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State of the Organization: Los Angeles Lakers

Jul 252012

State of the Organization: Los Angeles Lakers (as of 8/10/2012):

* The Lakers were a huge player in the Dwight Howard mega-deal. So lets go back through the rankings and see where they are now.

Players Lost:

The Lakers prior to losing Andrew Bynum, basically kept the team from last season in tact along with some new faces. They lost Ramon Sessions, but we know who they have now at point. So losing Bynum is substantial for the Lakers, obviously we know who will be the Center next season for the Lakers. Regardless, losing a 24 year old Center who averaged 18 and 11 with 2 blocks as the third option isn’t all too great. We’re knocking off a point here for the Lakers.
Players Lost Score: 7 out of 10

Players Added:

We gave the Lakers 10 out of 10 on players added a few weeks ago. And with the addition of Dwight Howard, we can’t justify going any higher. If we could, we would. The Lakers replaced one of the best centers in the league, with arguably the best center in the league. Not bad. As soon as the Howard deal was finalized, the Lakers finalized a two-year deal with Jodie Meeks to play a bench role behind Kobe. The rich get richer!
Players Obtained Score: 10 out of 10

Short-Term Outlook

The Lakers are now title favorites. No team has been able to say that for two seasons other than Miami. But this team is more well-rounded and imposing than the South Beach squad. Look for a Heat-Lakers finals match-up.
Short-Term Outlook Score: 10 out of 10

Long-Term Outlook

Kobe has shown no decline to his career yet. But he is certainly getting no younger. Nash is 39 and is looking for his first ring, but he too is getting no younger. Gasol is at the end of his prime and will be taking a smaller role on this Lakers team. The one sure thing the Lakers had was the youth of Andrew Bynum, he was guaranteed to resign and become a staple (no pun intended) of the Lakers organization for years to come. Dwight Howard might only be a Laker for one season. If that is the case, this is a bad trade for the Lakers. Although, no one who knows basketball would ever think that a player would opt out of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not to mention it could be Howards team in the future. Definitely worth the gamble for the Lakers. Previously a 7 out of 10, we will give them an 8.

Long-term Outlook Score: 8 out of 10

State of the Organization Score: 35.5 out of 40

Courtesy of ru-crazy.com

State of the Organization: Los Angeles Lakers (as of 7/25/2012):

Players Lost: Ramon Sessions (Bobcats)

Ramon Sessions was a great pickup for the Lakers last season. It was the first time the Lakers had a worthwhile PG alongside Kobe Bryant in ages. However, Sessions wasn’t able to step in and provide the Lakers the same type of performance people were used to seeing when Sessions was with other teams. It would have been nice if they could have kept Sessions to backup Nash, but they can’t have it all I suppose. When Sessions gets his shots, he can score, so the move to the Bobcats is great for him. The Lakers aren’t going to feel the loss of Sessions, they still have Kobe and a few other plays right? 1-10 Players Lost Score: 8

Players Obtained: Darius Johnson-Odom (No. 55) Robert Sacre (No. 60) Antawn Jamison (from Cavs) Darius Morris (re-sign) Steve Nash (from Suns)

We avoided mentioning in the players lost section why the loss of Sessions is meaningless for the Lakers. The reason is Steve Nash. If any point guard is going to be able to make a difference on the Lakers, it will be Steve Nash. The Lakers actually have a great team that fits into Nash’s style of play, except for Kobe’s 25 shots per game. If the two former MVP’s can find a way to share the ball, then this team is scary good. Nash is reaching the end of his career and an NBA Championship on top of his personal hardware would be the icing on a Hall of Fame career. He is in a perfect situation, lobbing passes down low to Bynum and Gasol and getting wide open shots when Kobe is being triple teamed. The Lakers also added a guy named Antawn Jamison, for extremely cheap. That was a stunning move and should really help the Lakers second unit. Los Angeles also picked up two of the last 5 draft picks in this years draft, Darius Johnson-Odom and Robert Sacre. DJO is a tremendous talent and could really benefit from playing with the Lakers. Robert Sacre probably wont get much burn this year unless injuries hit the Lakers front court. The big 7 foot Canadian could probably fill in nicely in an emergency situation. The Lakers have had an amazing offseason so far. 1-10 Players Obtained Score: 10

Short Term Outlook: The Lakers just reloaded for a run at the title this year. They want to win this year, and nothing beyond that matters. Adding veteran players in Nash and Jamison without giving up any talent is impressive. Those two should fit perfectly into Mike Brown’s style and Kobe will need to relish the idea of passing to some elite players. Expect the Lakers to make a few more moves before the start of the season and if need be, during the regular season. This may involve moving some of their younger talent to load up for a serious run in the playoffs. In terms of the Dwight Howard situation, don’t expect the Lakers to unload their entire team for him. However, don’t be surprised if somehow Mr. Buss gets Howard at the trade deadline straight-up for Andrew Bynum. 1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 9

Long Term Outlook: This is very hard to determine with the Lakers. Kobe should be fine for a few more years as he has shown little to no decline thus far in his career. Nash should be solid for another year or two, and the same with Gasol. The big question is the starting center. Will it be Bynum or Howard? Three years from now, Kobe will be 36, Gasol will be 35, Nash will be 41 (retired), Bynum will only be 27 and MWP will be 35. So they will be old, their point guard won’t be Nash, Metta World Peace is already done in my book and they will be relying heavily on Bynum who has only missed less than 15 games once since becoming the starter for the Lakers. Of course the Lakers will make the necessary moves to ensure Kobe has the chance to win a championship every year until he retires, but at the moment it is a little unclear how they will consistently compete against younger teams like the Thunder and Heat. If this was any other team, their long term outlook would be pretty good, but we all know the Lakers are always held to a higher standard than your typical NBA team. So for that, we won’t give them the benefit of the doubt. 1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 7

State of the Organization Index: 34 out of 40

: Photo Courtesy of takethisserious.com

LA Lakers’ Metta World Peace Finds Time to Chill out with Old Canadian Couple

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Jul 102012

Everyone remain calm; all is perfectly normal in the land of Metta World Peace.

The enigmatic LA Lakers star is currently enjoying a relaxing vacation. In fact, he is so relaxed he happened upon a photo-op with a elderly Canadian couple, and it’s too quaint for words.

The main man of WTF tweeted this gem Monday evening.

I have a picture with a great Canadian couple of 60 yrs Love it twitter.com/MettaWorldPeac…

— Metta WorldPeace (@MettaWorldPeace) July 10, 2012

He seemed to be so taken with a love that has lasted over 60 years, he decided to snap off one more picture and post it to Twitter.

Real beauty !!!! twitter.com/MettaWorldPeac…

— Metta WorldPeace (@MettaWorldPeace) July 10, 2012

World Peace continues to be the most interesting athlete, at least to me. While we all have our good and bad days, Metta World Peace has polar opposites, and no gray area in between.

He is either evil incarnate to fans or the sweetest thing this side of a puppy dog.

If you ask me, the troubled mind of MWP perfectly allows for both to be true. He may elbow James Harden, rush the stands as he did so famously back in 2004 or simply enjoy a sit with some octogenarians.

Don’t bother scratching your head when you see these images, because this is as just MWP as anything else.

He continues to be a champion for mental health, is engaging and wonderful with fans, wildly hilarious when he wants to be and is also a huge fan of the softer side of life as seen here.

I am done breaking down who he is. I’d much rather sit back and take it all in, because I don’t want to miss anything.

Follow me on Twitter because I get lonely.

Follow @gabezal

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Lakers Traded Rumors: Andrew Bynum’s ‘Short List’ Proves He Should Be Dealt Now

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Jul 102012

Here we go again.

Could Andrew Bynum be following in Dwight Howard‘s large footsteps with his “short list” of teams he’d be willing to go to in free agency next year?

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers are the top candidates on this supposed list.

Among Bynum’s short list of potential free agent landing spots in 2013, Houston is prominent with Dallas and Cleveland, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2012

Can we get this over with already? Do we have to subject ourselves to more drama?

Here’s the step-by-step breakdown for the Los Angeles Lakers:

Tell Andrew Bynum that it’s too early for him to be making this sort of list.
Trade him for Dwight Howard to give the team an even better shot at winning a title.
Call D12′s bluff and allow him to come to the inevitable conclusion that he should sign an extension.
Laugh as the Orlando Magic are left dealing with the problems of an immature center while attempting to call his bluff as well.
Compete for title after title.

See? It’s not that hard.

At this point, Bynum might not be worth the trouble for the Lakers. After the addition of Steve Nash, The Purple and Gold need to all be focused on their own team and their ability to compete for a title this season. Worry about the next offseason after the end of the 2012-2013 campaign.

If Bynum continues to make premature statements and potential demands about his future, that campaign will come to an end quickly and he’ll be able to actually pursue those desires at an earlier date.

Kobe and the rest of the Lakers don’t need to deal with a drama queen at this point. While his market value is still at it’s highest, deal him now.

Plus, if they don’t and Bynum’s initial thoughts on free agency become a reality, the Lakers are pinned squarely behind the eight ball and risk letting the big man walk for nothing.

I can’t help but think of the recent run of DirecTV commercials about ditching cable, the ones that end up in increasingly crazy situations. Just like a man can end up with a grandson with a dog collar or lying in a roadside ditch, this situation could spiral out of control.

Here’s my take on the hypothetical Andrew Bynum commercial:

When your star center decides that he wants to go elsewhere next year, he doesn’t play hard.
When he doesn’t play hard, he shoots three-pointers.
When he shoots three-pointers, Metta World Peace throws elbows.
When MWP throws elbows, Conan O’Brien interviews him.
When Conan interviews MWP, MWP shaves Conan’s head.
When Conan’s head gets shaved, the Mayan’s predictions about the world ending prove correct.
Don’t let the world end. Trade Andrew Bynum.

Seriously though Lakers, don’t subject us to a repeat of the Dwight drama or Melodrama.

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Metta World Peace Crazy to Call out Thunder Star James Harden

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Jun 182012

Don’t act shocked, appalled or the least bit surprised—because Metta World Peace calling out James Harden on Twitter is classic, crazy MWP.

The sane route for a man who once elbowed James Harden on his way to a seven-game suspension would be to sit back, watch the NBA Finals and not say a word of criticism to the Thunder star.

That just wouldn’t be World Peace’s style.

He went on Twitter Sunday night to sound off on Harden and a silly foul he made late in the game. With the Thunder down three and just 16 seconds on the clock, Harden drew a blocking foul on LeBron James, and then came this from World Peace via Twitter.

No brain All beard

— Metta WorldPeace (@MettaWorldPeace) June 18, 2012

If that were truly the case, it might have something to do with an elbow knocking said brains all over the Staples Center floor.

Where many see a tweet filled with hate, I see classic MWP not knowing how his views will be taken. America, say hello to fun-awkward Metta World Peace, a man who shows up from time to time in place of fun-crazy Metta World Peace or fun-violent Metta World Peace.

The Lakers’ forward quickly tweeted this mere moments later.

Harden will hit a big shot right now Watch out

— Metta WorldPeace (@MettaWorldPeace) June 18, 2012

On Monday morning, he solidified his position as a Thunder enthusiast, as much as these NBA Finals go. He may be pulling for LeBron James, but he thinks the Thunder take this title.

I had okc winning finals because of the Durant , harden and Westbrook are always sure about themselves. They play fearless.

— Metta WorldPeace (@MettaWorldPeace) June 18, 2012

Fearless? As long as they are away from errant elbows, I could see how you can classify them as fearless.

By now, your head should hurt and you may even have a nose bleed. Such are the symptoms of a person trying to understand the enigma known as World Peace.

Forget trying and just accept. The man is just trying to be funny, even if it comes off as crazy and out of touch.

Hooray for fun-awkward Metta World Peace.

Follow me on Twitter for updated awesome. Follow @gabezal

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L.A. Lakers: Can They Build a Dynasty Around Andrew Bynum?

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Jun 172012

After seven seasons and a breakout season in 2011-12, 24-year-old Andrew Bynum is now recognized as a tremendous talent with little-to-no leadership skills.

Can a team build a dynasty around such a dominating player whose demeanor fluctuates about as often as the sun rises and sets? Of course they can.

The real question is, should they?

Bynum finished the regular season healthy for the first time in his career, an accomplishment in itself. He rehabilitated his injury-prone knees, improved his conditioning and footwork, and added a few interesting moves around the basket.

The result was Bynum being named the starting center for the Western Conference in this year’s All-Star Game. For the season, he poured in close to 19 points on 56 percent shooting. Bynum’s 35.2 minutes of playing time per game were by far the most of his somewhat erratic career, and his 13.3 attempts also represented a new high and almost double the number of shots he took the year before (7.6).

Lakers coach Mike Brown and his staff made a concerted effort this season to get Bynum the ball more often. He and fellow Twin Tower Pau Gasol took an average of 27.4 shots per game, and together they contributed just more than 36 points per game for L.A.

So, what does the future hold for Bynum, and should he be the centerpiece of a new Lakers era? Except for point guard Ramon Sessions, who is 26 and may or may not in purple and gold to start the new season, the rest of the Lakers starting lineup is a bit long in the tooth.

Gasol, another trade possibility, turns 32 on July 6 and is in dire need of rest, which he won’t get until August at the earliest. He is eagerly looking forward to playing for Spain in the London Summer Olympics and could end up challenging for the gold medal against Kobe and the U.S. team.

Small forward Metta World Peace will be 33 on November 13 and is coming off the worst season of his 13-year career. In fact, MWP’s numbers have dropped off drastically in each of the three years he has been with L.A., marked by a terrible offensive season in 2011-12 where he averaged just 7.7 points on 39 percent shooting.

Kobe, turning 34 on August 23, is still one of the elite players in the NBA, though his shooting percentage this season dropped all the way to 43 percent, the lowest for him since his second year in the league.

Lakers management has, at one time or another, thought of Bynum as the anchor for a future dynasty. They recently picked up his option for next season at $16.1 million, but is this the type of player you really want to build a franchise around?

Despite his impressive numbers, Bynum has proven time and again to be an erratic, often disinterested sort who doesn’t join huddles, takes ill-advised three-point shots and displays little passion for being a team leader.

As reported earlier on June 4 by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, there is no guarantee Bynum will be a Laker for life:

Bynum had plenty of ill-conceived moments this season, including a well-documented three-point attempt in the third quarter of a close game at Golden State Warriors” id=”ORSPT000100″ href=”http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/golden-state-warriors-ORSPT000100.topic” class=”taxInlineTagLink”>Golden State in March. He was yanked from the game and said afterward it wouldn’t stop him from taking more three-point shots. (He didn’t.)

The Lakers fined him about $7,500 for his actions stemming from that game.

About a week later, Bynum didn’t take part in team huddles during timeouts in a game against undermanned New Orleans because he said he was resting and “getting my Zen on.”

One year ago, after their disappointing sweep in the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, Lakers legend Magic Johnson strongly suggested that management should “blow up” the team and rebuild. One year later, they have the opportunity to start that process by trading their most valuable young asset, Andrew Bynum.

The smartest thing management could do is trade Bynum now for someone like superstar point guard Deron Williams of the Brooklyn Nets. Bynum grew up in nearby New Jersey and having him in a Nets uniform when the team opens play in its new arena this fall will give them a legitimate young star on the rise.

And it will give the Lakers one of the league’s premier point guards, who is still just 27.

Or, the Lakers can move Bynum to a young team like Charlotte or New Orleans, where they might be able to pry loose a few up-and-coming players (Kemba Walker?) and/or a high draft pick. The Hornets have two first-round selections, including the 10th—what about Bynum for that pick plus Trevor Ariza?

Or Bynum for Ariza, point guard Jarrett Jack and 6’8″ forward Lance Thomas?

The bottom line is, trying to build a dynasty around Bynum in Los Angeles would be counterproductive. For at least the next two years Bryant remains the leader of the Lakers and a fixture in the team’s hierarchy.

Building pieces now around Bryant makes more sense, and the best way to do that is to move young, valuable assets like Bynum. Gasol’s $38 million, two-year contract will scare off most teams and bring the Lakers much less in return than if they were to trade Bynum.

Some pundits feel Bynum needs to go because he needs to get away from a ball-hogging, selfish Bryant who wants all the glory, win or lose, for himself. I don’t buy that argument, though I understand their point.

As NBA editor Tim Ziller of SBNation wrote recently, “The Lakers need to build around Bynum, or he’s going to go to waste carrying Kobe’s luggage. Talk all you want about Kobe’s will to win, but even Michael Jordan, the ultimate cutthroat competitor, knew when to share the rock, when to let someone else help.”

Whatever the reasoning, these remain Kobe Bryant‘s Lakers. There is a way to rebuild the dynasty, but not with Bynum at its core and aging veterans surrounding him.

L.A. should look to move Bynum now when he has the most value. The team can amnesty MWP and possibly trade Gasol for cap relief and a couple of decent shooters.

Moving your All-Star center is not crazy—it’s a sound business decision that may just bring the Lakers what they presently lack: youth, depth and a hunger for world championships.

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Why Laker Fans Should Worry About Metta World Peace’s Offseason Plans

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Jun 112012

The Los Angeles Lakers face a tough offseason decision as it relates to small forward Metta World Peace. But MWP may have just made the decision easier for general manager Mitch Kupchak.

World Peace is set to make his acting debut in a movie adaptation of Nancy Grace’s first novel, The Eleventh Victim, set to premiere in the fall on Lifetime Movie Network.

While that’s good news for MWP, it’s bad news for the Lakers. Most Lakers fans know that, when he’s not entirely focused on basketball, he’s not nearly the same player that fans have seen for most of his career.

He’s clearly not a player who can juggle multiple things. Too often, things get in the way of what should be priority one, and that’s basketball and winning a championship.

World Peace struggled early this season due to admittedly being out of shape for the first half of the season. What are the chances that that happens again now that he will have other things to focus on?

World Peace could be a candidate for Kupchak to use the amnesty clause on, and that option may be looking better by the day.

He’s owed over $15 million the next two seasons. For the future of the franchise, the Lakers may be better of moving forward without him. His production is starting to slide as well, and although he finished strong in the postseason, the reality of the situation is that he’s 32 years old. And the 7.7 points per game he averaged is about half of the 14.2 MWP has averaged throughout his career.

His body is starting to betray him, and the last thing the Lakers need is a player trending the wrong way—especially one who isn’t completely focused.

If Kupchak is smart, Lakers fans won’t be watching World Peace at the Staples Center this next season. But hey, they can always get their dose of craziness by tuning into the Lifetime Movie Network.

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Metta World Peace calls Mike Brown fat (Ball Don’t Lie)

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May 222012

We have had plenty of Lakers postmortems in the wake of their Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Most concern whether or not they’ll try to make a big trade involving Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, or both. It’s a period of great flux for the franchise, and all we can really be sure of is that Kobe Bryant will continue to play a huge role in whatever happens.
Whether or not Metta World Peace will be part of that future is anyone’s guess. After signing with the Lakers as Ron Artest in 2009, he was an integral part of the Lakers’ championship that season. Over the past two seasons, however, they’ve seen diminishing returns on their investment, with MWP becoming less dependable, more reckless ( the elbow to the head of James Harden will always make that point), and a little pudgier around his midsection. He has one more year on his contract, plus a player option season that he’d be a fool not to take, but the Lakers might consider using their amnesty clause on him to save some cash.
World Peace, to his credit, took some blame for his struggles this season while at Lakers HQ today for his season-ending interview. However, in doing so, he also called his coach fat. From Mark Medina for the Los Angeles Times on Twitter (via PBT ):

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Los Angeles Lakers: Why Poor Three-Point Shooting Could be The Team’s Downfall

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May 182012

As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to meet Oklahoma City in Game Three tonight at Staples Center, one glaring statistic that jumps out and screams “surrender” is L.A.s pathetic three-point shooting in the playoffs.

It’s a big reason—maybe the most important—why the Lakers may bow out in four or five games if they don’t improve in a hurry.

Four players on the Lakers took a total of 15 three point shots in their 77-75 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday. They made just two, one by Metta World Peace and the other by Steve Blake.

Kobe Bryant was 0-6 and Blake just 1-5, including a miss at the buzzer that would have won the game for L.A.

Matt Barnes took just one long distance shot in Game Two and missed it. In nine playoff games, Barnes is shooting just 17 percent from beyond the arc, missing 25 of 30 shots from long distance. He looks shell shocked.

Point guard Ramon Sessions has fallen off a cliff with his play, including his three point shot. Sessions has missed 17 of 21 shots in nine games. He’s taken none in this series. I believe the team has issued an APB (all points bulletin) because he seems to be missing in action.

The Lakers as a team are shooting 31 percent from three point land in the playoffs. Yet there are some silver linings in all of this doomsday talk.

The club hit on seven of 16 in Game One against the Thunder and Blake has had his moments, most notably the 19 points he scored off the bench in the Lakers’ Game Seven elimination game of Denver last week. Fifteen of those points came on five of six shooting from beyond the arc.

Blake has made 42 percent of his three point shots in nine playoff games, a decent stat which would be much higher had it not been for Wednesday’s debacle. And MWP has made 7-18 in the three games he’s participated in, that’s good for 39 percent.

Not all of the team’s problems are relegated to three point shooting. The Lakers need much more from Pau Gasol – his 12.7 ppg average for the playoffs is five points below his season percentage.

But collectively, it’s the outside shooting that is making it so difficult for the bigs because the perimeter players are not keeping the Thunder defense honest.

Tonight is obviously the pivotal game in this series. Bounce back, win it and the Lakers suddenly have new life—well, at least for 24 hours while they rest up for a back to back playoff game on Saturday caused by the strike-shortened season.

The bottom line is Oklahoma City has the better team and the Lakers now need to win four of five from a team that is 4-1 against them this season. To do that, Bryant, Sessions, Blake, Barnes, MWP and anyone else out on the perimeter with the ball in his hands who has a good look needs to make their three point shots.

If they do, the Lakers will live to play another day.

If they don’t, they’ll be making travel plans as early as next week.

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ABC station labels World Peace as ‘Lakers Idiot’

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May 172012

Metta World Peace, the Lakers forward formerly known as Ron Artest, has had his moments of questionable judgement over the years. The latest incident involving MWP is the now infamous elbow he connected that led to a James Harden concussion, which cost Mr. Peace a seven-game suspension. WLS, ABC’s Chicago affiliate, decided to express how [...]

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LeBron James: Heat Star Absolutely Right About Lakers’ Final Play

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May 172012

LeBron James defended Metta World Peace’s decision-making in the Lakers and Thunder’s Game 2 matchup. He was right too, and no one should be surprised. The play was originally drawn up for Kobe Bryant — of course — and rightfully so.

But Steve Blake, a 41 percent three-point shooter, was left wide open in the corner.

MWP abandoned the play and passed it to Blake, who missed the wide-open shot, and the Lakers lost the game.

James has been routinely criticized for making the right basketball play in his career. It happened as recent as the Heat’s Game 2 loss to the Pacers.

Instead of taking the game’s outcomes in his own hands, he deferred to some future Hall of Famer named Dwyane Wade, who subsequently missed a layup he makes nine times out of ten.

The Heat lost their Game 2 matchup as well. That may seem like a simple trend, but as usual, there is much more to these situations.

Some will make a case for having the ball in your best players hands in crunch time, and I genuinely agree with that, but when a situation like these two examples arise, it is right to abandon that thought process.

Basketball is a team game. Even the superstars of each respective team will have to depend on their lesser talented teammates to make crucial plays. If a 41 percent three point shooter is wide open in the corner, there is no better shot to get.

What can’t go without discussion is how the Lakers arrived at this point in the game. They had a five point lead with less than two minutes remaining. The Lakers didn’t score in the final two minutes.

That time span included a Bryant turnover and two missed field goals by the Mamba, who was being defended well by James Harden. Considering these facts, passing to a wide open Blake was even more acceptable.

What we remember is always the last play, but there are always events leading up to that moment that are as crucial, if not more.

LeBron is right and consistent in his philosophy of always making the right basketball play. Some may say he wants to hide, or he doesn’t want to be the man.

But what people must remember is that James’ passing and play-making ability has always been the most unique aspect of his game.

His game has never been selfish, and he has always tried to create opportunities for his teammates. His 6.9 assists per game over his career is proof of that.

James is better off speaking his mind, as he did in this instance. He has committed and consistent haters that look to jump on every word he says. He will never please them and he should never attempt to.

He can say, “I like Archway Cookies”, and his critics will say something stupid like, “that’s because your soft.” (Even though Archway Cookies can get quite hard if you leave them out-of-the-package and uncovered, but you get my drift.)

MWP and James made the right plays in their respected games, it just didn’t work out. It’s basketball, that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

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