NUGGETS -at- LAKERS – 1-17-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Little Things… They haunt the Laker youth on D.

Plays like Randle getting walked under the hoop on a missed FT and giving up a putback dunk; Ingram not recognizing a man hanging back in transition and giving up a fastbreak score as we missed in transition; Russell overplaying in the backcourt on an inbounds allowing his man to take it the distance at the end of the half; Clarkson going under a screen to hot three shooter, then fouling trying to recover; etc., etc., etc.

The Lakers gave up a 40-point first quarter to start this one off. They let the Nuggets get comfortable early and that was a hard uphill battle the rest of the night. While the Nuggets were on fire from three, quite a bit of it was just poor D. The combination had the Lakers down 14 after the first quarter and once again looking like the Washington Generals on D.

Luke would yank the starters twice, wholesale subs for the bench. As I’ve mentioned before, usually I don’t like this, but with this team right now it’s kind of a must-do for a variety of reasons.

The Lakers trailed by 17 heading into the fourth quarter. Tarik Black giving the Lakers some much needed spark, but handing the baton over to young Ivica Zubac to manage the C spot in the final quarter. That Zubac, Young, Ingram, Clarkson and Lou lineup made a game of it. The trimmed the lead all the way down to within a point. It was anyone’s game down the stretch…but a 17-point fourth quarter lead is hard to overcome. The Lakers eventually fell 127-121.

“Awesome. We found it again. We found our passion, our fight, our togetherness playing for one another,” Luke said. “We saw it firsthand there. What an effort those guys gave. I wish I had a few more timeouts to get them some rest because they were leaving everything they had out there on the floor.”

Williams was nailing clutch shots. Young was fighting hard with Ingram in an undersized lineup on D. Clarkson was hustling and Zubac anchored.

“They were getting everything they wanted most of the game and when he got in there, he started changing some shots, he got his deflections, he had a beautiful pass to Nick in the corner that would have cut it to 1,” Luke said.

Zubac’s defensive presence and double-double contribution was huge. He erases mistakes. No other big on our team does that. Unfortunately, we just need a lot of that until our team D can more consistently play on a string. It was a message sent by Luke.
“I would hope and I think with the guys we have, they sat there on the bench and saw five guys give it their all,” Luke said.


Russell -- -- Luke mentioned some specific plays afterward. One was Russell’s. “They had guys literally backcut us with 4 seconds to go. Keep your man in front of you and the basket. It’s basic concepts that we were too lazy to commit to,” Luke said. He rattled of several plays from multiple players and it was mostly in that starting lineup. Pretty awful first half with the 1 for 6 shooting and some painful defensive sequences. Just 3 points, 1 assist and a -14. If he has a bad first half, it often means a bad game. Luke said he thought Russell was starting to play harder/better in the second half, but the starters (Randle) failed to the little things and they sat. “We can’t afford to waste opportunities and waste days,” Luke said. “It kind of felt like we were okay playing an offensive battle with Denver.” I like the fire from Luke staying positive with the future he sees in the team, but telling them they have to do a better job. Asked about his play, “It’s been shitty. It’s been real shitty,” he said with no issues with Luke sitting him. He also refused to take credit for some wins earlier when he was playing well, saying it was a team effort. He doesn’t seem to be deluding himself in any way that he’s got to improve. I really want to see us doing a better job of setting him up for catch-and-shoot threes versus ones off the dribble. I think that makes a big difference for him with his three shot which has been struggling. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-9 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -18. The Action: He missed a runner in the paint. He stripped his man, pushed it up and zipped as pass to Mozgov in transition for a dunk. He missed a 17-footer. He missed a pull-up wing three. Got it back and missed another a little further back. He missed a drive, we got it back, he took a pass from Nick and hit the catch-and-shoot three. He was picked trying to go behind his back on the dribble, dunk the other way. Horrible D in the backcourt, giving up a drive and foul by overplaying. Second Half: He missed a pumping pull-up jumper in the paint. He cut baseline, took the pass and kicked out to Ingram for a three. He attacked to his left in early offense and scored the layup. He missed an easy one at the front of the rim.

Randle -- -- The starters got bench in both halves off sequences that involved Randle. One was walking back off a backcourt sideline out of bounds play in the backcourt that involved Mozgov having to take a foul. Off a deadball play. So they all sat. In the second half it was Randle getting walked under the hoop to give up a putback dunk on a missed FT. So they sat again and watched for the rest of the game. Those defensive miscues off of lazy effort got him and the starters the hook. Luke needs to do that more. Offensively, Randle played pretty well. He had a charge in the first half with 3 seconds left after pushing the ball up full court on an inbounds. You take those kinds of turnovers and bad plays because it’s all part of the process of learning the game. And, because, of what he did just before that. He pushed the ball up court, cut off a big, putting him in jail like a guard to take him out of the play, suddenly creating a two-on-one situation and then lobbing to Black for the dunk. Only a couple PFs in the league that can do something like that. He also pushed the ball up court and fed Mozgov on the break for a layup. That’s why you continue to tell him to push the ball, play with speed. There will be problems, but improvement doesn’t come without learning experiences. Randle was at a triple-double pace in the first half with 5 points, 6 board and 6 assists with 3 turnovers. The defense, however, had him sitting for most of the second half. Got to bring more consistent focus on the little things. No short cuts in this game mentally. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-8 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 7 assists, 5 turnovers, 1 steal and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -10. The Action: He pushed out the board and threw it ahead to Mozgov for the layup. His bounce pass was picked off. He found Ingram in the corner for three. He nearly got caught in the air but kicked to Nick for the corner three. He missed a pull-up 17-footer. Bad angle on D and he gave up a dunk. He walked up the floor and it forced Mozgov to foul his man after a quick inbounds. He was fouled on a jumphook and made both FTs. He missed a layup off the two-man game. He scored an And-1 reverse off the drive and dish from Clarkson, but we gave it right back on D on the other end a few seconds later. He was blocked, got it back and missed a weird looking attempt in the lane (might have been fouled or blocked). He traveled getting caught in the air after taking off with both feet with no plan. He missed a step-back wing jumper up against the shotclock. He pushed out the ball, cut a man off, put him in jail and lobbed to Black for the dunk. He iso’d, attacked the rim and missed, Luke irate there was no foul call. He took an inbounds, pushed it out and plowed over a man for a charge with 3 seconds left. Second Half: He stripped his man on a reach on the perimeter, took the outlet and dunked. Off the mark on a lob to Mozgov in transition. He lost the handle on a face up after stopping, then knocked it out of bounds. He gave up a putback dunk on a missed FT.

Ingram -- -- Our two rookies represented well. It was a loss, but they battled hard with BI getting the most run of any Laker tonight. Ingram got the start, but he and Young were the two starters who returned to help rally the team in the fourth quarter. Loved the steal in the passing lane in the first half to take it for a dunk. With his length, I’d like to see him doing that a little more. Maybe with Zubac behind him or Nance to help if he comes up empty he can do that more. His combination of length and mobility should be utilized a little more like that. He had 3 steals. I’m hopeful we’ll see more of that. Look at the stat line tonight on how many different categories he put up numbers. He also pretty much played 4 positions tonight. The down side, he had another miscue in transition D just not aware of the situation to stay back like he should have. Seems to happen with some regularity. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-14 shooting (2-6 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He splashed a corner three on the kickout. He broke up a lob. He missed a wing three (couldn’t step into that one). His pass was nearly picked off, he got it back, attacked and scored the layup. He looked fouled on a three attempt that was about a foot short. He was stripped out of bounds on a drive. He missed a jumper on a drive across the lane. He jumped a passing lane, pounced on the ball and took it the distance for the dunk (more please). He airballed a good look at a three. Second Half: He fought through a screen to draw an offensive foul. He sank a three on a kickout from Russell. Bad recognition in transition of a man hanging back and we gave up an uncontested score as soon as we missed. He missed a wing three behind a screen. He sank an elbow pull-up jumper. He dunked off the drive and dish from Lou. Short on a 16-footer. He swiped a kickout and threw it behind him to Clarkson to ignite a break. Quick attack by Ingram off the inbounds and he was fouled with 24 seconds left, he made one FT.

Mozgov -- -- Apparently he threw a water bottle on the sideline either in response to the starters getting benched or out of frustration with how they were playing. I think on both plays where we called timeout and sat the starters, it was off a breakdown by Randle. He, Russell and Randle didn’t return in that second half. Black and Zubac outplayed him again for different reasons. Zubac does a better job altering shots (which we need with how many mistakes we make) and Black has more energy. Some good moments changing ends from defense to offense by Mozgov, but he watched a lot of this game from the sideline. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 10 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He missed a jumper off the down screen on the first possession. Good job getting down floor and Randle found him in transition for the layup. Running the floor again and Russell found him for the dunk. He was called for a travel not taking a jumper. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Young -- -- “I’m just glad we kept fighting and not giving in. Hopefully, it carries over,” Nick said. He and Ingram were undersized but giving it their all in the small ball lineup (the two combined for 6 steals). Nick made some big shots in the fourth but there were a couple of big threes he missed that could have changed the outcome. Zubac took a pass in the paint, drew the D and kicked to Nick for one big attempt three in crunch time. Nick missed. Afterward, Nick said the funny thing was Zubac came over to him and said, “If I’m going to pass you the ball you better make the shot.” Veteran-like talk from the teenager. Nick said Zubac is going to be special. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 8-16 shooting (4-11 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 steals and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He sank a pull-up wing jumper. He swished a corner three on the kickout from Randle. He missed a corner three. He was fouled on a reverse in transition after a good defensive sequence on the other end to force a turnover, he made both FTs. He missed a wing three. He couldn’t finish in a crowd, got the ball back, took it to the corner and swished a three. He missed a wing three. Second Half: He sank a wing jumper to start the half. He sank a three from the top of the arc. He got tapped on a wing three in transition. He swished a baseline jumper in transition. Short on a three in transition after poking a ball loose. He crashed the glass and scored the putback. He sank a sideline three off the catch and shoot. He missed a heat check three next time down. He missed a corner three on a kickout. He stepped on the sideline to end our game.

Clarkson -- -- He hit a big fourth quarter three that cut the lead to 1. The Lakers nearly pulling off the comeback. Definitely earning his pay level with this kind of game. Just a good two-way effort. Some excellent moments with him and Zubac on the two-man game. Clarkson’s quick trigger on the jumper and quick handle can cause the D a lot of problems. Zubac’s big screens can make him a big target as Clarkson draws the D. Zu is also a pick and pop threat. I want to see those two on the court together more. Clarkson found him twice for jams. His other assist was an And-1 for Randle on the layup. More of that, please. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-16 shooting (2-5 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals and 5 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He attacked and missed a runner after a poorly executed weave. He didn’t hit rim on a pull-up midrange jumper in transition, sheesh. He attacked off the two-man game and fed Randle for the And-1 layup. He sank a wing jumper off the two-man game. He changed directions off the dribble and blew past the defender for the layup. Wild drive and he scooped the layup right out of bounds, either O.C. or fouled, certainly ugly. He swiped a pass in early offense. He swished a three off a BLOB play out of a timeout after he inbounded the ball. He missed a three off a weave sequence where he didn’t weave (I like the read and not being as predictable, led to a decent shot). Second Half: He threw a pass away. Short on a wing three. He pushed out a steal and was blocked, then knocked it out of bounds. He came off the down screen and swished the elbow jumper. Way short on a pull-up jumper. Why are you going under a screen to a red hot Barton, Clarkson managed to foul him on three, so good effort to try to recover, lol. He swished a floater. Nice pocket pass to Zubac for the slam. He pushed out the steal from Ingram and drew FTs on the break, he made both. He was rejected on a layup, got it back and missed the corner three. He found Zubac on the screen-roll for a dunk. He lost his man on a pull-back dribble and swished the wing jumper. He made a tech FT. He sank a wing three to cut it to 1.

Williams -- -- Luke nearly pulled off a fourth-quarter heist. He had a couple of big threes as well as his usual assortment of FTs or drives for scores around the rim. That small ball lineup hustled. Getting stops plays to the advantage of our speedy perimeter guards on the other end, allowing them to create before the D gets set. When Lou and Clarkson have bigs behind them that protect the rim or erase mistakes with proper rotations, they get stops. When they get stops, they get going downhill with speed on the other end and are tough to handle. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 8-17 shooting (2-6 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 7 assists, 1 block and no fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: With the play busted, he drew the reach foul on a three, he made all three FTs. He attacked in transition and hit the short floater. He was blocked on a layup (maybe should have used his other hand). He changed speeds in the lane and scored an And-1 layup to start the second quarter, he made the FT. He missed a three off the kickback. He missed a floater, stayed with it and knocked it off a man to regain possession. Good job standing in and taking a charge in early offense to get a stop. He missed a wing three. Second Half: Quick strike in early offense for a layup. Poor help when we were icing on the side, he didn’t rotate over to help at the FT line, Luke called a timeout. He missed a three. He attacked, drew the D and dished to Ingram for the dunk. He attacked to his right for layup to start the fourth. He airballed a floater. He missed a wing three. He lost his man off the dribble and swished the floater over the help. He drew a reach on the perimeter and chucked for FTs, he made both. He sank a wing three to cut it to 8. Early offense attack, he threw the D and threaded a tough pass to Zubac, who somehow held on and scored. Bad ass, deep three shortly later to cut the lead to 2, one of the shots of the game that probably will go unnoticed. Quick attack off the handoff, curling back to the lane and scoring the layup. He missed a big layup on a drive in early offense. He missed a layup.

Black -- -- If we could just bottle Tarik’s effort and spread it around to a few others. We ran him with Zubac and Randle, taking minutes away from Mozgov and probably some that would have been Deng’s at the PF. He had 8 points and 5 boards in the first half, playing with some great energy. More of that in the second half. Some good post moves scoring on the jumphooks with both hands. He also had an excellent spin baseline to lose his man for a score and a strong putback jam. You look at a game like this and wonder if we didn’t have Mozgov how well could we hold the line with Black and Zubac? They were strong at the C spot and you’ve also got Randle and Nance in the mix, as well. The young bigs on this team have a ton of potential. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 7-13 shooting to go with 8 boards (6 offensive), 1 turnover, 1 block and 3 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He lost the ball off the dribble, turnover. He scored a lefty layup around a smaller man. He missed a putback, got it back, missed again, but we regained it. He faced up, attacked across the lane and hit the lefty jumphook. He dunked when Randle took his man out with a seal off the dribble like a guard and lobbed to him. He tipped in a missed three. Second Half: He rejected a drive and controlled. Low position and he made the jumphook. He power slammed back in a missed by Zubac. Quick spin in the post and he powered in a layup. He was blocked on a layup in early offense. He kept a possession alive chasing down a missed a three. He was blocked on a drive. He drew a charge on a drive to get a stop. He bobbled a pass and couldn’t finish the layup.

Zubac -- -- His first NBA double-double. Asked if he was surprised about it coming together, he said no. And if you saw him in the Summer League, you shouldn’t be surprised, either. This was the kind of impact he was having there. It’s a big step up to this level, but he’s a teenager. Yeah, we did well in this draft with our teenagers…but they’re teenagers, so have patience. They will have ups and downs. Zubac said he’s a better offensive player but trying to pick things up on D. “He’s not an energy type of guy, but he’s always in the right spot,” Luke said. Being in the right spot makes up for lack of speed and having to deal with tricky two-man sequences. Give him minutes, let him make mistakes. Luke said afterward that Zu definitely earned more minutes. Luke ran a Zubac/Black front court with Deng out of the mix. So we stole some minutes there and then we also just took them from Mozgov/Randle at the C spot tonight. He showed his excellent length and anticipation on D altering shots and blocking 3. He was pulling down boards. Offensively, he showed his great touch around the hoop but also his good hands taking some tricky passes. He also showed he’s a willing passer. “He’s going to be nice,” Clarkson said. Those two ran the two-man game pretty well at times. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-11 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 13 boards (5 offensive), 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 3 blocks and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: His man tried to attack him off the dribble and Zubac rejected him. Nice touch on a baseline one-hander. He disrupted a drive, going up high with both hands to challenge and he controlled the miss. Good job on the boards. He missed a tip-in. He knocked a ball off his man to get a turnover. Second Half: He knocked down the open 18-footer on the pick and pop after entering the game. He missed a short one but Black power slammed it back down. He missed the 5-footer, but stole it back in transition, knocking the post feed away. Monster slam off the two-man game with Clarkson. Nice challenge to alter a layup into an airball to erase some poor perimeter D. His interior pass was picked off trying to bounce it (Luke wanted him to go high on that). Easy dunk off the two-man game with Clarkson. He blocked his man on a recovery. Great hands off a tough interior pass from Lou in early offense and he scored a big hoop to cut it to 6. He was fouled on a layup attempt with 1:24 down by 3, he made one. I think we had to burn a timeout on a SLOB play because Zubac either missed a screen or didn’t move to get open off the pressure release, hard to say. He missed a tip-in.

Calderon -- --Some filler first half minutes. We don’t really need to play him. Good things rarely happen. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 1 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 7 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He missed an open pull-up from 17. He found Zubac on the baseline weakside for a score. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Walton -- -- Luke sat all five starters at the 6:10 mark after giving up transition points on a deadball to trail 21-14… He went with Zubac, Black, Clarkson, Williams and Calderon. They didn’t slow them down… Nuggets 6-6 from three and the Lakers trailed by 13… He sat Black and Calderon for Randle and Ingram with 3 minutes left… The Lakers trailed 40-26 after the first quarter… Down 11 when Zubac sat for Black after 3 minutes… They cut the lead to 4… Russell back in, Lakers down 6 midway through the quarter… They cut it to 4 but the lead ballooned back up to 10 as they started to look a little tired… Another weak finish to close the half. The Lakers trailed 66-54… Down 16 with under 8 minutes left, he called a timeout, shaking his head after Randle gave up a putback dunk on a missed FT rebound… Luke sat everyone again for the bench… Black’s energy forcing a Nugget timeout down 12… He sat Zubac with 2:29 left for Young to go small… The Lakers trailed 101-84 heading into the fourth… Zubac back in for Black… They cut it to 11… After giving up a dunk, Luke called a timeout. They trimmed it to 9… Then forced as timeout with 5 minutes left after cutting it to 8… Nick, Lou and Zubac scoring to cut the lead to 2 with 3:11 left… They got it as close as 1. They couldn’t get some key stops and trailed by 5 with 29 seconds when Luke called a timeout. They couldn’t get the ball inbounds and had to burn a timeout… No last-minute miracles to save them… Luke was fired up in the postgame afterward talking about the effort that the second unit game…

[Omar Little]

First

[Inspector Gadget]

This team clearly competes more often then not, the ending result is more on the fact of not being experienced enough and not having a go 2 guy.

[justsomelakerfan]

Thanks DB! My quick thoughts: outside of that 3 guard lineup in the 2nd, I thought Luke did a great job tonight too. I have higher expectations for Russell and Randle than their play this week! Stoked the rookies played well. When Nance Jr comes back, the center rotation will be interesting. I think Mozgov should still start out of obligation but get less minutes and divvy them up between Black/Zubac.
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Austin Reaves
Tweeter: @sarah_dotbiz

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB. So good to see Zublocka getting some real playing time, and he's making the most of it. Keep it up big Zu!

Interesting that a 19 year old kid with almost no NBA experience can come in and erase others' defensive mistakes like nobody else on the team can.

Also good to see some fight in this team late. Excellent job to Tiny Dog, Nick, Lou and JC in addition to our backup C's. Now lets hope DLO and Randle can rediscover what made them so good in the first place on offense and patch a few dozen fundamental flaws on defense.

And in the words of Fine Young Cannibals: Larry! We're Sorry! Won't you come on home!!

[J.C. Smith]

Great game by Zubac.

I also like that Luke is holding guys accountable on defense. The double full yank of the starters tonight, and a few games ago he yanked Robinson and didn't play him again until tonight. Hopefully they get the message.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[Shaber]

Thanks, DB!

I read your notes and keep thinking - again, again.

40 point first Q - again.
Little, but costly mistakes on D - again.
Not hustling properly - again.
Fourth Q comeback - again.
Sparked when Lou, Zubac (now, Nance earlier), Ingram (sometimes Clarkson) are out there - again.

There are patterns. Too many of them negative, though.
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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

[67ShelbyGT]

Thanks DB. Yeah I'd like to see a BI/Lance/Zubac lineup defensively too.

[Chronicle]

Too Little Too Late

I stopped watching in the fourth then came back when it was 3 minutes left and went HUH

Unfortunately it wasn't enough

but WHY please someone tell me can't they do what they did in that fourth quarter the entire game?

sigh
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Kobe

[A Mad Chinaman]

Kids Will Be Kids!

Good through though catastrophic when one is playing a Man's Game in the NBA.

Hopefully the kids are just tired (odd considering how young they are - especially the supposedly young bright lights like DLO, Randle and JC)

Which player, if they are on the roster at this time, will "motivate" and help keep "accountable" all the youngsters when they are executing the basic game plan?

Sad that DLO and Randle (along with other low-performing youngsters) might need the Phil Jackson Treatment - learn on the court and even during a blow-out, stay on the court to feel how embarrassing it is to be totally whupped.

Luke is still searching for the right roles for these players and what responsibilities they can handle.

JC has seemingly found a niche as a Sixth Man

DLO has a talented complimentary "catch-and-shoot" player who can pass well

Randle can become a Kenneth Faried - talented energy player that needs to be around veteran players

Zuboc has potential because he is physically able to provide something Black and Mosgov cannot provide

Ingram's "star" is starting to shine through and might be the needed "Cool Hand Luke" the team needs

Funny - it is hard to tell when Deng is or is not playing. Wasn't Deng brought in to provide veteran leadership on the court while being a role model for the youngsters? Can anyone point out where the court leadership has actually taken place. Having a $72M locker guy who is not producing is too expensive since MVP's role/responsibilities are the same

Mosgove is totally depended on the guard play.

LouWill/Swaggy have the necessary cachet or desire to be the leader and whipped the youngsters in shape????

Future will be fun to watch

[DrDent]

Great breakdown DB.

Is it too early to be concerned re dlo?

I know he shot well the other night but He's now shooting under 40 percent on the year

[Vin]

Positive from this game : We're gonna see more of Zubac in the next games. I'd like to see him getting some post ups opportunites too.

[danzag]

Really liked the hustle on the 4th quarter.
I hope it serves as an example to the starters - DLO, Randle, Mozgov: you got to play with intensity every (bleep) minute on the court.

[12]

I haven't been getting frustrated much for the last 3 seasons, but this game was frustrating. The nuggets were playing out of their mind, meanwhile, our defense was nonexistent. They made guys who have no business being out of the D-League look like all-stars. Frustrating.

[Dr. Funkbot]

We need Nance to come back. He and Zu Alcindor can help fix up our D.
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R.I.P. Doc Buss

[Klone_dd]

DLo has been stinking up the joint the last couple of weeks. Glad he's admitting it. Now he has to do something about it.

He and Randle lead the starters and should recognize the team's slow starts in the 1st and 3rd Q's are a result of their lack of aggression/focus.

[Shaber]

[DancingBarry]

I remember Bynum's first few years people/coaches talked about his lack of aggression/playing with fire in his belly... also learning to play above the rim. Those issues affect our young guys with varying degrees. Over time, I think that became a non issue with Bynum. When he was at his peak (pre-injury and spiral downward), he brought that. But it took a while. Some guys it's not an issue for, other guys it is...but it doesn't mean that what they will look like down the line.