Ebanks and Caracter Look Like Good Fits for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t pick in the first round of the NBA Draft but General Manager Mitch Kupchak had two second-round selections to work with.  At 43, the Lakers chose small forward Devin Ebanks and at 58 they added power forward Derrick Caracter.

Ebanks, at 6’9″, 215 pounds, is a rangy, perimeter defender who can slash and cut.  Historically he’s a poor three-point shooter but in the early games of the Las Vegas Summer League, Devin has shown an improved stroke.  With an uncanny resemblance to former Laker Trevor Ariza, Ebanks may get the opportunity to play a similar role off the bench for the Lakers.  “Everybody says that [about Ariza] but I’m just trying to play like Devin Ebanks.  Everybody says I look like him and we but I’m just trying to focus on me,” said the Ebanks.

Caracter is a little undersized at 6’9″ but listed at 265 he’s got a lot of body despite losing a considerable amount of weight.  Derrick has been an NBA prospect since high school before struggling to live up the hype at the college level.  He’s looking forward to putting those days behind him.  “With a last name like mine, they’ll never forget about the character issues.  Some say it’s good; some say it’s bad,” said Derek.  “What’s most important is that my family and friends know who I am.  I just go out here and prove to these people that I’m here and I’m here to stay.  I just take one day at a time.”

Both Ebanks and Caracter have to make the squad.  As second-rounders, their contracts won’t necessarily be guaranteed initially by the Lakers.  “For second-round picks they played well.  That’s what summer league is for to see what they can do,” said Kupchak.  “A lot of times if they play well at summer league what that really means is that they’re worthy of an invitation to veteran’s camp.  So that’s what they’re trying to do right now, get invited to veteran’s camp and so far so good.”  After two hot shooting nights to start the summer, Ebanks has cooled some.  Through four games, he’s averaged 16.0 points on 41.4% shooting with 1.5 steals a game.
Caracter notched three straight double-doubles before breaking the streak on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings.  Through four, Derrick has put up 16.8 points a night on 60.4% shooting with 9.3 boards and 1.5 blocks a game.  Right now Derrick is just focused on making it to and through training camp to the regular season with the Lakers.  “It starts off with finishing off strong the rest of my summer, getting invited to veteran’s camp,” said Caracter.  “Take one day at a time through the season and help in whatever way possible, whether it’s 15 seconds or 15 minutes -- try to help L.A. keep winning.”  Ebanks feels the same way. “I could have went higher [in the draft] but I’m happy I’m here.  I get a chance to play with the world champs -- hopefully I’ll make the roster.”  Kupchak is just happy that he has two prospects that have a real shot to make the squad, given L.A.’s draft position.  “They’re both high quality players.  It’s unlikely.  It’s kind of a function of where you’re drafted -- it doesn’t alwayswork out that way,” said Kupchak.  “Typically second-round picks have to work harder to make the roster -- so that’s what they’re going to have to do.”   Caracter wants to help the Lakers beat teams like the Miami HEAT.  He’s kept a close eye on the summer’s developments like the rest of the NBA. “You see guys now teaming up with each other just to get a ring.  It’s not an accident, those guys are like that.  It goes to show you that championships are important,” said Derrick.  “There are a lot of great players that are great but because they never won a championship, they were never held to a certain standard.”  By what they’ve shown so far in Vegas, both Ebanks and Caracter look promising.  Expect the Lakers to add both to the training camp roster in early October.  In the meantime they’ll just keep at it.  “Not settling.  Not settling for a little bit of success with what’s going on here,” said Caracter.  “Keeping my faith in God first and continuing to keep working hard and everything will fall into place.”
Article was written for HoopsWorld by ERIC PINCUS  Read the original article

Lakers Free Agent Interest

Lakers have shown some interest in Tracy McGrady and  two Golden State players Raja Bell and Anthony Morrow.  Morrow is coveted because of his ability to spread the floor with inside -outside game. Bell tied for the league lead in 3-pointers with 205 in 2006-07 and Morrow, a 24-year-old swingman, led the league in 3-point percentage as a rookie, connecting at a 46.7 percent clip in 2008-09. Morrow’s agent, Wallace Prather, said Thursday he has had preliminary talks with the Lakers. At 6-foot-5, 210-pounds, Morrow is a restricted free agent, meaning the Warriors can match any Lakers’ offer.

Free Agency Options for Lakers

Fisher, 35, is their main free-agent concern after his sturdy playoff presence probably extended his pro career by at least one more season. The Lakers could sign him for the veteran’s minimum of $1.35 million for a player with his experience (14 seasons), but Fisher wants something closer to the $5 million he made this past season.
It does not look like an easy negotiation, with Fisher saying last week he has a “strong feeling about what my value is to a team,” but the Lakers hope talks do not stagnate after going through a laborious monthlong process last July before re-signing Lamar Odom.

After Brown opts out of a contract that would have paid him $2.15 million next season, the Lakers can give him a five-year deal worth up to an estimated $34 million, but he wasn’t much of a factor in the playoffs and will not get that big of a deal from his employers of the last 1 1/2 seasons.

The Lakers are contemplating offering Farmar a one-year, $3-million contract in order to avoid losing him as an unrestricted free agent. If they tender him the deal, known as a qualifying offer, he remains a restricted free agent and they have the right to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.  End-of-bench reserves Adam Morrison, DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell are not expected back. The Lakers will not heavily pursue any frontcourt players in free agency because they are cautiously optimistic about their second-round draft picks, small forward Devin Ebanks and power forward Derrick Caracter, and could employ them next season for $473,000 each.

One player who isn’t expected to leave is Andrew Bynum, whose name has been dropped in numerous trade rumors, all of which are “ridiculous” insinuations, according to a source familiar with the thinking of the Lakers’ front office.

At any rate, what can the Lakers spend this off-season?  Without including Brown, they have committed $81.6 million to only seven players on next season’s payroll and are already way over the salary cap for 2010-11, meaning their largest free-agent tool is the mid-level exception worth an annual average of about $6.5 million for up to five years.  The Lakers, however, do not want to spend their entire mid-level exception, which limits their purchasing power. They can sign a free agent for less than that, say two years and a total of $9 million, but are reluctant to dig too deep into the mid-level reservoir after having the league’s highest payroll last season ($91.3 million).
If the Lakers lose Brown and Farmar, they are interested in signing a point guard such as Steve Blake, Luke Ridnour or Earl Watson.   Blake is a pass-first point guard with a decent three-point touch, a 30-year-old veteran who made $4.25 million last season with the Clippers and Portland. He averaged 6.8 points and 6.1 assists in 29 games with the Clippers while shooting a commendable 43.7% from three-point range.  Ridnour, 29, made $6.5 million last season with Milwaukee and would have to take a steep pay cut to join the Lakers. He averaged 10.4 points and four assists last season.  Watson, 31 and formerly of UCLA, averaged 7.8 points and 5.1 assists last season for Indiana, but he has never been a great three-point shooter, averaging 33.1% in his career. Like Ridnour, he made $6.5 million last season and would have to take a sharp cut to return to Los Angeles.

Shooting guard Raja Bell, 33, is also a possibility despite playing only six games last season with Charlotte and Golden State. A steady outside shooter, decent defender and former nemesis of Kobe Bryant, Bell had his season cut short in November after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in his left wrist. He made $5.25 million in 2009-10.

The Lakers are near the top of the list of smooth-shooting forward Mike Miller, but he is coming off a contract in which he made $9.8 million last season and would want more than they can offer.

Lakers Draft Devin Ebanks & Derrick Caracter

Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak on picking Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter in 2010 NBA Draft

Devin Ebanks

Lakers drafted smart in the second round yesterday by picking up University of West Virginia small forward, Devin Ebanks.  This kid plays very good man-on-man defense and was a solid rebounder.

• Birthday: 10/28/89
• NBA Position: Small Forward
• Class: Sophomore
• Ht: 6-8
• Wt: 208
• Hometown: Long Island City, NY
• High School: St. Thomas More

Strengths: Long and lean small forward possessing a ‘smooth’ game … His wingspan is incredible and he seemingly gets his paws on every ball … Prolific rebounder (8.5 RPG). Particularly innate offensive rebounder (3 per game) … Grabs boards outside of his area. Quick off his feet and anticipates caroms extremely well. Breaks for the ball before anyone else on the court … High percentage shooter, rarely takes a bad shot (47%) … Very soft touch around the basket. Crafty with a variety of release points … Knows how to get shots off in the paint … Exhibits excellent body control … Shows promise with his mid-range jumper … Gets good elevation and has picturesque shooting mechanics … Appears comfortable at the free throw stripe where he shoots 74% … Will occasionally take his game into the post and shoot over smaller defenders … Thrives in transition as he runs the floor very well and takes long, loping strides … Makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands … Good passer averaging 2.7 assists per game … Has the ability to see over the defense and find cutters … Versatile defender with the ability to guard multiple positions … Often matches up with the opponent’s top perimeter threat … Moves his feet pretty well for 6-9, and his length can bail him out if he’s beaten off the bounce … Long arms and quick hands net him a steal per contest … Has a fire in his eyes at the defensive side, something very rare.

Weakness:  Right now, he has no 3pt shooting.  There were games last year where he simply doesn’t look at the basket.

Derrick Caracter

While Caracter has shown flashes of development in other areas of his game, he is still incredibly reliant on his post game, as 80 of his 142 charted offensive possessions on Synergy were of the post-up variety. Looking to the NBA, he will need to diversify his game some to find a long-term niche in all likelihood, and should probably look at fellow under-the-rim banger Craig Smith as a player to model himself after. Improving on his ability to finish off cuts and pick-and-rolls by using his massive body to seal out defenders and create angles is something that could help him contribute in multiple ways in the pros.

Defensively, Caracter has an improved effort level and focus this season, though there are still many things holding him back from being an effective defender. In the post, he actually shows decent fundamental in man-to-man situations, getting into his opponent and using his strength to hold position well. That said, with very little lift and a weak standing reach, he’s very prone to being shot over, and can be outmaneuvered by quicker opponents as well.

How the Lakers Get Chris Paul

With the prospect of Phil Jackson leaving the Lakers edging closer to reality and the thought of the Hornets trading Chris Paul entering the realm of possibility, my mind’s in overdrive. You see, sometimes I combine various tidbits of NBA information into a what-if scenario, just as I sometimes throw whatever fruit I have on hand into the blender to make a smoothie. This is one of those times — for a what-if scenario, that is. Not a smoothie. (Although I’d love a smoothie right now. That’d be great.)

It’s not that hard to envision a scenario that brings Paul to the Lakers. It starts with Jackson retiring, a move he said he is “leaning toward.” Then bring in Byron Scott to replace him, as has long been rumored. Out goes the triangle offense, which probably wouldn’t suit Paul. In comes Paul, who maintained a good relationship with Scott even after Scott was fired by the Hornets. (That’s more than could be said with Scott’s previous two point guards, Baron Davis and Jason Kidd.) Meanwhile, Scott and Kobe Bryant go way back to Kobe’s rookie year, when they were teammates, so that would work, too.

Why would any of this work for the Hornets? They need to shed salary, with the four years and $52 million remaining on Emeka Okafor’s contract sticking out on their spreadsheet like a nun on Bourbon Street. The best way to entice a team to take on that contract would be to include Paul in the deal, painful though it may be for the Hornets. Besides, if they really like Paul and want to repay him for everything he’s done for that franchise and the New Orleans community they’ll give him a chance to play for a championship contender.

They could send Paul (owed $14.9 million in 2010-11) and Okafor ($11.5 million), with contracts totaling $26.4 million, to the Lakers for the combined $27.5 million in 2010-11 contracts of Andrew Bynum ($13.8 million), Lamar Odom ($8.2 million) and Sasha Vujacic ($5.5 million). This would have to be done after July 1, when Paul and Bynum are no longer base-year compensation players. The short-range benefit for the Hornets is that Vujacic’s contract expires after next season and they would pay Bynum and Odom about $5 million less than the approximately $29 million Paul and Okafor will make in 2011-12, which would make the slight increase in the 2010-11 payroll a little easier to digest. The biggest savings could be in 2012-13, which are team-option years for both Bynum and Odom. The Hornets could have $24 million come off the books in 2012 instead of being on the hook for the final two years and $28 million of Okafor’s contract through 2014. Or they could keep Bynum if he lives up to the potential he demonstrated in his best months with the Lakers. Despite all of his injuries, the thought of Bynum at $16.5 million in 2012-13 sounds better than Okafor at $13.5 million

The immediate return would be a competitive lineup next season that included Bynum, Odom, Darren Collison and David West, with Peja Stojakovic still around in the final year of his contract. That’s better than the squad they fielded for the 37 games Paul missed last season. It’s not a championship lineup but it could at least make a run at the playoffs.

The Lakers could be eying space for another banner on the crowded Western wall of Staples Center. They’d be looking at a backcourt of Bryant and Paul, with Pau Gasol, Okafor and Ron Artest up front. Derek Fisher could go to the bench and be preserved for important playoff situations. With Bryant more averse to driving the lane the past few seasons, Paul could be the guy to create off the dribble. And Paul’s proclivity for steals could set the Lakers up for easy transition baskets. Just imagine him testing the limits of Shannon Brown’s vertical leap with lob passes (if Brown came back to L.A. next season).

The fact that the Lakers have been to three NBA Finals and won two championships since they acquired Gasol from the Grizzlies makes that deal one of the great trades in NBA history. Why not try to do it one better by going after Chris Paul?  – Article was written by J.A Adande for ESPN.com.

Lakers Considering Adding Raja Bell

According to a team source, the Lakers are interested in signing free agent forward Raja Bell.   Bell, who played only six games in 2009-10 before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left wrist in December, is coveted for his defense and his ability to connect on corner 3-point shots that could fortify the Lakers inconsistent bench, according to the source.  The 10-year veteran, who turns 34 in September, averaged 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 45 games with Charlotte in 2008-09, his last healthy stint before being traded to the Golden State Warriors in a deal for Stephen Jackson in November.  In the story first reported by Yahoo! Sports, Kobe Bryant was named as one of Bell’s strongest supporters, the pair having apparently buried the hatchet after a 2006 first round playoff series between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers when the two exchanged blows on the court and insults off of it.

The Lakers have $83.9 million committed to eight players for next season, nearly $16 million above the luxury tax threshold that comes with a dollar-for-dollar penalty for salary spent over that line. The Lakers will need to sign five more players (six if Shannon Brown opts out of his contract) and will have the mid level exception, valued at approximately $5.5 million, available to do so despite the team being so far over the $56.1 million salary cap.

Javaris Crittenton Get 2nd Chance on Lakers Summer League Team

When they drafted him a few years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers had high hopes on Jarvis Crittenton. He was later part of the trade that brough Pau Gasol to the Lakers.  It was pretty much assumed that Javaris Crittenton’s NBA career was basically over following his little gun horseplay with Gilbert Arenas. The Wizards hadn’t picked up his contract option for next season even before the incident, and it was hard to believe any NBA team would sign him with the gun situation looming over his head.
But apparently Crittenton’s NBA career does have a flicker of hope. The Lakers, who originally drafted him in 2007, will give Crittenton a chance to show his stuff on their Summer League team, according to Draft Express.

ESPN Ranks Lakers as Greatest Basketball Franchise in History

In a recent article for ESPN, John Hollinger ranks the NBA Franchises.  To no one’s surprise, he ranks the Los Angeles Lakers first and the Boston Celtics second.

No. 1: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are the greatest franchise ever because of their incredible collection of trademark stars.

1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS: 80.2 POINTS PER SEASON (1947-2010)

• Wins: 3,027
• Playoff wins: 426
• Series wins: 106
• Titles: 16
• All-Stars: 127
• Best player: Magic Johnson
• Best coach: Phil Jackson
• Best team: 1971-72 (69-13, won NBA title)
• Intangibles: +150. Endless stream of superstars — on the court and in the seats.

Magic. Kareem. Jerry West. Kobe. Shaq. When it comes to superstars, the Lakers are so far out in front of everybody else it’s not even funny — their all-time starting five would crush any other team’s; in fact, it might be better than that of the rest of the league’s put together. So star-studded is their legacy that I left Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan off my five-man team that opened this paragraph, also neglecting the likes of James Worthy, Bob McAdoo and Gail Goodrich

And those big names won, too. Although the Celtics have more championships, the Lakers have more of everything else — wins, playoff wins, playoff series wins and conference titles. About the only thing that hurts L.A. in the all-time rankings is the penalty for relocating from Minnesota to Los Angeles in the 1950s.

The story begins with the Mikan years up north, where he led Minneapolis to five championships in six seasons in the formative years of the NBA. As the league’s first dominant big man, he established something of a tradition.

FRANCHISE HISTORY

Los Angeles Lakers (1960-Present)

Minneapolis Lakers (1948-60)

Since then, the Lakers have almost always had at least one monstrous big man — Mikan, Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Pau Gasol — and one electrifying perimeter star to go with him (Magic, Jerry West, Baylor, Kobe).  About the only thing the Lakers haven’t been able to do is best the Celtics head-to-head. In 11 meetings against Boston in the Finals, L.A. has prevailed just three times. In that regard, Baylor’s Minneapolis team got the ball rolling in 1958-59 in the team’s last season before heading west, and in the ’60s, Chamberlain and West were foiled by the Celtics five times

Ultimately, those Lakers broke through with a 69-13 season in 1971-72 that featured a 33-game winning streak — still a record for North American pro team sports — to win the team’s first title in L.A.  After a brief lull in the late ’70s, they would get five more rings when Magic arrived to join forces with Kareem. Although there was one more painful loss to Boston interposed — a seven-game defeat in 1984 — L.A. avenged it by becoming the first team in nearly two decades to repeat as champs, winning in 1987 and 1988. A hamstring injury to Magic Johnson in the Finals the next year derailed the Lakers’ quest for a three-peat, but they would get one a decade and a half later after Phil Jackson came to Tinseltown to guide Shaq and Kobe.

That team provided plenty of last-second excitement — most notably the alley-oop from Kobe to Shaq that cemented a Game 7 conference finals comeback win over Portland in 2000 — and produced one of the most dominant playoff runs in history with a 15-1 romp through the field in 2001.  Amazingly, the franchise has missed the playoffs only five times in its 62 years. The Lakers, who have played in seven Finals in the new century, are now only one title behind the hated Celtics after defending their title in 2010 with a dramatic seven-game win over Boston.

Is Bryant the Greatest Laker Ever?

Move over, Magic; L.A. is Kobe’s town…By Chris Broussard

I grew up idolizing Magic Johnson. Before he even got to the league, he stole my heart from Dr. J with alley-oop passes to Greg Kelser and by foiling Larry Bird in the historic 1979 NCAA title game  He also put together the greatest single-game performance in NBA history. Not only did he stack up 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals to lead the Lakers to the championship over Philadelphia, but there’s so much else to consider: the stakes, his youth and inexperience, his switch from point guard to center, the quality and star power of the opponent (The Doctor), the quality and star power of his injured teammate (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). And he did it all as a 20-year-old rookie.

Although I believe Michael Jordan is the best to ever play the game, I’ve often stated that Magic is the one player you could argue was better because he’s the only player in league history who could have played each of the five positions at an All-Star level.  Time to pass the torch. Title No. 5 sealed Kobe’s place atop L.A. 

Magic, along with Bird, saved the NBA. Magic’s charisma, Magic’s smile, Magic’s style made him so cool, so awesome, that you couldn’t help but love him. To this day, he’ll charm your socks off.  But I’ve got to be objective. I can’t let my personal feelings get in the way. I can’t let the fact that I watched Magic as a wide-eyed kid rather than as an adult who no longer idolizes basketball players affect the argument. I can’t romanticize the past, making the heroes of my childhood larger than life, as we all have a tendency to do. And when you take away those factors and subtract the off-the-court stuff — the personalities, the cultural impact, the front-office brilliance (Jerry West) — I’m faced with this conclusion: Kobe Bryant is the greatest Laker of them all.

After Kobe won his fifth title Thursday, Magic said on ESPN that Kobe deserves a statue next to his outside Staples Center. Later that night, Magic told me Kobe is now his equal, although not yet his superior. “The great thing about the Lakers is that we judge by championships,” said Magic, who — along with Kareem, Kobe and crucial role player Derek Fisher — has won a handful of rings with the Lakers. “So when Kobe gets that next one, then he’ll be The Man; he’ll be the greatest Laker. And I’ll have no problem giving him that.”

In my heart, I agree with Magic, the starting point guard on my all-time first five. But when I judge Magic by the same standard that everyone in the post-MJ period is judged by, I have to, albeit grudgingly, put Kobe atop the Lakers pantheon.  Since Michael, superstars are judged by not only how many championships they win, but with whom they win them. One of the greatest arguments for Michael’s supremacy is that, outside of Scottie Pippen, he built a dynasty with a roster full of role players (Dennis Rodman was a terrific one, to be sure, but still a role player). While guys like Ron Harper, Steve Kerr and Bill Cartwright deserve respect, they weren’t in the same class as the championship teammates of Magic and Bird.  So since Kobe came after Michael, he had to hear the “he’s never won it without Shaq” refrain earlier in his career. But Magic never heard “he never won it without Kareem.” Bird never heard “he never won it without Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.”

In each of Magic’s five championship seasons, he had a top-50 player of all time (Kareem). Granted, Kareem, although still a big-time scorer, was 38, 40 and 41 years old for the final three titles. But by then, Magic had been joined by another top-50 teammate in James Worthy, who played on the Lakers’ 1985, 1987 and 1988 title teams. That’s not to mention other great Magic teammates such as Byron Scott, Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon and Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo.

Kobe obviously had an all-time superstar for his first three titles in Shaq. But for his past two rings, he’s had nothing close. Pau Gasol is a perennial All-Star, but he’s not going to make anyone’s top 50. If he and Kobe continue winning rings together, though, he’s got a shot at the Hall of Fame. The significance of Kobe’s ability to start from scratch and build a second mini-dynasty with the Lakers can’t be overstated, and gives him an advantage over many all-time greats.

Magic could do a lot of spectacular things, but he couldn’t play defense like Kobe.  As for the other Lakers greats, Wilt Chamberlain and West won only one ring apiece, despite playing together for four full seasons. Elgin Baylor never won a championship despite playing most of his career with West. Shaq, of course, won three rings in his eight Lakers seasons. And Kareem falls prey to the same argument as Magic (his team was stacked much higher than Kobe’s); Kareem never won a ring without Magic or Oscar Robertson.  On top of the quality-of-teammates argument, Kobe beats Magic decisively on defense. Kobe has been a great defender, earning first-team All-Defensive honors eight times and second-team twice. Magic was never an all-league defender.

Personally, for all his scoring prowess, I don’t think Kobe’s offensive numbers stack up to Magic’s. Magic averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the field and 85 percent from the foul line. Kobe is a career 25-point scorer, but he’s averaged only 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 45 percent shooting. But when you factor in the defensive end, Kobe — the better shooter and scorer — comes out ahead of Magic as an all-around player.

While some might hold Kobe’s subpar performance in Thursday’s Game 7 against him, he still had 15 rebounds and found a way to score 23 points, mainly by hitting 11 of 15 foul shots. Plus, other immortals have struggled in big moments. Magic had so many flubs in the Lakers’ 1984 loss to Boston, including dribbling out the clock at the end of regulation in Game 2, that he was being called “Tragic” Johnson. And Michael shot 6-for-19 and 5-for-19 in two of Chicago’s Finals games against Seattle in 1996.

Of course, Magic and his terrific teammates faced stiffer competition than Kobe has. The Celtics teams they battled were heavy in Hall of Famers, too. But in 1989, Magic’s Lakers were swept by a Detroit Pistons team that featured only one top-50 player, 6-foot-1 Isiah Thomas, and had no great big men. I’d also argue the Celtics teams Kobe lost to in 2008 and defeated in 2010 were better than any of the clubs Jordan defeated in the Finals. But that’s the only thing I’m giving Kobe over Jordan. He’s not Jordan’s equal, and I don’t think he ever can be, let alone overtake him as the G.O.A.T. Michael averaged 33.6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists on 48 percent shooting while never losing a Finals series. He dominated every Finals he played in ways Kobe has not come close to doing.

But this isn’t about Michael and Kobe; it’s about Kobe and Magic, the two greatest Lakers ever. We can call them 1 and 1A. Just make sure Kobe is mentioned first.  Read the original article on ESPN.

Lakers Guide to Hating Celtics

Well, it’s on. Is it ever. Or should I say, it’s back on again. The two words in basketball that say so much and mean everything. Heck, they define an entire sport.

Lakers and Celtics.

The NBA’s two most storied franchises, two of the most famous organizations in sports history, with 32 titles between them, more than half of the 63 that the NBA has bestowed, meeting in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years and 12th time overall. This amazing, heated rivalry goes back 51 years, to 1959, Elgin Baylor’s rookie year; that was the first time they met in the Finals with Bob Cousy’s Celtics beating the Minneapolis Lakers, two years before the Lakers moved to L.A.  As a tribute to half a century of antagonism, antipathy, jealousy, mutual animosity and maybe, just maybe, the most grudging kind of respect that will never be acknowledged, but mostly because the Lakers’ record in these colossal championship confrontations is an astoundingly embarrassing 2-9, we present today, as a public service to Lakers’ fans the world over . . . 

A Guide to Hating the Celtics!

We begin with two storylines, premises, really, that you must understand up front:

1)  The Celtics cry. They cry more than Best Actress winners at the Oscars. They cry like every game is a wedding. Every time a call goes against them, there will be more tears than Kleenex can handle. They cry even after they have to dial 911 to mop up some fallen opponent who’s been mugged and beaten within an inch of his life.

2)  The Celtics also foul. They foul on every play. They foul everyone, from stars to scrubs. They foul as a strategy. They foul as a style. They foul as a tradition. They foul hard and they foul incessantly. They foul just for the fun of fouling. They probably foul their own bus driver on the way to the arena.

Now, so you can hate them properly and profoundly, here they are, the Boston Celtics:

No. 34, Paul Pierce: He is their best scorer and a load for anyone to guard, including Ron Artest. But the Celtics’ captain flops more than a large-mouthed bass taking his last breath while dangling from a fishing line at the end of a pier. Every time Pierce shoots, he acts like he’s been hit by a train. Usually, he hasn’t been touched. Two years ago, he fell during the Finals against the Lakers and went off in a wheelchair. An actual wheelchair! Five minutes later, he was dropping three-pointers all over TD Banknorth Garden. He actually came back into the game with the music from “Rocky” blaring over the public-address system. Yo, Paulie, that was such a bad con job, Sylvester Stallone is a better actor than your are.  If you’ll be seeing him for the first time, you’ll hate him before the first quarter of Game 1 is even close to over, guaranteed. And by the way, Pablo, your headband is usually crooked. [For the record: An earlier version of this post contained an inappropriate comment about Pierce relating to an incident in 2000 in which he was stabbed repeatedly. That comment should not have been published and has been removed.]

No. 5, Kevin Garnett: Last you may have seen him, he was goin’ all Karate Kid upside the arms of Dwight Howard in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Hey, K.G., who’s your instructor, Mr. Miyagi? Garnett is, or maybe was, a great player, Hall of Fame caliber, but once he joined the Celtics, he officially became annoying, arrogant and insufferable, like the rest of them. He is now impossible to root for in any manner. His emotional tearfest in the immediate aftermath of the Celtics’ ’08 Finals win over the Lakers remains today one of the truly legendary and awkward postgame microphone meltdowns. One more good cry, which is what you always expect from a Celtic. 

No. 20, Ray Allen: This guy is one of the greatest jump shooters in basketball history. Totally clutch. And he may have the prettiest stroke ever. Money when it matters. He’s also a heckuva nice guy, even though his momma stands up too much and looks like she’s even cockier than K.G. I know I’m not giving you any reason to hate him, but never forget the overriding issue: that damn green uniform.

No. 43, Kendrick Perkins: This guy looks meaner than Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the gates of Hades. You get scared just looking at his picture on Google images. He looks like he would shove his grandma in the middle of the back if it meant getting a rebound. Perkins has the offensive skill set of your average blacksmith or lumberjack. Instead, he does what can euphemistically be called a lot of the dirtywork for the Celtics, dirty being the operative word. He’ll have six fouls by the second quarter, two of which are called. He is also a human moving screen. He sets the only pick in the NBA where the player is actually running full-speed into the man he’s screening. This is very often not called a foul, just because he’s a Celtic. He is prone to getting technical fouls, usually immediately after waking up in the morning.

No. 9, Rajon Rondo. This is the point guard who is faster than any Laker. He’s an emerging star and acts like it, too. If he were any more conceited, he’d dribble with his left hand and carry a hand-mirror with his right. He preens more than TV news anchors. If he has a weakness, other than the villainous franchise he suits up for, it’s his shooting. He has trouble making open five-footers in empty gyms, much less full arenas. Just remember this kid is, like, 8 years old and already as arrogant as the rest of them.

No. 30, Rasheed Wallace. This old grump has been an unmitigated pain since he came into the league.   He has two emotions: angry and mad. The technical fine money he’s paid could fund many third World countries. He’s also at least 52 years old. In every game, bar none, he will a) commit the most obvious foul ever; b) cry to the ref and then, c) act like the whole world is against him. Which, in fact, it is.

No. 11, Glen Davis. They call this one Big Baby. Right on both counts. Right now he’s about two Krispy Kremes shy of Stanley Roberts, who ate himself out of the league. If he and Perkins and ‘Sheed and KG have 24 fouls between them, trust me on this, they will use all 72.

And now, in the names of Rondo and Hondo, plus the Jones boys, that hatchet, Tommy Heinsohn, the butcher Dave Cowens, that Rambis killer McHale and even Larry Legend and the infernal Cigar, Red Auerbach himself, the NBA Finals are still five days away and I already hate every one of them to pieces.  The article was written by Ted Green for the LA Times.