JAZZ -at- LAKERS - 10-16-14 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

ZZZZZzzzzzzzz… Wake me when we get some players back out there on the floor.

Right now with the injuries piled up, this team looks worse than last year. Any time Kobe sits, there’s really not much impact ball on either end of the court with some of these D-League-ish rosters. The team badly misses the dynamic of Lin, Young, Clarkson, Henry and even Kelly just to make things semi interesting. (Nash probably shouldn’t even be considered a possibility.)

“We can sit here and say Jeremy didn’t play, Nick and all that,” Scott said of his bench, “but still their job is to come in and bring energy, play good solid defense and run the show on the offensive end and they didn’t do that.”

The Lakers hit the floor in Anaheim and fell 119-86 to the Jazz. We are simply an incredibly easy team to defend right now…and score upon. There was a tangible dropoff the moment Kobe left the floor.

“I told them I’m going to find 7 or 8 guys,” Scott said. “That’s all I need to play the way we need to play, play hard every single night and compete. That’s all I need.”

In other words, there are a few spots available for minutes -- if you don’t bring it now, you may be watching from the bench.

“Hopefully, we can get guys back,” Kobe said. “It’s tough to really assess or evaluate anything until we get the guys out on the floor and have the regular season rotation a little bit.”


Kobe -- -- Most of his offense consisted of working the post or coming off brush screens for turnaround jumpers. Exclusively midrange work with a rare foray into the lane via the post or drive. He looked much better than the last one. I’d like to see more possessions where he gets some speed off a screen into the paint, but our spacing is horrible. Kobe struggled from the FT line, even missing four in a row at one point. You could probably add another 4 or 5 more points to his total on a typical night if not for the weird FT issues. So this could have been a 30+ point game without a ton of attacking. It looked like more of a regular rotation in this game as Scott rested him and brought him back to close the halves. He got a little more rest in the past few days (and on game day), so he looked a little fresher (scoring 10 in the fourth). Asked about being ranked 40th by ESPN, “I’ve known for a long time they are a bunch of idiots,” Kobe said. He said he didn’t use it as motivation because it wasn’t in the “realm of reality.” The Stats: He scored 27 points on 10-23 shooting (7-13 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He missed a 20-footer. He missed a 19-footer. He sank a couple of FTs. He sank a pull-up elbow jumper working off the high screen from Hill. He missed a fade from 18 feet working off the dribble. He got it back in the paint, pumpfaked a man in the air and hit the And-1 8-footer, he made the FT. He swished a top-of-the-key jumper rubbing his man off of the high screen. He up-faked, took a dribble to his left and missed the 16-footer. He missed a jumphook in the lane. He rattled in a 22-footer over his man to beat the shotclock. He sank a top-of-the-key jumper. He was blocked on a forced jumper. He blew past his man, drew the D and dumped it to Boozer for the layup. He found Boozer open on the weakside for the jumper. He drew FTs getting tapped on an And-1 attempt off a Boozer steal, he missed both FTs. Quick spin like Worthy on the catch, but he missed the layup attempt. He was blocked on a step-through in the post, but it led to a Hill score. Second Half: Out on the break off the Wes steal and he drew FTs, he missed both FTs, uggh. He missed a wing jumper on the catch and shoot. He spotted Boozer with great position for an And-1 layup. He scooped up some garbage in transition and scored the layup. He was called for an offensive foul trying to get position in the post. Out of position and he gave up an open three. He drew FTs battling in the paint, he looked a little ticked when he went to the bench at the timeout off that one (giving Hayward a stare), he made both. He swished a turnaround in the midpost. Same play, same result from a little further out next time. He worked off the Hill screen, went between his legs and pulled up for the short jumper. He missed a jumper working off a screen. He missed a baseline jumper, stripped a man to get it back and was fouled on a reverse attempt, he missed both (second miss was a frozen rope brick). He missed another turnaround in the post. He worked his man off the dribble into the lane and hit the turnaround. He backed his man down and drew a late whistle on the turnaround, he made both FTs.

Hill -- -- Playing his game tonight, Hill got the 12-14 double-double. He imposed his will in the paint. “Still got that purple and gold on so you got to go out there and play with pride and play with a lot of effort and energy,” Hill said. He battled on the glass to regain possessions, usually resulting in a score. His job was made harder by the lack of Laker guard penetration. “Defensively, we broke down too many times tonight,” Hill said. “We were in the wrong position a lot of times and weren’t helping each other out.” Scott said the bigs need to call out the screens more. After the game, Hill said he can sense morale is down a little after the blowouts. Hopefully, help is returning soon. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting (2-3 from the line) to go with 14 boards (5 offensive), 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He missed an 18-footer. He pulled down an offensive board, then scored a layup. His offensive board led to a Kobe And-1 shortly later. He iso’d and bricked the jumphook. Nice dive cut from the wing and Wes found him for the And-1 dunk (so few of these cuts despite the offense running a lot of Princeton), he made the FT. He regained possession getting fouled on the offensive glass. He drew FTs crashing the glass on the Kobe miss, he made one. He was called for a double-dribble at the end of the half. Second Half: He cleaned up a Boozer miss, pulling a board from behind a man and putting it back in. He sank a wide open baseline jumper. He battled for a Boozer miss, pulled it down and hit the jumphook over his man. He stepped in to take a charge on the baseline, losing his shoe as he went down.

Boozer -- -- It’s frustrating when a vet like him isn’t putting a body on a man or muscling up before he gives up low position. Because of his lack of length, he needs to play D more before the ball is there. If he’s in bad position, he simply doesn’t have the game to recover and erase a mistake. Offensively, not a bad game especially considering we don’t have any playmaking guards on the floor besides Kobe. He needs to be careful about forcing up jumpers when he’s got a man on him. It feels like the last couple of years, those just don’t drop for him. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 7-15 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -15. The Action: Off the mark on a backdoor feed to Kobe that hit the rim, turnover. He gave up an offensive board and putback. He missed a wing jumper. He faced up and missed a wing jumper. He scored a layup off the drive and dish from Kobe. He swished a wing jumper when left with some room on the wing. He swiped a dribble at midcourt and it led to Kobe FTs. He gave up an And-1 putback dunk not putting a body on anyone. He missed an elbow jumper. He missed an even more open one from the same exact spot shortly later. He gave up an easy layup in the lane not challenging or preventing good position to begin with. Second Half: He missed a bank on iso from the left side. He took the return pass off the two-man game, attacked from the elbow and scored the layup. He hit an iso wing jumper on the face-up. He had his man sealed under the basket, took the Kobe feed and scored the And-1, he made the FT. Nice reach on help D to knock a ball loose and ignite a break. He missed a forced 18-footer. His man tried to deny a post entry to Kobe, so Boozer attacked off the dribble from the perimeter and drew FTs, he made both. He missed a challenged FT jumper. Nice challenge of Hayward at the rim as he tried to throwdown, sending him to the floor, foul, but a hard one. He bricked a shotput in the lane. He stripped his man on one end and tipped in a breakaway miss on the other. He took a pass from Appling and flipped it in.

Johnson -- -- On the good side, he had the 4 steals. Loved seeing him and Price helping out from the weakside by jumping into the passing lanes. Wes needs more of that with consistency. Offensively, he was a mess. He faked two teammates into throwing a pass out of bounds to where he was standing…and did it on back-to-back plays. That was about the only players he was fooling on the offensive end. A very nothing game from him on that end. He had a great pass to Hill cutting for a dunk, rare we see that kind of cut from our bigs but we need more of it. They have to be active offensively. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-5 shooting (0-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a -16. The Action: He missed a three. He dribbled a ball off his foot trying to create off the dribble. He drew the D in the corner and spotted Hill cutting for an And-1 dunk. He swished an 18-footer coming off the screen at the elbow. Second Half: Finally some nice team D, jumping a passing lane on help D to deflect a pass and ignite a breakaway. He missed a challenged three. Back to back plays where he faked one way and cut the other and teammates threw the ball out of bounds. He got backdoored for a dunk. He drew FTs on the other end, he made both. He missed a long jumper.

Price -- -- Got to love the 5 turnovers and 2 assists. Yikes. He’s not a dynamic offensive player and the collective chemistry right now is pretty horrible. That only makes is harder for him. He said it’s not on the coaches. “They’ve been doing their job, as players we have to hold ourselves accountable and do our job,” Price said. The best part of his offensive game seems to come when he gets a good clean pick and has time to pull up from the midrange. The screen setting has been so weak at times, however, it just makes it tougher on him since he’s not going break a man down off the dribble or create space on his own. But the playmaking in general from him? Ouch. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-7 shooting to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5 turnovers and 3 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -16. The Action: He hit an 18-footer. He blocked a jumper from behind. He traveled on the other end to give it right back. He was blocked on a drive after not using the screen from his big. He swished a wing jumper off the Davis screen. He airballed badly trying to create at the end of the quarter. Second Half: Flat-angled pass to Kobe, picked off for an uncontested score. Horrible pass on the break (bounce that), but it deflected off a defender to Kobe for the score. He threw a perimeter pass out of bounds (throwing it off the dribble, he couldn’t pull it back). He missed a wing three. He probed baseline and reversed. He helped from the weakside to swipe the feed off the two-man game and take it for a dunk. He missed a wing 22-footer.

Randle -- -- He went to the locker room midway through the second quarter with blisters. He did not return. Insert comment about Vitti or Laker medical staff here. Actually, Vitti said Randle was good to go, but Scott wasn’t pleased with what he saw. “I just didn’t think it was necessary to be honest,” Scott said about bringing Randle back in the game. Asked what Julius was struggling with, Scott said “A little bit of everything…but the biggest thing is the just effort and the physical part of it.” He said it would take time, but he expects Randle to get it. He just wants Randle to know you’ve got to earn the playing time. He also mentioned with Kelly getting close to return that court time may be tougher to come by. Randle’s jumper looked better in this one. He probably should have had another bucket on his total, but he choked a layup after blowing past his man. The Stats: He had 4 points on 2-5 shooting to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a -12. The Action: He gave up an And-1 on a help challenge. He was called for a travel trying to create from the wing. He sank a jab-step 18-footer to start the second quarter. He got completely tapped on a top-of-the-key jumper. He choked a layup in transition, not sure how he missed that after blowing by his man. He iso’d out of a semi-triangle sequence, spun on the attack and powered through a strip for a short one. He attacked and missed the baseline fade. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Davis -- -- We missed the two-man game with him. No true playmaking PGs, no screen-roll execution. So offensively, he worked the garbage man role and pulled down 4 offensive boards. He did have a very nice post up on some great footwork to score. I wouldn’t mind seeing us dump the ball into him a little more on iso to see what he’s got there. We need some kind of post game from our bigs. Defensively, he had a couple of blocks, but wasn’t quite the disruptive force we’ve seen him be. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 4 offensive boards, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a -20. The Action: Nice screen to free up Price for the open jumper. He rejected a baseline dunk attempt and we gained possession. He drew FTs trying to finish over contact down the lane, he missed both. He blocked a shot on one end and missed a layup on the other. Second Half: He worked his way from the midpost into a nice jumphook off the dropstep, excellent footwork. He pulled a board away from a man, then muscled past him for the And-1 layup, he missed the FT.

Tyler -- -- The 5 fouls in just 9 minutes was a little hard to watch. But maybe not nearly as bad as his turnaround jumper from the post. He wasn’t close to the rim on either of those extremely predictable looking shots. I would have much rather seen Randle play, but Scott was sending a message. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-3 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 9 minutes. He was a-6. The Action: He did not play in the half. Second Half: He was blocked on a slow developing fallaway jumper. He drew FTs on the offensive glass, he made one. He was called for a foul on the offensive glass. He drew FTs on the other side of that on the other end, he made one. Blocked (or airballed) again on a turnaround in the post. He bricked an 18-footer.

Smith -- -- I’m not sure if we’re just forcing guys to be garbage men with this offense, but he seems to do a good job of that, as well. He’s making something of nothing a lot of times. That’s the bright spot. The bad side of that is he’s not showing he can bring anything else to the table. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-3 shooting (2-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards (2 offensive) and no fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He put back in a missed Randle jumper. Second Half: He missed a pull-up jumper. He drew FTs on the offensive glass, he made one. He scored an And-1 battling for an offensive board and scoring, he made the FT.

Ellington -- -- Bagel. An 0-8 offensively. We miss Meeks. He was always good for double digits. Everything Wayne put up looked like an instant miss in this one. He had to be more of a lead guard in this game with our injuries, which is not his strength. “It’s definitely difficult,” Ellington said. “We played with a lot of different lineups tonight and obviously we don’t have anything set in stone. That’s also tough, but at the same time…we just got to play harder.” First bubble guy to start hitting some threes might make the team. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-8 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a -28. The Action: He was stripped and watched as the Jazz saved it back down court for a fastbreak And-1. He missed a 20-footer. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper. A rare wide open three and he missed. He bricked a heave from three at the buzzer. He missed a floater, got it back and missed the short one. He missed a layup in transition. He missed a 20-footer straight away.

Brown -- -- Well, they say you cut yourself in preseason. That looked one of those performances (if the Lakers can get healthy bodies back, that is). He was just awful with 2 bad turnovers and a -11 in just 3 minutes. He’s a three shooter and we are doing such a poor job of setting up that part of our game, that he may never show that ability here. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He coughed up a pass. He attacked and was stripped for FTs the other way. He bricked a long jumper off a handoff. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Appling -- -- He injured his shoulder stumbling off a screen and nearly losing the dribble. We had to call timeout and sub him out. Bummer. Without PGs, he had a chance at some extra run and try to get a little more comfortable out there. It felt like he was just starting to get rid of the deer in the headlights look. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting to go with 3 boards, 2 assists and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: Not close on a runner across the lane, just awful looking. He sank a wide open 20-footer coming off the screens at the wing. He missed a 22-footer.

Scott -- -- He sat Kobe after 7 minutes, Lakers up by 1, for Ellington. The offense would go south from here shortly later… He brought in Randle with 4 minutes left for Boozer, tied 13-13… Offense looking pathetic, especially the screen set by all the bigs… Davis in for Hill… The Lakers trailed 25-20 after the first quarter… He started a Davis, Randle, Ellington, Smith, Brown unit… The two-guard front looked completely ineffective in this unit. Lakers lack of playmaking and an offense that doesn’t feature it, just makes for boring ball, too… Appling in for Brown to try to give the Lakers more of a PG out there… Kobe back in for Smith down 16… He brought in Boozer for Randle, who had to go to the locker room midway through the quarter… All Laker starters back in… The Lakers trailed 56-35 at the half. The Lakers had 12 turnovers and were 0-2 from three, well on their way to another blowout… He sat Kobe at the 5:36 mark for Ellington down 20… Tyler in for Boozer… Really hard to watch basketball. Just not aesthetically pleasing in any way… The Lakers trailed 86-62 heading into the fourth… He started a Davis, Tyler, Smith, Ellington, Appling lineup. Outside of Davis, that’s a D-League looking lineup.… Down 90-63, he brought back in Boozer for Tyler and Kobe for Smith… Starters with Appling in to get some extra run… Lakers with an amazing 0-5 from three. The Lakers had 15 assists and 18 turnovers… “We would love to get some open threes, but it depends on guys getting into the paint,” Scott said. Losing our playmaking guards doesn’t help, but neither do some of these sets…

[SweetP]

I missed the game, but apparently missed nothing much...
Thanks DB.
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“There is always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.” --Amanda Gorman

[jorkerjork]

I'd take out the "even" Kelly part. Yeah, Kelly's defense is as awful as the rest of the team, but he had one of the best offensive ratings for our team last year (81st in offensive real-plus-minus, per ESPN's wonky tool). Watching him he can hit the three, draw fouls and pass the rock. That's triple threat at work. We need that badly. Xavier by comparison would brick layups and free throws even if he can penetrate.

That's why I'm not a fan of guys like Jamison and Boozer. Even if they come cheap, they are such minutes soppers due to veteran stature that they sop minutes away from guys who are younger, have more two-way potential and can grow. Booz is what he is...his defense, especially with this lack of structure, won't suddenly become awesome after 80 games. There's a reason we won the amnesty bid--because no one else wanted him.

[summerly]

thanks db

[Shaber]

Blisters!?

We are losing players due to blisters!?

What is this, a bunch of schoolboys trying basketball for the first time ever?

I have no words.... If anything, this must come out of their (who did the taping + Randle) paycheck.

Blisters...
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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

[Yumyumcha]

Thanks DB

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[Richmond]

Good grief...can we start the pre-season all over again with healthy bodies.
At least Kobe laid to rest (for now) the "done" talk.

[yinoma2001]

It's hard to analyze a preseason game, let alone one where we are missing so many key players. Looks like Kobe put up some stats though. Why were the starters playing in the 4th again?
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From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals

[13th Man]

[13th Man]

[yinoma2001]

[fiendishoc]

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB.

[yinoma2001]

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[yinoma2001]

[PayasoLoco]

Scott needds to play randle hes our future. this hard ass coaching going nowhere its not like we are ship contenders

[DancingBarry]

[LakerEric]

2 consecutive years of NBA Hell unless something DRASTICALLY changes...

[Theseus]

My reaction to half this list of people

[LakerEric]