AGRI Biz

On May 30, 2007, pro basketball in Los Angeles frantically fell flat on its face, leaving Angelenos wondering, "Will we ever rebound?" Following a third straight forgettable season -- the latest of which resulted in a repeat first-round exit at the mercy of the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 playoffs -- the Lakers were arguably the second-best NBA team in Southern California. It was on the aforementioned date that Kobe Bryant began a barrage of banter -- not about ...

After a Game 5 loss that crept the Los Angeles Lakers within one whiff of their second NBA Finals strikeout in three years, my mother made a statement that could possibly serve as a forewarning to Magic Johnson, Michael Wilbon and Jon Barry's job security in the NBA analyst arena. "You know," she said, "the Celtics are the better team." Mind you, this is coming from a person who knows as much ...

Among the great NBA debates is the contentious cooler-talk question: "Who is the greatest point guard of the last 10 years?" With an abundance of outstanding playmakers at that position—including Steve Nash and his unparalleled leadership skills, Chris Paul and his king-like court vision, Deron Williams and his unprecedented offensive arsenal, and Rajon Rondo and his superb speed and quickness—the answer is about as identifiable as the single wisest Woodenism. And ...

According to his longtime girlfriend and Los Angeles Lakers vice president Jeanie Buss, Phil Jackson enjoys listening to tunes from renowned musicals -- mainly because he performed in one during his high school years. However, right now the Lakers coach may very well be rocking out to another genre, perhaps of the punk-rock variety and in the form of the song Should I Stay or Should I Go by "The ...

Last week I posted a Facebook status that read: "As good as the Shaq-Kobe duo was, Kobe-Pau is better." Within minutes I received a barrage of critical comments, including: "That's just outrageously false." "You're an idiot." "[That is] almost as retarded of a statement as 'the Suns have a chance against the Lakers'." And my personal favorite: "You are worse than the 'Fisher' 'Lies' girls." With those sort of responses, you would think I said something ...

Even after the Los Angeles Lakers seized all the momentum by holding their home court and taking a 2-0 series lead against the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals, Game Three had all the makings of an L.A. letdown. For one thing, EnergySolutions Arena (home of the Jazz) is arguably the most hostile environment of all the venues that house the remaining playoff teams (the Lakers and Staples Center, ...

His hair is ugly. His 2010 playoff numbers are even uglier. An 18.5-percent postseason clip from three-point land makes you wonder why the Los Angeles Lakers did not make more of a run to re-sign Trevor Ariza, who shot nearly 48 percent from downtown during last year's playoff push. Since signing with the Lakers last summer, Ron Artest has been critiqued and questioned, doubted and dared. First it was his ability—or lack thereof—to belong, ...

Say what you will about Ron Artest's ever-changing hairstyle, about his inability to consistently convert on the open jump shot, about his tendency to create a superficial four-on-five disadvantage for the Los Angeles Lakers' offense. I'll say this: The Lakers' 95-92 escape from the Oklahoma City Thunder in game two of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Tuesday night officially sealed, stamped and sent away the "Ron Artest and the Lakers are ...

On Sunday the Los Angeles Lakers began their defense of the NBA championship by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 87-79, in Game One of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Seemingly since the All-Star break, Lakers fans witnessed a near-healthy team—or at least one that can supplant itself into the conference finals with relative ease—which at times displayed the depth and versatility that is worthy of battling for back-to-back championships. Still, D.J. Mbenga's big body and Sasha Vujacic's ...

Sometimes a team hands its adversary the game on a silver platter, all but begging its foe to take it. Other times the opponent just snatches the W from mid-air, like an experienced rattlesnake feasting on its na´ve prey. Wednesday nightÆs Los Angeles showdown between the Lakers and Clippers was of the latter variety, with the Clippers being the beneficiary at the building both teams call home. In doing so, the Other ...