LAKERS -at- KNICKS – 12-12-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:08 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- KNICKS – 12-12-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Overtime Loss… Chalk up another game that could have easily gone the Lakers direction.

After the bench built up a 10-point lead in the first half, the starters came in and promptly gave it right back up in a couple of minutes at the end of the first half. They came out sluggish to start the third and Luke quickly called a timeout.

A bad stretch, but then Lonzo caught fire. His 10 third-quarter points were highlighted by a massive lob throwdown on the break. The Lakers were scoring points fast and furious in this stretch, but giving them up just as easily on the other end – a throwback to last season.

In the fourth, the Lakers scratched their way out of a hole and rookie Kyle Kuzma sank a big three to tie it up with 23.9 left in regulation and help send the game to overtime.

Too many little things caught up with the Lakers in OT. Lonzo getting held as he went for a defensive board and the Knicks scoring off it. Randle giving up a putback score and a driving layup to Beasley. The Lakers fell 113-109, letting a possible third-straight road win slip from their grasp.


Ball -- -- Wasted a decent game by Lonzo. He put on a bit of a show for the MSG during the third quarter where he had 10 points, including his highlight score of the season on a massive one-handed alley-oop throwdown on the break. Good shooting night from three. He was hobbling a bit at the end of his third quarter run after running into KCP, but he came back in later and looked like his usual mobile self. Some good hit aheads from Lonzo early in the game to find his bigs running the court for scores. Lonzo had 6 assists with just 1 turnover, which was really a miscommunication with Kuzma on what would have been an open three. A lot of minutes for Zo tonight (really pretty amazing seeing both Lonzo and Kuzma out there when we need stops on final possessions out of bounds). They weren’t without a couple of learning moments as Zo gave up a layup with 2 minutes left in OT, getting fooled by a counter under the hoop. He also could have given a foul late in the game with clock running (Randle would have fouled out if he gave it). Some good, fast double teams to help on Porzingis and also a great read tagging Porzingis on a roll and swiping the ball. “He’s a competitor and he gave us everything he had tonight,” Luke said. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-13 shooting (3-6 from three, 2-3 form the line) to go with 8 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 40 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He gathered himself and missed the pull-up three in transition. He found Brook with the hit ahead for the layup. Another great hit ahead to Larry running the floor for the And-1 layup. He missed a three when the D went under the screen. He sank a three when Ingram kicked to him. He missed a corner three. The D sagged off so he hit the pull-up 18-footer. He pushed out with speed, drew the D and hit KCP for the corner three. He had 5 points, 5 boards and 3 assists. Second Half: He swiped the ball from the roll man on one end, then hit a wing three on the other. Great job coming from the blindside on a post entry to swipe the pass and ignite the break. He missed a flat floater in early offense. Highlight finish of the year for Lonzo so far as he threw down a one-handed lob from KCP on the break. He swished a deep three off the kick back from Lopez. Quick attack in the offensive zone and he scored the lefty layup. He hit Lopez for the pick-and-pop three. He couldn’t finish a layup over a big. He was blocked on a drive but Randle cleaned it up. He probed and found Randle for the dunk. He tied up Porzingis blocking a jumper. He attacked and kicked out to where Kuzma had been half a beat earlier, turnover. Overtime: The D went under the screen and he drew three FTs, he made two. Miscommunication on D but Lonzo somehow deflected a pass on the inbounds and we got the stop down 4 with 42 seconds left.

Lopez -- -- He had 4 turnovers in the first half. Another slow start from him and the team just looked awful at times. The starters gave up a 10-point lead in the first half as Lopez and Ingram were really non-factors (throw in Nance offensively, who is also usually a non-factor on that end) and that’s tough on the team. Lopez is our vet. The guy we should be relying on to be the steadying force offensively with the decision making, but he’s just been awful, particularly early in games. A couple of his turnovers came trying to take guards off the dribble. Tough on the team tonight when Randle was a little subpar. Luke didn’t want to go back to Lopez and didn’t. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-13 shooting (2-6 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He attacked and was stripped on our first possession. He passed up a sure dunk to throw it outside, got it back and missed the three, uggh. He found KCP cutting for a layup. He scored a layup changing ends when Lonzo found him. He sank an open wing three on a kickout from KCP. He tried attacking a smaller player off the dribble again and lost it. He missed a jumphook. He scooped up a loose ball and hit a floater. He missed a wing three, then gave up one on the other end. He fumbled a long outlet out of bounds. He drew FTs on the drive and dish from Ingram, he made both. Way short on a pick-and-pop three. He missed a putback. Second Half: He missed a one-hander from the FT line. He took a dribble and missed a wing three. He dunked trailing the break when KCP found him. He blocked a drive trailing the break. He sank a three on the pick and pop. He missed an off-balance turnaround fade in the paint.

Ingram -- -- Well, tough to win this one with as bad as Ingram was. “It would have been an easy win for us if I would have scored the basketball,” BI said. He missed his first 10 shots before scoring. He tried to make a more concerted effort to pass the ball after getting blocked numerous times, but he was turning the ball over while doing that. Just killed them really. He had 5 assists, but 5 turnovers. This is where his inability to do other things on the court other than drive really hurt. It also seemed like it took him too long to realize Porzingis was leaving his man to challenge him. Learn from it and move on. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-12 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 turnovers and 3 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He couldn’t finish over the help D. He attacked and kicked to KCP for the three. He missed the pull-up elbow jumper. He bricked a wing three on a kickout. He was swatted on a drive. He missed a pull-up in the lane. He blocked Porzingis on iso. He missed a pull-up in the lane in transition. He attacked off the dribble and threw it away. He attacked and dropped it off to Lopez for FTs. Second Half: He missed a runner in the paint against a crowd. He was blocked cutting down the lane to take a pass. He curled into the paint and couldn’t finish. He probed and hit Randle for the baseline jumper. He attacked right, took contact and threw in the And-1 prayer, he made the FT. He attacked and threw a wild pass out of bounds. His perimeter pass was picked off. Overtime: He attacked and threw the pass away. He iso’d, spun, found himself open and scored the layup.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- KCP was manning the .50 cal from beyond three. I think he emptied the ammo can, shooting 14 threes tonight (he made 4). A couple of those were forced as he came off screens to catch the ball or maybe fired quickly in transition. Others were good looks. He had 4 big points down the stretch of regulation to help the Lakers comeback late in the game. Some good moments defensively in this one with the 3 steals and also some really good rotations. “We just couldn’t get stops,” KCP said about overtime. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 8-20 shooting (4-14 from three, 4-4 from the line) The Action: He curled into the paint, took the pass and scored the easy layup. He swished a corner three on the drive and kick from Ingram. He kicked out to Lopez for the three. He missed a three. He threw a hit ahead out of bounds. He flagged down a pass to get a stop out of a timeout. He missed a pull-up jumper. He barely hit rim on a forced three coming off the screen. He swished a corner three off the Lonzo kickout. He missed a three at the end of the half. Second Half: He sank a catch-and-shoot three out of a timeout. Great rotation to prevent a shot, then he stripped his man. He missed an open three on the other end. He fed Lopez trailing the break for the dunk. He sank a 14-footer, pulling up on the wing on the break. He missed a three in transition. He lobbed to Lonzo on the break for the monster one-handed throwdown. He missed a wing three, got it back and hit the corner three. He missed a step-back three at the end of the third. He missed a corner three. He drew FTs getting bumped on the perimeter with 1:48 left, down 5, he made both. He tipped in his own missed drive. Overtime: He missed a wing three off the flare. He attacked off the three line and earned FTs. He missed a wing three. He scored a putback.

Nance -- It’s tough when the Knicks can let Porzingis sag off Nance and clog the paint. Most of his action tonight came in the first half. He got his scores on a putback dunk and on an And-1 layup when Lonzo found him in transition. Good job on the boards tonight as he led the team with 9. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 1 assist and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He stripped his man to get a stop. He changed ends quickly and Lonzo found him for the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a baseline jumper. He slammed down a missed three. He couldn’t finish a dunk off the interior feed (should have been a foul). He drew a charge in the post on the other end to get it back. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Kuzma -- -- Big three at MSG to tie it up and help send the game to overtime. Kid doesn’t get nervous. “For being a rookie, he’s got a lot of confidence,” Luke said. Seems like he thrives in any situation. He sank a couple other threes and also had some good garbage work on the offensive glass in this one. Throw in a few floaters or jumphooks and he’s got the 19 points off the bench. Defensively, he had to go up against Porzingis at times and didn’t back down. Some big challenges and stops in crunch time. Not an easy assignment. And like Lonzo, think about it, we’ve got our two rookies on the floor at the same time in crunch time trying to get stops. They shouldn’t be guys you depend on in this stage of their career, but they battle on that end. They’re only going to improve on that end. Kuzma played the final 20 minutes of the game. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 8-17 shooting (3-6 from three) to go with 6 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 2 blocks and 4 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He missed a drive but JC cleaned it up. He crashed the glass, pulled down the board and quickly scored the putback. He kept a board alive to JC for another attempt. He sank the wing three off the flare screen. He missed the quick-fire wing jumper off the skip pass. He got tapped on a tip attempt, but we regained possession. Second Half: He attacked baseline and couldn’t finish the layup. He tipped in a miss from behind a man. A play busted so he iso’d and hit the three straight away out of the timeout. He missed a wing jumper. He attacked off the three line and hit the floater over Porzingis. He missed an open sideline three in early offense. He blocked a Porzingis jumper. After we got a stop on Porzingis on one end, he swished the wing three with 23.9 seconds left in transition to tie it up. Overtime: He missed a jumphook on iso. He hit the jumphook in the lane off a cut to take the pass. He missed a three on iso. He missed a floater, but KCP tipped it in (probably needed the three at that point). He missed a meaningless three at the buzzer.

Randle -- -- The Knicks really mucked things up defensively packing the paint and that seemed to take us out of rhythm as a team at times. The Second unit had a great run in the first half, but couldn’t repeat that in the second half. A few possessions stand out in this one. First was an iso where he fouled to turn the ball over late in the game. Luke would sit him on this for Nance (again one of those subs by Luke where he’s ticked at Randle). In OT, Randle gave up a couple layups to Beasley. One on a putback where he didn’t boxout. That was killer. Another where Beasley went by him on a drive for a score. Not a great game from him because of some of the little things. He seemed a bit frustrated tonight. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-11 shooting (1-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He trailed the break, took the pass and scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He ran clock, they shaded him right so he took it and drew FTs, he missed both, however. He missed the short one off the drive left. Pressure D on the perimeter and he forced a bad pass. He spun away from the baseline that was sealed off and hit the turnaround fade. He missed a jumphook. He trailed the break and JC gave him the extra pass for the score. Off the mark on a bounce pass in the paint, turnover. He hit JC for the short jumper. Second Half: He blocked a shot from behind. He swished the baseline 15-footer. He traveled not wanting to take the jumper. He missed a pull-up from the top of the key. He was called for using an off-arm on a layup (his off arm was held, as well). He couldn’t finish a short one at the front of the rim. He forced Porzingis into an airball. He cleaned up the dribble penetration with a dunk. He dunked off the drive and dish from Lonzo. He attacked on iso and fouled, not a good possession and Luke sat him for Nance. Foul to give in regulation put him at 5. Overtime: No boxout and he gave up a putback tip in. Beasley around him for a layup on iso.

Clarkson -- -- He scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half. In the second half, he had some problems with Baker who was playing good D. Floor spacing was a little odd tonight compared with what they were able to do last game. Funny looking at the stat tonight of leading bench scorers who haven’t started a game this season and both Randle and JC are at the top of that list. Could have made a case for going smaller in the second half and running JC, KCP and Lonzo instead of Ingram. JC could have helped spread the floor as a shooter. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-11 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 6 boards (4 offensive), 3 assists and 1 turnover in 20 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He crashed the glass for the And-1 putback, he made the FT. He sank a three on a kickback. He missed a pull-up jumper. He probed the paint off the double high screen, stopped, up-faked to lose his man and scored the short one. He missed a three, got it back and missed the scoop. Unselfish pass to Julius trailing the break for the uncontested layup. He swished the 10-footer off the give and go with Julius. He had 10 points on 4-8 shooting, 4 boards and 3 assists. Second Half: He missed a pull-up jumper. He was tied up a drive right. He sank a pull-up in transition. Lazy, telegraphed perimeter pass and it resulted in a score the other way.

Brewer -- -- The stats don’t really show much in this game, but he did have some very good help D moments to get stops. With as bad as Ingram was playing, you could have made a case for more minutes for Brewer as he wasn’t a negative factor out there and the team needed a little more scrappiness defensively. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and no fouls in 9 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He drew a charge on the baseline to get a stop. He missed the flip in curling into the paint to take a pass. Off the mark on a pass to Kuzma down the lane, good idea though. He got it back with a strip on D on the other end. Second Half: Great help D challenge on a close out to get a stop. Great help D again to tie up a man from behind.

Hart -- -- Quiet night for him. His best play was a strip in the corner and immediate outlet for a score. The Stats: He didn’t shoot or score and had 3 boards in 10 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He stripped a man and quickly outlet down court for a score. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Walton -- -- The Lakers led by 7 before the Knicks went on a 10-0 run to force Luke to call a timeout… Up 2, JC, Randle and Kuzma came in with 2 minutes left… The Lakers led 29-25 after the first quarter… He started the Randle, Kuzma, Brewer, Hart, JC lineup… Up 6, Ingram in for Brewer… Up 10, they forced a timeout… Up 10 when Clarkson, Randle and Kuzma sat for the starters with 4+ minutes left… Starters looking sluggish and awful and they gave up the lead… The Lakers led 51-50 at the half… Starters pick up where they left off and trailed by 6 when Luke called the timeout after just 1:17 of action. Quick timeout but they didn’t look ready… Both teams on fire as Lonzo got going midway through the quarter. Lakers couldn’t get stops. Kind of a key stretch here because you could have built a lead had the D shown up… Randle and Kuzma in, Lakers up 3… The Lakers led 79-76 heading into the fourth… Randle, Kuzma, Brewer, Hart, JC lineup to start the quarter… Tied up, Ingram in for Brewer… Lonzo in for Hart, same score… KCP in for JC, Lakers down 3… Down 3 with 2 minutes left, Luke sat Randle for Nance after a bad offensive possession by Julius. Nance at the C… KCP with a couple of scores and then Kuzma tied it up with a three with 23.9 left. Lakers could make a defensive sub here if they don’t want Kuzma defending Porzingis. They brought in Randle for Nance as the defensive sub. They gave a foul to give with 4.5 left and force a timeout again and then got the stop… Overtime: Randle, Kuzma, Ingram, KCP and Lonzo to start the overtime. Lakers lose the tip… Lakers giving up layup after layup in OT… Late in the game, they didn't take a foul to send the Knicks to the line. The clock was not in our favor, coaches were asking for it, but it didn't happen...


Last edited by DancingBarry on Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:16 pm    Post subject: Re: LAKERS -at- KNICKS – 12-12-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Thanks DB.
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pio2u
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:22 pm    Post subject:

Yet another very winnable game that we let slip away. None the less, IMO, the team is still making strides in the right direction.
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unleasHell
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:46 pm    Post subject:

Lakers were one veteran star away from winning this game...
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:48 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:07 pm    Post subject:

Up 10 with bench. Starters come in. Down big. Bench comes in. Get lead again. Starters come back in. Fall behind again.


Luke....
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:12 pm    Post subject:

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:31 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Question: In hindsight, do you think any change with the starting lineup would have made a difference with the outcome?
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 2:01 am    Post subject:

I definitely think politics is hurting this team. That's the only thing I can think of when it comes to why certain players start or play more minutes than others, and why management seems to have no issue with it.

I wasn't upset with the minutes Lonzo played tonight cuz he did play well for the most part, but usually Clarkson playing only 20 minutes doesn't make sense as he's the Lakers most efficient player offensively. And Kuzma not starting is still mind boggling.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 2:10 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!


unleasHell wrote:
Lakers were one veteran star away from winning this game...

The Lakers were one DECENT vet player away. Or make it BI/Lopez bringing at least their B game. Lopez is becoming such a disappointment.
Frustratingly up and down game.
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C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 2:18 am    Post subject:

BizLA wrote:
I definitely think politics is hurting this team. That's the only thing I can think of when it comes to why certain players start or play more minutes than others, and why management seems to have no issue with it.

I wasn't upset with the minutes Lonzo played tonight cuz he did play well for the most part, but usually Clarkson playing only 20 minutes doesn't make sense as he's the Lakers most efficient player offensively. And Kuzma not starting is still mind boggling.


Kuzma not starting is a fit thing. Poltics? Maybe. If Kuzma were starting Nance would be out of the rotation (not a fit at all next to Randle or with the bench as a whole) and either Zubac or Bryant would need to play the backup C.
Luke is definitely not ready to experiment with that.

I'd start Randle/Lopez and then have Kuzma/Randle and finish the half with Kuzma/Zubac.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:01 am    Post subject:

pio2u wrote:
Yet another very winnable game that we let slip away. None the less, IMO, the team is still making strides in the right direction.



Absolutely !
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 5:25 am    Post subject:

Man the thing I was thinking about at times during this game was that I really liked how our young players were rising up the challenge of a MSG hyped nationally televised game. Kuz and Ball as rookies showed no fear.

The other thing that creep into my mind. How nice would it be to have what the Knicks have. A player you can throw the ball into the mid range or high post or anywhere close to the basket and he can just draw the defense in, create a shot for himself. Most of the baskets the Knicks made in OT were using Porzingis as a decoy. Our defense was almost expecting him to get the ball when they instead found one of their cutters behind Porzingis. Really sick to have a player like that, and we need one of our young guys to reach this level. Draw the defense in to open up shots for others and just be able to flat out be counted on to get a basket when we need it. Teams that have this player are really set.

Ball BTW really stepped up to the occasion of this game. Randle, Ball and Kuz are the three guys I'd say are cornerstone guys for this team. If I were the Lakers, I'd only label those 3 are cornerstone guys looking for 2 veteran stars (don't have to be isolation scoring stars) to team up with.

Randle (Small ball 5)
Kuzma
3
2
Ball

Maybe have a bigger starting 5 to start games until Randle comes in. Randle is a guy I think we MUST keep moving forward. He does so many valuable things. I really have liked his game this year. And love Kuz. Think Ball is going to be our starting PG for a long time. Not sold on Ingram , Pop is a one year rental. Get a few new wings in free agency, keep Randle, and we're a playoff team next year. JC has also found his niche as an off the bench player.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 6:10 am    Post subject:

Not bad with 2 rookies and 1 second year player on the court to close out game
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:39 am    Post subject:

unleasHell wrote:
Lakers were one veteran star away from winning this game...


After I sleep on it and compare what I’m seeing from this team vs. other teams I’m watching, I’ll take the lakers situation. They really aren’t that far off man. Outside of the Warriors, Rockets, Sixers and Cavs (until Lebron leaves) I like what the lakers are doing. Obviously need at least 1 max star, but the young core I’ll take over what most other teams have.

Even Minnesota I’m not too impressed with...KAT and Wiggins are nice to have but from what I have seen they haven’t exactly taken another step.

As a previous poster mentioned, Ball and Kuzma rose the occasion in a tough environment. The Knicks are tough at MSG, not the Melo knicks anymore.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 8:47 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
Man the thing I was thinking about at times during this game was that I really liked how our young players were rising up the challenge of a MSG hyped nationally televised game. Kuz and Ball as rookies showed no fear.

The other thing that creep into my mind. How nice would it be to have what the Knicks have. A player you can throw the ball into the mid range or high post or anywhere close to the basket and he can just draw the defense in, create a shot for himself. Most of the baskets the Knicks made in OT were using Porzingis as a decoy. Our defense was almost expecting him to get the ball when they instead found one of their cutters behind Porzingis. Really sick to have a player like that, and we need one of our young guys to reach this level. Draw the defense in to open up shots for others and just be able to flat out be counted on to get a basket when we need it. Teams that have this player are really set.

Ball BTW really stepped up to the occasion of this game. Randle, Ball and Kuz are the three guys I'd say are cornerstone guys for this team. If I were the Lakers, I'd only label those 3 are cornerstone guys looking for 2 veteran stars (don't have to be isolation scoring stars) to team up with.

Randle (Small ball 5)
Kuzma
3
2
Ball

Maybe have a bigger starting 5 to start games until Randle comes in. Randle is a guy I think we MUST keep moving forward. He does so many valuable things. I really have liked his game this year. And love Kuz. Think Ball is going to be our starting PG for a long time. Not sold on Ingram , Pop is a one year rental. Get a few new wings in free agency, keep Randle, and we're a playoff team next year. JC has also found his niche as an off the bench player.


I hate how JC has been labeled an off the bench player. I see so much more in him that we are not using....this is his 4th year. Why shouldnt he be a starter? His defense has improved this year...he has shown much better vision, best of all his shot is dependable. Why wouldnt we want that right out the gates? This fixation of Lonzo is really some BS. As a Lakers fan I want the cream to rise to the top. But its like our past 2 coaches aren't interested in that. They place players wherever they see fit...regardless of production. THAT...is souring me on my favorite team.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:05 am    Post subject:

Shaber wrote:
BizLA wrote:
I definitely think politics is hurting this team. That's the only thing I can think of when it comes to why certain players start or play more minutes than others, and why management seems to have no issue with it.

I wasn't upset with the minutes Lonzo played tonight cuz he did play well for the most part, but usually Clarkson playing only 20 minutes doesn't make sense as he's the Lakers most efficient player offensively. And Kuzma not starting is still mind boggling.


Kuzma not starting is a fit thing. Poltics? Maybe. If Kuzma were starting Nance would be out of the rotation (not a fit at all next to Randle or with the bench as a whole) and either Zubac or Bryant would need to play the backup C.
Luke is definitely not ready to experiment with that.

I'd start Randle/Lopez and then have Kuzma/Randle and finish the half with Kuzma/Zubac.


I would like Randle starting as well. His playstyle is similar to Nance's except he's more of a threat on the offensive end. And if we are going to keep Kuzma on the bench then it would make sense to have Nance come off the bench with Clarkson and Kuzma, those 2 alone would still provide a big offensive spark.

But then again this neither here nor there as Luke seems to not mind the current 5. Even though we all seem to disagree with it.
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BizLA
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:07 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
Man the thing I was thinking about at times during this game was that I really liked how our young players were rising up the challenge of a MSG hyped nationally televised game. Kuz and Ball as rookies showed no fear.

The other thing that creep into my mind. How nice would it be to have what the Knicks have. A player you can throw the ball into the mid range or high post or anywhere close to the basket and he can just draw the defense in, create a shot for himself. Most of the baskets the Knicks made in OT were using Porzingis as a decoy. Our defense was almost expecting him to get the ball when they instead found one of their cutters behind Porzingis. Really sick to have a player like that, and we need one of our young guys to reach this level. Draw the defense in to open up shots for others and just be able to flat out be counted on to get a basket when we need it. Teams that have this player are really set.

Ball BTW really stepped up to the occasion of this game. Randle, Ball and Kuz are the three guys I'd say are cornerstone guys for this team. If I were the Lakers, I'd only label those 3 are cornerstone guys looking for 2 veteran stars (don't have to be isolation scoring stars) to team up with.

Randle (Small ball 5)
Kuzma
3
2
Ball

Maybe have a bigger starting 5 to start games until Randle comes in. Randle is a guy I think we MUST keep moving forward. He does so many valuable things. I really have liked his game this year. And love Kuz. Think Ball is going to be our starting PG for a long time. Not sold on Ingram , Pop is a one year rental. Get a few new wings in free agency, keep Randle, and we're a playoff team next year. JC has also found his niche as an off the bench player.


We could have a player like that if we could get DeMarcus Cousins.
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BizLA
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:12 am    Post subject:

LakersPimp wrote:
wolfpaclaker wrote:
Man the thing I was thinking about at times during this game was that I really liked how our young players were rising up the challenge of a MSG hyped nationally televised game. Kuz and Ball as rookies showed no fear.

The other thing that creep into my mind. How nice would it be to have what the Knicks have. A player you can throw the ball into the mid range or high post or anywhere close to the basket and he can just draw the defense in, create a shot for himself. Most of the baskets the Knicks made in OT were using Porzingis as a decoy. Our defense was almost expecting him to get the ball when they instead found one of their cutters behind Porzingis. Really sick to have a player like that, and we need one of our young guys to reach this level. Draw the defense in to open up shots for others and just be able to flat out be counted on to get a basket when we need it. Teams that have this player are really set.

Ball BTW really stepped up to the occasion of this game. Randle, Ball and Kuz are the three guys I'd say are cornerstone guys for this team. If I were the Lakers, I'd only label those 3 are cornerstone guys looking for 2 veteran stars (don't have to be isolation scoring stars) to team up with.

Randle (Small ball 5)
Kuzma
3
2
Ball

Maybe have a bigger starting 5 to start games until Randle comes in. Randle is a guy I think we MUST keep moving forward. He does so many valuable things. I really have liked his game this year. And love Kuz. Think Ball is going to be our starting PG for a long time. Not sold on Ingram , Pop is a one year rental. Get a few new wings in free agency, keep Randle, and we're a playoff team next year. JC has also found his niche as an off the bench player.


I hate how JC has been labeled an off the bench player. I see so much more in him that we are not using....this is his 4th year. Why shouldnt he be a starter? His defense has improved this year...he has shown much better vision, best of all his shot is dependable. Why wouldnt we want that right out the gates? This fixation of Lonzo is really some BS. As a Lakers fan I want the cream to rise to the top. But its like our past 2 coaches aren't interested in that. They place players wherever they see fit...regardless of production. THAT...is souring me on my favorite team.


This is why I say it's politics man. How many times this season could you say "Clarkson just had a bad game". I can't even think of any. The guy has become instant offense and can score against any defense. Think about the fact that he averages 15pts in about 22 mins a game.. What if he played 40 mins a game like Ball? Think what kind of stat line he would average nightly.

But even labeling something like this as politics doesn't make much sense either. Cause say the Lakers were just using Clarkson and Randle as trade bait, then obv they would play a lot more and the Lakers would buff their stats up--and we would probably win more AND get more value from them in a potential trade scenario.

I don't know. Things not adding up to me.
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Klone_dd
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:38 am    Post subject:

Taking Porzingis was Phil's greatest move as a GM. Sorry that the Lakers passed on him. Very unique player.

Would've preferred JC on the court in OT. I think his shot selection is generally better than KCP's.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:53 am    Post subject:

Klone_dd wrote:
Taking Porzingis was Phil's greatest move as a GM. Sorry that the Lakers passed on him. Very unique player.

Would've preferred JC on the court in OT. I think his shot selection is generally better than KCP's.


The knock on Porky was endurance and he hasn’t finished a healthy season yet. He has a way to go physically.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:37 am    Post subject:

DrDent wrote:
Thanks DB.

Question: In hindsight, do you think any change with the starting lineup would have made a difference with the outcome?


First half you might have stayed with your hot hands/lineup longer in this one, but Luke was probably thinking he'd save that bench action for the close and get them rest instead of running a long first half stint. But that's where you get burned when you have guys who should probably be starting coming off your bench. If they are playing well you have to run these 15-minute straight stretches vs. breaking that up into two 8- or 9-minute stretches as starters. You risk getting diminishing returns or underachieving.
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Iversondalivest1
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:42 pm    Post subject:

LakersPimp wrote:
wolfpaclaker wrote:
Man the thing I was thinking about at times during this game was that I really liked how our young players were rising up the challenge of a MSG hyped nationally televised game. Kuz and Ball as rookies showed no fear.

The other thing that creep into my mind. How nice would it be to have what the Knicks have. A player you can throw the ball into the mid range or high post or anywhere close to the basket and he can just draw the defense in, create a shot for himself. Most of the baskets the Knicks made in OT were using Porzingis as a decoy. Our defense was almost expecting him to get the ball when they instead found one of their cutters behind Porzingis. Really sick to have a player like that, and we need one of our young guys to reach this level. Draw the defense in to open up shots for others and just be able to flat out be counted on to get a basket when we need it. Teams that have this player are really set.

Ball BTW really stepped up to the occasion of this game. Randle, Ball and Kuz are the three guys I'd say are cornerstone guys for this team. If I were the Lakers, I'd only label those 3 are cornerstone guys looking for 2 veteran stars (don't have to be isolation scoring stars) to team up with.

Randle (Small ball 5)
Kuzma
3
2
Ball

Maybe have a bigger starting 5 to start games until Randle comes in. Randle is a guy I think we MUST keep moving forward. He does so many valuable things. I really have liked his game this year. And love Kuz. Think Ball is going to be our starting PG for a long time. Not sold on Ingram , Pop is a one year rental. Get a few new wings in free agency, keep Randle, and we're a playoff team next year. JC has also found his niche as an off the bench player.


I hate how JC has been labeled an off the bench player. I see so much more in him that we are not using....this is his 4th year. Why shouldnt he be a starter? His defense has improved this year...he has shown much better vision, best of all his shot is dependable. Why wouldnt we want that right out the gates? This fixation of Lonzo is really some BS. As a Lakers fan I want the cream to rise to the top. But its like our past 2 coaches aren't interested in that. They place players wherever they see fit...regardless of production. THAT...is souring me on my favorite team.


(bleep) 'ing amen, brother!
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