Big Lakers Fan

Are The Lakers Showcasing Andrew Bynum?

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Andrew Bynum has been a beast since returning from his suspension and he's putting impressive numbers. In five games in the season so far, he has averaged 19.5 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2 blocks a game.

Let's look at how major those numbers are. In Bynum's last couple of seasons, he has gotten around 7-8 field goal attempts a game, and has gotten to the free throw stripe four times per game. Now, he's getting 14 field goal attempts and 7 free throw attempts per game. That's almost doubling what he has done, with the same efficiency.

It's no accident that Bynum is getting those numbers. The Lakers' coaching is giving more emphasis on Bynum's role and Mike Brown has been calling more plays on the low blocks and allotting more playing time for the 24-year old.

So, are the Los Angeles Lakers showcasing Andrew Bynum?

If you ask me, I'd say yes to that.

The team is showcasing Bynum to show the everyone in the league that Bynum is a legit equivalent to Dwight Howard (20.3 ppg, 15.9 rpg, 2.6bpg) and a Howard-Bynum trade would be a fair swap.

Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Dwight Howard to The Lakers, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:17:00 +0000

A week into the 2011-2012 NBA season and the Los Angeles Lakers are a .500 team. While that seems pretty forgivable in the post-lockout context, it's quite unacceptable given the team's talent and history.

The Lakers are considered contenders, but not favorites to win the NBA crown. I feel they need a legitimate presence on both ends to improve their chances to a title. Enter Dwight Howard.

I outlined in a previous post how the Lakers could get Dwight Howard in a three-team trade with the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Hornets. But we all know how the Lakers were screwed by the NBA in the botched Chris Paul trade. Things are also a little more complicated with a key trade piece in Lamar Odom actually getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks before the season started.

I've come up with a few other scenarios where the Lakers could get Howard using ESPN's Trade Machine.

Scenario 1:

Los Angeles Lakers get Dwight Howard and Chris Duhon
Orlando Magic get Andrew Bynum, Derrick Caracter and Matt Barnes

In this trade scenario, the Lakers would be offering the emerging Bynum and expiring contracts to the Magic. Also, the Lakers would be absorbing Duhon's 3-year contract.

Secnario 2:

Lakers get Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu
Magic get Bynum, Metta World Peace, and Matt Barnes

This is not too different from the first scenario, except the Lakers would be taking in a bigger contract in Hedo Turkoglu and giving up better talent in World Peace. This seems to make more sense, but any trade involving World Peace is a reach.

Scenario 3:

Lakers get Dwight Howard and Luis Scola
Magic get Andrew Bynum, Kevin Martin, and Jordan Hill
Houston Rockets get Pau Gasol and Hedo Turkoglu

This is a little more complicated and it involves the Houston Rockets, one of the principals of the failed Chris Paul trade. It's been said that the Rockets have their eye on Pau Gasol and this trade gets it done. The Lakers get to replace their starting frontline with new pieces completely.

Scenario 4:

Lakers get Dwight Howard and Mehmet Okur
Magic get Andrew Bynum, Anthony Morrow, and Jordan Farmar
New Jersey Nets get Pau Gasol, Hedo Turkoglu, and Chris Duhon

This now involves teams that are in Howard's wish list and solves a lot of the teams' needs. The Nets get a better supporting cast with Deron Williams after losing out on the Dwight Howard Sweepstakes and the Magic get to shed their unwanted contracts. The Lakers get the best center in the league.

The scenarios are just,well, scenarios and this could change as the trade deadline in March.

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Bynum's Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0000

So this is what the Los Angeles Lakers were missing.

Andrew Bynum returned from a four-game suspension to power the Lakers over the Denver Nuggets and he played big. Bynum scored a team-high 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, along with a pair of blocked shots.

Coach Mike Brown said that he wasn't going to ease Bynum in and was stayed true to his word. He allotted 32 minutes of playing time for the returning big man and this had effect on the Lakers prior rotation in their firs four games. This meant Josh McRoberts slid down to the bench and Troy Murphy barely played.

But Bynum's dominance offset the McRoberts/Murphy combo, especially in the low blocks. Whether it was dunking the ball over the Nuggets or altering shots, it's clear that the Lakers are indeed better with Bynum on the floor. To wit: Bynum had a +11 +/- stat with the Lakers winning by only 3 points.

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Lakers Notch Season's First Win

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:29:00 +0000

Finally.

It took three games before the Los Angeles Lakers got their first win of the season and avoided a 0-3 hole in the standings. They beat the Utah Jazz in convincing fashion, 96-71.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way for the Lakers, combining for 48 of the team's 96 points. The Jazz played their first game of the season and looked very rusty. Thirty-two percent from the field and 7% form three-point range paint an ugly picture for the Jazz's game.

The Lakers also got key contributions from Metta World Peace (14 points and 5 rebounds) and their two new power forwards, Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts (combining for 17 rebounds). World Peace dialed the time machine a few years and showed a flash of the young Ron Artest when he drove the lane and flushed the ball through the hoop strong.

As an added bonus, the Staples Center crowd chanted "We Want Barnes,"a reference to coach Mike Brown's refusal to play the volatile Matt Barnes.

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Lakers Drop to 0-2

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:06:00 +0000

Two games into the 2011-2012 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are still winless.

The Lakers lost to the Sacramento Kings last night, 100-91 and it was a mixed-bag effort. The Lakers clawed back from a double digit lead in the second half and got within two points in the last five minutes, but the Kings stepped on the pedal and went on a 11-4 run to close the game.

Folks can cite that this was the second of a back-to-back-to-back (The Lakers play the Utah Jazz at home tonight), but this is no excuse. The Kings are projected to go back to the lottery and the Lakers should be able to handle them.

Three quick notes about the past two games:

Kobe Bryant showed doubters that he can still put the ball through the hoop, even with an injured wrist and rehabbed knee. In two games, Kobe has averaged 28.5 points on 45% shooting.
Even with the addition of Jason Kapono and Troy Murphy, the Lakers are shooting blanks from the three-point range. In the two losses, the team has made 5 threes out of 32 attempts (15%).
Coach Mike Brown plays young guys! Devin Ebanks and Andrew Goudelock are getting a lot of burn and the results have been pretty encouraging.

Speaking of Goudelock, this guy needs a nickname and I think it should be "Glock" (from the pistol) because he's a shooter and it's fits his name. What do you think?

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Lakers Blow Season Opener

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:20:00 +0000

WTH!?!

The Los Angeles Lakers practically let their season opener for the 2011-2012 NBA season slip away. In their game against the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers let the Bulls go on a 7-0 run that was punctuated by reigning MVP Derrick Rose.

The Lakers had a chance to win it but Kobe Bryant was denied on the buzzer.

How did the last-minute collapse happen? I can cite three things:

Luol Deng. He made nice defensive plays and a traveling violation that wasn't called.
The Lakers let the Bulls defense get to them.
Free throw. The Lakers missed 9 free throws in the game.

Sheesh. That was a tough loss on Christmas Day.

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Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse: Kobe Injured

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:55:00 +0000

Kobe Bryant. Injured.

Those are two words Los Angeles Lakers fans are dreading and those two words have managed to become a tough reality.

In the first preseason game for the Lakers, Kobe was blocked by DeAndre Jordan and Kobe fell hard on the ground. He used his shooting arm to break his fall, but in the process, injured his right wrist. Here's the play:

Kobe Bryant injured on opening night is not a good thing for the team as Andrew Bynum is also out five games due to a league-imposed suspension. With those two out, you're looking to replace 40 points worth of offense and the team's best interior and perimeter defenders.

This looks bad, real bad for the Lakers.

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Chris Paul Shows What the Lakers are Missing

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:09:00 +0000

It was only a preseason game, but the atmosphere was that of a playoff game. And in the end, the Chris Paul-led Los Angeles Clippers convinced me that they are a legitimate playoff contender.

The Los Angeles Lakers? They need more time to figure things out.

Chris Paul showed little rust and seemed very comfortable with his new teammates. Contrast that to what happened to the Lakers, who were without a dependable point guard and looked lost in a lot of stretches in their first preseason game of the season.

Without Derek Fisher, the team relied on Steve Blake and rookie Darius Morris. By now, we know that Blake is still at best a serviceable backup and Morris is the second coming of Jordan Farmar.

In any case, if you're a betting person, I think you'll agree with me when I say that the Lakers chances to win the championship have dipped a little bit and the Clippers' chances to be in the playoffs just jumped a whole lot. Some sites for online betting (TopBet.com, etc.) have already tabbed the Clippers to get home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Talk about the difference Chris Paul makes.

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New Lakers Signings Shore-up Frontline

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:18:00 +0000

For a while, the Los Angeles Lakers' frontline was becoming a mess. There was uncertainty in the tenure of Andrew Bynum as a Laker and the departure of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in a trade that left the versatile frontline into a reed-thin shadow.

But since then, only Odom was traded and Gasol and Bynum remain. The loss of Odom is mitigated by two new free agent signings: Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy.

Josh McRoberts is a solid power forward that gets makes the hustle plays and does above average defense. He's pretty adept in deflecting passes in the paint and blocking shots. In limited minutes, he produces on a decent level. His glaring weaknesses are his limited offensive game and inability to get more offensive boards. I see him getting 15-20 minutes a game backing up Gasol.

Troy Murphy's game is more specialized than McRoberts. For a big man, he has developed a long range shooting game that you'd normally find in small forwards and he rebounds at a very good rate. If he's healthy enough to log 20 minutes a game, I'm expecting him to contribute on the three-point shooting and quality minutes backing up Bynum.

That said, both those players have very different games and skills compared to Odom. In Mike Brown's system, those two can be big contributors in the Lakers' pursuit of a championship.

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Kobe's Divorce Will Motivate Him

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:21:00 +0000

If you haven't heard, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce to end her decade-long marriage to Kobe Bryant.

As a Laker fan, I am stoked!

Kobe has shown that he has the mental focus to play at a higher level despite the off-court distractions. (Remember 2003?) I believe that this season will be the same story.

Not that I dislike Vanessa Bryant (who could be the single most destructive force the Los Angeles Lakers franchise has faced in the last decade), but this is the type of conflict that can elevate Kobe's game.

Mark my words: The Black Mamba will disprove naysayers this season.

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Lakers Are Officially In A Bind

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:03:00 +0000

The season hasn't begun yet but it's already looking like a disaster movie for the Los Angeles Lakers.

First, it was the unfavorable stipulations in the NBA's new CBA, then it was the vetoed trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. Now, we learn that Chris Paul has been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers!

This is one f$#%ed-up conspiracy, if you ask me. It's one grand conspiracy to screw the NBA's best franchise. (If you think otherwise, you're a fool.)

How can the NBA (who owns the New Orleans Hornets) choose Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, and a few draft picks over Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Goran Dragic? Granted that Eric Gordon is blossoming into a dependable 2-guard, but this deal just stinks.

Since the vetoed trade, here's what happened that puts the Lakers in a hole:

The aforementioned trade of Paul
Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks
Dwight Howard was taken off the trading block

If you think those developments threw a wrench on the Lakers plans, I'm saying the whole machine is collapsing bolt by bolt.

As the roster stands now, I'm looking at a great team, but not a championship-calibre ballclub. Great job, NBA team owners! You're conspiracy has achieved its goal of screwing the Lakers.

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Unhappy Odom Sent to Dallas

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:50:00 +0000

This sucks.

After the NBA shot down the deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets, and Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets, it left a bitter taste to the players involved in it.

Nobody took it harder than Odom, who spent seven seasons with the Lakers and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He felt that he was unwanted by the team that he helped win two championships in the last two years.

This prompted him to request a trade out of the team and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak obliged. Odom was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for a salary exception an draft picks.

As a fan, this is utter crap.

How do you replace a versatile big man who's always a threat to a double-double?

Some will argue that Odom will be less effective in Mike Brown's system than he was in the Triangle Offense. A double-double threat? A lot of people see an inconsistent power forward.

The way I see it, this deal is disadvantageous to the Lakers because 1) they give up a trade piece that could be packaged with other players to obtain an All-Star (like Dwight Howard), and 2) There's no immediate replacement for Odom's production. Yes the team saves salary, but the Lakers have never been about penny-pinching.

If this is the last deal the Lakers will make in the off-season, then we'll see more of Derrick Caracter off the bench. And that is NOT a good thing.

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The Chris Paul Saga Continues: Twitter Backlash on the NBA

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:46:00 +0000

New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul point guard was supposed to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade. But in an unprecedented move, the NBA, which owns the Hornets, vetoed the trade. Why? Because of "basketball reasons."

After this announcement, public sentiment has been strong against the NBA in Twitter.

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Lakers Get Screwed By NBA Again on Chris Paul Trade

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:19:00 +0000

A couple of hours ago, I was already playing scenarios in my head with the trade of Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers. With Pau Gasol going to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom going to the New Orleans Hornets, the team's thin frontline was a great thing to think about.

However, the Lakers got screwed by the NBA. Again.

Yahoo Sports reported that the deal was blocked by NBA commish David Stern. Why? Because the New Orleans Hornets is a team owned by the NBA (it's in the process of being handed over to a new owner) and the rest of the NBA raised hell because the Lakers supposedly got better.

Are you kidding me? The Lakers got better in this deal?

By sending two-thirds of the frontline that won the 2010 NBA championship, the Lakers lost their edge on defense and rebounding. Between Gasol and Odom, you're looking at 20 rebounds a game and 3 blocked shots. Yes, the Lakers get a top-flight point guard, who does he feed the ball into the post to? Derrick Caracter? You might as well count that as a defensive rebound by the opponent.

My point is, you can't say outright that this deal was lopsided in the Lakers favor.

If the deal does get permanently killed, then the Lakers' problems would be chemistry, since Odom and Gasol will have a cloud hovering over their heads all season.

Damn you, David Stern.

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Nike Kobe VII System Supreme

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:10:00 +0000

I got a heads up about Kobe Bryant's upcoming shoe for the NBA's 2011-2012 season: The Nike Kobe VII System Supreme. It will hit stores on December 22, 2011.

What makes this shoe an improvement over the previous KB24 kicks? It will come in two versions: Attack Strong and Attack Fast.

The difference between the two versions is the inclusion of two interchangeable insert options allowing players to switch out the cushioning and ankle support.

The Attack Strong insert offers a full-length Cushlon midsole and an ankle cuff for a plush ride and optimal support. On the other hand, the Attack Fast insert features a Phylon midsole with Nike Zoom units for responsive cushioning, and a low-cut, power-stretch cuff that hugs the foot for added support.

If you got bored with those technical terms, let me just show you how sweet these kicks look:

Attack Strong:

Attack Fast:

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Dwight Howard to LA: Will It Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:34:00 +0000

With the NBA rumor mill churning again, fans are speculating what deals their teams will make. As a Laker fan, I have my eye on the big free agent prize: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.

If the Los Angeles Lakers were to get Dwight Howard, it would be through a blockbuster trade simply because the team doesn't have salary cap space. (In case you've forgotten, the Lakers have a league-high $91 million payroll).

Which trades make sense?

First, I propose this trade:

The Los Angeles Lakers get Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu
The Orlando Magic get Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

It makes sense for both teams because the Lakers get the prized center and give enough talent back to the Magic. What also makes it appealing is that the Magic are rid of Turkoglu's albatross of a contract (3 years left with around $11 million per year).

I also have this trade idea:

The Los Angeles Lakers get Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Trevor Ariza
The Orlando Magic get Andrew Bynum and Chris Paul
The New Orleans Hornets get Pau Gasol, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Blake

This is obviously harder to pull off because the Lakers lose their backup point guard and give up their frontline in one fell swoop. However, this becomes more attractive for the Magic and Hornets because they get All-Stars in this trade.

So, what do you think of these trade ideas?

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How the Lakers Got Screwed in the New NBA Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:37:00 +0000

I just read an article at ESPN.com that outlines the differences from the new CBA from the 2005 CBA.

My initial reaction was, "WTH! The Lakers got screwed in the new deal!"

Here's one item that really grabbed my attention:

• 2005 CBA: Teams paid $1 for every $1 their salary was above the luxury-tax threshold.
• 2011 CBA: Teams pay $1 for every $1 their salary is above the luxury-tax threshold in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Starting in 2012-13, teams pay an incremental tax that increases with every $5 million above the tax threshold ($1.50, $1.75, $2.50, $3.25, etc.). Teams that are repeat offenders (paying tax at least four out of the past five seasons) have a tax that is higher still -- $1 more at each increment ($2.50, $2.75, $3.50, $4.25, etc.).

We all know that the Los Angeles Lakers' owner Jerry Buss doesn't spare a dime to make the team competitive. As a result, the team has gone over the luxury tax with regularity since 2005. But the results for the Lakers since that CBA was ratified has been great: No missed playoffs, three NBA finals appearances, and two NBA championships.

With the new deal, the Lakers are looking to pay up to three times their luxury tax.

Here's another item:

• 2005 CBA: No additional limits for taxpaying teams.
• 2011 CBA: Taxpaying teams have a smaller midlevel exception, can acquire less salary in trade, and cannot use the biannual exception. Starting in 2013-14, teams more than $4 million above the tax level cannot receive a player in a sign-and-trade transaction.

This means that a team like the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves get offer a veteran a higher mid-level exception compared to the Lakers. This is the league becoming serious about "competitive balance."

And that doesn't make sense to me.

With the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder (which relies on young players with lesser committed contracts), most of the playoff performers are spending on players.

So instead of encouraging teams to spend to win, they punish spenders while giving the cheapskate teams no incentive to spend more.

The deal is good for ten years (with the option to be reviewed after five years) and the future looks restricted for the Lakers.

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NBA Season to Start on Christmas Day

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:40:00 +0000

Folks wanting to see Kobe Byrant wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey this year instead of the exhibition threads will finally get their wish-- the NBA lockout is all but finished.

After five months of seeing no NBA, this is huge for the fans. I personally want to see how this season will play out after the Lakers were edged by the Dallas Mavericks in the last playoffs. Will Kobe get his sixth NBA championship? Will Pau Gasol erase the bad memories he planted on fans in the 2011 playoffs? Will Andrew Bynum be an All-Star? Will Mike Brown be a good replacement for Phil Jackson?

And then there's Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest). Is there anything cooler than seeing "World Peace" in a basketball jersey?

Whatever the answer to those questions, they will all unfold on Christmas Day 2011.

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Kobe Manila Tour 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:52:00 +0000

Kobe Bryant is coming back to Manila!

The two-time NBA Finals MVP will arrive in Manila for a one-day stop in his Asia tour on July 13, 2011. Kobe will be at the Nike Park at the Bonifacio High Street in Taguig for a short event in the afternoon and then an exhibition game at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City in the evening.

Kobe and Los Angeles Lakers fans can also like http://www.facebook.com/nikebasketball.phils where 50 lucky community members can get a chance to win 2 free tickets each to see the Black Mamba.

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How to Fix the Lakers (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:05:00 +0000

After I figured that Brian Shaw would be the best option for the Lakers' coaching vacancy, the team went on to hire Mike Brown as the next coach.

Now onto the next way to fix the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2011-2012 season: The NBA Draft.

The team has the picks for #41, #46, #56, and #58 in a two-round draft of 30 picks per draft. This means that the Lakers have very low picks. Who should the Lakers draft in a relatively weak class?

If you ask me, go for serviceable bigs that can replace Derrick Caracter. This person should be able to put in the efforts to defend the opponent's big men and rebound on the offensive glass. I believe this was sorely missed with the aging Theo Ratliff and Joe Smith coming off the bench to spell the frontline starters.

Some names that come to mind in the draft:

Kenneth Faried
Jordan Williams
Rick Jackson
Willie Reed
DeAngelo Castro
Greg Smith
Keith Benson

The common denominator among the names I listed is that they are all big men who are active on the defensive and rebounding ends.

If the Lakers pick majority of those scrappy bigs, I think they're on the right path to replace Derrick Caracter.

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2011 NBA Playoffs - Finals Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sun, 29 May 2011 06:53:00 +0000

My prediction accuracy improved in the last round, where I correctly predicted winners of the two NBA Conference Finals. This brings my 2011 ESPN Stat Geek Smackdown score to 59, good for third if I were part of the pool of predictors.

Out of the fourteen NBA playoffs series so far, I have gotten ten correct, good for 71% accuracy.

Now on to the big stage: the 2011 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

I think the Heat are peaking at the right moment, with LeBron James playing out of his mind in the last few games. Chris Bosh is also getting comfortable as the unsung third cog in a two-star system. Defense-wide, the Heat have issues and this is key on how Dirk Nowitzki will exploit his match-ups.

That said, I want the Mavericks to win because I feel Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are due to get their rings, but I think Miami will over-power the Mavs. My prediction: Heat in 6.

Welcome to the Miami Heat era of the NBA.

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Mike Brown: The Lakers' New Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:33:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

So much for fixing the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team announced that the new coach will be Mike Brown, the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach who (mis)handled LeBron James in five seasons.

I thought Brian Shaw would have been a better hire, to ensure continuity from the Phil Jackson era. The Lakers' management seems to like to go to a completely new direction. Jim Buss (son of team owner Dr. Jerry Buss) made the decision to hire and I think he's crafting the team the way he sees it.

The initial negative fan reaction from the Mike Brown hire and the spite sent towards Jim Buss is understandable-- Mike Brown, with all due respect, is a far cry from Phil Jackson. Jim Buss, for his part, is doing his darned best not to look like Don Sterling 2.0.

What do I think of the hiring?

It's clearly all about the immediate future for the Lakers. Brown's contract coincides with the expiration of the contracts of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. (I think Andrew Bynum will get an extension and Lamar Odom will be dealt in the next few years.) Brown is meant to extract the best defensive effort from that bunch while the window for championships are still open.

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2011 NBA Playoffs - Conference Finals Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:55:00 +0000

I kinda flamed out in my last set of predictions. Out of the four series, I only only got two correct and I didn't get any of the number of games correct.

If we'll take the 2011 ESPN Stat Geek Smackdown as reference, my running score would be 49 (I got a total of 39 from my first round predictions).

Who will win the conference Finals? Here are my picks:

Eastern Conference:

Chicago Bulls (1) vs. Miami Heat (2): Heat in 7

Western Conference:

Dallas Mavericks (3) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (4): Mavericks in 6

I'm seeing a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks this coming June.

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Big Lakers Fan's Sprite Spark Parks Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Wed, 18 May 2011 02:14:00 +0000

I've been a little down since the Los Angeles Lakers got booted off the 2011 NBA Playoffs, and I'm sure there's a lot of Lakers fans all over who feel the same way.

But it's time to pick everyone's spirits up with a sweepstakes courtesy of Sprite!

I'm starting this contest called the Sprite Spark Parks Contest and it's very much related to Sprite Spark Parks Project.

What is the Sprite Spark Parks Project? It's a multi-year commitment to build and restore play environments where teens, families and neighbors can get outside and be active. The initiative kicked off with 21 refreshed basketball courts around the United States. For more information about the Sprite Spark Parks Project, visit by their Facebook page.

Now our contest: I'll be giving away an authentic NBA2K11 for PlayStation 3 to one winner!

To join, you just need to comment on this blog post with your answer to the question:

If Kobe Bryant and LeBron James faced off one-on-one in a park basketball court, who would win and why?

The person with the most-compelling answer would win the NBA2K11 game. It's as simple as that.

The deadline for the contest is on June 17, 2011, 11:59 EST. It's important to take note that this contest is open to folks from the US and Canada only. The prize will be provided by the Coca-Cola Company but they are not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this sweepstakes.

The winner will be contacted privately to get the shipping information. If the initial winner doesn't respond in three days, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to the next best answer.

So join the Sprite Spark Parks Contest now and you could be the proud owner of a NBA2K11 game!

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How to Fix the Lakers (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Regnard Raquedan) — Sun, 15 May 2011 04:57:00 +0000

Now that most Los Angeles Lakers fans have gotten over the initial shock of the team's disgraceful exit in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, it's time to start to look forward to next season.

I'm devoting a good portion of this blog to focus on the how to fix the Lakers until the next season starts. I think this is a good way to reflect on what team needs to do to reclaim the NBA crown in the 2011-2012 season.

The first order is to get a great coach, since Phil Jackson has expressed that he's done coaching in the NBA.

If you ask me, the Lakers need a coach that can command the respect of the veteran ballclub NOW. The core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom are in their 30's and perhaps have 3-4 years left in their respective contracts, and assuming no personnel changes happen, then the window for the Lakers is not as big as it used to be.

So who fits the bill? I'm working on the assumption that there would be no major changes in the Lakers team, so the natural choice would be Lakers assistant Brian Shaw.

Kobe Bryant and several Lakers have expressed their endorsement of Shaw and Shaw is a person who is familiar with the Triangle Offense, so there would be some level of continuity in the locker room.

The caveat here is that Shaw has never been a head coach in the league, so he might get a rude awakening when the Lakers start losing or dozing off in the regular season.

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