My all-time favourite player is Kareem. I'm a Kobe fan, but all-time, it's #33. For a big man, he was just so smooth. Grace that belied his strength. The sky hook is poetry in motion.
Continuing the celebration, I've come into some Dean's Dip product. If you want to win a free stadium blanket, or some free vouchers for Dip - simply state who your all time favourite NBA player of is, and why (make sure you have an accurate email address when filling out the comment section - so I can contact you should you win!)...
If the above is true, this is one helluva holiday! I thought it was time to change my blog to more accurately reflect what it is. Way back when (2 and a half years ago), 'With Malice' was simply a place to put up my thoughts. Within a day or two that became pretty much purely sports, and not too far down the track that became the NBA... and of course that became LA (and NBA). So this
didn't accurately reflect what the blog really is. Thus... change was in the offing. Speaking to Bloguin's admin (thanks Derek!), we got in touch with the artistry of Stephen S. of ThePensblog, and he ran with the artwork. I'm incredibly pleased with the new design - it definitely is *who* this blog is!
Fitting that the change occurs on February 7th (my birthday... along with Steve Nash - Happy birthday Steve!).
Some thoughts leading into the weekend (well... my weekend).
Finally... the Lakers' co-tenants bail on the idea that Mike Dunleavy's not hurting them as a coach. The roster's not that bad, but damn... they struggle mightily at times.
It wouldn't upset me at all if Kobe sat for the next game. He really needs to allow the accumulated injuries get to a level where he's actually "Kobe" for a whole game. I can't remember the last time #24 played without injury.
I'm really hopeful that the blog will undergo some major changes over the next lot of hours... at least before my birthday (Sunday)!
I read somewhere someone saying that they refer the talk and debate about the All Star teams than the actual game itself. There's some truth in that...
I get that Pau/Phil/Media/et al were keen for Kobe to pass the ball "in", but damn... the way LA didn't celebrate Kobe (at least... not that much) getting past Jerry West's Laker scoring title was pretty tough to watch.
That said, I would prefer to see a bit more "inside-out" happening in LA games. There's a lotta length in there that will should be make points relatively easily attainable.
Jerry West's a legend, and a gracious man. If they ever changed "the logo", I'm not sure I could love the NBA quite as much.
Denver should be a great game, and it will be made VERY interesting should both Melo/Kobe sit out. Whatever happens, there are some great storylines there. Kobe in, no Melo: can Billups lead Denver past LA in LA sans Anthony? Both Kobe/Melo out (or even just Kobe out): can Pau/Bynum do what they've promised and score efficiently and "win games"? Both Kobe/Melo in: who wins? Can Kobe step back from this challenge, and defer a bit to his bigs? Interesting game... I'm looking forward to it!
Then the next day (a game that will take place on my birthday!): Blazers in the Rose Garden. Ugh. I hate that place... it's really a black hole for LA. Can the Lakers win there? Of course! Especially with Portland fielding what amounts to a MASH unit. Will LA get the win? Hell... I don't know. There? Anything's possible.
Have a great weekend one and all... hopefully, some cosmetic changes around the place soon-ish!
February 1st 2008, Pau Gasol joins the Los Angeles Lakers. Look at this ESPN review of the trade with Bill Walton and Steven A. Smith.
It's actually amazing how accurate they were. And their only questions? How good is Pau Gasol, and how will he fit in once in LA? The answer is very, very good/well. 2 years down the track and the Lakers have been to the Finals twice, winning once. Gasol's now an All Star and owns a Championship ring.
You can keep your diesel, it's damn good to have LA with GASOL-ine PAUer.
Going into the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant needed 28 points to equal Jerry West's record of 25,192 points scored. In a 95-93 loss (damnit!), #24 amassed 44 points to set the new mark at 26,008. An amazing achievement for someone who still has a lot of career left. So... how far can he go? Jerry West thinks more than 30,000.
Congratulations Kobe Bryant, pretty damn happy to have been around to watch this... thus far. Keep 'em coming.
The NBA Bloguin sites have had their vote, and there's been a change at the top (damnit - but only what I thought anyway!). Click the pic to see where all the teams align...
Ok... power rankings. There've been a few changes in those since the last time we put any up. And on change, there'll be a few changes around With Malice over the next little while... but all will become apparent as it... well, does. So... into the WMPR (ok - that's "With Malice Power Rankings!"):
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (up 2) - Finding ways to win games that they really have no right in winning. I can't say I'm a believer yet, nor a 'witness'... but this team is beginning to look like it has the hallmarks of an NBA Champion.
2. LA Lakers (down 1) - Has played pretty awfully of late, there's no denying it. Yet LA are the still the #1 team out West, and sit but .005 behind Cleveland's record. Come business end of the season, does anyone doubt LA's presence?
3. Boston Celtics (down 1) - The Old Mean Green Machine continues to rumble, but there are cracks showing. The legs of the aging Big 3 simply can't continue to roll out 30 minutes a game. Either they find a way to keep KG from breaking down, or Boston can - yet again - kiss their chances a big wet smoocheroonie bye-bye!
And post this season? I think the window's closed.
4. Denver Nuggets (up 3) - Not quite ready to drink the Denver Koolaide yet, but Denver are playing some very fine basketball at the moment.
5. Orlando Magic (down 1) - At times they look like world-beaters... at other times they look dazed and confused.
6. Dallas Mavericks (down 1) - It's gotta be tough being a Dallas fan and wondering night-to-night which team's going to show up.
7. Atlanta Hawks (down 1) - A fine season, but I think they're a "true big" away from being able to compete in a 7-game series with the game's better teams.
8. Utah Jazz (up 6) - Isn't it amazing? Utah's just put together a damn good run of late - right on the back of a run of very middling basketball.
9. Toronto Raptors (up 7) - Could Toronto be putting together enough of a run to be able to keep Chris Bosh? I'm not too sure, despite their impressive play of late. At the very least, they'll be in the conversation come the Summer of '10.
10. Memphis Grizzlies (up 5) - One of the more impressive teams thus far this season. After a mediocre start, they've really come up with the goods. They have a strong center (Bubba Gasol), a big who's absolutely tearing it up (Z-Bo), and not one but TWO more-than-competent swingmen. Future's so bright, I gotta wear shades...
I enjoyed this. Daniel Sagal over at LABallTalk is starting a t-shirt campaign during the current road-trip the Lakers are experiencing. The t-shirts say... well... have a look for yourself:
I think they're brilliant! I actually have a friend currently living in Vietnam who might like one of these... maybe for his daughters!
You can play online poker during the commercial break while your watching the Lakers on TV.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 