bench play?  Derek Fisher called a team meeting and got everyone back on the same page.  leadership.

but the most interesting thing to me will be the effect on Kobe Bryant.  remember when Derek Fisher played those years with the Warriors and the Jazz?  now do you remember that Kobe was out of control those years?  Derek Fisher came back and calmed him down and helped get him 2 more rings.  that's the guy I'm gonna miss the most.  

Kobe is a man looking down on everyone else in the NBA.  nobody can tell him anything because they have not done what he's done.  they weren't there during all 5 championship runs.  they didn't have to struggle, fight and claw their way into history like he did.  they weren't in the trenches when the chips were down and their backs were against the wall.  sure there were people there ... but not for all of it.  well ... except for Derek Fisher.

when Kobe starts getting all dictatorship in practice, in the games or in the media ... there is one dude ... and dude only, that can tell Kobe to shut his trap and that Kobe respects enough to listen to.  that man was just traded away yesterday.  I would venture to say that Kobe doesn't even respect Mike Brown as much as he respects Derek Fisher.

that's the guy I'm gonna miss.

in a hundred years from now when people talk about the all-time greatest Lakers in history, I hope D-Fish will be mentioned in the conversation.  his greatness was much more than his stats will ever show.  

good luck to you Derek Fisher!  

thanks for the memories.

Kobe .... Of The Opera?

last night, the Los Angeles Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves in LA and La Mamba Negro was doing his best Rip Hamilton impression by sporting a mask to cover his all star weekend battle wound.  in case you missed it, here are some pictures of Kobe Bryant starring as The Phantom of the Staples Center.  (enter soft organ music now)

night time sharpens, heightens each sensation ....

darkness stirs and wakes imagination .....

silently the senses abandon their defenses helpless to resist the notes I write .....

help me make the music of the night!  .... aaaaaand CRESCENDO! 

mask and all, he ended the night with 31 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal.  and no I did not write those lyrics from memory except for the ones I couldn't remember so I made them up.  no ways did any of that just happen.

RASHEED WALLACE ... Definite Maybe.

there have been reports saying Rasheed Wallace is planning on coming out of retirement and joining a struggling Lakers squad.  which would be all fine a dandy if he were gonna play backup to Pau Gasol but one has to wonder why they are signing another big man when we need a PG!  the speculation is that the Lakers are planning on moving Pau Gasol to get a quality point guard.


as an avid Laker fan I have to wonder WHAT THE HECK THEY ARE THINKING?  


Rasheed is a 37 year old retiree and hasn't played a minute since game 7 of the 2010 finals.  they say he is in great shape but I'm not too sure who "they" are and whether I trust whatever "they" have to say.  


it would be one thing getting this Rasheed:

or even this Rasheed:

even this Rasheed played well behind Kevin Garnett:

but who knows what Rasheed will look like as a 37 year old coming out of retirement.  


I would absolutely love to have Rasheed Wallace as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers but as a back up to Pau Gasol.  if they trade Gasol and ask Sheed to to the heavy lifting at PF, I don't see how that's gonna work out.  are they gonna start Josh McRoberts or Troy Murphy?  I just don't know what they are thinking.


Jim Buss is destroying the Lakers and only one thing can save him .... if he can pull a big name.  but I DO NOT see that happening.  Jim is not Jerry.  Mitch is being relegated to press conferences and answering phones while Jim is trying to make the Lakers "his" team but I don't trust his decision making.  he didn't go for Chauncey Billups.  he didn't go for Baron Davis.  he didn't go for Nate Robinson.  he did trade for Chris Paul so I gotta give him props for that but there were others out there that he didn't pursue.


the Laker front office looks like it's in shambles and doesn't look like it'll get any better until it gets much, much worse.  we the Laker faithful can only sit, pray and hope for the best sooner than later.




hey Jim or Mitch ... I got an idea.  keep Pau, keep Sheed release Luke or Kapono and try to get Aaron Brooks.  what do you think?

Blake Griffin: Man Of Finesse!

watch the following clip and think about what impresses you most about this play.

Griffin has hops.  Griffin has hang time.  Griffin can throw down the baddest dunks.  he's been there, we've seen that.


but why does Griffin have to fall so ugly on this play?  basketball players that wipeout usually do so with some level of grace and some sort of style.  on this play, my man falls with neither.  it seems he filled his style quota for the dunk on the delivery and left none for the recovery.


I know it's a small thing but watch it over and over you won't help but smile a bit.


you wanna hear another thing that made me smile?  a friend of mine posted this on Facebook:


once you lick the frosting off a cupcake, it becomes a muffin ... and muffins are healthy.  you're welcome.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

can anyone tell me?

Is Your Game Right?

there is plenty of talent that goes unseen and unheard of as they are passed on by college recruiters and by NBA scouts.  as you read this post, there are literally thousands of guys out there who are busting their respective behinds to try and make a career out of hooping it up.  New York Knick Jeremy Lin is one of the most recent examples of this.  his story tells all the underdogs out there that even if you get overlooked, you can work hard and still make it.  

but even as the great LINstrument of Destruction can attest, although hours upon hours in the gym, eating right, playing in summer leagues and getting your name out there can possibly score your that coveted NBA contract, it doesn't prepare for everything else that comes with being an NBA star.  constant media coverage, interview opportunities and fan attention can have an adverse effect if you are not prepared for it.


many a baller spend so much time on their game that they don't think about the side effects of being a star.  here are some tips to help you to keep your star rising and not make yourself look like baboon in front of the world.


1) MAKE SURE YOUR TEETH IS RIGHT.
2) ACT NATURAL ... unless you are naturally a moron.  then act unnatural.
3) SMILE as much as you possibly can .... but only do this if you've already done number one.
4) every once in a while ... BE SEEN AT A MCDONALDS!  then people will relate.
5) SPEAK CLEARLY.
6) MAKE SURE YOUR THREADS ARE RELEVANT!  not like Metta World Peace or Dennis Rodman.
7) DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT PRACTICE!
8) DON'T GO TO COLORADO!  (ask Kobe.  he'll verify)


if you do these 8 things, you will navigate your way through superstardom without making yourself look like an idiot.




you're welcome.

For the Love of the Game...or Money?

Terence Jones, Fab Melo, Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, and Perry Jones III were arguably considered in the top 10 pro prospects of last years NBA draft had they not decided to stay in college. With the eventual NBA lockout looming on the horizon, these fabulous five forwards foresaw a financial faux pas and chose to stay in school for the love of the game.

Check out the top 10 picks from the 2011 NBA draft:

1 Cleveland Kyrie Irving 6-3 191 PG Duke Fr.
2 Minnesota Derrick Williams 6-8 248 SF/PF Arizona So.
3 Utah Enes Kanter 6-11 259 PF/C Kentucky Fr.
4 Cleveland Tristan Thompson 6-9 227 PF Texas Fr.
5 Toronto Jonas Valanciunas 6-11 240 C Lithuania Intl.
6 Washington Jan Vesely 6-11 230 SF/PF Czech Republic Intl.
7 Sacramento Bismack Biyombo 6-9 243 C Congo Intl.
8 Detroit Brandon Knight 6-3 177 PG/SG Kentucky Fr.
9 Charlotte Kemba Walker 6-1 184 PG UConn Jr.
10 Milwaukee Jimmer Fredette 6-2 196 PG BYU Sr.

Other than perennial power house schools Duke and Kentucky, who manage to reload every year, none of the college programs represented by the top 10 picks of last year are in the top ten this year. Arizona, UCONN and BYU made impressive runs in the NCAA Tournament. With the eventual champions UCONN surging behind the brilliance of Kemba Walker.

Texas underachieved last year, losing to Arizona in the tournament and are in a rebuilding year this year. Arizona lost to UCONN in the Elite Eight in quite possibly the best game of 2011, and are now trying to figure out how to win without Derrick Williams. BYU had a Haley's comet like year that won't soon be duplicated, especially now that they are playing basketball in the West Coast Conference, which is weaker than the Mountain West Conference. And UCONN is lost with out Kemba.

In the wake of NCAA investigations regarding Ryan Boatright, self imposed sanctions stemming from poor cumulative grades, and health concerns with their head coach Jim Calhoun, UCONN can be optimistic with the notion of being invited to the NIT this year. Following this year the magic of Big East basketball will be gone as well. What made the emergence of last year's Huskies so miraculous, was their impressive hot knife through butter like swath through the Big East tourney. Under the hot lights of Madison Square Garden, Kemba and his band of warriors fought off the best to become the best.

The misfortunes of Texas, Arizona, UCONN and BYU can be traced back to the decisions of Tristan Thompson, Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker and even Jimmer Fredette wanting to create fortunes for themselves by going into the NBA draft. Jimmer could have requested a red shirt year, citing his phenomenal year and urging the NCAA to keep him around forever in order to gross more revenue for the NCAA. If those that run the BCS were involved with that decision, then Jimmer would become the first ever 24th year senior. They would have kept him around until the time his kids became NCAA eligible.

In stark contrast of the teams struggling this year are the teams of those fab five forwards who decided to avoid being locked out and instead enjoy being a college kid and chase a championship. Terence Jones, Fab Melo, Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, and Perry Jones III. Kentucky, Syracuse, Ohio State, North Carolina and Baylor, ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll Week 15 (Feb. 13) as numbers 1, 2, 6, 7 & 10.

Kids stay in school...unless you don't mind being locked out for several months and you are guaranteed MILLIONS of dollars.

Cue the Bone Thugs N Harmony track...