HORNETS -at- LAKERS - 12/6 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:32 am    Post subject: HORNETS -at- LAKERS - 12/6 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings

Lifeless... I said when Kobe went down with the ankle injury that not only was his status "day to day with a moderate sprain", but that was the team's status, too. I didn't think we'd look quite this bad, especially against a Hornets team that was missing three key players.

The Lakers played with no energy and no sense of urgency on their way to a 105-89 defeat. The guard penetration was killing us, pulling our bigs to contest shots and giving up offensive boards all night. Phil changed up to a zone in the fourth to try to take away the pick and roll, but the Lakers still played soft.

Kobe only made a couple of attacks off the dribble late in the game. Prior to that, it was all jumpers. Obviously, the ankle was affecting how he could attack. He was also a weak link on defense with that ankle...but so was anyone trying to defend the Hornet screen-roll. We didn't "help the helper" on our rotations way too many times.

"Penetration -- it's a killer," Phil said in the Daily News. "We couldn't stop Paul, we picked him up, dropped back off him, tried to do a variety of things against him and he found penetration."

Only one stat needs to be looked in this one. The Hornets killed us on the offensive glass, taking 20 offensive boards while we managed only 5. The above problems were a result of that number.


Kobe -- -- Well, it's hard to drive your car on a bad wheel. And, it was difficult for Kobe to drive the paint on his. Just be glad his sprain wasn't worse. Kobe settled for jumpers throughout the night, so that limited his effectiveness against the Hornets. He could have sliced them up badly if he was able to attack like he wanted. "I couldn't run like I normally do or explode or get to the basket and things like that," Bryant said in the Daily News. "There's certain holes in the defense that I'll make sure to capitalize on next time we play them if I'm healthy." Defensively, the hustle and activity that we saw in the last couple games was not there. He was stuck on picks and late on rotations. Kobe still led the Lakers with 24 points on 10-17 shooting (which was mostly perimeter stuff). His 2-2 from the freethrow line tells the story of his lack of attack. Early in the game, he flashed off the weakside Tri screen and swished an elbow jumper. He swished an 18-footer from the wing. He then missed a wing three. He stole a pass in the backcourt, then hit Kwame with a no-look feed for the And-1. He sank a wing jumper with his heels on the three line. During his first break, he tried to keep his ankle loose on the sideline. Back in, he came up short on another jumper. With 3 on the shotclock, he drew FTs on his swing-through move and made both (his only FTs of the night and they came on a perimeter move). He swished a three, quickly in the offense. He swished a 28-foot three from the top of the arch. He missed his next three. He didn't close out defensively and gave up an open three. He swished an elbow jumper. He couldn't react defensively in transition to challenge Pargo and gave up a layup. He had 16 points on 6-10 shooting at the half. He bricked a three trying to beat the shotclock. With the shotclock low, he threw up a sweeping hook from about 11 feet away and missed (he then hobbled back to the other end of the court). He swished a wing jumper off a handoff from Ronny. Kobe's first attack off the dribble came early in the fourth and he kicked out a pass after getting no where. He banked in a wing jumper over Pargo. He attacked again and drew a foul. He swung through and swished a 17-footer. He went up for a shot and spotted Lamar open under the hoop for a layup. He tried to zone off of Pargo when LO was matched up with Paul, and Pargo hit a wide open three. He got into the lane and hit a step-through floater.

Odom -- -- LO was said to be fighting off a cold in this game. I can only hope that's what was fogging his head when he brainlocked in crunch time on an inbounds play. He took the ball out of bounds from the ref, then took a dribble onto the court before passing to Smush. I've never seen an inbounds turnover as bad as that one. "I played bad the whole game, so I'm not surprised by it at all," LO summarized afterwards. Lamar led all Lakers with 7 turnovers. Ouch. He also led all Lakers with a -23. Double ouch. Lamar wasn't controlling the glass as he has in the past few games. He had 7 boards in 41 minutes. He did manage to score 20 on the other end on a solid 7-14 shooting (1-4 from three). Early on, he grabbed a defensive board, pushed out on the break, picked up his dribble at the three-point line as Paul reached and dunked after two huge steps. He attacked off a Kwame handoff, took contact and scored at the side of the rim (should have been an And-1). He posted up in the zone and found Smush cutting for a layup. He posted up, took contact again with no call, and somehow scooped in a shot. He forced a pass to Bynum which was picked off for a score the other way. He had a series of turnovers at the end of the first half: stepping on the baseline, called for three seconds and overpassing into a crowd. He attacked off the dribble and scooped in a shot over Chandler's block attempt. To start the third, he forced another pass into traffic for a turnover. He attacked in transition and scooped in a layup as Luke screened a help defender. He barely hit the rim trying to post up Chandler. Next time, he attacked him with speed (much better), got into his chest and drew FTs, making both. He pulled down a missed FT by Farmar and drew a foul, he made one FT. He missed a wing jumper to start the fourth. He swished a wing three off the pinch post to cut the lead to three. He drew FTs getting out on the break and made both. He missed a long three against the shotclock. Poor read defensively, not helping the helper and he gave up an uncontested oop dunk. He scored a layup on the other end when Kobe fed him under the hoop. He drew a perimeter foul and missed both FTs.

Walton -- -- "In the second half we were terrible," Luke said. "We didn't rebound. We didn't stop them from getting in the lane for scoring or passing." Pretty much. Although, we did have the same problems in the first half. Luke went 4-8, missing all 4 attempts from beyond the arc. That will hurt the percentage, and it certainly hurt the Lakers as a few of those were key looks late in the game. If he knocks down a couple of those, we might have had a different ball game. Luke scored 11 points, dished 4 assists and had just 2 boards in 34 minutes. Defensively, he didn't offer much in this one. Early on, he came off the weakside Tri screen, faked at the FT line, attacked with his left and scored a layup. He pushed up the break, got into the lane in traffic and dished a no-look pass to Kwame (while sliding to his right to avoid a charge) and Kwame dunked. He drew a foul on his fade and made both FTs. He trailed the break, Smush dumped him the ball and he scored easily. The Hornets zoned on an inbounds, it broke down and Luke walked under the hoop, got a pass and scored a layup. He lost the handle on the dribble for an over-and-back violation. He attacked into the paint and whipped a pass to Kwame for a dunk. Kobe was fronting and looked like he was about to give up a layup, but Luke came from behind to force a turnover. He curled around his man and reversed with his left. He drew FTs away from the ball and made one. He missed his first three attempt, a foot behind the line. He missed several threes in the fourth quarter, some key shots. He lost the ball on the dribble for a turnover with 4 minutes left. He stood flat-footed on the FT line as Paul missed an FT instead of boxing him out or filling the middle of the lane and he gave up a board to Paul. He then got lobbed on for a dunk when the Lakers were lost in D. Phil sat him with a minute left. (Luke has made 17 of his last 18 FTs in a row to lift his FT shooting to 70 percent on the season.)

Smush -- -- Smush was looking awfully sticky on the picks throughout the game and had too many moments where he didn't stay with the guard on penetration or rotate well. Both he and Farmar were getting killed, and our help D was MIA. Smush scored 7 points on 3-8 shooting, had 2 assists and 1 steal in 30 minutes. He missed a wing three on his first shot. He blew past Paul at the wing, got into the chest of Chandler and scored an And-1, he missed the FT. (He is shooting .639 from the line this season.) Nice anticipation as Luke doubled, Smush jumped the passing lane on the kickout, pushed up the break and left the ball for a trailing Luke for the score. He cut through the zone, took the post pass from Lamar and scored a layup. He stripped a ball out of bounds when switched on a bigger man. He attacked the paint, got contact on Chandler again and threw in an And-1, he made the FT. He drew a foul in transition and missed badly, long and short on his FTs. He choked a point-blank layup attempt.

Kwame -- -- Kwame led the Lakers on the glass on both ends of the floor and pulled down 9 rebounds (2 offensive) on the night. He had to switch a bit thoughout the night and contest guard penetration all game. He finished with 9 points on 4-8 shooting in 30 minutes. He dunked on the break when Luke drew the D and set him up. He posted up and bounced in a turnaround. He missed a layup after a nice move, then Kobe stole the ball and fed him for an And-1, he made the FT. He traveled trying to post up Chandler. He dunked off a drive and kick from Luke. He swatted Paul on dribble penetration. He posted up and got rejected by Chandler coming from the weakside. Back in early in the fourth, he was called for a push off foul on an offensive board. He pulled down his next one and reset the offense.

Bynum -- -- He played just 7 minutes, grabbed 2 boards and blocked 3 shots and then didn't get any more run. He was having some trouble controlling the boards, and it is very obvious this season that Phil doesn't trust him a bit when it comes to defending a team running a lot of pick and roll. While he was out there, he blocked a shot, but couldn't secure a board and gave up a score. Nice help D block on another sequence, coming over from the weakside. More shot contests, but still can't secure the boards. He missed a jumphook on his only attempt.

Radmanovic -- -- Vlad got the shortest tick of the night and managed a +1 during that run. He missed a couple rainbow jumpers to start. Nice tip in over a crowd in transition for a score. He contested Butler well in the post to secure a miss. That was his only hoop in his 6 minutes during the first half. He didn't see daylight in the second half.

Turiaf -- -- The Lakers certainly needed his energy. I thought it was apparent early, but we didn't go to him until things fell apart to open the third. Our help D situation was horrible, and he is one of our best help defenders. The might have tried a Kwame-Turiaf combo to give us some more rotation and mobility defensively. Ronny led the Lakers with a +3. He played 9 minutes, shot 2-4 for 5 points, had 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, but no rebounds. Good rotation to deflect a pass. He rejected Paul on dribble penetration and was called for a weak, weak foul. He missed a jumphook. He blocked Simmons in front of the rim and took a shot to the face for his efforts. He had to throw up a 22 footer to beat the clock, he missed. He posted up and knocked down an And-1 jumphook. He took the ball in the post again, drop-stepped and scored a layup.

Evans -- -- Well, at least he was one of the few to bring some effort. He wasn't able to make much of an impact, however. He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting in 18 minutes and grabbed 3 boards and had 2 steals. He missed a couple of easy ones on his first few attacks. Out of a timeout, he curled off a double screen with Pargo chasing him and drew two FTs at the rim, he made one. He bounced in a lucky floater on the break, trying to avoid the charge. He hit a pull-up jumper from 10-feet on the break. He took his eyes off a pass from Farmar and dropped it. He had a putback erased when the refs said the ball was still above the rim. He ballwatched and gave up a putback dunk.

Farmar -- -- Some decent minutes from Farmar at times, but he still had no answer for the penetration. He brought some better effort that Smush at times and that got him some extended run. Farmar scored 6 points to lead the bench on 3-5 shooting and had 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls. He went down to the floor to yank a loose ball away from Jackson and draw a foul. He missed a floater on the break. Pargo was taking him off the screen and getting into the lane to cause problems. He jabbed with his right and lost Pargo badly as he went to his left to score an off-hand layup over the help defender. He stole a pass, pushed it up and hit Evans for a short jumper. He got credited for a turnover when Evans took his eyes off a pass and let it go between his hands. He missed a three straight away. He attacked the baseline from the corner and scored a layup. He busted out on the break, used his body well to seal Butler as he went up and scored an And-1, he missed the FT. Strong rebound in the paint as the Lakers went zone, then he pushed out the break and fed Lamar for FTs.

Vujacic -- -- He played 7 minutes and had a couple boards and a couple of assists. He didn't take a shot. Good hustle to track down a loose ball in the corner and save it to Ronny. He attacked a crowd and lost the ball.

Phil -- -- Exactly midway through the third Phil made the kind of substitution a coach disgusted with the effort makes: He sat Smush, Lamar and Kwame and went with a Farmar, Kobe, Evans, Walton, Turiaf lineup trailing by 6. A few minutes later, he subbed in Sasha and Lamar for Luke and Kobe. The change was needed, but Phil could never dial a combination of players to compete... The Lakers started off scoring well, with a 34-point first quarter, but they wouldn't get out of the teen's in the next three quarters. The Lakers played that soft defense as discussed above and gave up 30 points in that quarter. All five Laker starters had 3 makes in 5 attempts in the first quarter, except Luke who was 3-3... Guard penetration was killing the Lakers all night. The Lakers went to a zone in the fourth, a sign of defeat against the pick and roll... Former Laker Jannero Pargo had 21 points off the bench... The Hornets scored 21 second-chance points to the Lakers 9... "We're not competition for San Antonio yet," Phil said afterward. "This team hasn't played in that level."...
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Mr. LakeShow
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:42 am    Post subject:

This game was very disturbing. i'm not even sure the Lakers really wanted to win this game.. it seems like games like these wakes the Lakers up for the next game.

but overall it was one of the heart-less efforts i have ever witnessed.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:49 am    Post subject:

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eniq 0x00
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 3:20 am    Post subject:

Scottie Pippen made that same Lamar inbounds turnover (or another inbounding violation-not time related) with less than a minute to play in a tight game against us in 1992 or 1993. We won mostly as a result of that TO btw.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:03 am    Post subject:

DB:

On this young team that will suffer lows (like tonight) and highs (beating Utah) - what player has the respect to get into a player's face to step up the effort without going ballistic?!?!

I know that Kobe doesn't want to always do that, but if LO is unable to pick up the slack - there is seemingly nobody else. Noting that Luke wasn't in sync (not a bad game, not a good game), Jordan providing a good effort and Sasha providing some energy - who's left.

btw: Smush was in the his "sleep-mode" that all of us are familiar that was noted at the number of times where he was in a different county when guarding his opponent that allowed them to have an easy and clean shot.

Ideas on how the Lakers can limit the penetration of guards such as Paul

** Funnel him to the help
** "Body" him at half-court w/players such as Evans
** Zone - last resort
** Team Defense (variation from #1 choice)

fyi: Does anybody know which defenders are providing the best defense on guards such as Parker, Paul, Iverson, etc.?

p.s.: Good work, DB!
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:47 am    Post subject:

Tough lost, thanks for the recap DB.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 5:11 am    Post subject:

ANother bad loss that's probably gonna hurt the Lakers in the end. The D was horrible, especially Smush, who was getting burnt on every play. This was just a bad loss.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 5:49 am    Post subject:

Thanks again DB for the recap. On nights when watching the game isn't an option for me I depend on you for the good as well as the bad and this certainly sounds bad.

All I can say is look out Atlanta. They're going to experience the backlash of this loss when our team comes to play on Friday.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 5:49 am    Post subject:



thanks DB. it's like the lakers only showed up to play in the first quarter.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:10 am    Post subject:

"We're not competition for San Antonio yet," Phil said afterward. "This team hasn't played in that level."...

Memo to Phil: Don't overlook the fact that we have a game vs Atl on Friday. If the team is worried about SA already, we'll get the same results vs the Hawks as we had with the NOOCH.

Kobe being out there should've impressed the guys enough to play a more inspired game. Him hobbling on the floor should've shown how much importance he was placing on a regular season game against a team in a downward spiral without 3 main pieces. Of course, that was all wishful thinking because the team played flat and flatter.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:35 am    Post subject:

I had a bad feeling about this game. I would almost rather that Kobe sat out. When he is limited defensively no one else plays good D either. When he is not playing I think the rest of the team is so afraid of getting blown out that they pick it up and play harder. I have to admit I turned this one off at the half and checked the scores a few times after that. We don't have the ability to turn it on late in the game if we've been coasting in the first half.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:18 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

1. With Kobe taking jumpers, it was obvious that Lamar, Smush and Luke needed to break down the defense via dribble penetration. Not only did they settle for jumpers themselves, they stood around flat-footed when they didn't have the ball. Horrible execution. Phil should have yanked these guys earlier.

2. Even missing three starters, the remaining Hornet strengths still match well with Laker weaknesses, namely perimeter defense and rebounding. With the exception of Rasual Butler, they have little range, but with Chris Paul you know they're going to screen roll, and with D. Mason they'll rely on cutting to the basket for easy scores. Sadly, this requires a degree of defensive awareness that is sorely lacking from this team.

They should have also been prepared for a rebounding war, as Chandler and Paul thrive on second chance opportunities. Yet this team wouldn't box-out, refused to anticipate or even hustle. There were times the Lakers would simply give up and start half-running back to their side of the floor, without a thought as to contesting the rebound.

3. If his wheel is that bad, Kobe should sit. It might have given the Lakers a sense of urgency being without their primary scorer. Against a team missing three starters, the Lakers simply decided it wasn't worth the effort. This team has a disturbing tendency to play to the level of the competition.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:58 am    Post subject:

I had just gotten done complimenting Smush's improved defense in DB's last game analysis when he comes up with that stinker. Thanks Smush, way to make old Lanny look good, not.

Let's just say Smush's defense is a work in progress. I personally thought the complete lack of D on Paul cost the Lakers the game. Or the Hornets just played better.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:59 am    Post subject:

Needed more Turiaf (and cowbell). When you're clearly losing a fight, it's best to inject as much chaos and energy into the situation as possible.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:01 am    Post subject:

I've haven't watched the game yet, but I don't think I really want to now
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:06 am    Post subject:

And what is with Smush at 63% from the FT line for the season?

That is just nasty, for a PG it is simply embarrassing.

Come on Smush, step it up already. Guard someone and make a FT for crissakes.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:12 am    Post subject:

Defense was a problem but all of our trouble in the game revolved around no inside game at all.

Kwame looked exposed inside last night. He simply could not do anything against Jackson and Chandler. Offensively he was ugly to watch. It's a smack in the face really. The reality is this team is not close to being a championship team if our post presence is Kwame. He just cannot score on guys that is longer than him. Defensively he was not showing strong enough on switches. Anytime you have a guard with the court vision of Chris Paul you have to get out on him and disrupt his passing. Several times when Kwame got switched over on him he gave Paul way too much room. I'm not ignoring our other guys from denying those easy passes for lobs but it starts up top. Personally I think the 9 rebounds are as misleading as Odom's 20 points.

Kobe looked ok offensively but defensively he was bad. Problem is I don't think Evans would have faired much better had Kobe sit out. Pargo of all people lit us up. Neither Kobe or Evans had the speed to keep up with him.

You have to give credit to Scott for finding a lineup that worked and exploiting it. I'm also confused why we didn't see Smush and Farmar on the floor together so we could have matched up defensively at times. Also you're getting murdered on the glass so why not go big upfront with Odom, Ronny, and Kwame?

Ronny played very well in his short stint. He was giving us a presence inside offensively and defensively but of course Phil takes him out for Kwame.... I couldn't understand this at all. It is not like Kwame was having any affect on Chandler.

Odom was similiar to Kobe. Offensively he finished with pretty decent stats but defensively he was horrible. He was completely invisible on the boards and just didn't really appear to have his head in the game. Whether it was due to the head cold I don't know but he was bad.

I'm suprised Andrew didn't get more minutes. He was at least inside trying to do something. Defensively his man was open inside due to Andrew helping out but thats not his fault that his teammates don't rotate over.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:28 am    Post subject:

this game illicited way too many curses from me throughout the night.

i spent the better part of the 2nd half yelling at the tv. painful to watch, and i don't like the beginning of a trend of sleeping against weak teams and giving up costly losses.

let's hope this doesn't become a season long trend. we need to take care of business on nights like last night. just simply ugly.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:41 am    Post subject:

i thought our defense picked up the last couple of games. Im not sure what happened last night. Hornets pretty much scored anytime they wanted.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:19 am    Post subject:

I think one of the keys that make this team the best it can be is when Kobe is setting the tone on defense, like he was against the Pacers. When the perimeter is tight, the Lakers really play well.


There are some valuable pieces on the team not being used. A point guard upgrade should be considered.

I like some of the things Smush can do, but he really is a PG who is a poor passer, poor defender, and terrible FT shooter. He is really holding the Lakers back right now. His defense, and effort on defense is just atrocious. Did you see Paul get by him in the backcourt, and Smush just jogs lightly to catch up while Paul attacks? Every game. It's disgusting.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:20 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
DB:



fyi: Does anybody know which defenders are providing the best defense on guards such as Parker, Paul, Iverson, etc.?

p.s.: Good work, DB!



Farmar and Sasha.


Watson would really help.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:48 am    Post subject:

Klone_dd wrote:
"We're not competition for San Antonio yet," Phil said afterward. "This team hasn't played in that level."...

Memo to Phil: Don't overlook the fact that we have a game vs Atl on Friday. If the team is worried about SA already, we'll get the same results vs the Hawks as we had with the NOOCH.


That quote was from a question in the post game press conference about how he feels they are going to match up against San Antonio. I actually think it was great that he said what he did. The players should take that comment to heart and play like maniacs on Friday.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:59 am    Post subject:

The SA comment is both honest and motivating at the same time.

The way they played against NO, noway they can match up with the Spurs. Now what if they get back to playing they way they're capable of?

I predicted 13-7 a week or so ago as what I expected after 20 games. It looks that way right now, but at the same time with this team - they could lose to a team like Milwaukee or NO, but then blowout a contender like SA.
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:19 am    Post subject:

hey db...nice but painful read...really, this team is not in san antonio's class, at least not yet...

was wondering about something though most of the night: doesn't this team remind anyone of the 1994-1996 period lakers (minus magic's cameo, kobe being the major difference)? good but not quite all-star bigs, depth and youth? of course kobe is light years away from ceballos as the lone all-star but was making the comparison in terms of depth, youth and possibly needing another piece to get over the hump?

of course that team eventually did get kobe/shaq but i really think the current one desperately needs either bynum to step up in a big way and be that player or simply try and trade for kg (sorry wolf, i know - no more kg threads!)...like i said, kobe makes this team lightyears better but i think, as currently constituted, this team does not win it all without bynum playing huge...unless help comes in...

which makes it more difficult to determine what the lakers do in this regard because, obviously, to get that player who gets you over the hump, you probably will need to sacrifice bynum or odom/brown in the process...?
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:50 pm    Post subject:

Freakout wrote:
I'm also confused why we didn't see Smush and Farmar on the floor together so we could have matched up defensively at times. Also you're getting murdered on the glass so why not go big upfront with Odom, Ronny, and Kwame?
As somebody had just stated - Farmar and SASHA would/could be the backcourt to defend against quick guards. Smush would be a good observer, as he always is with the best seat in the house (center court), in watching the players with his hands in his pockets. The one thing about Sasha is that he always leaves everything on the floor - it might not be pretty, but not as frustrating as watching a player with more talent not doing anything

LO, Kwame and Ronny (with Bynum for any of the 3 just mentioned) is something to be considered with a very lengthy lineup for the opposing team. This combination would force LO to be on the top of the key, leaving Kwame and Ronny on the low block. Since LO is much better than either, the offense might not flow too well
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