Ain't no Fish story here
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No, you're not hearing tales of urban legend material such as Bigfoot, the chupacabra or an adorable water horse. This is a true story. The Lakers definitely beat the Grizzlies 117-101 last night. And Derek Fisher absolutely put Memphis behind the 8-Ball from moment one with a hotter than Georgia asphault. 10-11 from the field and 5-5 from distance, Fish thrilled his family and friends from nearby Little Rock with his Memphis-based shooting clinic. And according to his buddy Kobe Bryant, the point guard's stats should bear a perfect night no matter where the ball was launched. You can quibble about the performance of this pro's pro. You could also quibble that the Laker win was slightly blemished by the team's inability to absolutely stomp Memphis into the ground, as opposed to merely shutting down each rally their opponent staged. Then again, the box score's point spread was still a sugary-sweet 16, so why get caught up in the negativity? Especially when positive vibes will be needed for...
... tonight's showdown in New Orleans against the Hornets (5:00 PM PST, KCAL), who present a decidedly tougher task than Memphis. Their sting is often brought on by scary good floor general Chris Paul, who's providing a blueprint change when it comes to young lead guard style. CP3 is stat guru John Hollinger's pick to start at the point for the Western Conference All-Star squad, an honor that would team him up with, shock of all shocks, Kobe Bryant. The inevitable nod in this year's shindig will undoubtedly make Kobe happy (but won't likely touch him in the same way as his work with the Make-A-Wish foundation).
N'Awlin's center Tyson Chandler is a rebounding machine, one more reason Phil Jackson prefers playing Lamar Odom closer to the basket. But even beyond tonight's action, PJ feels it brings out the best in LO's game when he's working down low. The 4-spot isn't LO's first choice, but he won't raise any issues over the matter.
Charles,
I say 3-5 mill for kwame.... thats it..
I would bargain for 2.5M plus cake and a calendar as bonus. He does not play 82 games and sleeps while playing, too many benefits. lol!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | January 09, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Ajax,
Backing up what AK said, Kurt Thomas would be the best defender of Tim Duncan that we could hope for. He's strong, plays good position defense, and is a much better rebounder than Kwame.
It's also important, maybe more so than his defense, that he can contribute on offense. That is something Kwame does absolutely nothing about.
If we could turn Kwame and a pick or two into Thomas, I'd be ecstatic and would consider us a contender. Just don't tell LakerTom.
Posted by: Andrew Z | January 09, 2008 at 12:11 PM
I'd take Kwame at 5-6 million. It'd be huge if he were willing to take a pay cut. And in the Summer of '09 we've got to make LO take a pay cut to about 8 million a year.
Posted by: Xodus | January 09, 2008 at 12:11 PM
We all want to get rid of Vlad, but I just don't see how it's possible. He's horrendous on D, doesn't rebound, can't score off the dribble and can't score in the post, and has 4 years left on his deal after this. And the strangest thing is that he seems to be a guy that'd be a good fit for the triangle, because of the spacing and moving off the ball.
I cringe when I see Vlad check into a game.
Posted by: Xodus | January 09, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Zen,
Agreed, Thomas didn't shut Duncan down, but with all due respect to Kwame's interior defense skills, ain't nobody shutting down Tim Duncan over an entire 7-game series. Period. The guy's just too good. And keep in mind, you're hanging onto Kwame with the idea being that he'll actually be healthy when it comes time to face the Spurs, which isn't a safe bet to begin with. Thomas might not be as good defending Duncan, but he's still solid and much more likely to be available in the first place. Plus, you get all the stuff Thomas does better than Kwame, which is more or less everything.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | January 09, 2008 at 12:16 PM
zen,
"Not good enough! Duncan still dominated the series and the Spurs won..I think Kwame can do just as good a job or better and he's younger."
First, Duncan dominates everyone, that's why he is arguably the best PF of all time and a multiple MVP winner and World Champion. Second, Thomas did slow him down more so than any other person on the Suns, but again, a slow Duncan is still pretty damn good. Third, Kwame being younger has no bearing whatsoever on the trade. Either player doesn't have much of a long term future with the team at their current salary and Thomas would more than likely be a rental. Having a veteran with playoff experience would be huge for this team and could be the piece to get us over the top. Even if Kwame is younger, he sure doesn't stay on the court as much as the durable Thomas.
I see nothing but positives if this trade was to happen.
Posted by: Andrew Z | January 09, 2008 at 12:19 PM
LTLF - The Ginobli/ Finley comparsion actually makes my point- Finley is very inconsistent especially shooting wise and is on the downside of his career. His 39 FG % attests to his inconsistent if not downright poor shooting.
Plus they are not really a platoon like Luke and Ariza who share the 48 minutes. Ginobli averages 29 and Finely 27 so they are playing more than 48 minutes.
Finley can also play both SG and SF but Luke and Ariza are used as SFs only.
For those reasons I dont compare the 2 pairs. Is there any other platoon where both players are producing consistently good performance?
Posted by: Laker Lover | January 09, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Ak,
Well, the thing is, they pretty much have a new regime there in Seattle, right? And they won't even be in the city for long. They can use Kurt to acquire another player who did play well when he was there. I don't think they will make any blockbuster moves with the young team, so there is nothing to lose. Any team with a better player probably won't trade that player for Kurt, but the Lakers could really use him. He isn't THAT bad. He can still hot some 3's now and then, so he has value.
Posted by: The Original Ken | January 09, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Edwin Gueco,
My post wasn't meant as a specific attack on Crittenton (hey, I even spelled
it right for once). In the previous thread, you stated (and I quote):
"Is it by coincidence when Sasha, Vlad, Luke and Chris were not playing,
Lakers were winning big w/ less T/O's?"
There was exactly one game where those four players didn't play this year,
and that was the Philadelphia game. So it appears that you are saying
(correct me if I'm wrong) that the Lakers will win big and turn the ball over
less if they bench those four players.
So, I'll assume that you are extrapolating that one game to all other games
and assuming that it must be Sasha and Luke and Vlad and Chris who
were making all the turnovers and thus losing games. Is that a correct
interpretation of what you were trying to imply or not? Maybe I didn't
understand your statement.
My response was merely looking at the turnover stats for ALL the games
instead of just one game, and showing that the people turning the ball
over most frequently for the Lakers weren't any of the players you named.
It's not "my opinion" that Crittenton turns the ball over more frequently
than Sasha, it's just a fact. Call me "the stats man" if you'd like, but facts
are facts.
I watch the games and I look at the overall stats and I make comments,
some of which are original, some of which are rebuttals to what I think are
misleading statements (like the one you made above).
If you say, "we'd be better if we didn't play Sasha, Vlad, Luke and Chris ",
then that's an opinion, and I would have disagreed with you, but I likely
wouldn't have replied to it. When you specifically mention a stat and those
four players, it sounds like you are linking those four players to the stat,
and that is why I replied.
If you don't want me to reply to your hype for Crittenton or your negative
comments about Sasha or Luke, simply don't include any stats (or at least
check your facts). If you want to imagine that Crittenton is great or Sasha
is terrible, that's fine, it's just an opinion. I'm merely pointing out the
fact (not opinion, but fact) that so far their performance on the court has
shown otherwise.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 09, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Andrew Z,
>>>I completely agree with you. Run Fish, Farmar, and Critt at CP all game
>>>and have everyone else try and "stay home" on their guys as much as
>>>possible.
I totally agree, but I'd throw Ariza into the mix as well. Ariza has the speed
to stay with CP, and his height would bother CP's shooting more.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 09, 2008 at 12:34 PM
lakers_sth... "Charles - If anything is written on the wipeboard in the locker room, it should be "Peja" plain and simple."
Totally agree. If we put Ariza inside Peja's jock and keep him there, we should win. Paul's going to get his points no matter what we do. Whateva. But we can't let Peja hit 10 3's like he did last time. That's a killer.
Also, hariyahu, regarding your comment about the distance between us and the top 3 (Spurs, Pistons, Celtics), I no longer see a lot of difference between us and the Spurs or Pistons. In fact, I like our chances against either of them in a 7-game series. Boston is the only team right now that is clearly better. And that gap is narrowing as the season progresses.
This team is getting a swagger. A few more wins against the top teams, and especially if they are blowouts (like Phoenix was, and Utah), and we may be ready for a rematch with the Celts.
LAKERS-CELTICS NBA FINAL in '08.
Posted by: CornerJ | January 09, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Smush Parker is gone guys!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is all the crying about.
Kwame should get 6.5 million
Odom should get 10 million
We need both players.
If Fish goes, then we would need to get someone in here who KOBE respects. Last year nobody respected SMUSH PARKER and we suffered as a team.
This year we have Fisher. He is truely a blessing to the Lakers. He is bringing out the best in all of our players, including Kwame. We all oh this seasons success Fisher.
The other day I apologized to Kupchak. What I really should have do is THANK FISHER for making it happen with that contract thing.
Fisher played on 2 teams and while playing for both Utah and Golden State, he sensed that the grass was greener at home in LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank You for coming back Fish. You truely are making a world of a differnce to this team.
It just goes to show you guys how important it is to have a brain running your team.
Not just talent!!!
Stay off Kwame. He is now the best backup center in the league!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kwame is the best backup center in the league. Bynum has made me a believer, but I still will not through Kwame under the bus. We need him just as much as we need the rest of the unit.
Like I said before, if Kwame was on the Detroit, Suns, Spurs, or the Celtics, then we would be in trouble. Unfortunatley we got him so we don't have to worry about these small teams. Kwame makes us one of the biggest teams in the league.
I smell Championship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See Smush if you would have just done what FISH does, you would have had 1 maybe even 2 rings on your finger. Instead you let non-defensive NASH play you like a video game. NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know Smush is reading this, becuase he isn't playing!!!!!!!
Posted by: Zakee | January 09, 2008 at 12:42 PM
another thing no team wants to see the lakers in the 2nd half of the season Kobe is going to be a killer. Thats what is going to make this season speacial our ability to close out the season just how the spurs can rest duncan Kobe is going to be well rested and is going to carry the last half rigth into the playoffs
Posted by: | January 09, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Are you kiding me? We can't get out of the first round with Kwame starting.
How could you not want Kurt Thomas over him?!?!?!?
He is a better rebounde(7.5 per gam/career)r, defender, free throw shooter(.767 career), finisher and can make 15 footers very consitently...
This is an absolute no brainer....
Kwame is the last piece the Lakers need to move before the return to glory!!!
We got rid of Smush and Cook and this team has the best chemistry it has had in years.
I say bring in a seasoned vet that has helped his team(s) get deep into the playoffs, instead of wasting our time on a overpaid, underacheiving number one pick who is always hurt and hasn't improved in one aspect of his game in over seven years.
I mean, Kwame is playing with the best basketball player on the planet and has not improved at all. I cannot for the life of me figure this out? If you were playing with perhaps the most talented scorer ever, how can you, as a seven footer, on a team where the offense is an equal opportunity offense, suck so bad? His claim to fame for 9 mil a year, playing for one of the games greatest coaches and players of all time mind you, is that he is a good one on one defender. Unacceptable. Deplorable...
Tonight is a huge game. The Lakers need to win tonight. It is a statement game. I expect the intensity level to be very high!
Lakers in a close one!!!
Posted by: MJCMAN32 | January 09, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Come on guys...if Luke (overpaid! lol) can get 5-6 mil a year...Kwame can certainly command that much.
It is afterall a market for one dimensional players lol, jk.
Welcome back "original" Ken!
Posted by: Faith | January 09, 2008 at 12:47 PM
EG - I've been going. Just haven't been on the blog in a long time. Interestingly enough, this Sunday, I'll be going to watch the morning (9:30am) shootaround at Staples. If there's anything interesting to report, I'll make sure to post it.
Posted by: lakers_sth | January 09, 2008 at 12:48 PM
I'd be sold on a Kurt Thomas trade if we could get his calf measurements...
Posted by: Xodus | January 09, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Edwin Gueco,
>>>I would bargain for 2.5M plus cake and a calendar as bonus. He does
>>>not play 82 games and sleeps while playing, too many benefits. lol!
I'm totally with you on this one. If they can't get anything for Kwame by
the trade deadline, I'd offer him a contract with a base salary of 2.5 million,
but with a bunch of incentives that could bring it up to 7 or 8 million. For
example, he gets an extra 2.5 million if he plays in at least 80 of the 82 games.
He gets another 1 million if he averages 10 rebounds or 10 points (3 million
if he averages at least 10 of each).
His "big calves" are worth a couple of million to have around, but make him
earn his pay if he wants the big paycheck.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 09, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Original Ken,
"Well, the thing is, they pretty much have a new regime there in Seattle, right? And they won't even be in the city for long. They can use Kurt to acquire another player who did play well when he was there. I don't think they will make any blockbuster moves with the young team, so there is nothing to lose. Any team with a better player probably won't trade that player for Kurt, but the Lakers could really use him. He isn't THAT bad. He can still hot some 3's now and then, so he has value."
Actually, Seattle has plenty to lose by taking on Vlad: Salary flexibility while rebuilding because they have his contract through 2011. For a team looking to start over, bringing in a role player with a long term deal makes absolutely no sense. Especially when that role player isn't even playing well and has a somewhat contentious history with their franchise. They're much better off using Thomas' expiring deal for cap space, if it came down to one or the other.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | January 09, 2008 at 12:55 PM
"I'd be sold on a Kurt Thomas trade if we could get his calf measurements...
Posted by: Xodus | January 09, 2008 at 12:49 PM"
LOL! Good one Xodus, props!
Posted by: Faith | January 09, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Thank's Faith,
I really didn't go anywhere - I was mad about the Potential Bynum - O'Neal Trade and the Kobe situation. I always will be around to read the posts. :) (except for Mike T's, shhhh)
Posted by: The Original Ken | January 09, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Quote: "So if you think reducing turnovers is what the Lakers need, then they should bench Critter, Coby,
Kobe, Kwame, and Farmar before they bench Walton."
I know that’s rhetorical, but the problem with such a analysis is it ignores the other contributions the players make. Kobe and Jordan are offensive/scoring threats while Kwame is a defensive threat. Walton's specialty is assists, so if a good chunk of that passing ends up in TOs then there's much lower trade-off or upside to playing him. If anything, that suggests Walton should be getting PT somewhere in the middle of Coby/Javaris and Jordan/Kwame minutes, yet Phil makes him a starter.
Regarding the whole SF starter debate, look at last night's stats. Ariza's scoring and assists were basically the same as Luke's, but Ariza did much better defensively with rebounds and steals. Luke did better not turning the ball over, though.
I still think Ariza is better as a starter for this team. He plays better with our other starters, there's more of a natural flow when he's out there with them. He's aggressive defensively and offensively whereas Luke - being more passive - usually does best only when the others are playing well. I think Phil starts him because Phil knows Luke's game is better with the starters and he wants to see Luke thrive and not lose confidence. Ariza won't get the benefit of that coddling - not yet at least. He'll have to adjust.
Pardon me while I acknowledge the elephant in the room. While I think PJ, the FO and most fans couldn't care less about the color of the team players, you can't deny that many fans and media guys do - whether they'll recognize/admit to it or not. So Luke’s PT/starting status could be linked to the semi-conscious appeasement of this segment of people. In a nutshell, some people just want to see and/or gush over him and it’s not because he’s an All-Star or exciting player.
Thing is, unlike other NBA teams, the Lakers org hasn’t had a white American “star” or even semistar player in years. It’s been mostly black and European. So whenever a Knight, Madsen, Penberthy, Walton, Karl comes along there’s this unwavering showering of excitement, adulation, appreciation, patience and encouragement from some. When they have a bad game (or season), they don’t receive the ire and blame that other players do. It’s a “Great White Hope” fixation. Regardless of how good or bad the player is (and coincidently most have been bad), there’s usually some collective excitement from the part of the crowd whenever they touch the ball, often coupled with calls to shoot – not because they are high % shooters or the shot clock is winding down, but because they just want to see “that guy” do well. (BTW I’m sure the coaching staff cringes a lot at that. They’re more concerned with running proper offensive play and good shot selection than “fan favorites” shooting whenever they get the ball). I’m all for diversity and having everybody feel invested in the team, but all the team players should be rewarded, chastised, encouraged, accommodated, etc. equally with regards to both actual play and play assessment for the benefit of the entire team, not for some feel-good validation need from some fans.
I’m not trying to trash Luke because I actually believe he’s a good player and seems to be a good person. The obvious difference between him and Knight/Madsen/etc. is that he has decent game. Yet he’s still extremely overrated (c’mon – All Star ballot??) and the unnecessary pimping of him and others cost the Lakers players like Caron Butler(!!) – who was treated like some random disposable player.
Posted by: maxle | January 09, 2008 at 01:04 PM
Hariyahu: "Good news is that who (Pistons/Celts) ever gets to the Finals will be banged up after getting past the other. Not that it is any easier in the WCF."
I remember thinking that same thing the year Boston went toe-to-toe with Philly in a heated, physical 7-game series that featured some overtime bouts, while the Lakers coasted in the West. Boston won the Finals in 7 games.
But you know what? If the Lakers can make it to the Western Conference title game, I'll be very happy. We'll save the championship for next year.
Posted by: Marty | January 09, 2008 at 01:04 PM
Edwin,
"I would bargain for 2.5M plus cake and a calendar as bonus."
That my friends is funny stuff!
Posted by: Charles | January 09, 2008 at 01:25 PM
What does the contract look like for Thomas? How many years,etc... He's getting old
Posted by: zen | January 09, 2008 at 01:27 PM
Marty,
I hear ya. The way I see it, it's better that Boston/Detroit play each before getting to the Finals than coast through and peak in time:)
Posted by: hariyahu | January 09, 2008 at 01:34 PM
I think besides making CP scorer we need to make life miserable for Peja. We all remember Rick Fox back when we played SAC. He glued to Peja all entire game and Peja got like 11 pts on very low %. Do you guys think Ariza would be able to provide that kind of tenacious D? I'm not so wary about Tyson, last time Andrew and Kwame have not played. Another task will be for LO to stay with DWest. This is one of the most impotant games, if Lakers win they will be able to gain 1 game over NO and move in standings.
Posted by: LAL_Fan | January 09, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Zen,
Thomas' contract expires after this season. Essentially, he'd be a playoff rental.
From Seattle's perspective, they don't have a ton of incentive to make the deal, outside of maybe picking up a draft pick and getting about a mil more in Kwame's expiring deal, and (theoretically) Kwame's Bird rights. But maybe they'd do it out of respect for Thomas, who's been a good soldier about being traded from a contending team to a lousy one. Occasionally, GM's make these kind of concessions.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | January 09, 2008 at 01:36 PM
whats up bloggers been missing for a week or so (i think) Where's Mamba24?? I guess hes back to work.
Also Where is Jorema? *CLAP* CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* Where is Jorema?
Hmm anyways the Lakers had a good win last night. They came in with confidence, played well and basically coasted from the second quarter on. Tonight will be a different story all together. They have to defend Chris Paul's penetration, because this was the brokeback game from earlier this year.
But tonight we have two additions that we didnt have in the last game. The one that concerns me the most is Peja on the Hornets. As I had predicted before the game, he possesed the most potential to destroy the Lakers because of their inability to defend the kick out. Now they have Trevor Ariza to guard him. Yeah Peja isnt super quick slasher, but we need Ariza to use his length to put a hand in his face.
Second we have Lamar Odom. He is our 2.5 option and we didnt have him in the first game. A lot of people love David West, but West isnt really a big power guy. I think that Odom will be able to defend him well, especially since Odom has a size advantage. West might be able to bother Odom on the boards, but he wont be free down there. Call it a draw.
If we even out Peja and West, Bynum and Chandler probably cancel themselves out too, so then the match up is Kobe v Paul as to who comes out the best. Im a bit worried only because Kobe hasnt been shooting so well lately. But I think that the combination of Fisher and Kobe can outduel Paul..hopefully.
Just for viewers guide, I'd say watch out for Morris Peterson, the actual SG that Kobe will have to defend. If Kobe tries to help out with Paul too much, Pete can shoot the ball and get to the rim. Also, Id keep on eye out on Rasual Butler and Pargo. If Ariza is playing Peja more often than not than someone needs to guard Butler, probably Luke, and Pargo will be guarded probably by Farmar.
I would expect that we will see a lineup featuring Lamar, turiaf and Bynum together on the floor if Ariza is needed for extended minutes in case someone else on the Hornets gets off (in case Lamar is needed to defend Peja and Turiaf to guard West)
I expect the Lakers to win, but wont be shocked if they lost too. Im still not sure if the Lakers can win 7 games in a row, because thats what it would take if the Lakers run through this stretch of games unscathed.
Posted by: The Lake Show | January 09, 2008 at 01:36 PM
CornerJ,
You're more GHF than I, but Amen brotha!
Posted by: hariyahu | January 09, 2008 at 01:38 PM
The thing I like about Kurt Thomas are those crazy maniac eyes. He looks at people like he's about to open a can of whoop-hynie on them.
Did I mention that I was finally able to find a swingman Smush Paker Lakers jersey for my collection?
Colorado loves the Lakers!
Posted by: Hugo Boss | January 09, 2008 at 01:41 PM
maxie,
>>>Walton's specialty is assists, so if a good chunk of that passing ends up
>>>in TOs then there's much lower trade-off or upside to playing him.
Walton's assist to turnover ratio this season is 2.02, which is third best on the
team (Fisher is 2.93, Ariza is 2.31). Sasha has the fourth best assist to
turnover ratio at 2.0, then Farmar at 1.63 then Kobe at 1.50.
So again, Walton's (and Sasha's for that matter) assist to turnover ratio is
better than 2 of the 3 point guards on the team, so I think it's fair to say that
it's unrealistic to criticize Walton or Sasha for their turnovers. Similarly,
Mihm and Radmanovic are average among the Lakers in terms of
turnovers.
>>>So Luke’s PT/starting status could be linked to the semi-conscious
>>>appeasement of this segment of people. In a nutshell, some people
>>>just want to see and/or gush over him and it’s not because he’s an
>>>All-Star or exciting player.
Fair enough. It's certainly a possibility.
Frankly, I view Ariza and Luke's contributions to the team as about equal
at this point. Luke is average on defense and Ariza is average on offense.
Luke is good on offense and Ariza is good on defense. Neither of them is
so dominant on offense or defense that they're the obvious choice to start,
so I think it's reasonable to start one or the other based on situation.
My hope is that Ariza will work on his outside shooting as hard as Jordan
Farmar did, and will learn the offense quickly. If those two things happen,
then Ariza will become the clear choice to start. Until then it's a toss-up.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 09, 2008 at 01:41 PM
The Lakers need to seriously attempt to package Mihm and Kwame's expiring contracts for the missing piece that will lift this team to contender status. There are a lot struggling teams out there willing to give up talent for one of these stiffs.
Posted by: PK | January 09, 2008 at 01:42 PM
Kurt v/s Kwame now?
I'd take Kwame - simply because he's bigger. We don't need Kurt's offense (though it can't hurt), and it's my opinion that Kwame is a better defender. Now, as AK pointed out, if you factor in Kwame's inability to dress for the game, then I'd go with Kurt. However, this being a "contract year", I think Kwame will show us just enough productivity to be effective.
Posted by: hariyahu | January 09, 2008 at 01:43 PM
AK,
Im a little worried that Thomas will leave after this year and then we essentially lost Caron Butler/Kwame for nothing. I just have a feeling that if he is going to take a pay cut, it would be for a contender and Im not so sure we are contenders yet. Also, Thomas won't take us over the top and into the finals this year so why do it.
Posted by: zen | January 09, 2008 at 01:44 PM
The Lake Show, everyone needs a vacation...even from Lakerville loll.
I think we're gonna need Ariza's size on CP. That's what frustrated Nash so much...even Deron. It's the bigs that we can throw out there and get them out of sync. Though not exactly one on one, being able to double them off and get them out of their comfort zone is enough.
Of course that means that everyone else needs to know their assignment because the pitch out is definitely going to come then. It's just a matter of challenging those shots, or staying home on those you need to stay home on.
Cutting down our turnovers would also go a long way because that more than anything takes the ball out of CP3's hands. I'm looking for Fish to start hot and take it at him from the get go. Making hiim play defense would do us a world of good.
Posted by: Faith | January 09, 2008 at 01:46 PM
Andrew Z,
"It's also important, maybe more so than his defense, that he can contribute on offense. That is something Kwame does absolutely nothing about."
That, in turn, makes Duncan, et al, have to work on the other end of the court, which invariably takes away from his offense. Another downside to Kwame playing.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 09, 2008 at 01:47 PM
Zen,
I hear what you're saying, but I don't think you can worry about the concept of "having nothing to show" for the Caron-Kwame transaction. For starters, the Lakers already got the worse end of it. But beyond that, there's no guarantee Kwame's coming back, either. The long-term ramifications with Kwame are pretty fuzzy as it is and he's hardly a guy they're gonna plan heavily around, so they're better off what makes the team best for the playoff run. In my opinion, that would be bringing in Thomas.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | January 09, 2008 at 01:49 PM
We should approach this game tonight with the Hornets like we have the past three and that is stay focused and just play. We tend to get in trouble when we caught up in all the hoopla of playing a big game against another good team. It happened when we played the Celtics and we played uptight and got whipped. We just need to play our game and execute on both ends of the floor and we should be alright. Treat this game no differently then the way we played Philly, Indiana and Memphis.
I was looking at player profiles on NBA.com and was surprised how big Andrew is compared to other centers and he's still growing!!! For instance, Andrew is 285 lbs compared to Tyson Chandler being 235 lbs. I bring this up because Andrew doesn't appear to be that heavy which means it's primarily muscle. Imagine when he's 22 or 23 how much bigger and stronger he'll be. He's going to be a bonafide beast down low and darn near unstoppable. When he has his base, he's going to be a mountain and terror in the post, look what he's already doing!!!
On ESPN First Take this morning, Greg Anthony called the Lakers the most dangerous and scariest team in the NBA because of development of our young players and the return of Fish and addition of Ariza. Surprisingly, Skip Bayless agreed with Anthony and said that Kobe doesn't have to carry the offensive burden on his own anymore but is still the game's best at closing games. They mentioned that this Lakers team is different from Lakers of the past two seasons. Go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | January 09, 2008 at 01:49 PM
This is the perfect game for the lakers to play a zone but booster boy is too stubborn to do it.
Fisher will look old and slow in this game against Paul- a quick PG, making play a zone even a better option.
Peja will get most of his 3 point looks in transition so it wont matter if Luke or Ariza is on the floor ( or Michael Cooper for that matter).
Posted by: Laker Lover | January 09, 2008 at 01:51 PM
Xodus,
"I'd be sold on a Kurt Thomas trade if we could get his calf measurements"
I'd trade both of Kwame's for just one of Thomas'.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 09, 2008 at 01:51 PM
maxle,
Let me the one who disagree with you on some points. First of all, I think Lakers as an organization care less about appease someone vs. bringing championship back to LA. This is main goal and should be only goal Lakers as an organization. Second, we traded Caron Butler, not because we thought highly of Luke, but only because we thought too highly of Kwame. Granted, it was blunder of FO, but you know, back than, a lot of people thought Kwame one day become legit, maybe an ALL-Star center and just need change of scenery. It had nothing to do with Luke, Luke was still on his rooky contract getting paid less than 1M per year. As you know all the big men in NBA comes with premium, just check how much people make, esp. ones who been recently outplayed by Drew. It was gamble, too bad it's never paid off.
Posted by: LAL_Fan | January 09, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Hugo Boss,
"Did I mention that I was finally able to find a swingman Smush Paker Lakers jersey for my collection?"
While Xodus' "calf measurement" gem was undoubtedly strong, this would be my vote for "Comment of the Day." haha
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | January 09, 2008 at 01:57 PM
You guys should read this. It's long, but EXTREMELY insightful...
http://slamonline.com/online/2008/01/from-dr-j-to-kobe-bryant/
Posted by: HoustonLaker | January 09, 2008 at 02:01 PM
I'd take the toughness that Kurt Thomas brings than Kwame's youth, potential, height, calves. I think it's a consensus that Kwame will never be the player everyone wishes him to be. I know it's not his fault that he was the number 1 draft pick...that he's overpaid...or even the freak accidents that caused his injuries, but the sad fact is he's hit his ceiling. My 2 cents.
Posted by: sixonezero | January 09, 2008 at 02:03 PM
Offtopic...but with all the hoopla about Kobe not making his teammates better...
Can we finally see a pattern of players that have managed to look good, and play well on the Lakers and have yet to do so in the other teams they're on? I personally don't agree with the whole "making teammates better" concept. I think it's often something that's used as a qualifier to "hate" on Kobe...yet the opposite argument never gets made.
But just coz...here's a list: Smush Parker, Slava lol, Jumaine Jones, Brian Cook, et al. To be fair, even though Smush wasn't "good" per say, he played well enough with Kobe that he was able to stay on this team for 2 years! 2 frustrating years but two years nonetheless.
Posted by: Faith | January 09, 2008 at 02:07 PM
Laker lover.........Booster Boy...........Love it
Posted by: Thirty2 | January 09, 2008 at 02:10 PM
Faith....I agree with having Ariza help on Paul but Ariza needs to stick to Peja like that brown stuff that sticks to the behind of a big hairy animal in the woods
Posted by: Thirty2 | January 09, 2008 at 02:14 PM
Hey AK
I think the Lakers would have to look at un-savvy GM's or teams to get rid of VladRad's contract. It won't be Seattle who is trying to keep salary low and make the right player choices.
We are probably stuck with Vlad Rad unless Orlando, San Antonio, or Houston wants him. I think the teams with the dominant big men can use him because they create open jump shots.
That's all he does other than occasional slashing.
Posted by: Lakerbake | January 09, 2008 at 02:25 PM
aww...You stole my thunder today Hugo!
Posted by: Xodus | January 09, 2008 at 02:29 PM