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So, as of now, New Jersey has finally won a game.

And the Lakers pulled away against the Miami Heat. A great game today, with Kobe and his incredible 3 pointer.

Well, now it looks like Andrew's arm might be hurting him with the Chuck Hayes foul... So, not sure how that's going to turn out. Friday, we may play with a hurt Bynum. I just want to have a good season with both Bynum and Gasol healthy for a change.

So, after watching Ron Artest sink a three... thinking the Lakers would pull it out...

(Ron Artest has had a better game over Ariza IMO with more controlled shooting with the same numbers)

And watching Ariza sink a three to send it into overtime...

Just wow.

Great game. Wouldn't have been as close with Gasol in, but still. Great game.

As much as I love Trevor Ariza, he's not going to do so well in Houston for several reasons.

1. He is -NOT- a star player yet. If he'd stayed with the Lakers for a few more years and developed, he'd be a monster in the future. However, he's now being thrust into the spot light before he's actually ready. He's trying to eat the cake before he even has it. Not that it's his own fault, his agent shoved him into that position.

2. One of the reasons why he's been so successful is because whenever he's on the court, he's with Kobe. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Kobe dribble towards the paint, kick it out to a wide open Trevor Ariza, and see him sink that wide open 3. It won't happen as much when he's in Houston. He'll get an occasional one, but overall, he's going to suffer from the lack of open 3's and you'll see his numbers/efficiency diminish.

According to your link, he's number #5.

And hate him if you want, he's also one of the most popular players. In the world.

Popular

Also, one of the only players in the NBA that gets cheered on the road.

In Atlanta, exciting game, the buzz around every one of Kobe's shots

Chants in Atlanta

Chants at Knicks

Actually, there's no saying that the Mavs bench is going to keep up with the Lakers' bench for several reasons pending the start of the season.

1. Jordan Farmar.

The last time he had competition for his spot, it was Javaris. Around that time, Jordan was playing phenomenal off the bench. Now, he actually has to earn his spot and he's going to be pressured to show up or ship off. So, if he -does- show up, he's a very capable offensive player.

2. Shannon Brown.

Just like Ariza, Kobe trusts him and with the new contract signing, he has something to prove to everybody. Everybody's seen his athletic capability (See: Dunk over Chris Andersen), and if he adopts Kobe's work ethic during this off season and improves his jumper, he could be Ariza 2.0 coming off the bench. We all know how big of a splash Ariza had for us.

3. Adam Morrison.

In college, the man was a fantastic shooter and had some wars. In his rookie year, he was averaging 11.8 points until he was taken out with a REALLY bad injury (ACL). During this summer league, he actually got an honorable mention, behind some of the top drafts of this year, with one game scoring 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. If he shapes up for us, he's a very big offensive threat.

4. Lamar Odom or Ron Artest.

Everybody knows that the typical starting line up is going to be... Fisher as PG, Kobe as SG, Gasol as PF and Bynum as Center. Last year, Ariza had a good thing going with us, but with the Ron Artest signing, we actually gained somebody who can sink open shots but also -create- his own shot, unlike Ariza. And I don't think I really need to mention who Odom is. So, who's going to take the SF starting position? Well, it'll be a most likely mixture of Odom or Artest. We're talking about two talented starters. Whoever starts, the other'll be ready to come off the bench at any point.

I can't wait to see how it all develops, honestly.

They were, especially, in the '08 Finals.

However, there were reasons for it. I read a recent fantastic article about what the Artest trade did for us against a matchup with Boston.

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2009/7/5/939050/wallace-to-celtics-makes-artest-to?ref=yahoo

Very valid points on why the Lakers were outmatched against Boston that year... But also how it'll, by all accounts, be different.

Wow..

Trevor Ariza to the Houston Rockets.

Ron Artest to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hedo Turkoglu to the Toronto Raptors.


First off, I didn't think the Lakers would be without Ariza... and I'm very saddened by it. I was looking forward to see Trevor grow as a Laker, hopeful that he would stay loyal, but he was offered the mid-level exception and didn't take it. Instead, he took the same amount but from Houston instead. It was about respect was what the article said. Regardless, I'll miss him as a Laker. Houston fans have something to cheer about; the man is a genuine highlight reel, fantastic defender, one of the best in the league with steals and guarding the passing lane, excellent dunker. One of my favorite players.

However, while we lost Ariza, we gained Ron Artest. Wow. This'll be -very- interesting to see how they play. I respect Artest's game... Him and Kobe together would be a dangerous defensive/offensive combination. And I think with the Lakers, Artest'll mature quite a bit under Phil Jackson's coaching. We'll see how much longer Jackson is coaching, but I'm sure a year under Phil will do him good.

And Turkoglu to the Raptors is interesting.

Jason Kidd's contract is apparently still up in the air... Wonder where he's going to go. WIth his age, he's -got- to be thinking about the ring over money. Maybe we'll see a Gary Payton/Karl Malone thing and he'll sign with a championship team.

You know what's scary? How far the Magic came down with Howard still not being at the top of his game. When Howard learns some good offensive skills, he's going to be crazy good.

However, we have our champions. I wanted them to win in 6 for an immediate LA celebration, but this'll do. After the set backs from last year, them coming back and winning the whole damn thing makes me estatic. I don't think the Lakers could have played any better than they did against Orlando.

Definately a bad flagrant foul.

It shouldn't be downgraded because Gasol wasn't injured. It was a clear intentional wanttohurthim type foul.

Fantastic game. Great drama on both sides, Fisher stepped up and played awesomely. Ariza helped us get back into the game and Kobe's tough play against Howard helped make it not a bunch of 3 point oppurtunities.