So far this offseason the Lakers have re-signed Sasha Vujacic, and signed Josh Powell, Dwayne Mitchell, Joe Crawford, and Sun Yue. Most Lakers fan want Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic gone, and they don't care for who either as long as it isn't someone with a worse contract. More than half of all Lakers fans want Lamar Odom traded for Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince, Shawn Marion, or Carmelo Anthony. I wouldn't mind having any of those players on the Lakers, except I wouldn't want to have to give up Odom to get Prince. I think that if we were to trade anyone it would be Luke Walton because his contract still has 5 years on it. So he will be under contract for over 6 million a year when he will be completely worthless. Vladimir Radmanovic's contract runs out the same year as Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic, and Kobe Bryant (if he doesn't opt out and get a different contract this year). And we will probably have more people who's contract run out that year too. Since Pau and Kobe will be older and won't be asking for a bigger contract we don't really need the cap room we get from Space Cadet's contract running out. But with Kobe and Pau getting a smaller contract and Radmanovic's expiring we will be able to sign a really good free agent. Even if Luke has a good season in 08-09 the Lakers will need to trade him because his contract goes way too long. That Lakers were rumored to be trying to get Shaun Livingston, Ron Artest, Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, and James Posey among others this offseason. Since the Heat have a logjam at forward it might be possible for the Lakers to get Udonis Haslem without having to give up a starter. Maybe Vladimir Radmanovic and Chris Mihm for Udonis Haslem would work, but only if the Heat were desperate for another center. The Lakers have 8 guards on their training camp roster so far. Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, and Sun Yue are already on the team. Coby Karl, Dwayne Mitchell, and Joe Crawford are fighting for a roster spot. The Lakers only have 5 big men under contract right now (Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Josh Powell, and Chris Mihm). Vladimir Radmanovic is 6-10 and can play power forward, but he isn't really considered a big man. DJ MBenga is a free agent right now, but the Lakers have shown interest in re-signing him. If the Lakers re-sign DJ MBenga and Mihm returns to his old self then they should be good at the center position as long as Bynum and Mihm stay healthy. Next offseason Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, and Andrew Bynum will all be wanting more money. Kobe Bryant has the option to opt out of his contract or not opt out and get paid 23 million the next season and 24 million the one after that. In order to pay Bynum, Ariza, and Farmar more and keep the key players on the team Lamar Odom will have to be resigned for about 7 million, and Kobe will have to opt out and be paid a couple million dollars less per year. The Lakers biggest problem is defense and the lack of good big men. Getting Udonis Haslem would solve the power forward issue because we would have Pau Gasol starting, Udonis Haslem on the bench, and Lamar Odom and Josh Powell can play a lot of minutes if needed. At center the Lakers have Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm, but Pau Gasol can also play center if needed. If Andrew Bynum comes back healthy then he will be one of the best centers in the league and would probably make the All-star team as a backup center. Chris Mihm is a starting quality center when healthy, but when unhealthy like he was during the playoffs he is pretty much useless. The Lakers should and need to sign another center. DJ MBenga did good for the Lakers last season in limited minutes, and thats all we would need him to do this season. He is defensive minded and won't want a lot of money. Alonzo Mourning would also be a good backup center if he is healthy. The Lakers don't need to make any major trades unless the tall frontline of Pau, Lamar, and Bynum doesn't work. In the case that the tall frontline doesn't work the person to go would be Odom. He could be traded to the Heat for Marion, the Pistons for Prince, the Bulls for Nocioni, the Bucks for Jefferson, the Wizards for Jamison, or to another team that has players that the Lakers want that they would be willing to give up for Odom. The Lakers should also try and get Tom Thibodeau away from the Celtics. With him the Lakers defense would be majorly improved and their offense would be as good as it was last season since Phil Jackson could focus more on that with Thibodeau there. The Lakers have a lot of money from merchandise and ticket sales so they will have a lot of money to spend on trying to lure Tom Thibodeau to the Lakers. The Lakers are in a good position to be competing for championships for the next 10 years.
The Blazers need a PG, the Grizzlies need a SF and the Lakers need a SF who can shoot so I came up with a perfect trade to solve everyones needs.
Lakers Receive:
Travis Outlaw
Outgoing Players: Trevor Ariza
Blazers Receive:
Mike Conley
Outgoing Players: Travis Outlaw
Grizzlies Receive:
Trevor Ariza
Outgoing Players: Mike Conley
The Salaries are close so it would work and it solves everyone's needs. If the Blazers don't want to do it then the Grizzlies could throw in a 2nd round pick.
It may seem like Memphis is getting screwed, but in this trade they are getting about 15 million dollars worth of expiring contracts, and they get some good, young talent. The Blazers get the point guard they've wanted, and the Lakers get a bunch of big men that they really need. The Lakers would be insanely deep. This trade works according to ESPN Trade Machine.
Ubershorty says he's the Best Blogger in the World
By: M.E. Sohappy
Foxsports blogger Ubershorty, who recently read some blogs about all-blog teams and blog awards, is making, ahem, news about what he said to a Spanish reporter. The money translation, via Red Army: "Q: Is J-dizzle really the best blogger in the world? Ubershorty: I don't think J-dizzle is the best blogger. I'm the best blogger. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself." On Thursday, Ubershorty stood by his comments, saying he is entitled to his opinion. "That's what I said. I am a confident blogger and a lot of people might look at it like 'Oh, another cocky attitude,' but I don't look at it that way," said Ubershorty. "I have an opinion, I have a right to have one and that's the way I feel. I felt I've blogged against the best over the years and felt right now that I'm the best blogger in the world." Ubershorty said his comments were not a knock on J-dizzle. Nor was he saying that J-dizzle was conceited and he was confident. "You could have asked me about any other blogger and I would have given you the same answer," Ubershorty said. He added, laughing, "I would have said that (if he thought J-dizzle was conceited). "I think J-dizzle is a great blogger, but I think he ran into a better blogger," he said. "He beat the best on Foxsports. But he just ran up against the better blogger. "I think he will be a great blogger next year. Maybe I'll see him near the top of foxsports again."
*This is a tribute to Paul Pierce and all of his greatness.
The USA basketball team has been redeemed by winning its first gold since 2000. Though some players surprised us, some were disappointments.
Kobe Bryant - A+
Kobe played lockdown defense for most of every game in the Olympics, and he came up in the clutch against Spain. If it wasn't for him the USA team might not have won. His 4-point play which also fouled out Rudy Fernandez was the biggest play that secured their win.
Lebron James - A+
Lebron did what he was expected to do. He shot good shots, passed, rebounded, and played good defense.
Dwyane Wade - A+
Wade was one of the surprises this Olympics. He returned to his old, high-flying self. He shot a high percentage and had a lot of highlights. He also hit some clutch shots to secure their win against Spain.
Chris Bosh - A
Bosh surprised everyone with how good he did. He did better than Howard and led the team in rebounding off the bench. He also shot over 90% from the line.
Chris Paul - A
He played good defense, and got everyone involved offensively. Not much else to say about him.
Carmelo Anthony - A-
'Melo was one of the best shooters on the team this olympics. He was one of the few people who actually did good from the free throw line and he played the best defense of his career.
Tayshaun Prince - B+
Didn't get much playing time, but when he was in he made an impact. He played good defense and knocked down a few shots when they were available.
Deron Williams - B
Deron played well on the offensive team and led the team in assists, but on the defensive end of the court he didn't play as well. Made a lot of 3's and didn't take stupid shots.
Jason Kidd - B
Kidd's experience helped the young team win gold, and he also hit 6 of 7 shots during the whole tournament. He passed the ball well, and he shot smart shots.
Michael Redd - B
Didn't play much, but when he was in he played decent defense, made some 3's and even dunked it a couple times. He didn't hurt us, but he didn't help us that much either.
Dwight Howard - B-
Superman didn't dominate the paint against soft guys like the Brothers Gasol like everyone expected, but he go some dunks and blocked some shots. His free throw shooting was a major problem and its a good thing it didn't come back to haunt us.
Carlos Boozer - C
Boozer didn't play well on either end of the court. He missed some pretty easy layups and wasn't a force on defense. But he didn't really hurt us either.
Overall Team - A
This team was the most cohesive one that there ever was so far. They played team ball and kept their egos in check.
Today is Kobe Bryant's 30th Birthday!!! Kobe has been in the league 12 years and he is only 30. Hopefully the 30's don't mean that he will start declining. I don't think it does because Kobe is the best!!! NBA.com had some stuff about it so here it is.
Q & A with Kobe Bryant
August 23, 2008 -- Superstar Kobe Bryant turns 30 today. While that may be old by NBA standards, Bryant is showing no signs of slowing down. He capped a remarkable 2007-08 season by winning his first MVP award and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to The Finals. And he and the rest of the U.S. Olympic Team appear on the verge of a gold medal. This week, he spoke with John Schuhmann of NBA.com about reaching the big three-oh.
NBA.com: Your thoughts on turning 30?
Kobe Bryant: I made it.
NBA.com: Does it make you feel old?
Kobe Bryant: It's funny. I honestly feel younger now than I did last year or a couple of years ago. My legs feel great. I'm feeling great.
NBA.com: What are your plans for your birthday?
Kobe Bryant: Go watch Argentina and Nigeria play in the (men's soccer) finals and check out the women in the gold medal game.
NBA.com: How do you feel?
Kobe Bryant: I feel great. I'm in a great spot right now with the U.S. Team, and my team back home with the improvements that we made. I'm feeling good. I'm rolling at 30.
NBA.com: Do you think your teammates will tease you about being old?
Kobe Bryant: They know they gotta see me come October, so they're not gonna say too much.
SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOBE BRYANT AKA BLACK MAMBA AKA THE DOBERMAN!!!
I, like many other bloggers have made a couple blogs with trade ideas for Lamar Odom. My favorite trade idea used to be Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar for Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni. And before he was resigned, I thought that a signed and trade for Josh Smith would be the best. But after hearing that Lamar Odom might be traded for this Tuesday it has made everyone think of who it might be for. People have commented on by blogs with their ideas and the best one I have seen is Lamar Odom for Antawn Jamison. Even if we have to throw in Jordan Farmar and they throw in Antonio Daniels it is still the best trade I've heard. The best one for the Lakers would be to trade Odom for Jamison and Pecherov.
We don't need to make a complicated 4- way trade like I always want to do. Just two teams and 4 players. According to ESPN trade machine these trades work.
Lakers Trade:
Lamar Odom ($14,148,596), Jordan Farmar (1,080,000)
Wizards Trade:
Antawn Jamison (9,923,285), Antonio Daniels (6,200,000)
I'm not going to put in the stats because it always gets messed up for me. Antawn Jamison averaged 20 and 10 last year while Lamar Odom average 14 and 10. Lamar Odom is a 6-10 Foward who can bring the ball up court and pass well. He can't shoot very well and isn't very aggresive. Antawn Jamison is a 6-9 Foward who can shoot really well, rebounds well, but can't bring the ball upcourt and isn't known for his passing. They both play mediocre defense. Antawn Jamison was one of the only 20 and 10 guys last year. He has better stats than future hall of famers Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. He did all that while being the 2nd option on his team. Lamar Odom was the 3rd option for most of the year, but he had similar stats to when he was the 2nd option on a not very good team.
"I have been an intern working for the Lakers during my last three years at UCLA. I graduated in June, and the Lakers have offered me a position within the organization. My job deals with marketing and designing. Anyway, today was my first day on the job, and I was told by my boss to begin to create advertisements for all of the Lakers, except for Lamar Odom. He said Odom has been traded and it will be official by next Tuesday. He didn't tell me who he was traded for." Just passing on what I was told...
Too be announced on Tuesday if it is true.
Unless it is a really good trade for the Lakers I hope that they didn't do it.
The New Orleans Hornets have changed their logos and uniforms for the 08-09 season. The uniforms are more like the old Charlotte uniforms and the logos are modernized.
Hugo seems to be sporting a snarl, teal has been replaced by "Creole blue" and pinstripes, which the team debuted in the NBA two decades ago, have returned to the new-look Hornets uniforms unveiled to a large gathering of season ticket holders and sponsors Wednesday afternoon.
The popular "fleur de bee" logo which made its first appearance as a patch on the uniform fronts last year, returns as the team's secondary logo and becomes what the team is calling a major element of the brand identity. It's also now on each side of the shorts as well as at the top of the back of the jerseys, above the player's name.
In addition a third logo, called the "NOLA horn" featuring the city's abbreviation and a Mardi Gras gold trumpet, will now be part of the shorts placed in the rear, just below the waistband.
The name "New Orleans" remains emblazoned across the chest of both the home white uniforms, in Creole blue, and the road blues in Mardi Gras gold.
Purple, a deeper shade in the re-design, continues to be a primary part of the accents.
"These uniforms reflect what New Orleans is: style and class," said Hornets guard Morris Peterson, who, along with teammate Julian Wright, modeled the new threads at the afternoon debut party at Tipitina's in the French Quarter.
Chad Shinn, Hornets executive officer of the board, said the return of pinstripes to the Hornets uniform, first part of the wardrobe when the expansion team began playing in Charlotte in 1988, gives the newly designed uniforms "a classy look.
The new Hornets logo
"It's sharp," Shinn went on, "and it just shows the style and smoothness of New Orleans. I think they turned out great."
Adidas, one of the NBA's corporate sponsors, along with the league, with help from Shinn, his father owner George Shinn, team president Hugh Weber and marketing chief Matt Biggers all had a hand in the re-design.
The one constant was the city's name across the front of both home and road uniforms. The only time that hasn't been the case was during the two seasons the Hornets had to play away from New Orleans in Oklahoma City, when the home uniforms had the team's nickname across the front. Road uniforms still read "New Orleans."
Here is what the new team shorts will look like and in the background you can see the new logos.
"That's something (George Shinn) has always been about," Chad Shinn said. "It'll always say the city across the chest and that's something I've always been impressed with. Just representing your city, home and away, when you see pictures or posters, it'll always say 'New Orleans.' That's a great ad."
Shinn said the time was right for a new uniform design and a logo update, since the primary logo has remained somewhat static for two decades, save for the words across Hugo's chest that have changed from Charlotte, to New Orleans to Oklahoma City to now, NOLA.
"I've always wanted to change the logo and make it more 3-dimensional," Shinn said, "and make the colors more vibrant. Our jerseys here have looked kind of bland and thrown together. Now we can give people in New Orleans their own jerseys and own identities."
Peterson and Wright both seemed to like the new designs they wore at the debut party Wednesday afternoon.
"You can tell they're well thought-out," said Wright, who wore the road blues. "You can tell how they crafted it. A lot of detail went into it. Everyone, when they're looking at the jerseys, even if they're not a fan of ours, they're going to stop and stare. Maybe we can get them on our side."
Home whites and road blues are the only two uniforms the Hornets will wear in 2008-09. The Mardi Gras gold uniforms that have been worn at times the last three seasons will no longer be used.
"This uniform symbolizes a fresh start, a new look, a revitalized team with a championship attitude," Peterson said. "Whenever you're trying to do something big, you always have to make changes. This is part of changing our goals."
Here are the answers to my quiz. 1. Oak Hill Academy 2. Andrew Bynum 3. Manute Bol/ Gheorghe Muresan (7'7") 4. Michael Jordan 5. Reggie Miller 6. Kevin Garnett 7. 71 points by Elgin Baylor 8. Ben Wallace 9. Dikembe Mutombo (rumored to be anywhere from 40-47)/ Robert Parish (44) 10. Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone (12th season) Standings: 1) SRMgenius: 4 1/2 points 2) r2dav and edcinchsaint: 4 points Since there are only 3 people everyone would get a medal if this was Olympic style, but instead you get nothing.
Downs' has been doing some NBA trivias lately, but they always have old basketball stuff that I don't know since I haven't been a basketball fan for very long. My trivia will be mainly new stuff with a little old stuff too. This trivia is pretty easy.
1) What high school did Josh Smith go to?
2) Who is the youngest player to ever be drafted and to play in a game?
3) Who is the tallest basketball player ever?
4) Who has the highest career ppg average?
5) Who has made the most career 3-pointers?
6) Who was the first person to sign a contract worth over 100 million dollars?
7) Before Kobe Bryant scored 81 points what was the highest point amount in a game by a Laker?
8) Who has the all-time worst FT% for their career?
9) Who is the oldest person ever to be in the NBA?
10) Which two players went the longest in their career before winning their first MVP?
I like the Lakers and I hate the Celtics. I have been a Lakers fan since the 2007 playoffs. I am not a bandwagoner though, because I stayed a fan through Kobe's trade demands and watched every game this season even though people thought they were going to be bad. I hate the Celitcs because of the players attitudes and they are always favored by the refs. My favorite players are Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kyle Weaver.
Anthony. I wouldn't mind having any of those players on the Lakers, except I wouldn't want to have to give up Odom to get Prince. I think that if we were to trade anyone it would be Luke Walton because his contract still has 5 years on it. So he will be under contract for over 6 million a year when he will be completely worthless. Vladimir Radmanovic's contract runs out the same year as Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic, and Kobe Bryant (if he doesn't opt out and get a different contract this year). And we will probably have more people who's contract run out that year too. Since Pau and Kobe will be older and won't be asking for a bigger contract we don't really need the cap room we get from Space Cadet's contract running out. But with Kobe and Pau getting a smaller contract and Radmanovic's expiring we will be able to sign a really good free agent. Even if Luke has a good season in 08-09 the Lakers will need to trade him because his contract goes way too long. That Lakers were rumored to be trying to get Shaun Livingston, Ron Artest, Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, and James Posey among others this offseason. Since the Heat have a logjam at forward it might be possible for the Lakers to get Udonis Haslem without having to give up a starter. 
Maybe Vladimir Radmanovic and Chris Mihm for Udonis Haslem would work, but only if the Heat were desperate for another center. The Lakers have 8 guards on their training camp roster so far. Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, and Sun Yue are already on the team. Coby Karl, Dwayne Mitchell, and Joe Crawford are fighting for a roster spot. The Lakers only have 5 big men under contract right now (Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Josh Powell, and Chris Mihm). Vladimir Radmanovic is 6-10 and can play power forward, but he isn't really considered a big man. DJ MBenga is a free agent right now, but the Lakers have shown interest in re-signing him. If the Lakers re-sign DJ MBenga and Mihm returns to his old self then they should be good at the center position as long as Bynum and Mihm stay healthy. Next offseason Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, and Andrew Bynum will all be wanting more money. Kobe Bryant has the option to opt out of his contract or not opt out and get paid 23 million the next season and 24 million the one after that. In order to pay Bynum, Ariza, and Farmar more and keep the key players on the team Lamar Odom will have to be resigned for about 7 million, and Kobe will have to opt out and be paid a couple million dollars less per year. The Lakers biggest problem is defense and the lack of good big men. Getting Udonis Haslem would solve the power forward issue because we would have Pau Gasol starting, Udonis Haslem on the bench, and Lamar Odom and Josh Powell can play a lot of minutes if needed. At center the Lakers have Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm, but Pau Gasol can also play center if needed. If Andrew Bynum comes back healthy then he will be one of the best centers in the league and would probably make the All-star team as a backup center. Chris Mihm is a starting quality center when healthy, but when unhealthy like he was during the playoffs he is pretty much useless. The Lakers 
should and need to sign another center. DJ MBenga did good for the Lakers last season in limited minutes, and thats all we would need him to do this season. He is defensive minded and won't want a lot of money. Alonzo Mourning would also be a good backup center if he is healthy. The Lakers don't need to make any major trades unless the tall frontline of Pau, Lamar, and Bynum doesn't work. In the case that the tall frontline doesn't work the person to go would be Odom. He could be traded to the Heat for Marion, the Pistons for Prince, the Bulls for Nocioni, the Bucks for Jefferson, the Wizards for Jamison, or to another team that has players that the Lakers want that they would be willing to give up for Odom. The Lakers should also try and get Tom Thibodeau away from the Celtics. With him the Lakers defense would be majorly improved and their offense would be as good as it was last season since Phil Jackson could focus more on that with Thibodeau there. The Lakers have a lot of money from merchandise and ticket sales so they will have a lot of money to spend on trying to lure Tom Thibodeau to the Lakers. The Lakers are in a good position to be competing for championships for the next 10 years.
Receive: 
Receive: 
Receive: 
Kobe Bryant - A+
Lebron James - A+
Dwyane Wade - A+
Chris Bosh - A
Chris Paul - A
Carmelo Anthony - A-
Tayshaun Prince - B+
Deron Williams - B
Jason Kidd - B
Michael Redd - B
Dwight Howard - B-
Carlos Boozer - C.jpg)
Overall Team - A
Lebron James
Brandon Roy
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Paul Pierce
Steve Nash
Baron Davis
The new Hornets logo
Here is what the new team shorts will look like and in the background you can see the new logos.
