Missing pieces, and an injured dude: Media Day audio and quote pulls
The Lakers, as you may have heard, played the Finals at less than full strength. Trevor Ariza was limited coming back from foot problems, and Andrew Bynum was in a suit on the sidelines. Both are back, both are healthy and confident in the state of their once-injured body parts, and the expectation is the two of them will make a significant difference in the Lakers' fortunes. I happen to agree. Bynum provides a big body inside and a shot blocking presence on the defensive end along with a handy option on the other end, while Ariza is one of the team's better wing defenders (and, he notes, spent the summer working on his shot). Click below for some audio from both Ariza and Bynum.
One guy who isn't all the way back is Luke Walton, still recovering from offseason surgery on his right ankle. He's working out, but thinks it could be a couple weeks before he's participating fully in practice. It's time away Walton knows won't benefit him as the Lakers sort out the rotation on a very deep roster, but there's not much that can be done. Last season he was never healthy, and we all saw the results. Walton has much to prove this year.
Click below for the audio and quotes.
Audio:
- Trevor Ariza (no question, he's excited about being at full health and having a chance to play big minutes on a high quality team, something he's wanted since his career began): Download trevor_ariza_media_day.mp3
- Andrew Bynum (interesting words about the lessons of watching, and the defensive disorganization against the Celtics that cost them- a lack of discipline that they plan to correct this season): Download andrew_bynum_media_day.mp3
Quotes:
Luke Walton:
- "It's about two weeks before I'll be able to do full practices."
- On missing camp: "It sucks to miss it, because there's so much you get done in training camp, as far as getting back into NBA shape, playing with the guys, building that bond again. That's what I'm going to miss the most. As far as the offense, I've been here for enough years that I know that pretty well, so I don't think I'm going to miss out on that part. But just being out there, going through the rotations, (missing) all that stuff is going to be tough."
- On the emphasis on defense: "That's the goal of training camp. We're going to be doing new things, working on different type of rotations. And the best way to learn is just repetition. I'll be on the sidelines watching, but until you get out there and start doing the drills every day, I'll be a little bit behind. It sucks (more me, in terms of competing for PT). We've got a deep team. We've got guys who can play multiple positions, we've got a lot of guys who have performed in the NBA before. It's going to be a lot of competition for playing time, so to be out early is a little disadvantage. But hopefully they know what I can do, and once I get in shape and my ankle gets strong enough I'll be able to contribute and help this team."
- On defensive emphasis: "The advantage this year is we have pretty much the same team. With the triangle offense, whenever you have new guys you have to spend so much of training camp going through it, because if one guy on the court doesn't know what he's doing, it messes up the entire offense. With everyone pretty much coming back, we can focus on other stuff such as defense. The sooner we put it in and start working on it, you start using those philosophies in preseason games, and you get that practice at it. That's when you really develop those skills."
- On time spent on D: "Last year, we spent the most time on defense since I've been here. This year, I'm assuming from what the coaches are saying that we're even going to spend more time on that. I'm excited. I love playing for a good defensive team. At Arizona, we used to start every practice with a good half an hour of it. It was boring, but when the game comes, you know where your guys are going to be. It makes a difference, and I'm excited about it."
- On Boston's D: "We feel that's why they beat us. They played better defense, they were more consistent on the defensive end. We were a good defensive team. We had enough talent and size and mobility to do a lot of things on defense, but we weren't consistent enough. From one game to the next, we weren't stopping people. We met Boston in the Finals, and they made it hard for us to get every bucket, and we weren't able to do the same against them."
BK
Video from today's practice is up:
http://www.nba.com/lakers/multimedia/0708video.html
Interviews with PJ, Kobe and LO.
PJ's hair looks ridiculous. Like Seinfeld's when he was having a problem with his shower.
Kobe is going to stop wearing tape on the pinkie? He's strengthened it? I thought it was a complete tear.
LO's pretty honest about the conflict of being showcased in way that will land him a new contract vs doing what's necessary in order for the team to win a championship. The irony is that if he'd play stellar basketball, he'd fulfill both. I sense the added notion that maybe he feels like his new contract won't be with the Lakers. I hope it doesn't go south with him which, right now, could go either way.
Posted by: lakers_sth | September 30, 2008 at 05:02 PM
hey thirsty2 and butler, I like Kid Rock's music (Kid rock himself is good sometimes bad some times.)
330 is still too large enough to be "in shape". Howard is 265 lbs and Kendrick Perkins is 280 lbs. Camby is 235 lbs. Oden is 250 lbs. Closest to Shaq is Yao at 310 lbs.
Bynum is 285 lbs and lost more fat and gained muscle on both his upper body and lower body.
330 is still too slow to be ":07 seconds or less". Heck Amare is 245 lbs and (and a sprained ankle too!).
Phoenix doesn't have any "real" experienced defender beyond Raja Bell. Shaq is only good for personal defense and not so good at team defense (pick and roll). Lopez? Don't make me laugh even more, Lopez will get killed by Duncan and The Big Fundamental is a PF! Raja is the only good perimeter defender, Grant Hill is beyond his prime and Boris can only shut down TP, but not players at PF or SF nevermind Center.
Sorry Butler but once again you are so wrong.
-blitz
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 30, 2008 at 05:05 PM
Let Lamar start. I'm sure its a motivational tool for PJ to be questioning that, but in the end, I hope LO starts. He was great last year as a mismatch for Duncan, Boozer, et al.
The thing is, Ariza off the bench isn't such a bad thing either. He might provide a more energetic response off the bench than Lamar would. I see Lamar as a more steadying hand, than an energetic punch off the bench.
Posted by: #4 | September 30, 2008 at 05:11 PM
From training camp so far:
Seems like PJ likes Josh Powell alot calling him a "prototypical power forward". Rebounds well and does his job. That sounds very promising. For those who still think Powell can't be better than Ronny production wise (Fun wise most likely not as good as Ronny) look at their rebounding from last year:
Ronny Turiaf: 3.9 rpg
Josh Powell: 5.2 rpg
If Josh Powell has a good pre season, we got even more depth at power forward and maybe even center as well.
Lamar seems troubled about the prospect of being a 6th man, but it seems he would be willing to do it, if the lineup of Bynum-Gasol-Odom doesn't work out too well.
Kobe stayed in shape in the summer AFTER the Olympics. Very serious work ethic from him.
Pau vs Kobe in one on one contest. Suffice to say Kobe won that match up.
Butler,
man still on the International Space Station. It ain't Donaghy who screwed the Suns in 2007. Remember it was Stu Jackson, the Czar who suspended the STAT and the Diaw in Game 5. Don't let the Spurs victory in 2007 make you think of more dreams. Keep this up and we'll strip the title "Space Cadet" from Radman to Butler :).
btw, I don't know Cello the Spurs fan but he probably says
"Hello and Go Spurs Go!"
Btw do you also hang out on the Spurs blog?
Numero cuatro (#4)
"He (Bynum) was great last year as a mismatch for Duncan, Boozer"
It wasn't him that guarded or played against the Big Fundamental and Booze man. First it was Bynum (then the 3rd time we faced the Spurs Kwa-may Brown yikes!) then Pau faced Timmy and limited Timmy's greatness to 42% shooting. Pau also did a fantastic job on Carlos Boozer and limited Boozer to 38.7% shooting during the playoffs (Boozer against Houston averaged 43.% and had 3 games shooting over 50%). Odom may have some offense skill against Timmy and Booze man but he wasn't good defensively against them. That's why Phil put the bigger man (Bynum, Brown, Gasol) on them and Lamar even guarded centers (Okur, Thomas, Oberto).
"He might provide a more energetic response off the bench than Lamar would."
One of the bigger reasons why Lamar is better off starting and Trevor off the bench.
On topic by the way of Tim Duncan this is how each center fared defensively against the Big Fundamental, for Pau's case, it will be averaged:
Duncan vs Bynum: 2-13 shooting (15.4%)
Duncan vs Brown: 12-21 shooting (57.1%)
Duncan vs Gasol: 43-101shooting (42.6%) [Western Conference Playoff stats]
That was just a "added thing". Not really trying to prove a point with them lol. Didn't add the last regular season match win, otherwise Timmy's numbers would have been worst.
-blitz
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 30, 2008 at 05:40 PM
The Blitz sez:
"330 is still too slow to be ":07 seconds or less". Heck Amare is 245 lbs and (and a sprained ankle too!). "
Well blitz baby, you are right. The days of SSOL are long gone, and while it was the most fun with my clothes on, that game plan left with D'Antoni. Porter has already said he wants deliberate offense and a top-5 D.
These changes will play in SHACK'S favor, although I expect to see a fast transition game just the same.
Lopez is going to be good, probably better than anyone expected from the reports that have surfaced. Who knows till we see him play? At the very least, he will provide speed and size at center, and is a defense-minded player.
"Phoenix doesn't have any "real" experienced defender beyond Raja Bell. "
You evidently haven't figured in the new faces. Barnes is a good defender, Dragic has proved he can defend Tony Parker in Europe, Lopez is known primarily as a defender, and then there's the most important change - Porter.
Porter wants hard fouls in the paint, rather than a layup to start the transition game (as D'Antoni often did). Porter wants to funnel penetrators to the baseline rather than into the paint (as D'Antoni did). Porter spent half of the first workout practicing defense. Unheard of in AZ!
Boston's success, the Spurs' successes, Miami's success all came from playing very good, physical team D. Individual defenders are great, but it's the TEAM D that wins titles.
I mean, kobey is a good individual defender, but that didn't translate to team D in the Finals.
Posted by: BUTLER | September 30, 2008 at 05:46 PM
BUTLER,
Do you actually think it's a good idea to change your offensive system around one guy (Shaq) who is far from being your best player when the rest of your team excels in an uptempo offense? I mean, Shaq has yet to prove he can stay healthy for an entire season and we know that Nash, Amare, Hill and Barbosa all flourish in a free-flowing offense, and now you're going in the complete opposite direction.
Nash is going to be hurt the most I'm thinking because he was just a pretty good PG before he played in D'Antoni's system (and that was after he was playing in another uptempo offense with Don Nelson) and Barbosa is going to be the second guy that's hurt by this. More power to you if you think trying to play a system that doesn't fit your personnel is going to work.
Posted by: Xodus | September 30, 2008 at 06:42 PM
"These changes will play in SHACK'S favor, although I expect to see a fast transition game just the same."
Shaq is no Kareem and while he does improve the half court game, that ruines where Nash is the best, when the Suns are running. No more D'Antoni, Nash's greatest system is no more. Forcing him to play defense? Please, the probability of that at this time of year (he is 34) is just as much if not less than Pigs (not you Pig Miller) fly.
"At the very least, he will provide speed and size at center, and is a defense-minded player."
Defensive player maybe, but the seeds won't really grow until 2 years at least.
"Barnes is a good defender, Dragic has proved he can defend Tony Parker in Europe, Lopez is known primarily as a defender, and then there's the most important change - Porter."
Barnes is solid but not a great defender there's a reason why he didn't crack the lineup in Golden State last season . Goran Dragic?? Tell me that again after facing D-Will, CP3, and Mo Williams. Otherwise don't even try to bring Goran up and Tony Parker in Europe is "one" game so "one" game is good enough to say he can stop TP? Please. And Lopez? Check above.
And since you are so "hyped" on Porter and saying he's a "great defensive coach" like Pop and Larry Brown let's see his peformance defense wise in Milwaukee.
04-05: 100.2 ppg (20th in the league) on 46.4% shooting (27th in the league)
03-04: 97.0 ppg on 45.2% shooting.
Yeah right some "defense" Terry Porter preaches. His Bucks teams were quite very sucky at defense.
"Porter wants hard fouls in the paint, rather than a layup to start the transition game (as D'Antoni often did)"
Do I hear Flagrant 1 and 2 already? Or perhaps just more fouls. Hint: That ain't nothing compared to Bad Boy Pistons defense. Heck fouls in the lane? That's cool, Kobe can easily just penetrate and get fouled and that means free throws and that means foul trouble hehe. Thanks for the free throws! And the slower offense. Which is much easier to defend then :07 seconds or less.
Some defense (sarcasm)!
LOL!
-blitz
Posted by: thekobebryantblitz | September 30, 2008 at 07:25 PM
big bynum...
lakers are ready.
we are ready.
blog back..season 4 weeks away.
love it!
how is everyone!__!
colorado ..2nd home of the lakers...
Posted by: Lakers4Realz | October 02, 2008 at 08:47 PM
BUTLER
If the SUNS are so great, why don't they have a blog and why aren't you on it ???????
since your here.....
PLEEEZE don't give us the line that SHAQ is in shape and ready for the season, The guy is SO OLD and SO FAT and SO OUT OF SHAPE it's a JOKE, 330 admitted pounds which means 345-355, you will be lucky if he plays 35 games this year and I know he's saving himself for the playoffs, the only problem is the suns won't make the playoffs this year.
The reason SHAQ wanted the trade to AZ was so he could live @ SUN CITY's 55+ community and work as a security guard.
Posted by: tomK | October 02, 2008 at 10:15 PM