Lakers Still Looking for License Plate of that Green Truck
Ray Allen (photo. Jordan Brand)In the aftermath of Game 4’s comeback/collapse, the Lakers are still trying to figure out what went wrong. Like in many big losses, blame can be spread around: to Kobe for not making shots (6-for-19 FG’s), to Phil Jackson for not taking advantage of the fact Boston didn’t have a true point guard on the floor for most of the second half, to Lamar Odom for disappearing in the second half, and to any and all of the other L.A. role players for getting lazy once they got a big lead … And, of course, some blame will go to Sasha Vujacic, who was infamously dusted by Ray Allen on the drive-and-layup that proved to be the dagger. After his crying, chair-bashing tantrum on the bench afterwards, Sasha told reporters he couldn’t play the kind of D he wanted due to the refs. “The whole game, from the minute I came in, they called fouls on me. [Allen] fell down; foul. I was trying to find a way to guard him for 48 minutes, and everything I did was a foul,” Vujacic said. “He got me. He went to the basket, and it was a good basket. I don’t know what else to say.” Sasha added, “I wanted to stay with him, I wanted to stay aggressive, but again, there would be a foul. So I kind of stood back, I gave him the room to operate, and he went to the basket, so that was a bad defensive decision on my side. It doesn’t matter, help or not, we came out and were supposed to be more aggressive, and not let him breathe at the top of the key.” And for what it’s worth, Pau Gasol admitted that he messed up by not coming over to help on Ray’s drive, saying he wrongly thought he should stay with Kevin Garnett to prevent an offensive rebound … We caught some of Doc Rivers‘ Friday press conference, most notable for the part when a reporter asked about Doc’s father and he almost broke down in tears before saying he couldn’t talk about that right now. Doc later stood up for Kobe, saying he’s one of the “three or five” best players of all-time and gets way too much criticism and unfair comparisons to Michael Jordan … Down 3-1, the Lakers are already having their respective eulogies written. Yesterday one of our own writers is put the ‘08 Lakers right next to the ‘01 Sixers as one of the NBA’s worst-ever Finals teams. We also saw a lot of articles looking ahead to what the Lakers need to do to improve for next year. Possible trade scenarios involving everyone from Michael Redd to Josh Howard to Jermaine O’Neal to Zach Randolph were mentioned, as well as speculation on whether L.A. will go after free agents like Ben Gordon, Antawn Jamison, Josh Smith and Gilbert Arenas … The NBA’s top-selling jerseys this year, according to NBA.com, are in order: Garnett, Kobe, LeBron, A.I., Chris Paul, Steve Nash, D-Wade, Shaq, ‘Melo, Arenas, Dirk, Dwight Howard, T-Mac, Paul Pierce and Gasol. That last one seems strange. We’re pretty sure we’ve more Baron Davis, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, and even Stephon Marbury jerseys on the street than Gasol … Speaking of jerseys, here’s an e-mail from Austin: “I got on the train in Brooklyn and saw this older man, maybe 60-something, wearing a Lakers hat and a Lakers #00 jersey. I’m thinking, ‘No this guy does not have on a Benoit Benjamin jersey!’ So I kept an eye on him, and when he got up the back of the jersey said ‘L-Boogie.’” OK … A straw poll of the Celtics fans in the Dime office revealed they’d rather have their team win Game 5 and clinch the ‘chip at Staples than have to go back to Boston for a Game 6 and possibly Game 7. Basically, they’d rather get it over with than to give away a game and leave the door open for Kobe to do something historic. As cool as it we’d imagine it to be to win a title on your home floor, we’re sure the Celtics are thinking the same way … Is KG the type of guy to hold a grudge? If so, be sure to catch the first Celtics/Kings game of next season, because Ron Artest had a stinging back-handed compliment for KG when he was asked about Game 4. “I was never a Garnett fan, I’ve never seen him come through. But tonight he surprised me,” Artest said. “The biggest shots of his career, and he came through.” … Remember Yaroslav Korolev? He was the Russian teenager who was picked ahead of Monta Ellis, Danny Granger, Jason Maxiell, David Lee, Brandon Bass, Nate Robinson and Rashad McCants, among many others, in the 2005 Draft by the Clippers at the #12 spot. Korolev was pretty much a bust right off the bat, and didn’t even make the Clippers roster last year. After a year of playing pro ball in Russia on the same team as Marc Jackson, now Korolev is coming back and gunning for a spot with the Clips. “I learned a lot and I’m sure that I’m a better player,” Korolev, 21, told the Orange County Register. “I still appreciate everything that happened and I don’t have any bad feelings. Right now, at my age, I’m still young. I know the kitchen now. My goal is to get back to the NBA.” I know the kitchen? Anyway, with Corey Maggette likely gone and Tim Thomas morphing from a solid contributor back into Tim Thomas last year, the kid might have a shot … And on that note, the Knicks fans in our office are abjectly terrified their team will use the #6 pick on Danilo Gallinari later this month. The 19-year-old Italian is reportedly only interested in playing for the Knicks or the Nets (who pick 10th), otherwise he’ll just go back home. Working in the kid’s favor is the fact that Mike D’Antoni obviously respects the Euro game, and he played with Danilo’s father in Italy years ago. We’re gonna be at MSG for the Draft, and we can only imagine that boos and the objects being hurled by the New York fans if they take Gallo and somebody like O.J. Mayo or Eric Gordon is still on the board … We’re out like L-Boogie …
June 14th, 2008 at 12:04 am
daquest?on says:
1st??wow smack was real early tonight… anyways since yall know about sneackers i wanted to ask u this question.. i found a knicks pair of sneackers at marshalls orange and blue with the knicks sign and everything is that pair rare or valuable cuz ive never seen it b4??
June 14th, 2008 at 12:08 am
daquest?on says:
i told ya sasha vujabitch is and always will b a bitch
June 14th, 2008 at 12:09 am
daquest?on says:
oh and theyy should let isiah do the drafting thats the only good thing he can do other than harass wmen and burning franchises
June 14th, 2008 at 12:38 am
94by50 says:
“I know the kitchen, too.
Sincerely,
Eddy Curry”
Sasha’s got no excuse. Posey got whistled for 5 fouls in 25 minutes, Perkins for 4 in 13 minutes. Sasha, move your damn feet next time. They looked like Ray superglued them to the floor.
Maybe instead of trying to find out what went wrong for the Lakers, someone tell me what the Celtics did right. Weren’t they the best defensive team in the league this year? They sure played like it last night. Oh, and the argument that those 66 wins are diluted because they came in the Eastern Conference? Not holding a lot of water right now.
Check that… rewind. Go pick up the script from yesterday’s Smack… here it is. “On top of that, the offense went from a clinic on movement and passing to being totally stagnant…” There it is. How come it’s easier to say the Lakers choked than it is to say they stopped moving the ball on offense in the second half? Losing a 24-point lead over two quarters isn’t a choke, it’s just bad basketball.
Tru Warier has zero business saying anything about Garnett.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:09 am
tdotterror says:
5th bitches
June 14th, 2008 at 2:01 am
patrickb says:
As a Celtics season ticket holder it would be nice to see them clinch at home but can’t get greedy. Need to finish them off while their backs are broken.
Defense wins championships. Please re-sign Posey! He is a prime time player and x-factor for every team he plays for. Blessing that Perkins got hurt. Clearly a poor matchup for him in this series with the Lakers doubling off Perk and Rondo.
Next poll in the Dime office should be who do you want as your finals MVP. Have to go with Pierce after ten years of loyalty to the franchise, but it is nice to see Ray Allen’s redemption. Would hate to see Ray as our Eric Gagne.
PB
http://www.hoopsnetwork.com
June 14th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Kobe says:
7th
June 14th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Kobe says:
8th
June 14th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Kobe says:
9th (10 is for losers)
June 14th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Isiah Thomas says:
I guess I’m a loser.
10th!!!!
June 14th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Big Sia says:
Sasha is a soft little bitch
Ray Allen gave him his FOOD ON A PLATE.
I’m not even a Boston fan or a Laker hater…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q1kxZpyREdE
June 14th, 2008 at 4:19 am
s says:
Van Gundy is a funny dude….
June 14th, 2008 at 4:21 am
M.Balla says:
Gallinari is a B-U-S-T
I’m out like Vujacic ankles
June 14th, 2008 at 4:22 am
nicky says:
about the Gasol jerseys…um, i live in spain. ive seen ‘em. ive seen many more gasol jerseys than shaq, dirk, arenas, nash, chris paul, and a.i. put together. you know, people outside of the u.s. watch the NBA. weird, huh?
what surprises me is that yao isnt up there. i guess they dont rock jerseys in china.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:16 am
WTF says:
Lakers should just trade Lamar Odom for Shawn Marion. Two players who got traded for Shaq. Marion is a better fit for the Lakers, makes up for their lack of defense, rebounding abd hustle, and Odom was much better when he was with the Heat.
June 14th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
I think most of us know people outside the US watch basketball we just didn’t know you had the internet.
June 14th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Amar says:
I don’t live there, but I read the papers from there — #1 jersey sold in utah? D-will? Boozer? Nope. It’s Kyle Korver. Huh?
June 14th, 2008 at 7:41 am
James says:
If you think about it those in Utah probably already have Boozer and Williams jerseys. Who would buy the same jersey two years in a row?
June 14th, 2008 at 7:51 am
thisbestevo says:
vujacic will always be a role player, he can’t create off his own dribble or off screens (how many air balls does sasha throw up when he rushes shots), and kobe will never me a leader, ray ray stepped up last game, showing that his ankles arent shot yet…. kobe and the lakers just havent proved they can perform at a high level against a elite defense…
June 14th, 2008 at 8:19 am
for real says:
Kobe and the Kobettes……
Can they win tomorrow night?
will they win?
June 14th, 2008 at 8:51 am
rangerjohn says:
the machine is a dueche!!!!!!
he sounds like his dueche of a coach, constantly complaining about the refs. he learned it from jackson who is the KING of ref bashing and whinning.
and lakers have less chance at josh smith (or half the free agents on that list) as the knicks do, NONE!
smith to the spurs!
celtics in 6!!!
June 14th, 2008 at 9:01 am
for real says:
I hope the lakers got the extended warranty when they bought ‘the machine’
June 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
for real says:
ranger, do you really think the Spurs can get Josh Smith? Or has my hangover not yet cleared up and I’m still dreaming of rings
June 14th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Yoooo says:
O so now the spurs aren’t an elite defensive team? The jazz aren’t an above average defensive team? Yall just live in the moment. No regard for history, even if it was only 2 weeks ago! Damn man yall the same type of dickriders who would call Lil Wayne the best rapper (either out now or ever. the niggas a bum). Lakers stormed they’re way through better competition than the celtics the entire playoffs. Celtics are good, but none of yall were talking this wreckless before the series started.
Like really Dime Lakers are the 2nd worst team in Finals history??? The 76ers played VINCE CARTER and the RAPTORS in the Eastern Conference finals. The whole Eastern conference was a joke. A 5 year old was in the Eastern Conference Finals, come on man. The Lakers came through the toughest conference race in NBA HISTORY. They beat the team of the decade, a damn good Jazz team, and an explosive Denver team with an all time great, Dpoy candidate and an up and coming superstar (and they swept them!). Respect that. Stop with this extreme disregard for what they’ve accomplished. You think if the spurs were in the finals they’d have a chance? Well we beat them in 5 so who gives a flying…
June 14th, 2008 at 9:29 am
rangerjohn says:
@for real
spurs have as good a chance as anyone to get smith, and they have the money free to get him, and even more money after next season. smith is a PERFECT FIT for the spurs, he fills a youth need, and athletisism need, he fills a defensive/rebounding need. he needs a better outside shots but the spurs have a great shoting coach with chip englund.
it is a pipe dream but damn being a spurs fan i can dream.
i also like the chance of getting okafor next to duncan too.
after next season, the spurs have HUGE money as long as they dont go nuts this year (when do the spurs “go nuts” with money?)
June 14th, 2008 at 9:36 am
rodnets says:
Its time to change LA Lakers name:
Here are my pics
LA Selfishs (honoring MVP) Most Volatile Player
LA Velvets (They play in the Glam city, and they are SOFT)
LA Chokers for obvious reasons.
Peace
June 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am
knoc says:
go spurs! get urself some young guns!
@14
they make their own “official” yao jerseys over there. why buy the expensive ones
June 14th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Blue says:
so…what sasha is saying is that he’d rather give him an easy, uncontested two, than make him earn it from the line? i mean, i know ray allen is one of the best free throw shooters, but c’mon, lay into him, let him know that you’re there and willing to make him pay the price for tryin’ to take you one on one. blaming the refs is a cop out!
June 14th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Big Freeze says:
@ post 1
if u found a pair of kicks at Marshall’s, i doubt they’re valuable. but u never know, maybe u found a buried treasure
lmao @ posts 13 and 22
Yoooo is right. The Lakers are a great team, and they destroyed the most powerful conference ever. It’s just that they are struggling while Boston is playing at thier best. People went from crowning LA as the next dynasty to calling them one of the worst teams ever in the finals? get real
June 14th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Brandon Hoffman says:
The Lakers don’t need to go after a bunch of free agents. The only decision they have to make is whether or not to extend Odom’s contract. A healthy Bynum is improvement enough.
June 14th, 2008 at 11:38 am
jdizzle says:
“Ray fell down”? C’mon, Sa-shay, from what I saw you CLEARLY put Jesus’ legs into a scissor hold. patrickb is right, the Celtics have to finish them off Sunday. They pretty much ripped LA’s hearts out and they smell blood in the water. Yeah the Lakers may have breezed their way into the finals, but it may prove to be their downfall because they were never pushed to the brink of elimination. The Celtics, however, are battle tested-albeit against the Hawks and Cavs-because of the game 7’s they played and then turn around and have to play the Pistons. Celtics in…Sunday.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
alex says:
@nicky “i guess they dont rock jerseys in china” – yes they do, but they don’t buy it from nba.com
@Spliff 2 My Lou – “we just didn’t know you had the internet” – typical redneck comment.
@ranger – while i like jsmoove’s game and fit for the sas, i don’t think he’s going to want to move to SA compared to atl (capital of hiphop in the durty south). ATL will never have a championship caliber pro sports team because there’s just too many distractions for young athletes there.
Maybe and hopefully Okafor.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
James says:
What’s up with Artest? I understand that KG has never been known as a clutch player. KG made two FGs in the 4th quarter, and that’s supposed to be surprising? Yes, his last basket was fucking huge. However, it wasn’t a clutch performance by KG. He didn’t take over down the stretch. KG isn’t clutch, and never will be clutch. But, every time he scores in the 4th quarter, we’re supposed to be surprised now?!
June 14th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
srb says:
I agree that you probably shouldn’t cry about getting calls when you do “a scissor move” (said marc jackson) to stop ray allen from moving around. he should have tried that move when he got roasted on the drive. ray’s left hand near the basket has been nice all season.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
for real says:
@ ranger and alex, I agree with your sentiments on the Spurs.
I would gladly take Okafor or Josh Smith, hell, if Elton Brand wants a ring…come on down. bottom line, some of our vets need to move on (go, leave, retire…)
No matter what, even when a ‘mediocre’ or decent player joins the Spurs, they seem to excel. …and it’s obvious we need youth and vigor. Pop will do the right thing
but, if they play it safe this season, who do they spend that big money on after next year? I mean, Duncan will be about 34 at that time and (possibly) declining….. Who do the Spurs go after in 2010 ???
June 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
rangerjohn says:
alex,
if smith is serious about winning and not playing around (he is still young so you never nkow with him) then he would take an offer from the spurs over almost any team. put him on the spurs, and ad a young pf/c (mahinmi?) and ad 1 god outside shooter to go with manu and bones barry, and its all over. put thomas in there to swap with oberto (still one yr left for him) and mahinmi, then smith, udoka to space out bowens minutes, and get 1 decent point guard (in the draft maybe?) and the spurs would be a power house yet again.
think about that, thomas/oberto/mahinmi at center (swapping minutes), duncan at pf (any of the centers backing him up while the others swap minutes), bowen/udoka/smith at small forward, manu/barry at the sg, and parker/draft pick/vaughn (for more defense). that is a pretty tight squad. the other thing, after next yr the spurs have about 25 mil to play with so they could theoreticly put a josh smith AND okafor on the payroll to go with duncan, mahinmi, manu, parker, udoka, bowen, barry(if he doesnt retire) and any number of low priced easy fit mercinaries to fill spots.
think about this line up (which is not completely far fetched, okafor at center, duncan at pf, smith at sf, manu at sg, parker at pg, with bowen, mahinmi, udoka, and a decent drafted pg. teams would average 79 ppg against that team. lmao
June 14th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
QQ says:
Regarding the comparisons between the Sixers and these Lakers as the worst Finals teams: Damn, when will people learn
When will yall learn that crazy things happen in sports. That one minute, yall down 2-0, the next day you’re the NBA champs. Hell, i guess it did happen! Remember the 2006 Heat, and all the burn (hihi, that made me chuckle) they got for being down 2-0. Those same people are eating up their claims (and choking badly) 6 games later.
Also, the Dallas Maverick, that 67 win behemoth that the collective media are expecting to “smother”, “demolish” and any other synonym for “beat the hell up” their matchup, the puny 42 win Warriors? Yall know what happened.
What I’m saying is, it aint over til its fucking over. I give the Celts a lot of credit, because their stellar play is the reason why they’re up 3-1 and on the verge of being champs. They’re daaamn good. But for people to say that their opponents, the Lakers, are one of the worst Finals team ever WITHOUT waiting for the whole series to be over is stupid.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
rangerjohn says:
@ for real
here you go take your pick
stars whose contracts expire following the 2009-2010 season and will then become honest-to-goodness free agents:
Joe Johnson
Ray Allen
Manu Ginobili
Marcus Camby
Tracey McGrady
Shaquille O’Neal
Brad Miller
Stephen Jackson
Jermaine O’Neal
Mike Miller
Rip Hamilton
The next grouping is those players that are signed thru 2011, but can opt out in 2010 if they so choose:
Amare Stoudamire (owed 17.7 million in 10/11)
LeBron James (owed 17.2 million in 10/11)
Dwayne Wade (owed 17.0 million in 10/11)
Chris Bosh (owed 17.1 million in 10/11)
Dirk Nowitzki (owed $21.5 million in 10/11)
Josh Howard (owed $11.8 million in 10/11)
Mike Redd (owed $18.3 million in 10/11)
Tyson Chandler (owed $12.8 million in 10/11)
This next list consists of contracts that are set to expire in 2010, but the player may choose to opt-out following the 2008-2009 season:
Steve Nash (owed $13.1 million in 09-10)
Carlos Boozer (owed $12.7 million in 09-10)
Chris Paul (owed $6 million in 09-10 / almost certain to sign an extension before becoming unrestricted)
Memo Okur (owed $9.0 million in 09-10)
Hedo Turkoglu (owed $7.4 million in 09-10)
In addition to the superstars listed above, these ’second-tier’ players are set to hit the open market as well:
Ben Wallace
Larry Hughes
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Anderson Varejao (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic
Udonis Haslem
Jamal Crawford (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Eddy Curry (option to opt-out after 09/10 season)
Amir Johnson
Derek Fisher
Raja Bell
T.J. Ford (player option – owed $8.5 million in 10/11)
Travis Outlaw
Bruce Bowen
Earl Watson
Luke Ridnour
Matt Harpring
Quentin Richardson
Damien Wilkins
June 14th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
rangerjohn says:
good article
some as changed but not much
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=FreeAgents–071127
June 14th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Yoooo — Philly played the Raptors in the 2nd round. The beat the Bucks in the ECF, who had Ray Allen in his prime, Glenn Robinson in his prime (basically another Melo), and Sam Cassell when he was averaging about 18-7 a night. That was a very good team. And Vince in ‘01 was better than Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer in ‘08.
June 14th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Amar says:
sure, vince in ‘01 > deron + booz in ‘08 . . . .
but the ‘08 jazz > ‘01 raptors (even though they had the most lucid version of keon clark ever)
who is keon, some may be asking . . . here’s the answer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUmwBNIyaA4
June 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Austin Burton says:
I’m with you there, I was just pointing out that the ‘01 Raptors weren’t some garbage team as Yoooo was implying.
June 14th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Big Freeze says:
Who is Ron Artest to be calling KG not clutch? The only clutch thing Ron Artest ever did was cancel his rap tour.
June 14th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
eyeused2b says:
“I was never a Garnett fan, I’ve never seen him come through. But tonight he surprised me,” Artest said. “The biggest shots of his career, and he came through.”
I loved that statement. You just don’t get that kind of honesty from active players every day. Sure, you can jump Artest if you like, but hell, it’s the truth. After the “potential” tag wore off of KG, I saw him for what he was. Possibly the greatest sidekick to ever play the game. Even winning a title isn’t going to change that because Allen and Pierce are carrying him through the Finals.
June 14th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Fakers says:
Crazy how this season was practically determined in the off-season. Boston won free agency and it looks like they may take it all now.
What I love the most of all is the fashion-show a$$holes that paid $3500/seat to watch the Fakers get DENIED. Jack Nicholson is gonna go all Shining on Vujacic, or fly over the cuckoo’s nest. hehehe, love it
@Ranger – at least you know getting Josh Smith on the Spurs is a pipe dream. It would be sick, though…
June 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
doc says:
All these dudes asking who is Artest to make that statement.More qualified than yall who make the same and more absurd statements every dam day on here.