Posts for Tag: los angeles lakers

Warriors ... iPhone on T-Mobile ... Co-working Spaces

Been absent for a while but now I'm back.  Been very busy lately but hopefully will be able to post more.

Warriors!
Beat the Lakers last night.  Strong performance from Curry and Lee.  After a slump last month, they seem to be rolling.  Still need more production from Bogut.  He's definitely an upgrade from Biedrins or Ezeli but for $14M a year, he should be doing more.  Question is will he get healthy/better next year?

T-Mobile iPhone ... FINALLY!
News hit today that T-Mobile will finally be getting the iPhone.  I have to admit a certain fondness for T-Mobile.  I joined when the original Sidekick came out and never had an issue with the service.  The only reason I switched to AT&T was the iPhone.  If their LTE footprint were a bit wider, I might be convinced to join up again.  They seem to be much more reasonable with their subscriptions and this new "un-subsidy" is a good idea.  It's also reported that the T-Mobile version of the iPhone 5 actually is a newer version than the one with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.  It makes use of the HD Voice calling feature talked about during the iPhone 5 launch and has access to more radio bands across the world.  Overall, glad to see more competition in the wireless marketplace.  Could only mean good things for consumers.

Co-working Spaces
I recently moved out of the large office space my company has occupied for over 2 years.  Just didn't need the space and needed to be more economical.  We found some co-working space nearby in Jack London Square.  So far so good.  From a financial standpoint it makes a lot of sense.  Month to month rentals, shared resources, etc.  The one benefit I haven't quite seen yet is the creativity/buzz when people from multiple businesses hang out in one space.  Maybe it's the quality of the tenants as most of the folks seem to be lawyers, contractors, etc.  Would be great if there were more start-ups in the co-working space but that will take time.

NBA Rumor - Lamar Odom to Golden State? No way it happens...

There really isn't a perfect spot for a player like Lamar Odom, who is buried under a mountain of turmoil and mental anguish, but he could do a whole lot worse than the Golden State Warriors.

This is a rumor circulating about Odom coming to the Warriors next year for the mid-level exception. First off, he'll get better offers once his contract is bought out by the Mavs. Secondly, he'll want to play for an immediate contender. Third, he'll want to be in LA where his wife is and his reality show is based. However, it won't be with the Lakers. My guess is there's too much bad blood. The obvious choice is the Clippers (whom it played for years ago). They are the glamorous franchise now with Griffin and Paul. I could see Odom coming off the bench and having a positive impact. Plus he'll get to stick it to the Lakers four times a year in their own backyard.

Warriors lose to Lakers but much to be optimistic about

I just saw a great game between the Warriors and the Lakers. Outcome wasn't good (LA won) but man, it was competitive down to the last minute. Couple of free throws made by GS and couple missed by LA and the game could have gone the other way. Cause for optimism comes from the two previous games versus Phoenix and Boston. With their two bigs back (Biedrins and Turiaf), GS shows the potential of the team that some picked as the 8th seed in the West. The true test will be the next 27 games where they will have 18 at home. It'll be nearly impossible to make up 8 games to catch up to the 8th seed but a decent showing could go a long way towards whether they are sellers or buyers at the trade deadline. BTW, best block I've seen from Turiaf in a while and that's for a guy who gets a lot of good blocks every game.

Did the Lakers just steal Ron Artest?

I cannot believe that Ron Artest just committed to the Lakers for 3 years and $18.6M or 5 years for $33.5M. Does anyone else think that Ron Artest is woefully underpaid? The above deals value him between $6.2M and $6.7M a year. Here's a list of other players making about that much:
 
Nazr Mohammed - $6M
Vladimir Radmanovic - $6M
Tim Thomas - $6M
Jerome James - $6.2M
Marquis Daniels - $6.8M
Dan Gadzuric - $6.2M
Luke Ridnour - $6.5M
Jared Jeffries - $6M
Chris Wilcox - $6.7M
Etan Thomas - $6.8M
Mike James - $6.2M
Marko Jaric - $6.5M
Darko Milicic - $7M
Brian Cardinal - $6.3M
Antonio Daniels - $6.2M
Earl Watson - $6.2M
 
In an interview with ESPN, Artest stated that he had earned a lot of money over his career and wasn't really going after the money any more. Still, I think given that he's the only player since 1999-2000 to average 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals per game and is probably the best wing defender today, someone should have given him a lot more.