A star player can have an off day. Maybe two star players can have off-days. Even during playoffs. Bench warmers can find it hard to stay motivated. But the total lack of enthusiasm, motivation, and on-court energy being exhibited by the Lakers (with, of course, the exception of Kobe Bryant), is the total, absolute fault of the guy in charge, soon-to-be gone Mike Brown.

His hiring was an abomination from the beginning, and while a casual observer could think the team was playing well heading toward the playoffs, and even during the first couple of games, the signs saying otherwise were everywhere.

Stupid comments by immature players, who were not being counseled, schooled, or at least kept under control, were in the news. The inevitable explosion of the lunatic meta tag phony piece artest creep was brewing, and occurred at a pretty bad time. But, worst of all, and maybe the biggest reason why the team has fallen apart, has been the chaotic use of personnel. Talented, veteran players were forced to rot on the bench, or were totally misused when they did get into games. Young talent was ignored and development was totally stagnant. Lessor talent was given prime minutes, for no discernible reason.

Devin Ebanks, who showed NBA ability early in the season, was little more than a ghost for weeks, never seeing playing time. When the void at small forward occurred on the eve of the playoffs, the unused, unready, and previously ignored Ebanks was thrust into a starting spot. He should have been prepared for this, but Brown totally failed in this. With insufficient oil in the entire middle east to lubricate the rust Ebanks had accumulated, Matt Barnes, who had been playing his best ball ever in a Lakers’ uniform, should have gotten the starting spot and the bulk of the minutes.

Why in the world was a veteran player like Troy Murphy, who has all-star caliber seasons to his credit, a ghost in the Lakers’ lineup? At 32, he has a couple more really good years left, and I expect to see him regain his sharpness and pt in another uniform next season. Josh McRoberts gave the team quality minutes at the beginning of the season. The starters would not recognize him now if he wondered onto the court.

Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock showed earlier in the season that they had NBA talent and only needed court time to develop. Their pt time disappeared as the season progressed, and they also became invisible as the playoffs began.

Bye, Del, uh, Mike. See ya around.

With Magic Johnson the face of the new Dodger ownership, with the immensely knowledgeable and successful Stan Kasten as the new guy running baseball operations, and with the likes of Mark Walter, Peter Guber, and Guggenheim Baseball Management putting up the dough, hopefully the years of the folly of both fox and McCourt can soon be forgotten.

On the field, the Dodgers’ began the season with a new frame of mind, and with a handful of new supporting players backing up a nucleus of stars, the Dodgers’ have the league’s best record, despite the lack of a legitimate, intelligent, professional manager. Three things stand out from the press

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conference held by the new ownership guys:

1. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa participating and showing his support for the new ownership. We have previously documented how Los Angeles politicians, in particular former mayor Richard Riordan, sabotaged former owner Peter O’Malley (“Football in LA, the Cons“) and were the cause for him selling out to fox, leading to the six miserable years under their reign, and then ultimately the sale to McCourt, and the horrors that he created.

2. Vin Scully saying that this was the LAST new ownership press conference that he would ever attend; and

3. The first order of new business, as announced by Magic, was that effective immediately for the next home game, parking rates would be reduced 33%, from $15.00 to $10.00. When I first started going to games at Dodger Stadium, the best seat in the house was a $3.50 ticket. Not that long ago, parking was still in the $5.00-6.00 range. Remember, it’s about a one-and-one-half to two mile walk from the closest street parking to a stadium entrance. Angelenos will endure only so many time-consuming hardships to find bargain parking. This simple move will quickly ingratiate even the most skeptical Dodgers’ fans to the new guys.

The Clippers never played as downright awful this entire season as they did last night for three quarters, but they recovered before it was too late, and made as big a statement as this beleaguered franchise has ever made during its 28 seasons as the other Los Angeles team.

This was the first playoff game the Clippers have won in six years, and they did it in the dark, as surely even the most diehard Clippers’ fans, not to mention those who tuned in just to see a good game, turned the game off in disgust long before the amazing fourth quarter comeback. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single unexpected victory.

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]]> http://thehounddawgsportsblog.com/2012/04/30/those-amazin-clippers/feed/ 0 http://thehounddawgsportsblog.com/2012/04/24/nba-penalty-to-lunatic-fka-ron-artest-is-a-joke/ http://thehounddawgsportsblog.com/2012/04/24/nba-penalty-to-lunatic-fka-ron-artest-is-a-joke/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:09:34 +0000 theHoundDawg http://thehounddawgsportsblog.com/?p=1057 Continue reading →]]> In 2004, the lunatic formally known as Ron Artest committed mayhem, viciously attacking and injuring players and fans during a game in Detroit. He was given an 86-game suspension by the league. During his career, he has been suspended an additional 12 times, missing a total of 111 games, for violent, illegal, and largely criminal actions on the court. Off the court, he has served jail time for domestic violence.

A couple of days ago we wrote about his latest escapade and added video of his violent, injurious attack on Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden.

We called for a minimum one year suspension for the thug who masquerades as a Laker wearing a jersey with some asinine name involving words like metta and world and peace.

Well, the joke of all professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association, apparently waiting for the lunatic thug to actually kill someone before taking any real action, has now suspended him for the ridiculous total of seven games.

What a joke.

He should have been banned for life in 2004. Given that he was not, his long record of violence on and off the court SINCE demands much more than the joke of a seven game suspension now.

The announcement today that massive (6’9″, 270 lb) teenage center Tony Parker has committed to the Bruins rounds out one of the great recruiting classes of the past decade (or longer). By adding the number 27-rated player in the nation to a class that already includes numbers one and three in Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson, respectively, plus Jordan Adams, rated at number 62, Ben Howland has his work cut out for him in molding this group, along with the best returners from last year’s team, into a cohesive, unselfish unit, in only a few short months.

It has to be done quickly, for two very obvious reasons. The most obvious is of course that one, two, three, or perhaps all four may be in Westwood for only a single season, given the realities of 21st century sports and the millions of dollars the NBA dangles in the faces of 19-year-olds. Second, next season will feature the opening of the “new” Pauley Pavilion, and brand new prices for seat licenses and seats.

After a vagabond year of playing games in the decrepit Sports Arena, the Honda Ponda, and even in far-off Ontario, Bruin faithful have been required to open their already worn pockets to pay new premium prices to view games, and that pain can only be reduced by seeing exciting, winning games on the court.

Howland has weathered a few storms since his early glory days of final fours, but if the Bruins fail to get at least that far next season, and then lose the heart of the team in one-and-out style to the NBA, the faithful, now penniless alumni, will be calling for his head.

Well, in yesterday afternoon’s Laker-Thunder game, the scumwad finally blew up, committing the season’s most flagrant criminal act, striking Thunder guard James Harden across the back of the head with a viciously thrown elbow:

Commissioner Stern, do not let him get away with this type of act YET AGAIN! The next James Harden might not be able to get up off the court.

The Dodgers’ home opener this afternoon marked the 50th anniversary of Dodger Stadium, and various former players and dignitaries were honored before the game. Throwing out the first pitch was Terry O’Malley Seidler, who was accompanied to the mound by her brother. What did Mario have to say about her brother on this evenings’ KNBC-TV newscast? Well, he said among the honorees was former Dodger owner Walter O’Malley, who is the son of the man who brought the Dodgers to Los Angeles, Peter O’Malley.

Really? You have GOT to be kidding.

How can KNBC continue to pay this guy? How can he accept his paycheck for this kind of ignorant, disgusting garbage masquerading as professional broadcasting.

Mario owes Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the O’Malley family an apology.

Note: Walter O’Malley has been dead 32 years.

At the other end of the division spectrum, the As and Mariners may well battle to the bitter end between themselves to avoid having the league’s worst record. Oakland’s great young starting staff of the past couple of seasons is now but a memory, replaced with a handful of 25-28-year-olds too old to be real prospects, but who have yet to do anything significant on the major league level, and that one decrepit re-re-tread, the 90-year-old Bartolo Colon. On the field, they have a group of never-were journeymen, defrocked former prospects, semi-talented minor leaguers, and one hope, Cuban signee Yoenis Cespedes. If he is major-league ready, the As could be the second worst team in the league. If he is not, they will be the worst team in baseball.

Only slightly more talented, the Mariners do boast a couple of major league stars in Felix Hernandez and Ichiro, though he is now 38 and coming off the first poor year of his career. Sure, Chone Figgins could bounce back, Miguel Olivo could hit above .240, and Michael Saunders could exceed his career high .221, but none of that is likely. 70 wins figure to be the goal for each team.

The Rangers are coming off two straight World Series defeats, and despite the loss of CJ Wison, will be stronger this season. They’ve added Joe Nathan and will have Mike Adams for the full season, and thus the bullpen should not suffer the move of Neftali Feliz to the starting rotation. That rotation could be much more potent than last year even without Wilson, with Feliz there and with the untapped talent of Yu Darvish. On the field, the Rangers have the same group of talented players who can hit and field with any one.

The Angles will make it tough, though, for Texas to repeat as division or league champs. Last year’s disappointing team now has a healthy Kendrys Morales back, former ranger Wilson in the rotation, and that other guy at first. Oh, yea, LIUS PUJOLS!. The Angels also have the best manager in either league in Mike Scioscia. Despite that piece of dead wood in left field, Vernon Well, who is keeping the guy who could become the decades’ biggest star, Mike Trout, in Salt Lake City (for now), the Angels should take the division, and return to the World Series for the first time since 2002.

First pitch in just over an hour.

Thus, it’s almost anyones’ division to win. Anyone except San Diego, that is.

The defending champion Diamondbacks boast some of last year’s major overachievers, among them Ian Kennedy, who will NEVER come close to last season’s numbers. They also boast some of the most overrated players in the game, such as the .240-hitting Chris Young. They may win the division by default, just because every other team is so bad, and because of their manager, Kirk Gibson. Conversely, the Dodgers’ biggest single detriment is their empty uniform masquerading as a manager, the amorphous vapor they call mattingly.

Colorado has filled in empty spots with the elderly, and now feature the likes of the recently un-retired 49-yr–old Jamie Moyer in their starting rotation, 36-yr–old Marco Scutaro at second base, and 38-yr–old Todd Helton is backed up by 41-yr–old Jason Giambi at first base. Somehow 38-yr–old Casey Blake failed to secure the third base spot. As good as Colorado stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzales are, their awful pitching staff will ensure a season record right around .500, but that could be good enough in this pathetic division.

The Giants have gone backwards for two straight years now, and despite three great arms anchoring the rotation and the top of the bullpen, the return of Buster Posey, and anticipated big numbers from Pablo Sandoval, the rest of the team looks like a patchwork quilt full of journeymen, and they too are doomed to the area around .500.

In San Diego, with Carlos Quentin now injured, the Padres cannot field a single major-league caliber outfielder, and the rest of the team is not much better. It will take a real stretch, and a parcel of player moves during the season, for them to win any more than 70 games, if even that.

And then there is the Dodgers. The rotation features Clayton Kershaw, the disappointing Chad Billingsley, and a patchwork group of veterans struggling to stay healthy. Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano are all talented, but have all contended with inconsistencies and injuries, and it is hard to believe this year will be any different. With big question marks behind the plate and throughout the infield, the team will be relying on what could well be the best outfield not only in division but in the league, and maybe baseball. Will Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Juan Rivera be enough? With Kershaw and continued success from Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen out of the bullpen, it could be enough to win this division.

Amazingly, all it took for LA fans and pundits to realize Vinny is not that bad a coach and to get off his back and quit calling for him to be fired was a six-game winning streak. Amazing how that works.

As to Brown, the Lakers have their own modest three-game streak, but there have at the same time been inklings of criticism due to the situation with Andrew Bynum and comments made by Kobe and by Matt Barnes. Unrest in Lakerland – how unusual.

Well this all will either be intensified or totally shifted after tonight’s meeting between the teams. If the Clippers do not beat the Lakers, creeps will be coming out of the woodwork calling for Del Negro’s head, and if the Lakers lose, well, who knows what the elite cadre of basketball experts who live their lives through the Lakers will be yelling from the rooftops.

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