THUNDER -at- LAKERS – 1-3-18 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:27 pm    Post subject: THUNDER -at- LAKERS – 1-3-18 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Embarrassing… It couldn’t have gone much better for the Thunder tonight.

The Lakers got off to a 10-0 start to this one, but quickly gave that up (unlike opponents who take that lead against us and seem to keep it all game lately).

In the second quarter, they were outscored 37-18 as the Thunder stars picked them apart to take control.

The Lakers were never able to lock down defensively in this game. Even 19-year-old rookie Terrance Ferguson tore them apart for 24 points in the second half, sinking six threes.

I’m not sure the Thunder looked to embarrass the Lakers in an attempt to help keep PG13, but the Lakers played the role of doormat tonight as they lost badly 133-96.

“As a team, coaching staff included, our fans deserve better than that and our organization deserves better than that,” Luke said.


Randle -- -- He had 9 points on 3-6 shooting in the first half, getting points early out on the break. He didn’t score again in the second half. Some turnovers as the Thunders knocked balls away from Randle as he attacked. His minutes, of course, were cut a bit short with the blowout. Not sure how long he will remain in the starting lineup with Lopez getting back on the floor. He had the team-low -8 among the starters. The minutes with him weren’t super, but without him they were pretty awful. Really bummed we haven’t been able to run Lonzo out there with Randle in the starting lineup. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-6 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He broke up a pass on one end but turned it over on the dribble on the other. He slammed in transition, changing ends quick. He swished a wing midrange jumper when the D sagged. He drew FTs on the break and made both. He missed a jumphook on a drive. He was stripped on a drive. He posted up a smaller man and drew FTs, he made one. He took a pass under the hoop, pumpfaked Adams and made the layup. He attacked and wasn’t close on the finish. He hit Ingram cutting for a dunk. Too strong on a finish in a crowd. Second Half: He tracked down a board and pushed out with speed and went down hard on a foul (looked in pain on that). He was stripped by Melo in the post.

Kuzma -- -- A bit banged up, he was questionable for this game. He had 11 points on 4-8 shooting in the first half, but Melo had 21 on 8-12 shooting. “We didn’t compete on defense,” he said. He had his hands full with Melo. Good experience for him having to deal with a crafty vet scorer. He said the team “flat out gave up” tonight and was selfish on offense. Kuzma sank threes and hit floaters for scores. He had some transition attacks. Too many turnovers as Kuzma airmailed a couple passes out of bounds, right ideas, but bad execution. With the blowout going, Luke could get Kuzma a little rest by not playing him in the fourth. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 7-14 shooting (3-6 from three, 1-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -26. The Action: He missed a wing three to start. He hit a running hook on a drive right. He stepped on the gas in transition and scored a layup around the D. He swatted a man on one end and then hit the three in transition on the other. He missed a layup after a Euro-step to lose a man. He was fouled on a three behind a screen, he made just one FT. He airmailed a pass out of bounds. He missed a layup in transition over a couple defenders. Too long on a three straight away. He gave up a lob on the other end. He had the ball poked away as he attacked. He swished a wing three. He airmailed another pass out of bounds on a drive and dish. Second Half: He attacked baseline and swished the floater over the double team. Caught in the air, he threw it away. He swished a corner three on the inbounds (love that play). He missed a wide open three on the pick and pop. He swished another baseline floater attacking off the three line. He missed a floater in transition (that one probably could have gone for a dunk on). He missed a face-up baseline jumper.

Ingram -- -- Anytime he got the ball trying to iso, there were few gaps for him to attack. Teams are sitting on his drive and loading up for it. He had a great dunk working on a cut around Randle to take the pass. I’d like to see more of that with, of course, him working on that perimeter shot to be effective from range. He got a little more aggressive when Both Kuzma and Lopez were out there briefly and the floor spaced a little more. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (0-2 form three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -24. The Action: He swatted Melo’s jumper on iso D. He missed a three straight away. He swished a step-back wing jumper on a probe. He attacked and missed a layup. He threw a pass away but got it back on a deflection. He missed a sideline three on a kickout. He attacked and couldn’t finish a layup. He dunked when Randle set him up off the two-man sequence. Second Half: He lobbed to KCP from the sideline for a score. He threw a kickout away. He missed a pull-up at the FT line. He battled on the offensive glass for a putback. He attacked left and drew FTs, he made one.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- He got the Westbrook assignment. Occasionally, he’d get a little too upright or relax a beat and that’s all Westbrook would need to blow by him. Sometimes some really good work fighting through screens to recover and deny Westbrook. Offensively, very controlled in this one. I’d like to see this with a lot more consistency from him. He dialed back the chucking and let the game come to him more. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-9 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 29 minutes. He was a -18. The Action: He changed directions and blew past Westbrook for a dunk. He forced Westbrook into a travel on iso D. He choked a wide open layup off the handoff, got to make those. He missed an 18-foot pull-up. He iso’d against a couple defenders and bricked the runner. He got crossed over badly by Westbrook. Second Half: He finished a lob on the inbounds. He missed the FT line pull-up. He sank a wing three against Adams on a switch. He drew a charge on Melo on a switch. He sank a baseline pull-up. He sank a sideline three on a kickout.

Ennis -- -- Quiet game from Ennis. He had Ferguson defensively, who killed us from the three line. That kid was on fire, though, no matter who covered him. Just in the zone. We’ve been pretty good about not letting random players go off for career nights this season, but that wasn’t the case tonight as he scored big on us in the second half with all 24 of his points in that half. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 4 boards, 6 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -10. The Action: Surprise attack on Westbrook for a layup (don’t know who Westbrook was yelling at on that one, but that was on him. Thunder timeout.) He missed a three up against the shotclock. He ballwatched and gave up a dunk. He missed a floater. Second Half: He was swatted on a drive. Sweet inbounds behind Melo’s back to Kuzma in the corner for a three. He split two defenders in transition and scored a layup.

Lopez -- -- Cleared for the game, Lopez came off the bench. He quickly scored on a drive and then sank a couple more threes during his first stint. In his second stint, he looked a bit more like how we remember him before his injury. He missed several shots as the opponents got more separation in the process. He said he felt pretty good out there. “We didn’t make it tough for them,” Lopez said. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-11 shooting (2-6 from three) to go with 5 boards, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 16 minutes. He was a -16. The Action: He attacked off the three line, spun and hit the short runner. He swished a two-for-one three trailing the break. He missed a long wing bank up against the shotclock. He sank a wing three on a swing pass. He missed a forced three, might have been a heat check. He was stripped on a drive. Second Half: He missed a putback but scored the follow tip. He missed a forced three. He missed a wing three. He missed a leaner in the paint. He missed a wing three.

Clarkson -- -- Non-factor tonight as his shot wasn’t dropping and he wasn’t consistently getting to the rim. He ran the point off the bench. If he’s flat, that’s going to impact all of the bench. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-15 shooting (2-8 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 steal and no fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -20. The Action: He missed a pull-up jumper. He missed a three in transition. He was swatted on a drive. He sank a wing three on the same possession. He missed a deep three. He attacked and hit Brewer cutting for FTs. He missed a tough one-handed lob finish. Second Half: He attacked and kicked to KCP for a three. He missed a wing three trailing the break. He missed a three at the end of the quarter. He sank a baseline jumper when a man fell down. He missed a wing three on a kickout. He missed a wing three. He missed a drive. He attacked, spun and hit the And-1 at the front of the rim, he made the FT.

Nance -- -- Luke limited the Nance at C minutes with Lopez available. It looked bad once again when he ran it briefly in the first half. In the second half, he went to Lopez as the first C off the bench and allowed Nance to come in as the backup PF. Hoping we see more of that. Nance hit a baseline jumper and stole a ball for a layup for his points. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 22 minutes. He was a -15. The Action: He blocked Westbrook on one end, then missed a jumphook on the other. He missed a tip. Second Half: He swiped a pass and took it the distance for the layup. Offensive board led to a Laker three. He missed a baseline floater. He hit a baseline jumper.

Hart -- -- Back to the bench with KCP playing again. He killed his shooting percentage from three on the final possession, clanking three straight threes as we got the offensive board and sent it back to him. Ouch. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-7 shooting (1-6 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -19. The Action: He threw a pass out of bounds on a drive. He grabbed a long board and hit Brewer cutting for a dunk. Second Half: He swished a wing three on a kickout. He missed a wing three. He swiped a pass and pushed it out for the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a wing three. He missed a wing three, got it back and missed again, got it back a third time and missed.

Brewer -- -- Some scores cutting from the corner and finding himself open under the hoop for passes or getting to the rim for putbacks. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 4 offensive boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 19 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He missed a wing jumper at the buzzer. He hit JC for a three. He tipped in a missed jumper. He drew FTs on a baseline cut as JC attacked and found him, he made one. Hart found him under the hoop for a dunk. Second Half: He attacked the paint with speed and drew FTs in a crowd, he made one. He tipped in a Clarkson miss. He scored a tough drive off glass. He missed a reverse in transition.

Caruso -- -- Garbage time minutes for him. That might help him get more comfortable. He looked better, hitting a three and wasn’t second guessing things. He also had a putback slam as our last bucket of the game. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-3 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He kicked out to Hart for three. He sank a three on a kickout. He missed a wing three. I think he had enough of Hart missing three straight threes on one possession, so he jammed back down the miss.

Zubac -- -- He came in for garbage time and looked the part with that unit. Ugly minutes. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting and had 1 turnover in 6 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed an 18-footer.

Walton -- -- A 10-0 Laker start as they got out in transition early… JC in for Ennis with 4 minutes left, up 1... Nance in for Randle at C a few seconds later… Down 3, Lopez, Nance, Brewer, KCP and JC in… They were tied 26-26 after the first… Hart in for KCP to start the second quarter… Kuzma and BI in… A flurry of turnovers and a couple timeouts by Luke as the Lakers fell back by 10… All starters back in midway through the quarter… Lakers continued to get picked apart and the lead ballooned… The Lakers trailed 63-44 at the half… They were trading hoops until the Laker subs came in... Down 19 when Lopez came in for Randle with 5 minutes left… Clarkson in for Ennis shortly later… Luke called a timeout when the lead stretch to 24 after a few possessions of that… Down 28 when Hart and Nance came in for KCP and Kuzma… The Lakers trailed 96-70 heading into the fourth… He started a Lopez, Nance, Brewer, Hart, Clarkson lineup… Caruso in for Lopez… Zubac in with 6 minutes to go… Garbage time… “I’m going to have to look at the tape as to why completely stopped competing out there,” Luke said…
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akgolf
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:29 pm    Post subject:

Yikes!

Thanks DB!
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Baron Von Humongous
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:29 pm    Post subject:

Second

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OregonLakerGuy
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:57 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 11:17 pm    Post subject:

Pretty clear this group of players haven't formed a team. Lonzo masked that a lot but the individual agendas has taken over. No help defense. Gripes about minutes and roles. Coach looking exasperated and talking effort after every game.

Probably going to have to figure out who they're going to roll with and move on from everyone else.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 11:36 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Feels like this team has given up, starting with when Lonzo went out but cascading from there. Really appreciate your recaps, not easy stuff to watch right now.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:03 am    Post subject:

If Randle and JC are our vets (with KCP and Lopez the transplanted vets), could one wonder if leadership should be expected from them - especially with Ball on the inactive list

If Randle and JC are our vets, what should we expect from them in the next game against Charlotte?

Is this game the latest example that Ball is this team’s leader

Should we expect somebody to get into their teammates’ face to make them accountable on defense and offense?

Who is guarding the rim for the Lakers?
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:18 am    Post subject:

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:55 am    Post subject:

Been a pathetic couple of weeks, it's almost unwatchable.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 3:54 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!

Just to have something positive out there, these are what you deserve:

My new personal assignement is to monitor the smileys you give to Walton. You changed it this time, but I'm not sure it is for the better.

Luke in last three games:
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 5:42 am    Post subject:

Wino wrote:
Been a pathetic couple of weeks, it's almost unwatchable.
Team is rudderless with its key guns either injuried/coming off injuries (Juzma and Ingram) and their vets (Randle. JC, KCP and Lopez) not stepping up when they are on the court in production or leaderahip.

The game provides greater confirmation and clarity of what kind of players the talented Randle and JC are
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:28 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
The game provides greater confirmation and clarity of what kind of players the talented Randle and JC are


Pretty much.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:31 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! The Lakers are pretty deflated, kind of like the Ball family after the China incident. They need to get the wind back in their sail. Not just Lonzo coming back but having fun playing together and competing. Hope it happens soon.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:44 am    Post subject:

That game was heinous

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:15 am    Post subject:

Something is going on with the team, they are not putting the effort on defense and their body language looks like they don't care. Maybe all the trade talk is something these young guys can't handle. Maybe some of them have reached a rookie wall. Maybe not having Lonzo at the helm is a big part of it. Maybe Walton has lost the team's ear. A lot of maybe's but things don't look good at this time.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:18 am    Post subject:

The more things change, the more they remain the same.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:46 am    Post subject:

BI has to be brought under control, to much ISO. Julius is iffy.

If the Lakers continue to play as they've been playing I think Magic and Jeanie have a decision to make concerning Luke. On paper the team has the talent to do better.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:02 am    Post subject:

As much as people will scoff at the notion of Kuz going back to the bench, I think it's the best option that will keep everyone happy AND give us a chance to win games. Jules isn't a starting-caliber center on most nights, and that's nothing against him as a player, but he just doesn't have the size/length to succeed against guys like Adams and Towns. You're actually putting him and the team in a position to fail by doing that (and who knows if that's the case right now with Luke).

But the starting lineup should've been Brook/Jules/BI/KCP/Lonzo all along, as it was in the first preseason game. I don't know when or how Luke got the idea that he can't play PF anymore, especially when you have a floor-spacing center next to him that can help maximize his abilities, but you absolutely need to play him some minutes there given that he's arguably our best player and barely sniffs 20 MPG playing only small ball center minutes. It essentially only has to be 6 minutes at the beginning of each half, then you can run him for his usual time at the 5 to lead the bench units at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters, and have him close halves. And voila, no more insane 15 straight minute runs for Jules! Is this really that hard to figure out for Luke and the coaching staff?

Kuz can still play his 30+ MPG off the bench at both SF and PF, because he's clearly not physically ready to bang at the 4 full-time, but of course Luke is the king of playing guys where they're weakest. Now not only do you preserve Kuz' body, but BI's minutes go down and he's not taking the beating he has these past couple of months. Two birds with one stone, plus you may even be able to eliminate those god awful Corey Brewer minutes and get Hart some more run. Ennis may have to play a bit at backup PG, but he's not too bad in short spells and you also have a couple of other guys that can initiate offense when Lonzo sits. Again, this isn't rocket science.

All in all, even considering the injuries, Luke has completely mismanaged multiple players' minutes and the team is either worn down (Kuz, BI, Lonzo) or possibly disengaged (Jules, JC) as a result. What a (bleep) show this has been, and it could've easily been avoided.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:35 am    Post subject:

jodeke wrote:
BI has to be brought under control, to much ISO. Julius is iffy.

If the Lakers continue to play as they've been playing I think Magic and Jeanie have a decision to make concerning Luke. On paper the team has the talent to do better.


Nothing will happen to Luke this season. I suppose it's possible in the offseason if a certain free agent wants something different, but Luke probably has all of next season as well. Then he will be a fall guy.

I figure Magic/Rob have probably a buffer of three coaches they can use as excuses before things get a bit too hot for them. So I'd be surprised if they turn on Luke quickly.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:45 am    Post subject:

TheBlackMamba wrote:


But the starting lineup should've been Brook/Jules/BI/KCP/Lonzo all along, as it was in the first preseason game. I don't know when or how Luke got the idea that he can't play PF anymore, especially when you have a floor-spacing center next to him that can help maximize his abilities, but you absolutely need to play him some minutes there given that he's arguably our best player and barely sniffs 20 MPG playing only small ball center minutes.


Yeah, I don't understand how that wasn't our starting point lineup for the season. Everybody had that pretty much penciled in as the most obvious lineup to start with. Yet no.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:08 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
jodeke wrote:
BI has to be brought under control, to much ISO. Julius is iffy.

If the Lakers continue to play as they've been playing I think Magic and Jeanie have a decision to make concerning Luke. On paper the team has the talent to do better.


Nothing will happen to Luke this season. I suppose it's possible in the offseason if a certain free agent wants something different, but Luke probably has all of next season as well. Then he will be a fall guy.

I figure Magic/Rob have probably a buffer of three coaches they can use as excuses before things get a bit too hot for them. So I'd be surprised if they turn on Luke quickly.

Replace Jeanie with Pelinka in my post.

I don't expect a change this season. I also think Luke is good for next season.

However I believe it will be his last if there's not a significant improvement in W & L columns.

It's not looking rosy right now but I think LeBron and PG13 will don the purple & gold next season. They both have expressed desire to play in LA.

I believe Magic is in both players ears incognito. He's already on the tampering radar so careful has to be the watchword. I'm sure there are ways to convey what the team has to offer undercover.

PG13 is more a hope than LeBron, he wants a ring. LeBron is on his way out. I think Los Angeles is where he'll end it. His wife likes LA.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:32 pm    Post subject:

TheBlackMamba wrote:
As much as people will scoff at the notion of Kuz going back to the bench, I think it's the best option that will keep everyone happy AND give us a chance to win games. Jules isn't a starting-caliber center on most nights, and that's nothing against him as a player, but he just doesn't have the size/length to succeed against guys like Adams and Towns. You're actually putting him and the team in a position to fail by doing that (and who knows if that's the case right now with Luke).

But the starting lineup should've been Brook/Jules/BI/KCP/Lonzo all along, as it was in the first preseason game. I don't know when or how Luke got the idea that he can't play PF anymore, especially when you have a floor-spacing center next to him that can help maximize his abilities, but you absolutely need to play him some minutes there given that he's arguably our best player and barely sniffs 20 MPG playing only small ball center minutes. It essentially only has to be 6 minutes at the beginning of each half, then you can run him for his usual time at the 5 to lead the bench units at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters, and have him close halves. And voila, no more insane 15 straight minute runs for Jules! Is this really that hard to figure out for Luke and the coaching staff?

Kuz can still play his 30+ MPG off the bench at both SF and PF, because he's clearly not physically ready to bang at the 4 full-time, but of course Luke is the king of playing guys where they're weakest. Now not only do you preserve Kuz' body, but BI's minutes go down and he's not taking the beating he has these past couple of months. Two birds with one stone, plus you may even be able to eliminate those god awful Corey Brewer minutes and get Hart some more run. Ennis may have to play a bit at backup PG, but he's not too bad in short spells and you also have a couple of other guys that can initiate offense when Lonzo sits. Again, this isn't rocket science.

All in all, even considering the injuries, Luke has completely mismanaged multiple players' minutes and the team is either worn down (Kuz, BI, Lonzo) or possibly disengaged (Jules, JC) as a result. What a (bleep) show this has been, and it could've easily been avoided.

All of this.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:41 pm    Post subject:

Baron Von Humongous wrote:
TheBlackMamba wrote:
As much as people will scoff at the notion of Kuz going back to the bench, I think it's the best option that will keep everyone happy AND give us a chance to win games. Jules isn't a starting-caliber center on most nights, and that's nothing against him as a player, but he just doesn't have the size/length to succeed against guys like Adams and Towns. You're actually putting him and the team in a position to fail by doing that (and who knows if that's the case right now with Luke).

But the starting lineup should've been Brook/Jules/BI/KCP/Lonzo all along, as it was in the first preseason game. I don't know when or how Luke got the idea that he can't play PF anymore, especially when you have a floor-spacing center next to him that can help maximize his abilities, but you absolutely need to play him some minutes there given that he's arguably our best player and barely sniffs 20 MPG playing only small ball center minutes. It essentially only has to be 6 minutes at the beginning of each half, then you can run him for his usual time at the 5 to lead the bench units at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters, and have him close halves. And voila, no more insane 15 straight minute runs for Jules! Is this really that hard to figure out for Luke and the coaching staff?

Kuz can still play his 30+ MPG off the bench at both SF and PF, because he's clearly not physically ready to bang at the 4 full-time, but of course Luke is the king of playing guys where they're weakest. Now not only do you preserve Kuz' body, but BI's minutes go down and he's not taking the beating he has these past couple of months. Two birds with one stone, plus you may even be able to eliminate those god awful Corey Brewer minutes and get Hart some more run. Ennis may have to play a bit at backup PG, but he's not too bad in short spells and you also have a couple of other guys that can initiate offense when Lonzo sits. Again, this isn't rocket science.

All in all, even considering the injuries, Luke has completely mismanaged multiple players' minutes and the team is either worn down (Kuz, BI, Lonzo) or possibly disengaged (Jules, JC) as a result. What a (bleep) show this has been, and it could've easily been avoided.

All of this.


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Lakers depth chart

PG Johnson / Goodrich
SG Bryant / West / Scott
SF Baylor / Worthy / Cooper
PF Mikkelsen / Hairston / McAdoo / Gasol
C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan
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