Sports - Los Angeles Lakers #11-Because this season was a success! - Page 4

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 12:37 AM

LIKE, LITTLE MERMAID.

IT TOTALLY FITS THEM. especially since in that one video of life with luke, they were playing cards. and i think there was an article about sasha "interviewing" pau, or something. and asked about sasha at cards, and pau said something about sasha cheating. LOL!

NessaBruin · 06-19-2008, 12:39 AM

can you imagine Jordy during 'Kiss the Girl'

yeah and it just seems like calm or whatever...like Pau calms Sasha and his temper down

and of course Sasha would cheat

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 12:42 AM

*IS DYING*

speaking of those two, have you seen this?!?!?

pau and sasha out in LA
(okay, so you don't really see sasha, he's the guy in white with the beanie. and who the heck is that blonde chick? anyways, IGNORE HER. but at the end, when sasha throws the beanie at pau in the car. and then pau throws it back

SO CUTE.

NessaBruin · 06-19-2008, 12:48 AM

that is totally cute!!

Laker OTPs FTW!

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 12:49 AM

Quote:

For the moment, though, foreign players remain the clear minority, which is why Gasol has become such fast friends with Vujacic.

You might have noticed that spectacularly exuberant on-court embrace between the two of them as the Lakers were beating Phoenix last month. Vujacic has been ribbed so much about his Lambeau leap into Gasol's arms that when I mentioned something about the two of them having good on-court chemistry, Vujacic said without smiling: "You are talking about that hug?"

But actually it is Vujacic who has been Gasol's anchor in Southern California. In his first weekend here, Gasol was already at Vujacic's house to hang out.

"He's from Europe; it's his first time in L.A., so I was more than willing to help him not get lost, which is easy to do," Vujacic said. "Where to go, what to do, where are good places to hang out, where is a good place to live."

Now Gasol is settling into his new house in Redondo Beach – where Vujacic's place is, too -- and they also spend considerable time together on the road. Asked about Vujacic's accusation that Gasol creates new rules on the fly in the poker game he's teaching Vujacic on the team plane, Gasol fired back: "No way. I'm not a cheater like he is."

they are not subtle, either. WHAT IS THIS? LUKE AND JORDY ARE RUBBING OFF ON EVERYONE. ROFL.

laker otps rule the world.

NessaBruin · 06-19-2008, 12:53 AM

seriously jordy and luke need to follow the zenmaster's plan to keep it covert

i can see Sasha showing Pau his 'cool places'

next thing you know it'll be KB/LO

dude FF is gonna die in like 7 minutes

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 12:55 AM

I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING. damn ff for always dying at the same time. (it's kind of funny that we know this now. always staying up so late. XD)

he'd take pau to like..... i don't know... the library.

'sometimes, i come in here, and check out nine books. you're only allowed to check out eight. *giggles*'

NessaBruin · 06-19-2008, 12:56 AM

T we also have to get to Fiesta Lakers next year...

he'd so cheat him out of a book

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 12:58 AM

OMG. FIESTA LAKERS. YES!!! we'll sleep over there, if we have to. in order to be firstest!

!

sasha finds happiness in the little things.

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Lakers' future looking good
By Elliott Teaford, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 06/18/2008 10:54:55 PM PDT

The Lakers' season came to a crashing, inglorious ending Tuesday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Their work is not done, however.

It is ongoing.

The Lakers will hold their exit meetings today and Friday, with the players receiving their offseason homework assignments. For some, it might mean spending extra time in the weight room. For others, it could entail additional time shooting jump shots.

Plus, the NBA draft is next week.

Plus, free agency begins next month.

Then, after a period of healing, the players will return to the practice gym in an attempt to improve their games. After a shorter summer than any of them have experienced in recent years, they will return to training camp in October.

Unlike the past offseason, Kobe Bryant doesn't believe the roster needs a major shakeup. The pieces are in place for another run to the Finals, he said after the Lakers' 39-point loss to the Boston Celtics in the deciding game Tuesday.

"No, we're fine," Bryant said. "I think what we have to do is continue to work, and that's really the key. It's understanding that it isn't guaranteed to anybody. There's people who have gotten here before and never gotten back, so it's important for us to understand that, to work hard and come back next (season) ready to go."

When the Lakers reconvene for training camp, they will have a more formidable front line than the one that helped them reach the Finals for the first time since 2004. After all, they will add emerging 7-footer Andrew Bynum to the middle of their starting lineup. Assuming he arrives in camp as healthy as the Lakers expect him to be, it will be like making a trade or signing a free agent.

Bynum injured his left kneecap Jan. 13 and missed the rest of the season. He underwent arthroscopic surgery last month.

Bynum's inside presence was sorely missed during the Finals, when the Lakers failed to match up with the more physical Celtics. What's more, Bynum will take some of the pressure off Pau Gasol, a wiry 7-footer who is more comfortable in the role of power forward.

Lamar Odom, a 6-foot-10 playmaker who has proved to be more effective in a finesse role than a bruising one, will join those two. Odom played the power forward role and Vladimir Radmanovic started at small forward this season.

Meanwhile, the Lakers anticipate a healthier backcourt when they meet for training camp. Bryant will undergo surgery on his damaged right pinkie after the Olympics in August. He has played with the injury since Feb. 5.

What's more, Derek Fisher played the final weeks of the regular season plus all of the playoffs with a partially torn tendon in his right foot. Surgery is not necessary, but he needs several months of rest and recovery for his foot to heal.

Although they struggled mightily during the Finals, the Lakers' bench mob could return intact next season - older, wiser and more experienced. Two players, Ronny Turiaf and Sasha Vujacic, will be restricted free agents and need new contracts.

Turiaf hustled out of the locker room after the Lakers' loss in Game 6 on Tuesday night and was unavailable to discuss his impending free agency. Vujacic at first declined to speak about it, but then declared he wished to be a Laker "for life."

"I just want to win the title," Vujacic added. "I'm not in L.A. for vacation or the good weather. I want to win championships."

The Lakers also can give Bynum a contract extension this summer, but it's likely that they will wait to see how his kneecap holds up this season before deciding whether to give him the big bucks a year from now.

Before the Lakers worry about re-signing their own players, or looking at unrestricted free agents from around the league, they must prepare for next Thursday's draft. They have only a second-round pick (58th overall) after trading their first-round selection to the Memphis Grizzlies in the deal to acquire Gasol on Feb. 1.

The Lakers don't figure to get an impact player drafting so late, but consider that Turiaf (37th overall in 2005), Vujacic (24th in 2002), Jordan Farmar (26th in 2006) and Luke Walton (32nd in 2003) were each low picks in recent years. They formed the core of the bench mob this season.

"We have tremendous potential with this team," Gasol said late Tuesday night as the Celtics celebrated the present and the Lakers pondered the future. "Once we get over this loss, we are going to be very hopeful. We definitely believe we can get here again and do better. We're definitely going to work hard to get here again."

i had sasha pinned for the whole fierce loyalty to our club thing, and it looks like i'm right. i really don't think the organisation is gonna let him go anywhere. many times this year, phil turned to him for offensive and defensive assignments. he's someone phil trusts and likes, so i hope he stays.

and ronny, i don't think he's going anywhere either. hopefully the team tries to extend his contract as well.

but other than that, our future is bright. just read a rumour that the lakers (and the celts) are favoured to win 2009. it's gonna be us, bb.

lakers0604 · 06-19-2008, 08:11 AM

Thanks for the article T!

I think you're 100% right with Sasha and Ronny.

Us favored again. Well then next year we'll show the Celtics who we really are!

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 08:17 AM

i hate being favoured. because then, it's almost like you have to live up to everyone's expectations. gah. annoys me.

maybe that's just me? and then, if you aren't as amazing as they said you were gonna be... they start writing sh/t articles. oh wells, the lakers are the real deal, though. so i guess im okay, now. whoa, i just talked myself out of being annoyed.

! i'm surprised im actually awake so early. since i slept like, 5 hours ago.

lakers0604 · 06-19-2008, 08:30 AM

Aww T!

I know what you mean. My mom woke me up at 7 and I was like MOM I don't have school.

She was like OH.

I think you're right. I find it annoying when they bash them and still expect them to come back next year. It's like leave them alone and let it run its course.

miSStakentriSh · 06-19-2008, 09:23 AM

awww!

my mom woke me up... to, er.... drop her off work. *facepalm*

lakers0604 · 06-19-2008, 10:03 AM

Aww T! You're so sweet. Like our team!