LAKERS -vs- JAZZ - 10/19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Role Reversal... If we can just get them on the same page, we might have something here.

The Laker starters flexed some of their considerable skills in the last game, while the bench struggled badly. Tonight, they swapped roles.

With Kobe and Pau's game missing again, the Lakers fell 82-74 to the Jazz for the second game in a row. The Jazz can sweep the preseason series. The Lakers will be happy to sweep any post season series, should the two teams meet once again.

Two Laker bench players led the team in scoring. Both Matt Barnes and Shannon Brown each scored 13 points off the bench. Shannon has strung together a number of quality games this preseason. In the process, he's shown an improved handle and a confident jumpshot. He credits that to hard work back at a high school gym in Illinois this summer.

"A lot of sweating, a lot of ball-handling, just getting up shots off of different movements, shots out of the triangle where I know I'm going to get them," Brown said in the Times. "Coaches and my teammates get on me for not taking the looks that I should take."

With the regular season now in sight, the Lakers need to start finding their complete game. Unfortunately, that still seems to be somewhat elusive. After Pau and Kobe had put up some strong numbers in the previous game, they both fizzled out once again tonight. The team depends on them to score, but also to collapse the D and make life easier for those around them.

The Lakers shot a miserable 33 percent as a team, prompting coach Frank Hamblen's simple halftime assessment of what they need to do. "Make more shots," he said. Afterward, Phil believed it would just be a matter of time for Kobe.

"I think he just needs to play some ball and he'll be fine," he said. "I think he's getting some strength back. It looks to me like he's trying to save a step still a little bit here and there defensively and it's kind of hurting us a little bit at times, but he'll pick that up when he gets his legs underneath him."


Kobe -- -- Just as you were hoping Kobe was starting to return to form, he once again struggled to find the hoop. He's missing his ability to overpower people in the post or get to the rim off the drive. So if the shot isn't there, he can't go to his alternative weaponry. Kobe's step-through move has looked awful this preseason. He's been blocked on it four times as help defenders are easily catching him. That's most likely the result of lacking explosion, but it could be a little rust from not playing. Phil continues to limit his minutes to a couple of stints per game. The Stats: He had 7 points on 2-13 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 23 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He was hit by Bell on his first jumper, he made both FTs. He came up short on a long wing jumper. He missed a lefty layup, but LO tipped it in. He sank an open wing jumper coming off the Pau screen. He was blocked on a step-through (third time this offseason on that move). Raja flopped and Kobe stared at him as he drew the whistle for an offensive foul. He was 1-4 with 4 points after the first quarter. Second Half: He was blocked again on a step-through move (fourth time now). He stripped Deron on iso D. He was looking for the whistle off contact that nearly knocked him over, he missed the 15-footer. Way short on a pull-up jumper. He picked up a tech for slapping his hands after Bell fouled him to steal a pass. He sank a long wing three on the next possession. He missed a long three from the wing. He traveled, shuffling his feet on an up-and-under. He set up Ratliff for FTs off an attack. He missed a wing jumper. He posted up after getting the miss back and came up short. He missed a long running three at the third-quarter buzzer. He had 7 points on 2-13 shooting after three.

Gasol -- -- Last game, it was the second unit that struggled and the one-two Kobe/Pau punch that was effective. Tonight, it was the opposite. The starters had the team low +/- numbers as both Kobe and Pau struggled to make an impact. Pau was having all kinds of issues defending Jefferson, especially keeping him from getting the baseline in the post. Jefferson anticipated several of Pau's moves to cause him trouble. When Pau attacked early, he seemed to do better. Bynum is usually the guy who gives Jefferson fits. And it's the Lakers length combined with Kobe's attack that gives the Jazz fits. They had little of that today. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-13 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 8 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He missed a baseline turnaround. He was blocked on a lefty jumphook. He missed a face-up jumper short. He airballed a jumphook. He blocked Milsap's drive across the lane. He hit a quick jumphook off the catch. He was 1-5 in the first quarter. He missed a long face-up jumper against the shotclock. He missed a baseline jumper. He was 1-7 in the first half. Second Half: Low position and he hit the easy jumphook off the glass. He dunked after filling the lane on the break. He was blocked, got it back and threw down a reverse dunk. Quick attack off the pinch post entry to score an And-1 finger roll, he made the FT. He had 11 points on 5-12 shooting after three. He went behind his back to Barnes under the hoop for an And-1. He missed a short jumphook.

Lamar -- -- Good ball movement by Lamar tonight, something the team needed badly. He wasn't always clean (with a number of turnovers), but he helped bring some life to the offense. Phil made sure Lamar got some run with the bench unit during the game. He instantly lifted the stagnant offense and helped the Lakers go on a run. Despite his low scoring, the 9 assists were one of the few things that gave the offense any spark. He went to the post early against AK when the two matched up, but he didn't go back there later. The team could have used some better inside-out play in this game. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting to go with 9 boards (3 offensive), 9 assists, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He tipped in a Kobe miss at the front of the rim. He missed a putback jumper. He pushed out the defensive board and whipped it to Barnes ahead of the pack for the score. He kicked out to Brown for a jumper. He had 5 assists in the first half. Second Half: Quick feed to Pau in early offense to set him up for an easy jumphook on low position. He missed a pull-up wing jumper. Poor telegraphed pass and AK easily picked it off. He kicked out to Shannon for a three. He missed a pull-up jumper. He grabbed an offensive board and bounced it Barnes for the And-1 layup.

Artest -- -- He's had some nice spurts of offense this preseason. He's 8-19 from three this preseason, 42 percent. You don't see that hesitating and second guessing when he gets the ball out there. He's ready to fire when the kickout comes. That comfort level in both the offense and with his teammates and coach appears to be showing itself here. Sure, it's the preseason and only six games, but you can certainly see the differences in his mindset on the court right now. He also continues to get second-unit teammates in the offense and flowing. Phil is still using him at the back-up PF and toying with his rotations. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-8 shooting (1-4 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards (2 offensive), 2 steals and no fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -15. The Action: He dropped in a three off a kickout at the wing on his first attempt. He flashed to the post, turned after the catch, attacked Milsap off the dribble and drew FTs, he made one. He let AK fly by at the three line, moved in a step and hit the baseline jumper. Excellent post double team to help force a shotclock violation. He missed a wing three. He missed a wing three with the shotclock low. He had 6 points on 2-4 shooting after the first. He was blocked on a layup attempt. Second Half: He missed a tough, fading three with the shotclock about to expire. He missed a baseline jumper. He scored a layup off the interior feed from Fish. He swiped a pass in the paint.

Fisher -- -- There was a stretch in the first quarter when Fish wasn't playing as conservatively as he needs to. Of course, Pau and Kobe weren't doint much, but it is rarely a good thing when Fisher is shooting early and often for this team. He wasn't connecting on anything. He was the first out at the half to try to shake the cold hand gunslinging he opened the game with, but it didn't help. He continued to shoot blanks. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-6 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He swiped a post kickout on the first defensive stand. He missed an early offense three. He stripped Jefferson on the perimeter. He missed a wing jumper, got it back and bricked the follow-up three. He missed a baseline runner that looked like he wanted to pass. Horrible chuck without running the offense next time down. He was 0-4 in his first stint. Second Half: He pushed out the break and hit Pau for the dunk. He attacked the paint and was blocked on the runner. He missed a runner, got it back and fed Artest for a layup. Too much dribbling and he was stripped by Williams.

Blake -- -- As expected, Blake bounced back from the awful outing in the last game. He played aggressively, taking shots without hesitation as well as driving into the heart of the D on several occasions. Blake showed a little bit of the chip on his shoulder he often plays with. He got into a brief exchange with Elison in the paint and let him know he didn't like it, telling him not to screw around after giving him a return shot then getting into his face. He was battling with the bigs on several occasions. Watch his work on the switches, he often does a very good boxing out. Phil gave him some minutes on Deron and there didn't seem to be any real issues. Deron's eyes didn't light up, anyway, like they did with Farmar. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-7 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 2 assists and 2 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He missed a layup off the pinch post drive. Quick attack off the handoff next time down and he scored a layup before the defense could react. He set up Barnes for a three off a two-man sequence on the weakside. He sank a quick-fire three off the split play with Barnes. Nice D on Deron to force a bad pass on a drive. He pushed out the break, pulled up at the FT line, surveyed his options, then hit the 17-footer. He had 7 points on 3-4 shooting. Second Half: He one-handed a bounce pass to Theo for an And-1 score. He sank a quick-fire three on a swing pass to the top of the key. He missed a pull-up from 21 feet out. He missed a three.

Barnes -- -- He doesn't have a ball-dominant game, so there should be a number of times this year when his stats sneak up on you. Both Barnes and Brown led the Lakers scoring with 13 points. That's some nice production off the bench, but you hope they don't lead the team in scoring too often. That points to problems elsewhere, for sure. His off-ball cutting led to passes from both Lamar and Pau for scores. That is something the Lakers missed sorely last year as Ron's game was too stagnant offensively, often parking himself on the perimeter. When the offense really starts to click and Pau/Kobe are collapsing the D consistently, that kind of work can do a lot of damage. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-10 shooting (1-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He missed a baseline jumper. He airballed a putback attempt in the paint. He missed a wing three. He sank a sideline three working the two-man game with Blake. He picked up a tech after clapping in reaction to a whistle after a battle on the offensive glass. He scored a layup out quickly on the break when LO threaded it to him. Second Half: He missed a corner three. He sank an open 21-footer off the kickout. He scored an And-1 layup, cutting to the rim off a miss that Lamar corralled, he made the FT. He missed a corner three. Great cut behind the D, he parked under the oop and Gasol found him quickly for the And-1 layup, he made the FT.

Brown -- -- Given the opportunity, Shannon is keeping his foot on the gas and staying aggressive. He was getting up and down court with some speed, as well. Phil likes to have an uptempo defensive pressure unit he can go to when games are in need of a change in momentum. Brown, Barnes and Odom could make a very nice core of such a unit. Phil brought Shannon off the bench as the first guard to defend Deron in the first half. Later, he switched to Blake. When the regular season roles around, it looks like he can easily give both a chance to D-up the All Star point. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-10 shooting (1-3 from three, 4-6 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block and 3 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He missed a layup on the drive. He clanked a jumper, fading as he pulled up. He forced up a jumper and missed. He sank a long jumper standing on the three line on a kickout from Lamar. Second Half: He attacked and kicked to Barnes for the 20-footer. He sank a 21-footer, pulling up off the dribble. He drained a wing three on the Lamar kickout next time down. He missed a three from the wing. He jumped a passing lane, pushed the steal down court and drew FTs, he made one. He pushed out the break and drew FTs, he made one. He swiped a post entry pass with some quick ups, then pushed out the break for more FTs, he made both this time. He swished a wing pull-up jumper. He missed a two-for-one wing three, smart shot, but couldn't connect with 30 seconds left to bring the Lakers within 3.

Ratliff -- -- He's already tallied 8 blocked shots this preseason in about 90 minutes of action. He's challenged and winged a few others that forced misses the rim, as well. He's been rock steady on D, although those blocks have come with 16 fouls. That may clear up a little more as the D tightens during the season. Mbenga didn't get a lot of run last year, so Ratliff's role will be very limited when Bynum returns. But he does look like he will be able to provide some better impact when Phil calls his number. Hopefully, that's not too often and the Lakers bigs stay healthy. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-2 shooting (2-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 blocks and 4 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He swatted AK's drive in transition. He bricked a jumper badly. Second Half: He drew FTs when Kobe drew the D and found him cutting to the rim, he made both. He scored an And-1 layup off the Blake bounce pass, he couldn't sink the FT.

Ebanks -- -- Prior to this game, he had made 12-26 shots (46 percent). Pretty good start for the rookie on the offensive end. Tonight, he went 0-4, but had some moments. What's interesting to watch, though, is how he handles himself on the defensive end. He's rotating and defending PGs to PFs and doing a very good job at it. Of course, he's making the occasional rookie mistake and was once again called for a key foul with a minute left on guard penetration. The potential is there. The length and athleticism are very disruptive. I loved seeing him out there late in the game with the Lakers trying to put a little pressure on. However, a year from now? Two? In those situations, he could be an extremely effective player. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 0-4 shooting (0-2 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 1 board and 1 foul in 11 minutes. He as a -2. The Action: He split a couple of defenders in transition and drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He grabbed an offensive board, but was blocked on the putback. He missed a half-court heave at the buzzer. Second Half: Nice D on Watson after a switch to force a bricked drive. He drew FTs taking a handoff on the baseline from Pau, he made both. He attacked from the corner and was blocked on a runner, looked like a foul. Nice iso D on Miles, staying with him on the drive and forcing a brick. He missed a wing three.

Johnson -- -- He came in with his usual rotation for late in the second quarter. He had to defend Deron for one stretch and Watson late in the game. The D was a bit too soft, allowing Watson to get into the teeth of the D. Trey chalked up 4 fouls in just 11 minutes. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He up-faked, dribbled left and hit a jumper from the wing. He slipped and was tied up on the floor. He missed a rushed pull-up jumper against the shotclock. He lost the ball in transition. Second Half: He was giving up too much penetration to Watson down the stretch.

Naymick -- -- A rare appearance late in the second half to fill in for Lamar. He got his hands on the ball a couple of times defensively to cause turnovers. Caracter could use these minutes, but the back spasms are coming at an unfortunate time. The Stats: He didn't get credit for any stats in 3 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He got a poked a ball loose from a guard on help D to ignite a break. He knocked a pass away to ignite another break opportunity. Second Half:

Phil -- -- Poor start from the Laker backcourt. Fisher hurt the Laker offense with ill-advised jumpers and a cold hand, a bad combination. The trio of Fish, Kobe and Pau was a combined 1-11 to start... The Lakers trailed 20-12 when the timeout came with 3 minutes left... Phil subbed in Brown for Fish and Barnes for Lamar, sliding Ron to PF... He subbed in Blake for Kobe with a minute left... The Lakers trailed 24-14 after the first quarter... Phil started a Ratliff, Artest, Barnes, Brown, Blake linup. They slowed the offense even further. The Lakers were scoring at a pace of a point a minute... They went on a run to cut the lead to three after Lamar came back in at PF for Artest... Down 29-26, Phil went with Pau, Lamar, Ebanks, Blake and Johnson... The Lakers trailed 38-32 at the half. They shot 30 percent (12-40). The Jazz made 44 percent (15-34)... The starters quickly trailed again to start the half... Down 57-46, Phil sat Pau, Lamar and Fish for Ratliff, Barnes and Blake... The Lakers trailed 61-50 after three... Phil started a Ratliff, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... Some good perimeter shooting by Blake and Brown and they cut the lead in half to force a timeout... Brown/Blake missed a couple and the lead was back up to double digits... Phil went with a Pau, Ebanks, Barnes, Brown, Johnson lineup. Some nice moments of pressure D, but they couldn't make any ground... Despite the 33 percent shooting, the Lakers had 20 assists with 11 turnovers...

[chopins7]

first for the first time!!!!!!!

[MedRomLaker]

[circlefong]

I would say the bench is doing good in this game.

many thanks ...

[Yong]

who is better, matt barnes or trevor ariza.
i think its equal.

[Lakersneuron]

thanks as always DB

[LakerSanity]

I have never agreed with the idea that Blake couldn't guard the larger point guards. In fact, to me, that's one of the plusses of having Blake - he's a Kirk Hinrich light. I mean, we've seen him guard Kobe in spurts... and no doubt, Blake is physically tough (one of the reasons he's good at boxing out bigs).

Blake isn't Farmar. I really don't see any advantage to having Brown run the point ever over Blake, no matter the match up (well... except if it's D Wade at the PG spot).
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[revgen]

^Where Blake will struggle more is with the waterbugs. Which is why it's important that we kept Shannon.
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[limchrc]

thanks

[DancingBarry]

[Laker's Fan]

[calistrtballr]

damn i miss Bynum Lack of enforcer down low is killing us.
Pau looks lethargic out there. He's too light to carry load at center. We need to pickup Dampier or start Theo. Cut the ginger kid, and TJ already. With Kobe not being right, ron needs to step his game up. He's capable.

[revgen]

^I think Ratliff is doing okay as an enforcer. He just has no offense whatsoever. And without a post-presence it's difficult to run the triangle. Usually Bynum or Pau alternate as the post-presence with the 2nd unit. With no Bynum, Pau has to play more with the starters.
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[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB.

I really like the way Blake and Barnes played last night. It felt like a breakthrough game for each of them. I thought Ratliff wasn't half bad either, even if his half is only defense.

Also hats off to Artest and Odom, they're ready for the season to start right now.

[Luca Brasi]

great post-game analysis as always DB.

laker fans, this team will do you proud. just be patient.
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"i was born down in the valley where the sun refused to shine, but i'm climbin' up to the highlands, goin' to make that mountain mine" ~ Lakers, 2011

[Jamesikan]

Good analysis per usual, DB.