At this point, everyone could probably use a fresh game to discuss
Our good friend Ross Siler, who used to cover the Lakers for the Daily News and now is on the Jazz beat (very John Coltrane) once said covering the Lakers is like experiencing 82 Super Bowls a year, where rationality occasionally goes the way of these technologies. With the deservedly high expectations for the '08-'09 purple and gold, this year won't be any different, but since our local hardwood heroes had to attend a mandatory Player's Association meeting after practice Monday afternoon in El Segundo, there wasn't a whole lot of fresh dish served this afternoon. That meant more talk of Detroit. How can the Lakers bounce back from the loss? What they can learn? What went wrong? Where do they go from here?
I get the impression that the team finds this "What now?" breathlessness a little silly. "That's what you guys do," Kobe said with a smile, referencing the assembled talking/writing heads. "That's what makes the season exciting. You have these runs where it looks like you're unbeatable, you might go 82-0, then you lose one and you're fighting for the eighth seed."
As for the Lakers, they take it Bonnie Franklin style.
Not that there isn't work to be done. Kobe mentioned more than once the challenges LA will face defensively against teams (like Detroit) with bigs who can step away from the basket and spread the floor, a sentiment echoed by Phil Jackson: "We really have to stay in front of the penetration. That's our big key, and we worked on that a little today. About not getting spread out, not getting the penetration that teams want. Recovering back the players that we have to man-cover. This has been a perennial problem for us as a team, and we're going to have two guards who do that very well in (Derrick) Rose and (Steve) Nash here in the next two games."
Most strategies in sports are a series of trade offs, and defense in basketball is no exception. No scheme is free of weaknesses. The goal for the Lakers is to keep the other team as far away from the bucket as possible, even if that means conceding more shots from outside.
"The biggest thing is to stop penetration. That's the key in this game as it is in most sports game. You're trying to get to a goal, and the closer that ball gets to the goal the worse you are defensively," he said, presumably lumping in hockey's puck with other ball/goal sports. "So if you can keep that ball out and make guys shoot (from distance), that's always a positive," Jackson said.
Meanwhile, in reaction to the Q and A with Shaq posted a few days back on the Sacramento Bee Kings Blog, a particularly zealous young newsie peppered the available personnel about their reaction to the news that Shaq wouldn't rule out a return to LA in 2010, Kobe just smiled, and said nothing. Pressed, he kept smiling and saying nothing. "I'm going Tiger Woods, totally vanilla." No way he was going to say anything that might feed the tabloids, so to speak.
Phil's reaction was equally whimsical. "He's keeping his options open, huh?" As for the notion that all the drama was fun, as Shaq proposed, PJ didn't disagree... though I doubt he'd choose today to be totally candid and forthcoming with the media on this issue (i.e. "fun" may not totally be the right word to describe what was going on in the Threepeat era). "We were having a lot of fun as a team. I think that was just a laugh and a goof. That part of it was fun. 2004 got a little tense. That was a tighter time for us."
For his part, Fish LOL'd and used the question as a way to hustle into the training room ahead of the meeting.
OTHER NOTES:
- Vlad Rad, who suffered a thigh contusion Sunday, practiced today and should be good for tomorrow.
- On PT: PJ said LO understands there will be nights, such as Friday's game, where he won't get what seems to be his standard 30-ish minutes of run. "Ballplayers understand. When teams are going well, they want to be part of it, but they know that you don't want to slow down something that's positive. For Luke Walton, who has essentially vanished from the rotation, Jackson acknowledged that it's been a tough adjustment for him. "I think he understands mentally, but emotionally I think it's real tough. You want to be out there on the floor. That's the hard part."
- Pete Newell, legendary educator of bigs and former Lakers GM, passed away today. Dr. Buss released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Newell earlier today,” said Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. “Pete was one of the most brilliant teachers and coaches the game has ever known, and was also an exceptional front office man as the Lakers General Manager from 1972-76. He was a great help to me when I first purchased the Lakers and he was very generous with his time and counsel. In addition to his great contributions to the basketball world, Pete was also one of the finest gentlemen we’ve known. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the Newell family.”
Audio and video to follow later (UPDATE: The video is below).
BK
Ex,
"Coincidence? I think not."
Don't worry I'm formulating a report on this. I will be ready to present it in two months time!
Posted by: Xodus | November 17, 2008 at 10:02 PM
hehe no problem Anna
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | November 17, 2008 at 10:14 PM
lol Xodus!
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | November 17, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Michael.T, we are not 7,6 years old on this blog. If Kwame is so good, why Kwame, Kobe, and Lamar couldn't win first round playoff ? remember Kwame is the first round pick overall, i still like Gasol over Kwame. Kwame praticed against Bynum in LA, same thing to Patterson praticed against Kobe. Of course, Lakers lost to Detroi is not good, if Lakers won't win in Detroit, Detroit have an advantage, this is Phil and his coaching staff mistake, do you think teams can blow out MJ team in Chicago?
Posted by: bluesky | November 17, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Anna,
Since it's already tomorrow where you are, please don't spoil the game for us by telling us who won.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | November 17, 2008 at 10:59 PM
::yawn:: next game please. bring on the bulls.
kind of sick of the whole sky is falling because the Lakers lost their first game of the season. yes i get it. they're soft. who knows. the season is young. i can't wait for the next win so everyone can say that we're going 81-1.
i did some thinking and i'm pretty satisfied with Socks getting 3 blocks per game. I know he has to rebound more, but please enough talk about him being a bust because he isn't scoring. after all, there is that guy Gasol in there that's a career 20 ppg scorer... oh and that bean guy.
Posted by: sixonezero | November 18, 2008 at 01:35 AM
Let's go lakers!!!!!!!
Mike T can say anything he wants about being soft... I like how PJ and KOBE said about the team after they lost in the FINALS against the C's....
"A team that gets to the Finals is not a soft team! Those who were left along the way are! Boston were just tougher."
dice8up
Posted by: dice8up | November 18, 2008 at 01:38 AM
Guys,
long time since I've posted, usually once a year since Lakers Blog started up. 1 loss to a good team doesn't mean anything. Last year we lost to a lot of bad teams but still made it to the finals. Stop reading so much into one loss. On any given night in the NBA one team can lose to another
Semper Fidelis
BLF 3408
Posted by: biglakerfan3408 | November 18, 2008 at 01:46 AM
exhelodrvr | November 17, 2008 at 10:59 PM
LOL!!
Posted by: Anna in Bondi | November 18, 2008 at 01:55 AM
Apologies if you've already seen this, but Kobe's powers may be even further out of this world than even the most biased of Kobe fanatics realise....
http://tinyurl.com/5qm3b8
Spooky......
Anna
Posted by: Anna in Bondi | November 18, 2008 at 01:59 AM
Hey Passionate lakers fan and others
If the first month of the season is anything to go by we would never have made the finals last season given that we lost to utah New orleans san antonio...and also milwaukee (lucky it wasnt them we faced in the finals or that would have been really embarrassing)
In the first 6 weeks of last season the celtics dropped games to orlando detroit and cleveland twice.
Um basically this loss means diddlysquat...I guess New orleans and houston are giving up the season and looking at the lottery after losing to the lakers last week and boston is terrified of meeting indiana in the playoffs
Hey its cool maybe objective analysis isnt your stong suit thats fine!...there is a medium for self indulgent emotion driven drivel...its called poetry.If posting a url wasnt so dramatic these days I'd send you a link to a good website to help get you started....
Posted by: Kiwi | November 18, 2008 at 02:58 AM
the reason passion is still stuck on that detroit game is cause we have to wait so long to get to the next game. when i see the lakers lose, that next game cant come fast enough to hopefully see them dominate and put the loss on the backburner till we can get our chance for revenge. also AI played extremely well in that game. he didnt look like the AI that we saw just a couple of weeks ago and was shooting lights out. iknow fish and farmar werent expecting that but they will be ready next time. Waiting 4 days after a loss, i cant help but dwell on it either. we just need to see them get back the focus and get back to the business of beating teams in all phases. they got punched in the mouth or they got caught sleeping, however you see it now we see what the team's reaction is. i think they will get back on track and this should be the beginning of a new streak. they will show up for the suns no doubt. the lakers know this team pretty well and almost had them beat despite kwame brown being the starting center. plus its shaq so kobe, phil, and andrew will be especially focused for that game. i expect them to come out and pounce on hte bulls. what team is mike t a fan of anyway? he reminds me of arnie spannier. just stirring up absurd scenarios and controversy. which movie was it where there was a group of people and evil ,wart faced, black toothed witch and they said if we ignore the witch she will fade away and then they all turned thier back on the witch while she was screaming "nooooo! look at me!" and sure enough she started fading away. the same strategy should definitely be applied to this fool. make him invisible. sad to hear the passing of pete newell. and to luke walton.... i know your watching and us laker fans love you. we watched you progress on this team from day 1. your skills will be needed. purple and gold or nothin.
Posted by: md | November 18, 2008 at 03:52 AM
http://tinyurl.com/5qm3b8
Spooky......
Anna
Posted by: Anna in Bondi | November 18, 2008 at 01:59 AM
================================================
spooky..... indeed.... or maybe not.... but just plain old W-I-L-L.... desire...maybe... nahhhh.... let's just go back to spooky...
dice8up
Posted by: dice8up | November 18, 2008 at 04:58 AM
81-1..
81 is magic.
Posted by: isang | November 18, 2008 at 05:04 AM
Xodus,
"And we're also concerned about the aggregate calf size of the team, the Lakers are lacking in that area. "
I must confess this is what keeps me up at night ...calves with strawberries n cream ... oops, wrong blog
Mike T
Posted by: taliq | November 18, 2008 at 06:14 AM
*******[LAKER FAN WIN OR LOSE I DON’T SING NO BLUES BANDWAGON] *******
*
(00)FAITH – DRIVER - The Lakers will not just give up and give in. Have faith in them.
(01) utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER - . We stand united One team. One mission. One destiny.
02) DAVE M. - I believe the Lakers, have the talent, ability & size to go all the way..
(03) LAKER_TOM- The right way for this team to respond is to go out and start another streak
(04) JON K. - Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever
(05) ISSANG - my goodness. we loss one game. ONE GAME. wow, pathetic people..
(06) LAKER_HOPEFUL - My god, 7-1, best record in the league and somehow, the team
needs to be broken up. It's freaking November, i
(07) ERIC_M - We're going to get better, and better, and better.
(08) XODUS - We're 8 games into the season and people are acting like the Lakers just lost
in the Finals. The Lakers Blog certainly isn't where perspective happens (in most cases).
(09) EXHELODRVR - And you're trying to say that this team doesn't have a chance? Come in
off the ledge, please. You're embarrassing the rest of us.
(10) John Wooden, thinks Kobe will be remembered as the best ever. John Wooden
(11) FATTY - So if 7-1 is a bit slow, then Fatty can live with that type of slow, can you?
(12) NEMAIA FALETOGO - sometimes it's just the other team's night, PERIOD.
(13) AMAZING HAPPENS - just relax Lakers fans, because the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
(14) LONG_TIME_LAKER_FAN - Look, the only thing that's too soft is your fan-dom.
One loss in eight games and you melt like a marshmallow
( (16) DICE8UP -! GEt over it children.. we lost... end of story... let's battle again the next game...
(17) HOBBITMAGE -! The stated Goal of the Lakers is not to win in Nov. The stated Goal of the
Lakers is to win a championship in June of 2009. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF MAN! STOP WHINING!
(18) “PIG” MILLER - You're not gonna win every night. Sometimes it's your night to be crushed.
(19) LONG TIME LAKER Remember all their stellar play as well - not just the one bad game.
(20) TALIQ aka THE SHERIFF - hope the icing on the cake is made with a healthy dose of
excruciating celtic losses suffered at the hands of purple and gold
(21) JUSTANOTHERMAMBAFAN - One loss does NOT a season break. Do it! Do it right now!!!!!!!!!!
(22) MD - i'll take 7-1 out of every 8 games anytime
(23) Love LA Lakers - The Lakers are fine. They sleep walked into a game where the other
team was waiting for them.
(24) JOHNNY P - And speaking of teams that are too soft. How about those Lakers trolls
collapsing like a black hole after one loss???? SOFT!!! NOT EVEN STROFT!!! JUST SO
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 06:40 AM
From the 'Have you ever wondered' section?
Italian soccer team uses unique and racy plan to block goalies vision. They drop their shorts while in line.
http://tinyurl.com/65nhbd
My thoughts. Can the Lakers somehow use this strategy in their efforts to become the best defensive team in the NBA?
Try and visualize Lakers distracting free throw shooters by turning their backs on the shooter, dropping the shorts, and bending over.
Could you make a free throw with those ***** staring you down? I don't think so.
How close would you come with the Lakers player boxing you out for rebounds? Not very.
Jack Nicholson used this maneuver tp perfection years ago when the Lakers lost at Boston in the finals. He bent over and Mooned the crowd. I've been told they went silent in this 'shock and awe' moment . Many pucked where they were sitting. Jacks only mistake is that he should have done it during the game and at the players.
As we learned with Fridays loss. Its not going to be easy to win it all. It requires max effort, fine focus, and sometimes thinking outside the box to separate us from the pack.
Fatty - From the 'Have you ever wondered?' section
Posted by: Fatty | November 18, 2008 at 06:50 AM
The kobeblitz sez:
"In either case though, playing against Jason Collins and a Deron Williams less Jazz is just embarrassing for the Suns who got beaten by a small lineup.
I saw the game myself it was on NBA League Pass.
Something BUTLER, will NEVER get."
I'm not sure being glued to the TV for every game is a good thing, blitz. Life is worth living sometimes. But the offer to get me a subscription is still open!
We could make a bet on Thursday night...if the Suns win, you buy me league pass. If the lakers win, I'll stop misspelling kobey's name.
I have to disagree with you about the jazz game. The Suns did indeed look pretty awful, but for some unknown reason Porter refused to play the bench on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. The Pistons game was high energy and it took the spark out of the starters for the jazz game. And the jazz played an awesome 2nd half, even though the stars were missing.
Shack is great but not on a back-to-back, not at his age. I would have been happy with the loss if Porter had simply used the bench, both to rest the starters and to get the bench some much-needed experience. I mean, last night was why D'Antoni got lots of criticism, and so far this year Porter has been playing the bench each game. It was a total mystery...
The potential upside for the Suns is that now the lakers game will be spiced with the urge for redemption. The Suns owe the lakers a beating anyway cuz they beat the Suns with Shack last season. So motivation shouldn't be a problem.
And that's what you want - a Shack hungry for blood when the lakers come to town!
Posted by: BUTLER | November 18, 2008 at 06:57 AM
Somehow it’s strong correlation between trolls appearance here and Lakers sole loss this season to Pistons. I don’t recall Mike T being poster here when Lakers were trashing other teams with average 18 pts? Does anyone? Well, the best course of action just ignore them and can bet my money, with Lakers win today, we won’t here from them anytime soon.
Mamba
We use to have and now, I think it is the right time to revive “IGNORE TROLLS” bandwagon with anyone who join shouldl promise to ignore their posts, let them talk to themselves instead of fueling their insanity.
Posted by: LAL_Fan | November 18, 2008 at 07:10 AM
kobebliz sez
"To be honest, Sasha or Derek would be a great fit for the current Suns instead of Nash. Why? Stoudemire and Shaq are the center so they will be doing most of the scoring. A spot up shooter at the PG position would spread the floor even more and have Stoudemire open and Shaq as well.
Not to advise the hated Suns but heck, the system that Porter has isn't suited to Steve Nash anymore.
I still think their best chance of getting a title was under :07 seconds or less. "
I have to disagree Blitz. Here's why:
Nash is already one of the best shooters in the game, and one of the best overall PGs, so exchanging him for playas like sasha or fischer would be a downgrade. Not to say the Suns couldn't use more shooting power, but that's not a trade that makes the Suns better.
I get what you're saying though. Yes, indeed Nash's #s are down this season, and that is by Porter's design. The interesting thing is that the margin of victory has improved compared to the high-scoring D'Antoni teams - the Suns are scoring less now, but beating teams by more on avg.
Nash is best in the open court, but like Jack McCallum wrote, Nash will eventually find the medium where he can be most effective. Nash is still adapting to a playa like Shack who changes the entire makeup of the offense. But we've seen flashes of what is possible and they will improve over the long season ahead.
Besides, we've got our own Slovenian in Dragon Magic. Not that he can shoot anywhere near Sasha yet, but at least under Porter, the rook is actually getting playing time (never would have happened under D'Antoni!).
Posted by: BUTLER | November 18, 2008 at 07:27 AM
Another fine for Shaq, this time for $25,000.
"Not leaving the court in a timely manor and arguing with the Ref"
Phoenix Suns are fast becoming the 'Bad Boys' of the NBA.
Lakers up 3 in the loss column and cruising to the Pacific Division title.
Posted by: Fatty | November 18, 2008 at 07:36 AM
Game Day, people! I'm banking on an outstanding performance tonight by a Laker team seeking redemption after the Detroit beatdown. Tonight's biggest comeback? AB17 looking to reclaim his mantle of the Beast.
I stand by my earlier position that there's still work to be done before the Lakers can roll over the Celtics and Pistons. That will be a work in progress. But I think Detroit got the Lakers attention on Friday night, and that the team has new clarity about the ultimate mission of winning a Championship.
I also agree with some of the earlier posts that PJ should suit up Mbenga for some banging action against big bodied teams. I would be surprised if we see it, though. Phil's history of using the roster suggests that such a strategy runs counter to his coaching philosophy.
The unknown tonight is VladRad. He'll likely still be in the starting lineup, but his inability to be consistent is troubling. Early on, Vlad was playing spot-on, aggressive Defense. That's been missing in his last few games. If this guy can keep his head glued on, he can be an important contributor.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | November 18, 2008 at 07:37 AM
GAME DAY BABY!!!!!!
Lets show this punk kid Rose how its done in the NBA. Lakers win BIG tonight!!!!
Lamar = 6th man of the year
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | November 18, 2008 at 07:37 AM
KARL ON IVERSON
PHIL ON KOBE? just replace the names
"There are less bad plays, more solid plays," Karl said. "I think the wasteful, cheap possessions that we used to have 10 to 15 a game, they don't exist very much anymore." ...
"We have contested-shot charts, bad-shot charts and cheap defensive possessions," Karl said. "I would say that when A.I. was here, we had most games in the teens of contested, tough shots, sometimes in the 20s. And I don't think we've had a double-digit one since
Posted by: Do You See What I See | November 18, 2008 at 07:38 AM
Pig,
I was away from the blog last night, and what happened? You were the only one who argued with the fool last night. He got at least 5 posts off your ONE response.
Bad Pig!
Thanksgiving is coming so...be carful!
Just let him talk to himself, That is actually funny.
Why is everybody arguing with Mike T?
This guy LITERALLY can't spell MARSHMALLOW.
Posted by: Xodus
THANK YOU X!!
SHUN MIKE T. ONLY A FOOL ARGUES WITH A FOOL
If we ignore the President of the ambulance chasers. he will eventually go away. It may take a while, cause well, he is a fool.
He has re-posted the EXACT same post at least 20 times in the last 3 days and some are still responding.
STOP...I BEG YOU. lol
Posted by: Eric M.
Posted by: Eric M. | November 18, 2008 at 07:41 AM
***** IGNORE THE TROLLS BANDWAGON ***********
(anyone who join shouldl promise to ignore their posts,)
(01) LAL_FAN - DRIVER - Driove away dozens of the pesk
(02) MAMBA24 - Troll BarBq attendant
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 07:49 AM
Remember what Detroit said
"We knew we could get any shot we wanted"
Watch tonights game and you will see it will be accurate to some extent, though Chicago isn't exactly a good team. The better teams do seem to be able to get the shots they are accustomed to. Boston is a good example, they seemed to get their normal shots, the lakers were forcing shots for the most part.
It is because our defense is horrible and I don't care what the early season stats have to say.
When you allow opponents to take the normal shots you are always at their mercy.
When the Lakers cant get their normal shots, your at the mercy of Kobe making forced shots.
Posted by: Do You See What I See | November 18, 2008 at 07:51 AM
"The interesting thing is that the margin of victory has improved compared to the high-scoring D'Antoni teams "
No Butler again you are so wrong.
Difference between points scored and defended against.
2006-2007 (Best year): +7.3 ppg,
2007-2008: +5.1ppg,
2008-2009 (current): +2.1ppg
D'Antoni's Suns not only scored more but played more better defense.
Nah I wouldn't take that bet. You misspelling KB's name doesn't equal to $100!
Like the man says on ESPN: This should be Amare's team not Nash. Nash still wants to be the center of the team and he has been complaining about not running when Porter says "I want to run" but doesn't let him run.
These numbers from Nash hasn't been seen since Dallas!
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | November 18, 2008 at 07:52 AM
Good morning Mamba and the AM Purple crew!
(Gold comes on later in the day)
But together they make up one fine Lakers Blog!
Fatty predicts:
The Bulls think they will turn into 'Bullies' and do a beat down on our Lakers.
But I predict the Lakers will castrate the Bulls, turning them into steers by the 2nd, slaughtering them in the 3rd, and finishing them off by grinding them into hamburger by the 4th.
Lakers win big.
Posted by: Fatty | November 18, 2008 at 07:53 AM
Lets show this punk kid Rose how its done in the NBA. Lakers win BIG tonight!!!!
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | November 18, 2008 at 07:37 AM
Don't take this kid lightly. The Bulls don't consider him the
next MJ for nothing. He has a lot of KOBE Iin him.
I REPEAT THE ROSE KID IS DANGEROUS.!
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 07:54 AM
Jerry Buss has already started what is to be his greatest bluff. One that will be remembered as the greatest and boldest move in sports history.
Who can tell me what the bluff is?
Posted by: Do You See What I See | November 18, 2008 at 07:58 AM
GAME DAY - THE STREAK BEGINS AGAIN
Roll Call in 1 Hour Morning Crue
THAT IS ALL
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 07:59 AM
I have to say that I liked the look of the Bulls when they beat Phx earlier this season.
Rose is for real, and he is going to be a great star very soon. He's got all the moves and the confidence.
I was surprised to see Noah playing well. He's bulked up some over last year.
Del negro is turning out to be a fine coach, but then he worked for PHX for so long, so that's not a surprise.
Still, the lakers ought to handle the bulls pretty easily given the bad loss to DET and the size advantage in the paint.
Posted by: BUTLER | November 18, 2008 at 08:04 AM
Good morning Mamba24, Charles & the fabulous morning CRUE!!!!!!!!!
IT'S GAME DAY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's time for redemption. It's time to unleash the Beast! It's time to get out the canopener & open that can of whoop-ass!!!!!!!!!
More than anything, it's time to spray in here - where's the can of Troll-B-Gone???
Mamba24 - present & accounted for, and waiting on roll call!
Utz - whenever you're ready......
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | November 18, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Jack Nicholson used this maneuver tp perfection years ago when the Lakers lost
at Boston in the finals. He bent over and Mooned the crowd. I've been told they
went silent in this 'shock and awe' moment . Many pucked where they were sitting.
Jacks only mistake is that he should have done it during the game and at the players.
FATTY HOW ABOUT IF MAMBA POSED IN HIS THONG TO THE CROWD?
Posted by: Fatty | November 18, 2008 at 06:50 AM
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 08:10 AM
But I predict the Lakers will castrate the Bulls, turning them into steers by the 2nd,
slaughtering them in the 3rd, and finishing them off by grinding them into hamburger
by the 4th. Posted by: Fatty | November 18, 2008 at 07:53 AM
PLEASE FATTY, PLEASE, Tell them to leave the Calves for MIke T.
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 08:13 AM
Blitz -
"Like the man says on ESPN: This should be Amare's team not Nash. Nash still wants to be the center of the team and he has been complaining about not running when Porter says "I want to run" but doesn't let him run."
You mean Jalen "Suns never played me" Rose? He's also the one who predicted the lakers would beat the Pistons..I don't put much stock in the ESPN guys. Rose's piece is a classic example. Basing a season on last night's performance is pretty shortsighted. It'd be just as silly for me to say the Suns will always do well with their old starters because they dominated DET the other night.
I like Porter's philosophy, running only when opportunities are there as a result of stops, rebounds or turnovers, as opposed to running off made baskets too. It's worked quite well so far, and it encourages the team to play better D by rewarding them with their running game.
BTW, where are you getting your stats from? I think you're confusing what I claimed.
Posted by: BUTLER | November 18, 2008 at 08:23 AM
THE BAIT (easy enough)
is to get Kobe to opt out without reservation.
THE HOOK (Buss interview)
"I think Kobe very definitely understands how hard I made the effort to get sufficient talent to win," Buss said. "I was talking to him on the phone right as the Pau Gasol [trade] came through, and he said, 'Wow, I can go win with this now.' I think Kobe and I get along pretty well."
Well enough to open the vault again if Bryant leaves $47.8 million on the table and rips up his contract after this season?
"We really don't address those issues until they come up because we don't know what the environment is, but we can't afford to lose Kobe," Buss said.
In the 25-minute interview, Buss alluded numerous times to the sagging economy and the possibility of its trickling down to the NBA. Buss would probably have to sign off on a five-year contract worth $135 million if Bryant opted out next summer.
NEXT
THE CATCH (and release)
Posted by: Do You See What I See | November 18, 2008 at 08:24 AM
Mamba24,
"GAME DAY - THE STREAK BEGINS AGAIN"
First Fatty is asking you to wear your thong to the game, now you are talking about streaking.
Would it be safest to skip the TV tonight, and just listen to the game on the radio?
Posted by: exhelodrvr | November 18, 2008 at 08:28 AM
My biggest concern for the past games, and not only loss to Pistons, but even winning games, inconsistency of our shooters. Vlade seems to lost the confidence he was displaying in the beginning of the season. Sasha still in his training camp mode. This problem create another problem for our biggs, teams packing lane leaving less space for Pau/Drew duo in the post to effectively operate, and less space for cutters to get to the basket.
Posted by: LAL_Fan | November 18, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Mornin,' Mamba and Crew et al.
Fires are subsiding, ( don't take too deep a breath just yet,) and the Lake SHow is hopefully heating up.
Props to the bloggers that kept us entertained during the lay off. Fascinating. There'll never be a shortage of NBA coaches. Now if we can just solve the credit crunch.
The Road back to Reality starts tonight. GO Lakers
Posted by: VMan | November 18, 2008 at 08:40 AM
I agree with you Rick F. Let's beat the team of the President-Elect, he will be watching this game tonight being a basketball afficionado. Bulls are only .500 team with one seven footer by the name of Aaron Gray the rest are PF used as Centers. If there is any game that will showcase Drew's explosion on the paint, it is this game.
What happened to the Lakers last Friday was that they kept on missing their bread and butter shots on the outside whether midrange or perimeter, if that scenario happens again, Lakers will always be chasing the lead than controlling it. One of the reasons why they missed those shots are over confidence and lack of focus during practice. The preparations are haphazardly done even Kobe is no longer sharp as he was when he sunk 81 pts against Mavericks. Vlad and Sasha defense has vastly improved but they're missing a lot of shots. Basically, that is their role as our marksmen in the perimeter, b/c if they connect those shots, then there will be less clogging of lanes for Drew, Pau and Kobe.
Please win this one for the Lakers fans on the blog this time, to have peace and tranquility in the blog. I have been critical in the past few days b/c we put so much emphasis, too much priorities on debates of non-essential topics. You read once, it's OK, twice or three times you can tolerate it but to read it ....... over and over again for the last three years, it becomes a poison to one's common sense! We get into the habit of micromanaging everyone as if we are the players and the coach. It's all about blog ego of an educated derelict. As a fan to suggest some improvements speaks louder than parading all our basketball knowledge. However, if you want to test how great you are as a Coach, then move to that level not a mere blogger and if you're truly a better analyst of the game go to SportsFox or ESPN, apply for a job and make it happen. We can't pay you here with our cheap reply.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 18, 2008 at 08:41 AM
BUTLER,
Obviously it's still early, but the Suns are only 16th in defensive efficiency. The reason they're giving up less points is because they're playing at a far slower pace. The Suns are still an average defensive team and are winning because they're a superior offensive team (6th in defensive efficiency).
Posted by: Xodus | November 18, 2008 at 08:48 AM
POETIC YOU SAY
This is so poetic the first game after the streak hit the fan
To play against the team where the legend of 9Rings began
The team who once had the so called Greatest player of all
And also won the most games in a season y’all
The once mighty Chicago Bulls have come to Staples to play
So where is the poetry in all of this you may say
The Bulls Fools that they are tried to run 9Rings away
But thanks to the Force he is even greater today
He coached the so called greatest Jordan was his name
Now he coaches the successor of the GOAT fame
You say come on Mamba do you really think they can win 73
I say yes just like another Laker team had a streak of 33.
Well maybe this possibly could come true Mamba you say.
But as God is a my witness they’ll never be another MJ
I say sorry my friend we have to disagree there.
For the past few seasons you’ve been looking at MJ’s heir
Yeah I’m talking about Kobe, now what’s your beef
Kobe even went to the Olympics and won the laurel leaf.
The Mamba even did one thing that MJ has never done
Yes in one game the mighty Mamba scored 81.
So enough with the Poetry just put the Bulls to sleep
Crush them, destroy them, make their players weep.
You got to be cold if the championship you seek
This game is for the strong and not for the weak
You have a tradition and legacy to uphold
So go out and dominate, be brave, be bold.
And at the end of your career you just might fine
You played for the greatest Laket team of all time
Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 18, 2008 at 08:53 AM
Mamba24 - Please add me to the * IGNORE THE TROLLS BANDWAGON *.
I here-by do solemnly swear: "l promise to ignore their posts" - however I do reserve the right to ask for a spraying, a BBQ'ing, a fly swatter or a closing of the screen door when the times demand it.
And - BTW - Mamba24 - PLEASE - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD - do NOT break out your thong just yet. We need to save that spectacle for the play-offs - if and when we get into trouble. You can't be playing our ace in the hole this early in the season, man!
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | November 18, 2008 at 09:01 AM
Butler, Shack may be motivated when he plays the Lakers, but its because he wants to be a Laker and play alongside Kobe again. It appears he's to patch things up, and he's trying to use Phil as a scapegoat for the breakup. I can tell that he doesn't buy into Porter as coach, and Nash as the dominant perimeter player. He openly challenges their authority.
I'll agree that Nash can learn to pick his spots better, as we've seen good shooting little guards play slower before. But the problem is, he's no MVP that way. He is an MVP on a lose-when-it-counts small ball system. Let's face it, there are quicker and stronger point guards, and physical defensive players who can easily stop point guards now. Much like Pippen bodied up Mark Jackson, Nash's style won't work anymore. You put an Ariza or Marion on him, you have quickness and length enough to mess up his game, and you have size to switch if needed. You have the size to push him well beyond his comfort zone. And the rub is, at 30+, he's not going to have the quickness to neutralize size anymore.
I'm not trying to be a jerk in this post, but its the awful truth. He's either not going to be effective in a big guy based system or he'll be effective in a small-ball system that will never win anything. But he's not enough to dominate a game anymore.
Posted by: Chicken Little | November 18, 2008 at 09:07 AM
Eric M.
I'm not sure what exactly is was that I argued with Mike T. last night. A short recap of my posts. The first is in regards to something Xodus wrote, not something Mike wrote:
"When will the insanity end?"
He went to prison X. He actually believes the stuff he's saying, so it will never end.
Never.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | November 17, 2008 at 07:04 PM
Mike responded to me by calling me stupid and making reference to some things that Bynum said. I replied with this post:
"You getting this K bros?
Apparently I'm stupid.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | November 17, 2008 at 07:41 PM"
My last post of the evening was this:
Here's to a nice win tomorrow against the Bulls.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | November 18, 2008 at 09:13 AM
FATTY HOW ABOUT IF MAMBA POSED IN HIS THONG TO THE CROWD?
- Mamba
Now that's what I call thinking outside the box!
Lakers new secret weapon. Whenever we need that extra help. Mamba, in his thong dancing, distracts the crowd and players.
We could call it 'the old Dancing Mamba in his Thong trick'
We could use it everywhere except Utah. i think its illegal there.
Posted by: Fatty | November 18, 2008 at 09:13 AM
Eric M.
I'm not sure what any of those posts provoked out of Mike T. but I certainly wasn't arguing with him.
You have to understand that he picks people at random to respond to, because he believes he is better than everyone else here.
I don't speak to him directly anymore, or attempt to argue with him, because it's an exercise in futility.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | November 18, 2008 at 09:15 AM
How did I know Mike T was gonna jump in after Kwame got a double double on the Lakers?
That's weak.
He likes Kwame Brown better than the Lakers! LOL!
Seriously though, when you put his comments into proper perspective, Mike T is the most entertaining poster on the blog. It's absolutely hilarious the way he gets everyone all worked up in here. That takes a special talent.
My take on the Piston game is that we just didn't lift our game up to the level of the Pistons. The Pistons were playing the game full blast, trying to see what they could do with Iverson. Plus, Kwame wanted to show up the Lakers. And you must admit, 10/10 for Kwame is impressive. But the Lakers were still in weak mode, playing at Clipper level intensity.
If the Lakers were playing that game with any kind of intensity, we would have blown out the Pistons.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rocky | November 18, 2008 at 09:16 AM