Kobe, Nash Both Hurting

It appears at the most crucial time of the season with the Lakers grip on the final playoff spot slipping after a disappointing loss in Milwaukee, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are both battling injuries. Kobe had a bone spur in his left foot and Steve Nash is fighting a hip spasm.

Full ESPN Story Here

Lakers Have (Hopefully More Than) One Month Left...

Well what a roller coaster ride we've been on this season. We've gone from unrealistic expectations of besting the bulls 72-10 record, to the atrocious attempt at the Princeton offense that led to a double digit losing streak, to the Lakers sending Mike Brown from the sideline to Chik-Fil-A, to the Phil Jackson debacle (still a mistake) to Steve Nash being hailed as the savior, before returning and us still sucking, to there being a point where the Lakers actually making the playoffs seemed like an unrealistic expectation. 

Much has changed this season... Most within the last month. 

-Dwight is slowly becoming the Dwight we expected him to be, apparent with an impressive streak of games with 12+ rebounds. He also seems to be slowly maturing off the court and legitimately appears happier (although this is easier to disguise when the team is winning)

-Kobe continues one of his most impressive seasons ever and would be a legit MVP threat (behind only Lebron) if the Lakers were any higher than a 5 seed. Although I sincerely think Kobe should get serious consideration and comfortable land in 2nd place in the MVP race should the Lakers land the 6 seed.

-Mike D'Antoni  has improved, but is still iffy. I won't lie, the thought of this Lakers team missing the playoffs and being labeled the biggest failure in team sports history had me calling for his job both before and after the return of Steve Nash. But the Lakers have improved and I won't go as far as to say it is in spite of Mike D. Although if he doesn't hire a defensive coordinator in the offseason I might steal all of his personal documents and scratch off the D in his last name with a permanent marker before returning them.

-Steve Nash is fitting in pretty well as a spot up shooter. Now he's Steve Nash and he's a 2 time MVP and that's a lot less than we expected, but in retrospect..... He's almost 48 years old and I'm really not sure why we ever expected him to be the main ball handler and relegate Kobe Bryant to a spot up shooter (yeah right). It may not be the ideal spot for someone of his skill, but it is what it is, and what that is is much more than where he was at the start of the season. And to his credit, he controls the ball when Kobe isn't out there and has been running the pick and roll more lately And besides, if we're gonna have out PG be a spot up shooter, why not have it be one of the BEST SHOOTERS OF ALL TIME? The only way Steve Nash being a spot up shooter being better for us would be if it were in the Tria..... You know what? Never mind... 

-Our bench only sucks when more than 33% of the bench players get to play. I know we've got injuries, but as of TODAY, there are only 3 players on the bench that contribute when on the floor (I know the rest don't get a chance, but that's a discussion for another day). Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, and Antawn Jamison. These are the only 3 players that play at the moment, which means that they all play with the starters and they've all excelled mostly with their outside shooting. Steve Blake has been moving the ball well and Jamison has been able to find looks near the basket as well. The real question now is whether Pau Gasol will fit in seamlessly and not mess up the rhythm the bench has created in his absence.

-Kobe's absence opens the door for the rest of the team to create confidence, chemistry, and cohesion. We all know Kobe could literally get both of his arms cut off and figure out a way to be back as long as he had some Gary Vitty, some super glue and a magical Nike shooting sleeve. In Kobe's absence we're getting a look at a Steve Nash/Dwight Howard run team and it hasn't looked bad so far. If the players can gain the 3 C's in Kobe's absence, that'll do wonders for the players once he gets back and could hopefully give them what they need to play better when he sits so that we don't blow leads and need KB24 to play hero ball and bail us out later in the year.

Before the all star break the popular sentiment was that the Lakers had fallen so much that they would need to make almost impossible strides and would be the hottest team in the league if they ended up making the playoffs. Aside from Miami (Damn them!) it's pretty close to happening. Although the Lakers probably won't enter as the favorite, ask any of the top 5 seeds in the West if they want to face the Lakers. Aside from the Clippers who already said they want to (they don't...assholes), I guarantee SA, Memphis, OKC, or Denver would rather see GS, Houston, or Utah.

If the Lakers can continue their momentum for the last month, SOMEHOW IMPROVE THEIR DEFENSE, Dwight continues playing more like Superman instead of Earl Clark Kent, Kobe continues being Kobe, and Gasol or Antoni don't do anything to screw it up, this could be a very exciting up coming month (or 2............or 3?)

Andrew Bynum Exit Interview

Metta World Peace Exit Interview

More after the jump. 

Kobe & Bynum Earn All-NBA Honors

Kobe Bryant earned yet another All-NBA 1st Team selection while Andrew Bynum was named to the 2nd team.

Full results below.

2011-12 All-NBA First Team

Position Player, Team (First Team Votes) Points Forward LeBron James, Miami (118) 596 Forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (117) 591 Center Dwight Howard, Orlando (75) 476 Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (104) 568 Guard Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers (74) 484

2011-12 All-NBA Second Team

Position Player, Team (First Team Votes) Points Forward Kevin Love, Minnesota (16) 365 Forward Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers 170 Center Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers (33) 400 Guard Tony Parker, San Antonio (41) 367 Guard Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City (5) 239

2011-12 All-NBA Third Team

Position Player, Team (First Team Votes) Points Forward Carmelo Anthony, New York (1) 154 Forward Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 136 Center Tyson Chandler, New York (4) 60 Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami (1) 235 Guard Rajon Rondo, Boston (4) 142

Other players receiving votes, with point totals: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 55; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 52; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 44; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 33; Paul Pierce, Boston, 31; Al Jefferson, Utah, 30; Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers, 27; Steve Nash, Phoenix, 24; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 22; Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 18; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 16; Deron Williams, New Jersey, 14; Rudy Gay, Memphis, 10; James Harden, Oklahoma City, 8; Luol Deng, Chicago, 5; Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 5; Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 3; Danny Granger, Indiana, 3; Joakim Noah, Chicago, 3; Monta Ellis, Milwaukee, 2; Chris Bosh, Miami, 2; Luis Scola, Houston, 2; Marcin Gortat, Phoenix, 2; Paul Millsap, Utah, 2; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 2; David Lee, Golden State, 1; and DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento, 1.

A Look at the Lakers Offseason

I think we can all pretty much agree that the headlines this offseason have been dominated by Lebron James, and his decision to take his talents to South Beach. While those moves have been massive and definitely captured the attention of the sports world, Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant have helped the Lakers make moves that pretty much ensure that the purple and gold will be battling opponents into mid-June for a 4th straight season.

Retentions:

• Phil Jackson
• Derek Fisher

The most important offseason moves for the Lakers wasn't who came or went, but rather who stayed. Kobe Bryant is an all time great with 5 rings and not a single one has come without Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher by his side. And while both have returned to the organization, there were points where it seemed that both could very well be gone with Phil Jackson's relatives insisting he was leaning towards retirement, and Derek Fisher's "compelling" offer from the Miami Heat. In the end, both decided to return making Kobe Bryant and many Lakers fans very happy.

Losses:

• Jordan Farmar
• Adam Morrison
• Josh Powell
• DJ Mbenga

It's always sad to see players leave the team, especially those who were we'll liked by fans and teammates, which pretty much all of these guys fit into the category of.  However, the reality of it is, the only one of the departing players who contributed significant minutes was Jordan Farmar, who was rather inconsistent and wasn't satisfied with his role on the team.  Adam Morrison never saw much time and was never anything close to the player he was at Gonzaga.  Josh Powell was serviceable while on the floor, however it was so sparingly that he was hardly a factor, as was DJ Mbenga who did give some solid minutes defensively, but was a complete offensive liability.


Additions:

• Matt Barnes
• Steve Blake
• Theo Ratliff
• Derrick Caracter
• Devin Ebanks

While none of these names are anywhere close to the magnitude of the players that were receiving much of the attention in the 2010 free agency period, they all seem to fill voids and solidify what was already a championship squad.  There can even be an argument made that every single player added to this years squad is better than every player that departed from last year's squad.  The small forward position which was already as strong as Ron Artest is now deeper with the addition of Matt Barnes who brings toughness, defense, and a pretty good outside shot.  At the point guard position, many fans may be skeptical when they see that Steve Blake may not be able to do the types of athletic things that Jordan Farmar did, but what Blake looks to bring is more consistency on the offensive and defensive ends, where Farmar seemed to routinely have mental lapses.  Steve Blake is a better fit for the triangle offense, and Mitch Kupchak realized that when he pursued him.  Theo Ratliff has aged and I don't expect to see him get too many minutes unless we're hit with foul trouble or injury, but what he brings to the squad along with his veteran experience is a defensive presence that can block shots in the middle while Andrew and Pau are taking a breather.  Where the Lakers really lucked up was in the draft.  Based on summer league play, many people think the Lakers stole 2 players who should have been first round selections in the 2nd round. While most 2nd round picks are a long shot to make any squad and practically impossible on a contending squad, Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter will be suiting up for the purple and gold in the fall.  And while it is known that Phil Jackson doesn't give much time to rookies, both players bring loads of talent to the Lakers front court that can be extremely helpful if the Lakers are short on players and hopefully will be consistent contributers a few years down the line.



Question Marks:

• Shannon Brown
• Luke Walton

These 2 guys are questions marks, because of right now their status with the team is pretty much in question.  As of the time of this post, Shannon Brown has received an offer from the New York Knicks for an unknown amount, however, it's widely known that Shannon has an offer on the table to return to Los Angeles for what is less than what he hoped for when opting out of his contract earlier this summer.  I as well as most Lakers fans hope to see Shannon and his high-flying acts return to Los Angeles, but right now its simply uncertain.  Luke Walton's status is uncertain for a completely different reason.  Luke's back has been giving him consistent trouble and caused him to sit out the majority of last season where he filled other roles such as assistant coach and color commentator.  Luke continues to be bothered by his back and its assumed that he'll miss a significant amount of time this upcoming season as well and there has even been speculation that he could retire.