So if you’re not lucky enough to draft one of these players and are in need of a point guard who can play at an elite level, most teams will look to move up to acquire one of these players. Instead, I recommend drafting a player named Lester Hudson out of UT-Martin, who could be better then all of the aforementioned points, with the exception of Derrick Rose.

Lester Hudson grew up in Memphis, where Rose would make his name legend, by taking the Memphis Tigers to the championship game they should have won. Lester also had a chance to go up against the athletic Tigers in the first game of the season and did not back down, nor was he intimidated with the explosive athleticism that they have. As the Memphis Tigers demolished UT-Martin 102-71, Lester Hudson went for 35 points on 12-25 shooting, and 10 rebounds in a scintillating performance.

If you can put up 35 against the most athletic team in the country in your first college game; that tells me something, because he also was guarding Rose and held him to 17. He would go on to be the fourth leading scorer in the country at 25.7 points a game and even had a quadruple double amongst his many accomplishments. By the way, he’s the only player in the history of D1 hoops to do that, and he did it in his third collegiate game.

Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings had a first hand view of the havoc Hudson can create both offensively and defensively, as he had 34 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block in a 92-85 loss to Vandy, “He’s really good; good offensively and he’s good in every way,” Stallings said. “He can pass. He can handle the ball. He can make tough shots. He can get into the lane and get to the basket, and he’s got deep range.”

UT-Martin Coach Brett Campbell is trying to get the NBA to invite Lester to the NBA pre-draft camp and should hear back today. If invited, this is a guy that could shoot up the boards and potentially be a late lottery pick, he’s that good. Here’s Brett Campbell’s impression, “He’s the heart and soul of this basketball team, even if he doesn’t score, and that doesn’t happen very often, he just makes everybody around him better. He’s got a great feel for the game. He’s one of those guys who has a high basketball IQ and understands it. He also has a great love for the game. There are a lot of guys who play basketball. Lester lives it.”

Lester was asked by rivals.com that if he was invited, what would NBA teams be looking for from him and what did he feel he needed to prove? Lester responded with, “It’s a good opportunity for me to prove I can play point guard. I also can show all the general managers that I can play with lots of talent because there will be a lot of good players there. I need to play my game, which is getting teammates open and scoring. I think it will be good for me.”

What is truly lost in all this offensive talk is the fact that Lester is an excellent defender. Although listed at 6’3, Lester will probably measure no taller then 6’1, but with his wingspan and tenacity, he is a stopper defensively, and someone that attacks the glass for rebounds like few point guards before him.

The only negatives against Lester are that he’s a little older then most college players, he’s 23, and that he never really played in high school or at a major division one program. The main reason was he was always playing basketball. He’s developed most or all of his skills by himself, all by trial and error. Being that Lester is extremely coachable, look for his game to blossom in the NBA as good coaching can eliminate little nuances that are hard to notice on your own.
When asked about his high school difficulties Hudson had this to say, “To be honest, I really didn’t know how to study. I’d never had to, never really had anybody pushing me to. All I wanted to do was play basketball.”

Many times our attitudes and opinions are influenced by the environment we are brought up in. It seems to me that Lester Hudson grew up on the basketball court and he simply loves the game. I don’t know what you look for in a draft pick, but if you can score, pass, rebound and defend and love the game; that’s a pretty good start. It’s not where you start in life; it’s where you finish. Look for this kid to finish on top.

As most people know, I have recommended on a few occasions that the Lakers overplay the Spurs stars Ginobli and Parker to their strong hands and force them to go the other way. The Lakers did exactly that, although they did also double team, which I mentioned I was against, the plan worked a few times and other times it didn’t.

As a basketball fan, what surprised me the most was how the Spurs stars were able to beat this defense, which many people said they would? When forced left, Tony Parker would take it left, and then execute an Earl Monroe spin back to his right hand and finish, absolutely brilliant and very hard to stop, as you can’t take everything away from a player like Parker.

Ginobli was even better, when trapped and forced to his right, he bounced the ball through Pau Gasols legs, snagged it with his left hand and dribbled it to the hole; another very smart devastating move for Manu. The other star, Tim Duncan, all he did was finish with 30 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks.

The Spurs took an 11 point lead into half-time and came out in the second half, as hot as a Jessica Alba pin-up. The Lakers were simply being overwhelmed by the defending champs and after Tim Duncan scored a hook shot in the lane, the Lakers were down a pathetic 20 points (65-45), with about 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

TIMEOUT

At this point the Lakers were very frustrated, and rightfully so. This was clearly not part of the plan and losing game one at home, is a dagger, when you’re playing the San Antonio Spurs. Problem was, there was no one to blame. It wasn’t the officiating, it wasn’t the defense and it wasn’t the preparation or too much rest. The problem was that the Lakers weren’t scoring enough points. This is the highest scoring team left in the play-offs, coming in averaging 112 points a contest. To score 45 points in 30 minutes of basketball is a high school offense. At half-time, the league MVP Kobe Bryant had 2 points and took a total of 3 shots. Kobe by himself could put up 60 points in 30 minutes of action by himself, so this was something that had to be fixed and fixed quickly.

From that point on the Lakers would outscore the Spurs 44-20 the rest of the way, to snatch game one and take the heart out of the champion. Not only did they take their heart out, they hurled it on the ground and did the Salsa on it. The Spurs had their chances, but the same shots that were hitting in the first half were falling short and wide in the second.

After a very slow start, Kobe Bryant finished with 27 points, 9 assists and the game winning jumper. Kobe solidified his role, as the games best closer by hitting his biggest shot of the year with 23 seconds left. Kobe also knew he had to pick up the pace offensively and that the Lakers were looking at him to lead them, “I know I can make that push and I knew once I did, I could get the game back under control, get it under 10 where we knew we could be in striking distance,” Bryant said. “In the first half, we were a little rusty, a little sluggish and a little tentative. Second half, it wasn’t there. It is big for a young team to come back from 20 against the defending champs.”

Vladimir Radmanovic also deserves a game ball for his play in the first quarter. He shot 5-5 and had 10 points early in the game when the Lakers were desperate for points. In the end the Lakers were fortunate to pull out a victory after such a sluggish start and the Spurs were left contemplating what might have been. Champions rarely give away games like this, but the Lakers gladly accepted the early Christmas present.

Phil Jackson had this to say about the Lakers effort in overcoming the adversity that is the San Antonio Spurs, “We almost gave up home-court advantage to a great effort by the Spurs,” Phil Jackson said. “That was a big comeback. We were deep in the hole; there was no doubt about it. Twenty down and half the quarter gone in the third period. It was a struggle to fight back into the ballgame by the end of the third quarter.”

The Spurs were gracious and classy in defeat and will come back with a vengeance on Friday. Tony Parker didn’t give the Lakers any bulletin board material after the game, “No one gives any excuse,” Parker said. “We were in pretty good shape, had a great lead. We had a great chance to win the game and we just didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter.”

Spurs coach Greg Popovich was equally diplomatic, “They probably wore us down to some degree, I’m sure,” he said. “And then, with that, we made very poor decisions. The ball stopped moving. Shots at the end of the clock, no penetration to the rim, all jump shots and they deserve credit for that and they came back and had a hell of a win.”

Game two is Friday

The two best players available are Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, and after that it gets a little dicey as there are many different opinions on who gets drafted next. Here’s a quick snap-shot as to how things might go on draft day.

1. Chicago Bulls Michael Beasley PF 6′10 240 Kansas State

The Bulls are in need of a heart transplant after falling from grace last year. Although many, including myself, feel that Derrick Rose is the best player in the draft, and from Chicago, I expect the Bulls to take Michael Beasley for a number of reasons.

Numero uno is that the Bulls have had a very difficult time putting points on the board, especially from down low. Michael Beasley is a phenomenal scorer who can even step out and hit the three. This draft eerily reminds me of the 1994 draft when the choice was Glenn Robinson or Jason Kidd.

2. Miami Heat Derrick Rose PG 6′3 200 Memphis

I laughed when Pat Riley suggested that he might trade the pick. Overall, with Miami having the worst record in the league, I would have been terminal if Pat Riley didn’t secure one of the first two. If there’s one person Stern doesn’t like to go up against its Pat Riley.

Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade will form an extremely tough back-court. The moment he’s drafted he will be in Dwyane’s and your Fave 5, sorry Chuck.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves OJ Mayo SG 6′4 210 USC

The Wolves cannot afford to make a mistake in this draft, so they need to take the guy least likely to flop. OJ Mayo has been ready for the NBA since he was 16, and can step in and contribute. I see OJ as a better shooter in the NBA then a dunker. Overall, he has a skill set that should transfer nicely. He won’t be the mega-star that was predicted for him coming out of high school, but could be a Michael Redd type.

4. Seattle Supersonics Brook Lopez C 7′0 260 Stanford

The Seattle Supersonics need a presence down low and although they have selected centers in three out of the last four drafts (Saer Sene 2006, Johan Petro 2005, and Robert Swift 2004), I see them continuing that trend. Some have suggested they draft a point guard, but I like the play of Earl Watson starting with Luke Ridnour coming off the bench. With 7 footer Brook Lopez on the board that should be their choice.

5. Memphis Grizzlies Deandre Jordan C 7′0 250 Texas A&M

After trading Pau Gasol the Grizzlies find themselves in need of a young center that can develop with the young nucleus they have. Deandre Jordan of Texas A&M has all of the tools of an NBA center, but is probably a couple of years away from contributing. They have the luxury of sitting him behind Darko while he develops and see if Darko was worth the free agent investment. A team like Memphis will never be able to land a franchise center through free agency or trade, so this is a risk, but one with a strong reward if Jordan pans out.

6. New York Knicks Russell Westbrook PG 6′3 190 UCLA

The New York papers are saying that Danilo Gallinari from Italy is the pick, but I’m going to pass on him because I have never seen him play. The pick for the Knicks is a sleeper, Russell Westbrook from UCLA. Westbrook is flat out a sensational basketball player. He wasn’t highly recruited, so many will doubt this pick, but having watched him play about 30 times in the last two years, I can honestly say. He was the best player on UCLA’s team the last two years.

He is also tailor made for Mike D’Antoni’s offense and played the point for UCLA when Darren Collison was hurt, and ran the team smoothly. He is a very good defender and a gazelle in the open court.

7. Los Angeles Clippers Jerryd Bayless PG 6′3 185 Arizona

Due to emergence of Chris Paul and Deron Williams, the point guard position is clearly en vogue in the NBA, with Shaun Livingston still recuperating from knee surgery look for the Clipper to add lightning quick point Jerryd Bayless from Arizona. Bayless is a shoot first point guard that can get by most players with two or three dribbles. Although he needs to improve his ability to run a team, he should provide an up-tempo approach on the offensive side of the ball for the Clips.

8. Milwaukee Bucks Eric Gordon SG 6′4 220 Indiana

The Bucks will probably go with the best player available at this point, and Eric Gordon should fill in nicely. He’s a great shooter and has an NBA body, but much like OJ Mayo, he’s an inch or two shy of what most NBA GM’s want from their shooting guard height wise. Both Mayo and Gordon are excellent shooters, and should be able nullify the height issue.

9. Charlotte Bobcats Javale McGee C 7′0 250 Nevada

I think Michael Jordan understands pedigree and that’s what you get by drafting this young man. Both his parents were professional basketball players. You may not know his dad, George Montgomery, but he was a second round pick of Portland after starring at the University of Illinois. His mom Pamela McGee was an All America at USC, and along with her twin sister Paula, dominated women’s basketball during their time.

McGee didn’t play a lot in his freshmen year as he played behind Nick Fazekas, but he is 7 feet and 240 pounds and loaded with potential. With Emeka Okafor turning down the Hornets extension offer last summer, this provides some insurance as well.

10. New Jersey Nets Anthony Randolph SF 6′10 210 LSU

The Nets are looking for athleticism, and LSU forward Anthony Randolph has been moving up the boards quickly. Randolph is a very skilled player, but it’s unsure where he will play in the pros. He has the height of a four (6’10), but at 210 pounds is too light to pound down low. His ability to handle the ball is extraordinary for a player his age and size, so his upside makes him a good pick here.

11. Indiana Pacers Kevin Love PF 6′9 260 UCLA

The Pacers are looking to play an up-tempo game and would clearly benefit from having the rebounding and outlet passes that Kevin Love brings to the table. I’m sure that Larry Bird could work with Kevin on some of the finer points of the game, thus making this a perfect match.

12. Sacramento Kings DJ Augustin PG 5′11 175 Texas

If DJ Augustin were 3 inches taller he would be a top 5 pick. Overall he can run an offense, get to the hoop and shot 38% from three point land. He is a complete player and should provide a nice upgrade over Anthony Johnson and Beno Udrih.

13. Portland Trailblazers Chase Budinger SG 6′6 215 Arizona

The Trailblazers are completely loaded as Greg Oden returns from his knee injury. They could go in a myriad of directions with this pick, and were really hoping that hometown boy Kevin Love was still available. Instead they should select Chase Budinger from Arizona as their designated three point bomber. Chase can not only shoot the lights out, but is an NBA ready athlete that could be in the rotation in year one.

14. Golden State Warriors Donte Green SF 6′10 225 Syracuse

Suffice to say they will take an extremely athletic player, which leads me to believe that Donte Green will be their pick. As a freshman, he put up 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals. Many people feel that the best part of his game will be shown at the next level.

This is my early take on the draft, there are many very good players not listed; the most notable being Joe Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolas Batum. In between now and draft day I’m hoping to watch some of the foreigners, so I can include them in my next mock, but refuse to rely on youtube footage to make a decision.

I also have some solid players that might move up based on personal work-outs and camps. They are Joey Dorsey of Memphis, Jason Thompson of Rider and my super sleeper Lester Hudson of UT-Martin.

Also, certain players will drop after their heights and weights are taken. If Brook Lopez measures 6′9 and DJ Augustin measures 5′9 look for them to drop.

Word has it that they were going to send out Robert Horry to find a few rooms but thought that he might need the National Guard to protect him.  Instead they contacted the Hornets Public Relations Staff for help and were told, “sorry, no rooms available.”

How did this happen?  Was it that flight mechanic with the Kobe jerseys fault…Maybe the karma of Robert Horry is starting to catch up with them…or perhaps Manu Ginobli was practicing his flopping and sideswiped the control panel?

Anyway you slice it; it’s the little things like this that remind me of the great Red Auerbach and the shenanigans he pulled.  Now obviously it’s not the ghost of Red Auerbach breaking down jet engines and helping out the Lakers against the Spurs, but it is an ominous sign of things to come for the Spurs.

Lakers in 6

Stern had this to say, “We just thought to close it out, if he has things that he’d like to say,” Stern said before the NBA Draft Lottery. “We thought it would be in the interest of completeness that we would conduct that interview.” Stern added, “We want to make sure we understand everything and we want to make sure we take steps to correct everything.”

I’m kind of lost because less then 24 hours ago, the commissioner’s office released this statement from Joel Litvin NBA president for league and basketball operations, “The letter filed today on Mr. Donaghy’s behalf contains an assortment of lies, unfounded allegations, and facts that have been previously acknowledged, such as the fact that certain NBA referees engaged in casino gambling in violation of NBA rules, The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time.”

One of the issues that Stern is trying to play down is the assertion of John Lauro that Donaghy told investigators that relationships among officials, coaches and players “affected the outcome of games” and of course Stern took exception to it.

“It seems that in an effort to cushion whatever sentence is coming, Mr. Donaghy’s lawyer has taken on the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI and the NBA,” Stern said. “I think that all of the facts are out and are going to come out and those assertions will prove to be baseless.”

Stern goes on to say that his staff is certain that Donaghy was the only official on his staff committing felonies. “We’re certain as we can be that he is the only official on our staff that was committing felonies.”

I get lost again here, because Stern and the NBA office had no idea that Tim Donaghy was fixing games. The NBA didn’t catch him; the FBI did. With that being said, if the NBA had no clue that Donaghy was fixing games, how would they know if anyone else was?

Trust me, there is a lot more to this story…..

His argument is simple; Donaghy fully cooperated with law enforcement officials and is currently undergoing rehabilitation and counseling for gambling addiction. He is desperately trying to avoid prison time, as he is a father with small children. Nothing really surprising here, as it’s typical in white collar cases for people to sing like a canary in hope of getting off with probation. The idea of course, is that by giving information on others, a bigger crime can be prevented or prosecuted, and a bigger fish can be caught in the process. His lawyers even said that the information “will lead to future reforms that will change the way in which the NBA conducts itself.”

John Lauro suggested that Donaghy has told investigators about the gambling of other NBA officials and also about a referee that passed “confidential” information to an NBA coach. He also wrote that the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District agreed to a plea agreement with other defendants in the case, even though Tim Donaghy told investigators things about the NBA that involved individuals and issues outside of the government’s primary investigation. John Lauro said the difference in punishment could not be fully explained because prosecutors have “surrounded this case with a cone of silence.” In a footnote, the attorney also said that the NBA might have “pressured” the attorney’s office” into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim’s conduct.”

Now Lauro is not at liberty to share exactly what he meant by that; but it doesn’t take a Harvard grad to read between the lines. Something is wrong here and the longer that Stern tries to hide it, the more it will hurt the NBA in the long run. This is far worse then the steroid scandal in baseball, as it includes the people in charge of the game, not the ones playing it. Can you think of another case where the attorney’s office shut down the prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information? Only when it involves national security, would something like this be understandable.

The NBA response to these latest allegations was this from Joel Litvin, NBA president for league and basketball operations “The letter filed today on Mr. Donaghy’s behalf contains an assortment of lies, unfounded allegations, and facts that have been previously acknowledged, such as the fact that certain NBA referees engaged in casino gambling in violation of NBA rules, The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time.”

Nice response Joel, but your remark sounds eerily like someone who is trying to hide something. If you were to say that Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds responses to steroid use included a combination of “lies, unfounded allegations, and facts” that would be accurate too, wouldn’t it?

John Lauro’s response was just as predictable, “Without a doubt, Tim made significant errors in judgment, but he also tried to right the wrongs of his conduct by assisting the government and seeking treatment for his disorder.” Realistically, what else could Donaghy do? He was caught red handed and knew that even the best lawyer in the world wouldn’t be able to keep him out of jail, so he went with plan B. Plan B is to fess up and give the feds everything they want and to come clean.

If Donaghy coming clean means the exodus of David Stern, then he deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Stern is hiding something and somehow has the U.S Attorneys office protecting him. How is it that they have someone in custody, who is willing to tell us, and instead we get a “cone of silence?”

In the Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds steroid public damnation trials, everyone asked, “Why can’t they just tell the truth?” That’s my question to David Stern and the league office. Isn’t that the least we can expect from the Commissioner of Basketball? Stern has done his best to cover this up; the same way he covered up for Donaghy’s horrific officiating. After all, if it weren’t for the FBI arresting and prosecuting Tim Donaghy, everyone that thought the NBA had an officiating problem would still be a conspiracy theorist. What are we now?

Wednesday night the Spurs travel to the land of milk and honeys to play the Los Angeles Lakers in game 1. Kobe and crew have been resting comfortably since ousting a tough Utah squad in six games. The team got together Monday for dinner and a chance to watch the Spurs and Hornets clash in game 7. At the dinner, Kobe Bryant thanked his teammates for their contributions and presented them each with a beautiful gift for their loyalty and friendship. Kobe gave each player a Jaeger-LeCoultre time piece. The difference between a time piece and a watch is about a $1000. These items went for about nine grand each and you can check them out at this web-site. The Laker players should thank Luke Walton for asking Kobe if they would receive gifts, during Kobe’s MVP press conference. All in all, this is another step in the maturation of a mega-star.

As the Lakers prepare for San Antonio, internally they realize how much they will be tested in this series. The key to beating the Spurs is to not get star struck and caught up with stopping Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. They key is stopping everyone else. The Spurs are practically unbeatable when they are stroking threes. The team was designed with the idea that Parker and Ginobli are the creators, Duncan the finisher and everyone else is a three point shooter.

Other then Parker, Ginobli and Duncan, no one else on the roster can score off the dribble on a consistent basis. What they can do, is shoot the heck out of the three ball if the opposition double teams, and that’s what everybody does. It literally plays right into their strengths. The Lakers need to be careful of this and play the Spurs straight up.

If you watch the Spurs on a regular basis, you will notice that both Parker and Ginobli consistently score by going to their stronger hand; the right for Parker and the left for Ginobli. The Lakers need to overplay the strong hand and force them to go the other way, where their percentages are not as good. When going with the weaker hand, both players do not score as emphatically as they do going with the strong hand and their passes are not as crisp and their shooting percentages drop drastically. Bottom line is that they are not as productive, but teams find it extremely difficult to do this, because their skill level is so high. If the Lakers do this, there will be times where Parker or Ginobli skates through for a wide open lay-up, but in the long run it would help them win the game.

This would force the Spurs into a one on one format, which is not their forte. The Lakers could also use a longer Kobe Bryant on Parker and the recently activated Trevor Ariza on Ginobli. This would give them more length to protect against the step back jumper, which both players use to perfection. In the end, I think the Lakers could hold both players around twenty points, if they stuck with this theory.

The obvious problem with not doubling the Spurs is the huge game Tim Duncan might have. After all, Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward to ever play the game, at least in my opinion. Tim has only two weaknesses in his game and the Lakers should try and exploit both. The obvious weakness, that everyone knows about; is that Tim Duncan is not a great free throw shooter. He’s a career 68% shooter. The other weakness is that Tim Duncan is not comfortable scoring a lot of points. If Tim scores 25 in the first half, he seems to stop shooting in the second half. He doesn’t have that scorer’s ego to dominate a game like some other players with his skill set. If the Lakers play Tim straight up, the most he’ll go for is 40. That coupled with the 20 each from Ginobli and Parker would put the Spurs at 80 points. Without the wide open three pointers, the bench probably couldn’t put up more then 15 points, so all the Lakers would have to do is score 100 each game to win.

Moving to the defensive side of the ball; let’s give credit where credit is due. The Spurs are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Where they excel is their rotation after a double team; no one does it better. Many times teams will go down low and then reverse the ball around the horn for the open jumper in the corner. The Spurs don’t give you that, because they anticipate after the first pass where the ball will go and get there. The Lakers need to fake the reversal and go back to the area the Spurs have vacated, which is the opposite corner. If the Lakers employ this, they will slow down the rotation; confuse the Spurs, and get some good looks out of it.

In the end, this is a fitting Western Conference Final with two juggernauts going at it. Look for the Spurs to aggressively try and steal game one, as they know the lethal blow that would deliver to the youthful Lakers.

If you live in Southern California you are probably familiar with Steve as he has his own radio show on 710 ESPN from 1-4PM weekdays on the AM dial. As an avid listener, I have always enjoyed his candor, honesty and professionalism on the air, and was always very curious as to how he got to where he is….so I asked him.

1. At the age of 15, you hosted your own radio show on WGOR, how did that happen and what was the experience like?

I was an enterprising kid. I used to read the sports section out loud to my family every day. I always knew I wanted to be a radio broadcaster. When I was 13, I started buying 5 minutes a day from WGOR to do a local sports show, then I sold my ads to pay for it.

2 I also heard that by the age of twenty you were a program director for WRQN in Toledo. Steve we have a lot of young aspiring sports personalities that frequent the site, I was wondering how you accomplished so much so young? What advice would you give?

I was driven. My advice is to ask people for help. I had some great mentors. Jon Sinton, who was the first programming executive at Air America, Tom Snyder, Jim Lampley, 1010 WINS Program Director Scott Herman all played important roles in my career. You have to be willing to ask for help, ask for a job. Tell everybody what you want. Be relentless.

3. Steve, I know you have met Presidents, Hollywood personalities and mega athletes, but who is the most influential person you have met or interviewed? Why?

Loved interviewing the late Steve Allen, who was the original host of the Tonight Show. President Reagan was a thrill. Even though I am a Democrat, I loved his optimism. Vin Scully is also on the list. One of the great broadcasters in history, right up there with Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. I met, but never interviewed, Johnny Carson. He’s the greatest talk show host in history. Also, Sandy Koufax, another guy I never interviewed, has an amazing mystique. Honored to meet him.

Moving on to the Lakers and some basketball questions:

4. Which player on the Lakers improved the most this year? How so?

Lamar Odom. He was never comfortable as the 2nd option, but he is a state-of-the-art #3. Plays both ends, excellent passer, crashes the boards and he can hit a big shot when you need it.

5. What is your opinion on the triangle offense, and why don’t other teams use it?

Players don’t like the triangle. It requires a degree of unselfishness that most NBA players do not possess. The Phoenix/Toronto/New Orleans up-and-down style is now in vogue. I don’t expect anyone else to start with the triangle anytime soon.

6. The Lakers have one of the younger teams in the league, and Kobe is only 29 years old, my question is, how many championships do you think the Lakers could win before Kobe retires?

I wouldn’t predict that. I think it’s fair to say that for the next 5 years, the Lakers have a chance to win-it-all every season. Whether they get the right bounce, the right call or avoid a key injury is the luck required to win a championship.

7. What do the Lakers need to work on to further their improvement?

Integrate Andrew Bynum into the mix and continue to develop Jordan Farmar.

8. Next year, if everyone is back and healthy, who would your starting team be?

D-Fish
Kobe
LO
Pau
Bynum

9. Knowing that you can’t play everyone, who would get minutes off the bench?

Farmar
Vlad Rad
Luke
Ariza
Sasha

10. Will the Lakers win game three in Utah?

To update the question, I think the Lakers will win in 7, Monday night
at Staples.

11. Who do you think will come out of the Eastern Conference?

I’d love it to be Boston, but it will be Detroit.

12. How much does Mike D’Antoni possibly exiting Phoenix help the Lakers?

Obviously he’s gone now, but I think the Suns are now a team of the past. They’ll be lucky to get 45 regular season games from Shaq, and I think they underestimated the importance of Marion. They are now a 2nd tier team in the West.

13. If you were Jerry Buss 5 years ago, would you have kept Kobe or Shaq? Why?

I never believed it was either/or. If I was Buss, I would have put them in a room until they worked it out. It would have won the Lakers at least one more title.

14. If the Lakers had the number one pick in the NBA draft, would you take Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Why?

Rose, Rose, Rose. This is a point guard league. Rose gives you a chance against Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

15. The Lakers have a late second round pick, and I think they should take Demarcus Nelson of Duke, who many feel will be available. What do you think of the pick?

Nelson is a good pick. I am hoping that center Scott Padgett from Louisville might fall to them. Give them some depth down low.

MVN would like to thank Steve Mason for sharing his time and wisdom, and no I didn’t ask him for a job, although that part of the interview is some of the best advice ever given, priceless.

If anyone is interested in starting their sports journalism career with MVN, please contact Ed Ziti at finderssearch@ hotmail.com

I remember when the league suspended Kobe a few years back for what they deemed a “non-basketball move.” Well what is Robert Horry doing lowering his shoulder into David West’s back? It’s called a cheap shot! The result of the play was David West falling to the floor in agony and having to be helped off the floor. I would say his back injury is far more significant then the slight pull Kobe had. Stern needs to suspend Horry for game 7 for intentionally for trying to cause an injury. If Robert Horry wasn’t trying to hurt David West; what was he trying to do? Ginobli was passing the ball, and West went up for a deflection. Is it a coincidence that Horry low bridges him in the back on a cross-court pass? Looked like a “non-basketball” move to me.

If I’m a New Orleans Hornet, and Horry doesn’t get suspended, I’m out for blood. NBA players spend about 8 months out of the year together, and over years develop bonds that are like family. You do that to my brother and you better look out for your own. The New Orleans Hornets and David West have been through thick and thin together. Here they are on the brink of success and what do you know “Cheap Shot Bob” throws a hard shot at a player, who is not only a star, but a player that everyone knows has a back injury and is trying to play through it. These are the type of situations that cause hostilities amongst the players.

I don’t expect Stern to do anything, because the man has no loyalty to anything other then the dollar bill. So here are the Hornets, on the brink of their greatest year ever, waiting to hear from the commissioner’s office and the team doctor what their fate for Monday night is. It reminds me of the Suns waiting for the guillotine last year (The Stoudamire/Diaw suspensions) and the Mavericks losing to the Heat in game 3 of the 2006 Finals). It flat out stinks! I hope that David West is okay, and wish he NBA would get a new commissioner.

Kobe needed some extra help from his teammates to squeeze out a win but at the end of the day his teammates were the difference. Bryant ended with 26 points and 7 assists and on several occasions his back looked pain-free. Bryant scored the first 5 points and took a fade away similar to the one he took in Game 4 that got his back hurt – clearly a good sign for Lakers fans everywhere. Bryant and the Lakers were active in the first half. Scrambling on defense and confusing the Jazz in their offensive sets which allowed the Lakers to capitalize on the fastbreak. The Jazz dominated the Lakers again on the offensive boards but it seemed as if it was the Lakers who grabbed the game-changing rebounds. Pau Gasol grabbed two rebounds and scored two consecutive baskets down the stretch to seal the win. Gasol ended with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Gasol’s finesse passing and wide array of low-post moves have been a perfect combination in the Lakers’ triangle offense. Ever since he’s been in L.A. shooters have been getting open all over the court; with Bryant demanding attention on the top of the key, teams are forced to choose which of the big three (Bryant, Gasol, Odom) they want to double-team. Odom is usually the one that goes unnoticed and tonight was no different; he finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Jazz fought back in the 3rd quarter and were able to hold momentum during several possessions. But as usual, Bryant took the team on his shoulders and made a swooping drive across the lane that finished with a bank shot and a foul. There always comes a time in the game where the Lakers look beat and Bryant carries his team over the hump. The Lakers’ might have adopted a new team concept this year but it’s still the same old Kobe dominating the floor whenever he wants. His ability to take over the games early has opposing coaches focusing on him in the 4th quarter which makes his teammates wide open.

If we had to look at negatives for this game and the series, one of them would have to be Jordan Farmar. He came into this game averaging 1 point in the series. Here is a guy who has been a key contributor off the Lakers’ bench, which is considered the best bench in the NBA. His offensive struggles are related to the fact that he gets beat defensively by Deron Williams almost every time down the floor. Farmar tries to make up his poor play on the defense end by tossing up low-percentage shots on the offesnsive end. But Farmar played better this game, hitting an open three and crossing-over Williams late in the 4th quarter. Hopefully he can use this series as a learning experience and develop into the heir apparent to the point guard position after Derek Fisher leaves.

As this series heads back to Utah, theres a few things we have to look at: The Lakers have to be more aggressive on the offensive boards. Ronny Turiaf should be substituted into the game more to provide his athletic jumping ability that can counter a bruising Carlos Boozer and Paul Milsap. If the Laker’s can continue to dominate the free-throw line and force turnovers this series could be over by Friday night.

I want to thank Rubin for his initial contribution to Lakers Libary and add a few comments. It looked like Kobe wasn’t in pain, but played in a way to not re-injure the back, perhaps it was more serious then I thought. Another thought is, the Lakers never trailed in the game and although they cut the lead , the Jazz were never in control, so Kobe didn’t push it and let his teammates do their thing.

Farmar has to take it to the hoop. He had a nice driving lay-up in the fourth and we need more of that. If the officiating stays the same, with the home teams getting the majority of the calls; this is a seven game series.