LAKERS LOSE A TOUGH ONE…

That was one hell of a game last night. I knew the Warriors would be primed to play their best to try and break the streak. He may be injury prone and at times have a questionable attitude but you cannot deny that Baron has game. That fade-away 3 to seal the game was unbelievable. The Warriors got great contributions from Davis, Ellis, Harrington, and Jackson. 48% from 3-point land is hard to beat. Too many open looks from beyond the arc. The Lakers are still the better team and will win 3 out of every 4 games with the Warriors but last night the game ball went to Baron and the Warriors.

While we definitely let this game slip away, I was still proud of how we battled and competed. This was not your last year’s Lakers not competing in a back-to-back. This was the Lakers playing with fire and passion. The ebb and flow in the fourth quarter was unbelievable. Every play there was a new potential game star. The atmosphere reminded me of the playoffs. This is just one of those games that you chalk up to luck. In the end, we played well, defended pretty well, but lost to the team with the hotter hand from the 3-point line.

Bottom line, we lost the game because we missed six critical free throws that ended up costing us the game: Ronny 3 of 4, Kobe a technical and 1 of 2, and even DFish only 1 of 2 at a critical juncture. That and Kobe being injured and going 0 for 7 in the fourth quarter. I’ll bet you won’t see Kobe wear a collar for the fourth quarter again this year. I liked how we battled but poor shooting by Kobe, Lamar, and Luke really put us in the hole this game. Despite all these struggles, we still dominated the game for most of the night and really should have won the game if we hit our freebies.

Again, we also did not take advantage of Bynum by feeding him the ball in the hole. Most of his points, in fact, actually came from rebounds and put backs to Drew’s credit but we still need to feed him the ball when he has a huge mismatch such as Biedrins. Mike is partially right that the Warriors did instruct Biedrins to not leave Bynum when a penetrator gets into the paint but that just eliminated Andrew getting a couple of chippies via assists. Over and over, I saw Drew get excellent position right in front of the basket but not get a pass from Lamar or Luke especially.

Sunday night should be an interesting battle. AK’s boy Kaman has been playing well and we will finally get Ken’s long dreamed of 1-on-1 match-up between Kaman and Bynum. Would you still trade Bynum for Kaman, AK? Probably. Just like you would trade Farmar for Livingston (pre-injury, of course) or Kobe for Brand (J/K). LOL. Still a closet Clipper fan, AK? Let’s see which center plays better tomorrow night.

Tom

Mike T,

I think there's some validity to what you're saying, but it's actually even simpler on some other levels. Right now, Turiaf can't start at the 4 (moving LO to the 3) unless Phil wants to play Mihm more minutes, which he understandably doesn't right now. Vlad has played considerably better with the second unit than as a starter and isn't any better a defender than Walton (quite possibly worse, actually). And Phil has said he'd consider starting Ariza, but thinks he's a better fit with the uptempo second unit, which makes sense (regardless of whether it's how you'd personally do it or not). Thus, unless you want to play Kobe at the 3 and start either Sasha or Crittenton (which feels unnecessarily drastic), you're left with Luke.

But again, that's also just right now. Once Kwame returns, options open up. Either he or Bynum will move to the bench (my guess is Bynum), which allows Ronny to possibly start. Keep in mind, that was Phil's plan from the beginning, along with moving Walton to the bench. And I'll say it again. People make WAY too big a deal about starting. Minutes are what matter. Save last night, Luke has only played 30+ minutes once this entire season. He's actually averaging less than 25 mpg, considerably fewer than last season and right around what many fans seem to think is acceptable. And I do agree that as the season progresses, his minutes may drop to about 15-20, especially if he doesn't play better on a consistent basis.

AK

Walton on Stephen Jackson - NO

Walton on Micahel Pietrus - NO

Walton on Al Harrington - NO

Walton on Matt Barnes - NO

Walton on Biedrins - No

Walton on Monte Ellis - NO

Walton on Baron Davis - NO

Walton on Mbenga - NO

Walton on Donnie Nelson - Yes!

What in the world was Walton doing in a GOLDEN STATE WARRIOR GAME?
A game that could be so important to evaluate Trevor and Javaris 's game in this type of play. Why Walton?

For crying out loud, this is a joke! A big one and a costly one too!

Xodus,

I certainly wouldn't object if Phil started Vlad, but I understand why he doesn't. Vlad's production as a sub has been considerably better in smaller minutes than as a starter in larger ones. If you look at his splits, it's pretty dramatic.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3522/splits;_ylt=AsrpstcAng.BHGPZb_9d3KekvLYF

I can't put my finger on why he seems to play so much better off the bench (it's not like when you think "uptempo," you necessarily think "Vlad Rad"), but it's hard to argue otherwise. And you certainly don't gain anything defensively by starting him ahead of Luke. So why mess up a positive from the bench to possibly create a neutral in the starting unit, you know what I mean?

Again, I expect to see a lot change once Kwame is back. I'd be surprised if Luke doesn't end up on the bench once that happens.

AK

Hey All - I tried to post this last night but the §•ª&#& blogspam blocker wouldn't let me - I'll try again now!

**** I WAS AT THE GAME Up HERE ****

OBSERVATIONS ---

1) Bynum is still making young guy mistakes but MAN is he on his way to becoming a Great Player! I take back everything I said about him all summer. I'd still like to get JO, but for Lamar and Kwame NOT Baby B. His wingspan is incredible - he rebounds, dunks, and alters shots. A little more experience and toughness and I think we've got an ALL-Star on our hands.

2) D-Fish is the biggest difference from last year's team. He's a quiet but steady floor leader on offense and disrupts the other team on defense. A wise warrior among the young guns. He helps on sooo many levels that aren't apparent on TV.

3) Lamar looks dazed and confused at least half the time - epecially on offense.. Doesn't know whether to drive or pass or shoot and doesn't do any of them consistently well. Fine rebounder but NOT the second scoring threat we need.

4) Luke - well its been said here already tonight. A good second stringer but definitely should NOT be a starter or big minutes guy.

5) Farmar and Ariza - GREAT potential. Jordan is thriving under Fish's mentorship and will be more than ready to assume Derek's role and minutes as the next couple of years go by. Ariza brings just what we need - lots of energy and strong defense.

A disappointing loss, but I have lots of hope for this team - especially if we can package Lamar with Kwame and/or Luke, Rad, etc and pick up someone like JO or Gasol. GO LAKERS!

AK,

Thanks for the splits. Is there any update on Kobe. Knowing him he's never going to say "I can't play," but is he really okay? He couldn't run at all in the 4th, this doesn't seem like something that will heal with one day off. Especially with his bad shoulder, knee and wrist.

AK and BK:

Some excellent responses to Mike regarding the effect of Kwame being injured to the Lakers depth and rotations. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mike will buy them. What Mike does not realize is that most of us agree that Kwame being out hurts the team. We just do not agree with his reasons why Kwame being out hurts the team. We are a better team with both Kwame and Andrew available at center to match up.

The question Mike needs to answer is what would losing Andrew cost the Lakers? My answer is a lot more than losing Kwame is costing us now. Think how this Lakers team would be if it were Bynum who was always injured rather than Kwame? I love Kwame’s 1-on-1 defense against Shaq, Duncan, and other power players in the league and we definitely miss it when he is injured, which seems like all the time. But the rebounding, scoring, and shot blocking that we are getting from Andrew is far more important than the man-to-man defense offered by Kwame. Not to mention that every minute that Bynum plays gives him invaluable experience and growth as a player.

It will be interesting seeing what happens when (and if) Kwame is healthy again. Will Phil give him back the starting job? It is not impossible but my guess is that Andrew has shown too much to relegate him to the bench. It was one thing when Andrew did not show the endurance to play 30 minutes per game or stay out of foul trouble. Now I think Bynum has shown that neither his endurance or proclivity to foul are really issues today. Look for Bynum to continue to start and finish games, playing around 26 to 28 minutes per game and Kwame to back him up playing 12 to 14 minutes per game.

The future is Kobe and Andrew. Not Kobe and Kwame.

A question for both of you: Who would you be willing to trade Andrew Bynum for at this point in time? I find it hard to see any deal in which the Lakers would include Andrew now. He has essentially become un-tradable at this point. Do you agree? Thanks.

A second question: I also see the situation with Kobe as clearly coming up in the Lakers favor. Whether or not we can win a championship this year, I do not see how a trade can put Kobe in any better situation than he is right now as far as a team with young talent that looks like a future championship contender. What do you think. Thanks.

Tom

pfunk36

Love your comment, "After all you can't characterize Luke's performance as "disappointing" in as much as you can't blame a turtle for not being able to fly..........although you may "expect" the turtle to fly..........turtles just can't fly.

On occasion they may have a little more pep in their step.....but the reality is .........a turtle is a turtle.

I personally subscribe to the philosophy of two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich..........place Walton at the end of the bench.......if he is on the team at all.......this way people like you will no longer be "disappointed" when turtles.........don't fly"

I think that says it all. Any minutes given to Walton are pretty much wasted.
Last night Luke got 30+ minutes, while Ariza got less than 4. That makes no sense whatsoever. I'll take any confusion on Trevor's part about all the Lakers systems over Luke's lack of talent and ability any day. I'm not saying Luke is the reason we lost, but his +/- sure didn't help us win.

AK and BK:

Following up on my last post where I posited that both Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum were untouchable as far as trades go, do you think the Lakers will make a move during the season and if so, who do you think they will consider trading?

My guess is that we may see another 2 for 1 trade such as Cook and Evans for Aziza. The players who may be included? I am guessing Kwame, due to his contract and injuries, and Luke, who more and more seems to be the odd man out. What would a combination of Brown and Walton fetch the Lakers? Hopefully, a defensive minded power forward. Maybe a shot at a lottery pick to get Kevin Love out of UCLA in next year’s draft.

I do not see the Lakers trading Odom at this point. Kidd is again having legal issues with his sexual behavior with strange women in public again. Jermaine O’Neal looks like a shell of himself. Despite his early season struggles, I still love Lamar’s size, length, and rebounding, and ability to create nightmare match-ups. I also like his heart. The Lakers need to move Bynum into a feature role to be the number two scorer and let Lamar just play his game and fill up the stat sheet. Anyway, that’s my take on Odom.

Tom

pfunk-

While AK addressed the point about how we've actually said the same things about Walton for a while now, and haven't been shy about pointing his level of play this season, to your other point, it's actually fairly simple:

I think Walton is a better player than you do.

He's not an All Star, and he's got flaws. But as a role player, especially with the style the Lakers use, he can be effective. They're a better team when he plays well. I think it was fairly clear last year when he missed a lot of games that the skill set Walton brings gives something to the team they don't otherwise get. To me, 20-25 minutes a night with a healthy roster sounds about right.

BK

AK, not to beat a dead horse... but, I'll beat a dead horse and leave it at this. It sounds like you guys are being fed a line. If these geniuses can't turn the function off after what? 2-3 weeks now? then I have to conclude that they are incompetent and are either rookies who can't anticipate problems or look at you as a low profit account and not worth the time it would take working on your account vs spending that time on some other big spender's account. It would seem to be common sense to be able to turn off a function IN CASE there would be problems but hey... I guess the lowest bidder won? LOL!

I mean... in a general sense... you ARE losing money over this via page views? as fewer people try to post here? I dunno... something's off here... and I know you guys aren't really involved in what software the LAT uses or picking vendors but... this is where I know to post my thoughts... so... that's about all that needs to be said on that!

A number of you sound like you think there is an All-Star SF sitting on the bench because Walton is getting all the playing time. Vlad is still inconsistent; Lamar is having problems (possibly due to playing more at SF and not being able to adjust); Ariza is new to the team and also has significant gaps in his game, particularly on offense. Kobe would be an option, but there isn't a decent shooting guard to replace him at that position.

exhelodrvr-

i just had to laugh at your post. it doesn't matter who plays ahead of luke. these people are going to find a way to trash that person anyways.

Having watched the replay, I know and can see that LO was pretty much set up to be the fall guy (I mean ball in his hands and we need to score? call me crazy but I want Fish to decide the game, not him). BUT, we lost the game far earlier than that. Even far earlier than gimpy Kobe. We lost it on the defensive side when we allowed Baron Davis to shoot a dagger 3. We allowed it on the defensive side when we let Al Harrington exploit us every trip and never countered. We allowed it when we let them lull us into playing their game.

That's where the changes have to be made.

LAKER TOM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TRYING TO MAKE RATIONAL ARGUMENTS TO MIKE T.? HE WILL NOT RESPOND TO YOUR POST BECAUSE IT MAKES TOO MUCH SENSE. HE IGNORES THE POSTS THAT ACTUALLY DESTROY HIS STUPID ARGUMENTS.

FOR THE 10000000000TH TIME MIKE T,

KWAME AND BYNUM TOGETHER IS BETTER THAN JUST BYNUM, WHICH MEANS OF COURSE OUR RECORD IS NOT GOING TO BE AS GOOD. KWAME IS A DECENT DEFENDER SO IT HURTS OUR TEAM TO NOT HAVE HIM. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE BRINGS MORE TO THE TABLE THAN BYNUM.

EVERONE KNOWS THAT KWAME WITHOUT BYNUM WOULD BE ATROCIOUS.

MAYBE IF KWAME WASN'T SUCH A SISSY HE WOULD SPEND ALL YEAR INJURED. MAYBE IF KWAME HAD SOME BALLS HE WOULD WORK ON HIS GAME IN THE OFF SEASON. MAYBE IF KWAME HE SOME BRAINS HE WOULD DO THINGS TO IMPROVE HIMSELF AS A BASKETBALL PLAYER.

EVERYBODY ALSO KNOWS THAT KWAME'S SEASON (+ -) STAT IS NEGATIVE 9, WHILE BYNUM'S IS WELL OVER 100. SO IF KWAME WAS HAVING SUCH AN AMAZING IMPACT ON THE GAME THEN THAT WOULD BE REFLECTED IN HIS (+ -) STAT, BUT IT ISN'T SO YOU BASICALLY IGNORE THAT POINT.

I don't know why people still reply to Michael T. His obsession with Kwame should be a red flag, but him saying Lakers scoring 104 points is not the problem should tell you something.

*Hint: How many points does GSW score on average?

Kwame is not nor will ever be in the top 20 centers in the league when it comes to defense. Since Mike T likes to bash Drew, I'll just come on here to bash Kwame the weakest starting center in the history of the Lakers. 2 years as the starting center has led to a barely over .500 record and two first round exits. He's the clumsiest center in this league with no offensive or defensive game at all. He has the worst basketball IQ in the history of the game and is the game's biggest bust. Our record and playoff exits are all the proof needed. I don't need to wait a month to make this point. Kwame is nowhere near the status of Biedrins, Kaman, Dampier, Diop, Okur, Dalembert, Bogut, Nesterovic, Oberto, Jeff Foster, Collins brothers, Haywood, Perkins, Curry and Milicic. I won't mention any of the top tier centers including Bynum because Kwame can't carry the jockstrap of the second tier of centers in this league. I don't need a month to explain what's happened the past 6 years of his lame career. He hasn't improved one IOTA in spite of playing with two of the greatest players to ever put on a uniform in Jordan and Bryant and playing for HOF coach in Jackson. I would even trade Kwame for the ageless wonder Mutombo who's never been great offensively, but even at age 52 plays better defense than the waste of big calves that sits on our bench because his legs as big as they are, are as brittle as a glass Christmas ornament. No wonder why the Nuggets scoffed and laughed this summer when we offered Kwame for Camby!!! Like offering a Pinto for an Escalade(LOL). PJ only uses Kwame because he's stuck with him and no other team in the NBA or D-League wants him. The High School and the District he came from must be pretty bad talent wise if he was the best player to come out when he did. We've had this experiment for two years now and all we've done was run in place with our version of David Boston(a buff receiver in the NFL that faded out)in the middle. I would even trade Kwame for the soft Spencer Hawes of the Kings, but I doubt that the Kings would even take Kwame. Pitiful. I would even take Paul Milsap or Jason Maxiell over Kwame any day of the week. It's so sad for me because I was an all-state point guard in high school at 5ft 7 inches to see such a waste of height when it comes to Kwame. If I were his height, with the attitude and heart I have, I would destroy people on the court. He's not even in former Utah Center Ostertag's class!!! More Kwame bashing to come, stay tuned!!! LOL

Hey everyone, remember last year when the Nets wanted to trade HOF point guard Jason Kidd for Kwame? Oh my bad, I meant Bynum. LOL

AK, BK, rest of bloggers

I'd just like to point that as much as I have been critical of Kobe Bryant, today I cannot be. Today I had the pleasure of representing a sponsor for the Annual Boyle Heights Miracle on 1st Street. For the whole day a bunch of companies give a way really nice free toys to kids and families who really need it. Today Kobe Bryant came on behalf of the Nike campaign which donates money to local neighborhoods to build athletic facilities like bball courts, soccer fields, etc. Today Kobe presented at $20K check to the Hollenbeck Youth Center in East LA. He was all smiles and he also stayed around for a while to hand out gifts to families and take some pictures and autograph jerseys, ball etc.

It is fitting because while I never really thought about, Kobe was a confirmed guest awhile ago to come to this event...and I never made the connection that it was December 15th until a few days ago. So today a bunch of really happy kids chanted Kobe's name and some people said "stay kobe" young and old and it was a really nice experience. Yeah and even though Kobe hurt his groin, lost a close nail bitter, and probably got home to his family late last night, he still showed up to East LA.

So today I felt a glimmer a happiness because here it was, the day he was supposed to be gone, but yet he was still here, an icon of Los Angeles, helping a neighborhood of mine.

Go Lakers!

Lake Show,

Really cool post. Thanks for sharing that about Kobe. A lot goes unnoticed about what players do for the community. Thanks Lake Show.

>>>It's not that I don't want Walton to play at all, what I've been saying is
>>>that there's no reason why Luke should get 34 minutes and Ariza and
>>>Vlad combine for 15 minutes. Vlad's a far better shooter than Walton and
>>>Ariza is a far better defender.

And the unstated part kinda leads to the crux of the biscuit. Luke is a better
defender than Vlad, and he's better in the offense than Ariza. And of course,
Kwame the Champion riding the pine means that Ronny has to back up center,
and that means that Lamar has to play PF. If we actually had a 2nd center who
could stay on the court and was worthy of getting some minutes, they could
slide Ronny back to PF and Lamar back to SF and Luke would be the veteran
presence in the bench mob and all would be well in Laker land.

If I remember right, Luke was kind of hoblling at the end of last season and
through the playoffs. I'm guessing he spent more time resting his ankle than
working on his game during the summer and it shows.

I think both Luke and Lamar (and maybe even Mihm) could recover their timing
and be more effective for the Lakers by the end of the year. If not, it wouldn't
surprise me if PJ started working in more time for PJ.

Perhaps the Lakers should either trade Kwame for a big who stays healthy
and actually contributes or they should use the extra roster slot to sign a
free agent big who could contribute.

SHAQ FAN:

Exactly.

Tom

It seems that all bloggers are agreeing that Walton should not be playing the minutes he is getting.

The only thing that bothers me about Ariza is that he breaks the rhythm of the offense. But I dont think that is a big problem because either way were going to score our 105+ points. BEcause Ariza is a GREAT cutter and finisher. I think if Phil were too put him out there with Kobe Bryant all will be dandie. This is how I think the minutes should look.

Walton 10-15 min (Its a no brainer. His game is limited to being a specialty role player)
Ariza 15-20 min (Defensive disrupter along with Kobe, great cutter, great finisher, draws fouls)
Radmonvic 20-25 min (Decent defender, Great shooter, good cutter, X factor-Wild card)
Odom 30-40 min (Average defender, Great rebounder, Average cutter, Average shooter, Decent passer,Average driver, Streaky shooter, X factor-Wild card)

Great post Lake Show

I too am super critical of Kobe, but I must admit only Kobe can bring those type of experiences that the Lamars of the world cant.

Thanks Kobe for being a decent person

Hey someone was comparing Devean George with Luke Walton!

Are you kidding me???

Devean George (two championships, great defender, clutch shooter, great cutter, great knowledge of triangle)

Luke Walton (Zero Championships, below average defender, cant shoot, below average cutter,)

whoever brought that comparison up is smoking