The preseason is over! (Question of the Day)
October 25, 2008 | 12:17
pm
Finally, mercifully, the pretend game season has ended.
Fortunately for the Lakers, it went off (more or less) with out a
hitch. A scare from Kobe and his knee- careful, Josh Powell!- but no
real calamities. Overall, I saw nothing in the preseason that made me
change my opinion of the Lakers heading in, that they're the best team
in the Western Conference. Some very quick observations before the
QOTD:
- I would have liked to see LO, Bynum, and Gasol on the floor together a little more. Despite Odom's current sixth man status, I still think that threesome has potential, and if the Lakers want to get the most minutes from their best players, it'll have to be explored. That said, Bynum and Pau looked increasingly more comfortable as they piled up some minutes together.
- Kudos to Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar for a great preseason. Farmar in particular is showing a ton of confidence. A little too much, occasionally, but I would expect that his more reckless tendencies will die down a little once the games actually count.
- A healthy Chris Mihm is going to make a huge impact on the quality of the rotation.
- Josh Powell won't provide the shotblocking or offense of Ronny Turiaf, but in terms of rebounding and interior toughness, the Lakers will be just fine in those minutes they'll need him to play.
- The ball movement, particularly among the bigs, is the biggest reason they'll be fun to watch.
All of this, of course, leads to the Question of the Day: What were your major impressions from the preseason? Think players, combinations, good things and bad.
BK
laker hopeful,
Not to pile on, but Kobe isn't signing for 20 million. No way, no how. 25-27 million is more like it. 5 years 135 mil. is the best guess. This is in addition to the 15+ for Bynum.
sorry, but at least your name fits......
Posted by: pslakerfan | October 25, 2008 at 06:06 PM
Hopeful,
"If the payroll is 70 million next year, according to the money you are projecting that these players would get, we would lose Farmar, Ariza and Odom."
Depressing isn't it!
"We might lose one of those players, but not all three."
That is my hope as well. If we let LO walk, we might find a way to keep both Farmar and Ariza.
Posted by: Eric M. | October 25, 2008 at 06:12 PM
I can't wait to play the big BRUTES of this league.
BOSTON
HOUSTON
DETROIT
CLEVELAND
I think those are the 4 most physical in all of the league. We need 5 wins at least against those East Coast powerhouses. Yep I said it 5 wins cause I want to clear all that mental nonsense out of the way before MAY/JUNE.
I have
New Orleans
San Antonio
Portland
Philly
Phoenix
as other teams that present either a great great player, intangible players with experience, or a new big man that presents a new challenge.
It's important that we keep our thumbs on San Antonio and New Orleans.
Also, we need to hit Portland in the mouth now so they can remember that as they get strong the next 3 yrs.
Posted by: Lakerbake | October 25, 2008 at 06:18 PM
hobbitmage,
great analysis earlier. I started to do my own post, but you pretty much nailed it.
Posted by: pslakerfan | October 25, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Pig,
"LakerTom thinks Drew will get an extension soon"
I challenge you to supply evidence of such an assertion. lol
Posted by: Eric M. | October 25, 2008 at 06:20 PM
LakerTom
I agree on Kobe focusing on defense. We have so much offense that I think Kobe could be an 18-20 shot guy and just lead a defensive mindset.
This sounds familiar to Boston's defensive quarterback named KG.
I would like to choke teams.
In addition, as much as I wish Kobe would re-add that post up fadeaway game to his repoitiore again, with this team having true post up bigs, he just needs to keep that mid range and long range jumper polished up despite the pinkie injury because if he hits the one's he missed against Boston, it's over and quickly.
Posted by: Lakerbake | October 25, 2008 at 06:21 PM
OUR SPORTS BROTHER TEAMS
THE DALLAS COWBOYS AND NEW YORK YANKEES WHO SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT OF BEING THE SIGNATURE TEAMS OF THEIR LEAGUES.
As Lakers, let's take a cue from the Dallas Cowboy nonsense and deflect all this we're the favorite, we're loaded, we just gone sign up for game 1 of the Finals talk. The media has an orgasm over the Lakers, Cowboys, and Yankees. Let's downplay all that hoopla and be the underdogs that we are.
I hope we get a Belichek like way of going about business and back off some of the Phil Jackson arrogance.
Doc Rivers took Phil behind the woodshed and paddled him royally. Phil has a TON, I mean a TON to prove.
We need to remain humble and starving.
Posted by: Lakerbake | October 25, 2008 at 06:24 PM
Lakerbake,
>>>>> We need to remain humble and starving.
Great to see you back. Thank God we start with a pair of back to backs. Anything less might not be enough. LOL.
I know what you mean about humble and starving as we definitely got overconfident before the Finals but I have a feeling this team is going to be one of those that will walk tall and back up their talk by winning it all. I truly feel they have a chance to dominate and win 80% to 85% of their games, or 60 to 70 wins. Unlike last year, I think we are going to separate ourselves from the pack in the West and win home court advantage for all of the playoffs.
It will be fun to see if Kobe can really keep his focus on defense. It will really depend on the rest of the team really clicking on offense and our defense shutting people down. As long as that formula holds, Kobe will keep his focus fine. But I also think you need to let him go off at some point in most games just to keep his game sharp and his competitive ego well fed. And to keep us Kobe fans happy. But this team is so deep and talented and play great team ball on offense that I think it is possible that this may be our makeup all year long. If so, we will win the championship in a dominating fashion. We won’t need to remain humble and strong. Just able to back up our strutting and showboating with tough play at both ends.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | October 25, 2008 at 07:04 PM
Thirty2,
>>>Von Wafer sticks in Houston...
A couple of points on that. Von Wafer averaged 12.4 points
per game in the presason - more than any Laker!
Von Wafer made >50% of his 3-pointers in the preseason.
Houston was hurting for 3-point shooting (it's why they
brought in Brent Barry as well).
That's why VW made the cut.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 25, 2008 at 07:14 PM
My preseason thoughts - part 1: The starters
Fish and Kobe both looked kinda sluggish most of the time. I think
that's purely a reflection of them being veterans and knowing
that these games don't count for anything. They don't have
anything to prove - they've won 3 rings. They just need to work
out some of the kinks and stay healthy.
Bynum and Gasol got better and better together the more
they played together. I think they could be something really
special. Probably half the teams in the league don't have ONE
player on their team who is as good on offense in the post
as either Gasol or Bynum. And they're both good passers. In a way they remind me of Robert Parrish &
Kevin McHale, and I think they could have that big of an impact.
Bynum's starting to get his timing back... first couple of games =
no alley-oops. Last game = like 5 or 6 alley-oops. If he stays
healthy and continues to improve, he's a lock for the All-Star
game. If things go really swimmingly, I could see the Lakers
getting 3 All-Stars.
Radmanovic seems to be a bit more dedicated to defense than
last season, and if he keeps it up, he'll deserve to start. His
3-point shooting was spotty, but that will come back with repetition.
Overall, the starters seem a bit lethargic, but I think it's because
most of them are veterans who are going through the motions
some of the time because it's preseason. I expect them to
kick it up a notch from the first game of the season.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 25, 2008 at 07:58 PM
My preseason thoughts - part 2: The Minute-Men
Farmar and Ariza have stepped it up a level and play really
well off of each other. On both ends of the court, they're
really hustling.
I like Lamar coming off the bench and being the heart of the
Minute Men. I DON'T like Lamar shooting a lot of 3-pointers.
Especially when Farmar and Sasha and Luke will all be much
more effective 3-point shooters for the bench mob. Lamar
should be slashing or posting up. He should only take a three
if the clock is running down, he's got it back there wide open
and there are 5 guys in the lane.
Lamar, like the starters, seems to be playing a level below what
he's capable of most of the time. I'm sure it's just the veteran-
preseason thing.
I hope Sasha gets well soon. His 3 point shooting is important
and they'll need it to be successful against some of the better
defensive teams in the league.
Luke and Mihm are playing quite a bit better than the end of last
season. There are several teams in the league where one or
both of those guys would start. On the Lakers, they're the
10th and 11th guys off the bench. Verrry nice.
Overall, I think the Minute Men are going to knock a lot of
teams out of games. The opponent will scrap and fight for
every inch of court at the start because they're playing the
Western Conference finalists, and maybe they'll keep it close
or even get a slight lead... and then the Minute Men will
come in
and mop up the floor with them.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 25, 2008 at 08:14 PM
My preseason thoughts - part 3: deep bench
Josh Powell isn't as good an energy guy or shot blocker as
Ronny Turiaf was, but he rebounds better and his position defense
is just as good. But the way things look right now, he may
not get more than about 10 minutes a game, if that.
Coby Karl didn't look too good when he shared the floor with
MBenga, Giles, and Brandon Heath. But in the last couple of
games, when he was playing with Farmar and Bynum and
Odom and Luke, he played pretty well. He's the 13th guy
off the bench, but I must say that I would feel confident
with Coby Karl playing some real minutes if he ever had to.
MBenga's play hasn't really improved over last season, but
the expectation of him isn't very high. If he's put in a game,
it's to wrestle with some big-body player, throw a few fouls
at him, maybe block a shot, and grab a few rebounds. And
he's fully capable of that. With Mihm's status questionable,
I was a bit worried that they may need more from MBenga,
but Mihm seems like he'll be fine for 10 to 15 minutes at C and/or PF,
so MBenga's only an insurance policy in case someone gets
injured.
And last but certainly least, Sun Yue. I still have reasonably
high hopes for him, but he really struggled in the preseason.
My guess is he goes down to the D-Fenders as soon as they
start playing and takes over as the starting PG. And then maybe
some time from late December to early March, they bring him
in and give him a few minutes of real time in games that count,
to let him wade in the big kids pool for awhile (much like Coby Karl
last season). The good news is that even if Fisher or Farmar
got injured, Sasha & Coby Karl are capable of playing a little bit
of point, so they don't need to rely on Sun Yue at all.
And the good news is that the three guys who might actually
get a few minutes here and there will all be content to play that
role. I don't think you'll see any ego from Powell or MBenga
or Karl, and if they get a chance to play, they'll come in and
play their hearts out.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | October 25, 2008 at 08:27 PM
Long Time,
Nice trio of posts. As expected, we rarely disagree except when it comes to money. Just like me and Mrs. LakerTom, LOL. Anyway, I think we’re going to have a lot of players post career bests this year. Kobe just might win DPOY, a 2nd regular season MVP, and possible Finals MVP, unless Drew beats him out for the Finals MVP ala Shaq. I believe Drew has a real shot a MIP though Lamar and Farmar might end up splitting votes for 6th Man. I think that Mitch and Phil have shots at EOY and COY. This season could be a 10 Academy Award winner!
It will be interesting to see how well Drew plays Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I still think Mitch will pull it off and sign Drew but maybe for a final figure closer to your number than mine. I really don’t care what the number is. I just want Drew locked up. I think Mitch wants to see him play those last two games before deciding upon a final offer and I think he will also play the team card (as he should), just as we did with Sasha. I think I was wrong not to see that the Lakers probably have a master plan to keep the team together if we win the championship. Maybe it includes Lamar and maybe it doesn’t but it definitely includes getting the star players to sacrifice salary in order to keep the team together. I think it starts with Drew this summer and then Kobe and Lamar next summer. The good thing is I think the players will respond.
The key is that Drew wants to be a Laker and I don’t think he would walk away from a fair deal if the Lakers assured him that the money left on the table would go to keep the team together. At least that is what I am hoping is going to happen. Anyway, I think Drew is primed to have two monster games to open the Era of the Beast. The A-Train is going to be geeked to win. This team is going to be focused on winning home court throughout the playoffs. And they are going to start their journey in dominant fashion next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | October 25, 2008 at 08:59 PM
LTLF.....Valid points....The thing with Von is he reminds me of JR Smith in the early days..If he commits to the Rockets system and not his own he could be a nice piece for Houston...I think its a mental thing with him as well...
Posted by: Thirty2 | October 26, 2008 at 03:40 AM
Long Time Laker Fan
I agree on a lot of points.
I disagree on Luke or Mihm starting anywhere.
They might start for the Thunder, Wolves, or Bobcats but even that's a question because they would have trouble beating out the Nick Collison's and Craig Smiths.
I think Mbenga looks better somewhat but as you said his ceiling is low.
I really really agree on Josh Powell's low post defense and rebounding. I think he can exceed Rony on that without the shot blocking and I hope he can get as good as Kwame perhaps. He's a smaller body though.
I'm not sure Sun Yue can make it in this league to be totally candid.
I think Coby Karl is Coby Karl, no better or worse.
He needs to play for the Bobcats or somewhere he can get minutes to see if anything is there.
Maybe he's Matt Carroll who got overpaid with a contract.
Another Bobcat blunder
Posted by: Lakerbake | October 26, 2008 at 10:10 AM
wow, there are a lot of posts on here. sorry, didn't have time to read them all, but read as many as i could.
i'm loving what i'm seeing from the Lakers, especially Andrew, and the numbers he's been getting lately. i'm thinking his goal of scoring 20 points a game and becoming an All Star can be realized this season. i honestly am starting to think of him as LAL's 1st option on offense. i'm just a layman, but isn't the triangle offense built on getting the ball into the low post? but i'm assuming who we post will change depending on match-ups. (even giving Kobe some touches in the post, too)
let's cut Sun some slack, okay? he's still new to this offense, and probably isn't ready yet for the NBA pace. i'm willing to bet that he will look better by the end of the season.
and i'm also concerned with the Lakers budget issue for the future. i don't really see how we can keep both LO and Ariza, unless someone takes a pay cut, and we don't resign guys like MBenga, Carl, and Mihm. only other way is to trade Vlade or Luke for expiring contracts and/or draft picks. the horrible truth is we have so many small forwards, and Vlade and Luke make too much dough for us to resign Ariza. or LA can pull a Knicks, and buy out Luke's contract... which i don't see happening.
and Lakers MUST resign Farmar. i don't see any situation in which we don't resign him. he's the starting PG of the future. no brainer. i'd even let Fisher go, to keep him. (i mean, after the season, of course)
Posted by: leonardbast | October 26, 2008 at 11:11 AM
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.
Posted by: LakerinBC | October 25, 2008 at 01:56 PM
==============================
I agree. I think DF is better with the 1st unit. DF will not be suited for the up pace game of the 2nd unit.
I think DF should get more rest for the playoffs as those games are more half court oriented. JF is younger and should get more minutes. Same applies to Kobe as I think he should play less minutes to preserve him for PO and extend his carreer.
Of couse match ups to teams should really determine minutes as which matchups favor us.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | October 26, 2008 at 05:13 PM
To me this pre- season showed that Andrew and Pau will be able to work well together and that having vladi in the the starting lineup works well and spreads the floor. The bench mob is going to be even better this season Jordan is playing great and with Trevor Ariza and Lamar as well as Sasha they will be striking so quick that no team will be able to keep up with them. Lamar has shown that he is willing to work off the bench and that he can handle a bit more of a leadership role. Even Mbenga has shown improvement. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and this team is Championship Bound for sure.
Posted by: Ana Gil | October 26, 2008 at 07:31 PM
Did we overpay and guarentee Sun Yue to score perhaps one field goal in the preseason? We just cut 3 guys who averaged more than 2ppg...
Posted by: D | October 27, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Remember there is the bench rotation for the regular season, and there is the bench rotation for important/playoff games.
My guess is that Odum/Farmar/Sasha are the players who will get significant substitution minutes rotating in when times get tough, but the regular season will tell what combinations work best.
But the best thing for Laker fans though, is for the 1st time in years we don't have to panic when Kobe takes a breather as long as the team stays healthy. I feel we have a team now that compete with anybody without Kobe. With Kobe we really have a chance to dominate.
Posted by: Laker Justice | October 27, 2008 at 02:44 PM