And the condemned man ate a hearty breakfast
By Tophatal
As the continued fallout continues within the NBPA (players’ union) within the NBA with the stepping down of union Executive Director Billy Hunter , the season carries on with due swiftness. The league’s showcase event the 2013 All Star Game , will be upcoming , with three days of the NBA’s best players, as well as their rookies , and a slew of other events thrown in , to entertain the fans who will be in attendance along with a global audience of millions globally . And considering the ongoing popularity of the game on global scale , especially in the Far East , it is becoming easier to understand why Commissioner David Stern continues to use some of the game’s biggest stars to raise the profile of the brand abroad , specifically in the aforementioned market.
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Slideshow.
Now it goes without saying that this season within the NBA , it appears on the surface to be an undue success , but if you dig beneath the surface, you can certainly see that the game as it is being presented to the fans, is simply in the midst of a slump , as the quality of the play has become tiresomely inadequate and tediously boring , bordering on being inept. What might be even more asinine, while the game finds itself in such a morass , is the sheer apathy of the fans , who are trying to suggest that with this play , comes the chance to see teams we would not otherwise see , come to the forefront and simply surprise us all . Perhaps , no one team represents this more than the newly acquired Golden State Warriors (30-19) , under the ownership of billionaire financier ,Joe Lacob , and Hollywood mogul,Peter Guber. GM Bob Myers , along with special consultant and executive board member ,Jerry West , sought to hire first-time head coach, and former NBA point guard Mark Jackson to helm this young roster in the team’s coaching capacity , with Jackson’s staff made of up a number of seasoned veteran coaches , with primarily a college background.
As I alluded to earlier , the Warriors are one of the major surprises of this NBA season , seemingly coming out nowhere to make a solid if not unspectacular run in the NBA , this season. One of the more telling points of the team’s season has been their ineffective play from a defensive standpoint , with Golden State amongst the bottom feeders within the conference and NBA as a whole within this specific category, as well as the differential margin , in determining victories.
The Warriors’ roster , led by Steph Curry, Andrew Bogut , David Lee , Harrison Barnes , Carl Landry , > and Jarret Jack , have been playing with some semblance of consistency , but, in no way , would that be a true reflection what on the face of it is a young and very inexperienced roster overall. The most senior of the players , overall , would be eleven-year veteran , Richard Jefferson , who in the latter part of his career , has become something of a journeyman , providing the voice of experience for the rookies on the team.
Coming off, what was the franchise’s most humiliating loss of the season on Tuesday night , wherein their opponents , the Houston Rockets shot an astonishing 57.5% from beyond the arc , draining twenty-three of forty attempts , in three-pointers , on their way to a 140-109 drubbing of the Warriors. It is hard to see how anyone could find any solace from such an embarrassing defeat. Yet, here was , Mark Jackson , suggesting that he’s an old coach, who has a healthy respect for the game and that in some respects , he felt that the Rockets’ conduct was somewhat unsportsmanlike . Pardon me for saying this , but if , Jackson wants to teach his young players about adversity and steering defeat head on , then surely, it would have been better for him to point to the positives and negatives from that game , rather than to harangue his opponents . Furthermore , if he is seeking to take this Warriors’ franchise to the next level , wherein, they can be seen as a legitimate contender within the Pacific Division of the Western Conference , then surely during the game , and from hereon-in defense , and how his staff teaches it to these players, will have to take precedence over everything else, as it relates to the Warriors’ game and their productive output.
The Warriors’ next game will be a conference match-up against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum , in Memphis, Tennessee , on Friday night . . The game itself , pits two teams with postseason ambitions , and with a ½ game standing between the sixth placed Warriors and the fifth placed Grizzlies in the conference standings , it is easy to understand why this match-up will be of utmost importance to both teams.
I’ll give credit , where credit is due, but , if this is a harbinger of things to come , then I feel sorry for the fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves (18-28) ! The team , currently sits at the bottom of the Northwest Division within the Western Conference , and hopelessly out of touch with the division leading Oklahoma City Thunder (37-12). Prior , to the start of the season , so much had been made of the fact that mercurial point guard, Ricky Rubio , would be the lynch pin , that would finally see the franchise rise back up like a phoenix from the ashes . Instead , the team’s best player , forward /center , Kevin Love , has been sidelined due to injury , and with the team , now on a two game losing streak , having only managed to win two out of their last ten games . It now has me wondering, what else can , and will go wrong for the beleaguered franchise !
Timberwolves’ head coach , Rick Adelman , well-respected by his peers , is a coach who’s known to work well with younger players , but his plight with this team could very well prove to be far more difficult , than even he could have imagined , Now with the loss of Kevin Love , the situation goes from being difficult , to bordering on being impossible. As the team’s best and most productive player , Love was one of the main reasons to come out and watch this team play. Now , for owner , Glen Taylor, and GM , David Kahn, the situation , now becomes about what can now be done for the franchise to be in with even a remote chance of having some semblance of a successful season. With Love , having signed a four-year $60 million contract in 2011 , this was meant to be viewed as one of the more serious moves that the front office sought to take, in order to make this franchise a much more formidable contender within the NBA. With the season now falling apart, the unthinkable might be about to happen with David Kahn quite possibly contemplating to move the highly desirable and productive power forward , Kevin Love. The player has stated , that it is his intent to fulfill his contractual obligations with the Timberwolves and play his entire career with this organization . Yet, for all sense and purpose , if the situation remains as it now is , there is no way that Kahn or Rick Adelman , can hope to retain the player . I doubt that Kevin Love , has any desire to really remain with a franchise , where the possibility of contending for a title, is now becoming more remote, than ever before .
Next up for the Timberwolves will be a Friday night game , that pits them against the high-flying New York Knicks(31-16) , who are seeking to keep within striking distance of the Miami Heat (32-14) within the Eastern Conference for the overall number one seed . Adelman and his players can only hope to catch the Knicks an off night , they seek to even the season series between the two teams , with Mike Woodson’s players leading 1-0 , having won their first meeting of the season, when they met at Madison Square Garden , in New York City , in late December, with the Eastern Conference team coming away with a hard-fought 94-91 victory . The likely outcome , will be the Knicks once again, eking out another victory , while hoping that the Heat, find themselves on the wrong side of a loss , in their scheduled Friday night meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers at the American Airlines Arena , in Miami , Florida .
There is nothing as morbid, as watching the remnants of a multiple vehicular car accident, and then seeing the dismembered bodies lying along the highway. Suffice to say, this might be the best analogy to describe the Los Angeles Lakers ever disastrous season. One which has been filled with high drama , ridicule and more idiocy than you could ever have imagined . OK, so we are all aware of the Mike Brown dismissal five games into the season , and the claims made by GM , Mitch Kupchak , that the team was simply heading in the wrong direction under Brown . Well ,with that chapter having ended all so comically , someone forget to take their feet off the gas pedal , as another crash was about to take place , in the form of Mike D’Antoni succeeding Mike Brown. Pardon me for saying this , but if this was meant to be a sound decision, as to D’Antoni’s hiring . I would like to know, if Kupchak and his accomplice , Lakers’ SVP , Jim Buss were “ Baker enacted” after this clearly mistimed and idiotic decision and hire ?
At 23-27 (.460) , witnessing what is clearly a very bad Lakers’ team simply limp from game to game , albeit that they have won six of their last ten games , but herein lies the dilemma for Mike D’Antoni, even with the acquisition of stars, such as Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, someone forgot to remind D’Antoni and that goddamn imbecilic coaching staff of his , that the team , simply doesn’t play a lick of damn defense. And as to his continued asinine belief,, that the players will mesh together, and find a rhythm , perhaps he can try explaining that to the growing number of angry Lakers’ fans . With Kobe Bryant remaining so stoic, and yet to let loose , with an angered outburst , criticizing management , you simply know that , it will be only matter of time before the player erupts in anger and simply berates the organization. Well , he has fleetingly been critical of his teammates and their lack of effort , and it is understandable , when you consider that for the past two years at least , it simply been Bryant carrying this team on his broad shoulders. And as admirable as the games of Howard and Nash are said to be , who didn’t see this cluster f#ck coming ? The last time the Lakers tried a maneuver of this magnitude , it simply imploded , causing the team at the time to simply act like a bunch of petulant children. It should be noted that season in question , the team went to the NBA Finals of 2004 , as an evens’ favorite , seeking to make light work of the Detroit Pistons . Well as that story unfolded , someone forgot to make the Pistons aware that the script called “ for them to be submissive and to take one for the team “. The Pistons’ reply to the Lakers ___ “ take that and shove it up your ass “ !
If former Lakers’ great, Magic Johnson , has been vocal enough to be critical of both of these coaching hires , but also , having suggested that Kupchak hire former Phil Jackson assistant, Brian Shaw , to originally succeed the famed coach, when he retired from this very same franchise . If the Lakers’ hierarchy were not prepared to listen to even the positive criticism , then , it clearly shows not only how out of touch with reality the Lakers’ ownership just happens to be. The personnel decisions being made, as it concerns playing staff in recent years, have become so comical and ludicrous that one has to question the mindset of Mitch Kupchak . Should this season fall short of perceived expectations , then it is becoming increasingly clear that changes will have to be made , and many of them will be so far-reaching and bound to have some serious repercussions , that even the fans and analysts alike , will be totally taken aback by those decisions. Personally, I do not believe that Mitch Kupchak , Jim Buss or even Dr. Jerry Buss now possess the intelligence to ultimately do what is necessary ! If that were the case, then the Lakers would not now, find them in such an embarrassing situation. Someone within the Lakers’ hierarchy will have to pay for this mea-culpa . Care to guess who that will be at this juncture ?
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Picture gallery .
As the NBA All Star Break approaches and the schedule being in full swing with the trade deadline also in focus , what major moves if any , do you see taking place ? Also , are you of the belief that this has been a down year in the NBA in terms of the play , by way of comparison to last season ? Do take time to leave a comment , as you see fit , and thanks as always for the continued support of this site , as it has always been greatly appreciated !
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Picture and slideshow details below.
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(1) Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) goes up for a shot while defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki …
(2) Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson gestures during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. Oklahoma City won 119-98 . AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki …
(3) From left to right , senior managing partner , Joe Lacob , senior consultant, Jerry West , center and Peter Guber , owners of the Golden State Warriors . The franchise is in the midst of a reawakening of sorts and they could very well on their way to a postseason berth for the first time since 2007 . AP Photo / Richard Curtis …
(4) Injured Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love talks to teammates during a timeout during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 in Minneapolis. AP Photo/Genevieve Ross …
(5) Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) , of Spain, drives around San Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, in Minneapolis. AP Photo/Genevieve Ross …
(6) Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor ,left , is seen here with Head of Basketball Operations & General Manager , David Kahn . The duo seek to resurrect the fortunes of the Minnesota Timberwolves , but with the long-term loss of forward Kevin Love , it looks as if the franchise will be in for tough season , and barely with the possibility of ending with a winning record for the year . AP /REUTERS/ Renee` Schmidt …
(7) A pensive Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni pauses as he looks down court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. The Celtics won 116-95 . AP Photo/Charles Krupa …
(8) Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) walks onto the court with Metta World Peace , left, and Dwight Howard during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. The Celtics won 116-95. AP Photo/Charles Krupa …
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If at all interested do take time to participate in the above mentioned poll.
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NBA playoff picture (precursor)
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Golden State Warriors (profile)
Golden State Warriors’ front office
Golden State Warriors game recaps
Golden State Warriors’ roster & team stats
Golden State Warriors payroll (contracts) & annual salaries —— Golden State Warriors’ free agents
Golden State Warriors’ schedule
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Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office
Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster & team stats
Minnesota Timberwolves’ schedule
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Ukrainian actress and model , Inessa Tushkanova
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Tophatal's Blog 
The NBA this season has to be one of the worst on record and that is even when you include league induced shortened seasons . The play from the teams this season alone , it can be best described as being mediocre !
The teams are woefully inept on defense , yet fans are of the belief this is a a good thing , because there’s more of a propensity for offense .
Individual scoring . Well , let’s just say guys such as LBJ, Durant , ‘melo , Westbrook , and James Harden are all having spectacular seasons , but what does that say about the lack of the coaching ability within the NBA at present ? .
And in terms of the rookies , Anthony Davis may well have been taken as the #1 overall pick from this past season’s draft , but in no way , has he proven to be the league’s best rookie , as that honor has to go to the Portland Trailblazers’ — Damien Lillard . The kid’s all-round game is fantastic , and only a complete fool would think to the contrary ! And the rookies can feel proud , that they too have been able to contribute for their respective teams .
And in all honesty , do we really need David Stern to be selling us repeatedly how great the league is doing in terms of its overall success when it comes to revenues ( $5.5 to $7 billion league estimates ) , when a large part of the growth comes from the exorbitant television contracts and the increased tickets prices , which rise faster than the rate of inflation ? The teams’ values are also on the rise , albeit that in certain cases their profitability has invariably been inconsistent .
Also of note we should also take a look at the attendance for the teams this season in comparison to last season .
Now while I admire what the Golden State Warriors have been able to achieve this season , there can be no denying that if the team doesn’t start to play more defense , then their foray in the postseason will be short-lived , no matter whom they face in the playoffs .
Jim Buss , by comparison to his father , Lakers’ owner , Dr. Jerry Buss , this ass as well as GM Mitch Kupchak , well , let’s just say these two morons seem to be intent on ruining the franchise , rather than bringing it back to its former glory . Lakers’ head coach Mike D’Antoni can no longer hide behind excuses concerning his team’s poor play , and especially with regard to what we now know to be a clearly unfit Dwight Howard , whose game is literally anemic this season ,
Kobe Bryant , will once again have to carry the team on his back for the remainder of the season , whether or not they make the postseason .
NBA results 02/08/2013
NBA schedule for 9th February and for Sunday 10th February , 2013 .
NBA standings (division) .
NBA standings (conference) .
NBA standings alphabetically
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Would you like Inessa Tushkanova jumping your “bones” ?
Tophatal …….
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The Minnesota Timberwolves this season have been extremely unlucky with the loss of Kevin Love . The loss of his productivity has hurt this team tremendously , and one can now only wonder what happens concerning the front office decisions to be made by Dave Kahn , as it relates to the personnel . Do they trade Love and look to the future, in terms of rebuilding, or simply go back to the drawing board and wait for next season ?
Timberwolves’ payroll , their free agents
Yearly salary of the T’wolves’ players
Love’s bio and stats .
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More of Tushkanova . And look NASCAR may well have Danica Patrick but by comparison given what Inessa has to offer , I would rather have the Ukrainian model on shifting my gear lever than Patrick !
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Tushkanova doesn’t need a fire retardant suit does she ? LOL,LOL,LOL !!
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Danica showing us her ware
Tophatal …………
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The Heat bust out the whupping sticks on the Clippers and the Pistons down the Spurs at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit , Michigan .
I’m sorry but the Nets won’t be winning anything this season by way of going deep into the playoffs , not with the way this team refuses to play any type of defense whatsoever !
Nets’ owner , Miklhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King have spent money on players like drunken sailors on shore leave frequenting the use of prostitutes .
Tophatal ………………………..
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If there’s any team out there that can use the All-Star vacay, Al, it’s the Los Angeles Lakers.
Too bad that team is getting such little press, huh?
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Chris Humpherys (@SportsChump)
Everything about the Lakers this season in terms of their play suggests drama , idiocy and damn incompetence all round . As I said in the piece , Kobe will be the one to carry the team for the remainder of the season , because there’s no one on that damn roster with the guts to step up to the plate , beyond Bryant , himself .
Next up for the team , games against the Miami Heat on Sunday and then home games against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night , Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers .
In the off season Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak will have some serious decisions to make as it relates to the makeup of this team , and what their aspirations are , in terms of the organization’s future .
This current Lakers’ team isn’t a championship caliber franchise by any stretch of the imagination , and it is clear they’re now on the down side especially with Mike D’Antoni as the head coach . He is good , but it is clear that he is completely out of his depth in terms of a situation, as the one the Lakers currently finds themselves in .
Tophatal ………
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Chris Humpherys .
I know the voting for the All Star Game is more of a fan participation than it being about players being voted in on merit ! But it is now becoming ridiculous to the point where players are simply getting in purely because of their popularity rather than their play .
Trust me when I say this , but other than Kobe Bryant , there is no other player on that Lakers’ roster who is deserving of a spot on the West’s All Star roster !
Tophatal …………..
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The Lakers now have a tough three game schedule ahead of them , and it could well prove to be a boon or boost to team morale dependent upon how they perform .
Tophatal ………
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i am not into the NBA. I really don’t care. The only thing I know is what you have written about the NBA
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Bobby Gee
The NBA doesn’t really have anything good going for it at present and that is in spite of these idiots glorifying the scoring prowess of LeBron James , Kevin Durant , Dwyane Wade , Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony. It is an extremely bad product at present with some rather mediocre coaching , especially amongst teams with a less than stellar record (marginally above .500) .
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Extremely bad product? I’m not so sure about that…there are plenty of compelling story lines so far this season. Examples include the never ending Lakers soap opera, Boston’s unblemished record after Rajon Rondo went down, the Clippers becoming one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the league, Damian Lillard’s exceptional rookie season, the Golden State Warriors transformation into a legitimate top 6 seed in the West and the outstanding play of the Orlando Magic.
OK, maybe you can strike that last one but the others are pretty compelling!!
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Drew
It is extremely bad this season in the NBA , the coaching is terrible , and no one out West plays defense competently with the exception of the Spurs , Clippers and Grizzlies .
If you want a compelling story from the NBA , there’s nothing to be had , and please don’t buy into the bull$hit that the league’s broadcast partners and their on air analysts shove constantly down our throats . As the evidence is there , clearly for all to see that they simply do not know what the hell they’re talking about !
Stephen A Smith can suck LBJ’s di@k all he wants and chime on about how great the Knicks … are . But other than ‘melo and JR Smith , who would you say is worthy of an All Star spot on that conference’s roster ? The Knicks still struggle to play defense competently , and it’s going to come back and bite them in the proverbial ass during the playoffs .
The NBA wouldn’t know a compelling story if one came up and bit David Stern on the nub of his manly part which like his apparently inflated ego , is way too big . LOL,LOL,LOL !!!
Here’s link to the coaching records of the current NBA coaches and their respective records for this season . You can’t make honey when there isn’t enough bees to make it all the more sweeter and it is abundantly clear that the quality of the coaching in the league is average at best .
And by the way, the Warriors are not that great a team , offense is their sole strength , their defense sucks out loud , as was seen when they allowed the Rockets to shoot almost 60 % from beyond the arc (NBA record) in a lopsided 140-109 by the James Harden led team .
Tophatal …………..
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Drew
Outstanding …. play of the Orlando Magic ? You’d better not be sucking down some of Ray Ray’s (Ray Lewis’) deer antler juice , as it shrinks more than your brains .
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Step away from the ledge and come back towards the light , Bree Olson wants to show you something .
Tophatal ………………
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Drew
Anthony Davis was a game changer in college , but as of yet , he hasn’t shown that his game is complete and where he can take the lead of a franchise . The opposite can be said of the Blazers’ … Damian Lillard , the guy , I would’ve taken as the #1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft !
No contest , no contest brother , simply no contest !
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Tahiry Rose
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Drew
If , you’re such an aficionado on the NBA beyond these anemic plot-lines you are talking about , tell me once decent thing that is happening in the NBA that is a good thing in terms of the quality of the play ?
Teams are woefully inept on defense and a number of them struggle to shoot anywhere from 30 to 35% from beyond the arc . And as for the Blazers , other than Damian Lillard , what else is there to talk about , as it relates to that team ? It’s not as if they’re in with a chance at this juncture of garnering a playoff berth or having a decent positional finish within their division or conference , as it now stands at present . So again , I repeat what is there really talk to about concerning the NBA ?
That is unless you want to talk about Marco Rubio’s (R-Fl) banal and idiotic response to Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address ? Rubio was an inconvenient ass making excuses, momentarily sipping water from a bottle , in what was a candidly for a lackluster response by stating he also had to conduct reply in Spanish for the Latin audience of viewers . What a goddamn joke ! That’s being sublime and definitely ridiculous ! And you had the temerity to suggest he’d be a good President ? How so ?
Rubio and his sippy sippy bottle and his dip-$hit of a response !
I was half expecting him to start sipping either a Corona or a Cerveza ! And this continuous use of how is family fled Cuba , $hit , they fled before the ###king Mariel boatlift and he still use that story as his crutch to seek empathy . What an a$$ wipe !
I’ve no favor of either political party, I simply abhor incompetence and that’s what the public have been served with from both the Democrats and Republicans !
Tophatal ………
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I just threw that in about the Magic at the end for you and the Chump. LeBron and KD have been sensational this season. The other things I mentioned are compelling story lines as well. You’ll come around one of these days Al…probably sooner than later.
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How can anyone be caught up with a season that literally is so bereft of highly skilled teams ? Are you trying to suggest that a team like the Warriors are really compelling to watch after they got shelled from the three point line when the Rockets shot almost 60% from beyond the arc , in beating the Warriors 140-109 this past Tuesday . Never mind that teams are so woefully inept on defense .
You’re too easily suckered in by incompetence and that’s sad to see in this day age when there is so much apathy about . Let’s get real , Stern and his paeans sell us this crap repeatedly , season in and season out and only the suckers buy into it all ! I am certainly not one of them !
You want to see stupidity at work , look at the dumb ass fans of the Sacramento Kings , who’ve been screwed over by the Maloofs , but yet they want the franchise to remain in Sacramento . No one goes to watch the Kings play , not that the team is particularly good to begin with !
Tophatal …………….
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Kobe calling out his teammates through the media is counterproductive. It only serves to alienate them, and adds just as much tension to the woes of the Lakers as any decision from their management. What will the Lakers do if Howard doesn’t re-sign with them?
Yes they’ll have some money to spend, but what top free agent will want to sign with the Lakers and have to take being bullied and chastised in the media by grumpy old Kobe, who will remain as the dominant figure on the team? Even though Kobe is still the Laker’s leading scorer, he may be hurting the Lakers more than he’s helping them right now by not maintaining control over his mouth.
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What other player of this era other than LeBron James has more of a passion to win other than Kobe Bryant ? The stats of both players speaks for themselves as do their achievements in the NBA Finals as each have won league MVP’s and Finals’ MVP’s .
If not Kobe calling out his teammates , then , who should be the person calling out the players ? Mike DAntoni , the head coach , who spends most of his time with his head up his own a$$ , while making excuses as to the Lakers poor play ?
The core of the Lakers’ roster just happens to be old ! Dwight Howard is simply going through the motions without having been at all productive for the Los Angeles Lakers . Never mind the salary he is now being paid by that franchise .
Simply look at the Lakers’ results this season , the team’s play , their standing within their division and conference ? And then ask yourself this …. is this team good enough to challenge the likes of the San Antonio Spurs , Oklahoma City Thunder , Miami Heat , Chicago Bulls or for that matter even the New York Knicks ?
Tophatal ………..
Tophatal …………………..
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A team leader doesn’t have to throw his teammates under the bus through the media. LeBron doesn’t do that, Durant doesn’t, Tim Duncan never has. Kobe’s just an a-hole, who likes to flaunt his power. I think he’d be better served saying what he needs to say to his teammates in private rather than publicly. It proves nothing.
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Maurice Barksdale
First off , Kobe , has been in the league eight years longer than Durant and LeBron . And if you think that LBJ isn’t a selfish ba$tard , then think again . Look at his career with the Cavaliers and his relationship with team owner , Dan Gilbert and the alleged heated exchanges that are said to have taken place between he and Mo Williams as well as Delonte West , when they were all players on the roster .
Kobe’s issue now is that neither GM Mitch Kupchak or Jim Buss is prepared to listen to him . If Bryant really wants to have everyone on his side his best bet would be to use Magic Johnson as a conduit and intermediary with the Lakers’ front office.
“So LeBron , apart from having sex with my wife what else do you believe that you’re capable of doing before joining Miami” ? ESPN’s Jim Gray and LeBron James in one of the questions , not actually televised in the now infamous television interview. (Sarcasm at work folks , just sarcasm ! )
Today’s NBA stars are conceited and self-absorbed , and all about themselves ! A great deal of what you see with these players , is so often orchestrated . A clear case of that , was James’ asinine long drawn out and odious maneuver , when he made us all aware of his intent to leave the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat . All of that lame a$s drama or lack of it, was embarrassing for the league , but more so for the player as he came across as a conceited S-O-B !
Tophatal ………..
Tophatal ……
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I never said LeBron wasn’t any of the things you say he is. I said he’s not calling his teammates out through the media. When things have been tough for the Heat, they have stuck together, and resolved things behind closed doors.
I haven’t heard LeBron making quotes about what Dwyane Wade should be doing, or how Chris Bosh isn’t playing hard enough. That’s how teammates build trust with each other, you keep it in house.
Based on what’s happening with the Lakers right now, if this continues no top free agent will want to play with Kobe. If Dwight Howard leaves, the Lakers are done being contenders for the rest of Kobe’s time there.
You like the Spurs. I don’t see Tim Duncan running around taking shots at his teammates through the media. Why? Because it’s not necessary or productive. Kobe’s not a part of the solution for the Lakers. He’s part of the problem.
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Maurice
LeBron (LBJ ) simply isn’t stupid enough , to start to “call out” either D Wade or Chris Bosh ! Secondly, without those two , the team overall , would not have been or come close to winning an NBA title last season .
Remember , it was Wade who did much of the heavy lifting in persuading both Bosh and LBJ to come to South Beach for less money and to chase the glory . Pat Riley simply, did what he had to do , in conjunction with team owner, Micky Arison . And that was to make sure from a financial standpoint the feasibility of it all would work out .
Prior to LeBron and Bosh joining the Heat , the franchise in the four successive years after their last title, had lost cumulatively close to $100 million in that time-span , with their being dwindling — attendance at the AA Arena in Miami . Now the franchise is profitable , but there is still room for growth on the competitive and economic side of the equation . http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2008
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Definitely a reason for making the front line of the military co-ed !
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Annie Thao
Tophatal …………
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But Kobe “would” be stupid enough to call them out. Replace LeBron with Kobe, and it wouldn’t have been long before Kobe starts making comments of how D-Wade is missing too many games with injuries, or how Bosh isn’t tough enough in the paint.
These kinds of issues don’t need to be aired out through the media, but Kobe can’t help himself. That’s just how he is.
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Maurice Barksdale
If a team leader isn’t prepared to call out his teammates either on or off camera it doesn’t make him any-the-less an individual , it is a matter of what is said and how one gets that message across . Guys like Duncan and Durant do lead by example , but if you think that Durant hasn’t ripped Westbrook or Ibaka ” a new one “ during a game , then clearly you haven’t been watching enough NBA basketball .
This season the brand of basketball being played has bordered on being mediocre with a propensity towards offense more than ever , with few teams if any , being able to play defense in the true sense of the word . I’ve one patron trying to suggest that I should overlook that and simply enjoy the growing plot-lines .
The so-called stories this season have increasingly surrounded the Lakers’ poor play and how the fans can look forward to another monstrously boring NBA All Star Break with a ” meaningless uncompetitive” game , and a poor excuse for a ‘ Slam Dunk ‘ contest ‘ , with TNT’s analysts making complete jackasses of themselves throughout the entire coverage ! There’s a reason why cable offers us porn even with a decidedly declining viewership through that medium . Sex still sells and porn has become an even bigger revenue earner than legitimate Hollywood fanfare outstripping it in revenues ($10.8 billion to $11.6 billion, by almost $1 billion annually . Man cannot live by bread alone, ‘ cause he’s got to have his porn .
An appropriate title for this scene ….. ” come get me off ” .
Well it beats watching reruns of “Gunsmoke ” or ” All In The Family” on Tv Land , don’t you think ? LOL,LOL,LOL !!!
Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times
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The Nielsens’ rating bear one thing out , and that is the NBA brand in terms of viewership fluctuates even more so than a maddening cycle of the US economy . David Stern and his bunch of a$s wipes and the owners are glad when there’s a 4% share ___ at all, in terms of over all viewership . Meanwhile , their teams in a number of cases are ” hemorrhaging red ink ” like a female on her menstrual cycle .
Tophatal ………….
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As a leader you have to communicate the negative message as well as the positive. As a captain you have to let your people know when they are doing something wrong, but doing that in the heat of game is different than doing it through the media.
If I have a problem with you, I’m going to respect you enough to pull you to the side and talk about it man to man. I’m not going to run to the media and tell the world Alan isn’t getting it done the way I think he should be, and then expect you to start performing better after I’ve just humiliated you publicly.
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Maurice Barksdale
In all honesty what do you expect Kobe to do, when he’s the only one on that team really committed to winning ? Everyone else is simply going through the motions . Point to a game of the Lakers where Bryant wasn’t the leading scorer or provider in assists and rebounds ?
This Lakers’ organization at present , is simply bereft of leadership at the management (coaches) and executive level (front office) and with Jim Buss (Dr Jerry Buss’ son) now having more of an input in the team’s executive decisions , , are you at all surprised by this present mess ? .
Tophatal …….
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Maurice Barksdale
What you haven’t stated is that this Lakers’ team is soft , un-athletic and they are a poor defensive team , cannot play good basketball even in transition . It’s not rocket science as can be clearly seen in their play throughout much of this season . The All Star Break should give them enough time to refocus before teams resume play on the 19th and 20th of February , respectively .
Technically can this be called a really good “sound check ” ? Wendy Fiore in studio
More of Wendy for your pleasure .
🙂
All hail Wendy !
February apart from being Black History Month is also Appreciate Big Breasts For Sucking Month . Don’t hate …..”appreciate”
Tophatal …………….
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The bottom line is the Kobe Bryant era of the LA Lakers is on the downward trend. The Lakers need an infusion of young talent to lead the next chapter of Laker history.
The future of the LA Clippers looks brighter than the future of the LA Lakers right now.
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Maurice Barksdale
Kupchak and Jim Buss combined couldn’t spell the word talent , much less , spot it , were it right up there in front of their very faces .
“I’d ask you to hold my #ick and follow me on this incredible journey but rumor has it you prefer to suck a d#ck rather than hold one in your hand Mitch ” ? Jim Buss speaking to Lakers GM , Mitch Kupchak .
Look at the organization’s draft picks over the past five years . Anything that stands out to you ?
Tophatal …………
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The Lakers have typically built their teams through trades and free agency, at least in the Kobe Bryant era. Kobe was traded to the Lakers. Shaq was a free agent signee. Pau Gasol was acquired through a trade, as was Dwight Howard.
That how the Lakers choose to do it. With that type of success, the draft hasn’t really been necessary for them. The only draft pick the Lakers have hit on that I can think of was Andrew Bynum, and he’s no longer with them.
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Maurice Barksdale
That has been the issue with the Los Angeles Lakers , all along , no organic growth by building from within over the last eight years . They have simply relied upon their history and legacy to lure high priced free agents to ‘Tinseltown ‘ , as they chase NBA glory
. Now with Kobe on the downside of an illustrious career , the franchise will be in for a tough time over the next several years .
Mitch Kupchak is an idiot , if he believes Dwight Howard will be the lynch pin to the franchise’s long term success and future . Howard is not a leader , nor is he mature enough to assume that role . He certainly wasn’t , while he was with the Orlando Magic and towards the end of his career with the team , he became a complete malcontent and a cancer to the franchise and the Magic organization as a whole . Far more so , than the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway !
Tophatal …………….
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Bynum like Howard is not mature enough to assume the role of a leader , nor does either have the intellect to do so to begin with !
Tophatal ……………
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Maurice Barksdale
Given what we have now witnessed with the Lakers this season and the uneasiness within the locker room , and the distrust of D’Antoni and his coaching staff . What do you believe to be the appropriate steps that now need to be taken by Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak as the organization proceeds forward ? There seems to be no direct progression , as they build towards Kobe winding down his career . I mean who assumes the mantel from Bryant upon his retirement ? Are or will they bring in a budding superstar or go with a recalcitrant idiot such as Dwight Howard , who’s so damn immature that it simply doesn’t bear thinking about !
Answer me that, if you can ? I am interested , in seeing how you view that premise , as it arises !
Latest Los Angeles Lakers’ news
Tophatal ………….
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I don’t see the Lakers building through the draft. I see them doing what they always do, which is going after who ever are the top free agents. They’ll go into next season with pretty much the same team with D’antoni as the coach, and see how close they are to winning a championship.
If they aren’t a championship caliber team by the trade deadline next season, then I think try to trade Kobe or let him leave after the season. And attack free agency aggressively in 2014 to try and leap back into contention immediately while building around Howard.
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Maurice Barksdale
For me, building around Dwight Howard would be a tremendous mistake , as he has never shown any leadership qualities whatsoever ! He was unable to do so while in Orlando with the Orlando Magic . And he is unlikely to assume that mantel as a leader upon the retirement of Kobe Bryant .
Analysts may well love Howard’s game in part , but rarely do you hear anyone mention him as a player who’s said to be mature or thoroughly well-respected by his peers ! Howard comes across as a lazy individual who doesn’t always spend a great deal of time refining his skill-set !
Tophatal …………
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If Howard re-signs with the Lakers, then they will have no choice other than to build around him. They didn’t trade him, so it seems the decision has already been made. All that’s left is to re-sign him.
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Maurice
The Lakers are going to take a ” major hit ” because with heir payroll being in excess of $100 million and the soft cap in the NBA being $58.044 million , they will be hit with the “luxury tax that will see them pay ” dollar for dollar” over that figure as a league mandated tax.
Tophatal ………….
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The Lakers and a few other teams will be in for a rude awakening when they have to pay that luxury tax. I think a few of the big market teams will try to pay it, because they can afford it. But otherwise the elite talent will have to be spread out across the league instead of hoarded onto a few teams, and there should be more parity. At least that’s what I would like to see.
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Maurice Barksdale
The Lakers need a lot more than an infusion of talent , as what they need , is a damn good coach and not an ass like Mike DAntoni , whose defensive strategies are too play no damn defense at all ! Simply look at the Lakers’ team stats as it relates to that this season and then where they stand within their conference and NBA overall in terms of defense and margin differential . That is enough of an indicator to tell us all how bad this Lakers’ team just happens to be !
Tophatal ……………….
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Maurice Barksdale
I understand Bryant’s frustration and granted he’s been known to act like a child , which I believe that both he and LBJ are still somewhat immature in spite of their respective ages , salaries and accumulated wealth . Bryant sees what LBJ has recently attained with the Heat and their front office . Meanwhile, the Lakers have Jim Buss , whose basketball acumen ranks up there alongside Sarah Palin’s knowledge on foreign policy and the vagaries of the US economy and many areas of macroeconomics that makes up the US’s $13.6 trillion economy . Palin isn’t that bright, and also, Buss isn’t that bright , neither is Mitch Kupchak at present , given his track record of draft picks and free agents over the past five years . More misses than hits .
“Ms Palin for five points can you name a current sitting US Supreme Court Justice or a member of President Obama’s cabinet “?
” No I can’t , but I believe that that my daughter Bristol or my husband Todd, might know the answer . know “. Sarah Palin
The Lakers’ idea of assembling a team nowadays , is like throwing s#it up against a wall and then going with what sticks . Not exactly working out at present is it ? And Mike DAntoni couldn’t find his way out of a darkened tunnel , were he given the latest surveillance concepts to aid him in that endeavor . At best , DAntoni is simply an average NBA coach . And that is currently reflected in the Lakers’ record (25-29) and their conference standings .
Heat vs Lakers regular season meetings .
Tophatal ………….
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Maurice Barksdale
With the plethora of experts at David Stern’s disposal within the NBA hierarchy , with the commissioner having a law degree . How the hell , is it that the NBA and union cannot come to an agreement wherein , the $ 4 billion in revenues cannot be split amicably between the league and the franchises ?
What we now know to be true , is that although the NBA suggests that they are reining in expenses , when you look at the salaries of the top players , you clearly see that it has been on the rise .
Team salaries and highest paid players in the NBA .
NBA team values
Tophatal ……………….
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With Kobe now proclaiming that the Los Angeles Lakers (27-29) will make the postseason . Let’s up for his sake his teammates have his back . The question is , do they ? Albeit that they’ve recently had a good run of games that prove to be victorious . The team still remains several games behind the eighth seed within the conference and they are still looking up at divisional leaders the Los Angeles Clippers (40-18).
LeBron went off tonight as the Heat took care of the Philadelphia 76ers with consummate ease . .
Playoff picture as it now stands
Sunday’s games .
Tophatal …………………
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