710 ESPN's "SMOG" - Steve Mason's Blog

PETE CARROLL PRESS CONFERENCE: On the final TD against UCLA, "I don't know if our guys were taunting. We've done it many times. We were excited. The fact that emotions run high is exactly what everybody wants."

ARIZONA HEAD COACH MIKE STOOPES

ON WHERE THE WILDCATS PROGRAM IS...
"I think the maturity and consistency is what we want from our program. And we've shown that the last few years. Competing against USC tells you a lot about where you're at."

ON THE USC DEFENSE...
"I know they replaced a bunch of guys upfront. Losing a lot of guys from the middle of your defense can give you lots of problems. They are a very young team on the defensive line, and those guys are coming on. They have their confidence and swagger back."

ON THE USC OFFENSE...
"Losing their tight end and fullback hurt their production on offense. Matt Barkley has matured throughout the year. He starting to understand what the defense is trying to do against him. He's just scratching the surface of how good he can be. They run, run, boot - run, run, boot - run, run, boot. They are who they are right now."

USC HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL

ON THE WIN OVER UCLA....
"Had a great time at the Coliseum last week. Getting back on track after a tough couple of weeks. Our focus and dedication is to our seniors. It's a big deal for us to finish well. Arizona's been playing good football, they've had a great year. We know it's going to be hard."

ON THE FINAL TOUCHDOWN PASS TO DAMIAN WILLIAMS WITH 44 SECONDS LEFT...
"I think if you look back at the game, it was a very tight competitive game. When we went back out at the end, we did a great job on defense and took the ball right back from them. We wanted to end the game. We'd just taken a knee. Our idea was not to give them the ball back. We hit a gorgeous scoring play. We went from trying to end the game to scoring a touchdown."

ON WHY RICK NEUHEISEL CALLED TIMEOUT AFTER BARKLEY'S KNEEL-DOWN...
"Their statement was that they wanted to keep competing. So we kept competing"

ON WHETHER OR NOT USC PLAYERS WERE TAUNTING UCLA AFTER THE LAST TD PASS....
"Our players were pumped. We were really excited about it. I don't know if our guys were taunting. We've done it many times. We were excited. The fact that emotions run high is exactly what everybody wants. It's exactly why it's always been such a big deal. What could you want but the highest emotions in a game like this."

ON WHETHER OR NOT ARIZONA IS A POTENTIAL LETDOWN GAME...
"This is a chance to end the season on a great note and get one more win and not even be concerned about whether there will be a letdown or anything like this. I don't know what this means to bowl games and where we're gonna be playing. It feels unusual because the normal finishing point of the season is when we play our crosstown rival, but it's a chance for us to win one more game."

ON BOBBY BOWDEN'S RETIREMENT...
"When we came into existence here, Florida St. was one of the most dominant programs in football. Nobody except Joe Paterno can ever be compared to Bobby. I think of only the good things for him. He has been great for our game."

ON CHARLIE WEIS GETTING FIRED...
"Charlie busted his butt for a long time to get it done, and it didn't work out. There will be a big surge with whatever Notre Dame does next. They will find an incredible coach, and we'll have to adjust to whatever he brings."

USC MAKES IT 10 WINS IN 11 YEARS: Bruins say Carroll was classless, but I say Neuheisel was schooled!

I watched the USC/UCLA Rivalry Game from the Trojan sidelines. Frankly, it was not a pretty game. I saw 2 young quarterbacks –Kevin Prince & Matt Barkley - who were both telegraphing passes.

UCLA’s Prince struck first, finding USC linebacker Malcolm Smith, who rumbled to the first TD of the game and a 7-0 Trojan lead. Then after USC got deep into UCLA territory on a big play from tight end Anthony McCoy early in the 2nd quarter, Barkley found a wide-open Bruin defensive back Alterraun Verner. 

Ultimately, the first half ended on a missed Jacob Harfman 50-yard field goal (he was about 10 yards short). By the way, it is beyond me how a major program like USC doesn’t possess a place-kicker who has a shot at a 45+ yard FG. (The Trojans’ regular kicker Jordon Congdon has absolutely no shot at a long one. Harfman did have a great night punting with a 45-yard average.)

Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow had achieved their first half objective. They were down only 7-0 and within a touchdown of their hated crosstown cardinal & gold rivals.

In the 3rd quarter, Kevin Prince worked his magic again finding Will Harris, who made the INT in Bruin territory. The Trojans got a 9-yard completion from Barkley to Damian Williams and 15 yards on the ground from Allen Bradford, making it 14-0 on a 1-yard plunge from Bradford.

After Prince’s 2nd pick, Neuheisel & Chow went to QB Kevin Craft (Prince injured his shoulder), a great kid who will never be mistaken for a top-flight signal-caller, but he did get the Bruins on the scoreboard with a combination of designed quarterback runs, a few high percentage pass completions and a steady dose of Chane Moline. UCLA was back to within a TD with 5:22 left in the game.

At that point, a combination of Jeremy Bates’ aggressive play-calling & Matt Barkley’s proficiency put the game out of reach. On the game-clinching drive, Barkley was 4-5, finding Ronald Johnson twice including a big 20-yard gainer. Bradford got the last 23 yards of the drive with a second TD run, UCLA obliged with a 4 & out and USC essentially won the game 21-7. 

If that’s where the game ended, we wouldn’t have much to talk about. The Trojans winning for the 10th-time in 11 years in a sluggish 21-7 defensive slugfest is totally fine, but, let’s be honest. It’s an off year for the Trojans and Rick Neuheisel is still trying to figure out if he can turn around the Bruins. Not a lot at stake. USC playing for a possible 2nd place finish in the Pac 10 & a Holiday Bowl berth. UCLA trying to avoid a school record 4th consecutive 6-loss season.

After Neuheisel & Chow were unable to put together a drive against the chippy USC defense, Pete Carroll did the classy thing. With 54 seconds left in the game and a 2 TD lead, Matt Barkley took a knee. Run out the clock. Game over.

And then he did it. Rick Neuheisel called a timeout. 

Huh? I had climbed the steps at the Peristyle end of the Coliseum, and, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what Neuheisel was doing. I ran back down all those steps because something weird was happening. After the game he muttered something using his timeouts and forcing USC to punt. 

That makes perfect sense. All the Bruins had to do was to stop USC 2 more times, block the punt with a run-back for a TD, try an onside kick, get possession again and score another touchdown in 52 seconds.

I’ve always liked Rick, but he’s living in a fairy tale if he didn’t understand how over that game was. They had no chance to win. Not even a 1 in a million chance.

But if Rick calls timeout to announce “game on,” then they better be prepared to play some defense. Jeremy Bates called for a little play-action and a bomb to Damian Williams. The numbers that will ring in Los Angeles for many years will be 48 and 44. A 48-yard TD pass with 44 seconds left.

Neuheisel had it coming. He’s the mastermind behind the infamous, “The football monopoly is over” newspaper ad before he ever even coached a game for the Bruins. So far, he is all sizzle and no steak. We interviewed him on the Mason & Ireland Show on 710 ESPN on September 21. It was the Tuesday after the Trojans were upset at Washington, falling to 2-1, while UCLA was 3-0 after defeating a mediocre Kansas St. team at the Rose Bowl. Rick proudly declared that “the deck in the Pac 10 is being reshuffled.”

UCLA celebrated this new reshuffled Pac 10 by losing its first 5 conference games. I don’t disagree with the general concept. The Pac 10, in my opinion, is very, very good. Love Jeremiah Masoli and Chip Kelly at Oregon, Mike Riley and Sean Canfield at Oregon St., Jake Locker and Steve Sarkisian at Udub and Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. (I don’t love Harbaugh, but I respect him as a coach.)

But If you’re the guy that’s going to come on the radio and announce that the deck is being re-shuffled, you better make sure you have good hold cards. Right now, the Bruins are sitting at the table with a 2-7 off-suit.

In 2009, his first year, Neuheisel was 4-8 overall and 3-6 in the Pac 10 including a 28-7 loss to USC at the Rose Bowl. This year, he went 6-6 overall with an identical 3-6 in-conference with a 28-7 loss to archrival USC at the Coliseum. The only quality win for the Bruins was at Tennessee, although Lane Kiffin is in the beginning of a rebuilding process of his own. That was Rick’s only 2009 win against a team with an above-.500 record. If the UCLA doesn't make a quantum leap next season, the so-called Bruin Nation will begin to question the direction of the program.

I don’t believe that the last touchdown pass is an example of Pete Carroll running up the score. It’s the result of Slick Rick’s stupidity. PC wasn’t classless. Neuheisel was schooled. Carroll wanted to end the game on a friendly note, but when Rick called the dumbest timeout in history, he led with his chin. I don’t blame Trojans for shattering it.

LAWRENCE FRANK FIRED: Temp coach Barrise to lead Nets against Lakers at Staples attempting to avoid tying the record for all-time worst losing streak to start an NBA season!

When a death row inmate begins his walk on “the green mile” toward the gallows or the gas chamber or the electric chair, guards yell “Dead man walking.” (At least that’s the way it happens in the movies.) That’s what Lakers fans could have hollered tonight when Lawrence Frank and his winless New Jersey Nets stepped onto the floor at Staples to face the 12-3 purple & gold. But, once news leaked that Frank was likely to be replaced by the time the Nets tipped off against Dallas on Wednesday at the IZOD Center, ownership of the New Jersey franchise did the humane thing and put him down.

The official firing took place at 2:38 PDT as a team press release reported that he has been “relieved of his duties.” Nets President Rod Thorn says that assistant coach Tom Barrise will serve as interim coach for tonight’s game against the Lakers, but that no decision has been made about a permanent replacement. Sources are indicating that GM Kiki Vandeweghe may ultimately be the guy who takes over for Frank.

Back on November 12 with his team off to an 0-12 start, Frank spoke to reporters before tipping off with the Knicks and joked, “This is like facing the guillotine squad.” The blade has officially fallen. Frank is the winningest coach in Nets history with 225 wins versus 241 losses, and he did lead them to 4 straight postseason appearances.

The weirdest part of his tenure in New Jersey is that when he took over the Nets, he won his first 13 games as head coach. Now he departs after 6 1/2 years with a 16-game losing streak. To his credit, he has never blamed his players for the awful start. When asked recently if he agrees with the old axiom that you are what your record says you are, he agreed.

"Yeah, especially since I have the utmost respect for coach [Bill] Parcells, and it’s basically his line. I feel more sorry for our guys that 0-12, the blemish that comes with that, why it’s a story because you’re 0-12, when it’s eight guys who truly have worked their tails off. And if they were coming in half-assed at practice or not focused at shootaround, then I’d say 'Hey, there’s not much hope.' But they’re not. They work every single day. These guys care. So it’s more I feel bad for them because of the blemish, and I‘ll take 100 percent responsibility for where we’re at because these guys have worked their tails off, and I do believe in habits, and if we continue to have thesse habits, we don't allow frustration to lead to a lack of confidence and a lack of faith, I think we will break through. But again, we’re 0-12. We are. And that’s on me."

 In advance of this summer’s monumental free agent season where guys like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh could all be available, the Nets have stripped down their roster, so this isn’t entirely Frank’s fault. In order to create the cap room available to chase a marquee star, you’ve got to clear an awful lot of meaningful talent. The Nets have only $18.8M in guaranteed salaries for 2010. That would give them between $31M-$33M for a potential shopping spree, and New Jersey (ultimately Brooklyn) is one of a handful of teams that could conceivably sign King James.

The team that the Lakers will face tonight is trying to avoid tying the all-time record for start of the season futility. A win by LA will make the Nets 0-17, matching Miami’s 1988 and the Clippers’ 1999 start. Last year’s leading scorer Devin Harris has been limited by a sore groin, playing in only 6 games and managing to start only 3 times so far this year (he scored 25 in Friday night’s loss at Sacramento). They also have a credible 7-footer with Brook Lopez (18ppg-9rpg) and emerging 2nd-year shooting guard Chris Douglas-Roberts (17ppg-5rpg), but that’s about it.

Tonight should be a one-sided laugher for LA. If you’ve got to play a back-to-back, it helps if the 2nd game is against the worst team in the league.

Here's why the Lakers need to wake up & beat teams like the Pistons!

The Lakers need to lock down Detroit & take care of business tonight. The Pistons are 5-5, but let’s get real. The Lakers’ opponent tonight is not very good. They are without longtime stars Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton, both sidelined with injuries, and their starting lineup includes Swedish-born Jonas Jerebko and an aging Ben Wallace. Meanwhile, LA has lost back-to-back games including Sunday's debacle against the Rockets at Staples.

The Pistons did sign guard Ben Gordon away from the Bulls with a 5 year-$55M contract and lured the eyebrow-less Charlie Villanueva away from Milwaukee with a 5 year-$35M contract, but Detroit is no better than the 7-seed in the Eastern Conference and will probably spend the year drifting round the .500 mark.

The real upside for Detroit long-term lies in 23yo point guard Rodney Stuckey out of Eastern Washington and emerging point guard Will Bynum. They both scored season highs – 26pts and 27pts respectively – in the Pistons’ Sunday home loss to Dallas. Both Stuckey and Bynum are exactly the type of quick guards that have been a struggled for Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown, but a loss tonight would be inexcusable.

Yes, Pau Gasol is out again. (Pau could return as soon as Thursday, and, if not then, Sunday against Oklahoma City.) Also, reigning finals MVP Kobe Bryant is dealing with a Whygroin strain and seems unable to elevate the way we’re accustomed to, but game like tonight are incredibly important.

Consider this. The Lakers play 51 games after January 1 with only 21 at home. Their after-New Year’s dance card includes 4 games with San Antonio, 3 with the Trailblazers, 3 with the Nuggets (who beat the purple and gold soundly Friday night), 2 each with Boston, Orlando and Utah, plus a game at Cleveland. The early season has to be about putting wins in the bank, and the Lakers cannot afford to give away home games to run-of-the-mill teams like the Pistons.

EXCLUSIVE USC INJURY UPDATE: TE Anthony McCoy returns for Stanford, but leading receiver Damian Williams is out!

WHO'S IN?

Tight end Anthony McCoy returns for the Stanford game after missing both the Oregon and Arizona St. games. He has 16 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown. He’s averaging almost 54 receiving yards per game and 23ypc. He’s a total beast – the best tight end I’ve seen since I’ve been covering USC football. It’s huge that he’ll be back today.

Fullback Stanley Havili, who played in a limited way last Saturday in Tempe, is back at full strength and will start today. Havili has 11 rushes for 88 yards, almost 8 yards per carry. Plus, he’s the team’s 3rd-leading receiver with 14 catches for 207 yards, and when healthy, he’s a guy that QB Matt Barkley can always check down to in the passing game.

Junior DE Everson Griffen, who didn’t make the trip to Tempe, returns today from his turf toe injury. He leads the team in sacks with 8.

Defensive End Nick Perry, who dislocated his shoulder at Oregon played last week, and he’ll be out there again today. He’s got 8 tackles for a loss and 7 sacks.

Defensive tackle Armond Armstead still wearing a cast after fracturing his wrist at Autzen Stadium, but he will play.

Linebacker Malcolm Smith (30 tackles) didn’t play at Arizona St., and he’s questionable for today’s game. He’s got a wrist and shoulder injury.

WHO'S OUT?

A huge loss for USC as senior WR Damian Williams is out with a  sprained ankle. He is the Trojans’ leading receiver with 45 receptions, 688 receiving yards and 5 TDs. Freshman Brice Butler will get the start at wide receiver opposite Ronald Johnson.

Williams is also a devastating punt returner with 16 yards per return including 2 punts he has taken all the way to the house. TB Joe McKnight will return punts in place of Williams against Stanford.

One other note. Backup tight end Blake Ayles is likely out for today’s game against the Cardinal. He is working through ankle and knee injuries he suffered when a teammate rolled up on his leg at practice on Wednesday.

Sony & the Mayan calendar combine for monster disaster film opening as 2012 is headed for a $60M opening weekend!

The $200M blockbuster 2012 (Sony), yet another end of the world special effects disaster film from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) has opened with a dominating $25M Friday, and it is targeting a $60M 3-day. That would be better than the $50.2M start for Independence Day in the summer of 1996, but shy of 2004's The Day After Tomorrow ($68.7M). Despite a negative critical reaction, my sources tell me that the CGI blockbuster will likely surpass $150M domestic, and it could approach $500M worldwide.

Robert Zemeckis' re-working of A Christmas Carol (Disney) starring Jim Carrey had a decent hold (-32%) with $5.5M on its second Friday and a target of $20.4M by Monday. That would give the expensive motion capture animated film a 10-day cume of just under $50M.

The big story of the weekend is the spectacular expansion of Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate). Expanding to just 174 playdates, the sure-fire Oscar contender scored a staggering $1.75M on Friday, and it will likely reach $5.3M by the end of the weekend (that would mean a $30K+ PTA).

The only other wide release, Pirate Radio from Focus, opened very soft at it's 882 playdates managing a disappointing $1M opening day, which should translate to a $2.9M 3-day start. It'll have some trouble holding onto a significant number of screens for the title-heavy Thanksgiving period, which is less than 2 weeks away.

EXCLUSIVE STEVE MASON EARLY FRIDAY & 3-DY ESTIMATES
FOR WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER 13-15

1. NEW - 2012 (Sony) - $25M Fri, $60M 3-day - $60M cume
2. A Christmas Carol (Disney) - $5.5M Fri - $20.4M 3-day - $61.3M cume
3. The Men Who Stare At Goats (Overture) - $2M Fri - $6.2M 3-day - $23.3M cume
4. The Fourth Kind (Universal) - $1.9M Fri - $5.6M 3-day - $21.4M cume
5. Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate) - $1.75M Fri - $5.3M 3-day - $8.1M cume
*Paranormal Activity (Paramount) - $1.5M Fri - $4.3M 3-day - $104.1M cume
*NEW - Pirate Radio (Focus) - $1M Fri - $2.9M 3-day - $2.9M cume

HOMECOMING EVE!: PREGAME COMMENTS FROM COACH PETE CARROLL & COACH JIM HARBAUGH!

COACH PETE CARROLL

“Homecoming has a significant ring this time. More than ever it feels great to play at The Coliseum. We’ve seen some great stadiums and some great atmosphere, and we’re looking forward to stirring it up at home.”

“Great matchup. Stanford playing great football. Coming off their biggest win in a long time. As we’ve watched throughout the year, they have a great core on offense. Toby Gerhart is just a hammer for them. Andrew Luck allows them to throw all over the field. They threw the ball every way they wanted against Oregon.”

On Stanford QB Andrew Luck... “Luck is really good. He’s as good right now as anybody we’ve faced. They’ve allowed him to come out and go for it, and when you allow him that dimension with their running attack, he’s great. He’s got 5.2ypc so he can run too.”

“We have Matt playing as a freshman. Luck playing as a freshman. There are gonna be some big-time offenses the next few years in the Pac 10.”

“The defense was much improved against Arizona St.. Back on track. Getting after ‘em. Hittin’ the quarterback. We had a really good return as a defense.”

“Not much of an update on Damian Williams today. We’ll know more tonight. Anthony McCoy’s gonna run around today and see what he can do.”

On getting a week off before UCLA...“Having a bye after this week will be good. We have some guys who are hurt. It’ll give ‘em a chance to heal up for the last 2 games.” 

“We’re working on some thoughts to try to improve 3rd down conversions. We have to get better there. We have to continue to seek stuff but it hasn’t been good enough. Mainly, we have to execute better. We’re tryin’ to catch up there.”

On Stanford's upset at the Coliseum 2 years ago...“This week, I won’t bring up their upset of us 2 years ago at the Coliseum. And, I won’t bring up our visit at their place last year.”

“Stanley Havili should start this week. He’ll be able to perform full-time duties.”

“Everson Griffin is getting close to being ready to go. We’ll have to see how he does running around all week. But he’s getting’ better every day.”

On Stanford's win over Oregon...“It surprised me that Stanford beat Oregon by throwing the football. They went deep 10 times in the first half and got 6 of them. They came out throwing. Once they developed that they were going to go after them throwing the ball, they were able to start pounding away with Gerhart.”

On whether Jim Harbaugh should consider jumping to the NFL...“I think Jim Harbaugh would do a great job in the NFL. His brother’s doin’ fine. They should look at him.”

On Jim Harbaugh calling Andrew Luck the best quarterback in the country…“Jim Harbaugh’s a guy that doesn’t mince words. He said it because he believed it. He’s a special kid, and just look at how he’s played since then. That’s been a demonstration of what Jim believes.”

COACH JIM HARBAUGH

On the win over Oregon...“I was proud of our players and coaches and how we played and how we prepared for Oregon. This week is put-up or shut-up time for Stanford football.”

On Toby Gerhart…“Tough, smart, competitive, he’s a shining star for us. The neat thing about Toby is that he’d be the first thing to tell you it’s the offensive line, or his fullback, or the play of Andrew Luck that lets him do it. He’s really special.”

On Andrew Luck…“He’s playing really well. He’s exceeded our hopes for how he would play.”

On memories of winning at Coliseum 2 years ago…“I have good memories. Memories I’ll have for the rest of my life. I think there’s no question that everything that’s happened to us as a football team in the last 3 years makes us who we are. That win is part of it.”

“We have been fortunate as a football team to play the teams that beat USC the week after they beat ‘em.”

PERSONAL PICS from Lakers blowout of the Phoenix Suns at Staples!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DJ Mbenga racks up his 1st career Double-Double & Kobe continues torrid pace as Lakers trounce lifeless Hornets!

The New Orleans Hornets are a bad basketball team. I watched Byron Scott’s bunch at Staples Sunday night, just 2 days after seeing the lowly Memphis Grizzlies get blown out by the Lakers, and, amazingly, the Hornets have less talent.

Obviously, Chris Paul is better than anybody Memphis has got, but that’s about it for New Orleans. Give me Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, OJ Mayo and Zack Randolph over the stiffs that were destroyed 104-88 by a short-handed Lakers team. This is going to be a very, very long year for the Hornets because they seem to have quit on Scott, who is on the last year of his contract.

Poor Chris Paul. He has 2 more years left on his extension after this season, and I find it hard to believe that he can single-handedly get his team to the playoffs unless there are some significant changes.

Kobe Bryant had a spectacular first half with 26 points on 10-16 with Scott electing not to double him, but in the 2nd half #24 faced multiple defenders and went just 1-5. Still his 28 points have given him the most prolific start to a season ever.

In 7 games, Kobe has scored 235 points, marking a 33.6 per game average. He’s shooting 49% on 86-177. Previously, Bryant’s best scoring average after 7 games was 29.9ppg back at the start of the 2005-06 season. And amazingly, he is doing most of his damage using a new post game. Only 15 of his 177 shots have come from beyond the arc.

DJ Mbenga got another start for LA with both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum sitting out nursing injuries (hamstring and elbow respectively), and DJ was a monster. The kid from Congo registered his first ever double-double with 10 points (5-9) and 12 rebounds. He’s got a remarkably soft touch, and he is a disruptive force on defense (4 blocks tonight and a number of other altered shots). It’s going to be very difficult to keep Mbenga off the floor even when Pau and Bynum do return.

The bench was terrific for a second consecutive game adding 46 points, including a spectacular 15pts with a pair of brutal dunks and 3 3-pointers. Brown was 6-8 from the field with Luke Walton next off the bench with 11 on 4-7.

A win is a win, and the Lakers are 6-1 even without a single minute from 2nd-best offensive threat Pau Gasol and with Bynum out the last 2 games. But, New Orleans was just horrible with virtually no defensive effort, no hustle plays and no heart. The surprising Phoenix Suns will be here at Staples Thursday. Steve Nash and a rejuvenated Jason Richardson have led the Suns to a 6-1 start, including a shocker of a win at Boston on Friday.

MY PERSONAL PIC: LAKERS BLOW OUT UNINSPIRED HORNETS 104-88!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIVE FROM LAKERS/HORNETS AT STAPLES: White hot Kobe Bryant looking to attack soft New Orleans defense!

Let’s see if New Orleans feels like playing some defense tonight.

All Star Chris Paul is at Staples tonight, but his Hornets team is in some genuine disarray. Last Wednesday at New Orleans’ team shoot around, head coach Byron Scott went off. After back-to-back losses on the road at Boston and at New York, Scott hammered his team saying, "We're not a team. We're just a collection of individual basketball players right now."

The Hornets responded with their best win of the year Wednesday night, beating a very good Dallas team 114-107 in OT. In that game, Peja Stoyakovich hit a game-tying 3 to force overtime, then Paul scored 6 of his game-high 39. After the win, Scott admitted that he had giving his guys the “what for” earlier in the day, “I'm pretty good at holding things in for a little while, but when I let 'em out, I kind of let 'em out. I kind of let it out this morning.”

But instead of building on the success, New Orleans was embarrassed on its home floor Friday night getting crushed by Toronto. The 3rd quarter was a microcosm of the Hornet’s season. In those 12 minutes, there was a lot of “quitting.” Raptors All-Star Chris Bosh was an electric 9-9 from the field in 12 minutes, and any pretense of perimeter defense also evaporated as Toronto hit 8 shots from beyond the arc. Toronto coasted to a very easy 107-90 road victory, dropping New Orleans to 2-4, their worst start in 4 years.

There will be no Pau Gasol and no Andrew Bynum for the Lakers (5-1) again tonight. Gasol’s progress in returning from his hamstring strain seems to have stalled, while Andrew continues working back from his elbow injury. So, Kobe Bryant, who has scored 41pts in  3 of the Lakers last 4 games, will need to do the bulk of the damage against the very soft New Orleans defense tonight.

How bad is the Hornets’ defense? They were #5 in the NBA in scoring defense in 2008-09 at 94.3 points, and they’re getting torched to the tune of 105.5 per game so far this season.

This is a chance for Laker fans to see Chris Paul up-close and personal. He is impossible to guard, seemingly able to penetrate at will, and now he’s become a 3-point shooter, hitting 15-18 from beyond the arc so far this season (72%).

On a note of optimism, the Lakers were undefeated in Sunday home games last season.

STARTING LINEUPS

LAKERS

G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Ron Artest
F Lamar Odom
C DJ Mbenga

HORNETS
G Chris Paul
G Devin Brown (making his first start with Mo Peterson inactive)
F Julian Wright
F David West
C Emeka Okafor

TROJANS IN TEMPE TO FACE ARIZONA ST - Sack leader Everson Griffen out with turf toe, but Nick Perry & Armond Armstead will play with TE Anthony McCoy & FB Stanley Havili both possibly returning!

who's in against arizona st?

Defensive End Nick Perry, who dislocxated his shoulder at Oregon last Saturday, is on the trip to Tempe, and he will play tonight.

Defensive tackle Armond Armstead will also play for the Trojans. He fractured his wrist in the loss to the Ducks, but he is wearing a cast that will allow him to contribute.

Linebacker Malcolm Smith (30 tackles) looks like he will be able to play through a shoulder injury.

Backup safety Drew McCallister, battling a severe hip flexor may also be able to get on the field tonight.

Tight end Anthony McCoy with 16 catches for an average of 23ypc looks like he will be able to suit up and play back from the ankle sprain that kept him out of the Oregon game. If he has continued problems look for Blake Ayles and Rhett Ellison to pick up the slack.

The Trojans may also get a boost from the return of FB Stanley Havili, returning from a shoulder injury. The fullback is a huge part of the USC offense, and DJ Shoemate has been unable to successfully fill Stanley’s shoes the last 2 Saturdays.

Wide receiver Travon Patterson who sat out with a sprained ankle last week is back in to face the Sun Devils.

And David Ausberry, out with a sprained ankle as well a week ago, will also be available to be targeted by QB Matt Barkley tonight in the desert.

who's out for arizona st?

A huge loss for USC as junior Everson Griffen is out with the turf toe injury from last Saturday. He leads the team in sacks with 8. Sophomore Malik Jackson (2 sacks) will start for him and freshman Devon Kennard will also see time on the D-line.

Wide receiver Brandon Carswell, who has 24 catches, got hurt at practice Wednesday. That’s also a toe injury, and he is unable to go tonight.

TB Marc Tyler is gone for the year and was scheduled for surgery this week on his broken toe.

Also gone for the year are TB Stafon Johnson, tackle Hebron Fangupo and cornerback Marshall Jones.

MY PERSONAL PICS FROM LAKERS/GRIZZLIES FRIDAY NIGHT AT STAPLES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KOBE DOMINATES: Bryant surpasses 24,000 career points with 41 in Lakers 114-98 demo of Memphis; It's Kobe's 99th career 40-point game!

The World Champion Los Angeles Lakers showed dogged determination at Staples Center Friday night, using a 38-point 3rd quarter to knock out an offensively talented, but defensively challenged Memphis Grizzlies team 114-98.

With just 1 win on their resume this season, Memphis showed up in LA with a decided frontcourt advantage. After all, the Lakers were playing without Pau Gasol, whose hamstring continues to mend (he could return Sunday against New Orleans), and Andrew Bynum, who strained his elbow in Houston Wednesday. And, the Grizzlies are big down low with both Marc Gasol and Zack Randolph, who had been combining to average 38 points and 22 boards.

And for 24 minutes, it looked as though the Grizzlies would make a game of it. Memphis went to the half with a 51-49 lead, and before the break, the game drifted away from the Lakers. Kobe committed a shooting foul on Rudy Gay, where he converted on 2 free throws. Then, after a perfectly executed backdoor alley-oop from Derek Fisher to Kobe, USC’s own OJ Mayo answered back for the Grizzlies with an impossible double-clutch, off-handed layup (probably the most impressive single play of the half). Memphis closed out the scoring with a 27-foot dagger from Gay.

But after Kobe became the youngest player ever to reach the 24,000 point plateau in the first half, he absolutely went off in the final 24, finishing with 41 points on 19-30 (63%). It was the 99th 40-point game of Kobe's career, and there is no selfishness here. This is the only way that the Lakers can win right now without their next-best scorers Gasol and Bynum.

DJ Mbenga got the start at center on Phil Jackson’s lineup card, and the move paid off in a big way as the pride of the Congo registered 9 1st quarter rebounds, just 3 shy of the Memphis team total for the first 12 minutes. DJ finished with 13 boards as the Lakers crushed Memphis on the boards 49-37. Mbenga added 5 points, 2 assists and 4 blocks.

Another game in the books and Ron Artest got even more comfortable in purple and gold. Ron-Ron scored 19 points on 7-14, including 3 treys. He also managed 6 rebounds, 7 helpers, a steal and a block (this guy really fills up a box score).

The Lakers bench was outstanding with 35 points and only 3 turnovers. Josh Powell was 6-11 from the field for 13 points, and Luke Walton had his best game of the season with 7 boards and 7 assists. Walton had hustle plays at both ends of the floor, and he kept a number of offensive possessions alive using sheer will.

Memphis is an interesting team (not good), but their defense has more holes than swiss cheese. Nobody could even remotely control Kobe, and Zack Randolph, OJ Mayo and Allen Iverson combined to play absolutely zero defense. Rudy Gay led all Grizzly scorers with 22 points, but Memphis is filled with guys who care only about getting their shots (which is why they only had 13 assists as a team).

A CHRISTMAS CAROL rings in the holidays early with $9M Friday & a possible $32M opening; Michael Jackson likely to finish just ahead of Clooney's GOATS!

Disney's A Christmas Carol, the 3-D animated update of the Charles Dickens classic from motion capture master Robert Zemeckis, scored a decent $9M on its opening day, and seems headed for a weekend of something in the $32M range. Perhaps handicapped by the fact that its release lands closer to Halloween than to Christmas, this Jim Carrey vehicle should continue to perform strongly through the holiday season.

The 2nd-place finisher for the day is The Men Who Stare At Goats (Overture), starring George Clooney, with an estimated $4.6M, but the adaptation of Jon Ronson's book of the same name will drift to #3 by the end of the weekend for a still-solid $13.8M 3-day. After adding $4.3M to start the weekend, Michael Jackson's This Is It! (Sony) will ride strong Saturday and Sunday matinee business to the runner-up position with a possible $13.8M and a 10-day cume of $57.6M.

The Fourth Kind (Universal) managed $4.5M on Friday, fueled by a campaign that seems eerily like the ads for mega-hit Paranormal Activity (Paramount). The thriller from director Olatunde Osunsanmi seems headed for about $11.3M by Monday morning. Meanwhile, the news is bad for the horror flick The Box (Warner Bros). Despite a cast that includes Oscar nominee Frank Langella and Cameron Diaz, the Richard Kelly-directed horror yarn only scared up an estimated $3M in opening day business, and it will probably finish the weekend at just over $8M. 

EXCLUSIVE STEVE MASON EARLY FRIDAY & 3-DAY ESTIMATES FOR NOVEMBER 6-8
1. NEW - A Christmas Carol (Disney) - $9M Fri - $32M 3-day - $32M cume
2. Michael Jackson's This Is It! (Sony) - $4.3M - $13.8M 3-day - $57.6M cume
3. NEW - The Men Who Stare At Goats (Overture) - $4.6M Fri - $13.1M 3-day - $13.1M cume
4. NEW - The Fourth Kind (Universal) - $4.5M Fri -$11.3M 3-day - $11.3M cume
5. NEW - The Box (Warner Bros) - $3M Fri - $8.1M 3-day - $8.1M cume
6. Paranormal Activity (Paramount) - $2.8M Fri - $8.1M 3-day - $96.9M cume

SCOUTING REPORT: Grizzlies won't be as easy an out as you think!

The Lakers face what should be a “body bag game” tonight at Staples, but injuries to LA’s big men have the potential to make this matchup with 1-4 Memphis interesting. Just watched Pau Gasol on the floor working out, and he looks good (frankly, good enough to play), but he will not suit up with a better-but-still-not 100% hamstring. The Lakers are also without Andrew Bynum, who suffered a strained elbow at Houston.

That will mean the DJ Mbenga may get the start, and Josh Powell will get his most meaningful minutes of the season. They, and Lamar Odom, will be facing a downright scary Memphis frontcourt led by Pau’s “little” brother Marc Gasol (averaging 18pts and 12rpg) and former Clipper Zack Randolph (with 20pts and 10reb per game). At some point, LA can also expect to see 7’3” Hasheem Thabeet from UConn, although he’s getting just 7min per game.

The scoring punch for Memphis comes not just from Randolph and Gasol, OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay are both scoring at a 20pt clip, and Allen Iverson will come off the bench shooting (to be sure), angry that he is the 6th man for an NBA doormat. The starting point guard for the Grizzlies is 22yo Mike Conley, who played his college ball at Ohio St.. Conley is a classic point with at least 6 assists in every Memphis game except their dismal opener against Detroit.

The Grizzlies got hammered in their home opener by the Pistons, then got 30 points from Randolph and 10 helpers from Conley in their lone win of the year last Friday in Memphis against Toronto. But, they’ve lost the first 3 games of their current 5 game trip, so the Grizzlies could be a bit road-weary. They’ll play the Lakers tonight at Staples and finish the Los Angeles twin bill with a game against the lowly Clippers tomorrow night.

Coach Pete Carroll: "Scheme-wise this team couldn't handle what we went with against Oregon, and that's my fault." - Pete's Tuesday Press Conference

COMMENTS FROM PETE CARROLL'S TUESDAY PRESS
CONFERENCE AT HERITAGE HALL

"We had a week that was unusual for us. Much can be said about that. Saturday night we closed the doors of the locker room, and we went back to our regular approach. You havae to focus on what's coming up. The way the game came across, it presents an unusually difficult challenge. We went about our business pointedly yesterday. Guys are ready to go after it."

"Arizona St. is a very tough team, and they're gonna give us a bunch of problems. I need to do a good job, and the coaches need to do a good job, and the players have their work cut out for them."

"Dennis has these guys jacked up. They've become a shotgun running team. And their front seven is really good, and they really take the run away from their opponents."

"This is our last road game. It's been a difficult year on the road. It's important that we finish the road season with a win."

"We've never talked about the season in terms of championships, and ratings, and bowl championship series...it's not the way we approach things. Guys know that this Saturday is our one chance to win this week."

"We started preparing for this Oregon offense back in spring practice. We took our prepartion a step farther, and it left us in a dark alley. We made a mistake in the plan...the approach. It was a calculated approach that didn't work out."

"We've given up a lot of points the last few weeks. But it's for different reasons. Oregon was a scheme issue."

"Masoli is an unusual competitor. Stature wise he's small. He has a great sense for making plays. We missed him in the backfield a lot."

"You can't deny that last year we had 4th and 5th year guys playing. Scheme-wise this team couldn't handle what we went with against Oregon, and that's my fault."

"When we lost up there with Mark a couple of years ago, people said all the same things about us. We lost our second game at Oregon, and we found a way to re-group and get going in the right direction. We're trying to do that again."

"We got banged up a lot this week. There are a lot of guys on the list that we don't know if there gonna play or not on Saturday. Gallippo is questionable. Malcolm Smith is questionable, but better than we thought."

"I've observed this year, and now I've seen it clearly, the conference is loaded this year. We still have enormous challenges on the schedule. The defenses are featuring great pass rushers, and everybody's got a quarterback. Arizona's comin' up and Arizona St.'s comin' up and Stanford's comin' up. There's a real even feel about the conference. The level of play in the Pac 10 is so high right now. And there will still be more surprises. This conference can play with any conference in the country."

"This is unusual. When you lose, you lose. When they beat you, they beat you. The same mechanisms have to kick in. You can't do anything about what has already ocurred. You have to focus on what's right in front of you. I have to be like a sheep dog and keep everybody together and keeping the right way."

"I think these guys are pretty resilient. They're respectful. They felt the hit, and now they're ready to move ahead."

Kobe's behind-the-back dish to Artest ignites the Lakers to a 118-110 over Atlanta!

The highlight of the Lakers 118-110 victory over the Hawks at Staples was a Kobe Bryant pass. Not an ordinary pass mind you. It was a behind-the-back flick to Ron Artest in transition, and Ron-Ron jammed it home. That was at 4:03 of the 3rd quarter making it Lakers 84-70 over the Hawks. Kobe could’ve scored that bucket himself, but he chose to get Artest involved. It was Bryant’s first assist of the game, and it played like a vote of confidence for the newest member of the Lakers.

What followed was a Harlem Globetrotter-like torrent of basketball ingenuity for the reigning World Champions. It was easily the best 12 minutes of basketball for the purple and gold as they started to tee off on their middle-of-the-pack Eastern Conference opponent. Lamar on a nifty pass to Bynum for 2, Artest with a defensive rebound and a transition dunk at the offensive end, then LO on a perfect lob again to Bynum for another slam. It was all part of an 18-0 run that buried Mike Woodson’s team in a furious blur.

With 1 minute left in the 3rd, Luke Walton came up with a steal on an errant Josh Smith pass. Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant were the first 2 players down-court with LO leading the way. Odom could have jammed it home, but instead he tossed it off to a trailing Kobe Bryant who brought the house down with a double-clutch reverse slam.

When the dust had settled, the Lakers had outscored the Hawks 34-18 in that 12-minute frame, shooting 14-26 for 54% from the field. LA led 98-76 after 3.

What the starters giveth though, the bench giveth away (or at least giveth away a chunk). With Phil Jackson trying to limit the minutes of his starters, Jordan Farmar, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell, Sasha Vujacic and Shannon Brown tried to collectively shut the door on Atlanta, but they struggled. A turnover for Mbenga, a turnover and a shooting foul for Farmar, a bad pass and a shooting foul for Powell, a double-dribble for Brown and a shot clock violation, and all the starters came back at 6:41 of the 4th with the lead down to 14.

But realistically, this Lakers team isn’t at full strength. Without Pau Gasol, sidelined by strained hamstring, Lamar Odom has been forced to the starting lineup, which means that there is no go-to anchor for the so-called “bench mob.” Gasol expressed concern about his injury late last week, but Phil Jackson has brushed off most questions about the severity of the injury, and tonight, the coach says that the Spaniard will be making the two-stop roadie to Oklahoma City and Houston this week, so a full strength team could be just around the corner.

Overall, Kobe Bryant was 15-29 for 41pts with 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Lamar missed a triple-double by just 2 helpers, finishing with 11pts, 14 boards and 8 assists. Bynum was a proficient 8-14 from the field for 21pts, but he finished with just 3 rebounds (first game of the season without a double-double). Ron Artest, in part ignited by the fancy dish from #24, had his best game as a Laker, filling up the boxscore to the tune of 12 pts, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.

Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 27pts, but, in the head-scratcher of the night, Coach Mike Woodson benched his star after he scorched the Lakers with 18 points on 7-8 in the first 9 minutes Hard to say what Woodson was thinking, but it looked dumb to me. Atlanta point guard Mike Bibby spent most of the 4th quarter on the bench with Woodson favoring rookie point guard Jeff Teague, who seemed to give the Hawks a spark with 12 points. He’s a roadrunner in the Aaron Brooks mode, and he could become a force for the Hawks down the road.

HALFTIME REPORT: Woodson ices red hot Joe Johnson helping Lakers to 64-58 halftime lead!

The Lakers have taken a 64-58 halftime lead as they try to bounce back from Friday’s crushing defeat at the hands of Mark Cuban’s Mavericks. The game started out with a white hot Joe Johnson who made 7 of his first 8 from the field for 18 quick points in the first 9 minutes. Then inexplicably, Hawks coach Mike Woodson yanked Johnson for 8 minutes. Dumb. Dumber than dumb. Atlanta had the lead and the hottest player on the floor and the lead, and Woodson found a way to screw it up.

Kobe started out shooting 5-12 from the field in the 1st quarter, then went 3-5 in the 2nd. He’s got 19pts, 2 rebounds and 0 assists. Andrew Bynum started slow, but he hot 2-3 in the 2nd quarter for 10pts at the half. After shooting 44% as a team in the 1st quarter, the Lakers (respectable), then improved to 7-14 (67%) in the second 12. Overall, the Lakers are shooting a sizzling 54% from the field.

Johnson eventually returned for Atlanta, but he has cooled off going 0-2 after his return. The trio of 23yo frontcourt stars for the Hawks – Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams – combined for 12pts on 4-12. Jamal Crawford, who was acquired from Golden St. during the offseason, is providing a spark off the bench with 9pts in 12 minutes.

One important note for Laker fans. Pau Gasol is still out with that strained hamstring, but Phil Jackson says that he will make the quick Tuesday-Wednesday roadtrip. That’s no guarantee that he will play, but he may indicate that he’s getting closer to game-ready.

My pics from Lakers/Hawks: With Doug Christie & Pepe Mantilla plus Lakers intro & a David Beckham sighting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manu Ginobili celebrates Halloween by killing a LIVE BAT on-court in San Antonio!

The YouTube sensation of the day is from last night's Spurs win over Sacramento at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Players were being pestered by a bat flying around the arena, and in this video you can see how Manu handles the creepy Halloween night situation.

After the game, Spurs All-Star Tony Parker was filled with admiration for Ginobili. "That was amazing. The legend continues with Manu. Unbelievable. ... He's always doing crazy stuff."

After the game, Spurs All-Star Tony Parker was filled with admiration for Ginobili. "That was amazing. The legend continues with Manu. Unbelievable. ... He's always doing crazy stuff After the game Seriously, a live bat on Halloween? What are the odds? The Spurs won the game 113-94 to improve to 2-1, and Manu scored 13pts on 5-7 from the field with 1reb, 3a and 1stl, but his "Batman" impression was the most talked-about moment of the night.