CLIPPERS -at- LAKERS - 12/19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

A Stern Look... Laker and Clipper fans were taking a good, hard look at their new teams in the first preseason game of the lockout-shortened season. Of course, prior to David Stern's strong-handed trade blocking, both teams might have an entirely different look and feel than what we saw tonight's 114-95 Laker loss.

That was about as ugly a preseason game the Lakers have played in recent years. Combine the long offseason, short preseason, new personnel, new coach and new system and it's to be expected. The Clippers, with both Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups, are adding instant IQ to their lineup. They also have a system that most of the players are used to.

The Lakers will need to play some serious catch up.

Right now they look completely broken offensively as you would expect. This is an offense with considerable triangle experience trying to change how they do things. With the shortened preseason and condensed schedule and practice time, the learning will have to be done on the fly.

New coach Mike Brown wasn't thrilled with what he saw.

"More disappointing for me was the way we defended," Brown said. "This has nothing to do with our concepts. I thought there were too many times that we allowed guys to have uncontested looks from the perimeter."

During the game, he even got on Kobe for leaving Billups open on several occasions. He called a quick timeout and talked to him. After the game, he said that poor effort sets the tone.

"If I had more timeouts, I would have used them all," he said.

With the defense late to react, the offense was also slow to initiate.

There were bright spots. Coach Brown singled out new Laker Josh McRoberts after the game. Kobe looked spry and explosive. And both youngins, Devin Ebanks and Darius Morris had some promising moments.

Too bad we don't have several more preseason games. The Lakers need them badly to get things in gear.


Kobe -- -- Fans got their first televised glimpse of the rebuilt Kobe. He's also had some rest to go with the treatments on his knee. His first step looked superb. He was explosive and was able to create at times despite the confusion on offense. The high number of FTs also were a result of his aggressiveness off the dribble. He took a few spills in the process, which made you worry about injury. With the confusion on the offense and the way we ran some of the sets, Kobe didn't get any post action against the smaller Billups (or whenever). This was a mismatch that should have been exploited, but we had no clue on how to do that. Don't worry. That will be remedied, no doubt, but it just goes to show you how lost we were at times. Defensively, Kobe gave Billups too much space. Coach Brown actually called a timeout to say something to Kobe about it. Kobe also fouled him on a couple long jumpers, too. He needed to work on that middle ground. Brown pointed this out during the game and after. No body gets any slack in Brown's defensive scheme. Think about that because this team will get its act together on that end. Kobe led the team in points and turnovers. Normally, I would say don't worry about the turnovers, but last time Kobe was trying to work outside of the triangle (with Rudy T), he was turnover prone, as well. So while it is too early, keep an eye out on whether this season will be different. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 5-10 shooting (12-15 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 block, 7 turnovers and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He swished a wing jumper coming off a Bynum screen. He missed a long wing jumper on a busted play next time down. He scored an And-1 layup on a drive left, he made the FT. He attacked, hung and drew FTs on Jordan, he made the FTs. He swished a stepback jumper straight away. He no-looked a bullet lob to McRoberts on the break for a huge throwdown. He was called for a travel on the perimeter. He attacked hard, went up high, took contact, came down hard, but bounced right back up, he made one FT. He missed a long fading jumper. He made a tech FT. He attacked and drew FTs on a reach, he made both. He drew FTs on the drive, he made both. Second Half: He swished a wing jumper off the Bynum screen. He threw a behind-the-back pass out of bounds. He lost the ball on a spin move on the next possession. He blocked on a drive, came down hard and landed on his right wrist (he was in pain and immediately grabbed it). He hit a pull-up, hanging And-1 jumper from the top of the key, he missed the FT. He fouled Billups on a three (for the second time in the game, it was ruled a two-shot foul). He missed a fade in the post. He was stripped on a drive. He got two defenders in the air, drew a third and dished if off to Drew for the easy score. He was hit on a baseline drive and threw it up to dra FTs, he made both. He attacked, pump-faked and drew FTs, he made one FT. He missed a corner jumper.

Gasol -- -- Pau was the only Laker with a positive in the +/- stat tonight. He and Kobe will settle this offense down. The game was rushed for the Lakers in their halfcourt sets, which typically results in a messy game for Pau. He needs spacing and methodical offensive sets. If he's got help defenders flying at him, he'll rush things, miss shots and turn the ball over. Once their execution cleans up, his game will look smoother. Defensively, he knows how to play the Clipper bigmen. Let them have the jumpshot, protect against the drive. Pau did get into a little foul trouble. One of the things that might be a concern in the new defense is if the Laker bigs pick up cheap fouls trying to show on screens. They have to master this and guys like Billups or CP3 can draw cheap whistles by hitting the deck (as happened to Pau at least once tonight). In transition D, Pau also got stuck on mismatches against PGs. Brown has been harping on the guys to get back fast in transition. The Clipper guards exploited that tonight. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-10 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 7 boards, 2 assists, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He hit a turnaround jumper with a soft touch. He missed a lefty jumphook. Great backdoor bounce pass to Blake for a layup. He slammed off the interior feed from McRoberts. He missed an elbow jumper. He was hit on a turnaround for FTs, he made both. He scored a layup off the inbounds-saving pass from Bynum. He was blocked on a jumphook by the help D (Bynum and Drew need to make space for each other better). He was hacked on a layup in transition, he made one FT. He lost a dribble on the drive. Second Half: He stepped out and swished a wing three on iso (we will be seeing more of that this season). He slammed on a lob from Blake. He missed a wing jumper. He drew FTs on a putback attempt. He missed a short putback jumper attempt.

Bynum -- -- Early on the Clippers packed the paint and partially fronted the post, making it tricky for the Lakers to get the ball into the post at times. Bynum had some good seals in the middle of the paint, however, and we found him on a few occasions. He wasn't always pretty or efficient around the rim or at the line. This should have been a 20+ point game for him. I'm not a big fan of having Bynum in the Duncan high-post role of the Spurs-themed offensive sets. The defense sags off him at the top of the key while he has the ball in his hands looking to pass or handoff. Look for him to set screens after giving up the ball to free up teammates on those sequences. A perimeter threat like Pau, however, might make the defense a little more honest in those situations. The offense simply stalls out for several seconds too often with Bynum out there on the perimeter. He and Pau also need to be more aware of giving each other space. After a healthy summer, Bynum dropped his weight to 278. He said he needs to get his game legs and conditioning worked on. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 5-11 shooting (5-11 from the line) to go with 12 boards (2 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He missed a flat jumper in the paint. He guided in a lob from Barnes. He was stripped in the post. He missed a one-hander after taking contact off a screen-roll. He was hacked on a putback attempt off a missed Peace jumper, he made one FT. He didn't hit rim on a turnaround bank. He powered in a layup off the screen-roll with Artest. He was blocked on a lefty hook, got it back and fed Pau for the layup. He saved a Paul lob from connecting by deflecting it in the middle of the paint. He missed a turnaround. Low position and he drew FTs trying to power up, he made one. Second Half: He slammed in transition. Great position, but he missed the easy And-1 attempt, he made one FT. Not close on a jumphook across the lane. He drew FTs against Cook in the post, he made one. He was hacked by a couple Clippers on an inbounds pass, he missed both FTs. He scored an And-1 layup off the drive and dish from Morris, he made the FT. He scored an easy one after Kobe lost three defenders and tossed it to him.

Barnes -- -- If there was a battle at the SF spot between Peace, Barnes and Ebanks, it looked like Ebanks won this one. Metta and Matt combined for 0-11 shooting (0-7 from three). Yikes. Barnes started the first half, played with energy and looked active. He even set up Drew on a drive. Brown gave Ebanks the start in the second half as he said he would. He might flip the two in the next game. Who knows from there. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-3 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 3 boards (2 offensive), 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He barely hit rim on a three off a kickout. He missed a sideline three on a kickout from Blake. He attacked and lobbed to Drew for a score. His pass to Kobe was easily picked off for a dunk the other way. Nice defensive hustle to throw a loose ball off Jordan to regain possession. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Blake -- -- A year ago, when Mitch signed him, he mentioned this season and how the Lakers would need a more traditional point guard after Phil retired. This offense should suit his game much better, but Blake is still a backup PG. We are still in dire need of a point guard. Solid game from Blake, who seemed to have more of a grip on the offense than most. He got into some foul trouble, which he's normally good about avoiding while putting up a good challenge. Blake led the team in assists. When Fisher comes back, Blake will slide to the bench, making that unit better. Put him around some shooters like Kapono and Murphy and he will get them the ball. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-6 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 5 assists, 1 turnover and 5 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He swished a wing three in transition. He backdoored Paul for a layup off the bounce pass from Pau. He missed a corner three. Nice D on CP3 on iso to force a miss. He missed a half-court heave at the buzzer. Second Half: He spotted Pau on the weakside for a lob dunk. He had a pass picked off, hustled back and drew a push off foul on CP3 on the drive (normally CP3 will get to the flop before you can, props to Blake for avoiding that). He was tapped on a long wing jumper that somehow crawled out. He missed a short pull-up jumper.

McRoberts -- -- He prefers Mac, not McBob. The Lakers are in need of youth and athleticism. He brings that and hopes to take in the championship tradition and experience from his teammates and new franchise as he continues to develop his game. His first stint got the crowd going. He threw down a lob from Kobe in transition and set up Pau for a dunk on his next touch. Great hustle to get second-chance opportunities, as well. You wanted to see him out there more, but Brown was spreading minutes and Luke took a chunk of time at the PF. He got by on effort and instinct out there, which is good. We've got enough guys in Kobe, Pau and Bynum that need touches. His garbage work will go along well with that. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He showed his athleticism on his first hoop as a Laker, sprinting down court and hammering in a quick lob from Kobe at full speed. Next time down court, he shoveled a Kobe pass to Pau for a dunk. He regained the ball on two straight Laker misses after the play with some extra effort. He traveled on a face-up move. Second Half: He attacked down the lane, lost Jordan with a pumpfake and drew FTs, he missed both. He stepped out on a screen and drew a charge on the Clippers PG at the top of the key.

Murphy -- -- He came in for McRoberts to run across Bynum at the PF midway through the third. His time was brief, but he did what he does best while out there: He sank a three and grabbed a couple boards. He'll work his way into the rotation quickly. Once we have Pau slide over to the C spot to start the season, we'll be depending on him. The Lakers were thoroughly in preseason mode while he was out there. They've got just a few days to get their act together before the games start to count. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting from three to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 9 minutes. He was a -17. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He drained an open three from the top of the key.

World Peace -- -- No doubt, I will be writing "Ron" or "Artest" out of habit for quite some time. World Peace didn't score from the field and didn't hit a three on five attempts. He got a big cheer when he was announced and entered the game. Sad to say that was the highlight. He missed some wide open looks. He did get stuck with the ball on a few occasions where he had to chuck something up against the shotclock. The second unit offense looked like Metta's game. It was a bit O.C. Defensively, is where his value will be seen. If a team doesn't have a star or major threat at SF that needs to be locked down, then Brown should alter Metta's minutes and rotation. It will be tough to keep him focused in those situations. The Stats: He had 3 points on 0-8 shooting (0-5 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: His pass from the post was deflected. He missed a wing three. He missed a short wing jumper. He missed a three. He missed another with the shotclock low. He hit Drew on the two-man game for a layup. He drew FTs and made one. He swatted Paul's drive on help D. Second Half: He missed a wide open sideline three. He missed a pull-up 15-footer. He airballed a long wing jumper trying to create before the shotclock ran out. He threw a pass away on a drive and dish. He attacked from the wing with the shotclock low to earn FTs, he made both. He missed an open wing three.

Ebanks -- -- One of the bright spots of training camp, he started the second half in the place of Barnes as Brown suggested would happen. He got tagged with some hand-check type of fouls. That seemed to be the only real rookie-like trait that showed up in his game. Offensively, his shot looked great on the two jumpers he took. Defensively, he had some good reactions and his wingspan and athleticism will help him as he gains experience. He needs to rely on that more and get the hands off the body. While Devin is a returning player, he might as well be new. He's added to his game and he didn't get much court time last yer. The team needs to set up some lob plays for him. He and Blake had a few connections like that last year in the brief time Ebanks got on the floor. That's about the only chemistry that had been developed. The Lakers need growth from within their organization considering how much the league has locked down on their ability to improve. Keep any eye on Devin. It looks like Brown is going to give him minutes. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-3 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He was whistled for a couple hand-check fouls. He attacked off the corner three line, probed and scored a reverse layup around the help D. He swished a corner three off the swing pass from Blake. He swiped a ball on help D rotation. He sank a face-up wing jumper, very nice.

Walton -- -- Brown gave him a lot of run at the PF spot in the first half. Wasn't pretty, as expected. I still can't believe the stat sheet. It said he played only 7 minutes, but it sure seemed longer than that. There is absolutely no room for him on the active roster. The only reason he didn't get amnestied is the tax implications on the year after Luke's contract expires. The Lakers will likely save that option for Metta. The Stats: He didn't score on 0 attempts and had 1 turnover. He was a -7 in 7 minutes. The Action: Too short at PF to deflect a lob dunk over him. Second Half: He was stripped on a post move, turnover.

Kapono -- -- He looked automatic when on the catch and shoot. He came in at the SG spot, backing up Kobe. I'd actually like to see him on the floor with Kobe for some minutes. Give Kobe more of that space to work with or an easy outlet to a shooter. I think that can be worked in for a few minutes as part of the rotations. In the second unit, the team struggled to collapse the D at times. "The game was going kind of quick for us. We weren't playing that well," he said. He felt that given time, they would be fine. Defensively, will be the real test for him. The Laker defense was all over the place in this one, so hard to judge his performance there. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-5 shooting (2-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist and no fouls in 18 minutes. He was a -12. The Action: Nice job stepping in to take a charge on help D under the hoop. He drained a wing three off the drive and dish from Morris. Second Half: He sank a tech FT. He missed a wing jumper trying to create for himself. He was swatted trying to create off the dribble again on a baseline jumper. He forced his man into an airball at the buzzer. He sank a FT jumper off an inbounds play. He swished a wide open sideline three, automatic.

Morris -- -- Impressive game for the second round pick for the Lakers. He came in for Blake midway through the first quarter to go against CP3. Thrown into the fire, the rookie didn't back down. "He was either feast or famine," Brown said of Morris. He didn't hesitate to shoot or attack if need be. Brown played him 24 minutes. It's likely that time will be taken up by DFish, but Darius showed he's a keeper to develop. He had some rookie moments, but he wasn't playing like a deer in headlights. "I got to just thank my vets. They really helped me out there and made me feel comfortable," he said. He also hit a buzzer beater during the game. "It felt good. I think I felt like I was back in college for a second." Defensively, he played better than I expected. He wasn't getting torched or whistled excessively. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-9 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He missed an open three off a kickout. He drained a long sideline jumper with the shotclock winding down. His jumper hit the side of the board, he got it back and banked from 15 feet with a few seconds left on the shotclock. Next time down, he iso'd and hit a long wing jumper at the quarter buzzer. He attacked and kicked to Kapono for a three. He drained a three straight away off a kickout. He was called for a charge on a drive. Second Half: He gave up an And-1 drive to Paul. He crossed over his man to lose him, but was easily swatted by Jordan on the layup. He airballed a contested pull-up jumper from the FT line. He attacked in transition and dumped it off to Bynum for a layup. He was called for a travel on a jump stop (you will see more of that whistled this year). He probed in early offense and hit a pull-up jumper at the FT line.

Brown -- -- I don't like that we've trashed the triangle but still have a triangle roster. The Lakers tried to do something about it, of course, but Stern did his thing. What I do like is that Brown is holding his guys accountable on defense. He doesn't care whether it's a superstar like Kobe or a rookie. He's not pulling punches or being political about what he doesn't like. He's trying to set the tone and even though the guys struggled with it, they will get there... In Brown's defensive system, the bigmen are to show high on the screens. This, of course, will be adjusted depending on the personnel they are defending (for example, not a good idea against a Rondo). Brown has also been hammering on the transition D in practice, not thrilled with the results so far in practice. Both of those areas needed work tonight. The Lakers D was too soft and too slow to react when they went into their rotations. To be honest, this is where they may miss Lamar the most. Hopefully, the team will get to the point where they are playing on a string... Brown walked into Staples carrying an iron and ironing board. (Feel free to insert comments about smoothing out the Lakers or adding new wrinkles here.)... He had a Kapono, Peace, Walton trio in the game. I imagine we won't see this during the regular season... It was rare you saw Kobe in the post. It just wasn't there. Kobe did try to get in there a few times, but it was always messed up... The Lakers trailed 55-50 at the half... Brown called a quick timeout at the start of the second half to talk to Kobe on D. Kobe had just sagged off Billups (yet again) to give up a three. "We don't want to give anyone anything easy," he said on the sideline to Kobe, who agreed. Phil never would have done that, by the way. He would have yelled at someone within earshot of Kobe. Two different approaches. Phil had a much more complicated relationship with Kobe, however... Brown sat Pau 3 minutes into the second half for McRoberts when Pau picked up his fourth foul. He later brought in Murphy... He than ran a Murphy, McRoberts, World Peace, Kobe, Morris unit. That's a lot of names that weren't there last year... He sat Kobe for Kapono. Another name not there... The Lakers trailed 91-67 after a turnover-prone third. They had 9 of their 21 turnovers in the third... He brought Kobe back in midway through the fourth down 23. Keep in mind, this is still practice for the Lakers. They need minutes as a group... He ran a Pau, McRoberts, Artest, Kobe, Blake lineup. When Fisher returns this could be one of the rotational bench lineups... He brought Bynum back in with 3 minutes left along with Ebanks to run a potential starting lineup for the next game... The Lakers shot 45 percent (30-67, 7-16 from three, and a terrible 28-41 from the line). They outrebounded the Clippers 41-34...

[hellsling]

Thanks for the recap. Doesn't look like you were affected by the lockout.

[revgen]

Kobe - Looks great. Glad to see him back.

Pau - Needs to stay on the floor. Otherwise he looks okay.

Bynum - If he can put up double-doubles even on his worst nights (15ppg, 12rpg, 2 blk), then we should be okay.

Blake - If he can play like he did in the 2nd half, he could be our starter.

McBob - He's a nice energy guy to bring off the bench.

Murphy - He didn't get enough minutes to judge, but this guy is a double-double guy when he's healthy. I have high hopes.

Morris - He can make shots. Can he create shots for others?

Ebanks - He looks like he worked on his offense this season. Nice to see.

Kapono - He can make shots. Doesn't look like he can do much else.

Barnes - Didn't do much tonight. But we know what he can do when he's healthy.

Walton - He should retire.

Artest - Made some nice defensive plays early, but didn't do much else.
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[ChristopherPatrik]

M. World Peace 24:21 0-8 0-5 3-4 -11 1 1 2 3 2 3 1 1 0 3

lol.....

[limchrc]

Thanks. Walton needs to be waived...

[DancingBarry]

The only benefit to not waiving Luke is that he becomes an ending contract next year...but other than that, yeah, he's just taking up a roster spot.

[mhan00]

Wheels fell off when Pau got his third foul. Offense and defense ugly as we try to adjust. Wish we had a longer camp that wasn't (bleep) up by personnel confusion caused by Stern screwing us.

[dood23]

Everyone looks out of sync, as I thought they would be.

McBob looks like a fun addition.

I get nervous as hell when our "BIG MFING 3" are on the bench.

MWP doesn't strike me as a bench mob leader. Our bench will suffer big time unless we somehow have an emerging star waiting to shine. Morris?

This will be a long season, despite being only 66 games I'm still not happy about what happened in the off-season. It obviously hasn't done any good for the team.
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"There's only 2 dudes better than me, and I'm BOTH OF THEM."

[Moses]

Interesting to note:

Paul - 17 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

Billups - 23 points.

Kinda shows how we get abused at that spot in practically every game, the front office really needs to bring in a PG.
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Lakers, Chargers, Dodgers, Arsenal FC.

Mamba Forever
The Marathon Continues
Still I Rise

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB! Great to see your T&R's again!



As for the game - I enjoyed it. I could've cared less about the score.

I think the offense looked very out of synch, and I think that will change within the next couple weeks.

Ebanks really stepped it up. Wow!

I liked how the lineup of Blake, Kobe, Ebanks, Pau and Drew looked late in the game; can't say the same for Walton.

The new guys looked pretty out of synch, not a surprise as many of them hardly know each other yet.

[loslakersss]

[gumby]

I know I'm stating the obvious, but wow....the team really needs a point guard to take charge of this team. I know we can't have CP3, but *something*.

I liked some of the flashes Morris did, but then there were some pure rookie moments too.

Instead of going straight up, he should either slide around or "teardrop" as Stu mention on one of the plays.

I know he's a rook, so it will take time to learn the NBA game. But I liked what he had.

Unfortunately for the bench situation with MWP, it's looking very shaky if we're looking for him to provide offense. I don't think his style makes for instant O. He just never looked like he should have been out there. He was at one speed, everyone else was at another it seemed like.

The two new bigs seemed alright and might help with things for a change.

Everyone else needed seasoning and getting into shape kinda modes.

But damn if CP3 and Billups weren't already in mid-season form.

Bye.
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"This trophy removes the most odious sentence in the English Language. It can never be said again that 'the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics.'" -Dr. Jerry Buss (1985) R.I.P., 33 x M.V.O.

[Laker7]

If he continues to play like he did, I have no problem calling McBob Mac. I liked his energy and box outs.

Morris showed a lot of potential, especially when he was getting pressured by Mo Williams. Did not fold.

Really disappointed in MWP and Barnes (both ends of the court). Luke is done (you're shocked I know).

Offense was out of synch but I am not surprised. I was surprised by the lack of intensity on the defensive end. That is a carry over from the Dallas series and has to get fixed now.
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Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[Diamondbull24]

Awesome recap of the game.

This will be a very interesting year to say the least. The Lakers could really use an upgrade at PG, like REALLY. This new offense is just not conducive to our lacking an effective PG. I'd like to see Brown run some triangle sets during periods of the game to at least get the offense in a rhythm. It may not work with the new guys on the floor, but with our Triangle veterans out there we should give it a whirl. It just seems like without the triangle, the Lakers are very unorganized and not good offensively. They may need Kobe and his controversially rebuilt knee to average more points and minutes than he has over the past few years if they are to have any chance of scoring enough points to consistently produce like they have the past few seasons- like +5 points (30.3 pts) and +4 minutes (38m a night)... at least, I think he'll have to do these things early on in the season.

Other than that, we need to improve defensively- a lot. In only a week they'll be playing games that matter and if the Lakers can't hold teams under 100 points, it's going to be difficult for this offense and it's new offensive system to score-in-bunches for quite some time.

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. Good stuff.

[slaker]

[Mation]

Thanks DB!

[preston0o1]

Lakers lack backcourt depth especially on PG...PERIMETER DEFENSE SUCKED

[Rick12322]

One thing you have to appreciate about Phil is the idea of executing the offense in a way that does not generate too many transition points....

So far our offense is a disaster, producing a minefield of transition points for the opposition.

[RCS926]

I only caught the 1st half, but here were my impressions:

Kobe - Looked very fluid and quick out there. I'm glad that Brown is not going to let Kobe slack on defense the way Phil did.

Pau - Looked to be in mid-season form. I'm still not sold on the Pau-Drew chemistry. Hopefully, Mike Brown can find a way to utilize them both together better.

Drew - He was moving well out there, but I was looking for some sign that his are back. Hopefully, once he gets his game legs back, we'll see Drew back in 2008 form from an athletic standpoint. Also, I'd like to see him get more post touches.

Blake - He looked more comfortable on the floor and looked like he was doing a solid job defensively against CP3.

Barnes - His legs looks spry again. Everything else will come although I still don't trust his 3-ball.

Morris - He looked very impressive to me. His frame and the way he moves reminds me a bit of Rip Hamilton. He wasn't afraid of the moment, which is big for a PG. Hopefully, he continues to be aggressive on the floor.

McRoberts - He's going to be an instant fan favorite. His activity reminds me a lot of Turiaf although he moves around much better. He's going to be a nice complement to both Drew and Pau with his energy, hustle and ability to pass the ball.

MWP - If he's going to lead the 2nd unit, he has to tighten up his offensive game. Hopefully, that comes around.

Kapono - Nice to finally have a knock down shooter on the squad.

[Burgundy]

I have news for everyone...this is a lottery team. They may as well flip Pau and Bynum for Dwight now and start the process. This is not a good team. It needs to be completely blown up. By the way, I don't think having Odom would make a huge difference, either.

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB, our D needs help.

[ChefLinda]

Thanks, DB. I like our young guys and hope they're given enough playing time to eventually displace the likes of MWP, Luke (and dare I say it, Fish) when the time comes.

[LuciusAllen]

[ErMonnezza]

walton : amnesty
barnes: done
artest: good for the playoff
ebanks: on the rise
blake kapono murphy mcroberts: very good bench players

we need a legit starting PG