2009 NBA Playoffs

[chronoaug]

The MVP shirt i didn't have a huge problem with since i'd be excited to win it too and the Run DMC homage is kinda neat. The check the stats tee is pretty lame though.

Also, people rag on kobe for being contrived but lebron seems to be so even more for me. The way he works the media and is always trying to gain cred and say the right thing is pretty obvious. He's just better at manipulating the media than kobe because he has a more traditional American upbringing and doesn't have the foreign italian raised by a nba dad upbringing like kobe. Kobe is definitely awkward as hell at times. Maybe we can all blame brandy for ruining him that prom night

 

[RFX45]

I had no problem with the MVP tee either but it did seem like he was trying to gain relevance since he wasn't int he Finals and for once, the attention wasn't on him. I mean he was MVP this year, no doubt, but to flaunt it like he does is just a bad image. Of course, most will not see anything wrong with it and people will line up to get the tee.

Kobe is definitely one awkward person. He does seem to try too hard to be funny at times but really, all of these were probably because he is too careful after the Denver fiasco that at times he comes off the weird, trying too hard to be liked guy. He is still the best player in the planet and the greatest at what he do in this present day and that is something no one could take away from him.

 

[flyindarkness]

zen master phil should deserve a lot of credit for this ring.

I have a hard time seeing the lakers repeat if Phil call it quits.

 

[dopey]

Originally Posted by Steve B.

Not true. Everytime I stop in from CE the Kobe haterade is displayed.

. ..
Not from me. I have admitted that Kobe could help the Knicks, even if he would be disruptive at first to the team's chemistry and playing style.

 

[greasypeanut]

Originally Posted by RFX45;2188047
Here's the puppet commercials I was talking about.
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damn....if i was lebron id be mad at nike for making commercials like that

 

[quevola]

Originally Posted by dopey

Not from me. I have admitted that Kobe could help the Knicks, even if he would be disruptive at first to the team's chemistry and playing style.

Disruptive to a team that was 18 games under 500 this past season!

He might disruptive from losing so much.

 

[Southern-Nupe]

....A little off topic from the Kobe-Lakers talk.

But it'll be interesting to see what Richard Jefferson brings to the Spurs, I personally think it was a good and much needed move.

 

[robertorex]

Originally Posted by quevola

Disruptive to a team that was 18 games under 500 this past season!

He might disruptive from losing so much.

ahahaha I was about to say, the knicks need all the disruption they can get at this point

 

[RFX45]

Originally Posted by Southern-Nupe

....A little off topic from the Kobe-Lakers talk.

But it'll be interesting to see what Richard Jefferson brings to the Spurs, I personally think it was a good and much needed move.

I think that is a steal for the Spurs. Bowen is a great defender but he is on his way out. Giving up Oberto and Thomas will hurt them in the middle though. They need to get some role players because Duncan is starting to miss games too due to injuries. They can't have Bonner and Gooden taking the C spot. Overall, I think he will fit in and the Spurs will spread the floor further with Mason rising as a good 2nd and 3rd scoring option this season when Parker was out. Richard coudl shoot the long ball and drive at will and create his own shots, the load won't be burdened on parker and Duncan.

Duncan, Gooden, Parker, Mason, Richardson and Finley is a solid starting 5, with Ginobili coming off the bench. Although there are talks of trading Ginobili this year too so we'll see.

 

[Steve B.]

Originally Posted by Southern-Nupe

....A little off topic from the Kobe-Lakers talk.

But it'll be interesting to see what Richard Jefferson brings to the Spurs, I personally think it was a good and much needed move.

It's an awesome trade.

Makes them ready to take back THEIR crown from the Lakers.

 

[RFX45]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4282054

Jackson weighs coaching options

Phil Jackson, Stay-At-Home Coach
John Ireland on Phil Jackson's coaching future with the Lakers

Phil Jackson, Stay-At-Home Coach
John Ireland on Phil Jackson's coaching future with the Lakers

In the interview with ESPN Radio in Los Angeles (710 AM), Jackson insisted that health concerns would be the only reason that prevented him from completing the final season of his current coaching contract.

He also revealed that the concept of Rambis coaching the team regularly on the road -- theoretically sparing Jackson, who turns 64 in September, from the rigors of travel -- has already been discussed internally.

The Lakers completed a test run of the concept in April when Jackson, having had both of his hips replaced in recent years, skipped a one-game trip to Portland on the second night of back-to-back games shortly after the team had finished a grueling seven-game trip. With Rambis in charge, L.A. suffered a 106-98 loss to the Blazers.

"Yeah, we've toyed around with that idea actually," Jackson told ESPN Radio hosts John Ireland and Mychal Thompson. "I guess it's not that revolutionary. We talked a little bit about it, and you know I was actually kind of given the green light to actually try this out and when the time came."

"I think the idea has some merit to it," Jackson went on. "[But] I don't want to lose control of the team. And I think that's the one thing that you find out your team needs. I don't mean control, like control, but like being in the trenches with them, i.e., when things get tough or something happens, you're there with them. This isn't the first time I've heard this idea and it's certainly not going to be the last. And I'm going to discuss it a little with [Lakers general manager] Mitch [Kupchak], that same idea."

Reached later Tuesday by ESPN.com, Kupchak said it was too soon to publicly discuss the idea.

Jackson didn't give an indication in the interview how hard he would actually push for such an arrangement, given the pitfalls he identified, but he did say that he was confident that his veteran-laden roster could "make the transition OK," having just won a championship. But another worry, Jackson volunteered, is that negative "perceptions from the outside may be difficult at first."

Jackson has one season remaining on a two-year contract extension that pays him an estimated $12 million annually. NBA coaching sources said one main reason Rambis was motivated to reject an offer to coach the Sacramento Kings earlier this month is the likelihood that he will receive strong consideration to take over for Jackson when the NBA's first coach with 10 championship rings retires for good.

Rambis' fellow Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw is also considered a likely down-the-road candidate, but it's also widely believed that Kobe Bryant will lobby for his Team USA coach -- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski -- to finally leave the college game for the pros whenever the Lakers have an opening.

The prevailing view among team insiders is that Jackson will coach only one more season at most. He acknowledged in Tuesday's interview that it was "sobering this year for me to go through the playoffs without [longtime assistant] Tex Winter there" and that he is giving more thought to his own health since Winter suffered a stroke in April.

Since originally joining the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, Jackson has endured an angioplasty and gout in addition to his two hip surgeries. Even Lakers GM Kupchak acknowledged after L.A.'s title-clinching Game 5 victory over Orlando that Jackson could decide to leave the coaching business after breaking his nine-ring tie with Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.

"It seems to make sense, doesn't it?" Kupchak told reporters in Orlando. "I don't think he'll do it, but it seems to make sense."

Jackson indicated Tuesday that next week, after Thursday's draft, will "be dedicated" to finalizing his plans for next season. Todd Musburger, Jackson's agent, told ESPN.com's J.A. Adande after L.A.'s Game 5 victory: "We've had a number of discussions about what he'd do, win or lose. He didn't want to leave under either scenario."

Marc Stein covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

 

[Steve B.]

Originally Posted by RFX45

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4282054

Will KoMe demand to be traded if they don't hire Coach K. Since when should a PLAYER have input on a coach?

 

[RFX45]

Well, Kobe's contract is one of a kind. He has the power to rescind any trades he wants, like when he was going to get traded to the Bulls a few years ago, he rescinded it when he was going to be traded for Deng because he wanted Deng there for a chance to win the ring.

Right now, since the Lakers looks like a solid team (if everyone stays, which there is a chance they will) to repeat so Kobe won't be going anywhere. When his contract expires is a whole different story though but I think he will be a Laker for life.

 

[RFX45]

Deal awaiting final owner approval

Comment Email Print By Chris Broussard
ESPN The Magazine
Archive
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns are nearing agreement on a blockbuster trade that would send Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to team with LeBron James, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions.

The deal is more than "90 percent" complete, according to the sources, and is merely awaiting final approval from the team's owners.

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the future Hall of Famer.

The trade gives the Cavs a player they've coveted since February. With center Zydrunas Ilgauskas starting to break down, adding Shaq to the roster gives them a dominant force in the middle. The Cavs were obviously unhappy with their ability to defend Dwight Howard in the playoffs and bringing Shaq into the fold should help.

For the Suns, the move is a straight salary dump. Pavlovic's $5 million dollar contract next season is only partially guaranteed for the amount of $1.5 million. Factor in the disparities in the contracts between Wallace, Pavlovic and Shaq and the team will save $4.5 milliion next season. However, when you factor in the savings they'll reap on the luxury tax, it will be closer to $10 million in savings. That savings can be amplified if Wallace decides to retire and the Suns buy him out of his contract for less than the $14 million he's owed next season.

The trade is a pretty strong admission by the Suns that they screwed up when they traded Shawn Marion for Shaq in February of 2007. Marion was a free agent this summer and, had they let him walk, their savings would've been $21 million not the $5.5 million they're saving in this deal.

When the Suns made the trade they had the best record in the Western Conference. This year they finished in the lottery. With Shaq gone, the question is ... are the Suns finally rebuilding?

Sources say that the team would still like to compete. They still have veterans Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa. They also have the 14th pick in the draft this year and second year player Robin Lopez.

Chris Broussard is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. NBA reporter Chad Ford contributed to this report.

Oh man, the two biggest clown in the NBA in the same team?
I'm not sure an aging Shaq is the answer but it definitely helps them since Ben Wallace was a waste and Pavlovic didn't contribute much due to injuries as well but this is such a shirt term solution as Lebron will be going to NY next year anyways, I doubt even Shaq could talk him out of it.

I also feel like this might be due to Shaqs own doing, seeing how Kobe won another title and now he wants to ride the "king" to one-up Kobe once again.

And Mike Brown, get ready to be exposed.