Maybe Dr. Ted Nugent knows the cure for the Laker blues against the Charlotte Bobcats, this 94-84 loss number six in the last seven attempts against the expansion squad.  But since the Nuge ain't around for comment (too busy basking in the afterglow of his National Bowhunters Hall of Fame induction), I'll offer a few ideas...

1) Checking Gerald Wallace.  The athletic small forward got off to a fast start, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the first quarter.  He didn't do quite as much damage as the game continued, but between that initial burst, five swats and a baker's dozen on the glass, Wallace accomplished more than his fair share.  Extra motivated, perhaps?

2) Keeping better tabs on the paint.  The Lakers were outscored 52-38 in the paint.  To some degree, that discrepancy was a result of missed Laker layups by the oodles.  A few more of those going down and the margin decreases.  And if you want to discount the mother of all "lucky flub buckets" from ex-Laker Vlad Radmanovic, also fair.  But that still wouldn't change the fact that G.W. (among other Charlatans) had their way close to the cup.  In a postgame interview, James Worthy opined that the main problem was penetration too easily allowed by the guards.  

Odds are Vlad Radmanovic will get more opportunities to punish his old team than Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown will get to hurt their former employers.  Let's hope the DNP-CD Party reigns triumphant!  For whatever reason, this Bobcats crew remains a steady fly in the ointment. 

The jabber box is below.

AK

The news of Andrew Bynum getting his par-tay on at the Playboy Mansion last weekend, a night replete with fun, food, music, and the apparently jeopardous hoisting of Playmate Nicole Narain on to his shoulders, has certainly caused a stir among Lakers fans. 

Was it a good idea for Bynum to be photographed serving as a Bunny saddle while he's rehabbing an injured knee?  Probably not.  But on the Official Lakers Blog Danger Scale it barely moves the needle, in part because that girl looks like she weighs about a buck ten, max.  I'm including the ears.  It's not like Bynum scooped her up then set off to hike Kilimanjaro.

Still, there are things he could have put on his shoulders that would have been hazardous to his health, and by extension a championship for the Lakers.  Heavy things.  Poisonous things. Burdensome or irresponsible things.  Mark Cuban.  Jerome James.  Jabba the Hut.  Angry cobras.  The collective poor decisions of Nicholas Cage, stateside and overseas.  And so on.  Your mission, therefore, is to create such images in the first ever Lakers Blog Photoshop Contest!

We did something similar last year at Blue Notes (of blessed memory) with Manny's hair and Casey Blake's beard, and the results were often extremely entertaining.  Use them as inspiration as you build your own masterpiece.  As always, the winner gets a steaming hot bucket of pride.  Send submissions to kambrothers@yahoo.com.  We'll post the best entries back on the site.  (Remember, they have to abide by all applicable standards and practices.  Think of the children.)

BK

Ever had an itch you just can't scratch, no matter how desperately hard you try? Well, for the Lakers, the Charlotte Bobcats represent a night without a back scratcher. 

Despite their failure to cobble together a winning season since their 2004 inception, the Bobcats have nonetheless owned the purple and gold.  5-4 over a short lifetime, and only one loss over the last six meetings.  Throw in what feels like quintuple OT every time these squads square off and it's obvious why the Lakers should remain perched on their toes while hitting the hardwood. 

Not that this team has earned any right these days to play at their loosest, anyway.  Phil Jackson emphasized a return to execution, a necessity when you're trying to best an opponent that, according to former Charlatan Adam Morrison, matches up well against the Lake Show.  Plus, there's the Vlad Rad factor.  PJ and the player he dubbed "Space Cadet" rarely saw eye to eye, but the Zen Man concedes that his shooting ability could come in handy right now.  That the Lakers are coming off arguably their biggest lemon of the year makes it even easier to sweat another fall.  Not that any loss, even of the "consecutive" variety, would completely overshadow the wave of recent positives.

On the plus side, he didn't pull a "Hef" and fire up the pipe, which carries the threat of decreased stamina upon hitting the court again.  But nonetheless, a piece by SI's Arash Markazi about Andrew Bynum living it up at the Playboy Mansion roughly a dozen or so hours before yesterday's loss to the Hawks will perhaps ruffle the feathers of a few laker loyalists.  In particular, the sight of Drew's shoulders decorated by Playmate Nicole Narain's gams. 

With no definitive date set for Andrew's return and his absence definitely felt, fans are anxious for any bit of news signaling him back in the groove.  According to an exclusive interview with andrewbynum.com- this site must have serious connections to get face time with such a high profile player- Bynum is playing 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 ball, generally considered "progress."  More so, I'm guessing, than Drew being well enough to kick it at Casa de Hef. 

Based on reactions to similar incidents since the blog's inception, I expect some fans to be upset by this development.  As a fan myself, do I share that sentiment? 

No, although I think Drew should have known better.  At least one one level.

The Lakers are not going to have the NBA's best record. (Please do not panic.)

Putting aside the pasty aftertaste of Sunday's brickathon in Atlanta, the real concern about the state of the bench, or Kobe Bryant's shooting rut of late (37% over his last seven games), it's more a question of unfortunate math.  With nine games to play, the Lakers are two games behind Cleveland, who also have nine remaining.  A few of those will be tough for the Cavs- at Orlando, a home and home against a decent-and-motivated Philly team, at home against Boston and San Antonio- but the Lakers don't have a cupcake ride the rest of the way, either.  At Charlotte (it shouldn't be a big challenge, but we all know it always is), at home against Houston, Denver, and Utah, on the road against the Blazers. 

Phil Jackson said Sunday that his team will continue to pressure the Cavs, but "certainly aren't going to win out."  Buzz kill.  Except I happen to agree.  A tidy 8-1 finish means the Cavs would have to go 6-3 for the Lakers, who own the tie breaker, to catch them.  7-2 for LA (no shame in that) requires the Cavs to give back four games before it's over. And so on.

Not gonna happen.  Those LeBrons are playing awfully well, and with the prospect of playing every Game 7 on their home floor so nearly in their clutches, they're not going to give it away.  It's disappointing, because in a 2-3-2 Finals format, the team with home court has a serious advantage- but there's a silver lining. 

A paraphrasing of Hamlet's famous take on Denmark feels appropriate in summing up the Lakers performance while visiting Atlanta for roundball.  Upon entering the guest's locker room to change clothes, a foul stench was in the air. Unfortunately for the purple and gold, the good folks at Glade can only do so much to solve the problem.  That scent greeting the Lakers carried onto the court, forging an 86-76 loss to the Hawks where "stink-o-rama" quickly became the afternoon's unshakable theme. 

A mere twelve seconds passed before Kobe Bryant committed the team's first turnover- that couldn't have done much to ease the tummy quease- setting a tone for a loss steeped in poor execution.  From start to finish, the game wasn't so much about Atlanta presenting obstacles as the Lakers simply getting in their own way.   Kobe and Derek Fisher both picked up a pair of early whistles, relegating a squad already struggling on the offensive end to make due without two starters.  From there, the Lakers fell further into a pattern of jumper concession.  Whole lotta outside shots launched.  Very few makes.   

They also turned the ball over fourteen times, a number not terribly outrageous, except most of the gaffes were the equivalent of an unforced error in tennis.  These weren't passes intercepted by a Hawks crew adeptly anticipating every move.  The Lakers were just flinging the ball around willy nilly, then paying the consequences.  When that bill is levied against a team not exactly setting the world on fire in their own right, the price tag feels even more jacked up.

How frigid were the Lakers during the first loss of their roadie septet?  Well, Stu Lantz opined during the broadcast that this represented a lousier effort than the early March debacle in Portland, which was without question the season's worst defeat up to that point.  I understand why someone would take exception, maintaining that a 17-point loss that resulted in a Trevor Ariza ejection/Lamar Odom suspension is a more infuriating loss.  But without the benefit of having talked to the color man, I have a hunch I understand his reasoning: The Lakers rarely win in Rip City and the Blazers brought something solid to the table that night.  This afternoon, however, the Hawks were anything but a squad ripping stuff up. 

The Lakers held Atlanta below 40% from the field.  Stars Joe Johnson and Josh Smith were mostly non-factors (19 combined points on 7-29 shooting).  They got ourebounded 50-45 and turned the ball over fourteen times.  Any home court advantage was out the window and it wouldn't have required the A-est of games from the more talented Lakers to come out on top.  Unfortunately, they decided to roll with the "Z" game and see how that turned out. 

Answer: Not particularly well. On a multitude of levels, the Lakers stunk up the joint.

When the Lakers met the Hawks back on February 17th at Staples, it was a romp for the home team.  The Lakers were up by 27 thirty seconds into the fourth, and 26 with 4:24 to go before a meaningless late run from the Hawks set the final margin at Lakers +13.  Pau Gasol was outstanding (12/13/10, zero turnovers), as was Lamar Odom (15 points, 20 boards), and as we mentioned in the postgame report, LA thrashed Atlanta on the boards, outrebounding them 67-39.  Some of that is because the Hawks couldn't hit a shot to save their lives (36.9% shooting), but also because the Lakers were big on the offensive glass, rolling up 28 offensive rebounds on 54 misses.  That's good. 

With Kobe Bryant a game time decision- my bet is that he'll play- thanks to the ankle he gunked up in Friday's win over the Nets, this afternoon LA will need more of the same inside against a Hawks team that thrives in the open court and on mistakes.  That means the Lakers will have to take better care of the ball than they did in February, when the Hawks were unable to take full advantage of 23 LA giveaways (it should be noted that the number was inflated by garbage time sloppiness, but overall the Lakers were too careless). 

It'll also be a test for the still slumping reserves to generate good shots and minimize easy run outs for the Hawks.  Concern is growing, among fans, coaches, and as noted here from Odom (scroll past all the nice stuff about Pau.)

More thoughts: Forum Blue and Gold's game preview, Peachtree Hoops.  No Marvin Williams for Atlanta, and Acie Law could miss the game as well. 

Chat box below! See you at game time.

BK

I'm not saying Kobe stole my move... but you do the math.   

BK