SPURS -at- LAKERS - 2/3 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

$#&)@#$!!... One rebound. One stop.

"Duncan took the shot. I got caught watching a little bit," Lamar said.

The Lakers gave up four shots and three offensive boards in the final possession of the game, the last one a tip-in at the buzzer by Lamar's man. No rebounds, no win.

The Spurs escaped with the 89-88 buzzer beater -- a two-game switch in the standings on a single play. That might have cost the Lakers any chance at home court advantage should these teams meet in the post season. All on a single defensive stand.

Manu, Parker and Duncan -- the trio of Spur stars -- all missed before McDyess delivered.

"Too many opportunities at the end of the game," Phil said.

Neither team could pull away after developing leads in the game. The Lakers struggled with their timing on getting the ball to the post. They looked like a team out of practice, barely exploring the triangle, let alone the low post. Instead, they settled and fired from the perimeter. The Laker backcourt shot a combined 11-41.

Phil was disappointed with how those perimeter shots came: "Out of context," he said. "Instead of running some offense, guys came down and just shot the ball. That's not how we want to play."

This is usually where the coaches comment about the poor ball movement, not going side to side. When they did go from one side to the other, it was usually away from the post with no one coming weak to strong after that in time to get post position.

The Lakers dropped three of their last four at home. They looked better with their defensive intensity, but lacked the proper offensive execution.

"Defensively, we responded," Phil said. "That was important."

The Lakers were a hair away from losing to the Rockets and a hair away from beating the Spurs. That's the way it goes sometimes.


Kobe -- -- He was a rebound away from a triple-double. Perhaps, had he not tried to draw a charge on Parker that wasn't called (should have been called), he would have been able to secure one of those final misses and get the triple-double in the process. This was one of those games where Kobe struggled with his shot throughout, but tried to do other things to help get the win. He was the engine offensively and set up Pau for FTs and Lamar for a three in the final minute. He just couldn't hit anything with consistency, even a few wide open looks. Unfortunate. "Not a good shooting night for him," Phil said. "He'll be better." Better shooting from him and they take this. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-18 shooting (0-3 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 10 assists, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He drained a wing jumper in early offense for the Lakers first score. He hit Drew on the screen roll for the dunk. He set up Pau for an open jumper off a similar sequence next time down. They would miscue for a turnover on the same play. He missed a running bank but got the board back on his follow. He got caught in the air trying to pass and threw the ball away. He weaved his way through a crowd, spun and drew a foul at the rim, he made both. He missed an open wing jumper, short. He imposed himself on Jefferson in transition, broke him down and hit Pau for the dunk. He had 4 points on 1-4 shooting, 6 assists and 3 boards in the first. He was hit on a jumper in transition, he made both FTs. He tried to force a pass in traffic, turnover. He missed a three. He got tapped on the two-for-one wing jumper attempt. He had 6 points on 1-6 shooting and the 6 assists. Second Half: He missed a long wing jumper to start the half, then airballed getting trapped in the lane. He attacked with aggression off the pinch post and slammed with both hands in a crowd. He was stripped on a drive, turnover. He swished a pull-up off the high screen at the wing. He swished another one off the Bynum screen. He bricked an open three badly. He was clipped on a jumper for two FTs, he made both. He sank a face-up jumper to cut it to 3 midway through the fourth. He missed a 16-footer on iso. He hit Ron breaking free with an outlet for a layup. He missed a wing fade. He missed a floater. He missed an open wing three, big miss with just over a minute left. He hit Lamar for a three with a minute left. He attacked and hit a cutting Pau for FTs to take a 1-point lead with 22 seconds left.

Gasol -- -- White Swan or Black Swan? Thanks, Kobe. He, Phil and everybody wants Pau to be more aggressive and greedy when he gets the ball. "He got smacked around a little tonight, but it was good to see him aggressive," Phil said of Pau, who was on the floor often. He hit a couple of clutch FTs that should have been the game winners had the Lakers secured one of those misses. Pau and Lamar struggled at times with their defensive presence on that end of the floor. Too many easy shots by them when Spurs got to the rim. Only Bynum was truly anchoring. Offensively, the Lakers did a poor job of getting Pau the ball in the post. His back-to-the-basket touches probably weren't more than a couple. He mostly worked the jumper in our sets. They needed to do a better job working for position and hitting our guys when they had it. We failed at both too often. "They did a good job of fronting and three-quartering the post and we didn't do a good job moving the ball side to side," Pau said. He mentioned that's not why they lost the game, however. He ended up leading the team in scoring. Congrats to Pau on making the All Star team again. It should be a kick-back event for him in front of the home town crowd. The Stats: He had 19 points on 8-10 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He swished an open 17-footer on the pick and pop with Kobe. He got tapped on a short wing jumper. He scored a layup when Lamar whipped a pass under the hoop to him out of a timeout. He dunked off the drive and dish from Kobe. He didn't get back in transition and his man helped create a play for a buzzer beater. He had 6 points. He faced up and sank an elbow jumper with the shotclock low. He dunked on the high-low from Bynum. He had 10 points on 5-6 shooting. Second Half: He lost his man and gave up a dunk to start the half. He sank a 10-footer in the lane on the pass from Bynum. He missed an elbow jumper, short. He threw a pass away for a layup. He swished an elbow jumper off the pick and pop with Blake. He was popped in the nose accidentally after a play and fell to the ground (white swan dive?). He kept the ball alive and eventually tipped in a Kobe miss on one possession. No challenge on a Parker drive, giving up a soft And-1. He swiped a post entry pass. He was fouled on a horrible post entry from Kobe, good job getting to it, he made just one FT to trail by 2 with 2 minutes left. Back on the line when Kobe hit him on the drive and dish with 22 second left, Pau made both to take a 1-point lead.

Bynum -- -- Of course, fans would freak out about the knee bruise that cost Drew a game. He looked spry and active tonight with no real lingering issues except for maybe a little trouble powering up to finish. Bynum had a career high 6 assists, including some nice feeds to his fellow bigman. That was the only way they were going to get the ball, apparently. Defensively, Bynum did a great job challenging shots. He caused a lot of trouble around the rim for the Spurs and for Manu pretty much everywhere. He got a little soft on the high screens later in the game and that opened up the midrange game a little bit for the Spurs. That's probably why Phil wasn't going to Bynum at the end of the game. They certainly could have used that size on the glass, though. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-7 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 6 assists, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He missed a lefty jumphook to start the game (use the glass at that angle, as Stu mentioned). He took the pass from Kobe on the screen roll and quickly powered up for the slam. Nice challenge popping out on a jumper. He did use the glass on the right block for the jumphook (that's the shot). Another good challenge on a jumper to help get a miss. He blocked Duncan in the post. He was called for a charge leading with his elbow on a pivot in the post. Nice challenge on Manu's drive to get a miss. He stripped Manu's drive to get a stop. Excellent Tri read, he saw Pau fronted in the post, flashed to the FT line and hit him on the high-low for the dunk. He had 4 points on 2-3 shooting and 2 blocks (should have gotten the ball more). Second Half: He grabbed an offensive board and fed Pau for the short one. He missed the jumphook on the right block (got to set that up for the bank). He was blocked trying to power up over Duncan (no lift). He scooped up a loose ball and scored the layup. He grabbed an offensive board and drew FTs, he made both. He was called for a three-second violation out of a timeout, our execution into the post has been poor. He cut and sank a runner when Lamar hit him. He swatted Manu's drive.

Artest -- -- "I thought he did a great job on Ginobili," Phil said when asked about Ron's game afterward. Manu scored 14 on 5-17 shooting and missed a wide open three in the final possession. Ron was one of the guys who had a board on his fingertips and couldn't reel it in. Phil asked the team today to do some things to get Ron involved in the offense more instead of having him park over in the corner. The corner parking in this game was never fruitful, Ron missed all four of his threes. He was at his best creating something out of nothing in scrambles, off steals or sealing Manu in the post (more of that, please). Those post up are easier to come by when he's on the floor with Lamar versus Pau at PF. His stats weren't half bad when the dust settled. Didn't seem like it watching the game, probably because of the three shooting and FT shooting. One or two more of those would have made a huge difference. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-11 shooting (0-4 from three, 1-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He was stripped trying to create against the shotclock on the first possession. He missed a wide open three. He was called for a travel in transition (wanted the bump foul). He was bumped trying to grab a pass, turnover on the no call. Looked like a great steal and Artest stepped back in bounds before touching the ball on the dribble, but he was called for stepping out by a ref behind the play. He swiped a Manu pass on a switch with a bigman. He missed a wing three when his man sagged off him. He swished a wing jumper off the Bynum screen. He attacked baseline and drilled Manu's beak while drawing a foul, he made one FT. Nice challenge at the rim to save Blake who got backdoored. He scored a layup on the DFish drive and dish in transition. He tied up Duncan on the other end, lost the jumpball, of course. He somehow knocked a board away from Duncan, grabbed it and scored. He had 7 points on 3-5 shooting and 5 boards. Second Half: He attacked baseline and was fouled on the reverse, he missed both FTs. He was held with one hand, caught a pass with his left and still scored it with no call. He bricked a short baseline jumper in transition. He sealed Manu, took the post entry and scored as Manu flopped. He airballed a three. He deflected a pass, busted out like a tight end and scored a layup off the long outlet. He got tapped on an open corner three. He couldn't secure a defensive board in a pile up with 4 seconds left.

Fisher -- -- The -14 in the game tonight versus Blake's +8 kind of told the story at the PG spot. Defensively, we locked down with Blake out there and Phil sat Fish during the fourth. Right decision. Of course, one wonders how this game might have gone with more minutes from Blake and fewer from Fish. Had Phil kept Blake in to close the first half, too, that could have made a huge difference. Neither of them shot the ball well or ran the offense well, but Blake's defensively intensity, activity and bottom line results with him on the floor just couldn't be ignored. This isn't Farmar (who was prone to giving up straight-line layups or scores without the use of a screen) backing up Fish. It's okay to give your vet PG the early hook, Phil. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He took a charge on Blair in transition. He forced and missed a wing jumper. He changed directions on Manu in transition and flipped in the layup. He jumped the passing lane on a telegraphed pass, pushed it out, drew the D nicely and hit Ron for the layup. Straight-line drive for a layup for Parker. Second Half: Wow, so we don't feed the bigs and Fish dribbles to the post and bricks jumphook-throw-thingy badly...come on, Fish.

Lamar -- -- Tough way to lose a game. "He made the play. Got beat. It happens sometimes like that," Lamar said. He took the blame and tried to move on, but this one will sit with him. And coming right after the 20-20 game, too. Just 3 defensive boards, Lamar. Three? He was so flat-footed under the defensive hoop tonight. Phil yelled at him in one timeout for not challenging a couple of Parker drives. You only had 1 foul in the game, Lamar. Challenge hard, please. He stood and watched on those, just as he did as Duncan clanked the final shot. Box out, tap it out, half a beat of work and you take home the W. He didn't get named to the All Star reserves today, although there is still a chance for some late scratches. "Lamar should have been in that group," Phil said before the game. Don't think anyone asked him after the game. That missed rebound spoiled a 10-point fourth quarter from Lamar, including a clutch three with a minute left. He was too perimeter oriented offensively, but that three was a big make. Too bad. Got to finish the plays defensively. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-11 shooting (1-1 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He threw a pass away. He spotted Pau wide open out of a timeout for a layup. He nailed McDyess to the ground on a hesitation move and blew past him for a layup. He snagged a pass from Drew with his fingertips as he cut and was fouled at the rim. He missed an elbow jumper. Great move to lose his man with a spin, but he choked the layup, got to finish those. No challenge on two of Parker's drives for layups (Phil called a timeout, barked at him and bench him for Drew). He had 6 points on 2-4 shooting and 2 boards. Second Half: He bricked a wing three with Pau posting up. He missed a wing jumper in early offense (quit settling, LO). He drew a charge on the other end. Quick first step on the hesitation move and he drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He airballed a wing jumper after we swung the ball away from the post. He settled and missed a wing jumper. He attacked a lane to his left and scored the And-1 layup (didn't settle), he made the FT. He ball-faked, attacked the lane and scored a layup around Duncan. He drained a three from the top of the key to cut the lead to 1 with a minute left.

Blake -- -- Phil let Blake close for DFish. It was obvious from the first half that Blake was able to defend Parker quite well, better than we've seen a Laker guard in quite some time. Just a big difference between the defense of Blake and Fisher. When he was on Parker, Blake hounded him, played the angles well and recovered off the screens. Parker's impact was leveled off well and the Spurs would continually look to other areas to get points. "We're going to continue to scrap," Blake said. "Guys were talking more...I think we fought hard, just didn't finish a play." Offensively, Blake made one of the Lakers two threes. Could have used a couple more makes from him. Our perimeter game stunk. Would have like to seen more pick and pop with Pau run, as well. I liked the level of aggression, though. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-8 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and no fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He missed a corner three on the kickout. Next time down, he was able to get a better look on a more open kickout and he hit the three from the other corner. He airballed a wing jumper on his next look. He was hit on a loose ball with no call and couldn't control it. He missed a quick-fire attempt from three on a kickout. Several nice challenges on Parker and others on D as the Lakers went on a run. He lost Manu with a jab step and swished the baseline jumper (more please). He missed a wing three on a kickout at the end of the half. He had 5 points on 2-6 shooting. Second Half: He set up Pau on the pick and pop. Got a rare carry call to go against Parker. He missed a wing jumper. Nice challenge on Parker's jumper and he forced a brick. His layup on an attack down the middle was rejected like a kickout pass.

Brown -- -- Again, when we struggle to get the ball into the post, Shannon's quick-fire perimeter shooting only makes things worse. Like Sasha and Farmar before him, he's got to be more aware of the game and the game plan. Don't settle when others are doing the same. More off-ball cutting. More recognizing when you've got a bigman open. Think the game, Shannon. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-10 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a long wing jumper. He got it back shortly later and was tied up by Jefferson's elbow or something on a drive. He measured a three, hesitated, then missed. He drained a wing jumper off the Bynum screen (good body control on that one). He was lost on a screen on the other end to give it right back. Second Half: He attacked off the three line, sliced to his left taking contact and hit the And-1 jumper in the lane, he made the FT. He was stripped getting ready to dunk on a drive. He bricked a jumper, not pulling the ball out to hold for the last shot of the quarter. He drained a wing jumper off the pinch post. He bricked a FT jumper. He bricked a wing jumper.

Phil -- -- Phil successfully dodged coaching the All Star game... Turnover-prone ball by the Lakers to start the game, several unforced. They look like a team that hasn't practiced together. Perhaps with vets sitting and Drew hurt, they haven't practiced... Phil sat Bynum for Lamar (instead of Pau for LO) after 8 minutes, down by 4... Phil called a timeout, probably sick of the unforced turnovers repeatedly by the Lakers... He brought in Blake and Brown for Fish and Artest... The Lakers trailed 22-18 after the first despite the 5 turnovers... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Brown, Blake unit... The Spurs put Jefferson on Lamar at PF briefly. Did we look for it in the post? Of course not... Good defensive intensity by this unit, Blake, Bynum and Artest especially... Phil brought back in the starters with Pau for Bynum and the score tied 30-30. They kept up the intensity and led 38-33... Phil brought back in Blake for Artest and slid Kobe to the SF... He called a timeout and barked at Lamar for not protecting the paint on a couple drives, then benched him for Bynum. The Spurs caught back up with Parker getting a couple of layups and some whistles for others... The Lakers were tied 42-42 at the half. They shot 45 percent (17-38, 1-9 from three, 7-8 from the line) and had 7 assists. The Spurs shot 39.5 percent (17-43, 3-6 from three, 5-9 from the line). Laker backcourt shot 5-20, Kobe included. Laker starting front court was 10-14, Ron included... Laker backcourt picked up where they left off to start the second half, 1-5 after the first few minutes... Phil sat Drew for Lamar again with 4 minutes left... The Lakers trailed by 8 points, about to lose control of the game. Phil called a timeout. Nicely called... They trailed 66-63 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Brown, Blake unit... Phil called a timeout after the team had the 1-point Spur lead expand back to 5 after three minutes... He sat Bynum and Brown for Kobe and Pau. They cut the once 8-point lead to 3 to force a timeout midway through the quarter... They cut it to 1 on the 7-0 run... Phil closed with a Pau, Lamar, Artest, Kobe, Blake unit... They took a 1-point lead with 22 seconds and would need to get a stop... They dodged a Manu three and a Parker floater, unable to get boards on both (Kobe drew a charge on Parker with no call, also)... Dodged a Duncan shot, but McDyess finished with the KO on Lamar... Some interesting rotations. Phil left Luke on the bench all game (lost more time for Ron) and went with just 8 players. He sat Fish in the fourth... The Lakers were 2-14 from three, the Spurs 6-16... "Our three-point shooting was really bogus," Phil said...

[LakerEric]

sICKENING!
_________________
Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[LakerEric]

I was actually first? Sux that it was for this pathetic game!
_________________
Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[ssiknick833]

Still can't believe that finish


Thanks DB
_________________

[10scott10]

Should had Bynum in on that last Play. When you need one stop, he can everything Pau can and is better at blocking shots and rebounding.


This is probably the first loss this season that really got to me.

[E=MC²]

I'm looking forward to see how Lakers do on the road trip.

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. Too bad PJ doesn't trust Bynum to finish games. McDyess would had to go around Drew to get that tip. Would not have been enough time. Everybody should have boxed out though. Why this team refuse to play smart and use their size is beyond me...

[DancingBarry]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB.

Very frustrating ending to a good defensive battle. Our perimeter players need about 20 hours of passing drills tomorrow, followed by some intense weightlifting and a 15 mile run, as a reward for their ball sharing tonight.

[thurloly]

I jumped up when I saw Duncan missed the shot. Then, I sank back down when I saw a tip in. It is like throwing poop into my face. So......*sigh*

[mza]

I was surprised to learn that 6 assists is Drew's career high.

[limchrc]

Thanks. Let's win the next games.

[califoriadreamin]

Kobe definitely lost the game for us. 5-18? like really, if he would have missed only 12 of those 18 stupid shots he took instead of 13 we would have won. Especially on a night Lebron goes for 51 on 17/25 shooting along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists IN ORLANDO?!?!?!....Its embarresing to us Kobe fans, That kobe plays fairly bad in our own home court...(bleep) sucks!!!


Then Mcdyess tipping in the game winner over Kobe and Lamar was just funny.

[Nobody]

[revgen]

[Arbitrary]

[JUST-MING]

Thanks DB. I turned the game off at halftime, as that 18 point first quarter made me sick (not a figure of speech).

The few thoughts that I had? Andrew played hard (throughout the first half). He posted/screened/rolled hard, ran in transition, and ran back on defense. Pau, on the other hand, was the source of 3 first quarter turnovers. Pau didn't play hard until after a timeout by Phil late in the quarter. He contributed the "most" (or the "least") to that 18 point quarter. Andrew is playing like he doesn't want to be traded; while Pau is coasting.

It seems, once again, they had no answer for Tony Parker (9/17); while Manu (5/17) worked much harder for his shots. I recall one semi-transition floater over Andrew. It was so close the two nearly high-fived on the play.

Inspired defense by Steve Blake was another of the bright spots, of the second quarter, before I turned it off. I really enjoyed watching him move his feet on defense.

Kobe went "triple-double mode", evidenced by his poor shooting. That's shades of 2004, when he'd averaged something-like 28-8-8 through the first half of the season, on sub-40% shooting. He couldn't get a call, either. Had a few inside that looked "flat", as if hit on the shot. He was only listed with 1 blocked attempt, but it looked like perhaps even 3 or 4 more were "flat", in the first half. Clean block by the way on Timmy. Kobe timed his jump perfectly. I want to have a look at the charge on Tony. However, when coupled with the "out-of-bounds" calls the Lakers never recieved, the officiating seemed like a "road game", rather than a "home game".

One last "point" (pun!), they need to inject life into the PG position. Derek is old. 36 years old. The Knicks are "rumored" to be able to acquire OJ Mayo; perhaps they should try to piggyback on a Melo trade (3-way). Try to acquire Mayo using the Trade X, Shannon, Ebanks, and/or Caracter.

[calistrtballr]

Im really sick and tired of all the perimeter brickfest and no passes to the interior. Drew and Ron had countless deep post up positions and never got the damn ball. F! u Brown, and Odom tonight. And what the hell is wrong with Phil. Fish is done, he's been DONE all year. Start Blake already!

[rokobe81]

lamar does it again....

in 2006 game 6 vs suns odom was the man responsible for that offensive rebound by marion.

[prisma8slg]

tough loss

thanks DB
_________________
"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[Klone_dd]

Sometimes you wonder if these guys have ever played together. Throughout the game, strange turnovers, quick shots, neglecting the post, poor rotations - these things are becoming an annoying trend. Another annoying trend is how the team comes out after halftime. Halftime leads against Boston, Houston and tied with SA all became deficits by the start of the 4th. Vs Boston, Rondo was in check at the half, then boom. Vs SA, Parker in check at the half, then boom. Phil's halftime speeches must be very uninspiring lately.

1stQ was super sloppy, no purpose offense. 3rdQ was crappy D. 4th was forget the offense. And yet, there they were up 1 with 22 seconds left.

Overall, the D carried them and that is a good sign. It faltered in the 4th on the defensive glass, but otherwise, I liked the intensity, especially by Bynum and Ron. Would've been nice to have gotten him the ball at the start of the 4th.

What's up with Shannon taking 10 shots in 17 minutes? Maybe when Barnes returns, Barnes gets those minutes replacing Kobe.

Vs Houston, a frustrating win. Vs SA, a frustrating loss.

[HBA]

DB man, what a sight for sore eyes eh?

You know, the thing that gets me bro, is everyone is complaining about the rebound at the end. Who cares? We gave up a WIDE open 3 to their best perimeter player on the start of the possession. By rights, he'd make that and we'd have needed a make of our own to win the game.

So, for me, it's irrelevant that Odom wasn't in position. Winning wouldn't have changed how I feel, and that is that:

1) PJ can talk defense all he wants, but until he starts benching Fisher in favor of Blake, that's all he is doing...is talking. Blake was so far and away better than Fisher, it was sore to watch. Matter of fact, Blake is showing me something with his play vs. Brooks and Parker. That he can really defend these guys and, to me at least, has been Great defensively for a while now.

2) We can't seem to get anymore stops in crunchtime. Countless games with no stops. Houston, Indiana, last night vs. San Antonio. Sacramento.
Every game we need a critical stop to either win or stay within a point so that we can win it at the other end, and we fail. Other than Houston in our opening game of the season, have we gotten a single stop on the final possession to secure a victory or give us a chance at one? I'm flabbergasted at these breakdowns.

3) Kobe played reasonably well offensively and mediocre on defense, IN THE FIRST HALF. People say he didn't play well. Problem with people is that they only look at how he shoots. He missed a TON of makeable shots. And open shots as well, which for him, is an aberration.

4) Artest played well defensively. Offensively, not so much.

5) I agree with Ventura that our best defensive frontcourt BY FAR, is Bynum and Odom. It's a no contest. I bet if Bynum is in there at the end, we secure that rebound and win the game.

I'm not sure where we go from here. We might have a terrible road trip, or we might get upset and continue playing hard to try and right the ship. At this point, I wish I even had a resemblance of clue as to what to expect. All I can thank for at this point, is that this is PJ's last season. His message to his players has been tuned out and his disregard for defense in games and playing the best defenders, has run its course. I honestly, without pride or prejudice, feel its time he goes. This team is showing it's time he steps aside.

[Rick12322]

[thejellosjiggling]

I thought that it was a good overall effort last night. Effort was what we had all been questioning.

I occurs to me that what is continuing to diminish is an outside shooting threat. In the early 2000's, they brought in Glenn Rice just for this reason. As currently configured, the Lakers really do not have a significant outside shooting threat. Kobe tends to drive to the basket more and his outside shooting isn't the threat it once was. Shannon may be the only realistic threat on the perimeter.

As long as this continues, it allows these teams to sag in on the middle and clog up the lane for our bigs. It is really taking a toll on Gasol and limiting the mobility of Bynum. They need to be moving and cutting for position and passes, but it seems as if they are being man-handled. When you don't feel the need to defend the perimeter, you can really screw up the inside game.

I can't imagine a trade for a significant piece before the deadline, but a substantial outside shooting threat could be very valuable. At one point, this was, in theory, Sasha.

The Lakers seem to have the vast majority of pieces. However, a strong threat as an outside shooter could really open up the inside, IMHO.

[Rick12322]

Blake is good outside shooter, and he should be starting and getting 30 mpg. You need minutes to build rhythm.