Thebesteva
12-15-2013, 08:34 PM
:lol Wont take a paycut but wants to play till June
:lol Had his shot going out a legend and threw it away for $
:lol Wife wouldnt touch him if he wasnt a champion
:lol Won the Lakers 5 championships and denied them 5 for the next 10 years
"I want to win a championship," he said. "I want to be playing in June."Insert … jokes … now. Is Bryant being traded to San Antonio? Are the Lakers acquiring LeBron James (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/lebron-james-PESPT008359.topic)?
The answers are obvious, but Bryant felt pretty good about his effort against Charlotte. It was easily the best of his four games back from a torn Achilles' tendon.
He had 21 points on eight-for-15 shooting and eight assists, though his turnovers (seven) continued to be a problem.
He was a defensive presence as well, helping run Ben Gordon (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/ben-gordon-hpa471.topic) into a wild off-balance three-point shot with 2.5 seconds left and the Lakers up three points.
Then Bryant's eyes witnessed the same thing as everyone else at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Yes, that was Gasol blocking the shot of Al Jefferson (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/al-jefferson-PESPT0000010795.topic), who took the rebound with one second left and tried to put in a layup. The Bobcats would have lost by one even if Jefferson scored, but Gasol was allowed a burst of emotion at the end of a frenetic week, thumping his chest with his right fist.
The Lakers' old-timers, combining for big defensive plays in the final seconds. Who knew?
Bryant wasn't delusional, though. He knows that teams with an 11-12 record and significantly smaller payroll than usual don't go sauntering into mid-June.
"Obviously, we have some improvements to make, whether it's with the guys that we have in the locker room or whatever the management wants to do," he said. "It's not my job to focus on that. It's my job to focus on what we have and making sure we make the necessary improvements every day to get there."
The trade deadline is Feb. 20. The Lakers will have a very good idea at that time whether to punt (trade Gasol?) or make a pitch for some help.
That they barely beat Charlotte (10-14) should be noted. Yet, they beat Charlotte without any healthy point guards and any semblance of an offense other than a Gasol-Bryant two-man game.
Coach Mike D'Antoni (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/mike-dantoni-PESPT0000018596.topic) even acknowledged as much beforehand.
"I don't even know what we're doing yet. We're in a transitional period right now, so I can't really explain what we're doing," he said.
He was joking but he was also serious. Scouting the Lakers can't be easy right now. Exactly what are they?
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-bobcats-20131215,0,3150329.story#ixzz2nb6LC0bi
:lol Had his shot going out a legend and threw it away for $
:lol Wife wouldnt touch him if he wasnt a champion
:lol Won the Lakers 5 championships and denied them 5 for the next 10 years
"I want to win a championship," he said. "I want to be playing in June."Insert … jokes … now. Is Bryant being traded to San Antonio? Are the Lakers acquiring LeBron James (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/lebron-james-PESPT008359.topic)?
The answers are obvious, but Bryant felt pretty good about his effort against Charlotte. It was easily the best of his four games back from a torn Achilles' tendon.
He had 21 points on eight-for-15 shooting and eight assists, though his turnovers (seven) continued to be a problem.
He was a defensive presence as well, helping run Ben Gordon (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/ben-gordon-hpa471.topic) into a wild off-balance three-point shot with 2.5 seconds left and the Lakers up three points.
Then Bryant's eyes witnessed the same thing as everyone else at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Yes, that was Gasol blocking the shot of Al Jefferson (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/al-jefferson-PESPT0000010795.topic), who took the rebound with one second left and tried to put in a layup. The Bobcats would have lost by one even if Jefferson scored, but Gasol was allowed a burst of emotion at the end of a frenetic week, thumping his chest with his right fist.
The Lakers' old-timers, combining for big defensive plays in the final seconds. Who knew?
Bryant wasn't delusional, though. He knows that teams with an 11-12 record and significantly smaller payroll than usual don't go sauntering into mid-June.
"Obviously, we have some improvements to make, whether it's with the guys that we have in the locker room or whatever the management wants to do," he said. "It's not my job to focus on that. It's my job to focus on what we have and making sure we make the necessary improvements every day to get there."
The trade deadline is Feb. 20. The Lakers will have a very good idea at that time whether to punt (trade Gasol?) or make a pitch for some help.
That they barely beat Charlotte (10-14) should be noted. Yet, they beat Charlotte without any healthy point guards and any semblance of an offense other than a Gasol-Bryant two-man game.
Coach Mike D'Antoni (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/mike-dantoni-PESPT0000018596.topic) even acknowledged as much beforehand.
"I don't even know what we're doing yet. We're in a transitional period right now, so I can't really explain what we're doing," he said.
He was joking but he was also serious. Scouting the Lakers can't be easy right now. Exactly what are they?
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-bobcats-20131215,0,3150329.story#ixzz2nb6LC0bi