Lakers’ D’Antoni either unable or unwilling to adapt

New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has been very successful since taking over the team after former coach Mike D’Antoni’s resignation last season. While D’Antoni has moved on to what most would consider a more talented team, D’Antoni hasn’t been nearly as successful as his New York successor.

It almost makes you wonder why D’Antoni was touted as such a big coaching hire to begin with. He didn’t get it done in New York and despite all the talent at his disposal with the Los Angeles Lakers, he hasn’t been able to get it done there either.

D’Antoni vs Jackson: a Contrast in Coaching Styles

Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said he chose to hire Mike D’Antoni over fan-favorite and 11-time champion Phil Jackson because he felt D’Antoni’s system would be a better fit for the Lakers current roster. Only time will tell though if he made the right decision.

Now no one doubts that D’Antoni’s system can be implemented on the fly much quicker than the triangle system that Jackson prefers, but Jackson’s coaching style and familiarity with the team’s core players may have ultimately led to more team success.

Will we finally get a Kobe versus LeBron Finals matchup?

Back in the 2008-2009 season, Nike unleashed a brilliant marketing campaign using puppets to represent the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Cleveland Cavaliers’ star forward LeBron James.

Bryant and James were the two most dominant and most popular players in the league at that time, so Nike was rooting for a Cavaliers versus Lakers matchup in the 2009 NBA Finals. Unfortunately, James and the Cavaliers couldn’t get by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals in order to make this dream marketing matchup a reality.

LeBron remembers Lithuanians 2004 upset of Team USA

LeBron James remembers. Most people who have seen James play, marvel at his mind-boggling athletic prowess but one of the things that many people don’t know about James is he has an almost photographic memory.

It’s one of the reasons why James basketball IQ is so high. James’ memory of games and plays and situations is one of the reasons he can play at such a high level on such a consistent basis.

Celtics’ Kevin Garnett will be back next year

Boston Celtics’ power forward Kevin Garnett has hinted that his Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals may have been his final game but if anyone knows how much of a competitor Garnett is, then rest assure you will see him next year.

He will be playing for a fraction of the $21 million he made last season though which may actually be a good thing for the Celtics who will use the extra money to add more firepower around Garnett and his teammates.

Lakers’ coach Mike Brown in trouble of being one-and-done

The Los Angeles Lakers had title hopes this season. They still do actually, but they find themselves in a rather tenuous situation having allowed the Denver Nuggets to come back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series at 3-3 on Thursday night.  

Sure they will play Game 7 in Los Angeles but that may not be much of a consolation after the way they just got thumped in Denver last night. The Nuggets led from start to finish and the Lakers never really threatened them in the second half.

Kobe’s absence good for the Lakers?

Can the Los Angeles Lakers win without their superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant in the lineup? Well Bryant has only been out five games while resting his bruised shin but the Lakers are 4-1 in his absence.

Everybody has pitched in to help keep the Lakers in the win column but if there is one lesson that L.A.’s big men will learn from Bryant’s absence is that things are so much easier when the Black Mamba is in the lineup.

The ‘Jordan-factor’ has hurt Kobe Bryant in MVP race

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is arguably one of the greatest players of all time but as good as Kobe has been it makes you wonder; why does Kobe only have one MVP award on his resume? Well there are a lot of reasons really and many of them can be traced back to Michael Jordan.

Kobe is a victim of the legacy that Jordan left. I mean you can’t fault Kobe for wanting to emulate the player who most consider the greatest player of all time but when you step into Jordan’s shadow you can expect to be overlooked at times.

Lakers’ Andrew Bynum has 30 rebounds: Big friggin deal!

Andrew Bynum pulled down 30 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ road win versus the San Antonio Spurs. Big friggin deal!

According to ESPN’s stats department, Bynum is the fifth player in Lakers history to accomplish the feat. I’ll say it again, big deal.

Why should it matter so much because he did it in a Lakers uniform?

Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum benching incidents put Lakers in difficult situation

Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach Mike Brown has come under fire over the past week for his two benching incidents involving stars Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. While Bryant took his benching in stride not wanting the situation to become a media spectacle, Bynum took offense to his benching.

Gasol for Rondo nixed: 5 reasons why Lakers should have made swap

Reports have surfaced that the Los Angeles Lakers turned down a trade for Boston Celtics’ point guard Rajon Rondo because they didn’t want to trade forward Pau Gasol. Sad because Rondo would have made the Lakers way more dangerous than Gasol could at this point. Here are five reasons why:

Kobe's Legacy: 5 most deadly assassins after Bryant

Kobe Bryant recently made the statement that he hasn’t had anyone he could consider a true rival throughout his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although there are many players who have played in the NBA during Bryant’s tenure who should feel slighted by his remark (as well as a few current players), Bryant has a point.

Contestants please: sizing up the All-Star game in Orlando

In my humble opinion, I believe that the NBA hosts the best all-star game of all professional sports. You don’t hear anyone talk about all-star contests from different eras like you do the Slam Dunk contest or the Three-Point shooting contest. Famous dunks like Dominique Wilkins’ tomahawk, Michael Jordan dunking from the free throw line or Vince Carter sticking his arm in the rim are classic highlights on sports shows.

Kobe Goes H.A.M.

Really Kobe? Really? I mean what does Kobe Bryant have to prove at this point in his career?

I don’t know what point Kobe is trying to make but he has now scored over 40 points in three straight games this week.

DeMarcus Cousins is a ‘Throwback’ Player

When people hear the word throwback they immediately get an image of some legendary player back in the days when an athlete’s heroic feats were captured either in black-and-white footage or that grainy technicolor stuff. Well there is no need to harken that far back. No need to waste your time envisioning the exploits of Bob Cousy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or even Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, at least not for the purposes of this story.

Can Andrew Bynum Carry the Lakers?

Los Angeles Lakers’ coach Mike Brown understands basketball fundamentals. If you have an athletic big man who can score, give him the rock. That’s right. Give Andrew Bynum the ball, Kobe Bryant be damned!

Fall from Grace for Lakers, Mavs?

Two championship caliber teams have started the season 0-2. While it’s too early to pronounce impending doom for the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, there may be a lesson to be learned from their combined 0-4 start.

The Chris Paul Controversy Isn’t Going Away Any Time Soon

The ink hasn’t even dried on the NBA’s new labor agreement and we already have our first controversy of the season. Thursday the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets announced a three-way trade that would have sent Chris Paul to L.A. and Pau Gasol to Houston. The Hornets would have received Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round draft pick in the deal but the NBA canceled the trade hours after it was announced yesterday.