No Kobe? No Problem.

It has been a pretty remarkable run for the Kobe-less Lakers, who have gone 4-1 in their last five games without their superstar.  Kobe Bryant, injured with tenosynovitis of the shin, missed the last five contests, ending his regular season streak of 138 consecutive games.  When news of Kobe's injury surfaced, many wondered if LA can continue to put up wins.  Those doubts only strengthened after the Phoenix Suns blew out the Lakers on their first game without Bryant.  The lack of offense was evident.  Someone needed to step up.  The Lakers responded by winning their next four games.  Game two without  Bryant was hosted by the New Orleans Hornets.  The Lakers turned to Pau Gasol to lead the team.  Gasol led a well-rounded game, scoring 25 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists.  The Lakers won a nail-biter, 93-91.  Game three against the elite San Antonia Spurs worried many fans.  Yet, the Lakers, held up by All-Star center Andrew Bynum, came out with the victory.  Grabbing 30 rebounds, which hasn't been done for over two years, Bynum led the Lakers to an easy 98-84 win.  When Bynum doesn't provide 30 rebounds, no problem.  In game 4 without Bryant, Bynum scored 30 points, winning a game at home against the Denver Nuggets 103-97.  Today, the Lakers were faced with another obstacle in proving they're an elite squad.  Playing the defending champions, the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers came out with a victory.  But it wasn't easy.  The game went into overtime, but they were able to win 112-108.  Three of the Lakers' starters scored at least 20 points.  This game was definitely a team effort.  Besides Gasol and Bynum, many of the role-players steeped their game up in the five games.  Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace picked up scoring where Bryant left.

What's next for the Kobe-less Lakers? Only time will tell.  When interviewed, Bryant stated he'd be back before the season ends.  Although the Lakers have been successful without Bryant, it is obvious they miss his scoring and leadership on the court.  If they want chance at winning another title, Kobe must come back with a vengeance.

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Soap Opera in Orlando

     Dwight Howard is easily the NBA's hot spot for high profile soap opera drama, and the story only gets more interesting. Anyone who follows the NBA knows of the trade drama that has surrounded
Dwight Howard for the past couple of months, but with the trade deadline long gone that drama was supposed to be over with. Instead the exact opposite happened, and the rumors are now hotter than ever. All of this steams down to the Orlando Magics head coach Steve Van Gundy and his comments made three days ago of word that "came from the top". According to Van Gundy he knows that Dwight Howard has personally asked Magic's top managers that Steve Van Gundy be fired as head coach, and this of course is a whole new mess of its own. With playoff time dwindling ever closer, this huge disagreement between star player and coach does nothing to help Orlando's chance at a NBA Championship title.
     Orlando's game yesterday against the Seventy Sixers showed that even with the drama going on Dwight is still a performance monster, with an impressive twenty rebounds and twenty points. However this does not seal the deal. Despite Howard's impressive performance his newly found back troubles became more apparent, as at one point he got a rebound and completely collapsed onto the f;oor. This is only the begging. Orlando will have many harder games as the NBA season comes to an end, and even more of that as the playoff's begin. Can the team make it through the playoffs? Will Dwight's back be able to handle the stress?
     The NBA Championship is  the key factor in determining the Orlando Magics near future, and with Orlando's future Dwight's as well. If the Magic don't pull of a championship title this year Dwight and Van Gundy are both very unlikely to return to the team next season. Dwight is Orlando's power house averaging 20 points a game, and a crazy 14 rebounds per game. It is hard to imagine an Orlando without such a dominant center. Yet these coaching issues do not look good for Orlando, and if those don't kill the Magic in the playoffs, Howard's back might. Either way is a loose loose situation for Orlando, cause in both situations they loose their star player. The Soap Opera in Orlando continues, and a cloudy future looks like it is on its way for the vacation city.

No D.Rose and Still Strong

The Chicago Bulls have the made the best out of it. They currently hold number one of the season standings and their most valuable player is injured. Derrick Rose, one of the best players on the Bulls suffered a severe groin pull against the New York Knicks back on March 12. He has been sitting out for 12 games and the Bulls have pulled off a successful season so far. They've won 9 games, and 4 of the games were consecutive wins. The possibilities that the Bulls have is outstanding, with Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and the rest of the team, they are definitely making a big cover for Rose. Being ranked number one in season standings isn't easy, especially without a great point guard like Derrick Rose.

 The question is though, will the Bulls keep working hard and hold their position without Rose or will they eventually need him? Rumors have been saying that his injury is probably going to make him stay off the courts for the rest of the season, but Rose said "My groin is not bothering me. I'm happy to move on. My spirits are up. I felt good out there...It's really not up to (Thibodeau). It's up to me. If I'm feeling good, I'm going to play. If I think that I need some more days, I'm going to take some more days. More than likely I'll be out there." With no doubt Derrick Rose will make the Bulls a stronger team. With or without him, the Bulls have pulled off a successful season and are ready for the next title.  

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Goodbye Fisher.

After sixteen long years with the lakers, Derrick Fisher is now gone. Fisher entered the lakers with MVP Kobe Bryant since 1996. Out of the 16 seasons the Lakers won five NBA titles during their combining careers. As Derrick Fisher left for Houston and Ramon Session's arrival from Cleveland made the "Lakers younger and faster at point guard their weakest position." Laker's general manager Mitch Kupchak did not yet speak to Bryan before or after the trade of Fisher. However, in response, Bryant canceled a scheduled interview on the Laker's progress as he heard of Fisher's departure since Bryant seemed to take the news very harshly. Although Kupchak knows his concerns about breaking up the roster that reached three straight NBA finals since 2008 to 2010 his goals are to make the Lakers younger. Even though Bryant was younger, Fisher could not keep up with someone whom is four years younger than him. In reference to Chicago Sunday Times, the Laker's point guards are generating only 12 combined points per game this season therefore making this the lowest average in NBA history. Kapchak is confident that with the trade it will help the Lakers improve and continue to win like they have previous in the past years.

From #8 to #24

 Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest players that is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers for the past 15 years, has changed drastically throughout his NBA career. Bryant enjoyed a great career at Lower Merion High School. He declared himself in the NBA Draft and he was drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets. Overnight he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he released his amazing gameplay.
Bryant started off his first season with only 7.6 points per game and within 5 years he averaged 28.5 points per game. What made him change so quickly? He was just an original player playing for an original team. With no doubt, Kobe Bryant couldn't have had a great success without the help of Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant and O'Neal led the Lakers three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 - 2002.  In 2003 Kobe Bryant was convicted with sexual assault to a 19 year old woman who worked at the hotel he was staying at. The trial lasted for a whole year which was eventually dropped by the woman. After this Kobe started a new phase for his career due to O'Neal's trade to the Miami Heat.

The start of this new phase wasn't much of a success due to their last season loss to the Detroit Pistons in the finals and the loss of Phil Jackson as a coach. The next season, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson reunited and led them back to the playoffs. Bryant was on a new level, he scored 62 points against the Dallas Mavericks, and 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Kobe reached the second highest score in one game in NBA History. By the end of the season, Kobe averaged 35.4 points per game, his record highest in his career. This was a drastic change in Lakers history and his own history. 

Ever since his new phase began, he decided to change his jersey number from 8 to 24 at the start of 2006-07 season. He scored 65 points against the Portland Trail Blazers and the next day he score 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that game he scored another 60 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. The next season, the Lakers finally made it to the finals. Even though the Lakers lost in the finals to the Boston Celtics, they had an outstanding season with a 57-25 record.

The next 2 seasons, Kobe earned the MVP Finals Award and also brought back two trophies. With the help of Kobe and his new phase, the Lakers have been set to a new level and they plan to let no one overcome them.

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Kobe, Jordan....LeBron?

     Talk to anyone on the streets about basketball and one of three names is going to pop up in your conversation: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Look at these player's statistics and it's easy to see that these are some of the best players the game has ever seen. The difference between these players however, is that while both Bryant and Jordan hold multiple NBA championships, LeBron James still remains ringless. So the question is, does LeBron even belong with those three names?
     There is no doubt that LeBron has all the ability of a great basketball player. Just take a look at his career averages: 48% for field goals, 27.7 points a game, and 1 in 3 for for every 3 point shot taken. So how does this guy lose? When he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the excuse was always his teammates. Every great player had a Scottie Pippen, or Shaquille O'Neal, was often heard. However, to fix this problem LeBron moved himself to the Miami Heat where he had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to make up for the lack of skill in his former Cleveland teammates. Yet here we are two season later and still no championship, or anything close.

     Is two seasons too soon to tell if LeBron will ever get a championship? Of course. With only two seasons under his belt with a new team there is still much "warming up" to do, but the question can't be ignored; why no championship yet? Both Kobe and Jordan had three championships back to back by the time they had reached this point in their career. Despite putting up numbers it seems that LeBron doesn't have that extra skill that stats could ever measure, timing. What wins championships, and makes great player isn't their stats, its the ability to get it done when it counts. With no championships, but the stats to get there, LeBron simply seems to lack this ability. A great example of this could be taken from the recent all star game, with LeBron's turnover on a pass that could have won the game. An all star game is no good example of a player's skill, and one bad pass is no measure of a player's greatness, however this is not the only time LeBron has not came out with the points when they needed to be made.
     LeBron is no doubt a good basketball player, but when putting him next to those names more needs to be there than just good. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are some of the greatest players the game has witnessed, LeBron is still just good.

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By Kim Nguyen

The Masked Mamba

 

Kobe Bryant.  No words needed to describe the future Hall-of-Famer.  At the age of 33, Kobe has already broken numerous NBA records.  His determination to win is unmatched by anyone in the NBA.  He has won five Championship titles, and is en route to win more.  We, as fans, take for granted this man's ability.  This past season, Kobe Bryant has been playing with multiple injuries.  His knee has been a nagging issue the past few seasons, and just as the 2011-2012 season was to begin, he tore a ligament in his shooting wrist.  Just to add to the list of injuries, Bryant suffered a concussion and a broken nose due to a hard foul by Dwyane Wade during the 2012 All-Star game.  As a result, Bryant currently wears a face mask, similar to that of Richard Hamilton.  He's been wearing the mask for the past three games.  But just like with his other injuries, Bryant only propelled his level of play.  Coined, "The Mask Mamba", Bryant and the Lakers have gone 3-0 since the All-Star break, with Bryant scoring 31, 38, and 33 points.  His most recent win was against Wade and the Miami Heat.  Was it revenge that motivated Bryant? According to him, he didn't take the foul personally.  But deep down, things such as Wade's foul only motivates Bryant.  He doesn't have to lash back through words at how unnecessary the fouls was.  He completely denies feeling a sense of revenge.  And if anyone tells him otherwise, he'd be the first to deny it.  He expresses his frustrations through his play.  What will The Masked Mamba accomplish next?  If you ask him, he'd respond with a sixth ring.

Wear 24 on your back.

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