Lakers knock off Atlanta: Morning news and notes
They say good teams can make a push at one or two points in a game that the opposition can't handle. It happened for the Lakers on Ring Night against the Clippers, and by any definition Sunday evening in LA's 118-110 win over the Hawks at Staples. Up by six at the half, the Lakers used an 18-0 run over five minutes in the third quarter to turn a reasonably tight (if oddly played) game into a blowout.
The box score shows Kobe Bryant finished with 41 points on 15-29 from the floor and 10-11 from the line, Andrew Bynum had 21 (and only three boards, something he said after the game wasn't going to cut it), and Lamar Odom- call him Lamar 2.0?- was two dimes away from a triple double. But as we noted last night after the game (from a very poorly lit corner of the arena) after the game, the big story centered around Ron Artest, whose defense against Joe Johnson over the final three quarters tipped the balance of things for the purple and gold. "It all started with 37," said Kobe.
Johnson started red hot. 7-8 in the first quarter before Hawks coach Mike Woodson sat him down (a point of contention in that corner of the NBA universe) for a break. When he returned and with Artest on duty, Johnson only had one field goal over the final three quarters.
It was Artest's first highly visible, high impact moment in a Lakers uniform, coming two days after a bad game on Friday that left some wondering if his arrival was more negative than positive, particularly when Trevor Ariza hung 33 on Portland Saturday night. But as JA Adande of ESPN.com notes, just because we live in an era of instant judgment and analysis doesn't mean Artest's game will integrate instantly with his new teammates. It's a process, and Sunday was another sign of how Artest can change a game.
Off the floor, the dominant story for the Lakers is still Pau Gasol. He'll travel with the team on their OKC/Houston road trip this week, but isn't likely to play. Maybe it's PJ's influence, but despite wanting badly to get back on the floor, Gasol has become pretty zen about the state of his injured hamstring. Getting ticked about it won't make the thing heal any faster. But Jackson said before Sunday's win that while it might take six weeks for Gasol to get back to 100%, they don't have that kind of time:
"No, this isn't something you have to be (100% back). You can't be 100% on this unless you take forever and ever to let it heal. I think that's one of the things that is the issue right now is that probably his initial diagnosis was the fact that it takes six weeks for a hamstring to heal. We don't have six weeks. Right now, it'll be three weeks as of tomorrow. So that's half the time, supposedly. We just have to figure it out, and there are ways to come through this without having to jeopardize him. But he still has to have some security that he's not going to go out there and hurt himself."
Finally, and this will shock... nobody, but the Lakers didn't offer contract extensions to Jordan Farmar or Adam Morrison. Both will become restricted free agents this summer.
In other news around the league:
-The Celtics and Rajon Rondo have agreed on an extension. Will CP3 send him a congratulatory Tweet? Maybe... maybe not.
-Rudy Gay is looking for $50 mil from the Grizzlies, and thinks he deserves it.
-The only thing that would have made this pest-reducing swat from Manu Ginobili any more impressive would have been using chopsticks to get it done, Mr. Miyagi style. Either way, it enters the Pantheon of Great and Sure to be Replayed Forever sports highlights. (Importantly, Ginobili says no bats were truly harmed during the filming of this episode...)
-Aaron Afflalo notes there was a lot more going on in Detroit than just Allen Iverson.
-Ariza is getting used to the freedom and pressure that come with being a primary option on offense.
-Mike Conley inspired Mike Conley to get in better shape. In a matter of speaking.
BK
Photo: Kobe Bryant dunks against the Hawks, credit Robert Gauthier, LAT
REPORT : MAMBA24--CELTIC NEGOTIATIONS HEATING UP!
Posted by: RED`S LOVE CHILD | November 02, 2009 at 09:59 AM
I don't think Kobe's been 100% since like...1999? I mean the guy has a busted finger. So no 100% is not required, but you also don't want to go out there too early and find that you aren't exactly healed and exacerbate things.
I think Pau's timeline is fine. We just have to keep on plugging in the effort and defense the way we did last game, otherwise? Well it won't matter if Pau's on the floor or not, dismal 3 point shooting and no defense whatsoever will not get it done.
P.S. It says early morning, does that mean there's a late afternoon post coming up? lol.
Posted by: Faith | November 02, 2009 at 10:13 AM
BTW.
The press were all gleeful and eager to quote Greg Popovich and Mark Cuban when
the Lakers STOLE Pau Gasol from Memphis for absolutely nothing.
Could some of those same press members go back and get new quotes now that
the "nothing" they traded for has the 3rd highest PER of all centers in the NBA
and earns 1/5 of what they were paying his brother.
In hindsight, BOTH teams got good results out of that trade. Lakers got an All-Star
power forward who was the piece that pushed them over the top to championship
level.
Memphis got huge salary reduction (which was the main thing they wanted) and
a quality young center, and a trade piece (Crittendon) that they turned into a future
first round pick.
Consider this... If the Lakers hadn't made that trade, they might not have won
the rings yet, but...
1. they'd still have Marc Gasol, who has turned into a quality front court player.
2. they'd have had a lot more spending flexibility with Marc earning 3 million instead
of Pau earning16 million. Might have been able to keep Ariza AND add Artest
this summer. Or maybe they could have gotten Ramon Sessions or Andre
Miller or Anthony Parker or one of the other free agents who changed teams.
3. They could have kept their draft pick this year
4. They'd still have Javaris Crittendon.
Marc is actually tougher than Pau (though not as skilled on offense), so they may
have actually fared better vs the Celtics with Marc the banger instead of Pau
the finesse player.
Marc is stronger and heavier than Pau, so he might have fended off Dwight Howard
just as well or better. (If Kendrick Perkins can shut down Howard, then Marc
Gasol should be able to).
In short, the Lakers might have been almost as well off if they hadn't done the magical
Gasol brothers swap.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | November 02, 2009 at 10:20 AM
On Artest vs Ariza.
Sure, Artest hasn't scored 30. But the Lakers have Kobe, Bynum, Odom, and Fisher
who are all capable of scoring points. Houston has Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks.
They NEED Ariza to score a lot of points for them to win. I'm happy for Trevor
that he's capable of doing that.
BUT.
For those of you who are laboring under the delusion that Ariza is a great defender,
watch the fourth quarter of that game where Ariza scored 33. The Portland offense
was about 90% Brandon Roy drives past Ariza like he's a light post, gets to the rim
and either scores, gets fouled by Houston's bigs, or both.
Compare that to Artest, who absolutely shut Joe Johnson down for 3 quarters.
So if you're one of the people who thinks defense wins championships, then you
should be overjoyed that the Lakers got Artest for Ariza (aesthetically if not directly),
since Artest is a much more capable defender than Ariza.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | November 02, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Follow up on last post...
I can't wait to see Artest defending Roy the next time Lakers play Portland.
We'll see if he can keep him in check better than Trevor 33 Ariza.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | November 02, 2009 at 10:28 AM
RLC,
Huh?
aren't you one of the people that's constantly dissing on Kobe?
Now suddenly you want him?
Realized that he's more likely to play 82+ than any of your "big 3", maybe?
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | November 02, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Great win against the Hawks without Gasol, the bubbling homers are back predicting another 81-1. Here we go again setting up lightning rods their glass is overflowing with what they're smoking, then later on calling fellow fans as fair weather fans. Of course, we always have a fair weather in LA and nobody will take that away.
No need of criticisms when the team wins. The Hawks are good, in fact if Lakers won against the Mavericks, they could have lost a game last night. It is help defense of Kobe, Artest, LO as well as the bulldog that was translated into win. Just give the ball to kobe, artest, bynum, lo and we'll be always have the better percentage of winning. The danger lurks when starters rest and let the bench mob rule without a scorer out there, the lead evaporates and whatever good things a reserve would accomplish it's the other one who would spoil that temporary reprieve. You have to mixed them with those four guys mentioned and in the next few week, Gasol could also help too.
Go Lakers, next game will be on the road. Here is a traditional weakness of some players, they play poorly when they don't see fans cheering for them. Under that situation, give the ball to Artest and Kobe and they'll handle those jitterbugs in any kind of crowd, the more booing, the merrier.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 02, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Such a promising start for Jordan, or maybe it just looked that way on the somewhat depleted Lakers when he arrived.
Obviously the team needs as much youth, speed and quickness as it can find against the kind of penetration we've been vulnerable to.
Jordan's good, just not big money good. It's a sensible gamble to let him explore the market.
Gotta be scary to realize your Laker dream could come to an end. If he can step up under that added pressure, he might earn an improved payday.
Posted by: VMan | November 02, 2009 at 10:31 AM
I wish to see more of Adam Morrison, Lakers should showcase that shooting ability in the perimeter. I have no idea what the problem is. PJ is like an aircraft carrier, it takes time before he changes course, oftentimes it is slow and calculated. Morrison can help and I think he could outscore Sasha and Luke combined.
Farmar and Morrison missed the deadline on extensions, well finally Mitch got it right. Good Lord, the Lakers are already on the red @ $110M payroll, would u add more headache during these times? Only the homers who are playing favorites would think the otherwise, it is very unrealistic and bad business to give them extensions at this time. Consider the F/A's in 2010, the best move is to wait till July of next year and weight the + and - of all options. It is good players are protected by the CBA backed by the players union. If they are in the actual business world today, an under performing employee could be laid off within a week's notice and replaced by a cheaper college graduate. No questions asked while the CEO pockets the savings.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 02, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Faith and LTLF nice to hear from you. Indeed, the off season and preseason are over, we get something to consider with your worthy insights.
Speaking of mamba's pinky, it has been forgotten and taken for granted. After the Hawks game, I watched the 1972 Finals, that indeed it was a great treat. I hope FoxWest would show more of those golden days. Wilt had sore hands heavily bandaged and yet made 18 pts without dunking played all four quarters. What a player! During halftime, they showed one-on-one competition between Lanier and Jojo White for a prize $15,000 haha, it comes in one bag of one dollar bills plus a trophy. Lanier won the match and at 6'11" he made terrific mid jump shots. Those were the days when simplicity rule the games, less popularity and no multi million contracts. Phil Jackson was also there with prominent wide shoulders and moves like Gaffney who was cut during the preaseason. lol!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 02, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Long Time Laker Fan....
Welcome back..Good post...I liked the part about the Lakers still having the Critter...Farmar is gone..So is Amo....
If the guard play does not improve,doctor deal will have something in his briefcase.....
Mitch(doctor deal)....has already set the wheels in motion....You have one of the best teachers or leadership guys in the NBA at your service everyday and you still cant improve....Then your in more strife than a camera man in the front row of an NBA game that Dennis Rodman has just landed in front of..
Posted by: Thirty2 | November 02, 2009 at 11:12 AM
LTLF,
No, it`s NOT Kobe Bryant we`re interested in acquiring.
Nevertheless, nice essay on the 2008 Memphis/Laker trade. You made a few good points on the Gasol brothers.
But, at the end of the day, it was still a steal for LA...thanks to the inept GM the Celtics fired in `03 {Chris Wallace}, doing all he could to aid the Lakers once Bynum got injured!
Posted by: RED`S LOVE CHILD | November 02, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Good morning Mamba24 & the Laker morning CRUE!!
That 3rd quarter last night was a thing of beauty!!
Kobe doing his "Mozart in Sneakers" impersonation.
Thriller with the stifling defense.
LO back as the Swiss Army Knife.
Socks looking a lot more mobile (if not a little too offense-oriented)....
Pau who??? LOL! But seriously - this team is going to become a monster by the time PJ has them gearing up for the playoffs (barring injury of course). It's funny how we all complain about the same things with Phil, but he always has the team ready when it counts most.
This year is going to be one hell of a ride - strap in now!
GO LAKERS!!!
Nothing but another title will suffice.
Posted by: justanothermambafan | November 02, 2009 at 11:14 AM
FROM NEW YORK, NY,
SHOUT OUT TO: K BROTHERS, MAMBA24, JON, Faith, PSYCHICGIRL...
I'm very busy with a new venture in the Big Apple but I will try to get sometimes for our Team in the blogg.
Our team is strong enough to defend his title=Repeat 2009-2010.
My man, Kobe knows best!
Bisous and Peace to all
Shekobe Forever
Posted by: SHEKOBE | November 02, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Roy versus Ariza is perhaps the best example of the good that Trevor did for us. As we saw in last year's combo of UPS/Fish and Trevor in the perimeter meeting those picks using Trevor's speed worked wonders. Part of something I'm worried/looking forward to examining this year.
Thus far I've noticed we have shown the same speed in the perimeter (but this isn't exactly against Roy, CP3, Manu here), but with an extra strength at which to mix it up with. Which in my opinion is also the reason why we're fouling much more (thus far). The key will be to muscle it up (push them off position) without resorting to actually using our hands to push and being called for a foul. Often times we get out of position and tend to use our hands to make up for it...leading to a foul. But that's really easily fixable. (On a sidenote: that muscle will work wonders against Pierce, Lebron, etc.)
To go back on topic lol...I never thought TA's offense was noteworthy. Sure the open 3s made a difference in the finals, but more importantly it's the overall upgrade in defense we saw versus the year before when TA was out. Of course when considering TA as an upgrade over 09 playoffs, you also have to consider the addition of UPS. Together they strengthened our defense in comparison to a year before.
This year I notice PJ trying to see if the magic continues to happen but instead of TA, he's using Artest. Case and point, after letting a 22 point lead be cut down with a not-so defensive minded 2nd unit lineup, he put in UPS and Artest with the 2nd unit and saw how it upgraded our D. Enough that Joe Johnson was held to 1-8 and Jamal Crawford didn't get many things easy. Unfortunately ATL got confidence and it still took the addition of the full set of starters to get the game back in gear lol.
Posted by: Faith | November 02, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Mitch made the obvious (and correct) decision not to extend Ammo or Farmar. Farmar has been a complete enigma to me. He showed so much promise two seasons ago but has regressed badly. I thought a contract year would bring out the best in him, but so far it's brought out the best in Shannon Brown.
Which reminds me, what does Shannon have to do to earn more PT? I mean, he's VASTLY outplayed Fisher, Sasha and Farmar on both ends of the floor, and yet he's the last guard summoned off the bench? Here are their PERs vs. their minutes per game so far...
Fisher - 2.75 PER/ 30.7 MPG
Farmar - 4.61 PER/16.0 MPG
Brown - 20.47 PER/ 12.7 MPG
Vujacic - 4.26 PER/ 8.3 MPG
The only player who is getting the minutes he deserves (basically, none) is Sasha.
By the way, Farmar and Fisher are 52nd and 56th in PER out of 57 point guards while Sasha is 56th out of 60 shooting guards.
Shannon? Sitting pretty at 15th ahead of Michael Redd, Ray Allen and Jason Terry.
I know it's early, but what the hell? Mamba24, we need a "Release Shannon Brown NOW" bandwagon ASAP!
Posted by: puddle | November 02, 2009 at 11:28 AM
LTLF,
Pau was a good investment and since his arrival, Lakers played the Finals twice with one Championship. Financially, Marc and Javaris were good, maybe Kwame's expiring contract could have landed another Gasol type of player. However, Mitch made great trades in acquiring Trevor and Gasol for whatever price Lakers paid for them. It was a premptive move that save the franchise and its fan base too. Remember the the summer rants of 2007 Kobe threateenend to leave if no improvements have taken place. Lakers could have lost him in 2008. Therefore, Pau and Trevor saved the franchise. I agree with you that Trevor's replacement in Artest will bring the Lakers to great heights, he will be the great stabilizer that will catapult the franchise to more visits to Finals. Eventually, the core group Kobe, Bynum, Artest, Gasol and LO will set another identity for the Lakers Golden Age in the 21st century while the reserves will be constantly changing.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 02, 2009 at 11:46 AM
LTLF
"In short, the Lakers might have been almost as well off if they hadn't done the magical Gasol brothers swap."
Tasty food for thought this mornin', professor. Good points per usual but this quote's got heavy emphasis on the "might have been almost". I get the logic but patience was the issue at that time. Pau started earning it in the real world before he even played a game. Kobe took Toronto apart with a new spring in his step.
Something had to be done when it was done or Phil might have started feeling hip pains while Kobe developed a LeBronze finger nail chewing habit. Had they all waited for the other Gasol to emerge, the principals would have been older still. 16 mil buys a lot of player but that's a skewed number with the cap and Jerry's reluctance.
Your point being, it wasn't the one sided steal everyone touted it as. Agreed but time was the issue and the unanswerable question is would we still have had last year's parade? I'm sure it will be a talking point when Memphis steps it up this year. As you say, for a rebuilding franchise, they really didn't get fleeced.
Posted by: VMan | November 02, 2009 at 12:05 PM
LTLF -
Kendrick Perkins is MUCH better than Marc Gasol - give me a break!!
Posted by: Giant Green Bald-Headed Lunatic | November 02, 2009 at 12:27 PM
I see a few questions on why PJ is not playing Ammo:
The answer:
- He does not see Ammo being a productive part of the team (Ammo is average on offense, he has close to zero D) He's very much a def. liability (like Vlad Rad) He is also too light for a SF (6'8 and ONLY 205)..
- As much as I would hate to say something good about Fluke - but compared to Ammo, Luke is far better in basketball IQ and passing skills. I wont rate Ammo above Fluke. So, he is not going to break the rotation by coming ahead of Luke (unless PJ wanted to try something wild)
- For a #3 pick, dude is as close as a bust. Since 2000, he is the worst or tied-for-worst #3 pick (tied with Darius Miles). All other #3 picks have been sensational or above average (Pau - he was ROY, Mike Dunleavy Jr, Melo, Ben Gordon, D-Will, Al Horford, OJ Mayo are the other #3 picks). So its possible that PJ had decided there's not much to improve in him, and not to invest time in improving him. Lakers would play him in garbage time mostly, and let him ride the pine and finish off his contract.
So, in all reality the only value Ammo has in our team is a fill-in for someone's injury, and a trade piece/expiring contract.
Posted by: Kobefan in Cupertino | November 02, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Why not let Pau have another three weeks off? With all the talent they have, the Lakers should be able to beat almost anyone without him.
And they'll be so much better off having him 100% for 80% of the season than having this injury linger the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
Posted by: jimjoyce | November 02, 2009 at 12:34 PM
BLOGGERS WHO GET IT…
-
It was great to see so many of the regulars offsetting the Chicken Little panic crowd.
Here are the posts of bloggers who get it:
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
LakerinBC,
-
>>> The beauty of having an Artest take the defensive load off Kobe showed tonight.
>>> Freed from having to chase Joe Johnson, KB erupted for 40+.
-
>>> That's going to be the Lakers' basic premise this year: Ron takes care of the other
>>> team's hotshot on the defensive end, and Kobe goes off on the offensive end.
-
Well said. I think Ron just showed everybody why he is going to be more valuable than Trevor.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
CornerJ,
-
>>> Luke haters...give it a rest. The guy is solid. NOBODY, not even Kobe, understands
>>> and plays the triangle better. Nobody makes his teammates play better. Nobody.
>>> Phil obviously knows that. So shaddup already.
-
Luke had an outstanding game last night. The haters need to give Luke credit when due.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rick,
-
>>> Who's going to be the odd-man-out when PJ reduces the guard rotation from five
>>> players t o four? If you only read this blog, you're likely to believe it's Jordan Farmar.
>>> You're also likely to be wrong.
-
Outstanding point about Jordan, Rick. He still is the only one of the four backup guards who really can play the point. The guy who is going to be left out of the rotation is going to be Sasha.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
ex,
-
>>> Bynum's rebounding and defense still works in progress, but it's really nice having that
>>> target inside for lobs and for passes when a defender has to leave his man to cover a
>>> penetrating Kobe/Lamar/Artest.
-
That is why he will be the second leading scorer on the team even when Pau returns. That and his ability to draw fouls and hit his free throws. I think Pau will help Drew be even more effective.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nemaia,
-
>>> My point is Bynum needs to rebound better, but he's also playing on a team with good
>>> rebounders which means that he won't always get the lion's share of boards. Another
>>> example of what I mean, can you name another player on Orlando that is an excellent
>>> rebounder other than Dwight Howard?
-
I really had no problem with Drew only getting 3 boards because Lamar was vacuuming up everything off the glass. When you have Drew, Pau, and Lamar – all three excellent rebounders – there will be times when there are not enough boards to go around – a good problem to have.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Vman,
-
>>> Trevor's puttin' up offensive numbers as Houston's first option but there weren't many
>>> nights that he took a player like Johnson out on D. He made his steals, made huge plays,
>>> but he wasn't about just makin' a guy go away.
-
We saw last night what a defensive beast Artest can be – and what they opens Kobe up to do.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
LTLF,
-
>>> I don't think you'll see the Lakers spend big bucks on a player like Hinrich unless
>>> they take a big slide in the West, and I can't see that happening.
-
Like you so aptly said, it ain’t gonna happen. This team can win with the current point guard by committee and cannot afford to go out and bring in a high paid better point guard and will part with one of their top 6 players to trade for a point guard.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | November 02, 2009 at 12:45 PM