Just want to see this team come together. Every year, there seems to be a whipping boy. If it's not Lamar, it's Pau. Now they're gone and I really don't want to see Jeremy being the one gets called out for not wearing his big boy pants (even if/when it is warranted). This is a team effort. It starts with Byron and both Lin and Kobe. The three of them need to figure this out.
For instance ... where is Kobe in the post? Why isn't Kobe playing off ball more? Those are questions I've have for Byron.
Byron needs to make adjustments. Kobe needs to make adjustments. Lin needs to make adjustments.
On defense you have Wesley Johnson trying to guard a point guard all game. WHAT?
You take all these issues, at varying points within the roster and system, and that's how you lose by an average margin of 19 points. It's just not as simple as yeah Jeremy run da offense man. I wish it were that simple but the blame (for lack of a better word) is on everyone, not just Jeremy.
I agree about the whipping boy, part. But, not quite how you may think.
Kobe has been with the Lakers his entire career, and every time something goes wrong (Shaq and post-Shaq era's), the FIRST person to blame would be Kobe. By fans, and media pundits alike.
Kobe "didn't do this...", Kobe "didn't do that...", Kobe "took to many shots...", Kobe "doesn't play team basketball...", etc. etc. etc.....
Granted, other players have shared the spotlight with Kobe. Smush, Walton, Kwame, Lamar,Fisher, Pau, and so on. But, since those guys were complimentary pieces, they received complimentary criticism. The only exception being Pau. And, while every player can be rightfully criticized, there were times Pau was unjustly dumped on.
I say this to say that if people are wondering why there are fans who seem to flock to Kobe's defense frequently, it's because Kobe is criticized...FREQUENTLY.
So, if anybody is going to be labeled a whipping boy for the Lakers, you should post a pic of Kobe. He's been a perennial whipping boy for the Lakers since his rookie year, when he airballed those 2 three's in the playoffs against the Jazz.
ZOOM!
The media said Kobe didn't have it anymore before the season. 2 games into the season, he's shown he's still got it even after those injuries. Now the new narrative is that Kobe shoots too much, won't share the ball and is a greedy teammate. I can't wait to see the silence from them once he proves them wrong again. I think after 19 years in the league, #24 knows that the media is full of crap.
One where Lin doesn't throw the ball into the first row, dribble the ball out of bounds or launch an early-in-the-shot-clock three without making a pass?
One where Lin doesn't throw the ball into the first row, dribble the ball out of bounds or launch an early-in-the-shot-clock three without making a pass?
One where Lin doesn't throw the ball into the first row, dribble the ball out of bounds or launch an early-in-the-shot-clock three without making a pass?
There's plenty of room for improvement here.
that was an awful game..
I don't like isolating just a player's bad plays. He did more than that in the game. I think Lin played better in the Houston game because at least he stepped up in the 3rd quarter and had something going with Boozer leading to a nice run that cut the lead to single digits. The 3 was a risk, he didn't make it, but I could see why he took it.
One could make the same type of video about Lebron's game last night. But I can't draw too many conclusions without seeing other plays. Lin's Suns game wasn't as good as the Houston game and neither were good but he showed some things in the pre-season that he so far hasn't done in the regular season. But, the season is all of 2 games in and he isn't used to playing with the first unit.
“He’s used having to look over his shoulder all the time and playing with players who like controlling the ball a lot,” said Bryant, an obvious reference to New York’s Carmelo Anthony and Houston’s James Harden. “I told him that’s a big urban legend of me. I want to score. That means coming off of picks, catching and shooting. You handle the ball and you run the show.”
“He has to go out and play his game,” Scott said of Lin. “He’s thinking too much about the game. Just go out and play basketball.”
“I have to do what I have to do sometimes if things aren’t working,” Bryant said. “I have to manufacture [scoring]. But I’d much rather have him run the show. That’s what he’s good at doing. He’s good at getting into the lane and running it for other people. It’s a matter of him pulling the bull by the horns.”
Lin showed plenty of that during exhibition play with the second unit, bringing a fast-paced tempo to an offense that featured countless pick-and-roll lobs to Ed Davis and open jumpers for everyone. Lin also attacked the basket with precision, including in last week’s exhibition against Phoenix where he closed out the game with Bryant. Then, Lin scored 11 fourth-quarter points, while Bryant made three consecutive fadeaways.
Lin has said he relished Bryant’s mentorship, which has entailed providing various tips on how to defend better and how to play more aggressively. Lin also believes he can cite on his past experience playing with Harden and Anthony even if his time with Bryant comes at the tail end of his career. Lin also downplayed any chemistry issues with Bryant and mentioned the Suns’ 16 of 32 mark from three-point range as a bigger problem.
“The goal is for me to find a way to facilitate and complement him,” Lin said, “while bringing what I can bring to the table.”
And in Bryant’s mind, he hopes that entails Lin not playing as he is walking on eggshells to appease his demanding teammate. Bryant then invoked Lakers guard Derek Fisher, mentioning how he never became afraid in standing up to him. He largely credited that dynamic in ensuring five NBA championships.
“We used to bicker and snipe at each other all the time and I couldn’t love the teammate more,” Bryant said. “These guys are young and it takes time to understand that. Teams become great by challenging each other. I want him to orchestrate the offense, call the right plays and get the ball in the right spots. It might take a little bit getting used to for him.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2014/10/30/lakers-kobe-bryant-byron-scott-push-for-jeremy-lin-to-play-more-aggressive/
Up to Lin at this point.
Lin may still struggle. Here's why. Lin can come out with a different mindset and play with more aggression. But if I were scouting the Lakers I'd say stop Lin. Give him different looks, stop him from getting to the teeth of the defense where he can score or dish. And then pay attention to Davis. Let Kobe get his by working hard and taking a lot of shots. Who else can hurt you? Randle is done for the season, Young is out, Davis is better when Lin is feeding him. Stopping Lin is a big part of stopping the Lakers.
How do you counteract that. In addition to multiple screens, speed up the pace and tell Lin to establish some jump shots. Take as many as he needs to and sooner or later he'll get in rhythm and they'll fall. He's too predictable now and has gone back to 0-100 with not much in between. But someone else has to step up. Where's Wesley?
if teams spend all their time trying to stop Lin and Davis then that means Kobe is going to be open a lot of the times for easier shots.
Lin has the scoring capability to be a problem if he has Sessions'(before his shoulder injury) mindset and confidence at the start of games rather than after getting everyone involved.
Joined: 14 Apr 2001 Posts: 144472 Location: The Gold Coast
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 11:24 am Post subject:
MJST wrote:
if teams spend all their time trying to stop Lin and Davis then that means Kobe is going to be open a lot of the times for easier shots.
Lin has the scoring capability to be a problem if he has Sessions'(before his shoulder injury) mindset and confidence at the start of games rather than after getting everyone involved.
And that wouldn't be a bad strategy. _________________ RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.
One where Lin doesn't throw the ball into the first row, dribble the ball out of bounds or launch an early-in-the-shot-clock three without making a pass?
There's plenty of room for improvement here.
that was an awful game..
One of two.
Here is what Lin can change
When Kobe comes over and sets the screen and Lin takes it and Ariza and Beverley are switching leaving Lin wide open, Lin should be shooting the three as their defense is still focused on preventing the ball from getting to Kobe. instead.. Lin overdribbles and keeps dribbling and causes a turnover. Cause he was never looking to shoot.
Lin makes the right play of going to the basket after Kobe's screen and causes the defense to collapse and Howard to rotate over to try to stop the drive because that's where Lin is dangerous. Lin should at this point pass to the wide open Boozer who is waiting to catch the shot in rhythm and shoot the wide open jumper and is currently standing there with 'ready' hands.
Also Hill could help this play by running to the rim and having ready hands because if Hill takes one step forward a second faster he's wide open for a pass from Lin and a wide open dunk on the rotation.
This is again on Jordan Hill, and lack of familiarity with the starting lineup which Lin does not have. Lin dribbles to try to iso and Hill is running right next to him not giving him space, Lin tries to avoid running into Hill and turns it over.
Lack of familiarity problems.
I don't have a problem with Lin taking the three here or being aggressive on the screen that comes. He just wasn't in rhythm due to the way the rest of the game is going, but I like to see Lin be this aggressive. It didn't go in, but he had the right idea
lack of familiarity and over thinking things. But Davis also sets the screen on the wrong side and doesn't cut fast enough as they try to trap Lin. Then Lin throws a bad pass out of bounds on a Xavier that if he'd kept moving instead of stopping after his initial jab could probably have gotten, but he's rusty.
All those are fixable things. The Suns game was a much worse performance. The Houston game was just one or two minor things he needs to fix that could easily have turned the performance and game around.
Kobe an Lin make progress on Lin controlling the offense talks
It appears Lin and Bryant have made some inroads on figuring out their chemistry. Following the Lakers’ double-digit loss on Wednesday to Phoenix, both coach Byron Scott and Bryant implored for Lin to improve his aggressiveness after seeing him go score only a combined 13 points in two games. Bryant also said Lin should not be afraid to run the offense even if Bryant calls for the ball.
It appears that has opened up dialogue between Bryant and Lin as the Lakers (0-2) enter tonight’s contest against the Clippers in a designated home game at Staples Center.
“I have to get comfortable,” Lin said. “The biggest thing is the communication. There are some things I need to do better for sure and run the team better. There are some ways the team can help me and create a system or structure to have that opportunity to do what I do best. We’re in communication with that.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he’s “not really worried” about Lin’s start and believes he will improve once with more games. But Scott provided a few suggestions. Scott believes Lin picks up his dribble too much and looks over to the sideline too often to call a play.
“He’s being assertive at times. But at the same time I think he’s thinking too much,” Scott said. “He should go out there, relax as much as possible and play. When he has shots, take his shots. When he has the ability to get to the basket, take it to the basket.”
Thank you. Kobe's need to get his shots up and his constant demanding of the ball is part of the problem, yet there is no acknowledgement from Kobe when it comes to that.
How about a simple..."Hey Jeremy we need more from you, I will do my part by stepping back a little and letting you do your thing from time to time."
There's no reason to handle Lin with kid gloves.
Exactly.
Kobe will demand the ball. That's what he's supposed to do. It's how he plays. Aggressive and dominating.
It's the PG's job to assess the situation and decide if they should pass the ball to Kobe, and when. If Kobe is not running a play properly, then the PG should tell him where he should be if he wants the ball next time.
Kobe will yell and scream on the court. He'll look angry. But in the end, he'll respect the hell out of you and will look at you as one of the people he can trust going to battle with.
It's not the SG's job to yell and scream, but the reality is, that's what's going to happen.
But as the leader of this team, Kobe is going to have to go beyond the typical roles and responsibilities of a shooting guard.
I mean, I don't see other SGs typically taking 25 shots every game so there is SOME culpability there too. That's why I say, this is a team effort. It's not just Kobe gets to keep doing what he's doing and everyone else change. That's precisely the sort of thing that Abbott wants everyone to think playing with Kobe is like.
Everyone needs to work on this, together. The other players, need to get in to good position, fight hard. Lin, step up and run this machine. Kobe, dial it back a bit and let someone else drive.
I don't want Kobe to dial it back a bit.
I want everyone else to step it up and do their damn jobs.
I want Boozer and Hill setting good screens and then rolling hard to the basket.
I want Wes slashing if Lin penetrates.
Right now, if Kobe is the only one doing his job then of course he's going to get most of the shots.
If everyone else does their job, Kobe will get fewer shots because Lin will have better options. He'll see guys with open shots.
In turn, Kobe may still score a lot because he'll have easier shots.
Oh god. Now I remember why I tried to stay away from forums for so long.
Kobe an Lin make progress on Lin controlling the offense talks
It appears Lin and Bryant have made some inroads on figuring out their chemistry. Following the Lakers’ double-digit loss on Wednesday to Phoenix, both coach Byron Scott and Bryant implored for Lin to improve his aggressiveness after seeing him go score only a combined 13 points in two games. Bryant also said Lin should not be afraid to run the offense even if Bryant calls for the ball.
It appears that has opened up dialogue between Bryant and Lin as the Lakers (0-2) enter tonight’s contest against the Clippers in a designated home game at Staples Center.
“I have to get comfortable,” Lin said. “The biggest thing is the communication. There are some things I need to do better for sure and run the team better. There are some ways the team can help me and create a system or structure to have that opportunity to do what I do best. We’re in communication with that.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he’s “not really worried” about Lin’s start and believes he will improve once with more games. But Scott provided a few suggestions. Scott believes Lin picks up his dribble too much and looks over to the sideline too often to call a play.
“He’s being assertive at times. But at the same time I think he’s thinking too much,” Scott said. “He should go out there, relax as much as possible and play. When he has shots, take his shots. When he has the ability to get to the basket, take it to the basket.”
Let's see how Lin responds tonight. Seems that performance against Phoenix opened up the conversation even more with Kobe and Lin. But in a good way.
Yes good news indeed. I was thinking of posting the article, then I saw your post. I think the team will play better, and Lin will play better. Let's get our first win!!! _________________ "We have a lot of guys that have been kinda discarded ... Myself with the injury and the age. Jeremy ... a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves" -- Kobe Bryant
Kobe an Lin make progress on Lin controlling the offense talks
It appears Lin and Bryant have made some inroads on figuring out their chemistry. Following the Lakers’ double-digit loss on Wednesday to Phoenix, both coach Byron Scott and Bryant implored for Lin to improve his aggressiveness after seeing him go score only a combined 13 points in two games. Bryant also said Lin should not be afraid to run the offense even if Bryant calls for the ball.
It appears that has opened up dialogue between Bryant and Lin as the Lakers (0-2) enter tonight’s contest against the Clippers in a designated home game at Staples Center.
“I have to get comfortable,” Lin said. “The biggest thing is the communication. There are some things I need to do better for sure and run the team better. There are some ways the team can help me and create a system or structure to have that opportunity to do what I do best. We’re in communication with that.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott said he’s “not really worried” about Lin’s start and believes he will improve once with more games. But Scott provided a few suggestions. Scott believes Lin picks up his dribble too much and looks over to the sideline too often to call a play.
“He’s being assertive at times. But at the same time I think he’s thinking too much,” Scott said. “He should go out there, relax as much as possible and play. When he has shots, take his shots. When he has the ability to get to the basket, take it to the basket.”
Let's see how Lin responds tonight. Seems that performance against Phoenix opened up the conversation even more with Kobe and Lin. But in a good way.
Yes good news indeed. I was thinking of posting the article, then I saw your post. I think the team will play better, and Lin will play better. Let's get our first win!!! _________________ "We have a lot of guys that have been kinda discarded ... Myself with the injury and the age. Jeremy ... a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves" -- Kobe Bryant
We shall see how Lin responds. Maybe Kobe telling him to stop treating it like playing with Harden or Carmelo.
Lin has been basically given the green light by Kobe to do whatever he wants and whatever he feels is right and Kobe being willing to be a part of whatever Lin's plan is as Lin is the planner as the teams point guard.
There should be no reason for Lin to be hesitant after these talks with Kobe.
So I hope he has a bounce back game and him and Kobe can co-exist now that Lin knows he has the green light. If not Lin may perhaps go back to the bench but from the sounds of it Kobe and Scott believe in Lin as a starter.
We shall see how Lin responds. Maybe Kobe telling him to stop treating it like playing with Harden or Carmelo.
Lin has been basically given the green light by Kobe to do whatever he wants and whatever he feels is right and Kobe being willing to be a part of whatever Lin's plan is as Lin is the planner as the teams point guard.
There should be no reason for Lin to be hesitant after these talks with Kobe.
So I hope he has a bounce back game and him and Kobe can co-exist now that Lin knows he has the green light. If not Lin may perhaps go back to the bench but from the sounds of it Kobe and Scott believe in Lin as a starter.
So we'll see what happens.
Yes that was basically what Kobe said. I think one of the key phrases is that Kobe want Lin to play as he was in high school, basically telling him to play without having to look over his shoulder. I too, hope they can co exist and eventually develop into a lethal one two punch, or "one two three" punch including the bigs . Hopefully this will happen to a large extent starting tonight!!! _________________ "We have a lot of guys that have been kinda discarded ... Myself with the injury and the age. Jeremy ... a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves" -- Kobe Bryant
yes. Hopefully Lin will have a good game starting tonight _________________ "We have a lot of guys that have been kinda discarded ... Myself with the injury and the age. Jeremy ... a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves" -- Kobe Bryant
Maybe instead of directing everyone else what to do, Kobe should just concentrate on playing?
I am getting a little annoyed with how deferential everyone is towards him. Kobe is a player, not a coach last time I checked. If he is going to be the one telling guys what to do, fire Byron and just make Kobe a Player-Coach like Dave Cowens back in the day. _________________ Love, Laker Lanny
"Go run the offense—aggressively. This is your job. You run the show. You're good at it. You don't have to look over your shoulder anymore like with other teams. Grab the bull by the horns. Enough with your talk about fitting in or facilitating for me. Play like you played when you were in high school."
Lets go Lakers! _________________ "We have a lot of guys that have been kinda discarded ... Myself with the injury and the age. Jeremy ... a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves" -- Kobe Bryant
Joined: 12 Jul 2014 Posts: 157 Location: Oakland, CA
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:07 pm Post subject:
Serena Winters @SerenaWinters 6m6 minutes ago
Kobe Bryant says he talked with Jeremy Lin a lot after the game in Phoenix. Says he couldn't be more pleased, figured a lot of things out
Serena Winters @SerenaWinters 8m8 minutes ago
Kobe: "I don't want chumps. I don't want pushovers. If you're a chump I'm going to run over you."
Serena Winters @SerenaWinters 6m6 minutes ago
Last quote was in response to @shahanLA's question to Kobe about J. Lin being more assertive. Kobe was happy w/ Lin's performance
Maybe instead of directing everyone else what to do, Kobe should just concentrate on playing?
I am getting a little annoyed with how deferential everyone is towards him. Kobe is a player, not a coach last time I checked. If he is going to be the one telling guys what to do, fire Byron and just make Kobe a Player-Coach like Dave Cowens back in the day.
Looks like Lin listened. Kobe is an alltime great veteran playing with many young players who are mostly journeymen. Why wouldn't they be deferential? _________________ "My thirst for domination is fed only by the game. I refuse to get distracted by outside forces." - Kobe Bryant
Maybe instead of directing everyone else what to do, Kobe should just concentrate on playing?
I am getting a little annoyed with how deferential everyone is towards him. Kobe is a player, not a coach last time I checked. If he is going to be the one telling guys what to do, fire Byron and just make Kobe a Player-Coach like Dave Cowens back in the day.
Shahan Ahmed @shahanLA · 1h 1 hour ago
Takeaway from post game press conferences: Kobe happiest he's probably ever been after a loss...Ecstatic that Lin waived him off. #lakers _________________ "We have a lot of guys that have been kinda discarded ... Myself with the injury and the age. Jeremy ... a bunch of players who other teams really felt they had no use for. So we have that kind of attitude built into ourselves" -- Kobe Bryant
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. Hopefully this will happen to a large extent starting tonight!!!
Cant do dat no moe
