Bandwagon L.A.

Lakers Live Wire: Now with Dodgers and Titties

2008-12-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

I hate that damn Lakers Live Wire segment that they do during the second quarter of some Laker games. For those that have never witnessed it, it's an in-game interview with a notable spectator at Staplescenter; you're still watching the game, but you're getting the audio from some inane interview at the same time.

I mean, it sounds like it should be OK. You can still watch the game. You hear less Joel Meyers, which is always good. And sometimes, when the interviewee is particularly insightful (Rick Fox comes to mind), there's actually some value added. But that's not what usually happens. Unfortunately, it's usually some actor or director plugging some horrible project and all it really does is perpetuate the god awful stereotype that the real interest at Laker games is in the stands and not on the court.

But last night's Lakers Live Wire was highly enjoyable. First of all, the guest was Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp. Considering the huge cross-section of Laker fans and Dodger fans, this type of cross polination could only yield positive results. And it did not disappoint. Right as Matt was about to delve into his personal baskteball history and Laker fandom in general, a pair of L.A.'s finest come waltzing across the screen. Matt's expression says it all.

Besty. Lakers Live Wire. Ever.

Matty Kemp loves the Tigolbitties.

The Joel and Stu Drinking Game

2008-11-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

Perhaps we have been spoiled as Los Angeles Sports fans in terms of who we've enjoyed as our sports voices. Vin Scully. Chick Hearn. Bob Miller. Petros Papadakis. But is it just me, or is the river of awkward that is the Joel Meyers experience bustling like the mighty Mississippi this year? Check out his latest gem. And by gem, I mean diarrhea of the mouth.

A few nights ago, Kobe hits an insane fadeaway from the right wing and is fouled on the shot. He stumbles backward into the courtside seats near the Laker bench and Sasha Vujacic, excited from the acrobatics of the play gets up and slaps Kobe on the ass. Joel's call?

"Sasha likes it from behind!!!"

Wow. Oh and let's not forget about the Length of Lamar. My lord. The LOL. I understand that decribing a players length is a trend right now in basketball commentating with all the long-armed, versatile players scattered throughout the league. But Joel takes this to a whole other level. Wow, he was really bothered by the length of Lamar on that shot. Or, Lamar's length caused that turnover. It's like, it's not just Lamar Odom. There's Lamar. And there's the Length of Lamar. Both are sentient, tax paying citizens of the Earth according to Joel.

But you see, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about Joel that bothers me. I mean, the Gay innuendos are one thing (and that "one thing" would be hilarious), but I think the thing that frustrates me the most is that I can't understand Joel's thought process as he's calling the game. I feel like the play by play man should describe the action and from time to time make some relevant observations about the context of said action. But Joel. Joel, Joel, Joel. Joel does not do this.

Here's a hypothetical example. The Lakers could be down by ten points with maybe 6 minutes to play in the game and then Joel will say something like, "The Lakers could use an 8-0 run here..." First of all, you're thinking well, no shit, Joel. But then the you think about it some more and you find yourself wondering, well, why didn't he say a 10-0 run? Hell, why not 20-0? But then you know what happens next? The other team goes on an 8-0 run.

But ok. I suppose every announcer is guilty of jinxing a team now and then. Fine. And of course, it doesn't happen that way all the time. What if say the Lakers do go on that 8-0 run, making Joel seem down right prophetic. Now say we got the ball with 30 seconds left, down 2 (remember, it was an 8-0 run from down 10). Kobe's dribbling out the clock a bit at the top of the key, he decides to make his move, and here is a classic Joel call of this play:

Kobe dribbles right. He's gets into the lane. HE'S CUT OFF! He finds Fisher in the corner. FISHER FOR THREE!!! OH!!! It rims out. Can't give Kobe the assist....

That's right. Can't. Give. Kobe. The. Assist. Seriously, who gives a shit about the assist. What about the fact that the game is probably over on that miss. It's like he gets fixated on certain things, usually statistical milestones for certain players, and it prevents him from commenting on the broader, more important perspectives. And honestly, it's becoming distracting as hell.

And I know that the above is not describing a play from a particular game. When I said before that I cannot pinpoint what bothers me about Joel, I really meant that I don't have a body of concrete examples of his ineptitude to list before you. But if you've been watching the Lakers closely during the Joel Meyer's era, tell me the above hypothetical does not sound all too familiar.

But either way, it looks like this is what we've got until the Lakers get wise and put Spero Dedes on TV. So you know what? Let's make the best of it. One easy way to do that: get shit faced. I present to you the Joel and Stu drinking game.

Rules: Buy some beer. Buy some liquor. Watch the local broadcast of the Laker game. Drink when you hear the following from Joel Meyers or Stu Lantz.

Level I: One sip
- Joel talks about Lamar Odom's length
- Stu refers to Pau Gasol as Pau Kasol
- Joel mentions points off of turnovers
- Joel or Stu uses the phrase Charity Stripe
- Stu says that the Lakers have "issues" if they are running late in the shot clock

Level II: Chug a beer (beer bong is optional, recommended)
- Stu says something about the Lakers "needing to Scratch"
- Joel mentions where a player played college ball more than once
- Joel talks about Trevor Ariza's length
- Joel talks about Andrew Bynum's length
- Joel talks about Pau Gasol's length

Level III: Take a shot
- Stu uses that metaphor about how big guys being far from the basket is like being high in the mountains/air is thin
- Stu says "Noiiiiccce"
- Joel talks about Kobe's Length
- Stu talks about Pau Kasol's length
- Joel uses the phrase "the rub down low"

Seriously, you'll be drunk by half time. And the Lakers will be up by 20. Happy drinking, Laker fans.

Finals Thoughts

2008-06-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Boston is the better team. The thing that made this fact -- that a 66 win team is better than a 57 win team -- a surprising one was the way the Lakers looked coming into the Finals and the way Boston looked to start the playoffs. It turns out we were all fooled. Boston was already a bad match up for these Lakers. They had a bigger, tougher frontline and they had more veteran experience. Now realize that this is the NBA finals and the particulars of that bad match up make it a nightmarish one. This was not as close of a series as the 6 game length might imply.

So where does that leave the Lakers? Well we do get Bynum back next year. Which is huge. Make no mistake about it. We're basically adding a top five center. So that would help shore up the toughness, rebounding, shot blocking, defensive anchoring, inside scoring etc that the Lakers were sorely lacking in this series. And we will have a full year to jell which should improve the team's cohesion both on the offense and defensive end.

But more importantly, the Lakers next year should and will play with a bit of an edge. A chip on their collective shoulders, one that may not be there had they won this year. It's NBA growing pains and we've seen it happen before. Jordan losing to Detroit. Shaq and Kobe losing to Utah and San Antonio. And even though these Celtics did not have a similar experience as a unit, they did individually with all of the big three making deep playoff runs in past years only to come up short. And that's what gave the Celtics that something extra this series. They had that edge. They had that hunger. There was a huge gap between these two teams in that respect. And even though they pounded the crap out of us, I feel like this series just caused that gap to get A LOT smaller. Of course, adding a couple of nasty veterans in the off-season might not hurt.

And I guess all there is left to talk about is Kobe and his legacy. Now, a lot of people have been using this latest chink in the armor as the indisputable evidence that Kobe is not on the level of MJ. And they are 100% correct. Jordan never did and probably never would have lost two straight times in the Finals. But maybe this is a good thing. Maybe now people will start looking at Kobe for who he is rather than the gap between him and Jordan, something Kobe pleaded for during his Sunday Coversation with Stephen A. Smith a few weeks ago.

Yes, he is about the same size as MJ. He has a competitive drive and a fadeaway that reminds people of MJ. He can light you up while shutting you down like MJ.

But after that, what's the point of comparing? Because so much of the way we perceive these guys, and athletes in general, is left up to fate. Like what if Jordan was drafted onto a team that already had a star player. Maybe he would have won a title early without the pain/benefit of an arduous climb to the top. And then maybe he would have had to deal with being knocked off his pedestal after the other star began to decline and he was handed the reins to the team. Perhaps he would have endured his growing pains then. And maybe (or let's face it, inevitably) he would have rebuilt, reclaimed his glory and took his place atop the Mount Olympus of the NBA.

Does that story sound familiar? Well, it's not Kobe's. It's Magic's. Maybe that's the more apt comparison in terms of career arc. And I have absolutely no problem with that.

Under the Radar

2008-06-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

The appeal of this series is obvious. It's Kobe versus Pierce, Gasol versus Garnett, and Lamar versus, well Lamar. It's the Laker offense, which will be humming, clashing with the Boston defense, which will be downright stalwart. It's Rondo and Perkins striking hard in the shadows and the Laker bench making its presence felt. It's our Stars versus their Stars and a mess of role players doing all the little things and a few that are big. We know what this looks like.

But what is really intriguing to me are the more underrated notions. Like the improving Laker defense battling the resurgent Celtic offense. Like Luke Walton meeting James Posey or Sasha Vujacic meeting Ray Allen or Ronny Turiaf meeting Leon Powe. I'm talking about Kevin Garnett posting up in the clutch and Pau Gasol showing grit in the paint. Because while there are many things both sides can count in this series, here is where it will be decided.

And finally, it's game time. Go Lakers.

Killing Time Until Killing Time

2008-06-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

+ First a laugh via Cuzoogle:

+ Some words on Kobe from Kelly Dwyer at BDL:

Save for one, angry season (2004-05, when he shot less than he does now but slept through some games), Kobe Bryant trusted his teammates a little too damn much.

In fact, "trusting his teammates" in the playoffs against San Antonio in 2003 and Detroit in 2004 may have cost the Lakers a ring; because had Kobe taken over the games with the same shoot-first but-within-the-offense fervor we saw in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the ball may not have been in Robert Horry's shot-missin' hands in 2003, or Shaquille O'Neal's out-of-shape mitts in 2004.

And though Kobe may have piled up the shot attempts in Phil Jackson's first two seasons as Laker coach, post-Shaq; Los Angeles wouldn't have had a chance of approaching anywhere near 40 wins in those two seasons had Kobe not tried to put up 35 every night. Those would have been 30-35 win teams had he shot 18 times a game. Instead, the two campaigns saw Los Angeles eke out 45 and 42 wins in what we safely know to be a competitive Western Conference.

Listen, for every shot that Kobe gave up, for every possession he allowed another player to use up, those Lakers would falter, all the more.

That means a player with a lower shooting percentage than Kobe shoots the ball. That means a player who turns the ball over way more than Kobe gets the ball put square in his hands. That means a player who has a worse free throw percentage than Kobe gets fouled. Those possessions just don't dissipate when Kobe decides to "trust his teammates," they get used up by players who are far more prone to miss shots, turn the ball over, or do less at the line.

But because the stereotype is, "Kobe wants all the shots, Kobe wanted Shaq gone so he could get all of Shaq's looks," we think that Kobe should be passing more, and "trusting his teammates." And it's absolute bollocks.

+ Some Triangle Insight from Steve Kerr via Roland Lazenby at Sportshub LA

+ Unrelated but hilarious (via FFFFound):

With the Benefit of Instant Replay

2008-05-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Foul.

Yes It Was a Foul

2008-05-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Was that a foul? Yes.
Should it have been called? Yes. It was on the ground and should have been two free-throws.

Am I surprised that it wasn't? Nope.

I am a firm believer that a foul in the first minute should be a foul in the last minute. But, c'mon, how long ago did we all learn that this is not the case in the NBA? How many times have we seen people drive the lane with the game on the line and get absolutely mugged with no call made?

It sucks. But this is the world we live in. Purists and Idealists or whatever the hell you want to call them are going to bitch and moan about this for weeks. But, I don't see why. You know that refs tend to swallow their whistles at the end of games. You've seen it happen over and over and over especially in the playoffs. Yet, you're surprised - outraged even - about what happened at the end of game 4?

And then to try to tie to the fact that Joey Crawford was the ref as Basketbawful did or to go even further out on a limb and tie it (albeit weakly) to some conspiracy theory/referee scandal as Henry from Truehoop did, is just plain ridiculous. This is a completely separate issue, one that is not new at all.

This has nothing to do with Joey Crawford.

This has nothing to do with Tim Donaghy and the ref gambling scandal.

This has nothing to do with Stern wanting the Lakers and Celtics in the finals or some other general NBA conspiracy theory.

This is the NBA as we know it. As you knew it before game 4 started and for the last 30 years or so. Why all the shrieky indignation?

Tonight my team was on the winning side of a questionable no call at the end of a game. They have been and one day will be again on the losing side of such a play. But for now, I will go on enjoying the win.

***

Speaking of shrieky indignation, let's go back to Truehoop's "That Was a Foul!" post. I mean, jeez.

Laker Derek Fisher left his feet, and landed hard into Spur Brent Barry. The Spurs were down two and time was running out. That's a foul in my pickup game. That's a foul in high school. That's a foul in college. And, at just about every moment of NBA basketball that I have ever seen except this one, that's a foul in the NBA.

Dude, what kind of pussy ass pick up game are you playing in where you call that? An on-the-ground foul from 30 feet out. Do you take charges in these pick up games as well? Do you call technicals and three seconds in the key?

I actually do not think that the NBA is rigged (if it was the shot clock would have been reset on the play before, when Derek Fisher's shot appeared to touch the rim). But a lot of people do, and that's a problem. The way to solve that problem is to be scrupulously fair, which this was not.

I don't see how the refs not resetting the clock can be considered evidence that the NBA is not rigged. That makes no sense. Because you know what? Fisher's shot DID hit the rim and the Lakers should have had a fresh shot clock. You know, if the refs were scrupulously fair and all.

If the refs had made that call, the game would have been over. The Lakers would have had the ball with 5 seconds left and no shot clock and the Spurs would have had to foul. But it was too close of a call on which to essentially end the game. Again, the refs do NOT want a hand in deciding the game. Do we notice a pattern forming here?

***

Yes, if Barry had sold the call, he would have had free throws. But that doesn't mean that he should have flopped. It just means that he should have taken the contact instead of basically DRIBBLING AROUND IT.

It's a bit of twisted irony to see a team that flops the whole game lose on a play where one of their players had an opportunity to flop and basically shied away from the contact. I now have a new found respect for Brent Barry. He played it straight up.

Actually, all of the Spurs are showing some serious class and sportsmanship with the way they are handling the non-call ending. They are truly champions in every sense of the word.

***

What the hell was Kobe thinking at the end there. Thirty seconds left, up 4 and he drives to rim like we're down 4. He should have dribbled it back out obviously. Or hit Pau streaking down the middle rather than that tough shot over Duncan. Seriously, he could have totally blew it.

May Madness

2008-05-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

The NCAA Tournament may be the favorite of millions, but THIS my friends is a Final Four. We have the defending champs coming off a game 7 win on the road. Perennial contenders from Detroit who have made the last 6 (SIX!) Eastern Conference finals and are starting to embody an Atlanta Brave like consistency. And then we have the league's two greatest all time franchises in the Lakers and the Celtics, playing the role of the new kids on the block. It's like the old guard meets the new guard. Except the new guard is actually the old-old guard who, for lack of a better term, is back bitches!

(I was trying to end that last paragraph with some sort of pendulum metaphor, but then I was like, screw it.)

This morning, so many are lamenting the exit of Chris Paul from these playoffs, the final straw after losing the likes of Steve Nash, Deron Williams, and to a lesser extent Josh Smith because these players represent the actual new guard. If not new by age, then new by style. An aggressive, athletic, and aesthetically appealing style. And just one year removed from the near possibility of a Phoenix Suns/Golden State Warriors Western Conference finals, it seems that these folks are jaded by the sight of who is still alive in these playoffs.

And you know what, the Lakers belong here with this particular final four. But when I say the Lakers, I'm referring to the ShaKobe Lakers. Because if you had told me six years ago that the Lakers would be in the Western Conference Finals with San Antonio in 2008, I would have shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head. But I would have been picturing the Lakers with an aging Shaq, Kobe dominating, some younger role players and the same boring, methodical approach that won them titles in 2000-2002.

They were definitely on that track. But of course, everything exploded after Detroit beat them in 2004. And then things got worse. And the Lakers were rebuilt. And this rebuilding took place during what will be remembered as the Steve Nash Era (2005-2008) in which uptempo offense and long, versatile players became all the rage around the league. So instead of entering the 2008 Western Conference Finals as a plodding, grind-it-out juggernaut like the rest of the final four, the Lakers are an extremely dynamic team full of athletic, long, and versatile players held together by Championship experience at the top and a proven system that allows for all of it.

The Lakers today are a team that seems to combine the substance of its final four counterparts with a style that even the layest of fans can appreciate. Because when the Triangle Offense is humming, and recently it has been, it is basketball at its finest. Passing, moving without the ball, screens, ball movement. Kobe's brilliance as a garnish. They are an example of how you obtain fast break excitement through half court execution.

Long story short. San Antonio is the thesis. The Suns were the antithesis. And as it happened, the Lakers are the synthesis.

And there is your pendulum metaphor.

Bynum's Anti-Gravity Treadmill

2008-03-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

(Note: Not Andrew Bynum)

Here's a picture of the new anti-gravity treadmill that Andrew Bynum has been running on recently. This dealy is called the G-Trainer and is made by a company called Alter-G. I actually can't say for sure if this is the exact same machine that Bynum is using - you know everyone is making an anti-gravity treadmill nowadays - but I am pretty sure based on the fact that google couldn't find any others. Here are some tidbits from the Alter-G website:

The G-Trainer overcomes limitations such as water resistance and cumbersome harnesses associated with conventional unweighting systems allowing for a natural gait pattern.
...

Alter-G's technology was originally developed at NASA as part of an effort to help astronauts maintain fitness during prolonged space flight. Alter-G combined this technology with an advanced pressure regulation system and a treadmill to produce the first anti-gravity treadmill. The physical lifting force generated by the G-Trainer comes from a difference in air pressure around the individual's body.

Sounds pretty cool, I guess. I also heard that it roughly costs $75,000. But I was thinking, it was probably more than that because they probably had to make a customized air bag because if you replace the dude in the picture with Andrew Bynum, the top of the bag is probably mid-thigh.

Kobe Blog Day : Love, Hate, Appreciation

2008-03-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Apparently, it's Kobe Blog Day. It feels like it's been Kobe Blog Year, hasn't it? Ever since he started dropping Andrew Bynum fueled F-Bombs in some Applebee's parking lot, through the trade rumors, through the pouty early season, through the cautiously optimistic early going, through the greatest trade of all time, and now all the MVP talk - with all the hate and all the love out there, 2008 is Kobe's season. Let's just hope we're still saying that in late June.

Well, I haven't written about Kobe in a while. Which just goes to show you how easily one can eventually become numb to even the strongest of stimuli given a long enough time line. As Stu Lantz often cautions us, every now and then, Kobe does something that makes you stop and remind yourself, this is one of the greatest players of all time - kobe fan or kobe hater, you should always appreciate that.

But after that moment passes, you go right back to what you were doing. If you're on the other side, you're trying your damndest to find holes in his game or reasons why he's not the best player in the NBA. But around here, most of us are guilty of putting Kobe's stellar play in the bank while we pore over minutiae such as Luke Walton's suspect jumper or Phil's odd line ups or even the Bynum injury; yeah they'll all impact the Laker season in some way or another, but in the end, none of it would matter without Kobe.

So in the hopes of showing my appreciation, here are some of my favorite Kobe memories.

+ Of course the list has to start with 81. But in my eyes, this was a feat of sheer relentlessness. And as unfathomable as it was, to me, his 56 on Memphis and his 62 on Dallas were even more amazing. In the former, we saw an absolute shooting display as he dropped 21 field goals in 3 quarters of play and in the latter we saw a player take a lead into the fourth quarter over an entire team, Kobe 62, Dallas 61. The 81 was the realization of the hypotheticals posed by these two games. That is, what if Kobe played in the fourth quarter?

+ Portland, Part I. This was the last game of the 2003-04 regular season. Kobe hit a three to tie - a pump faking, arm ducking affair on the self proclaimed Kobe Stopper (Ruben ~~Studdard~~ Patterson). And then a three to win - a rainbow fade away over Theo Ratliff after which he could barely stay on his feet. This game clinched the Pacific Division title, not like we're gonna hang a banner about that or anything.

+ Kobe's Dunk on Yao. To Yao's credit, he got a whole lot of the ball. But to Kobe's credit, that was a baseline move meaning the only way he was getting to the rim was up. Over a 7'6" Chinese man.

+ San Antonio, Part I. This is referring to the 2001 series sweep in what was supposed to be a Western Conference Finals showdown. Kobe scored 133 points in this series. And say what you want about the Lakers being Shaq's team. This series was arguably the very peak of the ShaKobe dynasty and after Kobe dropped 45 points and 10 rebounds in game 1, Shaq had this to say:

I told Kobe that he was my idol. I'm serious. He's playing phenomenal. I think he's the best player in the league, by far.

Yeah Shaq was the Finals MVP in all 3 of his Laker Championship seasons. But you could argue that it was Kobe that got them there.

+ The 2003 scoring binge. It started with him draining 12 threes in a game against Seattle (9 in a row at one point). And it was odd because he never really was much a of a three point shooter for his entire career. Then a month later, he scored 40 or more points in 9 consecutive games. It was really the first time that we saw what Kobe could do when he was able to let loose.

+ Portland, Part II. This game was last season. The Lakers were in the midst of a 7 game skid, the longest of Phil Jackson's career. They were losing their grip on playoff seeding. The shit was hitting the fan big time. Then Kobe comes into this game and drops 65 points on the Blazers, 33 in the fourth quarter and over time. And it was oddly reminiscent of Portland, Part I as he hit a three to send the game to OT. And then in overtime with the game tied at 108 and 44 seconds to go, he hit this insane fadeaway three pointer on two guys (pictured), to basically put the game away. As good as Portland, Part I was, this was even better. And seeing as how bright the future is for both the Lakers and Portland, this picture might be the first battle of a great Western Conference rivalry.

Kobe and Portland's future, Roy and Aldridge.

+ 2000 NBA Finals, game 4. With Shaq fouled out and Kobe playing on a severely sprained ankle, the Lakers pulled this game out in OT to take a 3-1 series lead. In the game-deciding stretch, Kobe scored on three straight possessions. Two were on long jumpers after each of which, Kobe trotted down court, pumping downward with open palms, as if to say, "take it easy, I got this." The last basket sealed the game (and the Championship, really), a reverse layup put back on a Brian Shaw miss. After the game Shaq sought out Bryant on the floor and gave him a hug and a thank you. And rightfully so.

+ San Antonio, Part II. Game four of the 2002 Western Conference Semi-finals. After drilling two straight threes to tie the game, Kobe comes up with an unbelievable rebound and then in one smooth motion, comes down, springs back up and sinks a soft floater over Tim Duncan and David Robinson in what turned out to be the game winner.

And this type of play, my friends, is why despite all those late game shooting percentage stats (which show other players to be more "clutch"), Kobe is the most clutch player in the game. Because there is no stat that is going to show you that this was a broken play, that everyone, well almost everyone, was frazzled. Or that he managed to score in the paint between two hall of fame seven footers, one of them the league MVP that season. There's no extra statistical weight given to the fact that this was the playoffs, on the road and that this shot gave the Lakers a 3-1 series lead and all but put it away. And there's no stat to measure how un-surprised people were by the play, given the player. This was truly an illustration of Kobe's will and resourcefulness under pressure. And this is a play that I don't think any other "clutch" player would make.

Except for one.

Public Enemy Number One

2008-03-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a look at Dodger Minor Leaguer Clayton Kerhsaw's curve ball (it's DodgerThoughts property). It's not often that something like a curve ball is "you tube" enough to hang in the most viewed list. But, man ... Just watch the video.

That thing looked too high, was almost too low, and touched every inch of that strike zone. Talk about an out pitch.

Great call by Vin.

Bill Simmons Is Terrifying Laker Fans

2008-03-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

From Simmons' mail bag today:

If I'm a Lakers fan, I'm terrified by three things right now:
1. Bynum's knee injury happened on January 13th and the Lakers claimed he would return within two months. Um, it's March 5th. Where is he? Here's the last public quote we've heard from him, courtesy of an L.A. Times story on February 29th: "If I'm able to run in the pool with no pain, then we'll start building my leg up more and more. I'm making progress and I'm excited to actually run in the pool, but I'm still not back." Does that sounds encouraging? I say no.

First of all, the next two of the three things that I should be terrified by right now (not shown) are consequences of this first thing: Bynum not coming back. So no, there's really just one thing we're worried about here, not three.

(For those keeping score, that's two sentences by me that render 2/3 of his argument redundant).

Second, the very same L.A. Times story that he links to shows that no, the Lakers did NOT claim that Bynum would return within two months. It says that the team had an initial timetable of "at least eight weeks." And the quotation marks are from the article, not me. It's subtle, but by changing the words from "at least" to "within," Simmons tries to paint things as much worse than the Lakers expected in an attempt to ultimately discredit the Laker PR stance with regard to the severity of the Bynum injury. But that's ridiculous. The Lakers knew this was a pretty severe injury and their initial timetable conservatively left the door open for the 2-3 week addendum that has come to pass. And even if they didn't. Who cares? What? Initial timetables can't be wrong? Or adjusted? Or blown out of the water completely for the sake of the player's health?

Then he goes on to date Bynum's last public comments, the one about possibly running in the pool, as stated on February 29th. Again, if you turn to the article he linked to, you might notice that Bynum was unavailable for comment at press time and the quote about running in the pool was actually from the week before. In fact, if you look at the L.A. Times Laker Report from February 19th, you'll find the initial run of that quote a full 10 days earlier than when Simmons dated it. Hmm, running in the pool 3 weeks before the best case scenario return date? Does that sounds encouraging? Why, yes. Yes, it does.

But, what really bothered me was his "Um, it's March 5th" line. The whole, "Um, <insert snarky statement of fact here>" schtick is getting really old. Especially when it's misused. It's supposed to have the effect of showing how ridiculous some opinion or prediction turned out to be. Like I could see him making this comment if it was like April 5th or something and Bynum is no where to be seen. But no, it hasn't even been the full 8 weeks yet (March 9th will be 8 on the nose) and Bynum's about to start running on treadmills. So, are we like way out of the ball park here? Am I supposed to be worried because the Lakers are proving to be reasonably accurate and consistent with their injury projections? Um, no.

But in the end, the essence of Simmons' point is correct. We DO need Bynum if we are really going to make some noise this year. Am I concerned that he won't make it back this year? Definitely. And I, like all other Laker fans, shuddered when Andrew said there was still swelling in his knee during his interview that aired during the Dallas game on Sunday. But you know, if he doesn't make it back this year then that's tough luck for us. Still, unlike most of the other contenders, the Lakers' window for a title is just beginning and should extend into the next decade. So, am I terrified? No. Why should I be?

So then why make such a big deal about this? I agree, I am being very nit picky here. But let me just say that this was really easy to write seeing as how I have been reading L.A. Times Laker Reports every day this season. I bet you every Laker fan that does read the Laker Reports was able to read Simmons spiel and call bull shit within 30 seconds. And I just really can't stand it when people make shitty arguments.

But to be entirely honest, it was the "Um, it's March 5th" line. I read that and I really wanted to punch him in the face.

Kobe's Finger

2008-02-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

Ouch.

Part of me wishes he would just get the surgery, damn the estimated 6 weeks recovery time, come back in 2 weeks instead and that'll be that.

While an exercise in denial would be to believe that the finger actually isn't that bad and that Kobe is playing up the dramatics to help his MVP case.

No matter how you look at it, Laker Fans, you have to be asking yourself, why can't these guys stay healthy?

But who knows. If Kobe goes down, maybe Kupchak can trade Coby Karl for Tracy McGrady.

UPDATE: Looks like he's playing in the All-Star Game.

Kobe Da Vinci

2008-02-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

If you check out Kobe's site right now, they have some stuff about his new Nike ad campaign in which he dresses up like Leonardo Da Vinci. Or as Kobe pronounces it, Lehyo-nartho Da Beenchi. Hey, did you know that Kobe spoke Italian?

Anyway, it looks odd to say the least. When I first saw these pictures, I thought that's pretty lame. I was like, leave it to Kobe to compare himself to Da Vinci, that arrogant ass. And I immediately thought back to that extremely gay Adidas commercial that had Kobe jotting his musings in a quiet courtyard. But then I watched the commercial and it's actually really funny. Check it out.

Oh and here's the new shoe, the Zoom Kobe III:

Some Thoughts

2008-02-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

+ That Pau and Kobe pick and roll is devastating. The key is that Pau has the foot work and B-ball IQ to catch the ball 10-15 feet out, read the defense and either slash to the rim or pop the soft jumper. He showed both in two late fourth quarter possessions. It's that two dimensional attack that makes him extremely tough to guard, especially considering how much of a "bang-bang" circumstance defending the pick and roll already is.

Bynum is more the catch-me-with-a-lob-to-the-rim type of pick and roll partner. Brian Cook was more of a pick and pop guy. Lamar prefers to create of the dribble. In fact, I do not think Kobe has had as good of a pick and roll partner since the Mailman himself.

I have a feeling that is the new bread and butter play. At least until Andy Bynum comes back.

+ Vladimir Radmanovich is starting to make the case that he is a very good cog in the triangle. Say what you will about his defense, but his passing has been superb in the last few games. Couple that with his shooting (and his ability to put it on the floor if they are charging his shot) and I'd say that unless Luke really starts to step it up, he's gonna be hard pressed for minutes when Ariza comes back.

+ Did you think that the Lakers should have put the Nets away earlier last night? So did Pau.

And if you were watching the KCal 9 broadcast as astutely as my friends and I, you might know what I'm talking about. It was that one play where Josh Boone mishandled a rebound and as he and another Net tried to coral it under the Laker basket, Pau swooped in with one long arm, yanked the ball away and in one motion put it in the hoop. Nice play. Well, there was a tv timeout right after that play and the KCal 9 Broadcast had a close up shot of Pau walking back to the bench and as he was passing the scorer's table, you could see him mouthing something to the effect of "This is bullshit. These motherfuckers are whack. Let's go!"

It was his first game and he's already showing strong competitive fire as well as passionately asserting, to his team and to the rest of the league, that this team has entered a new class with him on the roster. That was my favorite part of last night's game.

+ I have been reading about the Shaq to Phoenix trade. My first reaction was that this is just wrong on every level for Phoenix. But I realized that I have not actually watched Shaq play all that much first hand this year. I've seen his numbers, heard some stories and that's about it. Could he really be as bad as it seems?

But the more I thought about it, the more it started to make a little sense. Yes, Shaq won't be running the break with Nash but Amare (at the 4) still will be. Who says you need all five guys running to be a fast break team? And if he can shore up their defense/rebounding/toughness quotient, then it's a plus, right?

But more than all that, I think Shaq will just help improve the mood in Phoenix. It sounds like there have been some serious chemistry issues regarding Shawn Marion. He pouts at the lack of attention and praise that he gets. He demanded a trade before the season. I mean, maybe the rest of the Suns plain don't like him. Wouldn't you have more fun playing with a jovial giant like Shaq than with a brooding douche bag? I don't know considering that the douche bag is a better fit in every way shape and form for your team. But it just seems to me that Phoenix is at their best when they're loose and care free. And maybe Shaq can help them get that back.

+ And oh yeah, I fully realize that this trade shows just how scared shitless they are at the thought of playing the Lakers in the playoffs. And Shaq or no Shaq, they should be scared.

Pau Gasol is a Laker

2008-02-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

My new favorite Spaniard. Sorry, Paz.

!!!

I am in shock. I need to learn more about Pau Gasol. I need to digest this. I need to pick myself off the floor.

But my first reactions are. I am sad that I will not get to watch Javaris Crittenton take the reins from Kobe one day in about 6 or 7 years. This kid is special. And he will be an All-Star one day. And we are giving up quite a bit of future for Pau.

But hey, wasn't that the point? Kobe's prime is right now. Not only that, thought Lamar was a weak second option but a great third one? Well, how about fourth option? And why don't we take a look at our lineup come playoff time:

PG Fish/Farmar
SG Kobe/Sasha
SF Lamar/Luke/Ariza/Vlad
PF Pau/Turiaf
C Bynum/Mihm

Find me a better 1-12 in the NBA.

Better brush up on your vosotros tense, Laker fans.

UPDATE from Tom Ziller over at the AOL Fanhouse:

How do the folks in Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, New Orleans, SLC, Denver, Houston and Oakland feel right about now? This is a potential champion, folks. The Lakers were between good and very good before -- hell, they knocked on the one-seed's door briefly before Bynum and Trevor Ariza went down. And they just replaced a below-average center with one of the best bigs in the game in his prime.

Yessir.

We Say So Long, Never Goodbye

2008-01-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is not my girlfriend's foot.

How many of you have had this conversation with your friends:

you: You know what we should do? Drive across the country!

them: Yeah, that shit would be tight.

you: We can hit every big city along the way, take turns driving, see the country.

them: Yeah, that shit would be tight.

you: We can pick up some hitch hiker chick and have hot-

them: Dude, you been watching too much porn. You don't know where that dirty skank has been.

you: Yeah, that shit would be tight.

But of course, you never end up doing it. You forget you have to work. Or go to school. Or you're just too lazy.

Well imagine being the Lakers. A fifteen day, nine game road trip. Or another way to look at it, the cross country vacation with your friends. Of course there's some work to do. Unless you don't consider playing basketball work. Or unless you're Coby Karl.

I mean, everyone's talking about the doom and gloom of this looming trip. But if I was one of them, I'd be totally amped about going. I guess I don't know the realities of being a player on an NBA road trip. The hostile arenas. The bad weather (in this case). But at least they get to travel in luxury charters. And instead of careful, per-day budgeting, they're fucking millionaires. Travelling with other fucking millionaires. With per diem.

And tonight, they're in the lovely city of Detroit. Those lucky bastards.

Anyway, my prediction: 6 - 3, with wins at TOR, WAS, NJ, ATL, MIA, MIN and losses at DET, ORL, and CHA.

The Big on a 10 Day Contract

2008-01-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

Mbenga stretch.

I remember the way Smush Parker played when he was on the Lakers and if I only had one word to describe him, it would have been "desperate." Desperate to score. Desperate to be noticed. Desperate for a contract.

And probably the most important lesson that we learned from the Smush Parker era was that "desperate" and the point guard position don't mix.

Last night we got our first dose of DJ Mbenga, the Lakers' frontcourt back up plan. He was released by the Warriors earlier this season and the Lakers signed him to a 10 day contract in the wake of the Andrew Bynum injury.

Ahh, the 10 day contract, desperate times indeed. But after watching Mbenga play like he might only have 9 days left in the NBA, I started realizing that this might just work out. Because while you want your point guard to play with a cool, level head, there's nothing wrong with your big man playing as if his career depended on it.

Mbenga survey floor.

It's basically a matter of how the different positions contribute and the nature of big and small in basketball. But in this case, where Smush's attitude may have caused him to shoot an ill advised three or gamble to make a steal, Mbenga's will push him a little closer to a loose ball and a little faster down court. And if you saw him save the Laker fans' tacos last night, you'd have to agree.

UPDATE: I was checking out Flea's Laker Blog today and he had a post up about DJ (Didier) Mbenga. Apparently, DJ had a horrible experience as a youngster in Congo as he was mistakenly entangled in the Civil War taking place in neighboring Rwanda:

didier mbenga, was mistaken for a criminal in this affair and put in
jail and treated horribly for nine months and was supposed to face
execution he escaped and managed to get out of the country and get to
belgium
where he started playing basketball, around 1999
this led him to the nba, and now he is a laker, with a ten day contract
so i am sitting there watching the game the other night
and thinking...man, this guy was in jail facing execution and now is
on the court in staples center where the most important thing for him
to do is to block some shots and get some rebounds
...
he has faced death and been in the midst of a genocide
a genocide is when a million people of one ethnic group are murdered
for the sake of their ethnicity
and now he is throwing outlet passes to kobe bryant in front of jack
nicholson
god bless him
wow
trip out

Hmm, maybe that 10 day contract is not such a desperate situation after all. For more details check out his wiki page.

Phil Wants More Depth

2008-01-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

Webber's name was being thrown around in connection with the Lakers even before Bynum went down which made little sense to me. If it ain't broke why try to fix it? Why try to fix anything with a washed up power forward who can't rebound and defend?

Needless to say, I didn't want Webber when Bynum was healthy, but... now that he's out--aw fuck it, I still don't want his ass. For whatever reason, people tend to forget that the Laker offense is very good with or without Bynum. The last three seasons, the Lakers have been about 7th in the league in offense rating (Basketball-Reference.com). This year's success is based mostly on their improved defense (24th last year to 6th so far this season). Basically, the Lakers have enough offense. Defense is the key and Webber will contribute but not in that department.

But you know what I realized. It's not just Bynum being out. It's also Radmanovich being out that's got us considering adding the Queeniest Sacramento Queen. Because basically, at this point, all Webber can bring is nice shooting touch and good passing and not a whole lot of defense or rebounding.

So, who does it sound like he's filling in for? Bynum or Radman?

Either way, the Lakers are getting desperate for some depth. Call it a hunch. But if you read between the lines, the message is clear. As Phil said in today's paper, "We need some depth."

What?

2008-01-15T11:50:00.003-08:00

"We're a championship-caliber team when he's in the lineup."

- Kobe Bryant on Andrew Bynum

Ok. Here it comes.

I had been cautious to not make such a bold statement myself this year. Even though I said as much about last year's team. Even though I know this team is head and shoulders better.

But Kobe's admission last night to John Ireland after the OT squeaker against one of the leagues worst teams, is huge. It tells us that he is one step closer to rescinding that trade demand. That Andrew Bynum is now a Laker4Life. And that after two and a half months of conservative assessment of the team's potential, Kobe is convinced.

And why the hell wouldn't he be?

The future looks bright ladies and gentlemen. As bright as the days when we used to imagine an aging Shaq rebounding, defending, and deferring to a peaking Kobe on their way to more and more Laker titles. Only brighter. Because for all the inherent problems that would have plagued those theoretical ShaKobe Lakers, these Lakers have solutions.

Shaq hating on Kobe? Bynum doesn't seem to mind him.
Kobe hating on Shaq? After all he's been through, he just wants to win.
Too old? The average age of the Lakers is 25.9, 8th in the league.
No third scorer? Lamar Odom.
Not athletic enough? Trevor Ariza.
Not quick enough at the one? Jordan Farmar.
Not enough urgency in the regular season? Ronny Turiaf.
No three point shooters? Radmanovich and Sasha.
No young talent? Javaris Crittenton.
No depth? See all of the above.

Amazing, isn't it?

Agent: Bynum Out for 8 weeks

2008-01-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Via espn.com:

Andrew Bynum, a key factor in the Los Angeles Lakers' 25-11 start to the season, will miss eight weeks with what his agent says is a subluxation of his left kneecap.

David Lee told ESPN The Magazine's Sam Alipour that Bynum will not need surgery. Bynum, who had an MRI on Monday, will begin rehabiliation immediately, Lee said.

And this only 6 hours after I had a conversation about whether or not I would do the Garnett for Odom and Bynum trade if it was offered today. My response had the words "fuck" and "no" in it.

The Boy is Becoming a Man

2008-01-12T14:04:00.001-08:00

That should be a real stat. Total Rebounds. Offensive Rebounds. Fuckin Rebounds.

The Boston Hangover

2008-01-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all.

That Boston loss, much like the party at my place last weekend, seems a lot like a drunken black out. I vaguely remember certain parts of it and the parts that I do remember seem dream-like and surreal. Like, wait did that really happen? And the answer to that question is found in the gory box score and assorted accounts from my friends and girlfriend. Either way, here are some moments of clarity:

+ Those shorts. I mean, every time some NBA team breaks out the throwbacks, the broadcasters will remark about how crazy it would be if they went all the way and wore the booty shorts to boot. Ok, maybe only Stu Lantz does that. But admit it, the morbidly curious cat that lives inside all of us wanted to see it too.

But I guess we should have known that it wouldn't have turned out well. Or are you the only person in the world who never wore the funny t-shirt to the bar? Yeah, it's hilarious for about 5 minutes, but then after that, you just feel stupid. By the end of the night, you're wishing you had just went with your standard issue, American Eagle graphpaper button down. (Oh, the safe, comfortable graphpaper button down, the staple of the non-metrosexual man's closet.)
You could almost sense the moment in the first quarter when the Lakers realized that it was a bad idea. They were self conscious and distracted. And even worse, it seemed to cause the Celtics to focus even more. Because from all accounts, it sounds like on-court KG is as intense as ever with Boston this year. And what better way for him to further this reputation by remaining stone-cold during all the short-short silliness. Against the streaking Lakers. At Staples. And the rest of the guys seem to follow suit.

+ Surveying the paper plate mess the morning after the party:
Me: Whoa, who made frozen taquitos last night?
Girlfriend: You did.
Me: Oh.

+ Lamar tackling Ray Allen was weird. Yeah, the big three of the Celtics were in the game during the 4th in a blow out. But to me, that was more in homage to the Laker's offense and the (suddenly) streaky nature of Kobe's shooting. That or Doc Rivers' ineptitude. Lamar just makes some bad decisions sometimes, plain and simple.

+ An excerpt from a phone conversation with one of my friends the next day:
Me: Man what time did you guys leave last night? Was I already passed out?
Friend: Naw, you were awake. You said bye and everything.
Me: ... right.

+ Man, 6-25 from Kobe? Why does his shot look so flat this year? Is it the groin? I'm not sure what it is. But where is his trademark shooting flow? Like, the last few years, it seemed like he'd get hot at least once a game and end up shooting nightly heat checks. This year, I only remember him doing this a handful of times.

+ During an ill-advised screening of Godfather II, disc 2 at roughly 1 am, right where young Don Vito takes revenge on Don Ciccio:

(Keep in mind, this was a pretty important/climactic part of the movie and a few people who never seen it before, and many more who have, were intently watching.)

Me: See this is where Michael gets his revenge gene from. Right here. This scene. Cause he coulda let it go. But yeah, naw he came all the way back to Sicily just to put a knife in this guys' belly. And that's what Michael does: Not letting shit go. Fucker's straight evil man. Serious... Dude! I read on Wikipedia about the Godfather book. TOTALLY DIFFERENT! Well not really. It's more or less the same. Just more info on the side characters. But yeah, naw like the doctor that fixes Michael's face after the Police Captain broke his jaw. Yeah he's in the book a lot more. Oh and Fredo was gay. Hahaha, fucking Fredo... Yeah, naw but seriously, Vito is goddamn pimp. Man, ho man this movie is the shit! Hahahah. (Sigh) Pinche Don Ciccio.

And I was pretty much doing that the whole way through.

+ Overall, the Boston loss isn't as troubling as I initially thought. They've only lost 3 times this season, for shit's sake. To me, getting swept by them isn't as bad as getting swept by Charlotte and Milwaukee last year. Now that the season series is over, they can just be a Final Boss of sorts looming in the back of our minds. I guess we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it. And here's to finding that bridge in the first place.

+ In full fledged what-the-hell-happened-last-night mode:
Me: Did I go on a Laker rant last night?
Girlfriend: Not really. You did a little. But mostly you talked about how glad you are for the Trevor Ariza trade.
Me: That's cause he's fucking sweet!

Can't Get Over the Hump

2007-12-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

The Lakers lost yet another hump game last night. They win last night, there's a sense of arrival, a galvanizing of their momentum. It's like when you're at a black jack table. You've won a few hands in a row so your bet is pretty big. The dealer shows a 6 and you've got 2 jacks. Then the dealer flips and he has a five under there and what does he pull? A facecard. A King to be exact.

You win that hand, you're pocketing some chips. Or maybe you're off for some prime rib followed by the titty bar. Sky's the limit. But if you lose, you're back to where you started. Not necessarily down. You basically still have your buy in. But now you also have that demoralizing feeling that you're running in place.

I think Luke said it best:

"That was one we've got to have. That's what all the top teams in the West do, win when they're supposed to. Until we start winning them, we're going to be a step behind Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio."

Losses like these are tough. Not too sure how many of these we can take. But at least the Lakers get a chance to put the loss further into the past tonight.

Oh and by the way, I blame last night's game squarely on Joel Mutherfucking Meyers. True to form, he came through with two grade A jinxes last night:

1) With the Lakers up 11 after a Kobe layup, Joel says something to the effect of:

"Wow, what a third quarter by the Lakers!"

Only to be reminded by Stu that,

"Well, the quarter ain't over yet, let's see how they close it out."

What happened next? A 16-0 Cavaliers' run at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth.

2) The whole game Joel was making giddy remarks about Derek Fisher's physical advantage over Daniel Gibson. How he can just over power him to going to the rim and get any spot on the floor, etc. And what happened at the very end of the game? A loose ball foul on Fisher grabbing a rebound over Daniel Gibson. Was it a bull shit call? Yes. Then why did they call it? Because Fisher's 'physical advantage' over Gibson made an incidental contact seem much more brutal than it actually was.

Thanks Joel, you rat-bastard.

Lo Duca Slanged

2007-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

I didn't read the entire Mitchel Report. Instead, I did searches of particularly interesting names, one of them being ex-heart-and-soul-of-the-Dodgers Paul Lo Duca. And, jesus...

(Kirk Radomski was a big HGH source for MLB players)

Todd Hundley referred Lo Duca to Radomski when Lo Duca played for the Dodgers. Radomski estimated that he engaged in six or more transactions with Lo Duca. In some transactions, Radomski sent the performance enhancing substances by overnight mail to Lo Duca’s home or to the Dodgers clubhouse and Lo Duca sent Radomski a check a week or so later.

***
According to Radomski, Lo Duca referred [Adam] Riggs to him. Radomski subsequently engaged in six to ten transactions with Riggs from 2003 to 2005.

***
Radomski said that Paul Lo Duca referred [Kevin] Brown to him in 2000 or 2001 when Brown and Lo Duca were teammates with the Dodgers.

***
Paul Lo Duca and [Eric] Gagné were teammates with the Dodgers from 1999 to 2004. Although he is not sure when, Radomski recalled that Lo Duca called Radomski and told Radomski that Gagné was with him and wanted to buy human growth hormone. Gagné then came onto the phone and asked Radomski a question about how to get air out of a syringe. This is the only time Radomski spoke to Gagné. Radomski said that Lo Duca thereafter placed orders on Gagné’s behalf.

***
[Matt] Herges was a teammate of catcher Paul Lo Duca with the Dodgers from 1999 to 2001. According to Radomski, Herges called Radomski and said that Lo Duca had given himRadomski’s telephone number.

When he was with the Dodgers, I always saw Lo Duca as an upstanding, blue collar player. Turns out he was the motherfucking HGH ringleader. And yeah, I understand that the implications of taking HGH are different from straight steroid use; many HGH users including the ones mentioned above, are seeking quick recovery from injuries, not homerun power and smaller testes. Maybe he was just being a good teammate trying to help his comrades get healthy. Perhaps. But then there's this.

From 1999 to 2000, Todd Seyler served as a minor league strength and conditioning coach for the Albuquerque Dukes, which was then the class AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Around May 1999, Seyler began talking with five of the Dukes players about using performance enhancing substances. The players were Matt Herges, Paul Lo Duca, Jeff Williams, Mike Judd, and Ricky Stone ...

Seyler said that all five players expected to be called up to the Dodgers later in the season, and they all wanted to be in “peak physical condition” when that happened ...

The five players and Seyler all injected themselves with the steroids at the apartment. Seyler witnessed Herges and Williams inject themselves in the buttocks with syringes containing Deca-Durabolin. Seyler also observed Lo Duca and Judd inject themselves with either Deca-Durabolin or Winstrol, although Seyler could not remember where they injected themselves or which of the two substances they used.

So much for the feel good story of Paul Lo Duca's rise through the Dodger organization and into the hearts of the fans. And I mention all this now because, at the time trading Paul Lo Duca was devastating for us. Yes, we got Brad Penny in return. Yes, we now have Russell Martin behind the plate, Lo Duca's superior in almost all respects. Sure, Lo Duca's production took a dive toward the end of every season. But it didn't matter. The fans identified with Lo Duca's competitive attitude and hardnosed play. And losing him was something for which most of us never forgave then GM Paul DePodesta. Well, maybe it looks like DePodesta knew what he was doing.

But you want to know what the most fucked up thing about it is? If you look at this internal memo from the Dodgers that was found in the report, it doesn't look like Lo Duca was traded because he was on roids. It looks like he was traded because he stopped:

Steroids aren’t being used anymore on him. Big part of this. Might have some value to trade . . . Florida might have interest. . . . Got off the steroids . . . Took away a lot of hard line drives. . . . Can get comparable value back would consider trading. . . . If you do trade him, will get back on the stuff and try to show you he can have a good year. That’s his makeup. Comes to play.