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Well the off-season proved to be an upheaval for a number of teams around the NBA . And that’s to be expected , as many teams felt that they had a rather disappointing season. For the Los Angeles Lakers who came off winning their 15th NBA title, it was something of a well executed season, all-round.
Kobe Bryant the Finals' MVP seen here in Manila , Philippines. While there , the player will be conducting several Nike sponsored youth basketball coaching clinics. The player will also be traveling to Tapei , China. picture appears courtesy of ap/ photo/ Richard Chao ............................
And for the team’s All Star guard Kobe Bryant , it was a for a prophecy fulfilled. Those who cast doubt as to whether or not he could win a title without Shaquille O’Neal. Finally saw that Bryant could do it without him, given a good complement players to surround the player with the facets needed.
Lakers' first round pick Chinemelu Elonu (left) and the Clippers' Marcellus Kemp battle for a loose ball during an NBA Summer League Game played in Las Vegas , Nevada. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Laura Rausch ............................
Well for the Lakers this off-season was no different with the departure of one their heroes in the postseason, in Trevor Ariza. The player seeking a commmitment from the team in terms of a long term contract paying him considerably more money. It was felt by the player that would be the Lakers’ form of showing loyalty to him for his contributions to the team’s success. Alas, it wasn’t to be as they were not prepared to acquiesce to his demands. He eventually signed as a free-agent with the Houston Rockets. And much to everyone’s surprise moving in the opposite direction from the Rockets was Ron Artest, who was signed by the Lakers.
Artest has let it be known that he has come to the Lakers to contribute further, to the team’s success and fulfill his ambition of winning an NBA title. Well that’s what he’s got to say at this juncture . But I guess we can believe him. For Bryant , he’s welcomed the player with open arms and admits that he’d rather have Artest as a teammate , rather than having to play against him on a regular basis within the Western Conference.
Free-agency and the problems that it can sometimes create. Well for the general manager of the teams, they’ve got to be financially prudent and at the same look to improve the team’s roster in the places necessary. At times it may well mean having to lose a valuable asset. But then it can mean having to acquire a player without having to overpay for that talent. However, when it comes to a situation that’s now fomenting with regard to Odom and his desire to be paid commensurate to what he believe is his perceived value. It in effect puts the Lakers and their GM Mitch Kupchak in something of a dilemma. Bryant is optimistic that the player will remain with the team. Odom is an unrestricted free-agent.
Lakers' GM Mitch Kupchak who has worked closely in unison with the team's coach Phil Jackson in assembling the Lakers championship winning team. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Elisio Gonzalez .........................
Overtures have been made towards the player by the Miami Heat . And Dwyane Wade of the Heat has made it known that it his desire to see Odom become a Miami Heat player. It could very well become a tug of war for the player’s services. But much of that’ll be predicated on the deisres of both teams. The Heat for their part are also pursuing Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz . And it remains their number one priority at present. But that’s not to say that their interest in Odom is on the decline.
The perceived view is that Odom while a very good player. He remains an enigma for all who’ve seen him play. At his very best he’s player who can give you 20pts , 10reb’s on regular basis, were it his desire to do so. And it plainly comes down to <strong desire and his willingness to contribute to a team consistently. And therein lies the enigma with regard to Lamar Odom. For the Los Angeles Lakers, they might not defer to Bryant when it comes to a final decision on the issue. Although they’ll probably listen to any input on the matter from the player. Coach Phil Jackson for his part has kept his cards close to his chest. And for the Lakers’ fans it’s not really hard to see where their loyalties lie on this very issue. They’re probably 70-30 in favor of seeing Odom leave. He was viewed as a valid member of a championship winning team. But his time has come , and it’s viewed that he ought to be bid , a hearty farewell and thanks for memories. If nothing it’s the least that the fans could do for the player.
Kobe Bryant (left) and teammate Lamar Odom (right) of the Los Angeles Lakers. It remains to be seen as to whether or not Odom will remain a Laker for the forseeable future. As it'd appear that contract negotiations have stalled. The player is also said a desired target of the Miami Heat. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Elvis Takahida ...................
Possibly at the end of it all the player’ll remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. Whether or not he’d be prepared to play for the team at a reduced salary remains to be seen. The mid-level salary cap would be the preferable option for the team. And at between $4.5m-$6m it wouldn’t appear to be an excessive amount to be playing a veteran such as Odom. Though the player himself. may well feel that he could be in line for a better offer from the Miami Heat. And it’s rumored that he’s looking for a long term contract of between 4 and 5 years paying $30-$35m at between $6-$7m per year .
Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. It is Wade's desire to see the Heat reacquire the player. But it'd appear that the team's pursuance of Carlos Boozer is of the utmost priority for the franchise. That's not to suggest that their interest in Odom has waned . picture appears courtesy of weblogs.com @ copyrighted material All rights reserved .................
The business side of any sport is littered with decisions that’ve been to the detriment of a team , or what ultimately proves to be of benefit to them. As to the decision to be made by the Lakers’ hierarchy. They know that for all sense and purpose this just won’t be about positives far outweighing the negatives with regard to Lamar Odom. But more in line with what’s best for the team from a financial and competitive aspect.
So the free agency period is here and a number of teams around the league have begun to retool their rosters for next year. Now as much as it pains me to say this. The Miami Heat are doing little to persuade their All Star guard Dwyane Wade , that they mean business in strengthening their roster.
Lamar Odom (left) of the Los Angeles Lakers and Carlos Boozer (right)of the Utah Jazz. Both players are said to be targets of the Miami Heat. There's a remote possibility that both players could be signed to complelment Dwyane Wade, the Heat's All Star guard. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Alastair Walsh ..........
Now far be it for me to suggest that the two players they’re said to be assessing with a view to signing are not worthy of playing alongside Wade. But in Carlos Boozer and Lamar Odom , you’re basically getting two players who consistently tend to underperform, given their undoubted talents.
But in all reality there’s no way that in viewing the addition of either Boozer or Odom, would one assess that the Heat would become a legitimate contender within the Eastern Conference of NBA . Not with the splash made by the Boston Celtics in signing Rasheed Wallace . Which in effect places them right back on top as the prohibitive favorite within the conference. Whilst the Cleveland Cavaliers believe that their fate may well lie in the fact , that in acquiring Shaquille O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns , they can redeem themselves after their loss in the conference finals.
And whilst Wade is under no immediate pressure in signing a contract. He’s stated that he’d like to see the team improve the roster greatly, in order to become and remain more competitive.
Dwyane Wade seen here in a postseason playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks . picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images / Isaac Baldizon ..........................
Speculation is now rife that either of the two players will be making South Florida their home. And for the Utah Jazz’s Carlos Boozer , he’s made it known that he expects the team to make a sign and trade deal that’d create such a move.And with the state’s other NBA team , in the Orlando Magic aqcuiring Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets , the matching of the offer made to backup center Marcin Gortat. It can be said Miami team President Pat Riley is under due pressure to appease Wade and prove to him that he wants the player to remain and challenge for postseason honors.
The fans in Miami remain resolute in the fact that they’d like see Wade remain in a Heat uniform. And if anything play his entire career with the team. But as of now that may well be asking too much. Obviously with the unrelenting state of the economy , a number of teams around the league have trimmed their payroll and looked to get the best players available within what they deem to be fair market value . However, in the case of Wade how do you assess a player of his stature ? Much less players such as Carlos Boozer or Lamar Odom. Granted , Odom had a wonderful postseason in assisting the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA title. Buth theirs was one of a concerted team effort , wherein Kobe Bryant willed and led the team with great aplomb to the series win and title. His teammates merely followed the example, with which he led.
The intricacies of the game as it now stands. It’s not now just about the talent on the floor. But even more so about the financial wizardry of the front executives and what they believe to be feasible and in the best interests of a franchise in order to attain success. Such are the vagaries of today’s game , that an executive is almost as important , if not more so than a player on the floor.
LAS VEGAS- Pat Riley has listened to Dwyane Wade express his unease with the Miami Heat sitting out the Eastern Conference arms race this summer. As the Boston Celtics , Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic elevated themselves as championship contenders, the Heat president sold his superstar on patience, promising to surround him with talent for the long run.
Now the Heat are working furiously to deliver Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to the shores of Biscayne Bay. The Heat are trying to sell Odom on a five-year $34 million contract, at the mid-level exception, and a league executive with knowledge of the talks says Miami has also hatched a three-way proposal with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies to secure Boozer.
The essentials of a possible deal would include Miami sending forward Udonis Haslem and Dorrell Wright to Utah. Because Memphis under the cap, Utah could move Wright’s $2.8million salary to the Grizzlies and save itself approximately $5.6million with salary and luxury-tax payments. Memphis could probably get cash and picks for its trouble. The Heat would have to then send one more small contract to make the math and salary exchange work.
Miami would pay Boozer his $12.7million salary this season and own his Bird rights to sign him to an extension next summer.
The deal isn’t considered imminent, but the Jazz are working hard to find a suitable trade forn Boozer. Utah is determined to match the Portland Trailblazers’ $32million offer sheet for restricted free agent Paul Milsap . Utah has until the end of the week to match or lose the young power forward to the Blazers. Most league executives believe they’ll match the offer , regardless whether they’ve moved Boozer.
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Financial expediency has to be the norm , given the state of play. And one has to consider that the NBA for all of its profound success in the marketing of its produt as a global brand. Even they now realize that budgetary belts need to be tightened. The franchises themselves can’t ever envisaged that this economic crisis would take such a toll on their patron, the fans. So much whatever gesture in terms of an altruistic nature may well be the only way that they can keep those interested in supporting their teams.
Have you ever asked yourself, “What will happen to the Lakers once Kobe retires?” or, “Who will be the next coach once Phil Jackson retires?“.
In this article I will try my best to answer those questions, as well as others in determining what will become of the defending champions in the future. First off, I will start with discussing who will be the Lakers next head coach once Phil Jackson retires, because that is most likely the next thing to happen.
Phil Jackson was originally rumored to be retiring this offseason due to health issues, but after getting the “ok” from his doctor he will be returning to coach the Lakers full time next season. When he finally does retire though, it is expected that Kurt Rambis will take over as the head coach. Though Rambis has been an assistant with the Lakers for a couple of seasons, I believe that there may be better choices for the Lakers when it’s time to get a new coach. Byron Scott is the top choice by many Lakers fans to be the new head coach. Not only is he a former Lakers player, but he was also the coach of the year two seasons ago. He is an excellent offensive and defensive coach, and could be a perfect fit for the Lakers. Kurt Rambis is a good coach and deserves the job, but I think that if Byron Scott or, possibly, Nate McMillan is available then they should pursue them.
With the aging and retirement of some of the players on the team over the next few seasons, the Lakers will need to transition into a team led by Andrew Bynum and other young players. After the Lakers swapped Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest through free agency, they are less prepared for the future. The Lakers are gradually becoming a veteran team led by Ron Artest (29), Kobe Bryant (30), Pau Gasol (28), and Lamar Odom (29). Although they have young players in Jordan Farmar, Andrew Bynum, Josh Powell, and Sasha Vujacic, Farmar and Vujacic are extremely inconsistent and are expected to be traded at some point, while Bynum has two surgically repaired knees that might cause problesm in the future, but he might be just fine, and Josh Powell isn’t a starting caliber player. If Andrew Bynum is able to return to his star form and avoids getting injured, then the Lakers will have a nice building block for the future. Kobe Bryant will be finishing his career with L.A., so the Lakers will have a lot of time to start rebuilding even when he is still in the NBA. And since it is the Lakers, they will have no problem getting marque players through free agency. Since Artest, Gasol, Bryant, and Odom will all be retiring within a 3-year span of each other, the Lakers will need to be prepared to rebuild quickly. And there is a possibility that some of them will be on a different team before they retire.
Now for the Post-Kobe Lakers era. The Post-Kobe Era will be highlighted by Andrew Bynum and another star player that we don’t know about yet. It is a guarantee that the Lakers will be able to get another star guard the same offseason that Kobe Bryant retires, whether it be through free agency or a trade. If Andrew Bynum is able to develop into a 20/10 guy who plays at least 70 games a season, then the Lakers will be in good shape. There are rumors that OJ Mayo wants to be a Laker, so when he is a free agent after Kobe Bryant retires, there is a good chance that he would come to the Lakers. The Lakers will also be stocking up on players in the next few years through the draft and through getting hidden gems in trades (like the Ariza trade).
So, no matter what happens in the future, you can always expect the Lakers to be a good team led by superstars.
The 2009 Offseason has started to heat up with the contract agreements of Ron Artest with the Lakers, Hedo Turkoglu with the Raptors, and Trevor Ariza with the Rockets, and Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva with the Pistons, but there are still many top-level free agents available that could mean the difference between a championship and disappointing June for many teams. For example, the Lakers are no guarantee to repeat if they aren’t able to re-sign Lamar Odom, and the Celtics will be low on big men and wins if they can’t sign Glen Davis or Rasheed Wallace.
Among the biggest names still available are Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion, Paul Millsap, Jason Kidd, and Mike Bibby, though it is reported that Bibby with reach an agreement to return to the Hawks soon. Jason Kidd has recieved interest from the New York Knicks and his team last season, the Dallas Mavericks. Most likely he will reach a deal soon, or go to the Lakers or Cavaliers for the veteran minimum for a chance to win a ring. After a disastrous 08-09 season, Allen Iverson is looking for a team that will take him. Last season, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups, the team instantly got worse and barely made the playoffs while the Nuggets instantly got better and become championship contenders. Iverson has been reported to be interested in the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Bobcats, two lottery teams that aren’t anywhere close to championship contention.
Most likely, Lamar Odom, Mike Bibby, Jason Kidd, Ramon Sessions, Andre Miller, and Glen Davis will re-sign with their teams, but free agents such as Shawn Marion, Anderson Varejao, Leon Powe, Nate Robinson, David Lee, and Rasheed Wallace are looking for a new home. Wallace has received a ton of interest from the Boston Celtics and their Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, while also getting calls from the Orlando Magic. The Celtics have already said that they will not be re-signing Leon Powe because he is injured, so expect him to sign with a team part-way through the season once he is healthy. Glen Davis on the other hand, did excellent for the Celtics in the postseason in place of the injured Garnett and will be demanding the mid-level exception from teams.
Was there ever any doubt that Kobe Bryant would stay with the Los Angeles Lakers? The Lakers are the team with which he has won four NBA championships. It’s where he has played his entire career and built his incredible resume and legacy. Plus, when asked about whether he would be leaving any time soon at the Lakers championship parade, he said he wasn’t leaving.
Despite all of those indications, some still believed that Bryant would exercise the early termination option in his contract and seek big money from the Lakers or another team. Instead, Bryant has decided not to opt out, but to try and work on an extension with the team at a later date. By not opting out, Bryant is giving the Lakers what he hopes to be the ability to resign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, both of whom are unrestricted free agents. Odom and Ariza were key contributors on the Lakers last season, and they should receive big contracts. Both have indicated that they want to remain with the Lakers, with Odom even going so far as to say that he is willing to take a paycut in order to remain in L.A. Because of Bryant’s decision not to opt out, the Lakers should have more money to devote to the pair. More from ESPN.com:
Kobe Bryant has chosen not to terminate the final two years of his contract and will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Team spokesman John Black on Wednesday confirmed Bryant’s decision. The MVP of the NBA Finals had until Tuesday to become an unrestricted free agent.
Now the Lakers and Bryant’s agent will negotiate a contract extension. He has spent his entire 13-year career with the team, winning four NBA championships.
On June 19, Bryant said, “I’m not going anywhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s just a waste of our breaths just talking about it.”
Bryant is scheduled to make $23 million next season.
The Los Angeles Times reported late Tuesday that Bryant will sign a three-year extension with the Lakers sometime this month. Bryant could make $47.8 million over the next two years and another $86 million to $91 million with the extension, with the difference depending on the future salary cap, the newspaper reported.
The Los Angeles Lakers are your 2009 NBA Champions. Not too surprising considering they had the world’s best player, a player who craved a 4th championship, a player who was motivated beyond any measure to finish the job this time. And his teammates followed his lead all the way to a championship. That player has put himself in the conversation as one of the top 5 greatest basketball players of all-time.
Kobe Bryant, the greatest wing player of this decade, vaulted his team’s play to another level and the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans can now celebrate a 15th championship. This one was a long time coming. Just 24 months ago, it looked as though Kobe Bryant would never wear the purple and gold again. It started to get ugly, with Kobe asking to be traded before the ’08 season. Teams lined up trying to secure Bryant’s services but GM Mitch Kupchak refused to trade the superstar. I’d say it turned out to be a good move.
In a dominating performance, the Lakers won their 4th title in the last 10 years by soundly beating the Orlando Magic 99-86 to win the series 4-1. Big ups to Phil Jackson for a record 10th title as a coach. He is one of the top 3 coaches of all-time. Yes he had Jordon and Pippen, then Kobe and Shaq but everyone needs talent to win a championship so that argument is just ridiculous. He is arguably the best coach ever. And this year there was no second star player. It was Kobe and some good players who filled in nicely and that is how you build a champion.
Game 5– Kobe Bryant led the way with 30 pts to go with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks, and the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award. He averaged 32.4 pts and 7.4 assists in the Finals. Lamar Odom added 17 and 10, Ariza had 15 pts, Gasol racked up 14 pts and 15 boards, and Fisher had 13. Orlando was led by Rashard Lewis’s 18 pts on 6-19 shooting. The Lakers shot 8-16 from behind the arc compared to the Magic’s 8-27 and outrebounded the eastern champs 47-36. I was disappointed by the Magic’s response after LA went on a killer 16-0 run at the end of the 1st half. Frankly, it looked as though Orlando packed it in after that. Rashard Lewis for one was not hustling after rebounds. Ariza beat him to a ball early in the 4th and it just showed he was mentally gone. He wasn’t the only one. The entire Magic team played poorly and other for game 3, they shot terribly from 3 pt. range, which was their undoing. The 3-pt. shots went down against Cleveland but not in the Finals against a more determined, couragous team. If you actually take a closer look at LA, they were not suprememly talented. Kobe is the best player in the world, Gasol is one of the top big man but in no way is he dominant, and Odom is a good player but excruicatingly inconsistent. All three played great in the series and that was the difference. Ariza was just awesome throughout the entire playoffs. He has turned himself into an invaluable player because of his desire, hustle, 3-pt. shooting ability, and excellent defense. The rest of the team are bench players. Fisher is a verteran who stepped up at the end of game 4 but other than that, he is an average player. Walton, Farmar, Vujacic, Brown, and Bynum are bench guys right now. So LA wasn’t like Boston from last year where they were obvioulsy talent laden with three stars in Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and a young stud in Rondo. But the Lakers came back tougher this year and they played very well. They were clearly the best team in the last two rounds of the playoffs.
The lasting image i’ll remember from this series is Kobe’s hanging banker over Dwight Howard midway through the 3rd quarter of game 5. Just an unblievable display of strength and hangtime, especially considering he shot over a 7 footer with mad bunnies. Which play was better, MJ’s against the Lakers in the ’91 Finals or Kobe’s over Superman?
Player of the Finals other than Bryant: I love Trevor Ariza’s game and the way he plays. While his Finals stats were modest at 11 pts and 6 rebounds, he’s like the Chase Utley of basketball in terms of playing the game “the right way.” He plays with so much desire and determination and it translates to success. As mentioned, he has become a great shooter and a stud defensively. He can jump out of the gym and doesn’t make many mistakes. You’re not nervous when he gets the ball because he doesn’t get flustered by pressure. He got hurt at the end of last year and I think that if he and Bynum hadn’t gotten hurt, LA might have won over Boston or at least made it a tougher series. Ariza (and Odom) are free agents this year and if the Sixers (my team) weren’t so stacked at small forward, I’d beg them to sign Ariza. LA needs to sign at least one of the two while also upgrading through trades/draft/free agency because if they don’t do that and Bynum doesn’t develop next season, LA won’t win the title next year. Boston will be improved with Garnett’s return and Orlando and Cleveland will be just as good if not better as well.
Key Play of the Finals: No question it was Derek Fisher’s 3-pointer over Jameer Nelson to force OT at the end of game 4. If Fish misses that, the series is deadlocked at 2 and who knows what would have happened. But he knocked it down and then hit the game winner with 31 secs. left in the extra session. As a veteran in this league and with 3 championships coming into the series, Fisher clearly had more experience and it payed off. In fact, that was the key to the entire series. The Magic were a young team while the Lakers were here last year and had guys who had won before. It up in coaching too when Van Gundy stuck with Nelson and sat Rafer Alston on the bench for all of the 4th and OT. And Nelson didn’t foul Fisher but instead let him rise into a 3-ball. Makes no sense and the Magic will be beating themselves forever for giving away that game. Oh what could have been for Orlando.
Well the Los Angeles Lakers have proven to be triumphant in securing their fifteenth NBA title. It is also Phil Jackson’s tenth title as a coach and his eleventh overall over the course of his professional career within the NBA.
Finals MVP holds both the Larry O'Brien Trophy as well of the award given to the Finals' MVP. For the player it was his 4th professional NBA title but his first Finals series MVP award. Picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Noah D Bernstein
For the Orlando Magic this was something of a disappointing way to end their season in what one might describe as something of a blowout. victory for Los Angeles.
Rafer Alston of the Orlando Magic looks somewhat disappointed after the team's 99-86 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the game 5 of the NBA Finals played at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. Picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jesse D Garrabant
The Lakers’ 99-86 triumph over the Magic secured a 4-1 series’ win and all the adulation one could come to expect that’d be poured upon perhaps the NBA’s most storied franchise. And even though the feat was achieved away from home at the Amway Arena in Orlando. It didn’t however make the victory anytheless sweeter. And for Finals’ MVP Kobe Bryant it may well have brought the redemption he’d finally sought. The talk of him not being able to land and win the Big One without Shaquille O’Neal finally becomes mute.
Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol celebrate after the team's victory over the Orlando Magic in game five of the NBA Finals played at the Amway Arena in Orlando , Florida. With the victory the Lakers secured their fifteenth NBA title as a franchise. Picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Jesse D Garrabant
If ever there was to be an indication that last night wasn’t to be the night where the home team may well have felt that there could somehow be some jubilation on the part of their fans. Then one had to look no further than the performances of their main triumvirate of Dwight Howard , Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Who for all sense and purpose were weighed down with the undue pressure of expectation. Their’s was the daunting task of trying to keep the team in contention against the Lakers and perhaps force them to win the title on their home-court. Alas it wasn’t to be ! They came up short when it mattered most.
Although, Kobe has some helpers. Last night I saw how good those helpers were.
Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom
Who are thesehelpers? Lamar Odom and Dereck Fisher. Why did I make the title called A Fisherman with Candy well obiously I mean Derek Fisher-man and Lamar was recently exposed on how much
candy he eats before, during, and after the game. And, that’s a lot of candy.
Derek Fisher was working harder than anyone else on the court, hustling every possession. He went at the ball every time. He ran faster then I’d ever seen him run. All-around his work ethic was outstanding. A big key in the Lakers’ win. He was the most experienced player on the court, and he looked the part. Leading the Lakers throughout the game.
As for the Candy Man, he was great. He’s good at everything. He made practically every move there is in basketball. A showcase of talent that isn’t often seen. He may be the biggest key for the Lakers. We he comes to play, LA is by far the best team in the NBA – on a whole different level than the Magic.
It is often said that the second option for the Lakers is Pau Gasol. He is a great player, but “second option” is a big name compared to all the resources the Lakers have.
Kobe has another great helper. That’d be the up-and-coming Trevor Ariza. A fine player that’s starting to make his name in this league.
So, now you know of Kobe’s helpers. But I have one more thing to say…
Andrew Bynum is a JOKE.
He gets 2 fouls in the first 2 minutes…EVERY SINGLE GAME.
In a dominating performance, the Lakers won their 4th title in the last 10 years by soundly beating the Orlando Magic 99-86 to win the series 4-1. Big ups to Phil Jackson for a record 10th title as a coach. He is one of the top 3 coaches of all-time. Yes he had Jordon and Pippen, then Kobe and Shaq but everyone needs talent to win a championship so that argument is just ridiculous. He is arguably the best coach ever. And this year there was no second star player. It was Kobe and some good players who filled in nicely and that is how you build a champion.
