The Official Los Angeles Lakers thread

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

LOL@"Lamar still needs to be more aggressive." He's playing close to flawless basketball right now, no need for any current changes in what he's doing...PeACe

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Larry and Kobe: Brian Shaw's study in mythology

Brian Shaw knows all about high-powered locker rooms populated by huge egos. The Lakers assistant coach was once a Boston Celtics rookie, back in the day when Larry Bird and Kevin McHale still ruled the NBA.

“When I first came in the league, I walked in the Boston Celtics locker room and saw Larry Bird and all these guys,” Shaw recalled. “They were mythical characters for me. Guys that I’d seen and watched growing up. Now I’m sitting in the locker room next to them, talking with them, playing with them every day. There’s a period where you see them do things on the court that you never imagined could be done. So you get caught in awe, like that deer in headlights.”

Now that he’s an assistant coach, he’s gotten to revisit those circumstances. Shaw watched last season as a roster of very young Lakers players sat in awe of Kobe Bryant. It has become the job of the Lakers coaching staff “to get these guys past that.” This season the team has shown signs of progress in growing beyond the situation. But it hasn’t been easy.

“You have someone like Kobe who is so competitive and so dominant,” Shaw observed. “When he senses that things aren’t going right he does everything in his power to take over and try to right things. In the process sometimes, some of the other guys become an afterthought. So they struggle. It’s difficult for them to figure out how and when to fit in. When they are so young, it’s difficult.”

Lakers guru Tex Winter has often expressed admiration for Shaw as a young coach. What makes him so effective for these Lakers is that he remembers clearly those days as a young Celtic trying to find his way playing alongside a fierce competitive nature like Larry Bird.

Larry and Kobe? “It’s like comparing apples and apples,” Shaw says. That’s because Bryant and Bird share something special. “When Larry would maybe miss a shot that would have won the game for us, or something like that, he’d stay after and shoot,” Shaw recalled. “He’d be there first thing the next morning, shooting, working on his game at game speed. Kobe is the same way. He doesn’t want to lose in any thing.

Cards, whatever it is he’s playing. Larry had it. Michael had it. Magic had it. All the great ones do. And Kobe’s right there with him. "Dominique Wilkins once said of Bird: “Look in his eyes and you see a killer.”

Shaw sees the same thing when he looks at Bryant. “Basically, Kobe is a killer,” he said. “I say that, meaning that he’s not going to reach out and embrace you. He’s not going to respect you, if you aren’t true to your craft and you don’t show that killer instinct as well. To him it’s a sign of weakness. As long as you’re out there giving it your all, he’ll respect you, because he is, he’s giving it his all.”

Hearing Shaw talk about the two stars brings to mind the question, does Bird’s nasty streak run deeper than Bryant’s? “Larry was nasty, and Kobe is nasty,” Shaw says. “Kobe’s only 28 years old, and he’s 10 years in the league already. He’s accomplished some things that most players haven’t been able to accomplish.”

Still, as Shaw himself pointed out, Larry Legend is, was and always will be a mythical figure in American basketball. Bryant’s never quite been allowed mythical status, despite his many accomplishments. “Larry and Kobe came into the league under different circumstances,” Shaw said. “Kobe was 17 when he entered the NBA, playing amongst grown men, so there were a lot of things he couldn’t do. He couldn’t go out after a game and have a beer and hang out with the guys because he was too young. That isolated him from the rest of the guys in terms of the some of the social things they did off the court. I think you have to take that into account when comparing him to different people. “Larry was more embraced by the public. He was more outgoing. Some of the reasons that Kobe still isn’t outgoing may stem from the fact that he was almost forced to be isolated because of his age.”

Age and status always made it easy for the fans and players of the NBA to accept Bird’s arrogance and super star confidence. Shaw concedes as much. “Larry played three years in college, so people got to know him through his exploits and travels at Indiana State and get familiar with him before he got to the NBA,” Shaw said. “They got to see his run through the NCAA tournament and see him playing against Magic in the NCAA championship game. Larry had to overcome some other obstacles that Kobe didn’t have to. Being from Terra Haute, being poor from a small town and then coming into a sophisticated business world that he may not have been accustomed to. People made fun of the country twang he had when he spoke and his country mentality. That’s a different hurdle that he had to overcome.”

Bird has always had the toughness of a poor kid who came up the hard way with a father left alcoholic after serving his country in combat during the Korean War. Kobe, on the other hand, is a child of privilege, the son of a millionaire, able to enjoy wonderful opportunity. How can a little rich kid like Kobe possibly have the same hard, hungry edge that poverty burnished into Larry Bird. “He is a student of the game,” Shaw says of Bryant, without hesitation. “And it’s no accident he’s as good as he is. He’s the first person, when we get on the plane tonight after the game, he’ll want a copy, a DVD, of tonight’s game, as well as a copy of the tape on our upcoming opponent, so he can watch it and prepare for who he has to play next. He’ll watch what he did tonight. Not everybody in this league puts in that kind of dedication, that kind of effort. That’s what separates him from even the other superstars of the game, in my opinion, the Tracy McGradys, the Vince Carters, whoever else you want to name."

"Then there’s the time.” Shaw added, “that he takes tuning his body up, not just in the weight room, but working with our physical therapy guys to make sure everything’s adjusted, in alignment. The time that he takes stretching, the time that he takes studying his opponent, the time that he takes watching film of himself and studying how he can improve. That takes a lot of time. That takes a lot of discipline. That takes a lot of focus. Not everybody else has that discipline.”

What’s the chance of Bryant’s intense competitiveness rubbing off on his young Lakers teammates? Not much, according to Shaw. “His teammates, I know they see him doing this. But most people aren’t willing to dedicate themselves to putting in that type of time.” If you ever got the opportunity to watch Bird work through his shootaround before each game, you get the picture of Bryant’s focus. For a young team, such a leader is a blessing and a curse, perhaps. Strong personalities need someone equally strong to stand up to them. “You have to discuss it with Kobe,” Shaw said of the challenge a coach faces in correcting Bryant. “And you have to tell him when he’s doing things wrong or things that you don’t like. Even if those things are sometimes miraculous. He respects those who will speak up, even if it’s against what he wants to do. He respects you more if you tell him about it. “Kobe’s an alpha male.”

So are coach Phil Jackson and center Shaquille O’Neal, Shaw pointed out. That’s what it was so difficult having the three of them on the same team. “That’s a lot of alpha males on one roster,” Shaw said. “When you have that, at some point, there’s a gotta be a breaking up.”

Bryant and O’Neal won three championships together but that run came to an end with an acrimonious parting after the 2004 NBA season. The Lakers traded O’Neal to Miami and decided to build their new team around Bryant. “Even in my three years in Boston I don’t remember Kevin McHale and Larry Bird hanging out together,” Shaw said, acknowledging a well-known fact that despite winning three NBA titles together, the Celtic superstars weren’t close.

“The difference was, they respected each other and what they did on the court,” Shaw said. “So when they stepped between the lines, all that other peripheral stuff, it was on the outside. They said, ‘We’re going for the same goal between these lines. I’m gonna help you achieve what you want to achieve. You’re gonna help me. I’m gonna help you. Then when the game is over, you’re gonna go your separate way and I’m gonna go mine. And that’s okay.’” With Kobe and Shaq “a lot of times some little trivial things are what caused problems,” Shaw said. Because there seemed to be no basic respect, the trivial stuff grew into big problems.

After playing with the Celtics early in his career, Shaw got into a contract dispute with the team and retreated to Italy to play for a season. That’s where he met a pesky little adolescent named Kobe, whose father Joe Bryant also happened to be an NBA expatriate playing in the Italian League. “I played against his father that year I went to Italy in ’89,” Shaw recalled. “That’s when I first met Kobe. I’ve known him for a long time.”

The fact that he goes way back with Bryant has given Shaw the confidence to address issues with the superstar that others might seek to avoid. Their relationship is based on Shaw “knowing him for that long, but more than important than that, standing up to him when I know he’s wrong if he’s taking bad shots. He’s the kind of guy, he can take a bad shot and make it. It doesn’t matter if there are four or five guys on him, he feels like he can score on them. So as a teammate, I love to have somebody on my team like that, who thinks that way and feels that way and that no matter if we’re down 20 and there’s a minute left in the game he’s still thinking there’s maybe a way we can win. As a teammate you love to have somebody with that mentality on your team.”

Yet Shaw acknowledges it’s not a perfect world. Not every teammate appreciates the alpha male nature of a Kobe Bryant. “If you’re a weak-minded individual, you look at it as if, ‘He’s taking all the shots, and I’m not getting to shoot.’ Well, that’s where you’re not gonna appreciate being on a team with a guy like that,” Shaw said. “You should look at it like, I know he’s gonna shoot the ball a lot, so I better go get rebounds and do these other things because I got to find another way to get my shot. Some guys he’s played with have understood that pecking order, like a Horace Grant.”

Now, Bryant is leading the Lakers through a third straight season without O’Neal, who went on to win a fourth championship with the Miami Heat last season. O’Neal’s success can only spur the hypercompetitive Bryant. “He’s crossing ground that hasn’t been crossed before,” Shaw said. “With his competitive spirit, I’m sure he wants to show people that maybe he doesn’t need that 1-2 punch in order to succeed and win a championship. I think we have some pieces in place. It’s a matter of patience, waiting for a guy like Andrew Bynum to mature. I think he’s gonna be really good. Waiting for Lamar Odom to be more consistent. I think those things are on the way, as they get more familiar with Phil and the system.”

Maybe when that happens, Bryant will finally be accorded the mythical status that fans, teammates and opponents have given to Bird. Until then, Bryant remains where he was as a young player trying to relate to his older teammates — a solitary figure left on the outside looking in.

[Juronimo]

LOL@"Lamar still needs to be more aggressive." He's playing close to flawless basketball right now, no need for any current changes in what he's doing...PeACe

I agree. I see a change in Lamar's demeanor. He looks way more focused and there's an intensity there that hasn't been there in the past. That's good for us and bad for everyone else.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

this 2 games going be easy to beat and then we play with spurs we have to play hard but im sure we can beat them

L ON TOP

[Doggystylin]

Has anyone else noticed how Brian Cook has just straight up dissapeared up out of the line up?

[rik]

Has anyone else noticed how Brian Cook has just straight up dissapeared up out of the line up?

haha...I was just saying that to my girl the other night when they showed him sitting on the bench.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Has anyone else noticed how Brian Cook has just straight up dissapeared up out of the line up?

Cook is injured...PeACe

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

Jackson goes public with criticism of Bynum
Abdul-Jabbar says young center's tardiness was a misunderstanding and that the 19-year-old continues to be receptive to mentoring.

Phil Jackson is not one for confrontations, certainly not public confrontations. When his teams get in trouble on the court, he will often refuse to call a timeout, preferring to let the players work out their problems.

When he has a message to get across to his players, he selects books for them to read.

When he had problems with Kobe Bryant, Jackson kept silent until finally revealing all in a book.

So it seemed out of character when Jackson, unhappy with Andrew Bynum, his 19-year-old center, not only took Bynum's starting job away but publicly criticized the center, saying he was unhappy with Bynum's work ethic and his failure to be in uniform and on the court in a timely fashion.

When asked about it before Monday night's 101-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center, Lakers Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has been serving as a personal coach to Bynum, minimized the incident.

"I don't think we have a problem," Abdul-Jabbar said. "It was just a misunderstanding on [Bynum's] part. I don't see it as a long-term thing. He wants to play and he is working hard to earn his minutes. I don't think we will be talking about this again."

Bynum shrugged off the fact that Kwame Brown has taken his place in the starting lineup, saying that he wasn't unhappy as long as he got his minutes.


Abdul-Jabbar watches over Bynum in practice and then sits in a Staples Center seat during the game, taking notes.

"I go over everything with him afterward, good and bad," Abdul-Jabbar said. "And he is very receptive."

Abdul-Jabbar has lobbied in the past for a head coaching job, and even coached a minor-league team in Oklahoma in an effort to show he could be an able leader.

But for now, Abdul-Jabbar said, he is enjoying his limited role as teacher and protector of Bynum, a first-round pick by the Lakers in 2005 and the youngest player ever taken in the draft.

"I will be here," Abdul-Jabbar said, "as long as Andrew Bynum and the Lakers want me here."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/spw-lakeweb5dec05,1,6771250.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

Highlight Mix: Pacers @ Lakers - 12/4/06

http://www.sendspace.com/file/hq5b1p

Song: Mobb Deep - Got It Twisted (Remix) (feat. Twista)

[Don Jacob]

jackson is just trying to pump up bynum

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Bryant follows routine with ankle to the letter
Body: The nights have been sleepless for Kobe Bryant, who will play against New Orleans tonight if the strength of his sprained right ankle and its response to the ABCs are satisfactory.

Bryant said he had shunned sleep since spraining his ankle, instead standing and drawing the letters of the alphabet in the air with his right foot to "keep the motion going" in his ankle.

"It's pretty boring," Bryant said. "I'm glad I know the alphabet. You want to get better, you've got to stay up and do whatever it takes to get better. I'll catch up on my rest some [other] time."

Bryant did not practice Tuesday, but he seemed relieved after watching replays of what looked to be a graphic sprain in the Lakers' 101-87 victory Monday over Indiana.

After landing awkwardly on the foot of Indiana center Jeff Foster in the third quarter, he was helped to the bench by Ronny Turiaf and trainer Gary Vitti. He stayed there briefly, walked to the locker room under his own power and returned to the bench a few minutes later but did not re-enter the game.

"I thought I was going to be out for two-and-a-half, three weeks," Bryant said. "It popped and everything. It looked pretty nasty. I'm happy that I'm able to walk today."

Bryant felt a little pain Tuesday and would be on his own timetable, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

"He has got a pretty good idea of what level he can play at," Jackson said. "We certainly won't press the issue here on that."

There is no sense of urgency to get him back in time to play a depleted New Orleans team. The Hornets have been hurting in many ways, with injuries to Peja Stojakovic (back spasms), Bobby Jackson (cracked rib) and David West (strained forearm) contributing to a five-game losing streak.

The Lakers have two more home games after Wednesday — Atlanta on Friday and San Antonio on Sunday — before hitting the road for eight of their next 10. Maurice Evans would take Bryant's spot in the lineup if Bryant sat out.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jackson seemed more pleased with Andrew Bynum after demoting him last week and wondering about the teen's work ethic. Jackson said Tuesday that Bynum "played with the kind of energy that we want him to play with" against Indiana.

"He was aggressive asking for the ball, moving into post positions that we wanted to, got some put-backs, which are important, got some offensive rebounds," Jackson said. "[He] went to the boards, which we haven't seen before. He was worried about getting back on defense, and we've been emphasizing you've got to offensive rebound. That's one of the jobs you've got to have as a big guy."

As for his public critique of Bynum's 19-year-old ways, "we always say that criticism isn't a personal act," he said. "It's not about you personally. It's about the act, and we want that to improve."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Forward Brian Cook was back at practice Tuesday after a two-day bout with vertigo.

"It was scary, it was weird," Cook said. "I walked into the training room and I was trying to use the walls [while] walking around and stumbling. I'm just glad to be able to see straight today."

Cook has had a ragged few weeks and has not played since Nov. 19.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Lakers signed assistant general manager Ronnie Lester to a three-year contract extension. Lester is in his 22nd season overall with the franchise, his sixth in his current position.



LAKERS TONIGHT

vs. New Orleans, 7:30, FSN West

Site — Staples Center.

Radio — 570; 1330.

Records — Lakers 12-5; Hornets 8-8.

Record vs. Hornets (2005-06) — 3-1.

Update — The Hornets started off well enough but have since tumbled to the middle of the Western Conference pack amid a slew of injuries and a five-game losing streak.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets are in town to play the Lakers tonight. Anybody noticed?

All the focus for the Lakers is on Kobe Bryant, who came out in the third quarter of Monday night's game against the Indiana Pacers after suffering a moderate sprain on his right ankle. Bryant's condition improved Tuesday, generating optimism he'll play today.

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That's more bad news for the Hornets who have dropped five straight to fall to 8-8.

The Hornets have some injuries of their own to worry about: Forward David West (strained right forearm) and swingman Peja Stojakovic (back spasms) are out. Guard Bobby Jackson (bruised left ribs) is questionable. All this puts even more pressure on the Hornets young point guard, Chris Paul.

[GangstaBoogy]

Damn tonight was a must win game. The Hawks aren't gonna be easy to beat.

Like I always say: missed free-throws and turnovers will kill you

[wcsoldier]

We REALLY have to reduce our amount of Turnovers... we gave up points on free throws and were outrebounded BAD in this game ( happened a very few times, this isn't a recurrent pb)