<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Lakers headed out of Los Angeles ? almost all of them, anyway ? and landed Saturday in Detroit, where they begin their longest trip of the season tonight against the Pistons. Guard Smush Parker missed the team charter for undisclosed reasons ? he was expected to join the team later Saturday ? but forward Lamar Odom was on time the morning after arriving late for Friday's game against Golden State. Odom, who showed up 45 minutes before game time instead of the required 90 minutes because of what he said was a minor traffic infraction, will be fined an undisclosed sum for being late and will not be further disciplined, a team official said. The Lakers, meanwhile, will play seven games in 11 days, a compact task that starts with the Pistons, who keep rolling along, winning 10 consecutive games to improve to 36-5 and giving chase to the record-setting Chicago Bull team that went 72-10 in 1996. The Lakers have lost seven of their last eight to the Pistons, including Detroit's five-game victory in the 2004 Finals. The Pistons won handily last season, 103-81 and 111-90, and have not lost to the Lakers in Detroit since January 2002. "It should be a walk in the park," said Kobe Bryant, adding a smile in case the Pistons thought he was serious. "It'll be a good measuring stick for us right off the bat to see where we're at. It's a testy one, but we're looking forward to it. We like getting out on the road and playing in hostile environments." Coach Phil Jackson said he hoped the Lakers would go 4-3 on the trip, perhaps even 5-2, with games against Detroit, New York, Indiana, Charlotte, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Dallas and Houston. The Lakers, 11-11 on the road, were 5-1 on their last long trip, which included victories over Dallas and Memphis in mid-December. "Since then, teams have made adjustments defensively," Bryant said. "Now it's on us to make adjustments offensively and improve in those areas."</div> Source I love the dedication and attention to detail of these two.
So this means Smush isn't playing right? Perhaps this may give someone else a chance to showcase there game? This is how fairy-tale stories begin. Lamar showing up late, Smush missing his flight, this seems weird. I remember reading Smush apparently seemed as if he wasn't too happy with Kobe's 81 point performance in an interview. Hopefully this isn't the reason for our players starting to miss games/turn up late.
The night of Kobe's 81 points, when they interviewed Smush, he sounded really jealous and kinda upset. The reporter who was asking Smush the questions KEEEEPT on saying "KOBE 81 POINTS, KOBE THIS KOBE THAT" I would have gotten annoyed to. But Smush was like, I was more impressed with our Team's defense than his 81 points. He was saying stuff like that, I doubt that had anything to do with him missing the flight, but you could definitely sense the tension.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting K8B:</div><div class="quote_post">I wouldn't criticize Smush, yet. It could've been an emergency.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Still Waiting for Smush Smush Parker, who missed Saturday's flight to Detroit because he overslept, paid his way to fly commercial that night. Jackson joked that Parker didn't fly first class. Parker said his tardiness had nothing to do with his play against the Pistons -- 4 for 12 from the field, including 0 for 4 from three-point range, for nine points. He had just one assist in 37 minutes. </div> Source There's his excuse ... over sleeping.
