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When it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers, there's no lack of coverage for one of the most successful franchises in the history of professional sports. Forum Blue & Gold is one of those outlets that covers the Lake Show, an excellent site that was ran by Kurt Helin for five years before stepping down to write for NBCSports.com's basketball blog, ProBasketballTalk. Taking over is Darius Soriano, who has done a great job of maintaining everything that's made FB&G a go-to source for all things Lakers.

A few days ago, I was able to ask Soriano a few questions to preview tomorrow's game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before the season, the APBRmetrics community was intrigued by the swap of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest because it created an opportunity to conduct a real-life efficiency vs. usage experiment. Artest has silenced concerns that he would use up too many possessions, given that his usage rate (16.5%) is - by far - the lowest it's ever been in his career. Even though he's not as efficient on offense as Ariza was in a similar role last year, there's no denying Artest's impact on defense (I've read your glowing reviews lately). What are your thoughts on what Artest has brought to the Lakers?

I've been very happy with the Artest acquisition.  On offense he's not the slasher that Ariza was nor is he the above the rim finisher that can make one of those types of plays that really gets the crowd going.  But he's much steadier and has a much more well rounded game.  I think that he'll continue to grow in the Lakers' sets and learn the nuance of the Triangle more over the next several seasons and that he'll be even better on offense over the life of his contract.  I have been slightly less than impressed with his post game - I thought he'd be better on the block in a lot of our sets - but he passes well from the post and off the dribble and that play making part of his game has been a pleasant surprise for me.  I also love his ability to make post entry passes, which to me, is an underrated trait for a player.  As a fan of a team that has a marquee big man, you understand that having a player who is not a good post entry passer leads to possessions where one (or more) of your better players don't get the opportunities that are available to them.  But, Artest has been very good on that end and I think it's helped our big men to have an offensive threat that can create for himself while also still create for them.

But his real impact has been on defense.  Last season, the Lakers were, statistically, one of the better defensive teams in the NBA using their strong side zone scheme.  However, this season they are number one in defensive efficiency and I think Ron has a lot to do with that.  His ability to guard the opposing team's best wing player , and do it without much help, gives the opposition's offense fits while also giving Kobe more of a breather on defense.  Most fans saw how Artest pestered and bullied Carmelo last weekend and that is something that the Lakers could not do last season with the personnel on hand.  So, when you combine his stellar defense and his well rounded offensive game, I think Ron has been a great addition.

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DallasBasketball.com is an independent NBA team website that covers the Dallas Mavericks and the man behind the madness is Mike Fisher, an award-winning sports journalist that has been around the block (spending a decade as a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, for example) and who also covers the Dallas Cowboys, among other things. DallasBasketball.com is a must-read for people who want to get their fix on the Mavs because it blends old-fashion reporting with humor.

Because he's in Dallas, Fisher reported 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend and described the experience as "a breathtaking spectacle." Coming from a man who's covered 16 Super Bowls, that's high praise. Seriously. Fisher's resume as a writer is impeccable.

A few days ago, I was able to ask Fisher a few questions to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks.

I know some people think that, unless Caron Butler plays at or near an All-Star level, the Dallas Mavericks' acquisition of him and Brendan Haywood doesn't do much to dramatically improve the team. What are your thoughts on that?

I think most people with an understanding of the cap and the future – combined with the on-court stuff – see that this is a steal for Dallas. They are giving up a disgruntled Josh Howard (who recently just played 11 minutes in a game from the back of the rotation) for two starters … Josh was going to be a summer trade chip.

… now Caron can be that (even better) chip if they want to sell him in combination with The DUST Chip (Dampier’s super-instant-expiring) for a huge free-agent sign-and-trade. … and contractually, Haywood now has his Bird Rights here so Dallas has its center of the present/future locked in. In terms of where Dallas was a year ago without these moves (and this is including the Marion acquisition), the Mavs have actually CUT costs!

And on the court, it’s a major win. The Mavs moved out a Josh Howard who was out of gas here and get in Butler the sort of wing who, athletically, this franchise has pretty much never had. … plus a center who is top-notch defensively and sound offensively … plus the loss of Gooden in the trade might boomerang back to them.

In the last two major trades, Dallas will likely end up having moved out (in terms of actual front-of-rotation-level players) Josh Howard … while moving in Marion, Butler, Haywood, Gooden, rookie Roddy Beaubois. The whole thing sets Dallas up to continue to win 50-a-year at a pace matched only by the Spurs … and to maintain that level, plus flexibility, in the future.

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With the NBA trade deadline here one minute, gone the next, one of the major trades that was consummated last night involved the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal. Rather than analyze the move from the Cavs' perspective, I wanted to address a question that has floated around for a while. Even before Jamison was acquired.

How does this affect the Orlando Magic?

To answer that question, I went ahead and sought the wisdom of John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog and Tom Haberstroh of Hoopdata. One is a Cleveland Cavaliers' expert and the other is a statistical analyst.

Each individual provided his opinion on the Cavaliers' acquisition of Jamison, analyzed whether or not it would have made more sense for Cleveland to acquire Amar'e Stoudemire, and more.

Antawn Jamison to the Cleveland Cavaliers, is it good move or bad move? Hypothetically speaking, would have acquiring Amar'e Stoudemire have been the better trade for the Cavs?

John Krolik: It's an upgrade, to be certain. Hickson looked great against you guys, but he's been the team's weak link in the rotation overall. Jamison represents a significant offensive upgrade, and should mesh with Shaq and Varejao well offensively. He's such a versatile player on the offensive end, and he's a guy the Cavs can trust with the ball. Hypothetically, I'd have like Amar'e better, but Woj reports the Cavs' best possible offer was turned down, which makes it a moot point for me. Hey, I think LeBron and Dwight would be great together.

Tom Haberstroh: I have my concerns on the offensive end. Jamison's perimeter numbers are very underwhelming especially from just inside the three-point line. He consistently rates as one of the poorest long two shooters at the position and yet he still takes four per game year in and year out. I'm not sure that bodes well for the pick-and-pop nor do I think the Cavs offense needs another guy who thinks the long two is one of his best shots.

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John Krolik is, without a doubt, one of my favorite writers in the blogosphere and Cavs: The Blog is a must-read item for people who want to get the best coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with all due respect to Cavs beat writer Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer, who is one of the top beat writers in the NBA.

Not only does Krolik do excellent work at his site but he also writes for SLAM ONLINE and NBC Sports' ProBasketballTalk. And in the past, Krolik has written for FreeDarko. Impressed? Heck, I am.

A few days ago, I was able to ask Krolik a few questions to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I have to admit, owning League Pass Broadband has allowed me to catch up on the Cleveland Cavaliers here and there. As such, watching LeBron James defy the law of physics, make three-point 30-foot jump shots, and transcend the sport of basketball is a guilty pleasure. What will stop James from winning MVP awards every year, aside from the voters getting bored and picking somebody else?

LeBron's been ridiculous, and with age finally catching up to Kobe a little bit he looks like the runaway favorite to win another MVP award. (Kobe's game-winners and "playing through pain" mystique could come into play if he finishes strong and the Lakers are up there for the best record, though.) If he doesn't win the title this season, I think voters are going to start looking for ways not to give it to him. In terms of pure production, Chris Paul could have a chance to out-PER LeBron one year, but the Hornets would need to have a resurgence. If the Thunder are legit contenders next year, Durant will be a very sexy pick. Never count out Kobe, especially if he's healthy all of next season. 

 

I think LeBron will deserve the MVP for a long time, but if you're not on the league's best team a lot of funny things can happen in the voting. And there are so many variables that go into having the best regular-season record. The season after Steve Nash's 2 MVP seasons was probably his best one, but there was no chance he was going to get it that year. 

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Dennis Scott is a man who needs no introduction to Orlando Magic fans. He's 5th in franchise history in games played, 6th in minutes played, 1st in three-pointers made, and 3rd in three-point field goal percentage. While in a Magic uniform, he set an NBA record with 11 three-pointers made in a single game, which Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall have since broken. In his 446 games with Orlando, he made 5 or more three-pointers a franchise-best 49 times.

Beyond the statistical feats, though, is the simple fact that he was a key cog on the best team in franchise history, a role player who complemented superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway exceptionally well. His frequent three-point field goals, and Magic P.A. man Paul Porter's subsequent bellowing of his trademark "3-D! From Downtown!" catchphrase, ignited the Orlando Arena crowd.

Dennis is currently an analyst for NBA TV and appears with Brent Barry and Kyle Montgomery on The Jump, an interactive program that broadcasts each Tuesday at 1 PM on NBA.com and again Tuesday afternoons at 5 PM on NBA TV. He also works as the Atlanta Hawks' radio color analyst and runs a consulting firm. You can follow him on Twitter @3Deezy.

Last Friday afternoon, I spoke with Dennis over the phone to discuss the Magic and preview their game against the Los Angeles Lakers this evening.

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Perhaps you've heard this before but when it comes to Blazersedge, there's no doubt in my mind that you're looking at the best NBA team blog in existence. The work Dave Deckard and Ben Golliver do day-to-day is nearly unparalleled and gives sports blogs a blueprint for success. We at Orlando Pinstriped Post have tried to take their formula, so to speak, and incorporate nearly everything they do with our own spin to it. And it's worked. That's a credit to Dave and Ben.

A few days ago, I was able to ask Golliver a few questions to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Portland Trail Blazers.

What type of evolution in Greg Oden's game were fans of the Portland Trail Blazers seeing before he went down with a season-ending injury? Does two season-ending injuries change how general manager Kevin Pritchard perceive the team's future with him, if at all?

The beginning of this season saw the reemergence of "Smooth Greg". While coming back from the microfracture, Greg was zombie-esque in his movements. He didn't trust his body 100% and it led to a lot of fouls on offense and ugly shot attempts on offense. Greg came into camp in very good shape and with a new comfort level with the ball in his hands. Most if not all of the explosiveness was back on defense too. He was aggressive, assertive, much more chipper and animated. He was happy to play basketball again and it showed. And he enjoyed some nice success.

 

I don't think Kevin Pritchard's perception of Greg has changed yet although I think a reality has set in about his potential for continued health problems going forward. For a long time the standard response when it came to Greg was that all of his injuries had been fluke injuries and were unrelated. Although that's still the party line I think there's definitely a growing sense that Greg can't be taken for granted as a championship-calibre franchise center. His ceiling has come down a bit. I think their goal now is that he's able to enjoy a successful career in a complementary role to Brandon Roy. It's been a long time since I heard a Bill Russell comparison. I think they'd be more than happy with Dikembe Mutombo at this point.

 

Pritchard will have a decision after next season regarding Greg's contract. Given their relationship it's hard to imagine a situation where Pritchard doesn't take care of Greg financially, which hopefully gives Greg some piece of mind as he works through his recovery.  

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Whether it's covering the NBA at FanHouse or the Sacramento Kings at Sactown Royalty, Tom Ziller is one of the finest writers in the blogosphere (and infamous for his work with graphs, which is a skill of his). If you haven't made Ziller a must-read, do so now. You won't regret it. 

A few days ago, I was able to ask Ziller a few questions to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Kings. 

What's life with Tyreke Evans been like? Please, indulge yourself if need be. Additionally, what does he mean to the franchise right now?

Life with Tyreke has been really, really different. At no point in the Sacramento era have the Kings had this sort of singular talent. The lean years were hosted by All-Stars at best (Mitch Richmond), and the glory era to start this decade featured a balanced roster, with Chris Webber the biggest name but certainly not considered a "franchise player" in his late 20s. Now, we have a franchise player. And he's 20 years old. It's unreal. He's already won our hearts and minds, and while we're still getting used to what this means for how the team is perceived and covered, what it means for our favorite incumbents and more, it's a fantastic change.

What has spurred Beno Udrih's career-year/resurrection this season?

Beno has credited the coaching staff with resuscitating his career, but that's a bit suspect considering how Udrih thrived under Reggie Theus in 2007-08 but regressed in Reggie's two months at the helm in 2008-09. To almost every fan, it's been a reversal of effort. Beno didn't play a lick of defense last season. This year, he's blocking Chauncey Billups jumpers! Either Paul Westphal has figured out how to motivate Beno perfectly, or Udrih himself did some soul-searching this summer and realized loafing through a five-year contract was no way to live.

This is Paul Westphal's first year as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. What type of impact has he been able to make with the team?

With such a new roster, it's hard to tell where Westphal's impact stops and the news players' impact begins. But I think it's safe to say he's been a huge part of the team's rebirth. He isn't afraid to play anyone at any time. He has rotated Spencer Hawes between the bench and starting five, he's found a way to get production out of three rookies and two second-year players. He even admits when he's wrong -- in preseason, he called Omri Casspi a project. Omri is now (apparently) the permanent starter at small forward. The team defense still leaves plenty to be desired, but personnel has plenty to do with that, too. The coaching staff has been a plus for the first time since Rick Adelman left.

Kevin Martin, according to the Sacramento Bee, feels "ready to play" as of January 6th. When he returns, how will that impact the starting lineup (namely Evans)? 

Martin should be a huge boon for Evans in two ways: Martin can shoot, which will relieve the paint clogging teams have turned to in order to slow Evans, and Martin can shoot, which will actually help Evans build his assist numbers. Currently, if Casspi is off and Jason Thompson isn't finishing, Evans can have a 4-assist game in which he dished out 15 potential assists. (Saturday's game against Denver is a perfect example.) Evans is only now beginning to work out a rapport with Hawes, but Reke's best chance at an assist most plays is the draw-and-kick. Martin shot better than 40 percent from three last season. It's a good match. (Never mind that in the instances Westphal has started an Evans-Udrih backcourt the defenses have gotten off the hook by guarding Evans with a two-guard and hiding the smaller PG on Udrih. Trying hiding, say, Derek Fisher on the 6'7 Martin.)

I like to thank Tom for taking the time to answer my questions.

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Kevin Arnovitz needs no introduction but deserves one - he is an editor for TrueHoop and a writer for ClipperBlog, the latter being one of the best team blogs in the NBA. It's safe to say, in my opinion, that Arnovitz is one of the best writers who covers the league. Period.

As such, I can't help but remark on how much I admire Arnovitz's work and state how much it was a privilege for me to ask him a few questions a couple of days ago to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Chris Kaman got off to a quick start in the first couple weeks of November but, from looking at some of the numbers and reading some of your reports, has cooled off since then. What happened?

First, Kaman was inevitably going to come down to earth. There wasn't one 50 percent jump shooter in the NBA last season, and that's what Kaman was doing over the opening stretch of the season. Second, Eric Gordon went out with a strained groin. Gordon's absence allowed teams to sag defensively, which gave Kaman less room to work 15 feet from the basket. Third, the pressure to operate as the Clippers' primary scorer might be affecting Kaman's game. Kaman has an incredible collection of assets as a big man -- ambidexterity, good foot work, strength -- but managing those assets has always been a challenge. When Kaman was killing it earlier this season, he was thinking less. The past couple of weeks, we've witnessed his trying to think his way into a score rather than just scoring. 

What has Eric Gordon meant to the Los Angeles Clippers this year, on offense and on defense? 

The world. When Gordon is in the starting lineup, the Clippers crush their competition. He's the first perimeter player the Clippers have had in an eternity who can stretch the floor, create off the dribble, and defend the 2. He loves to draw contact and he's becoming increasingly effective in the pick-and-roll game. The fact that the aforementioned fall off of Mr. Kaman coincided with Gordon's absence tells you everything you need to know. 

Can't forget about Blake Griffin. When he returns from injury, how do the team dynamics change?

I don't think they'll change a whole lot. Given the length of Griffin's absence, I suspect he'll begin with the second unit and claim some of Craig Smith's minutes. Mike Dunleavy has stated that he's interested in experimenting with Griffin at the 3 because the rookie can check small forward defensively, but that declaration might say more about the composition of the Clippers' roster (heavy on bigs, light on wings) than anything else. Griffin is an infectious player, so Clippers fans hope he can infuse the team with "energy," but tangibly, he'll be most valuable in elevating the Clips' rebounding rate above 50.0 percent.  

Is this year, possibly, the end of the road for Mike Dunleavy Sr. as head coach/general manager? What is your opinion on his future with the franchise?

Within the organization, there's a feeling that, as badly as things have gone over the past couple of years, Head Coach Dunleavy probably deserves the chance to coach a healthy squad this season (though the supply of patience is measurably less than it used to be). Does he have a future beyond 2011? Let's see how the 2010-2011 team fares -- something that will depend greatly on how successful GM Mike Dunleavy is at leveraging the team's considerable cap space and constructing a winner.  

I like to thank Kevin for taking the time to offer his insight on the Clips.