אי אפשר לעשות אמנסטי על נאש, כי הוא לא היה בלייקרס בזמן השביתה

היחידים שניתן לבצע עליהם אמנסטי הם: קובי, גאסול, ארטסט ובלייק

מנחם, הגזמת לגמרי עם כל תיאורי האבל.

פשוט היתה מכת פציעות נוראית ובלתי מוסברת.
אבל לפניה, הלייקרס כמו היו בתנופה מצויינת, ולדעתי היו בהחלט יכולים לנצח את הספרס בסדרה – כמו שניצחו אותם כשבועיים לפני סוף העונה – עדיין עם פציעות.

אני לא אומר שאין ממה להיות מודאגים עכשיו בראייה קדימה, או שכל העונה הזו עברה טוב בלי קשר לפציעות, אבל האמת הפשוטה היא שכל מי שעקב אחרי הקבוצה יודע שההפסד בסדרה הזו היה פשוט תוצאה של מכת פציעות כמעט ללא תקדים.

זה מבאס מאד, אבל זה בסדר גמור.
מזה לעשות "נפילת אימפריה" זה להסתכל בכותרות ולא לקרוא את הסיפור האמיתי…

אני לא אומר שהווארד מושלם, והחיוכים שלו יכולים לעצבן, אבל אין לי שום טענה כלפי זה שהוא לא יכול לסחוב קבוצה לבד לאליפות.

מי כן יכול ?

הכי התקרב לזה נוביצקי בדאלאס החד פעמית, ואולי קובי כשגאסול היה שחקן מצויין אבל לא ברמות של פיפן, ווייד, או קובי עצמו בימי שאק.

אז מה זה אומר – שנוביצקי וקובי הם היחדים שאפשר לבנות סביבם קבוצה ?…

אבל הווארד משנה את המשחק הגנתית.
כשהוא בריא לגמרי, ויש לו סביבו סגל מתאים, הוא עושה הבדל דרמטי..

רק תראנ מה הוא עשה העונה ב 70% יכולת – עדיין היה הסנטר הכי טוב בליגה.
סיפק נקודות, קלע באחוזים מצויינים, שיחק הגנה טובה (גם אם לא בסטנדרטים שלו), והוביל את הליגה בריבאונדים.

אחרי ניתוח גב !

לא נותנים לשחקן כזה ללכת אם הוא רוצה להישאר.

הוא גם אמר שהפסד הלייקרס "הוא הפסד הלייקרס; לא הפסד קבוצה פצועה, כי לא משנה אם פצועה או לא, אנחנו עדיין הלייקרס ויכולנו לנצח למרות כל הפציעות".

לא הבנתי מה הבעייה שקובי לא ישחק בעונה הבאה?
זה פותר את כל תמונת התקציב.
הוא גם ככה פצוע
בעצם, כל מי שפצוע שילך לשנת הבראה בבית אבות ויקוצץ מהתקציב.
חוויה

Pau Gasol: 2013 Exit Interview

Pau Gasol appeared in 49 games (the fewest of his 12-year
career), starting 42 towards averages of 13.7 points, 8.6
rebounds and 4.1 assists. Gasol battled injuries the entire
year, missing eight games because of tendinitis in both
knees, five games due to a concussion and 20 more after
suffering a torn plantar fascia at Brooklyn on Feb. 5.

In four postseason games, Gasol averaged 14.0 points, 11.5
boards and 6.3 assists. He recorded his triple-double of the
season in Game 3, the other two coming in the final week of
the regular season.

Below is a summary of his exit interview:

– On if he’ll be back to the Lakers: “I understand he
position I find myself in. It can be a little draining. It’s
not ideal. But I also accept it. I accept where I am. I
accept the circumstances the team is in. I’m not upset about
it. It’s just the way it is. The future is uncertain.
There’s a possibility I could be gone. There’s a possibility
I could stay. But I’m prepared either way. I understand the
challenges the franchise is facing and the decision they
have to make in order to keep the team in the direction they
want looking at the present and the future. It’s a lot
going on. I wish things were simpler, but they’re not. I
appreciate Mitch (Kupchak’s) honesty and everything that
he’s done and the franchise has done to keep me here, and
have me on the team. There’s been two difficult years for
different reasons, but we fought through it.”

– On the standing ovation he received when he was subbed out
of Game 4, and what it meant to him, with Kobe coming over
to console him: “At first I was upset because of the score,
and I recognized it was our last game of the season … and
then the emotional part kicked in. I saw and perceived the
recognition from our fans, which is something I highly
appreciate and am thankful for.”

– On his relationship with Kobe: “It’s grown and gotten
stronger. We’ve gotten closer as friends and teammates. I’m
happy and proud that we’ve grown so much as friends, and
it’s been great. We communicate with each other a lot more
now than we ever have. We’re on the same page, and I have
great respect for who he is, what he brings to the table,
what he brings to the franchise and to a lot of people.”

– On his role changing as the year went on: “We finished the
year a lot happier of how I was placed on the court, and
how I was used. My productivity shows that. (Mike D’Antoni
and I) agreed that we all took our time to know each other
and figure each other out, and figure out how to utilize the
personnel to play the (best way). Nothing to regret from
that part, but as any player would, I’d like to be used the
right way so I can maximize what I bring to the table.”

– On his health, after what was the most challenging season
of his career from that standpoint: “My knees have been an
issue this year from beginning to end, and then I had to
deal with my (torn plantar fascia) to come back as soon as I
could. The soreness increased as I was playing more on it
(when I returned). I’m going to go through several medical
tests in the next several days to see the status in my knees
and the arch, and then decide what kind of procedure if any
or treatment I need to go through to get healthy. Hopefully
next season I’ll come back at full strength.”

– We learned that Gasol has been working on a book – some
photographic, some written – to express himself from a
personal standpoint.

– Gasol thinks his unselfish nature as a passer and
playmaker means that the team is best off when going through
him, which he’s proven to be true in the past. Yet the
Lakers have been in such a unique situation, with Dwight
Howard and Andrew Bynum – two of the only other bigs in the
league that would take some time from him on the block – on
the roster. This season, Gasol’s injuries limited his
effectiveness at times on the defensive end in particular,
as he wasn’t always able to protect the rim like he has when
healthy.

– He described how things were difficult, but got better,
with what the team wanted to do: “In the beginning, we
struggled more because everybody wanted to assert themselves
and establish themselves. Things didn’t work out that well
from the beginning. The coaching change had a big role into
it, but we progressed as the season went on and put our
individual desires aside and found what worked. We finished
the season playing the right way as far as a balance.” Gasol
said Kobe was willing to facilitate and distribute, and get
players involved. He also stated he was able to be utilized
at the post more on offense and create for others.

– Gasol was asked how he’s maintained a positive state of
mind through what have been two whirlwind seasons full of
trade rumors, health issues and more losing than expected:
“I have a positive mind. I try to put myself in the position
of others and understand where they come from. If I saw
something malicious or saw something of bad intention, then
I might say something. But I understand everybody’s position
here. There’s a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations, a
lot of coverage and a lot of fans please. I’ve been
extremely lucky to play for this franchise for so long.”

– Here’s what Tim Duncan had to say about Gasol after the
Round 1 series: “I don’t see how he’s changed much at all.
He’s in a different system, and he’s asked to do different
things. He’s as skilled as there are of big men out there.
He can do just about everything, and he’s unselfish. I see
him playing the way he’s been asked to play. I think if he’s
asked to be more of a scorer, or be something else, he can
do that as well. I don’t see why he doesn’t have many years
left in him.”

Kobe Bryant: 2013 Exit Interview

Kobe Bryant put together one of his better statistical
all-around years in his 17th season, averaging 27.3 points
(third in the NBA), 6.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds on 46.3
percent shooting. He appeared in 78 games, missing two
because of a sprained ankle and the final two of the regular
season, plus the playoffs, after tearing his Achilles
tendon against Golden State on April 12.

He underwent surgery the following day, the expected
timetable recovery being six to nine months. The plan,
according to Lakers trainer Gary Vitti, is for Bryant to be
ready by the beginning of next season.

Below is a summary of his exit interview:

– On why he’s so confident he can be healthy and fully
recovered from his Achilles injury in time for the beginning
of next season: “The staff we have here, the technology we
have available and the understanding of this injury.” Bryant
was recommended to have surgery the next day to eliminate
the possibility of scar tissue developing and for less
swelling. “For me, I’m willing to work and be patient. Those
things together and I’m confident I can be ready for next
season.” It’s definitely Kobe’s plan to be ready for the
start of next season, but he acknowledged that he’ll simply
have to see how rehabilitation goes.

– On how he’s feeling right now: “I’m moving a lot faster
than I was. It’s a sneaky injury in the sense I don’t feel
any pain, no stiffness or any of that. It’s one of those
injuries where you keep it in the front of your mind at all
times.”

– On if he can look at this season and take any positives
away, despite all the adversity the club faced: “If we can
gain something positive from this season, it’s (getting)
most of the guys back. When you go from a year like this –
five games out of the playoffs and then making the No. 7
seed – it does something for the group. It builds character.
To allow that to dissipate and do that again with another
group, it’s a headache.” Bryant believes the team as
currently constructed, providing everybody is healthy next
season, can win a championship. He stated the team
understood how tough it would be to gain an understanding
for one another, but injuries wouldn’t allow for their core
group to be on the floor together. “We understood, but we
didn’t have a chance to develop it because of injury after
injury after injury. It was crazy. It was a constant process
for us, but we finally figured it out. It’s great to bring
the group back because we know what to do, and we know how
lethal we can be.”

– Bryant recognizes that the team needs to add length and
speed. “Some athleticism that can offset some of the
deficiencies we have. If we can figure out a way to bring
some of that length and athleticism, things will be (good).”

– On all the support from the fans during this time, what it
means personally to him: “It drives me. It gives me more
fuel and more focus to have that support. They believe in
me. I take that and I wear that as a badge of honor not to
disappoint them.”

– On how long he will continue to play in the league: “I
don’t know. The Achilles (injury) kind of threw me a
curveball, so I have to think about this.”

– On how he feels about Pau Gasol and whether or not Gasol
will be a Laker next season: “I was pretty clear when I met
with Mitch (Kupchak). I want him here. He gives us the best
chance to win titles. You bring Dwight (Howard) back, then
we’re off and running. You saw how well they played together
(at the end of the season). That puzzle finally got
solved.” Bryant acknowledged that coach Mike D’Antoni made a
lot of adjustments during the season to better utilize
Gasol, placing him near the elbow and in the post to make
plays for his teammates.

– On playing with Steve Nash this year and what, if
anything, he learned from him: “It was great to see him work
every day, to go through his progressions, how he thinks
the game from behind the scenes. (I thought), ‘Oh damn, if I
knew that, maybe we could have beaten (Phoenix in the
playoffs).’ But you get a chance to see his greatness
because he’s extremely intelligent. His work ethic is
unbelievable.” For Bryant to praise someone ELSE’S work
ethic is definitely something to take seriously. They’re two
peas in a pod along those lines.

– On Dwight Howard’s injury situation last year and the
current circumstances he is in now trying to recover from
surgery: “He went through a situation with back surgery
where he was all by himself. He sees that and he doesn’t
want me to experience the same thing he experienced. Our
bond grew a lot.” Bryant appreciated that Howard visited him
at his Orange County home after surgery: “It shows through
adversity your bond can become stronger. The support for
each other really shined through. That’s why I would love
for this group to come back and get another crack at it.”

– With Howard set to be a free agent, Bryant stated he
“hopes” the big man returns to L.A next season: “It’s just a
matter of what he feels in his heart what and he wants to
do. He’s reached a crossroads at his career and I think L.A.
is the perfect spot for him to assert himself and have his
career take off.” With Howard trying to play his way back
into game shape after offseason back surgery, Bryant stated
his play in the second half of the year was “impressive.”

Mitch Kupchak: 2013 Exit Interview

– Kupchak opened by discussing Dwight Howard’s situation as
a free agent, relaying that the team is “hopeful” and
“optimistic” that he’ll re-sign with the Lakers. He said he
won’t pressure Howard, who needs to wait until June to
capitalize on increases in the potential contract he can
receive anyways. With that known, Kupchak said this: “I know
in my heart this is a place where I think he should be.”

– Kupchak continued when pressed on the Howard issue,
explaining why he’s hopeful: “We have a great legacy, a
great history of great players in this city dating back to
when the franchise came here in 1960, and he certainly fits
the mold. But I don’t want to get ahead of the game and take
anything for granted. Obviously, I’m hopeful and
optimistic. From what I understand, our players that came in
today were very supportive of him returning … If you just
look at the opportunity, which is to play for this franchise
in this city, with what this franchise has meant to this
city and its accomplishments, that’s probably the most any
team can offer a player. Certainly, some players might not
prefer to play on a stage like in Los Angeles, but I do know
that this franchise will continue to be run as a model
franchise. This is a very desirable place for players to
play. What it comes down to is being comfortable selling the
Los Angeles Lakers, and that’s where my confidence lies the
most.”

– On the status of Pau Gasol, who enters the last season of
his contract, as it relates to a potential trade: “When you
lose, everything is in play. This is the third year in a row
that you could argue we didn’t live up to or play up to
expectations. Everybody is in play, whether it’s Pau or
anybody else to look for ways to improve the team. By and
large, the organization has always looked to put the best
product on the court, and that will continue to be how we’ll
move going forward. Looking for the best players that give
us what we think is the best chance to win.”

– On being comfortable with Howard as a franchise
cornerstone: “Nobody can completely carry a franchise by
himself. In this day and age, with the parity around the
league, and the way the league, the owners and players have
set up the new collective bargaining agreement, every team
is going to have good players. There’s not one player that
can carry a team. We’re very confident that we can build
around Dwight Howard.”

– Kupchak said the season outcome – both from the
organization and D’Antoni’s perspective – was obviously not
what they envisioned, but he was impressed that D’Antoni was
able to turn things around from the low point at Memphis in
January when the team was 17-25: “To Mike’s credit, he made
adjustments. Once we started getting players back and once
he started to see what our real strengths were, he was
flexible and made adjustments, and that’s when we started to
win games and gather momentum.”

– On feeling pride about the late-season play: “Considering
our payroll and what our expectations were on October 1 … at
the end of the season, quite frankly, I was proud of this
group. To come in at 45-37 – and believe me that’s hard for
me to say – but their accomplishments the last third-plus of
the season were significant. They really almost had to win
at a high level on a consistent basis.”

– On what the Lakers will run next season under Mike
D’Antoni: “It’s going to depend on the talent we have. The
trend in the NBA, and the way you’re seeing college players
and NBA players play, it’s very different to what it was 20
to 30 years ago. That’s probably not going to change. It’s
an open game, a lot of pick and rolls, perimeter shooting.
The game has really gravitated to the way Mike coaches, but
you have to coach to a great degree to the players you have
on the team.”

– Kupchak was then asked if the Lakers planned on using the
amnesty clause: “Can I refer that to Mark Cuban? He’s our
amnesty expert,” talking about the Mavs owner’s comments
that L.A. might amnesty Kobe Bryant (resulting immediately
in Kobe going off in Dallas, then tweeting ‘Amnesty THAT!).
Kupchak then said the amnesty provision wasn’t something
that he’d discuss right now, but it’s obviously something
the team will consider for the players that are eligible.

– Kupchak understands the “passion” of the Lakers fan base,
but acknowledged that he felt bad for D’Antoni, who’s taken
the brunt of the reaction from the team’s losing. But
D’Antoni knew what he was getting into following Phil
Jackson, and hasn’t been surprised by criticism. Kupchak
should be given some credit here in knowing how to evaluate
coaches, and he’s been supportive of D’Antoni, so that
should tell us as much as observations from watching an
injured team play.

– On a lighter note, Kupchak quipped that he liked Metta
World Peace’s Cookie Monster shirt in his exit interview,
though he naturally had no clue about his status for next
season (MWP has a player option on his contract).

– On Dwight Howard being criticized unfairly in his mind,
and thus standing up for him in February during the All-Star
break, which Howard responded well to: “I think it helped
that people recognized what he was going through. Once
again, the expectations leading into the season were just so
high and so off the charts that any kind of sub performance
would result in negative feedback, and that’s what took
place. When you’re not performing to the level of
expectations, people look for – and rightfully so – reasons
why, and for some reason, he seemed to get most of the
criticism, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that
he’s here on a one-year deal, and for business reasons, he
has to wait till this summer, but nobody understands that …
I don’t think people understand it’s been about a year since
he had surgery. Here’s a guy that had surgery last April
and here it is a full NBA season later, and he played a full
slate of games. I asked everybody here to look back at his
March performance (17.9 points, 15.2 rebounds), and
understandably, people aren’t going to say: ‘He’s not
playing as well as he could because he had back surgery.’
When you’re on the court in this league, it means you’re
ready to play. I feel as if he’s not been given his due
credit and he’s been under appreciated.”

– On trading for Howard knowing he could possibly sit out
nearly half the year: “I didn’t think we’d see him till
January or February. When he showed up at the first day of
training camp, I was shocked.”

– On D’Antoni, where much of the criticism went late in the
season: “It was an adjustment process for Mike and getting
familiar with our players. Mike was flexible and he listened
to the players. Maybe too flexible at times, but he
certainly, as a credit to him, worked with the veterans and
they figured it out.”

– On Steve Nash’s year: “I was disappointed for him. I’ve
never seen a player struggle and be as involved with the
rehabbing of an injury and to be as frustrated as he was. I
think everybody knows what he went through prior to Game 4
here in Los Angeles. Completely frustrating year for Steve.
He’s going to dedicate the summer to get well, and he feels
that he’ll be 100 percent in the fall.”

ByL6fK Im obliged for the blog.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.