Tyn Kup

Ariza watch

2009-12-01T10:22:00.001-08:00

Nothing new this week. Ariza continues to be a low efficient scorer while providing solid defense, decent playmaking and rebounding, and racking up the steals. Rumor is that T-mac will be coming back into the line-up in a non-disclosed time. The teams success will depend on T-mac’s ability to mesh team. In the long run it will probably be good for Ariza to be a solid second man, which his game is built for. Throw in a healthy Yao and the Rockets can be serious contenders. I hope the Rockets can unload T-mac’s contract and pick-up a decent 2 guard….hmmmmm

32-19

2009-12-01T10:05:00.001-08:00

A couple of surprise wins this week really skewed my total. Charlotte won three games this week, Atlanta dropped two, and most importantly, Denver lost at home to Minnesota for their second win of the season. The Lakers rolled with three wins and the starters continue to cover the benches ass by providing them with 20+ point leads to squander. They better figure something out because having only played four road games all season, its going to get a lot tougher.

Only a couple picks this week. I’m only going to pick Laker and Rockets games and games that actually matter, so who’s cares about the Minnesota/Knicks game anyway right?

Tuesday: Portland, Lakers and Charlotte over Boston ( I know this is a bad odds pick, but Charlotte is playing good and Boston isn’t clicking)

Wednesday: Cavs, Bulls, Rockets

Thursday: Boston, Denver, Rockets

Friday: Cavs, Lakers

Saturday: Nugs, Hawks, Rockets

Sunday: Lakers, Bucks

Ava

2009-11-23T09:26:00.001-08:00

It’s amazing what kids can remember and what they are “into” at different times. As phases come and go, Ava, surprisingly, hasn’t gotten into the doll phase. I think I’m kind of glad about that but I’m not sure why. Lately, she’s been into Christmas BIG TIME. I think this year will be the most fun yet. Last year, she was kind of into the present thing but not quite getting it. Two months later at her B-day…it was ON. So getting back to my point, Toys’R’Us conveniently sends out a huge ad. Ava has been “reading”, kind of, this book for weeks. Here’s our exchange:

Ava: Daddy, I get hippo hungry for Christmas.

Me: Hungry Hippos?

Ava: Yeah, Hippo Hungry.

Me: Ok.

Ava: Daddy, I get this (points to play kitchen), and this (points to princess dress up), and this (points to play oven), and this (points to everything else on the page). Daddy, I get a WHOLE BUNCH OF TOYS!!!!

Me: Ava?

Ava: Yeah.

Me: Only good girls get lots of toys.

Ava: silence

Me: Are you going to be a good girl?

Ava: Yeah (not so convincingly)

Me: ok

Ava: Daddy?

Me: Yes?

Ava: Daddy, I get this (points to play kitchen), and this (points to princess dress up), and this (points to play oven), and this (points to everything else on the page).

Gotta love her enthusiasm. Can’t wait for Christmas.

Ariza Watch

2009-11-23T09:05:00.001-08:00

So rather than include Ariza watch in my weekly post, I decided to do a separate post every week or after every Rockets game for Sarah. Ariza continues to be a high volume shooter and low volume scorer. So far, averaging about a point per shot, which in NBA standards, is pretty poor. I think I’ve said this before, but that’s not his game. What is his game is the almost 2.5 steals per game and the hustle plays that don’t make the box score. Over the past week, the turnovers have gone down to under 3 per game. I’m thinking that making Ariza the man will improve his ball handling skills and in the future make him that much more dangerous. Coming from a system which he was more or less a spot shooter and then going to making plays for himself and setting up others isn’t an easy transition. Either way, the Rockets are on my radar and I’ve been rooting for them. The Rockets have a tough week. At home to the Mavs and Spurs and then on the road against the Thunder.

126-67

2009-11-23T08:55:00.001-08:00

Went the week 33-18. A couple of surprise wins skewed my total. The Knicks actually winning 2 games, Washington won their supposed “rival game against the Cavs, the Hornets with 2 wins for their new coach/GM over the sliding Suns and the hot Hawks teams, the Warriors and Clippers upsetting the Blazers and Nugs, and the finally the Rockets lost on a last second tip in dunk to the Hawks.

The Lakers welcomed back Gasol to the starting line up and they rolled over the Bulls and Thunder. Not surprisingly, Gasol didn’t need much of a jump start to get going. He had a great first game back. In the short term, things are looking up for the Lakers. Long term, the bench will still have to step up big time for a repeat championship. Gasol’s 18 & 8 helps the Lakers almost immediately, as it would help just about any team. Watching last night’s game, the bench is still struggling to hold a lead against the opposing team’s bench. One of the reasons going around was that Odom needed to move to the second line up to get them going. I didn’t see much of that last night. Fisher continues to struggle to guard or put up any points. So which makes me wonder how much of a contribution “leadership” counts towards when your getting lit up by younger faster guards and struggling to find your shot on a consistent basis. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Fisher, but he’s definitely on the downward side of his career. If Fisher goes out with ANY type of injury and the Lakers being so thin at the point, would it cost the Lakers a chance to repeat? Hmmmm…

This week’s picks.

Monday: Kings, Bucks, Blazers, Clippers

Tuesday: Wiz, Raps, Mavs, Nugs, Thunder, Lakers

Wednesday: Pacers, Raps, Celtics, Heat, Hornets, Pistons, Nugs, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Blazers, Kings

Thursday (Turkey Day): Hawks, Bulls

Friday: Heat, Hawks, Cavs, Celtics, Pistons, Mavs, Rockets, Nugs, Suns, Thunder, Blazers, Kings

Saturday: Wiz, Cavs, Magic, Blazers, Lakers

Sunday: Hawks, Clippers, Suns, Celtics, Magic, Sixers, Rockets, Nugs, Hornets, Lakers

Special edition Ariza Watch (For Sarah)

2009-11-16T11:25:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of the Laker/Houston game, the Lakers had a ceremony to present Ariza with his championship ring. The jumbotron said “Thank you Trevor” and there were a few highlights of the key plays made during the playoffs. Of course, not missing the chance to bust my balls, my lovely wife convinced me I was tearing up. Well, not exactly…ok maybe a little. Funny thing was I was wondering what they did in the case where a championship is won and a player is traded. Well, that’s that. I thought it was a nice gesture on the Lakers part to put the effort in to make it special. On a side note, two rings were presented as Trevor’s son, Tajh, was also given a replica ring. Nice, very nice. Apparently, that must have tweaking Artest the way as it provoked him to do a little shoe throwing.

No seriously, shoe throwing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu1zMV5j0fo&feature=player_embedded

Ok, onto Ariza watch. Interesting week. Ariza had good games against crappy teams as to be expected and struggled against the Lakers and Mavs. I would expect to struggle against your former being that they know your game. Three point shooting has fallen off quite a bit from last year but turnovers have gone down as well. Scoringwise, he’s all over the map, 9, 17, 28, 9. But looking closer at the numbers, he’s averaging about a point per shot attempt. Not great but there are other numbers that stand out. 6 ½ rebounds, 5 assists, over four steals a game and about one block a game. That’s filling up the box score. There was a great sequence during the Laker last night. Kobe goes to the low block, posts Ariza up and pivot spins and tries to get a shot off only to have Ariza block the ball back at his face. Kobe regains control and circles out to reset and Ariza steals the ball and leads the break for an easy score. Nice. Another bitter sweet loss last night as the Rockets take one in LA.

Ariza v. Artest II- I hate to say it but Artest takes this one. More points on more efficient shooting, rebounded, dished the ball and fewer turnovers with the same amount of minutes. The difference, Ariza had a +9 and Artest -9. Is Artest the man? No. He’s cherry picking and gets choice looks on Kobe double teams. Am I making excuses….yeah I guess so. I still think Ariza’s the better player and when T-Mac comes back and hopefully gets traded for a better player, Ariza will shine much brighter as the number two guy where he belongs.

Houston plays Phoenix, Minnesota, Atlanta, and Sacramento. Two cupcake games and two gamers. I’d expect about the same lines for next week. I’ll catch the Friday’s game against Atlanta as the Josh Smith match-up will be fun to watch. That could very well be the match-up that wins the game for Houston.

umm...LA we have a problem.

2009-11-16T10:37:00.001-08:00

So the Lakers drop two in a row for the first time this season and triple their losses in three days. Cause for concern…yes. The Laker bench is horrible….let me repeat…horrible. How horrible? How about being outscored 91-43 in the two losses. So, averaging 17 points a game from the bench isn’t going to get it done. I don’t care if Gasol comes back tomorrow, long term, there’s a problem. Am I saying trade, trade, trade? No, but someone needs to chew someone’s ass and fire these guys up. Kobe’s hurt so things might get worse before they get better. 10 out of the next 11 at home should help…a little, but, until the bench can step up and play the Lakers are going to lose close games they might normally blow out.

This week I went 33-16 bringing the season total to 93-49. Surprise wins? Boston losing back to back Atlanta and Indiana, Denver blowing the doors off the Lakers, and Houston losing to the Queens…err, Kings.

This week’s games:

Monday: Atlanta, Orlando, Dallas

Tuesday: Cleveland, Miami, Indiana, New Orleans, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Lakers

Wednesday: Atlanta, Indiana, Orlando, Phili, Cleveland, Boston, Milwaukee, Houston, Clippers, Toronto, Dallas, Portland

Thursday: Phoenix, San Antonio, Lakers

Friday: Cleveland, Phili, Miami, Houston, Orlando, OK City, Dallas, Milwaukee, Portland, Denver

Saturday: New Jersey, Cleveland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, Detroit, Portland

Sunday: Orlando, Boston, Indiana, Miami, Phoenix, Lakers

60-33

2009-11-09T09:12:00.001-08:00

Holding pace at about 65%, I went 33-19 this week. Some surprise loses include the Phoenix over Boston and Chicago over Cleveland at home. I wasn’t sold on Phoenix but a road win to Boston will make me watch this team a little closer. The Thunder smashed the Magic last night, but the Magic are still missing Carter, Lewis and now Anderson. But to get smoked by 28 points? Really?

The Lakers got four wins this week. Two in back to back OT games and two blow outs. I really thought the Hornets would be better than they are. They got tooled last night losing by 16 but it was much worse than the score would show. Kobe had an efficient game and the bench got significant minutes and played ok. Player of the night? D.J. Mbenga…10 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. With both big men out, D.J. has been a solid. Yeah, he gets dunked on quite a bit, but to a guy trying to get playing time, you check your ego at the door and play.

This weeks games:

Monday: Sixers, Knicks, Raptors, Warriors, Clippers

Tuesday: Magic, Heat, Nugs, Blazers, Rockets, Thunder

Wednesday: Pacers, Raptors, Celtics, Pistons, Sixers, Hawks, Nugs, Blazers, Cavs, Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Suns

Thursday: Cavs, Lakers

Friday: Magic, Sixers, Knicks, Celtics, Blazers, Mavs, Rockets, Lakers, Raptors

Saturday: Hawks, Celtics, Wiz, Blazers, Cavs, Heat, Grizz, Warriors, Thunder

Sunday: Mavs, Thunder, Suns, Lakers

Games to watch:

Denver @ Chicago-These are two very evenly matched teams. Although an East/West match-up, should be entertaining.

Houston @ Dallas-This should be a heat check game for both teams to see where they are in their division as well as in the West overall.

Chicago @ Toronto-Two middle of the road play off teams similar two the Houston/Dallas game

Cleveland @ Orlando-I’m still not buying the Cavs as an elite East team but with Carter, Lewis and Anderson out, the Cavs better win or their in worse shape than I thought.

Dallas @ San Antonio-Another intra-division game with edge to San Antonio after Dallas being played hard by Houston the night before.

Cleveland @ Miami-I believe Miami is the better team but something about LeBron tells me the Cavs squeak this one out.

Phoenix @ Lakers, Lakers @ Denver, Houston @ Lakers-All of these games are going to be good. They will all depend on one thing as well. Who’s starting? If Gasol and Bynum are back, the Lakers should go 3-0 since on of the games are back to back. After this week, I think the pecking order for the West should be a much more defined.

Atlanta @ Boston-The Celtics are still too much team for the Hawks, but you can always hope…

OK City @ San Antonio-This is old v. young, precision v. recklessness, & experience v. athleticism. This is one of those games that will be a nail biter or a blow out.

Ariza watch: Ariza had another solid game against the Thunder.21, 5, & 6 with only 3 turnovers. Next game is Tuesday in Dallas with a back to back at home against the Grizz. The game of the week will be Ariza v. Artest II on Sunday.

midweek update

2009-11-05T08:11:00.001-08:00

Through Wednesday I went 16-8. Only a couple surprise wins. Detroit appears to own Orlando beating them at home without Prince and Maxiell. Portland is still struggling to find their groove. The Houston game was great last night. In bitter sweet fashion, I was ecstatic when Ariza hit the game tying three. I don’t have the NBA league pass so I was watching the game on a live stream. As luck would have it, the stream cut out with a little over 2 minutes left in OT and I finished watching that game on ESPN’s gamecast. Let me tell you, waiting for the text to load is a really lame way to watch the game. As is it turn out, Ariza had the ball stolen from him in the closing of the game and the Lakers pulled one out in a nail biter. Ariza had a rough shooting night going 5-21 and 2-7 from the three. Add 9 boards and 5 assists and it seems he’s getting more comfortable being “the man”. He was the only starter that came away with a positive +/-. The Rockets are a gritty hard nosed team that will grind out wins and never let up. Too bad their missing their big man and can’t trade T-mac. So did Ariza outplay Artest? Artest was more efficient from the field and made one more three but Ariza had more rebounds and assists. Well, I’d say it was a push. They play the same position but have really different games. We’ll see how Ariza does in LA next week.

In tonight’s games, I still take the Cavs but as of late, I’m thinking I overestimated Utah at home.

19-10

2009-11-02T10:18:00.001-08:00

Had a descent weekend. I was surprised the Lakers layed down for the Mavs. What a terrible game. The silver lining? Gasol has yet to play this year. A couple of other surprises: Memphis beating a jazzed Raptor team coming off a surprising win over the Cavs, the Bucks beating the Pistons (although I’m re-stating that I’m not sold on the Pistons this year), the Clippers pulling one off over the Mavs that just beat the Lakers.

So for the season I’m 27-14.

This weeks picks:

Monday: Nets, Hornets, Rockets, Clippers & in a coin flip the Kings

Tuesday: Cavs, Nugs, Magic, Heat, Bulls, Lakers, Mavs, Blazers & against my better judgement: Sixers.

Wednesday: Magic, Wiz, Raptors, Nugs, Knicks, Celtics, Lakers, Hornets, Hawks, & Warriors.

Thursday: Cavs & Jazz

Friday: Wiz, Magic, Sixers, Hawks, Celtics, Nugs, Raptors, Bucks, Cavs, Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, & Blazers.

Saturday: Hawks, Celtics, Bulls, Mavs, Knicks, Jazz & Clippers.

Sunday: Sixers, Wiz, Magic, Blazers, Warriors, & Lakers

Ariza Watch: Rockets pull out strong win over the Blazers at home. Ariza had a career high 33 points, shot great from the 3 point line, and most importantly, only had 2 turnovers. Rockets play tonight in Utah. I’m hoping he builds off the last game and continues top play efficient ball. Wednesday will be a great game with Ariza coming back to LA. Will the Rockets win? I doubt it. Will Ariza out play Artest? I hope so…

8-4

2009-10-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

So, not too bad on opening night for the rest of the league. Memphis over Detroit wasn’t even close but, I’m still not sold on Detroit. Minnesota squeaked out a win on a last second shot and Golden State and the Clippers lost by 1 & 2 points respectively.

Ariza watch: This is for Sarah, I’m still really bitter about Ariza’s agent screwing him out of being with the Lakers this year. He was hands down my favorite player on last year’s squad. He played defense, shot a consistent percentage and most of all, accepted his role on the team even though he could much more. This was quite obvious in the Denver series. Anyway, I’ll be watching “my boy” this season to see how he progresses with an increased role on a hobbling Rockets team and increased playing time. Last night, 25, 5 & 5 with 2 steals and 1 block. Similar to the previous game, Ariza had a lot of turnovers. This is not surprising, as he isn’t the most stellar ball handler. We’ll how he progresses during the year.

Only two games on tonight: I’ll take the Spurs and Portland. Even the Spurs on the second of a back to back is better than a thin Bulls squad and the physical battle Denver withstood against Utah last night will take its toll against a fresh Portland squad at home.

For the weekend:

Friday: Sixers, Knicks, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Thunder, Heat, Cavs, Magic, Raptors, Jazz, Warriors, & Lakers.

Saturday: Wiz, Cavs, Philly, Blazers, Pistons, Spurs, & Clippers.

Sunday: Magic, Celtics, Bulls, & Blazers.

B-ball up and running

2009-10-28T08:31:00.001-07:00

Finally the 09-10 season has started. Lakers came out with a so-so win against a feeble Clippers team. Boston outplayed an over-hyped “improved” Cavs team and my boy Ariza was a bit tentative. He’ll come around. Surprisingly, the Wiz pulled one out over Dallas and Agent Zero has come back with something to prove. I’m going to “attempt” to pick the winners of games for the rest of the year and see how I fare. So, tonight’s picks are:

Atlanta, Orlando, Cleveland, Boston, Miami, Minnesota, San Antonio, OK City, Memphis, Denver, Golden State, Clippers. In a side note, I picked all the home teams except the 0-1 Cavs team that will more than likely tear Toronto a new one in a angry second game of a back to back. But wouldn’t it be great for the “win a ring for the king” campaign to start 0-2?

WTF?

2009-02-05T08:24:00.001-08:00

I guess it’s the rough economy that really brings out he A-hole in people. I think I’m going to dedicate the next few posts to complaining about the daily crap that not only I, but everyone else has to put up with. Yes, I’ll agree that most of the things are petty, but it’s never the fault of one snowflake for starting an avalanche.

-What’s so hard about saying thanks to stranger who’s holding the door open for you? And why do people walking out the opposite way insist on walking through first and have the nerve to give you a dirty look as they’re walking through because they brush up against you? What’s the deal? Most department stores have about hundred doors in the front but they decide to walk through the one you have open?-

Hornets Tonight

2009-01-06T16:37:00.001-08:00

Well, two posts in two days is a bit of a rarity these days but this is an important game. If the Lakers can pull out a win tonight that will secure home court in the event that we play the Hornets in the post season. We’ll see what Laker team shows up, but lately they’ve been better defense. I expect the Hornets to come out with a lot of energy ready to avenge the previous two home loses. Obviously, CP3 has the potential to go off on any given night, but will the rest of the team follow suit? If CP3 goes off and the rest of the team takes the night off, that would be fine with me. I have CP3 in three of my fantasy leagues so…cheers!!

Coming together

2009-01-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

So rather than bash my team post after post, I decided to wait till I had something positive to say (kind of). Defense had been a mysterious thing previously. A mythical creature like a unicorn. Some people claiming to have seen it, but others discounting it as a fluke. That has not been the case the past few games. Last night Portland has shut down in the third quarter in route to a 14 point win. There was a span of 5 or so minutes that made me what to post a blog. The Lakers forced 3 consecutive 24 second violations, and the last one coming out of a Portland timeout. This is the team that will win a championship, the team that is playing to their potential, the team despite being somewhat shorthanded coming out with a a decisive win.
Now, on to the bashing portion of this post. Why can't the Lakers get fired up for every game like they did for the Boston game? Seems like the only reason for this explosion of great play was sparked from the win on Christmas day. I knew this team could play, but lacked motivation. Oh well, if it took a win against Boston to gain their confidence so be it. We'll see if they can avenge the loses to Miami and Indiana this weekend.

A deserving loss

2008-12-03T10:09:00.001-08:00

That was great way not to win a game. Going into the 4^th with a 15 point lead and only scoring 16 points. Giving up 19 offensive rebounds, getting out rebounded overall, and missing 12 free throws. Through hustle alone, the Pacers got 23 extra shot attempts. You can shoot a lower percentage and win when you get that many extra attempts. The Lakers should be embarrassed with that lack of performance. Tonight is the second game of a back to back against the Sixers. Depending on which team shows up it’s a coin toss as to who will win. I’m thinking Phil chewed their ass last night and they come out focused with more energy.

Whoa!!

2008-11-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Lakers won in donminating fashion last night. Apparently Phil chewed their ass at the half and they decided to play. Going into the half they had a 2 point lead. They ended up winning the game by 27. Even with a bad shooting from Kobe, they took care of business.
Dallas on Friday.

Here we go again

2008-11-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

The Lakers play the Nets tonight at home. The Nets are a 500 club at best, but can really push the ball. If the Lakers play like they did against the Kings it will be the second loss of the season. The Lakers gave up 33 points to the Kings on turnovers alone. They need to take care of the ball and control the tempo. Quick shots create fast break opportunities and I’ve noticed teams taking advantage of Gasol and Bynum struggling to get back on defense. Pound the ball down low and let the bench run and gun.

-Keys to the game as always are rebounding and turnovers

Prediction: Lakers get the wake up call from Jackson and blow the Nets out by 20+

Disappointed

2008-11-24T10:29:00.001-08:00

I have to say that has a crappy game last night. There is no way the Queens…errr Kings should have been close to winning that game. Both of their star players are hurt and we played at home. The fact that Jackson had to put the starters back in the final minutes of the game is ridiculous. The bench should have been able to finish the game. But its not only the bench that played bad, but the starters could only match baskets in the first quarter. The Lakers allowed way too many easy layups and couldn’t defend the pick and roll. Many they assumed this would be a cupcake game and didn’t come focused. If that’s the case, this team is in for a rude awakening. Yeah, we did come away with a win, but seriously, this team is trying to win a championship not just the play offs.

Ugly Win

2008-11-19T10:51:00.001-08:00

A win is a win but an ugly win. The Lakers were outrebounded by a smaller team and allowed a lot of dribble penetration. 16 steals and 11 blocks shows the commitment on the defense, but they have room for improvement. Gasol had a great game and it could have been better. Gasol lit up Gooden in the post and for whatever reason, we went away from that. The Bulls refused to double Gasol and he was making them pay. I’ll give the Bulls credit for tough interior defense and the surprising play of the bench. The Lakers missed as least 8 point blank shots under the basket and Kobe had 0 free throws. Can’t remember the last time that happened. Rose had a good game and managed to find the holes to the basket on several occasions. I noticed that Rose is just as fast with the ball as without. He’s a very dangerous player in that aspect. The Bulls are a good team and will easily make the play-offs assuming they stay healthy. As to my prediction, the Lakers were ahead at the half and never looked back but…wrong again. Next game @ Phoenix

New Big Stick

2008-11-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

In an effort to squeeze a few more yards out of my drives, I just bought a new driver. Should be here next week sometime.

Lakers vs. Bulls

2008-11-18T11:34:00.001-08:00

Tonight should be a cake walk. This Chicago team is very young and very inexperienced. They play the typical small ball and will more that likely try to push the tempo and struggle when the game slows down. If they can shoot like the Pistons did they should have a good chance of winning. That’s assuming the whole Laker team shoots like crap. I don’t see the Bulls having a chance of winning this game. The Lakers are big inside, deep and versatile. Ben Gordon is their leading scorer and typically he gets shut down by Kobe. I’m interested in seeing Rose play. I’ve watched his numbers in the past week or so and they are solid. We’ll see what he can do against a much larger front court.

Keys to the game:

As always, rebounding and turnovers

Limit the amount of penetration and help defense on the drive and kicks.

My bold and arrogant prediction: Game over at the half. Lakers by 20+ with bench playing close to half the game and putting up 40% of the points.

If you could have one wish, what would it be?

2008-11-14T23:56:00.000-08:00

I couldn't think of a good poll to post this week so I posted a question .

7-1

2008-11-14T23:47:00.001-08:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later. The first loss of the season
was at home to the Pistons. At least it was a loss to a playoff bound
team. Despite getting 26 more shot attempts the Lakers shot poorly
from the field and worse from the 3 point. 16 free throw attempts is
a season low. I don't think they played that bad. Rebounds, assists,
steals, and blocks were the same and only 11 turnovers. The Lakers
were getting good looks at the basket, they just weren't falling.
Also, there were several point blank shots that bounced around the rim and went out. The one stat that stocks out is the free throw
differential. The Pistons had 34 attempts. Apparently the Lakers
weren't as aggressive as the Pistons. I didn't see it that way
watching the game but who knows what the refs are actually looking at.
This is a wake up call for this team. They played ugly the past few
games and still came away with a win. The Pistons are still an elite
eastern team and if the Lakers don't bring it every night, it will be
another disappointing season.

WRONG!!

2008-11-13T10:51:00.001-08:00

Thankfully I’ve only predicted one game correct. The Lakers pulled out another one against a tough Hornets team. They showed their toughness buy rallying back from 21 points down to get within three. A Kobe 3 pointer sealed the deal with a little more than a minute left. I listened to the game on the radio since it wasn’t on TV. Since I didn’t actually watch the game, I don’t have as much to say. This is where I get on my soapbox to talk about “blackout” games.

I used to buy the NBA package but the stupid blackout games pissed me off. So if you’ve never bought a sports package here is a reason not to do it. First, they advertise that you’ll get all 82 games of your favorite team. In the fine print it says subject to blackout and you don’t know what games will show and which ones won’t. All the Laker home games are on Fox so that means you buy the package for 41 away games. This doesn’t include the games that will be televised on ESPN, TNT and NBC. So now it’s down to say…20 games? I got the package a couple of years ago and of those 20 games about 5 were blacked out. What a deal $180 for 15 games. Now I’m a B-ball junky but mostly Laker games. If you were a Memphis fan, the package would be worth it because Memphis doesn’t get much love from the networks basically because they suck. So if you’re a fan of a sucky team it might be worth it. I think the cable company should offer pay per view for each game. They could charge $10 a game. Just a thought.

Western Conference Finals Preview

2008-11-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Lakers @ Hornets

According to a majority of the analysts, this is the predicted match-up for the western finals. I would have to say it’s a toss up between New Orleans and Utah. Looking at the stats for the both teams, the Lakers would have the edge in just about every category except assists. Chris Paul accounts for about 75% of the teams assists. In the past, the Lakers have had problems defending penetration and the quick slashing guards. Tonight will be a good test to see if the portion of their game has improved. Last year this team really beat us up on the boards and around the perimeter. The pick-up of Posey will make covering the perimeter that much more important. Although better on paper, the Lakers are playing the second game of a back to back. I think the Rockets were a good example for what to expect for the rest of the year. Teams are going to come at them with everything they got. The Lakers will have a huge target on their back till the end of the season. Being undefeated only magnifies things.

Prediction: Lakers are going to come out flat, falling behind early. Lose the rebounding game and turn the ball over 20+ times. Gulp…Dare I say it? Hornets by 6.

6-0

2008-11-12T07:54:00.001-08:00

Despite having fewer assists and blocks and being out rebounded, the Lakers grinded out another win. It wasn’t pretty, but it’s another win. Dallas came out with more energy and that is what kept them in the game. On the boards they were much more aggressive and that turned into second chance points and fast break opportunities. Dallas lead pretty much lead the whole game, but the Lakers stayed within striking distance. The one thing that stuck out about Dallas is the fact they have no inside game besides the low post turnaround jumper. That is where they lost the game. I’ll give it to Dallas, they shot the skin off the ball for 3 ½ quarters. Down the stretch, you have to play a slow down half court game. In the closing minutes of the game, Dallas was forced into contested jump shots. They made a few, but in the end they went cold and that cost them the game. Their starting 5 and 1 off the bench were all in double figures but the other four were 0,0,0,3. This team has no bench. Times like these really make that Kidd trade even more unbelievable.

iPhone

2008-11-10T07:52:00.001-08:00

The iPhone is officially gone. I returned it this weekend. I loved just about everything about the phone.

Easy to use
The contacts, calendar, and e-mail applications synced to the Macbook seamlessly
Setting up multiple e-mail accounts was easy. I had a Yahoo, Gmail, and my work e-mail all going to the phone.
The iPod integrated into the phone was great. The phone came with ear buds that doubled as a hands free. You could answer a phone call, pause and forward a track all from one button.
When connected to Wi-Fi, the browser worked really well. The pinching and grabbing of the screen made surfing really easy.

So with all of these great features, why did I return it? The phone function of the iPhone sucked. Its supposed to be a phone first and a nifty gadget second. I got more dropped calls in the three weeks I had the phone than the two years I had my other phone. A few years ago I wouldn’t have cared, but with two young kids, when I need to get or make a call I need a phone first and gadget second.

I will say that after having a great piece of technology such as the iPhone, it will hard to go back to my “normal” phone. I’m looking into the iPod touch as a replacement. All of the features of the iPhone plus better battery life minus the “phone” part. But, apparently you can convert the iPod touch to make phone calls…..huummmmmm

5-0

2008-11-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

I didn’t get a chance to do a pre-game blog for the Houston game. I would have predicted a close game. That wasn’t even close to what happened last night. The Lakers started out slow and were down by 12 at the end of the first. The second quarter was the beginning of the run. The Lakers held the Rockets to 5 points in the final 7 minutes of the second to take a 2 point lead into the half. The second half was all Lakers holding the Rockets to 34 points. Other than a slow start, I don’t think we could have played any better.

Game Numbers:

All the numbers were dominating. Better from the field, the 3 pt, Free throw, out rebounded, more steals, more blocks, and fewer turnovers.

The first correct prediction

2008-11-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

After rambling in several posts about how the game will go, I actually guessed, err predicted the outcome. I'm not expecting it to happen often so I will enjoy it when it does happen.
After a disappointing first half. It was a flashback to a few seasons back. Kobe came out ready to score. That is normally a bad way to start a game. At the half, 36% from the field and 27% from 3 and 66% from the free throw and only down by 4. Rebounds were equal as well as turnovers and steals. The Clippers were sharing the ball much better. I'm still wondering how the Lakers managed to keep the game close.

The 2nd half was much different. The Clippers stayed close through the third quarter only down by 4 going into the fourth. The turning point of the fourth quarter was at the 8 minute mark. The score was tied and the Lakers turned up the defense and held the Clippers scoreless for the next 7 minutes. Although the defense was impressive, this game was clearly won at the free throw line. The Lakers struggled shooting 39% from the field but remained aggressive going to the hoop. It was an ugly game but as Rick Fox said, "you have to win those ugly games".

Game Numbers:

30 more free throw attempts

10 more rebounds

12 steals and turnovers

Lakers/Clippers II

2008-11-05T09:11:00.001-08:00

Another match-up with the Clippers should mean another win. The Clippers finally have Camby in the lineup. I don’t think it will matter. I caught Camby’s first game of the season and he was a bit rusty. It also looked like his heel was bothering him as he wasn’t as explosive and aggressive as he’s know to be. He’s listed as questionable as is Davis. If they don’t have Davis, things will go from bad to worse.

Bynum injured his shoulder in practice bumping into Mihm. He says that it s a little “tight”. Well, it better loosen up because he hasn’t looked good in the first three games. I think it’ll take at least a dozen or so games for him to get into the full swing of things. Unfortunately, it’ll take the press and so called analysts (excluding myself) half the time to start the speculation that the Bynum contract extension was a bad move. I’m glad the Lakers signed Bynum and I think they got a deal assuming Bynum stays healthy.

This is the last of the cupcake games. The next four games are against playoff bound teams. Home @ Houston, a back to back against Dallas & New Orleans on the road and home against Detroit. Will we go 4-0 in this stretch? Probably not. My prediction is 3-1. New Orleans is a tough match-up on any night. Coming out with a win on the second game of a back to back with New Orleans having three days rest is a stretch. Let’s just say I will be impressed with a win. I’ll take a 1-3 record as long as they win that game.

Tonight’s prediction: Lakers by 18

11 lbs 2 oz

2008-10-31T10:50:00.001-07:00

In a non basketball related topic, Cole had a doctor appointment Thursday and chunked it up another pound in a week.

Nuggets/Lakers

2008-10-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Lakers can go ahead and notch up another win. This Denver team was no match for the Lakers last year being swept in the playoffs. The addition of Bynum and the subtraction of Camby for the Nuggets spells doom. The fact that Denver will likely be playing without Melo on the second game of a back to back coming from playing the Clippers doesn't help. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Camby is a solid role player and plays good defense. The knock on the Nuggets last year was the fact that they didn't play defense. Well, that was directed at everyone but Camby. So what does Denver do? They give Camby to the Clippers for basically nothing. This will be a good test of the Laker interior defense. Iverson is cutting and slashing guard. It's been proven time after time that he can't win games by himself, and if he gets shut down, then what? The Nuggets will play small ball starting two power forwards. Nene and K-Mart aren't exactly the most aggressive rebounders and pair that with that fact that are matching up with Gasol and Bynum, and you have a miss match on both ends of the court. But....the turnover prone Lakers will have to take care of the ball because Denver can work well in the open court. Denver managed to rack up 12 steals against the Jazz in their opener. If they can manage 20+ they may have a chance.

Prediction: Lakers by 20+ in another blowout.

2-0

2008-10-30T08:27:00.001-07:00

I’m not sure where to start with last night’s game. It was the second game of a back to back. Sure, they were both at Staples, but typically on opening night a little more energy may be expended due to the off season. That showed in the first quarter. The Clippers came out of the gate with a lot of energy. They were tough inside and managed to strip the ball from Kobe 3-4 times. Their interior defense was tough and they got out and ran the floor. If it weren’t for a last second three, it would have been a tie after the first quarter. In the middle of the second quarter, a 14-0 run was the beginning of the end. I think the Clippers ran into problems when the bench came in. Suddenly the game went from a half court set to a run and gun. I give a lot of credit to the bench. I was cussing them in the Finals last year because they didn’t show up.

Numbers of the game:

55- bench points

7- players in double figures

19- rebound margin

16- turnovers

52.6%-3-point percentage (actually higher than from the field)

Next game Sat @ Denver

Lakers Win!

2008-10-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last night’s win is a good start to the season. Unfortunately, the Blazers didn’t play nearly as well as I had thought they would. Roy started out the game 0-9 and Aldridge was a no show. Oh well, its only one game. I’m sticking to my prediction that the Blazers will make the play-offs. I’m going to hold off making any judgments on Oden. He will carry the curse of the No.1 overall pick and all the criticism that goes with it. Come on, the guy’s 20 years old and played one year of college.

As far as the Lakers are concerned, defense was great last night. A couple of numbers stand out in the box score, turnovers, blocks & rebounds. The Lakers looked good inside taking care of the defense boards and racking up 7 blocks. Hopefully, establishing an inside presence will keep those quick slashing guards from getting to the basket for easy lay-ups. The turnover damage was 15 and that’s right where they should be. I can remember at least 2-3 unforced turnovers so in reality, its more like 12 turnovers. If the Lakers continue to take care of the ball, the wins will start to pile up. Scoring was evenly distributed. Three players in double figures, four a basket away from double figures, and 36 bench points. Bynum looks like he’s still trying to get his timing and Walton still recovering from an ankle injury, made a quick appearance. Looks like things can only get better.

Lakers/Clips

2008-10-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

This should be an interesting year for the Clips. Typically the joke of the league, the addition of Davis and Camby will be interesting. I can't say enough about Camby. He can block, rebound and despite a funny release, can bury the midrange jumper. Is he a direct replacement for Brand? Absolutely not. But the pick-up cost the Clips nothing in cap space so why not. The Clips will probably be better than the Nuggets but that still won't earn than a playoff spot. I think the Clips will improve over last year. I'm not sold on the 2 and 3 spots. Mobley isn't getting younger or quicker. This will be Thornton's second year. I can't say much about him because I don't know much. He will be splitting time with Davis.

Game Predictions:
Kobe torches Mobley for 25+
The Laker bench show it's depth in the second quarter
Davis will look to run & gun but find out the cast around him is much less athletic

Keys to the game:
The Laker interior D needs control the amount of damage that Davis can do off the dribble.
Rebounding on offense and defense will be key. Camby and Kaman are great role players and work hard in the trenches. Bynum and Gasol will get the better of the match-up but if they get lazy, tehy will get out-wroked. The Clips will probably want to run and gun. I don't think Davis's game is suited for the half court so they'll be looking to kick the ball out and start the break. If the Lakers can control the tempo, the Clips will probably resort jumpers. Our weakness will come if we get sucked into an up tempo game. Don't get me wrong, the Lakers can run the break with the best of them, but turnovers will make and break this team.

County Games Golf

2008-10-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

This is pre-post to the upcoming annual County Games Golf. My work has an annual golf tournament to determine who will represent the County at Corporate Challenge. Corporate Challenge is local to the Las Vegas area. The event replicates the Olympics. It encompasses all the local public agencies as well as participating private businesses. The County sends the first place team to Corporate Challenge and the second place team is the alternate.

I have entered the event the past two years. Typically its at Silverstone. http://www.silverstonegolfclub.com The first year my partner and I came in third. What a day. 50 degrees 20-25 mph winds all day. For those of you who golf, you know what 20 -25 mph wind can do to the ball. Last year we won the event and were able to attend Corporate Challenge. We shot -7 under but that was hardly competitive. The winning team ended up shooting -12 under. As a note, the format is a two-man scramble. I wish I could shoot -7.

This years event has been relocated to a different course. http://www.bouldercreekgc.com This is a really nice course with three different 9's. It's a typical desert type course but it has always been in great shape every time I've played there. The tournament is set up to play from the whites which cuts off close to 600 yds. Maybe the 635 par 5 will be reachable. We'll see.

Open Season

2008-10-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

The Lakers open the season against the Blazers on Tuesday. I've been waiting for B-ball season to start since we lost in the Finals. I can't stand baseball and football is good enough to follow till B-ball season starts. The Olympics was a great teaser but having Kobe, D Wade, LeBron, and Howard on the same team is fun to watch till the slaughter starts.

Anyway, on to my totally biased view of the upcoming game. A note before I start. I'm using the ESPN depth chart to view the prospective match-ups at each position.

At the point, you have Fisher vs Blake. I'm giving this to Fish. For one, I doubt Blake will be playing the majority of minutes. From the looks of it, the rookie Bayless may be finishing games.

I'll make this disclaimer now. With the exception of a few players, Kobe will always have the advantage over the other 2 guard. enough said. But...Roy has a ton of game. I'm not sure where he is with his knee. Prior to surgery, Roy was excelling into pre-superstar status. This year may place him up a level.

At the 3 it shows Batum starting. Don't know anything about this dude or dud. I do know that Outlaw had a couple monster games against us last year. Assuming Outlaw starts, an Odom vs Outlaw is an interesting match-up. Knowing that few can match Odom's versatility, defensively, Odom may have a hard time containing Outlaw on the O-boards. On the offensive side, Odom has a definite advantage. Given Odom's tendency to be radically inconsistent, I'll call this a push. If, for whatever reason, Jackson decides to start V-Rad, I'll give the advantage to us considering the chip on Odom shoulder should jump start his game to drop 15, 12, & 6 on whoever they put in front of him.

At the 4 and 5 I'm calling a push. The Aldridge/Oden and Bynum/Gasol tandems are both a work in progress. On a good night Aldridge can play the part of a monster and outplay Gasol. But in the long run, Gasol will put up more consistent numbers. Although the soft play of Gasol gets annoying. I'm not sure what to think of Oden. He was great in college for one year and that's all you can go on. Bynum on the other hand showed the skills of a future all-star. The only question for both is health and how they will jell with their counter part at the 4.

I'm still concerned with the quantity and quality of turnovers. Several bad turnovers in a short stretch can really swing the game the other way. I think that will be an ongoing theme for this years team. Can they protect the ball? This team loves to share the ball and when they do, there's flashbacks of the Showtime era Lakers. If the turnovers can be limited to 10-12 a game, they will be very tough to beat.

I don't think the critics are giving this Portland squad enough credit. They won 15+ games in a row last year. You can't do that without having something special. When these teams meet there is an underlining rivalry dating back to the Western Conference finals in which Portland was a quarter away from the Finals. I can't think of a tougher place for the Lakers to play than at Portland. Since the game is @ Staples, overall I give the advantage to the Lakers.

Score 105-96

Cole "slaw" Ono

2008-10-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

A recent picture of our ten pound monster. Cole had an appointment
this week and he had gained two pounds since birth. Makes sense
considering all he does is eat and sleep.

Fro

2008-10-24T23:13:00.000-07:00

Big hair

Lakers 2008-09

2008-10-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

So far I have managed to watch three preseason games. Typically Sarah and I made a tradition out of catching the game that is in Vegas every year. We didn't go this year. We were blessed with the birth of Cole.

This was what I looked like towards the end of last years title run. Needless to say, it was a tough series to watch. I'm happy for KG but that's about it. I don't care for anyone else on the team.

This years Laker squad is almost identical to last year with the exception of Turiaf being traded to the Warriors. I liked Turiaf, but like most PF/SF out of college, he was too slow to play SF and too small to play PF. I liked his energy. Sarah and I caught him outside after a preseason Laker game here and he was kind of an A-hole to us. That turned me off a little bit. Not nearly as much as it did Sarah, but it was disappointing. I agree with the Lakers not matching the Warriors offer. The squad is stacked with forwards so he won't be missed all that much. The major addition to this years squad is Bynum. He showed major promise in the few games he played last year. Pair him with Gasol at the 4 and you have a monster front court. This may present some concerns in terms of spacing. That will be discussed in the coming months. The talk right now is bringing Odom off the bench. WTF? Odom is one of the most versatile players in the league. I believe he can play all 5 positions if need be. Maybe that's his downside. Jack of all trades, master of none. That will make this years team that much more dangerous. NBA champs? Maybe, but its still too early. I think winning the Pacific should be a lock. My preseason predictions for the playoffs are:

1. Lakers

2. Hornets

3. Jazz

4. Rockets

5. Spurs

6. Dallas

7. Suns

8. Blazers

Where is this going?

2008-10-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

So, its been several months without a new post. I was struggling to come up with a "theme" for the blog. Tyn Kup is a variation of the spelling of "Tin Cup" one of my favorite golf movies. So I have come to the conclusion to focus this site on a few things. Family, golf and misc. rambling. Oh, and since basketball season is right around the corner, obviously this will become Laker central for complaining about the players, refs and anything B-ball related. In addition, I just purchased an iPhone. I'll be posting random facts or observations about Apples attempt to satisfy the worlds need for instant gratification through an electronic device. It works for me.

Dinner at the buffet

2008-06-26T10:39:00.001-07:00

We had dinner at Treasue Island with Sarah's aunt and uncle from Washington.

This is Ava's typical dinner set up. A 4 to 1 toy to food ratio. She ended dinner by hugging the cotton candy. I'll get video next time.

Ava

2008-06-25T07:49:00.001-07:00