The Purple & Gold Enter the Bayou

A little voo-doo won't be enough to rock the L.A Lakers. The New Orleans Hornets are gonna need Chris Paul to put up beau coup ("a lot" in French) points to outlast L.A. The battle of the reigning MVP, and last year's runner up (CP3) should be interesting.

The Lakers are joined by the Atlanta Hawks at touting a pristine 6-0 record. In each of those wins, L.A has held its opponent to under 100 points. If L.A can do the same tonight, they will surely be 7-0.

Here are some points to consider in tonight's matchup:

• Trevor Ariza: Have I mentioned this guy lately? lol Well, the Lakers bench is one reason the team has been so successful. Late in the Mavs-Lakers game Tuesday, Ariza blocked Stackhouse as he was pulling up for a three that would have gave the Mavericks a one point lead. Ariza is starting to make L.Odom look less and less valuable.

• Paul is Potent: Offensively, Chris Paul is vicious. Therefore, the Lakers D' has got to be consistent and strong early on. Jordan Farmar and Fisher will be trading off on defending Paul. They struggled guarding J.Kidd Tuesday who managed to put up a triple-double. However, he also had five turnovers. Did I mention, CP3 has put up at least 20pts/10 asst in all six games this season? He's gaining on Jordan who holds the record for 10 straight games of 20pts/10 assts. Don't worry, we'll end that streak tonight.

• Kobe in the 4th: Kobe Bryant is like late breaking news. When he strikes, everyone scrambles. I'm glad the Mamba hasn't had to play as many minutes. But when he steps on the court in the 4th -- It's over. Ariza and Jordan Farmar have stepped up, while Derek Fisher and Radmanovic have yet to impress the masses.

• Bynum vs. Gasol: As excited as I was for Andrew Bynum to return to the lakeshow, I'm still not blown away by his performance thus far. Will he ever be as good as Pau Gasol? Let's hope he turns it up a notch tonight! He just inked a hefty contract of $58 million. Um, check please! Oh yeah, watch for Gasol to throw some bows in the post tonight.

Pick: L.A Lakers (Who else?)

Score: 101-98

Last words? We're taking the bzzzzzz out of those bees in the Bayou...

Hopefully, we'll wake up tomorrow to two unbeaten teams. I hope ATL's Mike Bibby makes it rain on the C's tonight. Enjoy the games!

~Crossy~

Lakers Preview: We're BAAAAACK!

The Staples Center was booming with reporters and writers as Media Day kicked off for the Los Angeles Lakers Monday.

The Lakeshow is officially back with a new look for the 2008-09 season. Here's my take on the latest, greatest, and sitting on the wait list.


The Latest: Kobe, Gasol less minutes?

Coach Phil Jackson says he plans on cutting Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol's minutes. Say what? When I first heard the news I thought I was daydreaming. However, KB24.com reports that the rumor is in fact true. People fail to realize the number of minutes Pau and Kobe put up in the post-season. Bryant averages 38.9 minutes a game. Imagine if you only had 10-minutes of rest during your work day? Survey says: NO BUENO. There are two reasons Lakers' fans should not be worried about Kobe warming the bench longer than normal: Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza. They're baaaaa-aaack!


The Greatest: Bynum & Ariza

• Andrew Bynum is back and bigger than ever! (See pic above) Did he go to jail during the 08' season or rehab? I'm just sayin'!! The dude looks like he could bench Serena Williams and Warren Sapp in one rep! I'm not sure what his hoop game is looking like yet, but I can definitely see him going toe-to-toe with the likes of Dwight Howard or even the guy I love to hate, Paul Pierce.

• 23-year old, UCLA grad Trevor Ariza has always been a favorite of mine. I'm still puzzled as to why Phil Jackson didn't let the Ariza juice loose earlier in the post-season. The guy brought a much-needed boost of energy to the floor coming off the bench with huge dunks and a few major rebounds. He also added a little size to the mix of L.A's old faithful triangle offense. He was injured early on last year, but trust - this year, he'll make a significant impact.

Watch out for these two guys in the 08-09 season.

Sitting on the wait list: Walton woes; Odom, well...

• Luke Walton won't be suiting up for practice anytime soon. Word is that Lukey Dukey is still recovering from his off-season ankle surgery. Walton told reporters Monday that he expects to be out another 2-weeks. While he won't miss any regular season games, it doesn't help that the Lakers are already sorting out the rotation of an uber deep roster. Good luck Lukey. The way the roster is looking this year it seems like he might be coming off the bench like Lamar Odom.

• Speaking of Odom, he won't be starting this year. Yes it's true, reports say that Odom is going to be the Lakers' official 6th man. I smell a serious tiff brewing between Odom and Phil. I'm not a huge fan of Odom. I mean he's okay, but I definitely feel like he did not live up to his potential in the NBA Finals last year. Like K.Garnett, Odom had one standout game and then it seemed he disappeared for the rest of the series. Remember folks, Odom was only starting because Bynum was out. Since the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol, Odom is gonna have to take a backseat to Spain's phenom. It's the nature of the business baby! I bet you he won't be pouting when he gets that championship ring in the mail!

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Overall, it should be an interesting NBA season. Media day is just the beginning.

Stay Classy!
~Crossy~