Merry freakin' Christmas Indeed!

Mike DanGrinchio, take a seat.
122-115.

AK-

I'll excuse Kobe's 8 TO's. I think Phil caused them all with that redonkulous tie..

GREAT WIN GUYS!! MADE MY DAY!!!

"It was disgusting. I don't know what he was thinking. Somebody asked me, Raja Bell, I don't know, they looked over and said, "Is Phil wearing a bow tie?" I kinda looked down. That was the first time I saw it. I kinda threw up in my mouth just a little bit." - Kobe Bryant

haha

What a wonderful Christmas present!! Thank you, Kobe and Andrew! Thanks, Lamar, for the increasingly common solid night. Thanks Mike D'Antoni, for being such an a$$ - this victory wouldn't have been nearly as sweet without you talking big about Christmas day after the last game in Phoenix. Yeah, we'll see you next time.

Kobe is also the youngest player ever to pass Tom Chambers on the all-time scoring list.

Note to Jason Kidd traders have you seen enough yet? DFish and Farmar are BETTER for the Lakers than JKidd. Don't say Kidd is Hall of Fame, triple double, etc. He is 35 and has NO CONSISTENT outside shot.

LO is a keeper but needs to improve shot selection. Agree with fining LO for every 3 pt attempt. LO should keep his FGA's to transition and within 15ft.

Ariza can't shoot either. Ariza, LO and JKidd -- brick city baby.

Hopefully many of you are realizing that Bynum is the Lakers number 2 scorer and his improvement means the Lakers are competitive. Folks are now saying the Lakers are contenders so they should trade for Kidd.
That would be dumb.

Replacing Smush with DFish makes you wonder how the Lakers would have fared last year with Dfish. Lakers don't need additional veteran leadership no matter that Charles Oakley says he is the missing link. Oakley, Cwebb, JKidd all want to play for the Lakers this year. Not needed!

Help me out. Please squash the Jkidd noise.

How about some respect for Mitch Kupcake or is he still called that?

Can we start the
"SUNS WINLESS WITH GRANT HILL VS LAKERS"
bandwagon?

If so, put me on that list.

Colorado loves the Lakers!

posterize'd is old school..

its youtube-ized now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6OIFNme6w

Kobe and Bynum killed the Suns.
Some few points though about the game:
* The lakers were not doing good on screen plays for open three by nash. I believe nash had 5 3pt shot made after a high screen.
*Again, radmanovic was useless. How I hope I can do somethign to trade him. Trade him for a pure threept. shooter.
*Ariza is a perfect fit for a starting SF. Skilled, Athletic, and a DUNKmaster!
*Fisher.. u'r the man. man with a good heart and good touch.
* LAKERS.. woohoo..
Guys, have u seen the standings now. If so happen that we're to start playoffs tomorrow.. we are going to match up against the SUNS again!!! whata-fate!
I would like for them to match up against the DENVER first, then SUNS later, then, SPURS for the west finals.. and lastly, a classic match against the celtics.
Would that be cool.. huh?
LAKERS -- 18-10! tis is awesome.
can't wait for next game

Kobe and Bynum killed the Suns.
Some few points though about the game:
* The lakers were not doing good on screen plays for open three by nash. I believe nash had 5 3pt shot made after a high screen.
*Again, radmanovic was useless. How I hope I can do somethign to trade him. Trade him for a pure threept. shooter.
*Ariza is a perfect fit for a starting SF. Skilled, Athletic, and a DUNKmaster!
*Fisher.. u'r the man. man with a good heart and good touch.
* LAKERS.. woohoo..
Guys, have u seen the standings now. If so happen that we're to start playoffs tomorrow.. we are going to match up against the SUNS again!!! whata-fate!
I would like for them to match up against the DENVER first, then SUNS later, then, SPURS for the west finals.. and lastly, a classic match against the celtics.
Would that be cool.. huh?
LAKERS -- 18-10! tis is awesome.
can't wait for next game

What's up with the incorrect number in the article; "112-115 Lakers win"
come on isn't someone proofreading besides me?
Sorry to be a stickler and on Christmas, but let's get it right Kbros.

Listen to PJ! He's saying the same thing I'm saying:

"Jackson was bothered while watching tape of a recent game in which he heard broadcasters say Lakers fans should eventually get used to 20 points and 10 rebounds from Bynum every night.

"That's way too much pressure to put on this guy," Jackson said. "Who knows when he's going to be 20 and 10? That's not even a mark that we have to start prepping our audience for."

Bynum is playing better defense, and rebounding has been a strength, but Jackson wanted to reserve overall judgment on his improvement until later in the season.

"If he grows as much as he did between the beginning of last year and the end of last year this season, we can be competitive and we actually think that we can go and compete in some playoff games," Jackson said. "We've still got a ways to go to see where he's going to be as far as his development."

Jackson wanted Bynum to keep working on his post moves, and he also drew the distinction between Bynum fighting for his own baskets as opposed to connecting on easy dunks off well-placed lobs from teammates."

Seems PJ might have been reading this blog. I wonder who's the one who said that?

mike

thanx for the present guys !!! lets work on getting in first place in the pacfic.

NewJTimes,

It was just a typo (and one I thought I fixed, actually). Thanks for picking it up.

AK

M T,
"Bynum is playing better defense, and rebounding has been a strength, but Jackson wanted to reserve overall judgment on his improvement until later in the season.
"If he grows as much as he did between the beginning of last year and the end of last year this season, we can be competitive and we actually think that we can go and compete in some playoff games," Jackson said. "We've still got a ways to go to see where he's going to be as far as his development."
Jackson wanted Bynum to keep working on his post moves, and he also drew the distinction between Bynum fighting for his own baskets as opposed to connecting on easy dunks off well-placed lobs from teammates."
Seems PJ might have been reading this blog. I wonder who's the one who said that?"

Virtually eveyone on this blog has said that. The difference is that most of us see that Bynum is already, today, far, far better than Kwame offensively (including his post moves), far better than Kwame rebounding, and better as an overall defender than Kwame.

Did you hear what PJ said to you guys?

"The hype keeps growing for Andrew Bynum, although Phil Jackson has some advice for those who create it -- find a paper bag and breathe into it."

LOL! Now you've got to admit...that's funny!

I'm telling you this: The moment Bynum defense becomes an issue...PJ is going to pull him. I'm just preparing you guys for that. Don't be shocked when it happens.

mike

Listen to PJ:

"Jackson was bothered while watching tape of a recent game in which he heard broadcasters say Lakers fans should eventually get used to 20 points and 10 rebounds from Bynum every night."

He's he referring to Joel Meyers? Or maybe Norm Nixon? He refers to "our audience" so he must be referring to FSN or KCAL 9 broadcasters.

mike

"He's a handful," Suns forward Shawn Marion said. "They've got a legitimate big man."

"We just want to maintain what we are about," Jackson said. "Every game, come out and play that kind of game, show consistency. At the end of the year, if [Bynum] is the MVP, then we'll say what a great year he's had."

...a less-heralded contest was fought between one of the NBA's certified young studs — Amare Stoudemire — and an even younger player — Andrew Bynum — who just might surpass Stoudemire on his way to developing into the league's premier center. (Charley Rosen)

What other players, his coach, and NBA author/analysts have to say about Bynum.

Not the listening to our Uncle MIke on Christmas isn't always fun....

"easy gunpowder" - hahaha! who learned you K boys to write so good?

it was definitely a beautiful game.

p.s. - did kobe really say that about phil's bowtie??? frivolity reigns in lakerland!

ex,

You're such a liar! I'm the only one who pointed that out. Please...have some dignity in what you're saying.

And way to the rest of the readers: Listen to what PJ says:

"In this situation, everything's been done to accelerate Andrew's learning," Jackson said. "From this organization bending over backward to accommodate him . . . we're hopeful that it doesn't change the way he acts as a person. We've had people that have not responded well because they're too young and too pampered. Hopefully, Andrew's going to be one of those guys that understands what the process is and grows into it."

I'm telling you PJ is going to pull him as soon as Bynum's defense becomes an issue. And this statement is just to see how Bynum will respond to it.

mike

Ex and Mike T,

PJ is clearly trying to keep the Bynum hype machine away from the kid so he doesn't get too big-headed. I go to UF and heard Urban Meyer say the same thing about his future Heisman winner Tim Tebow.

It would be a problem if Phil DIDN'T say that. The point is this, like Ex said, Bynum is better at nearly every other facet of the game. Bynum may be getting the majority of his offense (it's not like it takes an NBA scout to figure it out, if PJ had to come to the blog to acquire this information, I'd be worried about him.) from putbacks, alleyoops, etc. but the point is he's still wreaking havoc against opposing teams. There's a reason why Kwame isn't scoring on putbacks, alleyoops and any other post feeds.

The fact of the matter remains that the Lakers are 13-6 (I count the Chicago game since Kwame only played 3:37) since Kwame's injury, 12-6 in games Bynum plays in and 11-6 in games Bynum starts.

By the way, tonight's matchup wasn't about Kobe and Nash.
It was about Ned Flanders and Colonel Sanders.
http://sanchezbrothers.com/myspace/flandersxsanders.jpg

Thank you very much. I'll be here all week.
-Bruce

The last 3 post I put up tells me that PJ wants our audience to be prepared for something different than what you're hearing from "the broadcasters." In other words PJ wants either Norm Nixon and or Joel Meyers to shut the F up!

Now if PJ wants to go with a different philosophy on how he approaches the game...he would need the broadcasters to shut the F up about how they're selling Bynum. It's only going to make PJ look bad if he goes with a different philosophy.

I'm telling you right now, the Lakers are winning but it's not with PJ's philosophy of basketball. And now PJ has these broadcasters making it difficult for him to coach with a philosophy that he comfortable with.

Interesting statements. Be prepared.

mike

Please stop Mike. Please. You're megalomaniacal for sure, as well as entirely too fixated on Kwame Brown. Is there any way you will be happy with the Lakers. Also, if there is any chance that PJ is reading this blog (which there isn't) he most certainly isn't taking advice from you or anyone else on here. I wish you didn't have a computer. I'll put it as simply as I can.

THE LAKERS PLAYERS, COACHES, FRONT OFFICE, AND FANS COULD ALL CARE LESS WHAT YOUR IDEA OF A SUCCESSFUL BASKETBALL TEAM IS. THEY DO NOT READ THIS BLOG AND DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK.

On a lighter note, I feel like this team has a chance to be successful as it's composed right now. There isn't any need for a trade at the moment. Maybe signing a free agent vet to take up some minutes, like a C Webb, might be a decent idea though.

After reading several of your posts, PJ is not saying the same thing you've been ranting about on here at all. I read something completely different into what PJ is saying and the reasons he said it. Totally different from the reasons you state certain things about Drew. I would say why PJ said what he said, but I come back to that in about 20 more games.

I think it's funny how people pick and choose certain quotes and statements
from PJ to base their entire doctrine on and leave out other things said by PJ and opposing coaches that tears down their theory. People do the same with the Bible too, pick and choose what they perceive to be agreeable with their lifestyle and disregard anything that shows them to wrong even if it's the truth. Anyone can take someone else's quote and make it out to be what they want it to be.

You say Kobe can do no wrong, yet Kobe has had nothing but praise for Andrew which you refuse to quote. PJ is just protecting Andrew from losing focus and wants him to remain humble but hungry, period. If Drew fades down the stretch which I doubt he will, I'll be the first to come on here and say I was wrong. You've been barking on this blog about this and that, wait until he faces the frontlines when we went out the road which we came out 3-1 and Andrew played great. Then you passed it off as playing weak teams in the past 10 games in which we went 8-2 and then came with this philosophical stuff after we won a big game against the Suns. I'll show you after 10 more games what I mean.

Listen to PJ! He's saying the same thing I'm saying:

"Jackson was bothered while watching tape of a recent game in which he heard broadcasters say Lakers fans should eventually get used to 20 points and 10 rebounds from Bynum every night.

"That's way too much pressure to put on this guy," Jackson said. "Who knows when he's going to be 20 and 10? That's not even a mark that we have to start prepping our audience for."

Bynum is playing better defense, and rebounding has been a strength, but Jackson wanted to reserve overall judgment on his improvement until later in the season.

"If he grows as much as he did between the beginning of last year and the end of last year this season, we can be competitive and we actually think that we can go and compete in some playoff games," Jackson said. "We've still got a ways to go to see where he's going to be as far as his development."

Jackson wanted Bynum to keep working on his post moves, and he also drew the distinction between Bynum fighting for his own baskets as opposed to connecting on easy dunks off well-placed lobs from teammates."

Seems PJ might have been reading this blog. I wonder who's the one who said that?

mike

Posted by: Michael Teniente | December 25, 2007 at 08:52 PM

thanx for the present guys !!! lets work on getting in first

What a game
What a win
What a Xmas present.
Kobe was brilliant.
Bynum and D-Fish were rock solid.

I'd love to view a Suns fans blog as those cocky fans are cooling their jets nowadays.

Don't bring CWebb

No need, he's too old and slow.
No need for him.
No defense either

Ariza deserves some specific props -- first start for the Lakers in a high profile, national TV game was a very nice effort. The guy's a stat sheet filler -- 14, 7 and 3, with 2 steals and a block. Most importantly, that five put together one of the strongest, swarming, team defensive efforts of the season.

Frankly, Mitch deserves some props too. I'm still trying to figure out which is the bigger steal: Getting Orlando to take Evans for Ariza or getting them to take Cook for nothing...

tp...

I love it....but can we just say that Trevor "youtubed" Grant Hill?

Ex...

The same passes that Kobe used to throw to Kwame are now being converted into baskets by Baby who can actually catch and finish!! Drew seems to have some serious strength in his hands; witness how in the first quarter he ripped the ball away from Amare and then finished over Marion. If only he could develop his calves, he'd be perfect!

PhxLkrFan,

Depth at C, PF and SF is an issue. Kwame, Luke, Mihm, Turiaf all currently have injury problems, Lamar has a history of them, Vlad is undependable, and Ariza is still an unknown as far as his ability to contribute consistently. (Although he certainly looks very promising.) An additional signing to provide some backup there may be necessary, although I wouldn't want Webber, because of his poor defense.

Nemaia,

It's clear to anyone who's not unnaturally drawn to large men with large calves that PJ is just trying to keep Bynum from getting a big head. He's still a kid and he's a kid that's just beginning to realize his enormous potential.

I LOVE what PJ is saying because Bynum DOES need to improve his post moves. And when he does Bynum will be virtually impossible to guard. He's already scoring in bunches on alleyoops, putbacks and drive and dishes. Once he adds a consistent low post game the skies the limit. Bill Simmons has Bynum's ceiling set at the "best center not named Yao or Dwight," but I disagree. His ceiling is best center in the league. In two years Bynum will be unstoppable and we'll laugh at the fact that we even entertained the Bynum Vs. Kwame debate (which isn't even much of a debate at this point.)

The most disconcerting thing is that instead of being happy about Bynum's progress, Mike T, is hoping for him to fail, which hurts the LAKERS even if it gets Kwame more minutes. It makes no sense.

Yeah, 8 turnovers by Kobe. But they are positive type turnovers. I think half of it are not really due to his fault.

I like that "Phoenix Sucks" chant. Just to give those classless phx fans and personnel a dose of their own medicine.

Everybody should pay attention to this Portland Team. 11-0? they are also getting serious.

GO LAKERS! Bring on the Jazz.

Mike, reading your posts has become like reading Ann Coulter. You know what's going to be said before it's even said, yet I can't look away, because I want to see what kind of embarrassment is being spewed forth this time. I'm sure Phil is real worried what Norm Nixon is saying. Huh? And yeah, he's trying to temper expectations of Bynum. Um, when have you ever heard Phil completely brag about anyone? During the title years, he'd always have little jabs at Kobe and Shaq. That didn't mean he wanted to bench them in favor of Mike Penberthy and Travis Knight (who I'd actually take over Kwame, even though he was one of the worst players in the history of the league).

Umm, why would anyone give credence to what Joel Meyers says anyway? Why would PJ think they do? The guy is a homer tool who makes Chick spin in his grave with every broadcast...

See? Mo Evans is just the smaller version of Devean George.

Trevor Ariza is a great addition. Credit Mitch Kupchak for that.

GO LAKERS!

I don't think you guys are listening to PJ.

During the game today, on ABC 7, one of the broadcasters said this: "PJ said the Lakers can run with any team in the league."

I don't think PJ was referring to the idea that that was a good thing. More like we're really not playing my type of basketball right now.

You see the Lakers have been winning against weak teams and relying on their poor defense. That's why the Lakers have been running. They run because they're not stable in the defensive middle.

In other words we're playing Mike D'antoni basketball and not Phil Jackson basketball.

All you have to do is look at the games and listen to Phil Jackson to know he's not pleased with the structure of the game.

Does this anger you people? That I point these things out? I mean it's Phil Jackson who is talking to you. I'm just pointing it out so you can be prepared for the change.

If for philosophical reason only...I think it's coming.

mike

Here's how easy it is to take a quote and put a spin on it:

"We just want to maintain what we are about," Jackson said. "Every game, come out and play that kind of game, show consistency. At the end of the year, if [Bynum] is the MVP, then we'll say what a great year he's had."

Is that a veiled shot at Kobe? Has Kobe won an MVP award yet? So if Kobe doesn't win the MVP, he didn't have a great year? See how easy it is to take things out of context and conjure something else out of it?

Another example:

"In this situation, everything's been done to accelerate Andrew's learning," Jackson said. "From this organization bending over backward to accommodate him . . . we're hopeful that it doesn't change the way he acts as a person. We've had people that have not responded well because they're too young and too pampered. Hopefully, Andrew's going to be one of those guys that understands what the process is and grows into it."

Is this another thinly veiled shot at Kobe's past and most recent behavior? Has the Laker organization bent over backwards for Kobe? Is PJ hoping that Drew's rise will not cause him to change as a person, someone that's too young and too pampered as Kobe has been said to be by many people here and abroad? Didn't the Lakers choose and "pamper" the "young"er Kobe over the dominant Shaq? You see? It's so easy to read into quotes whatever we want to if we're biased or partial in our views.

Twice now, Drew has outplayed last year's ALL-NBA 1ST TEAM center in Amare Stoudemire. By the way, name any GOOD or GREAT big man that doesn't work on his low post moves all the time and you'll fail to have a GOOD or GREAT big man, so don't just say that Drew needs to work on his moves in the post.

PJ is trying to temper expectations about Andrew. Phil knows that he has a diamond in the rough in Bynum, but he also knows that it is a quantum leap from potential star to a consistent and dependable part of a contending team. Drew is just starting to attract the attention of the entire league. Teams like Boston are going to start sending their goons like Pollard and Scalabrine after him to see if they can intimidate him and take him out of his game. Phil knows that Baby is on the right track but that he has a long way to go.

Some of you are talking about trading for Kidd. And he would be an upgrade, I don't think we really need him considering the way Fish and Farmar are playing. If we could trade for someone more like Jermaine O'neal , without giving up too many pieces, I'd be happier with that. How about everyone else? Would you rather add Kidd or JO?

Dave M,

"easy gunpowder" - hahaha! who learned you K boys to write so good?"

I have to credit where credit is due. "Easy, gunpowder" is what my girlfriend always tells me whenever she wants me to settle down. It makes me laugh, too.

AK

I'd just thought that would be interesting to note that:

EVERY TIME there is a trade talk involving Kwame Brown, the real asset people consider is ALWAYS Kwame's expiring contract.

Why is that? Because NO GM wants Kwame Brown playing for his team, specially for 9 million a year. His only trade value is his huge overpaid contract that expires at the end of this year.

That said, I believe most guys here would agree with Mike T that we still need more improvement on defense to real be able to beat the Celtics, Pistons or Spurs in the playoffs.

And that's exactly why we've been talking about ways to trade **KWAME'S EXPIRING CONTRACT** for any good defensive PF.

BTW, if we do need defensive help (and I think we still do) how in the lord's name could Kwame Brown be the solution if the guy can't even suit up for the games???

Heck, even Grant Hill is healthier than Kwame.

MIke T. What is coming? Are you going back to your planet? Please let that be the thing you've foretold! I can't wait to find out what color the sky is on your planet. It's as though I'm watching one of those terrible Faces of Death Videos when I read your posts. I am horrified but can't help myself. I see your name there, yet I read on. Did you know that the Laker management and player care nothing of what you think?

Exhelo

I checked out who was available, and C Webb seems to be the best out there. Dale Davis is listed as a center, but could provide some minutes and veteran leadership to Ronny. I think Ronny can be a scoring forward in the future when called on, but needs to learn from someone who has filled that role. Davis used to play it with Indiana in the Rik Smits days. He can knock down the 12 foot jumper and does a good job on the boards from what I remember of him.

Here's a portion of the article that someone forgot to include in their post:

"Jackson wanted Bynum to keep working on his post moves, and he also drew the distinction between Bynum fighting for his own baskets as opposed to connecting on easy dunks off well-placed lobs from teammates.

Bynum threw down a variety of dunks on the way to a career-high 28 points Tuesday against Phoenix, although he also scored on a well-orchestrated hook shot in the post against Brian Skinner.

In the grander scheme, Jackson hopes Bynum, who also had 12 rebounds against the Suns, will keep a level head."

Look at the third paragraph and take in what the "grander scheme" in PJ's mind is concerning Andrew. Once again, read the entire article in context and you'll better understand what PJ means and how he's protecting Andrew and keeping him focused on improving daily. Do you think PJ is stupid enough to trumpet Andrew as being the top center in the West or the league? No way, he's being a good coach, teacher and mentor because he knows what he has in Andrew and he doesn't want anything to hinder his development. Things will be different down the road when Drew is an All-Star and helps the Lakers to win titles, then PJ will come back and say that's why he held the reins tightly when it came to Drew. I'm sure PJ will be smiling then too when he's given credit for doing so.

Some youtube of A. Bynum:

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=5_gH72uDLkg

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=bimViNFfzIo&NR=1

Looks like he is not just alley-oops and dunks after all...

PJ also was quoted as saying that a team is pretty much set in their tendencies after 15-20 games in the article where he said he thought the Lakers couldn't win 50 games this year. So why are you harping about our defense and basically blaming our young, emerging center and quoting PJ's so called philosophy when he himself said the team is set in their tendencies and habits? Go back and quote that one quotatious one! Wait a minute, maybe I'm misinterpreting or misconstruing what he said, but then again maybe I'm not.

Keep the roster intact!

Yup, Kwame is useful, he is still a better pick and roll defender...Bynum got lost on those today. Bynum's an offensive machine and shotblocker but his man defense is still shaky. Kwame's a much better defender and there will be time's it's needed. We have depth at the big man position and that's always good insurance. For all hist butterfingerness, his defensive presence is his real assett.

Fisher/Farmar is a great combo. Kobe/Machine is very good and a different look. Only Vladmir is still inconsistent consistently. Sasha hasn't been getting much in the open look department but if he's open, most likely it's going in. Just don't go in for a layup, I've never seen such an ugly layup from a 6'7" guy...definitely can't jump.

Odom, Turiaf, Bynum, Mihm, Kwame, all the big men we'll need, they all bring TOTALLY different things to the game.

All you trade-seekers, get off the pipe.
1) The Lakers are a Phx and Dallas loss away from a #2 seed in the West
2) Spurs are really slowing down with nagging injuries to key players.
3) Lakers are only 3 San Antonio Losses from #1 West seed.
4) Lakers January schedule is soft!

Merry X mas guys!!!!

Ariza needs to get train with Craig Hodges fror shooting. Once that is accomplished, he will be quite the player.

Hate to bring this up, I want that PF/C!!!!

Mike T

I thought you said you gave props when they were deserved? Andrew schooled a 2 time all star today and you have nothing positive to say. Very sad. By the way your point that the Lakers are beating bad teams and are not legit is kind of crazy. Look at your 3 elite teams for a minute.

Boston- 13 of their 22 wins have come against losing teams.
Detroit- 12 of their 20 wins have come against losing teams.
Spurs-10 of their 19 wins have come against losing teams.
Lakers 8 of our 18 wins have come against losing teams.

Playing that many bad eastern conference teams like Boston has does wonders for your defense. They are coming west for the 1st this year, playing a lot of the high powered offenses. Win or lose, I bet their defensive numbers will suffer.

Oh by the way, Andrew is doing a very good job of playing TEAM defense, not just one on one defense.

MH

So PJ is preparing us for what's coming?

Well, I actually don't think that there's anybody in this world other than Mike T that believes that Kwame can play and contribute to this team night in night out.

As a matter of fact, he can't play att all.
If we could just trade him for somebody. Anybody.

Trading him for just 2 mediocre PF/C who can actually be on the court would be a huge improvement. Even if they suck big time, it would give us 12 fouls to use in the games as opposing for the ZERO playing time that Kwame give us.

WOW!!!
Field goal leaders in the NBA!!!!

1. Andris Biedrins 62.7%
2. Andrew Bynum 62.5%!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Dwight Howard 61.7%

Drew is 0.2 percetage points from being tied for #1!

Let me put another spin on this one:

"In this situation, everything's been done to accelerate Andrew's learning," Jackson said. "From this organization bending over backward to accommodate him . . . we're hopeful that it doesn't change the way he acts as a person. We've had people that have not responded well because they're too young and too pampered. Hopefully, Andrew's going to be one of those guys that understands what the process is and grows into it."

In other words here's what Phil is saying to Bynum.

Hey, kid! You''re doing really really great. And we're proud of you! But we want you to understand one thing. As much as you've improved you're still lacking one thing. That's the ability to contribute to the "team" that will allow us to play Phil Jackson basketball.

Right now we're bending over backwards to get around your weaknesses on the defensive end of the game. It's to the point where we're not even playing Phil Jackson basketball. We're actually playing Andrew Bynum basketball. No offense, kid, but that's not going to win a Championship for us this year. We're feeding you the ball in front of the rim to compenstate for your defensive weaknesses.

We want you to understand that we want to play Phil Jackson basketball because we've determined that it gives us the best opportunity to win a Championship this year. You see, kid, as of right now, this basketball team is all about Kobe Bryant. What we're doing this year has everything to do with keeping Kobe in the Lakers' family. And for that to happen we need to seize the opportunity to play the brand of basketball that will allow us to accomplish that. In other words: We want to win it all this year.

You see, kid, we've bent over backwards to accelerate your development. But understand this: Your development is still taking the backseat to the idea of putting the right personal on the floor that allows us to play Phil Jackson basetball and to keep Kobe Bryant as a Laker. You see, kid, our priority for this season is not your developement but doing everything we can to make sure Kobe has every opportunity to win a Championship this year.

We've determined that with your growth we are a very very strong team. But we've also determined that it won't allow us to win a Championship this year. And in the end that's our priority. To win it all this year.

We hope that you appreciate everything we've done for you but as of this moment, Kwame's defense allows us to do what our priority is for this season. And that is to play Phil Jackson basketball and win the Championship this year.

So if we decide to go with Kwame to get us to that point we expect you to take that in stride and learn to grow as a person and ball player to fit into our philosophy of basketball. One more time: We are not playing our brand of basketball right now because of your defensive weaknesses.

The process, young Andrew, is playing Championship ball. And that revolves around a strong defensive game. And we expect you to grow into it. But as of this moment your defense isn't strong enough to change the pace of the game for us. And if the pace doesn't change then we can't play Phil Jackson basketball. We expect you to understand that and to accept it as a professional and a mature young man.

mike

Smushcalade,

I do believe that Bynum needs help on defense. Just don't think Kwame Brown is the answer.

Kwame Browm COULD be very useful.
But since the guy can't play - I mean NEVER - he is no use at all.

Trading him would keep the roster intact. The roster that plays, at least.

Would be very nice if Kwame could stay healthy. But I'm losing hope on that already.

Nemaia Faletogo,

It's not really about who's right or wrong. I'm just saying be prepared if PJ goes in another direction for philosophical reasons alone.

I mean the bottom line is this to me: We're not playing PJ basketball at all right now.

mike

Fisher is the biggest difference why this year we are playing as a team. Fisher isn't afraid of Kobe. He's looking for anyone who'se open. This is the reason this is a real team finally. Fisher is leading the way through his fine example. Thank you god for this gift of a man named Derek Fisher.

Would rather have LO than JO. LO is a consistent rebounder and hard worker. He is just not a sharp knife, but neither is JO. Lakers should accept his shortcomings. His length and veratility make him unique. He doesn't have to be the second scorer -- Andrew Bynum is. This allows LO to score low numbers and yet very much contribute to winning games.

JO? Injury prone, overpay and a defense slacker compared to LO. JO is a better shot blocker and scorer, but Lakers don't need it. What the Lakers need is another big man -- which they will have when Kwame returns.

Would rather have Kwame Brown than Travis Knight. Kwame is not as bad as many folks claim. Many teams will seek Kwame, but the Lakers should be careful for what they get in return. At the present, letting him play out his contract may be the Lakers best option as it would give them salary cap flexibility. Don't forget Kupcake has built this team for the long haul.

What will people say when the Lakers beat the Celtics Sunday?

Therrrrrrrrrreee Back!

Let see if 9 rings can become 10 rings.

When you interpret Phil Jackson you have to take into account that he's a basketball "purist." What that means is this: It's not about just winning. It's about winning "the right way."

Right now we're not winning "the right way."

That's my opinion.

mike

"Fisher is the biggest difference why this year we are playing as a team."

100% agree. The biggest difference is that Fisher is strong minded. Smush Parker was so weak minded that everything he did was unstable. Fisher takes shot as if it's just a natural part of his game. Parker looked like he was trying to fit in. If he didn't make a shot it shook him up. Fisher missing shots doesn't stop him from attacking like the next one is going in.

mike

Mike T,

We have ALL said this year Bynum still needs to work on his post defense. AND we have ALL been saying he is light years ahead of Brown in the post.

Phil just doesn't want too much pressure put on his 20 year old center. That's all that is.

What is our record since Brown is out? Merry Christmas.

Mike T wrote,

"Nemaia Faletogo,

It's not really about who's right or wrong. I'm just saying be prepared if PJ goes in another direction for philosophical reasons alone.

I mean the bottom line is this to me: We're not playing PJ basketball at all right now."

mike

Thanks for elaborating further about your view. I'll leave it at that. It's cool that we can agree to disagree and still be Laker fans. I'm with you when it comes to defense, because I too believe that defense wins championships and I hope that the Lakers can improve in that area. Just do me a favor though and let the rest of us know when we play the type of game that is PJ basketball(any game during the rest of this season)so we can discuss it. Have a good one and thanks for your response. Go Lakers!!!

What is our record since Brown is out? 12-7.

Bynum's record as a starter. 10-7

My projections are that we would be 5-5 or 6-4 on a 10 game scale. That means 12-8, 11-9, or 10-10 over a 20 game scale.

mike

"Just do me a favor though and let the rest of us know when we play the type of game that is PJ basketball(any game during the rest of this season)so we can discuss it."

I can tell you that right now. PJ basketball is this:

1. Defense is the priority. When we play the type of defense PJ wants you'll see the opponent's playing out of a set offense for the majority of the game. When we can do that it changes the pace of the game to serve us. In other words we'll be able to stop the Warriors and the Suns from running. Right now most of the teams we're beating are still controlling the pace of the game unless they specifically play from a set offense. That would be the Spurs, Clippers, and the Cavs.

When you see the up and down game...that's a violation of our philosophy. And I can tell you right now...that does not make PJ a happy camper.

2. Off our defense we create steals and we transition off of those steals. That's called selective running.

When we run just because...that's a violation of our philosophy. And I can tell you right now...that does not make PJ a happy camper.

3. The execution of the triangle offense. That has a lot to do with an entry pass into the post. An actual entry pass into the post is something we're not seeing. What we're seeing is lobs to the rim. That's fine against weak teams. But against the defensive elite...we're going to need to execute the triangle properly.

mike

The defensive priorty is keeping the ball out of the paint. When we execute that properly the opponent will set and reset the offensive play. That allows us to play against the shot clock.

A lot of that has to do with how we play the high screen and roll. That happens on the top of the key. When we disturb the ball movement so far from the rim it dsturbs the flow of the opponent's offense. That brings the shot clock into play.

That is based on the center and the point guard.

The second configuration is based on establishing defensive low post position. When you see the opponent's bigs in the lane a lot...that's not good. When you see a lot of lay-ups...that's not good. Those things are based on the center not being able to establish position and poor rotations.

When you see our wing players collapse to help the center that allows open 3s for the opponent. That's not good. That only happens when our center is overmatched. It's called denying position.

If we do these things well, we would be playing against the shot clock and not the rim.

If we execute these things properly that should lead to a lot of steals and transition baskets.

mike

Let's not get too happy people. I agree with Jackson that Bynum needs to develop his post moves. Bynum is a force down low, but I would like to see him work on his short-range game. He has shown promise by utlizing the left hook and various floaters, but I don't feel comfortable with his fadeaways yet.

The Lakers need to come out with the same passion and execution for Utah. Utah has not been playing well, but they are still a dangerous team. The Lakers need to use this momentum for their matchup against Boston.
I don't expect the Lakers to win against the Celtics but hey I did say the same thing for Phoenix. As a fan, I hope the Lakers make me appear foolish concerning my prediction.

Time for a reality check!

I want to nominate Kwame Brown for team MVP for the first half of the season. Now, before everyone screams, hear me out.

Some boxers have been said to have a 'glass jaw' , well fortunately for us Kwame has a glass knee. His injury and his typically slow rehabilitation has been the his greatest contribution to the team.

Andrew Bynum has been given the opportunity to show that he CAN play against top competition and more than hold his own. He has created a true low post presence on offense. His length and 'hops' make him deadly on the offensive glass. He forces the other teams post defenders to foul and that leads to reaching the penalty stage sooner, which leads to more free throws for everyone.

Bynum is developing into an aggressive rebounder and is already better at rotating and helping on defense than either Kwame or Mihm.

Kwame should be congratulated for his contribution to Bynum's growth. Bynum NEEDS playing time to develop. He needs this time early in the season so the team can jell. Kwame and his 'glass knee' have supplied the time Bynum needs.

So, I want to give Kwame the props he deserves. I say we start a Kwame for MVP bandwagon. I will be the first member. WHAT SAY YOU?

P.S. Does anyone else besides me feel we stole Ariza?

Did I hear that right? I think during the second quarter one of the ABC guys (not SVG, I don't think) said that "Jordan Farmar would be starting on most NBA teams."

E

I'd like to question you Mike T. as to why you think that Bynum's current production is any less meaningful because its all "dunks and alleyoops?" Correct me if I am wrong, but Dwight Howard isnt exactly stroking it like Hakeem on the baseline, or Patrick Ewing at the top of the key. Last year Dwight Howard (in his third year) averaged about 16ppg and 12rpg, but earlier in that year he was closer to about 14 and 10. Howard was purely nothing but dunks and put-backs and showed no low post moves either. Actually, Howard is still nothing but dunks and put backs because he is just using his power and its made easier because the Magic spread the floor with Rashard and Turkoglu so the lane opens up. But Howard has yet to show that he has any post moves or a jump shot.

Im not saying that Bynum is this year's Dwight Howard, but I would say that Bynum is last year's version. And last year Howard was in his third year..the same as Drew is this year. Now Bynum will have a different game than Howard because Howard is bigger and stronger due to his natural build. But Bynum's development will come from developing his own shot. But thats ok. If Bynum gives you 13-15ppg on dunks, alleyoops, put backs, and freethrows, how many points will he give you if he develops moves? Thats the key. Bynum is getting these points not by his teammates looking for him, but by the ball finding him. Isnt that what you want? You want Bynum developing a game based on junk points, so that he adds the selfish game later.

BOSTON HERE WE COME!!!!

Mike T -

Why are you so concerned with "PJ Basketball"?? Last year all you could say about Phil was how he couldn't coach, his substitutions were horrible, etc. etc. etc... all of a sudden this year you're a PJ fan?

PJ isn't preparing the fans for anything - PJ could care less about what the fans think. PJ is all about his players - motivating his players to be the best they can be. His words are aimed squarely at Drew, to make sure he doesn't get a big head and stop working. PERIOD.

Phil doesn't read what you say. Phil would think you were a loony typing at your keyboard in your mama's basement, if he did read what you say, so why would he care about it?

Face it, man. You're a narcissistic, deranged loser with an unnatural fixation on the male body who isn't allowed to live within 1000 yards of schools and parks. Why would ANYONE care about what you have to say about basketball, much less a HOF coach with the ALL-TIME best winning percentage in the history of the game???

My only concern with bynum is the way he gets his double digit rebounds...most of them are offensive rebound. (although not in every game this happened).

I understand that offensive rebound is actually harder to get, but it would be better (i think) if he could balance his rebound production.

Although i think his lower defensive rebound is probably due to his tendency to try to block every shots (this is a good thing actually, because it means he contested every shots). However, it could also create a space in the middle if he's not careful and also if odom or the other doesn't fill the space, then opponent will grab an offensive rebound, which is bad

so i think this is probably the area that lakers' defense need to look at.

BTW, i love the starting line up of today's game
I hope PJ will maintain the same starting line up.

This doesn't mean though that i don't think walton and kwame is no good for our team. It's just when they don't play, it's kind of hard to say how useful they are...especially if they don't play and Lakers still wins (against SUNS)

PS:
anyone has a youtube link for Kobe's reverse dunk at the end of the 3rd?
i would love to see that.
Thanks

cheers..

great kobe quote:
"We have a solid foundation," Bryant said. "We've got length, we've got speed, we have quickness, we have shot-blocking, we have guys that get after the ball and steal it, we have playmakers. It's looking very solid."

freak yeah.

merry christmas.

*

Pick and roll:

Today, Andrew Bynum did NOT get lost on the pick and roll, even in the third quarter when Steve Nash made a series of consecutive 3 pointers. Bynum was clearly told not to play Nash beyond the arc and just stay with the screener. Bynum stayed near the free throw line extended, Fisher, Farmar, and even Kobe got screened and Nash got an open 3 pointer. Bynum made no move towards Nash, but in the fourth quarter, while he was no longer concerned about foul trouble, he "showed" on Nash, and thus gave up no open looks on the pick and roll.

Guys, can you verify this? That it was a coaching decision for Bynum to stay back on the pick and roll through 3 quarters?
But regardless of what the coaches tell you, it was clear to me that it was by design (since neither the coaches nor the players were barking at Andrew to step up and guard Nash).

m.t.(monkey testicles) has no clue of what pj basketball is.Maye phil will give you a job as his puppet so we'll all know what he's thinking strait from his mouth through yours puppet.Im sure pj loves kwame just like you is that why you bash pj every other week. Tunnel vision gets you nowhere look at the big picture simple mind.kwame coming off of the bench will cause him to work harder at well....hopefully everything since he excells at nothing and a waste of a numver one pick.Just ask steven a smith who kwa-may brown is as he would say.He's no one with career avg. of a division 3 player who is way overpaid.if anything he should be picking drews mind and learn from him. Dont ever call me uneducated again prick when all you have to say is kwa-may this and that and have no statistical value for half of the b.s you are talking about.go somewhere else and let real laker fans vent here. go write skip bayless or t.j simmers true laker haters and waste their time idiot.

a few thoughts:

1. bynum makes lamar better. lamar's problem was that he was never a #2 option. now that bynum is 2, lamar can be an excellent #3. that said, i still think trading lamar for marion isn't something we should immediately discount.

2. i agree that fisher and farmer plus crit are better than kid for now and the future. right now we have a perfect mix at that position between youth and experience.

3. i like ariza starting. he brings a lot more than luke in terms of defense and athleticism. that said, i also like lamar at the 3 and turiaf starting at the 4 -- it gives us the biggest front line in the league.

4. mitch has gone from an idiot to a genius over 30 games. he's probably somewhere in between. but he deserves a ton of credit for drafting well, making small but smart trades, and sticking to his guns. this is a special team built for the present as well as for the future.

5. i LOVE kobe when he's playing with his teammates.

6. am i the only one who thinks listening to stu is painful? i too grew up listening to chick and stu. but he's the master of the obvious, he tends to talk like a high school coach rather than a commentator, and he's not very quick. i think michael thompson is a lot smarter, quicker, and more insightful. i know stu is an icon. but at some point you've got to say that the emperor has no clothes. that said, if stu is my greatest problem with this team -- that means things are going pretty well...

Hey Mike T,
you are absolutely right. I have no idea why people are attacking you. I think your analysis is dead on, and everybody needs to realize that PJ is not going to hesitate benching Bynum for Brown for purely defensive reasons (aka PJ-Ball).

However, I believe there is one glitch in your argument that you failed to address: the fact that Kobe LOVES Bynum at the moment and would probably prefer him as a starter over Brown. That seems to be the logical weakness in your argument. You go on and on about this team being all about Kobe and built to have him succeed this year, but you fail to take account of the fact that Kobe has now become Andrew's biggest fan and would have issues with replacing him with an uncoordinated Brown. PJ basketball or not, it is becoming clear to us, and most importantly to Kobe, that Bynum puts us in the better situation to win a championship this year.

Hey SG, great comments about Trevor Ariza. I personally thought he was the difference maker yesterday with this high octane presence on the floor. I loved his ability to run the floor and outspring any defender on fast break opportunities; something we desperately need.

ARIZA is making Luke Walton look like no big deal.
His speed has been great and he's flowed right into the offense better than expected.
A true upgrade over Mo Evans for sure.
He is unselfish and a better defender than Luke.
I give Luke's jumper the edge.

Interesting battle at the 3.

Ariza,Odom, Bynum,kobe, fisher/farmar.........is La's best staring 5 ......regardless of who we play. there are no weak links outside of Arizas jump shots......which he more than makes up for with Defense, rebounding and attacking the rim offensively.

Kwame coming back means nothing to me......except traid bait. He's never gonna give you what Bynum is giving you offensively and defensively......not even close.

To the guy who said Ariza was the perfect SF. Well if he could shoot beyond 5 feet from the basket he would be! Of course, then Orlando would NEVER have traded him now would they!? He is athletic and can provide good defense but the Lakers perfect SF now plays for the Wizards - Caron Butler! If L.A. had not traded for Kwame, the Lakers would have a guy who can score 20 pts and give you 8 rebounds/game to go with LO and KB! We would likely not have been bad enough to draft Bynum but would have been more competitive the last three years.

Was I the only one who thought Van Gundy's praise of Kupchak was too much? Isn't Kup the guy who let Fisher leave and signed Smush? Isn't he the one who traded FOR Kwame? Who gave big dollars to Radmonic? Jerry West would NEVER have done the ill-advised changes Mitch did!

To all who say keep the roster intact alluding to resigning Kwame. Lakers'
really can't. He earns WAY too much coin for his overall contributions. Probably the only two centers more overpaid in the league are Ben Wallace ( who got Skiles fired due to deteriorating skills) and Eric Dampier of the Mavericks. Kwame will get interest from other teams but I think any would be FOOLISH to pay him at his current wage of $9 Million. He should expect and accept more like $5 million. Come the off season, I think the Lakers will have about $11 to $12 million in cap space by letting Kwame go and the trade of Cook/Evans. There are some guys, if they are realistic, the Lakers can sign who are very good players (similar in quality to Odom).

Not sure what that guy was saying about Fish not being scared of Kobe? Maybe its not an issue of fear but that Kobe RESPECTS Fish for his work ethic, his experience in BIG games and his friendship! Kobe is not as bad as some think. He's not a slacker. He's got Alpha male tendencies with PROVEN results! He's not Smush Parker who THINKS he should get more respect but doesn't produce!

PJ has always played the players that are playing well in each game. Phil could start either Kwame or Andrew and when they sit down, the other one comes in. whoever is playing the best will play the majority of the minutes, regardless of whether they start or not.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECEMBER 26, 2007 5 DAYS TILL YEAR OF THE LAKERS BEGIN
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THERES A NEW SHERIFF IN THE WEST AND ITS
THE FREAKIN LA. LAKERS BANDWAGON
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) MARK JACKSON
(2) JEFF VAN GUNDY
(3) BILL WALTON
(4) MAMBA24
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MITCH KUPCHAK EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR BANDWAGON
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) MAMBA24 DRIVER AND OWNER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MITCH KUPCHAK I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE TO YOU BANDWAGON
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) MAMBA24 DRIVER AND OWNER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHIL JACKSON COACH OF THE YEAR BANDWAGON
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) MAMBA24
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PHIL JACKSON IS PEE WEE HERMANS LONE LOST BROTHER
BANDWAGON
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) MAMBA24 DRIVER AND OWNER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAVID STERN IF KOBE BRYANT DOES NOT WIN THE
MVP THIS YEAR SOMEBODY IS GOING TO JAIL BANDWAGON
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) NIK KANNAN OWNER AND DRIVER
(2) MAMBA24
(3) VIOLATER
(4) OUTSIDERGUA
(5) LAKERTRUTH
(6) ALEXINH017
(7) DREREK
(8) SHAQFAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDREW BYNUM MOST IMPROVED PLAYER IN THE NBA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) LAKER FAZE OWNER AND DRIVER………………(8) DEREK
(2) RDLEE RIDING SHOTGUN………………………....(9) BENNY BLANCO
(3) VIOLATER……………………………………………..(10) BD
(4) RICO TICO
(5) MAMBA24
(6) LAKER TOM
(7) JON KAVULIC

Mike T.

"We're not playing PJ basketball at all right now"

Did it ever occur to you that Phil read all those jackson journals where you were bashing his style of basketball and asking that he be fired. Perhaps he's simply listening to you, so question does the current laker ball resemble anything like 'Mike T' basketball?? If so that confirms my suspicions.

"Scoring like Colin Farrell at an XTC party"

Wow.

GO LAKERS!

Mike T knows as much about basketball philosophy as Kwame Brown does about being an All-Star.

We are 9-2 in our last 11 games, and the 2 loses were games that we should have won.

If we could trade Kwame for Troy Murphy, we would be much better off.

Go Bynum!!!

Michael T.,

You seem to be the only person who is not finding any notable joy in Andrew Bynum's unexpectedly rapid development. I don't get it. I thought you were a Lakers fan, not just a Kwame Brown fan.

Yes, Bynum has room for improvement, but that's part of the upside of this situation. We shouldn't expect him to be at the peak of his game FOR ANOTHER 8 YEARS!

AND WE SHOULD EXPECT IMPROVEMENT FROM HIM EVERY YEAR (ARGUABLY EVERY MONTH) FOR THE NEXT 8 YEARS!

Wow.

And who's coaching him again? Oh yeah, Phil Jackson, championship-winning center for the Knicks (known for his defense) and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (one of the top three centers of all time, the greatest shot-blocker, and one of three players to have over 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists).

It is reasonable to be optimistic about Bynum. The only thing to be concerned about is if he becomes too cocky for his own good and loses his humility. But as long as he works as hard as he has since Byrant's "Freakout 2007", everything should be fine.

Now Kwame Brown is another matter....

He has not shown consistent improvement since he has donned the Purple and Gold. His defense has improved, but his scoring ability has not, and his ball movement has only marginally improved.

I hope we see a leap of development from Kwame when he finally comes off the injured list, but I'm not holding my breath.

Personally, I'd rather see Kwame Brown move exclusively to power forward and Bynum and Mihm be our permenant centers.

GO LAKERS!

AK,

What the hell's up with Rad Vlad? I've noticed that in recent games the team has been in the + with him on the court, but he certainly hasn't been scoring AND I'd faint from shock if you said the reason was his "lock-down defense".

What's the story with Rad Vlad?

GO LAKERS!

Ken,

Actually, we traded for Kwame the same year we got Bynum. So we could have had Bynum, Odom, Caron and Kobe together. Of course, that would have meant that we would have had to rely on MIhm/Bynum more the first couple of years. Not necessarily a good/bad thing, but the possiblities of a Bynum/Odom/Caron/Kobe/Fish 5 would be great, no?

Now that the Christmas Day euphoria is starting to wear off, an honest assessment of the Lakers suggests that the team may not be as good as its record, right now.

On the plus side:
1. Kobe is pretty good at sharing the ball most of the time. This needs to continue.
2. Bynum truly is coming into his own as the legitimate center the Lakers have been missing.
3. When Bynum is dominating as he has been, Lamar is more effective within his comfort zone.
4. The Fisher/Farmar combo at PG is really working. This becomes clear when you watch the struggles of other teams without any legitimate point guard.
5. Ariza may actually be the answer at a position where the team was weakest.

Concerns:
1. Whether the team wins or loses, most games go down to the final buzzer. I can only remember 2 games where the Lakers were able to be so dominant that Phil could pull the starters at the end, creating legitimate garbage time for projects like J-Crit to get any real playing time. To be a playoff contender, the Lakers have to be truly able to put away their opponent. The team is not there, yet.
2. Ronny Turiaf is getting torched on both offense and defense. He’s clearly hobbled and lacks the explosiveness we’re used to seeing. Ronny needs to get healthy if he’s going to play valuable minutes.
3. VladRad and Sasha are still streaky. The team needs consistent shooting from both of them to be a true threat to teams like the Spurs.

Question Marks:
1. Kwame – how long will it take to find his game once he comes back, and in what role will be most effective?
2. Walton – he really belongs in the second unit but only seems to play well when he starts. Can he make the adjustment to play well in a diminished role?
3. Mihm – he seems to be relegated to the seat at the end of the bench once assigned to Brian Cook. Now that December 15th has come and gone, can we find a team to take him off our hands?
4. J-Crit and Coby2 – Both guys need playing time to mature into the NBA game. Until the Lakers find a way to start dominating games, where will the needed PT come from?

When the Lakers win right now, it seems to be because they’re playing over their heads. At this point in the season a Win is just a win. The team has made great progress since the season started, but an honest assessment says their record is still Fool’s Gold. An even higher level of play is needed to rate the team as a serious contender. It’s way too early for players, coaches, and fans to become complacent.

I like Kwam but Bynum won the starting center position. It's only fair to move Kwam to the four, he's our best defensive post player and our best four period. I like them playing together, knowing Phil that was probably his plan all along.

Mike T,

Lets compare per game stats for Andrew and Kwame:

Andrew Kwame
Points 12.5 4.3
Rebounds 10.1 5.0
Assists 1.6 1.1
Blocks 2.1 0.9
FG% 62.5% 51.9%
FT% 67% 20%
Minutes 29.0 21.0
Floor +/- +139 -9

Andrew has Kwame beat in every statistic that is relevant for a center, including point differential when on the floor. That is a difference of 148 points!

Do you think Kwame would make up the difference in all the stats in just 8 additional minutes per game? Thats a rhetorical question!

Face the facts, if you think Kwame is better, then you don't know basketball!!

I like Ariza as a starter - much better than Luke. The Lakers are playing much better without Luke's turnovers and unreliable jumpers. One thing Phil should not do especially in the 4th quarter is to play Odom and Walton together. Those two combined just gives me the creeps as it leads to turnovers and missed baskets. Seriously, the team's basketball IQ just drops when those two are playing at the same time. Luke's assets last year were his passing and his shooting but this year they're both liabilities - he makes stupid turnovers at crucial times and he can't even hit the side of a barn if he wanted to! Get rid of Luke, give him to New Jersey, maybe his best friend R. Jefferson would love to have him there!
I say, try to make a deal with another team offering Kwame's expiring contract and adding Luke Walton. Even a headcase like Artest would be appreciated in return for those two. I think Artest just needs to be on a winning environment to keep him straight.
We don't need J-Kidd - especially not if we had to give up one of our young guards. Farmar is a gem and if his turnaround from last year to this year is the gauge, could you just imagine how good he can be five years from now? J-Critt just needs playing time as he's certainly a diamond in the rough - you could see it in his moves.

hariyahu,

Wow. That would be a great starting line-up.

Rick Friedman,

I enjoyed your write-up. I think you hit the nail on the head with the concerns department. We are a young team, and in order to be an even deeper and better balanced team, we need to be able to put away teams so that less often used players (Karl, Critterion, etc.) can have playing time so they can develop.

That's not going to happen when we are beating the Knicks by five points in the last seconds of the game.

Something to work on.

GO LAKERS!

Ken,

Even if Mihm decides not to resign (player option), we don't resign Kwame-Ronny-Sasha (we own their birdrights though), and Karl; we will be about $3 million over the cap.

Don't understand some of the pessimism. The team is young and producing. When it was just young, pessimism was in order.

The team is better than advertised, Kobe wants to stay, it's all good right now. If not this year, next year looks even better as the Celtics and SA age un- gracefully.

Rick,
"An even higher level of play is needed to rate the team as a serious contender"

Hopefully Bynum will continue to improve as he plays more; that will force other teams to focus on him, which will really open up the floor the rest of the team.
As Ariza gets more comfortable with the offense, his game will improve.

Weak areas:
Farmar and Fisher are mediocre defensively; that will probably not improve much.
Odom's shot selection.
Bench is not playing well lately; partly injuries, partly the inconsistency that has always plagued those individuals.
Injuries in general. Not much depth right now.

So did d'Antoni hold up 2 fingers, indicating to Phil the number of games they have left together?

He did that last game, and I thought it was a nice touch, LOL.

Why Kwame should start:

1) $8 million a year
2) Kwame would really suck coming in from the bench
3) Bynum could get a major confidence boost beating up on other team's bench center

*Most importantly*, The Mob would be 1000 times better with Bynum in
there...Sasha and Vlad would have open looks all day long.

I don't deny it, Bynum is a much better all around player at this stage than Kwame and alot of it has to do with his superior length and agility. Bynum feels like a Baby Shaq in the making.

However, I think the Lakers do better as a team when the bench can come in and score 50+ points....Bynum was the anchor of that 2nd team. Since Bynum started, bench mob #'s are down across the board. Shooters need big men to command the double. Vlad and Sasha are no longer wide open.

Rick F,

I was just thinking of the same thing - we had a great offensive game, but still ended up conceding 115 pts to the Suns. Now, granted they are a great offensive team, but that margin of victory is a little too close for comfort.

For us to win this year, we need to be holding teams like the Suns under 100 - our offense will take care of the rest. And that's what folks like Mike T are talking about when describing it as a "D'Antoni" pace not a PJ-pace. Is it just the pick and roll defense? I think Bynum did a decent job on Amare.

Forget the Bynum-Kwame comparisons heres the laker truth

1) if Kwame started the game yesterday the lakers lose- instead of 26 points from the center position the lakers would have gotten less than 10.

2) If 9 rings starts Kwame over Bynum, he should be fired for letting his stupid ego get in the way of winning

3) Kwame usefullness is very limited since most teams dont have a post player- and anything he gives you on defenses is offset with his horrific offense.

4) Kobe is not having to work as hard for his shots with Bynum playing sinces hes a threat- Kwame NOT a threat

It's gotten to the point where i see a post by mike T, I scroll past without reading. man, put a sock in it. Even if I might agree with you now and then, I am SICK of reading your crap, it's all about you and your wonderful ego.

Vision Scout says: Jerry West mentors Bryant / Kareem mentors Bynum.
Think about it

Adam,

"However, I believe there is one glitch in your argument that you failed to address: the fact that Kobe LOVES Bynum at the moment and would probably prefer him as a starter over Brown."

I did think of that but my feeling is that Kobe can't say anything bad Bynum even if he wanted to. (Not that he wants to) But right now Kobe has to rehabilitate his image. After what he said about Bynum in the summer there's no way Kobe says anything. As a matter of fact Kobe will not bash any of his teammates.

That's why you keep hearing about the game vs. the business side of the game. That's Kobe's way of saying: If someone gets traded...it wasn't me who pushed for it. That's why when Brian Cook was traded Kobe talked to him on his way out.

Kobe is not going to the fall guy for anyone getting traded.

Now to the rest of you:

I want to rephase something I said: It's not that Bynum's defense is bad. It's that it's not good enough so that the Lakers can play Phil Jackson basketball.

It's like I said earlier: The style of basketball we're playing right now is more like Mike D'Antonio basketball. That's an insult to the Jackson way.

As far as people saying I wrote the Jackson Journals...sure I did! But that was more because of the rotation patterns he was using. I complained about the triangle but that wasn't my main concern. I said that the triangle was like a video game. I said it was too perfect and required perfect team ball for it to be executed.

But when PJ signed a 2 year contract extension...my complains came to end because, as I said earlier, that ship has passed.

And I want to remind everyone that this is a blog about basketball and not a political issue. If I see things happening that make me want to reconsider my position...I'll change my position. You people act as if though I'm running for office and bring up what I said in the past as if though it disqualifies me from having a legitimate view.

Things happen. People improve. The game is constantly evloving around the maturity of the players. Then you see a slight shift in coaching philosophy. What I do is keep my eyes open on that kind of stuff and I post about it. So if it seems like I'm changing my view...so what!

Bynum going down for a season ending injury is going to change all of your view of everything. Things happen.

mike

Mike T knows as much about basketball philosophy as Kwame Brown does about being an All-Star.

Go Bynum!!!

Posted by: Kwame Sucks | December 26, 2007 at 08:03 AM

EXACTLY....kwane is dead weight as is Mike T.

"Bynum going down for a season ending injury is going to change all of your view of everything. Things happen."

One way or the other...I'm going to win this argument!

I'll admit...it's about winning this argument now.

I think you people forget the old saying:

"Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?"

Not asking for your approval!

mike

I think that Bynum is way better than Kwame, but Smushcalade is right. Bynum could finish the games, but Kwame should start. Not because he deserves it but because the second unit could play of Bynums skills, in other words Bynum now commands a double team, especially against second unit big men. So start Kwame, or better yet trade for a servceable big that can start, so we can have our bench shooters feed off bynum. Next year we move Bynum to start and have a whole offseason for the shooter to develop and for farmer to develop and lead the second unit like a true top notch point guard.

GO LAKERS !!!

Hello Bloggers,
it's good to be able to blog again. First of , I want to wish each and everyone of you a very happy new year! noticed that we all had gotten our Christmas gift (I know i did)... I've noticed there's a few people not posting. Mamba 24 could you please bring me up to date, what has happened to KL, Gunner, Sonny just to name a few. I really enjoy the way our team is playing right now, except when ever Vlad Rad take the floor, this guys is 2 lazy reaches away to reach Smush Parker's level. Beside of that I love this team.
Mamba please put me on the Bynum most improve player of the NBA bandwagon.
AK/BK Happy holidays and thanks for keeping the house together for us Lakers to have a place to come and steam out.

Mamba from the east coast

Mike T,

"Bynum going down for a season ending injury is going to change all of your view of everything. Things happen."

What exactly does that mean? Are you predicting this injury will happen? Or actually rooting for Drew to get hurt? Looking into guys who'll "Tanya Harding" him for a price?

That's a seriously bizarre statement, especially considering Bynum's coming off an 82 game 2006-2007 and has only missed one game this year, because of the flu, not injury. Drew's hardly been injury plagued. Is there a specific reason you're thinking (or hoping) that "things happen?"

AK

Just a thought. Since we're discussing PJ basketball and championships, here's some food for thought. When we won our three titles, we had Shaq, Kobe and Co.(Fisher, Fox, Horry, Harper, Rice, Horace Grant, Shaw). We were also eliminated by the Spurs during that span as well.

So when we were eliminated by the Spurs, who wasn't playing PJ basketball? Was it Shaq? Was it someone else? Was it the entire team? The reason I ask this is because Mike T. seems to interpret what PJ said about Andrew as being the reason the Lakers are not playing PJ basketball.

Mike T also stated that we can win a championship with Kwame. Here's the problem that I have with that logic. By making that statement, you're basically saying that Kwame is on par or better than Shaq was in his prime(three titles during that time and a finals loss to the Pistons)which no one, even those who hate Shaq on here will ever say. Arguably, Shaq and Kobe also had a better supporting cast during their championship run than Kobe's had the past three years since Shaq left. This year's supporting cast may change that. It's also safe to say that Shaq and Kobe had better outside shooters around them during that time as well.

As of right now, which of our centers is closer to filling the void left by Shaq and duplicating what Shaq did here in LA? Kwame over the past two years hasn't come close to being a quarter of what Shaq was. Can the combination of Kwame's post defense and Andrew's offense make up what Shaq did by himself while he was a Laker? That remains to be seen. Even though Andrew is tutored by Kareem, Andrew plays more like Shaq than Kwame does.

Despite their fued, Kobe knew Shaq impacted both ENDS OF THE FLOOR. Shaq won his three Finals MVP awards mostly by dominating on the offensive end. Has Shaq ever been known as a great defensive center? Which of our centers today has a greater impact on both ends of the floor, Kwame or Andrew? If this is about Kobe winning a championship now, which center would he rather have in there with him right now? Kobe has been praising Andrew's play and work ethic endlessly and hasn't said a word about Kwame since Kwame went down, hmmmm.

We won three titles with Shaq, Kobe and company playing "PJ basketball" and didn't win titles with them because someone(Shaq?)or the entire team didn't play "PJ basketball." We've barely made a dent in the playoffs the past two years despite other worldly performances from everyone's unanimous choice for world's best player and with Kwame at center. I guess for two years Kwame has failed to play "PJ basketball" and thus