SUNS -at- LAKERS -- 10/31 -- Thoughts and :-)) ratings

[eniq 0x00]

Man, if Odom keeps this up he's going to make the Heat wish they never parted with him. I wish Odom in the post becomes one of our more important options. He's shown he can dominate at will down there.
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"In essence, the trade was: Shaq, Rick Fox and Gary Payton for Odom, Kwame, Mihm, Profit, 2nd round picks, a 1st round pick and 30 million in luxury tax saviings." - LakerJam

^^ Farmar

[macwebb]

Thanks DB! The first thing I did this morning was look for your analysis!

I was impressed with Bynum. I love when he makes a great move and then they flash to Proud Papa Kareem. I love that Bynum uses his time and scoring chances efficiently. If he keeps this up, the Lakers may have another GREAT bigman... That will be a nice problem having Bynum on the offensive end and Kwame on the D end shutting down Garnett and Duncan...

I loved Evans athleticism and effort. I loved DG, but Evan is DG on steroids. Now I know why someone called him Herschel Walker...That dude has guns and is not afraid to use them...I saw glimpses of his play when he was with Sacto and was impressed...I can't believe Detroit gave us such a gift...what a steal!!!!

LO is the man. I've always loved his smooth combo of finesse and power. Like Charles Barkley said, "He's too good to only have 34 points as a career high." Can you imagine covering LO, one on one? I am sure he is a nightmare to cover. If he can become consistent, he is an All Star, forget the other forwards in the West. Bravo Lamar.

Farmar...He can bring it...I love the speed and fearlessness to go inside...I also love the floaters...I know the bigs hate them, but Farmar does it so elegantly...Watch out Sasha and Smush...

Vlad, I give the dude props. He made a contribution with a bum hand. That is what talented players do. I hope his hand heals quickly.

The Lakers will struggle with a depleted core, but will make it tough on their opponents.

Phoenix has weaknesses. Sad to see Amare this way...

Miami looks old and bloated...


Priceless: Bynum's passing, Diaw & Bell with 16 points, Nash lying on the floor watching the game, Barkley giving the Lakers props, Lakers winning a back to back (hopefully) and Miami losing by 42

[MIMLaker]

DB -- THANK YOU for being our reliable reporter. I missed the bulk of the game last night due to Halloween and kid commitments, and I'd be lost without your analysis.

Feel free to reread my thank you another 81 times this year, just in case.

If, if, if, IF!!! our guys can show near the same level of effort and energy tonight against a WTF?-offense from Don Nelson, we can be in for a ride this year.

Still, even if there is a letdown for this young team, last night's win is one to build on.

My questions for tonight, though:

(1) Can Evans possibly maintain his hot shooting while defending the likes of Jason Richardson?

(2) Can Smush turn up his game against the bigger, stronger, and more scoring-minded Baron Davis?

(3) How will Don Nelson choose to defend in the post against Odom and Bynum? Double-team or just trust Foyle and Murphy to hold down the fort while staying at home on the shooters?

(4) Does Sasha have anything to contribute on offense?

MIM
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Keep or Dump Power Rankings (4/12/23):
1 - Bron; 1a - AD; 2 - Reaves; 2a - DLo; 3 - Vando; 4 - Rui; 5 - Shroo; 6 - Christie; 7- Brown; 8 - Gabriel; 9 - Beas; 10 - Bamba; 11- Lonnie

[ryuvienco]

I was fortunate enough to be at the game last night because I scored some last minute tickets, but man what a game. I was frustrated after the first quarter with the Lakers down by 15, but Bynum was solid last night. He made Phoenix change there game plan. Evans was a steal for a secound round draft pick. Farmar has gained some minutes when he subsituted for Sasha. LO was LO, big game last night.
But something very surprising last night, at least at my section, people were calling for Bynum to come back in. He's slowly winning over the crowd, especially when he made free throws.
Overalll, it was a great game to watch. Oh yeah, go Chicago for making Miami looking like a JV team last night. I think shaqs line was 7pts, 3 rebs and 2 blocks... and he wanted his 20mil a year... hahahaha

[lakers4peat]

Does anybody have an idea, why Turiaf didn't play more minutes? He had an nice stint IMHO at the end of the first, just to get taken out of the game after 3 minutes.

Has anyone heard something?
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"[...] the Celtics coach squinted closer and understood that these [misses] weren’t nerves. “It was because of that big [expletive] running around". [...] It was Bynum. Andrew Bynum. Yes, he changes everything."

[TheBigRuski]

Did the Lakers play last night?

(thanks DB for a fun read...as always!)
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[b:7c818fb74e]Lebron who?[/b:7c818fb74e]

[Film235]

Thanks again DB, a great recap. I love watching the game and then reading your summary afterwards in case I missed anything.

The Lakers were HOT last night. Odom was on fire and Bynum showed that he may very well be the next great Laker center. I don't want to be overenthusiastic, but I after they way he played last night, knowing he just turned 19, I could imagine seeing the number 17 jersey hanging in the rafters in the Staples Center.
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I loved you on this day. I love this memory.

[M. Hicks]

When the TV cameras cut to him, I want to see Kareem stroke his chin like Pai Mei did everytime Beatrix started to "get it" in Kill Bill Vol. 2.
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M. Hicks
Louisville, KY

[M. Hicks]

He needs to grow one of those Donovan McNabb/Freeway/Ronny Turiaf in preseason beards to sell it.
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M. Hicks
Louisville, KY

[LakerLanny]

Nice write up DB, seems pretty clear the team needs a lot more Evans and a lot less Sasha on the floor.
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Love, Laker Lanny

[Spirit]

[wolfpaclaker]

Good (bleep).

I'm with Pop - Cook's D was suprisingly good. He seems to have lost some of that weight and is moving much better on the defensive end. That being said, he's probably still a weak post man defender but if he can just defend the pick and roll and clog up the paint like he was last night - that's a big improvement from Brian.

Who I like:

Odom - Slashing, Rebounding, 3 point shooting, Post game, Passing.
Bynum - Post game, Passing and Rebounding (Finally)
Farmar - Penetration
Evans - Cutting, Putbacks, Fast Breaks
Radmanovic - Post, Passing
Walton - Post, Passing
Cook - Shooting

I think this team while role player heavy has alot of pieces that fit together. You can tell the chemistry is there.

[Omar Little]

Three things that jumped out at me:

Odom- Even against a good post defender in Thomas, he scored whenever he wanted to. He's also a man down there on the boards. I just hope Phil and Kobe demand this kind of aggression out of him when 24 gets back. Great job taking responsibility for the team. It was clear he was a leader out there, and as much as anybody, he deserves credit for this team not quitting.

Bynum- The most impressive thing to me was how Bynum really took his time and believed in his moves. Looked fluid out there, and seems to have mentally caught up to the speed of the game. Also loved the tenacity, just ripping offensive boards out of a crowd on two occasions. Even his 10 foot jumper looks good. Not great defensively at times, but learning. As I said in an earlier post, he seems to have a great capacity to learn, and the offense with Kareem has come first. The D just requires some more experience. 18-9-5. Wow, nice debut kid!

Mitch- That's right, a lot of this game had to do with the much maligned GM. Is it just me or is anyone else noticing a pattern to the acquisitions:

Brains, Heart, and Work Ethic.

It struck me that recent draftees Bynum, Farmar, and Turiaf all display these qualities, which incidentally are the traits that separate Kobe from his contemporaries.

This is a team people, and they played with the grit and heart of one last night. There will certainly be bumps in the road, but last night the young princes of LA demonstrated why they are the team in royal purple.
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

[Vancouver Fan]

awesome analysis as usual DB!!!! Love it.
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Music is my medicine

[DERF18]

I loved watching Bynum work the paint! The shot of Kareem beaming as his pupil took Stoudamire to the rack was priceless!

[wildcat]

[Omar Little]

Some thoughts on some of the other guys:


Walton- I can’t believe how much quicker and more athletic he looks out there. With the weight he lost, there were times, from the longer camera shots, that I confused him with Sasha! He played a very nice game. He makes good decisions, keeps the offense flowing, and both his shot and defense are greatly improved.

Radmanovic- I was very impressed by his hustle and determination to make positive things happen. I can’t imagine Rashard Lewis, for example, being that effective if you took his shot away through injury. Somewhat lost in the other performances were Rad’s nifty little post moves and the fact that he played some very nice, hustling team D.

Farmar- He had his ups and downs, but the team takes a definitive uptick in performance when he’s out there. He’s one of those mysterious guys who just make the team better by their presence. Has a great ability to cut and finish off the ball.

Cook- Decent D, and displayed a nice high post game. I think that ability to score over the defenders is what kept Turiaf off the floor.

Turiaf- Got caught in a matchup trap. Will probably see more minute tonight.

Sasha- Ugh. Looks to be the front runner for inactive status when the bigs come back. Still rushing that shot, and doesn’t have the knack Farmar does for getting to the right spots to make something happen.

Evans- Can you say steal? Looks like a good backup at 2 and 3. With Walton starting at the 3, you can bring in Rad to defend the larger 3’s and Evans the more athletic ones. Love that pull up mid range jumper. It’s a shot you can get in the tri, and he nails it regularly.

Did anyone notice that our guys can actually run with the Suns? It was amazing to watch us get back on D, stop their attack and then run it down their throats!
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

[Klone_dd]

Sorry, but no Non-Kobe Player of the Game until Kobe actually plays in a game.

LO: Dare I say "Pippen-esque'? Actually, he was better than that in this game. Phx made a mistake putting Thomas on him, hoping to take away his post up. LO just took him off the dribble time and time again. After the playoffs and with this showing, Lamar must know that he can have his way with Phx 24/7.

Bynum: Very impressive. It's a given that Phx will make any big man look bigger so I expected him to dominate offensively. However, it was the way he did it that was impressive. Abomb didn't just overpower them. He used great footwork, finesse and court awareness to get his positioning and shots. Not to mention, 5 assists. Better he be influenced by Cap than any other big man.

Evans: Mo, Mo, Mo. He reminds me of Michael Cooper on steroids. Keep bringing the energy and hustle.

Farmar: You know you're gaining Phil's trust by playing minutes in the 4th and having a play actually diagrammed for you.

Luke: Consistent quality work.

Radman: Here's a case where his injury might make him a more complete player. Rather than settling for being a spot-up shooter, he's developing a post game and taking people off the dribble. He had a sweet touch pass to Mo on the break and managed to flatten Raja on the same play.

Cookie = Microwave. Umm, Microwave Cookies... Glad you signed the extension. Thanks for keeping us in the game early on.

Smush & Sasha: I think they got really caught up in trying to match Phx's pace. Too many quick shots and some transparent D. They almost played right into Phx's hands. When is Sasha going to stop being a great practice shooter and start doing it in the games that count?

Great beginning to the season. Hopefully no let down tonight.

[Alpha]

Thanks DeeB! Here's to many more of these this year ==> )

[jkita]

I've gotta say, the excitement in the Staples was more like a playoff game, then a regular season. I couldn't get enough of the expression from Kareem every time Bynum would re-patent his hook! It was like, "Alright, have fun big man!" It was one of the most exciting games I've seen by the Lakers in a long time!

I can't wait to see how this team improves

[LakerJam]

[postandpivot]

[- Sean -]

Great job DB.

That was as enjoyable a game as I could have hoped for.

First of all, I loved the lighting in the arena. There was an added seriousness to the game that I think the dramatic lighting contributed to. I hope they make it a regular thing.

The key to the Lakers success was their relentless effort. Lamar Odom was the driving force behind that effort. No attempts at disrupting his purpose proved effective. Whether he committed an offensive foul...or got his shot swatted...or failed to convert an easy attempt - It didn't matter. His confidence could not be chipped away at. That ability to resist being negatively overwhelmed by ones own failure is something common in all the great winners of the sport. Watching LO, it just seemed like he was playing w/ an entirely new life force. The look in his eyes...the demeanor...all different...all renewed.

If Lamar Odom was the engine, Andrew Bynum was the fuel. You could see the motivation his game inspired in the rest of the players on the team. His success was rooted in neither experience nor forced floor time. It sprang from an unwillingness to be outworked. It came from pride. Watching Andrew fight for position after not getting the ball several times in a row was what I found most admirable about his performance last night. It's easy to fight when you're getting the ball. Accepting the value of hard work when it directly (and quickly) results in a a statistic is usually quite simple. Bynum kept working regardless of whether he was "rewarded." Playing against guys like that is a chore. I hope he has the foresight to understand that...and maintains the sort of attitude that drove his performance yesterday.

[jmac78]

Awesome. I read your review after every game, DB! I have two comments.

1. I am happy to see Radman hustle and pass and just plain play ball, even if he can't shoot right now. I can totally see he's more than just a shooter. That's a happy surprise.

2. I'd like Odom to throw it down every now and then, instead of chipping layups all the time. That way, he doesn't expose the ball to being blocked to guys like Marion. I noticed he doesn't jump as high as he can, nor extend when laying it up. A couple of times there, I was yelling at him through the TV to JAM THAT SUCKA IN!

[ForTheWin]

Odom was effective because he made 3/4 threes i think. They confuse kurt wheather to defend him far away or near. If odom couldn't hit outsdie shots we would of lost but he was on fire . Anyone eles notice the sun didn't take advantage of odom in foul trouble?