Le Basketbawl

You truly did not fall for all that retirement talk earlier in the week that came from Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson; did you? When New York Vinnie heard that and the lack of sincerity in “Coach Zen’s” voice when he said it that told me that he would be back on the bench at the Staples Center next season. Thursday the “Los Angeles Times” reported that Jackson would be the bench boss next season for the team he won back to back NBA Titles with the last two years.

Los Angeles released a statement from their bench boss on Thursday. Jackson said “After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season. It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.”

The Lakers head coach will be trying to get his third three-peat in his coaching career. No specific terms of the deal have been announce either on the length of the contract or the amount that Jackson will be getting paid. There had been rumors circulating that Los Angeles Team Owner Jerry Buss wanted his Hall Of Fame coach to take a pay-cut were he to come back to the team.

Now that the NBA Finals have come to an end the focus now switches totally over to next season. We barely have time to catch our breath before next  Thursday night when the 2010 NBA Draft will be held. July 1, is the day that all the madness begins as Free Agents can start listening to offers from teams that want them to become part of their rosters.

The NBA Summer League starts soon after that and this summer we will also have Team USA participating in International play. So we will have plenty of hoops to keep us occupied over the next couple of months. And before you know it October 1, will be here again which means the start of NBA training camps as the whole process starts over again.

However before we can truly say good-bye to the season that officially ended Thursday night as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in the seventh game of the NBA Finals; there are still some loose ends that need tying up. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers are currently without a head coach. And there could be changes on the bench with the Lakers and Celtics as well.

Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson or as New York Vinnie likes to call him “Coach Zen“ will soon be without  a contract and there have been rumors that the club would like him to take a pay cut if he wants to continue as the bench boss of the team that he has just won back to back NBA Titles with. So needless to say it is not a lead pipe cinch that he will be back with the franchise next season.

Boston head coach Doc Rivers is signed through the upcoming season but he has a different dilemma. Rivers has three of his children who will hit major milestones starting in the fall. The Celtics head coach has a son and daughter who are graduating college next spring and a younger son who will be graduating high school at the same time. And all three of them are involved in team sports at their respective schools. The Boston bench boss loves his gig but he would regret not being able to travel with his children and watch them perform in the season ahead.

 Now New York Vinnie will say up front that the chances of the scenario I am going to propose will most likely not occur. In fact the chances of it happening are pretty slim; but New York Vinnie has seen too many strange things happen in my time on this Planet to rule it out. If the stars line-up correctly we could have a once in a lifetime situation on our hands that would make things to say the least very interesting next season.

In New York Vinnie’s opinion if the Los Angeles Lakers ask “Coach Zen” to take a pay cut to keep his present position after winning the Finals two straight years they are insulting the man. New York Vinnie has his differences with Phil Jackson but there is no denying he is a great head coach. Let us remember that Jackson and the Lakers have parted company once before as the Shaq and Kobe era came to an end. So “Coach Zen” has been down this road before.

Now if Rivers decides that it is more important for he and his family to spend the year with them and Jackson is low-balled by the Lakers is it possible that “Coach Zen” could be the bench boss for the Boston Celtics next season? If Jax really wants to kick Lakers owner Jerry Buss where it hurts the most it just could happen.

Although Jackson has won more NBA Finals as a head coach than anyone else in the history of the NBA; he is tied in another  category. Both “Coach Zen” and Miami Heat President Pat Riley have won NBA Finals with two different teams. If Jackson takes over for Rivers in Boston he could conceivably break that tie by winning the NBA Finals with the Celtics. If “Coach Zen” is looking for one more mountain to climb before he decides to call it a career Boston could be that challenge he is looking for. They used to say when Bear Bryant was the football coach of the Crimson Tide “He can take his’n and beat your’n, and he can take your’n and beat his’n.” If “Coach Zen” goes to Boston for next season he could actually do that!

Now most likely Jackson will re-sign with the Lakers and New York Vinnie thinks that Rivers will work out something with the Celtics so that he can keep running the team on the floor. But as New York Vinnie pointed out earlier you can never rule anything out; especially in the world of Pro Sports.

Anybody who knows anything about the history of the National Basketball Association has to give the Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson his propers. After all “Coach Zen” has now won 10 NBA Championships after winning number four with the Lakers last year. However Your Old Pal New York Vinnie has to say that as a human being “Coach Zen” has turned into a Frickin PUD! New York Vinnie is not quite sure when this transformation happened but it has as Jackson in trying to get an edge before a Playoff series starts; says something to try to get the NBA referees on his side.

In the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs Jackson told reporters that Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant was getting “Super-Star Treatment” by NBA officials. In other words “Coach Zen” was insinuating that the third year All-Star was not getting calls on a lot of violations he was committing. Durant who was making his first appearance in the Post Season was upset by the remarks and they may have affected his play during the first round match-up.

The “Los Angeles Times” reported that “Coach Zen” is once again trying to get inside the heads of his opponents before they take on the Boston Celtics Thursday in the NBA Finals. Jackson was trying to point out the differences between the two opponents who will meet at the Staples Center for game one of the best of seven series. The Lakers bench boss told reporters “We don’t have a smack-down mentality. You might have seen that with Garnett on Howard in Game 6 in Boston, where he was smacking Howard’s arm and was finally called for an offensive foul. That’s not our kind of team. We don’t go out there and smack people around.”

If Jackson was hoping to enrage the Celtics  with his comments it did exactly the opposite. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers when told what Jackson had to say laughed and replied “We just thank Phil for the compliment. That’s very nice of him to say. I think he picks the best player on the other team or who he thinks is key. So I think Kevin should put that one right up there with his MVP trophy and everything else. I think Kevin should be excited about that. I think Paul and Ray and Rondo, they’re going to be (ticked off) about this because they were hoping it would be them.”

Garnett responded “I think nothing of it. It’s just Phil playing mind games. I think part of defense is being physical. Definitely being firm. You’re playing physical guys like Shaq, Dwight Howard, Bynum, you’ve got to hold your ground. You’ve got to find some way to absorb it the best way you see fit. Our style is to stay firm, consistent and there’s a lot of communication.”

In New York Vinnie’s opinion “Coach Zen” has not only complimented the Celtics with his remarks but he has denigrated his own team for being too soft. New York Vinnie remembers when Boston forward Kevin McHale threw Lakers forward Kurt Rambis to the ground during the 1984 Finals. That one play turned that whole series around as the “Showtime Lakers’ were then intimidated by the Celtics. Boston would end up winning those Finals and that won display of their toughness was a key factor.

In New York Vinnie’s mind I would rather have my team have a smack-down mentality than to be a bunch of wussies. And New York Vinnie believes most pro-sports fans feel the same way!  You Play Clean, You Play Hard but You Play To Win!

Your Old Pal New York Vinnie has been dreading the thought of writing this column over the past few days more and more. So let us get the bad tasting medicine out of the way very quickly by stating that it looks like New York Vinnie is going to be wrong about the Los Angeles Lakers going to the NBA Finals this June. New York Vinnie has been beating the Frickin Drum Loud and Hard that the Lakers would not represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. And right about now it appears that Los Angeles is pretty close to a lock to get that slot.

Now New York Vinnie is NOT saying that the Lakers will win the NBA Finals; just that it is looking more and more likely that they will play in the series. If the Cleveland Cavaliers represent the Eastern Conference then New York Vinnie will stick with the Cavaliers winning it all. But if and when that happens we will get to that at a future date.

When the NBA Western Conference Playoffs started there was an incredible amount of talent on the floor and New York Vinnie was convinced that the Lakers would be knocked out in the West. Especially after the Oklahoma City Thunder gave them a tough time in the first round.

However the Denver Nuggets lost to the Utah Jazz as well in the first round and the Dallas Mavericks fell to the San Antonio Spurs in the same round. We are now deep into the second round and the Lakers lead the Jazz 3-0n in their series while the Phoenix Suns have the Spurs on the ropes at 3-0 in their series. So barring any miracles we are looking at a Western Conference Finals that would have Lakers hosting the Suns in game one of that series.

So now the question becomes:  Is there anyway that the Phoenix Suns if both teams stay healthy can beat the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals? In New York Vinnie’s opinion; not a chance Phoenix will be lucky to get one win in the series if the rosters remain intact. In other words as long as everybody stays as healthy as they are New York Vinnie does not see the Suns matching up well against Los Angeles.

Let us take a look at the starting five of the Lakers:

Derek Fisher, PG

Kobe Bryant, SG

Andrew Bynum, C

Pau Gasol, PF

Ron Artest, SF

And now here are the Phoenix Suns starting rotation:

Jason Richardson, SG

Steve Nash, PG

Jarron Collins, C

Amar’e Stoudemire, PF

Grant Hill, SF

The only advantages New York Vinnie sees are Stoudemire  and Steve Nash. J-Rich is having a nice Post Season but can he possibly match-up against a future Basketball Hall Of Fame inductee? Bynum, although he stunk up the place Saturday can still ball. And if he doesn’t improve; you switch Gasol to the pivot and Lamar Odom in the power forward position.

So Lakers this is New York Vinie’s apology forthe lack of respect and thinking you could not be focused enough to have the chance to get back to the NBA Finals. However If Phoenix does pull off the upset; New York Vinnie will ride you all summer like a Harley 750 down an old Frickin country road!

You can tell it is Spring in the Northeast as the trees are now starting to bud; the flowers are now starting to bloom and the NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday. We have made it through yet another Winter and now it is New York Vinnie’s favorite time of the year; when the playing starts to get serious in “The Greatest Game On Earth!”

Even though it is yet another season with “MY BOYS” the New York Knicks going home after 82 games; it does not diminish New York Vinnie’s interest in the Post Season one bit. There is some new blood coming into play with first time visits from the Charlotte Bobcats and the Oklahoma City Thunder and some great teams are going to be on the hardwood over the next  few weeks. And New York Vinnie firmly believes that we will have a new NBA Champion at the end of the Finals and it could just be the Cleveland Cavaliers. However New York Vinnie will address that matter at another time.

One of the hardest tasks in all of Pro Sports is to win back to back NBA Titles; that is why it has not happened in quite  a few years. New York Vinnie told you last summer that the Los Angeles Lakers would not win the NBA Finals this June and in fact will fall short of making the Finals. New York Vinnie is even more convinced of it now than when I wrote it last year. The handwriting is on the wall for all those who care to see it; the Lakers are a team with a whole bunch of problems.

Do they have talent? Of course they do; otherwise they would not have the best record in the NBA Western Conference. However whether it is Dallas, Denver or San Antonio there will be another team representing the West in the Finals. There are too many obstacles for Los Angeles to make the NBA Finals for the third year in a row; in fact New York Vinnie has a list of them:

1) Kobe is not the same player he was last year: Last year Kobe Bryant strapped the team on his back and with some help from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom he carried to an NBA Championship. Bryant is too banged up this year to be able to do the same. New York Vinnie has written many times that I have great respect for Kobe as a warrior and nobody can ever question his courage. But too many years of playing through injuries have caught up with him this year.

2) “Coach Zen’s” act is getting way too Frickin old: New York Vinnie has also written many times that you have to give Phil Jackson his propers for what his teams have accomplished. However this year his Crappolla has been too Frickin much to take! For some reason “Coach Zen“  has a mad-on for Pau Gasol and rips the guy a new one every time he gets hurt. Yet he seems to have no problem when Andrew Bynum is out of the lineup every other week because he chipped a Frickin nail! His recent comments about the officiating is nothing but mind games; trying to get into the referees heads before a series even starts. And then he acts all Nicey-Nice and innocent and says he can not joke with reporters!

3) Injuries and Age: New York Vinnie mentioned all the dings that Kobe has but there have been other issues with injuries such as with Bynum and Walton. Now everybody mentions the fact that the Boston Celtics have some older players but the Lakers are no Frickin babes in the woods either! Derek Fisher is 35, Bryant is 31 and Ron Artest is now 30. That is three of your starters; all north of thirty.

4) The X Factor: New York Vinnie has to admit that so far this season Ron Artest has been a model citizen for Los Angeles and has caused no problems. However the season is not over yet; and Artest is like the dynamite that Ilana had this week on “LOST.” Very unstable and liable to blow up at anytime!

5) Lack of motivation: The thing that has kept man going since “Ancient Times” is the desire to reach the top; that is why men have climbed the tallest mountains and been to the moon. But you lose that hunger once you have gotten to where you want to go. That same drive or desire is no longer there; and that can be the difference in winning and losing in any aspect of life. The Lakers cannot possess that same hunger that they had a year ago; a hunger that other teams still need to satisfy. That in New York Vinnie’s mind may be the biggest reason why the Los Angeles Lakers will not be in the NBA Finals in June.

What was it that Frickin Forest Gump’s mother used to say? Was it “Stupid Is As Stupid Does?” If so then it would definitely apply to Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum who committed a Frickin stupid act as you can Frickin get.  The “Los Angeles Times” reported that Bynum missed the Frickin team flight from New York City to Toronto because the Frickin Dim-wit put his bags outside his Frickin hotel room door and went back to Frickin bed!

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that his starting center would be fined for the act. The L.A. coach said “His bags made it to Toronto, but he didn’t. So obviously he got up and put his bags outside the door and something happened between there and the bus, like going back to sleep again, or whatever. … He’s all right. A rookie mistake you would call it, even though he’s not a rookie. There’s a standard fine for it. He paid his own plane fare.”

No Coach Zen; Bynum is not a Frickin Rookie he has played for five years in the NBA. This is another reason why the Lakers will not Frickin make it back to the NBA Finals this year. Morons like Bynum; a powder keg ready to explode in Ron Artest. Jackson has a problem with Pau Gasol and nobody can tell Kobe what to do except for Kobe. In New York Vinnie’s eyes it is a sure prescription for an early exit from the Post Season.

If you have followed the NBA over the last few years there is no doubt in your mind that Kobe Bryant is a very tough man. Last season New York Vinnie took the “Black Mamba” to task for not having a procedure done at the start of training camp that would have gotten rid of the Frickin pain he was feeling in his pinkie finger. However Kobe did not want to miss any of the season and the Lakers All-Star was up to the task playing all season long and leading his team to the NBA Championship last June.

There is also no doubt that Kobe Bryant is a very stubborn man; Bryant makes a decision and then finds it really hard to back down. He is also in a situation that he calls all the shots on when  and if he will play injured or not. In Los Angeles Kobe is the “Emperor” and nobody is about to tell him there is something wrong with his “New Frickin Clothes“!

It is time once again for New York Vinnie to tell you a very famous story about the “Emperor And His New Clothes.”  Way Way back in the olden times there was a country that was ruled by an Emperor who thought that he was always right and he would surround himself with staff that would back him to the Frickin hilt!  One day these two Frickin Con-Men show up at the Palace and they say they are the “Finest Tailors In All Of The World” and that they want to make the Emperor the Frickin Sharpest Suit that has ever been made out of this brand new “Special Material.”

Well as New York Vinnie wrote above these guys were con-men, and they were out to rob the Frickin Emperor. So they decide to play on his vanity. They say they have this incredibly special silk that only Highly Frickin Intelligent folks can see. Truth was this Frickin Pair Of PUDS had nothing in their Frickin hands except for Frickin air! But the Emperor was ashamed to admit he could see the silk so when the Frickin Con-Men started to OOOH And AAAH the Emperor did the same.

Now all the Emperors Frickin Royal Advisers were brought in and told about the special material; none of them wanted to seem like Frickin Dim-Wits so they all pretended they saw it as well! The suit was Frickin expensive as hell and the Con-Men got their money and went on their way.

The next day the Emperor went out to show off his new suit. Everybody pretended they could see the suit except for one old senile lady. This woman walked up to the Emperor and asked him why he was walking around stark Frickin naked. The Emperor and his advisers were outraged; and told the woman she clearly was not intelligent enough to see the special material. The  Old Lady would have the last Frickin laugh though as she walked up to the Emperor and pulled a clump of hair off his chest and handed it to him!

The Los Angeles Lakers do not have someone on that club that is going to tell Kobe what to do. It sure is not going to be Coach Zen who spoke with the “Los Angeles Times” about his star. Jackson told reporters “I don’t see why unless he’s hurting the team out there and there would be a long-term situation in which if he played now, it could affect him for five to 10 games later on. The team would have to suffer with him on the floor. We’re not at that point yet.”

New York Vinnie has a question for you; if that point had occurred do you think Jackson would have the stones to tell his All-Star? New York Vinnie would say no Frickin way is Jackson going to say a thing. A reporter asked Kobe if he was planning on playing Friday against the Clippers. Bryant responded “That’s insulting.”

New York Vinnie admires The Black Mamba’s attitude that he does not want to show weakness. However New York Vinnie knows that the Frickin inmates can not run the Frickin Asylum. That is what seems to be the relationship that has developed in Los Angeles. What Kobe wants Kobe gets! It worked last year but will it work again this year?

New York Vinnie will tell you this; Kobe Bryant is not doing himself or his team any favors by playing through the pain. Get healthy and come back at full strength when it means something. Sometimes it takes a real Big Man to admit they are wrong. Is Kobe Big enough to do that ?