Live from Sacramento- Lakers at Kings
Like I mentioned in the pregame, it's not exactly a home game for the purplea dn gold, but there are plenty of Lakers fans in the crowd. If I remember correctly, AK had trouble with his setup here. I got to my seat, and there wasn't a chair (AK's problem, I believe), nor an outlet. ARCO hates the Lakers Blog.
Fish, Kobe, Gasol, Rad, LO start for LA, Anthony Johnson, Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes, Ron Ron, and Mikki Moore get the call for Sacto.
With Phoenix's loss today- kinda shocking, given how the game looked when I got on the plane- a win here gives the Lakers a huge advantage in the race to secure the Pacific. I'm sure they don't want to let the Suns off the hook.
FIRST QUARTER:
One tricky thing- until the Lakers score, the bench stands. Unfortunately, they stand right in front of me, so I can't really see what's happening. Those guys are tall.
10:50- LO picks up where he left off on Friday, slicing to the hole for a layup. Not with the right hand, though. Can't have everything (haha). 3-2 Sacto.
9:43- Hawes gets down low, posting on Kobe in the mismatch, and dumps the ball into the basket. PJ quickly calls timeout. he didn't like that.
9:31- Kings are zoning up early, but you can see the difference in how the Lakers can attack it with Gasol in the lineup. They're able to get the ball inside, Gasol to LO, and Odom draws the foul on Moore, then goes to the line and makes both. 5-4 Sacramento.
8:20- Gasol gets a great feed by the hoop from Kobe, but doesn't go up strong enough and Hawes blocks him from behind. It ends up a run out for sacto, and Martin gets the foul call on the other end.
Kobe goes inside for a spinning layup. Thus far, the Lakers have attacked the basket, just as they did on Friday. I'm not sure they've taken anything more than a mid-range jumper at this point.
5:34- Timout on the floor, 16-12 Sacramento. The Lakers are doing what they want to do offensively, getting the ball inside and not relying on shots from outside. Unfortunately, they're also a little sloppy (as evidenced by the Fisher turnover on the last play, looking for Pau and missing. By a lot. Three TOs already, and other loose plays that have let the Kings get out and run. A few stops, and they'll be able to take some control of this one.
Vlad triple makes it 17-16 LAL.
4:20- Lo picks up his second, and PJ chooses to leave him in. A calculated risk, certainly.
2:56- Lakers down 20-17 coming out of the TO, and the seconds will get some burn. Sasha, Ronny, and Farmar in for Fish, LO, and Vlad. And they kick things off with a TO leading to a Kings bucket. Faboo.
1:56- Great block by Ronny on Artest, coming over from the weak side to swat the attempt away. That's when Ronny is best defensively, when he can roam and come across to help on other shooters.
END OF THE FIRST: The Kings turn the ball over with 2.1 left in the half, and PJ (about 15 feet away from me) barks "Vladdy!" to put him back in the game. Good call. He gets the inbound and drills the three at the buzzer. Before that, Kobe had made a great play to Gasol, drawing the double then lobbing the ball over the top to Gasol, who out reached the Kings defenders for a layup. That's a five point swing at the end of the quarter, turning what might have been a ten point lead (or so) for the Kings into a 27-23 ballgame.
Overall, the Lakers didn't play particularly well in the first. On offense, they actually were overpassing a little, making things more complicated than they needed to be. That's where a lot of the six TOs came from. Six TOs means easy points for any team, let alone one that runs like the Kings.
They'll need to shore things up on both ends.
SECOND QUARTER:
Vlad makes another three, and the Lakers are tied at 28. When he's knocking down shots, Vladdy can really change games.
9:35- Brief scare for the Lakers, as the officials whistled Lamar for his third foul, on Hawes under the basket, loose ball style. Except he wasn't within contact distance of him. It was Ronny. Fortunately for the Lakers, the officials conferred and got it right.
8:47- Pau in the post to Sasha at midrange- he buries it, and the Lakers are up 32-28.
8:32- Damn! I was planning on writing something about the game, but during the timeout they played this tick tac toe game on the court for cash. Not just $50 bucks or something, but the winner was handed 10 $100 bills. A grand! For making some layups. They don't eff around in this building when it comes to giveaways, I guess.
Out of the break, Kobe gets a breather. Vlad, LO, Farmar, Gasol, and Sasha in for the Lakers.
6:21- Kobe back in, LA up by three. Great play by Farmar in the last sequence. He had a chance to put up a triple with Hawes relatively close, adn you could see he thought about it... but then backed off, set the offense back up, and the Lakers were able to get the ball inside to LO. Last week, he'd have shot that ball.
Newble in, and guards Artest.
Apropos to nothing in particular, if you get a chance to watch a Kings broadcast, their sideline reporter is hot. Just thought I'd put that out there.
4:47- Newble called for a foul away from the ball, and Artest goes to the line. Phantom call, it seemed, and I can tell you Ronny didn't like the call. I can't tell you what he said, but trust me, he ddin't like the call.
3:05- LO picks up his third, as Martin comes down on him after taking the jumper. Not sure where the foul was, and it was certainly long after the shot came. That's thre on LO, and he'll have to sit the reast of th ehalf. 45-39, LAL. Important minutes for the Lakers.
First trip, Kobe drives and lobs to Gasol as the double comes. Pau again can't explode up to the hoop, but still has enough on it to draw the foul. I don't think he's got the lift yet to make those powerful moves to the basket. Either way, he'll go to the line with a chance to put the Lakers up by seven.
2:15- Another three from Radmanovic. That makes him 3-5 on the night, and he's tossed in eight boards to boot. This box score is being sent home to momma, I would think.
1:27- Kobe sinks two FTs, and the Lakers are up by ten, 51-41. They're geting it done on both ends in the second quarter, erasing a four point deficit and taking control of the game.
:50- Ticky tack call on Newble, who might have nudged Martin on a moving screen, but it didn't seem like a lot of harm.
END OF THE HALF:
Well, that wasn't very smart. Fish tries to body up Anthony Johnson with 1.7 left, for reasons I don't quite understand. They call the foul, and instead of a desperation three, Anthony Johnson goes to the line for two FTs, which he makes. That takes the Lakers lead down to six, and puts a little damper on what was otherwise a good Q2 for LAL. They outscored the Kings 28-18, and continue to be aggressive and go to the hole. 17 FTs in the first half, a great number on the other team's floor.
They didn't start th egame wel (what else is new?) but made some progress over the second 12. 13 points for Vladdy in the first half. How about that?
More to come.
THIRD QUARTER:
10:40- The Lakers score the first seven points of the quarter, and Reggie Theus has to use a quick TO before this one gets totally out of hand. As is, the Lakers have taken what theoretically could have been a close game adn blown it up a little.
9:47- Kobe to the line, after the Lakers force a TO from the Kings. He makes one of two, and now the Lakers have outscored the Kings 11-2 coming out of the locker room. They've really dropped the hammer on them. 15 point lead. All they need to do now is sustain the pressure for a few more minutes, and they'll have a handle on it.
Kobe drills a three, and the lead is up to 16. Great ball movement in the half from the Lakers, excellent defense as well.
8:30- Artest hits a three, and the Kings get a little momentum, but the Lakers come right back as Vlad gets inside, then feeds LO for an easy layup. On the next trip, Kobe hits Gasol cutting along the left baseline for a bucket.
6:31- LO hits Gasol on the break, and the Lakers are up by 20. They're 9-9 in the quarter with nine dimes. Hard to do much better than that. Nobody stopped LO down the floor, and it was a simple feed to Gasol by the basket.
5:50- 10 of 10, as Kobe hits the jumper coming off the screen. The Lakers did a great job cutting Artest off, and blocking him as Kobe came around. Great play off the ball.
Vlad misses, ending the perfect streak. Bench him! (haha).
76-60 LAL.
3:07- Lakers up 17, off a Vladdy triple. (I guess he redeemed himself). They've done everything they needed to do and more in this quarter, basically coming out and ending any hope of a comeback for Sacramento. Kobe with 14 in the quarter.
Out of the TO, Sasha and Farmar in, Vlad and Fish out.
2:34- Farmar drilled by Garcia, who had turned his ankle on the previous trip up and needed a whistle. I doubt he was trying to hit him in the face, but he needed to get off the court.
:53- Great pas from Sasha to LO as the shot clock was running down. I thought he was going to take the off balance leaner, but instead Sasha made an aggressive bounce pass to a cutting LO for a layup right as the clock expired. Great awareness.
END OF THE THIRD:
Vlad caps off a great quarter with one more jumper off the inbound. That puts a final stamp on what was a totally dominating Q3 for the Lakers. They hit their first 10 shots, each with an assist, kept the pressure on when the Kings tried to fight their way back, and more or less put the game away, giving themselves an 18 point lead going into the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER:
Newble, Farmar, LO, Ronny, and JF on the floor.
Ronny picks the foul, and you hear PJ say immediately, "No fouls, Ronny." They don't want the Lakers giving anything back easily for the Kings. Make them make shots.
Farmar then forces a steal, and goes the other way for the and-one. Lakers up by 22.
The Kings, killed early by penetration and inside play are now trying to pack in (the Lakers are still getting inside) but now the Lakers are killing them with open looks from midrange, too. This one is firmly in hand, so hopefully Kobe and Pau, already on the bench, can stay there for the rest of the night. Another five minutes and LO can sit down, too.
Less, if the Lakers continue to hit shots, as Sasha just did from the corner.
9:15- Lakers up 96-73.
7:25- Lakers give up 10 unanswered, and Kobe has to come back in. Not what the Lakers wanted.
6:35- Turiaf picks up the foul, chopping down on Sheldon Williams, who makes the three point play, and suddenly the Lakers are up only by 12. Pau back in.
6:03- Timeout on the floor. Lakers up 98-86. Still in control, but it looks like they'll need to play this one to its conclusion, and that means minutes for the starters it would have been nice to save. Hopefully they can push it back up to 15 or more in the next couple minutes, and sit people down again.
3:15- Fish drills a three in the corner, and that's probably the game. Lakers up by 19, 107-88.
2:40- If that wasn't the dagger, Kobe's triple on the next trip down certainly was. Lakers by 22. That'll likely get the starters out of the game for the night. The Lakers got away with shoddy player movement in pushing the lead back up, but hey, why argue? When the shots go down, I guess it's okay.
Kobe's putting the sweats on.
1:15- Some crazy ass woman wearing- literally wearing- a "Kobe for MVP" sign just got shooed out of the aisle by the ushers as she was screaming "Kobe, we love you!" and trying to take a picture.
Wow.
1:00- Lakers up 114-90, but that's okay by the kid behind me, who is a huge Kings fan (he chastised me for being a Lakers writer: "This is ARCO Arena where the Kings play. You should cheer for them.") but is too little to be into the nuances of scoreboard watching.
He's chanting "Lakers out, Lakers out." totally oblivious to the scoreboard.
FINAL SCORE: Lakers 114-92. Not a great start, but the Lakers managed to kick it into gear from Q2 on.
More to come!
BK
If guys maybe want to express the fact that they don't like Luke Walton's game, and are glad he's not playing, so be it.
Oh well if they don't.
I don't.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | April 06, 2008 at 09:21 PM
Kobe = "the price of admission"
Posted by: jandro | April 06, 2008 at 09:21 PM
JJ
this was Ira's first significant minutes of the year and obviously he was pressing.
We have all seen what Puke (TS JonK) can do with chance after chance after chance.
given time, Ira will bring a heck of a lot more than
Puke
Puke
Puke
Puke
Puke
Posted by: Notes on a Scorecard | April 06, 2008 at 09:30 PM
Listen to Jon K. (the blog Nazi) lecture us on being haters. That is the funniest freakin thing I have read on the blog in months.
Every other word off his keyboard is hate: He's a tool. He's a troll. USC sucks. Your in idiot. The KBros are .....F...ing Jerks. Numerous posts deleted for unknown hate.
You are the worst kind of hypocrite.
You are the biggest hater on the blog. Well maybe second behind GUNNER. You just can't stand that everyone sees how terrible Luke is, cause for whatever reason......Luke is your boy.
Posted by: Eric M | April 06, 2008 at 09:31 PM
VLADRAD
WOW, what a performance.
If Vlad can have just one of these games in each playoff series, we will be set (I'm hoping for more).
JJ,
You wrote" Luke has plenty of bad stretches, but he probably won us that Wizards game last week...that alone is 1 more game than Newble has ever won anyone."
But Newble has NEVER lost us a game. Luke has lost plenty of games for this team.
GO VLAD!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | April 06, 2008 at 09:38 PM
So much for sanity!!
Posted by: chuck23 | April 06, 2008 at 09:38 PM
Hey everyone, was Andrew in uniform on the bench tonight? I was so caught up in the game that I didn't check to see if he was on the bench and if he was in uniform. Great win by our Lakers tonight. Onward and upward!!! Go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | April 06, 2008 at 09:42 PM
By the way, the "Puke" moniker is so terribly lame. Whoever uses it is a complete moron, as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by: Jon K.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sir, you pride yourself on an ability in which any ignorant barbarian is your equal and any jackass immeasurably your superior.
Posted by: Who are You | April 06, 2008 at 09:42 PM
sorry, but i am not a fan of luke's game. i will not resort to calling him out of his name, but in all honesty, aside from being a "fresh body" who knows the triangle, what does he really bring to the table? his shooting is more than sporadic, which gives our opponents an option to "not respect him" offensively. he forces shots in the paint (has no lift due to injury) which leads to blocks or directly to turnovers. his decision making is questionable (although he shows moments, and i stress "moments" of brilliance with his passing) and he can't play a lick of defense. granted, i know ariza is injured, but really, once our squad is healthy, where exactly would luke be on the depth chart? now, with all that, consider we are committed to him for 5yrs and $30mil. i never complained about smush parker's ability at the pg last year, because he was only making $900k and what could you really expect for that price (however, i was pissed that he was a starter). but 5yrs. and $30 mil, for the 3rd SF off of the bench? get healthy, relocate that 3pt shot you miraculously found last year and show us why mitch is paying that money.
just my 2 cents..
Posted by: monk one | April 06, 2008 at 09:42 PM
I don't think we need either Luke or Ira. When Trevor is ready to go he'll be the perfect back-up to Vlad, and besides both Kobe and Lamar (after Bynum returns) will log minutes at the 3.
I like Luke as a person and as a team player but his skills just aren't up to the level of the New Look Lakers after we get 100% healthy. At least we don't have to eat 5 years of Ira's contract.
Posted by: Jay Jay | April 06, 2008 at 09:46 PM
What gets me about the Luke bashing is that the criticism is of Luke personally and not of his game. I can understand calling him out when he plays poorly, but he gets criticized for his lifestyle and for his contract.
When Luke is bashed in a game where he didn't play due to injury, then it has moved way beyond constructive criticism.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | April 06, 2008 at 09:47 PM
Jon K,
>>> No one ripped on Luke when we had Kwame
Not so. For the record, Luke was receiving nearly as much criticism as Kwame, before Kwame got traded.
I think it is fair to ask the question, would Luke ever have gotten the playing time he has, were it not for the injuries to other players?
Luke, himself, has been playing hurt for much of the season, which has limited his effectiveness and his confidence. But, all in all, he is simply not that talented. He is a role player who can sometimes be counted on to be effective.
Ira Newble did not have a great game, but he has only been with the team for a heartbeat, and until tonight had played only about 4 minutes in a Laker uniform. But he is likely to give the team effective minutes down the stretch, which was why he was brought in.
Calling your fellow bloggers "morons" and "haters" accomplishes nothing, except to reflect poorly on you. You've established yourself here as a loyal fan, but you hurt yourself needlessly by some of your foolish out-of-control rants. Why do it? It doesn't make you a better fan.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | April 06, 2008 at 09:48 PM
Quote of the night.
"I guess Kobe didn't eat the Cheeseburger I sent him before the game."
- Sac announcer Reynolds after the 3rd quarter
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | April 06, 2008 at 09:56 PM
BK/AK,
Was Andrew on the bench in uniform tonight? Did he participate in the shootaround today? I apologize if I missed anything in your threads that mentioned him. Thanks for the information and the great work you guys do. Go Lakers!!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | April 06, 2008 at 10:04 PM
This has been a real treat to have BK reporting in Sacramento.
Awesome job Kambros.
And thanks LATimes for sending the blog on the road.
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | April 06, 2008 at 10:04 PM
Let's look at Ira objectively:
Tonight was really his first game with some minutes. Of course he is going to be a little bit rattled. But I like his defense-- at least he was staying in front of his opponent. I do not consider his fouls anything unusual--he was just trying a bit too hard to contribute, which is a good thing. I love his aggressiveness which will rub off to the other players.
As far as Luke, everytime a play involves him, he just makes me nervous-- his mistakes alway cost us in some ways!!!
Posted by: Robyn | April 06, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Luke Walton has stunk it up offensively, defensively and overall this season. The frustration mounts and as a fan you can't help but let out some of that.
We have lost plenty of games on the shoulders of Luke Walton alone (maybe not completely), but as far as I'm concerned he has done more bad than good this whole season. The fact of the matter is he got a 30 million extension even when he really brings very little to the table (please don't bring up stats). The guy can't play defense (apart from some adequate team D), is streaky at best offensively and is usually (apart from this year) a good ball handler.
He himself will tell you the atrocity at which he has played this season. That's not a lie, that's a fact.
That said he didn't play tonight, and has shown better play of late. For that I'm willing to remain "ci-vil" and let this lie.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Faith | April 06, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Finally Lakers win in Sacramento. Did you hear those chants from the fans of Kobe? Not in our wildest dream that Laker fans invaded the cowbells territory and laid a claim at Arco Arena. haha!
On the side of GHFers like Jon K, LakerTom and JJ, they don't want to hear any kind of criticisms to any Lakers good or bad, it homerism and fanaticism to the brand Lakers. So when there are criticism on Luke, they are like the teutonic knights of the Middle Ages ready to defend Luke who is injured and was not in the game.
On the other side of the spectrum, the critics just call what they see in the past games. It is a call of frustration. The criticism appears to be hate, but NO, their hearts bleed as well for every turnover or no-confidence shots coming from Luke. Perhaps, we should listen to PassionateLakerFan who was accused as a 'troll' for his merciless criticisms on Laker players like: Vlad, LO, Luke and Sasha. If you read his post tonight, he was all praises to LO and Vlad but not convinced with Luke. The same is true with others, they felt a relief in seeing Ira Newball playing D and going for the ball, he may have rough edges too with T/O's but many find him a better role player in the future for the few minutes that he has played.
In the end, we are all Laker fans with common objective. We all differ on likes and dislikes on the players. People have the right to criticize against public figures who are rewarded with millions to play basketball. In the same token, in exercising that freedom let's also temper our criticisms with a little respect and be considerate to our fellow Laker fans who are fans of Luke.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 06, 2008 at 10:39 PM
jon K
is only loyal to the CLIPPERS
Posted by: ZIn Master | April 06, 2008 at 10:47 PM
Wow. Luke plays well for a few games and the Luke critics
grudgingly quiet down a little. Luke has one bad game and there's
a little rumbling, then Luke doesn't play and suddenly the bullsh*t
is knee deep.
First of all, Newble was exactly as advertized tonight. Solid on
defense, and a huge liability on offense. 2 turnovers in 11 minutes? 4 fouls in 11 minutes? At that rate, Newble
would foul out in 16 minutes. Oh, and 0-for-3 shooting.
So I don't want to hear any "Newble is better than Luke"
crap. Newble would probably be okay if you were protecting
a big lead and wanted to put a good defender on the other
team's best guy... and if he'd just get the hell out of the
way and let the Lakers play 4 on 5 on offense. Seriously,
Newble's offense was offensive.
Luke usually has a positive impact on the offense. At
worst he's a non-factor on offense.
Rad had an excellent game tonight. And he is a streaky
shooter who is capable of doing that. If he did it every
night, he'd be an all-star. But Rad is a roller-coaster
player. For every 20 point game Rad has had this year,
he's had 3 games where he scored 1 point or less. And
just like his offense, his defense comes and goes.
When Rad has an on game like tonight, he is much better
than Luke, obviously. When Rad goes 1-for-7 or 0-for-10,
then Luke is probably a better choice.
I know a lot of you are thumping your chest about Rad is
so great that the Lakers don't need Luke after tonight's
game, but you have a very short memory. Part of the
reason the Lakers LOST to Charlotte was due to Rad's
1 for 7 with 3 turnovers performance. In that same game,
Luke was 4-for-7 and had a couple of assists as well.
Maybe if Luke had been on the floor more than Rad that
night, the Lakers would have taken care of business and
beat the bad team, even without Gasol. Maybe if Rad had
been injured that night, the Lakers would have won going
away with Luke leading the charge.
The truth is, the Lakers don't have a consistently good small
forward. Right now it's appropriate to start Rad and then
fall back to Luke or Newble if Rad struggles, because on
his best nights, Rad has a much bigger offensive impact
than Luke or Ira (or Trevor for that matter).
But there are nights (in fact there have been a bunch of
them this season), when Luke has been the best small
forward for the Lakers. And there have been times when
all the SFs were playing so badly that PJ has gone to
Kobe at SF with Fisher and Vujacic at the guard spots.
And that has actually worked pretty well at times.
So go ahead and talk smack about Luke if you want, but
on the average he's about as productive as Radmanovic,
and he ain't going anywhere.
Oh, and by the way, Luke isn't making 5 million this year,
he's making 4 million. He makes about 20% LESS than the
average salary in the league, and this season (an off season
for him compared to last season) he's playing about 20%
below average productivity. If you want to talk about
overpaid, you should be pointing at Lamar, the highest paid
player in the league to have never made an all-star team.
Get it through your skull. Luke is NOT overpaid. I know
we'd all love to have a guy we pay 4 million a year who
gets 20 & 10 every night, but the only way you get that
is on the tail end of a rookie contract. People who play
consistently every night and get double doubles make
MUCH more than 4 million a year.
And stop being so ridiculously greedy. We have the best
shooting guard in the league, one of the top 5 power forwards
in the league, when Bynum comes back we'll have one of
the top 5 centers in the league, and we have a set of
role players surrounding them that range from very
good (Lamar) to streaky good (Fisher, Rad, Vujacic) to competent (Farmar, Luke, Ronny). [Farmar has potential to
move higher up, it's only his second year -- Ronny has to
learn how to play without fouling so much].
No team gets the best player in the league at every position.
It doesn't happen. Get over it. You want a more consistent
small forward? The only way you'll get it is if either Luke
or Ariza or Rad grows into it or if they trade Kobe or Bynum
or Gasol. You're not going to trade Luke and Coby and
a bag of chips and get back LeBron James. So get over
it and appreciate Luke for what he is -- a decent role player,
who showed some more promise at the start of last season.
And hope he gets BACK to that higher level, as that would
make the Lakers even more formidable.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 06, 2008 at 10:48 PM
the 2 most memorable gaffe of the season:
I did not know there r 8 sec. left (after not putting up a shot at the end of the game, right after a TO)
not calling a TO while he could not inbound in the last .9 sec for a last shot
author: Luke's IQ
lakers 0-2
Posted by: ZIn Master | April 06, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Mr. Edwin Gueco. Always the voice of reason.
Thank you for that post.
Posted by: Faith | April 06, 2008 at 10:52 PM
LAKER TRUTH,
>>>WOW, what a performance.
>>>If Vlad can have just one of these games in each playoff
>>>series, we will be set (I'm hoping for more).
Don't count on it. For every game that Rad has scored 20
points this season, he's had 3 games where he scored
0 or 1 points.
>>>But Newble has NEVER lost us a game. Luke has lost
>>>plenty of games for this team.
Name them. Name the "plenty of games" that Luke has lost.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 06, 2008 at 10:54 PM
i just remembered that months ago after LUKE had a terrible game (maybe the one with the 8sec. no shot), the next game he was BAILED out in street clothes on the bench, with some lame injury, but did play the following game.
at least vlad, took the s##it and raised to the occasion. maybe because he did not feel the pressure of being replaced by LUKE for every little mistake he makes.
Posted by: ZIn Master | April 06, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Thanks Faith. Finally, you got the game that you wanted. It's the great D from everyone, perhaps no need of Kobe in the 4th Q, well we would be asking too much. The role players need the support too, as a curtain call for the MVP (in the eyes of Sacto fans.)
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 06, 2008 at 11:03 PM
Luke Walton
Salary from Hoopshype
6 years for 30.3 million
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | April 06, 2008 at 11:05 PM
Long Time,
"No team gets the best player in the league at every position."
Excellent defense of the end of our bench. Your point is excellent. There is no team that has more talent or a deeper rotation than the Lakers when healthy. Reason to shout with glee rather than complain with rancor. At his worst, Luke is a star compared to Kwame or Smush. Although an injured hammy is not going to improve Luke's already below par physicality.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | April 06, 2008 at 11:06 PM
LTLF
in how many games the lead and the momentum totally changed just having luke on the court?! yeah, that's not part of the stats.
the great intangibles
1 or 2 good games in a 82 games season is 2.5%. and i'm generous here. most of the bench players in the NBA can accomplish that.
remember when coby played like 7 minutes in one game and he changed the momentum of the game after PJ benched the starters
how many times LUKE was 0-7 or 1-7 and the 1 or 2 points he got were really in garbage time.
actually his 19 points game was in garbage time also
if you paid attention, kobe said that it will be hard to integrate IRA in the triangle because that position is the most complex one and difficult to learn. maybe that explains why vlad needed some time and luke knows more because he was with the triangle for a longer period.
SMUSH- KWAME-LUKE, now that's a triangle
Posted by: ZIn Master | April 06, 2008 at 11:10 PM
LTLF
i just mentioned the 2 games he lost because of his high IQ
Posted by: ZIn Master | April 06, 2008 at 11:12 PM
I stand by what I said.
I really hate haters. You guys have nothing better to do with your time but be morons.
We just beat the Kings in Sacramento and people want to dedicate their time to screaming about Luke Walton who didn't even play due to injury. Ridiculous.
Psychologically speaking, the haters are the kind of people who bxtch and moan after their wife has spent two hours cooking dinner because the brocolli is a little over-done.
Just poor quality, self-absorbed human beings. Nothing more than that.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 07, 2008 at 08:55 AM
Zin Master,
>>>the 2 most memorable gaffe of the season:
Okay, someone steps up to the plate and tries to prove
how Luke loses games for the Lakers:
>>>I did not know there r 8 sec. left (after not putting
>>>up a shot at the end of the game, right after a TO)
I believe you're referring to the Cleveland game on January
27 of this year, where Luke passed back to Kobe rather
than shooting over LeBron at the last second and Kobe
wasn't able to get a shot off. Is that right?
In that game, Kwame Brown was the Laker center, so the
last line of defense was a tissue-paper wall. Derek Fisher
shot 3-for-11 in the game. Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant, and
Jordan Farmar EACH turned the ball over 3 times, and
Radmanovic shot 0-for-2 with 1 foul and 1 turnover. Ronny
Turiaf was weak as well - hitting 2 of 6 of his shots.
Walton? He shot 4 for 8 and had 5 rebounds, 5 assists,
and 4 steals. He had a good game while several other
Lakers around him were sucking. If some of those other
guys weren't sucking so much, then they wouldn't be
in a situation at the end where they HAD to hit a 3-pointer
just to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Luke didn't lose the game. He just put one of the final
touches on a loss by his teammates.
>>>not calling a TO while he could not inbound in the
>>>last .9 sec for a last shot
And here I believe you're referring to the Memphis game
on March 28. Once again, it's a last second situation where
the Lakers desperately needed a 3 to tie the game and
take it to overtime... agaisnt MEMPHIS. They should have
been POUNDING Memphis. WTF?!!?! Gee. Why were
they NOT pounding Memphis?
Lamar Odom 1-for-7 shooting? check. Ronny Turiaf 3-for-10
shooting? check. Derek Fisher 2-for-7 shooting? check.
Sasha Vujacic 5-for-17 shooting? check.
The ONLY LAKER to shoot over 50% other than Kobe was
DJ Mbenga. He shot a mad 2-for-3 before fouling out in
16 minutes. Luke, at 2-for5 shooting was the 4th most
efficient player for the Lakers (After Kobe, DJ, and Farmar).
Once again. Odom and Turiaf and Fisher and Vujacic
lost this game. ESPECIALLY Odom and Turiaf. They
sucked so bad that they caused gale winds from Pasadena
to Marina Del Rey, and from Malibu to Anaheim.
Luke's failure to call timeout on the inbounds pass with
less than 1 second left was just the bow on the ribbon on
the wrapping on the GIFT that most of the Lakers gave
to Memphis.
>>author: Luke's IQ
So you point out two games where several of Lukes teammates
played bad for 20 or 30 minutes and Luke played bad for
1 second and you blame the loss on Luke. Surely your
I.Q. is much more in question for blaming Luke for these
losses.
The Lakers wouldn't have had to make desperation last
second 3-pointers to win the games if some of Luke's teammates
had done their jobs better.
>>>lakers 0-2
Luke's contribution to those 0-2? Mostly positive.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 07, 2008 at 09:53 AM
There is nothing worse than overcooked broccolli.
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | April 07, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Zin Master,
>>>i just remembered that months ago after LUKE had
>>>a terrible game (maybe the one with the 8sec. no shot),
Point 1: Luke played a good game against Cleveland,
despite not taking the shot against LeBron at the end.
>>>the next game he was BAILED out in street clothes
>>>on the bench, with some lame injury, but did play
>>>the following game.
You might be thinking of the Philadelphia game back in
December -- the Lakers won, but Luke played poorly
(2-for-9) then sat out the next 3 games with an ankle injury.
>>>at least vlad, took the s##it and raised to the
>>>occasion. maybe because he did not feel the
>>>pressure of being replaced by LUKE for every
>>>little mistake he makes.
Have you actually watched Rad all season? I think not.
I think you're basing your evaluation on the last game
played with no memory of the past.
So you say Rad is better when Luke doesn't play. Is that
your talking point here?
Let's see.
There are 6 games that Luke has missed due to injury
this season:
12/23 vs New York - Vlad 2-for-5 for 4 points, 3 rebounds
12/25 vs Phoenix - Vlad 0-for 1 for 0 points, 3 rebounds
12/28 vs Utah - Vlad 3-for-9 for 7 points, 3 rebounds
1/31 vs Detroit - Vlad 2-for-6 for 7 points, 3 rebounds
2/1 vs Toronto - Vlad 3-for-9 for 6 points, 9 rebounds
4/6 vs Sacramento - Vlad 7-for-14 for 21 points, 14 rebounds
Yep. It looks like you're fixated on the latest game and not
recognizing the overall trend. Without Luke on the floor,
Vlad is just as inconsistent as with Luke on the floor. In
some of those games PJ gave him big minutes and he
underachieved. In others, PJ gave him the hook for
Ariza or someone else, since Luke wasn't available.
Now maybe I got it wrong. Maybe your point wasn't that
Rad is better when Luke doesn't play. Maybe your point
was that Luke gets injured too much or that Luke fakes
injury.
Luke has sat out injured 6 games this season. He's played
through injury for MANY games while both Ariza and Rad
were out with injury. Rad has missed 16 games with
injury.
So if you care to continue the attacks on Luke and praise
for Radmanovic, at least admit what they are... they're
an unjustified personal bias on your part against Luke.
Because if you look at who has actually contributed more
to the team this season, it's Luke. Rad has had a few
flashes of brilliance and a lot of stretches of mediocrity.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 07, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Zin Master,
>>>how many times LUKE was 0-7 or 1-7 and the 1 or 2
>>>points he got were really in garbage time.
Wow. You really are basing your arguments based on personal
bias rather than facts.
Luke has had 1 point or less 3 times this season, while
Rad has had 1 point or less 9 times. The Lakers are 5-4
in the games where Rad plays and scores 0 or 1 points.
The Lakers are 2-1 in games where Luke scored 0 or 1
points, and Luke averaged 3 shots in those games.
Luke's biggest 0fer shooting night this season was 0-for-3.
Rad had a magnificent 0-for-10 (in a loss to New Jersey).
Seriously. If you want to talk about who's shooting has
let the team down, Radmanovic is your man.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 07, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Laker Truth,
"There is nothing worse than overcooked broccolli."
Sorry, but I have to call "shenanigans" on that statement. Overcooked zucchini is way worse than overcooked broccoli. (And that comes from a zucchini fan - by the far the most underrated of vegetables.)
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 07, 2008 at 10:57 AM