Lakers Sign Powell

The Lakers have signed free agent forward Josh Powell.  The 6-9, 25-year-old power forward spent last season with the Clippers and averaged five points and five rebounds per game.  He’s bounced around the league quite a bit in his young career, playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers and even overseas.  Powell went undrafted out of North Carolina State but has played solidly in the NBA.

This is a great move by the Lakers.  Powell is a solid frontcourt bench player who will do the dirty work inside.  He’s a big body and adds depth to the Lakers.  He will essentially replace departed free agent Ronny Turiaf.  The terms of the deal are yet to be released, but it’s likely that the team will pay Powell something around the league minimum.  This is a bargain considering Turiaf will be making an average of four million dollars per year in Golden State and the two had very similar numbers last season.  Turiaf averaged one more point and pone less rebound than Powell in 2007-2008.  Turiaf is a better defender and more of a high energy guy, but he’s not $3 million per year better than Powell.  Solid move by the Lake Show.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 15, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Leads Defensive Effort

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant tied for the game-high in scoring with in 18 points in the United States’ victory over Greece this morning.  Bryant connected on seven of his 14 attempts from the field as the team cruised to a 92-69 victory.  The defensive effort was led by Bryant’s smothering of Greece’s best player, Vassilis Spanoulis, holding him to 14 points on just four of 13 shooting.  The U.S. players had revenge on their minds after Greece defeated them in the 2006 World Championships in Japan.  But in Beijing, the Americans are looking strong and capable of winning the gold.  Greece was the first true test for the U.S. team, but bigger challenges are still to come.

This was the first sign that this U.S. team is truly ready to win gold.  After yielding more than 100 points to the same squad in Japan, the Americans held them to less than 70.  Defense is a big part of these games.  Even though the U.S. team is supremely offensively talented, they can’t just try to run and gun and outscore everyone.  This team really has a sense of purpose and a sense of pride.  At this point, the only team that this blogger could see giving the U.S. a run is Spain.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 14, 2008 - Post a comment

Greece Next for Team USA

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team will face off against Greece in their first true test of the Beijing Olympic Games tomorrow morning.  The Greek team is one of the most cohesive units in the games, though they lack the NBA star power that some other countries possess.  Greece defeated the Unites States in the 2006 World Championship and the U.S. squad is seeking revenge.  U.S. point guard Jason Kidd said he expects the Greek team to target Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, two of the youngest and most emotional players on the U.S. team.  Greece defeated Dirk Nowitzki and Germany already, shutting down Nowitzki to the point where he lost his cool.

Don’t expect the Greeks to be able to shut down all the U.S. players the way they hounded Dirk.  Do expect Bryant to do a defensive number on Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece’s best offensive player.  A primary goal of the United States has to be to stop the pick and roll.  In ’06, Greece ran 42 pick and roll plays and the Americans were unable to contain it.  The U.S. is favored by more than 20, but this is no gimmie.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 13, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Struggles as USA Prevails

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant struggled to get it going offensively in Team USA’s game against Angola this morning.  The U.S. squad pulled through though, winning the contest 97-76.  Bryant connected on just four of his 13 field goal attempts, missing all eight of his shots from downtown.  The team has struggled to find their rhythm from behind the arc, which is especially surprising because the international three point line is closer than that in the NBA.  Most would expect Bryant, who shot 36 percent from deep during the 2007-2008 NBA season, to excel from a closer three point range.  Bryant finished with eight points to go along with four boards and one dime.

As a unit, the “redeem team” has been lackluster in their long range shooting, going 5-21 from downtown against Angola and 7-24 in their first game against China.  Dwyane Wade, perhaps the most questionable shooter from deep of all of the guards on the roster, hit two of his three attempts from long range this morning.  He’s been the best player thus far in the Beijing games and the most efficient, connecting on 13 of his 15 field goal attempts in the first two contests.  The U.S. team cannot afford a similar performance by Bryant against a tough Greek team on Thursday.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 12, 2008 - Post a comment

Sun Signed

The Lakers have agreed to terms with Sun Yue, a second-round selection made by the team in 2007.  The club selected Yue with the 40th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.  The 6-9 Yue has spent most of his days playing the point guard position in China, but will probably be asked to play the two for the Lakers.  The 22-year-old has the size to play small forward, but the team is pretty set at that position to it’s likely that he’ll be used as a shooting guard.

Yue has been likened to Boris Diaw, in that he’s a skilled passer for his size.  His pass-first mentality will serve him well in the triangle offense.  He’s an excellent ball handler for someone of his height and possesses range out to the three point line.  He’s a good finisher at the rim as well.  Yue will need to hit the weight room, as is the case with most international players that make the jump to the NBA.  He’ll need to improve his lateral quickness on defense, a weakness that may contribute to him being moved from the point to the two.  While he possesses the range to shoot from deep, he needs to improve his mechanics in order to become more consistent from downtown.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 11, 2008 - Post a comment

Italy in Kobe’s Future?

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant said that he’d consider playing in Italy if he were offered a contract of $50 million per season.  Since American-born forward Josh Childress opted to play overseas for more money, there has been speculation that a European club would offer an NBA superstar a gargantuan contract in the next few years.  Two players that have been mentioned as players who would command such an astronomical figure are Bryant and Cavaliers forward LeBron James.  “I’d go. I’d probably go,” said Bryant, during a USA Basketball press conference. “Like Milan or something like that, where I grew up or something like that.”

Bryant grew up in Italy and speaks Italian fluently.  Some of the transitional concerns that would worry other players would not be as much of a concern for Bryant.  Fans have to remember that basketball is an NBA player’s job, and it’s a business.  “Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?” Bryant rhetorically asked during the same press conference.  This blogger still has a hard time believing that a true superstar would walk away from the best league in the world, even for that kind of money.  It could alter the perception of their competitiveness.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 8, 2008 - Post a comment

Lakers Schedule Released

The NBA has released the schedule for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.  The Lakers kick off the season playing host to the Portland Trail Blazers.  Greg Oden will make his pro debut in The Staples Center and face a matchup with Andrew Bynum.  These two young centers could have some major battles throughout their careers.  They’re young, talented and huge.  This blogger is very excited for the first of many battles between these two towers.  On Christmas Day, the Lake Show will spend the holiday hosting the Boston Celtics.  This rematch of the Finals is sure to get heated between two teams that are likely to find themselves atop their respective conferences yet again.

The first matchup between Kobe and Shaq since the infamous freestyle rap will take place on November 20th in Phoenix.  The Daddy comes to Los Angeles on December 10th.  The Lakers’ overall schedule is obviously tough in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, but this blogger expects the team to rise to the top yet again.  Their biggest competition will probably come in the form of the Rockets and Hornets, but don’t sleep on the Spurs or Jazz.  After a lot of rumors that Artest was headed to L.A. this offseason, he’ll come into town wearing a Houston Rockets uniform on November 9th.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 7, 2008 - Post a comment

Nothin’ But a Hound Dog

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has given himself a new nickname.  Already known as The Black Mamba, Bryant referred to himself as The Doberman after he hounded fellow NBA player Sarunas Jasikevicius in Team USA’s exhibition win over Lithuania.  Bryant is being looked at on this team as a defensive stopper.  The lifetime Laker has become a regular on the NBA All-Defensive Team, but his defense in often overlooked because his offensive game is so amazing.  In Beijing though, Bryant will have a team full of incredible offensive players at his side, but nobody who can bring the defensive ability that he can.

Kobe is a premier perimeter defender.  He’s got great athleticism, lateral movement, instincts and understanding of the game.  Don’t get me wrong, he’ll get his fair share of points, but he won’t be asked to be the team’s primary offensive weapon game in and game out.  In the game against Lithuania, Bryant absolutely shut down Jasikevicius, who is heralded as a basketball god in his native land but hasn’t amounted to much in the association.  This blogger even read a description of the matchup between the two that said Jasikevicius looked as if he’d never played a game of basketball.  Sounds like The Doberman is taking to his role.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 6, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe Open to Playing Overseas?

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was recently asked if he’d consider playing overseas.  “Of course,” he replied in an interview after the Team USA’s exhibition defeat of Russia.  “By the way, are you the owner of a Russian team? It can be arranged for $40 million per year.”  This type of question is all the rage right now in the wake of Josh Childress’ decision to bolt for Greece when he received a substantial offer from Olympiacos.  Speculation has begun to brew that a major European team will make an astoundingly rich offer to an NBA superstar in the next few years in the attempt to lure a true marquee NBA player overseas.

Don’t expect this speculation to come to fruition, at least in terms of an actual deal being signed.  I do think the European option will become something that NBA guys will explore, but not opt for on a regular basis, especially American-born players.  I see the option to play overseas as more of a bargaining chip than a viable option for most NBAers.  Would a guy like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James accept an offer to play overseas if they received $40 million per year?  Kevin Garnett makes the most money in the NBA per year at approximately $25 million.  I wouldn’t rule it out completely that this kind of pay increase could tempt a superstar, but abandoning the prestige of playing in the NBA is something I can’t see many guys doing.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 5, 2008 - Post a comment

Kobe’s Big Third Quarter Helps Top Russia

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter to stave off a comeback attempt by the Russian National Team in the U.S. Men’s exhibition game yesterday.  The USA won the game 89-68 in what was a defensive battle.  Bryant was a clear fan favorite among the Shanghai crowd, receiving chants of “MVP!” each time he stepped to the free throw line.  The U.S. team had been averaging 118 points in exhibition play before yesterday’s game, but showed that they can shut down the opposition when need be.

The club is looking for Bryant to be their defensive stopper.  He’s the most accomplished defensive player on the squad and will probably be matched up against the opposition’s best perimeter players throughout the summer games.  Bryant should thrive in this role as he won’t be asked to do offensively what he does for the Lakers night in and night out.  Kobe noted that he went off in the third quarter yesterday, but it won’t always have to be him.  He said that any player on the roster can explode offensively at any time and that he expects someone to step it up when the teams needs it.  The U.S. team plays one more exhibition game, against Australia, before the games begin.

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Permalink - Posted in General on August 4, 2008 - Post a comment


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