The Credits 7/24/09

Here are today's Lakers Links:

• Hardwood Paroxysm " Blog Archive " Dreaming Oddly Odom: Why Odom Returning To Miami Would Be Too Awesome
  Odom knows he wants to be in LA. He’s got business interests there. He’s known around town more than he’s known on the team. He’s a star. AND he gets to be a winner. It’s the perfect situation for him, and no matter how much he wants those extra years, he doesn’t want them enough to leave "The Good Life." So he’ll go back, and be the third to fourth best player on the team, because it’s what’s best for him, and you can’t blame a guy for that. and you can’t blame the Lakers for doing what every fan wants their team to do. Spending the money to bring back as many pivotal pieces of a championship team as possible. So while we wait the hours/days for the inevitable conclusion, let’s dream for a moment of what it would be mean for Odom to say "Screw it" and head back to Miami.
• Welcome Ron Artest and Welcome to Controversy " dEDGE
• Ron Artest's move to L.A. could be biggest change of NBA summer - Ian Thomsen - SI.com
  After all these years of finding himself in trouble and wondering why, Artest finally knows how much he doesn't know. Having learned the hard way that he needs guidance and firm borders, he pays for the professional advice he doesn't always like. He also has decided, at his own financial expense, that winning a championship is more important than bringing home the maximum paycheck.
• Josh Powell Podcast: A Road Less Traveled at Lakers.com BasketBlog
  Kobe Bryant knew he was going to star in the NBA from a young age, and fulfilled his destiny as a teenager after Jerry West and the Lakers traded for his rights. Pau Gasol grew up thinking he’d be a doctor, but quickly grew to be so good at basketball that he realized he could play for as long as he wanted. Lakers forward Josh Powell’s basketball story, however, was quite different. He grew up outside of Atlanta, Georgia, as more of a football and baseball player, with just a touch of the orange ball on the side. A linebacker by trade, standing about 6-2, Powell had no visions of professional basketball. As in, zero. Not even on the radar.
  You can listen to the interview by CLICKING HERE.
• Top Playoff Moments at Lakers.com BasketBlog
  Q: These are my top five moments of the Lakers 2009 postseason:
  5. Kobe’s 40-point outburst in Game 1 vs. Orlando
  4. Kobe’s dagger three-pointer in Game 3 vs. Denver
  3. D-Fish’s three-pointer in overtime of Game 4 vs. Orlando
  2. Ariza’s steal in Game 1 vs. Denver
  1. D-Fish’s three-pointer in Game 4 vs. Orlando to force overtime.
  
  What am I missing? - Chris, Hermosa Beach, CA
  
  Not a bad list, Chris. You’ve done your research. While it’s tough to argue with the selections, it’s also pretty easy to throw in five more moments, all of which you can re-live by going through our Lakers Gameday Archive.
  Here’s what we came up with to supplement the list:...
• Congresswoman Maxine Waters Honors Lakers at Lakers.com BasketBlog
  Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) reacted on Wednesday to passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of her resolution honoring the Lakers on their 15th NBA Title, H. Res. 566.
  (I'm all for the Lakers, but what a waste of our tax dollars!  Praise the Lakers all you want Congresswoman, but it doesn't need to be done on the House floor.)
• Adam Morrison Impresses in Las Vegas -- NBA FanHouse
  Adam Morrison of the Los Angeles Lakers is an outstanding shooter, but due to a knee injury and a stacked roster, he saw limited action after being acquired at the trade deadline. But during summer league in Las Vegas earlier this month, Morrison was balling, big time -- he averaged 20.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 32.8 minutes a game. We talked to him one-on-one about the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Shannon Brown and more.

• Kobe Bryant arrives in Hong Kong to wrap up tour of Asia - NBA - SI.com

• Phenomenal Swag: Jack Nicholson tank top - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
  Phenomenal Swag: Jack Nicholson tank top "I love LA"

More NBA related Links after the Jump.  Click on through...

• Nike says it will return confiscated LeBron dunk videos - NBA - SI.com
  CLEVELAND (AP) -- Nike says it is returning videotapes it confiscated of NBA star LeBron James getting dunked on at a recent basketball camp.
• How Much Did Web sites Pay for Video of LeBron Getting Dunked On? -- NBA FanHouse
  According to The Sporting Blog, TMZ paid $3000 for their clip, and ebaumnation.com paid $5000 for theirs. There were also offers from ESPN of $500, and Gawker Media (parent of Deadspin) was willing to go as high as $10,000. There's an additional piece at TSB discussing what all of this "checkbook journalism" means, but I think in the end, it's really just using your advertising dollars to pay an independent source. With ebaumnation.com garnering over two million page views themselves for the video -- not to mention the many more their watermarked clip received from being uploaded to YouTube or various other websites -- one could easily argue that the five grand they paid for it was ultimately money well-spent.
• SLAM ONLINE | " Lessons from the LeBron Dunk Footage
  Though it ultimately (and predictably) disappointed, the confiscated footage which surfaced yesterday taught us a few things…

• In book, LeBron James admits using marijuana in high school - ESPN
  LeBron James struggled with sudden fame after appearing on Sports Illustrated's cover as a 17-year-old and admits he smoked marijuana during his junior year in high school.
  
  (Big whoop.  Who hasn't?  Once in his junior year?  Yeah right.  No real news, but it is LeBron, so it it has to be linked.)

• Let the Great Stephon Marbury Webcam Marathon Experiment Begin! - Chris Littmann - The Baseline - Sporting News
  In case you aren't following Stephon Marbury on Twitter, here's the story. A few days ago he was doing a UStream webcam chat with folks and some of his answers were absolutely hilarious -- Ball Don't Lie saved some of the best highlights -- and today he is delivering on a promise of a marathon 24-hour UStream cam show.

• Knicks, Lee's Agendas Not Matching Up - The Baseline - The Baseline - Sporting News
  Power forward David Lee attended the USA Basketball senior national team training camp Thursday but did not participate because he is not under contract. A restricted free agent, he is seeking a contract worth roughly $10 million a season, but Knicks president Donnie Walsh is protecting the team’s 2010 salary cap space and offering a bit less.

• Knicks, Robinson Still Working on a Deal - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
• Ricky Rubio Likely to Leave DKV Joventut -- NBA FanHouse

• Shooting is Rose's Therapy During Offseason - Sean Deveney - The Baseline - Sporting News
  Rose has been putting in on his jump shot, one of the weak spots of his game. He’s not going to be dialing up 3-pointers, but he is trying to become consistent with his 15-18-foot jumpers, which will make him much more effective in the pick-and-roll game. “That’s the thing,” Rose said. “I think defenses tend to sag off of me because they don’t think I can make that shot. I have to make them come up on me or make them pay if they leave me open. I don’t think I was consistent enough with that. I have to be able to put more pressure on the defense.” Rose said he’s been working out in Los Angeles and Chicago, hoisting 700-800 shots daily.
  
  (He's going to be deadly with a consistent jumper.  Absolutely deadly.)

• Pacers, Jamaal Tinsley Finally Part Ways -- NBA FanHouse
  It's been 16 months since Jamaal Tinsley last took the court for the Indiana Pacers, but it wasn't until Wednesday that the two sides finally agreed to sever ties, coming to terms on a buyout that will make him an unrestricted free agent once he officially clears waivers later this week.
• Source: Portland Trail Blazers offer PG Andre Miller 3-year, $21 million contract - ESPN
  The Portland Trail Blazers have offered point guard Andre Miller a three-year contract after failing in their efforts to acquire New York Knicks restricted free agent David Lee, sources close to the process said Friday. Miller's contract would be worth $21 million, with $14 million guaranteed and $7 million included as a third-year team option, a source said.
• Paul Flannery | How Marquis Daniels Fits the Celtics Puzzle
  It was a few minutes after Rasheed Wallace’s introductory press conference and Paul Pierce was talking about the need to cut down on his minutes. It was no secret during the playoffs that Pierce was operating at something less than 100 percent. Enter Marquis Daniels...
  (Hat tip to CelticsBlog.  I think this was a great pick up for the C's.  Anytime you can take away from Tony Allen is a major plus.  As a Lakers fan, I love Tony Allen.)
• Mark Cuban, Don Nelson Battle in Court - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
• Amid Basketball Boom in China, Hard Times for Its Pro League - NYTimes.com
  With 1.3 billion potential fans, China is increasingly seen as a financial promised land for N.B.A. stars through endorsement deals, and the league itself has established a robust organization here valued at $2 billion. But China’s own professional league, the Chinese Basketball Association, has hardly enjoyed a smooth ascendance alongside this country’s basketball boom.
• Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee or New York or neither? - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
• The Painted Area: USA Basketball: Musings on 2010-12
  Here are some of our thoughts as a new USA Basketball quadrennium commences.

Feel free to post a link in the comments section, or you can email me:  wondahbap@aol.com