Here are today's Links:
-
Forum Blue And Gold " Can’t Lose Situation - Part II
We’ve talked finances. We’ve talked Lamar Odom. And despite these being very specific topics, Trevor Ariza is the guy whose name has come up in both of these conversations. This is a testament to his incredible importance to our team’s success and his tremendous contributions to our championship season. Yes, we are Kobe’s team. Yes, Pau Gasol has proven himself as an all world player. And yes, Odom has the versatility and Bynum is the future. But, no player has grown on us quite like Ariza. -
Phenomenal Swag: Kobe vs. LeBron t-shirt - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
I keep my ear to the streets, people. I listen to rumors and tips. I pay several people a significant wage to keep me in the know. So it is without reservation that I can predict that this LeBron James(notes) vs. Kobe Bryant(notes) thing isn't going away. The latest little nugget of information I've received? This t-shirt from 80's Purple. -
LAKERS: Lakers 2009 Championship Parade Photo Gallery
Check out pictures from the Lakers 2009 Championship Celebration Parade. - 2009 Lakers Summer League Schedule at Lakers.com BasketBlog
-
Kobe's big week - OCRegister.com
To the victor go the spoils – and the great seats. Lakers' star and NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant enjoyed a whirlwind week since the Lakers won their 15th championship. -
Kobe takes in Freeway Series finale | MLB.com: News
Basking in the sunshine -- and the afterglow of his fourth NBA championship -- on Sunday was Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who took in the Freeway Series finale in a front row behind the visitors' dugout at Angel Stadium. -
20 Second Timeout: Deconstructing Bad Writing: Krolik's Slam Job on Kobe Bryant, Part I
A while ago I indicated in passing that someone had thrown together a hideous article for SlamOnline in which he declared that the upcoming Lakers-Rockets game seven would be the defining moment of Kobe Bryant's career. I did not initially say who wrote this nonsense, because it is more important to correct faulty reasoning/poor writing than to just bash a particular writer. I also did not want to give the article more attention that it deserved; admittedly, this is a difficult, fine line to walk: how does one correct falsehood without at the same time publicizing it? Eventually, one of my regular readers wrote a comment asking me who wrote the offending article and I told him that it was John Krolik. I was not trying to make a big deal about "who," because to me it is more important to focus on "what," namely the poor reasoning involved in even thinking up such a piece in the first place. However, Krolik decided to attempt to refute in detail my take on his piece, which is funny on three levels:
(David Friedman takes on John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog and Slam)
Click on through for more links after the Jump...
-
20 Second Timeout: Deconstructing Bad Writing: Krolik's Slam Job on Kobe Bryant, Part II
(Again.) - Cavs: The Blog " Blog Archive " Unpleasant business to begin an unpleasant off-season
- So I’m definitely not happy about the fact that I got home for the summer today and was greeted by an email from a friend of mine alerting me to an article that had mentioned me quite unfavorably at David Friedman’s blog, 20 second timeout.
(Krolik's rebuttal.) -
This Draft Will Not be Kind to Some GMs -- NBA FanHouse
Two weeks ago, Orlando assistant general manager Dave Twardzik was talking about the NBA Draft when he shook his head a little and said: "It's a tough one." When a questioner wanted to know whether that meant Twardzik thought there would be hits and misses all over the place in the first round, he responded: "Yes."
(This is such a weak draft. No wonder.) -
Ball Don't Lie
(Check out their Mock Draft going on.) -
Rubio for real? Depends on who you ask - FOX Sports on MSN
Unless you're a dedicated follower of YouTube or prefer eating breakfast in the dark, you probably have no idea how swell this Ricky Rubio kid may be. But many of us who rose early enough last August to check out the competitive, slick-passing point guard directing Spain's Olympic team in a compelling skirmish with Team USA remain a bit flummoxed, too. We shouldn't feel bad; although misinformation campaigns should be factored in, many NBA personnel sharpies claim befuddlement when assessing what to expect when Rubio finally suits up in David Stern's league. - Brandon Jennings' Roma Teammate on Jennings vs. Rubio - TrueHoop By Henry Abbott - ESPN
-
The Case Against Ricky Rubio, Brought to You by ... ? - Sactown Royalty
Who is trashing Ricky Rubio? -
Experts Compile Mock N.B.A. Drafts Because They Have To - NYTimes.com
Predicting the players to be selected by N.B.A. teams entails exhaustive work while agents and team executives routinely lie and manipulate. -
What We Think We Know About Earl Clark - TrueHoop By Henry Abbott - ESPN
Watch Earl Clark play basketball, and it's clear he could have the most potential of any player in the 2009 draft. He's 6-10, can do just about everything, and starred on the best team in one of the toughest conferences in NCAA history. So why is he projected to go in the middle of the first round? Kevin Arnovitz investigates. -
Heat make offers to restricted free agents - FOX Sports on MSN
The Miami Heat have made qualifying offers to forward Jamario Moon and center Joel Anthony. -
Poll of the Week -- Which All-Star should the Cavaliers go after - Fear The Sword
There are rumors swirling all around the Cavs. Who do you want to see next to LeBron next season?
(I'd love Shaq to go to Cleveland.)
Audio/Video: