Do It Mitch

Lakers Should Trade for Stephen Curry (Goodbye Pau Gasol)

2011-07-13T18:08:00.000-04:00

The single most effective move the Lakers can make is trading for Stephen Curry.

Why? The Lakers' point guard production is a PER of 8.8, the worst in the NBA. Curry's production? 19.5. That's close to an all-star level of production. Steve Nash was at 20.8, Tony Parker at 20.4 last season.

That's a PER difference of more than 10.

Getting a player like Steph Curry is like Luke Skywalker blowing up the Death Star with one pull of the trigger.

But what about other guys like Ramon Sessions and Lou Williams? Their PER ratings are around 19. And they're not that good.

There's a huge difference between Curry and those guys. Lou Williams is more of a chucker and Sessions cannot hit a three for his life. Curry is incredibly efficient, shooting 48% overall, 44% from three, and 93% from the line.

Those aren't just good numbers. Those are hall of fame numbers. If Curry can keep those numbers up, he'll be one of the best shooters to have ever played this game.

He's a unique guard. He's got a world-class, once in a generation ability. He's the best shooting point guard since Steve Nash. That's why his production and skills should translate to the Lakers, because they desperately need a shooter to space the floor.

But how would he fit next to Kobe?

Well, he played pretty well next to Ellis, who is pretty shot-happy himself. So he shouldn't have to make too much of an adjustment playing next to Kobe - who can be a generous passer when he's playing with capable teammates. In fact, he would be the best guard Kobe has ever played with in a Laker uniform. He could lift many of the playmaking duties off Kobe's shoulders; too often the Lakers guards wouldn't be able to initiate the offense, forcing Kobe to come out to beyond the three-point line and try to force the action. With Curry handling the ball and pressuring the defense, Kobe could be free to get position in the post, where he is the most efficient. In fact, Kobe could be eased into the second act of his career, like Jordan, by a steady diet of post-up moves.

What about defense?

What about defense? Curry couldn't be any worse than the Laker guards. He's quicker than any of them. Moreover, Curry would be playing with better defensive big men than those in Golden State. And part of a good defense is good offense. Opponents guarding Fisher or Blake would rest up, knowing they only had to play one side of the floor. Terry and Barea had fresh legs throughout the Lakers series because they only had to play offense.

Yeah, but how can you get Curry?

Trade Gasol. Mark Jackson has professed on numerous occasions that he believes Gasol is the best skilled big man in the league. He's probably right, but the Lakers would be much better off with Bynum, Odom, and Curry, than Bynum, Gasol, and Fisher. Odom has actually become very important as a third or fourth option; his production last year was at an all-star level (19.5), so there wouldn't be a huge loss from Gasol (23.3). Gasol is still in his prime, just turning 31, and he has a finesse game anyways. It makes sense for the Warriors since they don't have a legitimate big man, and Gasol is one of the top 3 centers in the league, winning two rings against both the Celtics and the Magic playing center. Sure, he came off a bad series against the Mavs, but Gasol looked exhausted, and distracted, with a strange but rare off-court controversy. It's quite possible he needs rest and a change of scenery.

Logistically, because Curry is still on his rookie contract, the deal would have to also involve Golden State's David Lee, Monta Ellis, or Andris Biedrins. I'm guessing the Warriors would choose Biedrins, who is coming off two down-years and still has $18 million left on his contract.

The Warriors also drafted guard Klay Thompson, an excellent shooter, who would could help offset the loss of Curry.

Mark Jackson promised the playoffs. It's unlikely for the Warriors, unless they get a top big man like Pau Gasol.

But what about Dwight Howard?

Of course, many fans and pundits are talking about trading for Dwight Howard. But even if Dwight Howard was in a Laker uniform this spring, the Lakers probably still would have lost. After all, his production (PER 26) isn't that much better than Andrew Bynum (PER 21) or Pau Gasol (23).

Don't get me wrong. Howard would be an clear upgrade. A superior defender than either Laker big man, but then again, he wouldn't have prevented Barea and Terry from blitzing the Laker guards.

Sure, Howard has been an iron man, rarely missing any games. Then again, Gasol and Bynum were as healthy as they ever were, and we still lost.

Howard would be an upgrade, but that does NOT mean the Lakers would have won the championship this year, or in the future.

On the other hand, a player like Stephen Curry would make a huge difference, based on sheer production, positional need, and team fit. He's one of the top 10 productive point guards, he's still young and improving, he's one of the best shooters in the NBA, and he can play with or without the ball.

Lakers Need a Point Guard most of all, not Kevin Love or Dwight Howard

2011-06-22T04:26:00.008-04:00

The Lakers should check the PER ratings for last season. Sort by "point guard." Search for the Lakers. They come up at 60 and 61st. There are 30 teams in the NBA. Do the math. Most teams have one starting point guard and a backup point guard. The Lakers don't have the worst starting point guard. They have two of the worst backup point guards in the NBA. In other words, the worst point guards in the NBA, period. For example, had the Lakers acquired Luke Ridnour rather than Steve Blake, they might have won another championship.

By far, the Lakers' weakest position has been point guard. According to 82games.com, the Lakers PER ratings for each position:

PG 8.8

SG 20.7

SF 14.1

PF 20.5

C 22.9

Let that sink in. As I've outlined in my previous post, a PER rating of 15.0 is about the average for an NBA player (hello, Dorell Wright). A PER of 20 is where all-stars usually begin, and anything approaching 25 is superstar level. To make the numbers a little bit clear, Kobe's PER rating at shooting guard was around 24, but brought down because Shannon Brown shared minutes at his position. Kobe also played a little small forward, boosting Artest's PER around 11. So small forward production has been overall a little below average. SG, PF, and C? All-star level, with the help of Lamar Odom who's kept the PER ratings high at PF.

But let's get to the elephantiasis in the waiting room. POINT GUARD. A collective PER rating of not even 9. Derek Fisher (8.9) and Steve Blake (7.5) were, again, the worst point guard rotation in the league. Shannon Brown was hardly better, at a PER of 9.6 as the Lakers point guard (newsflash: Shannon Brown is not a point guard).

There's been much talk about Dwight Howard as a potential Laker, and recently, Kevin Love.

But one can get too caught up on Gasol's troubles in the postseason. Over the course of the season, Gasol was rock solid at 19 points and 10 rebounds...to show how consistent he was, those were about the same numbers for the past 4 years as a Laker, in fact, over his career. In the sweep courtesty of the Dallas Mavericks, Gasol put up 13 points and 9 rebounds (14 and 7 in the first-round win over the Hornets). Without a doubt, he didn't play up to his standards. But that wasn't even the biggest problem.

The biggest problem is that our point guards played to their standards, which has been the worst in the NBA. This is an indictment on the Lakers ownership, management, and coaching staff. You've known this all season; why didn't you do anything about it?

The most significant move the Lakers can make to return to dominance is extremely simple.

Get the best Point Guard you can. Get one who can produce. Get one who would put pressure on the opponent, one who could dictate the tempo of the game.

The truth is, as good as Dirk Nowitzki was against the Lakers, he was expected to play at that level. Our team has all-stars too. That doesn't explain why the Lakers were swept. The huge disparity in production at point guard does.

Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, JJ Barea...those small guards absolutely destroyed the Fisher, Blake, and Brown. That was the biggest difference in the series.

Kevin Love doesn't make sense. He produces at a comparable level to Gasol; also his stats may be inflated because he plays on a terrible team, steals rebounds from his teammates, and hasn't proven a thing in the playoffs. He could very well be worse than Gasol, that's no improvement. What's the point?

On the hand, if Pau Gasol is traded, Odom could step in and if he keeps up his play from last year, he can still produce at a borderline all-star at power forward. The small drop from Gasol to Odom does not compare to the huge gain from Fisher/Blake to a star point guard. And the Lakers will have a tremendous advantage at 4 out of 5 positions.

It's incredibly simple. There's no bigger swing from negative to positive, no bigger bang for the buck, no better single move than to upgrade point guard.

The Lakers need to do it.

Next post? The only real candidate to take the Lakers to the next level. Stay tuned.

NBA Players: Average, All-Star, and Superstar Definitions

2011-06-17T18:27:00.001-04:00

Now that the NBA offseason is here, with the players and owners negotiating and a lockout looming, draft picks and trades will be more important than ever. Teams have to think really hard about what kind of player they might be giving away or getting. Guys like Rashard Lewis, Michael Redd, Andrei Kirilenko, Gilbert Arenas are major reasons why the NBA season might not start until next year. Owners, particularly in small markets, were paying top dollar for hyped up players; when these guys didn't deliver, their teams suffer not only in games but in revenue, even threatening to make that team disappear or move into a better market.

So let's help out all these team owners, presidents and VPs, and general managers.

According to the widely recognized and used PER ratings, The average PER for a NBA player is around 15, such as Dorell Wright. Who is Dorell Wright? He plays small forward for the Warriors and chucks up a lot of threes. All-star caliber players seem to start at around at PER of 20, and superstars are around 25.

Here are the teams:

Average: Luke Ridnour, Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright, Carl Landry and DeAndre Jordan.
Barely All-Stars: Tony Parker, Monta Ellis, Paul Pierce, David West, and Al Jefferson
Superstars: Chris Paul, Kobe, Lebron, Dirk, and Dwight Howard

Now the first thing that should jump at you is Jason Richardson in that average lineup. Considered almost a borderline all-star earlier in his career, now he's about an average player as he's gotten older. But he's paid like an all-star, over 14m a year. Some team got burned (hello Orlando Magic).* He's not the only one; Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are even slightly worse. How the mighty have fallen. On the other hand, guys like Luke Ridnour and Carl Landry are veterans who've been borderline starters and reliable sixth men. You know what you're getting with those two, which is why they're paid $4m and $3m, respectively. Actually, the average salary is just under $6m, so they've been good investments. DeAndre Jordan is the tricky one; young player who shows potential, in his 3rd year, he's met the average production at his position. But will he get better? This summer will show how many teams believe in his potential, as he's a restricted free agent. In my opinion? Pretty good shotblocker, mediocre rebounder, doesn't have real talent offensively. Sounds like an average center.

For the borderline all-star team, Pierce looks like a great candidate for the Imminent Fade award. His age seems to have caught up with him. Everybody else looks about right; however, this caliber of player tends to have the wildest swings in salary. David West makes 8m a year, while slightly less productive Carlos Boozer made over 14m. This is dangerous ground. These are the kinds of players that sucker teams into making costly mistakes. On the plus side, guys like Lamar Odom (PER 19.5, 8m), Paul Milsap (PER 19.8, 6m) are great deals. They are producing almost like all stars, but getting paid closer to average salaries.

Superstars present few surprises. These guys get paid, and they produce. Obviously there are guys like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Love who are playing like superstars but still on rookie contracts.

DISCLAIMER: these numbers have to be qualified with a crucial fact: these numbers don't account for defense. For example, Cavs point guard Ramon Sessions was producing at an almost all-star level for the minutes he was playing, a PER of 19.7. Unfortunately, he was also giving up the same numbers defensively (18.8). On the other hand, Billups produced at the same rate (19.7), but was playing much better defense (14.5).

And of course, the POST-SEASON:

Chris Paul had the highest PER of the playoffs at 29. He had an unreal series against the Lakers, which isn't surprising because the Lakers have the worst point guard production in the NBA. Injured or not, Kobe himself had merely an all-star level of 21 PER during the playoffs, which was clearly a drop from 24. Pau Gasol was even worse at 17, a far drop for the borderline superstar (23). The Mavs were really solid. Dirk played like a superstar (25), Terry played like an all-star off the bench (20), and Barea played above average (17). Kidd (16), Chandler (15), and Marion (15) still produced, despite focusing on defense. For Miami? Aside from the big three, Chalmers was under 13, James Jones under 12, and everybody else in single digits. The Heat's supporting cast played absolutely terrible.

*By the way how funny are the Orlando Magic? First they had to suffer Grant Hill's never-ending ankle injuries and eat his contract. Then T-Mac's back failed him, after he called himself the best player in the league (and many people agreed with him). Then the Magic got Vince Carter who looked washed up, and now Jason Richardson. Also, they signed Rashard Lewis for superstar money, when he turned out to be not even an all-star caliber player. The Magic seems like the destination for former stars who want to disappoint Dwight Howard. The only guy missing from this who's-who's list of the next-Jordans is Kobe. There's still time, though.

Miami Heat lands Lebron; checkmate, Lakers?

2010-07-09T01:14:00.000-04:00

So Lebron James decided to forgo the money and individual glory to play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

I give him credit - I didn't think winning was the biggest priority for him.

In the end, Lebron chose to share the glory and win rather than be THE MAN and lose.

I am surprised, only because Lebron was close. The Cavs did have the best record in the NBA; they were undoubtedly contenders. But Lebron ultimately had doubts about his ability to get them to the top. So he chose the best chance to win, at the cost of sacrificing any real shot at becoming the best player to have played this game.

Dwayne Wade is that good, Bosh is that good.

And in crunch-time, wouldn't Wade take the last shot, as he and Kobe did while Lebron stepped back during the Olympics?

These three could go down as the best trio of all time. There is a real possibility, considering that their average age is only 26 years old.

Having three superstars is a great way to win a championship, with historical precedent. Yet, three Hall-of-Famers in their prime, this is unprecedented.

Even if the Heat picked up the league's journeymen to fill the rest of their roster, one can almost bet the house on their winning the Eastern Conference.

After all, the Lakers had the worst point guard rotation in the league, and their starting center Andrew Bynum was frequently injured - in fact, injured in every playoffs he's played. Moreover, the Lakers had an inconsistent bench as well.

And yet they won the past 2 championships.

As the Celtics and Lakers have shown, star power does usually win championships, as long as their healthy and young enough.

The Heat now can assemble the most talented roster in the history of the NBA.

Lakers, the ball is in your court. What should Mitch do? Find out soon.

Steve Blake Finally Signs with the Lakers

2010-07-03T01:27:00.000-04:00

The Lakers have reportedly signed Steve Blake to a 16 million dollar contract over 4 years.

After years of struggling with limited, one-dimensional point guards, the Lakers have finally signed a true, legitimate lead guard.

In fact, the 30-year-old Blake is a clear upgrade over any point guard on our roster. He has a proven track record of being an elite ballhandler in the league, an excellent 3-point shooter, and feisty defender.

He has a 2.9 assist to turnover ratio. That means for every turnover, he's created three baskets for his teammates. That's outstanding.

Steve Blake is a career 39.3% 3-point shooter. Fisher, the Lakers' 3-point specialist, shot 37.3% for his career.

Moreover, Blake was best known to Laker fans as the energetic defender who wouldn't back down from guarding Kobe Bryant. With decent size, quick hands and feet, and a good basketball mind, Blake was able to frustrate Kobe on many nights. His passion and competitive spirit prevented Kobe from getting to his spots and imposing his will on the defense.

Most importantly, he's proven his ability to play next to an elite perimeter player. In fact, Brandon Roy preferred to play with Blake to Andre Miller. Kobe Bryant would have the luxury of finally playing with a better ballhandler than himself. A guy who could set up the offense and make the game easier for Kobe. His shooting stroke would also prevent teams from doubling or tripling Kobe.

Blake has mastered the ability to maximize the talents of his teammates, which the entire nation saw when Blake led Maryland to the NCAA championship, becoming 5th on the NCAA's all time assists leaders. Unfortunately, Blake was stashed on the bench behind Gilbert Arenas, and never got an opportunity to lead his team. When he signed with Portland in 2005, he eventually became a starter and was one of the league's leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. In a move that Portland regretted, Blake was traded in a deal for the Bucks' all-star big man Jamal Magloire. Lost in the battle for minutes with Maurice Williams, Earl Boykins, and Charlie Bell, the Bucks traded Blake midseason to the Nuggets. Blake ended up becoming a starter and made the playoffs. He became a free agent that summer and the Blazers, who regretted trading him, signed him again. Blake became the starter - a pattern throughout his career.

The additions of Ron Artest and now Steve Blake show that the Lakers are committed to building around Kobe Bryant in the right way - as he turns 32 next month. If only they were able to do it sooner, instead of surrounding Kobe with the likes of Chucky Atkins, Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Luke Walton, Brian Cook, Vladimir Radmanovic, Chris Mihm - all players who started for the Lakers.

Oh what could have been.

Lakers Offer Mike Miller 30 million for 5 years

2010-07-02T04:01:00.001-04:00

According to various sources, the Los Angeles Lakers have offered free agent Mike Miller a contract for 30 million dollars over 5 years, presumably using their midlevel exception.

Most commentaries have noted that Mike Miller has been one of the league's most consistent three-point shooters. However, as outlined in my previous column, Miller is particularly a good fit with the Lakers because he can actually handle the ball, pass, and make plays.

Moreover, despite speculation that he would come off the bench, Mike Miller may actually start - without even replacing Artest. Given Phil Jackson's recent decision to return as the Lakers' coach, Miller would have a unique role in the triangle offense as a big guard, as demonstrated by Scottie Pippen, Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, Toni Kukoc, and even Kobe Bryant.

Miller's unique combination of size and guard skills would allow the Lakers to play as a primary facilitator, and even allow the Lakers front office to forgo the arduous task of finding an upgrade at point guard.

As long as the Lakers continue to play Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Ron Artest in the frontcourt, the team would invariably be best in the halfcourt, running the triangle offense. No longer would Kobe dominate the backcourt due to necessity (or sometimes, Kobe's choice). As a capable ballhandler, Miller would be able to deliver post entry passes more easily due to his height and vision, seeing over defenses. Considering Gasol, Bynum, Kobe, and Artest are all post threats, this would give the Lakers an additional dimension they wouldn't have with Fisher. Moreover, Miller's instincts would utilize Bynum's reach around the rim, and finding Artest spotting up in the perimeter.

Most importantly, Mike Miller would be a pressure-release valve for the Lakers' over-reliance on Kobe Bryant. Defenses wouldn't be able to load up on Kobe (they'd pay dearly courtesy of Miller's shooting), nor pack in the paint using various forms of soft zones - which gave the Lakers trouble the past few years.

Although Lamar Odom was envisioned as a potential primary facilitator in the triangle, it appears that this experiment has failed. His assists average the past three years have all been career lows. Instead, Odom is best in the open court, powering a fastbreak from a rebound, navigating past fewer defenders, seeing one clear play at a time. In the halfcourt, his decision-making has been underwhelming. Due to his lack of a consistent shot, defenses defend the entry pass and drop back to force him to shoot. Moreover, since he doesn't have the ability to change directions, he cannot break down defenses off the dribble. He ends up committing offensive fouls, or, because of his poor free-throw shooting, avoids driving altogether. Playing in the halfcourt in this system has limited his creativity and confidence, and ultimately Odom has become either a simple-minded inflexible player or overly deferential to Kobe Bryant.

However, Miller's addition would be vastly different. Mike Miller is a truly multifaceted guard, a triangle-ideal interchangeable perimeter player, who would free his teammates to play to their strengths and allow the triangle to be run as it always was meant to be run - unpredictable and punishing.

The Big Guard Theory

2010-06-30T14:29:00.000-04:00

If the Lakers continue their desire to run the triangle offense, they need a guy who can handle lead guard duties, allowing Kobe to get easier shots by playing behind the defense, like Michael Jordan after Scottie Pippen joined the Bulls.

Ideal for the triangle would be a big guard, with the height to see over defenses and the length to be able to pass with more angles in the halfcourt. Phil Jackson has long been accused of favoring big guards, based on his usage of Pippen, Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, and Toni Kukoc, all at least 6'6", to facilitate the offense. Even with the championship Lakers, their big guard was actually Kobe Bryant, who facilitated much of the offense (or chose not to) on their championship run. Even during the recent title runs, Kobe played the primary facilitator with Fisher as mainly the spot up shooter. So, what big guard would help Kobe play off the ball?

Manu Ginobili, Brandon Roy, Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James, but there's little point in discussing the viability of the Lakers landing these all-star/superstars.

Thus, the following names are upcoming free agents who would be more available, big guards who can shoot, handle, and make plays.

Top Talent:

Joe Johnson

He's an excellent halfcourt ballhandler, turning the ball over less than 2 times in 38 minutes - remarkable considering how much he handles the ball. He's also a capable 3-point shooter (37%) and capable of driving and creating plays. He's also usually a good defender who can guard multiple positions. But he would come at a price. Joe Johnson is a legitimate all-star caliber player who made 15 million dollars last year. However, he was overpaid by Atlanta and would likely find the market is difficult - most teams with money are trying to land Lebron, Wade, Bosh, and Amare - Joe Johnson would be a clear second tier choice. Once the air clears, there might not be enough money for Joe - teams that get spurned by the big names may choose to simply contract and rebuild in this economy. A sign-and-trade with the Lakers might be a possibility, if Joe Johnson is willing to take a paycut to play for a ring. On the other hand the Lakers would have to provide the assets that make it worthwhile for Atlanta, perhaps Lamar Odom, without pushing their salary beyond what it already is.

Budget Choices:

Mike Miller

He's most well-known for his shooting and unfortunate hairstyle, but he shot 48% from three last year. That is staggering - he's perennially one of the best shooters in the league. But what makes him a candidate for a lead guard in the offense is that he is tall (6'8") and can actually pass (4 assists this past year, 4.5 the year before). This, despite his having almost the same usage rate as Sasha Vujacic's. Imagine if he had the ball more as a lead guard! Mike Miller is coming off the final year of his contract of almost 10m. Due to his playing a moderate role on mostly forgettable teams, the 30-year-old journeyman would likely end up making no more than the midlevel exception as a role player, a third or fourth offensive option.

John Salmons
A versatile swingman with some ballhandling skills. As a top offensive option during his stays with Sacramento, Chicago, and the Bucks, Salmons has shown a surprisingly polished offensive game. An efficient scorer who shoots well from anywhere, Salmons contributed greatly to the Bucks' surprising playoff run, overshadowed only by the brash newcomer Brandon Jennings. Unfortunately, Salmons has been mostly underpaid his entire career, as he opted out of the last year of his contract at 5.8m. He may find that his age, turning 31 late this year, and his lack of major accomplishments may be drawbacks for many teams. Nonetheless, he may be looking for a payday and the Lakers may not be willing to spend.

Shaun Livingston
A 6'7" true point guard. Terrific ballhandling and passing skills for any size. Has shot the ball well in his comeback, but still doesn't show any 3-point range. However, the durability of his knee and his overall fragility are his biggest problems. Many teams would want to take a chance on him, but few would offer him a long-term contract. Auditioning for the lead guard spot on the Lakers would be a great opportunity for this rare talent. A very intriguing possibility.

Lakers Need to Improve to Threepeat

2010-06-27T01:21:00.000-04:00

Although the Lakers won the championship this year, they've shown some serious flaws. Over the next few days, I'll outline what I feel are problems with the roster.

First Problem: no capable point guard.

Kobe is still by far the dominant ballhandler for the Lakers, which is a bad thing for the entire team considering how his game has evolved. He is primarily a jump shooter now, due to his knee injury, bad finger, or simply age. He still can be a deadly perimeter threat, but the Lakers are not optimally efficient when they rely on him to facilitate the offense.

In theory, the triangle offense uses multitalented players to initiate the offense. In practice, especially on this Laker team, that simply doesn't happen. There aren't any Scottie Pippens, Brian Shaws, or Ron Harpers. Derek Fisher is a seasoned veteran in the triangle offense, but more as an off-guard on the weak side. This is why even on the championship Lakers with Shaq and Kobe, Fish didn't start most of the time - he was incapable of handling facilitating duties.

Odom also isn't able to do so, because he's innately a full court playmaker. Not a halfcourt executor. He hasn't been able to master the triangle offense even after years playing in it. He was supposed to take pressure off Kobe; instead defenses simply play off Odom, challenging him to shoot (he has an inconsistent shot) or drive (teams have learned to step in and take the charge, since Odom doesn't have the ability to change directions on his lefty drive).

Kobe passing to himself.

Thus, the best perimeter ballhandler, passer, and decision-maker on the team is Kobe. The problem is that the team tends to wilt under pressure, which leads to Kobe calling his own number too many times. Even with Gasol, when he gets bullied in the paint, he either passes back out to the perimeter or can't get in position for the pass. That leads to an over-reliance on Kobe Bryant to create a play - and at this point in his career and physical state, it leads to a difficult jump shot.

Boston Celtics Beat Kobe Bryant and the Lesser Lakers

2010-06-14T01:04:00.000-04:00

Boston's Game 5 victory over Los Angeles in the 2010 NBA Finals shows the difference between the two teams: Boston is a team. They have been meticulously crafted to boast one of the best lineups in the history of the NBA; they have no weaknesses on the roster. Rondo is arguably the best two way point guard in the NBA. Ray Allen is arguably one of the greatest 3-point shooters in the game. Pierce is a top 5 small forward. Kevin Garnett is still a top 5 Power Forward - certainly in the playoffs. Kendrick Perkins is a tireless bruising center that does all the dirty work. The Celtics bench boasts impact players like Nate Robinson, Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace - all providing key attributes such as athleticism, shooting, defense, post play, energy, veteran savvy. This is an intelligently assembled roster.

On the other hand, L.A. is still very much Kobe Bryant. Certainly, the trade that brought Pau Gasol improved the Lakers' talent; but as the Cavaliers have shown, regular season talent doesn't win championships. On the other hand, as the Celtics have shown, saving veteran legs in the regular season can provide dominance in the playoffs.

Playoff performers determine championships.

The problem is that the Lakers don't have proven playoff performers aside from Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher - who at best should be a limited role player.

Secondly, the Celtics play as a team. Each player fulfills a role.

Rondo penetrates, runs pick and rolls, pushes the ball - creates opportunities for his teammates - this is what a great point guard does. Fisher does none of that.
Ray Allen is an elite shooter that stretches the floor - despite his current slump, he commands the Lakers' defense to extend itself - allowing Rondo to operate. Fisher is the closest counterpart, except he doesn't pressure the Celtics defense like Ray Allen does against the Lakers. He was 2-9 in the game. Also Fisher is far more apt to try to draw fouls than simply spot up and knock down shots.
Pierce gets the ball in good position, and he has one-on-one opportunities to score. The closest counterpart is Kobe, except the entire Celtics' defense is geared towards denying Kobe the ball anywhere close to the paint, doubling him when he catches it, and collapsing on him when he drives. Pierce, on the other hand, doesn't face that kind of defense.
Kevin Garnett is a tireless big-man defender, both individually and team-wise. The closest they have is Andrew Bynum, who is hobbled by a swollen knee. Bynum simply cannot recover quickly, often getting burned. Garnett is also hitting the outside jumper, something that neither Gasol nor Bynum is doing consistently.
Perkins is a true blue-collar big man, setting hard picks, pushing others out of the paint, boxing out, giving hard fouls. The Lakers have no big man who is dedicating himself to all the little details of the game, the dirty work, the plays that allow the rest of the team to operate.

The Lakers simply don't function well as a team. Certainly they do in the regular season, when teams lay back and allow Gasol to play his finesse game, when they don't pressure the Lakers to play a disciplined game.

When facing adversity, players, like any people, resort to what they've been conditioned to do. In war, good soldiers are able to operate under duress due to training. Under a high level of stress, the human mind isn't allowed to take its time and process things as it usually would. It simply reacts, using the shortcuts that appear to ensure survival.

For many of the Lakers, facing a team that plays hard, physical, and is intimidating has led to panicking and underperformance. Why? Because these Lakers haven't embraced or executed their roles.

The Lakers Will Win Championship Without Vladimir Radmanovic

2010-06-02T17:11:00.001-04:00

This guy.

This picture sums up Vladimir Radmanovic.

The eternal question that plagues mankind is what he could possibly be reading. Does the man read? Can the man read? Certainly it can't be a defensive scouting report. If it is, clearly he has more interesting things in mind, like a pigeon in the rafters. I hope it doesn't poop on me, I'm wearing white shoes. And white pants.

Some of Radman's greatest hits:

was most notable on the Sonics for his hair:

trying to dunk in transition (flipped over and landed on his neck)

turned down the biggest offer of his career, 42m over 6 years. A year later, he found out the best offer he could get was the midlevel
was kicked off the national team in the middle of a semifinals game for ignoring the coach while eating a banana
in his first year with the Lakers, he violated his contract by trying to pick up snowboarding in the middle of the season
separated his shoulder and would be out for months
lied about it
gave Paul Pierce the Finals MVP and the Celtics the championship in 2008

was traded to the Bobcats for essentially nothing (Shannon Brown turned out to be usable for the Lakers, who have the worst PG rotation in the NBA)
the Bobcats traded him as soon as he could to the Warriors, who were trying to find any takers for Stephen Jackson (feuding with Don Nelson, publicly demanded to be traded)

Pau Gasol is Undeniably Soft, Mentally Weak

2010-05-31T22:29:00.001-04:00

Pau Gasol, trying to warm up his ticker

Several times in the playoffs, a few color commentators claimed that Pau Gasol was the best big man in the game, citing his skills for a big man, his ability to hit perimeter shots and take his man down low.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, this is simply not true.

Hyperbole is the usual result after a remarkable performance, whether good or bad. For example, the hate/love treatment Amare Stoudemire received during the first four games.

However, Gasol has demonstrated a similar tendency of disappearing in big games. For example, after Game 3's loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, during which Kobe took 29 shots, Gasol expressed his usual dissatisfaction with not getting the ball enough. The next game, Kobe made a concerted effort to get his teammates involved, taking only 10 shots himself (he sat the fourth quarter during the blowout). Gasol responded with an uninspiring 13 points and 4 rebounds. He also missed 3 out of 6 free throws.

Similarly in Game 4 against the Suns, Pau also wilted after a loss. 15 points and 5 rebounds in 35 minutes, as he was abused by Amare Stoudemire in the post and outplayed per minute by the likes of Channing Frye and Louis Amundson.

Here are some observations after 3 rounds in the playoffs:

Gasol lacks the competitive zeal to combat adversity. He often has worse games after a tough loss. Gasol is not the type of player who stops the bleeding when another team makes a run. He's the type of player who'll chip in throughout the game, or add points when the going's good. After a loss, he's the kind of player who talks about ball movement, things the team has to do better, essentially diffuse responsibility, without individual accountability. The next game, he'll disappear.
Gasol plays smaller than his size. The matchup between size and speed usually favors the better player. However, Gasol has had difficulty imposing his size advantage throughout the playoffs. He had trouble exploiting smaller players in the post such Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, Jeff Green, and the entire Suns frontline (Robin Lopez was usually matched up with Bynum). To his credit, Pau did play well against Boozer and the Jazz, but there was little need for him to play through adversity in the sweep. Also, what Boozer lacks compared to the other positional opponents is speed and energy. Dominant bigs, although slow, would simply punish their opponents to prevent them from getting cute. Gasol is not a dominant big.
On a related note, how does a player touted as the best big man in the game ever put up 4 or 5 rebounds? Charles Barkley said a great big man should never get less than 10 rebounds. For a player 8 inches taller, Gasol doesn't have a rocksolid reliability on the boards, which is one of the most important aspects of winning a playoff game.
Gasol has major defensive weaknesses. From not coming out on the screen, to not protecting the basket, to getting schooled in the post by Amare, Gasol simply doesn't anchor the defense the way great post players do. He doesn't read pick-and-rolls anywhere close to the way Tim Duncan did, or protect the basket like Marcus Camby or Dwight Howard can. For his size, Gasol is not a great secondary or individual defender. This role tends to fall on the shoulders of Bynum, who's dealing with a tear in his knee.
Gasol also lacks killer instinct. In the close out game against the Thunder, Paul put up 9 points on 4-11 shooting. Against Phoenix, he again scored 9 points on 2-9 shooting. Gasol is not type of player who goes for the jugular when the opposing team has their backs to the wall. He's the kind of guy who gets overwhelmed by their fight to survive, and hopes Kobe does his thing.

In short, Gasol may have better skills than most big men in the game, but he's hardly it's best. Without toughness, Gasol's skills simply don't translate. Without the ability to impose his size advantage every game, Gasol's skills are irrelevant. Without a tireless desire to win in crucial times, his skills are simply useless.

Gasol is simply not a tough player. The charges that he's soft is more than just a criticism of his doughy physique, it's an attack on his lack of fortitude.

He doesn't have the burning, consuming passion to win like Kobe. Nor the tireless professionalism of Derek Fisher. He doesn't have the team-first, sacrifice, do-anything-it-takes-to-win of Lamar Odom. He even lacks the earnestness of Ron Artest, who struggled all year but kept faith, who took it personally when people criticized his shot selection to make not only a game-winner but carry the team for the first half of the next game.

Heart of a Champion? He lacks it.

Stephen Curry the New, Kobe Old, Lakers Hang On Against Warriors 124-121

2010-03-15T21:06:00.000-04:00

Kobe struggling to control the ball

If one thing was clear last night, it's this:

Stephen Curry is really, really good.

And Kobe's getting old.

It wasn't that Kobe struggled with his shot, shot selection, or number of shots - issues that have been points of contention with the media, fans, and teammates.

The problem was that Kobe had 9 turnovers. Which wasn't a career high. But it was the manner in which he got 9 turnovers.

The young Kobe would have had gotten 9 turnovers due to "hot dogging it" in Hearn-speak. You know, no-look passes that hits a fan in the fourth row, taking five steps as he tries to dunk it from halfcourt.

The prime Kobe would have gotten 9 turnovers because Kwame would have looked so unbelievably inept with his butterfingers that statisticians would just have to attribute the turnovers to Kobe. Then a pissed-off, incredible-hulk Kobe would proceed to commit six turnovers in a row.

Now, it's officially the old Kobe. Getting stripped. Losing the ball close to the basket. Away from the basket. Throwing passes without a hint of mustard, the kind of baseball tosses your girlfriend would throw, with the wrong arm.

Granted, the Warriors played fast and furious, they stuck to Don Nelson's classic small ball, pushing it at a breakneck pace, drive and kicking it to conscience-less shooters, crashing boards, playing the passing lanes, doubling, recovering, etc. Scrappy ball that only a team of 20-year-olds could play.

The kind of game that Stephen Curry played. Make no mistake, the future of the Warriors is not Ellis, the franchise player the Warriors chose over Baron Davis (and in the process, blowing up that Cinderella team that upset the Mavs in the playoffs).

Obviously, the Lakers are a better team. The Warriors cannot keep that pace up consistently. Playing the Lakers on ESPN probably played a huge factor.

But the game did show how the Lakers' still have too much trouble with quick, talented point guards. Sure, most teams have problems guarding these guys, but the Lakers especially struggle containing them.

Derek Fisher is just too slow. Artest had no chance. Kobe did a great job on Ellis (5-23), but Pau and Bynum weren't quick enough to rotate or protect the rim.

The onus is on Bynum to respond to double teams quicker. To beat them and make a quick move, or promptly kick out a pass. But his 8 turnovers hurt the Lakers' inside game. He needs to be more decisive - and that presence would have helped the Lakers dictate the tempo of the game, rather than the Warriors.

Pau would always struggle against these teams. He's just not quick enough on defense. On offense, the Lakers' intent on posting up primarily Bynum might have been misdirected, as Gasol is a more decisive post player and a better passer.

But Fisher just needs to be replaced - by somebody better than Farmar and Brown. None of these guys are elite ballhandlers with great vision. That a significant problem:

The Lakers need a point guard who can bring up the floor under pressure and deliver the basket to the post without turning the ball over. Because they don't, they needed Kobe to assume those duties, as he has had throughout most of his career.

Unfortunately, he may no longer be able to fulfill that role. Kobe is still the most clutch player in the league, perhaps ever. Still, with Lebron, among the best overall players. But masquerading as point guard?

He may be just too old.

Hopefully Mitch is listening.

Lakers Should Trade for Utah Jazz's Kirilenko

2010-01-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

Greg Miller, the Jazz owner, started a blog, conveying his displeasure with the Jazz's play and desire to improve the team. Many analysts have already observed that the Jazz are underachieving despite paying the luxury tax, which is infuriating to both owner and fan alike.

As Greg Miller stated, trades are difficult. But hardly impossible. One of the difficult contracts to trade is Andrei Kirilenko. It's no secret the Jazz have been trying to trade Kirilenko for years. He's had several fallouts with Coach Jerry Sloan over coming off the bench, his minutes, and his role with the team. According to several sources, the Jazz are paying Kirilenko close to 16.5 million this year and 18 the next, making him the highest paid player on the Jazz roster.

Yet his fat contract was given to him for a reason. The multi-talented forward promised to be the poster child of the new, modern NBA player; position-less, versatile, with a diverse set of skills. Throughout his career, Kirilenko showed his potential on defense by being both a lockdown and team defender, using his lanky 6'9" frame and great instincts, while filling the boxscore, nearly leading the league in both steals and blocks. And yet, Kirilenko had the versatility to move to power forward and put up his best statistical numbers replacing Karl Malone, in the years when Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett ruled the Western Conference at that position. Moreover, it was Kirilenko who took over point guard when Deron Williams was in foul trouble in recent playoffs battles. Forced to spread the floor and becoming a jump shooter, Kirilenko posted 38% 3-point shooting 2 of the past 3 years, again demonstrating his diversity. Kirilenko was one of the league's elite defenders with an almost unmatched set of skills.

How did he end up becoming an underachieving sixth man, wildly overpaid, constantly scapegoated? In my opinion? Several factors.

The arrival of Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. Instead of working much of the offense through Kirilenko, the Jazz became increasingly focused on recreating the Stockon-Malone pick-and-roll with Williams and Boozer. The Jazz began to surround them with shooters to spread the floor. Since Kirilenko wasn't a shooter at the time, he began to lose his significance to his team. Kirilenko was awarded such a huge contract based on his status as a franchise player - Boozer and Williams permanently changed that.

Competition at the position. Guys like Korver, Matt Harpring, and Paul Millsap started to steal Kirilenko's minutes. These players started to fill in the roles around Williams and Boozer, as three-point specialists, hard-nosed defenders, scrappy post scorers. They simply made more sense in the offense the Jazz were running. Kirilenko was relegated to standing around the perimeter and allowing Milsap or Boozer get to work in the post, waiting for any kick-out passes. He was forced to adjust his game, and in the meantime, other players began to carve out roles and minutes.

Kirilenko's mentality and personality. Due to the language barrier and Sloan's style of coaching, Kirilenko never really understood why his role changed. He never had a smooth transition. A year ago, Kirilenko apparently cried, a result of his frustration. Coach Sloan admitted he could have done a better job communicating. Eventually things became better between player and coach, but the team still moved on, centered around Williams and Boozer. Kirilenko lost confidence in his game, because he never really understood what was happening around him; that lack of understanding affected his ability to adjust, which in turn sapped his confidence and transformed him an uncertain, passive player.

Why the Lakers? First of all, the Lakers are one of the few teams that can pay some luxury tax and still rake in a pretty profit. The Lakers were deemed the league's most valuable franchise and certainly among the most profitable. Moreover, Jerry Buss frequently has reiterated his desire to spend money to win. It just has to be the right type of player. Kirilenko is that type of player, because he's ideal for the triangle offense; a versatile player for an offense built around interchangeable players. In fact, this was a major reason why Lamar Odom was kept by the Lakers, due to his versatility in the offense, initiating the offense from the perimeter or replacing a post player. However, Kirilenko is more suited to the halfcourt offense than Odom, who is best powering a rebound and leading the break, a fullcourt playmaker. Considering the Lakers have an inconsistent bench, inconsistent defense exposed by the absence of Ron Artest, and lack great playmaking from the "other" guard position, as Fish, Farmar, and Brown are mostly shooters and scorers, Andrei Kirilenko would have a major role in this equal-opportunity offense. Especially because as of late, the Lakers has still shown a tendency to rely too much on Kobe Bryant, who had to average an unhealthy number of minutes, a gaudy PPG, broken bones and strained ligaments, and several game-winners to save the Lakers from embarrassment.

The Economics: Under the salary cap rules regarding NBA trades, the Lakers and the Jazz could make a trade such as this: Lakers: Jordan Farmar (2m), Sasha Vujacic (5m, 5.5m next), DJ Mbenga (1m), and Adam Morrison (5.3m) Utah: Andrei Kirilenko (16.5m, 17.8m next)

The Lakers declined to extend Farmar and Morrison, making them unrestricted free agents next year - essentially making them expiring contracts. The additional upside for Utah is that Farmar may prove to be a good backup to Deron Williams, and may fit in better in a more conventional guard setting than the Lakers triangle offense. DJ Mbenga and Vujacic are simply contract fillers, and the one downside is that the Jazz eat Vujacic's contract next year. Financially, the Jazz would save more than 3 mil this year, and more than 12 mil the next year. A caveat: these are numbers for the year; depending on when these players are traded, the actual savings would be prorated. Regardless, the savings are actually double, because the luxury tax penalizes a dollar for dollar tax.

For the Lakers, if Buss is really committed to winning by paying a marginal additional cost (relatively-speaking, of course, it is his millions. But it would be an even bigger waste of money to try to save a few million on a near 100 million investment and fall short of a championship), this would be a sneaky way to solidify a dynasty. Kobe and Pau can play at an elite level until probably their mid to late 30s. Odom and Artest are still relatively young. And Bynum is just beginning to blossom. Kirilenko would elevate this team on both ends of the floor. They lack halfcourt playmaking, which falls squarely on the shoulders of Kobe and Gasol. When Kobe decides to dominate the ball, the Lakers lose all, not just half, of the playmaking because Gasol needs to get the ball to make plays from the post. The team lacks a reliable perimeter playmaker, and Kirilenko could easily fill that spot, considering his height, which allows him to see over defenses and create passing angles into the post, and vision, which is innately remarkable for his size. Moreover, his ballhandling is more than adequate, as shown throughout his career in Utah. On defense, Kirilenko would work perfectly with his help defense and using his length to bother perimeter players. Last season, the Lakers frequently used Trevor Ariza to defend point guards. The Lakers, with Gasol and Bynum, already rank among the top in the NBA in lowest field goal percentage allowed at the rim. The Lakers could have Kirilenko, Kobe, and Artest pressure the perimeter, funnel guards into Pau and Bynum, and have the length to recover, switch, and rotate.

Essentially, Kirilenko would replace Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc, and Scottie Pippen's roles on the Lakers, players who defined balanced execution in the triangle offense.

Lakers Should Trade Andrew Bynum

2009-06-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

Apparently Yao's career may be in jeopardy. I feel terribly for him. And apparently the Rockets don't know what to do - it's handcuffed their entire approach to the offseason and the future.

The thing is, now the entire league knows, and it may be too late for the Rockets to trade him.

Who'd touch Yao Ming now, why assume the risk for his max contract?

Perhaps the Rockets should have moved him earlier - everybody knew he had a bad foot since years ago.

But...too late. It's amazing, teams find themselves in the situation ALL the time.

See, one would think that GMs would know their players the best, and move a player if they think there's too much injury risk. But no - that almost never happens.

But it really brings to light what a GM could be: ballsy, or a paper pusher.

1. If the GM pulls the plug on a big-ticket player who might be injury-prone, the GM incurs the wrath of an entire city, state, and the mockery of a nation, if the traded player succeeds on the other team. Case in point? The Grizzlies who moved Pau Gasol, who began sitting out games due to a bad back. Which was miraculously cured on the Lakers. In that case, a player was not showing signs of being injury-prone, he was simply tanking games to force a trade. But the Grizz's GM Chris Wallace has been publicly castrated for two years. That's the enormous downside, as well as costing them their jobs.

2. On the flip side, if the GM holds onto a player even though the risk is substantial, and the player ends up falling apart, nobody would criticize the GM. People usually just say, "what a shame" and the GM is exculpated from any sort of responsibility. Yes, the team may be derailed for half a decade or more, but the GM's job is safe.

The result? GM's just hold onto their big ticket players until everybody and their mom knows they're damaged goods. When it's just too late.

So do I believe the Lakers would calculate the right level of risk and have the courage to pull the plug on Bynum? No. There's just too much of a cost if Mitch is wrong (even if he's proven right in a couple years - he may be fired long before then).

Then again, maybe I'm just being pessimistic. Yes, Buss can choose to spend whatever is necessary to keep all the players, risk or no risk. Then again, Ariza's agent (same as Bynum's infamous agent, right?) just said Ariza won't accept the hometown discount, and wants to be shown the money. How's that on the optimism meter?

And of course, perhaps I'm giving up Bynum too easily. Even if we lose Odom and/or Ariza, perhaps Bynum is the key even though he didn't have a major role in the postseason (of any year). How likely is that?

Yes, he's young. But plenty of bigs around the league with "lesser talent" have flourished at his age. Nevermind the greats like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, how about Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and heck, Al Jefferson?

Am I making too much out of a few injuries? God-forbid I call Bynum injury prone (although Lakers trainer Gary Vitti had no problem calling him that). Well, it just happens that most of the great players in this league have proven to be durable their entire careers.

I'm obviously arguing against common wisdom.

But the guy who pushed for a Grant Hill trade out of Detroit deserves credit. That took balls.
The guy who pushed for a Tracy McGrady trade out of Orlando deserves credit. That took balls.
The guy who pushed for a Jermaine O'Neal trade out of Indiana deserves credit. That took balls.

Kenyon Martin was traded from the Nets despite becoming an All-Star and looking like one of the best power forwards in the league. But he did struggle with knee tendinitis in the last two years of New Jersey (as well as breaking his leg in college). After he was traded to the Nuggets for a few first round picks, he signed a BIG ASS CONTRACT and struggled with the same knee tendinitis...then got the dreaded microfracture surgery.

Bottom line? Injuries, particularly in the lower bodies of bigs, linger. And sometimes they're not serious enough to get surgery outright. Perhaps a player can play through it until a big contract is secured.

But there are, without a doubt, warning signs.

There are plenty of ways to make excuses. People have been making excuses for Kwame Brown just about until the day he threw a cake at Ronnie Turiaf and missed. If a guy throws a three-foot cake at a six-foot-nine, two-hundred pound dude, and MISSES, you know basketball is a lost cause.

But the great players who've won championships have been durable. Reliable. No excuses with them.

Like I said, it's not an open-and-shut case with Bynum, especially where I'm sitting. But that's exactly the point; the probability that Bynum is one of those indestructible greats is almost nil. On the othe rhand, it's increasing almost exponentially that he'll be injury-prone like all the other players who shown the same symptoms.

But for who?

How about guys like Chris Bosh, who has pretty much abandoned Toronto by saying he wasn't going to sign an extension with them. Toronto will lose him, but at this point, getting Bynum would be a great deal for them.

For us, we get a player who's been reliable, relatively durable, skilled...not as young or full of potential as Bynum, but for a championship caliber-team already without him, adding Bosh would be a safe, great move. And we would have helped ourselves far more than any other team out there. Without the risk.

Doesn't have to be Chris Bosh, but that's what a great GM should do. Seek opportunities, keep an open mind, always look to improve our team in changing circumstances. And above all, have the courage to manage risk in a way that improves his team rather than secure his job.

Although who would go after Mitch's head if he trades Bynum for Bosh? That would seem like a veteran savvy move. Drop in a bad contract (like Luke or Sasha), then it becomes brilliant.

The Lakers have proven they're a championship caliber team without major contributions from an injury-prone Bynum. Lose the risk, take the safe bet and improve more than any other team in the NBA. Imagine how unbelievable the Lakers would have been this year if they had Bosh's 20 points and 10 rebounds in the middle instead of Bynum's 6 and 3.

The time is right. Do it, mitch.

Trevor Ariza is Hardly Kobe's Pippen

2009-06-19T23:18:00.000-04:00

Considering Ariza's big moments in this year's playoffs, many have touted him as the key role player to help Kobe and Co. win a championship. Some have even compared him to Scottie Pippen, the small forward for the Chicago Bulls who teamed up with Michael Jordan to win six rings.

Hogwash.

Scottie Pippen is one of the top 50 players to have played in the NBA. He was quite possibly the most versatile player to have played the game.

People don't know that Pippen was quite often the primary facilitator on the Bulls. Tex Winters singled Pippen out as the player who had the best grasp of the offense - almost immediately. In fact, Pippen's playmaking skills allowed Jordan to play down on the block, posting up for high percentage shots. On the other hand, Ariza has terrible ballhandling skills. The guy doesn't know how to move WITH the ball. He can do one thing, drive hard and try to dunk or lay the ball in. He can't create for others, and he's not a good playmaker at all.

He's closer to Kobe and Shaq's Rick Fox. Except he lacks Fox's lockdown defense, and instead has a playing-the-passing-lanes-gambling defense. But Ariza, despite the occasional highlight dunk in the regular season, has shown his best asset on offense to be the spot-up three-point shooter. He penalizes offenses for two-timing Kobe and Gasol, and his surprisingly effective shooting helps spread the floor.

One thing the Lakers found out is that Odom, despite being touted by Pat Riley as having Magic Johnson's abilities, is not, and never will be a player that resembles Scottie Pippen. In fact, some have noted he's much closer to Dennis Rodman, for his ability to consistently rebound (albeit at a far slower rate).

In that sense, the Lakers are better off in taking a step back and viewing Ariza for who he is: a limited role player on both ends of the floor. He had his big moments (as did Fisher, Gasol, Odom, even Shannon Brown), but he has much to improve to become a better individual defender (uses his length rather that moves his feet), and he must improve his ballhandling and playmaking skills to add another dimension to the Lakers' offense.

Derek Fisher Believes

2009-06-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

"Faith."

That's how Derek Fisher answered Doris Burke's question about how he was able to deliver clutch shots despite enduring a rough postseason.

In the postgame interview with an ESPN reporter, Phil Jackson defended his decision to stay with Fisher despite his struggles, citing his "character."

Even within this game, Fisher couldn't penalize the Magic for leaving him open. Despite missing his previous five three-pointers, he finally hit one to send the game into overtime, hit another crucial three in the extra period, and helped deliver a miracle ending to a game that appeared out of reach.

Fisher, long-associated with the clutch 0.4 turnaround prayer that delivered the Lakers past the Spurs in '04, deemed tonight's three-pointer even more significant, because it brought the Lakers closer to their goal.

Even in this website, I've criticized Fisher's game, deplored Phil Jackson's decision to play him at the cost of losing games (and almost a series against the Rockets), and lobbied the Lakers' front office for a better point guard.

And I still do.

But tonight, Fisher showed that perseverance pays off, confidence carries through, and faith -

Faith moves mountains. And the hearts of millions of fans around the world.

What's Eating Andrew Bynum?

2009-05-28T11:29:00.000-04:00

A rare sight in the playoffs; Bynum doing work

I find it really difficult to evaluate Bynum right now.

Earlier this year, I'd say he was untouchable. He certainly has the capability to put up big numbers.

But he has also been frequently injured. He has yet to be healthy and effective in a playoff series. Which is a problem in itself: is he injury-prone? Gary Vitti, after examining Bynum's body, concluded that he's susceptible to leg injuries (Greg Oden seems to be a similar case).

On the other hand, guys like Dwight Howard are built solidly, like the bulletproof Karl Malone.

Injuries interrupt a player's development. It seems that Bynum always has to go back a little, rediscover the fundamentals of the game, before regaining some momentum in his game. But injuries have been a stumbling block for him, no question.

But what troubles me too is that Bynum said his struggles are mental, not physical. If that's the case, then the problem lies deeper: a lack of confidence, focus, and even motivation. That's troubling, because he's been with this team too long to go through this again - these were all problems earlier in his career.

Then last week, he qualified (or contradicted) that by saying his knee WAS bothering him. Which is confusing: are his problems mental or physical? Both? What really is going on? And there seems to be a problem between him and Phil Jackson, after he obliquely demanded more minutes, equally obliquely criticized Phil Jackson's defensive schemes, then equally obliquely took it all back.

There are just so many things going on with Bynum right now.

On one hand, I'd say no center has more potential in the league than Bynum. Even more than Dwight Howard (Bynum has better size, a naturally softer touch).

But then again, I'm wondering whether our team could be better served with a dependable, high quality big man veteran than Bynum, who hasn't been reliable at all.

Take for example last year. If we had Luis Scola in the Boston series, we might have a championship already - and be in better position to win this year. And possibly the next 3-4 years.

Let's say Bynum gets past his injuries, mental issues, and becomes reliable in the next couple years. Does a Bynum-centered team have more championship-winning potential than a Kobe-centered team? Extremely doubtful, because Kobe is almost unequivocally considered a top 10 player of all time, certainly top 25...but Bynum? Right now, he's closer to Kwame Brown than Tim Duncan.

At this point, we don't NEED to move Bynum, because I think the fact is that even without him, we can contend for a championship with Kobe, Pau, Odom, and Ariza.

But there is the possibility that our team would be (and would have been) better if we had a more reliable player.

One thing that I've been impressed with is that some players are built for the playoffs. Rugged, sacrificing, balls-to-the-wall, even a little dirty, just willing to do whatever is necessary to win.

And these guys aren't necessarily the all-stars - but can make a bigger impact in the playoffs.

Bynum will have to prove that he can stay injury-free and be reliable month-to-month. But I think the Lakers have invested way too much into Bynum to give up on him any time soon (money, Kareem, etc.). The Lakers tend to hold onto players way past their due date, so if Bynum turns out to be a bust, just know that the Lakers will give him every chance until he's nearly an untradeable contract.

Kobe is Better than Lebron; Sorry, Jerry West

2009-05-19T08:37:00.000-04:00

According to Jerry West, LeBron James is the best player in the NBA.

With all due respect to the Logo, he's wrong. Lebron had the better season, statistically - as ESPN's John Hollinger would remind you, again and again. A note: how objective is it for a espn writer to argue for a player's superiority using a ratings system he himself came up with?

A more balanced viewpoint is in order, using not only statistics but observation, and a whole lot of common sense.

Defense:

Lebron joined Kobe on this year's All Defensive First Team, which Kobe accomplished seven times and counting. Certainly Kobe has been a more consistent defender over his career. Moreover, Kobe was the defensive stopper for Team USA in the Olympics last summer, when the stakes have never been higher for these players or the NBA.

But how about right now, as of this moment? Due to Lebron's better shotblocking (from the weakside), and helped by the contrast principle (Lebron didn't care about defense before the Olympics), I would say he's a better team defender, while Kobe the better individual defender. This certainly seems the case as Kobe relishes the opportunity to guard the opponent's best perimeter scorer, while Lebron mainly helps from the weakside.

Kobe still has the defensive edge, simply because Lebron is not a game changer on defense (not like Andrei Kirilenko a couple years ago) from the small forward position. On the other hand, Kobe can lock down and limit the opponent's best offensive threat, which is frequently more valuable.

Some criticize Kobe's tendency to leave role players to help his teammates. However, this has actually been a mainstay in the Lakers' defensive strategy. While the Lakers may get burned in a game or two because of this, over the course of a year, or even a series, forcing guys like Ronnie Brewer, Rondo, and others to become scorers for their team has proven to be an effective strategy.

But make no mistake, when a team has a star offensive player, Kobe will be on him and be very effective. His ability to change the game with his defense explained why Kobe nearly matched Dwight Howard in the All-Defensive Team voting, which the coaches voted for. Meanwhile, Lebron was runner up for the defensive player of the year - which seems contradictory, until one realizes that the media votes for that distinction. The All-Defensive Teams are selected by NBA head coaches, who clearly deem Kobe the better defensive player.

Rebounding:

Lebron averages a couple more rebounds. Due to his size advantage, it's not surprising. This is a clear advantage for Lebron. However, Lebron's no Shawn Marion (double digit rebounder small forward).

Passing, ballhandling:

Lebron averages a couple more assists (and turnovers), which is more indicative of the differences between the Cavs and the Lakers' offenses than any superior skill. The Cavs run their offense through Lebron. For Kobe, although the ball inevitably gravitates toward him, especially in the fourth quarter, the triangle offense involves too many trigger passes and requires a certain amount of ball movement that makes it difficult for any player to average more than 5, 6 assists.

In fact, 82games.com rates Lebron's passing one point higher than Kobe's, 10 - 9. Also ballhandling, 23 - 22. Close enough to be a wash.

Shooting/scoring:

Kobe's a better jump-shooter, one of the finest midranges in the game, and a high percentage finisher. Lebron is a decent jump-shooter, and a terrific finisher. The difference lies in the kinds of shots each takes - Lebron takes far more closer shots, so he ends up with a higher field goal percentage. This comes as no surprise, because many of Lebron's points come off dunks. Likewise, he draws more fouls. At this point, Lebron was like Kobe earlier in his career - relentless going to the basket, and putting constant pressure on defenses. Which one is better? Lebron has the statistical advantage on average, but what happens when teams are able to slow down Lebron's drives? In that sense, he's not quite as versatile and balanced a scorer as Kobe is.

Kobe's faced some elite individual and team defenses, and maintained his season and career averages. Shane Battier, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko, and even Ronnie Brewer are among the league's best, if not best, wing defenders. And Houston was among the league's best team defenses this season.

Lebron's next playoff series against the Magic will test the versatility in his game. Can he win from the outside? Can he impose his will on the Magic? Will he be limited at all? I think he'll have to adjust - and again in the Finals, if we get there, because he had trouble against the Lakers (and Kobe's defense). In the two season matchups against the Lakers, he shot 25% and 36%, which speaks to both to the merits of Kobe's defense and the limitations of Lebron's offense.

How about Wade?

Dwayne Wade also deserves some mention. During the Olympics, both he and Kobe showed which players rose to the occasion when faced by adversity.

Nonetheless, Wade has his weakness: a somewhat unreliable perimeter game. Although Wade clearly needs better teammates, against a prepared, decent defense (Atlanta), he was limited to well below his season fg% and a very high turnover rate.

Kobe suffered a similar fate against Boston last year (as did Lebron), but that team, for that one season, was quite possibly one of the greatest defensive teams in the history of the NBA.

Back on point, as it stands, due to his individual ability on defense, and more versatile offensive moves, Kobe is still the best overall player in the league. Jerry West, even while lauding Lebron's game, qualifies his statement with Kobe's superiority in the clutch - something that most NBA head coaches agree upon.

"If I had to have somebody make a last-second shot, it would be Kobe Bryant."

So for the intangibles, the assassin mentality, the ability to rise to the occasion when the game on the line, most informed people would pick Kobe.

And to me, that says it all. Beyond the stats, hype, and spite.

The redemption of USA basketball is a testament to what kind of qualities Kobe has, spoken and unspoken things that Lebron simply does not possess. Not only did Kobe demonstrate a quiet, substantial leadership, leading by example, dedicating himself on defense, and taking over the game when his teammates (and fellow stars) looked overwhelmed.

The true mark of Kobe's quintessential qualities can be found in the improved games of his understudies, who discovered how deep they must reach into themselves, their bodies and their souls, to achieve greatness.

Keys to Game 5, Lakers versus Rockets: Sit Derek Fisher

2009-05-12T09:41:00.000-04:00

The Lakers must stick with Brooks like white on rice, i.e., no Fish, and see if the other Rockets can create their own shots. They can't, except for Artest, and that's almost a win-win situation because he almost always tries to do too much when he has the ball.

And the fact is, this game plan already worked in Game 3, when Fish was suspended and Farmar and Brown outplayed Brooks and won every single quarter in that game.

Derek Fisher Needs to Step Down

2009-05-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

"Championship teams I've been on, we've had to go through some things, games that were tough. You don't go back through every series and look at the games you lost." -Derek FIsher, press-enterprise

“Was I angry with the team? Of course you’re angry with the team...But you say as much as you can as a coach, and the players have to execute and do it on the floor.” -Phil Jackson, yahoo sports

How can you be angry at an old dog who can't learn new tricks?

Phil Jackson's respect for Fish apparently entails starting him at all costs, even risking playoff elimination. That's Phil's failure as a coach, which is ironic, considering his reputation for adeptly managing players and their egos.

But doesn't require a championship coach to see what's wrong with the Lakers. Four games...it's obvious, Fisher cannot stay in front of Brooks. The mismatch at point guard is clearly the biggest difference-maker in the series. When Farmar started in Game 3, he had a +18 differential, and vastly outplayed Brooks: 12 points and 7 assists against 7 points and 1 assist, respectively. In Game 4, Fisher scored 2 points while gaving up a playoff career high 34 points from Brooks, and suffered a -26 differential.

If Fish were an intelligent basketball player, a consummate leader, a team-first guy, he would step aside and allow better suited point guards in Farmar and Brown to stop the bleeding.

All this talk about playing harder, smarter, wanting it more, etc., is all rhetoric. People need to stop talking and do the obvious. Phil needs to get players in the game that can compete. Not want to compete, but can compete. And for Fish, it's time to step aside. If not for your career, at least for this series.

Fish can drop all the cliches in the book, but he needs to just glance at the boxscore to see what any casual viewer can see: somebody is getting murdered on TV.

If Fish does start again, the best way he can avoid the blow to his ego would be to level Brooks with another shoulder tackle - both the message of toughness as well as his absence would help the Lakers.

Lakers beat Jazz, Game One Over

2009-04-19T20:57:00.000-04:00

What a game, an unusual game.

Too many turnovers by Kobe, who got a little too cute sometimes, but he did whatever he wanted to do. His usual incredible pivot fadeaways, drawing defenders and kicking out to shooters...but it was that nasty dunk on Milsap at the end that sealed it for me - that was classic Kobe, and I loved ABC's editing: "Mother-" [cut!]

Ariza was fantastic. I doubted his ability to shoot consistently, especially in the playoffs, but he hit everything tonight. He changed the game, and screwed up Utah's defensive plan. He burned them for cheating. He has to prove consistency, and he started it off with a bang. He was the number one difference in the game. Which is saying something considering -

Shannon Brown was outstanding. What didn't this guy do? He's everything we needed in a point guard since...I can't remember. Great size, strength, athletic, physical - and when he's knocking down threes? Game over. I really liked his defense too. It's clear his strength and length helps him defensively. He's got the Point on lockdown. Suddenly Fish looks a lot older and Farmar, not quite as valuable.

Gasol didn't necessarily play soft. He's just not a banger. Smaller, stronger guys do give him trouble. And the Jazz have plenty of them. He still contributed by being very efficient and ending up with good numbers. He had a few nice blocks. If one expected Gasol to play like a beast, prepare to be disappointed. Gasol is a great finesse forward. If you want beef, look no further than:

Bynum, who couldn't get into the flow of the game. Some of his fouls were really dumb. Reaching in, etc. It was his first playoff start, though, so I hope he just has the jitters. Didn't like how he said the knee brace was giving him a little bit of trouble and that he still mentioned stiffness or swelling in his knee. Hm.

On the other hand, Odom was springy. Man was just focused. He makes our bench one of the best in the league. He felt the refs were against him tonight, but he mostly kept his composure - and remained productive. This is a big improvement.

Need to think a little harder: Wilbon's halftime comment about Kobe shooting less, Lakers winning more. Totally missing the nature of that correlation, Wilbon.

Love Jerry Sloan. That guy is hardcore. He doesn't need the game. The game needs him.

Matt Harpring cracks me up. Some people may hate him, but he does everything in his power to help his team win the game. If he has to play dirty, he'll do it. I'd love to have Matt Harpring on our team, because he's a cheap, dirty bastard, and we need one on our team. All the great teams have one of them. Loved that behind the back pass from Kirilenko. That guy - man. Love his game. He'd be beautiful in the triangle offense. With the ball, without the ball...defensively, everything. That lockdown defense on Kobe and steal shows what he's all about. Elite defender, total team player, a great competitor.

I'd expect a much better showing from the Jazz with Okur in Salt Lake City. They're a tough, resilient bunch.

Mitch Doesn't Do it; Boston Signs Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore

2009-02-26T01:10:00.000-05:00

How is it that the team with the best record in the NBA isn't picking up the perennial experienced-veteran-looking-for-a-ring players?

With Bynum out and Mihm traded, hell, just from last year, I expected the Lakers to pick up a veteran big man.

Instead, the one team that outmuscled us, BADLY, got even stronger by adding Mikki Moore, a fiery, rangy, defensive big man who can make some shots. PJ Brown hurt us in key stretches last year, and Boston got a pretty good replacement in Moore. On the other hand, the Lakers didn't get anybody to add some beef. Oh, and Bynum? The guy never played well against Boston in his career. Kendrick Perkins has outplayed him.

This is trouble. And Joe Smith, the other coveted veteran big man, might not be bought out, since their coach made a strong endorsement for his retainment.

And we get to the big kahuna, Stephon Marbury. People forget this guy is an all star. Isiah Thomas and the mess that used to be the Knicks devalued him in some people's eyes, but Marbury is a hell of an undervalued player.

If he's willing to come off the bench, I can't think of any better backup point guard in the league. There is none. Rondo/Marbury is an EXPLOSIVE combo, and I can't think of too many teams in the NBA that can outplay that duo over 48 minutes.

Not only will Rondo or Allen (depending on who Fish matches up against) outproduce Fisher by far, Marbury will most definitely, as sure as shiitake cake outproduce and outplay Farmar.

Oh, and did I mention the Lakers have one of the worst point guard rotations in the NBA? According to 82games.com, 25th out of 30 teams.

So, in the likely event that we play the Celtics in the Finals, just know that the Celtics have increased their advantage over our weak points: at point guard and toughness in the paint.

Perhaps we forgot that we have to actually improve to beat the Celtics this year.

Mitch...why didn't you do it?

Kobe's Leadership: More Wolf than Mamba

2009-02-23T21:03:00.000-05:00

Phil Jackson, from latimes.com:

"Kobe's playing as well [or] better than he did last year. Most of that is simply because he's been our leader. He's more determined in that aspect."

"Most of it's the push, it's the drive. Every game he comes out and there's a purpose that these guys have to play for. There's a reason to go out there and win, there's a motivation that he provides by always pressing the team forward. "A lot of times it overrides guys. They get upset that they're not getting as many shots or something, but he says, 'OK, come get the ball. If you want to take it from me, you've got to show you're as hungry to score, as hungry and aggressive as I am.' That's the leadership that he provides."

Very revealing. But makes sense. Last year, it was reported that Kobe took some teammates along on a helicopter to watch Orca Whales hunt, to observe the pack-mentality that caught Kobe's imagination. In a way, that explains Kobe's dynamic relationship with his teammates over the years. It's well-known Kobe wanted to be "top dog" on the Lakers, especially considering his game and commitment to the game surpassed Shaq's. This was a major cause of contention as Shaq wasn't ready to relinquish his position on the team until he had something to prove in Miami - getting in shape and openly taking a back seat to Dwayne Wade.

But Shaq was more of a goofball, breakdancing and entertaining his teammates. He led with humor and his sociable personality. Kobe has proven to be a far different type of leader. One that leads by example - and expects others to follow suit. No rah-rah speeches or late night sleepovers watching Steel Magnolias. In a sense, Kobe has always been that type of leader, even early in his career, even under Shaq's shadow. During the Olympics, Kobe was widely regarded as the most serious player on the team, focused, intense - but not particularly vocal (Lebron, Dwight Howard, and others were talkers).

Instead, Kobe is all about the hunt. He leads the pack by not looking back.

You'd better eat your food, or else he's gonna take it. You'd better handle your business, or else he'll humiliate you by showing the world that you're expendable, chump change, a Kwame Brown, a Smush Parker. He'll bail you out, and in the process, castrate you.

Only the strong survive.

Hunger. Will. Power.

Lakers Should Make Trade as Deadline Approaches for Hinrich and Kirilenko

2009-02-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, the Lakers currently have the best record in the league. Yes, at this point in the season, the Lakers have the third best record in team history. Yes, the Lakers have swept both the Celtics and the Cavs in the regular season meetings.

But that won't guarantee any rings.

First of all, our PG and SF positions are going to give us trouble.

At small forward, Trevor Ariza's shot is inconsistent (he has poor shooting mechanics) and his defense is overrated as a defender (he mainly tries to steal the ball). He's not a great individual or team defender, poor ballhandler and passer, and for every spectacular dunk, has several inexplicable misses at the rim. In short, he's a role player on the bench, which is fine, but a problem when Luke Walton is the starter. This team needs a starting small forward that can be reliable in the playoffs.

At point guard, Derek Fisher is one-dimensional, which allows him to get exposed in the playoffs every year. Farmar is inconsistent, and has yet to play a solid playoff series. He gets exploited due to his inexperience, lack of size and strength.

In sum, this team needs reliable starters at PG and SF, who can both fit in our offense and be assets defensively.

For that to happen, we might need to give up upcoming free agent and my sentimental favorite, Lamar Odom, who has stepped up big, specifically on the boards. But doesn't he always step up every year after the all-star break (and after the trade deadline), only to come up short in the playoffs? And what happens when Bynum returns, will Odom still play with the focus he's displayed for about a week? Has he finally turned the corner, or is he still going to be inconsistent and unreliable as a true impact player?

As the trade deadline approaches in less than a day, the Lakers need to make the following trade, as part of a 3-way:

Lakers:
Outgoing: Odom (to the Bulls), Walton (Jazz), Ariza (Jazz), and Farmar (Jazz)
Incoming: Andrei Kirilenko and Kirk Hinrich

Bulls:
Outgoing: Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas
Incoming: Odom

Jazz:
Outgoing: Kirilenko
Incoming: Walton, Ariza, Farmar, and Tyrus Thomas

Andrew Bynum Should Receive Blood Injections for Knee

2009-02-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

Andrew Bynum is still out for roughly another 2 months...again putting in doubt his availability for the playoffs.

His rehabilitation should involve a new treatment involving the athlete's own blood to heal injuries, as reported by the New York Times:

"The method, which is strikingly straightforward and easy to perform, centers on injecting portions of a patient’s blood directly into the injured area, which catalyzes the body’s instincts to repair muscle, bone and other tissue. Most enticing, many doctors said, is that the technique appears to help regenerate ligament and tendon fibers, which could shorten rehabilitation time and possibly obviate surgery."

Takeashi Saito, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy to heal a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. Instead of being out for a year after surgery, he recovered in 2-3 months.

Hines Ward, the Pittsburgh Steeler's receiver, suffered a grade-2 MCL (medial collateral ligament) sprain. While originally predicted to miss 5-6 weeks, Ward underwent the blood injection treatment and came back in two weeks to play in the superbowl. Equally important, he avoided offseason surgery on his knee.

Andrew Bynum also injured his MCL on his right knee. The Lakers didn't reveal what level sprain it was, the 8-12 week recovery time hinted at a level 2 or 3 sprain. A level 2 is a partial tear and is somewhat disabling. A level 3 is a complete tear and often requires surgery. Considering Bynum and the Lakers' optimism, minimal swelling, and Bynum's relative mobility (he now walks without a crutch and took some pregame shots yesterday), his injury appears to be a level 2 sprain, which is what Hines Ward suffered.

I hope he does receive this cutting edge blood injection treatment, because it would mean not only a faster recovery time for the playoffs, but also a good way to avoid surgery.

What's troubling is the fact that Bynum prefers to work with his own people rather than the Lakers. The difference in medical opinions between the Lakers' medical consultants and Bynum's personal doctors on the East Coast caused some problems last year, especially since Bynum's extension was at stake.

This may be an ongoing problem. According to the OC Register's Kevin Ding, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti revealed that Bynum would be susceptible to knee injuries due to his body (knock knees and wide pelvis).

All this should call for perhaps a more comprehensive approach to Bynum's condition. Jordan Farmar does Yoga for better balance and body control. Perhaps Bynum should follow suit; at this point, he's undoubtedly injury-prone, with 3 major knee injuries in the past 5 years.

I just hope Bynum's personal trainer and doctors are open to these ideas. Blood injections to help him heal, then daily Yoga or dance sessions to prevent injuries.

He's a gangly, awkward big man with an odd gait. In contrast, Shaq, despite his massive size, had great mobility, footwork, and body control. Probably the best in history for a 300-pound, 7-footer. That's probably why Shaq's been relatively durable over his career, despite frequently being out of shape.

Bill Simmons Isn't a Hater; Just Another Ignorant Celtics Fan

2009-02-10T14:50:00.001-05:00

Once again, Bill Simmons puts his foot in his mouth regarding Kobe Bryant. He wrote a long apology trying to defend himself against charges of being a "Kobe hater."

His defense rested on two points. One, that Kobe gave up in two playoff series, 2006 and 2008. First of all, any objective reporting on these series would acknowledge that Kobe didn't have enough help, but more importantly, had the maturity to trust in his teammates. Kobe has always been in a damned-if-he-does, damned-if-he-doesn't situation.

Heres's what Bill Simmons failed to point out: In the playoff series against the Suns, Kobe scored 50 points, made 20 out of 35 shots, and the Lakers LOST by 8 points. Bill Simmons forgot to point that out - maybe that was the reason why the next game Kobe tried to move the ball and get his teammates going. It was a sign of maturity and trust in his teammates, not giving up on his team. It wasn't Kobe's fault he was surrounded by Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, and Luke Walton, but how else would anybody else figure out a way that Lakers team could beat Phoenix? Kobe scoring 120 points by himself? How else would Kobe have made his teammates better - even Jordan was surrounded by a future hall of famer and some of the greatest role players of all time in Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc, Harper, Kerr, etc. Thus, in short, Kobe was surrounded by a bunch of scrubs, and although he carried that team into the playoffs out of his sheer individual brilliance, in the playoffs he was in a no-win situation, because the Suns were just point blank better and would win that series regardless of what Kobe would have done.

And how did Kobe quit against Boston? He never took less than 19 shots, never more than 26. That's balanced. Kobe had 10 assists in a loss. One assist in another loss. He shot 48 percent in a loss, 38 percent in a win. There's little rhyme and reason to those stats, except that Kobe shoot below his season average (40%) turned the ball over more and stole the ball more than his season averages. Lebron shot even worse against the Celtics defense (35%) and turned the ball over more than Kobe did. Thanks to Tom Thibadeau, the defensive assistant coach of the Celtics, whom Jeff Van Gundy owes for his reputation as a defensive-minded coach, Kobe Bryant was stymied by the zone defenses anchored by Kevin Garnett (who also had the benefit of not being called for defensive 3 second violations). Boston took away the lanes for Kobe by putting 3 defenders in his path, Gasol and Odom couldn't consistently hurt Boston inside, and the Lakers settled for jump shots, which they generally missed, and Phil Jackson couldn't think of anything to beat Boston's defense. That was the series.

2nd point of defense: Lebron James' performance was more impressive than Kobe's. How in the world is that a defense for criticism of Kobe's game? Most people, including those at MSG, would simply be wowed by two great performances. Some may favor one over the other, but on what grounds could either Kobe or Lebron be criticized? They were great performances in two competitive games.

Simmons criticized kobe for essentially ball-hogging while Lebron got his shots in the flow of the game. Really?

Kobe: 19-31 overall, 3-6 on 3-pointers, 20-20 from the line. 2nd leading scorer: Gasol 31 points.
Lebron: 17-33 overall, 2-7 on 3-pointers, 16-19 from the line. 2nd lead scorer: Ilgauskas 15 points.

Now, who played more within the offense? Kobe took fewer shots and made more. He took fewer threes but made more. He got to the line more and made more. He had a more efficient offensive game. How could Lebron have scored more in the flow - especially if the second leading scoring on his team only got 15 points, while Gasol got off for 31 himself?

"On the other hand, his teammates stood around and watched him like movie extras."

What kind of movie extra puts up 31 points?

That's essentially Bill Simmons talking out of his ass, because he never was a guy who argued based on facts. His primary argumentative technique is humor, as a red herring. But when he tries to argue using basketball terms, he falls on his face.

Bill Simmons is simply trying to find reasons to back up his prejudice (pre-judging) by depicting Kobe as a selfish player: "He may as well have been playing by himself on one of those Pop-A-Shot machines."

Yet it was Lebron who almost knocked out two of his teammates while tumbling out of bounds, trying to get a statistical triple-double as the game was ending. Who's selfish, really? That play reminded me of Ricky Davis throwing up a shot at his own basket to get another rebound for a triple double.

If Bill Simmons prefers Lebron's near triple-double (the league took away that rebound), that's his right. Lebron will always rack up more rebounds because of his size, 6'9" and 260. He'll always get more assists because the ball is always in his hands, while Kobe plays in the triangle offense with multiple ballhandlers (nobody averaged more than 6, 7 assists in all the championship Phil Jackson teams).

But all the evidence points to the fact that Kobe was more efficient than Lebron on offense, didn't ballhog any more than Lebron did (took fewer shots while his second option had twice as many points). These are the facts.

But Simmons couldn't simply compare the two in good fun and marvel at the great performances. He had to say "Kobe's 61-point game represented the best and worst in basketball." He had to go there. Didn't have a bone to pick, really? I'm shocked he didn't bring up Colorado and Shaq.

It's funny Simmons quoted a couple people at MSG to put some doubt into how much the crowd appreciated Kobe's game. Too bad he couldn't dispute the reality: Lebron's performance brought boos, then rumblings of frustration and appreciation as the Knicks lost another close game. Which is what it was, another game. But Kobe's historic night was transcendent, and the proof was in the pudding of MVP chants.

Bill Simmons is played out, he had some sort of relevance in the early 00's. But he's a hack now. Is he still bringing up Britney Spears or talking about Star Wars?

Here's the thing about BIll Simmons. He used to be a funny guy. Not the brightest guy, but he's been successful over the past few years with his low brow humor, eclectic pop trivia references, and unapologetic biases. Considering the stodgy Marc Stein and the other boring ESPN writers, BIll Simmons was an in-house alternative perspective.

But with the explosion in blogging, Simmons is just another guy, not quite as wacky as the Free Darko guys, or funny as even Gilbert Arenas's blog. And he never was as insightful as, say, Roland Lazenby. In short, he's just another Celtics fan living in Los Angeles. That annoying old white guy in a Bird jersey thinking he can ball. Talking shit about the Lakers and Hollywood...but why are you living in L.A. again? Go back to that frigid, depressing, racist place you call Baaaaston.

Just recently, I shared Simmons's article with a group of young 20-somethings. Their response? Who the F is Simmons and why should anybody care? Why indeed.

A few weeks ago, Simmons wrote a nice article about his dog that died. Maybe Simmons should have put something else to sleep. Regardless, his relevance is nodding off.

Bynum Out 2-3 Months; Lakers Must Look to Deal

2009-02-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

If the Lakers want to win a championship this year, the Lakers need to prepare for Bynum's absence by considering him out for the season. Out. Gone. No mas.

Now, let's revisit the team that made it to the Finals against Boston.

First of all, the Spurs will be a much bigger threat if Manu Ginobili is healthy. We handled them last year, but only after a controversial, game-deciding no-call involving Fisher. Bynum actually played extremely well against Tim Duncan in the last game, so losing Bynum would hurt us most in this series, where Bynum's length and strength clearly bothered the Hall-of-Fame bound big man.

But the bigger challenge is still the Boston Celtics. True, Bynum has never played well offensively against the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins has outplayed him almost every time, except for the last game we won on Christmas, where they both played to a standstill:

9 (on 4-7 shooting, 1-2 free throws), 7 rebounds, 2 blocks for Bynum;
8(on 4-5 shooting), 7 and 2 for Perkins.

However, Bynum did add something missing from last year: defense, specifically basket protection on drives. Last year, Boston's guards had open layups after getting simple picks. Bynum alters a lot of shots due to his length, even without getting credited for a block. Andrew also has a bigger presence, which discourages post play from Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett, who himself has a tendency to shoot jumpers.

In short, Bynum is a big blow for our defensive potential.

Still, there are two ways to slice this pickle.

Get another big man. Sacramento seems to be begging for an Lamar Odom - Brad Miller swap. It might not be bad, considering Odom is likely gone anyways after this season. Brad Miller has one more year on his contract, but Buss may be wiling to eat the tax on that for a chance to play his hand at the championship table. Getting another physical post player would take pressure off the finesse-oriented Gasol. If we were to get another big man, he must be able to protect the basket, rebound, and defend the pick-and-roll well.

However, these big men are rare. Thus, Mitch Kupchak may be best served by thinking outside the box: Find ways to upgrade at SF and PG. Defensively, the Lakers must do a better job on Pierce and Rondo. Believe it or not, Odom did play reasonably well against Perkins in the playoffs. However, our biggest deficiencies, in both the regular season and the playoffs, are at point guard and small forward.

Now, some are very high on Ariza. I'm not sold on him. His outside shot is inconsistent (32% on threes this year), he can't create his own shot, and he's an abysmal playmaker. His game is playing off the ball, shooting corner threes, and crashing boards. Defensively, he's overrated. He's not an individual lockdown defender. He has long arms and good anticipation, so he's good at stealing the ball. He's like a SF version of Smush Parker. He has the long, gangly frame, but there's little power or strength in there, and he lacks essential triangle guard skills.

On the other hand, Luke is injury-prone with an inconsistent outside shot and Radamn is absolutely deadweight on both ends of the floor. We don't have a true starter, and Ariza prefers coming off the bench, which plays an uptempo game that fits his style.

Fish is just a pure point shooting guard in a point guard's body, with the lack of speed or length to play adequate defense. Due to limited playmaking skills and drives-on-a-prayer, he's a one-trick pony. On the other hand, Farmar has never been consistent throughout the year, including the playoffs, and is frequently exploited on the defensive end. He also doesn't seem to fit too well with the starting unit and the triangle offense. Like Ariza and Odom, he thrives when pushing the ball and getting opportunities off the break. Sasha has been inconsistent at both guard positions so far this year. Again, there is no reliable starter at point guard.

As the trade deadline looms, we need to look for a point guard and small forward that are both starter quality and good fits with the team. They must make Lamar Odom, Radamnovic, Luke Walton, and even Farmar, and Ariza available.

Kobe is a Killer; the Lakers, Not So Much, Lose to the Spurs 111-112

2009-01-14T23:56:00.000-05:00

What a tragic way to squander Kobe's nearly flawless performance. What a way to lose a chance to gain a psychological edge against the Spurs, who have owned the Lakers on their court.

First of all, let's not blame the refs. We've got bigger fish to fry.

1. Bynum is not reliable.

He got 1 rebound last night against the Rockets, and 3 tonight. Kwame would've broken out with pimples if that ever happened to him (Kwame might be the only player in NBA history who sat out a game with a DNP - Acne). Bynum is supposed to be our answer against the Celtics? Please. First he needs to a better rebounder than Smush Parker, who is somewhere in China right now.

Here are some positives: Bynum is more aggressive scoring the ball (yet he's not always getting good position). Bynum is playing good individual defense (and inconsistent help defense). So even his contributions have some drawbacks.

Bynum is just far from being a consistent, reliable player.

Some say he's lost some fire after signing his big contract. Personally, I think he's not fully recovered from knee surgery. Bynum had some swelling early in the season, and Jermaine O'Neal advised him to be careful (and he should know). Bynum could be playing through some pain, which would explain his reduced explosiveness and lack of energy. It's a cause for concern.

2. Gasol is soft.

YES. Soft. Screaming "let's go" after every time he makes a basket doesn't make him tough. Growing a tree-chopping beard doesn't make him tough. Grabbing more than 5 rebounds makes him tough. But that's the deal with Gasol. Against small frontlines like Golden State and Miami, or even softer opponents like Troy Murphy and the Pacers, Gasol is a beast. Pounding the glass and his chest, the 7'1" lanky forward seems formidable. Against teams with a little more beef like New Orleans, Portland, Houston, and San Antonio, Gasol is a baby. How many rebounds did he have against the Celtics on Christmas? 3.

As long as we're playing crappy, small teams in the Finals, we're golden. Otherwise, don't be surprised if Gasol disappears when it matters, like he did tonight, with the quietest 21 points in Laker history. His histrionics and facial hair simply highlight his insecurities. He's soft, and he knows it.

3. Fisher. WTF?

Like Mark Jackson would say, "you're better than that." Why would he gamble for a steal on that last play, forcing him to scramble back to Mason, who was able to draw the foul? Then again, Fish has a tendency to foul, and get caught up in sticky situations (see last year in the playoffs when he got away with a foul). Fish just can't play good, honest defense, which is why he has to get so close to defenders (doesn't have the length or quickness to do otherwise), gamble & scramble, foul & flop. From now on, that's what I'll call Fish: Gamble & Scramble, Foul & Flop.

4. Ariza, aka Gumby.

Watching Ariza trying to play point guard is like watching my parents operate a DVD player. It's cringe-worthy, frustrating, and at times funny, but more often sad. Ariza has limited ball-handling skills, cannot dribble with both hands, cannot pass, is frequently off-balance and out of control. He made me miss Smush Parker tonight. I said it, yes, I did. Hell, he made me miss Coby Karl tonight. I already missed Von Wafer last night. Where's Jannero Pargo?

Still, it's not his fault. With Farmar and Vujacic out, Ariza did the best he could, which was inadequate, but again, it's not his fault he had to play out of position. What is his fault, however, is fouling players way beyond the three-point line, such as his boneheaded reach on Hill (isn't he the rookie?) with less than one second left in the fourth quarter. That would have been the difference in the game, completely isolated idiotic incident.

5. Kobe was brilliant.

My goodness, people can talk about Gasol's consistency (yeah right) and Bynum's potential all they want, they're simply missing the show of a lifetime. Kobe is not just a great player, he's one of the greatest ever, and it's a priviledge to watch him in his prime in purple and gold. When Kobe hangs it up and the Lakers end up a crappy version of Portland, people will realize how special Kobe was to our team. The guy is amazing.

It's funny, everybody knows 4th quarter is Kobe time. Greg Popovich said it during the interview, Jeff Van Gundy said Kobe's the best in the Final Four (minutes)...and Kobe comes back after a big deficit in the fourth quarter and the Lakers go on a run to take a 3-point lead (before the loonies take over). Kobe might not have the statistics that Lebron, Wade, and Paul are putting up, but that's largely a combination of his role, the team around him, his maturity, and his age. Kobe isn't trying to dominate the ball all the time like those previous players. He has spent most of this season getting his teammates involved in the first half, and if they need him, he'll punch through in the 3rd or 4th. That kills his stats. But when he wants to, as we've seen since Christmas against Boston, he can be a one-man wrecking ball. Tonight was a virtuoso performance, combining tough shots with great playmaking. He was Jordan and Pippen combined tonight, unfortunately, he didn't have the rest of the Bulls who could come through. No Rodman on the boards, no Ron Harper to run the point, no players he could rely on every night to fulfill their roles.

For those who still cling to this notion that Kobe is selfish, take note of Kobe's consecutive feeds to Josh Powell, who nailed the open jumpers. Or his last second pass, interrupting his jump shot in mid-air, to Odom for the open layup. Kobe just needs players who can fulfill their roles reliably.

The Lakers currently rely on too many young players (Farmar, Bynum, Vujacic) who haven't really proven themselves in the playoffs, and one-dimensional, major liabilities such as Radmanovic, Walton, and Fisher.

They should look to make some moves before the trade deadline, since we're hardly running the triangle consistently or effectively. The Lakers are simply being propelled by the greatness of Kobe Bryant and the heady and smooth Pau Gasol, and getting enough, if inconsistent, contributions from the others. This has been good enough for the best record in the league so far, but it'll hardly guarantee the pressure-cooker of the playoffs, where many regular season win leaders have been eliminated early, such as Phoenix and Dallas, two other high scoring teams.

Get off your ass and Do It, Mitch.

Michael Jordan Loses in One-On-One Game

2008-11-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Lakers versus Blazers, Opening Night

2008-10-28T21:04:00.000-04:00

Still needed Kobe to win - and he did some great stuff, including defense (a couple gambles aside) on Roy. Kobe facilitated very well early in the game, then single-handedly stopped the bleeding when the Blazers cut the lead to 8. What can you say? The Blazers had a lot of depth, size...but they don't have Kobe, just an all-star in Roy, and that was the biggest difference tonight. I hoped we didn't have to rely on him too much tonight, but his knee looked fine, and he still played like the best basketball player on the plant.

Ariza was quite excellent, including hitting an open three. No real surprises, but it's great to have him back. His manly dunks and in-your-face blocks can generate a lot of momentum. Just an exciting player.

Radmanovic was quite a surprise. He hasn't let up on his new determination to play defense. Great at snatching up entry passes - probably based on his lazy reputation before. But it was nice to see him care.

Gasol and Bynum - meh. Never really got involved. Nobody's fault, really, we played more of an uptempo game. Still, there were some miscues, Gasol dropped a couple of passes, missed some easy shots...Bynum had some wild shots tonight, including some outside nonsense. I know he's trying to develop that aspect of his game, but I felt he was going away from a sizable challenge in Joel and Oden tonight. He needs to be able to battle against big guys, and I don't think Bynum did that tonight.

Odom was reasonably good, except for his usual questionable decisions, such as jacking up threes and passing to nobody. Still, he was a good presence out there, and he did some good defensive things - which is a great sign, considering he was mostly an average team defender at best.

Fisher was ultra-aggressive, which he had a right to be, considering how defenses play off him. Still, he's not a great finisher, but oh well. His hustle makes up a lot for it, he was a bundle of energy tonight, big ups to old man Fish.

Farmar missed some shots, but was energetic, tried to attack the basket, was aggressive and active, 6 boards and 6 assists for the point guard.

On the Blazers' side, Outlaw and Fernandez are serious business. Roy will always contribute even on an off-night, but these guys are heavy hitters. Veterans Blake and Pryzbilla were reliable as usual. Everybody else was disappointing.

Apparently, Oden is out with a mid-foot sprain, one more difference between the Blazers and the Lakers. They're worse at nearly every position.

Pau Gasol is Skinny Fat

2008-10-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

The Evidence:

A disturbing sight

In this video, Pau walks into the frame from 2:27 to 2:30. Now some may be surprised to what he looks like what his shirt off. I'm not talking about his looking like a creepy sexual deviant in the doorway - that's obvious.

The medical community has diagnosed this condition as "skinny fat."

Some of you may be shocked..."OMG look at that doughy mass of repulsive flesh." But let's be real, this is Pau Gasol. You know what his arms look like already. And they're not impressive.

how can you play defense with those arms? oh wait, you can't. good job, flab man.

No, I only would've been shocked had he taken his shirt off and was ripped just in the places where the jersey covered. Like he was wearing a jersey of muscle. I'd have to draw this to convey how funny this really is. Maybe I should just let this go. I won't though, I'm going to draw this hilarious mental picture and upload it later. Oh, you guys are lucky. Lucky and blessed to be reading this.

It's sad how guys like Bynum and Farmar could seemingly get buff over one summer, while Pau has been skinny fat his entire career. Two words buddy, perfect pushups.

Then again...if he gained muscle, he wouldn't distract opponents with his prancing gait.

NBA GM Survey: Kobe is Most Clutch

2008-10-22T20:09:00.000-04:00

Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant -- 88.9%
(nba.com)

Well, duh.

Does Andrew Bynum Deserve the Max?

2008-10-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

Well "deserve" is a tricky word. It's a relative word. Nobody can unequivocally prove that Bynum deserves anything - if he gets paid now, it'll be mostly based on potential - if not skill, then potential to stay healthy. Now how does one put a monetary value on potential?

Not all potential is created equal. For example, if you're 6'6" athlete that has basic fundamental basketball skills, you'll probably have to fight your way to make it on a college team. If you're 7-foot with fundamental skills, you'd be an NBA all-star.

True, centers are important. Not because they're more talented than anybody else. Simply because it's hard to find 7-foot quality athletes who can play the game. We're talking about .001% of the population. That's a small pool of candidates. Bynum is part of that small minority of human beings, and he's a member of the even more exclusive club of being 7 feet and being able to run, jump, pivot, and generally do things that other 7-footers cannot do. Moreover, among the 7-foot athletes, Bynum has shown that he actually has some talent for this game and worked on his skills. In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In the world of the bumbling, inept giants, a 7-footer who can demonstrate some basic skills is master of his domain. That makes him a rare commodity, no matter his track record.

One can't compare Bynum to the average basketball player, guards and forwards. There's plenty of great athletes who had to fight, claw and tooth, their way to success. There's less separation in talent and skill. Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player on the planet, but the difference between him and a second-tier shooting guard like Joe Johnson is not the same difference between Tim Duncan and Andres Biedrins. So, yes, the game, both basketball and financial, is different for big men, such as the Lakers' signing of Kwame Brown based on almost purely potential, and guys like Jerome James, who only had to play his heart out for a few games to earn a ridiculous contract.

So, does Bynum deserve the max? Relative to the entire league, the way things generally work, no. Considering the special considerations, most importantly his being a center, the money game is a little different. In a hypothetical scenario, if Greg Oden, who has yet to play an official game, were eligible for free agency this past summer, how many teams do you think would have cleared some cap space to offer him a contract, despite his being 20 years old, coming off an season-ending injury, and having no NBA experience? He doesn't deserve much, but I'm guess several teams would have positioned themselves to offer big contracts.

Likewise, Bynum doesn't deserve the max, but there's no question some teams would offer him just that and make him their franchise player and prayer. Luckily, the Lakers can wait this season out before offering Bynum anything, and Bynum can take this year to make a compelling case that he "deserves" the max.

Top Reasons Why Lamar Odom Will Be Gone

2008-10-12T21:37:00.000-04:00

See you later, Underachiever

There's no rule that the Lakers HAVE to keep or replace Odom. There's several reasons why they probably won't:

After Bynum gets his 10m+ extension, the Lakers will be at the luxury tax threshold even WITHOUT Odom's contract. Think about that.

Odom plays the Lakers' deepest position. Ariza, Walton, and Radmanovic all play small forward.

Include Kobe there at SF, especially since Sasha was extended and probably will see his role grow (perhaps even eventually start). The need for a shooter on the floor explained Phil's heavy usage of both Radman and Sasha in the playoffs, even with their drawbacks, even at the cost of benching Odom at crucial moments of the Finals.

Odom will be at best a 4th option on offense. What will his numbers look like? Can't be better than 12 pts and 7 rebounds. Will the Lakers pay big money for that?

The arrival of Gasol essentially replaces Odom in a basketball sense, Bynum's imminent contract extension essentially replaces Odom in a financial sense. The only thing left is the ax.

Odom will get substantial offers next summer. He's been too successful at power forward, he's been too solid, consistent, he overcame his past, he's become a solid character guy, unselfish, versatile, and many teams can use him better an pay him better.

The Lakers will lowball Odom; No doubt they'll offer him something. But it won't be enough.

Lakers Need to Trade for Baron Davis

2008-06-30T22:29:00.000-04:00

Do it, Mitch

Baron Davis opted out of the final year of his contract, making him a free agent.

In order to beat the Celtics, the Lakers need to work a deal with the Golden State Warriors, who can sign -and-trade Baron Davis for Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar.

Few teams can offer as much money as the Warriors can, but the Warriors are reportedly not interested in giving Baron a big extension - thus Davis' choice to opt out.

But losing Baron Davis for nothing would be a terrible scenario for the Warriors, since Monta Ellis isn't a point guard who can run a team. In Jordan Farmar, the Warriors get one of the best young point guards in the league and a playmaking, uptempo forward in Lamar Odom, who fits in perfectly with Don Nelson's offense. And since Odom is expiring, the Warriors can essentially give him a test drive - and have the option to let him expire, or use his expiring contract as a trade asset.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant's prime years aren't wasted by gambling on Farmar's development and Odom's adjustment to his new role. Fisher has shown to be limited as a full-time starter, and Baron Davis would prevent Boston's zone and overload defenses on Kobe in the Finals. Baron Davis can break defenses down, penetrate, make plays, drop bombs from three, and wreak havoc on defense. Davis's ballhandling and playmaking abilities would also allow Kobe to move to the wing where he's traditionally been much more efficient.

It would cost Buss a hefty luxury tax, but how many opportunities does a team get to acquire an elite point guard who only 29 years old? Buss needs to stop gambling on Odom and Farmar, at the cost of squandering Kobe's prime. Putting his money on great talent and experience is a sure thing.

And what's Buss doing, paying 80m a year just to fall short? Go all the way.

Salary Cap Rules and Why the Lakers Are Screwed

2008-06-28T10:17:00.000-04:00

Currently, the Lakers have over $75 million tied up in guaranteed contracts, one of the highest payrolls in the league. Their offseason moves are handicapped in two ways, the salary cap and the luxury tax. The exact amounts are yet to be determined, but based on the same rate of growth as the past few years, probably by $2-3 million.

1. Salary Cap.
The Lakers are way over the salary cap - last year it was just under $56 million. This year, probably $58m. The salary cap is set by the league to prevent big market, high payroll teams from acquiring additional stars. For example, Gilbert Arenas opted out of his contract, and is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. He's looking for a max contract starting at $14 million a year. So can the Lakers sign the hometown star? No, since the Lakers are over the salary cap.

That doesn't mean the Lakers can't sign any other players at all. The league provides for a few exceptions:

Mid-level Exception: $5.6m (can be exercised every year)

Biannual Exception: $2.3m (once every two years)

Minimum: 440K to $1.3m, depending on years of experience (no limit)

2. Luxury Tax
The Luxury tax is a dollar for dollar tax imposed by the league, penalizing teams that cross the luxury threshold. Last year, it was set at just under $68m. Note that there is about $20m wiggle room for a team to exceed the salary cap (meant to prevent major acquisitions) before they hit the luxury tax (meant to penalize teams that are overspending). Let's say the Lakers end up spending $80m this coming season, and the luxury tax is set at $70m. The Lakers must pay $10m to the league as a penalty.

Let's look at an example. James Posey, who played a big role in the Celtics championship, is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he can sign with any team. He is generally considered to be a Mid-level amount player, around $5-$6m. But let's say Boston wants him back, L.A. wants to steal him, and a third team, say San Antonio wants him to replace aging Bruce Bowen. But Posey isn't going to cost the same to the teams. Since Boston and L.A. are over the luxury tax, it's going to cost them $10, $12m a year to sign Posey. That's more than what Manu Ginobili, Chris Kaman, and other better players make.

On top of that, the luxury tax hurts the team even when it tries to sign its own players. For example, Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf are free agents. Whatever offer they get from other teams, the Lakers must pay double to keep them. Thus, teams try their damnedest to get under the luxury tax.

While most teams are above the salary cap, the luxury cap is a chokehold, it severely cripples a team's ability to improve itself.

The team must re-examine its roster. Odom for $15m? The team will probably let his contract expire next summer. Radmanovic for $6m? Jerry Buss is probably kicking himself for not terminating Radmanovic's contract a couple years ago, when the Space Cadet injured himself trying to snowboard in Park City.

Shaq Disses Kobe - then Runs Away

2008-06-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

The very next day, Shaq pulls a hit-and-run:

"I was freestyling. That's all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever. That is what MC's do. They freestyle when called upon. I'm totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all. And by the way, don't forget, six albums, two platinum, two gold. Anybody who knows me knows I'm a funny freestyler. Check the NBA DVD when I was rapping about Vlade Divac during my first championship run. Please tell everybody don't make something out of nothing."

"Everyone that knows Shaq knows two things about me: One, that I'm a rapper, and two, that I'm a comedian. When I played with Kobe, me, him, Brian Shaw, J.R. Rider, we had freestyle sessions all the time. ... all in fun and we said crazier stuff than that. If I hurt anyone's feelings, I apologize."

(espn.com)

Odom's Role Change in 08-09 and Why It Kinda Doesn't Matter

2008-06-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

The LA Times reported about Odom possibly shifting back to guard next season. Now, some people are thinking, wait a minute, if Bynum returns, doesn't that push Odom to SF? Why would he play shooting guard - isn't that Kobe's position?

Positions in the triangle offense are different than those of conventional offenses.
---you may skip this paragraph is you know what I'm talking about---

The triangle offense really employs a 2-guard front (no true point guard in theory), consisting of a lead guard and a lag guard. The purpose of having a 2-guard front is to react better to what the defense is doing. The purpose of the guards is to set up a sideline triangle (thus it's namesake), made up of a post player (forward), guard (on the perimeter), and the wing (on the perimeter but close to the corner baseline). The purpose of this is to create an overload offense, to create a high percentage shot based on what the defenses do. On the opposite side, unrelated to the triangle, is the offside guard and offside forward. These guys should be good shooters because it'll prevent defenses from overplaying the sideline triangle (coming to help, double-team, etc.). But upon ball reversal, they can either go to a 2-man game, isolation for the offside post, or they can set up another triangle on the opposite side (using the wing cutting baseline).

---end triangle jargon---

Odom did play more guard than forward in his first year under Phil Jackson, the 05-06 season. That year, Kobe played more on the wing, when Kobe averaged 35 points a game. This was also the year when Kobe scored 62 points in 3 quarters against the Mavs, and 81 against the Raptors.

There's no question Kobe is most productive and lethal when he plays more at the wing and high post.

But Odom had struggled to organize the offense effectively, he wasn't as proficient in that facilitator role, and the Lakers' offense became too dependent on Kobe to do everything (Odom would just pass him the ball at the top of the key almost every time). On top of that, Odom wasn't proving himself to be a capable 2nd scorer, especially on the perimeter.

Thus, Phil Jackson couldn't think of a better solution than put Kobe Bryant back at guard FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE TEAM, since Kobe knows the offense and has the ability to throw entry passes, read defenses, run the pick and roll, drive and kick, etc. The proof was in the pudding. In 05-06, Kobe dropped 50 points on the Suns twice in that season (once in the reg season, once in the playoffs), and the Lakers lost both games. The limitations of a one-man wrecking ball and the demands of a sputtering-team offense pushed Kobe out of the interior and onto the perimeter, to a more playmaking, facilitating role in the following seasons.

So Phil moved Kobe back to guard in 06-07. But that year was even worse, showing that his teammates simply weren't good enough - regardless of whether Kobe played the scorer or playmaker. Lamar had struggled facilitating the offense in the previous year, but when he moved into the frontcourt, Odom also struggled to consistently score. The conclusion was that Odom simply wasn't consistent enough to be a 2nd option in any context

Luckily, after Gasol's arrival, Odom embraced his role as the offside forward - and as the 3rd option. But how would he fare back at guard and as the fourth option when Bynum returns?

Odom's move back to guard will be a bit different than in 05-06. It won't be as demanding, since Fish can handle some duties (rather than the bit player Smush was), as well as Gasol in the high post, as well as Bynum in the low post, and of course, Kobe.

This time around, Odom won't have to be the Scottie-Pippen type of facilitator to Kobe's Jordan. Because we're not the Bulls, we're not the championship Lakers, we're something entirely different. We have quality at almost every position, everybody is a willing passer and a scoring threat. No longer are the Lakers relying on Kwame, Smush, and Luke. Having the right kind of talent at every position is conducive to fully realizing the potential of the triangle offense.

Also, this time around, Odom also doesn't have to be the 2nd option. So his role changes. Rather than a primary ballhandler at guard, Odom will be more of a trigger man and ball-mover. Rather than pulling up for the jump shot, he'll have to catch-and-shoot.

As a whole, the guard role that Odom will have to play would be less demanding, but at the same time, these simpler demands aren't his natural strengths, so he'll have to adjust.

And anyways, the offense relies on a certain level of interchangeability, and of course, Kobe's the ultimate bail-out card, so Odom will have ample time and wiggle room to acclimate himself with a modified role at guard.

Then again, why go through the trouble and risk of putting Odom through the adjustment, when they could probably acquire a more conventional catch-and-shoot small forward who could play perhaps even better defense? All at a cheaper cost? The Battiers, the Poseys, the Bowens, the Raja Bells, they don't make max-money. They make MLE money.

A proper analogy would be Matt Damon in the Ocean's movies. Matt Damon is an excellent actor, a leading actor, a serious actor. Wtf is he doing as a bit comedy actor in the Ocean's movies? Clearly it's really a Pitt-Clooney vehicle, everybody else is just along for the ride. Which is fine, because most of the supporting cast are role players. But Matt Damon? First of all, he's not very funny but he's trying really hard to be, and second of all, it's kind of a waste of his talent.

Then again, he's from Boston, so...figures.

How the Lakers Can Improve Their Defense

2008-06-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

How The Lakers Can Effectively Defend Boston's Pick and Roll

2008-06-16T21:54:00.000-04:00

The KG-Pierce high screen-and-roll has been devastating. It has become Boston's go-to move that the Lakers haven't defended properly. Here are some suggestions:

1. Kobe must guard Pierce, since Pierce has been waltzing his way to a billion points guarded by the likes of Radmanovic and Walton. Radmanovic especially won't fight screens, won't go over them, in fact, he even gets beaten when Pierce DOESN'T take the screen. Radmanovic essentially stops moving when he feels another body next to him.

2. Pau Gasol must drop BELOW the screen and discourage penetration. Instead, Pau jumped OUT on the screen every time, leaving the lanes wide open for Pierce.

If Pierce shoots behind the screen, let him. That's a lower percentage shot than him driving and getting 2 fouls. If Pierce makes one, tip your hat. If he makes two in a row, THEN Pau should come out on the screen.

Lastly, defenses could rotate quicker, namely Lamar Odom. But Odom has always been a poor help defender, because he

1) isn't a shotblocker
2) doesn't move quickly enough to draw charges

In sum, I see the following scenario playing out:

Kobe faces Pierce at the top of the key. Let's say KG comes up to Kobe's left to set a screen. If Pierce does takes the screen (going to Kobe's left), then Kobe needs to fight over the screen. Gasol MUST sag below the screen to defend Pierce's penetration off the screen. Let Kobe contest Pierce's shot from behind. By sagging, Gasol is also in position to defend KG if KG rolls and Pierce hits him with the pass. By not jumping out at the screen, Gasol is challenging Pierce to shoot pull-up jumpers, which is what we should prefer to giving up free throws and getting into foul trouble.

A good mix-up would be to have Kobe go UNDER KG's screen when possible, again, the key being to deny Pierce penetration.

Another challenge is that KG sets good screens, actually, illegal screens, and it's tough to get around them. Unfortunately, that's up to the refs.

On our part, we need to defend the pick-and-roll to deny PENETRATION. Give up the perimeter shot - it'll come and go. Play the percentages.

LET'S GET READY FOR BATTLE

2008-06-14T14:26:00.000-04:00

GLORY

"If tomorrow we have to meet the judgment day, O! heavenly father, we want you to let our folks know, that we died facing the enemy. We want them to know that we down, standing up!"

BRAVEHEART

"Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live...at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day till that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here, and tell our enemies, that they may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FREEDOM!"

LAST OF THE MOHICANS

[no dialogue, just badass, hardcore, raw courage]

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

"We're in hell right now...we can stay here, get the sh*t kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb out of hell, one inch at a time...On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone else around us to pieces, for that inch. We claw, with our fingernails, for that inch. Because we know, when we add up all those inches, that's going to make the F*CKING DIFFERENCE between WINNING and LOSING. BETWEEN LIVING AND DYING!"

ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU READY TO FACE THESE BOSTON SONS OF BITCHES?

BELIEVE

2008-06-14T12:25:00.000-04:00

Carcasse, tu trembles? Tu tremblerais bien davantage,
si tu savais, où je te mène.
-Turenne.

Phil Jackson: This isn’t over. This series isn’t over.

Over? The series didn't start until now.

28 teams have no chance to win a championship. Two teams still do. The Lakers are one of them.

The Lakers must win 3 games in a row. What's 3 games?
We can beat physical teams. We can beat great defensive teams. What’s 3 games?
We can sweep teams. What's 3 games?
Teams must win six times in a row in the NCAA to win a championship. What’s 3 games?
You play them ONE AT A TIME.

One swing at a time to chop down a tree.-Kobe Bryant

It's never been done before in the NBA? That’s because human beings are feeble creatures. That’s why there are runs in the NBA, because one team can impose its will on another, and five minutes later, the other team will impose its will on the first. Human beings are mentally weak.

But the Lakers have to do some soul searching. Are they a team of mere mortals? Or are they a team of Zen, of Mambas, of Machines?

Kobe scored 81 points in a game, unthinkable, the impossible, more impressive than Wilt’s schoolyard game against midgets. The only thing that is stopping him is the limiting sense of team play. He’d have to abandon all that rhetoric, and he needs to channel the unstoppable Mamba, the one that destroyed the Spurs in their series.

Thinking this series is over is cowardly talk. It's an opportunity for greatness. The quality of the victory is measured by the size of the challenge. If the Lakers pull this off, this will go down as the greatest Finals in the history of the game. WE’LL make history. WE'LL be the team that does it. WE'LL be the exception to the rule. WE'LL be immortalized.

SO WHAT if media pundits have buried us. So what if Bill Simmons has used his BSPN column to mock Kobe, his Colorado trial, his wife, the Lakers, the city, the fans. So what if Marc Stein seized the opportunity for an untimely Kobe-Jordan comparison, never mind the fact that Jordan never had such inconsistent, soft, and sometimes useless teammates like Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Radmanovic.

But we know that everybody hates the Lakers.

But why should the Lakers and the Lakers fans give up? I would want my Lakers team to fight until the last second, no matter how much they're down. Shouldn't you fight for you team until the last second?

Win or lose, share in both the triumphs and the failures. Are you a Laker fan, or are you a Laker FAN? We've lived through Kwame Brown and Smush Parker. We've lived through not even making the playoffs. We're here in the Finals, still with a chance to win a championship, and you guys still aren't excited by this challenge?
Keep the faith, and believe.

I'm the only optimist in this whole room. -Kobe Bryant

This is where guts and glory starts.
Not game one.
Not game two,
Not game three,
Not game four,
But at the point of elimination.

Backs to the wall, that's when you find out what you're made of. Who's with us, who's against us? Who's going to break down and cry? Who's going to stand up and fight?

On Sunday, we'll see what kind of heart our team has. But we know, on any and every night, what kind of fans we are.

The kind that steps to the chasm's brink, the gates of Hades, and will never lose the faith.

Believe. Don't let pride and fear rob you of your faith.

Loving is believing. Believing is loving.

3 more wins to glory.

Do or Die.
Gut-check.
All in.

Immortality awaits.

Boston's Box-And-One Defense Too Much for Kobe and the Lakers

2008-06-07T20:55:00.000-04:00

As I feared, the Lakers lost to the Celtics in precisely the way I predicted: underrated defense beating overrated offense.

How? The Celtics applied a "box-and-one" zone on Kobe when he has the ball. The box is 4 defenders positioned in a "box" or quadrilateral formation, with the "one" defender (Ray Allen) playing man defense on Kobe. This defense discourages Kobe from attacking the basket, since there are potentially 5 defenders to get through. The Celtics can get away with playing off the other Lakers because:

Pau Gasol is not getting in position in the paint, and he can be single-covered

Perkins and KG are not respecting Odom's perimeter game, thus allowing them to cheat off him

The Lakers shooters didn't shoot well, and they don't like shooting early

Fish and Radmanovic and Odom don't move well without the ball, allowing defenders to recover

However, the Spurs defended Kobe in a similar way, except Kobe beat the percentages by hitting his perimeter shots. Thus, Kobe's refusal afterwards to concede that he should done otherwise. Is it just that simple, Kobe missing shots that he normally makes? Kobe shot poorly in the regular season games against Boston. Lebron shot 36% in 7 games against the Celtics. The Celtics are excellent at defending elite perimter players.

Still, the offense can be improved. The coaching staff needs to find a more consistent way for us to run our offense, whether it's the triangle or a simplified 2-man game between Kobe and Gasol, or perhaps we need to simply push the ball more by playing Farmar.

The man probably most responsible for that is new assistant coach Tom Thibodeau.

As NBA.com reports, "In 14 NBA seasons, Thibodeau has helped his team finish in the NBA's Top Ten in team defense 11 times." The list of teams he assisted includes Houston, San Antonio, and the Knicks (back when the Knicks played stiffling defense). This assistant coach has a lot of respect around the league for what he's done.

Including Kobe Bryant. This is from kevin ding's blog:

"Q. You’ve known Tom Thibodeau for a long time and you’ve also had to face his defenses a lot. How much of a challenge is that?

KOBE BRYANT: You know, it’s always been tough. He has an unfair advantage: He started drilling me, NBA basketball drills, when I was 14. So he kind of has inside information on what I like to do because he taught me most of the stuff. I’ve been facing his defenses here for some time, and they’re tough, very, very tough. Every single team he’s been on has had great strategies and physical defense. He’s awesome."

Pundits will point to all the jumpshots, lack of free throws, and say that Kobe needs to attack the basket more. However, few offer any specific ways to beat the Celtics' defense. Nobody on earth can stop Lebron attacking the basket, right? He was limited to 36%. Why? The Celts took away penetration with the box and one, and You can't just lower your shoulder and plow through 3 defenders, one of them being Kevin Garnett, always hovering around the basket.

That's why it's a team game, and the fact that Kobe shot so many jumpers wasn't by design, it was a reaction to the Celtics' defense in the paint. It just so happens that Kobe's jumpers are frequently a better option than Gasol trying to break down KG one-on-one, Odom charging to the basket, or Radmanovic and Fish shooting contested jumpshots.

Because at the end of the day, Kobe can get his shot off against anybody. When the team offense breaks down, that's a great luxury to have. It carried us in the Spurs series. It let us down in Game One.

The bigger problem is rebounding, since the Celtics are getting more possessions, which was the difference in the game (they shot as poorly as the Lakers, and KG was 9-22 himself).

Focusing on Kobe's shooting is missing the forest for the trees. It's more symptomatic of deeper problems.

Cutting the Head Off the Snake: Defending Kobe Bryant

2008-06-02T09:28:00.000-04:00

Don't expect to see this too often during the Finals

The Celtics are underrated.

They struggled a bit in the playoffs, sure, but they've also played some tough teams, and Ray Allen had perhaps the worst shooting month in his career.

But they're still the best defensive team. They gave up only 87.3 points in the playoffs, limiting their opponents to 42.2% shooting. Their offense may sputter, but their defense remains stingy as hell. They also gave the Lakers major problems this season. Sure, KG has been tough, Pierce is dangerous, Allen can light it up from outside, but Kendrick Perkins has been overlooked. A physical, 280-pound bruiser, Perkins beat up on Andrew Bynum during the two meetings between the teams.

That spells trouble for Pau Gasol, who's been pushed around by smaller players like Al Horford or even soft players like Mehmet Okur. Gasol will get bullied by Kendrick Perkins. Book it.

Odom didn't have good games either, shooting 6-17 in one game, 2-7 in another. That's the effect KG has.

But Boston's frontcourt will do more than frustrate the Lakers' big men. Their defense puts pressure on the perimeter players. Kendrick Perkins, along with KG, clog up the middle. They take away the paint, they take away penetration. They force the offensive team to beat them from the outside.

Even though the Celtics haven't played the Lakers with Gasol, their individual defense will force Gasol to throw up the same weak stuff he's been putting up against the Spurs (and the Jazz). Gasol is a great passer, but if the Celtics hedge toward the paint, they take away the passes to cutters. In short, Boston will limit much of Gasol's game, just as the Spurs did.

The interior defense is how the Celtics beat the Lakers during the two games, and Kobe (and Odom) couldn't hit from outside to make them pay. When opponents plan how to defend the Lakers and Kobe, they have to pick their poison: get in his shirt (like Ronnie Brewer and the Jazz, Raja Bell and the Suns) or take away the lanes and force him to be a jumpshooter (like the Spurs).

The Spurs found out that forcing Kobe to bomb away from the outside has its drawbacks, namely, getting killed from the outside. Kobe hardly shot a free throw during the series, and most analysts were lauding the Spurs defense...until they were eliminated.

In fact, Kobe's been shooting at a blistering 51% in the playoffs, and he's doing most of the damage with a variety of midrange jumpshots.

The key then, is for Boston to employ the same strategy, to take away penetration from Kobe. However, Kobe's been a seemingly endless shooting rhythm in the postseason. They need to respond approriately; when Kobe gets hot, they must be flexible enough to disrupt his rhythm by taking away his jumpshot, to force him in the middle where KG and Perkins lie waiting. Too much of that funneling defense might get KG or Perkins in foul trouble, but considering KG's quality of defense, the respect he gets from the refs, a healthy dose of this change-up defense every game should be a no-brainer.

Boston's strategy should be baiting the Mamba into tunnel vision, forcing him into the teeth of an elite interior defense, disrupting Kobe's rhythm, preventing the execution of the triangle offense, and pressure the Lakers into unraveling that hyped-up, overreported team chemistry.

Lakers Beat Spurs 100-92, Clinch Series 4-1

2008-05-29T20:48:00.000-04:00

Kobe, showing great team camaraderie as he watches and laughs at his teammates lifting a trophy nobody cares about.

Another major comeback.
Another Kobe closeout performance.
Another 50-win team defeated.

Boring? This team is making winning look easy. Apparently, the formula for winning is to keep the game within 20 points, after which Kobe would take over.

Deus ex machina (from Encyclopedia Britannica):

a person or thing that appears or is introduced into a situation suddenly and unexpectedly and provides an artificial or contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty.

The funny thing is, everybody and their mom knows when it's Kobe time. And nobody can do a damn thing about it. Bruce Bowen? The best perimeter defender in the league, and the media was raving about his ability to keep Kobe off the line.

And why would Kobe need to go to the line when he's shooting 54% for the series, the best of his career? Oh, the difference why the Cavs couldn't beat the Spurs last year? Because Bowen shut Lebron down, he took away the drive and forced Lebron to shoot...and he couldn't.

And what can the Spurs do when Bowen finally gets up on Kobe? Kobe goes right past him, then scores on Duncan at will like he did in the fourth quarter. Wait, isn't Duncan an 11-time All-Defensive Team defender?

Unstoppable. Jordan who?

P.S. Black Mamba is the stupidest nickname of all time, especially because Kobe made it up for himself, and worse, because Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill had that nickname first. Lack of originality is the worse sin. Lack of originality is the original sin, because Adam did the same stupid sh*t Eve was doing.

Deux ex machina. D-E-M. That could be a new chant in the fourth quarter, you dig? You read it here first.

But credit the second unit, particularly Jordan Farmar, for cutting the 17 point lead into a manageable 11. Farmar didn't back down, he attacked the rim for some spectacular reverse layups. Where was that against the Jazz, Jordie?

One player who didn't play with guts is Pau Gasol, who played as girly as he walks. I think it's pretty clear he can't do anything against Duncan - why do the Lakers keep throwing the ball to him and force him to embarrass himself? It got to the point where he wouldn't even look for his shot, he would only pop it right back out to Kobe.

Guess what, we already had a guy who did that, Kwame Brown. You're supposed to do something with the basketball, Meow Gasol.

And how classless was that last second three by Vujacic, when nobody was guarding him to pad the score? But you know what? I love it, because he's The Machine and machines don't think. He just created another reason for people to hate him, but he doesn't care, because Machines don't feel either.

Speaking of machines, the Spurs are beginning to show signs of their mortality. They remind me of M. Bison in Street Fighter II. The guy was freaking unbeatable, I lost at least 50 bucks worth of quarters losing to M. Bison, until I finally figured out the leg-sweep to get him dizzy, then I would all-you-can his ass out.

Well Spurs, your reign of domination and boredom is over.

It's Showtime.

Kobe: I Can Get Off Any Time

2008-05-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

"I can get off any time. And in the second half I did that."

-Kobe Bryant

1st Half - 2 points.
2nd half - 25 points.

3rd quarter - 20 point deficit.
4th quarter - game winning basket, 4-point win

Lakers 89, Spurs 85.
Kobe 1, earthlings 0.

After this game, maybe Odom and Fisher should give their watches back to Kobe.

Kobe buys $9K watches for his Lakers teammates

2008-05-20T15:48:00.000-04:00

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Chronograph

Kobe gave all his teammates the above watch, each engraved with name and year. Each runs from $7,000 - $10,000 Apparently, the MVP's unselfish play has expanded beyond the court.

Ira Newble must be feeling pretty good right now.

2nd Round Grades - Lakers vs. Jazz

2008-05-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

Kobe A+ : 33 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, 49% shooting, balancing patience and trust with taking the game over when we need it, his leadership, this was a great series for Kobe, even by his own standards.

Fisher A+ : 14 points on 57% shooting, 65% from three, 3.5 steals a game, tough defense on Deron Williams, huge, timely baskets, toughness, pulling more than his weight when Farmar was MIA, and setting the tone with Kobe - nothing short of A+.

Odom A+ : 18, 12, 2 blks, 59%, outplaying Carlos Boozer, consistency, clutch three, clutch free throws, moving without the basketball, picking his spots, going up strong and dunking in people's faces, this is Odom at his very best.

Sasha Vujacic A- : Was the only consistent contributor off our bench, which was absolutely critical considering the Jazz's significant advantage and Farmar being mostly ineffective. Despite his poor shooting the other game, he was always a major threat that helped keep our spacing, and did a terrific job harassing Korver into a subpar series. What gives him that A is also his incorporation of several strong drives to the basket, which shows an understanding of the game and an expansion of his abilities.

Gasol B: 19, 8, 4 assists, 3 blocks. Despite the point totals, wasn't a consistent option (got many of his points off broken plays and easy assisted baskets). His rebounding was inconsistent, and he got pushed around way too easily. Complained way too much, didn't get back on defense. Still, he was productive enough and had his moments, some big blocks, and without him we would have been in trouble. But it wasn't a great series for Gasol.

Luke Walton D: After having such a terrific first round, Luke just didn't make an impact on this series at all. Shot was off, couldn't get anything going, playing time was cut. Still the effort was there, he moved the ball when the offense became stagnant, and most importantly, he was committed to playing defense.

Turiaf D: Like Walton, Turiaf didn't make a significant impact. He didn't have a major role. But the energy was there, and he had some terrific blocks.

Farmar F: Two or three plays aside, Farmar was a massive failure. He was incredibly unproductive, and instead invited abuse on both ends of the floor from the Jazz. But he tried hard. Effort didn't help him though.

Radmanovic F: Seems unfair, since he had excellent shooting percentages and contributed 8 points a night. What gives him the F is that he Failed to play any sort of consistent defense, which was demoralizing to the other 4 guys busting their asses, wouldn't even switch on defense, didn't get back on defense, didn't hustle, didn't look like he exerted himself at all, the most energy he showed was when he celebrated his good shooting the other game, screaming down the court.

How the Lakers Can Beat the Jazz

2008-05-11T21:11:00.000-04:00

4 games, tied 2-2. Brand New series, which just became a dogfight. True, our victories were beatdowns, the Jazz's were more like escaping losses. But, momentum is on their side, and certain key points came to my mind. Please add your own.

1. Bench Radmanovic, start Walton or Sasha. This is by far the easiest and biggest positive change we can make for our team. I have a lot of words for Radmanovic, the four-letter kind. Has anybody been so terrible in the playoffs? At least Smush Parker pouted to show that he was a punk. Radmanovic? I just think he doesn't care. He must be the first guy in the history of the playoffs to not care about playing. That guy is not worthy of purple and gold. I'm ashamed of him.

2. Slap Farmar upside the head.

3. Slap him again, and tell him to find his cajones, retrieve his mojo, and wake the hell up. We need you. Where'd you go? Is this really the same player who received 6th man of the year votes?

4. Fine Gasol every time he complains to the refs. It's backfiring, Pau. And get your ass back on defense.

5. Dear Kobe: was that you or Tracy McGrady in Game 4? Grabbing your back and jacking up threes, what is that garbage?

I don't want to see any three-pointers from Kobe, because Brewer or Harpring can't guard him down low. Actually nobody can, and if they double, that's where the game opens up for everybody.

I'm fine with Kobe playing hero and all, when he's HEALTHY. But do we really need to put you down like a wounded animal when you're not playing within your current limitations?

6. Actually, yes, yes we do. Phil: take Kobe out, just for a few seconds, if only to send a message, when he's trying to do too much. Also, call some timeouts to stem the tide! Now's not the time to try to teach character!

7. Walton stop liking your damn fingers after a mistake or missed shot. Trust, it's not because your fingers were dry.

8. Odom needs to watch this game over and over to see how he CAN play aggressively and perform under adversity. This is the best, meaningful performance I've seen Odom play. Focus? Check. Clutch? Check. Rewind? You'd better.

9. Sasha needs to get a shot every 2 or 3 minutes. I'm serious. The guy was en fuego, and he doesn't even get the ball for the last 10 minutes? What the hell? This is one guy who's absolutely fearless, who wants to manhug pressure. Take those 10 three-point attempts by Kobe, give em to Sasha, and we win the game.

10. Kill that weak-ass soft zone from the Jazz. Whenever Kobe catches the ball, help defenders are immediately sagging. Where's the cuts? Where's the movement off the ball? Did his teammates really expect Kobe to bail them out one on three with a bad back? Move!!! Create a passing lane, what's with the standing around?

11. Fisher is playing out of his damned mind. I know, that's not a step. But he is, he's hitting huge shots and he's even guarding Deron Williams infinitely better than the younger, quicker Farmar. The guy has so much heart. I don't care if Fisher bricks all his shots for the rest of his Laker career. At least we know what Fisher is made of, and that's courage.

Mehmet Okur Gets Retarded In Game One

2008-05-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

The Lakers let this guy get 19 rebounds?

I know Pau Gasol is a soft Euro, but how could he let a Euro with an even softer reputation, a mullet, and a beer gut, grab 19 rebounds?

Bynum is reportedly out for the rest of the playoffs, which doesn't bode well for the Lakers and their Pillsbury soft frontcourt.

If the Lakers make it to the Finals, they'll most likely have to face the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins, or the Detroit Pistons' Rasheed Wallace, Jason Maxiell, and Antonio McDyess - and they ain't no Okurs.

Lakers Need a Better Point Guard

2008-04-23T11:48:00.000-04:00

Really, Fish has done an admirable job, a career year, but he's too one-dimensional as a starter, in my humble opinion, which is the source of his inconsistent impact on our team. His leadership has undoubtedly great - his OFFcourt leadership, that is. His work ethic, professionalism, and imparting his wisdom and experience to the young players. But his ONcourt leadership? Jacking up threes early in the shot clock isn't the type of oncourt leadership to rave about. Fish's real impact and value to the team wouldn't be diminished if he comes off the bench.So am I endorsing Farmar as the should-be starter? Not exactly.Some take it for granted that Farmar would naturally step into the lineup as a starter, but I'm not so sure. That's the thing - what is Farmar's future? Destined to remain a sixth man scorer? If he wants to start, he needs to be a better halfcourt player, a better defender. He's effective right now as a Barbosa, a Pargo, a small, quick scoring guard who tries to steal points on the second unit. But does his game really fit in with the starters? I think that's an unresolved issue. Either Farmar needs to change his game or we need to get somebody who can fit with our starters without being a liability. One thing he can't do is grow. Being small could be an asset: quick, small point guards who head the offense, create, break down defenses - like Chris Paul. But those players are rare. They're franchise point guards, almost impossible to obtain given our situation. Luckily, our triangle offense could accommodate a different kind of guard, a role player, much easier to obtain than a star. What kind of guard?

He needs to be able to play defense. Size can help - a lot. Interchangeable defenders helps take away the advantage of pick and rolls, play a more robust zone defense, and helps on switches and close outs on shooters. Length also helps defend the passing lanes, block the entry pass.

Offensively, he must be able to shoot. Since Pau became a Laker, suddenly our team doesn't need another guard to create. Kobe's two man game with Pau, Odom and Walton's ability to move the ball, all negate the pressing need for another playmaker. So the other perimeter guy NEEDS to be able to shoot.

A big plus would be the ability to move without the ball, cut to the basket and finish. Something Fish utterly lacks.

A guy like Chauncey Billups would be good. Little chance of getting elite players. So who?

Kirk Hinrich wouldn't be bad, except everything about him is overrated. His defense, shooting, leadership, toughness, everything is overrated. But he is the right kind of player.

Beno Udrih can shoot, can finish, can play off the ball. His defense is also underrated, and he has good size. Problem? The Kings traded Bibby to make Udrih their PG of the future.

Chris Duhon's days as a Bull seem over. He's no bigger than Farmar or Fish, but he's a good defender and can shoot adequately.

Jose Calderon - can shoot among the best, pass among the best, good size, but the Raptors would most likely keep him at any cost, including getting rid of TJ Ford to make it happen.

Steve Blake - top shooter, top defender, great leadership and toughness. But not a free agent, and Portland seems intent on keeping him as their starter.

Possible Laker Candidates to fill that position:

Farmar - get stronger and quicker on defense to compensate for his lack of size. Incorporate better off-the-ball play.

Fish - get younger, taller...

Vujacic - actually a decent option against bigger guards, but doesn't have the quickness to stay with the elite, and his off-the-ball play leaves much to be desired. His drives look like something out of the Nutcracker.

Yet, on the subject of Vujacic, perhaps the Lakers should go with a 2-guard at the point, like Ron Harper and Brian Shaw. No, they wouldn't be able to stay in front of the likes of Chris Paul, but who can? With Bynum back, a legit basket protector could discourage penetration, and the benefits of a very big guard would be better help defense, better defensive rebounding, and on the other end, a clear mismatch.But that just may be the answer - instead of trying to find another Chauncey Billups, perhaps we should be looking for a Brandon Roy, a Ginobili, a versatile 2-guard at the point who brings certain defensive strengths, even if it's not the ability to stop an elite point guard, which might be an elusive goal anyways. Who can stop Chris Paul?You can't, but you can try to make his life miserable on the other end.

Sasha Vujacic, Be Like Kobe: A Bad, But Kinda Good Shooting Night

2008-03-29T17:34:00.000-04:00

Sasha happily learning how to hug, and expose himself

Memphis 114, Lakers 111

How could the Lakers lose against one of the league's worst teams, especially when Kobe goes off for 53 points and 10 rebounds?

Shooting 15-45 from three-point territory (a new high for 3-points attempted) could do it, especially when those long misses fuel fastbreaks led by their quick guards and finished by their long forwards.

Kobe was a sizzling 9-17, the rest of the team stunk, most spectacularly by Sasha Vujacic, who shot 14 threes and made 4. Probably cost us the game.

But.

He was 5-17 overall. No other Laker shot more than 10 (Turiaf). Loss aside, I kinda dig it.

In my mind, that's what separates great shooters from decent shooters. A decent shooter will end up 1-6 in a bad game. A great shooter will end up 5-17 in a game, like Sasha, because he has that kind of confidence in himself, as do his teammates in him. Miss or make, Sasha is on the receiving end of many passes from a penetrating Kobe, and Sasha is not hesitating in letting it fly. Is Phil stupid for keeping Sasha in the game? Is Kobe stupid for passing to Sasha? Is Sasha stupid for shooting the ball every damn time? Three stupids make a genius.

Sasha's poor shooting was reminiscent those airballs Kobe had against the Jazz as we were eliminated in the playoffs. He had the confidence to keep shooting it, it was horrifying and amazing to watch, kind of like Nate Robinson's 300 failed attempts in the dunk contest. People are groaning, shifting in their seats, and the guy keeps going at it as one would keep one's head under a blanket to see how long he could tolerate his own fart.

Also, Sasha's poor shooting didn't prevent him from trying hard on defense, as he was one of the few Lakers who exerted themselves defensively. Maybe he felt bad for missing all those shots and tried to make up for it. Nah, didn't see any of the other Lakers trying to make up for their missed shots.

His poor shooting failed us and was a major factor in our loss, but considering the context, zero post presence, foul-plagued big men, and a sick Odom, our team was searching for somebody to step up. While Sasha failed, I love his confidence, which Sasha demonstrated throughout his career, even when he could hit shots only in practice.

That kind of confidence is really based on hard work and an intrinsic belief in one's ability to perform under pressure, a willingness to seize the moment as an opportunity rather than a burden.

Lakers Lose to the Warriors

2008-03-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

It was an exciting game, it's too bad we couldn't finish the incredible comeback. Not sure how we left Jax open, which ruined a couple of tough clutch threes by Kobe, one of them off-balance.

However, this game was a major setback in focus. It was lost by the mental breakdown in the first half. A 2-3 minute stretch when we lost all sight of executing our offense, jacking up jumpshots without any penetration or ball movement, throwing passes away to the Warriors who played the passing lanes all night. Kind of disappointing how unprepared the players were, or the lack of discipline. Everybody on the Lakers should take responsibility for the loss, including Kobe, who should have corralled his teammates and set them on course, not gunning for the comeback himself. He did a much better job in the 2nd half, including his heroics at the end. But his teammates showed some brainlessness by following Kobe's example and jacking up jump shots. They also turned the ball over way too much, which led to easy points off turnovers for the lightning quick Warriors, who beat us on speed from point guard to center. Just one or two possessions without doing something incredibly stupid might have given us the victory. Alas.

In a game with the Warriors, like the Suns, without Bynum we're going to have to play an uptempo game. It's inevitable due to their advantage in personnel for the small ball. Controlling the tempo won't happen without Bynum. But what we can do is keep our heads in the game. That one play by Vujacic, one-on-four in a desperation attempt to win back the crowd, just capped off five or six idiotic possessions.

The Warriors play a game full of runs. But the Lakers can't find themselves down by 23 points because players begin to quit and not play together.

That we turned it around at halftime, by playing aggressive and hustling, should be an important lesson for tomorrow's rematch.

Fight hard and fight together, and we'll prevail.

P.S. On offense, take our time. Even if the shotclock expires a few times, having the Warriors take the ball out of bounds is much better than a long rebound kickstarting Monta Ellis to the basket. The Warriors overplay the passing lanes to steal the ball and generate their fastbreaks, so Phil needs to draw up some counterplays, fake passes and fake screens, backdoor cuts, etc. to make the Warriors pay. The best way to play good defense against the Warriors is to take good shots in our offense, limit turnovers, and knock Monta Ellis on his ass a few times.

Lakers lose to the Rockets 104 - 92

2008-03-16T19:42:00.000-04:00

In reference to the previous post, on the keys to winning without Gasol:

1. Focus: Failed. Second quarter breakdown: Leading by 1 at the end of the 1st quarter, the Rockets' reserves led a charge that extended the lead to 15 by halftime. Fourth quarter collapse: Down by only 2 with 6 minutes to play, the Lakers folded down the stretch. The deficit grew to 10 points in 3 minutes. Individually, Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovic's failed to control their emotions, drawing technical fouls. Odom's kicking the ball into the stands and Radmanovic's arguing a call show a lack of composure.

2. Defense - solid post defense, poor point guard defense. Ronny Turiaf did an admirable job protecting the basket (3 blocks, including one on Dikembe Mutumbo). The Lakers effectively took away any interior game from the Rockets, outscoring them 48-32 in the paint. Didn't matter because Rafer Alston had a career night, hitting 8-11 threes. The Lakers didn't close out on shooters, namely Rafer Alston, and it cost them the game. Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar overplayed Alston's drive - a costly mistake. They consistently went under the pick, allowing Alston to shoot behind screens. The adjustment came too late, and when it did happen later in the fourth, Alston found the open lane for the layup, as the big man didn't pick him up, the miscommunication adding insult to injury.

3. Turiaf stepped up. Mutumbo's presence was effectively marginalized. We won the center position tonight, and Turiaf deserves credit for acclimating himself to his role after his surprising stinker in the last game.

4. Farmar still didn't get enough minutes. Not quite sure why Fish got so much burn, considering he wasn't having a good game. Farmar was marginally better in fewer minutes, but probably had a better chance of being a more viable option in our stagnant offense. Farmar's main mistake is falling in love with the 3-pointer, instead of using his athleticism to attack the basket.

5. Walton was quite productive, 9 points in 14 minutes, and I'm not quite sure why he didn't get more playing time over Radmanovic, who had 5 points in 25 minutes, and generally looked like he didn't care about the game.

6. Fish and Vujacic - mixed reviews. Fish didn't take many shots this game; he wasn't taking bad shots so much as being generally ineffective. Vujacic had 7 points in less than 20 minutes, on a fairly efficient 2-5.

7. Lamar Odom had a Lamar Odom game. 17 points, 11 rebounds. What was different about this game is that against his smaller opponents, he scored on post-ups and also had 2 blocks. The Lakers should have exploited Odom in the post more often, although Odom could have been more assertive in getting position and asking for the ball. He had a solid game, but he needs to be more aggressive in order to be a decisive factor in the game.

8. Kobe ran out of gas. Hounded by Battier on offense, shutting down T-Mac on defense, playing 48 minutes robbed him of his energy down the stretch, leading to jumpers that fell short and layups that weren't converted. His legs were gone. His confidence and sense of the moment still gave him the will to take over the game, but his body betrayed him at the end. The mind is willing, but the body is weak.

=============

How would the Lakers have beaten the Rockets? Focus better, keep their composure. On defense, close out on Rafer Alston's three-point shooting, and point guards need to go over the screen. Farmar needed more minutes to take some of the scoring pressure off Kobe, and Odom needed to get more touches in the post. Kobe was searching for somebody to help him on offense, even feeding Mbenga on slip screens. He simply needs more help, since he was also shutting McGrady down. He needs something left in the tank to close out the game in the 4th, but he won't if the Lakers keep placing such heavy responsibilities on him.

How the Lakers Can Win Without Pau Gasol (or Andrew Bynum)

2008-03-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

Keys to stealing victories:

1. Focus. Seems obvious, but it's absolutely essential considering the situation. Focus throughout the game keeps the game close. Don't get down on ourselves, don't let a few baskets become a major run. Suffering blowouts can kill a team's confidence, especially a squad that has lost major players to injury. Coaches need to call timeouts and run a tight ship. Players need to be mentally tough and disciplined in their execution, and those with fragile minds must keep their stuff together, particularly Lamar Odom. Lamar is the type of player who plays well when everything is going well, but has trouble turning the tide. Lamar once dribbled the ball inbounds instead of passing it, so focus should be a priority for him. We should never be overconfident in a game, nor lose our composure.

2. Defense. Without Bynum, the Lakers will have limitations to their level of defense. Turiaf can try protecting the basket, and the one advantage with Pau out is probably defense. Mbenga and Turiaf are better defensive presences than Gasol, who might block a couple shots a game, but isn't an intimidating force; he easily gets pushed and bullied out of the kill zone. But Fisher and Farmar must be able to pressure the perimeter better to prevent Turiaf from getting into foul trouble. That's part of team defense; the perimeter and the paint need to work together. They need to defend the pick and roll better, which depends on preparation and communication. Players need to close out on open shooters - this is just a matter of effort. In general, players must hustle instead of playing passively, force turnovers rather than gamble, crash the boards rather than watch. Considering all this, benching Radmanovic is probably the appropriate move to immediately improve the team's defense. Turiaf: protect the basket and rebound. Odom: rebound and play good man defense. Kobe: shut your man down and don't cheat. Fish/Famar: pressure the ball without getting into foul trouble. Sasha: hound your opponents, get into their heads. Walton: Rotate, rebound, and draw charges. In order to play better defense, we need to make sure the players capable of playing defense are on the floor, and are on the same page.

3. Ronny Turiaf needs to become a weapon, he needs to play his game. He needs to play loose and fun and wild. Don't try to force him into any particular roles, such as a rebounder or hacker. Turiaf is a talented forward with a full range of skills. Give it to him in the post when he has position. Let him take the jumper when his defender sags on him. He can change the game when he's confident, so we need to involve him in the offense as much as possible. If we can establish Turiaf in the post, we can run our offense that much more effectively (instead of relying on Kobe or broken plays).

4. Jordan Farmar must be given more minutes. Without Pau and Bynum, he's our best scorer after Kobe. We need his production to prevent a stagnant offense relying too much on Kobe. We need him playing confidently and in rhythm.

5. Walton needs a larger role. This season, our chemistry relied heavily upon the scoring, passing, and space-creating from Bynum and Pau. However, we also had decent chemistry last year, when Walton had a major role in the offense. Phil Jackson called him the "yeast" due to his ability to involve his teammates effectively. Injuries, lack of confidence in his shot, the return of Radmanovic and the rise of Vujacic, along with the shift in the offense towards Bynum, then Pau, all contributed to Walton's decreased role. But if there's a player who can shoulder playmaking duties, that's one fewer responsibility for Kobe.

6. Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic need to take better shots. During the loss against the Hornets last night, Fisher and Sasha took too many jumpers, too quickly. Their roles should be shooting when they're open, in rhythm, receiving passes as they spot up on the three-point line. Sasha has a quick release, and doesn't need much lift on his legs, and that type of overconfidence is becoming a bad habit.

7. Lamar Odom needs to play smarter. He's not a 20 ppg scorer. One of the misconceptions about Odom is that he is a talented scorer. He's not, he never has been. So fans who want Odom to be more aggressive are perplexed when Phil Jackson expresses satisfaction with his play. We don't want Odom taking heat-check shots, nor should he drive mindlessly, since the result is usually an offensive foul, because opponents know he drives left every time. He just needs to take what the defenses give him, and he needs to maintain focus and confidence so that he capitalizes on those opportunities. When he has mismatches, he should exploit them; when he doesn't, he needs to move the ball. Unfortunately, trying to revive his natural talent, his instinctual skills, will most likely expose some of his major flaws as well, such as his difficulties in playing in a halfcourt set (he doesn't move well without the ball). However, as long as Odom rebounds, pushes the ball, play free and smart, he can be a consistent player for us.

8. Kobe needs to revert to Black Mamba aggressive mode. Basketball is a natural game; when teammates are reliable, stars trust them, when they're not, stars don't. But no one player can consistently win ballgames without help (although there have been 3-4 game stretches during which Kobe has done it). Kobe can't sit back and try to get his teammates involved, because the reality is that most teams will be more talented the Lakers current lineup. They'll get outplayed. So we need to milk Kobe as much as we can. He needs to score a lot, he needs to make perfect decisions in the midst of his berserker rage, he needs to pass when a teammate has a better shot, he needs to rebound, he needs to play defense, he needs to try filling as many deficiencies as possible. He needs to extend himself, and knowing Kobe, he relishes these challenges (just not for years and years with no help in sight).

8 Keys to Winning, and from Phil to Kobe to Mbenga, everybody needs to perform at his highest level.

Jeff Van Gundy is a Hater

2008-02-24T15:23:00.000-05:00

During the nationally televised basketball game today, Jeff Van Gundy joked the Lakers run a "Triangle 24 Offense." Was that a shot at Kobe?

According to Phil Jackson, the Lakers only run the triangle about half the time. There's friction in the game, such as broken plays, fast breaks, early and ill-advised shots, etc., factors which preclude the players from running the triangle.

After Gasol's arrival, the Lakers' efforts to run the triangle have been fairly cosmetic, since Pau is relatively new to the team. At times, the players do try to set up the triangle offense, evidenced by the scrambling toward their spots after Phil's familiar sharp whistle. However, the triangle's effectiveness is judged by the secondary and tertiary movements after the initial read of the defense. Too often the offense doesn't progress into its various forms, as Gasol will simply get out of the post to set a screen or pop out for a jumper; these are just natural parts to his game developed in Memphis.

But the Lakers have also simplified the offense for Pau. They run more screens (Pau loves to set the high screens) and employ the 2-man game far more often, particularly with Kobe and Pau, who have taken to calling plays for each other in Spanish. The Lakers also try to push the tempo to generate easy opportunities in the open floor, thus circumventing the need for the halfcourt triangle offense.

Much of the simplified offense's success should be attributed to Kobe, who has been brilliant at creating. Much of his playmaking since the Gasol trade has little to do with the triangle, but consists of attacking, drawing multiple defenders and creating baskets for his teammates. That simplifies the game.

The triangle was run more extensively with Bynum, who anchored the offense in the paint for higher percentage shots, facilitating key aspects of the triangle: inside/outside passing, cutting, and spot-up open shooting. Some of that has been abandoned for the sake of taking advantage of Pau's natural talents.

That being said, Tex and Phil call the triangle an open-opportunity offense, which has remained true even with the addition of Gasol. Anybody who has offensive talent can draw from the well. Guys like Pau, Odom, Fisher, Farmar, even Vujacic have become consistent major offensive threats. Meanwhile, Kobe's shot attempts are down. That's the sign of a balanced, robust offense, and while the Lakers might not be running the triangle to perfection, they are adhering to its principles of floor spacing, movement, and unselfishness.

Charging that Kobe dominates the offense is correct if implied in a certain way, wrong if implied in another. He's the best playmaking guard for the Lakers, so he's facilitating the offense, just like Scottie Pippen did for the Bulls. That means his usage will always remain high. Not all players are created equal in terms of their ability to facilitate the triangle offense, as the Lakers found out with Odom. Tex Winters passes over the tunnel-visioned Jordan to praise Pippen as the Bull who ran the triangle masterfully. Thus, Pippen was the primary facilitator for the Bulls, as Kobe is with the Lakers (even with Shaq).

Thus, implying that Kobe is holding the offense back, that he's putting his own game before the execution of the offense is quite wrong, and quite dismissive of how the Lakers have won so many games this season. But I don't think Jeff Van Gundy is criticizing Kobe, I think he's up to something else, a little more subtle.

Over the years, many analysts and commentators have taken to poking fun at the Zen Master's mystical offense, calling the triangle a "trapezoid," a "straight line," a "rhombus," etc. The criticism isn't new and is quite understandable, considering their probable ignorance of basketball offenses. However, this criticism coming from the astute Jeff Van Gundy, a coach himself, is telling. Considering JVG can't find a coaching gig anymore, I'm not surprised at his shots at Phil Jackson and the Lakers' success. I think JVG is implying that the Lakers are doing well, not because of Phil's coaching and the merits of the triangle offense, but because of the brilliance of players like Kobe Bryant. Throw the ball to a player like Kobe, surround him with good players, any booby could coach them to victory. (No doubt Houston's recent success must be killing him).

That's Jeff Van Gundy's style. Small and unassuming, yet in an New York minute he can leap and latch onto your leg in a death grip.

Hello world!

2008-02-10T19:21:00.000-05:00

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