Pro Sports Blogging

Fishing for a Sidekick

Posted on 17 Dec 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

Batman has Robin, Mario has Luigi and Kobe Bryant has Derek Fisher, his under-the-radar sidekick who has been through the trenches and title runs with him from day one of his NBA career – literally. Bryant and Fisher were both drafted in 1996, Kobe by the Charlotte Hornets and Derek taken 24th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. After Bryant was traded to Los Angeles, they instantly develo...

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‘A’ for Effort

Posted on 30 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

If the beginning of the 2009-10 season for the Los Angeles Lakers was a school exam, it would be a take-home quiz comprised of multiple choice and true-false questions. Up to this point, eight of the Lakers' first 14 opponents currently have losing records, and two of them are just one game above .500. To put dressing on the salad, they've won their last six games by almost 18 points ...

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Once the ‘Answer’, Now a Question

Posted on 26 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

If you look at his accolades alone, Allen Iverson is one of the greatest players of his generation. For starters, he was named Rookie of the Year after being drafted number one overall by the76ers in 1996. Then, during the 2000-01 season, A.I. averaged 31 points per game en route to his second of four scoring titles, notched the league MVP award and almost singlehandedly took his team to the Fi...

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In Need of a Pau-Wow

Posted on 18 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

Last week, Pau Gasol’s early-season absence wasn’t exactly an immediate cause for concern. After all, the Lakers dismantled the upstart Phoenix Suns on Thursday night en route to their 7-1 start and sixth straight win, Andrew Bynum returned from a minor injury to tie his then-season highs in points (26) and blocks (3) during that game, and the bench mob supplemented the starting fiv...

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Look Out: Bynum-ite!

Posted on 15 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

Friday night marked the ninth straight game Pau Gasol missed due to his once-minor, now-mysterious hamstring injury that has sidelined the Spaniard since Oct. 9. At this point, who knows when the two-time all-star will return? But really, who cares? The Lakers – winners of six of their last seven – are 7-2 behind the Black Mamba’s league-leading 31 points per game, including t...

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Look Out: Bynum-ite!

Posted on 15 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

Friday night marked the ninth straight game Pau Gasol missed due to his once-minor, now-mysterious hamstring injury that has sidelined the Spaniard since Oct. 9. At this point, who knows when the two-time all-star will return? But really, who cares? The Lakers – winners of six of their last seven – are 7-2 behind the Black Mamba’s league-leading 31 points per game, including three 41-poin...

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Kobe vs. LeBron, Not Kobe and LeBron

Posted on 11 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

I recently read an article that suggested the Cleveland Cavaliers trade LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers for the youthful but promising Andrew Bynum. This isn't the first time I've heard the orgasmic Kobe-LeBron tandem talk and I'm sure it isn't going to be the last. But I'm also sure Kobe and LeBron will never don the same uniform aside from that of Team USA. ...

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Tick, Tick, Tick

Posted on 6 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

This year’s Los Angeles Lakers team is a lot like President Barack Obama’s administration: both need time to produce significant results. Pau Gasol has yet to lace up the sneakers due to a hamstring injury; Ron Artest is in the process of meshing with the 12 returners and solidifying his role; and the Zen Master is feeling out his bench, searching for the right combination of player...

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Tick, Tick, Tick

Posted on 6 Nov 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

This year’s Los Angeles Lakers team is a lot like President Barack Obama’s administration: both need time to produce significant results. Pau Gasol has yet to lace up the sneakers due to a hamstring injury; Ron Artest is in the process of meshing with his teammates and identifying his role on a team already filled with stars; and the Zen Master is feeling out his bench to find the right com...

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Ron Artest By the Numbers

Posted on 30 Aug 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

Mercurial and capricious, Ron Artest is like a set of newborn triplets: manageable in theory, overwhelming in reality. Ron-Ron’s defensive prowess and hard-nosed mentality have ultimately been his saviors, but there were many instances when Artest appeared to wear out his NBA welcome. Everyone and their mom remembers the infamous Malice at the Palace, but that’s not where it began &...

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Eye of the Tiger

Posted on 24 Aug 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

With Lakerland all quiet on the front, I decided to switch gears and tackle Tiger Woods' supposed poor sportsmanship and temper: I was having breakfast with my grandpa Stan during the week that followed the 91st PGA Championship – which saw Tiger Woods relinquish his three-round lead to victor Y.E. Yang on the final day – when the Stan The Man mentioned his distaste for the poo...

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Breaking Down the Pacific Division

Posted on 17 Aug 2009 by Josh Hoffman.

Last season’s Pacific Division standings ended up like the 2008 presidential election: competitive at first, predictable by the midpoint. Before culminating their playoff run with another NBA championship – the fifteenth in franchise history – the Lakers bullied their way to a 14-2 division record amid finishing the regular season with the same number of losses as the Kings di...