Kobe will have 40 on Sunday

[westkoast]

That's gonna be dope.  Thanks Ron Artest for saying that "no one has ever scored 40 on me in a game" should be some good motivation for an interesting game.

[Joe Vancil]

Kobe won't have 40 on Artest.  They'll have Battier on him by that time.

Stupid thing for Artest to say.

But I don't believe Kobe will have 40.  It should be over by the time he gets to that kind of point total.

[WayOutWest]

I hope Kobe doesn't go off for 40, that means the rest of the team is not producing or they are standing around watching Kobe.

The Lakers biggest success comes from Gasol having a good game and Odom causing mis-matches.  I worry about the Lakers playing against a team that plays solid and consistent defense.

[westkoast]

I hope Kobe doesn't go off for 40, that means the rest of the team is not producing or they are standing around watching Kobe.

The Lakers biggest success comes from Gasol having a good game and Odom causing mis-matches.  I worry about the Lakers playing against a team that plays solid and consistent defense.

Way to be Buzz Killington with the by the book, boring, basketball comment/break down that is EXACTLY right.  You are like the Mexican Joe Vancil now.   I wanted to see Kobe toast Artest and it turn into a really good, close game because no one else is getting involved.

[Lurker]

I hope Kobe doesn't go off for 40, that means the rest of the team is not producing or they are standing around watching Kobe.

The Lakers biggest success comes from Gasol having a good game and Odom causing mis-matches.  I worry about the Lakers playing against a team that plays solid and consistent defense.

Way to be Buzz Killington with the by the book, boring, basketball comment/break down that is EXACTLY right.  You are like the Mexican Joe Vancil now.   I wanted to see Kobe toast Artest and it turn into a really good, close game because no one else is getting involved.

Problem with that is Artest will also think he is the man on offense and completely screw the Rockets.  Artest vs Kobe one on one...over 48 minutes Artest (and his team) will lose.

[JoMal]

Hardly novel for Artest to come out with a challenge statement like that. He did the same thing after being traded to the Kings and promised the team would make the playoffs. Funny thing is, he kept that promise, even though the Kings did NOT look playoff bound up to the trade. He also played extremely tough in the playoffs that year and single-handedly kept that team competitive, even though his teammates were looking for that fishing hole long before Ron showed up.

Artest looked as affective as he ever has late in that season. Adelman was still coaching the Kings. Rick seems to draw that effort out of not just him, but other players who seem to need direction, like Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Peja.....

He says those things to challenge himself. By openingly saying something so controversial, about shutting down an offensive player like Bryant, he is telling his teammates they have to work to help him accomplish it and need to focus. The spotlight on how they play will now be on them.

Phil Jackson would be so lucky to have an "enforcer" like Artest to play mind games on opponents in the playoffs, just like he used to. Nobody on the Lakers seems to do that any longer.

No Rodman, no Grant, no Fox......no championship?

[westkoast]

Hardly novel for Artest to come out with a challenge statement like that. He did the same thing after being traded to the Kings and promised the team would make the playoffs. Funny thing is, he kept that promise, even though the Kings did NOT look playoff bound up to the trade. He also played extremely tough in the playoffs that year and single-handedly kept that team competitive, even though his teammates were looking for that fishing hole long before Ron showed up.

Artest looked as affective as he ever has late in that season. Adelman was still coaching the Kings. Rick seems to draw that effort out of not just him, but other players who seem to need direction, like Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Peja.....

He says those things to challenge himself. By openingly saying something so controversial, about shutting down an offensive player like Bryant, he is telling his teammates they have to work to help him accomplish it and need to focus. The spotlight on how they play will now be on them.

Phil Jackson would be so lucky to have an "enforcer" like Artest to play mind games on opponents in the playoffs, just like he used to. Nobody on the Lakers seems to do that any longer.

No Rodman, no Grant, no Fox......no championship?

When was Grant an enforcer ala Rodman/Fox   Think the memory is fading my old friend.  Rodman and Fox could be quite thugish but at the same time lock down defenders.  Rodman famously punked Malone and Fox famously punked Peja but can't name the person who Grant punked.

I think the league has softened up enough where you don't need thugs like Oakley, Fox, Rodman, Laimbeer, Mahorn, etc type guys to get far.  You don't need that same physical presence and brute strength because of how the game is called now.  Imagine Laimbeer in this NBA?  He would get suspended every other game.

[JoMal]

When was Grant an enforcer ala Rodman/Fox   Think the memory is fading my old friend.  Rodman and Fox could be quite thugish but at the same time lock down defenders.  Rodman famously punked Malone and Fox famously punked Peja but can't name the person who Grant punked.

I think the league has softened up enough where you don't need thugs like Oakley, Fox, Rodman, Laimbeer, Mahorn, etc type guys to get far.  You don't need that same physical presence and brute strength because of how the game is called now.  Imagine Laimbeer in this NBA?  He would get suspended every other game.

How soon the young forget their history.

Grant was the first guy Jackson had on one of his teams that would elbow his way through the other teams' players. He was a bit unorthodoxed about, is all, and it was more how he played then planned, but Jackson saw how affective he was and started getting other players like Rodman and Fox to go out and punk up the opposing players. 

[ziggy]

That's gonna be dope.  Thanks Ron Artest for saying that "no one has ever scored 40 on me in a game" should be some good motivation for an interesting game.

The big question is not if Kobe will get 40 or not, but how many shots will it take for him to get those 40.

[msc]

The big question is not if Kobe will get 40 or not, but how many shots will it take for him to get those 40.

Agreed.

The good news is that we can also count on Artest to take a large number of horrendous shots to offset most of Kobe's.