L.A. Sports Minute

Laker Fans Have To Believe

2012-02-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

Following both Kobe's comments to the media regarding the trade status of Pau Gasol, and the players only meeting that the team had Monday night, I think its necessary that I make the following argument.

As disappointing as the team has been to this point, the Lakers are still sitting at 19-13, only one game behind the Clippers. They are sitting at fifth place in the conference, six games behind the Thunder. There are thirty-four games left this season, that's plenty of time for the playoff races to take shape.

I won't fool myself, the Lakers aren't going to be the top seed in the West. The Thunder, Spurs, Mavericks and Clippers all possess higher chances at this point (though I wouldn't look past Denver either), and without production from their point guard and small forward, the Lakers might even struggle to make the playoffs.

Here's what I'm trying to say, despite everything that has gone wrong: the botched trade, the fallout with Lamar, the fallout with Pau, Mike Brown resorting to basically letting Kobe produce every single point, and Kobe's frustration with all this, the Lakers still have a chance to win the title.

I will always believe that any team with Kobe Bryant has a chance to win a playoff series. Even if you only add what the Lakers currently possess, I think they are at least swinging contenders in the Western Conference Semis. If Brown can figure out a rotation that allows McRoberts and Murphy to contribute, if they add an average point guard (or possibly above-average!?), and if Ron Artest and Matt Barnes can get into a comfortable rotation at the forward position (not to mention, one that allows both to play to their potential), this team definitely has a chance at the title.

Sure, Magic Johnson believes that the Lakers are no more than a .500 basketball team, and at points of this season, he has been dead on. Right now though, the Lakers are six games above .500 with a crucial two game road trip that starts tonight (@DAL, @OKC). A healthy and hungry Kobe (despite his torn wrist ligaments, he's still quite healthy) is dangerous, even if Pau stays in town, as does Andrew, and the team finds a way to motivate Artest and Barnes however, they would still be left with the problem of not having a serviceable point guard.

I have ALWAYS been one of Derek Fisher's biggest supporters, and will argue that his jersey should be retired once he decides to hang them up; BUT he's not getting it done anymore. I won't even get myself started with Steve Blake. The latest rumors have the Lakers attempting to snag Ramon Sessions for a first round pick, and should they fail their, the backup plan is Gilbert Arenas.

I know a lot of people aren't high on Arenas, but I'm positive that he would produce a hell of a lot more than what the Lakers are getting right now from the point guard position. If for whatever reason he doesn't cut it, then cut him. It's simple. Sessions would also be an intriguing addition, he has been playing well for Cleveland this year, and he seems to have worked on his three-point shooting a bit which is something I think any starting point guard needs to be able to do.

Either move (Sessions or Arenas) would be helpful for this team, they would both add something new at the point guard position, and would show everyone that the Lakers are still a team to be reckoned with.

Also, I apologize for falling off of the weekly report wagon, the past two weekends have been busy with midterms and my twenty-first birthday, so starting again this upcoming Sunday, the weekly report will be back in action.

Weekly Wrap Up: Jan. 30 - Feb. 5

2012-02-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

You didn't think I'd fall off the wagon on the second week did you!? Unfortunately, I'm staring an essay right in the face, while simultaneously attempting to fend off a malicious midterm and an equally bloodthirsty essay.

Needless to say, this is more about the procrastination than it is me sticking to a strict week-to-week posting regiment.

After the jump I'll take my customary look at the week's events and how our most favored Los Angeles teams fared.

Los Angeles Lakers: 14-10, T-5th(+3) in West (2-1 this week)

Though the Lakers are mired in the middle of a tough Western Conference one musn't lose faith just yet. The Lakers are but a game and a half from both second place in the Western Conference and the Pacific Division lead. However, if I'm going to shine light on the positives, I also have to point out that they are only two games ahead of the eleventh place Timberwolves (12-12).

Los Angeles took care of business at home against the Bobcats, a team who customarily give the Lakers problems, and even managed to sneak away from Denver for a much needed road win against a quality Western Conference foe.

In conventional Lakers fashion, the Utah Jazz stood strong on their home court. Most disappointing is that they let the game slip away. Leads change quickly in professional sports, but any time you've got a lead late in the game, proper execution goes a long way towards sealing your fate successfully.

UCLA Football: Offseason; #13(-1) Rivals/#12(-4) Scout Recruiting Class

The last calendar week saw some highly touted recruits selecting the Blue and Gold. Four-star quarterback Devin Fuller (who has drawn comparisons to Michael Vick) flipped from Rutgers to come to Westwood. Then, on Monday, 6'7" Simon Goines (Three-star OL) followed suit. Overall, that's five offensive lineman in this year's class, one coming in as a four star, and the other four are all very well sized (three are 6'5" or taller, and the one who isn't is 6'2" 285).

The biggest gets of signing day were definitely the pair of four star wideouts that the Bruins brought in. Jordan Payton, who had de-committed from USC in favor of Washington only the day before, de-committed from the Huskies and signed his LOI here. It would be great if he could help lead the resurrection of UCLA Football, a player who was forced out of SC because of sanctions, ends up playing a pivotal role for the revitalized Bruins. I like it.

Javon Williams, the other four star wideout, is a 6'5" receiver with "hands". He is said to be great at going up and snagging balls out of the air, just the kind of guy you can use to help bolster your red zone pass attack. It was no secret that the Bruins' receiving core would be hurting with the departure of senior receivers Nelson Rosario and Taylor Embree.

Another intriguing prospect is Randall Goforth, ESPN has him listed as a 5'10" receiver, while Scout and Rivals have him as a 6'0"/5'10" DB. I tend to go with Rivals and Scout when it comes to my recruiting information, but when I read his Scout profile, it says he is best suited at the slot in college, so I figure he'll more than likely line up for us at receiver. He's a Long Beach Poly prospect who has the potential to be a big time playmaker (also a return specialist).

To be honest, I'm not sure how many more recruits the Bruins are really in the fold for, but regardless of whether they add anyone, I don't see them falling out of the top fifteen recruiting classes. Hats off to the new staff, now let's hope they can get the boys into real football shape this season!

UCLA Basketball: 13-10 (6-5 in PAC-12), T-5th, (1-1 this week)

Yet again, another tale of what could have been. If UCLA wins the game against Washington, they're 7-4 in the PAC-12, and they are on a four game winning streak going into their home game against Stanford. Instead they're coming off of a shaky win against a weak Washington State team, hardly the type of confidence builder you're looking for. If the Bruins could have held on to knock off the Huskies, they would be tied for fourth, only one game behind the three-way-tie atop the conference.

I'm not stretching reality when I say UCLA could have won both the games in Oregon and both the games in Washington. If they could have done that, which, even with everything that has gone wrong this season in Westwood, was totally plausible, they would have been riding a nine game win streak, 16-7 and in sole possession of first place in the PAC-12.

That's not even counting the game with Stanford that got away, but I'm alright with chalking that up to figuring things out in the post-Reeves era. There is no reason the Bruins should have lost to Oregon State, nor should they have blown a thirteen point halftime lead, nor an eight point lead in the waning minutes of the game against Washington.

None of those things should have happened! I don't know what is going on with Coach Howland, but if he continues to let these sorts of things happen, I think he'll have to be on his way out after this season (whether he brings in Shabazz Muhammad and Tony Parker or not).

This next week yet again will go a long way to showing whether or not UCLA has a fighting chance in the regular season title race.

Weekly Wrap Up: Jan. 23-29

2012-01-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a new feature I've come up with, it's a way for me to consistently have at least one post a week. Something that I've been striving to do for a while. I plan to talk about how things went in the past week for the Lakers, UCLA (Basketball/Football, and other timely sports), and the Dodgers.

After the jump I'll get into what happened this week while taking a look at what could happen in the future as well.

Los Angeles Lakers: 12-9, T-8th in West (2-1 this week)

After a disappointing week last week that saw the Lakers drop games to Miami, Orlando and Indiana, the Lakers attempted to rebound by going on the road to face Milwaukee and Minnesota. After defeating the Clippers 'at home', the Lakers traveled to Milwaukee and disappointed everyone by losing a tough game to the undermanned Bucks (played without Bogut and Jackson).

The Lakeshow tried to patch things up by shellacking the Wolves tonight, but nearly blew the win when they watched an eighteen point lead vanish.

Next week they're on the road after they host the league's worst team (Charlotte; 3-18). They will play Denver and Utah, last time they went to Denver they lost 99-90, and so far this season are 2-0 against Utah.

I would like to see at least a 2-1 week. A win against the surging Nuggets would do the Lakers a lot of good, though defeating the Bobcats is something that cannot be overlooked. The Lakers have a history of having difficulty with Charlotte. A 3-0 week would be the best obviously, because it would also be a sign that the Lakers might be turning the corner with their road problems.

UCLA Football: Offseason; #12 Rivals/#8 Scout Recruiting Class

The Bruins' new staff continues to reel 'em in! Since Jim Mora Jr. was hired on December 10th, UCLA has brought in fifteen verbal commitments (10 3*, 4 4*, 1 5*). I know this is a very early stage, and things looked promising when Rick came to town, but I like what I'm seeing from Mora.

I just hope that all this early success continues, and this staff can actually turn this sweet class into legit talent. We Bruin fans have seen quite a few good classes, even recently. And although Neuheisel couldn't coach well, he definitely brought in good classes; unfortunately he never could turn those classes into on-field production.

I'm definitely excited for Wednesday (National Signing Day), we will really get to see what this class is going to look like.

UCLA Basketball: 12-9 (5-4 in PAC-12), T-5th, (2-0 this week)

After losing both games in Oregon last week (both games were games that could/should have been won), our Bruin boys took care of business against visiting Utah and Colorado. If the Bruins had won both games last week, they would be tied for the conference lead, and if they had made the game-winner against Stanford they would actually be in sole possession of first place.

That is less a statement about how good the Bruins could be, and more of a statement about the lack of quality in the PAC-12 this year. I'm not over-exaggerating, if it weren't the PAC-12, I'm not sure more than one team would come out of this conference and into the tournament. Sure, there is a lot of potential, but nothing has turned out that way thus far.

If the Bruins can somehow snag both games on this upcoming trip to Washington, this UCLA team could still have an outside shot of getting an at-large bid to the big dance. Outside shot.

THIS Lakers Team Could Win Something

2012-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

Does Bynum have what it takes to keep Laker fans happy? (AP Photo/Yahoo)

This team. The one that played last night against the Clippers. A lot of the east-coasters missed out on a good game here in the west.

I love the rivalry that's brewing between the Lakers and Clippers. A friend of mine described the NBA best by saying so many of the games 'feel like the playoffs'. I think he hit a key point right on the head, the atmosphere of the games seems completely different. There is more emotion in these games, more emotion than we fans are accustomed to seeing in the regular season.

This emotion is allowing for a lot of new rivalries to sprout up, we saw last night that the Pacers and Bulls could have something brewing, the Lakers and Clippers are starting to butt heads, and the Thunder are just pissing everyone off.

I really haven't gotten to my point yet, but I'm sure from reading the title, you know what I'm going to say. I think the way the Lakers played last night, is the way they would need to play in order to contend for an NBA title. I put emphasis on contend, because at this point, I think there are quite a few teams that could possibly raise the championship trophy come seasons' end.

I continue to flip-flop on whether or not I want the Lakers to trade Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard. Part of me screams yes, the other questions whether I'm jumping the gun and just being greedy. Maybe we Laker fans need to have patience, do the Lakers really have to be the title favorite year in and year out? Maybe they would be better served being an underdog, forcing them to claw and fight for what they really want (see: 2009 Lakers title run).

I find myself rooting for this group of guys to pull it together and fight for what they want. It would be disappointing for them to roll over and accept that a flaming-hot Dallas Mavericks team was that much better than they were. They need to be playing with the same chip on their shoulder that they had after losing to Boston in 2008, but instead, they have taken the approach that 'it was bound to happen'.

I want to see the kind of fight that they showed last night every night. There is no reason it shouldn't happen. MWP (formerly: Artest) has shown time and time again, that when he wants to, he can still play some of the absolute best defense in the league. It took some words with Blake Griffin and a physical altercation or two to get him emotionally invested, but once he was engaged, he was a pivotal piece to the Lakers triumphing late-game run.

This Lakers team has the pieces (including that trade exception they got for giving Lamar away, which they should use to bolster this squad) to compete. When they play like this, I have absolutely no problem backing them all the way to the hardware.

The Lakers Are Contenders

2012-01-05T03:36:00.000-08:00

World Peace has a large part to play with this years Lakers team.

I'm a member of the camp that believes any team with Kobe Bryant has a chance to compete in the playoffs. Not necessarily a title, but a team with Kobe is always competitive. In order to contend for a title you need a little more. You need a good supporting cast, a good second option, and maybe even a third good option if you're lucky.

Look at the Lakers. Tell me what they have.

Once you get past Kobe, they have a newly emerging second option in Andrew Bynum (someone who I believe could quickly evolve into the best Center in the league), and a trusty third option in Gasol (who has been the number two option for the past four seasons). If MWP formally known as the formidable Ron Artest continues to play with the same inspiration that I have seen glimpses of so far this season, then the Lakers have yet another class player to add to the mix.

MWP can easily soften the blow of losing Lamar Odom, and gives the Lakers a potent scoring threat off the bench. As long as he's playing his game, World Peace can still play a pretty effective offensive game.

I know the Lakers still have the problem of point guard play, the problem being that they don't have one of the top thirty point guards on their team. Don't get me wrong, I love Derek Fisher, but he's getting old, and his ability to slow things down and get the triangle started isn't as useful now that we don't run the triangle as often. Steve Blake looks like he wants to shoot better this season, but I won't forgive him for all the things he's done to me (goes back to shooting Denver out of playoff games) until he proves he's here to play.

Add Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts to this team and you've got a pretty good eight man rotation. The two have helped improve the Lakers rebounding, and their level of intensity. Murphy and McRoberts are guys you don't have to run plays for, but they still produce in positive ways. They hit open shots, especially Murphy, and they create points off of offensive rebounds.

This doesn't even include Devin Ebanks (or Matt Barnes), who starts at the three for the Lakers, and is someone who I can see following the developmental pattern of Trevor Ariza. In addition to his style of play, don't tell me you haven't taken a quick glance at the screen and instinctively thought "What is Ariza doing on the floor?" only to remember that it was actually Ebanks. Ebanks is a solid defensive player with a lot of room for improvement. I think his jump shot is ahead of where Ariza's was before he started making improvements, which points to the fact that he may have a more natural knack for shooting the ball. If Barnes can contribute in a bigger way than he did last season, it only makes this Lakers team harder to beat.

Barring any huge injuries, I think this is a Lakers team that can take most teams to the limit. Of course, its early in the season, and I have do have LA goggles on, but I really do think this team can contend. No one will know exactly how good any of the top teams are for a another few weeks, and until then it isn't ridiculous to keep the Lakers in the hunt.

Going On The Record Now

2012-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Bynum is becoming a monster in this league.

I'm going on the record now: I believe that Andrew Bynum has the potential to be better than Dwight Howard. I said it. Laugh, because I know a lot of you will want to, but after you've done that, think for a minute. Andrew Bynum is 2 years younger than Dwight and he's been in the league for one less year, so by the time he's Dwight's age he'll have been in the league for one more year than comparable Dwight Howard.

So far Bynum has shown glimpses of greatness, but unfortunately he's been hit with rotten luck and we haven't been able to see him put long stretches of season together. When the Lakers drafted Andrew, they saw something, and if Bynum can stay healthy, and keep his cool, we should begin to start seeing exactly what that was.

What I think that was, was the potential to be the best Center in the league. Shaq in his prime type of stuff, though dominant in a different way obviously because the times have changed. I know by this point, I've probably lost just about everyone who has read this far, but I still continue.

He's had 29-13 and 18-16 in his first two games this season. Those are just the types of games that Dwight is known for. Andrew is just as fast as Dwight, he's as good of a defender as Dwight, and he's more skilled offensively. Besides, read how I've said this, I think he has the potential to be better, I'm in no way saying it will happen.

Could This Be Coach Howland's Last Year In Westwood?

2011-12-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

If this season ends in disappointment, Bruin fans shouldn't look much further than Howland.

The title kind of says it all, but just to reaffirm my beliefs, I think coach Howland could be coaching his last season here at UCLA. It isn't because I think Howland is a bad coach, though I do lose sleep over his lack of offensive innovation; but rather, his inability to keep players around.

Just in the three and a half years that I've been here at UCLA, coach Howland has lost Jrue Holliday, J'Mison Morgan, Drew Gordon, Malcolm Lee (that's four of the infamous "fab five"), Tyler Honeycutt, Mike Moser, Chace Stanback, and Matt Carlino. Sure, a couple of those guys went pro (prematurely), and others decided to leave (while some were either forced off the team or decided they were better off elsewhere).

In my opinion, this is unacceptable. He has been unable to keep the players focused on success in the college game. Some are focused on the college life, while others are focused on what's ahead. It's been awhile since Howland has had an Afflalo, Mbah a Moute or Aboya, but he needs to find one desperately right now. Whether he transforms freshman guard Norman Powell into that type of player (Powell is said to remind many of Russell Westbrook), or finds a way to get Jerime Anderson and Anthony Stover to be those types of players.

If only a couple of those players were still here, this UCLA team would be completely different. If Drew Gordon never decides to transfer to New Mexico, maybe Howland can discipline Reeves correctly early on. If Moser were still here, we'd have a great perimeter shooter, or if Matt Carlino hadn't left, we might have some more consistent guard play.

There are a lot of different scenarios for this team, and I don't think any would be worse than what we have now. I have always liked Howland ideally, but recently he hasn't produced the roster that the UCLA program needs. He needs to go after recruits that will play his way, players who don't have a problem checking their egos at the door and submitting to a coach's style. A smart player wouldn't have a problem with that, they should know that Howland coached players are a hot commodity when the NBA draft comes around. Teams trust players that come out of his system.

Jim Mora and UCLA Football

2011-12-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

Jim Mora at his opening press conference.

I'll admit, when I heard about UCLA hiring Jim Mora Jr. late Friday night (I mean LATE Friday night), I was very disappointed. What a fall from grace. With guys like Mike Leach and Chris Petersen on our board (I say OUR board, but who knows who Guerrero had on his list) in the beginning, to end up with someone like Mora was upsetting.

That's behind me now though, Mora is UCLA's guy like it or not, and I'm behind him (as all UCLA fans should be). However, let's not mistake support for blind faith. As soon as Mora begins to stutter, or make mistakes, I'll be one of the first to point them out, but until then why should we bad mouth the guy. He hasn't done anything wrong yet.

In fact, so far, Mora has brought in three coordinators who are all known as very good recruiters. Adrian Klemm, formerly of SMU, will be the Bruins' new offensive line coach. He is known as a very good recruiter, having been voted Small Conference Recruiter of the Year, and he's also from the area.

In addition to Klemm, Mora has brought in Steve Broussard (WR's coach) from Arizona State and Demetrice Martin (DB's coach) from Washington who are both known as good recruiters.

Early on, coach Mora seems to be addressing his weaknesses with his coaching hires. His most obvious weakness as a college football coach is his lack of college experience, that resonates both with recruiting and working with youngsters. People have already been praising his attention to detail and his desire for accountability within the program, and with these additions to recruiting, UCLA may well be on their way to an improved regime.

Something that needs to be addressed though, is the inexperience of coaching young players. Coach Mora is used to working with players who already have been taught the essentials. Whether it be tackling, work ethic, or professionalism, as a professional coach, those things are taken for granted. What Mora needs to be aware of is that these players will need to be taught all of these things. Hopefully he brings in two coordinators who are known for working with college kids, as bringing in more NFL mindsets will only hinder the progress that this program can make.

Fantasy Football: Draft

2011-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to ride Drew Brees all the way to a league title this season. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

I had the idea last week to recap my fantasy football draft, both to help introduce you to the team that you helped name and also to allow people to see my thought processes under pressure. Now that I've waited a bit, it won't necessarily help anyone with their draft, but it could help people think about some of their players a bit differently.

In addition to this post, I'm thinking about doing a weekly post about how I'm selecting my team, and what moves I've contemplated making. After all the games are finished, another post will be up looking back on my selections, and analyzing how my team is doing. I'm hoping to make it a series. I think it could be a unique way to get my opinion on fantasy football out there each week.

This year, our league got put together very last minute (go figure), we waited until [last] Wednesday night to do our draft, The decisions was also made to go 12 teams deep, we didn't have the heart to cut anyone. Right off the bat, I have to be ready to find a couple sleepers because the talent will be spread out so thin amongst the teams.

A couple hours before the draft I asked you all for some team name suggestions, I got a great number of responses before ultimately deciding to go with @CalGray's "What Had Happened Was" as an ode to the Fresh Prince.

Before I knew the draft order I thought about what I would do with the first overall pick. I was really going back and forth on whether or not to take Vick, because I really felt like he had the ability to win me the league if he had a year like last year (without getting injured). I decided that with the first pick I would take Adrian Peterson, but with anything else, if Vick was on the board I was going to take him.

I ended up with the 11th pick, so all of my time was wasted making the Vick decision, as I knew he would definitely be off the board when my time came around (he ended up going 7th). With both Vick and Rodgers (10th) off the board, I thought I had to go QB with one of my two picks, as by the time my 3rd round pick came around, all of the elite five would be gone. With 11 I took Brees and with 13 I took Steven Jackson. Jackson is an injury risk I know, but if he can stay healthy (DOH!) he'll be great. Gore, Forte, McFadden, Matthews, Bradshaw and Blount were the next backs taken by my pick 35, so I went with the best TE out there (Antonio Gates). He has the potential to make up for other, weaker selections because he's a whole tier above the rest. With 38 I felt like I needed to flesh out my running game, because there are less good running backs than there are good wide receivers. I couldn't pass up on Hillis at 38, I think he is great value for this spot in the draft.

At this point, we're four rounds in and I don't have a receiver. What I do have though, is Antonio Gates, someone who gets WR numbers at the TE position. Between pick 38 and 59, Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Bowe, Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Lloyd, Santonio Holmes and Kenny Britt were gone. I took the always consistent Wes Welker and Brandon Marshall, who I feel has a lot of potential in Miami's new pass first offense. I now had some pass catchers. I could have taken Percy Harvin, Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson or Santana Moss, but I'm happy with who I've taken.

Heading into round seven I'm in need of a flex option, a kicker and defense. I'll admit, I was debating whether or not to take the Steelers here, but fortunately "Chris Kaman Your Mom" saved me from making a mistake. With pick 83, I felt Ochocinco was worth a play, and at 86 I took what I felt was the last viable starting running back in Pierre Thomas (Tolbert was taken six picks later, though he isn't a starter). As we can see, I ended up taking two guys who could slide into the flex spot.

When my round nine selection came around and Plaxico was still available, I had to pull the trigger. I feel like this could be a big year for him in New York. Then, with the Steelers, Packers, Jets and Eagles defenses gone, I decided I had to take the Baltimore Ravens with pick 110.

In round 11 I felt it was time to take a backup QB, so I looked at Brees' bye week (week 11) and went with Alex Smith (only pick I really regret), who is going to be playing Arizona. At this point I was just filling my bench, and since a friend had joked about how good my team would have been 2-3 years ago, I decided to take Tomlinson.

Now I'm starving, so I let my roommate know that as soon as I get myself a kicker, we can go eat. Since I haven't been able to grab a single Eagles player to this point, I decide to take their new placekicker Alex Henery, and then Ronnie Brown, who I thought could maybe get some time on the field this season.

The next day I decided I really didn't like my choice of Alex Smith, so I swapped him for the Browns young gunslinger Colt McCoy. After Sunday's games, I also immediately put in my waiver request for Cam Newton, though I won't ever play him over Brees, I think he will be a valuable asset to have.

UCLA Football Picking Up Right Where It Left Off

2011-09-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Franklin rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown Saturday. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Before I get hot and heavy on my newest article, I've got to give credit where credit is due. My inspiration for this article came from a great follower on Twitter - Noah Meier (@nmeier397). I reached out to my nearly seven thousand followers and Noah kindly responded suggesting that I write something about my beloved UCLA Football squad.

I nearly began writing before kick-off that day, but I decided to wait until after the clash with Houston. Much of the pre-season talk here in Westwood has had to do with Rick Neuheisel and the hottest seat in the nation. How he's survived this long is a mystery to many, but nonetheless, he's still calling the shots. As a fan, you want to get behind him. He's a likable guy, and the players love him, but eventually you need to have results; and up until this point the only bowl game the Bruins have been to under his guidance is the coveted Eagle Bank Bowl (a bowl that lasted an entire two seasons, seriously look here).

Don't get me wrong, I would be ecstatic if this team would succeed under Neuheisel. Really. I don't have any reason not to like him other than the fact that up until now, under his tutelage, the team has been a resounding failure.

By the end of the first half, I wished I had wrote the article I was thinking about writing. An article talking about how UCLA Football wouldn't turn the corner until their was a changing of the guard. Changing coordinators wasn't enough, the team needed to change from the top down, and Mr. Guerrero was going to have to let his friend Rick go.

In a way, I'm glad I had the patience to watch the Bruins play. Though they couldn't have played much worse than they did in the first half, they did show a lot of positive progress in the second half. Unfortunately however, a lot of the success they had can be attributed just as much to Houston mistakes as it can proper UCLA execution.

The season opener left me wanting a lot more. Richard Brehaut surprised the hell out of me, and our receivers caught more passes than they dropped, but our defense (which is supposed to be our strong point), looked absolutely horrific. The fact that they pushed the Cougars, and fought their way back into a game that easily gotten out of hand makes me optimistic. Looking at the Bruins schedule, its hard to predict their record. I see their ceiling at 9-3 (more realistically 8-4), they should do no worse than 5-7, and they will probably end the season with a record somewhere in between.

Welcome Jürgen Klinsmann! (USA vs. Mexico Recap)

2011-08-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

Klinsmann hopes that this US team can adopt his personality and become a team with flair and excitement.

First thing I want to say is thank the heavens that Bob Bradley is finally gone. Its nothing against him personally, but as a soccer manager, I absolutely loathe him. I didn’t see the US Men’s National Team going anywhere with him at the helm. The Gold Cup Final was the final straw for me, and it must have been enough to convince the federation to make some changes as well.

In addition to all this, we seem to have finally hired a manager with a true vision for our squad. Someone with experience both playing top tier soccer and managing it. Before the Gold Cup Final, I hadn’t heard of Jürgen Klinsmann, this changed on the ride to Pasadena. I had a couple friends give me a brief history lesson about his success as a player and how he coached Germany to a 3^rd place finish in 2006. Aside from his prolific soccer career, the man wants soccer to grow in the states. The possibility of a real academy system has no arisen. Now we just have to hope that we can be successful enough under Jürgen that the people of America come to admire the game that so many others across the world adore.

Now on to the friendly against Mexico. There were some very good players missing on both squads. The US was missing Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Stuart Holden (still out with a knee injury), while the Mexican side was without Chicharito and Gio dos Santos (started the match on the bench).

The first half most definitely belonged to Mexico, they dominated possession and had the US playing on the defensive for most of the first forty-five. When Peralta scored a gem of a goal in the seventeenth minute, I thought this might be the beginning of the end. I envisioned the possibility of a 2-0 and maybe even 3-0 loss, and the effect that would have on the Jürgen Klinsmann era right from the start.

Things began to even out as the first half came to a close, but the US hadn’t created many quality chances. Under Bradley, we would have expected much more of the same to come in the second half, with what always seemed like obligatory substitutions around the 60^th minute. However, last Friday it was a lot better than that. Jürgen made some substitutions that really allowed us to change the pace of the game and it helped the US create enough chances to gain the game tying goal. There were a couple questionable calls towards the end of the game that could have definitely tipped the scales in the favor of the US, but all in all the game was a very encouraging sign of things to come.

Mark Zuckerberg Where For Art Thou by Inga Binyon

2011-08-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

First and foremost I would like to thank my son Cody for allowing me to post as a guest on his blog, especially on subject matter that has nothing to do with sports. Rest assured Cody, you will never be written out of the will again! (Good, I was worried I was going to miss out on a good chunk of nothing there for a minute).

Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. Have you ever had an idea that you know would be an instant hit? Maybe it’s a gadget or a revolutionary new way of doing something. For example back when my husband and I were in our early 20’s, we were at the drive in one night (for those of you too young to know what a drive in is - we actually used to watch movies in our cars outdoors). My husband happened to comment “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could just use your car stereo for the audio portion of the movie instead of having to use these crap speakers?”. Well darn if someone didn’t come along a few years later and develop a system where you tuned your car radio to a certain frequency and listened to your movie in stereo bliss! What if my husband had acted on his idea? Well I probably wouldn’t be writing this post right now, that’s for sure! Over the years I have had several ideas that I thought, “Wow that could be useful”. I have never acted on a single one of them.

Well now I have an idea that is so MIND BLOWING I have to try to make it a reality. As of today I have a domain name and a vision. A vision of a website that will revolutionize Internet Shopping as we know it, I know this with every fiber of my being. My problem is, my frustration is, that I have no idea where to start, what the first step should be. OK, the third step, I have a vision and I have a domain name, oh and I have a home page designed, so that would be the 4^th step. I have been told by someone with a great amount of expertise in the world of the web that I need a heavy hitter in network programming. OK, so, Yellow Pages, Yahoo! Local Search, NOT! I have sent out a couple of e-mails to people that have experience with writing code. In fact I even took a look at who had solved the toughest puzzles at Facebook and been hired by them and found a young man by the name of David Braginsky. I saw that he has attended UCLA and Stanford and since Cody has attended both those schools I thought it was KISMET. So I tracked him down via an In-Mail in Linkedin and basically asked him if he wanted to write the code for the future of Internet Shopping. You know what? He actually answered me. He said his new position with ASANA (major BETA think tank) was keeping him pretty busy but he wished me luck on my new venture. Can you believe that? A perfect stranger, a heavy heavy hitter in the world of programming wasn’t too busy to wish me luck! There is hope for humanity! And David if I ever make this happen I am going to do everything I can to entice you away from ASANA because you are the type of person I want with me on this adventure!

OK, so I am exploring different ideas on finding a programmer up to such an enormous task. In the meantime, I have been investigating Venture Capitalists. You know those are the big money guys that always think ten steps ahead, have all the experience and connections that can make any dream come true. Really at this point, more than a financial investment, I need an intellectual investment. I need a MENTOR. I need to know how to protect my intellectual property. I need to be advised on the very best marketing strategy for partnering with retailers. I need to know how much capital a start up like this will reasonably take. No I don’t have a business plan, no my resume hasn’t been updated in 20 years, I just have an amazing fricking idea and I just want one person with experience in start ups to give me ten minutes of their time and tell me YAY or NAY. Well, actually YAY because there is absolutely no way once they have heard my idea that they will be able to pass on it! So far I’ve reached out to Mark Zuckerberg (yes that Mark Zuckerberg) and Reid Hoffman (founder of Linkedin) via In-Mails within the Linkedin network. I’ve also reached out to Saad Khan at CMEA and the guys over at Alsop Louie Partners. I know, I know, FAT CHANCE! But it doesn’t hurt to ask, all they can do is hit the “delete” button and try to stop laughing so darn hard.

I think while I am chasing down new Venture Capitalists leads I may focus some energy on marketing. The first retailer I am going to approach is Williams Sonoma. I have read some articles that lead me to believe that their CEO is way ahead of his time in spotting opportunities that are excellent investments for his corporation. Who knows I may be able to turn a meeting about advertising dollars into a “That is such an amazing idea, we would like to partner with you on the entire site” kind of meeting.

I am just a simple woman who works hard for her family. I have been married to the same amazing man for 35 years and I am extremely proud of my son who is beginning his senior year at UCLA. I want to do this for them, I need to do this for them, I will do this for them!

Please don’t confuse simple woman with simple minded! I am the Operations Manager for a multi-million dollar corporation with locations in three states whose biggest customer base is comprised of NASCAR Race Teams. I have been with my employer for over 16 years and in that time I have handled everything from payroll and tax filings, to inventory procurement, to contract negotiations and every other task in between assigned to me by the CEO.

So that’s my story. Basically I needed to vent and it occurred to me that by posting my rant on Cody’s blog I might even receive an invaluable suggestion or two by one or more of his readers. Hey in this day and age where a Marine Corp Sergeant can make a video asking Mila Kunis to the Marine Corp Ball, post it on YouTube AND have his invitation ACCEPTED – anything is possible. Now that I think of it maybe a YouTube video asking Mark Zuckerberg for 10 minutes of his time would do the trick? If his mom had an amazing idea he would give her 10 minutes right? Who knows what could happen if it were to go viral…………………………

The State of the NBA Lockout

2011-08-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Commissioner Stern is known as a very tough negotiator. (Photo by AP)

I don't know what you've heard up until now concerning the NBA lockout (which has already been going on for over a month), but if it has been even remotely positive I would disregard it quickly. I myself haven't heard a lot, what I have heard is that this lockout is ten times worse than the NFL lockout we just went through earlier this summer.

See, with the NFL lockout, the owners weren't losing any money (though they tried to say otherwise). Every NFL franchise is valued at over $1 billion, and with TV deal money alone they can cover player salaries of $120 million. The league makes $3.735 billion from ESPN, Fox, CBS, NBC, and DIRECTV at the beginning of each season, when split amongst the 32 teams each receives roughly $116 million. This is why the lockout was so frustrating for everyone, the owners were just being greedy, and lucky for us, the players agreed to take a pay cut (I still don't know how, with all that money sitting on the table).

The NBA lockout is a whole different monster. We have a lot of teams struggling to stay afloat, and without a hard cap you have teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Heat slowly accumulating a sizable portion of the league's talent. There are three main points to the lockout as of now:

Hard cap
Revenue sharing
Length of the new CBA deal

Hard Cap: The owners are pushing hard for the implementation of a hard cap. If you are unfamiliar with the hard cap system, look no further than the NFL and NHL system. Each team has a ceiling, and floor, for much they can spend. The team simply cannot go over this amount of money. It's as simple as that. The floor is put into effect so that teams don't keep the money for themselves. This method helps institute a level of fair play amongst the league, and benefits the league as a whole. Under this system you would be hard pressed to find a team like the Lakers or Heat, at least with their current contracts.

Revenue Sharing: With revenue sharing, the owners want the players to take a large pay cut. Frankly, a very large pay cut. The owners are asking for a 55/45 split of the revenues, in their favor. Currently the players hold the advantage, in the fashion of a 57/43 split. This is a very large cap to negotiate, and a 12% increase, or decrease depending on which side of the fence you're on, is a lot to ask for. The two sides will have to find some common ground eventually, or there will be no income to split.

Length of the New CBA Deal: The final talking point is the length of the deal itself. The players want the deal to last a mere five years, whereas the owners want a length ten year deal. Many might wonder why this is a point for argument, but what many don't know is that the NBA is set to make a very lucrative set of TV deals in the near future, and the owners want to lock this money down. So agreeing to a good long term deal that favors them allows them to lock this large amount of TV money in for a good amount of time.

As you can see, the two sides have a long way to come, and unfortunately up until now, they have only met once (which supposedly could have gone a lot better). If you're expecting a full season, I would suggest lowering your expectations just a bit. As I previously said, this isn't like the NFL lockout, we knew the owners wouldn't give up guaranteed money. Here, there are enough owners that are just flat out losing money, they will stall the season however long it takes. My expectation all along has been that we will see a 2012 NBA Finals. I will stand by that, unfortunately, I don't foresee much more than half of the regular season coming to fruition. I guess we have to meet everyone else half way too.

Do You Want To Know Where I've Been?

2011-08-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

Before I start, I have to let everyone know that this isn't going to be a normal post, and I'm not going to chronicle any of the hot topics in sports with this post. If you read the L.A. Sports Minute, you will have noticed that I've been a little MIA. So...where have I been?

Some of you may know that at the beginning of the summer, I enrolled in a Sports Business and Entertainment class. At the beginning of the course, I had hoped that I could maintain a steady flow of posts. To my disappointment, I rarely had enough time to think about it between classroom, employment and friendship (FIFA) responsibilities.

What I thought would be one course turned out to actually be two. One of which was a broader course which focused on entertainment, and the other which focused on the business of sports. In the business of sports class, I actually helped maintain the class blog, which chronicled a lot of the activities we had a chance to be a part of. Check it out at www.sportsbusinessucla.com.

Both courses were awesome experiences, and they really opened my eyes to the possibilities that lie ahead of me in the near future. My day of graduation is rapidly approaching, and I'm still not 100% sure I'm ready. I do however, have the confidence that by the end of the year, I'll be firing on as many cylinders as possible and I'll be ready to jump in head first. Until then, I'm continuing to enjoy my cushy seat from behind my keyboard.

Like I said earlier, this isn't a normal post for the Minute, but I thought I'd let you know where I've been. I went to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, I met some of the industries top executives and I even got a chance to go to the ESPYS!

I am disappointed that I allowed the advancement of this site falter, especially after it had some of the recent months it did. However, its in the past and I couldn't have left the site behind for a better opportunity. I really appreciate the messages I've received on Twitter pertaining to the site, and how much people enjoy it. Though it made it that much harder to continue to ignore it, the comments really mean a lot. Luckily, the past month has been fairly quiet, and I'm coming back JUST at the right time.

My favorite quote of the course was "Where you start means only one thing...where you start." With that being said, here we go again!

(Thanks for all the support, if you have anything you want to see me write about, reach out to me on Twitter (@rcbinyon), shoot me an email (lasportsminute@gmail.com) or leave a comment!)

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final: Mexico vs USA

2011-06-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

Gio Dos Santos was a huge catalyst Saturday night.

I was in attendance Sunday evening as Mexico and the US faced off in the storied Rose Bowl in Pasadena. If I hadn't driven there, I would have thought I was in Mexico. I say this with no sense of negativity, but of the 93,420 fans in the stands, I would be overwhelmingly surprised if 15,000 of them were cheering on the American side. Not only was the attendance heavily in favor of Mexico, but the ads and announcing were as well (very smart marketing), not to mention the controversial post-game scenario.

I had a few fans on twitter ask if the crowd was indicative of the state of soccer in the United States. It would be easy to say yes, but you have to think about where the game was being played - Los Angeles - a city with a very high Mexican population. It would only make sense that in a game where Mexico were playing for the Cup title, they would be in attendance. However, I was still very disappointed in the lack of support for the American team, it should have been much closer to a 60/40 split (in favor of Mexico) than 90/10.

Moving from atmosphere to game-play, after the second US goal, the Americans were pitiful. The lack of strategy from Bob Bradley was frustrating and Mexico's consistent penetration was enough to make me want to rip my hair out. How after going up 2-0 on a team many picked as the clear favorite, do you not make some sort of tactical change. At that point, you have extended a 1-0 lead to 2-0, and you have one of the better keepers in the world behind you. Switch to a formation that allows you to bring a defensive minded player into the game, and constrain your offensive opportunities to well timed counter-attacks.

Instead, Jonathan Bornstein, who I was surprised to find was still on the squad, was substituted for an injured Cherundolo. That's it. Nothing changed after going up 2-0, or after giving up a goal to make it 2-1.

In fact, the only decision I liked was the starting of Freddy Adu. Who would have thought that after everything he's been through, that he could still wind up being America's hope? He played THAT well. He looked like he knew what he was doing, and as sad as it was to say that was enough to make a player stand out for the US. He shielded the ball, made intelligent runs, and fought hard for 50/50 balls, and when nothing was there, instead of forcing a deep ball to no one, he played the smart ball to the man behind and allowed the squad to regroup.

Though there was a lot that went wrong with Saturday's Final, I still have plenty of hope for the US come 2014. There are a lot of players who could develop into great players by then (Adu, Agudelo, Jones, Holden, Bedoya and Gonzalez), and I am excited to see the growth of the team in the coming years. I also hope that the US team decides as quickly as possible that Bob Bradley is not the man for the job. I don't have a list of candidates, but there has to be someone who knows the game better who is willing to take on the challenge.

USA's Gold Cup Performance Thus Far

2011-06-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

The US team has a lot of talent, but they need figure out how to utilize it to win.

I've been very disappointed with the way the team has been carrying themselves so far in this Gold Cup (and the friendly against Spain). Touching on the game against Spain, I was left in disbelief. I didn't necessarily think the US would capture lightning in a bottle again and knock off the newly crowned World Cup champions, but the way they approached the game was terrible. The combination of scheduling the match right before the Gold Cup was slated to kick off and sitting the team's very best players was an extreme act of ignorance. It was just embarrassing.

If soccer has any real chance of catching on in the states, the powers that be need to realize one very important point: Americans love to be the best. For better or worse, our ego's will not accept humiliation, and in my opinion, that is one of the largest reasons soccer has yet to blow up in America. Though the USA is far off from being the best in the world, their performances in the Confederations Cup and the World Cup really got a lot of people excited. We were finally competitive against some of the better teams in the world, and it felt great.

Unfortunately, right as this was happening, and excitement was building, FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar (instead of the USA). Having another World Cup hosted in the states would have gone a long way with raising the popularity of soccer.

When you add this to the way they essentially forfeited to the Spaniards, and any previous excitement that was beginning to mount instantly did a back flip. Why schedule a game against a world soccer powerhouse on your own home turf just to send out your youth squad? Though the Gold Cup is important to the Americans, this game was just as important, if not more.

What disappoints me even further is the lack of importance that the players themselves seem to be treating the Gold Cup with. If you're going to say its important to you, then you had better show it with your effort level on the field. It looks as though their recent run of international "success" has gone to their head, and they feel as though they are bigger than both the Cup and the CONCACAF.

While they may indeed be the class of the association (along with Mexico), what does that really mean? It isn't like the CONCACAF is the prime soccer region in the world, they're lucky to get any recognition outside of USA and Mexico. They haven't been showing that they are the best up to this point in the Cup, with a couple of very unconvincing wins over Canada and Guadalupe, and a disappointing loss to Panama, which is actually the first time ever that the USA has lost a group game in the Gold Cup. They haven't been converting easy goal opportunities and their effort level has been far from stellar.

However, there is hope. They looked a lot more focused and determined in their 2-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday.

Today's game against Panama allows them to show the world what they are made of. This game in some ways resembles to the US what the US/Spain friendly did to Spain, a chance to overcome an embarrassing loss to a team that shouldn't have beat them. Skill wise, the Americans have nothing to fear, they are hands down better than anyone in the CONCACAF outside of Mexico, but when it comes to effort, determination and execution, we as fans may have something to worry about.

Some related news, there looks to be a 70% chance that I will be in attendance for the Gold Cup Final on Saturday, so I'm really hoping for a US/Mexico final (though I already was).

Robert C. Binyon is a fourth year student (that's right! A fourth year!) at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

2011 NBA Finals Wrap-Up

2011-06-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks.

First off, I would like to apologize for not writing in so long, its been a hectic last couple of weeks, both with finals at school and moving in to my new apartment, life has just been too full to find time. But now, things have settled down enough to where I think I will be able to get back into a steady flow of writing, and I thank everyone who has wished me luck on my exams, and everyone who continues to read my blog.

Now, on to the 2011 NBA Finals. I can't say I'm disappointed in the Miami Heat's 6-game series loss to the Dallas Mavericks, because to do so would be a giant white lie. In no way am I upset by the way the Dallas Mavericks pounded the Heat in those final five games, and showed them what being a real team is all about. Dirk showed LeBron (and Wade to a certain extent) how to close games, and did so on the biggest stage.

What will the media say now? LeBron has all the help a star should need. He has an all-star four down low, and a top-three player on his hip, what possible excuse could the media derive to get LeBron out of this one unscathed?

Personally, I think LeBron's 'legacy' took an irreparable hit this summer with the way he stabbed Cleveland in the back, but if that wasn't enough, he continually failed to step up in clutch moments for his team on the grandest stage of them all. The comparisons between him and Jordan must stop now, and shouldn't be brought up again until LeBron has pushed his team to three, maybe four championships. There is no denying that LeBron is a very talented player and that he is by far the most athletic player in the league, but he is not better than Michael, nor Kobe and as of now, it is hard to make a case for him being better than his own teammate (Wade).

Even if I wasn't already predisposed to disliking LeBron, it would have been very easy to root against Miami. Just look at the way they handled themselves all year long, trying to play the part of victim during their long losing streak, and complaining about how everyone wanted them to fail. If that wasn't enough, Wade and LeBron thought it would be cute to feign sickness during shoot around prior to Game 5 as they felt Dirk's illness was being blown out of proportion. Do you think Michael or Kobe would have ever done anything like that? They would have been too focused on beating Dirk to even think about that.

Instead of dwelling on all the negatives that the Heat have to offer, lets focus on Dallas. Though I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan after the way they tore the Lakers apart, I have to applaud the way that they came together as a team. That alone is enough to convert anyone to their side, especially when facing the Heat.

Many people forget how well the Mavericks started the season, they had one of the best records in the league when they were sitting at 24-5. Then Caron Butler got injured and Dirk began dealing with some injuries of his own and they quickly fell to 27-15. Before the injuries, the Mavs were many people's favorite to knock off the Lakers out west. It took them some time to get their chemistry back, but once they did, they entered the post-season with a full head of steam.

I found myself finally picking Dallas' side in the Finals, but now that the season is over I'm back to the Lakers. With the hiring of Mike Brown they will have a lot of questions to answer this off-season. What moves will they make, how will they adjust to life after Phil, and who might they draft with their two second round draft picks?

Now that I've moved in to my apartment, and I'm as close to settled as I will be for the next month, I expect to get back to writing two or three posts a week. Thank you once again for all the support.

Robert C. Binyon is a third year student at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

NBA Finals 2011: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat - Review Through Two Games

2011-06-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

After a glorious Game 2 comeback, Dirk and the Mavs have a renewed confidence. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Originally, I thought the Heat would take the series in seven games. I figured their talented trio would prove to be too much for Dallas, especially with the way they played at the end of the Chicago series. Then, after Game 1, I thought they would be able to do it in six.

Now remember, I'm rooting for Dallas. I want Kidd and Dirk to get the ring they deserve. Not to mention, I've never really been a fan of LeBron, I think he has been consistently over-hyped by the media since before he joined the league.

After the way Miami closed Game 1, they just looked like they were going to be too much for Dallas to handle. Then the end of Game 2 came. Miami looked to be gliding to a 2-0 series lead, and taking a potential vice grip on the series. Instead, Dallas continued their magical run, and reached into their comeback bag of tricks to overcome a 15-point deficit. Though Terry has been less than stellar thus far, after Thursday's comeback I think Dallas will have a renewed sense of confidence from top to bottom.

Not to mention that for some reason Miami went back to the "Let LeBron dribble the shot clock out and heave something up" offense. If they continue to run that at the end of games, Dallas should cruise to a title. The inability to do what worked all game allowed Dallas to claw their way to an astonishing comeback and potentially take hold of this series.

Here are some things to look for in Game 3:

Shawn Marion: Will he be able to continue his run of great play through the first two games? He's averaging 18/9 so far, while shooting 57.5% from the field.
Jason Terry: He went 3-10 (3-7 from 3) in Game 1 and scored 12 points. Game 2 went a little better (5-11, 0-2 from 3) as he scored 16 points. He needs to start hitting his 3's if Dallas is going to be anywhere near as dominant as they have been thus far.
JJ Barea: Barea has only seven points in the first two games combined. He's only 3-15 (0-2 from 3) from the field and he has played an average of 16 minutes per game. I expect Barea to come out of this funk soon, especially with the Dallas crowd behind him.
Chris Bosh: Just when he was starting to silence some of his critics, Bosh has crawled back under the rock of mediocrity. Actually, mediocrity is a compliment, Bosh is shooting just 26.5% from the field, and he has taken 34 shots through two games.

After Dallas stole Game 2 away from Miami,my outlook on the series changed completely. I feel Dallas is going to win two of three at home, giving them a 3-2 advantage heading back to Miami. Once back in Miami I think Dallas has to win in six, or Miami will win in seven. We all know my track record for predicting outcomes this post-season, but I feel good about this outlook.

Robert C. Binyon is a third year student at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

Los Angeles Lakers Hire Mike Brown to Replace Phil Jackson

2011-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Lakers fans need to accept Brown is in town, and get behind him. (AP Photo)

Initially I had the same reaction as many of my friends, I was appalled at the hire of Mike Brown. I didn't think the option of Brown replacing the legendary Phil Jackson was actually possible. I felt with this move, the Lakers instantly became the laughing stock of the NBA (I actually had someone tell me this).

After getting over my impulse reaction, I had plenty of time to digest the surprising hire. There are many positives that Brown brings to the table, and he could do a lot of good for this Lakers team.

Defense: If Mike Brown is known for anything thus far in his NBA coaching career, its his ability to coach defense. I love this, because it points to the fact that the Lakers are going to focus on defense next season (and hopefully this off-season).
New Blood: As much as I love Phil Jackson, after this year's fizzle-out in the second round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks, its clear that Los Angeles needs to change something. The easiest thing to change, without major overhaul, is the guy who calls the shots. Brown is an extremely hard worker, who will do everything he can to lead this team to victory. The more I read about him, the happier I become with the hire.
Say Goodbye to the Triangle: This is the part I'm happiest about. Anyone who has watched the Lakers play, has had to have seen their tendency to stand around and watch Kobe try to do it all on offense. The thing about the Triangle, is that at times, it promotes an offensive game like this. Though it includes an unlimited amount of options, passes, cuts, and off-ball screens, it is easy to get stuck in a "give the ball to Kobe" rut. With Mike Brown taking over the helm, his motion offense will more than likely be implemented (more on that later).

Unfortunately, along with the positives of Mike Brown, some pretty big question marks (negatives?) seem to tag along.

May Let Kobe Walk All Over Him: One of the biggest things people saw in Cleveland, was that Brown continuously let LeBron take over, and walk all over him. On numerous occasions we saw LeBron actually take the whiteboard and pen during timeouts and become the coach. Though you like your players to be coaches on the floor, during timeouts, you generally want your actual coach to do the coaching.
Hasn't Been Known as an Offensive Genius: While Brown has been known for his defensive-minded approach, many have criticized him for his lack of ingenuity on the offensive side of the ball. What many seem to forget, is that during a large portion of his tenure, Cleveland didn't have much besides LeBron. Once more players started to roll in, he handed over the offensive reigns over to his assistants.
Hasn't Shown that he is an Adjustments Guy: In the 2007 NBA Finals, when the Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, Brown failed to make any adjustments on offense, and Cleveland was consistently smothered. The same was true in the next three trips to the post-season. This is the biggest worry for Lakers fans, Brown needs to turn his hard work ethic into on the fly decision making. He has the tools, he just needs to have the confidence.

Overall, Lakers fans need to get behind Brown, because like it or not, he's the Lakers new guy. He brings a lot of good qualities to the table, and the fact that the Lakers look to be focusing on defense this next season is a great thing. A Lakers team focused on great defense is a scary thing. They have played very good defense the past few seasons without really focusing on it. The next step is to acquire the pieces needed to implement this system over the off-season.

Robert C. Binyon is a third year student at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

2011 MLB Season: What is Wrong with the Dodgers?

2011-05-24T01:05:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much to cheer for in Los Angeles outside Andre Ethier's 30-game hit streak. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Tonight, the Dodgers blew yet another game in the closing innings! Its almost like they try harder to lose than win in the last three innings of a ball game. Kenley Jansen gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth to give the Astros the come from behind 4-3 victory.

In their last eleven games, the Dodgers are 3-8, and two out of those eight have been blown in the final three innings. This month, the Dodgers are 7-14, with five late game burnouts. On the year, the Dodgers have blown nine games, and have fallen to a 21-28 record because of it.

I define a late inning collapse to be giving up a lead or tie in the seventh inning or later. So these stats don't even include Los Angeles' lovely 8 run ninth inning that they surrendered back on April 19th to the Braves.

Overall, the Dodgers are 21-28, fourth place in the NL West, 7.5 games out of first. Now, I'm not saying that they should have won every one of these nine blown games, but imagine what they could have accomplished with a better bullpen. They probably win at least five, maybe even six of the nine games. That puts them at 27-22, the same amount of wins as the division leading Giants, and leaves them only three games back in the loss column. See what a difference a bullpen makes?

This "what could have been" record doesn't take anything else into account but the Dodgers shaky pen.

The Dodgers starters have done everything I thought they would. As a unit, they have posted a 3.78 ERA (5th in NL) while eating up a total of 303.2 innings. Only St. Louis (308) and Philadelphia (305) have pitched more.

Their relievers on the other hand have posted an atrocious 4.88 ERA, good for dead last in the NL. Only two teams have over a 3.66 ERA, Houston (4.72) and Los Angeles.

In terms of hitting, the Dodgers are fourteenth out of sixteen NL teams in the run department, but sixth in batting average! Their lack of long ball power is really hurting them, as Matt Kemp and Rod Barajas are the only players on the team with more than four home runs (11 and 7).

Its obvious that if Los Angeles is going to have any hope at salvaging the season, they have to improve their bullpen as soon as possible. Winning the NL West is still possible, but they can't afford to lose much more ground. I hope the rumors that were circulating during the off-season are true, and the Dodgers make a run at acquiring Prince Fielder, as he would be that huge bat they are lacking. Of course, in order for this to happen, they will need to find an owner that can make payroll.

Robert C. Binyon is a third year student at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

After Losing out on Three-Peat, Where Do the Los Angeles Lakers Go from Here?

2011-05-20T00:36:00.000-07:00

Barnes and Blake were highly anticipated additions this past off-season, what happens now? (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

The first thing that needs to be addressed this off-season is the Lakers need for a head coach. The front office needs to decide if they're going to stick with the triangle offense, or whether they're going to go in a new direction. If they're sticking with the triangle, then Brian Shaw is the logical choice, and if they're looking at switching things up, Jerry Sloan or Rick Adelman seem to be the logical choices.

As far as what they need to do with the people they are putting on the court, their top need in my eyes, is a shooting weapon off the bench. I tried as hard as I could to defend the bench this season, but after Lamar Odom, there really isn't much there.

Shannon Brown is good for a highlight reel play or two a week, Matt Barnes was on and off the injured reserve and Steve Blake didn't produce the way many thought he would. Bringing in a guy who can shoot well will bring in some automatic offense to a once stagnant bench, and will also give the post players more room to work with down low.

As soon as the magical run to three in a row ended, the trade rumors started to surface. The best way to cope with the disappointing defeat was to start throwing around big names. For those who think that the Lakers are going to be able to trade Pau Gasol and pieces away for Chris Paul, please wake up.

I would be very, very surprised if this deal ever even gets talked about with New Orleans. As far as the Andrew Bynum to Orlando for Dwight Howard rumors, these rumors hold weight, but if Bynum isn't shipped out for Dwight, he needs to stay in Los Angeles. As I've said in other articles, I'm not even sold on Dwight being the better long term option, but at least with him you know what you're going to get.

Bynum's future production is a mystery, he could either develop into the best center in the league, or he can continue to be an injury liability.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles, both Shannon Brown and Matt Barnes have player options that could allow them to leave this off-season. On the positive side of things, neither player's stock is all that high. Barnes was bothered by injuries all year, and Brown, after starting out the year like a possible most improved candidate, slowly digressed as the year went on.

In order to bring in any new blood this off-season, the Lakers are going to have to make trades and use their mid level exception wisely (assuming it exists under the new CBA). I wouldn't be surprised to see a member or two of the "core" go this summer. Without including one of them, any real changes are going to be tough to make.

Guest Post: Lakers Gear from Collegegear.com

2011-05-19T13:26:00.001-07:00

I had someone reach out to me a week or so ago and ask me if I would post a guest post on my blog, and being the nice guy that I am, I said sure why not. The following post has to do with some Lakers gear, so check it out.

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There are many different ways that a true L.A. Lakers fan can show their support to the team. However, perhaps the single most affective way is to show your support wherever you go by wearing and utilizing Lakers gear throughout your daily life. A true fan will have a closet stuffed full with sports apparel and clothing to wear around the house, as well as to their games.

If you’re a Lakers super fan who wants to sport the purple, white and gold on a daily basis, then you should strongly consider checking out the following fan items.

1. A Los Angeles Lakers bottle jersey is the perfect accessory for any fan attending a live game. They’re a great novelty item that can add an additional splash of Lakers color to your ensemble and let everyone in the stadium know just how big of a fan you are. Even your beer will be a huge Lakers fan! These are also perfect for your own home barbecues during the summer time.

2. If you’re in the mood for a basketball game with friends, why not play with a replica Lakers basketball jersey? You can find great deals online for lots of different versions of these awesome replica jerseys. From classic throwbacks like Jerry West jerseys, to more recent Kobe Bryant jerseys, you’ll be decked out in great Lakers colors to hoop around with your pals. These jerseys go together especially well when sported with a new Lakers hat as well.

3. If you’re looking for a classier approach to wearing your Lakers pride, why not dress yourself with a cool Lakers watch? There are many variations of this item, but all of them feature a great Lakers logo in the center of the timepiece, allowing you to show off the Lakers colors any time you’re checking for the time. This is especially useful if an unsuspecting Celtics fan asks you what time it is, allowing you to pull out your Lakers watch and lay the smack down on his Celtics pride. “Let’s just see… it’s time for Rondo to get his ankles broken!” Booya! Chalk one up for the good guys.

4. Let’s be honest, no man cave is complete without a beer mug. There’s nothing more satisfying than relaxing after a difficult day at the office and taking in a few brews. What’s even better than that is to slam down a couple of cold ones through a Lakers beer mug while watching Kobe run the court and dominate opposition. Wishing for a Lakers victory? Yeah, I’ll drink to that one!

5. In today’s busy world, technology places a much larger part than it used to. It seems that everywhere you look is someone using an iPhone or an iPod to communicate and pass the time. If you’re one of the many people with one of these Apple products, why not dress them in in a Lakers protect cover? You can keep your phone safe while representing L.A. to the fullest. It’s a win-win situation (much like every Lakers game!).

If you’re looking for the latest collegiate clothing on the market today then check out College Gear and save on all the newest designs! You’ll find a very dedicated catalog of all sports merchandise, both college and professional level, including all of the latest Los Angeles Lakers apparel.

2011 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Breakdown

2011-05-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

As a team, the Bulls will be too much for the Miami Heat. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Its that time again, you didn't think just because the Lakers were out of the hunt I was going to stop my coverage of this year's playoffs...did you? Even though the Bulls already won Game 1, I thought they were going to and the win will not have an impact on my predictions.

Here are my Conference Finals predictions:

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 2 Miami Heat

With the Lakers out of the hunt for their three-peat, my title hopes are resting on the Bulls, Thunder and Mavericks. The Heat can't win the Finals, I won't be able to live with it. Especially in the same year that Kobe and the Lakers bowed out in an embarrassing sweep to the Mavericks? No way.

My personal aspirations aside, I think the Bulls are the better team from top to bottom. For everyone who thinks that the Heat are taking this series easily, they are too busy star gazing and aren't taking enough time to look at the teams as a whole. I think that Boozer and Noah are going to be too much for the Heat inside and that Luol Deng is going to surprise a lot of people with his ability to guard LeBron.

Even though I see the Bulls coming out on top, this series is going to rely on the ability of the Bulls supporting players to step up and help Derrick Rose. He won't be able to win this series on his own. Chicago in 6.

Western Conference

No. 3 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder

I've had a hard time with this series in my mind, and I'm still not completely sold on my decision. I feel like Dallas has come together as a team at the perfect time, and will be hard for anyone to stop. At the beginning of the season they looked like they were going to be hard to stop in the playoffs, but then Caron Butler went down. After Butler was injured, it took the Mavericks some time to regain their composure, but now that they have, they are playing the best basketball possible.

I think their combination of man-to-man and zone defensive looks will be enough to slow the Thunder down, as they are an underrated defensive team. When it comes to closing out games, Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best in the league, and he is nearly unstoppable. The indecision between Westbrook and Durant will be too much for Oklahoma City to overcome and I think in the end it costs them a game. One game will be all it takes in this series. Dallas in 7.

As I have said, I recently changed the system and you no longer have to sign in to leave comments! So feel free to leave a hassle-free comment on today's article.

Robert C. Binyon is a third year student at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

Amidst Swirling Coach Replacement Rumors, Rick Adelman Arises as Possibility for Lakers

2011-05-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

The search for Phil Jackson's replacement has begun, is Rick Adelman the man? (AP Photo)

Right now, numerous names have been popping up around the rumor mill as possible replacements for the legendary Phil Jackson. I've heard Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Dunleavy, Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown and of course, in-house candidate Brian Shaw. Right now I'm going to talk about Rick Adelman, who as I feel outside of Shaw, is the best fit to run this team.

First of all, sources say that the Lakers are "very interested" in Adelman as a possible replacement, but we know how front offices love to make people think one thing while they sneakily work on their real option.

Adelman has coached in Portland, Golden State, Sacramento and most recently, Houston. He was very successful everywhere except for Golden State, but please show me someone who has been successful there in the past 20 years. He has a 945-616 (.605) career record, good for eighth all-time on the career wins list, and save for the Lakers comeback in 2002, he probably has a ring on his finger. He took Portland to the Finals twice in the early nineties, to the Conference Finals once, and took the Kings to the aforementioned Game 7 of the 2002 Conference Finals against Los Angeles. If you remember, he also recently took a "Yaoless" Rockets team to a Game 7 against the Lakers in the Western Conference Semis.

Overall Adelman has been to the playoffs fifteen out of his nineteen full coaching seasons (made it as an interim coach once in Portland after coaching the final 35 games of the season, 14-21), been to the Conference Finals twice and the NBA Finals twice.

Originally I wanted Brian Shaw to be PJ's replacement, but this was assuming the Lakers made it to the Finals to defend their two-time championship run. With the abysmal effort they put in for this years playoff run, I feel a little change is necessary. Mainly, the triangle offense needs to be re-thought, and I believe Brian Shaw, who has no prior head coaching experience, will stick with what he knows...which is the triangle offense he learned from Phil.

Adelman is a player's coach, has had a lot of success in this league, and has coached his fair share of veterans. He has also coached Ron Artest twice (in Sacramento and Houston), and he knows how to get the most out of the forward. I think Adelman's successful background, and respect he has earned on the opposite sideline against the Lakers, is enough to gain the respect of the team. I would be excited to see what he does at the helm.

As I have said, I recently changed the system and you no longer have to sign in to leave comments! So feel free to leave a hassle-free comment on today's article.

Robert C. Binyon is a third year student at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology. You can follow him on twitter - @rcbinyon.

Andrew Bynum's Future With the Los Angeles Lakers

2011-05-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Bynum's future with the Los Angeles Lakers is uncertain. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

My kneejerk reaction to Andrew Bynum's foul on JJ Barea was that it was an egregious act that in no way represented the Lakers, their organization, nor the fans that support them. I stick by that, but I no longer stand by the notion that he will be traded no matter the circumstances.

If you recall, I was elated with Bynum's performance in Game 3, he played tough, scored well and showed more heart than anyone on the court. He wanted to win bad, more-so than any other player on that team, outside of Kobe and Fisher.

I loved the intensity, how angry he was getting at his teammates when they blew an assignment or made a bad pass, it looked like he was growing up. Then he fouled Barea in Game 4. I was quick to forget his magnificent improvement. As the days have passed, I've wondered whether I was right to think he should be shipped out no matter what. Now I think the only way he's leaving Los Angeles is if he's packaged for Dwight Howard.

Now if you're a Lakers fan, you need to think long and hard about this, could Bynum become a better Center in this league than Dwight? Is it worth trading him? Bynum is 23, while Howard is 25. Bynum's offensive game is already more polished, and he can make his free throws.

A big part of Howard's game is his dominance on the boards, and on the defensive end of the floor. If you watched the Lakers play after the All-Star break (during their winning streak), then you noticed how Bynum changed games with his ability to alter shots and grab every rebound. Many said that had he played at that level all season, he would have been in contention for Defensive Player of the Year. In fact, the only place Dwight Howard dominates Bynum in far and away, is health. Howard has missed only seven games in his seven year career, Bynum has missed 28, 17, 32 and 47 games since becoming a starter, that's 124 games in four seasons.

With Dwight you know what you're going to get, a tough big man who is going to alter games on the defensive end of the floor. He can rebound better than 99% of the league, and he has been working on his offensive game, he's strong enough to score on dunks and put-backs alone. With Bynum, the future is a mystery. He could blossom into the best Center in the league, he can already score, he has shown that he can block and rebound with the best of them, but the question remains whether or not he will stay healthy.

As I have said, I recently changed the system and you no longer have to sign in to leave comments! So feel free to leave a hassle-free comment on today's article.

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at lasportsminute@gmail.com. Also, please follow me on twitter (@rcbinyon), I interact with all my fans!