Well, NOW can we panic?
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 9:37 AM PST
in Editorial
115 comments
The answer is still a pretty definitive 'no'. However, we can, and should, be very concerned for the way the Lakers are playing this season. Yesterday's game was a prime example.
Part of losing the game was Billups getting insanely hot, posting a career high 9 threes (on only 13 attempts!) and 39 points, before J.R. decided to take his turn, and a lot of those shots were out of our control. To most of them, the Lakers actually got good contests up. Defensively, asides from two or three of those shots, there was nothing L.A. could have done. Our offense is, as usual, where the problem primarily lies. There are several issues that I believe it has come time to seriously discuss and not sweep under the rug, as our record against good teams is poison lying in wait. These issues have been briefly outlined after the jump.
This post shall be curt and blunt yet long. There shall be no humour in this, no lightheartedness. This is serious. This is business. If you are at least somewhat worried about the Lakers' struggles of late, I highly recommend you read on. If not, and I doubt C.A. will like me saying this, but it must be said; this post isn't for you and I recommend you don't waste your time.
Pau Gasol: I think by now it's very fair to say Pau Gasol is in, to put it kindly, a slump. He had a 17/17 line last night, which was nice; but shot under 50%, and was very hesitant on offense to start the game. Also, the official stat-sheet shows him to have two turnovers, but I remember at least four other possessions where he pretty much turned the ball over, only for another teammate to recover it for L.A. Also, I'm starting to feel nervous every time he attempts to catch the ball, as seemingly every single time he fumbles it somewhat; quite often leading to him losing easy shot opportunities. The only explanation for it is that its an issue of confidence, as a player as great as Pau does not simply forget how to catch the ball. I did, however, see a flash of the aggressiveness there when he went up for a bunny lay-up, missed, muscled the rebound, before going up and putting in a hard dunk before screaming. Unfortunately, by then it was far too late. One can only hope he breaks out of his slump soon.
Though, what I've always seemed to notice with him, is that while he's crazily efficient when having very few possessions; when the Triangle is run straight through him in the low post it can get ugly. He seems to definitely operate better from the high-post / foul line area, facing up; as there it is impossible to send a strong double his way (which seems the most effective way to take him out of the game).
The Point Guard Conundrum: This is made up of two parts, Derek and then the reserve guards.
I do hate to say it, but DFish simply doesn't cut it any more. His defense this game was not particularly bad, he managed to stay with Chauncey and contest near every shot Chauncey took, it's just that Chauncey made them (though it should be noted that Chauncey cooling down near direct coincided with Artest switching on to him and forcing him to give up the ball). What's the problem, however, is his offense. He's shooting under 40% from the field this season, and only 35% from three; not good enough for a spot-up shooter. This game was no exception, going 2/7 from the floor and 0-2 from three. L.A. do NOT need a ball-dominant point guard like Harris, however they do need a solid point guard who can hit open shots, find the open man, play satisfactory defense, and be a bit of a playmaker when necessary.
One would naturally look to the bench to find this solution, but there are problems there, too. Jordan Farmar is an extremely talented player, and I have always been a big fan of his. His decision-making and defense haves also improved dramatically this season. He's probably the best asides from Kobe at creating his own shot off the dribble, and is undoubtedly the best dribble-penetrator on the team. However, the unavoidable conclusion when looking at his game style is that he is not a Triangle point guard. He needs the ball in his hands to operate, simply put, and the Triangle is not entirely accomodating to that. Last season, Shannon Brown's game was such an unexpected bonus many of us viewed him as the solution to the point guard problem and the heir apparent to Derek Fisher. That has, sadly, proven to be far from the case. Brown seems to have taken a step back on defense, rarely runs the offense properly, and has proven to be a substandard ball-handler at the point, and thus has been relegated to primarily the off-guard role. In this role, he has shown a penchant for being able to hit tough fadeaway shots, which would be great except for the fact that they're terrible shots to take and he takes them far more often than his percentage justifies, often ignoring other far better options. He's turned into a chucker, simply put.
Offensive Fluidity: As I'm sure most of you know, the Lakers' offense was our primary source of success last season. It was one of the top in the League and when clicking on all cylinders, unstoppable. This season, not so much, they only just barely qualify as one of the top 10 teams in offensive efficiency for the season. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, the Triangle isn't run enough, discarded in favour of terrible isolation plays and bad shots; and everyone is a culprit to this. Pau isn't demanding enough for the ball, and not aggressive enough when he gets it. Odom is settling for far too many threes and long twos, instead of getting into the paint. Drew undoubtedly wants his shots, but often if the Lakers go away from him for a while he just stops trying, and plus he needs to be able to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the court to be able to take shots. Kobe seems to be trying to do far too much this season, considering the level of talent on his team; and Fisher is just plain atrocious. Pardon the language, but f--- Chris Duhon, Derek Fisher is the worst starting point guard in the League this year. Problem is, his shot selection often suggests he doesn't seem to realise it. The only starter who is playing within his role in the offense to some extent is Artest, and much kudos to him for that. Despite not being particularly athletic, he is slashing with a purpose and energy; he is learning his positioning; and not once has he held on to the ball for too long.
The Bench is a whole nother can of worms. While putting one or two of them out there with the starters doesn't lead to too much of a drop, putting them out there as a unit is just asking to lose. Shannon chucks up shots like he thinks he's Kobe Bryant, Jordan needs the ball in his hands just a bit too much to be able to function in the Triangle to his full potential, Luke is a nonfactor this season, Sasha is atrocious, and even Lamar Odom is having a quite down year offensively - primarily due to a terrible distribution of shots from him - way too many long jumpers.
They simply don't seem to have gelled as a team, they don't have that offensive chemistry.
Another problem is that all the starters play in essentially the same way. They are large and not exceptionally athletic (not even Kobe, any more); and every single one of them operates best out of the post. I do believe this team would be perfect for the 90s, with their size, physicality and post focus; but in the modern era it just doesn't work like that. There isn't enough paint to hold all of them. They also lack a floor-spreading presence, whether starting or off the bench. Sasha and Artest are both at around 37% for the season, which is decent, but not deadly - plus Sasha doesn't play enough to count. In addition to this, they lack a true slasher to run the cuts of the Triangle. In last year's Playoffs, Ariza filled BOTH of these roles, which is why we now miss him so much. We can win it all without filling this void, but our chances are greatly improved if we make a trade to somehow do so.
And, the final point, the Coaching.
Really, I don't know what's going on with Phil Jackson this season. He's always been one to experiment, and to not put too much value on regular season games; but his coaching this season has been simply bizarre.
A particular area this sticks out is in his substitutions, the craziest stuff I've ever seen. The simplest way to illustrate this would be to link to the box score that recorded Vujacic as having played 11 minutes last game. Is there any possible way anyone can explain that, basketball-wise? Powell also received minutes; a sin, Bynum foul trouble or no. Also, his demonstrative need to rest Kobe at the most inopportune times is positively baffling. Kobe can play 40 minutes in blowouts, and Phil has no problem with it. However, playing Kobe the whole fourth against Cleveland? Phil would rather he get nearly 7 minutes of rest to start the fourth, leaving him ice cold after a hot streak.
Last game was another example. Kobe had been hot, then Phil put him on the bench for the second half of the third. There was somewhat of a reason behind this, in that 1. Kobe was on four fouls and 2. He was frustrated due to a series of no-calls. With any other star, that may be a legitimate reason to keep them out until the fourth. Kobe? Are you kidding me? The man is one of the most disciplined at playing on a high number of fouls in the League. As for the frustration - is there anywhere here who does not think that Kobe using that frustration as motivation to go into Mamba mode would have been more likely to win us the game than to rely on our seemingly half-asleep supporting cast?
Sasha's been getting relevant minutes, only to prove he doesn't deserve them. Artest is being kept out of the crunch time rotation in favour of jacker Shannon Brown. Kobe's being rested ridiculously long in important/close games, and playing long minutes in pointless/blowout games.
Really, some comments Fisher implied after the second Cleveland game may be the best theory to provide some explanation of this, that Phil doesn't particularly care about winning regular season games at all, 100% trusts the team to win on the road (with their road record? That's not gonna work); and even possibly believes that these losses are highly beneficial and that they will give his team extra motivation to beat these teams come Playoffs, simply to prove they can.
Well, this is Phil Jackson, the Phil Jackson of the 10 rings, 534 Lakers Franchise wins, at around .70 winning percentage for his career. We really have no choice but to trust him to know when to actually try to win games; but for the sake of my mental state, I hope it's soon.
That applies for everything outlined in this post. Really, all we can do is hope. Maybe Mitch has a trade up his sleeve, but 99% most likely we won't hear about it till it happens. Maybe this team is just waiting to flip the switch, and can do it as soon as Phil lets them, but we won't know until they do it. Maybe Pau is just conserving energy for the Playoffs, we won't know till they come round.
Important to note is that we still CAN win it all, we just haven't done anything to indicate us as favourites.
All we can do is hope, and pray, and be thankful we're not Boston fans.
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gasol
whatever happened to the touch passes between odom and pau? last yr they looked for eachother, now they just seem to clog the lane together. both are playing minimal defense, continually letting guards drive the paint and throwing up 4 ft jumpers in their eyes….they should be swatting that shit to the half court line…maybe lakers can trade gasol for boozer…ever since he signed his extension..he’s playing like a fat happy cat..hell, his brother looks more hungry than him.
That's not an option
Trading Gasol isn’t going to change anything… I have no idea what is wrong with him but I’m not ready to throw in the towel.
I’m confident that they will turn things around after the All-Star Break. D-Fish needs to go. He needs to retire after this season and the Lakers should trade for Arenas unless he’s in jail or something, lol.
I think it would work.
He is in a slump, everyone has a little slump, kobe, lebron, a-rod, cristiano ronaldo, pujols, favre, peterson, EVERYONE
The PuertoRican Kid
by Kobe:The Legend on Feb 6, 2010 3:26 PM PST up reply actions
pujols slumps
when he has a slump… hes still way above average though lol.. his slumps are .280/350/500
expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive expletive
Suarav is right on, not harsh enough but right on…..The Lakers dont play any transition defense whatsoever…They dont run back, they dont stop the ball, they dont even pick up the open man…This is all shit you learn in Junior High and High School ball..It doesnt require anything special other than RUNNING back down the court, stopping the ball and picking up a man, ANY man..It’s really ridiculous…I dont wanna hear another big complain about touches…They dont do anything when they do get the ball besides them punk ass Lay-ups…Bigs in the WNBA go up harder than they do..How bout we make a trade for Lisa Leslie? Im sure she’ll show more heart than ANY of our bigs..
Derek Fisher needs to go, not just to the bench but be gone period. He has no usefulness at all..He cant shoot, cant defend what the hell is he still doin on the court?All he has to do is hit OPEN shots.Im sure there are a number of young guards in the league that would kill to be in his position…All they have to do is defend and hit some jumpers…….we’ll be lucky to get a win out of these next 3 games before the all star break…Championship? pssssshht yeah right, we’ll be lucky to make it out the 1st round
Wah wah wah wah
Speaking as a first-time visitor to this site… Jesus what a bunch of friggin’ cry babies! “Lucky to get out of the first round”???? Yeah, sure. Because 38-13 is, you know, so shameful. Have some fucking faith people. Sure, there’s room for improvement… a shut-down perimeter defender would be nice… but, what? Trade Gasol? That’s the stupidest effing thing I’ve ever heard. The guy had 17 boards last night. You don’t get that without working hard. Start Walton? hahahahahahahaha! These are the defending champions. You bet yur ass they’re saving some for the post-season. You bet yur ass PJ is limiting Kobe’s minutes. They still have the sickest, most explosive roster in the league. And come playoff time, they will ram it up Denver’s ass. Just like last year. I hate JR Smith. What a piece of shit.
by GrichManPoorMan on Feb 6, 2010 11:24 AM PST up reply actions
Cry Babies?
The truth is a hard pill to swallow….Show me anything that makes you think we have a chance at winning the Western Conf much less make it to the Finals…Our 38-13 is the most misleading record in the league…Who have we beaten on the road? How many times have the Lakers been Blown out by other elite teams in either conference? Im sick of hearing about the “switch” being turned off…Maybe the “switch” isnt turned off, maybe its been on and they just cant beat a good team…They havent proven otherwise.
The Cavs
aren’t a very good team, and they have the best record in the league because they play teams like the Knicks and Nets on a weekly basis… so I agree with you, the Lakers record is misleading, but I do disagree with what you said about the playoffs…
They will make it to the Finals, I’m confident that they will.
The Cavs Have only lost 5 games against Western Conf teams
Not to mention they Kicked our a$$ TWICE..
It means nothing
Remember last year when the Lakers couldn’t win a game against Orlando in the regular season?
It might mean nothing...
It would really mean nothing if we dont make it to the Finals..The way they’re playing now doesnt give me alot of hope..
Good grief, get a grip!
Bynum is not 100%
Gasol is not 100%
Kobe is probably not 70%
Kardashian-Odom is 100%, but, well, maybe he needs more sugar in his diet.
One loss to the Cavs was not at full roster strength, and the second Kobe had his health issues. If we’re healthy in June, I’d love to Lebron in the finals.
The Lakers know how to win, better than any other team in the league. When push comes to shove, which team would scare you more on the opposing sideline than the Lakers? How about in the fourth quarter with the game on the line?
Veteran teams often goes on “cruise control” for periods, then flip the switch when they have to. This has been the penchant for past Lakers team, and it looks the same now.
Don’t forget, Artest isn’t not fully integrated as yet, but he’s improving — especially now that his foot seems to be healing.
Gasol and Bynum are out of sync, no question. They have 30 games to figure it out, and you can bet Phil will having them run a lot of plays during games to see that this happens.
All Kobe needs is rest and to get healthy. If he’s 100% for the playoffs, no ankle and, more importantly, no finger problems — his playoffs could be one for the ages.
Odom will be ready as usual, remaining the impossible matchup. All he has to do is remember that he’s not a 3-pt. specialist, but a 6-10 beast that needs to devour paint.
If the combination of Brown and Farmar can take some of the pressure off Fisher, and not lose us games, that’s all we can ask.
Jackson knows what to do and when to do it. He has 10 rings to prove that.
Suck it up Lakers fans. Every other fan base in the NBA is looking this way, leery of what our team is doing. In their hearts they know that the title goes through L.A.
As long as we’re healthy don’t bother me with this hysteria, until we get to the playoffs and are up against the wall in an elimination game.
Come June we get our 16th championship, and move one step closer to silencing Boston.
Just love what we’ve got!
by LakersFan2009 on Feb 7, 2010 3:00 AM PST up reply actions
And another thing...
… if there’s a weak-link right now, it’s Bynum. What did he have, five rebounds last night? The Bird-Retard totally outplayed him. Ineffectual. Inexcusable.
by GrichManPoorMan on Feb 6, 2010 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
Nene used some very good post moves
Putting him in foul trouble. That wasn’t Bynum’s fault, as such; considering those post moves would’ve been exceptionally hard to guard for any big in the League; let alone a pure Center like Bynum.
When not in foul trouble, he was playing quite well.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:01 PM PST up reply actions
I don’t think the big guys are concerns to be honest.
The problem starts at PG and Bench.
Fish is great especially in the clutch but can’t play D anymore. The first step is too bench him and start brown…having him play 30 minutes a night.
Then, try and find a PG via trade.
On the bench, I think you have to give Luke the PG duty…he can pass great and run the offense very well.
Revis Island
Kobe 24
JoseJoseJose
I havent seen any of that clutch this year
I havent seen much of anything from Fisher this year to be honest..The man is useless as a basketball player now..and we’re gonna keep getting worked by opposing guards as long as he’s on the floor….BTW I’d trade Gasol for Bosh in a heartbeat
I would, too
But NOT just because of Gasol’s recent play. Gasol is still one of the top 5 Power Forwards in the League (along with Duncan, Bosh, Zandolph (shudders) and either LMA or Josh Smith); but, at this point in time, Bosh may just be the best of them all.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:03 PM PST up reply actions
I like every bit you said except for the Walton start. But in the mean while start Shannon Brown while we have a trade arrangement and get Sasha, Adom Morrison and possibly Josh Powell deal ON
by 15xtimeNBAchamps on Feb 6, 2010 12:31 PM PST up reply actions
I never said start Walton....
I said let him run the 2nd unit…
basically, Shannon takes Fisher’s place and Walton takes Shannon/Farmer’s spot.
Revis Island
Kobe 24
JoseJoseJose
Lineup Rotations
PJ needs to fool around with the rotations.
I say have Bynum, Pau, Artest, Kobe and Walton as Starters. When Walton started he was a great 3 point shooter and could pass the ball like any Point Guard. He’s an alright defender and I think we would get a lot of progress out of him because he hasn’t played any minutes lately.
PJ can also move Artest to the bench and have Odom start for a game.
It’s a weird thought, but any rotation is better than what they have right now.
All I know is, I’m done seeing Fisher in the lineup.
Artest is NOT the problem y should he go to the Bench? Its mainly the PG position that let CB get like 40 pts.
Heinrich!
The RaiderLaker
I never implied
that Artest was a problem, he’s actually doing really well as of late.
I"m just saying that Phil needs to change things around.
I say he moves Walton into D-Fish’s spot.
ha, lol, but wont Luke get burned by opposing quick PG's? a nasty scenario Luke would be lost. lol
We need Trade.
The RaiderLaker
We won't know until it's seen live
Luke started against a Healthy Celtics squad on the Christmas Game in 08 and played really well.
A trade is the easiest thing to see right now, but it’s not going to happen because of the team chem. I hate losing, especially to teams that can challenge the Lakers but it’s something that has happened a lot in the past and come playoff time the Lakers have pulled through.
There’s no need to panic and call for trades.
I’m just saying.
I would'nt call it panicking(atleast not me) we just need to upgrade a weakness ASAP, imo.
We need a dude that can penetrate and collapse opposing Defenses at times(since Kobe always drives to the rim), and a good lock down defender, which I would guess Kirk Heinrich could do. Although he aint that good a penetrating, imo.
The RaiderLaker
Agreed.
Yea, I guess you’re right. What the Lakers need is another shooter.
Artest can shoot the three and Kobe is our primary gunner but this squad needs another shooter. Someone who can take it up a notch when Kobe’s on the bench.
What the Lakers need is another shooter.
I think that is the reason Phil give’s Sasha some run every once in awhile. He’s hoping he’ll find his 2008 shooting touch. (Doesn’t seem likely but he’s gotta try something.) And Pau is just in a slump. He’ll get it back together.
Which of these things is not like the others? 15 NBA Championships, most wins in NBA history, current NBA champions, lost by 20 to the F'ing Spurs.
I think that is the reason Phil give’s Sasha some run every once in awhile. He’s hoping he’ll find his 2008 shooting touch.
yeap but we have been doing this for the last 2 years
phil needs to move on and explore other options…
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
.......John Salmons...... maybe
"I work my ass off every day in practice. How many other guys can say the same thing? Not many. I'm fighting against becoming soft. That's the worse thing you can say to a basketball player." - Dennis Rodman
I say lets make an experiment, Kobe as a PG, Artest as a SG, Odom SF, Gasol PF, and Bynum C, also we need to put walton more, he barely plays
The PuertoRican Kid
by Kobe:The Legend on Feb 6, 2010 3:32 PM PST up reply actions
the trade i see the nets doing for harris is
for a big man PF or a good SG / SF….
Revis Island
Kobe 24
JoseJoseJose
Good post.
I think Ron Ron is fine. He’s shooting 39% on the season from three, over 50% this month (small sample size). Ron shot 43% from three last month. He’s healthy now and expect him to assert himself more.
As for Odom shooting jumpers, I’m fine with that. I can live with him shooting jumpers, especially when the defender is giving him a ton of space. He makes up for misses by rebounding the basketball and getting put backs.
I just don’t trust the guards on the bench. They neglect to get the ball inside like they are avoiding the plague. The Lakers need another guard with a brain. Hinrich, Ridnour, Duhon…….etc. I honestly don’t care at this point. Just find somebody who will make an effort to get Pau and Bynum the ball.
Great article
Like most Lakers fans the biggest concern is the PG position and the bench. If the problem is Fishers’ defense and horrible FG% and we want a solution to that then I doubt that solution lies in Farmar. He isn’t any better at defending or shooting. Stats and quickness will show one thing but that doesn’t win titles. Brown, obviously, isn’t the solution at the PG either as Saurav pointed out. If the Lakers had this current line up with virtually no weakness at any other position except for the 1 spot, I’ll take that. Even with Fisher, the Lakers have the best starting five in the league.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Feb 6, 2010 10:59 AM PST reply actions
D Fish in the only problem
coming from a blazer fan, you have little to worry about when playing in a state with a sales tax, but if kenyon martin gets a ring, the blood is on your hands
i agree. the lakers haven’t shown me that they should be favorites. my confidence in their winning the title is beginning to dwindle. their chemistry does seem off this year, and yes i do think they miss ariza on the court—even though artest has improved the team defensively. how about we send morrison to houston for trevor? idk…13 losses at this point is a lot, given our talent level. but obviously talent alone doesn’t cut it these days. 10 teams in the west have winning records and there are only a couple of games differentiating them. i still have faith we can win it this year, but they need to show a great deal of improvement. at this point, i would say they’re not the favorites—deservedly so.
The only mistake I saw was "L.A. do NOT need a ball-dominant point guard".
Other than that, would that I could write like this.
In the game at Cleveland, did Kobe get any rest in the second quarter?
Sorry for the allcaps.
Anyway we need some more dependable long range shooters. Kobe’s finger injury hurts his ability to hit from long range, and our three “other” guards have not been able to find the range all year.
by Lamar Odom For Three on Feb 6, 2010 11:41 AM PST reply actions
All caps were fine in that context. You were emphasizing the whole point....
IT IS WHEN AN ENTIRE POST IS ALL CAPS WHEN IT IS EMPHASIZING NOTHING THAT PEOPLE GET UPSET.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
No you can not Panic, well maybe you can I really don't worry about the playoffs until the team gets there.
Season long my young one, Patience needs to be applied, try not to fear the Ruin-Clipper mediocrity of LA sports.
by so.cal.native1952 on Feb 6, 2010 11:55 AM PST reply actions
I didn't watch the Denver game, but...
were this barrage of good shooting because of poor defense, or were the Nuggets just shooting unbelievably well? Lakers aren’t very good at defending the three-ball; other teams always get open bombs and the good ones will take advantage.
were this barrage of good shooting because of poor defense, or were the Nuggets just shooting unbelievably well?
The answer is both.
Which of these things is not like the others? 15 NBA Championships, most wins in NBA history, current NBA champions, lost by 20 to the F'ing Spurs.
Primarily that Chauncey made well-contested threes to start it off
But after he got going Lakers got flustered and their D dropped off a bit, letting other people like J.R. put in daggers.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:06 PM PST up reply actions
Only one line is needed
And I’m going to use it to the max, because you only get some many chances in your life to use it: WE’RE STILL THE CHAMPS!!!!!
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Yeah, so are the Steelers.....
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
by pslakerfan on Feb 6, 2010 12:54 PM PST up reply actions 4 recs
haha
good point.
Lamar = Laker for Life...Go Pads...Go Bolts
by mrbarneydangles on Feb 6, 2010 1:16 PM PST up reply actions
Well, that's what my last fan shot on the front page served as a reminder to.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:07 PM PST up reply actions
Its the damn PG postion we lack! Derek Fisher isn’t cutting it anymore! We better find a way to do better or else get a new point guard! Come on Mitch get us Devin Harris, Im wondering if Mitch even watches our games and sees we lose to quick PG’s D Fish guards
by 15xtimeNBAchamps on Feb 6, 2010 12:17 PM PST reply actions
nice article….
I don’t care how many big games we lose in the regular season. We are a post season team, with a post season coach.
I think PJ is trying to humble his team right now. Sadly, unlike most teams, the Lakers need a little extra motivation to get their act together. These losses are a necessary evil, because they bring out a hungrier team.
These Lakers basically consider themselves, pardon my Jersey Shore allusion, “THE SITUATION” of the NBA. It’s sad that none of them even hesitate to admit it.. For the past 3 years including this one, they have been hailed as automatic shoe-in’s for an appearance in the finals. It’s therein the problem lies, the teams we play are just hungrier to show that they can, and would’ve beat the Lakers in the finals had they gotten the chance.
I agree Derek Fisher’s play is noticeably worse then normal, but really what can we do. We can only hope that Farmar and Brown learn to adhere to the gameplan, rather than just get their own shots. Shannon Brown especially has gotten pretty bigheaded since getting the dunk-contest nod, you’d think he was the lead vote getter for the all-star game and the favorite for the 3-point contest.
Dribble, Dribble, Shoot….. three… well 2 words that describes UPS’s play perfectly the last few games! For the amount of time, Brown and Farmar have the ball when on the court, they should be getting at least a few assists!
In Kobe we trust!
Exactly!
It drives me crazy to read the brainless rantings of Cavs fans who want to drag Kobe into a pissing for distance contest with LeBron the Mailman, Jr. with their talk of season MVP’s and season records. The Lakers are the Champs and have the reigning Finals MVP. Go ask the Mavs and the Suns about the importance of having the MVP and best regular season record.
The Lakers are an evolved team come playoff time.
The Lakers need to find a common driving force, a chip for their shoulder. Teams like Denver have it and that’s what concerns me. Is the prospect of a repeat enough for L.A.?
Los Angeles Lakers should of not lost to the Clippers, Rockets, Trailblazers, Jazz but we did because of the PG’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
by 15xtimeNBAchamps on Feb 6, 2010 12:39 PM PST reply actions
Passion and Drive
Why is it we Laker fans have such a short term memory? This time of EVERY season the Lakers make us sweat, second guess and worry. That’s who they are and it’s not always quantifiable. To have a solid record, considering the injuries and inconsistencies show the championship caliber of this team. The Lakers have some holes to patch,as was clearly pointed out by Saurav and all of them are fixable.
If they are playing like this come late March and April, then start being concerned.
Everyone needs to lay of Fisher
Sure he’s old and he’s slowing down but it was just last June that he hit the two biggest shots of the Finals. I would prefer Fisher in the playoffs to just about any other PG in the league. Fisher has been through it all, the ups and the downs.
If you’re expecting him to score a bunch and play lock down defense all regular season you’re going to end up disappointed. He’ll prove his worth again this June.
Lamar = Laker for Life...Go Pads...Go Bolts
rotfl
someone posted this on blazersedge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEnvKrxHVc&feature=player_embedded
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
what’s so funny about that?
The PuertoRican Kid
by Kobe:The Legend on Feb 6, 2010 3:38 PM PST up reply actions
Two quick comments
1. I don’t see how anyone could describe Farmar as “extremely talented”. Nothing against him, but to me those words are reserved for the likes of LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Howard, Nowitzki, etc. Farmar is fine, and he’s young, but he’s nowhere near “extremely talented”.
2. Your comment about Kobe being one of the best players when playing with a lot of fouls… I just have to say that Kobe is obviously a superstar in the league, and as a superstar he gets preferential treatment. It’s just a fact. The same is true of LeBron and the handful of other top-tier players. If Kobe (or LeBron or whoever else) is playing with 4 or 5 fouls, pretty much the only way they’re going to foul out is if they full on punch somebody in the face, or maybe grab a courtside chair and beat someone with it. Last night, Nene got called for two totally ridiculous fouls at the end of the game that resulted in him fouling out. He probably got away with stuff earlier on (as most players do), but the ones they chose to call at the end were the ticky-tack stuff that they let go on 95% of plays. If Kobe did the exact same things Nene did, he wouldn’t have been called. I hate it, and it’s ridiculous, but it’s true. Superstars rarely foul out and while some of it is certainly their intelligence as a player, they also get away with the small stuff that is called on “lesser” players. And again, this is true of all superstar players, not just Kobe.
If we are talking about getting called for fouls (and you always are)......
Kobe and Lebron aren’t even in the same discussion. Look it up.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
It depends, lets be real dude, Lebron is by far more athletic and has skills too he has a lot of potential.
Championship wise yeah he is not in the same discussion as Kobe. Im a laker fan but still Lebron is quicker, stronger, (less skillful for now) the only way he doesn’t surpass Kobe’s records is if he gets shot or something, but still Championships matter most than an individual player, its all about the team. I luv Kobe but u gotta be real. Im not on either players nuts, just the Lakers as a whole.
The RaiderLaker
I doubt anyone shall beat 81 or 62 in three quarters
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:10 PM PST up reply actions
i meant overall points, rebounds, steals, blocks, assists. But the 62 is possible, he's just a badass physical specimen.
Thats why my most favorite laker is Artest, along with Bynum. Or maybe im just spoiled by Kobe’s greatness.
The RaiderLaker
62 points in a game, probable
In three quarters, outscoring the whole other team by himself to that point? Not likely.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:35 PM PST up reply actions
OK, like I made very clear in my post, I’m talking about superstars in general. I believe Carmelo Anthony attempts the most free throws of any player on average (too lazy to actually look it up). I stand by what I said though. Superstars, regardless of team, get the call more often than not, and young players often get called for stuff that superstars would never be called on. It sucks, but it’s true. It’s pretty damn rare for a superstar player, on any team, to foul out.
lebron gets way more calls than kobe does, if someone looks at lebron while he is penetrating is foul, sometimes kobe falls, he got hit hard and dont count any foul, if lebron is penetrating and we touch him just a liiittle bit is a foul
The PuertoRican Kid
by Kobe:The Legend on Feb 6, 2010 3:41 PM PST up reply actions
i don’t know if u guys ever think hypothetically, but as a basketball fan i always do…i often wonder how the championship rockets team of the mid 90’s with hakeem olojuwan would have done against the jordan led bulls of the 90s…i want to say the rockets would have won, because hakeem was an unstoppable big man…the bulls would have struggled to contain him. it would have been a beauty of a finals, though. jordan vs hakeem
ummm ... are you serious?
Because you know those teams are from the same era, right? It’s not like the Rockets championship squad was born full grown, won two championships, and then disappeared …
The years that Chicago won, both before and after Houston’s championships, Houston wasn’t even good enough to make the finals. Question answered.
YEAH. i kinda wish jordan had retired for that year and a half. it would have been nice to have seen how the bulls would have done against a team with a dominant center. no team the bulls beat in the finals had a dominant center. not even a good one.
I guess that's true ...
but the bulls went through Patrick Ewing’s Knicks pretty much every year in the ECF.
Pau's post offense
Does it appear to anyone else that Pau is increasingly trying to “draw contact” in the low post rather than just making his move, finishing strong and letting the contact (if its there) come naturally? I see a number of plays each game where Pau make a pretty weak move then loses the ball, flails his arms in the air (with an accompanying grunt) and turns to a referee for help. I know if I were a ref that act would become a bit tired.
I’m not discounting the fact that he is genuinely fouled sometimes, but I think he needs to focusing on playing the game first and foremost and let the refs handle the fouls, rather than “selling it”. What do others think?
Why does he wants a foul? he cant make FT
The PuertoRican Kid
by Kobe:The Legend on Feb 6, 2010 3:41 PM PST up reply actions
I have to say...
…so far this reminds me a lot about our 2001 team. Lots of different circumstances, but the prevailing theme was they utterly underachieved during the reg season and then, well, they turned into mythical monsters in the playoffs, and this current team is ARGUABLY (a separate debate I don’t want to get into right now) more talented.
I guess we’ll see in April right? The concerns are merited, but there’s definite precedent for a PhilKobe team to do this. I’m willing to bet that’s how it’s going to play out, or maybe my optimism is getting the best of me, but I believe it.
Let’s go Lakers!
"I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber."
"Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."
-Kobe Bryant
A mantra for all athletes.
by TrojanRam on Feb 6, 2010 2:37 PM PST via mobile reply actions
yeah, we thought that same thing during the 03-04 season
I guess we can HOPE that this team resembles that 00-01 team, but I hightly doubt it.
Ughhh I'm still so fucking pissed about this game!!!
All these Denver fans are goin crazy, sayin they are the class of the West, and how they just need to think about the Cavs and shit. Fucking Lakers, HOW DO YOU LOSE TO THEM AT HOME WITHOUT MELO? JUST FUCKING BEAT THEM!!! YOU’RE BETTER THAN THESE THUGS AND YOU KNOW IT!!! I cant stand those asswipes up and Denver Stiffs sayin shit like, Afflalo plays great defense on Kobe and that their frontcourt is unstoppable against the Lakers, etc… FUCK!!! I wanted yesterdays game so bad!! WE are supposed to be the class of the WEST!!! We spend all this money on all these players, giving them crazy ass extensions and shit, so we better fucking be the best!!! FUCK!!! If we dont win it all this year, then the season is a complete failure!!!
Same, man, I feel the same way,
That was some crazy ish from Chauncey. They kicked our butt, who cares. I don’t listen to other “fans” because I don’t care about their stuff. We’ve got two more games and a history of nugget beat downs that spans the last 30 years.
just relax man
your overreacting big time
the last thing we should be do is panicking
just have some faith…
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
was diggin the article till you threw fish under the bus
you can say the man is struggling but im taking fisher over any pg i dont care
YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD YES!
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
your taking Fish over ANY PG????
over Chris Paul, D-Will and Rondo? Please wake up if thats what you really think.
lol
i think take 2/3 of the leagues point gaurds over fisher nowadays
Nice panic post
I don’t buy any of it though. This team is lacking some stuff, yes, without a doubt, but let’s recap a few things.
1) Kobe is injured. His shooting is horrible right now. It’s hard for him to palm the basketball, go up one handed, shoot. Last night he was feeling it and had his rhythm. Finally. The last 10-12 games he’s been struggling badly and missing shots he usually makes. Yes he’s still extremely athletic. That dunk against Memphis was noooice.
2) Artest is injured. He has never been extremely athletic, but his inability to convert down low this season is shocking to say the least. He has barely any lift and has been getting hammered by low post defenders. He’s a swat magnet. His defense has also slowed way down, but the last few games it looks like he may be recovering a bit.
3) Derek Fisher. The lack of faith and outright bashing of Derek Fisher by this forum is disgusting. Derek is a Laker hero, he’s hit so many game-changing and dagger shots over the years. Have we forgotten? He plays some of the toughest, hard-nosed basketball on the team. I wouldn’t advocate keeping someone in a game because of past heroics. Not in the slightest. What I want to remind everybody is that Derek brings toughness and grit to this team and his contribution is much more than points, assists, and fg%.
4) Quick guards are not the issue. Interior defense is. The Lakers have never been able to corral quick guards, not since Tyrone Lue helped shut down the Answer. A lot of people lay the blame on Derek not being able to defend. That’s not it. Our bigs have consistently played poor interior defense. It was evident vs. Nene last night. It’s been obvious at the countless times guards have got into the paint unchallenged, with Pau and Drew looking at one another after the play in confusion.
5) Offense is stagnant. There is absolutely no movement in our offense. The ball goes down low and stagnates, or the ball ends up in Kobe’s hands and stops. Remember point #1? Kobe’s not shooting that well right now. We need something else. Remember point #2? Artest isn’t finishing at the rim. We need something else. How about some movement while running the triangle? Flash Lamar, Walton, and Shannon. Move off the ball when it goes down low.
6) Don’t believe the hype. Flavor Flav told me this once. I agree with him. The Lakers should stop saying things like (to paraphrase), “We play lazy” or “we can turn the switch on” or “it’s just another game”. I’m sorry. That doesn’t cut it anymore. Yay 2008-2009. We won, we won! Guess what? That’s history. We need to come out and play every game like it matters. I guarantee the teams we’re playing don’t consider this “just a regular season game”. That crap has got to go. It counts, all year long. Play like you mean it and don’t believe the hype!
We’ve posted some great wins, we’ve lost some close ones and have looked horrible on other days. We’ve got Kobe Bryant, two of the best big men in the league, and the best 6th man in the league. All the Fish-bashing, trade-speculating, panic-mongers need to chill. The Lakers are doing fine, and as the season wears down towards the playoffs we’ll see them get tighter and tighter.
interior war for shots
One thing the broadcasters were saying was how Gasol and Bynum have been complaining to PJ that Kobe takes too many shots and they don’t get enough. Finally Jackson said well, why don’t you talk to Kobe? But you can see when they’re playing that when Gasol and AB have the ball, they don’t have any intention of giving it up: they’re afraid it won’t come back to them. They also know that if they miss their shots, Kobe will use it to justify his having to take more shots.
The author does a great job of showing how they aren’t really running the triangle offense beyond the first two passes. I love Artest, but Ariza and Kobe made as good a dynamic duo of slashers in the triangle as there existed in the NBA last year. Now Kobe’s injured, it’s natural that he’d want to post up more. But he can’t, b/c there are two 7-footers in the paint. So he’s been relegated to the perimeter, because nobody else on the team besides Artest can shoot the 3.
I don’t know that the Lakers are going to be able to fix their chemistry problems and offense by the NBA championship. You’ll notice that the teams that the Lakers struggle against are roundly beaten by Cleveland by 20+ points on any given night.
Really?
He was playing fine last game..
Well, I view this as an opportunity for the Lakers to step it up.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:13 PM PST up reply actions
I think he and the coaching staff
Realise they need to shake things up a bit to see if that kick starts the Lakers. A trade would probably be overreacting at this point in time, unless it’s a no-brainer upgrade that does not involve any of the core; but sitting Kobe out might jumpstart the club.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 6:38 PM PST up reply actions
so it's for purely mental reasons, not physical, right?
i just hope it’s not because kobe’s ankle is feeling worse.
He's not even on the bench
So I reckon it’s all out of anger for his team.
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
by Saurav A. Das on Feb 6, 2010 7:40 PM PST up reply actions
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