The Goat Pen

Bklyn wrote:The more I think about it & the more I learn about it, I hate it.

The D'Antoni hiring? I thought he was the right guy, albeit for the wrong reasons.

Phil could handle the egos, etc., but I think that even with the Geritol drinkers on our roster, SSOL would work better.

Of course, it was jealousy/fear that kept Phil from getting the job.

(My hate is specifically about how Buss and Kupchak handled the Phil debacle. You could see their insecurities and duplicity on full display this past weekend...and it disappoints me to no end)

I think D'Antoni's the right coach for Nash...but Nash is 38 and should not play more than 30 - 32minutes a game. We don't have any Barbosa's on the roster. So the SSOL model isn't well suited for this team, IMO.

I thought Phil was a better coach because he still allowed P&R sets to played and the Triangle to be busted at times. Kobe and Shaq feasted on it during the Threepeats (TM). Kobe and Gasol did, as well, to a lesser extent in the latest championship runs. Plus, I think Dwight needs a Phil to show him how to be a champion. I don't know if D'Antoni can do that. I liked the idea of Dwight, Gasol and Kobe working the Triangle, with Nash spotting up for threes (considering he's our best long range shooter). That would actually save Nash from the wear and tear of working the pick and roll all game...and all season. Then Phil could selectively call out the P&R sets in the 4th quarter and Playoffs and Nash's 38 years old body would work well with it. His assist numbers would be lower than normal, but I think he'd have a healthier year.

Lastly, someone needs to bench Artest or get him to stop shooting at the third highest pace on the team. He's putting up batting average numbers. He needs to be stopped. Our offense is pretty efficient when he's not firing away. Phil had no problem telling him to not shoot it. I don't now if D'Antoni can get him there.

I'm rolling with it because D'Antoni is what we're stuck with for the next 3 years, at least. The Busses aren't paying anyone else to come in. I just fear this wastes the last two years of Kobe's career.

I didn't follow the story all that closely, but apparently PJ didn't want to travel.

That's okay if you are Vin Scully (who drives me crazy every time I listen to him nowadays, actually) but not so much if you are the head coach.

Chuck Nevitt wrote:I didn't follow the story all that closely, but apparently PJ didn't want to travel.

Not true. Phil said it wasn't true. Phil's agent said it wasn't true. More importantly, Mitch Kupchak said it wasn't true.

The question is, who planted that story? It either came from The Lakers or D'Antoni. Either one is a disturbing concept.

Bynum suffers another setback

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wi ... story.html

PHILADELPHIA — Injured Philadelphia 76ers all-star center Andrew Bynum said Friday he has suffered a “setback” in his return from a knee injury.

Bynum, acquired by Philadelphia in a four-team trade before the season, has yet to play for the Sixers and spoke before a game against Utah. He has been recovering from a bone bruise on his right knee and his return has been pushed back three times since the beginning of training camp. The Sixers were hoping Bynum would be cleared to return to basketball activities by Dec. 10.

That date is now in question because of issues with his left knee. Bynum now said he has swelling and a bone bruise on both knees.

“I had a little bit of a setback,” Bynum said. “Just working through some issues with the right knee, I kind of have a mirror thing going on with the left knee. I don’t know what’s going on. The doctors are saying it’s a weakened cartilage state, so we kind of wait, I guess. We can’t do anything. I just have to wait for the cartilage to get strong.”

Will he play again?

http://sidelineseer.com/position/view/80

Sad. I really like the kid and was excited to see him do some real things in the Illadelph. I hope he comes back this year better than ever.

He hurt himself bowling, supposedly.

Chuck Nevitt wrote:He hurt himself bowling, supposedly.

Oh I can believe it... he rarely worked any harder than that so it was probably a stretch after the downtime. : )

Jeanie Buss‏@JeanieBuss

Dear Michelle: @MichelleObama Have you ever been made to feel that believing in & supporting your man is a bad thing? Need advice. Jeanie

I first thought it was a mock Twitter feed...but it's Verified. It's gonna be a great Thanksgiving at the Buss family dinner.

One of my favorite overheated political scribes can also overdeliver with the sports stuff:

The Lakers can never be ordinary. The Lakers need to be bright and loud and glimmering in all manner of excess. They should drip with diamonds and sin. They should be the place in L.A. where Raymond Chandler and Ice Cube find common ground. Weary gumshoes and flashy young musicians and the people who follow both of them. Hot winds and cool jazz. Los Angeles always was a summation of America, and so, always, were the Lakers. For the Lakers to become ordinary is a reversal of the natural order of things, and if the legacy of the Buss family is that the Lakers become merely another stop along the road, then the whole league loses something. And there's nothing that any of us can do about it.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/865 ... y-missteps

http://www.theonion.com/articles/andrew ... o-p,30482/

PHILADELPHIA—Speaking to reporters after suffering a setback with lingering injuries, 76ers center Andrew Bynum admitted Wednesday that the intense pain in his knees was completely worthwhile considering all the misery it’s causing the Philadelphia fanbase. “I’d easily take a full season of this to just keep watching all these assholes crying and whining on message boards,” said Bynum, adding that every bitching sports talk radio host makes him wish he could go through surgery all over again. “Do you think I would have admitted that I hurt myself while bowling if it wasn’t this fun to make these Philly fans suffer? God, this is way better than trying to bring these awful people a championship.” As of press time, the Eagles have announced they will re-sign head coach Andy Reid to a four-year deal just to see the look on their fucking fans’ faces.

I'm too pained to laugh.

If I wasn't an LA fan, I would warn you that Dwight may be headed to be Larry Johnson Pt II. Right now, I have both centers not playing like I expected them too...because of injuries.

what's sad is that I skipped past the URL and thought I was reading a real report up until the Andy Reid extension

Fuck Philly. Dirty people.

Fuck Ohio. A buncha doughy, wish-they-were-Pittsburgh bitches!

(ahhh, feels good to let my Philly blossom every so often)

Why would we wish we lived in Pittsburgh? Their women with mustaches scare us.

And seriously, living in Philly is better than Cincy? LOL!!!!

My son lives in Philly. I like the city. Think it gets a bad rap, for the most part.

I also like Cinci and Cleveland, so what do I know?

Basically nothing although we already knew that.