LAKERS -vs- KINGS - 10/19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Striking Out in Vegas... The last time the Lakers went 0-5 in preseason was in 1982, and they didn't keep preseason records prior to that. This is no foreshadow of how a season goes, but Lakers fans are ready to see some real ball and a "W" already.

Tonight, Mike Brown edged up the starter's minutes and brought Pau back in the mix after his game off. They experimented with split duty at backup PG and SG once again. And, they explored more of their new offense. The result was another 103-98 loss, this time to Sacramento. While their preseason record is poor, things may be ready to change as cuts are looming, and Brown has said they will play their regular rotations next game.

The lone highlight tonight was Devin Ebanks 20 points off the bench as he drained threes and attacked the rim, giving Laker fans some hope that's he's elevated his game. Ebanks said he put in a lot of work this summer to expand his range.

The news before and after the loss, however, was about one thing -- Dwight Howard's return to NBA action this Sunday. If Saturday's practice and Sunday's shootaround goes well, he should have the green light according to most reports.

Let's check with Dwight.

"Hopefully I'll be playing sooner than later, but there's no statements that I've ever said that I'm going to play Sunday," he said as Laker fans collectively slump.

Guess you'll have to tune in then...if you can (cue more slumping Laker fans).


Kobe -- -- Kobe has looked like Kobe this preseason. Although, he hasn't been as ball dominant as last season and seems to be getting to the line with a lot more frequency, which has improved his efficiency out there. That's with Sacre on the floor. When Dwight starts occupying those same positions, but causing opponents a ton of worrying...things could get real interesting. When Dwight starts drawing those must-take whistles to prevent dunks, the Lakers will sprint into the bonus. Should be real interesting then. Right now you could chalk this up to preseason defense and early season whistles, but Kobe is shooting a freethrow every 2 minutes and 30 seconds this preseason. Last regular season it was double that, which is about what he averages for his career. (His career preseason average is a freethrow every 3 minutes and 30 seconds). Very efficient scoring from 24. Another thing that will help his efficiency and field goal percentage is having another ball handler to go to with a few seconds on the clock. That's just enough time for Nash to create an open jumper for others or go into his own bag of tricks (like a lefty hook across the lane). Teams haven't ever seen Kobe with a PG like that. This should be an intriguing trend to follow as we progress into the games that count. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 7-12 shooting (8-11 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 28:27. He was a -2. The Action: He hung in midair, pumped and missed an elbow fade (looked like he wanted to pass). He scored a layup after grabbing a bounce pass on a cut. His sideline jumper was blocked. He drew FTs in transition off a Metta steal, he missed both. He posted up the smaller Thomas and drew FTs, he made both. He up-faked his man into the air on a long jumper and drew FTs, he made both. He cut down the middle of the paint, took the pass from the wing and scored a layup. He attacked a smaller man again and drew FTs, he made one. He had 9 points on 2-4 shooting after the first quarter. He forced Tyreke into a turnover pulling the chair on a drive. He followed Metta's one man break and cleaned up the brick. He had 11 points on 3-6 shooting and 2 assists. Second Half: He attacked strong past Thomas on the baseline and scored the And-1 reverse as he fell to the ground, he made the FT. He was stripped for a layup the other way. He scored a layup filling the lane with Nash on the break. He missed a scoop shot around a defender. He leaked out and took the long outlet from Metta for the dunk. He got the ball in low post position out of a timeout (getting their off one of those triangle "Blind Pig" kind of sequences) and then hit the fade. He was fouled on a reverse with no call and missed. He attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He had 22 points on 12 shots and 4 assists after three quarters.

Nash -- -- "It's going to be tough early here," Nash said. "We're trying to implement a lot of new things and new players." The starters had 15 of the Lakers 18 turnovers. When we ran more traditional Nash stuff, we looked good. When we didn't, it was a mixed bag. It may not be pretty at times right now because of how much we're taking the ball out of his hands or putting him in awkward situations, but now is the time to get minutes with those sets. I suspect we will see more emphasis on Nash when Dwight returns and when the regular season hits...but we'll see. The team is going to be spending a lot of time shooting FTs when that happens. That may slow the game down some and cut out a chunk of the transition issues. (Dwight should do the Nash FT routine when he comes back, couldn't hurt.) Defensively, another solid game from Nash. We haven't faced any elite points, but the D is only going to improve. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 6 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers and 1 foul in 28:32. He was a -1. The Action: He sank a corner jumper working off ball. He spotted the Kobe post mismatch and fed him for FTs. He probed across the lane with the shotclock low and hit the lefty hook over a bigger man. He attacked off the high screen and manufactured FTs, he made both. He missed a three straight away. He kicked out to Ebanks at the end of the half for a three. He had 6 points on 2-3 shooting and 2 assists. Second Half: He set up Sacre for FTs with a pass as he rolled. He drew an offensive foul on Cousins. He stole the pass, pushed it up and hit Kobe for the layup. Quick attack and he kicked to Jamison for an open three, easy offense. He found himself open coming off a screen, took the handoff and hit the open wing jumper, automatic.

Gasol -- -- Steady game from Pau offensively. A few miscues with the hands (including an uncontested dunk). The Lakers missed his presence on the boards. Phil was very good about tweaking Pau and challenging him to hit the glass, in particular. He'll need to elevate that portion of his game early on to help the team through it's struggles. We can't coast out of the gates considering all we have to work on and that teams will be gunning for us every night while we are trying to pull this chemistry together. With Howard coming back, we'll see what Brown has in mind with the bigman rotations. I assume Pau will sit out first for Jamison and come back with the second units. Defensively, I can't wait to see how the two bigs look together. It sounded like Pau and Nash didn't get caught up in any Vegas activities off the court. Nash thought maybe he, himself, should have so he could have a good "guilt game." The Stats: He scored 20 points on 8-15 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He took a tough turnaround from 12 feet out on the first possession. Bad overpass with the shotclock low from under the hoop and it resulted in a tough shot for MWP. He drew FTs on a feed from Metta, he made both. He missed an open 19-footer. He froze his man with a ball fake, spun and scored the layup. His lefty jumphook was goaltended. He fumbled away an uncontested dunk (sheesh his hands look horrible so far this preseason). He missed an open 17-footer. He hit a jumphook from the left block. He took the Kobe pass, missed the layup but finished the follow. He was shoved under the hoop on a wide open layup on an inbounds, he made both FTs. He ballwatched for a second and gave up a putback dunk. He was stripped in the post. He had 12 points on 4-9 shooting. Second Half: He sank an elbow jumper in early offense. He missed a jumper against the shotclock. He attacked, took body contact and banked in a tough one (should have been an And-1). He missed a face-up elbow jumper. Quick lefty jumphook bank off very low position on an inbounds. He swished a runner in transition.

Peace -- -- "We just got to get this offense down," Metta said. Metta was very aggressive on the offensive end. His passing looks strong in this offense, and he needs to move the ball a little more instead of taking those quick, early jumpers. Some of the best plays by the team were cuts off ball while Metta had it in his hands. Some of it's worst were when he wasn't giving the ball up and trying to score. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-12 shooting (2-7 from three) to go with 8 boards (2 offensive), 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He missed a long jumper when Pau overpassed with the shotclock low. He probed and set Pau up for FTs. Poor post entry, turnover. He hit Kobe cutting with a bounce pass for a layup. He stripped Cousins from behind to ignite a break. He missed a corner three, got it backand missed the bank on a drive. He was called for a travel on iso. He rejected Tyreke's drive out of bounds. He missed an open three. He sank a wing three when Jamison swung it to him. He clanked an early offense corner jumper. He sank a quick-fire sideline three to tie it up. He was called for a charge trying to spin in a crowd. He stole it back and choked a layup (give to Nash on that and you'll get it back), but Kobe followed and cleaned it up. He had 6 points on 2-8 shooting, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in the half. Second Half: He missed a sideline three. He tipped in a Pau missed jumper. He overpowered Thornton on the next possession as he cut to the post and powered in a layup. He blew a break as Nash whipped a pass to him. Great job securing the board but even better by hitting Kobe in stride with a long bomb for the breakaway dunk. He missed a wide open three as Kobe drew a double.

Sacre -- -- We had the last two 60th picks in the draft starting this game for their respective teams -- Sacre and Thomas. Doubt that has ever happened. Sacre led the Lakers in minutes tonight with 33. He also led with a -7. Sacre's time is winding down as Howard is getting set to go and Jordan Hill may be following shortly after. The Lakers miss the rebounding of both those guys. They miss the consistent shot alterations that you'd get from Howard. Just not enough one-and-out possessions, and despite the 3 blocks, not enough shot altering in that paint. Sacre had his moments, but the interior presence on both ends here changes everything. Sacre still played some steady minutes as that deep bench big, and the Lakers can seemingly work with him and around him which is great. Kobe praised Sacre for doing a fantastic job but still said they needed their impact bigs back. Nash said a lot of their offense is designed for a power game, so they need Howard in there to do that. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He threw a pass away while in the backcourt and it was picked off under the hoop for a dunk. He was blocked or lost the handle on a pull-up jumper. He kicked out to Goudelock after drawing the D for a three. He was called for an illegal screen out of a timeout. He had no points, 2 boards, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls. Second Half: He drew FTs on a slip screen when Nash hit him cutting, he made one FT. He couldn't handle a pass from Nash on the roll, dunk the other way. He missed an off-balance turnaround on iso in the post. He crashed the offensive glass to follow Blake's drive and scored the putback layup. He stood in and took a charge to erase a drive. He took too long to go up off a setup by Blake and was blocked.

Jamison -- -- As soon as the offense starts getting simpler shots, the better...especially for Jamison. The bench struggles to do that in general. Jamison did a lot of little things in this game...boarding, getting hands on the ball for deflections, getting second chances and moving the ball to setup teammates. If he's playing the PF, you need him next to Howard defensively vs. Pau and his sometimes passive interior presence. Offensively, you want Dwight to have a stretch PF. In a way it may be the silver lining in having Hill out while Howard comes back. Who knows how long it would have taken for Brown to give us some minutes of Jamison at PF? Hopefully, we get to see a few minutes of that in the next one. Jamison (and Metta) led the team with a +2. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-7 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He didn't draw iron on a three (had Pau wide open under the hoop, too). He attacked baseline with the shotclock low and got tapped on a layup. He knocked a ball loose under the hoop to get a stop. He found Metta for a three. He led all Lakers with 6 boards at the half. Second Half: Nash put an open three right in his lap and he knocked it down (more please). Blake hit him cutting out of the timeout for the layup. He hit the long wing jumper working the weakside of a triangle-like set. He airballed a lefty jumphook and grabbed his right shoulder in pain.

Meeks -- -- Meeks and Ebanks are throwing punches in the battle of the backups. Last game it was Meeks draining from three. Tonight, Meeks took it on the chin from Ebanks as he returned the punches. A couple of forced looks from Meeks on his first two touches. That's not an ideal situation to get your game going. He's streaky and Ebanks has shown to be more consistent so far. When Dwight gets back, I'd like to see a few minutes with Meeks on the floor with him. Dwight will draw doubles, Meeks will get shots in his wheelhouse. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-4 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 1 assist and 2 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a tough catch-and-chuck attempt to beat the buzzer on the baseline inbounds. He missed a the wing three, not quite squared up. He missed an open sideline jumper on a kickout. He missed a good look at a sideline three.

Blake -- -- The Lakers actually outscored the Kings by a point in the fourth quarter during Blake's time on the floor. This was Ebanks stroking it. Blake kept the offensive energy up, but without a hot Ebanks that could have been just as ugly as previous games. Still, Blake has provided the most energy and confidence of the backup PGs. His shot is still about as consistently luke cold as last season. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He hit Jamison cutting for the layup. He curled into the paint off the Sacre handoff and missed, but Sacre scored the putback. He attacked and missed a falling, off-balance corner jumper. He missed an open three straight away. He threw a fastbreak pass away, three the other way (that was a painful one). He iso'd and pulled the trigger on a 20-footer for his first hoop. He missed a quick chuck from the wing three next time down. He attacked, spun and hit the baseline jumper.

Ebanks -- -- Ebanks isn't the flavor of the month since Laker fans have gotten used to him. He is, however, steadily improving his game. No doubt there. Great game tonight to try to claim his spot in the rotation. Love seeing him attack off the three line to get into the paint instead of always settling for a three like some players. Teams will make him shoot the three to prove he can do it. That wasn't a problem tonight. He was knocking them down with confidence, especially in the fourth. He was the Lakers main weapon that quarter. I also liked seeing him in on the boards just a little more tonight, pulling down half a dozen. Break-out game for Ebanks? I don't know about that, but he's been giving the Lakers the most consistent bench production. "I think he might be the guy to come in and spell Kobe," James Worthy said after the game, praising Ebanks also for his D. "I gotta go back and watch the tape," Brown said of Ebanks' defense. That consistency is the key. Meeks' game will change a bit with stronger inside-out play when we get Howard in the rotation. "He's been shooting the ball pretty well here in the preseason," Kobe commented. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting (4-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 assist and 2 fouls in 22 minuets. He was a -7. The Action: He drew FTs getting hacked on the perimeter, he made both. He missed a wing three. He was blocked on a drive. He faked at the three line to lose his man, attacked and scored a layup around the help D. He drained a wing three at the end off the half when Nash found him. He had 7 points on 2-4 shooting to lead the bench. Second Half: He ball faked off the three line, changed direction to cut through the D and scored the layup. He attacked baseline, got blocked, stayed with it and hit the short baseline jumper. He iso'd with the shotclock low and drained the wing three to cut it to 5. He took the pass after flashing to the top of the arc next time down and drilled the three straight away. He swished a sideline three on a swing pass from Jamison.

Douglas-Roberts -- -- After no action in the last one, he came in as the first SG off the bench. Very quiet minutes, unfortunately for CDR. He had scratched out some good stints in previous games, but Brown is keeping him largely to 7-minute stints per game. I thought maybe they were giving him reduced minutes to test his attitude like they did with Reeves Nelson in the summer league, but who knows? DJO hasn't seen much time and didn't play tonight. The Stats: He didn't score in 0-1 shooting from three and had no other stats. He was a -4. The Action: He missed an open sideline three on a kickout. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Goudelock -- -- He got some brief run as one of the first subs in the game to run with some starters. This is more like the minutes he'll receive (versus deep summer league type units). He ran at PG, so the team needs to switch gears to quickly get the ball out of his hands and have him working off ball within the offense. Not enough of that, unfortunately, because that's where he will shine versus being forced to create for himself or others. This is a good offense for him, but it may be too little too late. With cuts coming, his last game could be just around the corner. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-2 shooting (1-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 7:28. He was a -5. The Action: He got beat to a tapped-out missed FT (tough break) and fouled on an And-1 layup on the other end. He spun, attacked Fredette in the paint and drew FTs on his floater, he made one. He choked a short bank a couple feet away on a probe attempt (should have had that one). He was called for a carry. He finally got a kickout from someone else and swished the three. He gave it back on the other end, not sticking to his man. He had 4 points on 1-2 shooting and 2 fouls. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Brown -- -- Brown said before the game, he would run CDR at backup SG and Goudelock at backup PG. Trudell reported that cuts were coming this weekend. (Goudelock had his ups and downs but scratched out some bench points. CDR was quiet in the first half)... The Lakers trailed 11-8 halfway through the quarter. They weren't running any Nash pick and roll during this stretch, largely taking the ball out of his hands, which you hope changes as we finish the preseason. If Howard is back in the next game, they need to work on some simple PnR with him and Nash... Brown sat Sacre for Jamison and Nash for Goudelock with 5 minutes left down by 3... He brought in Ebanks for MWP with just over 3 minutes left... Down 3, CDR came in for Kobe with 2 minutes left to run with Pau, Jamison, Ebanks and Goudelock... He sat Pau for Sacre a minute later, down 6... The Lakers trailed 27-20 after the first quarter... He started a Sacre, Jamison, Ebanks, CDR, Goudelock unit... He brought Nash back in at the 9 minute mark and sat Goudelock. You might see this staggered sub pattern in the regular season, getting Nash some second unit action for a couple minutes earlier... He brought Pau back in for Jamison... Kobe returned for CDR and MWP for Ebanks down 8. Starters back in... He sat Sacre for Jamison... Nash is now running more PnR and the offense is looking better... They tied it up at 41-41 with 3 minutes left behind some threes from MWP and FTs from others... He sat MWP who had 4 fouls for Ebanks with 1:46 left... The Lakers trailed 50-46 at the half. They shot 39% (14-36, 4-11 3Pt, 14-18 FT). The Kings shot 44.7% (17-38, 3-10 3Pt, 13-15 FT)... The coaches preached transition D again... He sat Sacre for Jamison... Pau picked up his 5th foul with 2 minutes left in the third and Brown left him in to keep his preseason rotations... The Lakers trailed 81-75 heading into the fourth... Brown started a Sacre, Jamison, Ebanks, Meeks, Blake lineup. Blake looks much more confident at PG than Goudelock did in the first half (not necessarily more productive). Goudelock is just not used to being in that position... "We're just trying to figure out strengths and weaknesses and where to put the ball," Brown said... He highlighted the fastbreak and second-chance points of the Kings. The Kings had 28 points on the break. They had 23 points off of 18 turnovers... Brown is already into the "gotta go back and watch the tape" commenting of what just happened on the floor. That may drive me nuts...

[moonriver24]

First! ;(
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Kobe's Top 5 Dunks, 81 points, MJ last gm @Staples

[lounger]

Thanks DB. The Kings youngsters had more athleticism but it looks like it's gonna turn around for the Lakeshow.. but really pretty tired of losing.

[12]

Awesome stuff, DB. Thanks

[busym]

The Lakers played better. Just wish coach Brown could figure it all out. Another great writeup DB. Thank you.

[ForrestHump]

Kobe is beasting

If we play our starting line-up regular minutes on Sunday it will be epic.
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[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks again DB!

[pjiddy]

Didn't get to watch tonight. Thanks, Deebs! Terrific read as always.

[KingKobe]

Great writeup (as always).

Pau does look somewhat out of shape going into preseason. Which in annoying, but it's hard to vilify him for it considering the minutes he typically plays and the few games he misses. Regardless it'll be what he looks like in the post-season where he'll be judged. That's where he made his mark when he got here, and where he's disappointed the last two years.

I was giving myself a 50/50 shot at Ebanks breaking out this year. Tonight's game gives me room to be optimistic, but he's had great preseasons before. Hopefully the Lakers made the right choice in letting Barnes go so Ebanks can fill that role.

Sacre seems guaranteed to make the team, and he's earned it. He'll need to put in a lot of work if he wants to be anything more than a 3rd string center in the future. He doesn't seem to have a strong enough base to be a true post scorer, and doesn't jump high enough to be a finisher. Which means he's off to mid-range jumper big man land. And as goes for all those guys, he'll have to shoot quickly and accurately to ever be an offensive option. Also he needs to learn to take charges, he clearly plays d, but with a limited vert effort can only take you so far. He's got to out think opponents and beat him to the spot. He's strong, which is good, but he's got to start throwing that around a little more.

For the final roster spot, to me, it comes down to Goudelock vs CDR. A lot of people are high on DJO, but while limited I've seen both Glock and CDR do at least one thing very well in the NBA (shoot and score respectively) while DJO has yet to showcase the shooting, finishing, or defense that make up for already being undersized. He might stick somewhere, but not here.

Unlike a lot of people, I have some belief that Goudelock can turn himself into a Eddie House/Derick Fisher type player. He has range as good or better than both those guys, and can score in the key like neither of them ever could. And I don't think his point guard skills are so bad he can't initiate the Princeton offense. But what's too bad for him is we got stuck with Duhon as a guaranteed contract and Morris to be point guards 3 and 4, and Meeks size makes him a better fit at the 2 than Goudelock will ever be. Meanwhile at the 3 we only have MWP and young unproven Ebanks. Signing a vet like CDR just seems the natural choice. If possible I'd gladly dump Morris or Duhon in Goudelock's place (Earl Clark probably to), but unless there's a gm willing to take any off our hands it looks like Glock will have to try to break into the NBA somewhere else.
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*Warning: The preceding post may have contained sarcasm and/or irony.

"We're all surrounded by idiots." - Kobe Bryant

[circlefong]

Even we lost, but it seems it is a step better on the bench.

[Vishnu]

We did win the title in 1982

[Lakers_Jester]

Brown said he's going to challenge the team to win the next game and use a rotation similar to what he'll use in the season. Yay!

[Arbitrary]

Thanks DB!

[Chronicle]

Why didn't they pass cdr the ball like ever..?

[limchrc]

Thanks

[LakerEric]

"gotta go back and watch the tape" Brown

[wolfpaclaker]

Taking the best PG in the game on offense in terms of creativity off the dribble as a playmaker/QB and turning him into an off the ball player is beyond stupid.

We really need to get on with it regarding Nash. The more I think about it, the more I realize we're just going to try and force the Princeton and inside-out ball on these guys.

And I don't like it. Really, when Pau came to the Lakers, the chemistry was instant. Anyone who saw that first game would know that the Lakers had something. With Nash, I think already we are seeing what will happen if Mike Brown and Eddie Jordan forget his strengths.

The worst thing you could do for this team is make Nash a part time threat as a playmaker. And force the ball inside. This is not what any team who has had success with Nash has ever done. You need to trust your QB, that he'll get the ball into the hands of the best players and find the post option. The ball should go inside, but when the QB decides so and the match up warrants it. Forcing the ball inside when there's no reason to even, is just stupid. We did the same thing last year and we saw how well that turned out.

Nash/Kobe have very little issues, Bryant is playing off the ball more. I feel the biggest thing holding Nash back is that the Lakers seem intent on running Princeton sets, as well some of the stuff they were running last year, with the focus on getting the ball inside. And honestly, I don't think that's the best game plan. We should stick with a few Princeton sets, master them over the course of the season, and then run a lot of pick/roll and activity with Nash. I know many think it's easy to become a pick and roll team, but that's just silly. 29 other teams try to run it, and it takes time for all the players to get on the same page. We need to really exploit the pick and roll. I thought we'd at least have a Nash/Gasol pick and roll poison by now. I mean there are so many options with that play alone. Since Gasol has range, he can pop or roll. Depending on how the D plays him. And the other 3 guys have to be doing something as well. You can't just watch the 2 guys play the P/R, it's a 5 man game.

It's early, but it certainly seems that Brown is continuing with where he left off with Sessions. Nash is just such a great player, that I don't think he would just go away like that. But rest assure, we need a ball dominant, aggressive, pick and roll running Nash.

Really, we should look at how Spurs run their offense. They runs some sets from the Tri, but the intention is to push the ball, and running a lot of Parker/Duncan screen-roll. The Spurs rely too much on 3 point shooting, but that's because they don't have the 1 on 1 weapons this Laker team does. I think it's far more important for the bench to be running a system that can get you shots than the starters. Even Phil would often say, his starters don't run the Triangle that well. His starters form it, but they often would just let 1 on 1 take over. The bench, that's the group that really execute it to a higher degree, and they need it. It's the same with this group. We should be polishing up our weapons, making sure we have about 6-7 killer plays. And many of them should involve Nash, in regards to the starters.

I guess maybe we could be waiting on Howard, but that makes no sense regarding Nash, if anything that should mean Nash should get more plays his way.

[LoyalLakerfan44]

Basically the problem is transition defense, and lack of rebounding on the defensive end (Howard will improve that). Let's face it the Lakers are old and slow, the rest of the league knows that and every team is going to run on the Lakers every time they get a chance. Nothing is going to change there because they know the age factor is their main problem. The Princeton offense requires guys who can make hard cuts and move well without the ball. With the exception of probably Kobe and Nash Howard the other two don't. Peace is a lead foot and forces his way into the middle of the defense creating bad shots, and Gasol is more of a center forward suited to play traditional post. Lost are the days or Ariza and Odom who where fantastic at making hard cuts and getting great looks.
Offensively I agree with just letting Nash do his thing with pick n rolls and pro sets, however even with that this team may still have players that don't fit. You need good movement without the ball and good spot on shooters, otherwise again you will create long rebounds which the other team will turn into fast break easy baskets.
Let's face it folks this team has problems, losing in preseason may not seem like much to some that think this is not important, but you've got to be crazy if you believe they are going to turn the switch right when the regular season comes. The team is going to struggle even with Howard and I would not be surprised if they barely play .500 ball in Novemeber.
By then LG'rs will be out with pitch forks ready to crucify MB.
Maybe we're not as good as all the hype, and all that glitter will turn into being the laughing stock of the league. Throwing money at your lineup is not always the way to success in fact I find it I brings failure most often than not. Just look at the Angels and Dodgers.

[PushingtheLimit]

Wolf I remember when Jackson was here during our back to back runs they would scrap the triangle during crunchtime and just run the pick and roll with Kobe/Gasol over and over again. I feel as though they are intentionally running the princeton sets to get a feel for what it will look like but when push comes to shove Nash will have the ball in his hands when it matters.

[wolfpaclaker]

[GoldenThroat]

[wolfpaclaker]

I don't think running some Nash/Gasol PnR action would go against developing other offenses. I mean, even if you think PnR is simple offense to get, these guys have not played with Nash at all. They have to understand his schemes, his way of passing. To always be ready for the pass. Where to be as a team, vs just 2 guys playing it.

Sure it's easier to develop that than the Princeton, but there's still room for a few plays each time he's out there. I mean I just don't like seeing 4-5 straight possessions where Nash isn't creating once the ball leaves his hands.

You want Nash to dominate the ball more and be in stronger areas. I honestly see that this team is more post oriented than anything. The Princeton should be manipulated such that guys get Nash the ball back in an attack area. I don't just want to see Kobe look like a superstar and everyone just playing facilitator. I think we should definitely try to get Nash more involved even now, just to set a tone for the way we want to play. And we want him to feel comfortable and find his niche for the team.

[angrypuppy]

[lakerjoshua]

Thanks DB. I've now missed all but the first pre-season game and without your write-up's I'd be lost.

[jaesik]

Cut Duhon he's useless. Keep CDR and give him way more minutes. I miss PJ who would milk the efficiency of players like CDR. It's frustrating watching Sacre waste minutes off the clock while continually trying to post up with Nash on the floor instead of doing P & rolls. Players are still standing around during "Princeton offense" schemes which in turn leads to the shot clock winding down and fast break buckets for the opposing team. SMH, we need d12 back and for Kobe to do most of the coaching. Have you guys seen the YouTube video of when Metta gave Kobe props for coaching them short handed through a Spurs domination? Notice he doesn't mention Mike Brown.