I saw the attempt by another poster to predict the Lakers stats for the upcoming season. Some of his assumptions looked like they were a bit unrealistic so here is my attempt.

The method I used was to look at each players per minute stats for the last 3 years.  I then made selections for the upcoming season's per minute stats.  I then made a selection for the number of games a player would play next season and how many minutes they would play.  I then multiplied the per minutes stats by number of minutes they will play to get the per game stats.  Here are the results:

I've been wanting to do this for a while now, and really haven't been inspired to create a FanPost, until I found a picture that I recently posted in the credits. See it here: The Credits: "Anchorman". I'll save that picture for another time as I'm sure it would create some lude funny comments that need to be kept tucked away until this contest has gotten off on the right foot, lol.

Similar to how the rough cuts have taken over the start of this long offseason (even though i haven't seen one in a while........... who's turn is it anyways..........) I'd like to start a weekly ritual. With all the humor and inside jokes that fly around this blog, I think we could come up with some pretty hilarious comments in a create-a-caption contest. I'm going to try to post a picture every Tuesday for us to experiment on. I'll try to keep them Laker or NBA related, but sometimes I may not be able to resist. Create as many captions as you want, just make 'em funny. The comment that receives the most rec's will win. In the next weeks post, I'll tell you who the winners are (the top 3-5 answers) and attach the new create-a-caption picture. I'll also keep a running tab of who has the most wins. At the end of the season, the winner will be declared and crowned Create-A-Caption Contest Champion 2011 (CCCC 2011 or 4C '11). You will win bragging rights for the year and possibly and year supply of cookies (did someone say CUHKIES!!!!!!!!) 
 
and maybe Dex will even throw in his secret combination to his cat pic vault (which I heard is guarded by a cat who he equipped with some high-tech weaponry..........)

 


Continue for the actual Create-A-Caption Contest picture. Remember to have fun. The best remedy for anything in life is laughter.

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HEAT WILL MAKE THE FINALS

ONLY IF THE CELTICS LET THEM.

The formation of the Miami Heat’s three-headed monster already has basketball fans anticipating their NBA Finals match-up against the Los Angeles Lakers next summer.

It would certainly make for an enticing match-up as only the thought of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, two of the league’s most exciting players, challenging the legacy of Kobe Bryant is already enough for a mouth-watering Finals showdown.

It’s safe to say that the Heat, in all likelihood, will be a dominant ball club for years to come. The initial concern about possible chemistry problems between Wade and James is nothing to worry about, as they are simply too good to not find a way to co-exist. They will run the show down in South Beach, and do it extremely well.

Even with two of the NBA’s best players, however, this dominance will only occur in the regular season. It won’t go further into May, let alone June because of one team that will stand in the Heat’s way — the Boston Celtics. In other words, it’s not likely that the so called “Super Team” will even have a chance at preventing Bryant from getting his sixth ring, and the Lakers from winning three straight titles.

What raises skepticism in Miami’s quest for a title in the upcoming season is the team’s lack of depth in the low post. While the game out in the perimeter can still be dominated by individuals, the current scarcity of dominant big men in the NBA has forced a paradigm shift, and the battle in the paint is now won with depth.

Since the conclusion of the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs dynasty in 2007, the teams that have lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the last three seasons had a solid three- or four-man rotation at the power forward and center positions. The Celtics’ rotation in 2008 consisted of Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, and PJ Brown. The Los Angeles Lakers won the next two championships with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom patrolling the painted area.

If Dwight Howard, the game’s most dominant big man, succumbed to the pressure of taking on the Celtics’ deep frontcourt, how will Chris Bosh, who is evidently softer and less defensively intimidating, survive a seven-game series against the same frontcourt that got even better and deeper over the summer? The Celtics more than compensated themselves for Rasheed Wallace’s retirement with free-agent signings of Jermaine and Shaquille O’Neal, both of whom have more left in the tank than Wallace did at the dawn of last season.

The Celtics against Bosh will only have to do what they did to Howard and the Orlando Magic last season in the Eastern Conference Finals. Howard, with no support, was helplessly forced to crumble against the depth of his opponents. Amazingly, the Celtics were able to contain Howard and win the series rather comfortably without any of their big guys putting up great numbers individually.

Even Bosh, the best post presence on this team, has conspicuous flaws to his game and needs role players who specialize in traditional post defense. While the natural talent and skills are evident, the former Toronto Raptor is sub-par defensively and relies excessively on playing away from the rim offensively. Had the Heat acquired a top notch defensive big man in the mold of Marcus Camby or Brandon Haywood, the prospect of making the Finals would’ve been far better, but general manager Pat Riley had to settle for free-agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas and re-signing Udonis Haslem.

Granted, Haslem’s toughness and Ilgauskas’ skills are resourceful attributes respectively. Neither of them, however, are proven commodities in a playoff match-up situation against the league’s cream of the crop. Haslem, with his championship experience from 2006, might be the closest thing to what this team needs, but playing alongside an unorthodox big man in Bosh against a rugged Celtics’ frontline is a different ball game compared to having (Shaquille) O’Neal who’s a prototypical center while playing against Dirk Nowitzky and the Dallas Mavericks, a team that was famously nicknamed a “soft cake” by Charles Barkley.

Now add to that every championship contending team this season each having at least one All-Star caliber player who can neutralize Bosh and cancel him out of the equation. Not to mention the Celtics, in particular, have two legitimate players on the wing in Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to match up against Wade and LeBron. For the Celtics, making up for the departure of Tony Allen who has been a pesky defender against the league’s top perimeter players will be no small feat, but keep in mind that the “Super Team,” in return, has absolutely no answer for Rajon Rondo.

All this brings to a conclusion that the Heat will not make the Finals, unless the Celtics let them. Joel Anthony is not talented enough to be a solid role player on a championship caliber team despite having the defensive trait which his team desperately needs. Dexter Pittman has built his reputation of being a solidified defensive big man during his years in college, but will need a few years until he realizes his promise.

The Heat will have to sign or trade for a first class defensive center at some point to be the clear-cut favorites in the Eastern Conference. This, of course, is assuming that Riley isn’t patient enough to wait a couple of years until the Celtics’ veteran roster is completely washed out.

So most of you have probably seen this, but for boredom's sake I'll post it anyway.

It's a viral video about some guy tripping on drugs (insists he wasn't, but judge for yourself), sees a double rainbow, and doesn't know how to act. 

Strangely my reaction to the Lakers back to back championship wasn't much different.

Check it!!

Whoa, That's a full championship all the whey. Double championship, omg! It's a double championship all the whey.

Whoa, it's so intense. Whoooa man. Ah, whah, whoa, WHOAA HO HO  OH MY GOD! Oh my gohahahad, ho ho my

god! Woooo, aho ho wow! wooo yea! Omg, look at that, it's starting to look like a triple championship, omg it's full on

double championship all the whey across the skyy, omg, omg, ah god... what does this mean? Ahhhh, omg. Ahhhh, oh god,

 it's soo bright, omg, it's soo bright and vivid. Ahh, ahh, ahh haha it's soo beautiful. ::starts sobbing::

Let's do it again next year baby!        

:{D (Yes that's a mustache. Noo, I don't really have one. Yes, it's a bit manly... Ok I'll have him shave before I post another smiley face) 

via i2.cdn.turner.com

(special thanks to bluexfalcon for the picture)

While doing research on my previous FanPost, The Greatest Transactions In Laker History, I came across an article written back in 2001 by Sports Illustrated. It discussed the worst trades made by the Lakers front office, based on the view of the fans. The trade may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise, but most of these trades were very unpopular among the Lakers' fan base. Some that were included on the list were the Lakers trading Adrian Dantley, Eddie Jones, Norm Nixon & Vlade Divac (That last one turned out pretty well for us, wouldn't you say). Check out the original article here: Say It Aint So: Transactions That Broke Our Heart.

One trade in particular caught my interest as it went into detail about how it could have prevented the Boston Celtics from acquiring Larry Bird. That's right, the Lakers could have prevented Larry Bird from joining Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to become the arch-nemesis of the Lakers.

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This is the all inclusive thread about the Sparks and the Storm going at it for a chance at the trophy. The Storm and the Sparks are playoff rivals on the scale of the Lakers Nuggets,a team that has the talent to push but never seems to beat us. This is the year the Storm hope to forget their past losses and beat the Sparks.But the Sparks wont give up without a fight they are a gritty team that survived the loss of Superstar do it all C-F Candace Parker. Even tho the records is not pretty it is enough for the Sparks to make the playoffs and with Tomson playing some her best ball ever in her career they hope to topple the number 1 seed in the west.

The reason the Los Angeles Lakers are the most successful franchise in sports history is because of several remarkable transactions that they have made throughout their rich history. Many believe that the Pau Gasol trade during the 2008 season was the greatest trade in Laker history because of what we gave up in the deal. I'm here to argue that it's not. At this time in Laker history, it barely cracks the top 5. Don't believe me, keep reading and maybe I can convince you otherwise.

The Lakers have made several transactions that wont even make the list that have helped them win championships throughout the years. Even small trades involving roll players that seem unimportant at the moment can turn into very smart transactions that make our front office look like Miss Cleo {in my best Jamaican accent} "Call me now for your free reading"...........
 

Obtaining Trevor Ariza for Maurice Evans and Brian Cook in 2007 helped the Lakers win their title in 2009. Ariza became a very important starter for the Lakers and if not for an injury in 2008, the Lakers may be in the middle of a 3-peat. Trading for Sedale Threatt in the summer of 1991 for 3 future second-round picks seemed illogical at the time, but after "Magic" Johnson announced his retirement a month later, Threatt became the starter and lead the Lakers to the postseason during his two seasons with the Lakers while averaging 15 points and 7 assists.

Want more? Stay tuned after the jump for my complete list.

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Starting Line Up

1) Derek Fisher 25 MPG 7.5 PPG 2 RPG 2.5 APG 0.5 SPG 42% FG

2) Kobe Bryant 32 MPG 28 PPG 4 RPG 6 APG 1.8 SPG 0.4 BPG 48% FG

3) Ron Artest 30 MPG 14 PPG 6 RPG 2 APG 2.0 SPG 1 BPG 45% FG

4) Pau Gasol 32 MPG 18 PPG 9 RPG 3 APG 0.5 SPG 1.5 BPG 60% FP

5) Andrew Bynum 30 MPG 17 PPG 10 RPG 0.5 APG 0.5 SPG 2 BPG 58% FG

Bench

1) Steve Blake 20 MPG 8 PPG 2 RPG 3 APG 0.8 SPG 0.2 BPG 47% FG

2) Shannon Brown 16 MPG 8 PPG 3 RPG 1 APG 0.8 SPG 0.2 BPG 44% FG

3) Matt Barnes 18 MPG 9.5 PPG 3.5 RPG 0.8 APG 0.6 SPG 0.8 BPG 46% FG

4) Lamar Odom 16 MPG 9.8 PPG 4 RPG 2 APG 0.4 SPG 0.6 BPG 48% FG

5) Theo Ratliff * 10 MPG 2.5 PPG 4 RPG 0.2 APG 0.2 SPG 0.9 BPG 48% FG

Garbage Time

1) Sasha Vujacic* Left Over Minutes

2) Shannon Brown

3) Devin Ebanks* Left Over Minutes

4) Derrick Caracter* Left Over Minutes

5) Theo Ratliff

Crunch Time Line Up

1) Derek Fisher

2) Kobe Bryant

3) Ron Artest

4) Lamar Odom

5) Pau Gasol

Rebounding Line Up/ Killer Line Up

1) Kobe Bryant

2) Matt Barnes

3) Ron Artest

4) Pau Gasol

5) Andrew Bynum

Small Ball Line Up

1) Steve Blake

2) Shannon Brown

3) Kobe Bryant

4) Lamar Odom

5) Andrew Bynum

I’ve been waiting for the Doc to slip up. Beneath the formalities and smiles, there lay the brooding vengeance of the Irish.

"They still have not beaten our starting five. Our starting five against the Lakers starting five has a ring. Tell him don’t forget that. We will be back strong and Perk will be there next year if there’s a game seven."

- Doc Rivers on ESPN 980

I knew you had it in you, Doc. The bitter rivalry never truly ends with a firm handshake and a congratulatory gesture of respect.

Game 7 was a close one. Never have I stood frozen in one place for two straight quarters as my co-workers stared at me like a Edvard Munch’s Scream reprint. Too close. What a fine line that win was. It was only a four-point victory, but those four points determined fate like Judgment Day.

I re-watched the game a month later, never failing to utter my usual string of profanity in spite of my foreknowledge of the outcome. No matter how I look at it, it was a ghastly performance. Have you forgotten? Pau was 6-16 and made 7-13 free throws. Young Bynum with his overaged knees made one basket in 19 minutes. Odom went 0-3 from the arc, with 7 points in all 38 minutes. Even Kobe was well below his average with 25% shooting.

How did we win? Nothing makes sense on paper. Celtics were 40.8% from the field to Lakers’ 32.5% and 37.5% from the threes to a measly 20% for the Lakers. Even on free throws, we trailed by 20.6% to the Celtics’ outstanding 88.2% team shooting. So how do you explain a four point loss after what appeared to be a terrific display of team basketball?

I really can’t say. Steve, my journalist friend, always tells me that Lakers are all about grinding it out. Maybe that’s what happened. Despite the Lakers’ top 3 players producing below 40%, and Kobe’s off-night in the most critical game of the year… Lakers "grinded it out." Can you still credit the loss to the absence of Kendrick Perkins? Hardly. Wallace was impeccable as a replacement, especially with that clutch three in the fourth quarter.

And if you do press on with that argument, then what would have happened if Kobe was not playing on a myriad of injuries? What if Bynum had been healthy, and scored more than two points? What if Pau had made his free throws, like he usually does? Does Professor Farnsworth really need to run this by the What If machine (for all you Futurama fans)?

Celtics brought their A game (with the exception of Allen) and it wasn’t enough. Simple as that. Perkins had never scored beyond single digits in the series, except in game 2. Even then, Bynum managed to pound 21 points in the paint with Perkins guarding him. And in light of Doc’s starting five comment, don’t forget that in 2008, Bynum and Ariza were both injured throughout the series, so technically the Celtics starting five never beat the Lakers starting five either. I’m sorry, Doc, but your arguments are invalid here. Let’s not bother the professor.

Now, 2011 is a different story. I think it best to remain humble, but let’s break it down for a second. Shaq is one away from 40 this year, and the other O’neal is injury-prone. Add another year to KG, Pierce, and Allen, and you can almost start a 35 and over club. In a time when they should be considering bench roles, the big three will be starting another season of 82 games, logging a heavy 30-minutes per game. I suppose Doc forgot to mention that we’re not playing baseball here. You can’t play in tip-top shape till you’re 40.

So here’s a rebuttal for you, Doc. Celtics lost the one chance to beat the Lakers while Bynum hobbled on one knee, Kobe was shooting with four fingers, and Pau was choking on free throws like bad broccoli. Need I mention that the Celtics are older than last year? There won’t be a game 7 next year. There won’t even be a match up. Come June, we’re either going to have a rematch with Magic or finally let Nike go through with their cutesy Kobe and Lebron muppet show in the finals.

But we welcome your challenge. It’s another reason to eagerly wait for the season to start. No need to cry, Doc. It’s water under the bridge.

- http://idrinkhaterade.wordpress.com

Just as the Boston Celtics singing of Shaq and J. O'neal proved, you can never have too much size.  Although the Ratliff signing was a great pick up and he will play better than Mbenga did, it would still be great to pick up another big.  As good as Ratliff is as a back up that is all he can serve as and nothing more.  He is too old to be considered the type of player who can handle a lot of minutes in case Bynum gets injured (knock on wood). 

I am in no way an expert on the specifics of contracts so I am not sure how it would work if the Bobcats were to infact waive Dampier.  But it wouldn't hurt to at least take a look at him.  Although Dampier being waived still remains to be seen, the signing of Kwame Brown by the Bobcats sure is a good indication of their intentions. 

Also, I know that the Lakers have made great additions this off season but one more wouldn't hurt.  Especially if it means addidng more size. 

I'm using some vacation time to tend to two elderly parents (thanks, Ron Green Jr., for filling in), but when I heard about the Bobcats signing Kwame Brown, I figured I'd blog in:

Some thoughts:

-- Again this is one more indication the Bobcats will eventually waive Erick Dampier's contract to off-load about $13 million in salary responsibility. Sorry if that ticks some of you off (I know you want Dampier to be a trade chip), and they certainly gave up an asset in Tyson Chandler.

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/08/dont-confuse-this-signing-with-a-doover.html