Good Riddance, Los Angeles

Let me just start by saying that out of all of my Laker-hating posts, this one is by far the most bitter and resentful post yet.  But I'm tired of hearing about the Lakers this season, and all the excuses that they and their fans have made for the fact that the team was just plain horrible.  So without further ado, let us begin....

It’s all done and over with now.  The Lakers season is no more.  With a roster that boasted 3 MVP awards, 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards, 37 All-Star selections and a plethora of other honors in their trophy case, the team couldn’t even muster up a single victory in the postseason.  Note that it is not even a series victory that they couldn’t attain; this team’s biggest accomplishment in the playoffs was losing game 2 by only 11 points.  All this after they were ranked number 2 in ESPN’s preseason rankings.  All this after people called for a guaranteed championship.  All this after Ron Artest said that the team would challenge the 72-10 record set by the Chicago Bulls in 1996.  Since I am The Laker Hater, let’s take a look back at this absolute disgrace that was the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2012-13 season.

The first sign of trouble came when the Lakers finished the preseason with a record of 0-8.  Yes, it’s just the preseason.  But for a team with a history like L.A. that features at least 3 future Hall of Famers, you would imagine at least 1 single, measly win would be in order.  That was most certainly not the case for this team.

The regular season started just as poorly, with the team getting off to a 1-4 start.  Unfortunately for head coach Mike Brown, his team’s lack of compatibility and huge egos led to his firing after just 5 games.  After heavy speculation of a Phil Jackson return, and a very respectable 4-1 run by interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike D’Antoni was hired to take over as the new scapegoat for the team’s failures.

Laker fans stayed vocal throughout the season, praising the performance of Kobe Bryant at the age of 34.  Kobe praised his own performance as well, as he stayed atop the league’s scorers, despite being well under .500 and out of playoff contention for most of the season.  Bryant’s scoring slowed in the season though, and he finished 3^rd in the league in points per game.  In hindsight, he should have kept trying to score since another scoring title would have been the only thing he had a shot at accomplishing this year.

As the season went on, the Laker community continued blaming their losses on coaching, as well as the absence of Steve Nash due to injury.  Upon Nash’s return, the Lakers managed to get in only seven games with their four star players (Bryant, Gasol, Nash and Howard).  Those seven games saw the team post a not-quite-respectable 3-4 record.  Regardless of this though, the team still used injuries as an excuse for their losing.

By the end of the season, things started to look up a bit for the Lakers, as the team started actually drawing in on a playoff spot.  They ended up clinching a 7^th seed, but lost Kobe to a torn achilles heel along the way.  Again, the Laker community saw yet another excuse for their losing ways.  The truth is though, the team’s record against other Western Conference playoff teams was 7-17 with Kobe in the lineup.  The thought that they would’ve suddenly gained the talent to actually make an impact in the playoffs is beyond ridiculous.

The postseason came, and the Lakers were set to play the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.  The Lakers ended the playoffs with the most pitiful performance of the postseason, losing the series 4-0.  The Spurs finished the series with an average win margin of 18.8 points, even higher than that of the Miami Heat in their series against the sub-.500 Milwaukee Bucks.

Game 4 of the series saw the Lakers in their typical losing fashion.  Just like when the Dallas Mavericks completed the sweep against L.A. in 2011, the final loss saw the Lakers losing by a large margin, practically quitting before the second half even started.  And once again, Dwight Howard got ejected and showed us that the Lakers are the biggest bunch of sore-losers that this league has ever seen.  For those who forgot, that ’11 series ended with a 36-point loss that saw 2 Lakers getting ejected for flagrant fouls.

The team failed in every way possible.  They accomplished nothing.  And I could not be happier to see this overrated bunch of egotistical crybabies end their season in such an embarrassing manner.

The season is over for the Lakers now though.  It’s time for me to move my attention towards teams that actually mattered this season.  With a 3 seed on the verge of elimination and a number 1 seed missing their number 2 player, we may be in for a big shakeup in the West.  Keep watching, basketball fans.  And to any Lakers fans that may be reading, have fun with the rebuilding process.  Happy trails, Dwight Howard!

Apologies

As much as I enjoy it, blogging about the NBA is not my job.  Right now, finishing my college education while working at the organization I'm currently employed at our my jobs.  Since those two jobs have been busier than ever over the past few months, that means the blogging has to take a backseat on the priorities list.

I apologize if you read this blog and have been disappointed by the lack of content lately.  I'll bring some more articles around for the playoffs and the draft.  For now though, continue to keep up with me on Twitter (@TheLakerHater1).

And for you fellow Pistons fans out there - Lawrence Frank was fired today!  Rejoice!  Hooray!  The rebuilding process is now underway in Auburn Hills.  With one of the best young centers today, some promising talent to put around him, an upcoming lottery pick and over $20 million worth of cap-space, we have a lot to look forward to next season.  Let's hope Joe D can make something of it all.

Send Ron Shipping

It was disturbing, absolutely nerve wrecking for a true Pistons fan to hear.  Public address announcer, Mason, delivered the starting lineups for an afternoon matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Super Bowl Sunday.  He introduced Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and the man who calls himself Metta World Peace.  That’s when I heard it.  Cheers.  Cheers for Ron Artest.  Cheers for him at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  Cheers for the guy who nearly a decade ago ran into the stands at that very arena, attacking the fans that now applauded and screamed for him.

Don’t get me wrong on this one.  I understand that when a team isn’t performing well, as the Pistons have been doing for 3 or 4 years now, the high-market teams are going to have plenty of fans present at road games.  But to see the man responsible for Malice at the Palace come back to Detroit and not be met with a flood of jeers is just plain shameful.

Eventually, the Pistons did their entrance and the crowd became quiet, then the game got underway.  Halftime neared and Ron Artest did what Ron Artest does best.  A scuffle occurred, whistles blew, referees reviewed the play and Artest was eventually assessed with a flagrant 1 foul.

After the game, Brandon Knight began making claims that Artest punched him in the face during the tangle-up.  Upon watching a replay, one would see that after tugging Knight at the waist and wrapping an arm around his neck, Artest did in fact strike Knight in the jaw.  To call it a full blown punch is an exaggeration; his fist was not closed and he hit him more with his wrist than anything else.  Regardless of that, he still grabbed his opponent by the neck and landed a blow on his face.

Today, the NBA announced that after looking at the play, Artest would serve a 1 game suspension.  For any other player, I would say this punishment was appropriate.  The problem though is that this is not any other player, it’s Ron Artest.  You’d be hard-pressed to find an athlete who has started as many fights as this guy.  Besides the infamous Palace brawl, here are a few more worth noting:

• ·      Elbow to the head of James Harden
• ·      Head lock on LeBron James
• ·      Pulling down Paul Pierce’s shorts
• ·      Striking Richard Hamilton (wearing a protective mask) in the face
• ·      Locking arms with Paul Pierce
• ·      Pushing Paul Pierce prior to tip-off
• ·      Striking JJ Barea in the face
• ·      Shoving Thabo Seflosha
• ·      Striking Amar’e Stoudemire in the face
• ·      Intimidating Kobe Bryant
• ·      Flagrant foul on Pau Gasol

Now the last foul above can be forgiven.  It was a bit excessive, but he was making a play towards the ball.  He gave some extra force to ensure that the bucket wouldn’t go down.  Sometimes a flagrant or technical is handed out, but it’s the NBA and sometimes that will happen.  It’s the same thing that Bill Laimbeer used to do during his playing days.

As for the rest of the incidents above, they’re ridiculous.  They don’t have any effect on the game, it’s just a player trying to rough up his opponents.  This is the NBA.  If you want to grapple, throw elbows, start a phony rap career and come up with silly little nicknames for yourself, go sign a contract with Vince McMahon.

The videos above aren’t the end of his craziness, either.  Check out this video to see Ron tackling Glenn Robinson, throwing a water bottle into the stands (Pistons fans didn’t start the drink throwing trend), fighting Raja Bell, destroying TV cameras and committing other senseless acts that are so unsportsmanlike, they make Kenny Powers look like Joe Dumars.  He also has admitted to drinking during halftime of games throughout his time with the Chicago Bulls.  Let’s not forget his various domestic dispute matters dating back to 2002, as well as having his dogs held in a pound for 77 days as a result of not taking proper care of them.

The sad part of all this is the fact that I could still point out several more flagrant and technical fouls throughout his career.  Quite simply, I don’t have time to list out every single offense he’s committed.

By no means am I against giving a person a second chance.  The problem I have with Ron Artest is that at this point, he’s on his fifty-second chance.  How many times do you give a person a warning?  How many times do you have to put disciplinary actions in place before you see results?  Ron Artest has had his chances, and it’s safe to say that he’s never going to learn his lesson.

The NBA needs to reconsider their disciplinary action towards Ron Artest.  Sure, this latest incident with Brandon Knight was just a minor one.  Artest has made it clear to us all though that he has no self-control, no respect for the rules and not a single care in the world when it comes to the safety of fellow NBA players.  Maybe it’s time for the league to crack down and stop letting the bad guy get his way.

Who Found the Fountain of Youth?

Fans have been going nuts over Kobe Bryant this season.  He’s one of the league’s top scorers at 28.9 points per game, and he’s scored at least 40 points on four separate occasions.  With all this at the age 34, many are saying Kobe looks closer to 24.  Yes, he’s playing pretty well right now.  The fact of the matter though, is that I still find him to be just plain overrated.

What many Kobe fans fail to recognize is that Bryant has taken more shots than anybody else in the NBA.  In fact, he’s taken over 100 more shots this season than the number two field goal shooter, Russell Westbrook (who has played 1 more game than Kobe this season).  On top of that, Kobe is only sixth in the NBA in scoring when looking at games won.  Speaking of games won, that number is pretty low for the Lakers, especially considering the amount of talent that team has in stock.  Enough of Kobe and the second best team in Los Angeles, though.  There’s another player who’s aging even better than Kobe is and that is Tim Duncan.

This really troubles me to have to admit it, as the Spurs have always been one of my least favorite teams.  The trio of Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are all respectable, talented athletes.  They’re just so boring though, and I hated watching them win one year after another.  Quite frankly, I am coming around to them a bit this year.

Right now, San Antonio’s record is at 35-11, almost even with the Western Conference-leading Thunder.  Throughout this season, The Big Fundamental is averaging 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.  He’s 36 years of age now, and it’s looking like a sure thing that he will lead his team into the playoffs for the 16^th straight season of his career.  That’s right, the Spurs have made it into the postseason every year that Duncan has been on the team.

I remember being upset when Duncan was picked as an All-Star reserve in 2011.  He was averaging only 13 points per game at the time, while Kevin Love was averaging 21 points and 15 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge was scoring more than either of them (Love was later picked for the game as a replacement to the injured Yao Ming).  His numbers have improved since then, and Duncan is deserving of his 14th All-Star spot this season.

The bottom line is that Duncan has been dominant this season, just as he has in the past.  And his dominance has rippled over to the rest of the team; they’ve won 12 games by 20 or more points this season.  Once again, they’re going to be title contenders at the end of the season.  The team has Duncan to thank for that.

Duncan’s play this year has really made me reconsider one thing in particular though.  I never ranked him as high as others may have when looking at the best players since 2000.  For me, he was typically right alongside Kobe and Kevin Garnett, sitting behind guys like Shaq, LeBron and Dirk.  After seeing his play this year, still continuing to boss around players who are nearly half his age in the post, I really do have to give him more credit.  He’s certainly outplayed Kobe, KG and Dirk.  Plus, age doesn’t seem to be hitting him the way it did Shaq, who put up pretty good numbers in his last few years, but struggled to contribute to his team’s success.  As for LeBron, he’s a little too young to compare to the rest just yet.

Duncan has sat three of the Spurs’ last four games and surprisingly, I’m looking forward to his return.  His return will surely see him continuing to put up great numbers and contributing to his legacy.  As an NBA fan, you can’t do much but sit back and enjoy the ride. 

A New Era of Reign

The rumors have been running wild in the NBA this week.  Yes, we’re nearing closer to the trade deadline, but those aren’t the rumors I’m talking about.  The biggest rumor this week has been the potential sale of the Sacramento Kings.  It’s looking like this one is going to happen, which also means that fans will be treated to the return of the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Sonics were somewhat of a fan-favorite team in their last 15 seasons before they moved to Oklahoma City.  Players like Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp earned the team a finals appearance in 1996.  Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis wowed the crowds in the mid-‘00s, even winning a division title.  On top of that the team also had the unique choice of green and yellow as their team colors, as well as the greatest mascot in sports history, Squatch.

You could definitely say that I’m happy to see this team coming back.  What I’m not so happy about is the team that will be inheriting their name.

If you’ve read any of my past writings, you’ll know that I’m very critical of the Kings, specifically DeMarcus Cousins.  Even though he’s very talented, he’s also one of the biggest knuckleheads in the NBA today.  I’m equally turned off by the disappointments that Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas have been this season, so this is far from my first pick for the team to take back Seattle.  With a Cousins trade looming though, we may very well see this team picking up a new franchise player before they come back to the Emerald City next season.  With several trade talks and soon-to-be free agents looming at the moment, one can only ponder who might be the best choice to take over the star role for the next generation of the Sonics.  Let’s look at some of the top candidates:

JR Smith

This one is more of a "just for the fun of it," type of pick.  It’s not that JR Smith would be a bad fit for the team.  The problem is he’s not likely going to ever be a number one option for a team.  With his athletic play and dazzling dunks, he is somebody that would get the crowd on their feet in Seattle.  For this team, he could act like a more skilled version of Desmond Mason.  He’ll just need somebody around to help him get some wins.

Also, I only list him here because he has a player option to become a free agent this offseason.  The chances of him leaving New York during that time seem pretty slim.

Eric Gordon

Any chatter of Gordon being shipped out of New Orleans has been minimal, though still existent.  He’s had no problem proving that he can be a team’s main scoring threat, even in his short time in the NBA.  Scoring isn’t the issue though; the problem he has is in team success.  If the current Kings did pick him up, they may need to wait a few years for playoff hopes to kick in.

Al Jefferson

Out of all the players I’m listing here, Jefferson is probably the most likely candidate to actually end up playing in Seattle next year.  A highly underrated center, he would be great trade bait for DeMarcus Cousins.  Plus, the team will need a strong post-presence to compete with current division opponents such as DeAndre Jordan, Marcin Gortat and Dwight Howard (assuming he’s still around in 2014).

Josh Smith

Now here’s a guy that fans would love in Seattle.  J-Smoove is a highlight reel dunker, competitive scorer, tough rebounder and he does some serious work in the blocking and stealing department as well.  He would make a great centerpiece for the SuperSonics.

Trade talks for Smith have been floating around for several years now.  The odds of him actually being traded seem to fade from one season to the next.  But hey, it has to happen eventually, right?

Rudy Gay

This is a player who has the athletic build and the talent to become an absolute phenom in the NBA.  Right now, I see him as being a lesser version of LeBron.  If he can polish his game correctly, expect to see an All-NBA team or two out of this guy in the near future.

Being on the (soon to be “formerly-known-as”) Kings would let him be the clear focal point of a team.  With talks of Memphis getting rid of Rudy only increasing, there’s no team I’d rather see him end up on than the SuperSonics.

Seattle deserves a great star to cheer on for the return of their team as well.  Gay can throw down some serious power-dunks, just like Shawn Kemp used to do for the Sonics years ago.  For those of you whose memories are a bit fuzzy, check out this little refresher.

Regardless of who ends up being the team's star, let's just be happy that we will finally get to see professional basketball return to Seattle.  And with Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum bringing excitement back to Portland, we need to see a revival of the I-5 Rivalry as well.