The Laker files
Ever since the Jazz lost to San Antonio in the regular-season finale, I've known this series against the Lakers was coming. I'm not sure whether it's going to be awkward, strange, uncomfortable, familiar, fun or a little of everything. I guess I'll find out Sunday at Staples Center, with Game 1 tipping off a little more than 36 hours from now.
I covered the Lakers for three years for the Los Angeles Daily News before coming to the Tribune for the start of the playoffs last year. There's a ton of respect on my end for what the Lakers have accomplished in finishing with the Western Conference's best record, and I think my awards ballot was proof of that.
I voted Kobe Bryant for Most Valuable Player and Phil Jackson for Coach of the Year, in large part for the work he has done developing young players like Andrew Bynum, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic. I voted Bynum for Most Improved Player (even though he played just 35 games) and Pau Gasol third-team all-NBA.
The Lakers' roster has gone through some significant changes since I covered the team. I don't know Gasol, Trevor Ariza, D.J. Mbenga or Ira Newble. I don't know Coby Karl, either, even though we could pass for brothers. But I wanted to share some stories of the Lakers I was able to get to know in those years.
We're going to do these two or three at a time for the next couple of days on the blog. Hope you enjoy.
KOBE BRYANT
The way it's looking, Bryant has the chance this year to claim his first MVP award, win a fourth championship with the Lakers and lead the U.S. to gold at the Beijing Olympics. That's a historic year by any standard. In 1992, Michael Jordan was both the regular-season and NBA Finals MVP with Chicago and played on the Dream Team.
Even though you see Bryant on the court, you can't imagine the world he inhabits. He showed up one day at practice driving a $400,000 Maybach. There was talk for a while that he was going to buy a helicopter for his commute from Orange County and land it next door to Staples Center at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In the three years, I covered the team, I felt like I saw Bryant's unguarded personality once. It was an off night in Minnesota and I was walking out of the Lakers' hotel with another writer after having a couple of drinks at the bar. We crossed paths with Bryant in the lobby as he was returning from having dinner with his bodyguards.
It was only a two-minute conversation, but Bryant was funny and laughing and more than a little profane. I walked out thinking that Bryant would be universally liked if fans only could see that side of him. At the same time, he probably has too much to lose to show that side other than to a couple of reporters at 1 a.m. in a hotel lobby.
My favorite memory of covering Bryant came when he visited Lower Merion High on a trip to Philadelphia last season. It was almost like a hurricane hit the school as he walked through the halls and stopped to see some of his old teachers. The number of kids tailing him multiplied almost every minute he was at the school.
The last stop was the boys basketball locker room, where they kicked out all the reporters and Bryant spoke to the team for 10 minutes in advance of the region tournament. For the short time we were in the room, you could see Bryant asking one kid if he'd worked on his jumper and another kid if he was using that move he'd showed him.
It turned out Bryant had held a clinic at Lower Merion the summer before and remembered not only the kids' names and faces but their games as well. His 81-point spectacular against Toronto might be the most incredible thing I ever cover, but for whatever reason, watching Bryant ask those high-school kids about how they were playing stuck with me.
VLADIMIR RADMANOVIC
The series with the Jazz will give everyone the chance to head up to Snowbird with Radmanovic and relive some old times. It was only last season that Radmanovic decided that he would venture to Utah for the All-Star break (I think he stayed at Vlade Divac's home) and learn how to snowboard.
The problem was Radmanovic injured his right shoulder in a fall and decided to lie about the circumstances because snowboarding was in violation of his contract. He told us - - and presumably Phil Jackson - - that he went out for coffee in Park City, slipped on the ice and couldn't get his hands out of his pockets in time to break his fall.
A couple days later, Radmanovic told the real version (only after Jackson threatened to call in Pinkerton detectives) and the Lakers fined him $500,000. Radmanovic missed 24 games with the injury, fully living up to the "space cadet" label Jackson gave him during his first season with the Lakers.
ANDREW BYNUM
The best story I have from covering the NBA involves Bynum and speaks to just how young he was when he came to the Lakers out of high school. The Lakers were on the road somewhere and Bynum met a guy (I think his name was Kenny) and promised to leave him tickets to that night's game.
The problem was Bynum never got Kenny's last name. So he wrote a physical description on the ticket envelope ("Kenny Short and Black") and handed it to a ballboy. The envelope was somehow intercepted by Kobe Bryant, who vowed to get it framed once he stopped laughing.
Longtime Lakers public relations director John Black calls this the second-funniest ticket story in franchise history. Back when the team flew commercial, the Lakers once had a player who left tickets for "Guy I Met At The Airport."
--Ross Siler
I covered the Lakers for three years for the Los Angeles Daily News before coming to the Tribune for the start of the playoffs last year. There's a ton of respect on my end for what the Lakers have accomplished in finishing with the Western Conference's best record, and I think my awards ballot was proof of that.
I voted Kobe Bryant for Most Valuable Player and Phil Jackson for Coach of the Year, in large part for the work he has done developing young players like Andrew Bynum, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic. I voted Bynum for Most Improved Player (even though he played just 35 games) and Pau Gasol third-team all-NBA.
The Lakers' roster has gone through some significant changes since I covered the team. I don't know Gasol, Trevor Ariza, D.J. Mbenga or Ira Newble. I don't know Coby Karl, either, even though we could pass for brothers. But I wanted to share some stories of the Lakers I was able to get to know in those years.
We're going to do these two or three at a time for the next couple of days on the blog. Hope you enjoy.
KOBE BRYANT
The way it's looking, Bryant has the chance this year to claim his first MVP award, win a fourth championship with the Lakers and lead the U.S. to gold at the Beijing Olympics. That's a historic year by any standard. In 1992, Michael Jordan was both the regular-season and NBA Finals MVP with Chicago and played on the Dream Team.
Even though you see Bryant on the court, you can't imagine the world he inhabits. He showed up one day at practice driving a $400,000 Maybach. There was talk for a while that he was going to buy a helicopter for his commute from Orange County and land it next door to Staples Center at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In the three years, I covered the team, I felt like I saw Bryant's unguarded personality once. It was an off night in Minnesota and I was walking out of the Lakers' hotel with another writer after having a couple of drinks at the bar. We crossed paths with Bryant in the lobby as he was returning from having dinner with his bodyguards.
It was only a two-minute conversation, but Bryant was funny and laughing and more than a little profane. I walked out thinking that Bryant would be universally liked if fans only could see that side of him. At the same time, he probably has too much to lose to show that side other than to a couple of reporters at 1 a.m. in a hotel lobby.
My favorite memory of covering Bryant came when he visited Lower Merion High on a trip to Philadelphia last season. It was almost like a hurricane hit the school as he walked through the halls and stopped to see some of his old teachers. The number of kids tailing him multiplied almost every minute he was at the school.
The last stop was the boys basketball locker room, where they kicked out all the reporters and Bryant spoke to the team for 10 minutes in advance of the region tournament. For the short time we were in the room, you could see Bryant asking one kid if he'd worked on his jumper and another kid if he was using that move he'd showed him.
It turned out Bryant had held a clinic at Lower Merion the summer before and remembered not only the kids' names and faces but their games as well. His 81-point spectacular against Toronto might be the most incredible thing I ever cover, but for whatever reason, watching Bryant ask those high-school kids about how they were playing stuck with me.
VLADIMIR RADMANOVIC
The series with the Jazz will give everyone the chance to head up to Snowbird with Radmanovic and relive some old times. It was only last season that Radmanovic decided that he would venture to Utah for the All-Star break (I think he stayed at Vlade Divac's home) and learn how to snowboard.
The problem was Radmanovic injured his right shoulder in a fall and decided to lie about the circumstances because snowboarding was in violation of his contract. He told us - - and presumably Phil Jackson - - that he went out for coffee in Park City, slipped on the ice and couldn't get his hands out of his pockets in time to break his fall.
A couple days later, Radmanovic told the real version (only after Jackson threatened to call in Pinkerton detectives) and the Lakers fined him $500,000. Radmanovic missed 24 games with the injury, fully living up to the "space cadet" label Jackson gave him during his first season with the Lakers.
ANDREW BYNUM
The best story I have from covering the NBA involves Bynum and speaks to just how young he was when he came to the Lakers out of high school. The Lakers were on the road somewhere and Bynum met a guy (I think his name was Kenny) and promised to leave him tickets to that night's game.
The problem was Bynum never got Kenny's last name. So he wrote a physical description on the ticket envelope ("Kenny Short and Black") and handed it to a ballboy. The envelope was somehow intercepted by Kobe Bryant, who vowed to get it framed once he stopped laughing.
Longtime Lakers public relations director John Black calls this the second-funniest ticket story in franchise history. Back when the team flew commercial, the Lakers once had a player who left tickets for "Guy I Met At The Airport."
--Ross Siler
1:16 AM
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10 Comments:
It should make for some interesting insight by Ross Silar seeing that he has the insider perspective. BUT! It is clear that Ross is a huge Lakers fan and if he shows that biased perspective it will be VERY irritating.
I can see the vote for Bryant as MVP but Bynum for MIP? That is almost laughable. No, that is laughable.
Watching the Lakers being praised by Mark Jackson and Magic Johnson for the next few weeks and dealing with Kobe Bryant getting every call and Fisher acting like a victim will drive me bonkers but if I have to read MY beat writer kiss Laker butt I will stop reading what I consider the best column in the state.
GO JAZZ!!!
Ross,
Any chance you could leave tickets to games 3 and 4, for "guy who reads my blog"?
The "Lakers files" are a bad idea. I realize that you can offer an "insider's" view on the Lakers, but like c-well said, this comes off more as a Lakers fan gabbing about the team and players that he truly loves, than any actual insight pertinent to the Lakers series with the Jazz. In fact, this entry seems like it would be much more appropriate in a blog written for Lakers fans.
I love reading this blog, and always look forward to reading your unique perspective on the league, but a big part of the appeal of this blog is that you offer that perspective from the viewpoint of a Jazz fan. This article, however, was written from the viewpoint of a Lakers fan, and I don't think that I, nor the majority of Jazz fans, can stomach much more of this.
I realize that this is your blog and you can write whatever you want, so I would never presume to tell you what not to write about, but as a long time reader (and enjoyer) of this blog I would hope that you might take heed of one of your readers comments and perhaps tone down the "Lakers files" a bit.
All that being said, I really do enjoy this blog a great deal, and appreciate the time and effort that both you and Steve Luhm put into making it what it is. So, thank you, and keep up the good work.
Nah Ross you do a great job. Always. If people don't want to read your blog (which us what this is, an informal blog) they don't have to scroll down and click on the obscure link to do so. What you shouldn't do Ross is change a damn thing. Your job is to fairly and accurately report on the team and their opposition. Your job is not to become a Jazz cheerleader through print media and your personal blog. If anything, c-well, I think Ross is more suited to cover this series than a lot of other writers would be. I like to read in-depth pieces about the opposition. I like that Ross is in a position to write about this series in as much detail as possible. Get over it man. (even if the Bynum pick was a year early) Good job Ross. You're BY FAR the best writer we got.
A starstruck newspaperman...how cute.
Kobe for MVP, Phil for COY, and Bynum for most improved--are you kidding? How can you be most improved if you only played in 35 games?
Ross Siler, the only reporter in the ENTIRE COUNTRY to vote for Bynum for 1st place most improved (Bynum only got one first place vote and ended up in 11th place overall). Ross, either you know more about the NBA than every other reporter out there, or you're simply blinded by your affection for the Lakers.
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I would never put a rapist on an MVP ballot. But I guess that's just me.
Ross, what don't you love about the Lakers?
I'm sure when Kobe gets every call in this series you will be telling us how he someone "deserved" the calls or had "earned" them due to his "status".
Hey Laker homer, you cover the Jazz. I guess you needed a reminder.
Ross,
I'm disgusted that you would even put an unrepentant rapist on your ballot.
Phil Jackson? Bynum? You clearly have shown your true colors.
Sam:
I clearly stated that Silar will provide a unique perspective on this series because of his insights on both teams. I look forward to that because I am a fan. A big fan. In fact, when I wake up each morning one of my rituals is to read the Trib and I usually click on this blog first thing. Like I said, big fan. The idea that Ross would vote for all Lakers across the board is ridiculous. If anything Brewer should have been voted as MIP before Bynum. BYNUM? Its just blatant LA LA love.
Just give me some Jazz insight as well and I will be thrilled. Or dont. Whatever.
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