MVN - Most Valuable Network

3 on 3: With-Malice, Southside Perspective and Lakers Library

I asked a few familiar faces on the web some questions relating to the NBA Finals story lines, the image of the league and some Fav5 picks for the NBA Draft.  Enjoy!

1. What’s your take on the storyline that the Lakers-Celtics rivalry is back and the NBA is returning back to the glory days of the 80s?

Don Landrigan of with-malice.com: I’m not entirely sure that it’s actually going to happen… there are a few other teams who might have something to say about that.  New Orleans, Portland, Utah… all will want to have a part to play in the next few years.

Sam Panayotovich of Southside Perspective: The storyline is fantastic, but who says the glory days ended in the ’80s? I’m sure Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Co. would have around six convincing arguments stating otherwise. In all seriousness though, this is questionably the most legendary matchup in all of sports. And how better to break the curse of the Spurs and Pistons than to showcase a Finals matchup that pits the two most winningest teams in NBA history against each other. Talk about hitting the jackpot. After 21 years, the rivalry rises again as the new generation of players are ready to writing their own chapters in the record books. The main reason for all the hype, though, is the rich history. It’s about Russell vs. Chamberlain. Havlicek vs. West. Bird vs. Magic. It’s about 30 combined championships in only 61 years of the Assocation. It’s the Lakers and the Celtics, and it’s going to be all that we expected — and then some.

Ed Ziti of Lakers Library:  Thirty of the 61 championships have been one by either the Celtics or the Lakers, so I think it’s good to return to it’s roots.  However, they need to have other teams be able to vie for the title as well, to keep it competitive.  The NFL has done a great job of that.

2. Also, for Kobe personally, what’s your reaction to the renaissance of his public image (especially in light of his trade demands this summer)?

Don Landrigan of with-malice.com: Amazing.  Hard to believe it’s true, but I do (believe).  Would never have believed it possible.  But the next big step is to maintain that.  Because now, you’re an adult, there’s no going back to behaving childishly.

Sam Panayotovich of Southside Perspective: The transformation from goat to hero for Kobe Bryant just goes to show you that nothing matters in this business more than winning. It’s ironic how a player can  tarnish his reputation by throwing his young teammates under the bus, bashing the organization and demanding a trade, yet when he commandeers his team to the NBA Finals, everything is hunky-dory. Not that I have a problem with how things transpired, it’s just that Laker fans have seemed to let things blow over. Why can’t the rest of us as well? There’s no question that Kobe has always wanted to win. In the incident over the summer, he was frustrated with management because he didn’t feel he had the right pieces around him to win. Oh my god. Blasphemy! Shame on you Kobe for telling the truth! Now, here we are almost a year later, and the additions of Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic have propelled this team from pretender to championship contender. Hmm. Turns out No. 24 was right after all …

Ed Ziti of Lakers Library:  I try and keep away from who the NBA is glorifying this very minute, but feel that Kobe was thrown under the bus a few years back.  Very few of the guys in the NBA are “bad guys,” most of them are good human beings and that’s how I would classify Kobe.  As far as his renaissance, I think the other guys on the team have had more of a renaissance then Bryant.   It’s difficult to pass the ball to guys who consistently miss shots.  Most people can’t relate to that, and that has a lot to do with Kobe’s bad image.

3. I don’t really know much about the Lakers postseason being underwritten by the Mass. lottery (as CNBC’s Darren Rovell discussed with David Stern on “The Call”), but how do you think Stern and the NBA has handled the questions of gambling in the sport and concerns about the product’s public image in general?

Don Landrigan of with-malice.com: I think they’ve done pretty well… there’s no avoiding the specter of gambling, and there’ll always be people who will take advantage of that.  Unfortunate, but that’s human nature.

Sam Panayotovich of Southside Perspective: David Stern has done a tremendous job in all facets of the game. He has taken a mediocre business and globalized it into a billion dollar, worldwide enterprise. The Association as we know it has improved by leaps and bounds since he’s been in the Commissioner’s office and he never gets the credit he undeniably deserves. With that said, I believe Stern has done the best job possible in terms of the Donaghy scandal and other gambling relating problems. He didn’t try and hide the issues or sweep them under the carpet — he stood tall and dealt with them like a professional. As for the image of the game, he has implemented a respectable dress code for players to prevent the ‘gangster’ image and promote a well-rounded, professional look. I’m not worried at all about the sanctity of the NBA with Stern leading the way.

Ed Ziti of Lakers Library:  I don’t know if we’ll ever know the answer to that one, and most of us hope it fixes itself and goes away. BONUS - Who do you think will be the top five picks in the NBA draft?

Don Landrigan of with-malice.com: 1. Rose…
2. Beasley…
3. Mayo…
4. Bayless…
5. Lopez…

Sam Panayotovich of Southside Perspective:

1. Derrick Rose

2. Michael Beasley

3. O.J. Mayo

4. Jerryd Bayless

5. Anthony Randolph

Ed Ziti of Lakers Library:

1. Rose
2. Beasley
3.  Lopez
4. Bayless
5.  Love

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 15th, 2008 at 10:07 pm and is filed under Don Landrigan, Lakers Library, Ed Ziti, Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, Tim Donaghy, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, Brook Lopez, CNBC, Massachusetts Lottery, Darren Rovell, The Call, John Havlicek, Russell Chamberlain, Southside Perspective, Jerryd Bayless, Anthony Randolph, Jerry West, With Malice, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, NBA, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, Pau Gasol, Sam Panayotovich, NBA Finals, Scottie Pippen, Sasha Vujacic, Michael Jordan, Derek Fisher, David Stern, Magic Johnson, NFL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.