Saturday, November 22, 2014

Did kobe take too much or are we whining too much?

I'm still hearing talk among the media in an accusatory tone about the contract extension Kobe Bryant signed last season, which spans two years and is worth $48,5 million. 

And, as the Lakers were in Dallas to take on the Mavericks the talk arose once again, because of  hometown star Dirk Nowitzki's decision to take significantly less money than did Bryant in order to allow his team to field a competitive roster and the Lakers' continuing struggles.

Nowitzki, who has brought his owner Mark Cuban a Larry O'Brien trophy, signed a three-year extension valued at $25 million during the prior summer. The Mavericks were able to make acquisitions, such as bringing in Chandler Parsons and bringing back Tyson Chandler, who was a crucial part of the 2011 championship team.

"If you look at our ticket prices, how many times have we lowered them?" Cuban asked ESPN.com. "How many times have we paid the luxury tax? How many times have I told you guys 'I don't care if we lose money, I want to win? You know my motivations and I think Dirk's motivations are similar."

So, does that mean Bryant's motivation isn't similar? Does that mean Bryant doesn't care whether the Lakers are contenders, only that he receives a fat pay day? Let's slow down for a second here. I highly doubt that Bryant doesn't care about winning.

Even with his annual salary the Lakers had the cap space to field a competitive team. They tried signing high priced superstars to play alongside Bryant and they deferred because they simply had better options elsewhere.

So Bryant didn't obstruct the Lakers' chances of being good because he commanded and accepted his contract.

Still, many in the media and fans abroad have no problem pointing the finger at Bryant and blaming him for the Lakers' woes so far this season. But, it is basically a fabricated sense of perspective and management are the ones that should take blame if any responsibility must be claimed. 

Or, we could just accept the fact that things just didn't roll the Lakers' way this year and that just proves that perfection in this world isn't guaranteed.They lost their first-round pick early for the year, they have a new coach and a new roster aside three players from the previous year. 

Besides, for Bryant this is a business. The owners just want to milk their players for as much as they can, so why should the players mirror that mentality? It's only capitalism. 

This is what Bryant told ESPN regarding his decision to take $45.5 million for two years, which I guess is filling the salary cap so much that the Lakers can't sign a high profile player. Which is complete bullshit.

"I think you need to look at the business of basketball," Bryant told ESPN.com. "I think for a lot of writers, for a lot of fans, they have a very hard time distinguishing the two. This is a business and you have to look at individuals and what they generate and the market that they're generating revenue in. 

"And you can't separate those. People have a hard time separating that stuff. So, did I take a discount?  Yeah. Did I take as big a discount as some of you fans would want me to? No. Is it a big enough discount to help us be a contender? Yeah. "

Enough said. The Lakers' annual revenue is $295 million and are valued at $1.35 billion according to forbes.com. The Mavericks' annual revenue is $162 million and are valued at $765 million.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Lakers Recent Improvements

With Nick Young coming back to the lineup for the decimated and already beat-up Lakers, they have strung together consecutive respectable performances and victories.

In Nick Young's first game in the lineup he put up 17 points on an efficient 6 for 10 from the floor, adding five rebounds and a couple from behind the arc in 27 minutes. With an added offensive spark more importantly, Kobe Bryant only attempted 18 shots and put up 28 points on 10 makes.

The whole light at the end of the tunnel point of view to this turnaround is that contrarily, before Young's return, Bryant had shot only 38 percent from the field on 24 attempts, but 27.5 points per game. At 36, Kobe is also averaging 36.5 minutes a game, which especially coming off of a major Achilles tear, constitutes an endangerment to his health.

Bryant still did play 36 minutes in the Lakers' victory over Atlanta and 39 minutes against Houston, Young's return is only meant to soften the blow. The roster is decimated with injuries. Jordan Clarkson, Wayne Ellington, Ryan Clark and Xavier Henry did not play last night and Julius Randle is done for the season.

It is only one player, but this one has some swag about him that the Lakers whom are in a deep, miserable funk right now desperately needs. And his return equated into consecutive victories.

"Nick ! Having another player on the floor that can create and score puts pressure on the defense," Kobe Bryant told ESPN.com. "It makes a huge difference."

In Young's second game back he put up 16 points on 6 for 15 shooting, 4 rebounds and another 2 makes from behind the arc (only this time out of 8 attempts) in 28 minutes. Bryant had to put up 28 shots and made only 10, but he did manage 29 points going 8 for 10 from the charity stripe to help that case.

Wait a minute, 18 shots to 28 shots in a one-game turnaround. What gives? Well Jermey Lin only gave them 3 points and Carlos Boozer 12, both of which are capable of and should be contributing close to 20 points a game. And the Lakers only got 13 points out of reserves not named Swaggy P.

But they still managed the 98-92 victory with some clutch free-throw shooting near the end of the game and a where did this come from, but should of been here, explosion out of Wes Johnson defensively and in transition to put the icing on the cake,

"Defensively, we've been doing  a much better job," Bryant told ESPN.com. "Transition [defense] was a big Achilles heel for us. We've been doing a better job getting back on defense."

And when ESPN asked Bryant about how it felt to be so close to nearing that 32,000-point milestone he said, "I've been very fortunate and blessed. I've had some injuries, but not until a few years ago have been career threatening.

"I've had some great mentors in my career that have really taught me a lot, so I'm just very blessed and very fortunate."

I think a little mamba might have helped too.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

More is Better, but is it in this Case?

Lebron James hinted at a recent post-game press conference that maybe it was time to shave some of his and starters Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love's playing time.

James is averaging 39.1 minutes per game, according to an ESPN article from their website. His 39.1 minutes ranks him only behind Oklahoma City's Reggie Jackson,(40.1) and Chicago's Jimmy Butler,(40.3.) Both Jackson and Butler are much younger players with significantly less mileage on their legs than James does. They are also both in situations where their respective teams are battling injuries to key players, that have forced them to stay on the floor longer than their coaches would like to see.

The Cavaliers' situation is different than of those two teams aforementioned battling injuries. Their roster have barely come together, and first-year coach David Blatt knows that he needs to give the new players time to mesh well together. Blatt is also taking advantage of it being so early in the season, and once their roster has showed that they're gelling well he will have plenty of time to rest his players up for the postseason.

"For me, I don't want to do that all year," James told ESPN.com reporter Dave McMenamin."Obviously right now it's difficult because we're trying to find a groove, we're trying to find a rhythm and we're trying to implement something that you don't want to shortcut it, but at the same time you're tying to be smart at it.

"So, I don't mind giving a few of my minutes up, just to help the team, to help my minutes go down. I think it would be for the best."

James seems to be a little conflicted in wanting to give up some time, first being, he said we need to stay on the floor because of the need to coalesce, but he also stated that he wouldn't mind giving up some time.

He doesn't need to please anybody, especially the media or fans. James should just do what is best for the team and himself, whether that is playing a lot of minutes in an effort to get better together, or deduct minutes, and rest up for the remainder of the season.Or they can do both, which James seems comfortable with, taking a subjective approach to things rather than a black and white perspective.

"For me, its however the game is going because I've kind of played the whole third quarter sometimes and it's been a long stretch," James said to McMenamin. "So that allows me to get the first couple of minutes (of the fourth quarter) off.

"And like a few games ago I asked to come out early in the third. I got tired, then I can come back and start the fourth. So it all depends. But seeing how the first half goes and watching my minutes throughout that course and being able to gauge it from there helps."

According to NBA.com Kevin Love played at least 39 minutes 11 times last year. In those 11 games, he averaged; 29.2 ppg., and 11.7 rpg. Irving played in 19 games last year in where he exceeded the 38-minute mark. His performance garnered him 27.8 ppg. and James played a whopping 26 times in which his minutes exceeded 38. In those games he averaged; 30.6 ppg. and 7 rpg.

These players have all proved they can contribute significantly in big minutes,but it's up to coach Blatt and the rest of the players to communicate to each other how they feel and to be honest.

They'll figure things out. Just like the Lakers will. They're professionals, give them time to do what they do. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Small Neighborhood Council Meeting Looking to do Big Things


The Northwestern San Pedro Neighborhood  Council Issues Committee is hosting a meeting Nov. 10 at Peck Park to discuss Mayor Eric Garcetti’s minimum wage proposal.
The committee hosted a similar meeting Oct. 22, where meeting focussed on the proposal, voter turnout in Los Angeles, various street repairs and alterations, truck's routes to the freeway from the Rancho LPG facility and the agendas for the two subsequent meetings.
Committee members are hoping for representatives from the mayor's office and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce  be present with open ears. The people most affected by the proposal are employees collecting minimum wage and the small business owners who will be paying it.
Another issue that was discussed was the low voter turnout here in Los Angeles. The city is thinking about aligning city elections with state and federal elections for convenience. The city is also proposing that the Los Angeles Unified School District host its elections simultaneously. The council also discussed the issue at an Oct. 29 meeting at the San Pedro City Hall building. 
Traffic 
One man in attendance commended the city's effort in filling potholes on north Gaffey Street. But, the bike lanes definitely hit the wrong way with a lot in the community.
Community members were displeased with the city not keeping the community aware and involved road diet and bike lane installations.  They were largely resigned to the fact that the bike lanes aren't going anywhere. They aid that more could have been done to ease traffic congestion. The council will try and take the issue to the Department of Transportation, which is responsible for implementing the lanes.
         In relation to slowing traffic down, the city is thinking about putting speed bumps throughout the city. Those who were in attendance seemed to have contrasting views, but one thing everybody agreed on is that traffic will slow down throughout the city. Emergency responders will have a tougher time maneuvering through traffic and these bumps have negative impacts on a vehicle's gas mileage because of how slow it will travel and how often the vehicle's brakes are used.
People in support of the speed bumps though, say that slowing traffic down is exactly the goal trying to be achieved in order to reduce accidents. Moreover, the question of, “How will everything involved in the bumps implementation be paid for?” remains. This subject will also be talked about more thoroughly at the Nov. 10 meeting.
Rancho  LPG 
The Rancho LPG  facility tanks and the transportation of liquefied natural gas to and from the facility was the last item on the agenda. Those in attendance expressed that they would like the trucks to use  the Anaheim or Pacific Coast Highway entrances instead of the Channel Street onramp, arguing that Channel Street was too narrow for truck traffic.
For more details vist http://nwsanpedro.org


Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Grand Opening of Peck Park Skatepark

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Grand Opening of Peck Park Skatepark

    Skaters, elected officials and community members celebrated the opening of San Pedro’s new skatepark with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 15.
Skaters have already been enjoying the Peck Park skatepark since its completion, squeezing through or climbing over the surrounding fence. This pushed the city to open the skatepark earlier than they had initially planned.
    The $850,000 skatepark, was built to take the place of the Channel Street skatepark, which was closed ahead of pending expansion of the 110 Freeway overhead. Peck Park’s is the 24th skatepark to open in Los Angeles, with five more under construction. Channel Street skatepark founder and instrumental player in making the Peck Park skatepark happen, Andy Harris, was able to puff out his chest with an extra sense of pride at the ceremony.
    “Parks like this don’t get built in every city,” Harris said. “And, this park here is top notch, world class. You’ve got yourself a tourist attraction here.”
    The new skatepark looked like a very large swimming pool without water. Within it, there was a smaller about 7-feet deep bowl. Some skated the new bowl while others just relaxed and enjoyed the scene.
     “To see the excitement, the energy, to see kids young and old enjoying their new skatepark is incredible,” Councilman Joe Buscaino said.
    Buscaino thanked San Pedro for supporting the building of the skatepark, despite some of the negative stigma connected to skaters.
“Skateboarding has had a lot of ups and downs in its popularity and how it’s viewed by our culture,” Buscaino said. “Skaters have often been vilified and called anarchists… Well... today, in San Pedro, we welcome the skateboard community.
“Whether you call skateboarding a sport, or your art, or you don’t call it anything at all, we’re here today because there’s enough people that said yes to skateboarding in San Pedro.”
Buscaino pleaded with skaters to help take care of the park and to report others that would vandalize it with graffiti. In addition, Harris and his team pledged to keep the skate park free of graffiti using the paint supplies provided by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks.   

Chiropractor Honored for Aiding SPHS Wrestling Team

Chiropractor Honored for Aiding SPHS Wrestling Team

On April 11, the San Pedro High School wrestling team honored Alan Naim for his gift of $3,000, exercise equipment, and his pledge to become an annual donor to the team. Naim’s generosity will allow the team to build on their recent successes.
Treated like the stepchild of high school sports, San Pedro High School’s wrestling team didn't have a mat with their own school’s logo on it, let alone the sufficient exercise equipment.
Naim gave the team a $3,000 installment of $16,000 for a new wrestling mat. Until recently, the team was using an old 45- by 45-foot mat donated to them by Cerritos College.
Third-year coach Roman Hernandez said that the team was on the verge of not being able to compete because they couldn’t even afford tournament entries. The students who wrestled, ages 14 and 15, had to go out and raise money in order to have a wrestling team.
“Mainly, I’ve been putting it on our kids to go out and hit the streets and fundraise money,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think a kid should have to do that.”
    The wrestling team has seen its fortunes turn for the better since Hernandez became the team’s coach, despite the lack of funding and attention.
“We always have tough kids,” Hernandez said. “There’s 23 schools in the city and in our first year we took 12th and that just had to do with the San Pedro toughness. And, the next year we took 9th and in this past year we took 6th and we’re looking to make a move again.”
Naim learned of the wrestling team's woes from Richard Alvarez, a client of his chiropractic clinic. Alvarez is the parent of one of the members of the wrestling team.
During one visit, Naim mentioned to Alvarez that he had three exercise machines he no longer needed.
With a background in Israeli wrestling and his working with athletes on a regular basis, Naim was empathetic toward the situation.
“I see a lot of athletes,” Naim said. “I care for their well being. Whether it’s through equipment I’ve donated or through money I’ve donated.”
Naims’s plans on supporting the team for as long as his practice allows. With this new found support, the San Pedro High’s wrestling will make it to the top of their division.