Lakers Start Reminiscent Of 2010-11 Heat
The Lakers are off to a 1-4 start and everyone wants to know why.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: It takes time to gel.
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Kobe’s Foot Still A Mystery, D Howard’s Back “Achy”
Opening night's most famous appendage is only rivaled by D Howard's back.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: Kobe is keeping the Mavs on their toes as they prepare for tonight's game.
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Kobe “Smush-es” Former Teammate Parker, Calls Him “The Worst”
Kobe Bryant disliked playing with former teammate Smush Parker so much, he brought up his name this week.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: The comments by Bryant are humorous, but why even bring him up?
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Dwight Howard Teaches Ellen How To “Dougie”
It always looks awkward to see a tall person dance.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: Watching Dwight Howard dance is no exception.
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Offseason Rewind: Kobe’s 81 Point Game
It’s the offseason and sometimes my mind wanders.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: It's easy to take Kobe's 81 point game for granted, but don't.
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Lakers Get Dwight Howard; Mitch Kupchak Is Best GM In NBA
Kupchak brings Dwight Howard to Lakers
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: This is only the most recent in a career of shrewd moves since Kupchak became the Lakers general manager.
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Report: Dwight Howard To Lakers Is Official!
Dwight Howard has officially been traded to the LA Lakers in a four team deal.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: Are we dreaming? Did this deal actually, finally go down? I almost don't believe it.
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Steve Nash Shoots Awesome, Off The Wall “Shawshank Redemption” Parody
The newest Laker in town shows, yet again, his acting chops and sense of humor.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: It's awesome when NBA players show that they aren't complete PR robots and do things because they like to have fun.
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Shaq Gets New Show On TruTV
A lot of people are less than fond of Shaq as a halftime host on TNT. And while breaking down X's and O's may not be his forte, Shaq's best work in front of the camera comes when he is allowed to be his silly self.
HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: It can't be worse than the Aaron Carter video for "That's How I Beat Shaq".
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Is Pau Gasol Lakers Version of Carlos Boozer?
Overpaid, underproductive and unmotivated. At points in the 2011-12 season, all three of these words have been used to describe both Pau Gasol and Carlos Boozer.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Who agreed to pay them this much?
Both are power forwards. Both are amongst the highest paid players in the league; Gasol at $18.7 million ranks seventh while Boozer ranks 25th pocketing $13.55 million this year. Both players should be their team’s #2 scoring threat.
Neither player has been asked to carry the load this season- just serve as a complementary, consistent piece that can be relied on when the team’s star (Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant) is hurt or less than productive.
Prior to this year, there is no comparing the careers of this two players- Gasol has two rings and the production to surpass Boozer. But what makes them similar this season is how bad their teams have needed them. And at certain points, neither player has delivered.
After an underwhelming regular season which saw Boozer set career lows in most major categories, he followed that up with an even worse series against the Sixers. With no Rose, the Bulls needed Boozer to earn his money and produce for the remainder of the series, and he didn’t, contributing three points and one made field goal in a one point loss that ended the Bulls season.
Gasol stepped up in a game seven victory versus the Nuggets in round one with 23 points and 17 rebounds, but in the six games prior he averaged just nine ppg and 6.5 rpg. His lack of production was a huge factor in why the series even went seven games.
If you don’t get Gasol involved early, just like with Boozer, you may get nothing out of him that night. And more than any season prior, when Gasol isn’t involved in the low post game he drifts further and further out of the lane, content to settle for shots 15 feet away and beyond. Gasol has the touch to make more of those shots than the average seven footer, but why when he can be a complete beast in the paint, especially alongside Andrew Bynum?
Is Gasol to blame for the game one loss to OKC? Absolutely not. But what happened to the guy who put up 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists against the Thunder in a double OT win less than a month ago? The Lakers need him to show up ASAP, or their season is over, just like Carlos Boozer’s.
Marc Vs. Pau: Who Has Better 2011-2012 Season?
Marc and Pau Gasol’s respective starts to the 2011-2012 season have gone in completely opposite directions so far; but can it last for the duration of the year? Is Marc suddenly the best Gasol in the NBA?
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Slow Starting NBA Squads Can’t Be Counted Out… Yet
After the strike and being without a hint of basketball action since last June, it’s easy to overreact to what we see out of the chute. We were all so starved for so long it’s only natural to read too much into what transpired during the NBA’s first week of the season.
Kobe Bryant: Kwame Brown was scared of the ball
So we go back to the timeout and I’m [upset], right? He goes, ‘I was wide open.’ ‘Yeah, I know.’ This is how I’m talking to him, like, during the game. I said, ‘You’re going to be open again, Kwame, because Rasheed is just totally ignoring you.’ He said, ‘Well, if I’m open don’t throw it to me.’ I was like, ‘Huh?’ He said, ‘Don’t throw it to me.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ He said, well, ‘I’m nervous. If I catch it and they foul me, I won’t make the free throws.’ I said, ‘Hell no!’ “I go to Phil [Jackson], I say, ‘Hey Phil, take him out of the game.’ He’s like, ‘Nah, let him figure it out.’ So, we lose the game, I go the locker room, I’m steaming.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Has a top pick ever been such a punching bag?
Remember, Michael Jordan and Doug Collins selected Kwame Brown first overall with the Washington Wizards and quickly shattered his confidence.
Before bouncing around the league, Brown surfaced with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant, from the sound of things, was shocked by Brown’s issues.
After all, the prep-to-pro post had all the physical tools: a strong physique, height, strength, and a wingspan.
Something was missing between the ears, though. For instance, who says don’t pass me the ball if I am open?
A professional, even a blue-collar specialist, should want the ball when to keep opposing defenses honest.
It’s no surprise the Lakers took off once they traded Brown, dropped Smush Parker, and upgraded their supporting cast.
O.Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Video: Former Laker Adam Morrison Ejected for shove
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The mighty has fallen.
Not long ago, Adam Morrison was the darling of NCAA basketball and a lottery pick in the NBA draft. Sure, it didn’t work with the Bobcats, but the swing won a championship or two as a practice piece for the Lakers.
Now Morrison, who is toiling away in the European leagues, is only news when he gets into a shoving match with his Serbian team.
Anyway, watch the clip and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below.
O.Sandor.
Mike Brown wants less Kobe, more Bynum and Gasol?
And whether you want to read a lot or a little into it, note this: When talking about the contrasting offensive styles Brown will show from Cleveland to here, the new Lakers’ coach summarized the coming Lakers offense as feeding Gasol and Bynum inside, not being the Kobe show.
“This team is completely different from what I had in Cleveland,” Brown said. “In Cleveland, I had a guy who liked to come off the top of the floor, liked to play in space and play pick-and-roll and make plays for others. Here, I’ve got two guys similar to what we had in San Antonio; you’re able to throw them the ball on the block.”
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Can a new coach and his new philosophy create new results for the Los Angeles Lakers when the NBA season begins?
It’s been a few months since Phil Jackson, the Hall of Fame coach and undisputed master of all things Zen, was replaced with Brown as sideline boss by the Lakers.
Brown, it seems, isn’t scared to shake things up, and wants to utilize his super-sized front-court.
Translation: less Kobe Bryant, more Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.
However, it’s not known how Bryant, the club’s reigning top dog and Alpha Male, will feel about sharing his lofty perch with Bynum and Gasol.
Bynum is attached to Jim Buss, the controversial son of long-time owner Jerry Buss. Many feel the younger Bynum to leave his imprint on the Lakers.
And Gasol’s meltdown in last year’s playoff shocked the mortgage industry, prompted a twitter tirade from Snopp Dogg, and led to a physical confrontation of sorts with Jackson.
So Bryant may or may not buy-in. One thing is certain: the Lakers will be different.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Video: Terrence Williams ‘Posterizes’ Derrick Caracter, celebrates by dis-robing
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: If soccer players get to do it then why can't Terrence Williams of the Rockets?
In a recent summer run, Williams threw down an impressive jam over the Lakers’ Derrick Caracter, and then celebrated by taking off his jersey and spiking it on the baseline.
Since this wasn't an NBA game, there was no technical foul, ejection, or whistle.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Shaquille O’Neal: Greatest Center Ever
Fours year ago when Shaq’s production started to decline and he couldn’t stay healthy the “Shaq is done” and “he wasn’t that good” chatter began to commence amongst the haters. And in that four year period more and more people suddenly couldn’t wait to see him gone. People that once marveled at his size and power now used those same traits as a reason to discredit him.
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Is It Time For Lamar Odom To Start Again?
Fresh off winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award Lamar Odom carried the Lakers to a tough 87-78 victory in game two on Wednesday night reminding everyone how important he is to the team. After watching that, the question that begs to be asked is why can’t Odom start over Ron Artest who just completed his least productive season ever?
East vs. West; Which Conference Is Better?
It isn’t exactly Biggie vs. Tupac but every year people ask the same question; which conference is better East or West?
Best car leap: Blake Griffin or Kobe Bryant?
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: By now, you’ve seen it.
You’ve seen Kenny Smith pull a ‘Bundini’ and rep for Blake Griffin like he was former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.
You’ve seen the choir pump up the Los Angeles crowd by belting out the R. Kelly classic ‘I believe I can fly’.
And you’ve seen Griffin leap the hood of a car, catch a Baron Davis alley-oop, and throw down a fierce two-handed jam, which won the Clippers superstar the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest.
However, Griffin didn’t invent the car leap. He simply mastered it.
A few years ago, Lakers great Kobe Bryant made news when he jumped an Aston Martin. ‘The Black Mamba’ didn’t dunk a basketball, but his aerial antics –despite reportedly being aided by special effects- impressed.
Watch the clips and tell us in the comment box below if Griffin or Bryant did the best job hurdling a car.
(Kenny `Bundini` Smith. The choir. And Griffin leaping a car.)
(Kobe: `I got this.`)
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.