Bynum Looking Good

Lakers center Andrew Bynum is working out in preparation for the upcoming NBA season and apparently looks good in doing so.  Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak traveled to Atlanta, where Bynum has been working out, to see the young center and assess his progress.  Kupchak came away pleased with what he saw.  “Andrew has dedicated another summer to getting into the best possible shape,” Kupchak said. “A month ago he was cleared from the knee surgery he had and at that point he began working on conditioning and getting into shape and I thought he looked like he has made progress.”  Bynum is recovering from a dislocated kneecap he suffered in January.

This is great news for the Lakers; they need Bynum.  Bynum provides something that the Lakers were short on in the finals against the Celtics, toughness.  Bynum is a force in the middle and is a game changer defensively.  He blocks a lot of shots, but alters even more and makes guys think twice about taking the ball to the rack.  His presence will enable Pau Gasol to slide back to his more natural position of power forward as well.  Bynum has big time potential and is the future of the Lakers franchise.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 29, 2008 - Post a comment

Lakers Ink Crawford

The Lakers have signed their lone selection in the 2008 NBA Draft.  The team inked guard Joe Crawford to a deal of undisclosed terms yesterday.  The Lakers selected Crawford with the 58th pick in the draft, their only selection due to Memphis receiving the team’s first rounder in the Pau Gasol trade.  Crawford averaged 11.3 points 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in four years at Kentucky, starting 76 games during his collegiate career.  The 22-year-old ranked fourth in the SEC in scoring as a senior at 17.9 per game. He averaged 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in the Summer League for the Lakers and was one of the squad’s most consistent contributors.

Crawford is not a future All-Star, but he could develop into a solid role player for the Lakers.  He comes into the league NBA-ready, as he played all four years in college.  He’s got pretty good size for the position at 6-5, thought this blogger has heard he’s closer to 6-4, and possesses the ability to score and contribute a little bit of everything on the floor.  He’s not going to get significant minutes right away, but he’s a solid player.  His upside is very limited, but fans have to be pleased with him at the 58th pick.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 28, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Going Under the Knife?

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will likely make the decision on whether to have surgery on his finger after injuring it way back on February 5th.  The surgery would repair ligament damage the superstar sustained on his right pinky in a game against the New Jersey Nets.  Bryant has stated that he wants to be ready for the beginning training camp. The recovery time from the surgery is more than a month and training camp begins September 30th for the Lake Show, cutting it pretty close.

This blogger is baffled by the lack of credit Kobe Bryant gets.  This guy sustained a painful injury that affected his performance and decided to forego surgery to make a run at the NBA title, which he narrowly missed out on, and a gold medal, which Team USA secured greatly in part because of Bryant’s stellar play in the fourth quarter of the gold medal game against Spain.  We’re constantly hearing about how Kobe didn’t step up in the finals against the Celtics, but we haven’t heard much about this injury (on his shooting hand, mind you) since it happened.  Just because some people don’t like aspects of Bryant’s personality or game, doesn’t mean it’s fair to shortchange him.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 27, 2008 - Post a comment

Give Kobe His Due

Heat guard Dwyane Wade was so impressive in the Beijing Olympic Games that it’s easy to crown him the MVP of the team.  LeBron James was the unquestioned leader of the squad and was consistently productive.  But please give Lakers guard Kobe Bryant his due as well.  Bryant may have had his ups and downs offensively through the Olympic Games, but he came through with his best effort when it mattered most.  Bryant took over in the fourth quarter of the United States’ gold medal game against Spain this past weekend.  Bryant scored or assisted on 17 of the final 25 U.S. points in the contest, including a clutch four-point play right after Spain had cut the lead to five points.

That was the moment when this blogger realized that these guys were not going to let it slip away.  The United States team was too focused and too motivated to be defeated.  Kobe Bryant has been one of the most clutch players of his era and showed how the greatest players raise their level of play when it matters most.  Dwyane Wade certainly was spectacular in Beijing, but without Kobe Bryant the Redeem Team may be sitting at home looking at their silver medals as a reminder of failure instead of polishing gold in all their glory.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 26, 2008 - Post a comment

Redemption

James Naismith would be proud.  Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and the United States Men’s Basketball team have brought Olympic gold back to their homeland after a 118-107 defeat of Spain this weekend.  After their country was embarrassed in a 2004 Olympic run riddled with turmoil and selfish play, basketball gold was returned to its rightful owner in 2008.   Bryant chipped in 20 points and six assists, an effort that paled in comparison to the herculean performance of Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.  Wade dropped 27 points in 9-12 from the field, 4-7 from behind the arc, and was the best player in Beijing.

This was the unquestioned goal of the United States squad.  Silver or bronze would have been meaningless to a group that remained focused on the prize and took this competition as serious as anything they’ve ever done.  Led by Cavaliers forward LeBron James, the U.S. made a statement that they’re still the best basketball has to offer.  While many basketball fans around the globe categorize most NBAers as selfish players who are only looking to make the highlight reel, this group of stars showed the willingness to put personal pride aside and play as a unit in the spirit of national pride.  The Redeem Team did exactly what they set out to do and every American should be proud of them.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 25, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Struggles But US Prevails in Semis

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant struggled from the field, going 5-14 and 2-9 from deep, in Team USA’s victory over Argentina in the semifinals of the Olympics this morning.  Carmelo Anthony also struggled from the field, but his aggressiveness got him to the line often, where he hit 13 of 13.  But every other U.S. player that hit a field goal shot 50 percent or better form the field.  LeBron James played well, going 6-11 from the floor and nailing three of his six attempts from long range.  The U.S. got off to a scorching start in this contest, but Argentina closed much of the gap by the half, outscoring the U.S. by 10 in the second quarter.  The U.S. pulled away in the second half on their way to a 101-81 final.

Spurs forward Luis Scola was the best player in the game, giving Argentina 28 points and 12 rebounds in the absence of team star Manu Ginobili.  Ginobili, also a member of the Spurs, suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and was unable to return.  This win by the U.S. sets the stage for the gold medal game that most basketball pundits have been expecting, U.S. vs. Spain.  The U.S. team took down the Spanish squad by more than 30 points in group play and looks poised to take home the gold.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 22, 2008 - Post a comment

Pau Propels Spain to Semis

Lakers forward Pau Gasol dropped 20 as Spain took care of business against Croatia 72-59 in the quarterfinals at the Beijing Games.  Gasol added a game-high 10 rebounds as well, showing himself to be the top player on one of the best squads in the Olympics.  Gasol was injured and cheering from the bench when Spain won the FIBA World Championship in 2006.  Spain will face Lithuania in the semifinals.

Despite turning in some lackluster performances and eeking out some games against opponents they should have crushed, Spain is still very much in the running for the gold medal.  They should beat Lithuania and reach the finals where they will be met by the winner of the other semifinals matchup between the United States and Argentina.  They’ll most likely face the U.S. in the gold medal game, a team that bested the Spaniards by more than 30 points in group play.  But the players did not play up to their ability and are definitely a threat to the powerhouse Americans.  With a number of NBA veterans and plenty of future participants, this squad is as talented as any that the U.S. will face.  Most basketball pundits have been expecting a U.S. vs. Spain gold medal game, and both teams are just one win away from making it happen.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 21, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Leads U.S. Team With 25

Led by Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s 25 points, Team USA defeated Australia 116-85 in the Olympic quarterfinals.   Bryant chipped in nine points in a 14-0 U.S. run to start the second half, which allowed the team to pull away and seal the victory.  Bryant shot 10-16 overall, hitting 4-7 from deep.  Bryant has really found his touch in the past few games, especially from long range.  The whole team had been struggling with three point shooting until recently, which had some basketball pundits skeptical about the U.S.’s shot at the gold.  LeBron James chipped in 16 points of his own and added nine rebounds.  Carmelo Anthony scored 15.

The U.S. team is just two wins away from a gold medal, which is the only acceptable outcome in these Olympic Games.  Even if the squad comes away with bronze or silver, it will be considered failure.  The U.S. took down a confident Australian squad here and did well not to take them for granted.  They’re going to face two of the best teams before they can claim gold, but it appears that the U.S. team has remained focused.  Chris Bosh was recently quoted saying that these games feel more intense than the NBA playoffs.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 20, 2008 - Post a comment

Rematch?

Fans could very well see a rematch of Saturday’s game between the United States and Spain, and between Lakers teammates Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, before the Beijing Games are over.  Bryant’s U.S. squad trounced Spain over the weekend on convincing fashion, making themselves the clear-cut favorite at this juncture of the tournament.  But it’s a single-elimination format from here on out and anything can happen.  Many international basketball pundits believed that Spain was the best squad entering these Olympic Games.

The Spanish team boasts NBA players Paul Gasol and Jose Calderon, not exactly lightweights.  Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez are set to join the NBA ranks this upcoming season and 17-year-old phenom Ricky Rubio is projected to be a top five pick in the NBA draft in the next year or two.  While Spain does have a really solid squad, they haven’t lived up to their potential in Beijing, while the U.S. has turned heads, winning all of their games without breaking a sweat.  The defensive work of Bryant, Dwyane Wade’s return to Flash form and the whole squad’s long range shooting turnaround as the games progressed have all been paramount in the team’s success.  While Spain has the ability to give the them a run, it’s hard to see the U.S. heading home with anything less than gold.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 19, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Finds the Touch

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant finally got it going from long range this weekend in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s matchups with Spain and Germany, hitting five of his nine attempts from downtown in two victories.  Bryant had been struggling to find his stroke from long range in the Beijing games prior to this weekend, missing on all eight of his three balls in one contest.  The U.S. finished group play undefeated and now enter the single elimination portion of the tournament.  The team’s quarterfinal matchup is against Australia.

The U.S. made a pair of statements this weekend.  The squad handled Spain easily in a matchup that a lot of basketball gurus were predicting would go Spain’s way.  There was never a point in that game in which the U.S. didn’t have it under control.  The team followed it up with a trouncing of Dirk Nowitzki and Germany.  Dwight Howard’s best performance of the games gave the U.S. a solid inside scoring presence and the team’s defense really stood out.  The United States has done a great job on the defensive end in each game thus far.  Led by defensive ace Bryant, the club has been successful in containing their opponents and the players are obviously listening to what Coach K says.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 18, 2008 - Post a comment


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