My introduction to the Lakers board

[Hyral]

Hey guys, you don't know me yet but i've been a frequent visitor of Realgm for quite some time now, a couple years at least. I have been watching basketball my entire life and have been a Lakers fan for quite some time. I remember the "Lakeshow" rosters with Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell, Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, and Cedric Ceballos, though honestly i didn't become passionate about the Lakers until the arrival of Kobe and Shaq. I live in Hawaii so i don't exactly have a hometown team to root for, but I feel like Hawaii is a part of Lakers Nation...we get FSN West broadcast on basic cable so I can watch all the Lakers home games, and as some of you probably know, the Lakers have held training camp and preseason games in Hawaii in the past (though they aren't doing it this year). In fact, the Lakers once held practice in my high school's gym prior to the 2007-2008 season...it wasn't open to the public, but i got to see Kobe and Co. as they were leaving the gym and going to the team bus. Luke Walton was the only one who really interacted with the fans, he signed someone's shoe.

While I enjoyed the Lakers 3-peat early in the decade, i saw it from the perspective of a casual fan. I sorta lost interest in basketball in general from 2003-2005, but I returned to watching the NBA and the Lakers during the 2005-2006 season, just in time for the epic Lakers-Suns series. Ever since, i have been nothing short of a hardcore Lakers fan. From the past 3 seasons, i feel like i've watched the vast majority of Lakers games. In particular, i don't think i missed any more than a dozen Lakers games last season.

I'd like to think of myself as a serious student of the game. I absolutely LOVE all the intricacies of basketball and it is by far my favorite sport. As such, while I am a Lakers fan I have no reservations about criticizing our own players/management, and it's all for the sake of becoming a better basketball team. While I feel in-depth analysis of stats and such can be important, nothing provides a better picture of the game than simply watching it. With that said, i try to watch all the games I can, prioritizing Lakers games of course but i'll watch anything and everything. As a result, i feel like I can leave a strong opinion on most things related to the NBA and back it up.

I hope I can be a valuable contributor to this board and I'll usually reserve my posts for when I feel like I can add something of substance to the conversation. I don't know why it took me so long to grab an account and start posting, but here I am now, excited for the start of the 2009-2010 season!! Go Lakers!

[Mamba Venom]

What up

[DubaLakers]

Hawaii, bummer, too bad they don't still do their summer camps over there. Wonder why that is?

[Hyral]

It's too bad really, but I gotta admit it is quite a hassle to travel 2000+ miles across the Pacific Ocean to train in inferior facilities you aren't used to. Hawaii has no pro team, so accommodations were lacking, and the reason why the Lakers used my high school gym for a period of time was because the Stan Sheriff Center (the place they normally practice in while in Hawaii, and where the University of Hawaii team plays) had a scheduling conflict. The whole thing just reeked of incompetence and unneeded annoyances which i'm guessing the Lakers management was getting sick of.

[Anklebreaker702]

Welcome

[TonyMontana]

Hawaii, which Island?
I actually lived in Waikele for 3 month also we actually have a couple of cool posters from Oahu. Good peps.
Anyways welcome to the best board in realgm brah.

[Danny Darko]

Word. I always like guys who have lurked long enough to already know the flow of the board.

Cheers to new posters! Welcome aboard.

[Gus McCrae]

Welcome aboard. Good to have you.

[Tee212]

welcome! are you hot? hihihih

[Slava]

Wattup?

[hermes]

welcome aboard sir

[dockingsched]

bienvenido

[The Skyhook]

welcome to the boards

[DubaLakers]

It's too bad really, but I gotta admit it is quite a hassle to travel 2000+ miles across the Pacific Ocean to train in inferior facilities you aren't used to. Hawaii has no pro team, so accommodations were lacking, and the reason why the Lakers used my high school gym for a period of time was because the Stan Sheriff Center (the place they normally practice in while in Hawaii, and where the University of Hawaii team plays) had a scheduling conflict. The whole thing just reeked of incompetence and unneeded annoyances which i'm guessing the Lakers management was getting sick of.

thanks for the heads up

[snaquille oatmeal]

~Mahalo~