LAKERS -at- NUGGETS - 3-7-14 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:45 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- NUGGETS - 3-7-14 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

136 Per Game… The numbers have been obscene.

The Lakers gave up 42 in the first quarter, 77 points in the half. The final score, a 134-126 loss to the Nuggets. The Lakers have done one thing better than everyone lately and that’s been giving up points. They have given up 408 points in 3 games. That’s more than enough points per game for 4 games. They’ve averaged 136 per game and 34 points per quarter for the last 12 quarters.

“They’re good guys and they’re trying,” D’Antoni said. He doesn’t want to light into them.

A lot of the Lakers defensive problems are simply attitude and leadership. They have no defensive leadership and no one to fill that void. No player to get angry in the locker room. No coach to get mad and hold them accountable. They miss Kobe’s attitude.

You have to be angry about individual defensive breakdowns, not whole-quarter landslides or whole-game funks.

It’s going to be a long 19 games. In Tankerville, Boston won tonight, so the Lakers move up to the fourth spot. The Lakers next four games look extremely tough. They are closing in on third.


Gasol -- -- His lack of challenges in the paint drive me nuts. I could yap about it every single game. It takes a lot not to. It’s just so rare we see any kind of defensive presence or willingness to make his presence even known at the C spot. Hey, he scored 27…great. He was a -21 not giving any effort on that end. No challenges, no hard fouls. He just went through the motions. Asked if there were some guys who were defensive minded on this team, Pau said, “I think there are a couple of guys who are defensive minded. I will also try to do a better job myself of being a better anchor on the defensive end to protect the paint.” Pretty telling that he didn’t identify himself as one of those guys. He even had to think for a moment about the question. If you identify with it, you don’t hesitate on that question, you simply know you give your all and bleed and sweat on that end. You leave it all out there. We just don’t care and are probably going to coast to the finish line of this season. But going forward, if you want Pau on your team, you better have some defensive-minded individuals (from players to coaches) all around him. The Stats: He scored 27 points on 12-21 shooting (3-6 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -21. The Action: He drained a face-up jumper from the post to start the game. He missed a short bank attacking the right block next time down. He took the pocket bounce pass from Marshall and hit the And-1 12-footer, he missed the FT. He sank a 16-footer straight away. He took the bounce pass from Marshall, attacked and dunked. He drop-stepped and stretched out in the post to draw a foul up against the shotclock, he made one FT. Horrible defensive position on his way back down court and he gave up an And-1 dunk within a few seconds. He hit an off-balance 10-footer, cutting across the defender’s body and hitting the tough leaner. He missed a long wing jumper on iso. He missed a lefty jumphook across the lane. He drop-stepped and was blocked trying to power up. He dunked off the two-man game with Meeks. He missed a turnaround. Nice power spin back to his left and he scored in the paint. He had 15 points at the half. Second Half: He dunked by cutting off the Bazemore drive and taking the pass. He missed a short floater. He missed a long wing jumper. He sank a turnaround just inside the FT line. He sank a 19-footer. He missed a pull-up jumper in early offense. He scored an And-1 taking a touch foul at the rim, he made the FT. He drew FTs on an attack and made one. Garbage time dunk with a few second left to pad the stats.

Marshall -- -- This has been a perfect time for Kendall to step up and try to lead. We’re getting our butts kicked with no D. Perfect time for your floor general to rally his team on both ends. You hear Farmar trying to do it. Where’s Kendall? You’re a PG. Lead. If leadership had a stat, he’d be putting up bagels there, too. Offensively, he had a better game, keeping the turnovers down and the assists up. He even got a couple of threes to drop finally. “Every player goes through it. Just continue to play my way out of it,” Marshall said. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-9 shooting (2-5 from three) to go with 3 boards, 14 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -10. The Action: He hit Pau at the elbow for the And-1 jumper. He drained a wing three on a swing pass. He missed a pull-up jumper. He found Pau in the lane off a bounce pass for a dunk. He deflected a pass, pushed it out and dished to Xavier with a two-handed, over-the-head bounce pass for the layup. He threw a cross-court pass right to a defender, three-pointer the other way and a timeout. He missed a jumper, we got it back and he drained the wing three. Second Half: He couldn’t finish a layup over a big after picking up his dribble. He missed a three. He got a kind bounce (three of them) on a floater that eventually dropped in. He missed a three. He found Kelly with a couple steps ahead of the pack for a transition layup. He attacked and kicked to Kelly for the three. He missed a long wing jumper. He attacked and hit Pau for the And-1 layup. He missed a wing three.

Bazemore -- -- Wow. No notes for Bazemore. Two of his threes he took were out of timeouts, probably set up for him. Had we not run those, he might have had just a single shot. Last time we had a bad loss, he got some of the blame from others for trying to go iso or do too much. You heard D’Antoni mention that they did a better job not playing iso ball tonight. It seems like Bazemore takes some heat when things go wrong. He was the one guy hustling all game last night. Tonight, he reeled in the energy trying to defer and that completely sucked the life from his game. That bounce in his step and flying around the floor was gone. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting from three to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 foul sin 16 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He swished a corner three out of a timeout. He threw a post entry right to the defender (poor angle). Second Half: He attacked and threw a pass away. He attacked with speed from the wing, drew the D and hit Pau cutting for the dunk. His three got wedged into the rim for a jumpball. He missed a wing three on iso out of a timeout.

Meeks -- -- You knew it was probably going to be a bad one for him when he choked an easy layup early one. Poor game on both ends from Meeks. He was inefficient offensively, missing some shots that have been normally automatic. He got some late garbage-time scores to pad the stats. Defensively, he was on par with everyone else, even when we threw him on Lawson trying to slow him down. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-15 shooting (1-4 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 34 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He choked a layup on the break, wow, that was bad. He missed a three straight away. He attacked and kicked to Kelly for three. He was blocked on a floater. He curled off the screen, drew the D and fed back to Pau for the dunk. Sloppy feed to Marshall next to him, right out of bounds. He drew FTs on the And-1 floater attempt, he made both. Wow, he got his ankles broke on a crossover…that will be a Nugget highlight. Second Half: He swished a sideline three. He threw an outlet away. He ball-watched and gave up a three to Lawson. He missed a reverse. He hit a floater off the board, but gave it right back up to Lawson on the other end. He missed a corner three, then fouled. He missed an open 16-footer, normally that’s automatic. He dunked out in transition off the Kelly steal. He missed a corner three. He attacked, missed the floater, got it back and reversed. He attacked and drew a couple FTs. He sank a step-back jumper. He took a tapped out board, pushed it out and scored the layup off two feet.

Johnson -- -- The Faried matchup didn’t go so well. Kelly was playing decent enough that we eventually slid Wes down to SF for some run, as well. Awful two-way game. Really kind of sucked the life out of the game sometimes. You wish he was the kind of guy who could captain the D, but he doesn’t have that personality. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 6 boards, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -23. The Action: He was stripped on a drive for a layup the other way. He missed a wing three, no rebounders anywhere on that shot (hate those shots). He couldn’t finish a reverse around a big. He sank a wing jumper. Back-to-back fouls on attacks and he picked up his third and had to sit with 2 minutes left. Second Half: He gathered himself after stumbling on a baseline handoff and jammed with both hands. He rejected Chandler from behind for a jumpball. He missed a step-back wing three.

Farmar -- -- Preach: “It’s just really frustrating. I hate being on losing teams, losing atmospheres. And it’s contagious and it gets to be okay, and that’s not okay with me,” a frustrated Farmar said. He was ready to go on a rant and did. “We just are way too soft and let so many easy things happens,” he paused, “…as a unit. Me, myself included at times. Definitely not pointing fingers.” Yep. Our D is soft…soft…soft. He’s the only one showing the slightest sign of leadership on this team. Farmar had a pretty good game offensively, stroking the three ball well. His passing was a little sloppy with as many turnovers as assists. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 8-14 shooting (4-5 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He hit Sacre for a couple of jumpers. He swished a wing three in transition. He swiped the ball and drew FTs pushing it out, he made both. He missed a pull-up wing jumper. He scored a layup getting out on the break off a Xavier steal. He missed a runner. He switched under the hoop and deflected a pass for a steal. He missed a fading jumper against the shotclock. He attacked in transition, lost his man on a change of pace and slipped in the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He drained a wing three on a kickout. He got caught in the air and threw it away. He missed a pull-up at the three line, then gave up a layup nailed to the floor. He had 14 points and 3 assists at the half. Second Half: He set up Sacre rolling for FTs. He threw a pass away. He drained a three out of a timeout. Sloppy perimeter pass, turnover, transition points. Poor transition D and we gave up an oop. He made a tech FT. He swished a wing three on the same possession. Next possession, he attacked, hung and banked. He missed a pull-up jumper at the FT line. He attacked left, stepped back and swished the elbow jumper. Another pass picked off.

Brooks -- -- Nothing game. Poor on both ends of the floor. I don’t think he was called for a travel, though. He did have a couple of shotblocks. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-2 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 blocks and no fouls. He was a +4. The Action: He just backed pedaled all the way under the hoop to give up a layup. Nice recovery to his man to block the jumper. He attacked baseline, elevated, took contact and drew FTs, he made both. Second Half: He missed a leaner and the follow.

Henry -- -- He’s still got the scar on his forehead from earlier in the season that seems so long ago. We saw him hit the floor hard tonight taking contact to earn FTs. Good to see him getting back to his attacking self. “I’m working my way back there…it’s been two months of nothing,” Xavier said. He said he was tired trying to push through the back-to-back in Denver after not playing for so long. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-7 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He attacked in transition and hit the layup getting into the defender’s chest. He scored a layup out in transition off the Marshall steal. He attacked, got into the defender’s chest again and banked the layup. He attacked and got tapped on the baseline step-back jumper. He pushed out the break and hit Kelly filling the lane for the layup. He missed a pull-up 15-footer. Second Half: He got smashed to the floor on a drive for FTs, he made both. He missed a drive. He broke his man’s ankles on a crossover, but missed the jumper. He attacked the lane, drew contact but couldn’t finish the easy one, he made both. He charged in transition.

Kelly -- -- His first career double-double with 24 and 11. Great numbers. Probably the best player on the floor tonight for the Lakers considering Pau was a team-worst -21 despite his scoring. Glad to see someone prevent a highlight dunk. Kelly got whistled for the flagrant-1 for grabbing Faried and yanking him down, but that hard foul was long overdue. We can’t just stand and watch guys wind up and jam on us again and again. “It’s the first time all game I’ve actually seen someone contest someone going to the rim that has been wide open for a dunk or a layup, “ Luke said. Yeah, it’s been very rare this season. Offensively, Kelly looked confident and made decision quickly. The Nuggets D was weak, but he wasn’t given any easy ones like we were handing out. He hit threes, attacked and drew FTs, scored in transition against tough challenges. He had some weak moments on D, for sure, but he battled. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 7-14 shooting (4-8 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 11 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He up-faked Faried once, moved in, pulled up, faked again and drew FTs, he made both. He filled the lane on the break and scored a layup. Quick-fire corner three, brick. Next time down, he measured and drained a wing three off the swing pass. Nice post D on the other end to get a stop. He drained the sideline three on the kickout from Meeks. He probed across the lane and bricked the pull-up. He rejected a shot from behind to get the rare stop. He missed a long wing jumper. He scored 10 points at the half. Second Half: He moved out of the way from taking a charge (I think realizing he was in the restricted area) and was called for the block on an And-1 dunk. He missed a putback tip. He missed a wide open corner three. Another missed tip. Quick catch and shoot of the wing three and he swished, very nice. He swiped the ball and ignited the break for a Laker score. He beat his man down court and scored the layup before hitting the floor (he wanted the foul). He missed a wing three, but got it back. He took a hard foul on Faried who was going to try to posterize someone (good job), he was whistled for the flagrant-1 but glad to see someone prevent a highlight. He attacked Faried, used his body well and scored the layup before going to the ground (no one covered for Kelly and Faried scored on the other end a few seconds later). He sank a sideline three on the kickout. Nice burst of speed in transition and Marshall spotted him for FTs, he made both. He drew FTs taking a knee to the leg as he attacked off the three line, he made both.

Sacre -- -- “I know I’m tired of it, the team’s tired of it, but our defense needs to get better,” Sacre said. He led the team with a +13. He showed a little hint of how you wish he’d play more often with the 4 offensive boards. He’s got to be that hustle guy that outworks opponents. He’s not big enough or skilled enough to impose his will on them those ways. But he can go the Kurt Rambis route and outwork everyone else. Too bad Kurt can suit up and show him how it’s done without pulling some muscles. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-6 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 1 assist, 1 block and 1 foul in 18 minutes. He was a +13. The Action: Good effort to draw FTs battling for an offensive board, he made one. He swished a long wing jumper off the two-man game with Farmar. He was rejected badly by a couple of players trying to power up. He sank an elbow jumper off the bounce pass. He posted up and missed a jumphook in the middle of the lane. He pinned his man under the hoop, took the offensive board and scored. Second Half: He absorbed contact, then blocked and controlled the shot. Nice job going to the rim to try to finish hard and he drew FTs, he made one. He missed a putback attempt.

D’Antoni -- -- The Lakers trailed 16-11 after 5 minutes when the timeout came. No D again right out of the gates. Thought they might be a little irked about the last game and show up tonight… He brought in Xavier for Meeks midway through the quarter, down 3… D’Antoni called another timeout down 30-21 with 4 minutes left… A 9-0 scoring run by the Lakers with the Sacre, Kelly, Henry, Brooks, Farmar unit. Probably the only stretch of D they played this quarter… The Lakers trailed 42-35 after the first quarter. Well done… Same unit to start the second quarter… They cut the lead to 1 to force a timeout… The Lakers led by 2 when Pau and Wes returned for Sacre and Brooks… He brought in Meeks for X down 3 shortly later… They trailed by 10 with 4 minutes left. Fading. Denver looking at big first half numbers… He sat Farmar for Marshall and Kelly for X out of that timeout… Kelly in, Johnson out with 3 fouls… Had the Nuggets hit just a few more of their missed FTs, they would have had 80… The Lakers trailed 77-66 at the half. The Lakers shot 50%, the Nuggets 63%... Same sub patterns as usual… The Laker went to some zone D late in the quarter for a few possessions… The Lakers trailed 110-93 heading into the fourth… The Lakers trimmed it down to 13 off some two-way play by Kelly and that forced a Nugget timeout with 9 minutes left… The game was certainly in striking distance, but they couldn’t get stops, of course… The Nuggets shot 55% for the game and 58% from three. They actually went just 12-21 from the line, so it could have been even worse…


Last edited by DancingBarry on Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Romano338
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:47 pm    Post subject:

The Lakers never were good in defense this season, but I guess they just officially quit this aspect the last games
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1hu2ren3dui4
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:54 pm    Post subject:

Thanks db. You are a rock. Gotta be hard to write up this season.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:58 pm    Post subject:

Thanks,, DB.

Minor point: Wes actually had the team high (low) of -23 for the team.

This season was bad enough to watch earlier this year with all the injuries but these last few games have been utterly depressing. I have never seen the Lakers this bad ever since I started watching back in the mid-80s. I mean we had terrible teams but giving up these many points is unbelievable. I am praying for the FO to show me some kind of sign of hope
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:03 pm    Post subject:

With all due respect to Kobe as a leader, his leadership is more about making the team compete than D, I feel we're also seeing the affects of not having one of the greatest anchors in the NBA. Chuck Persons was talking about a stat last summer that the Lakers were a bottom 5 team on D when our anchor at the time wasn't in the game.

Pau is a great player on O, but he should be on a team with guys that can stay ahead of their man and very disciplined on D. Otherwise he needs to play at PF and be hidden there.

I feel the D impact of an anchor is very, very underrated on this board. It is very, very hard to find a team of 3-4 elite perimeter defenders with loads of speed and length and discipline. Miami has that. The rest of the league who is any good on D, they have good or great anchors on their D.

People seemed to think team speed increasing and getting younger automatically made D better. No. You need disciplined, smart, quick defenders. You need coaching. Otherwise, you need what LA has had for a lot of their years when they were successful. A low post anchor that can board. And if you have all of that? Like say Thibs D coaching, a low post anchor and perimeter D? Then you get 2008 Boston D, which was incredibly good.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:07 pm    Post subject:

magicdays wrote:
Thanks,, DB.

Minor point: Wes actually had the team high (low) of -23 for the team.

This season was bad enough to watch earlier this year with all the injuries but these last few games have been utterly depressing. I have never seen the Lakers this bad ever since I started watching back in the mid-80s. I mean we had terrible teams but giving up these many points is unbelievable. I am praying for the FO to show me some kind of sign of hope


Thanks. Fixed.

Front office doesn't mind the losses...just the embarrassing ass kickings.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:10 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
magicdays wrote:
Thanks,, DB.

Minor point: Wes actually had the team high (low) of -23 for the team.

This season was bad enough to watch earlier this year with all the injuries but these last few games have been utterly depressing. I have never seen the Lakers this bad ever since I started watching back in the mid-80s. I mean we had terrible teams but giving up these many points is unbelievable. I am praying for the FO to show me some kind of sign of hope


Thanks. Fixed.

Front office doesn't mind the losses...just the embarrassing ass kickings.


Kind of too cute by half to set up one and then complain about the other. You put a really lousy lack of talent out there, sit a couple of the vets to make sure, let the team know losing is totally acceptable at this point, and expect them to buy in and fight? This is what tanking does, and why it has bigger ramifications than draft spots.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:13 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
magicdays wrote:
Thanks,, DB.

Minor point: Wes actually had the team high (low) of -23 for the team.

This season was bad enough to watch earlier this year with all the injuries but these last few games have been utterly depressing. I have never seen the Lakers this bad ever since I started watching back in the mid-80s. I mean we had terrible teams but giving up these many points is unbelievable. I am praying for the FO to show me some kind of sign of hope


Thanks. Fixed.

Front office doesn't mind the losses...just the embarrassing ass kickings.


God, these games remind me of the Doug Moe Nuggets teams and the George Karl Golden State teams of the 1980s--run and gun and no defense. I never ever imagined we would become one of those teams (although they would make the playoffs!).
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:21 pm    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
With all due respect to Kobe as a leader, his leadership is more about making the team compete than D, I feel we're also seeing the affects of not having one of the greatest anchors in the NBA. Chuck Persons was talking about a stat last summer that the Lakers were a bottom 5 team on D when our anchor at the time wasn't in the game.

Pau is a great player on O, but he should be on a team with guys that can stay ahead of their man and very disciplined on D. Otherwise he needs to play at PF and be hidden there.

I feel the D impact of an anchor is very, very underrated on this board. It is very, very hard to find a team of 3-4 elite perimeter defenders with loads of speed and length and discipline. Miami has that. The rest of the league who is any good on D, they have good or great anchors on their D.

People seemed to think team speed increasing and getting younger automatically made D better. No. You need disciplined, smart, quick defenders. You need coaching. Otherwise, you need what LA has had for a lot of their years when they were successful. A low post anchor that can board. And if you have all of that? Like say Thibs D coaching, a low post anchor and perimeter D? Then you get 2008 Boston D, which was incredibly good.


Agree. Between my intro and Pau's write-up, I think that's pretty much what I was saying. Kobe's leadership would get people's attention. His D wasn't great lately, but you would compete or get some pissed off Kobe in your ear.

We have a leadership void from players and coaches. Right now they have no attention to detail on D. They're going through the motions. Only thing we have control of right now is better leadership and accountability. If we did, we wouldn't have these ridiculous numbers right now. Obviously, you can't have Pau as your anchor without some very good defenders around him, as I mentioned. But even with him there, we should not be this god awful.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:23 pm    Post subject:

1hu2ren3dui4 wrote:
Thanks db. You are a rock. Gotta be hard to write up this season.


My thoughts exactly. Thanks again DB.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:24 pm    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
With all due respect to Kobe as a leader, his leadership is more about making the team compete than D, I feel we're also seeing the affects of not having one of the greatest anchors in the NBA. Chuck Persons was talking about a stat last summer that the Lakers were a bottom 5 team on D when our anchor at the time wasn't in the game.

Pau is a great player on O, but he should be on a team with guys that can stay ahead of their man and very disciplined on D. Otherwise he needs to play at PF and be hidden there.

I feel the D impact of an anchor is very, very underrated on this board. It is very, very hard to find a team of 3-4 elite perimeter defenders with loads of speed and length and discipline. Miami has that. The rest of the league who is any good on D, they have good or great anchors on their D.

People seemed to think team speed increasing and getting younger automatically made D better. No. You need disciplined, smart, quick defenders. You need coaching. Otherwise, you need what LA has had for a lot of their years when they were successful. A low post anchor that can board. And if you have all of that? Like say Thibs D coaching, a low post anchor and perimeter D? Then you get 2008 Boston D, which was incredibly good.


Agreed on the defensive anchor.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:36 pm    Post subject:

24 wrote:
DancingBarry wrote:
magicdays wrote:
Thanks,, DB.

Minor point: Wes actually had the team high (low) of -23 for the team.

This season was bad enough to watch earlier this year with all the injuries but these last few games have been utterly depressing. I have never seen the Lakers this bad ever since I started watching back in the mid-80s. I mean we had terrible teams but giving up these many points is unbelievable. I am praying for the FO to show me some kind of sign of hope


Thanks. Fixed.

Front office doesn't mind the losses...just the embarrassing ass kickings.


Kind of too cute by half to set up one and then complain about the other. You put a really lousy lack of talent out there, sit a couple of the vets to make sure, let the team know losing is totally acceptable at this point, and expect them to buy in and fight? This is what tanking does, and why it has bigger ramifications than draft spots.


This is what I'm concerned about as well - there are some draft names I'd love to see on this team, but no 20 year old kid no matter how good is going to come in and fix everything if a culture of losing and not caring anymore gets deep-seated.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:37 pm    Post subject:

These games are getting harder and harder to watch.

Pau is just going thru the motions, I hate to say it but it's true. I have always really liked Pau and I'm forever grateful for what he brought in the past but geez, I feel like I could just slug him sometimes recently. His passivity is really affecting the younger guys IMO. Pau's the senior statesman of the team now and yet lead he will not. I get that he is older now and hurt a lot but the lack of emotional fire...just not in him I guess.

I feel Farmer's frustration and I think I know why Kobe's knee is "not ready". He cannot drag them into the playoffs this year given where he is right now physically and where the team is in the standings but he would murder someone if he was out there.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:41 pm    Post subject:

if farmar is showing leadership shouldn't he occasionally break a sweat on defense?
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LakerLanny
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 11:07 pm    Post subject:

What is amazing to me is there is a significant number of fans who think the Lakers should resign Pau.

He has played gutless and with zero heart for at least two years now. That doesn't take away what he did before that of course, but it is long past time to part ways.

$19 million? He isn't worth $5 million in my opinion, he needs to go. Look for his effort and defense to improve dramatically at his next stop which makes the last two years even more glaring.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 11:13 pm    Post subject:

Damn, who would've thought at the beginning of the year that we'd be looking to guys like Kendall Marshall and Kent Bazemore to step up and be major contributors? #2 and #3 on the smiley ratings after Pau...

I really, really hope this draft pick turns out to be a star and we make something good happen with the cap space, as well. Not just to make the losing this year worth in the end, but also to ensure that it doesn't repeat itself ever again. Yesterday was rock bottom - I'm on team tank but that was just a disgrace. I'm not blaming the guys on the team, because you can see that they're playing hard out there and trying to win games. But how the hell can we keep D'Antoni after this year with the defense he's putting on the floor? It's one thing to have that excuse of not having a reliable defensive anchor on the roster and giving up some points here and there due to breakdowns, but 136 points a game? What the (bleep)?
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 11:38 pm    Post subject:

Coach Mike is showing great poise not laying into these guys, just sayin'
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:08 am    Post subject:

LakerLanny wrote:
What is amazing to me is there is a significant number of fans who think the Lakers should resign Pau.

He has played gutless and with zero heart for at least two years now. That doesn't take away what he did before that of course, but it is long past time to part ways.

$19 million? He isn't worth $5 million in my opinion, he needs to go. Look for his effort and defense to improve dramatically at his next stop which makes the last two years even more glaring.


What is amazing to me is that there is a significant number of fans that think the Lakers can resign Pau, when if fact they can't. Now they can re-sign him, but hopefully he goes to a contending team in the offseason.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 1:04 am    Post subject:

Farmar, Henry, Kelly and Sacre. MAYBE Young.

Those are the only players I want back.

Everyone else... good riddance.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:14 am    Post subject:

Would like to see X and Kelly start against Thunder over Bazemore and Johnson.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:03 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
With all due respect to Kobe as a leader, his leadership is more about making the team compete than D, I feel we're also seeing the affects of not having one of the greatest anchors in the NBA. Chuck Persons was talking about a stat last summer that the Lakers were a bottom 5 team on D when our anchor at the time wasn't in the game.

Pau is a great player on O, but he should be on a team with guys that can stay ahead of their man and very disciplined on D. Otherwise he needs to play at PF and be hidden there.

I feel the D impact of an anchor is very, very underrated on this board. It is very, very hard to find a team of 3-4 elite perimeter defenders with loads of speed and length and discipline. Miami has that. The rest of the league who is any good on D, they have good or great anchors on their D.

People seemed to think team speed increasing and getting younger automatically made D better. No. You need disciplined, smart, quick defenders. You need coaching. Otherwise, you need what LA has had for a lot of their years when they were successful. A low post anchor that can board. And if you have all of that? Like say Thibs D coaching, a low post anchor and perimeter D? Then you get 2008 Boston D, which was incredibly good.



ThAt right there is what I have always said! You need someone like Hill next to Pau. This is how Dallas hides Dirk. Phil used Lamar to hide Pau. It was that he needed a "Twin Tower", it was that he knew someone had to work on being the anchor Pau never has been. MDA with his small ball leaves Pau extremely exposed.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:09 am    Post subject:

LakersMDGurl wrote:
ThAt right there is what I have always said! You need someone like Hill next to Pau. This is how Dallas hides Dirk. Phil used Lamar to hide Pau. It was that he needed a "Twin Tower", it was that he knew someone had to work on being the anchor Pau never has been. MDA with his small ball leaves Pau extremely exposed.



Hill is a bad defender
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:33 am    Post subject:

LakerLanny wrote:
What is amazing to me is there is a significant number of fans who think the Lakers should resign Pau.

He has played gutless and with zero heart for at least two years now. That doesn't take away what he did before that of course, but it is long past time to part ways.

$19 million? He isn't worth $5 million in my opinion, he needs to go. Look for his effort and defense to improve dramatically at his next stop which makes the last two years even more glaring.

This is just as much the coach's fault as it is Pau's, if not more. MDA has lost Pau's respect.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 7:12 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
With all due respect to Kobe as a leader, his leadership is more about making the team compete than D, I feel we're also seeing the affects of not having one of the greatest anchors in the NBA. Chuck Persons was talking about a stat last summer that the Lakers were a bottom 5 team on D when our anchor at the time wasn't in the game.

Pau is a great player on O, but he should be on a team with guys that can stay ahead of their man and very disciplined on D. Otherwise he needs to play at PF and be hidden there.

I feel the D impact of an anchor is very, very underrated on this board. It is very, very hard to find a team of 3-4 elite perimeter defenders with loads of speed and length and discipline. Miami has that. The rest of the league who is any good on D, they have good or great anchors on their D.

People seemed to think team speed increasing and getting younger automatically made D better. No. You need disciplined, smart, quick defenders. You need coaching. Otherwise, you need what LA has had for a lot of their years when they were successful. A low post anchor that can board. And if you have all of that? Like say Thibs D coaching, a low post anchor and perimeter D? Then you get 2008 Boston D, which was incredibly good.


Absolutely true. Every description you made conjured thoughts of Noah & Chicago. They've managed to thrive despite the absence of Rose, the trade of Deng, and even Boozer's presence. Noah's their anchor. Thibs has a defensive scheme, they're all accountable, and they get after you. IF Rose doesn't go down, Deng remains, and the fighting spirit of Gibson and Snell are included, they would give anybody a real battle.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 11:26 am    Post subject:

The collapse in the Lakers defense seems to correlate with MDA's full commitment now to small ball.

In the last 5 games, MDA has played little else but small-ball lineups.

The pace appears to be quicker, and the Opponent FGAs are increasing (last two games at 101 per game).

Interesting to see how MDA will approach OKC. Who is going to guard Durant, Johnson or Bazemore? Maybe Johnson, and Bazemore will have to take Adams, their center.

Thanks DB.
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