The Laker Rater

Witness Protection Program

2009-07-13T03:10:00.021+10:00

Got Dunk Tape? No, I highly doubt you do. It's been a few days since Xavier's Jordan Crawford put Lebron on a potential poster. The Internet traffic has been going crazy, everybody seems to be searching for this footage. So crazy that the google adds to the right of this blog have been advertising 'the dunk tape' google search.

You've heard, you've seen, you know. Well actually, you haven't seen. In case you've been living under a rock, Nike officials confiscated 'The Tapes' of 'The Dunk'. Man this is just ridiculous. Riddle me this Batman; If it was so wrong for these guys to be filming in the first place, then why weren't the tapes taken before he got dunked on? Apparently they weren't supposed to be filming at 'that particular time' according to Nike officials.

Syracuse university Graduate Ryan Miller was one of the men who had their tapes confiscated. The original rumors were that Lebron spoke to the Nike officials who then proceeded to approach the men filming and once more, confiscate the tapes. In an interview with US radio station 13WHAM.com, Miller claimed that Lebron in fact approached the officials/Representatives during a break and told them to get the tapes. In Miller's words; "He (the media rep) just kept telling him, 'take his tape, take his tape'".Miller went on to say "Every time I would try to explain who I was filming for and why it wasn't against the policy, he didn't want to hear it and kept saying 'take his tape.'"

Now after a hoax on a 'BSPN' fake website, apparently this tape is to be auctioned off for charity. Well I bought into it myself before having looked into it, but it appears there is no such auctioning. Now I love King James, the guy is just an unbelievable talent but his ego is becoming too much these days and I blame Nike and the media world in general for putting him up so high on a pedestal, where they can rip him down from such great heights. Nike don't want this happening just yet though, they gotta eat. In the words of Chuck D; 'I like Nike but wait a minute...'. Not the message intended but fitting right here.

James needs to be smarter than that. Put that tape out there. Have a laugh at yourself man. How many cats have you dunked on and how many more will you put to shame in the future? Nobody is gonna stop showing Lebron James love for getting dunked on, if anything the opposite. It happens to the best of them only this time it happened to 'the best', depending on who you're talking to of course. All players get dunked on. It wasn't so long ago that Courtney Lee threw one down on Lebron in the Eastern Conference Finals and at that stage he was like what, a year out of college? Get over it. it happens. The thing that really gets me is if he had just let it out there, he'd cop less of a backlash than he has the way he's reacted. That said we all make mistakes, but learning from them is the point of making them.

Actions like this will only land Bron right in that Brat Pack where Kobe was all those years and to his own faults allot of the time. The New York Gloating. The 'not shaking hands'. The LBJ MVP T-Shirt ala Run DMC. And now this. It's a cold world when you act like this and Nike need to quit marketing this guy like he's immortal. Not one professional athlete is immortal, not even their image. The reaction from the Hoops world over the last few days has proven this. Lebron definitely ain't the first player and he won't be the last. I watched Kobe go through practically the same thing. It was somewhat funny watching the two of them in those infamous puppet commercials, but it's sad when you see them actually becoming puppets.

I must give Jordan Crawford his props. In an interview with ESPN (posted below), the kid showed more maturity than Lebron has in this whole situation. He showed allot of heart. The kid seemed switched on enough not to gloat about it and talk himself up in his 15 minutes. Respect. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being Chris Rocks 'Never Scared' Tour and 10 being Eddie Murphy's 'Delirious', well, this is right up there or right down there, completely hilarious. Let me just say it's been one complete joke. But Bron, I still got love for you, just please don't do it again, alright? Damn!

On the lighter side; check out the reporters left nostril getting sucked in in the video below gradually from the 5 second mark to the 10 second mark where it's entirely closed and then popping out at the 15 second mark. Coudn't help but notice and thought I was seeing things!

Weird stuff happening over at ESPN...

Disclaimer: This blog is in no way affiliated with the NBA or the Los Angeles Lakers or any players and/or teams featured in these blogs. All images, videos, and audio are property of their respective owners.

Morrison has a pulse

2009-07-12T17:58:00.001+10:00

Alright so it ain't exactly the kind of game where you might witness someone throwing it down on LeBron. Sorry, couldn't help myself. It's just the summer league. Getting excited over Morrison putting up 20 plus on back to back nights is pointless. He's a top 3 draft pick after all. He made the NBA All Rookie team. He headlined Gonzaga as their big name player. We all expected great things from him.

Never the less, I'm still hyped up about this. It still proves to me Adam can be productive. It tells me that the distant look he displays on the bench, is just out of boredom. It makes you think he's lost interest in playing altogether. Well, not true. I can see how for a kid with his talent, riding the sidelines may not be all that much fun. That thousand yard stare (as Kubrick put it in 'Full Metal Jacket') is just flat out boredom. After all, he was hyped up during the playoffs and finals. He was cheering like Ronnie Turiaf at times. He still wants to play.

Adam picked up where he left off yesterday leading the Lakers to an 88 - 82 Win over the Cavs in day 2 of play in Las Vegas. Morrison went for 22 with 12 coming from beyond the arch on 4 of 6 shooting. Another night of 50% shooting or more. Pretty impressive, even if these games ain't even considered to be on the same competitive level as the D-League. It's almost like try outs. To go with the 22, he also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists in his 32 minutes. Lakers are set to face Blake Griffin and The Clippers on Tuesday after a day of rest tomorrow. Hopefully Ammo and co. can up the ante. Any loss to the Clippers, no matter how minor or major, is just simply unacceptable.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the 'Kobe to the Clippers' threats a few seasons back and 10 being the Clippers finally bringing a title to LA of their own, well, forget all that. Bad example. Both would be huge positives for Clipper Darrell, Billy Crystal and the Clippers fan base in general. Not gonna happen. Let me just say that losing to the Clippers just flat out sucks any old time. All in Ammo.

Here's a look back on yesterdays highlights against The Raptors;

Disclaimer: This blog is in no way affiliated with the NBA or the Los Angeles Lakers or any players and/or teams featured in these blogs. All images, videos, and audio are property of their respective owners.

All Ammo In Vegas

2009-07-11T18:58:00.001+10:00

Business: Lakers Bench Warmer and former Star of the University of Gonzaga kicked off day one of the Lakers Vegas Summer league schedule today. Morrison, who averaged 19 points 5 rebounds and 2 assists in his three year career in college with the Bulldogs hasn't had the best of luck since. Widely remembered for laying spread out on the floor in his Bulldogs jersey with tears flowing after the UCLA Bruins ended Gonzaga's season in the 2006 NCAA Sweet Sixteen Tournament, Morrison was drafted 3rd overall in the 2006 NBA Draft and to many has been considered a bit of a let down considering he was picked ahead of franchise players of the likes of Brandon Roy (6th overall) and Rudy Gay (8th overall). Quite some hard acts to follow, or lead for that matter. He had a decent Rookie season but never quite lived up to the hype of a 3rd overall pick.

On October 21, 2007, the Charlotte Bobcats announced that Morrison had sustained a severe injury to his left knee in a pre-season exhibition game ironically against his current team. The injury was confirmed to be a torn ACL (ouch) and resulted in Ammo missing the whole 2007-08 NBA season. Morrison was acquired along with new Laker fan favorite and 'Chris Brown' look alike Shannon Brown from the Bobcats in exchange for Vladamir 'Radman/Borat/Space Cadet' Radmanovich. I for one was very pleased and this was before we knew the kind of talent we now have in Brown, who signed a 2 year extension with the Lakers earlier this week along with the Artest signing. I'm sure most Laker fans would have settled for a bag of Skittles in exchange for Vlade at that stage but Mitch did it again.

Back to Ammo and the Summer League. Let me first say, I actually do like this guy which seems like a rare and uncommon thing for a Laker fan, according to the 'buz' around the Internet. I use the term 'Bench Warmer' lightly, I mean look at who he was competing with for minutes last season. Morrison was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile diabetes at the age of 13, as was my younger brother at the age of 11. I've seen first hand how hard it is to contain that debilitating disease so I know Ammo must be an inspiration and great role model, not only for the kids and adults suffering from Diabetes, but the parents and families who care for their loved ones.

I for one really hope he can find some form in Vegas, get some confidence and swagger back, which he seems to have done today and fill a decent role for the team instead of being looked past every time B Shaw calls a players name. He didn't get a whole lot of court time this past season but when he did, I couldn't help but find myself supporting the guy, plus he's a R.A.T.M fan, and although I'm not quite sure what Ammo drives, we kind of park our cars in the same garage. Morrison kicked off day 1 in Vegas scoring 24 points on just above 50% shooting, coincident time: Adam also scored 24 points in that last game against The Bruins. He also chipped in with 5 boards and 3 assists last night leading the Lakers to an 85 - 84 win over Toronto. Yeah, yeah, It's just the summer league but I got all I was asking for, some productivity out of Morrison. I don't expect the guy to average more than 10 minutes a game in the 09/10 season, I just want to know if he's called upon, he'll step in and make some noise. It ain't too much to ask for from a guy earning close to what we're giving Ron, when you think about it, that's LO's money right there. Not a bad salary to ride the sidelines all the way to a championship. I'd do it for free.

Pleasure: Lakers back-up point man, Jordan Farmar has continued his run in the World Series of Poker today lasting 3 days with his 30k buy in. Jordan, who ironically was apart of that UCLA team that ended Morrison's days in Gonzaga dropping 15 points and 6 dimes in that fatal NCAA game back in 2006, apparently was up to 48 thousand in chips at the end of day 1, not bad for someone with little to no experience with Texas Hold'em. By the end of day 2, he had sent 12 people packing getting his bankroll up to around 150k but after a few big hands lost ended day 2 with around 75 thousand. Once again, not bad at all for someone with little to no experience.

"I'd never played poker before," said Farmar in a phone interview with the LA Times prior to Day 3. "I went to the Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles and played to get the hang of the game. I didn't know anything about what kind of poker they played here. I just knew what hand beat the next one."

Apparently Farmar's agent hooked up the spot in the tour and it's not unusual for the W.S.O.P to attract athletes and celebrities alike. Good luck on day 3 Jordan, for now, just go for the gold. And good luck to both Lakers for that matter, who's future's with this franchise are far from certain. I really hope Ammo can carry on the momentum from today into tomorrow game against Cavs which starts at 11pm Melb time. Both players have expiring contracts next season and have alot to prove if they have any hopes of remaining with the team or plan to compliment another.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being Ammo face down on a court floor devastated in tears and Jordan winning the WSOP, I'd rate this about a 5. Both young Lakers set to receive their championship rings on opening day later this year, still have a long way to go.

Disclaimer: This blog is in no way affiliated with the NBA or the Los Angeles Lakers or any players and/or teams featured in these blogs. All images, videos, and audio are property of their respective owners.

Lakers Artested

2009-07-11T09:08:00.001+10:00

Let me just say, I loved watching Ariza develop into the player that he had become in a Lakers jersey, even if it was only for a brief period. An LA native, coming out of UCLA just like Farmar, he was a fan favorite and loved by all Laker fans. When he threw it down on Grant Hill we knew we had something special, and he proved it in the next coming season. I know depth gets thrown around allot when talking about the Lakers of this past season, but it's said with truth. Ariza off the bench has been huge. We have had real depth. When he has started, we've had LO and Shannon coming through, once again; real depth. Now as far as losing Trevor to the Rockets, I can only speak on what I've seen and been told through the media, and based on the information I've gathered it looks as though Ariza's agent has played a deadly game with the Lakers management. There were claims that teams had offered big money for Trevor's services and talent, but when Mitch calls the bluff and signs Artest for practically the same money offered to Ariza, he signs with Houston for 200k more a season than what LA was offering. Does that make sense to anyone? Not likely.

Let me tell you what's wrong with this picture, even though it's obvious. Trevor has had one great season with LA. He's from LA. He just won a Championship with LA. He has left LA for a minor increase in pay to go and play with Houston, who while having a great season and making a run in the playoffs, clearly don't have much going for them in the immediate future with the injuries to Yao and McGrady's past relating to his current injury and his general health record. Combine that with Ron Artest walking and Ariza ain't in the best position considering what he has just left. A chance to remain on center stage. Sound like cutting your nose off despite your face? That's exactly what it is and 'it is what it is' as Trevor seemed to comment. There never was a big offer on the table. You don't sign with a team like that if you had a big offer. Initially I heard Artest was option A, but now I'm hearing Ariza was in fact option A. It's hard to call. I believe the Lakers GM wanted to keep this team intact, Ariza showed a heap of promise and was a key factor in some of those wins we pulled off in that Championship run, but if David Lee is going to play hardball, as he has in the past with the Bynum negotiations, and you can sign a proven veteran like Ron, then you'd be crazier than Ron has been perceived to not lock down Artest. Sorry Trevor, it's been fun, but the Lake show must go on.

Right now it's hard to call but I like this acquisition and let me tell you why. While Ron has had some troubled past he has showed promise over the last 2 to 3 seasons and while you will get the odd game where he 'loses' it so to speak, he still manages to remain professional for the most part. I happened to be watching the Pistons/Pacers game live when that whole fiasco went down. I was blown away. I had been somewhat of an Artest fan up until that stage but as allot of people did, I began to wonder about 'crazy' Ron. Things have been different the last few seasons with Artest, he's kept his cool for the most part and just kept his head down doing what he does best. We just put him alongside one of the greatest to play the game who Ron goes way back with and looks up to. Ron and Odom (who we still need to lock down) also go way back as childhood friends and if there's ever a coach who can keep Ron in check, Phil Jackson is your man. I've read Dennis Rodman's books and it was evident that Coach Jackson was the only one broad minded enough to keep Dennis happy and focused. Wrestling antics aside.

The Lakers also just got much more tougher. It's plain for all to see. This has to be a positive for any fan who remember getting stomped on by the Celtics. In the 07/08 season we were bullied out of a title. They simply weren't physical enough to stand up to that Boston team. Things changed last season, LO stood up and got right in Garnett's face, Pau stood up and showed the presence he possesses. The Lakers were no longer a 'push over' and we just got stronger. We swept the season series against Boston last season. Once without Bynum who we were also without in the 2008 NBA Finals. You add Artest to the equation and it makes perfect sense. All of a sudden the Celtics landing Sheed doesn't even phase this Laker fan. If Ron can remain professional, focused and keep his emotions off the floor, I'm confident this works for the better. When you look around the league there are many big name changes taking place. Shaq to Cleveland. Carter to Orlando. Jefferson to San Antonio. Marion to Dallas. Sheed to Boston. In a league where so many teams are making vital changes to get themselves over the line, it only makes sense to make some necessary changes of our own and if you look at the history of our championship runs, it definitely ain't the first time, and it won't be the last. So welcome to LA Ron. Enjoy your time. Get that Ring.

There were reports a few weeks ago of Ron entering the Lakers locker room in Boston after we lost in game 6. He approached Kobe in the the showers and told him 'I'm gonna find a way to come to LA, I'm gonna help you win a Championship'. At first I didn't believe it but it sounded like Ron. The insanity of it fit the image some of us have had for the guy. Now having heard it from both horses mouths, it seems to be true. It's crazy enough for Ron to do. What was he doing in Boston? How did he get into the locker rooms? Who cares? I do. It shows how much heart this guy has. We're lucky enough to sign another player who has one thing on his mind; Championships.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a loss to the Celtics and a 10 being absolute Showtime in '85; this ranks right up there. Consider what we've given up. We lost Ariza, we gain Ron who is proven. It's a 'no brainer'. It's the right move to make. And the most important thing, the guy has heart, despite public perception and he wants to be here. He's wanted to be here since his days in Indiana. He's taken a pay cut to be here and I'm proud to have Ron in LA. Who knows what the future holds? It's yet to be seen but for now I'm pretty hyped up about this. It's been almost 3 years in the making since the first time Artest's name was mentioned in regards to coming to LA and now he's finally here. In the words of WC; 'This is Los Angeles'. And let me add; Let the good times roll.

Disclaimer: This blog is in no way affiliated with the NBA or the Los Angeles Lakers or any players and/or teams featured in these blogs. All images, videos, and audio are property of their respective owners.

Point Forward

2009-07-10T11:56:00.001+10:00

It was 1990, I was 12 years old. That year sparked my first season playing basketball. I fell in love with the game and football (Aussie Rules) took a back seat as it would for the next 20 years. Now don't get me wrong, I love my AFL but Basketball would become the sport of choice for the rest of my life. I didn't know it right off the bat, but I had discovered the greatest game in the world. The one thing that took it to the next level was discovering the limited NBA coverage we had back then. One game a week, replayed each Friday or Saturday night on our very own ABC, the least watched television station we had here in Australia back in 1990. It wasn't until years later that I realised that one regular season game a week, a first half of highlights and the second half in full was poor coverage. At the time I was happy with it, and it was the only way for it to grow here down under. I didn't know any better and at the time I was spoilt and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Watching that first game late on a weekend night, I became a Laker fan. I can't remember who they were playing but watching Magic run the floor and direct the flow like a true general, I became a Laker fan. Watching Worthy slash to the basket and clean the boards, I became a Laker fan. Watching Elden Campbell, Sam Perkins, Byron Scott. I loved this team. I became a Laker fan. Now I already knew the players from buying packets of cards at the local basketball stadium after games, but I hadn't seen these guys in action. I already knew who the big names were from the kids sporting the caricature T's at school, at Practice and at the stadiums so I already knew who the superstars of the NBA were. I knew who Magic was, who Michael was, Larry, Isaiah, Sir Charles, The Mailman... I won't list them all, you get the point.

I guess what I'm saying is if the Bulls and Michael had been playing the Mavericks, I may have become a Bulls fan. If the Sixers and Barkley had been playing Denver, I may have been a Phili fan. If Boston (shudder) and Bird had been playing the Spurs, I might have Celtics jerseys hanging in the closet rather than Lakers. It was meant to be and it's certainly been a great ride looking back on all those years of success, but that said it wasn't always easy as it never is for any fan. The highs and lows naturally come with any team you pledge your allegiance too, unless you remain a player fan or follow multiple teams as allot of Australian NBA fans do. Even then you go through the highs and lows following any player. In 1991 the Lakers faced off against the Bulls where Michael and co. would begin their early run of the decade and take the NBA world by storm. The following season, Magic was forced to retire. And even though I got to watch one of the greatest performances the following year of all time in an All-Star game, even though I got to watch him compete on the biggest stage at the Olympics the following year, at the time, my world was shattered.

In the early years of the 90's the NBA had a boom period down here in Australia and at times it was easy to follow and at other times, not so easy. The Chicago Bulls took center stage away from The Celtics and The Lakers and The Pistons, so naturally they dominated the coverage here. I always loved to watch Michael, so while the Lakers were finding their place in the NBA without Magic, it wasn't always that bad. Especially when they were beating the teams that ended our seasons all those years. Over the last 10 to 12 years it's become much easier. The Internet, Pay TV, Free to air TV; all creating avenues for a Laker fan like myself to follow that purple and gold team with the same anticipation I had as a child pleading to stay up late, sitting in front of the television with a blanket waiting for the Lake show to come on TV. Each season I find myself even more excited about he next up-coming season, and this up-coming season, I'm taking the next step; I'm entering the blogging world, so look out blogging world!

I'll be rating all things Laker related (clever I know), right here on this site. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being dismal and 10 being Showtime, I'm looking forward to allot of Showtime. One thing I've learnt about us fans is we are a confident fan base. With the success of last season, and the short comings of the season before that, I'm confident I'll have allot of positive things to post in the up coming in 2009/10. The Laker world can expect great things next season, and I'm proud to be able to share it with fellow fans and enthusiasts.

Well, that's me in a purple and gold nutshell. My introduction and point forward if you will. In the future; less about me and more about LA. Get ready for another great season.