Now, I know I'm prefacing again, but before I even get started here, I just wanted to say that you guys officially don't get me! From now on, you can refer to me as the "12 year smarmy blogger that's going to get passed up by the adults on this site."

Anyway, I'll probably get a bunch of crap for highlighting this kid... hell, I'll probably get a bunch of crap for calling this kid a 'kid', but hey, he has the Brett Favre effect. You can't help but love him.

Coby Freaking Karl.

That's right, Nuggets coach, George Karl's son. It took a little while to get past the whole "son of an NBA great" thing (the same routine went down with Luke Walton), but over the course of training camp, this kid's off the court demeanor, and on the court play (given his value for an undrafted rookie) has earned him some props among the Lakers faithful.

Karl played college ball at Boise State (yeah, basketball powerhouse) where he averaged 17.2 ppg in his junior year and 14.8 in his senior year.

The heartwarming part comes next. Karl was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma cancer earlier this year, and fully recovered; game intact.

The fans love the Turiaf effect.

Karl was the only Laker on the preseason roster without a guaranteed contract, thus putting a ton of doubt on his future with the team. Based on his performance in the preseason, combined with the Lakers not really having any other option, Karl made the regular season roster.

Karl's future is definitely unclear, but for the time being, I LOVE HIM.