One of my favorite things about watching shows like ESPN's SportsCentury or E60 is the behind the scenes insight you get from things that you normally wouldn't see during a game.  The following article gives a great behind the scenes look at some of the things that happened right before the play and the interaction between Kobe and Phil while he was drawing up the play.  Great Stuff!

Part of the Article:

Bryant turned to appeal to co-star Pau Gasol to bring Jackson to his senses. Jackson stopped drawing and just gave Bryant a dead-eyed look that basically said: “Are you going to let me do what I do or what?”<!--googleoff: all-->

Link:  http://www.ocregister.com/sports/phil-224593-kobe-started.html

By the way, I apologize if this was already posted in The Credits.  

I am not sure if any of you have read this article that was published back in November of this year.  Personally, I am not as well versed as some of you are on Bill Simmons.  Some swear that you will never read his articles while others respect his writing skills but hate the shots he takes at Kobe and the Lakers.  Also, there are some writers whose references are too intelligent for me.  That being said I am wondering if he is being sarcastic or if he is being honest with his new found respect for Kobe.  You guys tell me. 

FYI...This article is not just about Kobe but Bill's "sports-hate" and how that hate is diminishing for those he enjoys taking shots at in the world of sports.   

3. Kobe Bryant won a title his way -- by establishing a Kobe and the Kobettes dynamic that actually worked -- becoming one of the ten best NBA players ever and proving he could prevail without Shaq. If that wasn't jarring enough, Shaq's exit from Phoenix marked the fourth time he left a team on bad terms, making everyone re-evaluate the whole "Was Kobe really the bad guy in the Shaqobe Divorce?" saga that had been buried years ago. Maybe Kobe wasn't as much to blame as we thought. Maybe Shaq was the problem. Maybe the hotel clerk lied about him. Maybe he took a ton of flak for no reason. Maybe he's … (gulp) … a good guy and a family man who works his butt off and never seems satisfied and kills himself to get better every summer and maybe … (gulp) … was greater than we thought. Damn it all.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnflpicks/091113

 For some time now we have all discussed, as all NBA fans do, of supposed players that we Laker fans would like for the Lakers to trade for.  Anytime this topic comes up three players come to mind.  Sasha, Farmar and Ammo.   Those are in my mind the most talked about players that I speak and hear of most.  That being said, I never considered that the Lakers priority would be to shed salary 1st and to improve the bench second.  Now that was my interpretation when I read the following rumor.  It is fairly vague but yet it just indicates one thing, the Lakers are going to do something before the trade deadline.  I know it!  The only question in my mind is that if all the bench players are on the trade block of course not including Lamar, does that mean that the Lakers are also willing to part ways with Shannon?  I hope not.   Again, I will leave the following comment up for interpretation.  I already gave my Chicken Little point of view of what I think the following means.  What do the rest of you think? 

Los Angeles Lakers: With a league high payroll of $91 million, the Lakers are looking again to shed salary off their bench, and GM Mitch Kupchak has told teams to take its pick of reserve players – except for Lamar Odom(notes), of course – to relieve the team of some salary.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AkTkiiMD.252xq_eVFMGIxg5nYcB?slug=aw-tradebuzz120309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

       
Personally I don't care.  That just means that it's a bigger chance for Shannon to win.  It would be nice to see Shannon go up against Kryptonate.   Little man vs Little man. 

Here is part of the quitter's comments:

"I'm like 50-50 right now," he said Wednesday night before a game against Phoenix. "I don't know if you can get it back to the 80s and like in '98 when Vince (Carter) was in it.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-12-02-lebron-dunk-contest_N.htm?csp=34&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomNba-TopStories+%28Sports+-+NBA+-+Top+Stories%29

Do you ever get the feeling like when someone is saying something you don't really know how to react?  You don't know whether to laugh or be serious because the comments are both funny and sad at the same time.  A perfect example of that at times is when Charles Barkley speaks.  His comments are funny but sometimes so wrong.  That is exactly how I feel when Artest speaks.  Deep down you think to yourself, "he means well" but at the same time you might think, "dude just be quiet and play ball".  But, he is a Laker and I love him for that.  Here is a bit of the intro to the article.  You can read the rest by clicking on the link.  

Ron Artest, the 30-year-old, first-year starter with the Los Angeles Lakers, may yet prove to be a crucial piece of an improved championship puzzle.

But those who are counting on one of the league's most explosive personalities to avoid controversy with his fifth NBA team may want to temper their expectations.

In a lengthy interview for the December 7 issue of Sporting News magazine, Artest—best known as the central figure in the infamous Malice at the Palace in 2004—bared all, including a startling admission that he drank alcohol during games as a member of the Chicago Bulls, for whom he played from 1999-2002.

"I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime," Artest says in the interview, which hits newsstands this week. "I (kept it) in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store (near the stadium) and get it."

Artest speaks openly in the interview on many other sensitive topics.

Article: http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/article/2009-12-02/sn-conversation-ron-artest-i-was-head-case

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The New Orleans Hornets have responded to their 3-6 start by making the first coaching change of the young NBA season, firing Byron Scott on Thursday, according to NBA coaching sources.

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Eastern

Guards
Ray Allen, Celtics
Gilbert Arenas, Wizards
Mike Bibby, Hawks
Jose Calderon, Raptors
Vince Carter, Magic
Jamal Crawford, Hawks
Chris Duhon, Knicks
Raymond Felton, Bobcats
T.J. Ford, Pacers
Ben Gordon, Pistons
Richard Hamilton, Pistons
Devin Harris, Nets
Kirk Hinrich, Bulls
Joe Johnson, Hawks
Courtney Lee, Nets
Jameer Nelson, Magic
Michael Redd, Bucks
Nate Robinson, Knicks
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Derrick Rose, Bulls
John Salmons, Bulls
Rodney Stucky, Pistons
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Mo Williams, Cavs

Forwards
Michael Beasley, Heat
Chris Bosh, Raptors
Elton Brand, Sixers
Caron Butler, Wizards
Luol Deng, Bulls
Boris Diaw, Bobcats
Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Danny Granger, Pacers
Al Harrington, Knicks
Udonis Haslem, Heat
Andre Iguodala, Sixers
LeBron James, Cavs
Antawn Jamison, Wizards
David Lee, Knicks
Rashard Lewis, Magic
Troy Murphy, Pacers
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
Josh Smith, Hawks
Hedo Turkoglu, Raptors
Anderson Varejao, Cavs
Charlie Villanueva, Pistons
Gerald Wallace, Bobcats
Hakim Warrick, Bucks

Centers
Andrea Bargnani, Raptors
Andrew Bogut, Bucks
Tyson Chandler, Bobcats
Samuel Dalembert, Sixers
Al Horford, Hawks
Dwight Howard, Magic
Brook Lopez, Nets
Brad Miller, Bulls
Jermaine O'Neal, Heat
Shaquille O'Neal, Cavs
Kendrick Perkins, Celtics
Rasheed Wallace, Celtics
Western

Guards
Leandro Barbosa, Suns
Chauncey Billups, Nuggets
Aaron Brooks, Rockets
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Baron Davis, Clippers
Monta Ellis, Warriors
Manu Ginobili, Spurs
Josh Howard, Mavericks
Allen Iverson, Grizzlies
Stephen Jackson, Warriors
Jason Kidd, Mavericks
Kevin Martin, Kings
O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
Tracy McGrady, Rockets
Andre Miller, Blazers
Steve Nash, Suns
Tony Parker, Spurs
Chris Paul, Hornets
Jason Richardson, Suns
Brandon Roy, Blazers
Ramon Sessions, Wolves
Jason Terry, Mavericks
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Deron Williams, Jazz

Forwards
LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers
Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
Trevor Ariza, Rockets
Ron Artest, Lakers
Carlos Boozer, Jazz
Tim Duncan, Spurs
Kevin Durant, Thunder
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Jeff Green, Thunder
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Grant Hill, Suns
Richard Jefferson, Spurs
Kevin Love, Wolves
Shawn Marion, Mavericks
Kenyon Martin, Nuggets
Paul Millsap, Jazz
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Lamar Odom, Lakers
Anthony Randolph, Warriors
Luis Scola, Rockets
Jason Thompson, Kings
Al Thornton, Clippers
David West, Hornets

Centers
Andris Biedrins, Warriors
Andrew Bynum, Lakers
Marcus Camby, Clippers
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Spencer Hawes, Kings
Al Jefferson, Wolves
Antonio McDyess, Spurs
Nene, Nuggets
Greg Oden, Blazers
Emeka Okafor, Hornets
Mehmet Okur, Jazz
Amar'e Stoudemire, Suns

As the season was starting, user PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE put together a FanPost in which he compared Ron Artest to Kermit Washington. He put a lot of effort into it, and we felt like it deserved front page placement. However, the beginning of the season was very busy for us, so we decided to hold onto it, and promote it at a later date. That later date is here.

After the jump, PAGFL explains to us what he sees in Artest, why he sees a parallel with Kermit Washington, and what that means to him for this Lakers' season, and for Artest's tenure as a Laker.

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Twitter: Bynum has a strained right elbow, according to an MRI exam, and is doubftful tomorrow vs. Memphis. Gasol doing some practice work right now.

It doesn't seem to be that serious.  But, i'm not going to lie, I did worry about this.  I want to see one full season of the team intact.  That might be a dilusion but still not impossible.  I hope that it is as minor as the above statement indicates because this team is going to need everyone to repeat.