Lakers Sign Shannon Brown & Ron Artest

The Lakers signed guard Shannon Brown for two more years today, while a few days ago they secured Ron Artest for three years at the mid-level exception.

I can’t say I’m unhappy with those two actions. Shannon Brown obviously contributed plenty to the Lakers’ season last year and with a shaky Jordan Farmar and aging Derek Fisher around, it was important for him to stick around. However, now we have a 3 point guards situation which is never good on any NBA team. I think with Fisher playing less and less minutes, it might actually work out, but I’m shaky on this topic.

Elsewhere, Ariza chose the money and wasn’t happy with the mid-level 5.8 million per year offer. Can’t blame him I guess. The guy shut his mouth all year to put up with Kobe, won a ring, and is 24. Of course he’s going to go for more money elsewhere. And trust me, a lot of people will ask for him! The addition of Artest in his spot is an interesting one. I think Ron is still a good player, but on the other hand, he’s still Ron Artest. Will Kobe and Phil Jackson be enough to control him and keep his head in the game? The thought of Ron Artest & Lamar Odom on the same team would have scared me to death a few years ago. I’m not so sure now… I think in the long term it’s a good deal. We’re going for an older guy (Ron) vs. a younger guy (Ariza) to save money and add more experience to the team. In a couple of years, we’re obviously going into full rebuild mode once Kobe calls it quits. In the long term however, the right move was to keep Ariza. I guess money is tight these days, and one has to do what one has to do…

Disgusting

There is no other word I can use right now to explain the Lakers’ showing today. That was disgusting. Not showing up to a Playoff Game when you’re a title contender is inexcusable. I’m a Lakers fan, and always will be, but today made me sick to my stomach. We don’t deserve to play in the Finals. In fact, I don’t want us to play in the Finals. Why make LeBron look even better than he already is? The Cavs would crush us with this type of play.

Having gotten the emotions out of me, I tried to figure out what happened. We played no defense for three quarters. I don’t know why. I can’t explain to you why. That was the biggest problem today. Houston’s shots were going in, and when you’re not playing defense against a team whose shots are going in, you’re gong to get embarrassed, which we did. Second, Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher are just non-existent at this point in time. I don’t remember if it was Van Gundy or Jackson that said it on commentary today, but at this point in time you might as well play Mbenga if you’re Phil Jackson, and hope that Jordan Farmar get out of the slump. The Lakers don’t have a point guard. Shannon Brown played well today, but not having enough minutes in the regular season is showing. Those are the two biggest problems. Then there’s also this “heart” argument. Where is the heart?! I’ve been asking this since the beginning of the season! If you want to be a champion in this league, then you have to play like it. You have to show that passion. You have to give it all in your game. The Lakers don’t. That’s not a champion.

I’m disgusted, and extremely mad. What a terrible game!

The 2009 NBA Playoffs Are Here!

In only a matter of hours, the NBA Playoffs will begin! It’s been an emotional couple of days for basketball fans. The expected news that Kevin Garrnett will miss the remainder of the year due to a knee injury has shaken the league up. Although I’m a Laker fan, I can’t say I’m happy about this. I’m a huge fan of KG’s, and having him in the Playoffs would have made the post season a whole lot more fun! This news item wasn’t taken in well by true basketball fans, and it certainly didn’t do wonders for Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who suffered a heart attack a few hours later that day. I want to make sure and wish Mr. Ainge (another basketball great) a speedy recovery! I’m glad to hear he’s doing fine!

I think the KG-less Celtics are more dangerous than everyone thinks. Losing their key player will hurt their chances and there’s no way around that. However, the remaining players on the team just got a little extra motivation to try harder. The way the whole story went down — with the Celtics being quiet about the injury, never telling us what it really is, and making their players think they’re getting KG come the Playoffs so they would play a high pace — makes me think that the Celtics aren’t as fragile as we all think. I believe they’re smart, and obviously planned well for this moment.

At any rate, here are my thoughts for the Round 1 match-ups:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
– The Pistons traded Billups for Iverson, and Joe Dumars convinced us it was a good move. And really, in a league where everyone is trying to dump salary and nobody cares about basketball, it made sense. But a few games into the trade it was obvious this was a bad move for the Pistons. I think they’ll be able to get a game or two out of Bron Bron but I don’t see much else happening at this point in time. I say Cleveland takes it 4 games to 1.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls
– I just don’t see the Celtics losing in Round 1. They are the defending champions. They are missing their key player. They’ve been playing solid basketball without him heading into the Playoffs, and Paul Pierce will not let them die this early. Ray Allen will be extra motivated. If they can get modest production out of their bigs (Powe has been playing well, Perkins is decent, and Davis is improved from last year), and Rajan Rondo comes through, I think the C’s will prevail. Chicago has been on a role since getting Brad Miller and John Salmons. Ben Gordon will get his, but how will Derrick Rose react in his first trip to the Playoffs? That’s why Rondo’s play is key to this series. If he can play solid against Rose, the C’s will take this. I’m going to go on a limb and say C’s take the serious 4 games to 2.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
– I’m not looking forward to this series. At all. Philly has been terrible heading into the Playoffs, almost making us question what they were trying to accomplish in the last month. It’s a season the 76ers would rather forget, I can tell you this much. As far as Orlando goes, count me as one of the people not sold on them. To me, Turkoglu’s health is a big question mark, and Dwight Howard is not your “go to” guy. With no Jameer Nelson, what do you? Magic takes the series in 7 games, 4-3.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat
– Without a doubt the most interesting Round 1 match-up. I can’t wait for this series! It’s time to see what D-Wade will be able to accomplish with a team that consists of a dying Jermaine O’Neal and a rookie point guard in Mario Chalmers. Having in mind what Wade has been up to lately, I’m very tempted to take the Heat in this one. However, Atlanta’s play in the Playoffs last year was phenomenal and I think that Joe Johnson will do a good enough job on Wade, while Bibby pressures Chalmers and Josh Smith gets his. I say Atlanta in 6, 4 games to 2.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
– You talk about a weird 8-seed. Well I’m not happy about this draw, but so be it. I’m confident that the Lakers will be victorious. Bynum looks good. Kobe seems a bit worried but not as tired as he should be at this point in time. Gasol has been playing amazing basketball all year long. Trevor Ariza has proven to be an important X factor on this team. The biggest question mark is the play of Fisher and Lamar Odom. One of the best-kept secrets in the past month has been how horrible Derrick Fisher and Jordan Farmar have been. Being a smart man, Phil Jackson has shifted the attention away from his two point guards by letting Shannon Brown get some play-time in generally unimportant matches, so that PJ has something positive to talk about in Brown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Shannon in the Playoffs because that’s a Phil Jackson move. As far as Fisher goes, he’ll be fine. He’s a veteran and will get the job done, plus don’t remember he always has “extra” motivation when he plays in Utah, so that helps. I’m worried about Farmar, who’s become somewhat of a streaky player, but I hope he’ll come through. Really, Lamar Odom is what worries me most. If we get the Lamar we’ve been getting for most of this year, then the Lakers will have no trouble on their way to the finals. If we don’t, then it’ll depend on the rest of the crew. This has been a bad year for the Jazz due to injury problems, and bad chemistry. They might have to think things over this summer. I think the Lakers will play hard and sweep Round 1 because they don’t want to waste time in the uninviting state of Utah. 4-0.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
– When the season started I was thinking these two would meet in Round 1 of the Playoffs, only the Hornets would have the #2 seed, and the Nuggets would have the #7 seed. Wow. This might be another 7-game series. While the thought of Paul vs. Billups is entertaining, I have to say that there are way too many other factors in play here. Will K-Mart or JR Smith punch out David West at one point in time during this game, or will they take an ill-advised 3 with the clock running down and their team needing a shot? Will Chauncey manage to control this wreck through the Playoffs? Will ‘Melo finally show up? How will Nene handle West and Chandler? On the flip side of things, can this Hornets team get any weirder? Do you count on Tyson Chandler to come through? Can’t you just picture him limping his way to the basket only for the Birdman Chris Andersen to block his shot and go nuts, causing a technical foul, followed by a JR Smith slap on the referee, an ejection, and a more serious penalty? Nothing would surprise me with these two teams — I just hope George Karl makes it alive through this summer. I think I am going to watch every game of this series. I’m going with the Hornets in 7 games, 4-3.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
– I can’t… I just can’t… AHHHH! OK, fine. Dallas in 7. Damn it!

(4) Portland Trailblazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
– The second most interesting match-up in my opinion. Keep your eye on Yao Ming. This is a must-win situation for him and the Hornets. On the other hand, Portland and Brandon Roy look unbeatable at home. I think at the end the home court advantage will take its toll but it’ll take time getting there. Portland in 7, 4-3.

If my predictions hold up, we’ll have quite the Round 2! I’ll be back with more thoughts on the Playoffs soon!