SBNation.com User Blog: robi s

Possible Additions to the Lakers

robi s — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:21:19 -0000

Like many Lakers fans, I often find myself doubting the ability of this year's Lakers squad to compete this year. The Lakers bench this year is the thinnest it's been in years. While the likes of Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Shannon Brown were never players to hang your hat on, they certainly had experience on their side. And while rookies Andrew Goudelock and Darrius Morris have shown flashes of serviceability, a more seasoned player would be preferable. The lingering injury to Steve Blake has got concern the Lakers faithful. Additionally, the loss of Lamar Odom and injury to Derrick Caracter has left the Lakers thin upfront as well. Gone are the days when D.J. Mbenga and Theo Ratliff could fill in for the occasional game missed by 1st time All-Star Andrew Bynum. And while Josh McRoberts is slowly becoming a fan favorite, he is a clear step down from Lamar Odom. Ironically, the only position we are relatively deep is the small forward position, which I akin to a box of chocolates: we never know what we're gonna get.

The depth issues has Lakers fans everywhere scrambling for other options. Below I have listed the names several players I've heard associated with the Lakers in the rumor mill over the past few days.

1) Ramon Sessions, Cle : Currently on the Cavaliers, multiple clubs have been inquiring the Cleveland front office. The addition of Session would immediately bolster the Lakers court, and decrease the wear on beloved 37-year old point guard Derek Fisher. While the move makes sense for both organizations given the emergence of Cav's 1st round pick, Kyrie Irving, given the protest by Cav's owner Dan Gilbert, who the famously vetoed Chris Paul-Lakers trade, it remains to be seen if Gilbert is in the business of helping large market organizations.

2) Aaron Brooks, FA: Brooks is a point guard Laker fans are all too familiar with. For the past couple seasons, his speed has only catalyzed demands ofor a replacement for Derek Fisher. On a thin Houston rocket team last year, Brooks put his penchant for scoring on full display, before being traded to Phoenix to play behind future hall of famer Steve Nash. He will be returning to from China soon, but unfortunately for the Lakers teams, big market teams like the Knicks and Heat will also be calling for his services.

3) Mo Williams, LAC: After landing CP3 and picking up Chauncey Billups on waivers, the Clippers suddenly found themselves with an overload of PG's. With Eric Bledsoe returning from injury, Mo Williams is all but expendable at this point. The question is whether Donald Sterling will be able to fight his instinct to shed salary in exchange for the Lakers 8.9 million trade exception by dealing the Clippers current 6th man to their Staples Center co-tenants.

4) Gilbert Arenas, FA: The artist formerly known as Agent 00 has been brought up as a possible addition to the Lakers backcourt. While Arenas has a history of being a deadly scorer, his history of being a locker room cancer is hard to overlook. However, beggars can't be choosers, and the Lakers are rumored to have contacted Arenas about a possible workout. It is not entirely clear how much Arenas has left in tank.

5) The Chinese: No, I do not mean the return of Yao Ming. With the Chinese Basketball Association season coming to an end, free agents Kenyon Martin, J.R Smith, and Wilson Chandler will be eligible to sign with teams by the middle of February. While none of these players will make the Lakers favorites to win the West, their addition certainly couldn't hurt. All 3 of these players are extremely versatile, and would give the Lakers another option at SF over the inconsistent play of Metta World Peace. J.R. Smith's shooting in particular would take the pressure off the Lakers's bench who have recently been forced to rely on rookie Andrew Goudelock for scoring. In the case of Kenyon Martin the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks have all reportedly expressed interest in the forward:

6) Rasheed Wallace, FA: Rumor has it that Rasheed Wallace wants to hang up his golf cleats and dawn the purple and gold. It has been rumored the forward contacted the Lakers about pulling a Brett Favre, and returning to the NBA.

Finally last but not least,

7) Dwight Howard, Orl: With each game the Magic lose, the further out the door Dwight Howard goes. While one has to give Howard credit for playing hard every game, the Magic are essentially reliving the circus the Denver Nuggets experienced last year with Carmelo Anthony. Had the Magic remained the dominant force they have been in the East for the past 5 years, it would have been conceivable that the Magic would have retained Howard's talents for the duration of the season. However the recent 4 game skid has Dwight Howard naming new acceptable trade destinations by the day with the Boston Celtics joining the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Jersey Nets on the list of places he would like to take his talents to. While Andrew Bynum is the clearly the best consolation prize available, it remains to be seen whether a third team would be necessary to help facilitate a potential Howard trade to Los Angeles.

The depth issues has Lakers fans everywhere scrambling for other options. Below I have listed the names several players I've heard associated with the Lakers in the rumor mill over the past few days.

Finally last but not least,

Poll

Of the players not named Dwight Howard, which player would most help the Lakers?

Ramon Sessions

244 votes

Mo Williams

200 votes

Aaron Brooks

239 votes

Gilbert Arenas

49 votes

Wilson Chandler

38 votes

Kenyon Martin

17 votes

J.R. Smith

110 votes

Rasheed Wallace

38 votes

935 votes | Poll has closed

Greatest Backcourt Duo of All-Time

robi s — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:35:42 -0000

Forgive the hyperbole, but I wanted to put butts in the seats, and eyes on the screen........

As of Game 3, of the 2010 NBA Finals, the backcourt combo of Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant officially became the backcourt duo with the most playoff games started together (116games). Although the shear number of games played together does not make you the all-time Greatest Backcourt Duo, it certainly makes you something!

While Kobe Bryant may be responsible for more than half of this factoid, after Derek Fisher's Game 3 performance tonight we are all reminded of why we love him. Since 1996 when they both came into the league together, Derek has been the Luigi to Kobe's Mario, the David Spade to Kobe's Chris Farley, the Robin to Kobe's Batman, the Jacob to Kobe's Man in Black (not that Kobe is embodiment of evil, just that the "bad cop"). I personally have always tried my best to defend the guy when he is being attacked for his age, speed (or lack there of), or being accused of being A LIAR! (Hopefully this link works, its a picture of the infamous 2 Utah Jazz girls in trucker hats wearing green Fisher lies shirts)

And although this series is far from over, Laker fans should just declare Game 3: The Derek Fisher game. Boston Celtics Coach Doc River's even went as far as to say, "Derek Fisher was the difference in the game. He’s just a gutty, gritty player and he gutted the game out for them. I thought Kobe was struggling a little bit, and Fisher—he basically took the game over."

Year in and year out , we here at the SS&R devote countless threads and posts conjuring ways to bring in a Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, hell for some at the SS&R anyone under 30 is a suitable replacement for Fisher (yes, C.A. Clark, lets hope Derek Fisher accepts your Mea Culpa). But here is a newsflash people: Derek Fisher has gone against the Westbrook's, William's, and Nash's of the league all in one post season and emerged on top each time. For tonight at least, Derek Fisher can also add Boston's Rajon Rondo to the list of point guards he has bested.

Tonight Fisher put on a clinic and showed the world what the heart of a champion looks like yet again! While the game wasn't necessarily pretty by any means of the word, Fisher did what he does best: Come through in the clutch!

What did Derek Fisher have to say after the game?

"Five or 10 years from now, when I’m long gone, I would have hated to feel like I didn’t just do everything I could have to help my team. Things have worked out well, and we have two more wins to get to really put a nice cap on it."

I think this play sums up the Laker's and Derek Fisher's evening perfectly.

In what was truly a David vs. Goliath(s) moment, a man who Kobe Bryant calls "the heart and soul" of the Lakers took on 2 of the Celtic's Big 3, and a man whose moniker leaves little to the imagination, and silenced the Celtic "faithful" in the Garden. I can only imagine the smile it put on the Logo's and Magic's face. Perhaps it looked something like THIS. Despite not having near the fame or fortune as these former Laker PG's, you can't call yourself a Laker fan if you don't like Derek Fisher.

I am not going to open up a can of worms by declaring we should resign him definitively, but after tonight's game I don't think it unreasonable to say the man has earned his keep. Below are some of Derek's greatest playoff moments, lets take the time and give the man some love!

The SHOT

The (Elbow) Shot

Burying Orlando in 2009

sorry, they don't make Youtube video for clutch charges, but I estimate Derek Fisher would be the all-time NBA leader in that too for the playoffs. Did I mention that he already holds the record for highest three point field goal percentage in the NBA finals over a career?

And finally, someone on youtube made an Ode to the Lakers other 4-time NBA Champion:

Enjoy!

Forgive the hyperbole, but I wanted to put butts in the seats, and eyes on the screen........

What did Derek Fisher have to say after the game?

I think this play sums up the Laker's and Derek Fisher's evening perfectly.

The SHOT

The (Elbow) Shot

Burying Orlando in 2009

And finally, someone on youtube made an Ode to the Lakers other 4-time NBA Champion:

Enjoy!

Poll

How many NBA Championships will Derek Fisher have before he retires?

4

2 votes

5

10 votes

6

58 votes

7+

19 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

Halos Heaven FANTASY BASEBALL!

robi s — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:09:36 -0000

Think you know the most about baseball? Got a top secret sleeper? Just want a fun distraction while you're at work?

Then Join the Halos Heaven Fantasy Baseball league.

There is a Fantasy Baseball league on ESPN.com for the Angel's faithful. The draft day is April 4th, 1pm Pacific time/4pm Eastern.

Join or Die... jk....

Here's the Link:

http://games.espn.go.com/flb/leagueoffice?leagueId=233395

If it doesnt work, look for it, its under public, head-2-head scoring, live draft. 10 people.

Think you know the most about baseball? Got a top secret sleeper? Just want a fun distraction while you're at work?

Then Join the Halos Heaven Fantasy Baseball league.

There is a Fantasy Baseball league on ESPN.com for the Angel's faithful. The draft day is April 4th, 1pm Pacific time/4pm Eastern.

Join or Die... jk....

Here's the Link:

http://games.espn.go.com/flb/leagueoffice?leagueId=233395

If it doesnt work, look for it, its under public, head-2-head scoring, live draft. 10 people.

1st Round Opponent

robi s — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:18:20 -0000

With 2 weeks until the 2010 NBA Playoffs begin, it's crunch time for many teams around the league. For many, each game can be the difference between the 2nd seed and the 5th seed. In the loaded West, we have become accustomed to having tight races. Last year, seeds 2-4 finished with the exact same record!

For many NBA fans, these next two weeks are the best two weeks of the regular season. This year Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, and Denver are all in the mix to either be the 2nd seed or the 5th seed. All of these teams are very dangerous, and how they finish will have ramifications on who the Lakers play in the Second round. I personally hope the 4 and 5 seeds are Phoenix and Utah since I believe the Lakers have both Utah and Phoenix's number, but that's just a matter of personal opinion.

Onto a more pressing matter: our possible 1st round opponent. There are 3 teams in the running for the dreaded 8th seed: Portland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. For me personally, I think it's pretty obvious which team we want to be facing in the first round, and their name does not start with a P or an O. Oh how the mighty have fallen, San Antonio has gone a long way from being hailed as the only possible team to contend with the Lakers. Now they are fighting just to stay out of the 8th seed.

Not only do I think it would be fitting for the Lakers to close the proverbial window on the San Antonio Spurs, I just think we can easily beat them. The Spurs are injured, struggling, and perhaps most fitting OLD! The Lakers just two years ago swept the Spurs out of the WCF. Granted Manu Ginobili was hampered by injuries that year, but coincidently not too mention as changed for the Spurs. They are two years older than that team, Duncan is now being consistently outplayed by Pau Gasol, and it is unclear whether Tony Parker will be healthy to play.

The alternative to playing San Antonio would be playing against an athletic Oklahoma City team, or the Portland Trailblazers, a team that has consistently throttled us in the Rose Garden. Sure we were able to beat them in the Rose Garden once this year, but we also have to take into consideration we didn't have Kobe playing/going (5-25fg) in that game. As for the Thunder, the utter demolition we suffered at their hands last week was not exactly confidence inspiring. Kevin Durant+Russell Westbrook = Headache for Laker Fans. I'm all for close games, and wonderful match-ups but I am even more in favor of Lakers cruising to 4-0 sweeps of teams.

Lets take a look at San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Portland remaining games:

San Antonio (7)- @ LAL, @ Sac, @ Pho (2nd night of B2B), Mem, @Den(2nd night of B2B), Min, @Dal

Portland (6) - @Sac, @LAC, Dal, @LAL, OKC, GS

Oklahoma City (8) - @DAL, Min(B2B), @UTA, Den(B2B), Pho,@GS, @Por (B2B), Mem

Looking at the schedule on paper, it seems San Antonio will likely lose 4 of its last 7 games. Portland 3 at most of its last 6. And OKC will likely lose at least 4. And if things go according to plan, it seems like the final seedings will look like this:

1. Lakers

2. Mavs

3. Utah

4. Denver

5. Phoenix

6. Portland

7. OKC

8. San Antonio

Who do you want the Lakers to play in the first round? 2nd Round? WCF? the Finals?!

What would you think the Playoff seeding will look like?

Lets take a look at San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Portland remaining games:

San Antonio (7)- @ LAL, @ Sac, @ Pho (2nd night of B2B), Mem, @Den(2nd night of B2B), Min, @Dal

Portland (6) - @Sac, @LAC, Dal, @LAL, OKC, GS

Oklahoma City (8) - @DAL, Min(B2B), @UTA, Den(B2B), Pho,@GS, @Por (B2B), Mem

1. Lakers

2. Mavs

3. Utah

4. Denver

5. Phoenix

6. Portland

7. OKC

8. San Antonio

Who do you want the Lakers to play in the first round? 2nd Round? WCF? the Finals?!

What would you think the Playoff seeding will look like?

Poll

Who do you want the Lakers to play in the 1st round of the playoffs?

San Antonio

72 votes

Portland

43 votes

OKC

35 votes

Other

11 votes

161 votes | Poll has closed

Did we already lose our PG of the future?

robi s — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:22:37 -0000

I don't know how many of my fellow Laker fans follow other teams, but there has been a recent changing of the guard in the NBA, and it involves the Lakers.....in a convoluted way....

As an avid fantasy basketball enthusiast, I try to watch as many basketball games as I can in my free time. Sadly, I haven't had this free time in a while, but have had time to check up on some box scores. Recently I noticed a new name pop up on my radar: Toney Douglas

If the name doesn't sound familiar, think again. He is the player the Lakers drafted at #29 in the first round of the 2009 Draft. The very same player we promptly traded to the New York Knicks for a second-round draft pick in 2011 and $3 million. And it is this very same player that has been handed the keys to the Mecca of Sports or more fondly known as the Garden.

In the 3 games since he was made starter of the Knicks, Douglas has put up some impressive numbers. Sure it maybe due to the D'Antoni system, his numbers are impressive none-the-less for a rookie.

3/13 @. Jason Kidd/DAL Douglas has 21pts on an impressive (8-10 FG, 4-4 3PT) with 8 assists and held the walking Triple-Double Jason Kidd to a mere 15 pts/6Asts

3/15 @ Phi Douglas had 20 pts (7-13 FG, 2-6 3PT) with 7 assists while outplaying Philly's Jrue Holiday

After the Phi game, D'Antoni had this to say of Douglas "When Toney was on the court, we played a lot better. He hit a big 3-pointer for us and played with a lot of energy." This was after the Knicks managed two impressive road wins.

And finally, we get to the game that inspired me to write this article:

3/17 @ Bos Douglas had 11 pts (5-13 FG, 1-6 3PT) 3 Ast, 3steal, 7 rbs

Okay so he didn't have a great shooting night, but Fisher would kill to have a game like this these days. What I found even more impressive however was what he was able to hold Laker Killer (Fisher/Farmar/Brown Killer) to only 5 pts! The Killer I speak of his of course Boston Celtics guard, Rajon Rondo. Sure Rondo had 12 dimes to his credit, but having watched Rondo burn the Lakers backcourt time and again, I would love to see someone be able to keep Rondo to 5 points any day vs. the Lakers.

I haven't yet gotten to see Douglas play, but man, seeing some of these stat lines are certainly exciting (sad) to see since he very well could have been our future PG. I know its hard to get an idea of a players true abilities from box scores, but it's certainly refreshing to see opponent PG stats un-inflated by Erek Fisher's efense... yes I left the D out on purpose.... whatcha gonna do about it?!!?

Have any of you out there gotten to see Douglas play? Did the Lakers blow it by trading him away similar to how the Blazers blew it by trading Jermaine O'neal? Did we trade a future All-star?

I don't know how many of my fellow Laker fans follow other teams, but there has been a recent changing of the guard in the NBA, and it involves the Lakers.....in a convoluted way....

In the 3 games since he was made starter of the Knicks, Douglas has put up some impressive numbers. Sure it maybe due to the D'Antoni system, his numbers are impressive none-the-less for a rookie.

3/13 @. Jason Kidd/DAL Douglas has 21pts on an impressive (8-10 FG, 4-4 3PT) with 8 assists and held the walking Triple-Double Jason Kidd to a mere 15 pts/6Asts

3/15 @ Phi Douglas had 20 pts (7-13 FG, 2-6 3PT) with 7 assists while outplaying Philly's Jrue Holiday

And finally, we get to the game that inspired me to write this article:

3/17 @ Bos Douglas had 11 pts (5-13 FG, 1-6 3PT) 3 Ast, 3steal, 7 rbs

Have any of you out there gotten to see Douglas play? Did the Lakers blow it by trading him away similar to how the Blazers blew it by trading Jermaine O'neal? Did we trade a future All-star?

Poll

Did the Lakers blow it by trading away Douglas?

Yes, he should have been guarding Curry yesterday

113 votes

No, he will be just another player in the NBA

98 votes

211 votes | Poll has closed

The End of a Rivalry?: Spurs- Lakers

robi s — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:56:02 -0000

First off, let me emphasize that Laker fans to not get TOO overly happy about yesterday's win. Lets face it, the Spurs played terribly yesterday. Not so much as terrible, but they had 0 people step up outside of their big 3. Of course 3 years ago, that would have worked because it would have meant Duncan/Manu/TP dropped 80-90 on you, but the older Trio are really only capable of dropping 50-60 collectively. That is a huge difference!

Losing role players like Oberto and Bowen, even Udoka also greatly reduced their defensive intensity. And clearly RJ is in no type of psychological state to make an impact at either end. The guy has hit the wall, and HARD. So really, if yesterday's game meant anything, it was for the Spurs, It really characterized their season on a whole, and hyperbole aside, very well could be seen as the Spurs last hoorah vs the Lakers for a very long time. So for having hated the Spurs for the better part of 20 years (90's-00's) its bitter sweet to see their core fall off. I feel like that Family Guy satire of Looney Tunes, where Wiley Coyote finally killed the Road Runner (see this link if you don't know what I'm talking about: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR7DCFCkqao )

On the Laker's side of things, yesterday's victory can really be credited to.... drum roll please..... MITCH KUPCHAK. We saw all his hard working role players step up and step up big. Thank you Mitch for trading for Gasol. Thank you Mitch for NOT trading Odom. And thank you for signing Artest.. It was great to watch our role players from Odom, and Artest to Fisher and Sasha step up. The only bad games came from Powell and Brown. Powell we can just write of as being bad shots being directly proportionate at amount of playing time, but Brown has become increasingly, I daresay, overconfident in his abilities! Not a quality we want nor need in a 6th man. Despite all the hype Ariza got, we never saw him take the offense hostage like Brown does. Unlike the Powell situation, this trend is actually worrying since we actually do need to play UPS. With Kobe out, I know there is no way we can afford to send him a message by benching him, but Phil really has to emphasize the damage Brown does with his "Dribble Dribble Shoot" mentality.

To end on a more positive note however, there were 2 players that were very encouraging to watch yesterday. Lets see if you can guess who I am thinking about? ......

Wrong, I am not referring to Pau and LO. While those two very well were the reason we won yesterday, their production is largely fools gold consider we were missing 2 huge pieces of our offense. Don’t get me wrong, it was very nice to see LO and Pau have games that went beyond expectations. Sure people criticized Pau for missing easy 1-3 footers, but playing Monday...well, Tuesday morning quarterback, we can point to those misses as the difference between Pau having a monster game (21pts, 19rbs, 8ast, 5bs) and having a CAREER game ( with 8-10 shots that easily could have gone in).

Pau truly spoils us with his "bad" games. I, like many of you would love to see the guy get angry and dunk the ball, but if he can give us a near triple-double, 20-20 game on just finesse that I guess I'll just have to settle.... begrudgingly ; -) LO meanwhile showed us why scouts and GM's have drooled over him all his life. Truly a butterfly emerged last night, and he definitely was not lacking on the sting, ask the Spur's interior D. I don't expect LO to drive to the basket quite as frequently, but hopefully last night's game "reminded" the Candyman what he is capable of doing (Sometimes I seriously believe he forgets how good he is, because I know Laker fans do!) . The LO-Gasol Connection was particularly pretty, perhaps the prettiest 1-2combo we have on the team, sorry Kobe drive-dish to Bynum at the rim...you guys better answer the bell when you return... HEALTHY!!! And not a minute sooner!

Sorry folks, like many of you, I could go on for days about how impressed/man-crushing I am with LO and Pau, but I believe I was going to talk about two other players who I was proud of. Those two players are: Jordan Farmar and Ron " I lost my crazy-pills" Artest. Although neither of these players had flashy games, they both really stepped up to answer the call. Ron looks like he has finally started to get his mobility back, and we really got to see what an upgrade over Ariza he is. Sure RJ isn't the same player, but Ron-Ron still did an admirable job on both sides of the court nonetheless. As for Farmar...... MITCH.... if you're reading this..... GIVE THE MAN A CONTRACT! Excuse my enthusiasm, but Farmar did a wonderful job running our offense yesterday. He was able to get his own shot (quality shots), but more importantly was able to get the defense to collapse to make life easier for those around him! He also did a pretty admirable job on defense. It's refreshing not to have an opposing PG drop 50 on us. Sarcasm aside, I would be very sad to see Farmar move on, especially considering I don't think the Lakers are going to get very much in trades involving the usual suspects : Morrison, Powell, Sasha, and Walton. Hinrich, Felton, Harris, Conley aren’t going to be Lakers any time soon people!

In closing: Great win for the Lakers, even worse loss for the the Spurs. On behalf of all Spur haters of the last two decades: It was a pleasure rooting against you, and I hope you don't take as long as the Kings to become competitive again.

... sorry.... I'm not a very good eugooglizer.....

To end on a more positive note however, there were 2 players that were very encouraging to watch yesterday. Lets see if you can guess who I am thinking about? ......

... sorry.... I'm not a very good eugooglizer.....

Poll

If we don't see the Spurs in the playoffs, did we witness the end in the Lakers-Spurs rivalry yesterday?

Yes

99 votes

No

54 votes

153 votes | Poll has closed

Farmar vs. Brown vs. Fish

robi s — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:33:49 -0000

In light of the recent stellar play of Jordan Farmar, I just wanted to take a quick poll of where the SS&R currently stands in the debate. The debate has see-sawed back and forth for a while now. I remember back during the off-season people were comfortable keeping Fish as our starting PG after his finals heroics. It also was very popular to favor Brown over Farmar. Now that we're a little less than half way into the season, opinions have changed, especially in the wake of Farmar's terrific play and Fish's horrific play.

So this poll is meant to see where the SS&R's opinions lie on the current PG situation.

Poll

Which of our PG do you think should get the most playing time?

Fisher

21 votes

Farmar

71 votes

Brown

87 votes

Equal Playing time

21 votes

Whoever is playing best for any particular game

117 votes

317 votes | Poll has closed

Rafaer Alston to Lakers?

robi s — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:20:52 -0000

It was reported to today by Yahoo! Sports that the 3-30 New Jersey Nets have reached a buyout agreement with G Rafer Alston. Rafer "Skip to my lou" Alston will be free to sign with any team he chooses after the waiver period. Although the Miami Heat are said to be very interested in signing Alston, I thought with Derek Fisher's career taking turn for the worst so far this year, Alston being available is very interesting. To say the least, it is a option the Lakers should look at.

I know our PG position is very crowded right now, but Alston was a very useful piece for the Orlando Magic last year, and he proved he can play a good role on contending teams. If the Lakers were to sign Alston, they could also use him at the 2 as an obvious upgrade over Shannon Brown or Sasha Vujacic.

Do you think the Lakers should make a move for Alston?

Poll

Do you think the Lakers should sign Alston?

Yes

222 votes

No

241 votes

463 votes | Poll has closed

Blake Griffin updates anyone?

robi s — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:05:48 -0000

Just wondering what Blake Griffin's health status is. Does anyone know if he has been cleared to run? cleared to practice? Post any info about this years Rookie of the Year's health status here.

Also some food for thought:

1. Do you think its possible Blake Griffin can still be the rookie of the year despite tremendous seasons for Jennings and Evans so far.

2. What will be the fantasy basketball impact of Blakes return... ie: Less playing time for Camby or Kaman? Less shots for Davis and Gordon?

Share your thoughts!

Just wondering what Blake Griffin's health status is. Does anyone know if he has been cleared to run? cleared to practice? Post any info about this years Rookie of the Year's health status here.

Also some food for thought:

1. Do you think its possible Blake Griffin can still be the rookie of the year despite tremendous seasons for Jennings and Evans so far.

2. What will be the fantasy basketball impact of Blakes return... ie: Less playing time for Camby or Kaman? Less shots for Davis and Gordon?

Share your thoughts!

Ron Artest sympathizes with Tiger

robi s — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:10:59 -0000

Man, Ron Ron is at it again. It appears that there is no subject Ron isn't willing to make a public statement about. A recent ESPN report details Laker's Forward Ron Artest expression of sympathy for Tiger Woods.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4746588

The article left me thinking two things:

a) What does it say about Ron, knowing he supports a guy who cheated on a beautiful woman, for 5-12 glorified gold diggers. From porn stars to reality stars, Tiger Woods has fallen far off his pedestal. His dramatic fall from favor is undoubtedly the hot topic of the month, rivaling Michael Jackson's death (a subject which brought about Ron's current uniform number).

and

b) Why can't Ron just keep his mouth shut for once. It seems Ron is constantly making needless comments or doing strange publicity stunts. From giving away his cell phone number on twitter, to admitting his drinking problem during halftime, Ron is constantly drawing attention to himself. It's very unbecoming of a Laker. If he wants to keep making headlines, I suggest he take a page from Kobe, and do it with his play on the court, and not with his mouth. In the 20 years I've been a Laker fan, the Lakers have never had a player so outspoken while playing for the Lakers, and that includes bad boys Dennis Rodman and Isiah Rider. Ron if you truly want to repair your image, keep your mouth shut, and play ball.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4746588

The article left me thinking two things:

and

Lackey to the Red Sox?

robi s — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:39:21 -0000

It appears our workhorse/ace is leaving for greener pastures. Greener in the sense that there will be a giant green monster in Lackey's new home. While the deal is not official, the deal certainly seems imminent. If true, this would be a double disaster for the Angels. Not only would the Angels lose their staff ace for the last 7 years, but they would be losing him to one of their most hated rivals.

I know baseball is a business, but do you think there was an element of wanting Lackey wanting to stick it to the Angel's, and Scioscia in particular. Very sad day for the Angels indeed. It seems that unless the Angels can make a last minute coup to re-sign Lackey, one of our most beloved pitchers will be on one of our most hated rivals.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AhLZ5AZ9FehjY5fjbEltFYoRvLYF?slug=ti-lackeyphysical121409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Blake Griffin update

robi s — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:11:42 -0000

Not meant to tease anyone with an update of his status. This post is merely meant for those who know about Griffin's status/return date to share their info. I have been looking everywhere for info on the future rookie of the year but have had no luck. So if you know anything about his status/ specific date around his return date. Also, if you guys happen to know about kevin martin status as well that would be great too.

Test your basketball knowledge against your fellow SS&R's

robi s — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:33:23 -0000

I created a Fantasy Basketball league for members of the SS&R. So if you think you have the highest basketball knowledge, nows your chance to show it off a little, or if you just wanna have some fun with some of the other SS&R- ers.

Hopefully this will make the SS&R a little more interesting. Below is the link to the league, the live draft is today, at 7. The name of the league is SilverScreenAndRoll.

http://games.espn.go.com/fba/leagueoffice?leagueId=176860

Hopefully this will make the SS&R a little more interesting. Below is the link to the league, the live draft is today, at 7. The name of the league is SilverScreenAndRoll.

http://games.espn.go.com/fba/leagueoffice?leagueId=176860

Record Prediction by the end of November

robi s — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:36:30 -0000

After enjoying yet another delightful segment of "Inside the NBA" with everybody's favorite hosts Kenny "The Jet" Smith, and Sir Charles Barkley....and Ernie. The trio brought up an interesting topic. EJ proposed to the panel that the Lakers could finish November potentially undefeated, or at worst with 1 loss. Of course Charles objected saying it would never happen, only to go on and say that having 3 losses by the end of November was more likely. Which would give the Lakers a still very respectable record.

After looking at the schedule myself, I find it very hard to imagine any West Coast team having an easier schedule. With only 2 back to backs, the Lakers very well could finish the month of November still undefeated, with the only truly worrisome matchup being the game AT Denver, on the back-end of a back to back. Other than that game, the Lakers will be facing the likes of Houston, Phoenix, and Memphis.

Here's the link to our schedule to my lazier SS&R's:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/lal/schedule?view=calendar&y=2009&m=11

Call me a dreamer, but I have faith the lakers can go undefeated in the month of November! Share your thoughts!

Here's the link to our schedule to my lazier SS&R's:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/lal/schedule?view=calendar&y=2009&m=11

Call me a dreamer, but I have faith the lakers can go undefeated in the month of November! Share your thoughts!

Poll

How many losses will the Lakers have by the end of November?

0, they are going Undefeated!

13 votes

1

18 votes

2

23 votes

5 or more

12 votes

3-4

22 votes

88 votes | Poll has closed

And then there were 4....

robi s — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:37:22 -0000

With the Phillies Game 4 win over the Rockies, Major League Baseball has its final four teams vying for a shot at the World Series. One can almost surely bet that Bud Selig couldn't be happier with the four teams in the hunt for that elusive World Series ring (Boston Red Sox absence aside of course).

As usual, the MLB always manages to conjure juicy storylines to generate interest, but this year's finals seem particularly juicy.

Phillies-Dodgers: A rivalry in the making? For the second straight year, the Dodgers and Phillies will be meeting in the National League Championships. Of course last year, the Phillies got the better of the Dodgers winning the series in 5 games, and eventually going on to become World Series champions. The loss left the Dodgers embittered and hungry for revenge. They finally get their chance this year, only with some major differences. While the media and LA's infatuation with Manny hasn't wavered from last year, Manny's batting average has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have emerged from Manny's shadow to become leaders this year's Dodger team. Ethier especially has improved leaps and bounds to the point where if he wasn’t already a superstar, he certainly is one now. Not to be outdone, the Phillies have their own emerging star in Raul Ibanez, who is putting up career numbers this year, and was number #2 in NL all-star voting. Last, but certainly not least, Ryan Howard achieved almost Pujol's recognition last year, and he should continue to command the respect of opposing pitchers a lesson the Rockies seemed to skip in their stunning game 4 loss.

On the pitching side of things, the Phillies, in the midst of the Roy Halladay fiasco were able to quietly grab ace Cliff Lee, giving the Phillies perhaps the most formidable 1-2 duo's amongst the teams remaining with 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels leading the rotation. Amazingly, these two arguably aren't the best duo the Dodgers will have seen, having just proven the experts wrong by beating the Cardinal's Wainwright and Carpenter. The story goes even deeper considering former Philly SP, and current Dodger #1 Randy Wolf gets his chance to show the Phillies the mistake they made by not offering him a spot in their rotation. The Dodgers also have a few young soon-to-be aces of their own in Kershaw and Billingsley who seem almost primed for a potential breakout postseason. In the bullpen, these two teams are polar opposites. Brad Lidge of the Phillies has never looked shakier, while the Dodger's pen with the addition of former Oriole's closer George Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton are looking rock solid.

In the American League: Angels-Yankees

The title nearly says it all. The Long Ball vs. Small Ball. The Evil Empire vs. the Magic Kingdom. Free-Agent Plunder vs. the old fashioned home grown farm system. Despite these two teams’ differences, one thing is the same: these teams can flat out SCORE. These two teams spilt their season series 5-5 with both teams’ high powered offenses leading the way. Both teams face-to-face ERA's were well above 5. And while both teams have rotations that have raised their games to playoff standards, it seems highly unlikely that these pitchers will be able to pull the plug on offenses that are dangerous from 1 through 9. As far as storylines go, the Angels are this year’s feel good story having dedicated this season to the tragically deceased Nick Adenhart. With their stunning sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Angels seemed to have captured lighting in a bottle getting clutch hits from both unlikely heroes Maicer Izturiz and Erick Aybar, as well as stars Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels will need to keep the hits coming to keep up with the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira. The story of the year for both teams remains the Kendry Morales-Mark Teixeira story. Back in December, experts thought the Angels suffered a huge blow to their offense when they lost Teixeira to the Yankees. Little did those experts know that the Angel's had a secret weapon in waiting in the form of Kendry Morales. The Angels proved to be the ones laughing at the end of the regular season, when Morales put up almost identical numbers to Tex for exponentially less salary. Morales wasn't the only surprise this season, for a mere 5 million dollars, the team acquired this years team MVP, and former Yankee, Bobby Abreu. It appears patience really is contagious as the arrival of Bobby Abreu has made the whole lineup much more patient at the plate, as we saw in Game 3 vs. Boston, even notorious free-swinger Vladimir Guerrero is able to work a walk. For the Yankees, even with Mark Teixeira, the story will always be about 2 men, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and for the first time Alex Rodriguez seems to be showing his critics he can lead this Yankee team to victory. In the wake of the whole steroids/ Madonna controversy, Alex Rodriguez seems to have emerged a more mature player. Some point to his relationship with Kate Hudson as the source for his newfound leadership, while others point to the arrival of Mark Teixeira, whatever the case may be, the Angel's pitching staff will have their work cut out for them.

As far as pitching storylines go, no single pitcher will be more highly scrutinized than the Yankee's C.C. Sabathia. Signed for a mega $161 million dollar contract this past off-season, Sabathia will have to prove he was worth every penny of the largest pitching contract EVER! In the other dugout, perennial staff ace and workhorse John Lackey will be a free agent this off-season and one can be sure that he will do everything within his power to showcase his skills against a highly potent Yankee lineup in hopes of also getting that big payday! Having just outpitched the combo of Lester and Beckett, Lackey and Jered Weaver have shown they have both the stuff and mental ability to pitch with the best of them. And while experts continue to overlook the Angels 1-2, the Angels do get credit for having the best rotation 1-4 thanks to the addition of Scott Kazmir, who is very familiar with the Yankee's having pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays. In the bullpen, one man comes to mind when you think about great closers and that’s Mariano Rivera. For the better part of a decade, the Yankees have been unbeatable when leading going into the 9th. Rivera has been so dominant and reliable that he has been called the Greatest Closer of ALL TIME! As Buster Olney once said, "No other player can instill calm in his team's fans as reliably as Mariano Rivera." Meanwhile, the Angels have newly acquired Brian Fuentes at the helm, a closer who probably inspires the least calm in his team's fans out of the closers remaining. Despite having the most saves this season, Angel fans blood pressure seem to always rise a few notches when they see him running out of the pen.

While these two series seem more packed with storylines than any recent previous league championship series, the plot promises to only thicken in the future. Here’s a look ahead at potential matchups:

Angels vs. Dodgers - Scoscia vs. Torre. Vladdy vs. Manny. The legendary epic freeway series that once previously only existed in the domain of hypotheticals. For the first time both the Angels and Dodgers are in their respective League championships in the same year. This "freeway series" would certainly be one every Southern California baseball fan will want to remember. This will be the ultimate showdown for regional bragging rights until the next time these teams meet in a World Series, which could just as easily be 50 years from now, making it an especially important world series for both teams fan base, not to forget about the Weaver family.

Yankees vs. Dodgers - Bronx Bombers vs. the Brooklyn LA Dodgers. What could be sweeter than the two most storied baseball franchises in baseball history meeting in the World Series? For Joe Torre, I'm sure the whole nation will be rooting for him to get the chance to give Steinbrenner the bird in the form of a Dodger win at the new Yankee Stadium.

Phillies vs. Yankees - the two "favorites" to win the League Series. These two teams arguably have the most complete teams in their respective leagues, and both of their rosters are filled with high end talent.

Angels vs. Phillies - The least plot oriented matchup. Aside from Bobby Abreu playing the best years of his career in Philly, there’s not much to say. Should still be a fun series though!

As usual, the MLB always manages to conjure juicy storylines to generate interest, but this year's finals seem particularly juicy.

In the American League: Angels-Yankees

Angels vs. Phillies - The least plot oriented matchup. Aside from Bobby Abreu playing the best years of his career in Philly, there’s not much to say. Should still be a fun series though!

Poll

Which World Series matchup would you like to see?

Dodgers vs. Angels

16 votes

Angels vs. Phillies

0 votes

Yankees vs. Dodgers

19 votes

Yankees vs. Phillies

4 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

And then there were 4....

robi s — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:37:46 -0000

With the Phillies Game 4 win over the Rockies, Major League Baseball has its final four teams vying for a shot at the World Series. One can almost surely bet that Bud Selig couldn't be happier with the four teams in the hunt for that elusive World Series ring (Boston Red Sox absence aside of course).

As usual, the MLB always manages to conjure juicy storylines to generate interest, but this year's finals seem particularly juicy.

Phillies-Dodgers: A rivalry in the making? For the second straight year, the Dodgers and Phillies will be meeting in the National League Championships. Of course last year, the Phillies got the better of the Dodgers winning the series in 5 games, and eventually going on to become World Series champions. The loss left the Dodgers embittered and hungry for revenge. They finally get their chance this year, only with some major differences. While the media and LA's infatuation with Manny hasn't wavered from last year, Manny's batting average has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have emerged from Manny's shadow to become leaders this year's Dodger team. Ethier especially has improved leaps and bounds to the point where if he wasn’t already a superstar, he certainly is one now. Not to be outdone, the Phillies have their own emerging star in Raul Ibanez, who is putting up career numbers this year, and was number #2 in NL all-star voting. Last, but certainly not least, Ryan Howard achieved almost Pujol's recognition last year, and he should continue to command the respect of opposing pitchers a lesson the Rockies seemed to skip in their stunning game 4 loss.

On the pitching side of things, the Phillies, in the midst of the Roy Halladay fiasco were able to quietly grab ace Cliff Lee, giving the Phillies perhaps the most formidable 1-2 duo's amongst the teams remaining with 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels leading the rotation. Amazingly, these two arguably aren't the best duo the Dodgers will have seen, having just proven the experts wrong by beating the Cardinal's Wainwright and Carpenter. The story goes even deeper considering former Philly SP, and current Dodger #1 Randy Wolf gets his chance to show the Phillies the mistake they made by not offering him a spot in their rotation. The Dodgers also have a few young soon-to-be aces of their own in Kershaw and Billingsley who seem almost primed for a potential breakout postseason. In the bullpen, these two teams are polar opposites. Brad Lidge of the Phillies has never looked shakier, while the Dodger's pen with the addition of former Oriole's closer George Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton are looking rock solid.

In the American League: Angels-Yankees

The title nearly says it all. The Long Ball vs. Small Ball. The Evil Empire vs. the Magic Kingdom. Free-Agent Plunder vs. the old fashioned home grown farm system. Despite these two teams’ differences, one thing is the same: these teams can flat out SCORE. These two teams spilt their season series 5-5 with both teams’ high powered offenses leading the way. Both teams face-to-face ERA's were well above 5. And while both teams have rotations that have raised their games to playoff standards, it seems highly unlikely that these pitchers will be able to pull the plug on offenses that are dangerous from 1 through 9. As far as storylines go, the Angels are this year’s feel good story having dedicated this season to the tragically deceased Nick Adenhart. With their stunning sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Angels seemed to have captured lighting in a bottle getting clutch hits from both unlikely heroes Maicer Izturiz and Erick Aybar, as well as stars Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels will need to keep the hits coming to keep up with the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira. The story of the year for both teams remains the Kendry Morales-Mark Teixeira story. Back in December, experts thought the Angels suffered a huge blow to their offense when they lost Teixeira to the Yankees. Little did those experts know that the Angel's had a secret weapon in waiting in the form of Kendry Morales. The Angels proved to be the ones laughing at the end of the regular season, when Morales put up almost identical numbers to Tex for exponentially less salary. Morales wasn't the only surprise this season, for a mere 5 million dollars, the team acquired this years team MVP, and former Yankee, Bobby Abreu. It appears patience really is contagious as the arrival of Bobby Abreu has made the whole lineup much more patient at the plate, as we saw in Game 3 vs. Boston, even notorious free-swinger Vladimir Guerrero is able to work a walk. For the Yankees, even with Mark Teixeira, the story will always be about 2 men, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and for the first time Alex Rodriguez seems to be showing his critics he can lead this Yankee team to victory. In the wake of the whole steroids/ Madonna controversy, Alex Rodriguez seems to have emerged a more mature player. Some point to his relationship with Kate Hudson as the source for his newfound leadership, while others point to the arrival of Mark Teixeira, whatever the case may be, the Angel's pitching staff will have their work cut out for them.

As far as pitching storylines go, no single pitcher will be more highly scrutinized than the Yankee's C.C. Sabathia. Signed for a mega $161 million dollar contract this past off-season, Sabathia will have to prove he was worth every penny of the largest pitching contract EVER! In the other dugout, perennial staff ace and workhorse John Lackey will be a free agent this off-season and one can be sure that he will do everything within his power to showcase his skills against a highly potent Yankee lineup in hopes of also getting that big payday! Having just outpitched the combo of Lester and Beckett, Lackey and Jered Weaver have shown they have both the stuff and mental ability to pitch with the best of them. And while experts continue to overlook the Angels 1-2, the Angels do get credit for having the best rotation 1-4 thanks to the addition of Scott Kazmir, who is very familiar with the Yankee's having pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays. In the bullpen, one man comes to mind when you think about great closers and that’s Mariano Rivera. For the better part of a decade, the Yankees have been unbeatable when leading going into the 9th. Rivera has been so dominant and reliable that he has been called the Greatest Closer of ALL TIME! As Buster Olney once said, "No other player can instill calm in his team's fans as reliably as Mariano Rivera." Meanwhile, the Angels have newly acquired Brian Fuentes at the helm, a closer who probably inspires the least calm in his team's fans out of the closers remaining. Despite having the most saves this season, Angel fans blood pressure seem to always rise a few notches when they see him running out of the pen.

Angels vs. Phillies - The least plot oriented matchup. Aside from Bobby Abreu playing the best years of his career in Philly, there’s not much to say. Should still be a fun series though!

As usual, the MLB always manages to conjure juicy storylines to generate interest, but this year's finals seem particularly juicy.

Phillies-Dodgers: A rivalry in the making? For the second straight year, the Dodgers and Phillies will be meeting in the National League Championships. Of course last year, the Phillies got the better of the Dodgers winning the series in 5 games, and eventually going on to become World Series champions. The loss left the Dodgers embittered and hungry for revenge. They finally get their chance this year, only with some major differences. While the media and LA's infatuation with Manny hasn't wavered from last year, Manny's batting average has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have emerged from Manny's shadow to become leaders this year's Dodger team. Ethier especially has improved leaps and bounds to the point where if he wasn’t already a superstar, he certainly is one now. Not to be outdone, the Phillies have their own emerging star in Raul Ibanez, who is putting up career numbers this year, and was number #2 in NL all-star voting. Last, but certainly not least, Ryan Howard achieved almost Pujol's recognition last year, and he should continue to command the respect of opposing pitchers a lesson the Rockies seemed to skip in their stunning game 4 loss.

In the American League: Angels-Yankees

The title nearly says it all. The Long Ball vs. Small Ball. The Evil Empire vs. the Magic Kingdom. Free-Agent Plunder vs. the old fashioned home grown farm system. Despite these two teams’ differences, one thing is the same: these teams can flat out SCORE. These two teams spilt their season series 5-5 with both teams’ high powered offenses leading the way. Both teams face-to-face ERA's were well above 5. And while both teams have rotations that have raised their games to playoff standards, it seems highly unlikely that these pitchers will be able to pull the plug on offenses that are dangerous from 1 through 9. As far as storylines go, the Angels are this year’s feel good story having dedicated this season to the tragically deceased Nick Adenhart. With their stunning sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Angels seemed to have captured lighting in a bottle getting clutch hits from both unlikely heroes Maicer Izturiz and Erick Aybar, as well as stars Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels will need to keep the hits coming to keep up with the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira. The story of the year for both teams remains the Kendry Morales-Mark Teixeira story. Back in December, experts thought the Angels suffered a huge blow to their offense when they lost Teixeira to the Yankees. Little did those experts know that the Angel's had a secret weapon in waiting in the form of Kendry Morales. The Angels proved to be the ones laughing at the end of the regular season, when Morales put up almost identical numbers to Tex for exponentially less salary. Morales wasn't the only surprise this season, for a mere 5 million dollars, the team acquired this years team MVP, and former Yankee, Bobby Abreu. It appears patience really is contagious as the arrival of Bobby Abreu has made the whole lineup much more patient at the plate, as we saw in Game 3 vs. Boston, even notorious free-swinger Vladimir Guerrero is able to work a walk. For the Yankees, even with Mark Teixeira, the story will always be about 2 men, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and for the first time Alex Rodriguez seems to be showing his critics he can lead this Yankee team to victory. In the wake of the whole steroids/ Madonna controversy, Alex Rodriguez seems to have emerged a more mature player. Some point to his relationship with Kate Hudson as the source for his newfound leadership, while others point to the arrival of Mark Teixeira, whatever the case may be, the Angel's pitching staff will have their work cut out for them.

As far as pitching storylines go, no single pitcher will be more highly scrutinized than the Yankee's C.C. Sabathia. Signed for a mega $161 million dollar contract this past off-season, Sabathia will have to prove he was worth every penny of the largest pitching contract EVER! In the other dugout, perennial staff ace and workhorse John Lackey will be a free agent this off-season and one can be sure that he will do everything within his power to showcase his skills against a highly potent Yankee lineup in hopes of also getting that big payday! Having just outpitched the combo of Lester and Beckett, Lackey and Jered Weaver have shown they have both the stuff and mental ability to pitch with the best of them. And while experts continue to overlook the Angels 1-2, the Angels do get credit for having the best rotation 1-4 thanks to the addition of Scott Kazmir, who is very familiar with the Yankee's having pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays. In the bullpen, one man comes to mind when you think about great closers and that’s Mariano Rivera. For the better part of a decade, the Yankees have been unbeatable when leading going into the 9th. Rivera has been so dominant and reliable that he has been called the Greatest Closer of ALL TIME! As Buster Olney once said, "No other player can instill calm in his team's fans as reliably as Mariano Rivera." Meanwhile, the Angels have newly acquired Brian Fuentes at the helm, a closer who probably inspires the least calm in his team's fans out of the closers remaining. Despite having the most saves this season, Angel fans blood pressure seem to always rise a few notches when they see him running out of the pen.

Angels vs. Phillies - The least plot oriented matchup. Aside from Bobby Abreu playing the best years of his career in Philly, there’s not much to say. Should still be a fun series though!

Poll

Which World Series would you like to see?

Angels vs. Dodgers

12 votes

Dodgers vs. Yankees

10 votes

Yankees vs. Phillies

2 votes

Phillies vs. Angels

4 votes

28 votes | Poll has closed

And then there were 4....

robi s — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:29:09 -0000

As usual, the MLB always manages to conjure juicy storylines to generate interest, but this year's finals seem particularly juicy.

Phillies-Dodgers: A rivalry in the making? For the second straight year, the Dodgers and Phillies will be meeting in the National League Championships. Of course last year, the Phillies got the better of the Dodgers winning the series in 5 games, and eventually going on to become World Series champions. The loss left the Dodgers embittered and hungry for revenge. They finally get their chance this year, only with some major differences. While the media and LA's infatuation with Manny hasn't wavered from last year, Manny's batting average has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have emerged from Manny's shadow to become leaders this year's Dodger team. Ethier especially has improved leaps and bounds to the point where if he wasn’t already a superstar, he certainly is one now. Not to be outdone, the Phillies have their own emerging star in Raul Ibanez, who is putting up career numbers this year, and was number #2 in NL all-star voting. Last, but certainly not least, Ryan Howard achieved almost Pujol's recognition last year, and he should continue to command the respect of opposing pitchers a lesson the Rockies seemed to skip in their stunning game 4 loss.

In the American League: Angels-Yankees

The title nearly says it all. The Long Ball vs. Small Ball. The Evil Empire vs. the Magic Kingdom. Free-Agent Plunder vs. the old fashioned home grown farm system. Despite these two teams’ differences, one thing is the same: these teams can flat out SCORE. These two teams spilt their season series 5-5 with both teams’ high powered offenses leading the way. Both teams face-to-face ERA's were well above 5. And while both teams have rotations that have raised their games to playoff standards, it seems highly unlikely that these pitchers will be able to pull the plug on offenses that are dangerous from 1 through 9. As far as storylines go, the Angels are this year’s feel good story having dedicated this season to the tragically deceased Nick Adenhart. With their stunning sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Angels seemed to have captured lighting in a bottle getting clutch hits from both unlikely heroes Maicer Izturiz and Erick Aybar, as well as stars Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels will need to keep the hits coming to keep up with the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira. The story of the year for both teams remains the Kendry Morales-Mark Teixeira story. Back in December, experts thought the Angels suffered a huge blow to their offense when they lost Teixeira to the Yankees. Little did those experts know that the Angel's had a secret weapon in waiting in the form of Kendry Morales. The Angels proved to be the ones laughing at the end of the regular season, when Morales put up almost identical numbers to Tex for exponentially less salary. Morales wasn't the only surprise this season, for a mere 5 million dollars, the team acquired this years team MVP, and former Yankee, Bobby Abreu. It appears patience really is contagious as the arrival of Bobby Abreu has made the whole lineup much more patient at the plate, as we saw in Game 3 vs. Boston, even notorious free-swinger Vladimir Guerrero is able to work a walk. For the Yankees, even with Mark Teixeira, the story will always be about 2 men, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and for the first time Alex Rodriguez seems to be showing his critics he can lead this Yankee team to victory. In the wake of the whole steroids/ Madonna controversy, Alex Rodriguez seems to have emerged a more mature player. Some point to his relationship with Kate Hudson as the source for his newfound leadership, while others point to the arrival of Mark Teixeira, whatever the case may be, the Angel's pitching staff will have their work cut out for them.

As far as pitching storylines go, no single pitcher will be more highly scrutinized than the Yankee's C.C. Sabathia. Signed for a mega $161 million dollar contract this past off-season, Sabathia will have to prove he was worth every penny of the largest pitching contract EVER! In the other dugout, perennial staff ace and workhorse John Lackey will be a free agent this off-season and one can be sure that he will do everything within his power to showcase his skills against a highly potent Yankee lineup in hopes of also getting that big payday! Having just outpitched the combo of Lester and Beckett, Lackey and Jered Weaver have shown they have both the stuff and mental ability to pitch with the best of them. And while experts continue to overlook the Angels 1-2, the Angels do get credit for having the best rotation 1-4 thanks to the addition of Scott Kazmir, who is very familiar with the Yankee's having pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays. In the bullpen, one man comes to mind when you think about great closers and that’s Mariano Rivera. For the better part of a decade, the Yankees have been unbeatable when leading going into the 9th. Rivera has been so dominant and reliable that he has been called the Greatest Closer of ALL TIME! As Buster Olney once said, "No other player can instill calm in his team's fans as reliably as Mariano Rivera." Meanwhile, the Angels have newly acquired Brian Fuentes at the helm, a closer who probably inspires the least calm in his team's fans out of the closers remaining. Despite having the most saves this season, Angel fans blood pressure seem to always rise a few notches when they see him running out of the pen.

Angels vs. Phillies - The least plot oriented matchup. Aside from Bobby Abreu playing the best years of his career in Philly, there’s not much to say. Should still be a fun series though!

As usual, the MLB always manages to conjure juicy storylines to generate interest, but this year's finals seem particularly juicy.

Phillies-Dodgers: A rivalry in the making? For the second straight year, the Dodgers and Phillies will be meeting in the National League Championships. Of course last year, the Phillies got the better of the Dodgers winning the series in 5 games, and eventually going on to become World Series champions. The loss left the Dodgers embittered and hungry for revenge. They finally get their chance this year, only with some major differences. While the media and LA's infatuation with Manny hasn't wavered from last year, Manny's batting average has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have emerged from Manny's shadow to become leaders this year's Dodger team. Ethier especially has improved leaps and bounds to the point where if he wasn’t already a superstar, he certainly is one now. Not to be outdone, the Phillies have their own emerging star in Raul Ibanez, who is putting up career numbers this year, and was number #2 in NL all-star voting. Last, but certainly not least, Ryan Howard achieved almost Pujol's recognition last year, and he should continue to command the respect of opposing pitchers a lesson the Rockies seemed to skip in their stunning game 4 loss.

In the American League: Angels-Yankees

The title nearly says it all. The Long Ball vs. Small Ball. The Evil Empire vs. the Magic Kingdom. Free-Agent Plunder vs. the old fashioned home grown farm system. Despite these two teams’ differences, one thing is the same: these teams can flat out SCORE. These two teams spilt their season series 5-5 with both teams’ high powered offenses leading the way. Both teams face-to-face ERA's were well above 5. And while both teams have rotations that have raised their games to playoff standards, it seems highly unlikely that these pitchers will be able to pull the plug on offenses that are dangerous from 1 through 9. As far as storylines go, the Angels are this year’s feel good story having dedicated this season to the tragically deceased Nick Adenhart. With their stunning sweep of the Boston Red Sox, the Angels seemed to have captured lighting in a bottle getting clutch hits from both unlikely heroes Maicer Izturiz and Erick Aybar, as well as stars Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels will need to keep the hits coming to keep up with the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira. The story of the year for both teams remains the Kendry Morales-Mark Teixeira story. Back in December, experts thought the Angels suffered a huge blow to their offense when they lost Teixeira to the Yankees. Little did those experts know that the Angel's had a secret weapon in waiting in the form of Kendry Morales. The Angels proved to be the ones laughing at the end of the regular season, when Morales put up almost identical numbers to Tex for exponentially less salary. Morales wasn't the only surprise this season, for a mere 5 million dollars, the team acquired this years team MVP, and former Yankee, Bobby Abreu. It appears patience really is contagious as the arrival of Bobby Abreu has made the whole lineup much more patient at the plate, as we saw in Game 3 vs. Boston, even notorious free-swinger Vladimir Guerrero is able to work a walk. For the Yankees, even with Mark Teixeira, the story will always be about 2 men, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and for the first time Alex Rodriguez seems to be showing his critics he can lead this Yankee team to victory. In the wake of the whole steroids/ Madonna controversy, Alex Rodriguez seems to have emerged a more mature player. Some point to his relationship with Kate Hudson as the source for his newfound leadership, while others point to the arrival of Mark Teixeira, whatever the case may be, the Angel's pitching staff will have their work cut out for them.

As far as pitching storylines go, no single pitcher will be more highly scrutinized than the Yankee's C.C. Sabathia. Signed for a mega $161 million dollar contract this past off-season, Sabathia will have to prove he was worth every penny of the largest pitching contract EVER! In the other dugout, perennial staff ace and workhorse John Lackey will be a free agent this off-season and one can be sure that he will do everything within his power to showcase his skills against a highly potent Yankee lineup in hopes of also getting that big payday! Having just outpitched the combo of Lester and Beckett, Lackey and Jered Weaver have shown they have both the stuff and mental ability to pitch with the best of them. And while experts continue to overlook the Angels 1-2, the Angels do get credit for having the best rotation 1-4 thanks to the addition of Scott Kazmir, who is very familiar with the Yankee's having pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays. In the bullpen, one man comes to mind when you think about great closers and that’s Mariano Rivera. For the better part of a decade, the Yankees have been unbeatable when leading going into the 9th. Rivera has been so dominant and reliable that he has been called the Greatest Closer of ALL TIME! As Buster Olney once said, "No other player can instill calm in his team's fans as reliably as Mariano Rivera." Meanwhile, the Angels have newly acquired Brian Fuentes at the helm, a closer who probably inspires the least calm in his team's fans out of the closers remaining. Despite having the most saves this season, Angel fans blood pressure seem to always rise a few notches when they see him running out of the pen.

Angels vs. Phillies - The least plot oriented matchup. Aside from Bobby Abreu playing the best years of his career in Philly, there’s not much to say. Should still be a fun series though!

Poll

What will the World Series look like?

Angels vs. Dodgers

56 votes

Dodgers vs. Yankees

5 votes

Phillies vs. Yankees

1 votes

Phillies vs. Angels.

36 votes

98 votes | Poll has closed

Shaq, " Cav's the best team I've ever been on"

robi s — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:59:04 -0000

Well it looks like the big diesel had to open his mouth again, it the latest article from Yahoo! Sports, its being reported that Shaq said something along the lines of this years Cav's team being the best team he's ever played on. I don't know whether the big fella was trying to ruffle some feathers around the league, or just trying to show confidence in his team, either way Shaq really knows how to make headlines.

As a Laker fan, I am obviously a bit insulted by these comments, but when I put my homerism aside, Shaq may have a valid point. Answer the poll below and let's see what the SSR thinks!

Poll

Which of Shaq's teams was the best?

Magic

2 votes

Lakers 00-02

136 votes

Lakers 04

12 votes

Heat

2 votes

Cavs

5 votes

157 votes | Poll has closed

Should we be worried?

robi s — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:46:33 -0000

Well folks, it is that time of the year again. Everyone's favorite month of baseball is upon us, and the Angels find themselves in a familiar position: heading into the home stretch, 1st in the AL West, and our pitchers seemed to have hit their strides. For the majority of teams in the MLB, this would be a dream come true, but here in Anaheim we are starving for some of that postseason magic.

Having watched the Angels go through up and downs for the last couple years, I gotta say our recent play isn't reassuring me that we won't have a repeat of the years past. Barring total collapses by the Yankees, Redsox, and Angels. It seems our Angels are on a collision course with guess who: the Boston Redsox. The same team that we have a post season record of 1-6 against.

Having just lost the RedSox and Yankees in back to back games, the Angels arent exactly making any statments. It's comforting that Weaver and Lackey seemed to hold their own against our potential opponents. What's worrying is that our offense that was once the best in baseball, has seemed to lost all its confidence. The Angel's series after series have been getting shutdown. Inconsistency with runners in scoring position, and striking out have started to plague us. Losing two heartbreaking games may not mean much statistically, but the Angels had a chance to make a statement this road trip, and haven't been able to muster any sort of offense.

So I ask you fellow Angel fans.......Are you worried about our playoff chances this year?

ESPN thinks BOSTON > LA

robi s — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:06:25 -0000

I just read an article on ESPN, proclaiming Boston to be a better sports city than Los Angeles. It was after reading this article that it dawned on me that aside from New York -Boston, there are no two cities that "dislike" one another than Boston-LA. It specifically compares the LA sports scene in the 80's, to Boston's in the 2000.

The article made me dislike Boston even more, what did you guys think about it?

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/news/story?id=4470095

The article made me dislike Boston even more, what did you guys think about it?

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/news/story?id=4470095

Jason Williams to the Magic

robi s — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:48:32 -0000

Well folks, if you thought the reigning Eastern Conference champion Orland Magic were done adding depth to their team, you'd be wrong. According to latest reports, the Orlando Magic have come to an agreement with PG Jason Williams. The terms have the deal have not yet been disclosed.

If you thought the Magic were dangerous before, Magic GM Otis Smith has just upped the stakes. If Jason Williams is anywhere close to the player he used to be during his stints in Sacramento and Miami, the Magic have answered any doubts about their depth at the point guard position. The Magic lost some depth at the point position after trading Raefer "Skip to my lou" Alston along with Courtney Lee to New Jersey for Vince Carter. By adding Jason Williams, coach Stan Van Gundy can breathe a little easier when trying to rest emerging star, Jameer Nelson.

This signing tips the scales in favor of the Magic, considering its other two Eastern conference rivals, Cleveland and Boston, do not have reliable back up pgs. While we won't know how good Jason Williams still is, the signing of Jason Williams is a microcosm of the weapons race in the Eastern Conference that has characterized this NBA offseason.

Leon Powe to the Cavs

robi s — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:50:06 -0000

According to Yahoo Sports, it appears that former Celtics forward Leon Powe will now become the latest addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is being reported that Powe will sign a two year deal for the league minimum. The second year will be a team option.

Having tore his ACL during the 1st round of the Celtics playoff matchup Chicago, it appears that Powe will not be ready to return until next year's all-star break. Powe is known for his energetic play. His most notable career acheivement was the 21 pts he scored in game 2 of the 2008 NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in just 15 mins of play. Once a fan favorite in Boston, it appears likely that Powe will be bringing his energy and hustle to Cleveland pending the results of a physical with the Cavalier's medical staff.

The addition of Powe will most assuredly add to the depth of the Cleveland Cavaliers who have had a very busy summer, adding Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and future Hall of Famer, Shaquille O'Neal. Whether the addition of Powe will be enough to help get the Cavs through the much improved Eastern Conference remains to be seen, but one can safely say that Powe will be bringing the same heart and hustle to Cleveland.

Poll

Will the addition of Leon Powe help the Cavs?

Yes

1063 votes

No

117 votes

1180 votes | Poll has closed

Leon Powe to the Cavs

robi s — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:47:22 -0000

According to Yahoo Sports, it appears that former Celtics forward, Leon Powe, will now become the latest addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is being reported that Powe will sign a two year deal for the league minimum. The second year will be a team option.

The addition of Powe will most assuredly add to the depth of the Cleveland Cavaliers who have had a very busy summer, adding Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and future hall of famer, Shaquille O'neal. Whether the addition of Powe will be enough to help get the Cavs through the much improved Eastern Conference remains to be seen, but one can safely say that Powe will be bringing the same heart and hustle to Cleveland.

Poll

Will the addition of Leon Powe help the Cavs?

Yes

96 votes

No

36 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

Leon Powe to the Cavs

robi s — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:26:25 -0000

According to Yahoo Sports, it appears that former Celtics forward, Leon Powe, will now become the latest addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is being reported that Powe will sign a two year deal for the league minimum. The second year will be a team option.

Having tore his ACL during the 1st round of the Celtics playoff matchup Chicago, it appears that Powe will not be ready to return until next year's all-star break. Powe is known for his energetic play. His most notable career acheivement was the 21 pts he scored in game 2 of the 2008 NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in just 15 mins of play. Once a fan favorite in Boston, it appears likely that Powe will be bringing his energy and hustle to Cleveland pending the results of a physical with the Cavalier's medical staff.

The addition of Powe will most assuredly add to the depth of the Cleveland Cavaliers who have had a very busy summer, adding Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and future hall of famer, Shaquille O'neal. Whether the addition of Powe will be enough to help get the Cavs through the much improved Eastern Conference remains to be seen, but one can safely say that Powe will be bringing the same heart and hustle to Cleveland.

Having tore his ACL during the 1st round of the Celtics playoff matchup Chicago, it appears that Powe will not be ready to return until next year's all-star break. Powe is known for his energetic play. His most notable career acheivement was the 21 pts he scored in game 2 of the 2008 NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in just 15 mins of play. Once a fan favorite in Boston, it appears likely that Powe will be bringing his energy and hustle to Cleveland pending the results of a physical with the Cavalier's medical staff.

Create your own NBA franchise

robi s — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:32:36 -0000

Found this on the Clippers Blog, and thought it would be interesting to see what you guys come up with.

Make Your own Franchise [Clips Nation]

SF
Lebron James (7)
Carmello Anthony (6)
Kevin Durant (6)
Paul Pierce (6)
Danny Granger (6)
Ron Artest (5)
Hedo Turkgulo (5)
Gereld Wallce (5)
Stephen Jackson (5)
Rudy Gay (5)
Caron Butler (5)
Lamar Odom (5)
Tayshaun Prince (5)
Josh Howard (4)
Jeff Green (4)
Shawn Marion (4)
Thadous Young (4)
Reshard Lewis (4)
Loul Deng (4)
Richard Jefferson (4)
Michael Beasly (4)
Wilson Chandler (3)
Andrei Kirlinko (3)
Trever Ariza (3)
Al Thorton (3)
Travis Outlaw (3)
Peja Stokavitch (3)
Grant Hill (3)
Shane Battier (3)
Marvin Williams (3)
Nichalos Batum (3)
Mike Dunleavy (3)
Jamario Moon (3)
Andre Noicioni (3)
Rasual Butler (2)
Corey Brewer (2)
Bobby Simmons (2)
Kyle Korver (2)
Bruce Bowen (2)
Danillo Galinari (2)
Luke Walton (2)
Matt Barnes (2)
Jarvis Hayees (2)
Jason Kapono (2)
Steve Novak (2)

PF:
Tim Duncun (6)
Kevin Garnett (6)
Dirk Nowitzki (6)
Amare Stoudimare (6)
Chris Bosh (6)
Carlos Boozer (6)
Josh Smith (5)
David West (5)
Lamarcus Aldrigde (5)
Antwane Jaminson (5)
Elton Brand (5)
Emeka Okafor (5)
Zach Randolph (5)
Troy Murphy (4)
Charlie Villinuava (4)
Jermain O'neal (4)
Kenyon Martin (4)
David Lee (4)
Paul Millsap (4)
Kevin Love (4)
Al Harrington (4)
Luis Scola (3)
Tyrus Thomas (3)
Anthony Randolph (3)
Udiunis Haslem (3)
Jason Thompson (3)
Hakim Warrik (3)
Nenad Kristic (3)
Antionio Mcdysee (3)
Brandon Bass (3)
Leon Powe (3)
Jason Maxiel (3)
Boris Diaw (3)
Glen Davis (3)
Ryan Anderson (2)
Mariese Spieghts (2)
Mikki Moore (2)
Channing Frye (2)
Derrel Aruther (2)
Brandon Wright (2)
Yi Jainlian (2)
Craig Smith (2)

C
Dwight Howard (7)
Al Jefferson (6)
Yao Ming (6)
Shaquille Oneal (6)
Pau Gasol (6)
Andreins Biendrins (5)
Rasheed Wallace (5)
Brook Lopez (5)
Mehment Okur (5)
Andrew Bynum (5)
Nene (5)
Chris Kaman (5)
Zydruanus Iguaskis (4)
Al Horford (4)
Andrew Bogut (4)
Spencer Hawes (4)
Greg Oden (4)
Tyson Chandler (4)
Marcus Camby (4)
Andrie Bargnani (4)
Salem Dalembert (3)
Joakim Noah (3)
Kendric Perkins (3)
Brenden Haywood (3)
Brad Miller (3)
Marc Gasol (3)
Martin Gortat (3)
Chris Anderson (3)
Joel Przbilla (2)
Javal Mcgee (2)
Roy Hibbert (2)
Josh Boone (2)
Zaza Pachualla (2)
Robin Lopez (2)
Rasho Nestervitch (2)
Ryan Hollins (2)
DeAndre Jordan (2)

Rookies:
Blake Griffin (5)
James Harden (4)
Hasheem Thabet (4)
Tyreke Evens (4)
Johny Flynn (4)
Stephen Curry (4)
Jorden Hill (4)
Demere Derozen (3)
Brndon Jennings (3)
Terrence Williams (3)
Gereld Henderson (3)
Tyler Hansborough (3)
Earl Clark (3)
Austin Daye (2)
BJ Mullins (2)
Jodie Meeks (2)
Dejuan Blari (2)
Sam Young (2)
Jrue Holiday (2)
James Johnson (2)
Chase Budingher (2)
BJ Mullins (2)
Ty Lawson (2)
Jeff Teagues (2)
Eric Maynor (2)
Darren Collinson (2)
Taj Gibosn (2)
Tony Douglas (2)

Coaches: (cost nothing)
Mike D'Antoni
Larry Brown
Don Nelson
Jerry Sloan
Byron Scott
Rick Adelmen
Doc Rivers
Flip Saunders

Found this on the Clippers Blog, and thought it would be interesting to see what you guys come up with.

Make Your own Franchise [Clips Nation]

Create your own NBA Franchise

robi s — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:31:00 -0000

Found this on the Clippers Blog, and thought it would be interesting to see what you guys come up with.

Create Your Own Franchise

robi s — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:06:28 -0000

Found this on the Clippers Blog, and thought it would be interesting to see what you guys come up with.

You have 27 player points to pick players. Player points equal the amount you have to pay to have that player on your roster. you NEED 8 players, LIMITED to only one (7) player, and three (6)

PG:
Chris Paul (7)
Deron Williams (6)
Tony Parker (6)
Rajon Rondo (5)
Chauncey Billups (5)
Derrick Rose (5)
Steve Nash (5)
Gilbert Arenas (5)
Devin Harris (5)
Jason Kidd (5)
Baron Davis (5)
Raymond Felton (4)
Andre Miller (4)
Monta Ellis (4)
Mo Williams (4)
Jose Calderon (4)
Jameer Nelson (4)
Mike Bibby (3)
Russell Westbrook (3)
Mike Conley (3)
Randy Foye (3)
Ramon Sessions (3)
TJ Ford (3)
Chris Duhon (3)
Mario Chalmers (3)
Rodney Stuckey (3)
Aaron Brooks (3)
Beno Udrih (3)
Derrick Fisher (2)
Luke Ridnour (2)
Lou Williams (2)
Keyon Dooling (2)
Sebstain Telfiar (2)
Steve Blake (2)
DJ Augustine (2)
Jordan Farmer (2)
Jarret Jack (2)
Will Bynum (2)

SG
Kobe Bryant (7)
Dwyane Wade (7)
Brandon Roy (6)
Joe Johnson (6)
Vince Carter (6)
Andre Iguadala (6)
Ray Allen (5)
Allen Iverson (5)
Richard Hamilton (5)
Tracy Mcgrady (5)
Manu Ginobili (5)
Ben Gordon (5)
Kevin Martin (5)
Micheal Redd (5)
OJ Mayo (5)
Jammal Crawford (5)
JR Smith (4)
Nate Robinson (4)
Jason Richardson (4)
Eric Gordon (4)
Jason Terry (4)
Deloente West (4)
John Salmons (4)
Leandro Barbosa (4)
Roger Mason (3)
Von Wafer (3)
Courtney Lee (3)
Ronnie Brewer (3)
Rudy Ferdenanz (3)
Reja Bell (3)
Marquise Daniels (3)
Kellena Azuabiki (3)
Mike Miller (2)
Nick Young (2)
Marco Belinili (2)
Anthony Parker (2)
Deshawn Stevenson (2)
Thabo Sefolosha (2)
Micheal Finley (2)
Anthony Morrow (SG)
Dahanty Jones (2)
Fred Jones (2)
SF
Lebron James (7)
Carmello Anthony (6)
Kevin Durant (6)
Paul Pierce (6)
Danny Granger (6)
Ron Artest (5)
Hedo Turkgulo (5)
Gereld Wallce (5)
Stephen Jackson (5)
Rudy Gay (5)
Caron Butler (5)
Lamar Odom (5)
Tayshaun Prince (5)
Josh Howard (4)
Jeff Green (4)
Shawn Marion (4)
Thadous Young (4)
Reshard Lewis (4)
Loul Deng (4)
Richard Jefferson (4)
Michael Beasly (4)
Wilson Chandler (3)
Andrei Kirlinko (3)
Trever Ariza (3)
Al Thorton (3)
Travis Outlaw (3)
Peja Stokavitch (3)
Grant Hill (3)
Shane Battier (3)
Marvin Williams (3)
Nichalos Batum (3)
Mike Dunleavy (3)
Jamario Moon (3)
Andre Noicioni (3)
Rasual Butler (2)
Corey Brewer (2)
Bobby Simmons (2)
Kyle Korver (2)
Bruce Bowen (2)
Danillo Galinari (2)
Luke Walton (2)
Matt Barnes (2)
Jarvis Hayees (2)
Jason Kapono (2)
Steve Novak (2)
PF:
Tim Duncun (6)
Kevin Garnett (6)
Dirk Nowitzki (6)
Amare Stoudimare (6)
Chris Bosh (6)
Carlos Boozer (6)
Josh Smith (5)
David West (5)
Lamarcus Aldrigde (5)
Antwane Jaminson (5)
Elton Brand (5)
Emeka Okafor (5)
Zach Randolph (5)
Troy Murphy (4)
Charlie Villinuava (4)
Jermain O'neal (4)
Kenyon Martin (4)
David Lee (4)
Paul Millsap (4)
Kevin Love (4)
Al Harrington (4)
Luis Scola (3)
Tyrus Thomas (3)
Anthony Randolph (3)
Udiunis Haslem (3)
Jason Thompson (3)
Hakim Warrik (3)
Nenad Kristic (3)
Antionio Mcdysee (3)
Brandon Bass (3)
Leon Powe (3)
Jason Maxiel (3)
Boris Diaw (3)
Glen Davis (3)
Ryan Anderson (2)
Mariese Spieghts (2)
Mikki Moore (2)
Channing Frye (2)
Derrel Aruther (2)
Brandon Wright (2)
Yi Jainlian (2)
Craig Smith (2)
C
Dwight Howard (7)
Al Jefferson (6)
Yao Ming (6)
Shaquille Oneal (6)
Pau Gasol (6)
Andreins Biendrins (5)
Rasheed Wallace (5)
Brook Lopez (5)
Mehment Okur (5)
Andrew Bynum (5)
Nene (5)
Chris Kaman (5)
Zydruanus Iguaskis (4)
Al Horford (4)
Andrew Bogut (4)
Spencer Hawes (4)
Greg Oden (4)
Tyson Chandler (4)
Marcus Camby (4)
Andrie Bargnani (4)
Salem Dalembert (3)
Joakim Noah (3)
Kendric Perkins (3)
Brenden Haywood (3)
Brad Miller (3)
Marc Gasol (3)
Martin Gortat (3)
Chris Anderson (3)
Joel Przbilla (2)
Javal Mcgee (2)
Roy Hibbert (2)
Josh Boone (2)
Zaza Pachualla (2)
Robin Lopez (2)
Rasho Nestervitch (2)
Ryan Hollins (2)
DeAndre Jordan (2)
Rookies:
Blake Griffin (5)
James Harden (4)
Hasheem Thabet (4)
Tyreke Evens (4)
Johny Flynn (4)
Stephen Curry (4)
Jorden Hill (4)
Demere Derozen (3)
Brndon Jennings (3)
Terrence Williams (3)
Gereld Henderson (3)
Tyler Hansborough (3)
Earl Clark (3)
Austin Daye (2)
BJ Mullins (2)
Jodie Meeks (2)
Dejuan Blari (2)
Sam Young (2)
Jrue Holiday (2)
James Johnson (2)
Chase Budingher (2)
BJ Mullins (2)
Ty Lawson (2)
Jeff Teagues (2)
Eric Maynor (2)
Darren Collinson (2)
Taj Gibosn (2)
Tony Douglas (2)

Coaches: (cost nothing)
Mike D'Antoni
Larry Brown
Don Nelson
Jerry Sloan
Byron Scott
Rick Adelmen
Doc Rivers
Flip Saunders

Found this on the Clippers Blog, and thought it would be interesting to see what you guys come up with.

Who wants to see Shaq in a pink speedo?

robi s — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:32:13 -0000

Another funny article from the Ball Don't Lie Peeps on Yahoo!Sports. Having played volleyball for nearly 10 years, I can tell you Shaq has NO CHANCE. I live right in that area, so I will be there, will you?

Shaq ups the ante for volleyball match with May-Treanor, Walsh

By J.E. Skeets

A few weeks ago we told you about Shaquille O'Neal's new reality show, "Shaq Vs.," which debuts Aug. 18 on ABC. To refresh your memory, the series pits Shaq against other top athletes — Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, which was recently filmed — in their own respective sports. It's must-TiVo television, really. Right up there with "The Office" re-runs.

Well, filming continues this Sunday, when Shaq plays pro beach volleyball players and two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh on the sand. And while the best-of-three games to 11 should be entertaining on their own, Shaq decided to up the ante during a press conference yesterday, claiming if he loses, he'll walk two miles in a pink Speedo.

Yes, that's right. If — or is it when? — Shaq and his teammate, Olympic gold medalist Todd Rogers, lose to May-Treanor and Walsh, "The Big Witness Protection" will march the beaches of California wearing nothing more than a pink Earl Boykins-sized piece of nylon and spandex.

Feel free to shudder now.

According to Adam Rose at LAist, the "Scary Shaq Speedo Showdown" will take place at the end of the AVP tournament in Hermosa Beach, which starts today and runs through the weekend. Shaq's match is free to the public (assuming there's space) and is scheduled to begin following the men's final on Sunday around 3:30p.

I would tell you to go and take pictures, but ... well ... don't.

Shaq ups the ante for volleyball match with May-Treanor, Walsh

By J.E. Skeets

Feel free to shudder now.

I would tell you to go and take pictures, but ... well ... don't.

The Machine is OUT of ORDER

robi s — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:04:43 -0000

Found a funny article from the Ball Don't Lie Boys at Yahoo! Sports, about yours truly, Sasha, the Machine, Vujacic.

Sasha Vujacic is temporarily out of order

By J.E. Skeets

It's been too long since we've had something on Sasha Vujacic (notes) here at BDL, in part because it's been too long since the mad geniuses at Lakers-Fan.com have created a hilarious video starring the half-human, half-machine, all-hair gunner. Perhaps this (unfortunate) news will get the creative juices flowing.

According to The Machine's official website, via Jeff Eisenberg at PE.com, the Lakers reserve guard suffered a minor left knee injury while training with the Slovenian National Team. Vujacic sat out a pair of exhibition games against Macedonia earlier in the week in preparation for the Euro Championships later this summer.

"It's nothing serious," says Chanteuse Marie Allado back on Vujacic's site. "But the management didn't want to risk aggravating it."

Call it just a hunch, but I highly doubt the Lakers organization (or fans) will demand that Vujacic get on a direct flight home to L.A. like the concerned Spurs did with Tony Parker (notes), who they brought back to San Antonio for tests after he tweaked an ankle last week.

Machines can be fixed.

Found a funny article from the Ball Don't Lie Boys at Yahoo! Sports, about yours truly, Sasha, the Machine, Vujacic.

Sasha Vujacic is temporarily out of order

By J.E. Skeets

"It's nothing serious," says Chanteuse Marie Allado back on Vujacic's site. "But the management didn't want to risk aggravating it."

Machines can be fixed.

NOO! KOTCHMAN IS OFFICIALLY in BOSTON!

robi s — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:22:16 -0000

Perhaps this wouldn't hurt so bad if the Angels had won the WS with Texiera. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt so much if Texeira was still on our team and not one of our biggest rivals. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt so much if Kotchman didnt turn out to be such a great player.

But my fellow Halo fans, the absolute most hurtful thing happened today. Our very Casey Kotchman is now play for Boston. The team that has continuously beat us in the playoffs. The team that all of us are most worried about. The team that we are most likely to come october.

Vent your anger, grief, and apathy right here!