My New York people will hate me for this, but you can make a solid argument that Los Angeles is really the Mecca of basketball. The Lakers are one of the most popular pro sports franchises on the planet, UCLA has the most national championships in college history, L.A.’s high school powerhouses regularly crank out NBA players, and the playground scene is alive and thriving at spots like Venice Beach and The Hangar. Read More »

If you can’t teach height, then you can’t coach height, and so in that case you can see why the Celtics are in trouble. Remember how every Lakers fan claimed the ’08 Finals would have gone their way had Andrew Bynum been healthy, and every Boston fan responded by asking how their ass tastes? Last night we all saw what happens when L.A.’s big men are healthy and playing like they have some hair on their chests, before Kobe came in and delivered the fatal shots … Right off the bat L.A. looked to go inside, while Kobe looked to drive and put pressure on Boston’s defense. Read More »

Two things stood out to me when Jerry West was being interviewed on NBA TV last night. Fielding questions about Kobe Bryant, whom earlier in the evening had passed West as the L.A. Lakers’ all-time leading scorer, Mr. Clutch admitted, “I don’t have contact with [Kobe] anymore,” in a spot where guys will usually at least fake it and say, “We talk every now and then.”

The other time was when West said Kobe will ultimately go down in history as the greatest Laker of all-time — even if a lot of L.A. fans are “mad or disappointed” to hear that.

Therein lies the most complicated part of Kobe’s enduring legacy. Read More »

Why would Minnesota take Jonny Flynn? You’re basically using a Top-6 pick on a backup, because [Ricky] Rubio and Flynn won’t start in the same backcourt. Aren’t you just setting Rubio up to fail if Flynn comes in and bulldogs the starting job away from him?

That’s what I wrote when the Wolves took Syracuse PG Flynn right behind Spanish PG Rubio in last night’s draft. While everyone is still questioning Minnesota’s thought process, GM David Kahn wrote an open letter to T’wolves fans, posted in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Here’s an excerpt: Read More »