Something about the Lakers

Who knew what Mitch Kupchack was up to anyway? No one did. Not even the Kobester knew. Kobe was “opting out” of his zillion dollar contract last summer because the Laker assembled parts were not of Championship Caliber and his clock was ticking. I was opting out with him, although my options were a bit more suspect and my clock was ticking for a whole different reason.

So Mitch, pulls the deal of the year and gets the furry 7 foot Spaniard Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. Suddenly, every ridiculous deal and draft pick over the last three years made sense. It was like a Picasso painting where until the last brush stroke, you are not quite sure what the picture is. Actually, Pablo needed a few more brush strokes for my tastes but hang with me on the Spanish angle. I am not sure Pau is short for Paul or if there are any Grizzlies in Memphis, regardless, his coming to the Lakers has been not only good for the Lakers but good for the entire NBA and most of the free world. Actually, I have it on good authority that the trade has reduced green house gases!

The Lakers-Suns game was the highest rated show on all of TV on Wednesday night except for American Idol. The NBA did not get ratings like that in last year’s finals with Tim Duncan and LeBron James going toe to toe. The NBA has never had ratings like that for a regular season game. I do not remember all of the previous hype about Shaq and Pau facing off when they were with Miami and Memphis?!

But it is all about the Pau. The Lakers gambled by trading their future with Kwame Brown and risking it all on Gasol. Wow, when was the last time you saw Kwame Brown and the future in the same sentence?

Gregg Popovich was outraged, LA Fan was euphoric, the NBA was ecstatic, and the NBA West gave a collective “WTF?”. Do you think more than one GM got a call from their owner who said, “Did you make an offer on Gasol?” Mitch went all in before everyone else looked at their cards. And while he was teeing off at Wilshire with Pau in the locker room, the rest of the GM’s were sifting through fool’s gold. He not only improved the Purple and Gold but he forced his leading counterparts to burn cap space for naught.

So the Suns, trade for Shaq Fu, the Mav’s trade for Jason Kidd, and the Spurs not be out done pick up Kurt Thomas. The Shaq trade is the reason that game on ESPN was so vividly watched. Shaq played well and based on that game, the Suns might do ok on that deal. The Lakers scored 130 points so I am not sure that Shaquille’s suggestion that he was called upon for defense is valid. But he was a presence. Diesel, there are no centers in the east. In the west, Andrew Bynum will run you ragged and he is behind Duncan and Yao in the pecking order. I thought Kurt Thomas was hanging with Keith Van Horne.

The Lakers are still one of the youngest teams in the league and Dr. Jerry is still in the same zip code as the salary cap. The management team is still the party boy Doctor, the party girl daughter who screws the head coach and the miscreant son who we all fear will run the team one day. Mitch must just scratch his North Carolina noggin raw some days. But Pau Gasol is 26 years old, making a respectable $13 million and he is thrilled to be here. He actually did not need to get traded to prove all of his detractors wrong. I do not think he had that many.

The Suns took on what the Lakers saw coming three years ago. No Country for Old Men. At $20 million+, Shaq is not playing on the cheap except in performance. But he has announced that for the 3rd and maybe final time in his career, he will prove his detractors wrong. He makes Amare Stoudamire look better at power forward and Steve Nash will figure out where to get him the ball. Steve, Shaq might pick but he don’t roll.

Jason Kidd is a lame move by a misguided owner. The Mav’s did not need 47 year old Jason Kidd or his $19 million salary. With all the young quick guards in the West, it will not be fun. J-man, how was your first game? Chris Paul lit you up and forced you into eight turnovers. In the West, Chris Paul is good but there are people that light up Chris Paul! The Mav’s might last another round but Dirk will be visiting his family in Germany in May while on his way to the Olympics. The Mav’s needed Shaq.

The Mav’s do get the Academy Award for best original screenplay at the trading dead line. I would have loved to have been at Keith Van Horne’s house when this deal went down, “Honey, the Mavericks are on the phone…yes the Dallas Mavericks…you have been traded…I know, I thought you were retired as well…can you talk to these people…I think we are getting the house at the lake.” Neither trade makes sense but for $20mil+/- Shaq Fu is better deal all the way around and especially by the pound.

College Game of the Year: Memphis is over rated and so is Tennessee. It is not really #1 vs. #2 on Saturday night. It is more like #4 vs. #6 but it should be a good game. I love Bruce Pearl, head coach of Tennessee. He brings his A game every day whether he has a game or not. John Calipari is a solid coach but his team will lose one of the tight games in March or sooner. They play loosey, goosey, they are terrible at the free throw line and they can go brick cold from the outside. Conference USA will provide the Tigers with a solid record but they will not be in San Antonio.

ACC honks, you are the 3rd if not the 4th rated conference this year. I know that you all are basketball royalty with Roy and Coach K but after that, there is no that! Miami, Wake Forest, are they mid-majors that you are losing games to? One of you might be in at the Alamo because every game before San Antone is in North Carolina. Duke, you live on the perimeter. The hoops get smaller each weekend in March. Tar Heels, play defense and quit whining.

The Pac-10 is the best conference without a doubt. There will be at least 3 and maybe 4 teams in the sweet 16. UCLA will be there. No one wants to play Stanford. Washington State is built for tournament play. If USC gets in, they will win two games. The Big East is solid through the top six. Louisville is coming on strong and Georgetown could be headed back to the Final Four.

I hope Syracuse gets into the dance this year. Jim Boehiem gives all of us hope. He came from humble beginnings, he has been at the same place for 100 years and he finally won the big prize. Besides that, he has a face made for radio and he has a hot wife and young kids. God, bless Jim Boehiem and let him make it to the dance this year.

Last thought: Roger Clemens is now doing what he should have done all along, shut the hell up! Keep quiet, Rocket. It will never blow over now but did you see Michael Vick in the Orange Jump Suit? He looked way better than you will ever look in orange and you might face more serious charges than the dog killer. He ultimately told the truth to the Fed’s just like Marion Jones. Those “ask for forgiveness” press conferences are always uncomfortable for everyone.