LAKERS -at- WARRIORS - 2-11-23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:04 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- WARRIORS - 2-11-23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

The New Crew... This would be a test for the new guys.

You’ve got one team in the Warriors that have massive continuity. They know each other. They know their playbook inside and out.

The Lakers, on the other hand, have cycled through yet another round of roster turnover. They’d have to learn on the fly in a hostile environment.

Coach Ham threw DLo in the starting unit and LeBron watched again from the sideline, matching the Warriors missing Curry.

The offense started out slow, but they kept the Warriors from scoring at a high clip, as well. All night, the Laker bigs would pack the paint, sagging off the Warrior bigmen and playing free safety in the paint.

They fell back by as many as 8 points in the first half, but Dennis Schröder kept them attached and reeled in the Warriors with a series of scores and an effective three ball. That bought the team some time.

Hustle by Jarred Vanderbilt and Austin Reaves off the bench also gave the team some lift. They’d need it, as AD struggled to get his game going.

Vando would give the Lakers some spark late in the third and the Lakers would ake back the lead. They won the quarter 34-26, turning the tables on the Warriors and on a season-long trend of the Lakers playing some awful third quarter.

As the game went along, DLo started to find his spots. In crunch time, he imposed himself for a couple of scores and found a teammate for a three. While AD struggled offensively, the defensive schemes were able to funnel shooters to him and he came up with a couple of big blocks late.

With a strong defensive effort, the Lakers would hold on to a small lead and take the road win, 109-103.

It’s a new crew out there. They don’t know all the plays or defensive schemes yet, but they played hard from start to finish. They fit together better. And basketball gods approved -- there were no disappointments down the stretch in this one.


Davis -- -- Oof. Rough game for AD. I’m a little concerned with the energy and effort lately. I’m not sure if something is hurting or he’s just not in game shape, but he’s been struggling. Really poor first half, getting pushed out of the block and settling for a lot of long turnaround jumpers. He had 4 points on 2-7 shooting, getting a lucky bounce on one of those makes on an awful one-footed turnaround chuck from the corner. The coaching staff needs to set up some deep seals for him to get the ball quickly and go to work. Very lethargic start to the second half. Heading into the fourth quarter, four other Lakers had double digits in scoring while AD had just 7 points on 2-10 shooting. He finally backed his man down to get into decent range for a jumphook and hit that. He’d miss an open jumper next time down. A number of times, he was trying to make something happen in the paint and would lose the ball and get upset about no calls. He and Draymond were jawing with each other (friendly kind of trash talking) shortly after Draymond got a stop in the post on an AD layup attempt. It wasn’t happening on the offensive end (19 shots for 13 points). Defensively, down the stretch was interesting. All game we’d sag in the paint, but you had to be careful when your man was out on the perimeter screening and leaving our guards on an island. The guards were able to do their jobs enough that it led to a couple big AD blocks in the paint. Not an easy night, but he battled through it all and made some big plays late. Hopefully, we see better versions of him as he gets more games under his belt, especially with the new guys. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-19 shooting (0-1 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 16 boards, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +6.

Schröder -- -- He crushed it for the team tonight again. He put together a nice second quarter run, hitting some threes and scoring on a layup. That helped the Lakers reel in the Warriors when they were down by 8 points. He led the team with 13 points on 4-5 shooting at the half. In the second half, he hit a baseline floater. He drew a few trips to the line after that. He attacked and lobbed to AD (a rare easy one for AD tonight). Later in the game, he’d work off an AD screen that just ate up the defender and that left Dennis wide open to hit the floater down the middle of the lane. He had a big score working off the high screen for a layup with just over a minute left. Smart, smart play with 51 seconds left. The Warriors had just commit a foul, Dennis got the inbounds, Klay was stupidly up putting pressure on him, so Dennis did the swing through to manufacture FTs. As great as that was, he’d then miss both FTs. Next trip down, he’d miss a wide open three. He’d be able to ice the game, though, on an inbounds into the backcourt to eat up clock and then get back to the line for FTs again. This time, he did not miss. Great job again elevating his game with one of our superstars out. He had been perfect from the line and from three before those misses in the final minute, but got those clutch ones to seal the deal. Some very positive words about DLo’s game after this one, and he looked genuinely excited to be playing with him. Ham started both his guards, but staggered their rotations after that. Maybe that’s the way he goes. We’ve got Bron and Reaves who can also create with second units. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 7-12 shooting (3-4 from three, 9-11 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists and 1 turnover in 30 minutes. He was a +7.

Russell -- -- It was a slow start, but a stronger finish. HIs first bucket was a layup working off the AD screen. There was a stretch late in the fourth, when you could see DLo dial it in and get after it. He took an inbounds, snaked through traffic and hit a midrange in the paint. Just a very determined score. Next time down, he scored an And-1 layup, taking contact and throwing the And-1 up and in over his head. He and AD were working the two-man action and trying to figure it out. “Me and DLo literally talked the whole game about the pick and roll,” AD said, mentioning they are learning each other on the fly. He had the hardest job of the new guys tonight. Thrown in the starting lineup, trying to execute the offense and get into a flow. Not easy. Vando knows he can just hustle. Beasley will just shoot. Russell is going to put up some big numbers from three, but he kept that limited tonight, making just one of three (a wide open look off a Laker offensive board). He will have more wide open looks when Bron is out there with him. His shot quality in Minnesota was pretty poor. That should improve drastically here. On the passing front, he excels on set play action. That will take a bit of time, but some good looks tonight. He hit Vando with a sweet pass behind the head of the defender at the end of the third quarter that resulted in points with half a second left. Some great poise there, but threaded that one nicely. Defensively, he didn’t have any stats to show it, but I thought he was pretty disruptive tonight. More than I expected and that’s tricky against a Warriors team that knows how to free up their perimeter guys. So all of this said, here’s a couple areas where we upgrade from Westbrook. First, you can close with DLo. With Russ, that was a crapshoot at best. Late turnovers, wild drives, chaos, teams sagging off him to help on others. It makes things very complicated unless you orchestrate things methodically, which we did not. DLo changes all that. He can play off Bron. Space the floor. Secondly, he can come up big himself with the ball in his hands. Bron needs others to take over plays down the stretch and Russell can do that. He’s a smart player and you need to play smart ball at that time of the game. He said it was a bit weird trying to figure it out but thought that everyone just being aggressive made the difference. “That makes us a little more dangerous,” he said. They asked him about playing off AD, but wait until we run the inverse screens with Bron where it results in a 4 on 3 situation with the ball in DLo’s hands or a good look at a three from DLo. He said the sooner they get reps under their belts, that will make the transition better. Hope Bron can get on the court and stay there. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-12 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 6 assists, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a +10.

Hachimura -- -- The Lakers struggled to hit shots early. Rui missed a bunch to start. But eventually, he started dialing it in. He sank a wing three on a swing pass from Lonnie. He drew a double in the post as they tried to put Poole on him. That led to a Laker there. Back in the post again, he reversed around Poole. He’d get clubbed in the head by Draymond, flagrant-1 as Draymond wound up and got nothing but head at the rim as Rui tried to finish. IN the second half, he moved in off the three line and hit a baseline jumper. He sank a big three off a Russell kickout late. Then he hit another baseline pull-up with over 2 minutes left to go up 7. Nothing flashy in this game, but those were big makes that contributed to the win. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-11 shooting (2-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and no fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +10.

Brown -- -- He got the start maybe in Bron’s spot. I think we run Rui/Bron combo and sit Brown. He gives the team a little continuity right now as they figure things out. He hit a three trailing the break and dunked filling a lane when Dennis no looked to him. He only got credit for one turnover. I thought he had a couple bad passes in this one, so someone else got tagged with that other turnover. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 6 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -3.

Reaves -- -- “He’s scrappy, he’s smart, he understands what we are trying to get done in the defensive game plan,” Ham said of Reaves. He mentioned Reaves blowing up DHOs. He had a huge stop going down off a handoff with 45 seconds left to get the call. This was a situation where Klay could have gone off down the stretch, but Reaves was in his jersey, fighting through screens and when he did get screened, we saw him switch quickly and the defense kept flowing. One of those switches also allowed for AD to block Klay in the paint. Even though they are different players, Caruso did some of those things on D. But the two of them also just end up getting hit in the face or getting knocked to the floor a lot. We saw Reaves picking up bumps and bruises all game. He took an elbow early, flagrant-1, that dropped him and produced some instance swelling. He might have a black eye from that one. I love that Reaves and Vando were on the floor together (although Reaves did get clocked by him, too, under the hoop, lol). But you’ve got two very active guys who get to loose balls and move the ball well. Vando had a steal and hit Reaves for a dunk in transition. Reaves would later attack in transition in the second half and hit Vando for a dunk. Reaves attacked pressure D (I love when guys think they can pressure him, without fail it backfires), Reaves got to the rim, missed the layup, but VAndo cleaned up the dribble penetration. We got a couple of young guys that play the way you want to. Keep them on the team, please. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-5 shooting (1-2 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 26 minutes. He was a +1.

Vanderbilt -- -- Big spark of energy off the bench in both his shift, but especially to end the third quarter and help the Lakers to a 6-point lead. He denied a shot at the rim with a great challenge. He kept a board/possession alive off a Warrior on the offensive end. Then hit a midrange jumper off the subsequent inbounds when our play busted. Right as they were praising his play, he pushed out a rebound, spun around a defender and scored a layup. At the end of the third, he rolled to the hoop and Russell hit him for FTs with 0.6 left. He had a putback score off a Reaves drive. Really shifted the momentum for the team. In the first half, he fed Gabriel in the interior for a dunk. He dunked himself off a dish from Lonnie. He stole the ball, jumping a passing lane and hit Reaves in transition for a dunk. A lot of little plays, strong rebounding, hustle plays, and winning 50-50 balls. You knew he’d be a fan favorite with all of that. It’s his fifth season, but he’s only 23 years old. There’s still plenty of room for him to grow his game. But right now, it’s the kind of stuff that will play well off superstars. LeBron needs that youthful energy and relentless effort around him on both ends. He’s got motor and that just wears on teams and opposing stars that have to match up with that. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a -6.

Beasley -- -- Shooters gonna shoot. What I want to see is the shot selection improve a bit more once LeBron is in the mix. It probably wouldn’t have made too much a difference tonight as he even missed the wide open threes. But unless the shotclock is low, I want to see him work off the natural gravity of Bron and make teams pay for sending help. He missed all six of his threes. His two makes were on a pull-up in the lane and an attack off a Vando kickout to score a layup while hanging and taking contact. Too many turnovers. One of them, he got stripped on the perimeter for a score the other way. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-9 shooting (0-6 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 1 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -2.

Walker IV -- -- I’m curious to see how his minutes play out. In a game like this when Beasley is cold, you may have more opportunity for Lonnie. But when Bron returns, rotations tighten up quite a bit. We can certainly put out some uber athletic lineups now. Lonnie had a couple scores in the first half. He sank and open midrange shot. He weaved through the paint off a high screen for a layup. He also found Vando for a dunk. No scoring in the second half. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 assists and no fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +3.

Gabriel -- -- We saw the energy combo of Gabriel/Vando on the floor. Against certain teams that may work well. What I think we will see, though, is Gabriel likely out of the rotation. Bamba as a floor spacer and with length in the paint will likely take Wenyen’s minutes. He also makes Vando much easier to play because of that floor spacing. Bamba is more of a threat that has to be respected and that opens up the playbook more and makes it easier on our guards offensively. He doesn’t bring the same energy and we may see some Wenyen when we want to send a message. Wenyen played solid tonight. He had a couple of putbacks. He dunked off an interior feed from Vando. He also forced a man into a double dribble on a stunt reach in the paint that surprised him. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 3 boards (2 offensive), 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -4.

Ham -- -- Key Moment: Timeout up 4 with 17 seconds left. We were in a foul situation and Ham called a timeout. Dennis just missed two freethrows earlier. The normal play they run is to send Dennis in backcourt to catch it and run time. We ran that and he was fouled with 11.4 left after running down some time. Ham trusting Schröder would make the FTs after his recent misses. Dennis buried both. Belief in his guy paid off. When it came down to it in this game, Ham closed with an AD, Rui, Reaves, Russell, Schröder lineup. We likely swap out Rui with Bron, but could go big with both. There are so many combinations now, I’m not going to guess.

Key Substitution: Any time Vando was in the game. He just elevated the energy in a positive way. Extra possessions, buckets, defense. That’s just going to be huge. Russ gave the team some energy, but it was not always productive and didn’t covet possessions. Big shift here for the team.

Key Stats: Warriors shot 12-44 from three (27%) and the Lakers held them to 103 points. They are a tough team to beat at home even without Curry. Big effort by everyone on the defensive end.

Coach’s Challenge: With 3:29 left, there was a scramble for an offensive board that pingponged off a few players. Ham couldn’t see from his end, but gambled based on AD’s reaction and challenged the call. No luck on the challenge. Warriors ball.
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mhan00
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:15 pm    Post subject:

Won a game with no Bron and AD struggling. Heck yeah. So far so good with the new team.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:15 pm    Post subject:

Second.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:19 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

First time in probably almost 2 years I felt some optimism. Just one game, but the grit these guys were showing is much appreciated.
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ribeye
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:19 pm    Post subject:

A little more fun tonight?

You've had to endure far too many pathetic games, and then relive them with your summaries. You--and all of us--were due for this.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:23 pm    Post subject:

I had no idea Vanderbilt had that spin move in his arsenal, that was just the cherry on top of a GREAT new player for us. He fits perfectly with our stars and on any team with championship aspersions. I’d lock him up for 5 years ASAP. I can’t believe we were able to get him.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:23 pm    Post subject:

ribeye wrote:
A little more fun tonight?

You've had to endure far too many pathetic games, and then relive them with your summaries. You--and all of us--were due for this.


We were drowning with all that swimming against the currents the past couple years. You can just feel the tide shifting. Hopefully, our stars can stay healthy.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:25 pm    Post subject:

I’m actually really excited about the rest of the season now if that’s the type of effort we can expect the rest of the way.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:47 pm    Post subject:

Great effort from the entire rotation. AD struggled offensively, but he was a major factor on defense.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:17 pm    Post subject:

This win was a breath of fresh air. We won a close, low-scoring game on the road without LeBron, the kind of game we haven't really won the last two seasons.

It seemed like Russell tried to not be too aggressive, but he was still solid. Vanderbilt is going to be an X-factor. I can see Beasley not working out because he's so inconsistent, but I hope he pleasantly surprises us.

I really think that as long as at least Russell, Vanderbilt and Bamba work out and stick around next season, and especially Rui does so as well, we can be legit championship contenders next season. We may need one or two more role players, but the outlines of a legit contender seem to be there now.
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:43 pm    Post subject:

First game in a long time that we looked competent in the clutch
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:05 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

First time I posted in forever!

Finally have a team that I have interest in.

Westbrook couldn't leave soon enough for me.

Look forward to watching some Laker games for the rest of the year and next year even shows greater promise!
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:12 am    Post subject:

My favorite win of the year!

Yeah, the shots weren't consistently falling and Beasley's first game was a joke (the bad passes, the sloppy dribbling), and the missed threes. Ham was even sticking it to us with three guard lineups again (though at least most were SG sized).

But the team defense was GREAT! I especially loved the energy, with multiple second and third efforts from several of our players. I mean, we actually held a good offensive team to 103 points on their own floor where they've been dominant (both with and without Curry playing).

There have been plenty of games where we let teams get 115-130 points easily, and we didn't have Lebron or Mo Bamba to help yet. I am very encouraged about this roster as we head to the finish line. I just hope A) we have no more major injuries, and B) Ham doesn't gimp us defensively with ridiculously small lineups.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:19 am    Post subject:

AD - We need Energy, Effort and URGENCY! AD is seemingly needs to follow the path Pau Gasol to demand and play strong, especially in these times where every game is critical to get into the playoffs.

Vando/Gabriel brings instant energy, effort and urgency that brought passion to the play on the court.

DLo is bringing needed elements

Vando gets rebounds

Beasley (hopefully) will bring buckets

Look forward to what Bamba will bring
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:40 am    Post subject:

I too was begging Ham to sub in Jarred for Rui at the last few minutes when we were getting killed on the boards. Rui rewarded Ham with some clutch baskets though. His confidence may be key for any playoff run. OTOH, you don't worry about Jarred not confident in being Jarred. Can't wait see the AD/Bron pick and rolls with DLO in the corner/wings ready to hoist or initiate some secondary action.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 1:50 am    Post subject:

gng930 wrote:
I too was begging Ham to sub in Jarred for Rui at the last few minutes when we were getting killed on the boards. Rui rewarded Ham with some clutch baskets though. His confidence may be key for any playoff run. OTOH, you don't worry about Jarred not confident in being Jarred. Can't wait see the AD/Bron pick and rolls with DLO in the corner/wings ready to hoist or initiate some secondary action.
Wondering if we will see this season an AD who is dominant in the paint with few 3pt shots. Especially noteworthy since the Dubs can’t match AD’s length. Since on offense, AD is not demanding the ball and he is generally relaxing on the perimeter.

As Mark Jackson/JVG stated, AD is getting pounded in the inside (when he is inside the paint) by two 6’9” players (Looney & Green). Imagine what happens when he plays Jokic, Gobert, Adams, Vucevic, Giannis, Embiid and others

If the uber talented AD is unable to perform at a very high level (hopefully because he is still recovering from his injuries), maybe Ham’s strategy should remain focused on LBJ with AD as “Robin”
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 2:24 am    Post subject:

So refreshing seeing a backcourt who can put so much offensive pressure on opponents now. Ham was still running a 3 guard line up, but huge difference in with most of these guys are 6'4 and taller except for Schro.

Beasley was forcing some shots. But I think it's more due to he was thrown with the 2nd unit with no legit PG on the floor. Reaves was handling some PG duties tonight. I would love to see him get some burn with DLo/Lebron/AD on the floor.

Vando is adverstised. DLo is so different from watching Russ play. Different pace so much more under control. I was getting PTSD every time I heard the commentators say the name Russell tho.

It will be interesting what Ham does when Lebron comes back. Will he continue to run Schro/DLo backcourt. Because right now, we don't really have a PG when both those guys sits. But most likely Lebron will be running with the 2nd unit. If I'm guessing Reaves/Beasley/Vando/Lebron/Mo...

Walker/Wenyen/TBJ I think will be left out of the rotation.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 4:43 am    Post subject:

The DLO/AD pick and roll in 1 game already surpassed anything I ever saw from WB/AD. Just the spacing and the little movement you get from having DLO.

But the game ball belongs to Dennis. He really was the engine. I wasn't happy that we started the small lineup of DLO/Dennis/Brown again, but the Warriors didn't make us pay. Klay was having a rough night and we did some good things defensively. That was the key, it seems. The Warriors are also pretty small and much less effective without Curry. You can sag off Dray like teams used to sag of WB. We did a lot of that early, and again, got fortunate, IMO. It was a small ball match up that can work, I guess.

You start that badly early (and it was ugly for us) you should be blown out by the Warriors on their home floor, early. We didn't, and that was huge, as going into Q2 our offense picked up.

I could have been wrong on this, but we also didn't push the ball at lightening speed in this one. Even though I'm not a fan of the small lineups (especially with AD at the 5, Dennis/DLO in the backcourt) once you get Lebron James back and Mo Bamba understands the schemes (and serves his suspension) you have a lot of options.

The big question is are these moves too late. This kind of talent should be a top 6 team in the West. Can you imagine having them with the AD that was playing like a MVP pre-injury? We'd clinch a top 6 spot. Big question is will we have enough time and will AD get back to his peak before season's end. Also, last night playing small with Dennis at the 2 basically (I view DLO as our 1) worked. Longterm? I hope we don't do that.

My quick ratings

AD = Horrendous on O, Awesome on D (especially late). His rim protection and reboundin effort was there. The not sure what's going on emoji.

DLO = Just smooth. Always felt this guy would make a quality 3rd piece on a good team (Going back to the DLO discussions in 2015-2017 when some thought he may be the next Harden/Curry). His pick and roll game is already yeons ahead of WB.

Dennis = Great game, but I want him off the bench doing that so long as we start DLO. Dennis was our engine, but we didn't pay for this in the 1st due to weak Warriors play, but in a regular situation, we're down 15 in that 1st Q.

Vanderbilt = Remember saying that Vandy was worth looking at even when the deal was reported to be WB, 1 FRP, and taking on Conley's contract with Beas. Felt that was a good deal on paper if we got Vandy, and we did even better with switching DLO/Conley into that. Just knew his length/athleticism combo was needed. Haven't had a long active forward like this in a while. Can't wait to see Bamba, Vandy and Lebron lineups, or Vabdy, AD, Lebron or Bamba, AD, Lebron lineups if Coach Ham allows it.

Reaves = Must re-sign for the Lakers. He's like a smaller Luke Walton (when Luke was actually any good) for us. Just makes all these right high IQ plays and his effort is always top notch. How many intangible plays? What about those 2 screens he took to get offensive foul calls (and TOs) on the Warriors? I want to see

Rui = Nice game, but overall, I find he's not been a great fit for us so far. Not sure what his role and value will be now that Vandy is in the mix. He has some shot creation ability that can have value, but so far, I see a weaker version of Kuz. And Kuz was never a good fit with AD/Bron until late in that 2019-20 season when he started to play a lot defense and rebound the ball. If we're bringing back Rui on a big deal (3 years MLE+) he needs to show us he can rebound the ball and defend better.

Brown Jr = Think he has a role as a 3nD guy but not as a starter, and if we start him, needs to be at the 2 (If Reaves isn't our starter).

Beasley/Walker = They'll have nights when they go off, but hope Ham doesn't play them as much. Feel even if they give us some 3 point shooting, they'll do so many other things that hurt us. Was hoping we were able to keep TBryant and Beverly instead of these 2.

Ham = Still not sold on the schemes and this staff, but it was nice to see that he had some better talent and lineups to work with. I feel we'll learn a lot about Ham as a coach this rest of the season. I didn't like DLO/Dennis starting longterm. That's too easy a match up for an opponent to pick on defensively. That's offense first thinking IMO. But it worked in this one. We also used Rui at the 4. AD at the 5. Again, the Warriors had a poor 1st Q shooting the ball, and if they had a more usual 1st Q at home, this is a game where we are playing catch up. With Lebron coming back and a big game against Portland, hope we play some lineups with Vanderbilt, Lebron, AD upfront, and DLO/Reaves or DLO/Brown Jr.
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governator
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 6:02 am    Post subject:

THA... NEW... GUYS!!!

RUI... YES!
DLO... YES!
MALIK... TBD
MO...TBD

VANDO... LOTTERY PICK!!!
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PenG_
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 6:07 am    Post subject:

Awesome win! One of my favorite games to watch this year. Just hope AD is alright.
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ThreePointBomber
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 6:25 am    Post subject:

DLO played very well. He has this poise to the game that I have always liked.

AD struggled on Offense, but came up big on defense.

Overall great win. I have skipped most of the games this season because they usually aren't worth watching, but this was a pleasant surprise.

With everyone healthy this is a scary playoff team, but one game at a time.
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Dr. Laker
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 7:23 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
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danzag
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 8:15 am    Post subject:

What a difference to have a guy like DLO playing in crunch time as opposed to having Brick

AD got absolutely hacked every time he touched the ball. Refs suck
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 9:11 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
The DLO/AD pick and roll in 1 game already surpassed anything I ever saw from WB/AD. Just the spacing and the little movement you get from having DLO.

But the game ball belongs to Dennis. He really was the engine. I wasn't happy that we started the small lineup of DLO/Dennis/Brown again, but the Warriors didn't make us pay. Klay was having a rough night and we did some good things defensively. That was the key, it seems. The Warriors are also pretty small and much less effective without Curry. You can sag off Dray like teams used to sag of WB. We did a lot of that early, and again, got fortunate, IMO. It was a small ball match up that can work, I guess.

You start that badly early (and it was ugly for us) you should be blown out by the Warriors on their home floor, early. We didn't, and that was huge, as going into Q2 our offense picked up.

I could have been wrong on this, but we also didn't push the ball at lightening speed in this one. Even though I'm not a fan of the small lineups (especially with AD at the 5, Dennis/DLO in the backcourt) once you get Lebron James back and Mo Bamba understands the schemes (and serves his suspension) you have a lot of options.

The big question is are these moves too late. This kind of talent should be a top 6 team in the West. Can you imagine having them with the AD that was playing like a MVP pre-injury? We'd clinch a top 6 spot. Big question is will we have enough time and will AD get back to his peak before season's end. Also, last night playing small with Dennis at the 2 basically (I view DLO as our 1) worked. Longterm? I hope we don't do that.

My quick ratings

AD = Horrendous on O, Awesome on D (especially late). His rim protection and reboundin effort was there. The not sure what's going on emoji.

DLO = Just smooth. Always felt this guy would make a quality 3rd piece on a good team (Going back to the DLO discussions in 2015-2017 when some thought he may be the next Harden/Curry). His pick and roll game is already yeons ahead of WB.

Dennis = Great game, but I want him off the bench doing that so long as we start DLO. Dennis was our engine, but we didn't pay for this in the 1st due to weak Warriors play, but in a regular situation, we're down 15 in that 1st Q.

Vanderbilt = Remember saying that Vandy was worth looking at even when the deal was reported to be WB, 1 FRP, and taking on Conley's contract with Beas. Felt that was a good deal on paper if we got Vandy, and we did even better with switching DLO/Conley into that. Just knew his length/athleticism combo was needed. Haven't had a long active forward like this in a while. Can't wait to see Bamba, Vandy and Lebron lineups, or Vabdy, AD, Lebron or Bamba, AD, Lebron lineups if Coach Ham allows it.

Reaves = Must re-sign for the Lakers. He's like a smaller Luke Walton (when Luke was actually any good) for us. Just makes all these right high IQ plays and his effort is always top notch. How many intangible plays? What about those 2 screens he took to get offensive foul calls (and TOs) on the Warriors? I want to see

Rui = Nice game, but overall, I find he's not been a great fit for us so far. Not sure what his role and value will be now that Vandy is in the mix. He has some shot creation ability that can have value, but so far, I see a weaker version of Kuz. And Kuz was never a good fit with AD/Bron until late in that 2019-20 season when he started to play a lot defense and rebound the ball. If we're bringing back Rui on a big deal (3 years MLE+) he needs to show us he can rebound the ball and defend better.

Brown Jr = Think he has a role as a 3nD guy but not as a starter, and if we start him, needs to be at the 2 (If Reaves isn't our starter).

Beasley/Walker = They'll have nights when they go off, but hope Ham doesn't play them as much. Feel even if they give us some 3 point shooting, they'll do so many other things that hurt us. Was hoping we were able to keep TBryant and Beverly instead of these 2.

Ham = Still not sold on the schemes and this staff, but it was nice to see that he had some better talent and lineups to work with. I feel we'll learn a lot about Ham as a coach this rest of the season. I didn't like DLO/Dennis starting longterm. That's too easy a match up for an opponent to pick on defensively. That's offense first thinking IMO. But it worked in this one. We also used Rui at the 4. AD at the 5. Again, the Warriors had a poor 1st Q shooting the ball, and if they had a more usual 1st Q at home, this is a game where we are playing catch up. With Lebron coming back and a big game against Portland, hope we play some lineups with Vanderbilt, Lebron, AD upfront, and DLO/Reaves or DLO/Brown Jr.
Good Breakdown

Since the MVP AD hasn’t shown up, even with only 6’9” defenders (albeit good defenders), who is the Go-To Guy when LBJ is not on the court. AD has shooters around him (DLo, DD, Rui & Beasley around him).

Thomas Bryant wanted out because he was unsatisfied with MPGs he was getting when AD came back. Rob did him a favor trading him to Nuggets - hoping he will get more MPGs behind Jokic and Jordan.

PatBev was feisty and defensively effective on D in short stints because he had lost some lateral speed and his outside shooting was unreliable.

EER (Energy Effort Urgency) Lineup could be
Gabriel
Vanderbilt
Reeves
Rui
Beasley
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TDRock
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 9:20 am    Post subject:

I didn't know anything about Vando before last night. Color me impressed!

Thanks DB
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