Go Cavaliers!

[Stripes]

I think the Cavaliers at least showed that they can hang with most teams (Spurs included) on the defensive side of the ball, but they just don't have the perimeter shooters to keep up on offense. They're a good young team though, and they certainly made it further into the postseason than I ever expected them to.

[jditty47]

they sure proved they can hang. lol 4-0 is not proving anything. that is terrible. the warriors woulda done better vs them. u wanna know clevelands problem? they have terrible downlow play. gooden is overrated and ilgauskas is just another ostertag/mark eaton/sabonis type player with ok offense but 0 defense.

and how can u say cleveland played good D.. they couldnt keep parker out of the paint and ginobili owned them every game. and bowen got off for godsake.

u guys can lakerhate all u want...we'll be back on top in no time. one more piece = championship. might not get it this offseason, but next im certain we will.

[Stripes]

Well obviously the Cavaliers got whooped around overall, but they played solid defense throughout. Parker had a great series individually, but the Spurs scoring totals each game were as follows:

85

105

75

83

The Spurs put together a good offensive game one time in the four games they played. The problem for Cleveland was that the Spurs played even better defense, and the Cavs couldn't shoot well at all from the perimeter.

I'm not being a homer at all. I'm only a casual basketball fan. The Cavaliers got smeared. Killed. Destroyed. Beat the f**k down. But they did play defense, and that alone should give Cleveland fans a reason to smile about the team's potential.

[jditty47]

spurs are known to score low and win...look at their past championships. cavs didnt play all that great of defense in my opinion.

[The PatternMaster]

u guys can lakerhate all u want...we'll be back on top in no time. one more piece = championship. might not get it this offseason, but next im certain we will.

Not Laker-hating, don't kill the messenger, however enjoyable it is to be the bearer of "bad" news

Kobe Implies on Web Site He Wants Trade

By ANDREW GLAZER

Associated Press Writer

Kobe Bryant implied again that he wants to be traded, writing on his Web site that "the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future."

The statement posted Sunday on kb24.com was the latest in a recent series of sometimes inconsistent comments from Bryant about whether he wants to remain in Los Angeles.

"When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its hard to even imagine thinking about being elsewhere. But, the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING," the two-time scoring champion wrote.

"The more I thought about the future, the more I became convinced that the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future."

The 28-year-old Bryant, a nine-time All Star, has four years left on his contract - but he can terminate it following the 2008-09 season.

Bryant last month voiced frustration at Lakers management and publicly requested he be traded after the team was eliminated by Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs. Though he said nothing could change his mind, Bryant later backed off after speaking with coach Phil Jackson.

Bryant wrote Sunday on his Web site that the Lakers, owned by Jerry Buss, are not supporting him with players the team needs to win championships.

"The Lakers are pursuing a longer-term plan that is different from what Dr. Buss shared with me at the time I re-signed as a free agent," he wrote. "I have seen that plan unfold for the last three years and watched great trade opportunities come and go, and have seen free agents passed on. That has led to the Lakers not winning a playoff series."

Buss' spokesman, Bob Steiner, and Lakers spokesman John Black both declined to comment Sunday.

Buss, who signed Bryant to a seven-year, $136.4 million contract in 2004, issued a statement two weeks ago stating, "We will continue to pursue every avenue possible to improve our team with him as the cornerstone."

Playing eith Kobe has got to be one of the most frustrating experiences in pro sports, guys work hard their whole lives to get to the NBA and then they get on a team with a guy who obiviously doesn't respects his teammates ability to get the job done.

Although Kobe does have bums for teammates, Kwame Brown shouldn't be starting in the NBADL, neverless the big show. Smush Parker is a slashing two guard, not a true point who can run an offense and set other players up for success. Oden is by his most talented teammate, but you never get the feel that Oden wants it more than the other guy. They could be like the 2000 version of Mike and Scottie, but I don't Kobe thinks Oden is good enough to be the Robin to his Batman.

In the end this makes Kobe look bad, if he's not forcing himself upon unclean hostesses at swanky Colorado resorts he's complaining about his teammates and the organization that gave him a 136.4 million reason to appriecate life. His behaviour thsi offseason has shown his "teammates" what he truly thinks of them, it's going to be hard for him to go back into that locker room and try to be the leader he claims he is.

[jditty47]

I could tell you how to fix the lakers easily. they need a better startign pointgaurd like you said, one that can actually D up nash and parker. They also need one more big man with some hunger, kwame has done ok but they need someone that can do it night in and night out.

there is no problem with oden, he was coming back from a major injury...he'll be fine this year. and i dont care what kobe said on his website, he aint goin no where.

[The PatternMaster]

I could tell you how to fix the lakers easily. they need a better startign pointgaurd like you said, one that can actually D up nash and parker. They also need one more big man with some hunger, kwame has done ok but they need someone that can do it night in and night out.

there is no problem with oden, he was coming back from a major injury...he'll be fine this year. and i dont care what kobe said on his website, he aint goin no where.

There's nothing worse than a disgruntled star athlete who behaves like a spoiled 3 year old. No matter what the Lakers do short of convincing Michael Jordan to come out of retirement it won't appease the great Kobe Bryant. They can't give him more money, they have one of the best coaches in NBA history on the bench, he plays in a city were his team is the big draw, what more can they give this guy????

I know he wants Kevin Garnett or a compareable player, but that is easier said than done. Kobe would be better served focusing on being a better teammate and trying to make the guys around him better, not bashing his teammates and organization that stood by him through an high profile rape case.

In the NBA the great players make their teammates better or they are so damn good they get can the job done by themselves, Kobe has shown that he can do neither, so he's got some work to do.

[jditty47]

being a good teammate only goes so far. they still need a couple pieces that will cost some money. I understand his gripe. i dont like how hes done it but oh well. hes the best player in the nba by far, he deserves better than what he has...look at AI, i understood his gripe too cuz the 76ers were terrible and never retooled. lebron will never win it all if he doesnt get a better big man down low.

nowadays it takes a team with 2 stars to win it all with the talent around the league, especially the western conference, kobe is like near godlike but he cant D up an entire team.

[The PatternMaster]

being a good teammate only goes so far. they still need a couple pieces that will cost some money. I understand his gripe. i dont like how hes done it but oh well. hes the best player in the nba by far, he deserves better than what he has...look at AI, i understood his gripe too cuz the 76ers were terrible and never retooled. lebron will never win it all if he doesnt get a better big man down low.

nowadays it takes a team with 2 stars to win it all with the talent around the league, especially the western conference, kobe is like near godlike but he cant D up an entire team.

I disagree, the Spurs & Pistons are two examples of good/great teams winning it all. Yes, they have great players, but they also have great team chemistry.

AI and Kobe are two examples of extremely talented players who much like a stubborn kindergartener has yet to learn to play nice with others. AI had plenty of talent around him during his tenure in Philly it just that he would dominate the ball so much that the other star player would force their way out of town. Kobe had the most dominate player in the NBA on his team and they were winning titles easily, his ego got the best of him and now he wants out of Lala land. What's the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for...", well Kobe got it alright.

I agree that LeBron does need like 11 new players cause every one of his teammates failed him miserablely in the Finals, but they are a young team that could compete if they get a true point guard and get rid of Ilgakasuas(sp?). He's got to be the biggest stiff in the NBA.

[jditty47]

well lebron failed them in the finals too. he single handedly beat detroit in game 6. he coulda done it to the spurs atleast once but couldnt. lebron isnt on kobe or mjs level thats for sure...hes not even on wades if you ask me.

spurs and pistons have more than one great player. any my point about being a great teammate only goes so far as talent will take them. kobe has tried the great teamwork think with this laker squad, it just doesnt work. if kobe didnt know how to play nice he wouldnt have won titles. kobes a winner is all there is to it. he hates to lose. and thats what his gripe is. if hes spoiled, hes spoiled by winning and nothing more.