ROUNDBALL - Dear Phil Jackson, about the thrill attraction...

PJ, sir....



I have found myself asking the continuing question since your return to the Los Angeles Lakers:
Why ??



As I ask this question, one month prior to pre-season tipoff, the thought of being unfaithful to my team while playing Devil's Advocate makes me scratch my head...



Seriously though, if Kobe hasn't changed, what has changed for you ???

If this is a new challenge, it will have to be the greatest we've seen.

1. Think about it, yes you have Kobe... but whether the guy's a putz or misunderstood, haters and ESPNers alike have propogated so much anti-8 that no star player is beating down the doors of Mitch Kupchak.



2. (a) If the front office is waiting until 2007 to snag a major free agent,
will you, Phil Jackson sir, want to wait until the last year of your contract to be a serious contender ??????



(b) If so how difficult will it be to readjust, reteach and reorganize a team to fit a superstar talent like Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Garnett into the triangle offense while maintaining the momentum of previous years ????



3. The thought of an eventual "second superstar" must be changing the expectations and performance of the current roster.



Mr. Jackson, I would guess that the only thing that really matters is the ring. I assume if you continue building this franchise towards that goal, you can work with anybody.



From that perspective, even working with the boss' can't be all that bad...



What do you think Phil ?????

ROUNDBALL - Aaron McKie: Size Matters

On Friday, the 6-5 guard was signed for a 2-year $5 million dollar contract. After considering Derrick Anderson, Phil's desire for a large guard may come to fruition again. Can he duplicate a Ron Harper-type effort ?

ROUNDBALL - WHAT'S UP WITH THAT ???????

NUMBER ONE....

Jim Buss, Jerry Buss' son has been reporting that the Lakers are waiting until the 2007 offseason to snag a major player...
ala Yao, Dirk, and the like. It will be the final year of Phil's contract.

"If you keep mending your team every year after you make a trade like Shaq, you're going to be an average team,"
Buss told the LA Daily News. "Maybe make the playoffs, first, second round. That's not the goal. The goal is to make a big step. I have a list of free agents coming up next year. I can now focus in on those guys. Then I'll have a stronger opinion at the end of the year.”

WHAT'S UP WITH THAT ???????

Is Buss blowing smoke to make folks think the Lakers are folding the next two seasons ????
Is Kobe OK with two years of folding ???????
Is this a long term plan that demands slow deliberate action ???????




SOUND OFF...because this needs explanation....

ROUNDBALL - LIES, LIES, (RUMORS or Lies ???)

First off, I think these kinds of things should usually be taken with a grain of salt. Until the player has the jersey in hand, it means nothing. James Worthy was on the trade block the final 6 seasons of his career. However, In the current Player Market, there are two places to be for most sports, and that's either NY or CA.

Every player who brings up a trade either wants to play for a champion caliber team, or if that's not available, you may as well have a good time at the beach or a destination with a decent nightlife.

All that aside, Here are the current players rumored in a trade with the Lakers...........



LATRELL SPREWELL - he has business and family out here and played in the bay area before. I don't think that makes him want to be a Laker, but it means he wants greater comfort.



JALEN ROSE - solid player who can create on his own and understand the intangibles of the game. Is he worth sending Jumaine Jones, Devean George, Slava Medvedenko, and Vlade Divac in return. Although Devean's been injured and Slava romanticizing about finding a shot that he didn't like, Vlade is a warm body to sacrifice for precious extra minutes for the slim and inexperienced big men of LA. And during stretches Jones was the only non-starter to hit open jumpers and 3 balls.
.....Would Jalen run the point ????



STEVE BLAKE and GARY PAYTON - the return of the glove...not OJ, but the former defensive wizard who likely still holds a grudge for the ice job that Mitch Kupchak gave him before last season. "But I have a house out here..." I don't know if it's such a good idea to revisit too many past Laker components. Anyways, Gary HATES the triangle.



......Who's Steve Blake ????????





EARL WATSON - point guard

........................................................

ROUNDBALL - ...you too 'spensive !!!!!!

Grant was the Lakers' second-highest paid player after Kobe Bryant...



DOH !!!!

and he is still is owed $29.8 million on his contract...



DOH !!!!





This...is dedicated to my homies in that gangsta' lean...



Why'd you have to go so soon? ...



Thanks for the effort B. Grant...


http://www2.dailynews.com/sports/ci_2927723


The Lakers have decided to waive forward Brian Grant, taking advantage
of a one-time provision to the NBA's new collective bargaining
agreement allowing them to save nearly $30 million in luxury tax
penalties.


"We understand from a business standpoint there's a huge economic
incentive with the luxury tax savings," Grant's agent, Mark
Bartelstein, said Tuesday. "We know it has nothing to do with Brian's
abilities as a player and has everything to do with dollars."


Grant was the Lakers' second-highest paid player after Kobe Bryant and
still is owed $29.8 million on his contract. He averaged a career-low
3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds last season while battling chronic
tendinitis in his knees.


The Lakers will have to pay nearly all of Grant's remaining contract,
even if the 33-year-old forward signs with another team as a free
agent, and will gain no additional salary cap flexibility until after
the 2006-07 season, when Grant's contract expires.


Where the Lakers will benefit is in removing Grant's salary from the
NBA's luxury tax calculations, present and future. The league assesses
a dollar-for-dollar penalty for the amount teams spend over the luxury
tax threshold, which will be $61.7 million for next season.

ROUNDBALL - New D.A. in town ?????/

http://www.oregonlive.com/webl ogs/blazersblog/


The O.C. Register is reporting former Blazer Derek Anderson will indeed
visit Phil Jackson and the Lakers next week:
Derek Anderson will make the Lakers his first free-agent visit early next
week. It might not be long afterward Anderson assumes the vacant guard spot
in the Lakers' starting lineup.

Anderson, released Wednesday by Portland via the NBA's new amnesty
provision, is considering the Lakers, Detroit and Minnesota. He expects to
decide by the end of next week, but Anderson is drawn to the idea of
starting for the Lakers.

ROUNDBALL - What the ????

MOVIES - BATMAN BEGINS