During the 2009 NBA Playoffs: Trevor Ariza shot 50% from the floor. Ron Artest shot 39%. Trevor Ariza shot 48% from the arc. Ron Artest shot 28%. Trevor Ariza made clutch defensive stops again and again for the Lakers. Ron Artest, a supposed lock down defender, made boneheaded decisions that resulted in technical fouls and ejections. Trevor Ariza knows the intricacies of the triangle offense and is productive in it. Ron Artest doesn’t, and frankly doesn’t have a reputation for being the brightest bulb in the ceiling. Trevor Ariza is young and getting better. Ron Artest is declining. Ron Artest is a stronger BRAND name than Trevor Ariza, but Trevor is the better player — especially for the Lakers.

Maybe beating Orlando was the easy part. The hard part might be bringing the band back together next year. Because the Lakers are young, people talk as if all they have to do is find a way to keep Ariza and Lamar Odom around, and they’ve got a shot at more titles in the coming 3 or 4 years. If only it were that easy. On July 1, 2009, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, etc., and a good number of Laker fans will be at the edge of...

QUESTION: what does the McDonald’s fast food chain and NBA Officiating having in common? ANSWER: They are both run by a clown named Ronald. Retiring U.S. Army General, Ronald L. Johnson, was hired to be the NBA’s “senior vice president of referee operations,” a newly created position, In the aftermath of the Tim Donaghy scandal. Four things about this raised my eyebrows. (1) During tough economic times, when the NBA...

panacea [pan-a-see-a] Noun a remedy for all diseases or problems [Greek pan- all + akes remedy] There is a lot of talk about Courtney Lee missing that final shot in regulation of game 2 of the 2009 NBA Finals, but look at that shot in context: (1) Courtney Lee had just missed a wide open layup less than 12 seconds earlier, which is how the Lakers ended up with the ball and 9.1 seconds left in regulation to begin with. Courtney Lee took...

It’s Disney World verses Disney Land… — MONSTERS, INC. — Orlando is 35-7 when they lead their opponents in rebounding. Orlando is 42-4 when they score more than 100 points. What is more, during their regular season match ups the Magic averaged 107.5 points per game and shot 46.5 percent against the Lakers. Clearly, this isn’t the regular season. — RETURN TO NEVERLAND — Phil Jackson had his Lakers...

It sure would be easy to blame today’s loss by the Boston Celtics to the Chicago Bulls, both of game 1 and home court advantage, on the fact that Kevin Garnett wasn’t playing due to injury… easy, but not ENTIRELY correct. Certainly if Garnett had played, the Celtics would have won, however, the Celtics still had ample ability and opportunity to win this game but failed to step up. For example, __ Ray Allen definitely...

By now you have probably read articles that Kevin Garnett may not be back to the Celtics on time for the playoffs. So, if you are a Celtics fan, the bad news is Garnett may be out… but the good news is last year Paul Pierce made quite the miraculous recovery, didn’t he? Pardon my skepticism, and this is in no way shape or form to be construed as an anti-Celtics post… But given the recent history with this team (see clip...

RENO BIGHORNS (81) at UTAH FLASH (101) Friday, December 5, 2008 The Utah Flash rebounded to defeat the Reno Bighorns on Friday in Orem, Utah. Literally. In fact, this game analysis is so simple it can almost be done with one word: rebounds. The Flash out rebounded the Bighorns all game long, but when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, when just 6 points separated the two teams, the Utah Flash out rebounded Reno 17 to 6. Good...

Keep an eye on this unfolding story about Cuban using insider information to avoid $750,000 in losses. According to Forbes Magazine, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth at $2.3 billion as of March 2007. Besides the Mavericks, Cuban owns the HDNet cable television channel, Landmark Theaters, a large national chain, and (ironically) a Web site called Sharesleuth.com, which bills itself...

Before I start, I’d like to propose a new NBA rule: players are NOT to make ANY contact with any player of an opposing team AFTER a whistle has blown. If there are players that need separating, there are 3 referees and 4 teammates on each side that can do the job, so there is no need for a player to pose as a “peacemaker” by making contact with or restraining an opposing player. As often as not, that just further provokes...

Greed.  It is why there is a real estate crash.  It is why there is a banking crisis.  It is why there is a taxpayer funded bailout.  It is why OPEC is trying to raise oil prices again by cutting back production. Greed is also why Kobe Bryant is injured.  Hopefully greed won’t be why the Lakers will not be in next season’s NBA Finals. Playing in a preseason game against the Charolette Bobcats, Kobe Bryant left the game with...

I’ve been rewatching Olympic Men’s Basketball, wishing the NBA preseason were already here. To keep from going crazy, I’ve decided to list out 20 things I wish the NBA would do to improve itself. Nearly all of these ideas are whimsical, nevertheless, I’d like to know what you think about them. And what are some of your own ideas? So, in no particular order, where is some of my wish list for the NBA… 1 –...

Perhaps the two most notable things about this game against Germany are: 1. How sharp USA played in a “meaningless game,” and 2. How USA strayed from the winning formula it has been using so far in international play. Because USA could force themselves to play with such sharpness in a meaningless game like this, I’m thinking there won’t be any let downs in the medal games to come. But it’s really remarkable how...

If you are a fan of USA basketball, this was a great game, but two numbers indicate Team USA wasn’t yet tested where it is weakest: inside. Those two numbers are 28 and 64. Twenty-eight. Spain committed 28 turnovers versus the United States. For perspective, Spain committed 8 turnovers in their previous game against Greece. Sixty four. USA shot 7 of 11 (64%) from the arc in the first half. For perspective, that is better than...

In sports forums all over the Internet, there is debate about the legality of face guarding in basketball. The debate was sparked by two events: an ABC / ESPN televised game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers on March 16, 2008, and an article written the same day by well known basketball analyst, Charlie Rosen . Because much (but not all) of the face guarding in that game was against the world’s most controversial...

Recently I was reading an old article by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, entitled “More on USA Basketball,” (not to be confused with, “Moron USA Basketball”) . In this article, Mark Cuban focuses most of his propositions at the NBA — which isn’t surprising since he owns an NBA franchise. However, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail,”...