Mark Madsen!

Greetings Lakeshow Fans,

A pretty high scoring game (a little too fast paced) and victory at Minnesota...The evolving three-threat of MVP24, Pau and ever improving Drew combined for 78 total points, with Fish and Walton combining for 21. Not bad at all from the starting 5. Nice rebounding and interior play offensively as well...I liked Kobe's leadership and determination in this game in keeping the team on an even keel.

However, our Lakers still have to find a way to turn up the D a notch, just to keep games under control somewhat...Once KB24, Pau and Bynum start figuring how to play together on the defensive end CONSISTENTLY (as offense is NO problem!), it WILL IMPROVE! Again, this is a PROCESS! Our team is pretty much an offensive powerhouse and is still searching for a defensive identity.

The bench, for the most part, did a decent job. Better energy from Odom and Farmar since the last game. Nice game and key defense at times from Ariza. Nothing like stepping up and shaking a concussion with a comeback win from a strange loss at home (it HAPPENS!).

In terms of bench play, it was OK, but careless at key stretches on D...Thank goodness they inserted Drew when things got a bit hairy...They will be the key to limiting Kobe and Fish's minutes...This group is still a work in PROGRESS (as Odom, Farmar, Vujacic are still recovering from some nicks, dings and sprains) ! Still a long way to June...

I must say, Mr. Jefferson is one heck of a player for the twin cities...He certainly gave fits to our Lakers frontline (34 and 13) and really forced them to have to double-team him for a majority of the time. As a result, a lot of screen and pick-and-rolls opportunities against us (which contributed to a lot of Foye points). Likewise, we did the same. It's called EXPLOITING your opponent...

On to Graceland with the mindset of POUNDING the ball in the interior with Bynum and Gasol...Go get them!

Laker pride through ADVERSITY!

Madsen should join dancing with the stars. That is where he belongs.

Dave M,

Did you see the Mad Dog dance in 2002? That was 7 years ago. There is a new mad dog in the T'wolves, his name is Kevin Love, gosh Minnesota is still good as a sub .500 team. Miller and Vujacic looked alike as the lost brothers in the Adventures of Ivanhoe. LOL!

That is and was the worst basketball court in the history of the NBA....Shocking paint scheme ....How can you expect your team to win with a court that ugly.....Good win otherwise...

I'm very happy I was wrong in thinking the Lakers would drop this game. The took the Wolves seriously and took care of business. Minny has been playing great basketball lately and the Lakers made them look average. I watched the first half and listened to the second half while I drove home.

From what I saw, the Lakers problem in the first half was poor shot selection combined with not taking care of the ball. I thought their half court D was solid and Minny helped but not making them pay for doubling the same way Charlotte did. The only thing I didn't like was the way Fish was shading his man. His angle was too perpendicular to the baseline and led to easy dribble penetration. Drew was a force in the paint. He bothered a lot of shots. A lot more than just the 2 he got credit for blocking. The only easy buckets for Minny in the paint came when Drew was either out of the play or off the floor.

Limiting Minny to 42% and 26% (from 3) and outrebounding them by 10 is a recipe for success. By comparison, Toronto shot the same percentages and only scored 85 pts tonight. The only reason Minny's score was so high was b/c the game was played at a much faster pace.

Has anyone seen the recent photo's of Kurt Warner's wife? Somehow she got incredibly hot after moving from St. Louis to Arizona.

Kafka ain't got nothing on her.

Wes

{Laker Secret Agent Jon K. Reporting Deep From Behind Enemy Lines In The Gray Decaying Frozen Wastes Of Cleveland, Ohio}

Greetings Laker Nation!

I went to see the Clippers-Cavs game last night and I'm prepared to report what I've seen.

1. First of all, the Clippers did not disappoint! As they have made a habit of, they kept the game within single digits into the fourth quarter and then collapsed. For whatever reason, when the clock reads 7:45 left in the fourth, they collapse. It is like clockwork. I think they just get worn out because they don't have anyone to substitute.

2. The Hobbit (Eric Gordon) is the real deal. A future All-Star. Many times in the game I heard Clevelanders shout out in exasperation, "SOMEBODY GET ON THAT GUY!" as Gordon drove to the net or hit a quick three pointer.

3. Cleveland started the game out 16-0 before the Clippers finally scored. Still they fought back and at one time lead by 10.

4. Cleveland is not invincible at home. The crowd was into it, but not as rabid as I thought. I didn't receive a single insult for my Clippers shirt, which thoroughly surprised me.

5. Half of all Clevelanders are obese; 1/4 are thugs; 1/6 appear to have an extra chromosome.

6. Perhaps to address this 1/6, on the Cleveland score board between the opposing score is a statistic called "The Diff" which lets you know the difference in score between the two teams so you don't have to do the math yourself because... umm... THINKING IS HARD!

7. Z Igulaksas (that hulking Lithuanian center) was back last night. The Cavs are a much better team with him playing. Stopping him will be the key to the Lakers victory. And stopping him is simple: Z's game is limited to one trick--He catches the ball about seven feet from the basket. Upon catching the ball, the defense moves to protect the rim. Igulaksas instead takes a step away from the rim and uses the open space to drain a perfect eight foot shot--which he hits everytime. The guy can hardly dunk at 7' 1" but he has a beautiful midrange shot. So... if the Lakers want to beat the Cavs, they're just going to have to anticpate his game and recognize that this huge center does not attack the rim. So when he gets the ball, rush him, get a hand in his face and no room to move. If we do that, we shut him down and gain a major advantage.

8. The only Cav that regularly attacks the rim is LeBron James. If when The Crab King catches the ball, the Lakers immediately shut down the lanes to the rim, LeBron will instead settle for long-range jumpers and is much less effective when that becomes the focus of his game.

9. I counted seven crab dribbles (travels) by The Crab King last night. I think he was called for one. If the Lakers coaching staff can exploit this somehow (speaking with the refs beforehand, positioning players to take the charge, etc.). It will thoroughly diminish LeBron's game. He is succeptible to offensive fouls and he doesn't take receiving fouls very well. He gets visibly upset and whines and dwells on it longer than the average NBA player does. In short, he's not very mentally tough. So, if you upset his ability to travel and attack the rim and get him to commit some early fouls, it will get in his head and he won't play very well. Phil Jackson (Dr. Phil), psychologist extraordinare, should be able to figure out an effective strategy of mindgames, because LeBron James is a perfect candidate for mindgames.

10. Lakers players must avoid looking at the Cavs' jumbotron. Whoever is manning that thing is either a psychiatric patient or on drugs. The jumbotron constantly displays random images such as a dead squirrel when someone hits a three-pointer or The Three Stooges during an inbound pass or Homer Simpson after a dunk. It makes no sense and is utterly confusing. So, if the Lakers want to remain focused and in the present, they should avoid looking at the jumbtron at all times.

What do we play for? RINGS!!!!

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

GO LAKERS!

Kobeblitz,

I thought we agree that you weren't going to needle me about the Clippers.

What gives?

I thought an agreement was an agreement.

Go Clippers!

GO LAKERS!

emotion - 1. A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling

logical -
1. Of, relating to, in accordance with, or of the nature of logic.
2. Based on earlier or otherwise known statements, events, or conditions; reasonable: Rain was a logical expectation, given the time of year.
3. Reasoning or capable of reasoning in a clear and consistent manner.

I don't understand why some people might get confused
about these two words. However, ...

When the GM of the Lakers says:

“There’s a couple different reasons why we did it,” Kupchak said. “We felt we had some duplication on the roster, in particular at that power forward position. I just didn’t think that Cook was going to play. I also felt that we had duplication in the backcourt. Although Maurice was a backup player, I thought he might not get the minutes he felt he needed.

I don't understand why a logical person, who is a
stathound, would argue that Mo Evans was a
defensive minded SF, since the GM considered him
to be a SG [ based on his duplication of backcourt
statement ]

In terms of the Orlando Magic being so stupid as to not
know what they were getting:

Orlando was said to covet veteran players, which it will get in Cook and Evans.

Cook, who turns 27 in two weeks, had been struggling with his shot and defensively in his fifth NBA season. The Lakers’ first-round pick in 2003, Cook was averaging 2.3 points and made four of 21 shots (19%) this season. He was in the first year of a three-year, $10.5-million contract.

AND:

Teams that make trades must be within 25% of each other in exchanged salaries, but the deal was accomplished because the Magic had a $2.6-million trade exception that would have expired Dec. 11. The exception came from an injury transaction involving former Magic center Tony Battie.

Mitch also said:

“Another factor and maybe the biggest factor … we like Trevor Ariza. He brings us a dimension we don’t have, which is a defensive player at that position. We don’t know how much he’s going to play initially, so I’m not going to go out there and say he’s going to be our lockdown defender. It may take him a while to get acclimated to what we do, but we don’t have a player like that."

Trevor Ariza seems to have acclimated quite nicely.

I'm seeing a lot of chatter about this starting lineup:
kobe, ariza, lo, gasol, bynum

What position would Lamar play because Mitch said:

“I wouldn’t say that Lamar [Odom] is the type of guy that can be that lockdown defender at that [small forward] position. Luke Walton also has struggled a little bit with athletic small forwards.”

From basketball-reference.com:

Lamar has played 1117 minutes to Trevor's 1097 minutes

Lamar has 100 assists to Trevor's 91.
Lamar has 44 steals to Trevor's 74.
Lamar has 73 turnovers to Trevor's 47
Lamar has 114 Personal Fouls to Trevor's 82

If we're talking about a crunch-time situation ...

Lamar's FT % is .608 to Trevor's .712.

Is there a belief that Ariza would be a better/smarter
defender than Fisher? IF it's just a question of size/
quickness why not go with Sasha? [ I am not
promoting Sasha a defender in *this* scenario. I am
trying to understand the desire for this lineup. ]

LTLF, I think it was you who did a lovely analysis of
Luke and clutchness. Would you care to do one for
Lamar?

LakerTom, I believe it was you who linked Lamar's
personality to marijuana as a *possible* reason. Let
us not profane marijuana in that fashion! I went to
one of the most prestigious schools in the world, where
I met a LOT of potheads. It *NEVER* caused them to
lose their aggressive focus. I repeat. Let us *NOT*
profane marijuana in that fashion! Biologically speaking
it is a marvelous plant useful for medicine, clothing,
fuel, food && it's good for the environment due to it's
rapid growth, hardiness & CO2 -> O2 conversion
properties.

side note: how many stoners laughed when reading
about pipe weed in Lord of the Rings?

side note #2: I trust I've given enough stats & info so
that I don't fit the definition of being emotional.