Sports With Silverman

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.  We were supposed to be the team talking about all the things we did right that led to victory, not the ones searching for answers and trying to appease the fans with BS excuses.  We were supposed to be the team relishing the underdog role, not the team proving people right.

Laker fans have become accustomed to watching the Purple and Gold win the final game of the season, and riding off into the sunset that is the off-season on a high note.  Maybe Laker fans are spoiled…so what?  Maybe I use the term ‘we’ like I freestyle on the team charter with Metta…but that’s not the point.  When a team wins as much as the Lakers have in recent history (And not-so-recent history), they (I’ll stop using ‘we’ and pretending that Metta and I make ‘Mike Brown is fat’ jokes together) create expectations that cannot always be met…and they don’t always have to be met for people to be satisfied.  But, when a storied franchise, like the Los Angeles Lakers, whimpers into the off-season two years straight without putting up a fight (Cheap shots don’t count), significant changes have to be made.

"You're getting traded first." "No you are!" "Teehee" (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

That being said, I’m not arguing that the Lakers were the better team going into the OKC series.  What I will argue is that the Lakers were the better team through four games…at least for the better part of four games.

The Lakers SHOULD have been up 3-1.  They outplayed Oklahoma City for about 46 minutes in game 2, and 40+ minutes in game 4, both of which they gave away.  Again, SHOULD is the important term here.  SHOULD – because most teams with that level of talent, skill, and experience SHOULD be able to protect a sizable lead with the season on the line.  The unfortunate thing for Laker fans was that this team…filled with all-star talent and natural ability…lacked things critical to winning  a series against a great team like OKC.  They (Definitely not ‘we’ at this point) lacked passion.  They lacked effort.  They lacked intelligence.  They lacked heart.  And they definitely lacked maturity.  These Lakers (Including some soon-to-be ex-Lakers) really didn’t care about winning.

Not the way the Lakers wanted to see the season end (Photo by Layne Murdoch/Getty Images)

Think back to the last three playoff series for the Lakers…Swept by the Mavs in an embarrassing and distasteful series last season…barely squeaking by the Nuggets…THE NUGGETS…to narrowly escape disaster in the first round this season…and then outplaying the Thunder to start the second round…only to implode and give away game after game.  Not the best two-year stretch for LA.  The only thing that made this ugly end to the season easier to swallow for fans in LA was the surprising success of the Kings and Dodgers (Not surprising if you read my preseason MLB predictions…But MAN did I pick a good year to start following hockey…I swear the Kings are doing all of this for me!).  Maybe other Laker fans are still struggling with the thought of the season being over, but I have certainly accepted it.  There’s no way any team can give away TWO games against a team as good as the Thunder and still have a shot to win.  They showed no life in game 5, and it was over from the get go.  Where’s the remote?  Sunday Night Baseball is on.

As I said earlier, I really believe that, as spoiled as Laker fans are when it comes to expecting success, most fans could have accepted a Laker defeat if it went down the right way.  I think Laker fans, at least realistic Laker fans, would have been able to accept the loss if the series went seven games, and the Thunder ended up winning a nail-biter.  Obviously championships are nice, but all I wanted out of this group was to show some pride and effort.  0 for 2.

So…what happens next?

I’d rather not speculate on certain players that the Lakers should target, or who they should try to sign with this mini mid-level exception, or what they should do with that trade exception.  There are too many possibilities out there and I have no idea which players are being dangled or who the Lakers front office likes best at the moment.  Instead, I want to address the current roster and give my opinion on who should stay and who should go…

First off, I wrote months ago that the Lakers should trade Kobe for younger talent.  Clearly, I know that is not a realistic course of action, and the chances of that happening are, as my mom used to tell me, slim to none and slim’s out of town.  Kobe isn’t going anywhere.

Exactly how I feel about you, Drew

Now that Andrew Bynum looks less like a franchise player to build around and more like a 7-footer with the maturity level of an 8th grader, I say ship him out.  The kid just doesn’t care.  He keeps saying he’ll play anywhere…fine.  Trade him to Toronto…see how much he likes playing there.  On second thought, don’t.  They don’t have anything to give the Lakers in return.

Pau is S-O-F-T.  Mentally and Physically.  Send him to Indiana.  He’ll fit right in…right, Larry?

In order to save time, it would probably be easier to go over the guys I would keep…that’s a much smaller list…

Keep Kobe, Jordan Hill, Ramon Sessions, Devin Ebanks, Steve Blake, Andrew Goudelock…wow this is getting depressing.  If it were up to me (Pretty sure it’s not), I would get rid of just about everyone else on the current roster.  A lot of those other guys are good, but they just don’t care about winning.  Metta’s on another planet, Matt Barnes just wants to be tough, and Josh McRoberts can’t score unless he literally shoves the ball in the basket. Darius Morris…he just looks dazed and confused.  It doesn’t matter if he’s in the game or sitting on the end of the bench…he looks like a lost 3-year-old at Walmart.

They should keep Troy Murphy as an inspirational reminder that anyone can make it in this world if they put their mind to it.

As for Mike Brown…yeah…

Go get Stan Van Gundy.  I realize the goofy little Ron Jeremy isn’t exactly Phil Jackson, but he knows basketball, he knows how to coach, and he knows how to deal with players.  Stan proved that he isn’t afraid to get fired, and isn’t scared to challenge a superstar…something Mike Brown only did passive-aggressively, when he benched his star players and then said nothing about it as if it never happened.  Way to go.

That's right...I really DO want this man coaching my favorite team

Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers front office have a lot of work to do and have some big decisions to make.  Hopefully they can bring in some guys who care about winning…or at least act like they do.

No matter what happens, at least WE aren’t the Clippers…

Man, I sure have been slacking lately.  It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve posted anything, and that isn’t gonna cut it.  We all know rule No. 76…No excuses, play like champion.  Since I’ve missed so much during my personal all-star break, let’s try to catch up on everything I missed.

Without a doubt, the first thing that needs to be addressed is the HUGE news from the NBA playoffs.  When a star point guard tears his ACL in Game 1 of the postseason,  the entire playoff picture is bound to change.  The most exciting time of the NBA season just won’t be the same without Iman Shumpert.  Since the injury, every basketball fan has been asking the same question…Can the Knicks win it all without Shump?  Only time will tell…

In other NBA news, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

That IS the big injury everyone is talking about...right? (Photo by Lynne Sladky/Associated Press)

Metta World Peace showed everyone that he still has it!  Just in case you were starting to believe he had finally changed his ways…

What do Tyler Flowers, Michael McKenry, Shane Robinson, Devin Mesoraco, Clete Thomas and Wilin Rosario have in common?  1. You have probably never heard of them, and  2.  They all have more home runs than Albert Pujols this season.  I’m not suggesting that it’s time for Angel fans to panic (OK, maybe I am), but what’s the deal?  I understand that it’s still early (Kind of…), and King Albert (Time for a new nickname?) is trying to live up to his new contract with the Angels (He’s not), and that everything is different this year (Not really), but this trend has to be a little concerning for the Clippers of professional baseball.  (That reminds me of a funny story…So I’m sitting at the Dodger game and they show Chris Paul on the Jumbotron…and the entire stadium BOOS him!  Sorry Chris…I know it’s not your fault, and you wanted to play for the Lakers, but you don’t.  Dodger fans are Laker fans…If you want to get cheered at a baseball game, go watch Albert Pujols struggle for the Halos!  Wow!  That came full circle quite nicely!)

And how about those Dodgers!?  Again, I know it’s still early, but 16-6 is 16-6.  Fresh off of sweeping the team that DID have the best record in the National League, the Boys in Blue have tied their best start in franchise history.  This new ownership team hasn’t done a damn thing yet, roster-wise, but what they have done is inject life into a team that was being held down by the most dysfunctional family ever created.  The Dodgers were basically like kids living with abusive, corrupt, bankrupt parents, who were going through a nasty divorce, only to be adopted by one of the most influential sports figures in Los Angeles history.  This team certainly doesn’t have the scariest roster, but what they do have is the support of a city that no longer wants to boycott home games.  LA fans may not always show up on time (Even though I live 100 miles from LA, I have already been to two of the 12 home games, and have shown up over half an hour early to both games…so I’m doing my part!), but with Frank McCourt gone, they are starting to fill the seats at Chavez Ravine once again.

If you don’t think Matt Kemp is the best player in baseball right now, you’re either lying or a Giants fan.

Matt Kemp, leading the world in everything, has been doing a lot of celebrating lately (Photo by Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

The NFL draft gave us some valuable information about a number of teams…

1. Cleveland Browns – The Browns really like Trent Richardson, and really don’t want Colt McCoy to be their quarterback anymore.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers – Operation ‘Keep Ben Upright’ has begun.

3. New Orleans Saints – They’re screwed.  Well the draft didn’t really tell us that, but every other major sports story over the last two months did.  They could have had the first five picks and they would still be screwed…They would have found a way to get themselves into trouble one way or another…

4. Jacksonville Jaguars – Apparently they REALLY needed a punter…Taking a punter in the 3rd round of the NFL draft is just as bad as taking a kicker in the 3rd round of a fantasy draft.

5. Indianapolis Colts – Colts management definitely realizes how awful this team is right now.  After taking Andrew Luck with the 1st pick, they drafted his college tight end, Coby Fleener, with the 2nd pick of the 2nd round.  Basically, they are hoping that Stanford’s offense can beat NFL defenses…Unfortunately for the Colts, their D is probably the only defense that plan would work against.

I’ll be back…hopefully in less than two weeks!

Aaaaahhh yes, it’s that time of year again.  It only comes around every few months, but when it’s here, there’s no mistaking it.

Another former “teammate” volunteering to throw Lance Armstrong under the bus like he’s Michael Vick?  No, that happens every fifteen minutes.

A new YouTube video of a drunk celebrity’s nip slip? Nope, that’s not it either.

Then what could it be?

It’s almost time for…

A major sport to crown a new champion!  And that means only one thing…NEW FANS!  Whether it’s Dallas or Miami (Let’s be honest, barring a miracle, the Bulls and the Thunder are toast), diehard bandwagon fans will flock to stores to buy a shiny new jersey to wear everyday until the Lakers beat them next year.  My advice to these people is to order your Dirk or LeBron jersey online, so you don’t have to face the clerk at the sporting good store who will look at you shaking his head with disappointment.  Of course you will encounter this reaction every time you don your new shame-shirt, but at least you can save yourself from the initial rejection.  Once the jersey arrives, take it out to the backyard and rub some dirt on it to give it that nice, worn-out look.  Then, at least you can claim, “HEY!  I hopped on this bandwagon back in ’06,  so back off!” (The Heat beat the Mavericks in the finals that year).

I will admit that I was a huge Bulls fan as a kid, but just about everyone in the world loved MJ…so back off!  Plus, who else was there to root for in the early 90s?  Reggie Miller?  Karl Malone?  Hootie and the Blowfish?  Yeaaahh…I’d rather be like Mike.  Who else gets to hang out with the Looney Toons?

Anyway…

It really is amazing to me that someone can change their alliances on a year-to-year basis.  Trust me, I know what it’s like to watch your favorite team struggle.  What’s worse than that?  Watching your bitter rival succeed.  Did I throw a tantrum like a spoiled three-year-old as I watched the Giants celebrate their improbable World Series victory?  Maybe.  Did I decide to go buy an ugly orange hat and leave the sparkly sticker on underneath the bill? NO and NO!  Sometimes you just have to take your lumps, and deal with all of your annoying friends throwing it in your face.  But that’s part of the game, and half the fun of being a TRUE sports fan.

I know there will be some wonderfully entertaining stories as to why you are a fan of the Mavericks or Heat…

“One time my family passed through Texas on a road trip and it was just so beautiful”.

“My great, great, Uncle Blitzen was born in Germany so I’ve loved Dirk forever”.

“Juwan Howard is my grandpa”.  That one is actually totally reasonable, as well as plausible.

Sorry to burst your bubble bandwagoners, but contrary to popular belief, not everyone likes the Giants, Packers, and Heat (or Mavs).

So here’s to all of the loyal fans…keep celebrating the fact that, even though your team may suck, you aren’t a sellout.