Laker's Team Chemistry

thumpinghead · Star Player Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 5657

For a winning team, It's all about team chemistry in the NBA. However, Mitch seems to lack this important ability to conceptualize and then put together a team with Kobe Bryant as superstar. It's almost like he just throws all the ingredients together without even taking notice of this essential element to general managing. Check it out, it's almost like when it works it was out of pure luck:

The Misses.

Lamar Odom: I see no synergy with Kobe Bryant. Kobe doesn't make Lamar better and Lamar doesn't make Kobe better, no matter how close they are as friends. There is no chemistry here whatsover as Laker fans are so used to witnessing Lamar stand around watching Bryant succeed or fail at shooting over double teams.

Luke Walton: Like Lamar, likes the ball in his hands to create scoring options for teammates, and like Lamar does not play well with Kobe. How many times have we seen Kobe pass the ball looking for Walton to score and Luke will just pass the ball right back to Kobe who is not in the right position to score.

Kwame Brown: Kobe needs finishers. Untilll Brown can finish conistently around the basket he is useless in the triangle.

The Pure Luck Hits.

Chris Mihm: I read a rumor once that Kobe sought Mihm out so maybe this wasn't luck that we got Chris. He may have a so-so game now and again, but overall he has proven to play well with Kobe for the long haul. Defensively he can block shots which is a benefit to Kobe who likes to gamble with steals, and offensively he can finish around the rim ala Snaq.

Brian Cook: Pure luck. Not even PJ could see that Cook's game in the trangle works well with Bryant in the beginning of the season. Cook can bail Kobe out with quick and decisive scoring from many places on the court when open.

The up and comers.

It's too early to see if players like Smush Parker, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf and Andrew Bynum who are very young in regards to NBA experience will play well with Kobe.

George probably has spent his last season in the purple and gold.

Mitch lacks the ability to conceptualize and then put together a team with Kobe Bryant and our record shows it.
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thumpinghead · Star Player Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 5657

dang no replies, i thought it was a good point...
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shnjb · Franchise Player Joined: 08 Oct 2002 Posts: 13320

Well I agree with you.

Buss knows a little something about chemistry, as his PhD is from physical chemistry, but obviously he hasn't exactly been studying it much, judging from his illustrious poker career and his Hugh Hefner wannabe lifestyle.

Mike@LG · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:23 pm Post subject:

What happened with the team chemistry in 2003?

2nd round ousting of the playoffs.
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lakez34 · Star Player Joined: 24 Apr 2001 Posts: 6077

If Mitch didn't know anything about chemistry, he'd be making moves about as fast as Isiah is. The reason he doesn't is because he recognizes that the team is young, and needs time to mesh together. All of last season already went down the tube when Rudy T resigned and the triangle was reinstated. This year is the first real year when these guys havea chance to play together in an organized system.

The only sad part about it thus far has been watching the Lakers not make many improvements overall as the season progresses. I'm not sure, however, if that's related to a lack of chemistry amongst the guys, or a lack of skills among some of the players. I tend to think it's the latter.

Sidious · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject:

Winning is about having good players. And that, we do not have.

Socks · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:57 pm Post subject:

While I agree with some of your points, I've gotta disagree on others. Primarily, I think you're hammering Mitch for some things not necessarily his fault, while not giving him credit on a few things.

It's a bit of a rushed judgement at this point to say Mitch can't build around Kobe - he hasn't had that much of a chance. Until last year, we had both Kobe and Shaq - building around both of them is quite different than building just around Kobe.

LO - LO is kinda like religion around here. People either buy into him or they don't. I'm gonna stay agnostic for now. I'm one of those people who still thinks LO needs some more time. You can see him coming out in flashes now and again, but consistency is the watchword here. He definitely needs to bring the aggressiveness more often, having his passing skills and all-around game does mix in well with Kobe, he just needs more time to adjust.

Walton - I wouldn't put this one on Mitch. Walton seems like a PJ guy all the way. Brainy player who can pass well in the tri, but not much value to any other team.

Kwame - Well, what can you say? Agreed, we need to surround Kobe with finishers, but man, if Kwame more aggressive with his beast of a body, he could be a huge finisher. That's the thing, Mitch took a gamble on a guy with the potential to be a monster, but instead we find out he's a bit of a mouse. You can blame Mitch for not scouting him accurately, but I think it was worth the gamble (huge upside) at a relatively low risk to see if the $10 M man PJ could bring the monster out of him.

Mihm - yes, he fits perfectly with Bryant. He's not a dominant center, but he's a good one that we got relatively cheaply. How can you say Mitch "lucked" into it? If that's the case, you also gotta say he got "unlucky" that Kwame didn't develop. Just not fair to say targetting and acuiring Mihm was pure luck.

Cook - this was a guy we drafted, meaning he was scouted and it was determined that he would be a good fit for the lakers. That comes from doing homework, not luck. He wasn't drafted for his rebounding or defense, he was drafted for his shot - again, homework, not luck.

The up and comers are all decent and exceeding early season expectation at this point. The reason some people are down on Smush right now is because he's shown us some of what he's capable of, but I think he's way above what anyone expected from a waiver wire PG named Smush at the start of the season. His game, Bynum, Turiaf etc. were all the result of Mitch. You can argue and say it was Jimmy Buss, but we don't know that.

All this is a long winded way of saying, I think it's unfair for you to be saying that Mitch doesn't know chemistry when 1) He hasn't had much time to build it, 2) you're dismissing any good players as "luck". Sure he's far from perfect, and he's made some huge mistakes, but we've also got to give him some credit where it's due.

thumpinghead · Star Player Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 5657

Atleast I can count on Socks to reply....

Ok I hear your points, and maybe I'm being too harsh on Mitch, but c'mon. It's pretty hard to mess up the general manager's of the Laker's job. Great history, spending type ownership, players want to play here, kobe as even recently been quoted on it. Yet he still seems to do only a satisfactory job with the resources he has. I still haven't heard of the dynamic of the synergy between the kobe and lamar. Stating that LO is an all around player who just makes kobe and the lakers better nuff said is not enough for me. Basketball is about chemistry of teammates on the floor and i don't see it. I see two all around talented players playing for the same team but not with the type of cohesiveness necessary to play offense, let alone defense. And i don't buy LO needs more time either. A good thing happens almost instantly, magic and kareem and even bibby and artest... LO and KOBE just dont work....Somethings just dont work. I think lamar is gone this summer with george in a huge trade....or maybe im jus dreamin...
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LAKERLVR · Starting Rotation Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 920

Bring back Jerry Krause? That would be interesting with Phil and all.

laker4life · Star Player Joined: 26 Nov 2001 Posts: 7317

I think that there is a lot of things that Kupcake does not know.

thumpinghead · Star Player Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 5657

I just want to say that I think Kwame Brown was an abused child and his legacy could go down as the worst busts in nba draft history. Or he could just try to play hard as a back up center behind mihm till drew is ready....

i still cant get over this freagin guy...
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targetman · Star Player Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 5503

I remember reading a line that said that Kobe and someone from the Lakers organization went to watch Mihm play in Boston and were excited about what they saw. Kobe wanted him.

Cook was Big 10 player of the year. He is very tall and can shoot from outside. Hmmm, what does Phil value?

I agree that Walton is a Phil pick. Or maybe Luke is banging Jeannie. Otherwise, I just don't get it.

I go back and forth about Odom, I really do. He is everything you would want in a player and nothing you would want, all in the same game. I have tried to be patient because he is a basketball specimen (as is his buddy Darius Miles) but he is too forgiving, too easy. He has no temper.

Kwame looked like a gamble that a gambling man wanted to take. He is as big as Shaq (if he were in shape) and young and inexperienced. You take a great coaching staff, patience, talent surrounding him, and a chip on his shoulder and anyone could tell you he is a guy ready to show the world what he can do. Pszzt....
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Mongo · Star Player Joined: 19 Jun 2001 Posts: 2585

Achilles · Starting Rotation Joined: 29 Jul 2005 Posts: 430

"LO is kinda like religion around here. People either buy into him or they don't. I'm gonna stay agnostic for now."

That's the best LO quote I've read yet. I'm with you. Just like with God, sometime I see something remarkable in LO and I become a believer, other times I see things that make me seriously question my faith.

Still other times I watch the Lakers lose to mediocre teams and I become convinced the universe is a meaningless void filled with nothingness.