Phil Jackson: Luck or talent? Lakers coach under scrutiny

In light of his recent induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson has faced some scrutiny about the way in which he has obtained the amount of NBA championship titles he has tucked under his belt over the past twenty years and long before he stepped foot on LA’s court with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal under his control, Jackson was collecting victories across the map in Chicago with NBA mega-star Michael Jordan. As critics begin to pick apart the reasons Jackson has been able to obtain six NBA champioships, many point to the fact that he has had all the best talents to work with, according to an opinion column published on 20 Second Timeout.com. When Jackson became head coach of LA in 2001, he already had won six titles and commanded respect for his previous dealings. O’Neal and Bryant, however, both talented players who had proved themselves in their own right, were headstrong and did not easily get along with one another, posing a bit of a problem for Jackson, who had to devise a plan that would help the two play to their strongest ability and work as a team unit on the court. He did much the same with Jodan in Chicago, only the battle was merely getting Jordan to work together better with the team as a whole.

Because he was blessed with opportunity to coach many of the NBA’s most talented players many would like to string the respect from the titles he earned. Jackson, however, has proven most of his coaching ability and overall knowledge and expertise of the game within the three books he has published as well as the display of those skills on the court. To see more of those skills and the rest of the Lakers team, get a pair of Lakers tickets at Stubhub.com!

Permalink - Posted in General on September 14, 2007 - Post a comment

Rookie Crittendon talks about transition to LA and upcoming season with Lakers

Jarvis Crittendon, newly signed to the LA Lakers as of last month, said he is finally settling down in his new base city and that Los Angeles is starting to feel like home, according to an interview with the point guard published by the NBA on the Lakers’ official Web site. Crittendon, who played college basketball for Georgia Tech and was one of the lead scorer for his team, has spent most of his summer traveling between Atlanta and LA, he said, so finding a place to be grounded has been welcomed by the newest NBA teammate. With the season and training camp coming up on him quickly, the rookie said he has been focusing on getting into the best shape possible by hitting the gym and has been working at ball handling and his jump shot during pick-up games in order to stay on top of what will be expected of him once season play starts up. “I’m just trying to get adjusted to my teammates and the city. I also had a little “Welcome to LA” party, but that’s about it besides being in the gym and getting ready for training camp and the season. It’s a big season for me, it’s the NBA, there’s no room to take breaks like that.”

Besides getting adjusted, Crittendon also talked of his close relationship with his family and how it was hard to leave that behind. Although he would like to move his family out to West Coast so that he could still spend the same amount of time with them, he admitted that what was best for his younger sister was to stay in Atlanta and have a stable base with school and her friends. That’s why Crittendon recently bought his mother a new house in Atlanta, he said, mentioning that he hopes he can be fully adjusted to the differences between an Atlanta and Los Angeles lifestyle - heavy traffic and all - by the time his season starts up. “Overall, I’m just happy to be here,” Crittendon said. “I’m happy to be a Laker. This season that’s coming up is very important to me. I can’t wait till I step out onto that floor (at STAPLES Center) wearing the gold with the Lights Out and the Lakers on the middle of the floor.”

To get Lakers tickets, visit Stubhub.com for all the best deals and a full list of game schedules.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 13, 2007 - Post a comment

This year’s Team USA ready to snatch gold; Bryant helps lead way to Olympics

Team USA capped off a stunning performance in the FIBA Championship last week with its last smashing win over Puerto Rico, leading many analyst to believe that the team, led by major NBA super-stars Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Michael Redd and Carmelo Anthony, will have a good shot at its ultimate goal: winning the gold in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Team USA’s record thus far isn’t too shabby - winning the tournament gold medal and an automatic berth into the summer games. In last Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico, U.S.A. made more than 60 percent of its shots from the arc and during Sunday’s second game of the two-day match-up, again blew Puerto Rico away during the first quarter of play and continued to hold them off, according to a story published Sept. 11 on ArmChairgm.com. Now, as the team gets compared to the previous dream team (1992’s first ever NBA line-up Olympic team including mega-stars Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan) many critics are wondering the same question: Can this group of talents create the same amount of hype? And if they do, will they really bring home the gold?

Some are not so sure. According to the review by ArmChairgm, NBA fans were a lot less jaded, a lot less plentiful and a lot less committed to the NBA teams and its players back in the 90s - all of which factored into the amount of attention given to the “Dream Team.” The author points out that America’s increasing cynicism and the NBA’s loss of popularity over the years could contribute to this year’s U.S.A. team being lost between the cracks and not receiving the proper praise it should. Many basketball fans are also romantics and chose to hold on to the thought that no other team could consist of players more talented than Bird, Johnson, Jordan, Barkley and O’Neal, however, when you get right down to it, the author states, why not compare the players from yesterday’s team to those from today’s? Are they so far on a pedestal that Bryant and LeBron James pale in comparision? Not really. Bryant, who has been the NBA’s lead-scoring point guard on Los Angeles Lakers for the past two seasons, was averaging more than 14 points per game in the FIBA championship - while playing a defensively position. His scoring ability and overall talent come naturally, much like the skills of players on 1992’s winning team. As fans continue to await the 2008 summer games, they should keep in mind that excellence - as well as winning the gold - are both possibilities. Meanwhile, the Lakers will soon start their training camp to prepare for this season of NBA action. To snag a pair of Lakers tickets visit Stubhub.com

Permalink - Posted in General on September 12, 2007 - Post a comment

Chris Mihm talks about where he sees the Lakers headed this season

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lakers’ center Chris Mihm talked about coming back from his ankle injury during the 2006 season and where he sees the Lakers headed this season, stating that his take on NBA star and teammate Kobe Bryant’s recent troubles with the team’s front office stems from a drive to win and a concern for the entire team as opposed to him making trouble. “I think, in his mind, he was just trying to show concern, that he wanted to make sure that we changed some things up on this team to try to make this a better squad and have the pieces that we do have mesh better,” Mihms said of Bryant. “That’s the way I always looked at it and I honestly don’t foresee a lot of problems with it. I think Kobe’s always been a professional. I think we’ll come in, go through training camp and it’ll be another one of these things that will be forgotten in time.”

Mihms, who was traded to the Lakers three years ago from the Boston Celtics and averaged 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game before he was laid up with an ankle injury in 2006. He hopes to jump back into the 2008 season in the same fashion as he left off and his prediction for the year is optimistic, he said. “I love this team that we have here,” Mihms said. “I agree, there were some pieces that needed to be moved around, but I love this team.  I love the coaching staff that we have.  This organization wants to win. I have no doubt about that.” If you haven’t secured your Lakers tickets for this season, do it now! Visit Stubhub.com for all the latest deals and scheduling.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 11, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame

Phil Jackson, legendary NBA coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, was inducted Friday, Sept. 7, into the Basketball Hall of Fame for his long career, which includes leading the Lakers to three NBA titles and previously guiding the Chicago Bulls to six championships. Jackson, who is only rivaled by former Celtics coach Red Auberbach - also with nine titles, admitted in a Friday interview with the AP that Boston’s deceased coach still has one up on him. “We lost out on the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes,” Jackson said after a ceremony to receive his Hall of Fame blazer. “Red Auerbach came out of the grave and told Kevin (McHale) to give him to the Celtics.” Jackson, who has been in the midst of a turbulent transition from last season to this upcoming one, was in negotiations to bring the power forward onto the team partly to appease Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant who had criticized the team’s front office for his belief that the current team’s status was not one of championship caliber. After spending last month wrapped up with Team U.S.A. and now on an Asian tour to promote his new line of Nike sneakers, the Kobe II, the two time NBA scoring champion has not yet announced whether he will be returning to the Lakers this season. Jackson denied rumors that he might be retiring and joked with AP about the upcoming season, although he did get serious when asked about his goals for the team. “Kobe and I are very much in collusion in that we want this team to have an opportunity to succeed,” Jackson said. “We’ve made some changes. There’s some recouping that has to be done there, perhaps between Kobe and some of his teammates.”

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Jackson were North Carolina coach Roy Williams; the 1966 NCAA champion Texas Western team; four-time WNBA championship coach Van Chancellor, the longtime women’s coach at Mississippi recently hired by LSU; former NBA referee Mendy Rudolph; and international coaches Pedro Ferrandiz of Spain and Mirko Novosel of Yugoslavia. Jackson, who has been with the Lakers since 1999 with the exception of a one-year break during 2004-05, has been a constant asset to the team, coaching them to three subsequent titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Although it appeared the Lakers had built a dynasty, injuries, a weak bench and public tension between Bryant and teammate Shaquile O’Neal as well as Jackson slowed the team down. Bryant, who disagreed with Jackson’s coaching style, often went against the legend’s recommended plays and infuriated Jackson during games, leading to Jackson’s recommendation to trade Bryant. The coach and team member seem to have worked out most of their differences, however, and this season the Lakers will again try for the championship title. Don’t miss out on a second of play - go to Stubhub.com for Lakers tickets now!

Permalink - Posted in General on September 10, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers’ Bryant announces his confidence in Team USA taking home Olympic Gold

Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard and last season’s MVP NBA scorer, announced Wednesday his complete confidence in FIBA’s Team USA in taking home the gold at the 2008 Olympics, according to a story published Sept. 5 on the Turkish Press Web site. Although the competition will be much more tough than what Team USA faced in the FIBA championship - especially in Beijing with home team China’s Houston Rockets’ all-star center Yao Ming and Milwaukee Bucks draft pick Yi Jianlin -Bryant stated that he believed that the current USA team could pull through with the amount of talent it possesses.
“We’re preparing for (the Olympics) like we were playing for the NBA finals,” Bryant said of Team USA, at a press conference in Manila, where he is currently promoting his new line of Nike sneakers, the Kobe II. “What we faced in FIBA is going to pale in comparison to the Olympics.” Bryant, who was asked his opinion on the status of Asian basketball, said he thought it was steadily improving, due mainly to players such Yao Ming, who he called “very talented” and “pretty special.” Team USA will go against a larger challenge than its 1992 predecessor, a group consisting of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan that took home the gold and will be forever known as “The Dream Team.”  Bryant, however, is optimistic about U.S.’s chances and additionally optimistic about the season his home team, the Lakers, are facing this coming year. When asked if he would rather win the gold or an NBA championship, Bryant responded that he believed it was possible to obtain both. “I don’t have to choose one or the other,” Bryant said. “You focus on one thing at a time.” To snag your Lakers tickets for this season, visit Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 7, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers’ Ronny Turiaf on Team France, open heart surgery and what’s to come

Helping propel Team France to victory over Poland and Italy in the FIBA Championship games series, Lakers’ Ronny Turiaf is playing hard for a nation he once called home. The Lakers’ forward and occasional center hails from Martinique in the Caribbean and for his last three years of high school he attended Paris’ Insep, the National Institute of Physical Education. His 6′10″ stature earned him a spot on the first-team as an All-West Coast Conference player during his last three years at Gonzago Univeristy, a private Catholic school in Spokane, Washington, and he was named player of the year in 2004-2005. After being drafted by the NBA in 2005, Turiaf signed a rookie contract with the Los Angeles Lakers but unexpectedly had to undergo open heart surgery before the season started. Miraculously, Turiaf was able to renew his contract midway through the season and played - though sparingly - during the spring of 2006. He was named to the French National Basketball Team for the summer 2006 and has been working to step up his game to the level it was at when he was playing at a constant rate in college, he said in a 2006 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
“To be honest, that was a great learning experience, because I needed to play basketball. I needed to get some playing time under my belt and to regain confidence in myself,” Turiaf said about the French National team. “I think I was happy about it and it gave me confidence to come back here, keep on hustling and keep on doing the dirty work.” Now as Turiaf prepares for next season he plans to bring that same contagious energy to the court that got him through his sophomore season wearing the purple and gold jersey. For Lakers tickets to this season’s games, visit Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 6, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers’ Bryant talks of namesake sneakers and role models

As NBA superstar Kobe Bryant arrived Sept. 5 in the Philippines, he was received with overwhelming admiration by a swarm of the country’s die hard basketball fans, who started to gather around the store where the Los Angeles Lakers guard was scheduled to make an appearance nine hours prior to his arrival, according to an Associated Press story posted Sept. 5 on GlobeandMail.com.

Bryant is embarking on a five day tour of Asia and his first stop in Manila will then be followed by visits to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei - to name a few. The tour is part of a campaign to promote his new line of Nike shoes, the Kobe II, and to spend time mentoring youth who are interested in learning the secrets of Bryant’s phenomenonal basketball skills. In Manila, Bryant was received as a near perfect superhero and was referred to as a role model to youth, even though sine he last visited the country more than three years ago he was sent to trial on rape charges. Bryant acknowledge the label Manila youth have given him by stating, “The important thing to remember when people talk about role models, they assume role models are perfect,” Bryant said. “Nobody’s perfect.” He went on to state, according to the AP article, that key was not to avoid making mistakes but to avoid duplicating them. His message was accepted by a large crowd of cheering fans, who chanted Bryant’s name and “MVP!”

When Bryant heads home next week, the NBA all-star will shortly return to regular season play with the start of the Lakers’ fall training camp. Make sure to snag Lakers tickets for this season’s games at Stubhub.com for all the best deals.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 5, 2007 - Post a comment

Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss gets five years probation for DUI charges

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss received a sentence of five years probation and was ordered to pay a $1,900 fine in Vista Superior Court Tuesday, Sept. 4, after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in May on a northern San Diego County road, according to a story published Sept. 4 by the Press-Enterprise. The 74-year-old Lakers owner was stopped by police for driving his gold Mercedes Benz on the wrong side of the road in Carlsbad, California, where he allegedly owns a home, according to the article. In a prepared statement released by Buss, the Lakers owner said he only drove a short distance but recognizes that it was a bad decision. “I was wrong to do it,” Buss said in the statement. “It was a mistake I won’t make again.” This was Buss’ first conviction and he was ordered by a judge to take part in a rehabilitation program administered by Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Buss, a Wyoming native and former USC teacher and real estate developer, purchased the Los Angeles Lakers, along with the NHL Los Angeles Kings hockey team, in 1979 for a whopping total of $67.5 million - the largest transaction in sports history at that time. The Lakers have been successful under Buss, winning eight NBA championships and garnering such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquile O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. As the team’s season starts up this October, now is the time to secure Lakers tickets for this year by visiting Stubhub.com. Snag a pair today and don’t miss out on any of the action-packed excitement!

Permalink - Posted in General on September 4, 2007 - Post a comment


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