A friend of ours who also happens to be a Lakers season ticket holder and ESPN’s main fantasy sports expert, Matthew Berry, joined us via telephone to discuss the current state of the Lakers, his worries about the team’s recent play and what to expect going forward.
And, of course, we mixed in some unrelated chatter comparing fantasy football and baseball players to the Lakers, exchanged opinions on the new “Melrose Place” with “90210″ and just generally tried to make Berry feel better about his favorite squad.
Click below to listen:
ESPN'S Matthew Berry [28:14m]:
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With regular 710 ESPN radio play-by-play man Spero Dedes out for one game, sideline reporter John Ireland is stepping in to handle pxp duties for L.A.’s Friday evening game against Charlotte.
Ireland, the co-host of ESPN’s “Mason and Ireland Show” who also handles TV sideline duties for KCAL, joined us from his hotel room in Charlotte to look ahead to the game.
Dedes will be covering NCAA basketball on CBS on Saturday morning, but will return for Sunday’s game against Orlando.
Here’s the audio with Ireland:
John Ireland PXP Podcast [9:14m]:
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After falling to the Bobcats in both regular season games in 2008-09 to make Charlotte one of only two teams the Lakers did not beat (Orlando), L.A. managed a 99-97 victory at STAPLES Center on Feb. 3 of this season.
They have their chance for a season sweep of their own on Friday night in North Carolina on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough overtime loss on Thursday to the Heat. A win would also even the all-time series between the franchises at 6-6; since it’s currently 5-6, Charlotte is one of only two organizations (Boston) against which the Lakers have a losing record.
Kobe Bryant, who went off for 39 points in Miami, is averaging 31.2 points in 10 career games against Charlotte, with a high-game of 58 points coming in a triple-overtime contest on Dec. 29, 2006.
The Bobcats are led by the wing duo of Gerald Wallace, the first all-star in Bobcats history, and Stephen Jackson, who was acquired from Golden State early in the season. Wallace actually missed Charlotte’s loss in L.A. with a hamstring strain, but will start on Friday.
For a full preview, we dialed up Bobcats radio play-by-play voice Scott Lauer:
Bobcats Podcast Preview [11:55m]:
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Last time they came into STAPLES Center, the Denver Nuggets emerged with a victory as Carmelo Anthony watched in street clothes due to a sprained ankle.
‘Melo’s back for Sunday’s matchup against the Lakers, which we previewed in full via podcast with Benjamin Hochman, the Nuggets’ beat writer for the Denver Post.
Among the topics we covered:
- George Karl: How does his illness affect the team?
- How and why Denver appears to think they’re better than the Lakers.
- As Hochman reported, Denver is 27-6 when Billups, Anthony, K-Mart and Nene all play … but do the additions of Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson - and not another big man - make the Nuggs better than they were last season?
- Anthony’s health. He missed 13 games combined in January and February, but appears to be almost fully back.
- Why Sunday’s game is different from the first two meetings between the teams.
Take a listen:
Nuggets Podcast [11:27m]:
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Watching the Super Bowl is always fun on its own … but if you’re like me, things are always a bit more interesting when you make a gentleman’s bet with your buddies about such unknowns as the MVP.
Sadly, I had Peyton Manning vs. (Lakers.com’s) Ty Nowell’s Drew Brees in the Saints victory over Indianapolis. Chalk one up for the webmaster. And while we tend to make selections on most everything (example: MTV RW-RR Challenges), my first chance at revenge comes during the NBA’s All-Star game on Sunday at the amazing Cowboy’s Stadium.
Last year in Phoenix, Ty had Kobe Bryant and I Shaquille O’Neal on respective rosters, and as the former teammates ended up sharing MVP honors, neither of us were pleased (who wants a push).
Earlier, we went through a snake style draft while sitting courtside and recording a podcast (click play below the picks) to explain our selections. Below are our Top 5 picks.
Ty: 1) Dirk Nowitzki: Home-town favorite.
Me: 2) LeBron James: Most likely to lead in FGA’s and minutes.
Me: 3) Kevin Durant: Upstart pick, mix of talent & excitement.
Ty: 4) Dwyane Wade: Handcuff for Dirk if East wins.
Ty: 5) Deron Williams: Hometown kid, something to prove.
Me: 6) Steve Nash: Teammates love him, maybe 20 dimes.
Me: 7) Dwight Howard: Sheer size combo w/excitement.
Ty: 8) Chris Bosh: Another home-towner, plus skills.
Ty: 9) Joe Johnson: Lots of minutes, raw scorer.
Me: 10) Pau Gasol: Homer pick.
Me: 11) Carmelo Anthony: Scores more easily than anyone.
Ty:12) Paul Pierce: Pierce loves his shot after 3-point win.
All-Star MVP Podcast [15:40m]:
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If you missed the two latest episodes of our regular podcast engine on Lakers.com, The Popcorn Machine, here are some highlights from Gary Vitti and Patrick O’Keefe’s respective interviews:
Episode #18: Lakers Head Athletic Trainer Gary Vitti
For the past 26 years, Gary Vitti has run the show for the team both in the training room and off the court. He joined us to discuss the varying responsibilities that come with his job, the freakish toughness of Kobe Bryant and more.
Other topics covered:
- The primary rewards of the job (lasting relationships)
- Disseminating just enough information to the media through the head coach and public relations staff so that as few questions as possible are asked.
- Vitti’s description of as close to a typical day at the office as is possible, starting from before the players report to the time he and his staff finally go home.
- A run through of Vitti’s outstanding staff, which features Director of Athletic Performance Chip Schaeffer, Athletic Performance Coordinator Alex McKechnie, Assistant Athletic Trainer Marco Nunez and Massage Therapist Marko Yrjovouri.
- The inexact science of evaluating sports injuries and constructing treatment plans.
- Why Kobe Bryant is “absolutely the toughest, mentally and pyhsically, athlete that I’ve ever worked with,” and some Kobe anecdotes from Vitti’s 13 years with him.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Episode #19: Lakers Video Coordinator Patrick O’Keefe
Ever wonder what exactly Kobe Bryant watches on film and why? Curious about what Phil Jackson likes to see on game edits that help his team prepare for each and every opponent? You’re in luck, because Lakers video coordinator Patrick O’Keefe joined us on the Popcorn Machine to discuss many of the behind-the-scenes details.
Other topics covered:
- O’Keefe’s routine in Indiana last week, from his pregame preparation to how he cut the video from the first half, and how that edit may have affected the team in the second half.
- Working with and for Kobe Bryant.
- Preparing Bryant specifically for last Friday’s Philadelphia game, specifically by assembling scouting reports for Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Willie Green.
- The locker room set up for video consumption both at home and on the road.
- The importance of knowing personnel around the league in order to prepare video the right way.
- Why Phil Jackson is a terrific coach for a video guy.
- Which Lakers aside from Bryant frequently request videos.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
After 41 games, the halfway point of the 2009-10 season, the Lakers led the league with a 32-9 mark (now 35-11) thanks in part to a heavy home schedule and despite various injuries including 17 missed games from All-Star Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant’s different ailments.
Instead of going through a game-by-game or player-by-player summary (the Lakers measure success in April, May and June, not November and December) - we enlisted assistant coach Jim Cleamons last week in Toronto to see how the coaching staff hoped to grow the squad from the first half to the second.
Among the topics we covered:
1) The difference of playing with and without Gasol
2) The bench rotation, specifically the emergence of Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown
3) Ron Artest’s integration with the team
4) The significance of earning home court advantage, and difference between competing in November and March
5) Playing with a target on their back
6) The impact of Kobe Bryant playing through pain
Just click the play button below to listen:
Midseason Review - Jim Cleamons [13:57m]:
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Warriors guard Anthony Morrow came out of nowhere last season to lead the NBA in three-point percentage (46.7 percent), even more impressive considering he was an undrafted rookie free agent.
Deservedly earning a spot for keeps on the roster, Morrow hasn’t slowed in his sophomore campaign, during which he is shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc en route to 12.2 points per game.
Growing up in North Carolina, Morrow was always (of course) a big Michael Jordan fan, but it was Kobe Bryant who was starring in the NBA during his formative years.
As such, Morrow joined us to talk about Kobe, his approach to shooting and more.
Anthony Morrow [4:51m]:
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When ESPN’s Ric Bucher joined us last season leading into L.A.’s Christmas Day showdown with Boston, the team was in quite a different state.
We were still hearing phrases like “lack of toughness,” or as Bucher said it, “mental tenacity,” before the Lakers went on to prove their mettle with tough regular season road victories and of course, their journey to the NBA title.
This season, with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (22-8) coming to town, Bucher told us the one area in which he thought L.A. (23-4) may be susceptible, put Kobe Bryant’s greatness into perspective, looked at the dominance of Pau Gasol and L.A.’s front line and more.
We finished with a quick preview of the Lakers - Cavs game, set to tip off at 2 p.m. tomorrow after ABC.
Ric Bucher Podcast [28:44m]:
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Always a man with a plan, Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons joined us to preview in detail L.A.’s Saturday evening contest against the New Jersey Nets, the second and final meeting between the two squads this season.
New Jersey, winners of just two games in 24 tries, is led by second-year center Brook Lopez, whose success (team high 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.04 blocks) is counter-intuitive to that of his team. Point guard Devin Harris (16.8 points, 5.4 assists) has yet to reach his last-season form after missing 10 games to injury, while big man Josh Boone is the only player besides Lopez to appear in all 26 Nets games. In other words, it’s literally been basketball’s version of “M.A.S.H.” in Jersey.
Cleamons broke down how his squad plans on dealing with the team it beat 106-87 on Nov. 29, a game before the Nets set the NBA’s single-season record for consecutive losses to start the season with 19.
Jim Cleamons Podcast [9:03m]:
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