First off I'd like to give a shout out (the free styling is currently having a big impact on my writing) to Parquet Pride for the two stories I'm about to reference.

1. The first one is somehow both surprising and unsurprising, if that's possible. Regardless it is definitely not suitable for work. In fact it's Really Not Suitable For Work - RNSFW. That's because Shaq recently grabbed a mic at a New York club and well check it out.

Shaq Rap disses Kobe (via GameTimeProductions)

- This is one of those "man YouTube changed the way we get news" moments.
- The Patrick Ewing dig came out of nowhere. If he were in Philly would he have gone after Charles Barkley?
- So yeah. I'm not sure what to say. Half way through I wasn't sure I would even post it. But if the Worldwide Leader runs it, so be it.

2. On a more positive note Leon Powe recently did a chat over at ESPN.com (Insider required). Couple of things:

- He appears to know some of the people writing in. How often does that happen?
- I enjoyed his answer to the fake Kevin Garnett question. As a side note will there ever be a chat without a question from someone pretending to be a celebrity? Not complaining, just wondering.
- While Powe does definitely not write in a Curt Schilling tell all style you can still learn some things. Worth a read.
- Powe does not fear the exclamation point.

Over the course of the regular season I found the best way to learn about another team was to talk to someone who follows it regularly. Brilliant idea huh? But seriously as bloggers we have a tendency to focus so heavily on our teams that we simply can't offer the same level of analysis about other teams. So I jumped at the chance to exchange questions with Brian from SportsHubLA. You may recall SportsHubLA from the Roland Lazenby post I linked to last week. Meanwhile, did you know Lamar Odom has been playing out of his mind and the importance of Derek Fisher's relationship with Kobe Bryant? Learn more from Brian's answers below and check out what I said about the Celtics as well.

Green Bandwagon: Who was the most improved Laker this season?

SportsHubLA: Well, it depends on how you define improved, and from what point in the year.  Initially, the answer was Andrew Bynum, hands down.  His improvement was the reason, after a moderately slow start, the Lakers were so good over the first half of the season.  In December, he averaged 13.9/9.1, with 3.3 blocks a night, numbers which rose to 17.3/12.2 before his injury in January.  He gave the Lakers a real inside presence, and penalized teams for overplaying Kobe, who became very fond of lofting the ball up near the hoop and letting the kid go get it.  Once Bynum got hurt and the Lakers stole Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies, you can argue that Lamar Odom became their most improved player.  Unburdened from having to be a consistent scorer behind Kobe, Odom became (ironically) a consistent scorer.  He attacked the basket offensively and on the glass.  In short, he's been awesome since Gasol arrived.  If you want to look big picture at the supporting cast over the entire year, I'd go with Sasha Vujacic.  He's always been an amazing 11:30 shooter (you can watch after practice as he drills three pointer after three pointer) but borderline useless at 7:30.  This season, he's become a very reliable offensive weapon, has improved his defense, and now regularly is part of the fourth quarter lineup Phil Jackson often uses to close games.

Green Bandwagon: Who is the most underrated Laker?

SportsHubLA: It's not like he's flown entirely under the radar, but between the emergence of Bynum, the Gasol trade, Odom's increased productivity, and Ronny Turiaf Dance Cam, the contribution of Derek Fisher's return has been soft shoed a little.  He's averaged almost 12 points a night playing under 28 minutes, shot over 40 percent from three point range, and (this will be a shock to you, I'm sure) constituted a monumental improvement over Smush Parker.  But beyond that, so much of what Kobe's been able to accomplish as a leader is linked to Fish's presence in the locker room.  Bryant's personality is so strong that he needs a balance, someone who can say things to his teammates, and to him, that otherwise might not be said.  I think As Kobe has learned to "give," Fish has taught his teammates to "take."  During training camp, he told me that with Bryant, it can be difficult to protect your space as a basketball player, so dominant is his skill and temperament.  Not everyone on the team knew how to do that.  Fisher did, and between that and Kobe meeting them halfway, what you get is a really high quality team game.

Green Bandwagon: Charles Barkley famously said this was Kobe Bryant's best team during the Lakers/Jazz series before backtracking a bit. Where does this squad rank in comparison with LA's teams from 2000-2004?

SportsHubLA: I always struggle to compare teams from different eras, even recent ones.  I think the combination of Bryant and an in-his-prime Shaq is probably better top shelf talent than what the Lakers have now- how could it not be?- but at the same time, this squad has more balance, and probably moves the ball better.  They still have an inside presence, albeit a decidedly different style, that allows them to operate from the paint to the perimeter, and amazing versatility.  They can play and win in a lot of different ways.  It's hard to say they're better than a team that won three straight titles and made another Finals, seeing as this is only the first trip for this group.  But the potential, especially if Bynum comes back healthy next season, to have a run that's as good as the Threepeat teams, and are less likely to blow up under the weight of personalities and ego. Fair to say it's an exciting time to be a Lakers fan.

Green Bandwagon: Great stuff. Look for more from SportsHubLA as the Finals approach. And I'm a huge fan of labeling someone an "amazing 11:30 shooter". It reminds me of Lenny Dykstra calling Pete Incaviglia the "best five-o’clock hitter in baseball history" in that epic New Yorker article.

So the guys over at ROOMOFZEN recently started selling t-shirts. You should head over there if only because someone finally put Shaq's quote about Paul Pierce, unedited I may add, on a t-shirt. Right now I'm leaning towards one of shark t-shirts or the skull and cross bones with the Santa hat. Enjoy.

I had the realization today that I am addicted to Green Bandwagon. In a way it is a little unhealthy as yesterday's bouts with servers and any number of things I don't understand had a noticeable impact on my mood. I can't imagine how the guys at Bullets Forever are feeling right now. Their team was down 2-0 and went home to put an absolute beating on the Cavaliers, with tons of trash talking to boot. Say what you want about the Wizards but at least their approach is consistent. It's just not in them to mope around and worry about their situation. Instead they get haircuts, invite Soulja Boy to the game and oh yeah DeShawn Stevenson could not feel his face.

Matt Harpring is only 30? It seems like he has been around forever. And he's got a slight resemblance to Matt Damon, no? Am I losing my mind?

I enjoyed Lang Whitaker's live blog of Game 2 of the Celtics/Hawks series if only because it is good to see the other perspective. Granted I did not agree with a lot that Whitaker had to see, hence the beauty of reading it. However, he did touch a nerve with the following:

"In a way, Mike Bibby was right, because as great as these Celtics are, they aren’t the same as the Celts of old. Those teams — at least the teams in the ’80s when I was coming up and they were beating my Hawks like a drum — those teams were largely homegrown squads that weren’t just interested in winning one or two titles, they wanted to win a dozen rings. These Celts have nearly turned into the Pats and Red Sox, a bunch of highly paid guys brought together for a shot at a title, only to eventually retire and leave the franchise cupboard bare. I’m not hating (I would love it if the Hawks did the same thing), just pointing it out."

Last time I checked Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish and Bill Walton all played significant roles on Boston’s championship teams. And they were drafted by other franchises. Yes it was huge to trade for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and sign some quality vets – James Posey, Eddie House, Sam Cassell. But there is no denying the fact that Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins and even Glen Davis are all a part of this as well. Interestingly Rondo and company were acquired via draft day deals. But since they played their rookie year in Boston I’m counting them as homegrown. And Paul Pierce is a Celtic through and though. Yes there is a definite window on this Celtics team. But how is this squad any different than Jerry West giving Shaq a ton of money, trading for Kobe on draft day and then bringing in Rick Fox, Robert Horry and everybody else that helped that squad win? Rant over…now.

It's good to be back.