Super Man or Super Soon?

Kobe Bryant may be pushing himself too hard

By Tara Sadat-Tehrani

Mark J. Terrill / AP

The moment Kobe Bryant fell to the ground against the Golden State Warriors on March 13, 2013, fans knew that Los Angeles had to be ready for a new team without their star.  As he slowly got up and hit two free throws, Kobe Bryant went straight to the locker room hoping to return to the game.  

Unfortunately, Kobe was advised to get surgery for his ruptured Achilles and would have to be out the rest of the season and part of this season.  As we all know, Bryant does not enjoy sitting out of games.  He played with a torn ligament in his wrist most of 2012 and still averaged twenty-seven points.  Now, the real question is, when will Kobe return this season?  Will he prove to all NBA fans once again that he can come back before most players or will he play it safe and come back when it’s most appropriate?

The earliest Kobe Bryant should be returning to games is October, but the latest would be in January.  Knowing Bryant, he wants to come back as soon as he can to help his team succeed and so far he believes that he is “feeling good” although there is no time table for his return.

 Judging from his social media updates, Kobe wants us fans to believe that he will be coming back by the first game of the season.  He has posted videos on Instagram of him running on an altered gravity treadmill teasing the NBA audience that his improvement is way ahead of schedule.  Now, NBA analysts on Twitter are even backing up Bryant saying that he will be coming back at an impossible time for anyone who has ruptured their Achilles. 

Mike D’Antoni and the rest of the coaching staff are probably cringing with all the news surrounding Kobe’s injury and probably hope that this isn’t pressuring the super star to come back by the season opener versus their city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers. With the buzz around the league, Kobe wants to prove everyone wrong.  But what’s new?  He knows that he can play through anything and show every other athlete that they should do the same.

Bryant’s super man habits have even changed us as fans to believe that any injury is something small, and getting back up from a rolled ankle is not a big deal.  Let us NBA fans cross our fingers that Kobe Bryant’s unlikely timetable will be one more realistic than others.   His skills are something every NBA fan, whether they dislike him or not, are ones to look forward to, but if he wants to play the superman role and comes back a little too soon, his NBA days will be delayed or maybe even over.  

Lakers Fire Coach Mike Brown

By Ryan Raigrodski

Just a few days ago, after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz and fell to a 1-4 record, Lakers Executive Vice President Jim Buss came out and defended now former head coach Mike Brown.

"I have no problems with Mike Brown at all," Buss said yesterday to the media. "He just works too hard and he's too knowledgeable for this to be happening.”

And yet one day after publicly defending his head coach, the sports world received a shocker when the Lakers announced the decision to fire head coach Mike Brown.

While the Lakers have not been able to live up to the preseason expectations so far, it seems like a move of panic to fire Mike Brown so early into the season. First of all, Steve Nash has only been able to play one game, injuring his leg, so it is unknown what Brown could have done with the team with Nash in the lineup. Also, Dwight Howard suffered a back injury at the end of last season and is nowhere near 100 percent health wise yet.

Not only are injuries one reason why it is too early to get rid of Brown, but Nash and Howard also are both new to the team. When teams dramatically change the roster the way the Lakers did this offseason, it takes time for the new players to get accustomed to the play of the rest of the team.

As the Miami Heat lifted the NBA trophy last year, people forgot that when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the team, the team struggled early. They stuck by their coach through their early struggles and now they have a ring.

Many have speculated that the Lakers decided to make the move because Kobe is unhappy with Brown, and that could very well be the case. When it became a reality that the Lakers would not beat the Jazz on Wednesday, Kobe made what is being referred to by many in the media as a “death stare” which may have reflected his distaste with Brown. If this is why the Lakers made the decision, that goes to show how some players have too much power within their organization, as it should be the general manager or owner’s decision to fire a coach, not a player.

The question now becomes who will become the next Lakers head coach? Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff will take over on an interim basis as the Lakers search for a permanent replacement for Brown.

Many have speculated that the Lakers could hire Mike D’Antoni, formerly coach of the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns and an assistant coach on the most recent United States gold medal team. However, he just had surgery on his knee and will not be able to walk for a few more weeks.

The Lakers might make a call to former head coach Phil Jackson, who won five rings with the Lakers and is in a relationship with Jim Buss’s sister Jeanie. He recently retired though, so it is unknown whether he will be willing to come out of retirement and return to the Lakers. If D’Antoni and Jackson do not work out, the name to watch out for is former Portland Trailblazers head coach Nate McMillan. He was quite successful in Portland and may be a fallback plan for the Lakers should they not be able to hire D’Antoni or Jackson.

Lakers Struggle Early Due to Princeton Offense

By Ryan Raigrodski

As the season began, most every fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA) thought that the Los Angeles Lakers would stand atop the West, if not the entire league. It appeared that a team that has four star players in Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard could lose very few games. And yet somehow, they begin the season with a 0-2 record.

"I've won so I can (tell people to shut up)," Bryant said to the media yesterday about the team’s early season performance. "For Mike it might be a little tough to say that so I'll say it for him: 'Everybody shut up. Let us work. At the end of the day, you'll be happy with the result as you normally are.'”

AP Photo/ Mark J. Terrill

While Bryant may feel the criticism of the team is too early or unjust, watching the games forces you to disagree. Whether it is game one or game 82, it doesn’t feel like the style of many of the Lakers’ play fits this offense.  

What the Lakers are running right now is known as the Princeton offense. The Princeton offense emphasizes a half-court offense, in which the ball is moved around the court many times until a player can find an opening. The offense is slow and involves many passes, which is why many college teams use it, as college athletes do not have the athleticism that professional players do, particularly the Lakers.

In Phoenix, Steve Nash thrived running the pick and roll offense. He even had a rule for the offense: shoot and score in seven seconds or less. With this new Lakers offense, they barely get the ball across midcourt in seven seconds. The quick offense Nash ran in Phoenix would also suit Howard’s game, as Nash could throw him lead passes off of picks and Howard would be open to dunk the ball.  

While this offense may be a worse fit for Steve Nash then anyone, he, like Kobe, tried saying all the right things to the media yesterday to quiet the criticism.

"It is dramatically different from what I've done the last eight years," Nash said. "But I still think there's a lot of room to find a comfort in the offense. It's not all about how I can be the centerpiece. It's about how can we all collectively make each other better, and I think this offense provides us with an opportunity to do that, albeit, in time."

On paper, the Lakers may have a great roster. But fans have forgotten the key element, which is the head coach. Mike Brown still has yet to win a championship in his career, even with opportunity after opportunity in Cleveland. The question is, can Brown make the right decisions and utilize the stars he has to their full potential so the Lakers can win a championship? Right now, with the decision to run the Princeton offense, he is not doing that.

Kings and Suns Head Into Season Filled With Question Marks

By Ryan Raigrodski

For several years now, the Sacramento Kings’ franchise has gotten used to one thing, losses upon losses. For the past few seasons, they have sat in the bottom of the West where fans wonder, even before the season starts, how high of a pick they will get in the draft.

AP Photo/ Steve Yeater

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have been consistent contenders for years, since signing point guard Steve Nash. While they did not make the playoffs last season, they still were in the hunt most of the year. Now that they have lost the face of their franchise to the division rival Lakers, however, fans of the Suns have about the same expectations that Kings fans have had for the first time in a while.

Besides John Salmons, the entire Kings starting lineup consists of players that they have drafted over the past few seasons. All of these players may start, but they have huge question marks that they have been unable to answer.

Isaiah Thomas put up solid numbers as the starting point guard last year but still is very undersized for the position and has trouble guarding anyone. Tyreke Evans won rookie of the year several seasons ago, but tends to hold on to the ball too much, taking too many shots and missing many of them. Center Demarcus Cousins has huge athletic ability, but has a bad attitude and work ethic that many remember from his days at Kentucky. Finally, starting power forward Thomas Robinson, who was drafted with the fifth overall pick this season, may have been the second best player in college basketball last season, but many wonder if that game can translate to the NBA.

The way that the Suns roster is built certainly is not like the Kings, but has similar question marks. The Suns roster is filled with veterans who have proved they can play consistently at a solid level, but no player on their roster has been able to truly stand out as a star or big-time player throughout their career. Their starting lineup consists of Goran Dragic (point guard), Shannon Brown (shooting guard), Jared Dudley (small forward), Luis Scola (power forward) and center Marcin Gortat. All have made strong contributions to the teams they have played for throughout their careers, but none of these players have been able to get over that hump and take their game to the next level.

The major question for the Kings is clear; can their young players overcome their issues and take their games to the next level? Suns fan will ask, can any of these players change from contributors to all-star players this season? If the Suns and Kings cannot answer their teams’ major questions with a yes at the end of the year, they can look at another year of drafting in the lottery.

Health a Key For Warriors in 2012-2013 Season

By Ryan Raigrodski

When Mark Jackson took over as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, something that had been apparent to fans for a while became apparent to Jackson and the Warriors organization as well. It finally became clear that Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry did not work well together on the same team. This realization resulted in a major move at the trade deadline, shipping Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks for big man Andrew Bogut.

AP Photo/ Ben Margot

When Bogut is on the court, he has been a consistently strong player, averaging 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks a game. The issue with him throughout his career, though, has been his health.

Even in his best season, when he made All-NBA third team, he suffered an injury at the end of the season. He is not the only injury question on the team too. Their starting point guard and one of their best players, Stephen Curry dealt with an ankle injury that caused him to miss a significant amount of time last year.

If the Warriors can stay healthy, they have a huge shot at surprising many NBA followers this season. They have a point guard and a shooting guard (Curry and Klay Thompson) who both can shoot lights out from three. They drafted Harrison Barnes, a man who was one of the best players at University of North Carolina, with the seventh overall pick. Additionally, they have two powerful big men inside with Bogut and David Lee, who averaged a monster 20.1 points and 9.6 rebounds a game last season.

Another key for the Warriors this season will be how they can play on defense. While Curry and Klay Thompson have nice shots, they both have struggled on the defensive end of the court. Center David Lee is a force offensively, but he also has struggled on defense throughout his career.

This is where the trade for Bogut could pay off, as the man has been a force at blocking shots on the defensive end. Of course, if he cannot stay healthy, his blocking ability will be useless. If he can stay on the court for an entire season, something rarely seen in his career, the Golden State Warriors could be one of the more surprising teams in the league this season.

Kobe Needs to Hold Off His Ego

By Ryan Raigrodski 

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Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. One is one of the best point guards of all time and the other dominates the post as the best center in the league. Acquiring one in an offseason would greatly improve a team, but acquiring both should make that team a top contender for the NBA title. There is potentially one thing that could stop them from achieving that goal, however, and that’s Kobe’s ego.

AP Photo/ Elise Amendola

Kobe Bryant unquestionably reigns as one of the top players to ever play the game of basketball. But his play has begun to decline in recent seasons. Last year, Kobe led the league with 1,336 field goal attempts, most in the league, but was ranked 77^th in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 43% from the field.

Right now, he takes too many shots because he thinks it is “his team.” Even with the addition of Dwight Howard, Kobe still believes this.

“I got a question earlier about whose team this is,” Kobe said to the LA Times. “It’s my team.”

The issue is, at this point in his career, Kobe is not the best player on his team. That honor belongs to Dwight Howard. Although he missed time last year with a back injury, Dwight has resided as the best center in the league for the past few seasons, winning defensive player of the year three of the past four seasons and being First Team All-NBA since 2008.

At least publicly, however, Dwight is attempting to say all the right things.

"Learning from Kobe I think this is something that I need for myself so I can grow as a player and as a person," Howard said to the LA Times. "He’s been through almost every single situation possible on the court and off the court, and I think he can really help me out a lot."

To realize how the dynamic between Kobe and Dwight could be an issue, all one needs to do is look back to the end of the 2004 season, where Kobe convinced the Lakers to fire Phil Jackson and trade dominant center Shaquille O’Neal because he wanted it to be “his team.” This caused the Lakers team to struggle for several years. Also, even playing with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum this season, Kobe was very unwilling at times to pass the ball and caused the Lakers not to perform to their highest ability. If the Lakers are going to win a championship this year, and if Kobe wants to end his career on a high note, he needs to realize it doesn’t matter whose “team” it is, but everyone plays for the same team and has the same goal.

How's That Trade Working Out For You?

Clipper's Head Coach Vinny Del Negro/AP Images

The Los Angeles Clippers are struggling recently, and head coach Vinny Del Negro’s job is now on the line.  


By Braedan Ritter


The Clips are still in second place in the Pacific division and fourth in the West, which for the Clippers sounds like an amazing season. But that isn’t the case anymore. After being a sub-500 team for 17 of the last 18 years, the Clippers are expected to win instantly.


They were doing that in the beginning of the season, winning, 15 of their first 22. But now things have changed; They’ve won just four of their last ten, including losses to the Hornets, Suns and Warriors.


The problems have been directed at head coach Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro is still a young coach, and one that has many weaknesses; mainly his late-game decision making. He started off with the Bulls in 2008-2009, going 41-41 in both his seasons there, with a young Derrick Rose. But the Bulls got rid of Del Negro, and received a major upgrade with Tom Thibodeau and his defensive scheme. In Thibodeau’s first year, the Bulls won an NBA best 62 games.


Del Negro signed with the Clippers that same off-season and went 32-50 in his first season in Los Angeles. That losing record was alright at that time, because the Clippers were a perpetual bottom feeder, using the excitement of Blake Griffin to sell tickets. But things have drastically changed this season, thanks to the Chris Paul trade.


In a recent post on ESPN LA, Kevin Arnovitz explains the problem with the Clippers: “[T]here's a profound disparity between the goals of the Clippers pre- and post-Chris Paul. Getting a young team to the playoffs is no longer the job description for "Clippers coach," and expectations for the Clippers have accelerated at a pace too fast for Del Negro, whose coaching experience is still comparatively thin when you look around the league at teams that call themselves contenders.”


Del Negro was brought into a drastically different situation than he finds himself now. The Clips have made the playoffs just four times in the last 20 years, losing in the first round three of those times. The seemingly continuous rebuilding and decimation of the “other Los Angeles team” is over. With two stars on the team, the Clippers expectations have shifted, and Del Negro isn’t the guy to help realize these new goals.


There are coaches available that can get the job done. Newly unemployed Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillan come to mind. So does Jeff Van Gundy. And even more will be available when the off-season comes.


The question now seems to be when, not if, Del Negro will be replaced in Los Angeles. Will they let him finish out the season, or pull the plug and try to right the ship immediately? 

Trade Mania

Clips vs Lakers/AP Images

It’s that time of year when every player seems to be getting shopped. So what are some of the moves the teams in the Pacific Division should make?


By Braedan Ritter


Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers are good. They made their deal already. They got Chris Paul to pair with Blake Griffin. Although they probably should have picked up J.R. Smith when he was available as a free agent, because they need a shooting guard. It’s going to be tough for the Clips to make it to the Finals, but it’s not out of the question. Losing to the Suns recently isn’t going to help their case though.

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers should be doing everything they can to get Dwight Howard. They had their Chris Paul deal, but David Stern decided to kill it. So now they have to play without a point guard. But really anyone can pass the ball to Kobe and then stand around while he decides where he wants to shoot from. Now, the Lakers’ best chance to make this team better, is to get the best big man in the league. They would probably have to give up Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, or maybe Bynum and one or two first-rounders, but they need to pull the trigger.

Phoenix Suns: The Suns need to put Steve Nash on a contender. I’ve said this before, but it is a travesty he is playing one of his final years on this team…a travesty. Nash will never ask out, but he has every reason to. His teammates are a combination of average guys and old dudes. I don’t even care if the Suns get ripped off in the deal. Nash needs to be put on a good team, and it doesn’t matter what it does to Phoenix.

Golden State Warriors: The Warriors should shop Monta Ellis around. They don’t really need Monta and Stephen Curry, and Curry is the younger and better player. If the Warriors could swap Ellis for a big man that would be huge going forward for them. They could even try for Dwight Howard. They would have to throw in other pieces, including a couple first round picks, but Howard is the most dominant big man in the game, and any team should be trying for him. The bottom line is Curry and Ellis will both benefit when they’re apart, and Ellis has to be the one to go, even with Curry’s glass ankles.

Sacramento Kings: What the Kings really need is more time. Being the third youngest team in the league, and having two foundations to build around (DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans) isn’t such a bad situation to be in. Right now, they should stand pat, unless a really good deal comes their way.