Bleacher Report - Articles by mike c

Donald, Daffy , DarkWing in L.A.

mike c — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:05:22 -0400

If it walks like one, looks like one, and quacks like one. Then it must be, in this case, a dynasty.

Yes my friends the Lakers have put up targets all across the league, and if you are not with them I advised you to 'DUCK', because the first shot has already been taken.

Loading Ron Artest into the clip with Kobe, Pau (hopefully Odom) is enough for any mediocre coach to make it deep in the playoffs. Stan Van Gundy, Nate McMillan, George Karl just to name a few.

But we are not talking about any coach,we are talking about the Zen master himself, Phil Jackson.The winner of 10 of the last 20 rings since 1990.

Imagine Phil coaching Denver, Portland or Orlando these past playoffs.

Does the outcome change?

Why hell yes it does, dramatically.

Because the bonehead decisions these other coaches made, like Van Gundy sitting Skip down to play Jameer Nelson,and not even playing Anthony Johnson(a great defender & 3 point shooter) or Nate McMillan not going to his bigs enough to get Yao in foul trouble and off the court.George Karl deciding to double Kobe even when he didn't have the ball.

These mistakes cost them rings.

Must I remind you that Phil has ten, six with Michael. And four more with Kobe with at least four more good years left in the tank.

I know you hate to admit it, but Phil Jackson knows basketball, pretty sure that's the reason he stayed with Kobe and let the big fella go.

"No more Diesel we runnin on GASOL-ine".....I'm out

Kobe, Disneyland, Deja Vu

mike c — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:23:02 -0400

Rasheed Wallace going to Boston, so what. Sounds like the year for the technical foul record to be broken with the potty mouths of Sheed and Kevin Garnett combined.

Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess to the Spurs, whatever. Manu Ginobili off the bench again, well that's crazy, Pop, pure crazy.

Shaquille O' Neal to Cleveland, give me a break. Witness—no help again.

Vince Carter and Dwight "Superman" Howard coached by Stan Van Gundy. What a waste.

You could put Chris Paul on the moon, and it still wouldn't be bigger than Ron Artest going to the Lake Show. That's just the icing on the cake.

The cake, the foundation, is this: Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Andrew Bynum and, yes, "The MVP" for years to come, Kobe Bryant, are back together again. Lamar Odom should return, too.

We have all heard in the past how Michael, Scottie and the two-time, three-peating Chicago Bulls had trouble with running the notorious "Triangle" offense, but when they slowed down and let the double-teams come, they realized all they had to do was play defense because no one could stop them offensively.

Which brings me back to the topic at hand.

Doesn't it look familiar: Kobe down on the blocks waiting on the double-team, and Pau Gasol waiting on the double-team.

With two or three passes off of a double-team, someone is wide open—Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Craig Hodges, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, etc.

With the triangle, all you need is two guys that always have to be double-teamed—Kobe and Gasol—and great shooters around them, which the Lakers do have.

When you add a third player in Artest that also calls for a double-team from opponents, what do you get?

Kobe, Disneyland, Deja Vu. I'm out.

San Antonio Spurs Need More than just Richard Jefferson

mike c — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:55:47 -0400

With Tony Parker worried about his "Desperate Housewife," Tim Duncan still waiting on his voice to crack, and Manu Ginobli worried about going bald, Gregg Popovich has to ask himself:

How much money will it take to buy another championship?

Yeah, I said it.

Even with Richard Jefferson coming in from the Bucks, for some bucks, it doesn't matter.

What does he bring to the table that Michael Finley, Ime Udoka, and Bruce Bowen didn't bring?

Youth, right?

Wrong again my friend. Jefferson may be a slasher, dunk artist, rebounder, and top candidate for "Dancing With The Stars," but he has a very serious problem.

Defense!

The Spurs have to deal with the likes of the Lakers, who added maybe the toughest S.O.B. in the game to their roster in Ron Artest.

You also have the Nuggets, who were ousted by the Lake Show in a hard-fought battle, and I'm pretty sure Carmelo Anthony became a lot hungrier to reach and surpass bringing them so far.

And there are the Trail Blazers, whose youth and bad coaching cost them a series that they should have walked away with easy, not to mention they are the only team 'I' think will give the Lakers any trouble throughout the playoffs, including the Finals.

Jefferson, Manu, Tony, Timmy:Pop says, "The West is a beast," and they know collectively you can slow this monster down.

But one-on-one, in transition, against isolation, we're in trouble, so use your fouls wisely.

And we have no bench...