Jerry West: Lakers "long in the tooth"

[CubanMustGo]

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6053767

Phil Jackson doesn't disagree when former Los Angeles Lakers (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lal) general manager Jerry West says the current team has problems consistently clamping down on defense.

Late last week, West, a Hall of Fame player, said the Lakers are "getting long in the tooth" and drew a correlation between the team's age -- 10 players on the roster are age 30 or older -- and a lack of defensive consistency.

"If there's a loose ball now, how often do they get to it? The reason you can't play defense is because you can't," West said.

Jackson's reaction? "He's right. We have to do a lot of things right to be able to play defense the way we want to, and most of it is about controlling the tempo of a game," Jackson said.

"There's something about just speed. Outright speed. We're not the fastest team on the boards here in the NBA, but we can do it if we control things in the right way."

West, speaking at a luncheon for car dealers in Orange County, Calif., predicted the Lakers' age will catch up to them. "I don't think the Lakers will be good for much longer. You can keep a car running for a long time by changing the tires, etc. But you can't change a player's tires," he said.

[Killakobe81]

Old, this was posted last week.

[greyforest]

so now the media says the lakers are too old and the spurs have the best record in the league.

bet the LA faggots wouldn't have guessed that three months ago.

[CubanMustGo]

Old

Just like the Lakers. :lol

[jmill]

so now the media says the lakers are too old and the spurs have the best record in the league.

bet the LA faggots wouldn't have guessed that three months ago.

I'm a Lakers fan. The Spurs are very good, and I'm not really surprised to see them with the best record. I think Popovich is the best coach in the league.

You seem awfully angry though. Odd.

[duncan228]

Kobe defends Lakers as ‘pretty good on defense’ (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-lakers-west)
By Beth Harris

Kobe Bryant wasn’t about to diss Jerry West for saying the Los Angeles Lakers are “getting long in the tooth.” He just begged to differ.

West, a Hall of Fame player and former Lakers general manager, suggested last week at a speech in Orange County that there’s a connection between the Lakers’ age and their defensive consistency.

Ten of the Lakers are 30 or older, including starters Bryant (32), Derek Fisher (36), Ron Artest (31) and Pau Gasol (30).

“If there’s a loose ball now, how often do they get to it? The reason you can’t play defense is because you can’t,” West was quoted as saying by the Orange County Register.

Asked about West’s comments after the Lakers routed Utah 120-91 on Tuesday night, Bryant said, “We’ve been pretty good on defense all year. The numbers don’t lie.”

Coach Phil Jackson resorted to sarcasm, saying, “I went out and bought Omega 3s right away. I knew I needed something youthful.”

The Lakers certainly clamped down on the Jazz, who have lost a season-high five straight games. They held Utah to 42 percent shooting.

“They didn’t look old, they didn’t look tired and they didn’t look like they couldn’t play defense to me,” Utah’s Deron Williams said.

West predicted the age of the two-time defending NBA champions will catch up to them.

“I don’t think the Lakers will be good for much longer. You can keep a car running for a long time by changing the tires, etc. But you can’t change a player’s tires,” he said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-lakers-west

[greyforest]

I'm a Lakers fan. The Spurs are very good, and I'm not really surprised to see them with the best record. I think Popovich is the best coach in the league.

You seem awfully angry though. Odd.

i was referring only to the many LA trolls that frequent the board

[cobbler]

so now the media says the lakers are too old and the spurs have the best record in the league.

bet the LA faggots wouldn't have guessed that three months ago.

The media? It was Jerry West. Uh you know, the logo, Mr Laker! Leave it to spurfan to not grasp the big picture. Classic! :toast

[ChrisRichards]

The media? It was Jerry West. Uh you know, the logo, Mr Laker! Leave it to spurfan to not grasp the big picture. Classic! :toast
Cobb, please stop sending me personal messages. Its really disturbing.

[Giuseppe]

West, just preemptively digging a spur into the team.
Get it, "spur"?

He, we, us have been waiting this moment for near four score. Come the Spring we're gonna see if my Luva holds forth this truth that to this point is self evident, that all men aren't created equal...."Nobody closes us out. Nobody."

[Venti Quattro]

Cobb, please stop sending me personal messages. Its really disturbing.

crofl welcher avoiding PMs

[cobbler]

Cobb, please stop sending me personal messages. Its really disturbing.


Chris.... I have not sent you any personal messages since.... well, the day you accepted the bet you initiated.

What a pathetic loser.

[ChrisRichards]

Chris.... I have not sent you any personal messages since.... well, the day you accepted the bet you initiated.

What a pathetic loser.
Yes you didn't.:rolleyes



You following me around and sending me PM's is really disturbing. You need a new hobby Cobb.

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol he's actually sending you pms, CR?..shiiieeetttt..what a hypocrite, considering he said that he was going to leave the forum, only to come back..

[duncan228]

Jerry West says he wasn’t calling those Lakers old (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/26/jerry-west-says-he-wasn%e2%80%99t-calling-those-lakers-old/)
Kurt Helin

A couple of days ago Jerry West — in what seemed a low-key venue in front of a bunch of car dealers in Southern California — questioned the Lakers defense (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/21/jerry-west-thinks-lakers-days-are-numbered-boston-may-be-best-this-year/), how long they could remain on top and used a favorite phrase of your grandparents, “long in the tooth.”

But he wasn’t talking about those Lakers being old. Exactly. West went on the Dan Patrick radio show (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/) today and took part in the newfangled trend of clarifying previous comments (as transcribed by the Orange County Register (http://lakers.ocregister.com/2011/01/26/west-says-his-old-comments-not-directed-at-lakers/47510/)).


“It’s actually funny,” West said Wednesday morning on the Dan Patrick radio show. “A gentleman in the audience asked me why the (Lakers) don’t defend and I said that comes down to the age of players on the team. I wasn’t talking about the team (Lakers) at all.

“I’m shocked that someone wouldn’t think the Lakers can defend. I fully expect them to be back with a championship this season, with all due deference to San Antonio and the incredible job Greg Popovich and the organization has done down there.”

Um, how were we supposed to read that? The Lakers defense depends on how old the team they are facing is? But the Lakers are getting up there, right Mr. West?


“No question,” West told Patrick. “But look at the Boston Celtics. They’re older than the Lakers and everyone says they are one of the best defensive teams in the league.

“…. To me, they have to be the team that is the favorite. But they are getting older and the one opponent you don’t defeat in this league is age. And Boston will face that too.”

As usual, West is spot on here. It is a question we will discuss a lot in the next few years: How long is the Lakers title window open? Boston, too. But no doubt, that window is still open for both right now. Whether they are young enough to climb through it this year remains to be seen.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/26/jerry-west-says-he-wasn%e2%80%99t-calling-those-lakers-old/

[DMC]

When someone leads in with "It's actually funny" you know two things:

1. They are about to lie.
2. They are about to lie again.