LOS ANGELES -- It's almost a cliche the way he has embraced his every locale, living not only the dream but the time and the place. The world's most interesting man? Rather than that phony-suave goofball in the Dos Equis ads, I'll nominate Phil Jackson, who morphed from a free-love, New York hippie in the '70s to a Midwestern family guy in the '90s before migrating to California and -- what else? -- shacking up with the boss' much-younger daughter in a house by the sea.
Amid his radical lifestyle shifting, he has found time to become the gold standard of modern coaches in pro sports, now approaching his 10th NBA title in a career that looked bleak when he was coaching the minor-league Albany Patroons and driving their van on road trips. You hate to tell a legend when it's time to retire, especially when he's at the top of his game. But the perfect ending for Jackson would be to let the purple-and-gold confetti fall on his silver mane, celebrate his fourth crown in 10 years with the Lakers, appreciate his psychological work in transforming Kobe Bryant from a superbrat to an all-time maestro and depart in style as the league's ultimate coaching champion.
I really can't remember the last time I've found the U.S. Open more enjoyable. A tournament that usually has people looking like the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, the course has been fair and the players have appreciated the set-up.
Also, it never hurts when Tiger Woods, after eight weeks off from competitive golf, is one shot back, making fist-pumping eagles and shooting a completely alien five-under 30 on the back nine yesterday.
Before you tune in to coverage this afternoon, check the list of players in the top-10, their current position, some facts about them and the FanHouse odds on them winning.
Chris Webber came to Detroit this January because he wanted to help his hometown Pistons win a title. If he accomplishes that feat, what will he do for an encore? If you believe him, he might just ride the storybook ending to retirement. From the New York Post:
Asked about his summer free agency, Webber said, "I'm not really looking at this summer. Looking at seeing if I can win a championship right now. Not thinking of next year. If I win one, I just might disappear. You know what I'm saying."
Asked if he meant disappear as in retire, Webber said, "I got to win a championship this year and I might then disappear. I don't even know."
Of course, that's easy to say now, but next summer when there's several offers from around the league on the table, it'd be just as easy to see him keep playing, whether he reports to camp a champion or not.
But where might he sign? If he doesn't return to the Pistons, the Knicks are a legitimate possibility -- C-Webb admitted to the Post that he asked his agents to try working out a trade to the Knicks this past summer. But while Webber's low-post passing would be a god-send next to the black hole known as Eddy Curry, would Thomas really risk stunting the development of guys like Channing Frye and David Lee by bringing in a veteran to start over them? Of course he would -- this is Thomas we're talking about.
Another possibility is the Lakers, a team that Webber admitted he probably would have signed with had he been a free agent at the beginning of the year, when he could've had a full training camp to learn the triangle offense. No matter what, though, even with the rest of his buyout coming from the Sixers, Webber almost certainly won't accept playing for the veteran's minimum contract yet again. The Post suggests he'll probably command most of the $5 million mid-level exception, which sounds about right for me.
The Kobe/Raja Bell rivalry is one of the NBA's most fascinating. Kobe's ostensibly the villain, but it was Bell who unleashed a totally unsportsmanlike clothesline in last year's playoffs. It's supposedly Raja's grit against Kobe's flash, and yet it's Bryant who plays for a hustle-based team. And strangely, it makes both of them more likable.
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise's Lakers Blog, the two have an unexpectedly civil relationship off the court:
Grudgingly, it seems, Bryant will offer praise to Bell. More so, they try to make nice when they see each other. After the game, while Bryant was in the hallway talking to his wife and two daughters, Bell walked by. Both Bryant and Bell smiled and spoke to each other. Actually, it wasn't even strained, even if it wasn't a warm feeling.
Kobe still told the press that Bell "likes to flop ... I like to play physical." But all this means is that they're not animals--they're professionals, who can ramp up their emotions when it's necessary and effective, and take things personally only when they have to. And just because this isn't Kings/Lakers, doesn't mean that there can't be another level of ugliness added later this month.
BRITNEY SPEARS was wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey the other night as a dress for a Lakers game along with two friends, who were wearing Chris Mihm and Luke Walton jerseys. I wonder where you can find a Mihm jersey these days?
At one point during the game, Spears and her two pals held up a sign that read: "We love you, Kobe, Chris and Luke."
I'm developing more and more things in common with Britney Spears all the time. We both own Kobe Bryant jerseys, and we both, for various reasons, dislike Kevin Federline.
Anyway, while this may just be an innocent crush (though I don't know that the term 'innocent' can every apply to anything Britney Spears does ever again) that Britney has on Kobe, you know who the real victim is here? Vanessa Bryant. This has to make her massively uncomfortable, for a number of reasons.
1) Britney Spears is a ... is it okay to use the term "slutbag" here? No? Well, my point is that I don't think Britney's above acting on any lustful impulses she has for Kobe Bryant.
2) There is evidence (literally, actual evidence) showing that Kobe Bryant enjoys the company (ahem) of white women.
There should probably a long talk about this had in the Bryant household, and I wouldn't blame Vanessa if she called up Jackie Christie for advice.
It's not all bad news for Kobe, though ... the upside here for Kobe is that "consensual," I'm fairly confident, would not be an issue with Britney. In a legal sense, I think absolutely anything could happen with Britney Spears, and in front of a jury, he'd be just fine.
EDIT: Perez Hilton has photos of Britney and her friends at the game, and has their own, um, questions about her attendance. Big thanks to the very-much-missed J.E. Skeets for the tip.
Each week I'll look at the players who would have the best shot at the league MVP award if the season ended today. Why? Because we're bound to disagree and fight each other with chain whips ...
1. Steve Nash, PG, Suns: The Suns beat the Mavs, again. Steve Nash did exactly what makes him a viable MVP candidate, Dirk didn't. Somehow, though, this makes Nash seem less convincing, too. He didn't really prove himself, he just didn't hurt himself--unlike last time these two met, when Mr. Two-Time went above and beyond our expectations. Shouldn't that be part of what makes an MVP: the ability to surprise even his biggest supporters?
2. Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Mavericks: I wish I could demote him, I really do. Nash at least has an excuse for not taking over on Sunday, since anything dominant that team does counts as him taking over. Unfortunately, no one else is pushing hard enough to unseat that "best player on best team" logic. I also will only ever say this once: point guards and traditional post players can hide behind the team, freak scorers like Dirk can't.
3. LeBron James, SF, Cavaliers: Ladies and gentlemen, your Eastern Conference Player of the Month. This humble horse from out of Cleve-town averaged 30.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7 assists, leading the Cavs to an 11-5 record. He stepped up immensely in getting a win against the Pistons. And unlike the front runners, whose teams are stacked, or Kobe, whose team is lousy with him, he's a unquestioned alpha dawg whose squad responds to his magnificent example. I wonder if a whole season of this would be enough to leapfrog Nash or Dirk. Oh well. He'll get his three MVP's before it's all over.
The year of 2004 was a rough one for Carmelo Anthony. While everyone loves Anthony now, at that point all the smiles in the world couldn't save his image. He was down, seeking therapy, and needed all the support he could get.
According to the Denver Post, he got some from an unexpected source:
"I got a text from him that said, 'Don't even worry about that,' and this and that. I was like, 'Really? For real? Who is this?' It didn't have his name. It just had his (cell) number and 'K.B.' I was like 'Who is this?' It was Kobe," Anthony said. "He's been through a lot so you know he has the people against him. He's his own person. He's in his own world."
The Post goes on to inform us that there's now a big brother/little brother relationship between the two mega-stars, and that they plan to grow closer this summer in Vegas. Kobe says some nonsense about "the younger generation," but it's also clear the two genuinely like each other.
I'm sure there's some way to twist this story into a negative--maybe "all they talk about is shooting too much" or "both are thug criminalz." But me, I'll take the heartwarming tale of two often misunderstood athletes, who despite their different backgrounds have become great pals.
While he may also do things like complain about the season's length or try and get all psy-ops with the media, Phil Jackson is also a pretty good coach. Sure, he had Jordan, he had Pippen, he had Shaq, and he still has Kobe. But for some reason, he's getting some of the credit for those nine rings.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Jackson will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this coming September. Big Chief Triangle sounded relatively excited when the Lakers nominated him, so he might even smile for more than ten seconds when he comments on this latest news:
"It's an honor," Jackson said at the time. "I've always said these types of things are a reflection of a lot of things - the system that we've run, the influence of the people that have been on my staff, and the players we've been lucky enough to have coached."
This won't be official till Monday, but count on hearing plenty of "how good is Phil, really" talk over the next few days. It certainly fits nicely with the "do the Lakers have a team,""is Kobe better than MJ," and "is Kobe out of control" debates currently raging.
So during this whole Kobe Bryant thing, there was a lot of talk about Jordan, Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor. Jordan needs no introduction, and Wilt's already been the subject of his own Random YouTube post. But Baylor is the great unknown in that list--a player many younger fans might not be familiar with, and every bit as important as those other two in the history of the game. Courtesy of you-know-who, here's footage of Baylor dropping 61 against the Celtics in the 1962 NBA Finals.
Anyway, Kobe only got 43 points against Golden State tonight. He was absolutely ablaze to start the game, with 19 in the first quarter alone. But then the Warriors started denying him the ball, some Odom guy decided to score 24, and Ronny Turiaf took several key shots in the paint down the stretch. Ones that, technically, could have been kicked out to Bryant. By the way, the Lakers prevailed 115-113, making that five straight for the team.
The evening's two great ironies: Kobe spent several quarters overshadowed by Monta Ellis's own offensive show. The explosive Warriors guard ended up tying his career-high of 31, which was arguably more entertaining than Bryant's higher total. Also, if the Warriors had hit a two at the buzzer, there would have been more basketball and likely another 50 point outing for KB24 (instead, Al Harrington missed a three). But what's done is done, and I guess now Kobe Bryant is just another perennial All-Star who can drop 40 without blinking.
I really can't remember the last time I've found the 
Chris Webber came to Detroit this January because he wanted to help his hometown Pistons win a title. If he accomplishes that feat, what will he do for an encore? If you believe him, he might just ride the storybook ending to retirement. From the 
The Kobe/Raja Bell rivalry is one of the NBA's most fascinating. Kobe's ostensibly the villain, but it was Bell who unleashed a totally unsportsmanlike clothesline in last year's playoffs. It's supposedly 
From 
Each week I'll look at the players who would have the best shot at the league MVP award if the season ended today. Why? Because we're bound to disagree and fight each other with chain whips ... 
The year of 2004 was a rough one for Carmelo Anthony. While everyone loves Anthony now, at that point all the smiles in the world couldn't save his image. He was down, seeking therapy, and needed all the support he could get. 
While he may also do things like 
