Obviously, that doesn't make Luke "the answer," nor am I presenting him as anything along those lines.  But he's hardly been "the problem," either.  Neither, for that matter, was Vlad when he was starting.  Both have a few very specific strengths, even more weaknesses and play the role of "default starter" in a system incorporating two small forwards, one of which will be Ariza, who Phil likes with the Bench Mob.  So basically, it's a question of which you prefer more: AK

Yo Ak

Way to cover your six dude..haha. As it is here Luke is the equevilant (sp) of navel lent amongst most bloggers...but as long as we keep winning im cool

NIce analysis AK

-blitz

Mike,

REAL GAME IMPLEMENTATION
OK, then, let's put this into a Lakers/Celtics scenario.

In this situation, Rondo, "A," is eye-balling Andrew, "D." Rondo sees hunger in Andrews eyes because Perkins can't pin him towards the baseline and Andrew is too strong for Perkins, and can get around him. So Rondo takes a contested jumper because Perkins can't screen out Andrew, which has the lane closed. The conversation is between Rondo and Andrew. It's all eye contract. Rondo sees Andrew's hunger.

AK - I didn't cast a vote in my last post but I'd give your Powell scenario a shot... there would still be the same question about bench minutes though - who would get them, Vlad or Luke? Before the season I envisioned the triple towers with Vlad coming in off the bench as a shooter, probably at the 4. Signing Powell has presented a conundrum... he's a tough player who can score, but there's no room for him. I haven't at all been looking for trades up until now, but it seems like we have some investments taking up shelf space.

theKid - I read your link, the G. Wallace trade machine. The problem as I see it, is that it's a sizable long term contract and we're already heading into difficult cap territory. If we make a trade, I'd rather see an emphasis on draft picks... we're really going to need future talent that doesn't cost a lot (at least to begin with).

Odom seems to be shooting better this year. Maybe they can consider a rotation of:
PG Kobe
SG Ariza
SF Odom
PF Gasol
C Bynum
I think either Kobe or Ariza would do a far better job of containing the guards than Fisher/Farmar. I think they should at least give it a try. Vlade and Famar are too much of a liability on defense. They should only be situational players that come in if they have favorable match-ups, or need more outside shooting if Odom or Ariza is having a bad shooting night and the defense is lagging off them.

Here's a possibility, and I'll get to the downsides, but bear with me:

Starters: Fish, Kobe, Rad, Odom, Pau
Bench Mob: Farmar, Sasha, Ariza, Powell, Drew

I know, I know, Drew has to start, and he wouldn't accept coming off the bench like Lamar does - but if PJ can manage the ego, this offers numerous advantages. We go back to last year's starting lineup, which we KNOW can play extremely well. And our second unit is arguably even better than before, especially in terms of rebounding

Just a thought

I don't mind Luke starting. We've had serious problems with turnovers and stagnant offense caused by poor passing. Vlad is one of our poorest passers. Luke is actually good at feeding the ball into the post and finding our big men.

It's a tough situation for both Vlad and Luke. To start one day and not play at all in another has to be extremely frustrating for anyone with an ounce of competitiveness in them. No matter what he says publicly, you know that Vlad is burning inside. Hopefully there won't be any chemistry issues as the season progresses. I'd like to see one of them traded away.

An easy way for Powell to get minutes is to reduce the PT of Drew and Pau, esp when one of them is having off nights as Drew had last night. There's no need to bench both Vlad and Luke, or to move LO to small forward.

I haven't seen Gerald Wallace play much, but he seems like a slightly bigger version of Trevor but at 3 times the cost. If Gerald Wallace were a better ballhandler and shooter he might be worth his salary.

the rotation reminds me of a good baseball team. there are often good players on the bench. if they really want to have a winning team, they'll get used to it. if this team didn't have a real chance to be a great one, guys like Vlade and Powell and Farmar and Ariza and Odom would be conspiring to make trouble, force a trade, jump ship. i know that there is a lot of criticism coming forward because these Lakers have noticed just how great they can be. most people are petty and jealous. they have been conditioned to try to tear down those who try to succeed, so people claiming to be Laker fans jeer at their team instead of encouraging them. i would hate to be these people's children, or dog, or fish, or car.

i think the team is doing well. they are working on new schemes and so will be overthinking and getting confused, but still they are winning a LOT of games.

what's even more impressive is that they could be even more destructive, more overpowering. no player is logging much over 30 minutes a game. the Lakers have their second best team in half of the game and they are still winning by 7-13 points. that is called domination. normally, a team's starters would play the whole game if possible. most don't have that much stamina, that's the reason for backups. a 82 game season is a lot of wear and tear at 48 minutes a game. at 30 it's not so bad. 30 minutes, broken up, is just good exercise. IT'S A LUXURY to be able to sit the starters for half the game and still win. it's nice that early on, the 2nd unit carried the starters and now it's the other way around. basketball is also like baseball in that it's a game of averages. when a good shooter goes bad, he'll likely have a hot streak. averages work that way. playing the averages is always the coaches job. beating the odds is just what some guys do. 9 rings and 2 other finals appearances is beating the odds consistantly.

why are they having problems on D? because they are trying to get better, and there are new wrinkles in a new program being implemented. this year's Lakers is a work in progress, with the ambitious purpose of
1. securing the best record in the league.
2. becoming a juggernuaght by the playoffs and finals.
3. keeping the players well rested and healthy
4. have a few surprises ready for later.

they are on schedule. if they lose more than 2 in a row or 3 out of 5, THEN i'll panic. right now, i just give thanks and enjoy the good times while they last. i'm not vain enough to think that i have thought of a scheme that the coaches haven't, when that scheme is part of speculation all over the internet....

i'm not saying that coaches can't learn something from the guy in the street. i am saying that they are doing a good job. the Lakers are currently 1 down in the loss column, even though they can do nothing right. the Caveliers however, having LeBron to do everything perfectly, lost to a team they should beat, to go 1 down to the Lakers. it's a long season, we're no where near the finals and things are right on schedule.

things may be rough and getting rougher in this world, but this Laker team is doing all right.

Well, Phil Jackson has been a coach for many years,never been fired for his performance except that asterisk of leaving the team in 2004. Perhaps, he knows his players more than us. However when athletes sit for a long time, they become cold. Secondly they have emotions that could rebound if not properly addressed. They are not objects like a switch with an "on or off" buttons. Even cars, if not used for a week will have more depreciation than a car being used at a regular basis for short time purposes. What Jackson did to Vladrad is not acceptable based on Human Behavior relationship. Why not communicate what you r plans are? keep them informed on what is going on b/c your action affects them. Suddenly, they become the issue and topic of weakness link. Much more so if you are a foreigner who is called before as a space cadet, snowboarding and all kinds of intimidation tactics in the past, you become extra sensitive to rude treatments. To an anglo culture that is a surprise reaction or they may call it over reaction, why the heck? why so sensitive on a simple move? Well, It is human pride, dignity and independence. It is the way it was employed. I have said before this guy is a decendant of Serbian Partizan" and based on his own personal resume as a player, he quarreled with different coaches with equally cold blooded attitude who can't be intimidated. In the mind of Vladdy, (he's telling himself), I tried my best to be a better player this year, with improvement in defense (not best but better than the past), played with aches, eventhough I was in pain on my poked eye, I did my job on point production for limited minutes, then suddenly benched as a perceived of scapegoating a player (that's me) in order to warn other "American/Spanish Stars" that he could not bench! Yes, Vladrad is an excellent choice because I am perceived as meek, weak european who would accept any kind of ridicule of causing the demise of leads in closing minutes. (My point here is not questioning the shift but the manner of doing it.) Vladdy may be thinking: "If PJ COMMUNICATED, I have no problems whatever decisions you have in mind because both of us are in the same journey".

It is good that PJ is only a coach not a political leader. He could be a dictator, a cold blooded leader without any rancor, emotions or respect to interpersonal relationship feelings with anyone except to himself. I still admire him as an astute coach but not as an individual. He thinks all people are just like his girlfriend, Jeannie whom he can push around. Just my point of view.

Dave M,

"AK - I didn't cast a vote in my last post but I'd give your Powell scenario a shot... there would still be the same question about bench minutes though - who would get them, Vlad or Luke?"

In the Powell scenario I presented, Luke AND Vlad would sit the majority of games, unless foul trouble or specific situations presented themselves. Powell would become the 9th man in a nine man rotation.

AK

Edwin - it would be difficult (in my opinion) to see further consecutive DNPs for Vlad without some sort of fallout. By the way, did you notice that the Suns and NY are showing interest in Pargo? The question is whether he can be gotten out of his Moscow contract.

AK-
the rotaition with Lamar at sf and Powell in the rotation would be a great lineup for a team trying to win through strength and intimidation. it's certainly an option. maybe that one runs when the Luke show gets old. maybe it'll be Vlad's turn after that.

guys,
you are great but I think you are missing the big picture. phil is trying his best to get kobe and pau to fight. he believes unless these two are competing against each other that he cannot win a championship. all he is doing now is favoring pau on the inside to get kobe ticked off so he can channel his anger into dishing more assists and more selfless leadership on the court.
these are my 2 cents!

Jeez Jordan's damnable defense just keeps on making the Lakers look bad.

Not working hard? Come one, almost every Laker does that. But who is the one on the floor when teams make their runs against us?

Jordan Farmar.

Sorry Mamba24 (Larry) but count me out from the "Don't give up on Jordan Farmar" bandwagon.

He really should have been a 2nd Round pick, instead the Lakers thought that his point guard skills and good passing would work well on the offense.

That is until Jordan showed more himself as one of those "Shoot first pass later" point guards. Those point guards rarely succeed.

Rondo cares only for one thing: setting up Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce and even Kendrick Perkins. Jordan cares for two things: his shot or Trevor Ariza's. Not Sasha's, not Kobe's (why can't he get Kobe involved like Luke can?). Only for Bruins.

Rondo is not a defensive point guard but he defends much better than the "I want to steal" Jordan Farmar. He realizes that the NBA is not full of flash and that he would rather get a defensive stop. Jordan is only getting a steal and a sweet fastbreak.

No wonder why Collilson had to defend his guards at UCLA.

Heck Luke was called a liability on defense yet the team succeeds both offensively and defensively with him (since they want to defend more). Jordan is cocky and thinks he can get that steal to lead fast breaks and is least interested in playing defense.

Derek Fisher may not be a lock down defender but he can defend at the point. Xodus was right, our defense at the point sucks with Jordan around (b/c of Jordan's inability to defend) and as a result he gets burned, we have to seal off penetration and that leaves other people open.

Luke Walton may not be a good defender but he knows the "pass first" idea that the triangle offense desires. Because of that, the team wants to defend more to protect him and that increases our defense. Since Jordan is not the "pass first" guy who can find open teammates without the use of dribble penetration that does not make him respected otherwise PJ wouldn't have stripped away his command of the 2nd Unit and given it to Lamar Odom. It's also possible that being on the bench made Luke worst because he had to be with Jordan Farmar, a ball hog, and that limited his skills and forced him to be a scorer than a pass first guy that Luke is (and us making constant fun of him hehe). Plus Farmar wanted the ball more so how on earth could Luke Walton really make good passing when he doesn't have control of the ball?

Jordan Farmar is talented no doubt about it. But until he learns to defend first from Derek and to find teammates without the use of dribble penetration this Laker team will wrongly be called "soft" thanks to Jordan Farmar.

-blitz

DT,

Kurt Streeter's column was written as a joke. He basically made fun of all the idiotic Laker fans out there -- many of them unfortunately post here -- who are freaking out over a 19-3 team and calling for an overhaul of half our roster. He doesn't actually believe that nonsense.

As for getting Powell some more PT, are you people crazy? Sure he tries hard and he's not dead weight on your roster like a lot of 11th or 12th men in the NBA, but to give a player like him a regular spot on a 9-man rotation like ours is silly. Powell is a career journeyman who was signed specifically to give us depth and some minutes in case of injury or foul trouble. That's all he'll ever be on a good team. And that's what he should be for us, 'cause as many holes as Vlad or Luke have in their games, they're still head and shoulders better than Powell.

This is retarded sliding Odom to the 3 and Powell to the 4 would weaken our team, think about it Ariza is the best player we have off the bench then its Odom. Odom is really weak at the 3 so thats a bad idea. Powell is really good at rebounding and being productive off the bench i agree he needs more mins. Buts its never going to happen unless they move Odom. Powell is a much better defender then Odom and can rebound just as good off the bench we wouldn't be losing much on account that Odom has not been doing much off the bench he is clearly not happy.

so Hoopshype is suggesting that the Knicks Donnie Walsh could be interested in making a play for Sasha, a player the Lakers suggests is available.

Wonder if there is any validity to that?? AK/BK care to address?

There's only one solution to this lack of playing time for all concerned: A trade.

AK
You are doing a much better job of saying something to the point that I will actually declare you fit for public viewing. I thought you were on point with Josh P breakdown I would still be more comfortable if Luke was in the kitchen overseeing the ribs!
Also Edwin very insightful take on Phil Jackson dictatorship methods in handling Vlad reduced role with team the last two games which to me again says this guy doesn't have a clue! By the way Phil Sadaam Jackson should have his head examined.

The Lakers did well on offense and defense in their first 7 games - where they had the number 1 defense and number 2 offense.

Then they slacked off.

The main problem is in the team's attitude. They have lost the idea of playing like a team and playing hard every minute of the game.

They don't come to every game to play hard - like Jackson's Bulls, the Celtics, the Cavaliers. Playing hard every game is the mark of a mature team.

The initial rotation we had in the first 7 games was pretty good.

Josh Powell, however, shows something special in a player. He is a hard working player. This is a great attitude to have. I love his ability to defend with energy.

If the current rotation isn't working in attitude, then I would do the following:

1. Start Josh Powell at small forward - replacing Rad in the lineup.
2. Put Rad on the bench to pick up some minutes.
3. Keep Luke on the bench. He's done.

This will improve our defense.

Defense wins Championships.

Blitz,

I feel that Luke, while not a great one on one defender, can be effective in a team defense scenario. He is a little rusty, but I assume he will get better as the season goes on. For the mean time, as long as he can funnel his guy to our bigs,I think that we will be alright.

His floor general skills on the offensive end makes him very valuable to what we are trying to accomplish. I think it could work.

I'm looking forward to your take.

dan

James Katt,

"I would do the following: 1. Start Josh Powell at small forward - replacing Rad in the lineup. 2. Put Rad on the bench to pick up some minutes. 3. Keep Luke on the bench. He's done. This will improve our defense."

Powell can't play small forward. He doesn't have, to the best of my knowledge, the lateral quickness to guard 3's nor the shooting range needed at the three. He's strictly a 4 or an undersized 5.

AK

Trade, huh? Unless it's "Kirk Gibson to the Dodgers in '88" it will do a minimal of good and could do a lot of bad. We can bring in a "bad boy" to change the culture, but he would have to be one hell of a bad boy to compete with the King
Kobe mind-set. Who would that be? Alonzo Mourning from five years ago - that would do it. Who else? Hmm. . . . . Rick Mahorn? Nice. Maurice Lucas? Now we're talking.

Rhon Salmon,

"Is there any way possible to make sure Luke is not the man to close out on that lone shooter when the other team kicks it out to him because Luke is pretty much the slowest guy on that team in terms of closeing out?"

That strikes me as impossible, between all the switching that goes on, the inability to plan for who will be the "lone shooter" on every trip (since it's not always the same guy) and that often, the guy closing does it because he happens to either react or just be available. I'm admittedly not a true X's and O's genius when it comes to defensive scheming, but I just don't see how that could be done.

AK

Blitz,

"Luke Walton may not be a good defender but he knows the "pass first" idea that the triangle offense desires. Because of that, the team wants to defend more to protect him and that increases our defense."

So if I understand, The team tries HARDER on D because they know Luke is a liability, because they want him playing on O for his passing? Even though we're already the #1 scoring team in the league?

The mental gymnastics used to cover for Luke amaze me.

Dan the man,

"I feel that Luke, while not a great one on one defender, can be effective in a team defense scenario. He is a little rusty, but I assume he will get better as the season goes on."

Good luck with that. I can hardly wait to see whether Luke gets Allen, Pierce, or Garnett in the finals. Unless I guess if we decide to play 100% zone to "protect him" as Blitz says.

Yo man great article. I also believe Powell is a talented player who deserves more minutes but that just can't happen on this particular team. Moving some people (Odom?) for an all-around SF or a better-passing PG would also be a good idea in my opinion. What I love about the Lakers this year is that they are again so deep and are so close to that championship. As much as I would love to see more of Powell, I hope it does not happen because of an injury to Drew or anyone else.

AK/BK,

I remember some time back, I told you guys (I think it was mostly BK) that Steve Nash, while a good player, is nowhere near great. Now I finally have some good evidence. Let's take the Chris Duhon example. His numbers from this year are MUCH better than last year: (http://tinyurl.com/5dtpu9), and I give most of the credit to Mike D'Antoni. I will admit that Chris Duhon is nit as good offensively as Steve Nash, because his shooting is not as good, not as quick, and less court vision. Defensively, though, I will give the edge to Duhon. I've watched most of the Knicks games this year (I live in New Jersey so you can see them on the local network), and I can testify to that. The Knicks have had relative success, with a decent point guard, and shooters/slashers much like the Phoenix model with Steve Nash. Nash was/will never be great, and IMO did not deserve either of those MVP's (the first year it should've been Shaq, the second Kobe) but there's nothing that can be done now.

Jon K's Morning Thoughts That He Has Not Put Too Much Thought Into Yet:

1. A real nice thread today, AK. Thanks.

2. Clippers have won two in a row! Holy Cow! Have the OTHER Socerors of Staples finally been unleashed?

3. I find Phil Jackson's all or none minutes strategy for "Lukomir Waltmanovic" to be a bit odd, but I understand the logic of it.

4. It really annoys me how people lay into Luke Walton. I mean, he's a Laker for God's sake. I think that people don't give Luke a fair shake for two main reasons: 1) He's Bill Walton's son. 2) He's a boyishly good-looking white guy without much of an edge... which makes him easier for some to make fun of for some reason.

5. I wish Josh Powell somehow gets more minutes (WITHOUT ANOTHER LAKER BEING INJURED). His toughness and the fact that he makes the most of his limited minutes is quickly making him one of my favorite Lakers. I love a bench player who plays his heart out for whatever limited minutes he has, even when they are garbage minutes.

6. Tacos tonight. Mmmm... tacos. I've always loved those greasy heart-busters from Jack in the Box, but now the flavor has a particularly distinct wonderfulness to them.

7. Cleveland lost last night to the Hawks. Good. Hopefully they've peaked too soon.

8. A Clevelander told me last night that Nike has a clause in its contract with LeBron James that if he moves to a top three market (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York) that they will increase his endorsements by $100 MILLION A YEAR. Combine that with the fact that LeBron owns a loft in New York and Jay-Z is his best friend, where do YOU think he's gong to play after his contract expires?

9. Jay-Z is a dirt-bag.

10. Pau Gasol sure has been playing well. I don't think he receives the degree of accolades he deserves.

11. I'm relatively confident we'll be marching into Christmas Day 24-3.

12. It was odd watching Big Baby break down into tears after Kevin Garnett laid into him a few games ago. It provides insight into what the Celtics' locker-room is like: Intense, tense, and everybody doesn't necessarily like one another. Phil needs to use his evil mind tricks to facillitate the implosion of the Green Weenies.

13. Have a great day, everybody!

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!

I suggest that we limit The Machine, The Zohan, and The Package's minutes and increase Mihm, Josh "The Kraken" Powell, and Lukomir Waltmanovic's minutes.

I would suggest that we explore the idea of using the point forward concept. The Machine, The Package, and Cool Hand Luke could all possibly play point forward.

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!

Jon K.'s Slightly More Caffineated Thoughts On How Perhaps The Lakers Can Improve Between Now And Christmas Day:

1. Learn from Luke: Better ball movement. Better assist to turnover ratio.

2. Better focus: Team group meditation. Playing with better emotional control. Vengeance is a dish best served cold. Focus is more consistent when emotional control is utilized.

3. Better team unity: Weekly team dinners at a variety of different restaurants and cuisines. Whoever pays gets to choose the restaurant. The team needs to also have a Lakers Christmas party. Team unity does not happen in practice. It does not happen on the court. It happens off the court when people get to truly know and appreciate one another.

4. Better coaching focus: Weekly coaching staff dinners at Phil Jackson's house. Phil can cook.

5. Better fans (at Staples): If you go to watch the Lakers play at Staples, you have a duty to be loud, consistent, and enthusiastic. Let your enthusiasm be contagious.

6. Foster competitive spirit/Reward players with more minutes: When a player plays with energy, focus, and effectiveness in a game. Generally speaking, the next game's game plan should reward that player with more minutes. Conversely, if a play is playing without energy and unfocused, they should play less minutes the next game.

7. Believe in ourselves: We can play better, yes, AND we WILL play better... and better... and better. We should count our blessings. We're 19-3 and we have a lot of room for improvement. No other team in the NBA can claim anything else close to that. Things are good. Relax. Remember our goals. Win.

What do we play for? RINGS!!!!

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!

pfunk36,

Dude, your hatred of Luke Walton is totally misplaced?

Are you jealous that the guy is the hunkish millionaire son of the sometimes annoying Bill Walton? Is that it?

Because otherwise so much hatred doesn't even vaguely make any sense. As AK mentioned, he's got the best assist to turnover ratio on the team. Not everyone on the team can be Kobe, but everyone has their role.

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!

morning laker nation,
its freakin frozen here in seattle,
let us hope kobe lights it up tonight and give us the 20th win for the season,

PS He was right by he way. Not all Laker fans are perfect like you and me - Pslakerfan

~~And he is not a perfect writer too.

I'm surprised at how little discussion of Odom there is these days. It was my observation all last season that when Lamar was on his game (which was most of the time,) the Lakers did great and when he was off, so was the team. His play with Gasol last season was especially key to the Laker's great performance late in the season.

This year, with the new role, LO started out doing really well, aggressively driving to the basket and doing all sorts of other good things. During this stretch, the Lakers looked unbeatable. It is has been the recent dozen games where Odom has really struggled that the team has had its troubles. I predict that the next time the Lakers have a really good game (and it has been quite awhile now since that has happened), it will be when Odom does as well. I think people have continually underestimated his importance to the team.

Dan the man,

You make good point, and I too am "Positive" on the season. Hell...I still haven't given up on 73 wins. And I do agree that it is amazing that at 19-3 we still find plenty to argue about. Shows how good we are. And all we are really worried about is Boston and the finals.

I'm not saying Boston is the best or unbeatable or anything like that. I just don't think you could come up with a worse matchup for "Starting SF Luke" than the Celts. There is a very high probability that Allen, pierce, and Garnett will EAT HIS LUNCH.

The one area where MAYBE Luke might help in the finals is against their tough D. His passing MIGHT help to dissect them and get us going. I just think that is MUCH less likely than Allen, Pierce, and Garnett eating his lunch.

As LakerTom says, "JMHO".

AK/Laker_Sth, thanks for the hollaback on the Hoopshype Sasha rumblings. I figured it was basic propaganda..

Any Ole wayz, I do think Gerald Wallace would be a great fit, basically for his athleticism and I also believe he can play within any type of system cuz he doesn't necessarily have to have the ball in his hands to be effective..Just the same, I am still stuck on my boy Thabo Sefolosha from the Bulls, we can get him for cheaper and he has major upside...

That's my two cents!

Oh, almost 4got, GO LAKERS!

Bobcats would not be looking for a PG. They have two of them that were both lottery picks. They will likely try to develop them. The point with Wallace is that he is an intelligent and tough defender. He doesn't need an upside because he is good now.

We still have Powell and Mbenga who never play if injuries occur to our bigs.

The kid CA

was that post meant for me? if so I meant that the lakers would solve more problems trading for a point guard than a small foward...sure we've got Powell and Mbenga but we need to play them and need to be pretty sure they are up to the task of being chucked in to the mix in the middle of the western conference finals as a backup centre.It'd be great to have wallace but I'd have to question if this would be the best possible way to make the lakers better given that we are so strong at small foward.As a side point you have to wonder why they would be so desperate to trade him given that larry Brown said in the pre-season that he was a great player and fot the mould perfectly for what they were trying to do...

One idea that hasnt been thrown around is putting Odom back in the starting lineup - given that his production has declined it seems logical to see what would happen.if they are not going to play Odom,Gasol,Bynum together then one very good player is going to have to come off the bench - who says it has to be Odom? not being a pure scorer it might be harder for him to get into the game not starting?...Gasol could be a better bet for some punch? or even Bynum - you've got to remember the lineup that made the finals that will be good enough against many teams subbing Bynum and Ariza...its one thing having a fancy bench and limiting Kobe's minutes etc but in the end its about getting your best guys on the floor - i'd try starting Ariza,Odom,Bynum,Fish and Kobe.

Edwin...

If you feel negative about an 8 - 9 man rotation that is bad becasue its basically our best 8-9 vs Bostons or whoever else in the long run.To me this is the above 6 with Sasha and Rad

Fair opinion about Phil but reading between the lines I'd say Rad is not doing all Phil has asked - remember that elusive comment a few weeks back where Phil said he had told Walton to stay ready becasue there 'could be some minutes available'?

Phil will be probably be trying something new/addressing deficiencies but also making some kind of a point - I think if it was a purely tactical thing he would explain so.You've got to remember that there probably is some kind of unspoken understanding in terms of players getting minutes taken away etc...who knows but if theres been no communication at all between at least someone from the coaching staff then I agree it is harsh.

I think the key to making the Lakers a great team is to maximize the effectiveness of Lamar Odom. He was very effective playing with Pau Gasol in the last season's playoff except in the finals because matchup problem with KG. I think it's best to start LO at PF with Gasol playing center, just like last year, and move Bynum to the bench. Starting lineup would be:

Fisher-Kobe-Trevor-Lamar-Pau

Sub would be:

Farmar-Sasha-Luke/Vlad/Powell-Bynum