LAKERS -at- SUNS – 10-20-17 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:16 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- SUNS – 10-20-17 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

First Team to Play D Wins… The score at halftime – 73-70, a scorching pace with the Suns leading.

The Lakers had failures matching up on D in transition or allowing guards to get middle to score or throw up lobs to bigs. Frankly, you name it, the Lakers were giving it up.

In the second half, Corey Brewer, dialed up the D on Devin Booker. When Booker sat, Brewer sat. When he came in, Brewer shadowed him. The battle peaked when a steal by Brewer turned into a subsequent flagrant by Booker chasing him down.

If you didn’t score big in this game, you probably weren’t trying. Ingram got a new career high with 25, but rookie Lonzo ball stole the show with 29 points, 11 boards and 9 assists. The Suns dared him to beat them, so he did as the Lakers pulled out the 132-130 win.

Yes, the Suns are epically bad, but that was also an epically good performance by a Laker rookie in only his second game. Those are ridiculous numbers he made look easy tonight.

“It’s good we got the win, but once again 130 points is too many points,” Lonzo said afterward.

The Suns nearly got to the 132 mark to tie it up in the final seconds. Missed freethrows by the Lakers combined with giving up 3-point plays allowed the Suns a chance to tie it. They inbounded the ball with 3.2 seconds left and Larry Nance blocked a shot at the rim. The Suns got it back and the refs blew a generous whistle in the subsequent loose ball scramble.

That gave the Suns a chance to tie it up at the FT line, which they promptly choked.


Ball -- -- Just one assist from the massive triple-double. Don’t care. Massive numbers by the rookie. The Suns were definitely trying to make him a score. They’d go under the screen, so he launched the threes, sinking four of them. They had Chandler in foul trouble, so when they chased him over the screens, Lonzo attacked him speed. Some great scores late in the game, especially the one getting into Chandler’s chest and scoring over him. (Yeah, the Suns D had a couple really bad breakdowns.) How about those left handed finishes, even in traffic? Very nice. Give him space and pace and he’s trouble. The Suns poor D gave him plenty of both throughout the night. I’ve said it multiple times since Summer League, but Ball is elite in the first few seconds of the shotclock. He’s like a QB back there throwing bullets to teammates. He’s not even getting assists on a lot of these, but they lead to scores and fouls. Last game, the Lakers had a lot of transition opportunities, but they did a really subpar job converting those. That won’t be the case on most nights, especially as they get their mojo. I love that he took 27 shots tonight. Why? We’ve wanted him to be aggressive when teams make him a scorer. No overpassing when you’re at the rim or open, finish those. He was tonight, and he killed them. He’ll have off nights for sure when teams do that. Rookies struggle with consistency. But a few years in the league when he’s 23, 24? Yeah. Love the poise for his age, too. He pulled the ball out late in the game, ran clock, just looked like a vet at times. Hopefully, we can put the right pieces around him. Glad we had Kuzma playing minutes with him tonight. Finally. We put shooters around him, forcing teams to stay with shooters and you will get big numbers from Zo. The Stats: He scored 29 points on 12-27 shooting (4-9 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 9 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He attacked and lobbed to Nance for the layup. Quick outlet off a missed FT and Brewer hit Ingram for the And-1 dunk (that was all Lonzo, though). He attacked and was blocked or hit the side of the board. He passed up the open three and hit Ingram for the three instead. He stepped backed and missed the corner three. He grabbed the board, attacked Chandler in transition and drew FTs, he made one. He drained a three behind the screen. He attacked and kicked to Lopez for the open three. He attacked, stopped on a dime and hit the turnaround over Jackson. Great outlet off the board to Julius who was fouled to save a hoop. He missed a wing three, then picked up his second foul biting on a perimeter fake. Finally the two-man game with Kuzma and it led to a quick dunk for Kuzma. He attacked and was rejected. He sank the wing three as the D went under the screen. He attacked the paint and missed the layup. Another great outlet to Brewer on the fly, who was blocked or fouled (it led to Nance FTs and a tech). He hit Nance for the pick-and-pop FT jumper. A little off the mark with a left handed outlet, turnover. He picked up his third foul on a switch. He airballed a turnaround. He had 9 points, 5 boards and 5 assists. Second Half: His long outlet wasn’t close to Ingram, turnover. He missed the wide open wing three. He took it back on the other end. He blew past his man and took it for a layup. Quick push out and he hit Brewer back cutting a man for a layup. He iso’d and missed a step-back three, then crashed the glass and put back in Brewer’s floater attempt a few seconds later. He missed a runner off glass. They went under the screen again so he swished a three. Great touch pass on the break to Nance for the layup. He couldn’t finish the reverse. Hesitation move, he attacked a crowd and got stripped. He attacked the paint, spun and hit the floater. Quick pull-up three next time down with 20 on the shotclock, money. He lost the ball, then fouled on the perimeter. His long outlet was picked off. Got to the rim, but finished softly instead of dunking and missed. He attacked off the screen and scored the easy lefty layup. He missed a three on a kickout. He had a big on him, but couldn’t score around him on iso. He didn’t box out the FT shooter and we gave up a putback. He worked to his right off the high screen, attacked the paint and scored the lefty layup between defenders (including Chandler). He attacked off a hesitation dribble, got into Chandler’s chest and finished the lefty layup over him. He caught the D frozen as he stepped on the gas off the wing screen and scored the uncontested layup with 1:35 left. He missed a wing jumper but got his own miss and reset the clock.

Lopez -- -- First off, I love the hard challenge and foul on Booker. Booker just bounced off him and went flying. (You could make an argument that it wasn’t a foul, but even if it was, that’s just something we’ve been missing.) Combine that with Brewer wearing Booker’s jersey in the second half and that got Booker frustrated. Offensively, he was steady and had a stretch where he imposed himself on the Suns and allowed the Lakers to go on a little run. Worked the paint for scores and stretched the floor with the three ball. Lastly, congrats on getting the double-double! We need more of those from him. They said on Spectrum the last time he got a double-double was against the Lakers. Hopefully, he can do it against some good teams. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 6-11 shooting (2-5 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 2 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He curled into the lane off a drive from the three line and scored the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. He was pushed on the post entry pass for FTs, he made both. He drained an open three on the kickout from Lonzo. He missed a wide open wing three. He missed an open wing three. He found Kuzma cutting for a couple of scores. Great rejection by Lopez of Booker who went flying and hit the ground hard (foul on Lopez but that was a great, legit challenge…need more of that). He telegraphed a pass, turnover. Second Half: He was called for 3 seconds battling for post position. He spun at the top of the lane, attacked right and drew FTs, he made both. He busted out as Nance dove to the floor to recover a loose ball, took the pass from Nance and dunked. He spun and hit the soft leaner on the perimeter. He iso’d in the high post, stepped through and scored the leaning/falling layup. Big three next time down off the Ingram kickout. He traveled in the post. He missed an open wing three. He was fouled with 10 seconds left up 3, he made one FT.

Ingram -- -- “Most of the shots he took, I thought he took good shots,” Luke said. He didn’t like a quick-fire corner three that he made, but liked the overall shot selection better. He had space to work and we didn’t see those consistent attacks into crowds or shooting with men all over him. With the perimeter shots fallings, he finished with a new career high. If he can consistently knock down the three ball, that’s huge for him. Not sure what the iso total was tonight (but I don’t think it was more than a couple that would qualify as iso, unlike the 7 official iso’s he had last night). Luke didn’t like the D at times. He had some issues of overcommitting on help, getting lost to leave shooters or giving up middle. The Stats: He scored 25 points on 9-14 shooting (3-4 from three, 4-6 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 6 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He attacked from the elbow, great work with the hips to easily turn the corner and score around his defender. He attacked from the wing, ball-faked and hit he short one in the paint next time down. He hammered down the And-1 dunk off the bounce pass from Brewer (way to finish strong), he made the FT. He forced a pull-up at the FT line and missed. He stepped back off the swing pass and hit the wing three. Lost on D, he gave up an open three. He overcommitted on the help D and gave up an open three. He pulled up and missed the wide open elbow jumper. He attacked in transition, great footwork to stretch around the D for the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. He attacked with speed off the screen to his left (I like) and he drew FTs, he made both. He rejected Jackson badly on the break, but threw it away in transition. He swished a wing three on a kickout. He had 17 points on 6-8 shooting. Second Half:He let a man fly by, moved in and hit the open 16-footer, very nice. He iso’d against a small and scored the layup. Hesitation off the handoff to allow the defense to load up a little, he then attacked and was picked. He iso’d and choked the up and under (had his man lost). He probed from one corner to the other corner, lost a defender so he hit the corner three. He kicked to Lopez for the three. He missed a wide open three. He missed a step-back 17-footer. He was fouled with 5.9 left, Lakers up 1, he made just one, ouch.

Nance -- -- Well, in the Randle/Nance battle, it’s Nance 2, Randle 0. I thought he nearly had the play of the game with a rejection of a layup at the rim that would have tied it up, but the refs called a foul a second later (weak foul) in the subsequent loose ball scramble. That kind of took away the thunder from that defensive play by Larry. Still, that was a game-saver, for sure. He had a couple lob finishes in this one from his rookies (Ball and Kuzma) to go along with some hustle play scores. He also hit a 15-footer at the FT line off the pick and pop. That’s really got to be a money shot for him. Hope that happens. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-10 shooting (0-1 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He posted up Jackson and drew FTs, he made both. He hesitated and threw up an off-balance jumper and missed. He finished the lob from Ball easily. He traveled, deciding not to take the pull-up and attacking instead. He drew FTs following the break to clean up a miss, he made both. He hit the pick and pop from the FT line (that’s got to be his shot). Second Half: Telegraphed perimeter pass, layup the other way. Soft finish attempt with a small on him instead of being physical. He missed the floater, but bounced up quickly and tipped it in. He scored a layup on the touch pass from Lonzo on the break (good job running). He missed a 4-footer in traffic after grabbing a board (strong move, though). He hit the floor for a loose ball on a steal against Booker and from the ground, hit Lopez leaking out for the dunk (great job by the bigs). He threw down the lob dunk off the Kuzma drive. He was called for an illegal screen, turnover. He blocked a point blank layup.

Brewer -- -- Give him the role player MVP award in this one. He got the start instead of Deng (thank goodness we ended that awfulness quick). “Corey came out and really set the tone…guys on the bench were going nuts for him,” Luke said. Ball denial defense on Booker in the second half got Booker steaming. As a result, Booker took a hard foul on Brewer after Corey swiped the ball and attacked on the breakaway. That looked like a frustration foul by Booker. Larry then nudged Booker, who shoved Larry. Flagrant-1 on Booker, techs, and the game got a little chippy. Nothing came easy for Booker after Corey locked down. We need stoppers on D and we got that tonight from Corey. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-6 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals and 4 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: He was blocked, forcing up a reverse in transition. He took the Lonzo outlet bounced to Ingram for the And-1 dunk. He swiped a kickout pass, attacked in transition and had his layup goaltended. He was blocked trying to iso and attack baseline. Second Half: He cut baseline off Lonzo’s quick pushout, took the pass and reversed. He crashed the glass and threw up a wild floater after getting the board, Lonzo cleaned it up for him. He jumped a passing lane, swiped the ball and was hacked hard by Booker, he made one FT. Nice trap on the sideline on Booker to help force a turnover, he then helped lead the break. Nice recovery on Booker to force a miss. He smothered Booker and forced a brick. He drew an illegal screen, going down hard, nice job.

Randle -- -- It seemed like his minutes were cut short after a stretch in the second half where he picked up three quick fouls in succession. Maybe about 15 seconds apart and Luke sat him. A couple nice offensive plays from Randle in this one. One was a very confident looking 18-footer off the two-man game. No forcing it into the paint, but taking what the D gave him and delivering with confidence. That’s growth. Also loved the sequence where he came off the Clarkson screen to take a pass and dunk. Off-ball cuts in the halfcourt to finish strong off good execution are, hopefully, going to be something we see with more frequency from him. The Stats: The Action: Quick attack on the advance pass and he drew FTs, he made one. He was fouled on the outlet from Lonzo, he made one FT again. He was picked on the perimeter. He pulled up at the FT line and missed, then got lost on D and gave up a three on the other end (Luke called timeout on that one). He traveled under the hoop, turnover. He took a screen from Clarkson on the elbow, cut into the lane and Bogut hit him for the dunk. Rim run and he drew FTs on the jumphook, he made both. He spun and lost the ball in the post, turnover. He swished the 18-footer off the two-man game with JC. He iso’d and missed the jumphook. Second Half: He helped smother Booker and forced him to throw it away. He picked up three quick fouls in about 15 seconds.

Kuzma -- -- “We got timely stops and timely buckets,” Kuzma said. I’d say he had probably the best of those in one late-game sequence where he switched onto Booker, protected the three line, recovered on the drive to challenge well and force the brick. Then, he changed ends with speeds and Lonzo found him for the transition score. Just a great sequence. The rotations changed for him late in the first half as we saw Kuzma slide over to PF with the starters and suddenly he came to life. Boom. Boom. Boom. Quick scores off the two-man game from Lonzo or cutting off ball for Lopez to find him (note the chemistry with Lopez, too). Only a couple of minutes of that before Luke sat him for Nance, but Luke brought him back in shortly later to run with Nance. Now we’re getting Kuzma and Lonzo some quality time and good things happen for both. Coaches seemed very aware of Kuzma’s impact and importance this game and gave him crunch time minutes, as well. We even saw them run the double fist fan play to free up Kuzma for a three (which he made, but was erased because Bogut was called for the illegal screen). Kuzma was lost in the shuffle badly in the first game, but it felt like he won over the coaches in this one. Who knows, though, what the rotation will be like in the next one? He had a few mistakes, for sure, but I really think he’s key to the Lakers mojo. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-7 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists and no fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -18. The Action: He attacked on iso and missed the runner. He rolled off the screen, took the feed from Lonzo and dunked. He knocked a ball loose, pushed out and finished the layup (looked like he was going to dunk but didn’t take off cleanly). He took a post entry in air and put the ball in before coming down. He curled into the paint off ball, took the pass and reversed. He swished a tech FT. He missed a wing three. He had 9 points on 4-5 shooting. Second Half: So good…he up-faked at three line, attacked and then lobbed to Larry weakside for the dunk. He swished the wing three off the Randle pitch out. Aggressive attack off the three line and he drew FTs, he made one. Bad job bringing his man over to Lopez in the post to force a turnover. He switched on Booker, he protected the three line, recovered on the drive to smother the shot attempt and force a miss. Then, he immediately changed ends, taking the outlet from Lonzo to score around a Suns defender.

Clarkson -- -- Chick used to call Mike McGee the “Point-a-Minute Man.” JC was that tonight with 17 points in 17 minutes. He quickly tallied some points with a three and a 4-point play working off ball behind Bogut screens to get open. Nice start offensively. He had Bogut had some good moments of chemistry while out there together. While Lopez makes things easy for his guards by stretching the floor, Bogut is a sneaky screen setter and good passer. It will be interesting watching that chemistry. Defensively, again some big breakdowns, doing stuff like giving up middle to give up lob dunks. This is where I’m curious to see if having a vet like Bogut saying stuff about defensive breakdowns may help JC, as well. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-11 shooting (2-5 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 17 minutes. The Action: He missed a wing jumper. He took a pass behind a screen and hit the wing three. Again behind the Bogut screen, he took the pass and swished the And-1 three, he made the FT. He attacked off the Bogut screen and hit the runner. He made a tech FT. He hit Randle off the two-man game for the jumper. He gave up middle and a lob dunk. He airballed a three behind a screen. Second Half: He missed a tough runner at the buzzer on a full-court pushout. He attacked to his right and hit the floater. He drew a clear-out foul on his man. He made a tech FT. He waved over a screen, caught Booker peaking, attacked baseline and reversed. He lost the ball trying to create against Jackson. He missed back-to-back threes. Under control on a drive on Jackson and he scored a layup.

Bogut -- -- He was the odd man out of the C rotation in the second half as we went more with Kuzma/Nance and Kuzma/Randle. As mentioned, some good moments with JC as Bogut set screens to free him up. He did get caught for an illegal screen that erased a Kuzma three. We need good screen setters to make the halfcourt offense click. Hoping Bogut helps influence the team in a lot of these little areas. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 7 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: A couple nice screens to free up JC for threes. Great bounce pass to Randle who worked off the guard screen to take the pass and dunk. Ugly hook after taking a pass in the paint, missed badly on the 4-footer. Illegal screen to erase a Kuzma three. Second Half: He did not play in the second in the half.

Hart -- -- He came in briefly in the fourth as Luke played all three of our first rounders at once. Probably not the wisest idea at this stage of their careers. Not much time to do anything. The Stats: He didn’t shoot or score in 2 minutes and was a -4. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: Good recovery to challenge a layup and force a miss.

Caruso -- -- We played Caruso just 7 minutes in the first half and Ennis 4 in the second half. Lonzo got the other 37 minutes at PG. If you were worried about Lonzo’s shape or needing a breather, it sure didn’t seem like it tonight. Neither of our backups made an impact in this one. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 7 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He picked up his dribble and threw a kickout away. He kicked out to Ingram for the three. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Ennis -- -- He came in as the backup PG in the second half. He didn’t score, missing an open jumper and a reverse. Thought he gave up an awful straight-line layup, too, on D. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting to go with 1 foul in 4 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: Horrible D, giving up a straight line layup. He missed an open 15-footer off the screen. He attacked and couldn’t finish the reverse.

Walton -- -- Ingram scoring early, Lakers pushing tempo and they led 17-13 when the timeout came… Lakers up 24-23 when Clarkson came in for Brewer with 5 minutes left. Randle in for Nance. Got to tighten up the D… The Lakers led by 5 when the next timeout came with 3:17. Kuzma and Bogut in for Lopez and Ingram… Only 1 minute with Kuzma before Ball sat for Caruso… Luke called a timeout and had words for Randle who was negligent on D in transition. Lakers getting burned from three… The Lakers led 40-36 after the first quarter. A little D, please… Bogut, Randle, Kuzma, JC and Caruso to start the second… Lopez, Kuzma, Ingram, JC and Ball in down 3… Brewer in for JC… What do you know? Kuzma at the PF with Lonzo and Lopez for extended run and Kyle looks great. About damn time… And then just like that Nance in for Kuzma, who had made four straight hoops. Sigh… He sat Lopez to bring back Kuzma with 2:42 left, Lakers down 5. Small unit with Nance at C… Lonzo picked up his third foul with 49 seconds left. Luke left him in briefly, then sat him… The Lakers trailed 73-70 at the half… Lakers pushing the tempo, but this time behind a little more pressure D. Brewer doing well on Booker… They pushed out to a 91-83 lead and forced a timeout… Lakers up 10 with 2:55 left when Kuzma came in for Lopez… Clarkson in for Brewer… Julius in for Larry, Lakers up 8 with 2 minutes left… Ennis in for Ball. No Caruso. Lakers up 5… Booker in, so Brewer back in… The Lakers led 106-99 heading into the fourth… He brought back in Lopez, Kuzma, Hart, Clarkson and Ball. Lakers up 9 with 9:25 left. Wow, our first rounders all in at once… The lead was quickly cut to 4… He went back to the Brewer and Ingram for Hart and Clarkson… The Lakers offense started to stall and the Suns chipped away at the lead. Luke called a timeout with 3:25 left, Lakers up 3… Up 6, we sat Lopez for Nance to defend and Nance gives up an And-1 with a few seconds. Ouch… Lakers shot 12-26 from three (46.2%). They had 19 turnovers (Suns with 20)…


Last edited by DancingBarry on Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:09 pm; edited 1 time in total
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parsons777
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:17 pm    Post subject:

1st
Great win, thank you DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:24 pm    Post subject:

I remember Tim Legler saying on ESPN that Ball wouldn't sniff the 36 points he had in the SL, boy it looks like we might see a lot of 30pt games by a 19 year old...
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:37 pm    Post subject:

Ah. A win. It feels great.

Thanks, DB.
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:43 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

Lakers won an ugly one!
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:50 pm    Post subject:

Inspector Gadget wrote:
I remember Tim Legler saying on ESPN that Ball wouldn't sniff the 36 points he had in the SL, boy it looks like we might see a lot of 30pt games by a 19 year old...


He forgot a few NBA teams could be actually SL teams
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:58 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Kudos to Luke for learning so quickly on the fly. Love the Deng benching; more minutes for Ball and BI and Kuzma.
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:03 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:19 pm    Post subject:

Cheers DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:32 pm    Post subject:

Didn’t expect to win any time soon after the last night mess. Great to be wrong.
I’m really surprised at the maturity of Lonzo. He is 19, but plays like a five-year vet. Great fell of the game the game he has.
The D by Brewer and Nance + offensive talent of Kuzma.. More please.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:06 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!! Great to see a win! I missed all except for the 4th quarter of this one, I appreciate the recap. 29-10-9 for a teenager's second game in the NBA! Yeah. That's gonna get some attention.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:10 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB, and especially for the point a minute Mike McGee reference. Brought back some great memories.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:31 am    Post subject:

niuce! playoff bound!
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:58 am    Post subject:

NYLakerFan wrote:
Thanks DB! Kudos to Luke for learning so quickly on the fly. Love the Deng benching; more minutes for Ball and BI and Kuzma.

+1. Also I loved this game from Clarkson, not too much dribbling.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:00 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
Randle -- -- It seemed like his minutes were cut short after a stretch in the second half where he picked up three quick fouls in succession. Maybe about 15 seconds apart and Luke sat him. A couple nice offensive plays from Randle in this one. One was a very confident looking 18-footer off the two-man game. No forcing it into the paint, but taking what the D gave him and delivering with confidence. That’s growth. Also loved the sequence where he came off the Clarkson screen to take a pass and dunk. Off-ball cuts in the halfcourt to finish strong off good execution are, hopefully, going to be something we see with more frequency from him. The Stats: The Action: Quick attack on the advance pass and he drew FTs, he made one. He was fouled on the outlet from Lonzo, he made one FT again. He was picked on the perimeter. He pulled up at the FT line and missed, then got lost on D and gave up a three on the other end (Luke called timeout on that one). He traveled under the hoop, turnover. He took a screen from Clarkson on the elbow, cut into the lane and Bogut hit him for the dunk. Rim run and he drew FTs on the jumphook, he made both. He spun and lost the ball in the post, turnover. He swished the 18-footer off the two-man game with JC. He iso’d and missed the jumphook. Second Half: He helped smother Booker and forced him to throw it away. He picked up three quick fouls in about 15 seconds.
Hope that Randle will pick up his game.

During the replay, I monitored Randle's movements and they seem to be either without purpose or not prepared for the pace of the game on defense.

Appreciate your commentary on his action on offense. It appears that his effectiveness on defense will be a critical factor on the level of success (and the millions that could be in his next contract).he will have.

Who replaced Deng when he was taken off the active roster?

What is the most effective way to use Deng (if there is one) that would maximize his value and usefulness?

Given Randle's ineffectiveness coming off the bench and Nance playing better for him (not that he is more talented), what are the options to make this season the most fruitful

Indian Pacers might be a good place for Randle
https://lasportshub.com/2017/10/06/lakers-rumors-suitors-julius-randle/2/

New Jersey Nets might be a good place for Randle
https://lasportshub.com/2017/10/06/lakers-rumors-suitors-julius-randle/4/

Hopefully Randle will become a total BEAST on defense that will keep him on the floor. The fear is that he will become like another Kwame Brown - a definite physical specimen that was great on defense but had Hands of Stone of offense (the exact opposite of Randle)

FO won't be making any decisions until very close to the Trade Deadline, but it is likely under review at the present time. With the Nets having Mosgov and DLo, while being in the Eastern Conference, this makes too much sense. Adding Deng will give them needed depth at PF with players that know each other. With Jeremy Lin's unfortunate injury (get brother!!!), Nets will start looking like Lakers East that potentially will thrive in the Eastern Conference Minor Leagues where no teams has the chance to beat the Cavs


Last edited by A Mad Chinaman on Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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smoothazsilk
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:48 am    Post subject:

Great Win!..Looks to me like Randle is pouting about the PT and its transferred to his game. He literally stops any type of momentum the Lakers get with selfish play.
He should be watching how the Lakers were playing without him and adjust.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 5:21 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:

What is the most effective way to use Deng (if there is one) that would maximize his value and usefulness?


This is the million dollar question. We need to unload Deng, but it would ideal if he looked like a viable, veterans player so that we could trade him to a playoff team making a push as an asset rather than as a "terrible contract salary dump" that requires the attaching of multiple assets. I think our best-case scenario still requires a young asset - something like Deng + Randle or Deng + Nance, but neither of those trades feel nice. I expect the ultimate trade (if one materializes) won't feel good, however. If Randle keeps producing subpar results, he may not even be of interest to a team.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:00 am    Post subject:

Missed the game but sound like s good bounce back for lonzo. Randle is still having bench issues?
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:07 am    Post subject:

Praying to see Lonzo and Kuzma paired more often during the game! Brewer has an infectious intensity that is vital to the younger players! Lopez is so impressive! Once they all learn each other's games and gain more chemistry...I see some very strong play!
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 8:01 am    Post subject:

"Kuzma was lost in the shuffle badly in the first game, but it felt like he won over the coaches in this one. Who knows, though, what the rotation will be like in the next one?"

After our first game my first statement was "it is beyond my comprehension why Luke wouldn't play Kuzma w/Ball after what we saw in the SL". I'm glad he made that adjustment quickly. This guy better not "get lost in the shuffle" again....if we want to give ourselves the best chance to win games.

He & Nance are really, really nice pieces. My only concern about Nance is his ability to sustain his energy level.

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 8:04 am    Post subject:

Finally got to watch the first three quarters. Wow what a fun game!

YES - this is what happens when Lonzo and Kuzma see the floor together!

Also - this is what happens when Brandon Ingram starts hitting his outside shots and remembers he's deadly from outside. He was 41% from three in college, that means he should be deadly when teams sleep on him. If he gets that deer in the headlights funk he's been in out of his head, that changes everything. And when the defense can't sleep on Lopez, the defense can't sleep on Kuzma, the defense can't sleep on Lonzo Ball, and Ingram's hitting from outside??? NOW Ingram's not driving into a forest of outstretched hands waiting for him under the rim. They all have their hands full because we make them play defense!! Good way to tire them out so they can't keep up with Lonzo's long bombs and speed from our tall, fast wide receivers late in the game.

Encouraging game. If we can play the right way, build consistency in our ability to hit open shots, and take advantage of Lonzo's amazing skill set, this team will make a lot more games close as the season progresses, and we might just win a few games we supposedly shouldn't win.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 11:14 am    Post subject:

Thank you DB.
This kind of in depth analysis, and the conversation it sparks, is what makes this site so amazing.
I much prefer it to the back and forth name calling some fall into here.

My observations:

Lonzo and Kuzma do indeed have great synergy, we need to see them on the floor together more, whether that be with BI at the 2, Kuz at the 3, or with BI at the 3 and Kuz at the 4.
I've heard some say Kuz would get BBQ'd by Blake Griffin and like. True, but he pretty much BBQ's our bigger 4's on Thursday night too, and Kuz may cause Blake some problems on the offensive end, so I say more Kuz with Lonzo.

I think this year will go better if we try to make our offense work effectively by giving Zo the right players. He will have ups and downs, but he'll grow more if we're scoring 120+ every night (and so will BI and KK and others)
Yes, we may give up 120+ as well, but we saw in that first game what happens when we game plan around a player (Blake, and it didn't work anyways). Let's play our game, not the other teams game.
Let's play our game offensively and let the chips fall as they may.
Would Zo, KCP, BI, KK and Lopez get killed on the boards? Likely, yes, but they may learn to play good, quick, help D (like the W's play so well) and they may cause problems for other teams offensively.

I liked Brewer's contribution, feel he and KCP should split time at the 2.
JC looks great in this role. Give him the ball on the 2nd unit and let him score. Try to get JR more involved on the 2nd unit as well, offensively, as once again, it is his strength.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 11:50 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:00 pm    Post subject:

Vadorojo wrote:
A Mad Chinaman wrote:
What is the most effective way to use Deng (if there is one) that would maximize his value and usefulness?
This is the million dollar question. We need to unload Deng, but it would ideal if he looked like a viable, veterans player so that we could trade him to a playoff team making a push as an asset rather than as a "terrible contract salary dump" that requires the attaching of multiple assets. I think our best-case scenario still requires a young asset - something like Deng + Randle or Deng + Nance, but neither of those trades feel nice. I expect the ultimate trade (if one materializes) won't feel good, however. If Randle keeps producing subpar results, he may not even be of interest to a team.
Possible Scenarios (Among many others that FO is surely considering)

Deng as a PF
With Kuzma, Nance and Randle playing better than Deng, when will he get PT

Deng as a SF
At his age - plus Ingram, Brewer and Kuzma - when will he get PT

Deng as a 5 in Small Ball
With Randle and Nance consistently ineffective, maybe Luke will try this

Deng as a defensive stopper on young and talented front court players like the Greek Freak, Jayson Tatum and Ben Simmons in short spot situations to give the regulars a break is a consideration. Hopefully his "veteranisms" (thanks Big Game Rob) will be able to confuse them for the few minutes that he would be playing them considering their youth and their immense athletic abilities.


Given the very unfortunate situation regarding Gordon Hayward, maybe the Celtics would be a good match with Deng (plus a player - maybe Randle to play their Jae Crowder role) with draft picks coming back to the Lakers (since Ainge still has many). Understand that the Celtics only have 8.5M (app) to use on acquiring a player with an expiring contract to replace Haywood. Given that Haywood and Deng play the same position (mostly), could this be a "logical" trade between two long-standing enemies?
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:42 pm    Post subject:

Lakers#1Team wrote:
Thanks DB!


+1.

Lonzo's 29/11/9 was quiet. Once he figures the NBA out, he will be perennial ALL-NBA.
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