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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 10:21 pm Post subject: LAKERS -at- KINGS - 1-12-22 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings |
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Awful... This was a frustrating game to watch. You have to get this win.
The Lakers built up a 14-point lead in the first half, but in the final 2 minutes of the half they gave up an 8-0 run, which then turned into a 13-0 after the halftime break. The Kings made 10-straight shots over this stretch.
The Kings just went straight to the rim again and again against the small ball as they built up a 8-point lead in the third quarter. Meanwhile LeBron settled and fired away from three again and again. Russ was a one-man run…for the Kings. Some atrocious defense by the Lakers allowed the game to become a layup drill as L.A. gave up 40 in the third.
To close the first quarter, the Lakers gave up a small 5-0 run. They followed that up with an 8-0 run to close the second and then another 5-0 run to close the third. That didn’t bode well for the Lakers closing the fourth.
Austin Reaves kept the Lakers in this game with defensive stops, extra possessions and scoring. Superb game from the rookie, finishing the night with 19 points. The Lakers trimmed the lead down to 4 points with 2 minutes left when the Kings called a timeout. L.A. would cut that to 2 on a LeBron breakaway, but then gave up another score.
With a minute left, down 4, we had Russ (2-14 overall, 0-5 from three) pounding the ball on the wing and missing a three. The Kings hit a three on the other end and that was the ball game. Russ played awful and probably should not have even been out there to close. But we gave him the crucial possession of the game, and he gave the Kings exactly what they wanted.
Combine that with the poor Laker D, and the Lakers fell 125-116.
“Second game in a row our defense let us down,” Vogel said. When they went big they were a +9 tonight.
LeBron -- -- He led the Lakers with 17 points on 6-14 shooting in the first half. He made a couple of threes, a long jumper and some finishes at the rim. One advantage on those threes in the centerless ball is that the opposing C is often really uncomfortable playing that tight on the perimeter. LeBron really settled from three for a good portion of his minutes of his first shifts of the second half. Missing multiple in a row. And again, defensively in the small ball lineup, if we aren’t doing work early as a team, we get abused. The Kings just went after the blood in the water. Poor night shooting from the line, as well, (5-10) that cost us a few points in a close one. LeBron had some big plays down the stretch. He stripped a man in the paint that ignited a Laker breakaway score to cut it to 4 with 2 minutes left. Then attacked Hield in transition shortly later to cut it to 2. I was shocked he let Russ just take the next possession. But that’s where you need your other star to step up if your tired, but that little brief rest and moment, cost them when Russ choked it. The Stats: He scored 34 points on 13-29 shooting (3-12 from three, 5-10 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 6 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a -12.
Westbrook -- -- “He’s just in a slump right now,” Vogel said. Can’t imagine how frustrating LeBron must be with him. He was like ankle weights to this team anytime they tried to get a run. He had all 8 of his points on 8 shots in the first half. Defensively, in the first half, he missed a boxout and his man had a putback. He was also late on a rotation and gave up a dunk. Just general poor effort by Russ on that end. Second half, an awful close to the third quarter to suck momentum away from us. He chucked up a pull-up three in early offense (his worst shot almost always), missed and his man dunked on the other end. Next time down he attacked and threw it away and it led to a transition three for the Kings. The Lakers had cut the lead to 6 and it was back to 11 just like that off Russ boneheadery on the floor. Another little surge in the fourth and Russ drives, misses a layup (sometimes his layups are like chucks) and then a three on the other end by the Kings forced another Laker timeout. LeBron cuts it to 2, Kings score to put it to 4 and then Russ goes for the wing three and misses. All momentum lost in the final minute. It is not good Russville right now. Great that he had only 1 turnover, but the decision making really was more like 5 turnovers. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-14 shooting (0-5 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 12 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a -7.
Monk -- -- He’s kind of the Robin to LBJ’s Batman lately. He was hitting the three out of the gate, making three straight at one point. He’d hit four of them in the first half for 12 points. Defensively, a nice sequence where he blocked a shot out of bounds and then on that subsequent ATO, he challenged well to force an airball and shotclock violation. Second half, he hit a couple more threes to go 6-9. He’d score a big layup on the break with 2 minutes left to force a timeout. Can’t expect much more from him. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 7-13 shooting (6-9 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnover sand 4 foul sin 7-13 shooting. He was a -14.
Bradley -- -- Really good job moving off the ball early on. He had a dive from the weakside for FTs, a baseline jumper coming weak to strong, and he crashed the boards for a putback off a missed Monk baseline shot. Really quiet second half. He had a good stop, forcing a jumpball on a drive by a bigger man, then winning the jumpball. That’s about it. I like seeing him and Reaves talking D on the court in the middle of the fight. You know you’re going to get effort from both. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-9 shooting (0-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -12.
Ariza -- -- He had 3 of the Lakers 6 steals. If this was young Ariza who was flying all around the court and putting pressure on the rim in addition to the three ball, probably a great fit. Ideally, right now we are slotting him in around AD and Nunn on the court and picking our spots. With no Melo tonight (out with back tightness), we just end up leaning on some of these guys too much. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -14.
Johnson -- -- Ariza got the start, but Stanley came in shortly after and then started the second half. He was a +9 in that first shift, sinking a three on a kickout and hitting another midrange jumper from the right side. He’d hit another three. Efficient and taking/making the open shots given him. I’ll take it. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a +3.
Howard -- -- Excellent first half crashing the offensive glass. He scored a couple of putbacks off those. He also finished a lob from Monk as the two rolled to the hoop from the right side. He was 3-3 with 3 boards in those 7 minutes in the first half. The Lakers had 20-second chance points in that first half. In the second half, you just kept waiting and waiting until Dwight made it in the game. I’ll keep saying it, but if our small ball D is not being aggressive, mobile and continually doing work early, we’ve got problems. If guys are getting to the rim, it’s over for us with the small ball. Just a bit too much confusion, lack of effort and focus in the small ball. When you see that over and over, you really need to just cut the losses and go to Dwight. Either that or coach needs to yell and scream and light a fire under guys. Vogel isn’t that type. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-3 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 7 boards (4 offensive), 1 assist and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a +9.
Horton-Tucker -- -- Teams going to be demanding we include Reaves in any trade of THT. Not a great game. He had a layup off some really poor D in the first half. Attacked, hung and scored for another. In the second half, he attacked, spun and scored a layup and he sank a three. Despite that three, he wasn’t really spacing the floor for the team. That became a small issue. His lone assist was an iso and kick to Monk for a three. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-9 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -10.
Reaves -- -- The real bright spot in this one. Another career high. I love watching teams try to call Reaves over to get a switch to go iso on him. They end up shooting such a low percentage most of the time. And when he gets a little more strength, that’s only going to improve. But it’s often my favorite part of the game within the game. Good first shift on both ends. He got a stop on an illegal screen and also broke up a lob for another. On the offensive end, he missed a three but got it back from LeBron and threw down an And-1 dunk on the baseline. He sank a corner three shortly later for his other bucket of the first half. He tried to spark the team late in the third, sinking a couple of threes on kickouts as well as stripping his man. But Westbrook’s suckery allowed the Kings to close the quarter strong to push the lead back to double digits. He’d score a layup on an ATO that forced the Kings to switch and he cut down the lane to take the behind-the-back feed from LeBron. Next time down, heat check three on the two-man with Dwight, calling his own number. That’s the aggression, I want! He’d get his 19th point tonight on a pull-up that looked like an And-1, but didn’t get the call (good concentration). Then he tried saving the team with some extra possessions hustling on the offensive glass around the ball dominant players. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting (4-7 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards and 1 foul. He was a +0.
Ellington -- -- He didn’t really do anything in this one. Missed a couple of threes. But the Lakers worked it out when he was out there (+12 in 9 minutes). We needed one of those performance like his last game in the fourth to dig us out of this one, though. Didn’t get it. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 from three to go with 1 steal in 9 minutes. He was a +12.
Vogel -- -- Key Moment: There were long stretches of bad ball from the Lakers. If you had to come down to one moment it was Russ trying to create with the game on the line in the final minute and down 4. At this point, Russ was 2-13 and 0-4 from three. No focus, no offensive purpose on this possession. It resulted in a missed three. The Kings iced it on the other end. We are really awful at closing when we have no plan. Russ was a man with no plan.
Key Substitution: Reaves got 28 minutes and was closing again. Kid was trying to will this team to a win, doing all the little stuff and scoring. I would have loved to see the wing two-man game with LeBron/Reaves in that above situation. Usually Reaves slips that and causes the D issues when LeBron bounces the ball to him. He earned it tonight. Another key sub in this one: Down 6 with 5:27 left, he brought Russ back in. He was playing awful. Should have left him out even longer.
Key Stats: The 125 points we gave up. There were points in this game we were bleeding. Kings had 10 straight baskets during one stretch. |
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mhan00 Retired Number
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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The Russell Westbrook experience is god awful. |
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DrDent Franchise Player
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks DB.
I'm fed up with small ball, Russ, and watching this team deteriorate into utter mediocrity. Russ is something like 8-39 or 8-40 over the past 3 games. Not even LBJ, with his broad shoulders, can be expected to carry that $44M of Russ like that.
Team now 21-21. Doesnt get any easier. _________________ "One thing I admire about Kuzma is his unwavering confidence. He truly has no idea that he’s not as good as he thinks." - Killer_Z |
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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These small lineups are killing us. In certain situations they can work, but we need a defensive big next to LeBron if we want to play him as an offensive center.
When Dwight has played, he has been really effective. I don't understand how a defensive-minded coach keeps insisting on going small when we won the world championship by playing a traditional 5. |
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A Mad Chinaman Star Player
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:34 am Post subject: Re: LAKERS -at- KINGS - 1-12-22 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings |
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DancingBarry wrote: | When you see that over and over, you really need to just cut the losses and go to Dwight. Either that or coach needs to yell and scream and light a fire under guys. Vogel isn’t that type | Maybe Vogel can do something that Pop had done in the path with the Spurs when he had Duncan, Ginobli and Parker - substitue five players at one time.
How long can we expect LBJ to be stellar on offense AND defense?
Since Lebron and AD specifically wanted Westbrook on this team, how will their leadership make this situation work out much better?
Maybe a Reeves, Johnson, Melo, Dwight and THT lineup will show the others that playing with consistent effort and teamwork (passing, covering each other, playing D on a string, etc) will win many games plus give LBJ some needed rest.
Many have stated that they need "Russ to be Russ." Hopefully, Russ realizes that this version of "Russ to be Russ" will never result in going deep into the playoffs (if that is his goal). Sad that his athletic skills that had previously allowed him to get baskets near the basket or dunks is not there anymore (see missed dunks or layups next to the cup)
It could be great that the Lakers is having the second hardest schedule till the end of the season. This team will either respond to the challenges of elite team or completely fade away from playoff contention. Either direction will provide a clear signal to LBJ/AD to Vogel to management which direction they need to go |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:23 am Post subject: |
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slavavov wrote: | These small lineups are killing us. In certain situations they can work, but we need a defensive big next to LeBron if we want to play him as an offensive center.
When Dwight has played, he has been really effective. I don't understand how a defensive-minded coach keeps insisting on going small when we won the world championship by playing a traditional 5. |
I agree. i can hardly imagine why Vogel insisit on these small lineup, it costs Lebron too much. _________________ You are not alone. |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:24 am Post subject: |
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SO SICK OF LOSING WHILE HAVING AN MVP BALLING, FIX THE DEFENSE FRANK!!! RIM PROTECT PLEASE!!! |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:13 am Post subject: |
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It’s almost as if Frank is trying to make a point about the small ball lineup and I don’t blame him. He’s like we JUST won a ring playing big and MY style of defense and I’m getting pressure from all sides to go small?!? Even management gives me a roster of a bunch of 6’4 and under guys plus 2 rather washed bigs that can barely move!!! FINE! You want small ball you got it!!! Maybe then you’ll learn that no matter how good your analytics look for Bron at the center on offense, we are going to get murdered on defense.
Also has the time come to just wave Westbrook? No one is going to take him off our hands and he is the worst basketball player in the world. Maybe we need to consider just waving him. It will be perfect timing too as we are just finishing up the Deng stupid tax. Now will have the Westbrook stupid tax. Except that this time it will cost 10x more. |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:44 am Post subject: |
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Welp.
Thanks DB ![](images/smiles/icon_thumbsup.gif) |
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A Mad Chinaman Star Player
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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kfkilla wrote: | Maybe then you’ll learn that no matter how good your analytics look for Bron at the center on offense, we are going to get murdered on defense. | With Draymond playing the 5, it has been effective with Golden State.
Dwight has been effective, though he has a tendency to get into foul trouble quickly, hence needs to be in the appropriate role
Interesting that with LBJ/Ariza-Johnson/Malik/Bradley on the floor, still not good defensively - noting that Westbrook is usually part of this lineup
Great players make others play at a much higher rate of effectiveness. Maybe our focus should be on how Lebron (in conjunction with Vogel) can make Westbrook an important part of a championship-winning team.
As sport pundits have started to discuss with greater frequency, Westbrook's athletic skills are declining (hence unable to finish at the basket). Most great players have adjusted their respective games (see Kobe to LBJ to Magic) with their basketball IQs. Many sport pundits are wondering if Westbrook can adjust his game. Players (see Rondo) are wondering if Westbrook truly has transtition from having stats and satisfying his own ego being the top priority to having an obsession of doing anything to win a ring.
Taking an uncontested 3pt, as oppose to penetrating the paint where he is better at - plus the chances are far greater to get a foul - many could think that Westbrook was tired and didn't trust his teammates
Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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A Mad Chinaman wrote: |
<snip>
Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. |
Like how Kobe made a dramatic effect on Smush and co. ? |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks DB.... _________________ Lakers need to build a freaking team ! |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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governator wrote: | SO SICK OF LOSING WHILE HAVING AN MVP BALLING, FIX THE DEFENSE FRANK!!! RIM PROTECT PLEASE!!! |
Yep. And I just had to post this. I'm getting annoyed at the lame arse "we think you media and fans are stupid" excuses.
Versus the Grizz the excuse for lack of D (which we all know was BS) was "well, I think because our offense struggled, so did our D". Well, well. First half vs Kings the fellas pour on 67. Yet gave up 61, and at the half alot of us in the in game thread were agitated at this and sorta figured out what may come in the second half.
You guessed it, more, if not worse, defense, and the offense started sputtering.
So, NO Lakers brass, the lack of D isnt because of same lame excuse like "well the moon was in a mercury retrograde and Ariza missed his first 3, so it impacted us" sort of BS you been giving us. The defense is not good because when we elect to play midget ball teams just go right at the soft, mush, middle and score at will. Such as the Kings 70 points in paint.
Tired of this stupidity being demonstrated by the Lakers at the moment. _________________ "One thing I admire about Kuzma is his unwavering confidence. He truly has no idea that he’s not as good as he thinks." - Killer_Z |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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A Mad Chinaman wrote: | Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. |
Come on. Dude is 37 years old, playing MVP level basketball. |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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A Mad Chinaman wrote: | kfkilla wrote: | Maybe then you’ll learn that no matter how good your analytics look for Bron at the center on offense, we are going to get murdered on defense. | With Draymond playing the 5, it has been effective with Golden State.
Dwight has been effective, though he has a tendency to get into foul trouble quickly, hence needs to be in the appropriate role
Interesting that with LBJ/Ariza-Johnson/Malik/Bradley on the floor, still not good defensively - noting that Westbrook is usually part of this lineup
Great players make others play at a much higher rate of effectiveness. Maybe our focus should be on how Lebron (in conjunction with Vogel) can make Westbrook an important part of a championship-winning team.
As sport pundits have started to discuss with greater frequency, Westbrook's athletic skills are declining (hence unable to finish at the basket). Most great players have adjusted their respective games (see Kobe to LBJ to Magic) with their basketball IQs. Many sport pundits are wondering if Westbrook can adjust his game. Players (see Rondo) are wondering if Westbrook truly has transtition from having stats and satisfying his own ego being the top priority to having an obsession of doing anything to win a ring.
Taking an uncontested 3pt, as oppose to penetrating the paint where he is better at - plus the chances are far greater to get a foul - many could think that Westbrook was tired and didn't trust his teammates
Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. |
Draymond isn’t close to being as depended on to score as Lebron is, so Dray can go 100% on D while Lebron needs to allocate energy. Dray is also much younger, so he recovers faster than a 37 year old does. Dray also benefits playing on a team that takes pride in its defense where from Steph Curry on down, every guard and wing for the Warriors goes hard on defense. We had that before we let all of them go for Westbrook. Now we have a bunch of small guards and WB who have no clue what they’re doing on defense and getting overwhelmed. |
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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mhan00 wrote: | A Mad Chinaman wrote: | kfkilla wrote: | Maybe then you’ll learn that no matter how good your analytics look for Bron at the center on offense, we are going to get murdered on defense. | With Draymond playing the 5, it has been effective with Golden State.
Dwight has been effective, though he has a tendency to get into foul trouble quickly, hence needs to be in the appropriate role
Interesting that with LBJ/Ariza-Johnson/Malik/Bradley on the floor, still not good defensively - noting that Westbrook is usually part of this lineup
Great players make others play at a much higher rate of effectiveness. Maybe our focus should be on how Lebron (in conjunction with Vogel) can make Westbrook an important part of a championship-winning team.
As sport pundits have started to discuss with greater frequency, Westbrook's athletic skills are declining (hence unable to finish at the basket). Most great players have adjusted their respective games (see Kobe to LBJ to Magic) with their basketball IQs. Many sport pundits are wondering if Westbrook can adjust his game. Players (see Rondo) are wondering if Westbrook truly has transtition from having stats and satisfying his own ego being the top priority to having an obsession of doing anything to win a ring.
Taking an uncontested 3pt, as oppose to penetrating the paint where he is better at - plus the chances are far greater to get a foul - many could think that Westbrook was tired and didn't trust his teammates
Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. |
Draymond isn’t close to being as depended on to score as Lebron is, so Dray can go 100% on D while Lebron needs to allocate energy. Dray is also much younger, so he recovers faster than a 37 year old does. Dray also benefits playing on a team that takes pride in its defense where from Steph Curry on down, every guard and wing for the Warriors goes hard on defense. We had that before we let all of them go for Westbrook. Now we have a bunch of small guards and WB who have no clue what they’re doing on defense and getting overwhelmed. |
Also Dray is arguably the best defensive player in the NBA, and he has an insane motor. If you want to win playing small ball you need someone like that at the 5 alongside LeBron.
The solution (for now) is to play Dwight more. He hasn't played much lately, so he should be fresh, and when he plays, he still gets tons of rebounds (per minute) and draws fouls on opponents while boxing out. |
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A Mad Chinaman Star Player
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:25 am Post subject: |
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mhan00 wrote: | A Mad Chinaman wrote: | kfkilla wrote: | Maybe then you’ll learn that no matter how good your analytics look for Bron at the center on offense, we are going to get murdered on defense. | With Draymond playing the 5, it has been effective with Golden State.
Dwight has been effective, though he has a tendency to get into foul trouble quickly, hence needs to be in the appropriate role
Interesting that with LBJ/Ariza-Johnson/Malik/Bradley on the floor, still not good defensively - noting that Westbrook is usually part of this lineup
Great players make others play at a much higher rate of effectiveness. Maybe our focus should be on how Lebron (in conjunction with Vogel) can make Westbrook an important part of a championship-winning team.
As sport pundits have started to discuss with greater frequency, Westbrook's athletic skills are declining (hence unable to finish at the basket). Most great players have adjusted their respective games (see Kobe to LBJ to Magic) with their basketball IQs. Many sport pundits are wondering if Westbrook can adjust his game. Players (see Rondo) are wondering if Westbrook truly has transtition from having stats and satisfying his own ego being the top priority to having an obsession of doing anything to win a ring.
Taking an uncontested 3pt, as oppose to penetrating the paint where he is better at - plus the chances are far greater to get a foul - many could think that Westbrook was tired and didn't trust his teammates
Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. | Draymond isn’t close to being as depended on to score as Lebron is, so Dray can go 100% on D while Lebron needs to allocate energy. Dray is also much younger, so he recovers faster than a 37 year old does. Dray also benefits playing on a team that takes pride in its defense where from Steph Curry on down, every guard and wing for the Warriors goes hard on defense. We had that before we let all of them go for Westbrook. Now we have a bunch of small guards and WB who have no clue what they’re doing on defense and getting overwhelmed. | I Agree
One has to decide if the offense or defense is the top priority
Vogel’s focus is that great defense creates good offense
Maybe keeping LBJ around 33-35MPG could be the goal
Dwight, Reeves, Johnson, Monk and Melo lineup can get additional run.
Hard to figure out when to play Ellington, Ariza and Westbrook
Hoping that with LBJ calling out the defensive coverages, all the players are in the right spot and he will make those that are not - accountable
Leadership > Offensive Production |
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Joined: 06 Jul 2014 Posts: 26624
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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danzag wrote: | A Mad Chinaman wrote: | Mr. LeBron James, we look forward to witnessing your leadership capacity to make a dramatic effect on this team. |
Come on. Dude is 37 years old, playing MVP level basketball. |
Offensively yes.
But when he starts jacking up threes for no reason, especially when they are all missing, it does hurt the team. _________________ How NBA 2K18 failed the All-Time Lakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxMBYm3wwxk |
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