Jordan Farmar should start and bring DFish off the bench. Farmar s developing into a top guard in the NBA. He is very motivated with potential to reach CP3 and DWill level.

Biggest impression of the preseason, aside from Coby Carl throwing it down, was Farmar. He is so energetic and really will bring us to a new level. Him and Ariza will provide the quickness that we need. Cannot wait for these two.

BK,
Good pre-season summary...I agree with it all.

MY IMPRESSIONS:
I don't care who starts between Fish and JF, I just want Farmar to play 24 to 28 minutes. This is NOT being critical of Fish, just that Farmar needs the minutes to max out his growth this year, and Fish doesn't. 20 minutes a night for fish, would keep him fresh for the playoffs.

I think Kobe's PPG might be down significantly this year as we roll to our 15th title. With Pau, AB, Farmar, Ariza, LO, Fish, VRad, and Machine all adding 8-20 PPG, Kobe won't have to score.

I love the way VRad is going to the hoop, and even playing a little D.

I think we should SAVOR every minute of this season, as I don't think we will see this team together next year. Kobe, AB, LO, Farmar, and Ariza all need contracts, and I just don't see how we keep the team together for less than $100 million, which obviously is not going to happen.

Going to be the most enjoyable Laker season since Magic retired.

What kind of numbers is Lamar averaging right now? I know his minutes are down during the preseason, but still...does anyone else have a problem with us paying $13mil to a guy who will average 10 points and 10 rebounds a game?
Also I might be way off on this but has he been taking a lot of 3 pointers as well during this preseason and not driving to the basket?
It seems like whatever we didn't want Lamar to do during the last season, we are ok with this season now that he is coming off the bench.

Gasol's play impress me, so is Ariza! Go Lakers

I disagree about Farmar starting. Right now, he is a much more exciting player to watch than DFish but Derek still has better team defense. Derek is just a better fit with the starting 4 of the 77s, Kobe and Vlad.
Jordan is a terrific fit w/Ariza, LO, Sasha, Luke, Mihm in the 2nd unit.
I wouldn't be surprised if Farmar averages 26~28 minutes a game, spending some time on the floor with the first unit, during the course of the game and even ending some games.
I don't think DFish is going to slow down much this year, and his style has never depended on speed anyway. His strength is in his basketball smarts, body strength, and calm, steady leadership on the floor no matter what the game situation is bec. he has seen it all. His spot up shooting provides great spacing for the 77s and Kobe to work the inside. Also, Kobe trusts DFish more than any Laker.
Farmar is still too young, prone to turnovers, sometimes, bad shots, still doesn't have the body to take charges. If a playoff game is on the line, I would rather place my bets on Fisher than Farmar taking a last minute shot.
Farmar is proving himself to be the Laker starting PG of the future though and his stepping it up to another level this season is his chance to seal the deal.

My impression of the team now that the pre-season is done is that they have all the pieces necessary to succeed. For the first time in a long time, I feel pretty confident about every player that would see meaningful minutes during the regular season.

My biggest fear going into the regular season, next to a possible catastrophic injury, is that this team will lose their edge playing as the Western Conf favorites. Just like this team is horrible playing with the lead, they're just as horrible playing as the favorites. Leading up to the Finals, I hated the fact that everyone was touting the Lakers to beat Boston, because it had a noticeable impact on the attitude of the team. They had lost their edge. They let entitlement creep in. The allowed themselves to think they were supposed to win. Boston never lost their hunger and intensity.

is it time yet???...no it's not time yet...:-(

LakerMan 420

Impressions:

Number one - fluidity. Moving with the ball, without the ball, passing. Just watch any five Lakers as a whole on the court, they're constantly shape-shifting. Same goes for rotations - we're able to throw different looks out there - half-court offense, the so-called minuteman group, etc., etc.. An incredibly fluid and complimentary group on both ends of the court.

Number two - Dan the man mentioned something that caught my attention as well: Growth. Reread his post - he says it better than I can.

As far as bad impressions - there's nothing major that comes to mind yet... a long season awaits and there's sure to be some valleys. For now though, things look good.

BK

I agree with your assesment of the pre-season. It will be interesting to see if consistency can become the dominant adjective used to describe the Laker noun. If we can play the defense that we played in the pre-season with consistency, I think this team will be very tough to beat. Because if you hold a team to bewtween 90-92 ppg or less, I think this team can average around 102 ppg (way down from my summer dreaing 115).

The offence isn't too big of an issue because it seems like everyone is moving well together on the floor. It seemed like 3 years is a good amount of time for people who struggle with the triangle to fully grasp how it can work. Sun's an obvious example of a player lost in a system, he pretty much hangs out on the perimeter and shoots jumpers.

Conditioning and durability will also define how far we go. If the young guys (Farmar, Bynum, Ariza) and the less durable guys (Walton, Mihm, the wonder-boarder VladRad) can maintain that level of energy on defence for the next 98 games (I'm smugly counting the post season total) than I don't see this team losing too many games. I love the shifting, side line trap that Phil uses, it won't stop you're Baron Davis' or Chris Pauls, but it will come in handy against second-stringers and youngsters.

Scary Awesome. This season is looking like a lot of fun.

Nice pre-season, gang, let's get this show on the road.

The things that stood out to me were obvious.
KOBE IS KOBE.

Farmar looks like he has worked hard on his game and is poised to add more to his game than just 3 pointers which were 48% of his shots.

Ariza looks like such a steal for Evans and Cook. He is going to be huge for the team.

Bynum's sheer size has made a defensive effect. Guys are slower and less aggressive towards the basket.

Gasol looks like the game is easy for him. He should be quite efficiently good this yr.

Odom looks like he wants to unleash his poor Man's Magic Johnson side.

With all that said, the Lakers need to win 85% of their home games, dominate who they are suppose to dominate, watch the minutes of the key players (KOBE and the bigs), and win some statement games against the BEST DEFENSIVE TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE which are

BOSTON, HOUSTON, DETROIT, and CLEVELAND.

Until that happens none of this matters

I think you throw out the games before last night...which is the one that really counted imo. As seen by the amount of minutes the guys that actually will play...played.

My biggest impression? The lineup of Pau, Bynum, LO, Vlad, Fish...works! I never would have thought so. They are tall, they can dominate the paint and they can play. Very interesting.

My second biggest impression...defense. I haven't seen a great improvement apart from Bynum's shot-blocking. We're still getting caught trying to gamble and steal, and sometimes we're outright just letting our man go by (Jordan!). One thing we have done this preseason more than others is trapping. We're trapping very well. Of course we have to do it correctly and timely, and we have. If we do that during the season we're that much better defensively. Rebounding has been impressive for the most part. I said last year that one piece we're missing is a rebounder, the kind of dude that will go out there and get all the balls. Well this year, we have 2 guys like that. We have a team collectively that can get all the rebounds if they so desire. They're certainly tall enough.

Lastly, I'm a big believer in making them play to your strengths, not the other way around. So I would put in Trevor in the starting spot. Having Trevor there deals with our need for defense against the big 2s of the league, maybe even the 1s like Tony Parker. Offensively we should find a way to not make him have to be the shooter, the opposition would want it otherwise, but as a slasher he is not a lost cause on offense.

Jordan impressed me with his killer instinct and him improved game. He didn't shot that many threes and instead focused his game on driving hard to the basket and on his superb passing skills. All of those elements out of Jordan will help keep the defense honest and allow Jordan and the Lakers much more success then just having him jack up 3 after 3.

For the most part I really liked what I saw out of Lamar. He definitely had some quiet quarters during the preseason but he also impressed me with his outside shooting and his passing abilities. He actually shot well from the outside, something he will have to do more of this year. He also drove to the basket a lot and had some really nice finishes. And like I've said before, this will be a career year for Lamar's assists. I thought he passed really well all preseason minus a few Luke Walton drops a la Kwame Brown.

All in all, I'm hoping for 70 wins this season...

Lamar = 6th man of the year

GO LAKERS & GO BUFFS

They actually seemed focused on learning HOW to play with each other, rather than HOW to win a game. If they can get the fundamentals down (especially as you said with ball movement), it should be a fantastic season to watch.

Attention to detail is paramount. It's fantastic to see them working on that.

What doesn't look too good is Luke's ability to get off the floor yet. He's hit a few threes, made some good decisions with the ball, but I'm hoping his explosiveness comes back before January. I also want to see less complaining from everyone (esp bynum) regarding fouls and what-not. 10 and 10 is all I really want from him (with a block or two).

I hear a lot of people talking about defense but not a whole lot of describing exactly what people are seeing on the floor that they don't like.

Here's what I see that's improved already from last season:

Stopping the ball in transition (i.e. Powe going coast to coast). Last night's game was a perfect example. There was a play where Bynum was running back on defense while one of OKC's guards was trying to push the ball. Drew came over and disrupted that guard's push, which allowed his teammates to set up the defense. There's no way Drew decided he was going to pick up the defensive assignment on that guard. What he was taught, though, was to stop the ball - forcing the opposition to pull back and set up their half-court set.

Defensive rotations are solid. The first rotation is almost automatic. For instance - if Drew shows hard on a pick and roll, someone playing PF or SF always picks up his man until he can recover. Beyond that (helping the helper) is where the team needs to continue to improve. When teams set multiple screens or are really adept and pressing their advantage while our bigs are trying to recover.

Interior defense. Drew is imposing his will, changing and altering several shots per game. But what the team will have to watch out for is making him pay for rotating over (help the helper). Other players like LO and Vlad are trying, but Drew is developing into a difference maker in that respect.

Here's what could be better.

On the ball defense. There a players who are bringing that intensity and those that aren't. On the whole, the team is better helping and trapping than they are actually stopping the player they're assigned to guard. This is where we're still seeing a lot of dribble penetration. Our sore spot is keeping SFs/SGs like Gerald Wallace, Melo, LeBron, Ginobli, Pierce, Wade, etc from getting into the paint (when Drew isn't on the floor to turn them back). We're now literally seeing teams attack the paint that way as soon as Drew takes a seat on the bench.

Gambling. Kobe's gambling has become infectious with guys like Farmar, Ariza and Vlad becoming really active in the lanes. But, for as many steals as they get, they are just as many plays where they miss and take themselves out of the play (mostly near half court where they think they're cornerbacks trying to intercept a ball in stride resulting in a touchdown), giving the opposition a 5 on 4 advantage and sending their teammates scrambling. Plays like when you steer the ball-handler down to the baseline and force them to look for that opposing corner bail-out pass (one of which Vlad picked off last night) are the types of things I like to see.

One word. Bynum.

He is a game changer. If he develops from here, he will at some point become the focal point of this team, offensively and defensively. Long. Strong. Agile. Catches the ball in the paint better than anyone in the league. Nice touch. Good rebounding instincts. Oh yes, long, long long.

Big men in the NBA don't play as much manly man center as they used to. There are very few guys in the league who will match up with Bynum.

The risk? Too much size, not enough quickness and perimter shooting. This team will probably come together and be very tough to beat, but if there is a risk it is too many guys, Gasol, Odom, Ariza, Mihm, etc., who struggle when they step out on the floor to shoot with Bynum in the post.

Only thing left to work on is TURNOVERS

BK,

Excellent question of the day. The biggest impression I take from the pre-season is that this Lakers team is growing up right before our eyes. I think they are on the verge of having one of the greatest seasons and becoming one of the greatest teams in NBA history. We may be the first team ever to have an active roster of 12 players in or nearing their prime who either are, have been, or will soon be starters in the NBA. We may have the deepest team ever.

I wanted four major strategic changes to come out of pre-season: (1) Kobe focusing on being the defensive stopper and offensive closer as he was for Team USA, (2) ) the team playing an aggressive trapping style perimeter defense with Drew protecting the rim rather than the usual collapsing defense used by Boston and Houston, (3) the team pounding the ball inside to Drew on offense in the half court and running even more than last year to take advantage of speed and athleticism in transition, (4) Lamar becoming 6th man and leader of the bench mob. So far, the Lakers are doing exactly what I hoped they would do strategically. Now for real time.

I love how Kobe has continued to assume the key role he played during the Olympics as the team’s defensive stopper and offensive closer. As I said all summer, this team is so talented and loaded offensively that we can afford to have Kobe dedicate himself to becoming DPOY and setting an example for the rest of the team to follow on defense. I am increasingly hopeful that Kobe will continue to prioritize defense and lead the Lakers new-found pressing and trapping perimeter defense. If he continues this defensive focus, the team will follow.

As I also said all summer, the defensive strategy that makes best sense for this team is not to collapse and protect the lane as Mike T always preached, but to use Drew’s shot blocking and our overall interior size and length to protect the rim and free our perimeter defenders to press and trap and aggressively force turnovers to fuel a fast breaking transition game. This is exactly what we have seen, especially last night. It is a strategy that fits the players on this team perfectly and takes advantage of our great size, length, speed, and athleticism.

In addition to Kobe, the other key to improved Lakers defense has been Andrew Bynum’s protection of the rim and control of the boards. After not having played basketball for eight months, Drew is finally getting his game together and starting to play like he did before getting injured last year. He is challenging, altering, and blocking shots and providing the Lakers with the free safety and goal tender they need to play this aggressive pressing perimeter defense. Drew is exactly what the Lakers needed to make this new defensive strategy work.

It was encouraging to see that Lakers pound the ball inside to Drew and play championship style inside-outside basketball, although Kobe didn’t play and the Thunder big men are pretty poor, I strongly believe that success on offense encourages Drew to play even harder on defense. He intimidates and shoots a high percentage, causes foul problems for the other team’s big man, and opens up everybody else for open shots. There is no question in my mind that making Drew our second offensive option to Kobe is the way to play.

Offensively, I am really glad Phil opted to go with Lamar as the 6th man, for which so many of us on the blog have lobbied. Vlade’s outstanding shooting and greatly improved overall play as the fifth starter was also a big plus during the pre-season. His ability to spread the floor due to his great 3-point shooting really helps the team’s spacing on offense. While Vlade will have to continue to excel to keep his starting spot, we all know Phil wants a great shooter to start at small forward to spread the floor and open lanes for Kobe, Drew, and Pau.

I have to give Lamar some love and credit for how he has accepted the change to 6th man. He is now the leader of the second unit, which I expect to consistently outplay other teams’ starting units. The change-of-pace that Lamar, Jordan, Trevor, Sasha, Luke, and Chris bring when they enter the game is amazing. It appears that Lamar may thrive as the 6th man, Jordan may seriously press Fish for the starting point guard role, Trevor may seriously press Vlade for the starting small forward role, Sasha could even compete for the 6th man award, and Luke and Chris may be rejuvenating their careers after having once been starters.

As Jon K so aptly put it, I love this team more than any other Lakers team – and I have been there rooting for every Lakers championship since 1971. This year is going to be the greatest. JMNSHO. Go, Lakers!

Tom

Laker Hopeful, there is no way that Farmar is signed for only 4 or 5 million per year. Unless he regresses from last season, he'll probably get around 7-8 million per year. Hopefully we can re-sign everybody, but the chances of that happening are slim.

"Ariza looks like such a steal for Evans and Cook. He is going to be huge for the team."

Lakerbake, Same here. I really dunno why people rated Evans as a great 3 point shooter. It's not his strength plus Trevor's will probably be better. And don't even think about Cook, he was probably the worst Laker we drafted since 2003 and was only slightly better than Kwa-may only because he could hit a 3 point shot from time to time.

Faith,

Like you said trapping is really is what his helping this team, the Bach defense the type of trapping that the Bulls used in the Jordan days. Steals are more or less gambles and it's not only Jordan but also Trevor and even Kobe. Heck yes we can get burned from time to time but hey it's aggressive defense.

The problem with Trevor as a starter is jump shooting is not his strength nor will it ever be. Like you said it's slashing. Teams are simply going to clog the lane and not even having the mid range games of Pau or the shooting of Kobe and Derek will be enough to open that lane. That's why we have Radman and he has showed improved defense especially with rotating and trapping defense. Derek is still very solid on defense and Kobe will still guard the best 2's. Trevor and Jordan looks so well being together and I really think that having one of them start and one of them on the bench really would disrupt the energy they bring off the bench.

-blitz

LakerinBC,

I second your comments about Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher.

********

Eric M,

>>>>> Going to be the most enjoyable Laker season since Magic retired.

That is something we both agree upon.

********

blitz,

>>>>>Farmar-Sasha-Ariza-Odom-Bynum/Gasol/Mihm with Walton as their 6th man.

What is funny is that your weird description really fits Luke’s current position. If he keeps playing like he has, we may actually see an 11-man rotation, although not all in the same game. And it IS the start of a new dynasty.

********

lakers_sth,

>>>>>Just like this team is horrible playing with the lead, they're just as horrible
>>>>>playing as the favorites. Leading up to the Finals, I hated the fact that
>>>>>everyone was touting the Lakers to beat Boston, because it had a noticeable
>>>>>impact on the attitude of the team. They had lost their edge. They let entitlement
>>>>>creep in. The allowed themselves to think they were supposed to win.

Great point. I had those exact same fears going in and feelings after we had lost. They just accomplished too much too fast last year. I love how the team and almost every player has improved this pre-season. I must give credit to Phil and the staff. Phil basically threw two games and some good feelings to get his points across, but the team now appears to be primed and ready to go for the regular season. I think their failure in the Finals will be the fuel and chip on their shoulder that will carry them to the championship. I really envy your chance to watch each game in person. Thanks in advance for sharing your Lakers times with us.

********

dan,

>>>>>I feel that Andrew is gonna eat this kid up!!

I will bet Drew is already visualizing his performance against Oden in his first REAL game since being injured. I expect this to be the game where Drew picks up and shows the kind of play he displayed right before getting injured. The reports are that he has been getting more and more aggressive every day in practice and the coaches are thrilled.

********

Rocky,

>>>>>Phil Jackson has played the Lamar situation perfectly so far in my opinion.
>>>>>We just can't have that lack of balance out on the floor at any time when
>>>>>we have such a deep team.

Excellent point, Rocky. Phil has been the master setting up the roles and then getting everybody to buy in. We are watching a team building genius at work. I also agree with you about the balance on the floor but also between the first and second units.

********

ex,

>>>>>Bynum is on the verge of taking a step up from where he was at his
>>>>>high-point last season. I think he hasn't quite found his comfort level
>>>>>yet with his game, but I suspect it will be there by New Year's.

I have a hunch we may see him start that process Tuesday night against Greg Oden and Wednesday against Chris Kaman. Drew knows those will be his last two chances to show why he should be signed to an extension. Great to see you optimistic about the season but then it’s been a while since our hopes and prayers rested on Smush and Kwame. LOL.

********

Laker420

>>>>>is it time yet???

I am purchasing some special blend of championship origins at an outrageous price to usher in the start of the Lakers next dynasty. I will make sure to pass you some, virtually of course. As the Toys always said, would you rather do your homework or smoke two joints. We all know the answer to that one. Have a toke on me, Laker420.

********

Tom

My obvservations were that the Lakers looked good, players who had earlier concerned me (Luke, Rad Vlad) showed major improvement, and Sun Yue looked horrible.

GO LAKERS!

LakerTom,

It IS going to be be fun this year.

"Pig" Miller's pre-season observations:

• Kobe Bryant is an excellent basketball player

• Trevor Ariza has more tattoos than I remember

• Sun Yue looks like they just picked him because he's tall

• The Lakers white guys are pretty good (for white guys)

• Old Spice Commercials are hilarious

• LakerTom thinks Drew will get an extension soon

• Suns fans believe their team can make the finals

• Suns fans are also crazy people

• Hooray for basketball!

ARIZA...

He's one of the key's to take it all this year.

Keep it up!!!