For most sports fans, this can be somewhat of a dull part of the year. Me, I just can't wait for the NBA season to start up again. How will Artest fit in? Can Bynum survive a game in Memphis? And the biggest question of all--will Adam Morrison get off the bench? Then again, the Mustached One might help us best by simply being a decent sized expiring contract. If our point guard trio fails to make the proper strides (really I'm talking about Farmar and Brown here; Fisher's just gonna be a year older), perhaps Morrison gets dealt for PG help. As far as I can see, that's about the only weakness the Lake Show has. Yes, it's too bad they didn't face a healthy Boston in the Finals--that certainly would have made the win that much sweeter. But injuries are part of the game, and LA had their share as well last year. Having a guy like Odom just waiting in the wings isn't really a luxury; it's more like Championship Hope insurance.
Back to Artest. Like many Laker fans, I hated to see Ariza go, but I do fall into the camp of him being at least somewhat a product of the system (i.e., hitting the open shot, able to get out in transition). He might just be Devean George (from Tiny Augsberg). And all the reasons he succeeded should be reasons that Artest should thrive. With two 7-footers behind him, he'll be given the green light to gamble and he and 24 should have a field day hounding opponents' back courts. True, Artest will have to check his ego as he deals with his 3rd (4th? 5th?) option status, but he's already made a statement by taking less $ to come to LA and he should have plenty of chances when KB takes a rest.
This concludes my sports rant. More later. GOOD NIGHT NOW!!!
I'll confess that, were I an L's fan (can't fully type that sentence out even hypothetically), I'd be happy with Artest from an on-court perspective. Still though, although every team has unsavory characters, the moment he stepped off of the court in The Brawl should have been the last time he ever stepped on it. Plus, what happens if he wants to promote another rap album?
ReplyDeleteOff topic but in regard to your links -- how do I feel here with no Del Taco OR Taco John's! At least you can get Potato Ole's more than once a year.
The good thing about Artest is that because he got suspended the whole year for The Brawl, he's got less mileage on him than he otherwise would have. As for the music deal? He's in LA and they only play what, 3-4 games a week. What else is he going to do with the rest of his time? I'm pretty much kidding about most of the preceding :)
ReplyDeleteAs for Taco John's--I count 11 in your state alone. Make the trek. I've been to 2 Del Taco's in Washington and 3 in Oregon. I seek them out. It's called obsession..ERR, dedication.
Oh my gosh. I looked it up and you're right -- we have Taco John's as close as Frankfurt. Wow. I had no idea. When driving home I would never see any until Iowa or Wisconsin, depending on where I was headed. Incredible. This is one of the greatest days of my life. God bless you and your new blog and the radically increased quality of life that it's now going to bring to me.
ReplyDeleteI hope the Lakers and Celtics meet again in the finals, especially now that the C's picked that character Rasheed Wallace. He'll be great for team chemistry.
ReplyDeleteI also hope the Lions win a game this year so Ross won't cling so tightly to his faint hopes of the Phillies being a legitimate contender. Sorry bro, Cliff Lee can only pitch every 5 days, J A Happ will hit the wall, and Brad Lidge may have to face Pujols in a meaningful situation. To quote Carl Lewis, "UH OH!!!"
It's not that I don't like you Ross, it's that I don't like any of your teams.