Lakers continue to struggle without Kobe Bryant posted by Lakers News

The 36-year-old Bryant missed his second consecutive game in the Lakers’ 113-93 loss on Thursday to the Chicago Bulls at United Center after reporting soreness in his knees, both Achilles tendons and metatarsals as well as back tightness.

“I just need to kind of hit the reset button,” said Bryant, who watched the game from the bench. “What happens is my body realizes how messed up it is. Then everything starts hurting. It’s an opportunity to treat everything.”

Meanwhile, the Lakers provided more than enough evidence to refute an inaccurate statement after pulling a surprising win over Golden State, the Western Conference’s best team. The Lakers (9-20) are not better without Bryant.

After supposedly benefitting from Bryant’s absence thanks to more ball movement and more shots, Nick Young and Jeremy Lin combined for nine points on a 3-of-14 clip. The Lakers shot 39.1 percent overall.

“Teams seem to focus more on me, and it showed tonight that they wouldn’t leave me,” Young said. “We can joke around and all that. But we’re always going to need Kobe out there.”

That partly explained why Bryant has averaged 24.6 points per game (third in the NBA), albeit on a career-low 37.2 percent clip. None of his teammates consistently produced enough to leave Bryant with open shots or entice him enough to pass.

“Ball movement is great when guys are making shots,” Bryant said. “You don’t hit shots, I try to take the load myself and we have a lot of standing around. In games they hit shots, I sit back and let them hit shots.”

Los Angeles Lakers Preseason Report 2014 posted by Lakers News

In the history of Los Angeles Lakers, 2013-14 was their worst season. Kobe Byrant worked hard to return after his injury and came in after 20 games, but unfortunately played only six games before he was injured again. The team started the season with 10-9, and even if Byrant was able to come back and perform as he did in the previous year, it would not have made much difference. Most players were a letdown, and the stats seemed empty.

For 2014-2015, there seems to be some major changes for reviving the team's morale and performance. The Lakers have hired Byron Scott to be the head coach. Scott is a former player and has helped the team win championships when was playing. In his stint as a coach, his best record is 42-22, and he managed to get New Jersey into two finals. However, he has also spent three years coaching Cleveland without getting the team back on track. Scott has been longing to coach the Lakers, and his return might motivate the team.

However, the roster of Los Angeles Lakers does not look promising, and there are doubts whether the team can even reach the playoffs. Pau Gasol, one of the key players is no longer in the team, and the replacements, Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis have not shown much promise. Bringing in Jeremy Lin might be hype, as he has not been able to maintain the explosive performance when he first started. However, he is still an improvement for the team. Younger talent that were picks from the first round, such as Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson, and MarShon Brooks, have not performed in other franchises. Julius Randle, another pick from the first round is considered ready for NBA. However, he may not have the caliber to make it in the playoffs.

Lessons I learned from playing poker that helped my improve my basketball skills posted by NBA News

Poker is a game that some try to discourage due to its perceived association to gambling. Some parents may discourage their children from playing the game; for fear that it could eventually lead to a gambling problem. However, this attitude is wrong, given the many benefits that both children and adults can gain from playing the game.

Playing poker requires a diverse range of skills that you acquire over some period of time. These skills can be applied in different areas of your life, from the sports you participate in to businesses and the personal relationships and interactions you have to handle on a day to day basis.

Making Timely Decisions

One of the ways lock poker helped me improve my basketball skills, was to improve my ability to make judgments. I learned to read non verbal cues that I could read from my opponents and use that to make split second decision. It made me realize that non verbal cues can add improve decision making. I realized it is possible to learn to look for this cues as when training and playing in the field, without necessarily knowing what to look out for.

The beauty of poker, is that it helps you to learn things faster. You recognize patterns and learn to identify them quickly. The game has a tight feedback system that enhances the learning process. Other games do not. But if you play this game for an extended period of time, you will teach your mind to identify these patterns.

Taking Risks

Another way that this poker helped me to improve my basketball skills was to learn how and when to take risks. The consequences of taking certain risks become apparent almost immediately. As a result you learn to weigh the risks. You become increasingly aware of the weight of your actions and learn to make the right decision on your feet.

Tips To Becoming A Professional Sports Bettor posted by NBA News

Gambling is one of the oldest forms of commercial activities known to man.  There are many types of gambling and one of the most popular is sports betting.  To put it in layman’s term, sports betting is simply predicting and placing a wager on the outcome of a sports event.

For most people, sports betting is merely a hobby that can be addictive and engaging. People place wagers on the outcome of the Super Bowl, for instance. Through sports betting, cheering for a particular team or athlete becomes more thrilling since there is money involved.

However, for some people, sports betting is not just a recreational activity that they enjoy. In fact, they rely on sports betting for their main source of income. These professional sports bettors don’t just rely on luck. After all, luck can’t be on their side most of the time to make sports betting their primary source of income.

Sports betting is not for everyone. It takes a lot of guts for people to make sports betting their bread and butter. For the few who are inclined to make sports betting their number one source of income, here are some tips to become successful in this endeavor.

The first key to being a professional sports bettor is to learn how to be detached to a certain sports team or athlete. In sports betting, it is very common for recreational bettors to place a wager on their favorite team or athlete. For instance, a bettor from New York is inclined to put his money on the Knicks instead of, say, the Miami Heat. Emotional attachment to a sports team or athlete is one of the obstacles to becoming a successful professional sports bettor. When one bets solely or mainly on the basis of preference, then there are higher chances that he or she will end up on the losing side.

The Kentucky Derby is Just Around the Corner posted by NBA News

The Kentucky Derby is considered as the most exciting two minutes in all of sports.  It is held every year in Kentucky, Louisville.  It is the highlight of the two-week long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is the first leg of the US Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Unlike the other two races, the Kentucky Derby has been held every year since 1875.  This year, the event is slated on May 4. Several horses are being picked as top contenders in the race. These include Verrazano, Revolutionary and Shanghai Bobby. Like in previous years, the Kentucky Derby is expected to draw a lot of interest with millions of people placing bets on their favorite horses. You can make money by betting on the Kentucky Derby, and this article discusses how. 

First, you should be familiar with the betting terminologies. A win pertains to a bet on a horse you think will win the race, while a place pertains to a bet on a horse you think will end up either in first or second place. A show is a bet on a horse you think will finish first, second or third.  The three are the basic types of wagers offered by Churchill Downs, the racetrack that hosts the derby.  There are also exotic wagers, or more complicated types that include exacta (picking the top 2 finishers), trifecta (picking the top 3 finishers) and superfecta (picking the top 4 finishers). 

In the Kentucky derby, you are betting against other players. Churchill Downs gets a slice of the total pool (around 15 to 20%) and then the rest of the money is given to all the players that have the winning tickets.  If it is your first time to bet, you can check live KY derby betting odds to have a better idea on which horse to put your money on. 

Miami Heat Could Be A Bust posted by Richard Kagan

It's come down to this.  A coming out party for the 3 star players of the Heat:  LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, was wierd.  It was over-the-top and unfortunate.  If this is an example of giving the players their due props, then the Heat are already in trouble.  They haven't won anything.  You'd think they won the NBA title.  Heck, they haven't even played together, won a game together, fought together or sweat together.

I'll say this, when it came down the crunch time against the Celtics, where was Lebron?  He all but disappeared in game 5.  Looked dreadful, out of sync, like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 

This whole deal with the Heat is all hype and flash.  It's alot of smoke and flash.  The Heat will be interesting to watch.  Everyone will expect them to win every game they play.  After about 10 games, playing for them won't be fun anymore.  The Heat could collapse under the weight of the over-sized egos on the team.  They may have to turn to Pat Riley to coach these guys, but he can;'t make them play together.  Not too many teams will be able to test them, but they will be tested, and then we will see how good they are.  One coach will find a way to neutralize LeBron, and the other parts won't work as well.  A coach has to understand physics and the laws of human nature and there aren't too many coaches that come to mind.  Phil Jackson can find a way to beat the Heat.  He has Kobe and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.  The Lakers and the Heat will be something to see.

Lakers Watch (7/1/10) posted by TP&G Blog

There is still nothing major yet to report regarding the Laker off-season moves, but this so-called exciting job fair is starting bad. Really, really bad with too many non-top-tier players (and counting) getting offered ridiculous contracts.

What the 2009-2010 Season Taught us About the Lakers posted by TP&G Blog

Plans of dethroning the Lakers are well underway, and in less than 24 hours the first step will being. But before we start watching how next season will shape up for our back-to-back champs, let's take a look at some of the highs and lows that brought the Lakers to one of the most epic NBA Finals in history and cement another Laker legacy:

• Jerry Buss has always been a businessman who knows his craft but never ever takes whatever or whoever makes his Lakers one of the most respected franchise in sports history. That includes sticking with the players who win him another championship. He may have tried to put on his poker face with Lamar Odom last sumer, but we all knew he would help Lamar win that poker game only because he hates fixing something that isn't broken. However, Odom may have made Buss regret not sending him on a one-way bus fare to Miami by being too inconsistent in this year's playoffs. Another thing about Buss: he demands the same generosity from the players he give charity to. The way Odom stunk it up in the post-season, he just might be the first victim of Buss' budget plans for next season.

Three-peat is highly possible for Lakers in next NBA season posted by nbaball

THE BOLD declaration of Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant that the team will attain its third straight crown in the next season of the National Basketball Association is highly possible. Basketball experts said three-peat might be hard to achieve in the face of the tough competition in the NBA but if the Lakers will continue to play its full potential it is very possible.

The basketball experts said one thing going for the Lakers in its quest for a piece of NBA history is the fact that almost all of their important players will be back for the team to defend their crown. Bryant the heart and soul of the Lakers had an existing contract to play for the Lakers for many years to come.
With the superstar guard still part of the Lakers roster, the team will remain solid for years to come. Aside from Bryant other Lakers players who will be back to defend their crown are superstar center Pau Gasol, versatile power-forward Lamar Odom, veteran point-guard Derek Fisher, rising young center Andrew Bynum and defensive specialist Ron Artest.

Gasol had been a vital factor in the Laker's tough victory against its arch rival Boston Celtics in their best of seven NBA Finals.
The Spanish center provided front-court scoring and defense to frustrate and defeat the determined Celtics who was able to send the game into a deciding game seven. Odom although undersized as a power-forward still contributed big for the team with his ball distribution and clutch plays against the trough defense put out by the Celtics.

Fisher for his part provided efficient veteran leadership to solidify and add more spunk to the defending champion. Bynum for his part was a steady center who provided quality minutes in terms of scoring and defense for the team. Newly acquired Laker Artest is himself had a big contribution for the Lakers victory with his tough defense against the top scorers of the opposing team particularly in the NBA Finals against Celtics superstar forward Paul "Truth" Pierce. With those players mentioned back in Lakers uniform in the next NBA season it would very difficult for other NBA teams including the Celtics to defeat the defending NBA champion. To achieve their desired three-peat the Lakers however need to resign Lakers coach Phil Jackson to coach the championship team again in the next season of the premier professional basketball league in the planet.
Continue reading "Three-peat is highly possible for ..."

Father's Day, Fútbol, and Prince Albert? posted by Amari Harris

Good morning brave souls.

Once again, it has been an unreasonably long time since I’ve done this but I’ve had quite a bit on my plate for the last couple months.  I’ve officially started my education in the law and I’m also the captain/coach/coordinator/quarterback/cornerback for my flag football team.  Ok, that’s only two things but cut me some slack.  I have to make time for Paul, Jack, and Evan.  But I am digressing.  You don’t want to hear about what’s going on in my life (you selfish bastards!).  You want to hear about men in little shorts, playing with balls that they throw or kick in a whole, a goal, or sometimes even into the hands of another man (gross).  

So where do I begin?  Well, if this were an international blog I’d have to start with globes most beloved sport and the World Cup.  Everybody loves the soccer and everybody loves the World Cup.  People come out of the wood works to pick the team they think is going to go all the way and 9 times out of 10 they can’t even name the goalie.  But me, I’m an honest Joe.  I mean I’ll keep track of who is moving up in the standings, but I may watch a total of 5 minutes of this dreadfully dry activity over its duration. I’m not going to pretend I like soccer or know anything about it for that much.  With that said, I bought an ITALIA World Cup t-shirt because it looks good on me and girls love Italy…I think.  

My goodness, I forgot two very important administrative announcements before I started this thing.  First I’d like to wish all of the

Jason Kidd: Declining Tim Duncan's Spurs was my 'biggest disappointment

The swift and still-shocking “nice guy turns heel by joining those that had previously vanquished him”-storyline that Kevin Durant recently handed us on maxed-out platter has precedent. Durant’s former Oklahoma City Thunder crew fell to the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals, and though Stephen Curry’s team wouldn’t go on to defend its title, the NBA’s MVP still led the squad that downed Durant’s Thunder. The last NBA player to win MVP before Curry ended up signing with the team that beat him, in a move that almost exactly mirrors what then-New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd nearly attempted in 2003. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Report: ‘Wasted’Lamar Odom vomits on plane, removed from flight (Ball Don't

Lamar Odom watches a March 30, 2016, game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. Lamar went to the Delta lounge at LAX before boarding a red-eye for NYC, and according to eyewitnesses was pounding down beers and whisky. Two passengers in first class tell TMZ, Lamar went to 4B and sat down, but as the plane was about to pull back he bolted for the front, threw up in the galley and then walked in the bathroom and with the door open threw up again. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant expecting 3rd daughter, another 'Baby Mamba' (Ball D

Many NBA fans have wondered how Kobe Bryant will spend his retirement now that he can no longer obsess over basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers legend will return to a familiar job soon —looking after a baby daughter. Bryant announced on Instagram Wednesday that he and his wife Vanessa are now expecting their third daughter. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Cole Aldrich: 'I've been a Timberwolves fan my whole life.' (The A

Cole Aldrich was vacationing with his wife in Italy when a lifelong dream came to fruition. Because of the time difference, a giddy Aldrich decided to send his father a text message rather than give him a call. ''I think I said, 'Dad, I'm coming home,''' Aldrich recalled on Thursday. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Grizzlies' Conley says big contract won't affect his play (The Associated Pres

The Memphis Grizzlies wanted to keep Mike Conley so much that they gave their veteran point guard the richest contract in NBA history. For Conley, the basketball - and pressure - is in his court after signing a five-year, $153 million deal Thursday. Conley's play will be closely monitored during an upcoming season in which he will earn more than new Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, a seven-time All-Star with four league scoring titles and an NBA Most Valuable Player award. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports