TRIPLE THREAT CLE: Los Angeles Lakers

Showing posts with label Los Angeles Lakers. Show all posts

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Radio Show 12.14.16: Browns, Jeff Fisher, NFL, Great Teams That Flopped, Sports Pet Peeves & More

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Full Court Press: 2016-17 NBA Season Preview

By Randy Groce, @ImissWiggins

This upcoming NBA season comes with a lot more intrigue than the last few. Superstars have left. Sidekicks turned superstars are now asked to lead. A third year rookie finally making his debut. A Miami legend going to Chicago, and a hometown Chicago kid going to New York. Hell, the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, who return every single important piece to their championship team, aren't even the favorites going in the season. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Joel Embiid, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and the possibility of Cavs-Warriors III are just a handful of players and storylines that will make the 2016/17 season one of the most interesting in a long time.

I like to break down NBA teams the same way I do NFL quarterbacks, by tiers: Elite, Championship contenders, Playoff hopefuls, and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers, Warriors, and Spurs are who I would consider elite. The Raptors, Clippers, and Celtics would fall into championship contenders. The Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz would fall into the category of playoff hopefuls. The Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, and Philadelphia 76ers fall into the dreaded Los Angeles Lakers category. More teams fall into each category, but I chose to give you the most obvious.

It seemed as though we were going to get our first look at seeing if the process that the Philadelphia 76ers told us to trust was going to work, but a broken foot by Ben Simmons will force us to wait until January at the earliest. Joel Embiid has looked good during the preseason, but the biggest question concerning him will be health. Between Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor I expect Philly to only have one of them on their roster when the season ends. This young teams has pieces, but they'll need a little more luck before fans start believing.

The statement of "do or die season" was meant for this year's Los Angeles Clippers team. They are loaded with veterans. They have two of the top 20 players in the world on their roster. They have an excellent coach, and a high payroll. Too bad they can't make it to the Conference Finals. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin approaching free agency, I tend to believe this could be their final run together unless they somehow make a trip to the NBA Finals.

I'm a Laker fan and I plan on closely watching the relationship between new head coach Luke Walton and the young core of Deangelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., and Jordan Clarkson. Can Walton convince these guys to run a real half court offense and play defense? Will he help a young guy like Nance Jr. reach his potential? I think I'll be equally interested in seeing the new duo of Anthony Davis and Buddy Hield. A couple of years ago it was suggested that Davis would be the "face of the NBA" by now, but injuries have yet to allow that to happen. Every big man needs a good perimeter guy. Hield might finally serve that role for Davis.

The team that a lot of people have their eyes on is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Some have suggested that Karl Anthony Towns is the best big man in the game. Add in Andrew Wiggins, rookie Kris Dunn, Ricky Rubio, and new head coach Tom Thibodeau and you would have to wonder how this team doesn't make the playoffs.

Earlier I mentioned the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks. Honorable mention is all they deserve. ESPN, FS1, and every other outlet will drool over these non-factors all season for absolutely no reason. I'll pass.

The departure of Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors and the retirement of Tim Duncan has caused the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs to drop off a bit. Both teams will still make the playoffs, but how far they go depends on how well they are led by their stars, Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard. Westbrook undoubtedly has the talent and teammates to at least make it to the Conference Finals, the question is does he trust his teammates and coaching staff enough to try not to do it all on his own. Leonard has LaMarcus Aldridge and coach Popovich, their issue is how much does Tony Parker have left in the tank?

You ever watch a romantic comedy and the guy tries to get the girl for the entire movie? A lot of different things happen good and bad, but when the movie is over and the credits roll they have ended up together? That is how this season is going to play out. Some teams will surprise you and some will disappoint, but when the first week of June rolls around we'll get the ending we felt we'd get as soon as training camp started...

Cavaliers vs. Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals.

Enjoy the show!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Full Court Press 4.13.16: Kobe Bryant, The Last Of His Kind #KB20 #Kobe

The Last Of His Kind
By Randy Groce, @ImissWiggins

My boss Chris Williams (@nevaRWilliams), asked me to write an article about my favorite Kobe moments. I can't. There's too many. Instead I'd like to write a quick eulogy instead. He's not dead, but after April 13th his career will be. The moves, the dunks, the stare will all be gone. There's only one other guy in the league who might possess what Kobe has in terms of determination, skill, athletic ability, and the mindset to not care what anyone thinks and not be afraid to fail. We'll talk about him later.

It seems as though there is only two ways to feel about Kobe: hate him or love him.

For probably the first 10 years of his career most fans, and some non fans of basketball hated him. They had a gun, and with that gun they possessed five fatal bullets that they would fire during any "Kobe related"argument.

He wanted to be Michael Jordan.
He shot those airballs.
He raped a girl.
He snitched on Shaq.
He got Shaq traded.

In all actuality, only two of those were true, you figure out which ones. As a rookie, Kobe shot 4-14 in a game 5 playoff matchup against the Utah Jazz. He'll always be remembered for the four airballs that he shot in crunch time. Can you imagine how many guys who have played that sport that if that had happened to them at the age of 18 would have let it affect the rest of their career? Are there any other players, then or now, who could have spent all day in court while facing rape charges and 20 plus years in jail, then hop on a plane, get to the arena after the game already started and still drop 40 points? Kobe did. He somehow found a way to turn two completely different tragedies into fuel that would drive him to be the superstar that he is today.

Kobe was far from perfect. He took too many shots when he should have passed and he was never really a true leader. He didn't trust his teammates, clashed with coaches, and hated the triangle offense. Unlike players of this generation he didn't want to be your friend. He didn't work out with opponents DURING or after the season. He wanted to beat you. Badly. He didn't want to be like Mike he wanted to be better than Mike. He emulated everything that Michael Jordan did, there's no denying that. MJ's walk, talk, gum chewing mannerisms, fade away, all of it, he took from Mike. His competitiveness is what separates him from the rest. The final time the two faced off against each other Kobe scored 55 points, 42 in the first half. That's how you say goodbye to your idol.

As Kobe exits the game, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce won't be too far behind. They are the last of the Hall of Famers remaining from the 90's. 13 NBA championships between them. There's only one player currently in the league that I feel has the hunger and fight that they had and that is Russell Westbrook. How can you watch this young man's development and not see a direct correlation between him and Kobe. Early in their careers they were selfish ball hogs who had raw abilities that needed developing.

While everyone else told them to be more "team friendly" they continued to do it their way. They both played with another teammate who was considered the best in the game. They both eventually figured it out. Westbrook is still chasing that first ring, but I think most feel he'll get it one day. Westbrook is from LA, his contract will be up next year, and I'm pretty sure Kobe will have a conversation with him when the time is right.

Kobe will be the first to tell you that he doesn't have many friends. I'm not sure how important that is to him, but he found out this season how many fans he has. Players, coaches, fronts office people have all sang his praises as he plays his final games. The last three years have been a challenge, but at least he's still able to leave the game the way he wants. Number #8 grew up and became a legend while wearing #24.

I expect his last shot to be on the block, right side of the basket, turn around fade away jump shot.

All net.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Leadoff with Lee 9.25.15 #TristanThompson #Cavs #MWP #Lakers

By @cleeverizon

- What's the latest Tristan Thompson news? NOTHING!

Here's the story. This time last summer, Tristan Thompson turned down the Cavaliers offer of four years, $52M. Thompson chose to gamble on himself and it paid off by the Cavs reportedly offering him five years and $80M at the end of last season. Now, knowing that the NBA salary cap will increase and additional TV money given to teams, Thompson's new demands turned into five years and $94M.

ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that Thompson's new proposal is three years $54M which will coincide with LeBron's contract ending once he extends. Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd quickly reported via Twitter:

I've been told reports of extension for Tristan Thompson inaccurate. No deal struck, nor do #Cavs seem interested in reported 3/$53 million
— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) September 24, 2015

So as of now, there is no deal that looks imminent. Since lowering the demand of the contract length and years this maybe a deal that will be complete before training camp starts. Of course, Thompson can sign the qualifying offer, but why would he not want more than double his salary and leave the money on the table this year? Thompson is putting himself at risk of injury or a drop in production if he does not take the deal. This is going to go down to the wire with a deal being struck at midnight in my opinion. This story is far from over. Make sure to follow @TripleThreatCLE On Twitter for all the latest updates.

- Forward Metta World Peace will be returning to Los Angeles next season to play for the Lakers. The one year, $1.5M non guaranteed contract was signed on Thursday and World Peace is scheduled to take his physical and formalize the contract today. Last season, he played in Italy and China. In his 15 NBA seasons, the formerly named Ron Artest has averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. He had stops with the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and the Lakers.

- Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh says he has been taken off blood thinners and is cleared for contact. He does not have the gene that makes it more likely for blood clots to recur. Bosh said he added a little weight to be stronger and sustain contact but hopes to lose the weight and keep the strength.

- After spending 14 seasons in the NBA, Jason Richardson announced his retirement via Instagram. Richardson had right knee pain 4-5 days ago and an MRI revealed he had bone spurs. He feared his knee would become as bad as his left, which caused him to make the decision to retire. Most notably known for winning back to back NBA slam dunk titles (2002&2003), Richardson averaged 17.1 points per game and finishes scoring 14,644 career points. After being drafted in the first round out of Michigan State in 2001 by the Golden State Warriors, he also played for the Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers.

- The Pittsburgh Pirates clinch a playoff birth and are in the postseason for the third straight year. The Pirates are the second team to qualify for postseason this season play after the St.Louis Cardinals.

- The Boston Red Sox promote Mike Hazen to senior vice president and general manager yesterday. Hazen 39 in his previous role as senior vice president/assistant GM, Hazen assisted Ben Cherington (who resigned upon Dave Dombrowski’s hiring) in player acquisitions, player evaluation, contract negotiations, and scouting.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Leadoff with Lee 12.15.14 #Browns #Kobe #Kings #Mariota

By @cleeverizon

- Did we watch a bunch of UPS workers playing football or the Cleveland Browns?

Let's start here, Johnny Manziel made it to Cleveland Browns stadium at 10:57am. That's 3 minutes prior to the 11:00am time that Browns players are required to be at the stadium. So he was on time, he was tracked using his tracking number which is #2. All eyes were on Johnny as he came out to the field to warmup, but he was caught wearing Beats By Dre headphones. This is a violation of NFL rules barring players to wear them before or after games due to the partnership they have with Bose. So expect Manziel to get fined by the league.

In his not so hot debut, Johnny was 10/18 for 80 yards and 2 interceptions in the game. The defense didn't keep the Bengals offense off the field. Cincinnati held the ball for 39 minutes in the game, leaving the Browns only 21 minutes on offense and not being able to get into rhythm. The "Nati" rushed for a total 224 yards with rookie Jeremy Hill gaining 103 yards in the first half and finishing with total of 148 in the game. Despite the woes of the game, the biggest improvement you will see with a rookie quarterback is the progression he makes from his first game to his second game.

- In a stunner, late last night Michael Malone was fired as the coach of the Sacramento Kings. It's said that even though the team got out to a hot start, the team is currently at 11-13, which did not meet ownership's expectations. Malone was in his second season as Kings coach. After star center DeMarcus Cousins was removed from the lineup with viral meningitis, the Kings have gone 2-7 in their last nine games which led to Malone's end. Assistant Tyrone Corbin will take over as the interim coach. Corbin had a 112-146 record as the coach of the Utah Jazz.

- Kobe Bryant moves into 3rd place on the NBA scoring list passing Michael Jordan. Bryant now has 32,293 points. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) have more career points than Bryant.

- Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the 2014 Heisman trophy. He is the first player in school history to do so. Mariota had 788 first place votes and received the second highest percentage of possible points in Heisman trophy history behind Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith(2005). Mariota leads the league in passing rating (186.2) and 5th in average yards per game (342.5). The Oregon Ducks won this year's PAC-12 championship. Mariota has one more year of eligibility left and has not decided if he will declare for the 2015 NFL draft.

- Former Cavs player and #1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins won the NBA rookie of the month for November. He's averaging 11.6ppg (2nd among rookies), 3.7 rebounds, 1.13 steals in 15 games. In November, he was first in scoring, steals and minutes, along with being second in blocks and third in rebounds (among rookies).

- The New England Patriots clinched their 6th straight AFC East crown while Denver won their 4th straight AFC West title and the Colts clinched their 2nd straight AFC South crown. The NFC has no division winners as of yet.