While I don't agree with some fans that the media is "evil," per se...
UPDATE (12.8): Now including news for Saturday... though most of it discusses what Lakers Blog already had posted (minus the V-8 part.). We're not saying people are copycats, but...)
We may very well be bad luck.
From almost the minute practice was opened up to us reporter types, purple and gold bodies began falling like hotcakes. During the closing scrimmage (Kobe didn't participate or practice today and when we entered the gym he was on a table getting his shoulder worked), Ronny Turiaf went up to block a layup by Javaris Crittenton (subbing for Kobe on the starter squad), but The Critter slipped and got tangled with Martinique's Favorite Son. Both landed like a ton of bricks and lay on the ground for a few minutes before finally getting up (and continuing practice). A few possessions later while challenging Sasha Vujacic's jumper, Luke Walton tweaked an ankle and hobbled around the baseline trying to walk it off. Perhaps just coincidence, or perhaps recognizing that we'd reached the point where Coby Karl might blow out an Achilles at a D-Fenders practice in a "six degrees of separation" kinda thing, Phil Jackson whistled the end of practice.
Cool note: On both occasions, Kobe got up from the trainer's table to check on his injured teammates, a nice showing of leadership from the captain.
But fear not, since today's rash of ouchies shouldn't produce anything in the way of freak outs. Phil stressed that Walton's ankle wasn't twisted, just jammed, which is easy to happen considering the forward's troublesome ankle "isn't as solid as it should be, anyway." Crittenton planned to ice his knee after practice, but said he was fine. A similar frozen treatment was in the works for Ronny's post-tumble ankle, but he also didn't consider himself worse for the wear. And for those keeping score, the only way Ronny could even tumble during practice is to be actually be practicing, which he'd been previously unable to do after getting a mild concussion during Sunday's game against Orlando. "I felt good," assessed Turiaf of his run. "Knocked down a couple jumpers. I played good defense. I had a good time. It was good to be out there." Ronny guesstimated he was about "96%, 97%. Still little weak, but felt the situation was "nothing major." As he put it, "Nothing is going to hold me back."
In "More Dudes Who've Taken Hard Spills" updates, Kobe's still hurting after his brutal floor plant during the Denver win. "It's very sore right now. Trying to get treatment to get it ready." By "ready," Kobe means "for action on Sunday against Golden State," a game he's got penciled for competition. "I'll be okay. It's not something that structurally is going to get any worse. I'm trying to maintain the pain level down as much as possible, so Sunday I'm playing with less pain than I'm playing with right now." Having seen the reply of that wipeout, he's well aware this could have resulted in a serious injury. "I'm very lucky. It could have been much worse." Bryant actually looked pretty tired while talking, which made me wonder if he was still feeling the effects of the bug he played through against Minnesota and Denver, but he's "feeling fine."
Other health notes. Phil thought it could be around next weekend or so before Kwame Brown can start up again, but is encouraged by the center's progress while recovering from his ankle injury. He watched Kwame work with Athletic Performance Coordinator Alex McKechnie in front of a mirror (joking that #54 was definitely not using the time to fix his hair or shave) and liked what he saw. He also noted how Kwame's time in civvies thus far jibes with expectations. "Gary (Vitti) specifically said that a lot of time with this type of an injury, soft tissue like this, six weeks is not the outside range at all. And it's just been three weeks, so we know we've got some time to go yet. He's still inside the margins of what we think is a permanent recovery and one of things we've tried to emphasize is that with the condition his ankle's been in and the surgery he had offseason, he needs to recover completely so he has the stability and the base that he needs in this game." Jackson even put an optimistic spin on Kwame's less than desirable situation. "I actually think it might be good for him. He can really get his ankle and the base together. Our trainers and our crack medical staff say that surgeries take a year and we have guys get operations in the offseason and expect them to return 100% to play in the season. It's just not that way. It's gonna take some time."
Finally, Lamar Odom is in the pink after being the first to experience the flu bug that's made the rounds (hitting, most notably, Andrew Bynum and Kobe). "That happens during the year," shrugged Odom. "One of us gets sick. Take a plane ride. One cough. Everybody gets sick. I think everybody's starting to feel better right now, though."
Just like kids in kindergarten, albeit unusually tall kids in a seriously luxurious, airborne classroom.
Some discussion did take place involving guys who aren't nursing injuries. Phil Jackson praised the play of newcomer Trevor Ariza, who finally got some big minutes against Minnesota and Denver after spending mucho time riding the bench since arriving in L.A. "As far as the nuances (of the system), he's still kind of learning those. But I think the activity and the direction in which we play and how we play, that's his style. There's still a hesitation as he's recognizing on the floor what the next step is, so it's not instinctual. That'll come." But even taking into account the subtleties the former Bruin is still grasping on the fly, Jackson told me he felt more than comfortable playing Ariza in similar fashion to Thursday, where he was brought in to guard Allen Iverson. "Specifically. Yeah. That's exactly kind of what I felt we needed. He could make a team have to think with a defensive insertion in which it changes the course of the game."
On a final and somewhat random note, I spied a bunch of V-8 in the gym fridge that holds the Gatorade, water and other items players actually drink. V-8? Who finishes up a hard day of hooping and says, "Man, I'm parched. Better chug a V-8?" Seriously, does anybody touch the stuff? I doubt even the coaching staff indulges. As part of a scientific experiment (involving precious little science), I counted the number of cans on the shelf (three rows, seven deep) and I'm gonna keep an eye out all season to see often the amount varies.
My guess? Unless they clear it out in favor of more Gatorade, not an iota.
-AK
OTHER LINKS:
- On the odd chance you haven't been paying attention since the first ten days of the season, you should know that Sunday's opponent, the Golden State Warriors, have recovered from their early troubles and are kicking some ass these days.
- More info on GSW, and why they're playing so well.
- Marty Burns of SI.com checks in on the J.Kidd situation...
- As does ESPN.com
- Our very own Mike Bresnahan has answers to reader questions, touching on Drew,Trevor Ariza, and how the Lakers might cherry pick from the miserable Kings.
never-
Bulls, Clipps and Warriors all harder to beat than CAVS.
Posted by: rayray | December 08, 2007 at 12:51 PM
I think everyone else basically said what I wanted to say about the "role players" weak argument.
That argument was originally devised in order to compare to Kobe so that the Haters could say "look, so an so" does it with nobody, as in "Duncan wins with role players, why can't Kobe". When people say someone other player is better than Kobe, you usually find that the team said player is on had better support than Kobe (Nash, Duncan, Wade, Nowitzki). The only close comparison is Lebron, who up to this year, STILL had better teammates than Kobe. I think we can see that a for the most part, it's not the star that makes the teammates, it's the teammates that make the star. I can even go a little bit for the "system" argument, that it's the system, but I love examples like this when Duncan sits out, and Parker and Ginobili are still All-Stars independent of him. What, Duncan "made them better" while he was on the bench? We need to see more games with Duncan out to be sure, but so far these have been against quality opponents (Utah, Dallas - 20 games into the season)
Iin case anyone wants to reference the Lakers' 3-0 start without Kobe, they beat the Suns, Golden State, and Seattle. That was the beginning of the season, things are much different than in 20 games into the season. I think the Suns started 1-5 that season. They also lost to the Clippers in that stretch. Golden State started 2-3. They also lost to New Orleans. Seattle was bad the whole year.
And I'm not going to go the other way, and say how awesome Kobe is when the Lakers start winning more and more often. I 'm not going to fall for the "Kobe has matured" and "Kobe gets it now" articles, I will know that Kobe was awesome all along, and finally his teammates have stepped up to the plate.
You have to ask yourself, why would he change his style of play, if he's such a "retarded" player? You think it's a coincidence that when his teammates have shown more ability that he decides to play a more team-oriented game? I've seen him attempt the same team-oriented game in seasons past, with meager results. This year is different.
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | December 08, 2007 at 01:31 PM
Andrew Z,
"Seriously, scrubbing a toilet or doing laundry is much better time spent than participating in that argument."
Please be more careful with your flippant remarks. If I accidentally leave the blog up on the computer, and my wife happens to see something like that ...
Posted by: exhelodrvr | December 08, 2007 at 01:32 PM
McGarnagle and Xodus,
So Ginobili has a high PER rating and he is the second best player on the Spurs and the best player on Team Argentina (not really sure about that last one).
Is there anything more specific about Ginobili's game you can tell me that makes him a star? Specific skills or areas of dominance?
I can tell you very specifically what makes players like Kobe, TMac, Iverson, Nash, Kidd, Garnett, Dwight Howard, Duncan or Shaq in his prime - stars (just to name a few of the top of my head). They have very specific skill sets that allows them to dominate multiple facets of the game. What are Ginobili's dominant skills? He is a bit smaller and a bit quicker than an average 2-guard, but that's about all I can pinpoint.
I've said all along, from the start of this topic, that I consider him, along with Parker to quote myself - "good/above average players" but not stars.
I doubt you guys can tell me what specifically Manu is so much better at than MOST of his peers.
???
Posted by: HAB | December 08, 2007 at 02:12 PM
Andrew Z,
You're probably right. The conversation will probably end with him arguing that Scottie Pippen and James Worthy were the greatest role players of all time.
Posted by: Xodus | December 08, 2007 at 02:23 PM
Amazing,
No, you got it wrong. It's not an anti-Kobe argument per se. It's a general anti-superstar argument. The perception of what it takes to win in the NBA or internationally has really gotten away from reality following the anomalies that were MJ's Bulls and added to by Shaq and Kobe's Lakers.
Way too many fans and even a number of GM's and coaches believe they can succeed by accumulating top notch talent, and they live to be proven wrong time after time.
How Team USA loses to the Upper Antilles, and Denvers and Houstons fail to qualify for Playoffs in the 07-08 season.
Posted by: HAB | December 08, 2007 at 02:38 PM
Andrew Z,
I'll admit it was a bit of a stretch on Deron and especially Boozer. Although I never called them "above average players" let alone "slightly above average". I think they both are better than Parker and Ginobili. What I did say, I think, was that they were not "organic" All Stars. Like Kobe or Duncan or Garnett or LeBron are. Those types would make it to the All-Stars game regardless of how crappy the team they play on is. Boozer and more so Deron, need a little help from their friends - they need to be on one of the better teams on the league. (to simplify the point). And players like Parker and Ginobili need to be on one of the very very top teams in order to have a chance to make it to the All-Star game.
There are quiet a few players, playing on lesser teams, in 1 and 2 guard positions that are better than Parker and Ginobili, that never even thought about being selected for All-Star games.
And BTW, the toilet scrubber is in the mail. Barely used too.
Posted by: HAB | December 08, 2007 at 02:57 PM
Wow The Shaq cancer ways have talking to go public in Miami. Wow Riley tried to banish him from practice
Posted by: Paul Lee | December 08, 2007 at 03:02 PM
Rdlee & AK,
According to Alexinho17 & Tsphere who are watching Euro games, Marc Gasol is ready for the Lakers at 5, I'm sure that is also the expectation of People's Republic on their player You for the Lakers. These countries have cultural pride that their players can play in the NBA standard based on current performance of the Spanish and Chinese players at this time.
I keep on reminding the blog that America and the NBA is no longer the prestigious destination or priciest contract to make a living. For every one Euro it costs $ 1.48 so they will be better of, to play in Europe "forever" than change address to America. For every year, Lakers defer them - Gasol & Lue, it is interpreted as a "snub" by their professional basketball association. It is also interprested as one form of discrimination towards foreign players. While Lakers are thinking of their own interests, these kids are not stupid coming from College who would admit that they are inferior to NBA players. They think highly of themselves as a the players that could fill in the Lakers' need.
If we don't try to play them, we will never know their capabilities. Before this season, America would not know the abilities of: Fabricio Oberto, Juan Calderon, K. Fesengco and Sergio Rodriguez (from this group that's how a good import develop into Ginobli, Parker, Nacioni, Okur, Turkoglu, Radman etc.) So after this season, it is really high time to consider Gasol and Yue and compare them to the expiring contracts of Kwame, Mihm and Sasha.
Lakers should not play favorites whether they are locals or imports, fill in what the team needs not on a planned player path. Nobody wants their career to be planned by a team, just because that team has the draft rights on you for 3 years. "Onerous draft rights without players consent after a year of inactivity is equivalent to Slavery." I hope CBA Players' President Derek Fisher should address this in the next CBA-NBA Meeting. Just my 2 cents opy.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | December 08, 2007 at 03:08 PM
Hobbitmage
Lakers have truly improve at C, SF and PG position. Like what you said about Bynum, Ariza, Fish, Farm and Crit. Excellent explanation from you.
If I may add, though the huge improvement came from the ones you mentioned above. I also think we have slightly improved at the PF position with Turiaf (getting better) and Vlad (non-existence last year and now providing 3's to spread the floor, though not every game, important games he does).
The SG, even Kobe still getting better at 29, his new found focus on dfense and confidence in his teammates to share the ball. This is also huge in some degree. Evans was not a factor last year, he showed more promise this year but got traded. But Sasha is the iprovement at SG. This year alone he has already scored 22 and 19 in recent games. Thouh nothing to brag about, his shooting has fallen more and started to attack the basket and get to the line. Because of bench performance the starters have been able to rest in 4th quarters this year already. Sasha has contributed to that effect.
Overall, every position has gotten better, including the Management and coaching staff new found system (7 seconds delayed traingle aka early offense).
What has not improved and has actually regressed are Lamar, Kwame and Walton in my humble opinion. It is trully a disappoinment because these 3 are the core the last two years, with Smush and Cook. Gettng the worse pieces out and hopefully moving along with the same type of progress and development has already proven a big improvement.
The best improvement the Lakers have this season in my opinion by far is the creation of early offense and the above average improvement in defense of sveral players Bynum, Turiaf, Ariza, Kobe, Fish, Farmar and Crit. These two factors have made the Lakers improving at an alarming level for other NBA teams. This is also why I am enjoying the game so much now, than last year.
if you ask me about Kwame, Lamar and Walton. The addition of Ariza makes Odom and Walton expendable. Unless we bring in a big PF with mid range shot and dfense, we should hold on to kwame for the rest of the year.
There are sveral free agents this summer. Lakers should start freeing some cap space.
The other improvement Lakers have is VALUE in our roster has gotten much hihger than where it was this summer. We noe how piled up young talents, NBA teams would want. The Lakers all of a sudden are excellent trade partners with so many options for anyone one.
There are so many things going right for the Lakers this year and it all started with Kobe's summer.
Posted by: Staples 24 | December 08, 2007 at 03:46 PM
AK,
It is very inconvenient to post in your blog. I will not post until you get those errors fixed. Sorry.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | December 08, 2007 at 04:04 PM
I have reply on Rdlee & AK which I post 12x times....I give up. What it wants are legraphic replies like those of EX! lol
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | December 08, 2007 at 04:11 PM
I just really hope that the Lakers get the ball into Drew in the post against the Warriors. 1 shot attempt doesn't cut it. I'll be watching to see IF LO, Rad and Fish pass him the ball(at least Kobe does). I think 10milliondollarzen mentioned on here that Drew gets two to four points a game. First of all that's inaccurate, second, it's not his fault if his mates outside of Kobe don't want to pass it to him. I much rather have Bynum near the basket dunking, going for layups, shooting jump hooks or short jumpers than LO shooting threes and charging into people. Bynum is 5th in the league in shooting percentage(nearly 60%)and he hits his free throws when he's fouled. When Shaq was here, people on here would go off about Shaq getting more touches because he always shot a high percentage. I here people on here now making all types of excuses as to why he doesn't get the ball more(doesn't get good post position, he needs to work on his legs more, Kobe's on the other side and so on and so on). The same guys who don't pass it to Drew seem to always pass it to Mihm and or Kwame when he's in there(Twins with hands of stone). Just get the kid the ball a little more and watch him go to work.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | December 08, 2007 at 04:16 PM
A couple interesting games to watch tonight for those keeping track of the western standings (which are getting real bunched up in the middle). Utah is playing in Dallas and Sacramento is playing in Denver.
In the standings, Dallas is tied for 5th place with Denver. The Lakers and Golden State are tied, a half game back. And if I'm not mistaken, the Lakers host Golden State tomorrow.
Sooo.... with a little luck, we could soon find ourselves in the 5th slot and moving up on New Orleans in 4th.
I know, I know... it's early in the season.
Posted by: dave m | December 08, 2007 at 04:49 PM
Edwin,
The comments weren't going through because neither BK nor I were home. We're not in front of the computer 24/7 and the comments have to be approved before going live. As everyone knows, that's the way the blog works and it's the Times' rules, not ours. If you don't like that policy, write the Times, because we'd prefer they go straight through without having to be screened. But until then, you might have to be patient every now and then. But certainly, for the most part, the wait isn't particularly long, if at all.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | December 08, 2007 at 05:16 PM
HAB,
Ginobili is deceptively quick, he has a very quick first step, he's a very good ballhandler, an underrated passer, and a great shooter. He's also one of the smartest players in the league (which no one considers a talent, but it is, that's one reason why Steve Nash is as good as he is.) he moves well laterally which makes him a solid defender as does his intelligence.
Is that enough?
Posted by: Xodus | December 08, 2007 at 05:50 PM
HAB - You're pretty much wrong on this, and I don't mean just in the court of popular opinion - even the San Antonio Spurs management would disagree with you. I'll give you this post from Truehoop as evidence against your "anti-superstar" argument:
The Philosophy of the Spurs
August 1, 2007 4:34 PM
Seems to work. Whatever it is, I'd like to know, that's for sure.
Kevin Pritchard knows. He used to work in that front office.
Jeffrey Ma of ProTrade is a consultant to Pritchard and the Trail Blazers, and emailed me this very interesting sentence:
I remember sitting with Kevin Pritchard before he was KP, the GM of the Trail Blazers, and he explained the Spurs' mantra to me: Get three superstars and then fill the roster with guys willing to go through a wall to win.
Pretty simple, right? I like it.
And if you're a Boston fan, you have to love it.
End of Truehoop excerpt.
So HAB, who do you think the Spurs consider their "Three superstars"?
Once again, your basketball judgment seems to be a little off.
You need role players, yes, but they're interchangeable. The stars are not as much. No one's going to take Lamar Odom and give you Manu Ginobili.
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | December 08, 2007 at 05:50 PM
HAB,
Just look at what Ginobili is doing with Duncan out. Most people would say that the Spurs would be terrible w/o Duncan, but instead they've beaten Dallas and Utah on back to back nights led by Ginobili's 37 points. You should go back and watch those games.
Posted by: Xodus | December 08, 2007 at 05:54 PM
I'd just like to give a big woot, woot to my man Tim Tebow taking the Heisman!
Posted by: Xodus | December 08, 2007 at 05:57 PM
HAB,
"There are quiet a few players, playing on lesser teams, in 1 and 2 guard positions that are better than Parker and Ginobili, that never even thought about being selected for All-Star games."
Just out of curiosity, like who?
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | December 08, 2007 at 06:04 PM
HAB,
I'd like to see you name 5 players at each position better than Ginobili and Parker who no one's ever thought about putting in an all-star game.
I just don't see how you can do it. You could make an argument that Ginobili is as good or better than a guy like Ray Allen and Parker is easily one of the top 5 point guards in the NBA.
Posted by: Xodus | December 08, 2007 at 06:17 PM
Read this crap from PJ in the LA Times,
Jackson said Bynum, who's averaging 10.4 points and 9.6 rebounds a game, had regressed in his fitness.
"He's gone backward since the season started," Jackson said. "He hasn't had consistent playing time and misses a game . . . it's a little bit troubling."
News of Bynum's regression, though, was news to Bynum.
"I haven't taken a step back," Bynum said. "I don't feel that way."
Bynum, the team's leading rebounder in his third NBA season since being drafted out of high school, said he put in a lot of work during the summer to get in shape.
"I've been progressing," he said. "I think I've been doing all right all season, except for the last game -- I was recovering from food poisoning."
The 20-year-old has played in 18 of the team's 19 games, starting eight times. He is fourth on the team in minutes.
What the hell is he talking about?!!! If this is his way of keeping Andrew motivated so that he won't fade like he did last year so be it, but his comments are getting ridiculous. I'm glad Andrew responded the way he did. Mihm gives us nothing but crap and Kwame is a china doll in a muscle suit. PJ spends too much time kissing Mihm and Kwame's a$$e$ while looking to find something about Drew to nit pick about. Why in the hell doesn't he get on Drew's mates for their failure to get Drew the ball more and for their stupid shots?!!! Andrew is playing the best out of the bigs while being avoided(except for Kobe)on the offensive end like the plague by his mates. PJ is definitely having too much "brokeback mountain" time with Mihm and Kwame. For someone of his pedigree, he makes comments that are idiotic at times. Is he trying to shatter the young guy's psyche and confidence? I hope Andrew proves this guy wrong so he can shut his trap and remove his lips from Mihm and Kwame's backside. Amazing that he points out Drew's "regression" when he has bigger problems on the Lakers than Drew. No wonder why Shaq called PJ Benedict Arnold. The only guy in the entire frickin' league that says something negative about his center, what an idiot!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | December 08, 2007 at 07:23 PM
PJ called Drew's minutes going down and missing a game because of the flu "troubling". What's "troubling" is that PJ has a little something to do with Drew playing less minutes(has played Mihm longer minutes even with Andrew not in foul trouble)and Drew only missed one frickin' game. His reverse psychology really sucks!!! 9 rings needs to stop putting rings on Mihm and Kwame's backside with his lips and mustache. He needs to find a way to motivate Mihm, Kwame and LO instead of picking on the kid that's playing better than most people thought he would.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | December 08, 2007 at 07:45 PM
How about that "D-League" win over Minnesota???
They Beat Pheonix 100-93!
Al Jefferson with 32 and 20. We say we got a better player in Bynum, if he can keep improving, Kobe stays Kobe, and the others keep consistent, we might have something special.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: jay el. | December 08, 2007 at 07:52 PM
What do consecutive seasons of mediocre play, a disgruntled superstar, and front office turmoil cost the Lakers?
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/06/business-basketball-nba-biz-07nba-cz_kb_mo_cs_1206nbaintro.html
In the just-out Forbes team rankings, the Lakers are still #2 (believe it the Knicks are still #1). But while the average team's value went up 6%, the value of the Lakers dropped 2%.
No pity party here for Dr. Buss. But the statistics are a statement that nothing less than a quality, winning team is acceptable here.
The improved play of Bynum and Farmar, the draft of Javaris Crittendon, and the acquisition of Trevor Ariza are good signs for the future. But biggest of all is finding a way to keep Kobe happy here.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | December 08, 2007 at 07:53 PM
You gotta love PJ and his mind games.
Lakers' Jackson says a 50-win season is out of reach
Coach Phil Jackson believes a 50-win season for the Lakers is out of the question because the team has been inconsistent in building an 11-8 record this season.
Coach says habits established during the team's so-so start are unlikely to be broken.
I love it Phil you are one quirky dude.
Phil I agree, that Bynum is a dog, he is really regressing. I would start Kwame he deserves it we can count on him Phil. Sit Bynum the rest of the year Phil, Bynum might finally get it.
BD
Posted by: BD | December 08, 2007 at 08:02 PM
AK/BK,
It is not your editing but the zombots, we don't know what goes through and what not. Like for example the reply I made to you and Rdlee went through but on my end it keeps telling me that there is an error. It is so frustrating!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | December 08, 2007 at 09:31 PM
Not even Phil believes in the 50 win bandwagon!!!
Posted by: zen | December 08, 2007 at 09:37 PM
not to be flip nemaia, but you just answered your own question.
Posted by: Adam Kiley | December 08, 2007 at 10:40 PM
Well if Phil thinks 50 wins is out of the question, I'm guessin' he's not a candidate for the 55 win bandwagon. Motivation? That might be just the thing for a group of all star vets in the first third of the season but the kids just might take that to heart. Thinking you're supposed to win is the first step to believing you're going to win and on the road to confidence.
The upside of it is he's painted us a blame bulls eye with that headline. Anything short of 50 wins is on PHil from now on.
Posted by: Vman | December 08, 2007 at 10:46 PM
AK,
Smush Parker haha.
Faith
Posted by: | December 08, 2007 at 11:12 PM
Edwin-
Sometimes posts will look like they get blocked, but end up in the site's new spam folder (a very annoying feature of whatever TypePad recently did to their security settings). Before, spam, if it got through, just sat in the comments waiting to be cleared, and we pulled it. Now, it ends up in this separate folder. So while you might think it didn't make it, sometimes that's where it goes. Then we go through the spam folder and pull the legit comments out.
Hope that clears up some of the confusion as to why it seems certain things go up and others don't. That said, there may be comments that just get eaten by the bots. I'm not sure.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | December 08, 2007 at 11:29 PM
It's plain to see why Phil is talking the way he is. He says it plain.
"We haven't really started to do some of the other structural things we want to do with the team," said Jackson, who agreed to a two-year contract extension on the day of the Denver game. "We need to open a run again and find a way to win two or three games in a row and get some momentum."
When Phil speaks of "structural" things he's talking about the proper spacing in the offense and the instability of the defense. He's talking about how the 1st unit plays one way and how the 2nd unit plays another way.
He only wants on philosophy of basketball. There should be only one structure to the game. Defense is the name of the game. Over the last 10 games you can see it plainly that there's no structure to the games at all. It's just up and down and divvy up the stats in the end. That's not going to win 50 games. That's going to be a 50-50 outcome. That's 41-41 over the whole season.
Notice how he mentioned the teams "habits" and not the talent? Those habits are probably a reference to Jordan Farmar, who likes to change the tempo of the game when he comes in. He's probably referring to Andrew Bynum's defensive "habits" that aren't too cool. (I really don't want to argue about that one.)
But these guys are 20 and 21 years old so what can we really expect?
And for all the people who keep calling for more touches for Bynum. Well, if you look at the games, Andrew Bynum, when he gets an entry pass into the post usually doesn't covert. Bynum converts when he gets a dump off or off an offensive rebound. That's not a bad thing. He's a good finisher when he's close to the basket. But when he has to initiate a play to the rim off the execution of the triangle...that's a different story.
If the Lakers were to actually get Bynum more touches from actual entry passes...he'll shot less than 50 percent from the field.
That's what I see when I watch Bynum get the ball in the post from the "execution" of the triangle.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | December 09, 2007 at 12:01 AM
I'm very surprised that Phil stated that we won't win 50 games this season. Very odd.
Way to pump the team up, Phil!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | December 09, 2007 at 08:21 AM
Thanks BK for the explanation on those annoying errors.
With Phil Jackson's comments, players should get used to it. He's trying to instill discipline of being consistent and hold the praise in the end. Remember, he is a baby boomer. Talk is cheap, but deep inside he wants the team succees by telling them there are rough waters ahead of you, don't feel contented with momentary success, it has to be part of your everyday system like the Spurs or the Magic. PJ is trying to elevate the standard to the elite group not the kind of team of winning against Nuggets & T'wolves on the road and losing at home against their Warriors because they lowered their guards.
So for Bynum, Vlad and Farmar and other young kids, he wanted to impart a responsibility on their shoulders that they should carry the team. These role players have given the team some sparks that were converted to W. Will those continue on a consistent basis? That's the message of the statements. The other message is for LO, Walton and Mihm as well as for Kobe - you are the veterans of this team but you have not proven so far that you can continue leading the team on a consistent basis, there are times when you hid on your T/O's with lackadaisikal attitude of disappearing while playing. You always rally in the 4th quarter, don't finish the job in the 2nd or 3rd Q. You can't win 50 games with that kind of tempo.
Posted by: | December 09, 2007 at 09:59 AM
Mike T.
I agree with most of what you said except the part about Jordan Farmar and the second unit. Phil has gone on record and said that he wants Farmar and the second unit to be more up tempo, it's not something he's doing on his own. You're just fitting your own opinions into what Phil said.
Posted by: Xodus | December 09, 2007 at 10:08 AM
No, there should not just be "one structure to the game." Teams that can only play one style offense, or one style defense, are doomed to mediocrity. Multiple structures are very hard for the opposition to deal with.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | December 09, 2007 at 11:12 AM
I don't think Edwin Gueco meant the length of time it gets to post AK, I think he meant the difficulty at which it takes to simply post.
Going through a lot of letters is one thing, but when it tells you you're a spammer, that's another thing.
For me, for some weird reason, it allows my posts to go through, but it doesn't say it's from me.
Faith
Posted by: | December 09, 2007 at 01:53 PM