Vino

Yes, call him Vino, because that man is aging like wine.  Last night, Kobe played 48 minutes and put up 47 points.  He added 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, and he was credited with 4 blocked shots.  How many times did he turn the ball over during this stellar performance?  Once.  Keep in mind, this was only the latest in a string of rousing performances from one of the game's best players.

No one can dispute the fact that Kobe is still in the top five, and I still believe he's the best player in the league.  Think about how many games he has played, and think of how much he has been through this year.  To call this a turbulent season for the Lakers would be a grand understatement, and just look at how Kobe has performed.  The dude is a stone cold killer on the basketball court.  There are guys with better stats on the season, I know this, but examine their situations.  No one has worked as hard as Kobe Bryant this year.  No one.

Now, this isn't going to be the year that Kobe Bryant gets his sixth ring.  You know it, and I know it, but I'm not so sure that Kobe knows it.  The Lakers will make the playoffs, and sometimes strange things happen when it matters most.

Regardless, Kobe Bryant is on fire, and despite the fact that his squad is fighting to make the post-season, this has been one of his most impressive campaigns. 

These Lakers (Revisited)

It's official.  I'm all in.  Yeah, it may be foolish, but where Kobe goes, I follow.  I think it's going down.

That is all.

Read original These Lakers blog here.

These Lakers

What is it about these Lakers?  We're set for the NBA's awesome All-Star Weekend, a hell of a spectacle that should have the NFL taking notes, and it's pretty clear that the team that good old Jack and I cherish is awash.  It's ludicrous to think they could make the playoffs this season.  Let's be real: this Lakers squad has given us every reason to believe it's equally ludicrous to assume that they might play good basketball for an extended stretch at any point.  Given the talent involved, the whole situation becomes even more ridiculous, and yet I can't seem to give up on them.

I should have given up weeks ago when I was watching my team on TV and I realized that I had seen better play at the YMCA, and any illusions I held beyond that point should have been shattered when Pau hurt his foot.  For the record, after Gasol went down, I was still enough of a believer to watch that Thursday night game against Boston with a slew of Celtics fans.  That's a precious memory.  Yet I still found some reason to believe.  I mean, Kobe's out there with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.  Metta World Crazy has to play nasty D and drill some big shots at some point, right?  Yes, I continued to believe.  Last night, I was convinced that a win against the Clippers would be the launching pad for a push to greatness in the second half of the season, but instead of a win I got to watch a massacre.  There's just no logical explanation for continuing to believe in this squad.

Forget about all that talent.  Forget about Kobe's quest for 6.  Forget about Dwight Howard being the best big man in the league right now.  Hell, go ahead and forget that last one twice if at all possible, because the dude just doesn't have the drive or the toughness.  As a consolation prize, he was blessed with a very nice smile.

And yet, as I get set to enjoy all the action the NBA has in store for us this weekend, I can't flush my hopes for this season down the toilet just yet.  I know it's stupid.  I know how this is going to end.  And I still believe this team can somehow scratch their way into the playoffs in spite of all that.  It must be Kobe, and despite his greatness, it's still foolish, but I'm all in.

I feel like an idiot for saying this, but I'm eager for a spectacular All-Star Weekend (which isn't foolish at all--NFL, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!!) and I'm still down with the purple and gold.  Let's do this, Lakers!

Wow.  That felt even more ridiculous than I thought it would, but I'm still going down the ship.  Until then, maybe I'll get to see Kobe win a big game when he suits up for the West this weekend.

The Right Answer

Do it. 
Pick up the phone. 
Make the offer.  Make the right offer.  In other words, offer up whatever it takes to do the deal.
It makes perfect sense.

It is time for the Zen Master to return, and there's only one destination that would suit the finest coach in the history of the NBA, a man I believe to be perhaps the finest coach of all time in any sport.  Yes, I have a bit of a man-crush, and yes, it is the right answer.

Do it!