With the Clippers being arguably the most busy we've ever seen them this offseason, and a few familiar names having an impact on the Lakers and Clippers, LAHB will examine the impact that these moves will have.

Clippers sign Ricky Davis

Slowly but surely, the Clippers are having themselves a very solid offseason. Granted, 'Ricky Buckets' has a history for being a "me-first" show off with absolutely no success when it comes to how far his teams get with him. However, by signing the man with arguably the most famous triple double in the game, the Clips fill a big gap at the 2/3 for a very cheap price.

Sure, losing Azubuike when he was within grasp hurt, but for what they got him for, I can't say a bad thing about the Ricky Davis signing.

LA's OTHER team will be VERY interesting next season.

Lakers re-sign Sasha Vujacic

Arguments will rage on about just how interested the foreign squads were in The Machine, but the fact remains that the Lakers got him, and they'll be paying him five mil for the next three years. Judging by the years, I'd say Mitch learned his lesson about long term contracts to streaky three point shooters with big final years.

Luke Walton has made me VERY apprehensive about handing out big money contracts to players who shined most the year they're due for a new contract. That said, Sasha was a key contributor with clutch shooting and pesky defense in the closing minutes of many a Laker games, so it's hard to say he didn't earn his paper this season.

For the sake of future white guy shooters that will wear the purple and gold and want a new contract everywhere, let's hope Sasha doesn't make the Lakers regret this move.

Continued at LA Hoops Blog

Our number four greatest moment since '05 is actually a combo package.

After a long and painful 2004-05 season, the Lakers proceeded to provide fans with an interesting year at the very least. 2005-06 marked what could be argued was the best season of Kobe's career, with him posting 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors, and 62 in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks.

Aside from the personal achievements of one Mr. Mamba, the Lakers surprised a lot of their critics by landing the seventh seed in the West after a particularly strong finish to the regular season. Their opponent for that first round match up were the Phoenix Suns, a team unknowingly to the Lakers would eventually be a big piece to their Finals run two years later.

"Slow down the tempo..." was the name of the game, but it was easier said than done. Kobe and the Lakers dropped the first game in Phoenix, albeit by a much smaller margin than some may have anticipated. The second and third games were a different story. Learning from their mistakes, the Lakers made necessary adjustments, and because strong play from Kobe, Lamar, and yes, Kwame Brown - the Lakers grabbed a 2-1 lead in the series setting the tone for our number four moment(s).

With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Lakers down by two in the fourth game of the WC first round, things looked bleak for the purple and gold as Phoenix prepared to enter the ball at halfcourt. Enter: Smush Parker. That's right, Smush Parker. Poking the ball out of league MVP Steve Nash's hands, big game Smush tapped it over to D. George who in turn got into the hands of numero ocho - Kobe Bryant. With time running down in regulation, Kobe soared towards the rim and allowed his body to twist and turn as he dropped the game tying lay up that kept the Lakers alive.

Being that is an LA basketball blog, we will refrain from discussing the remaining .7 seconds and the obvious foul by Luke Walton on the other end of the court.

Continued at LA Hoops Blog

 

NiqueD
Jul 27, 2008
10:21 PM

 

 

You're lying again. You've lost Lakerfan 1911 and Lakerfan 19II that I know of and what you lost because of Dusty or anyone else I have no idea but I know if you acted with them like you act with me you're an even bigger punk that I realized. I don't suppose you're smart enough to understand that more than one person might use the name Dusty to bait you because you call everyone you don't like Dusty. And you fight with almost everyone so I bet there has been a lot of Dustys in your little paranoid life.

Most people may not notice the differnce in Lakersfan and Lakerfan and II and 11 but I do and you're going to lose another one if you keep it up. Grow up.

 

 

 

I don't know why you deleted my post Dusty, but please find me ANY post or blog or anything made with the name Lakersfan1911. Like I said, I had an account by the name Lakersfan1911 the same way you're not Dusty.

 

 

Do these opinions look familiar to anyone?

 

 

Nique D: "As far as the comment by Hoffman that Mayo provided a copy of his handwriting and that means no way did he cheat on the SAT. That is BS. The Universities are professionals at getting around it and 10,000 dollars in a few pockets and Mayo walked in with a test filled out in his handwriting and handed it to someone and walked out. Mayo is the epitomy of the stupid athlete and I bet you he never amounts to anything more than Darius Miles. He's a bitch."

 

 

 

Nique D: "One thing I have noticed is that those on this blog who hate will hate beyond any amount of counter liking of a player. The obsessive, ignorant level of hating on Kobe Bryant exceeds anything he does on the court and no matter what he does it comes right back to "It's Kobe's fault". These ignorant fools and you know who you are will claim Kobe tanked it on purpose if he doesn't shoot when the Lakers lose. Of course if they lose and he shot the ball, then he's a ball hog."

 

 

Nique D: "The arrogance and selfishness of Lebron James this past season put anything Kobe Bryant has done on the court in these terms to a distant 2nd forever. James is the most repulsive looking, oldest looking, no team in ME  in the NBA, yet it is Bryant that takes the heat."

 

 

 

 

Nique D: "More than any single reason, Odom is the reason why the Lakers lost to the Celtics. He couldn't guard anyone. Not one single person. He couldn't defend the pick and roll if they blew the whistle and stepped off the coming move for him in advance. He has the attention span of a puppy on Valium. He'd forget what was just choregraphed for him."

 

---- I wonder what the "d" stands for...

The Golden State Warriors have matched the contract offer submitted to restricted free agent guard Kelenna Azubuike by the Los Angeles Clippers, it was announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin. The Warriors had seven (7) days from receipt of the contract - Friday, July 18 - to match the offer from Los Angeles. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced. [NBA.com]

Wow, bummer for the Clippers.

 

They were getting a good deal for a talented role player, and boom, Golden State screws with them again. Do I sense a little bitterness regarding the whole Baron Davis situation? I mean logically speaking, isn't having Mo Evans and Corey Maggette enough to fill the athletic SG-ish player role?

 

Continued at [LA Hoops Blog]

Whether people in LA want to acknowledge it or not, the 2004-05 season marked an enormous change for the Los Angeles Laker franchise. Gone was Shaquille O'Neal, the cornerstone of the team since 1996, and a new era was born, where Laker management vowed to build around one of the most talented players in the league in Kobe Bryant.

In some ways it made sense for the 2003-04 season to end the way it did, because at that point the Lakers peaked in veteran, experienced, Hall of Fame talent and still could not come away with the one thing that keeps a season from being a failure. From that top peak in '04, things came tumbling down in more ways than one in '05.

Replacing an experienced battled-tested "old" team, was the fountain of youth that included Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and Chris Mihm. Although it could be argued that Chucky Atkins brought some sort of vet savvy to the team, it remained relatively young in comparison to Laker teams of yesteryear. With the youth came another unfamiliarity: losing.

For the first time in a long time the Lakers finished with a losing record and failed to make the playoffs. Later, they suffered another embarrassment by having a worse record than their fellow LA Staples Center roommates, the Clippers. As if that wasn't enough, tired of three straight seasons of losing, their star player Kobe Bryant went on a whirlwind media tour claiming that the Lakers were attempting to lay the Shaquille O'Neal's exit at his footsteps, that they had deceived him regarding the team they claimed they would build around him, and that he would rather play on Pluto than continue to represent the purple and gold colors that he had worn his entire career.

 

LA Hoops Blog

Ultimately however, in true Laker fashion, things turned themselves around. Andrew Bynum, a third year player who people had only seen glimpses of brilliance from, turned into a low-post beast before going down with an injury. Just when all seemed lost post-Bynum's injury, the Lakers shocked the NBA by making a move for All-Star PF/C Pau Gasol. Eventually the Lakers found themselves back where they had always felt they belonged - the NBA Finals.

The entire rollercoaster ride however, began in the 2004-05 season. Because of this, LA Hoops Blog looks back on the top five adrenaline pumping, un-forgettable events from '05 to this past season in a brief glance at highs and lows in recent purple and gold history.

#5

Continued at LA Hoops Blog