@LUDWIG ... Thanks for the comments. I’ve come to look forward to a breath of fresh air every time I see your name on a post. I agree 100% with your point that Dallas is so damn beatable. There has to be a first time for everything. Come on, Lakers. Let’s make history.
...
I still believe we can do this but it probably depends on Pau which is a pretty damn scary thought. It’s frustrating because you can see that thread hanging that will unravel the Mavs but the Lakers just won’t reach out and grab it by giving the ball to Drew all game long. As for Mitch, who could have really foreseen how Pau would completely fall apart as the season and playoffs progressed.
...
Korver was also the guy I wanted the Lakers to get during the summer. Win or lose, I say we keep Bynum and trade Gasol for back court help, someone who can defend the quick fast guards and feed the post better than the guys we got. Pau has almost reached the point where moving him is like addition by subtraction. What a sad way to end what was a great Lakers career. Rain in Spain.
...............................................................................
@TIM-4-SHOW ... I’m right there with you on Drew. This kid has the character, intelligence, and ability to become our next franchise player. If we trade anybody, it has to be Pau, who can easily bring us one great or two outstanding back court players. It would be foolish to trade Drew when the problems at power forward, small forward, and point guard demand greater and more immediate attention. The Drew for Dwight crowd needs to wake and look again at what this team really needs.
...............................................................................
@LROB.... I cannot see the Lakers getting swept. In fact, I cannot see them getting eliminated. Watching the game for me was extra frustrating as both my son and grandson were there so I couldn’t really scream all the profanities and insults that I wanted to. That’s probably why I’ve been unloading on Pau so much today. Come on, Pau. Don’t do this to your reputation. Be proud.
...
It’s ironic how much your general demeanor suffers when the Lakers falter. This morning, I got out of bed and found I somehow tweaked my back. Now as I creakily get in and out of my car and walk like my age, I can’t help get a feeling of impending change. But getting a chance to vent about Pau and think about the possibilities, my back is suddenly feeling better. Tomorrow, it will be fine.
...............................................................................
TOM

ok fellow lakeshow fans, here is my offseason suggestion. the nba has turned into a superstar PG league, so i say trade gasoft for a superstar PG like Dwill or CP3, i'd prefer Dwill, he is an absolute stud. odom can easily replace paula in the rotation, and i believe he would even do a much better job. believe me when i tell you, Dwill is not going to stay in NJ, regardless of how that loony russian convinces him to stay.

Yes.

Other than game 1, this was easily the most competitive squad even though they had not played together before as a unit.

Let Ron come off the bench

Laker Tom - I also address that scenario too

TOP TEN

Monday, Dec. 22, 2008

Honorable Mention…..

I felt PJ should have benched LO than benching VladRad or that useless beast who moves like an Elephant. If there is such thing as buyers remorse, there should be owners remorse and redeeem the contract. For being lazy and lethargic, there should be breach of contract case filed against by the Family of Bynum as damages to the Laker fans braging rights for season tickets paid.
Lastly, whoever called him a beast owes this blog an apology. My Chihuahua is more vicious than Bynum. Whoa!!!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | December 22, 2008 at 11:53 AM

[Comment From pfunk36]
Rudy Gay eyes lit up at the start of the game when he saw Luke on the other side.............He scored a quick 9 points before I was even able to get some popcorn

DRUM ROLL…..

#10
the last two games: 1-6 and 1-7.
Nov. 30 thru Dec. 10, FIVE out of seven games he took THREE SHOTS TOTAL!
THREE SHOTS??? some of those games he completely disappeared... this is what you expect out of rookies, not vets who are supposed to be "leading" this team to a new level...
Posted by: Kwaminus III, 4th Earl of the Secret Society of the Brimming Calves | December 22, 2008 at 02:19 PM

#9
[Comment From Jon K.]
Bynum has four rebounds. How do you have four rebounds starting when you are 7' 1"?

#8
[Comment From K. Rambis,Defensive Coach]
Here is a list of the defensive principles we discussed in training camp: Play on your guy's side and give him the whole driving lane. Trap at every opportunity no matter if the guy is Mark Madsen. DON'T block out. DON'T try to hard to rebound.

#7
[Comment From Faith]
It's not like it was any better with Jim Cleamons. At a certain point...you have to realize it's the team. they don't want to play D so they don't.

#6
[Comment From Brazilian Laker]
lamar is amazing, gets the board, runs up the court and throws the ball away. amazing

#5
I kept screaming about Drew trying to clear space in previous games when he doesn't have to - that it was an offensive foul waiting to be called - now they're being called - idiot

#4
[Comment From Magia32]
Chuck, PJ is NOT being out coached, he would actually have to be doing some coaching for that to happen.

#3
[Comment From pfunk36]
Add Steve Smith of NBA TV to the long list of those wondering ........."why does Luke Walton start"? He just said he couldn't figure it out

#2
[Comment From Tom]
Lakers are going to win the championship. Everyone knows turning the ball over and giving up layups, threes, and dunks are the essential aspects in winning

#1
can we click "next" on Lamar Odom?

case A. start LO @ 4 in place of Gasol with Artest back at 3

---------------------------------

case B - "let's hang it ALL OUT"

Bynum- 5
Gasol - 4
Artes - 3
Kobe - 2

and LO as a point guard

-------------------------------------

in case A, all the players have "some sort of heart" and desire to win.

there is no time at this moment of BABY SITTING Gasol and trying to INSTILL confidence. actually watching from the bench maybe will ignite some fire and he can get more "TOUCHES".

I'm not convinced DH would be better than Socks right now.
Posted by: Tim-4-Show
=======

Though I have been in favor of that trade earlier in the year, now, neither am I.
Bynum can be the real deal but the thing that scares me about him is his knees.

=======

Laker Tom,

When all the trade talk was going on around the all-star break you proposed that the Lakers keep Drew (of course:)
and instead trade Pau.

In hindsight, if there was going to be a trade then that would have been the right call.
Denver may have taken Pau for Melo.
The same Melo who dropped 40+ in the playoffs on the Celts.
Imagine him on the floor with Kobe, Odom and Bynum...

I am not among the believers who think that the Lakers can come back in this series. This team is fatally flawed right now, and the likelihood that now, down 0-3, they will find that heretofore missing "switch" to flip is beyond low.

Andrew Bynum is, among other things, a very bright guy. He is committed to self-improvement both on and off the court, and I would consider him to be among the more perceptive and honest of Laker players (not that the others aren't "honest" in a normal sense, but that the rest (besides Ron) apply a filter to their comments that young Drew does not). Andrew revealed something very important with his "deep lack of trust" comment.

A team that doesn't trust each other is a team that doesn't make proper defensive rotations (see, e.g., Dirk of all people getting a wide open 3 in the fourth quarter of a must-win game).

A team that doesn't trust each other doesn't make the obvious pass in crunch time (see, e.g., Kobe Bryant shooting an off-balance, contested, fall away 3 pointer instead of passing the ball to a wide open LO who could have shot an uncontested, on-balance 3).

A team that doesn't trust each other can overcome that lack of trust early in games, when possessions don't mean as much, but have a much a harder time overcoming that lack of trust later in games, where possessions determine the outcome (see, e.g., Kobe Bryant with 6 assists in the game, but 0 in the 4th quarter; or the fact that the ENTIRE Laker team had ONE assist in the 4th).

A lot of the Lakers difficulty in this series has to do with Dallas playing great and making tough shots. But that's not really anything new, and so cannot be said to be the primary cause of Dallas' dominance so far. Instead, the likely culprit is that the underlying lack of trust that Drew spoke of is real, and big, and THAT is not something that this team is likely going to fix in the next 24 hours.

A sweep is likely.

Some of the best of the best of the Top Ten

#2 If the Lakers can some how hold the Suns to under 50 layups tonight Lakers should win.
Posted by: BD | December 10, 2008 at 06:06 PM

#1 Don't celebrate...this was really a Suns victory. Butler will telll us why in 3...2...
Posted by: utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER | December 10, 2008 at 10:12 PM

In regards to the fact that luke is starting tonight I want to apologize to the blog! Obviously the anti-dementia drugs we are giving phil are not working and I will begin trying something else.
Posted by: phil's doctor | December 10, 2008 at 07:53 PM

#2
[Comment From adt31]
when WE ROTATE WERE LIKE CHICKENS WITH THEIR HEADS CUT OFF

#8
mike t - "It's pure strength and nothing more."
ya, but there's also the matter of the ball and the basket and running around and stuff, right?
Posted by: dave m | December 13, 2008 at 10:15 PM

#4 (sorry ed but it is funny when you read it)
OK Edwin, so you don't like Kurt Streeter because he is anti-Laker.
But then you realize he is pro-Lakers, but shows his pro-Laker stance by ridiculing Laker fans so now you don't like him because of that.
It's hard to win in Edwinland isn't it?
Posted by: pslakerfan | December 14, 2008 at 01:28 AM

#1
[Comment From Faith]
if this D was any uglier...it would marry Heidi Klum

#6
"Jordan Farmar's problem lies between his ears."
Well, as long as the problem doesn't lie upon his ears, we'd have some pretty big problems.

Posted by: hendrix | December 15, 2008 at 08:31 AM

#2
sugarhill2208: "you hardly ever see fire phil or phil is makeing a mistake"
LOL. You obviously have never met pfunk or chuck23 or read the comments on this blog before today.
Posted by: lakers_sth | December 15, 2008 at 04:10 PM

#3
Pfunk36,
I don't know whether to laugh or get frustrated at the irony of you only appreciating a post of ours that was specifically NOT about basketball. Haha…….
Posted by: Andrew and Brian Kamenetzky | December 17, 2008 at 04:50 PM

#10
[Comment From tomk]
Kobe's new shoe is a LOW TOP, Wade's new shoe goes up to your hip, their called Waders

Honorable Mention…

[Comment From JohnnyP]
Knock Knock!!!
Who’s there?
Sun
Sun who!!
NO SUN YUE!!!!

LakerTom,

This WHOLE season has gone by the way of Pau.

Think about it... when Pau was playing like crude during the season, the Lakers were faltering.

After the All-Star break, when he had some rest, he started to wake up and the Lakers went on an absolute TEAR; even hitting that 3 pointer against the Spurs during that complete annihilation. The Lakers then Texas two stepped and destroyed the Mavs in Dallas.

But since then, the guy has just petered out.

A lot of it is probably mental right NOW, but that's only because he's performed so poorly that he might actually be doubting himself. I've been right where Pau is as an athlete, and it definitely plays mind games with you if you're not understanding what has happened.

This means I also understand what can happen after he gets prolonged rest, and is able to start rebuilding himself physically during that prolonged rest.

He can comeback better than ever.

But that doesn't help us win this series, and it doesn't help us win the title... oh well... should have swept the Hornets, then maybe the little break would have made the difference.

Wow! Is it possible I was too optimistic with my Dallas in 5 prediction???

This was by far the most disappointing game of the series. I just wished the game would be over after 3 quarters as we all knew the Lakers would choke in the 4th. Stunningly moronic defense and perhaps even more mentally disabled offense down the stretch. This is a fitting end for one of the most retarded teams in history.

I've been on Drew a lot but I applaud his passion and feel his frustration because we also knew that even though he had 14 points at halftime he'd barely reach 20 anyway as the team thinks it's a better idea to hoist up perimeter and forced shots.

I gotta give it to ze German aswell. Holy crap! He's gotten better at this stage of his career. Way to go Schnitzel-Dirk!

They also went away from what they were doing in the first half. The should be up 2 to 1. I dont think they will the series. Dallas looks focus and I haven't seen then uncomfortable. They are also playing a lot physical then the Lakers. Kobe is not controlling the game like Dirk and he is not closing the game like we are use to seeing.

On a scale of 1 to 5 : Paul Pierce gives JJ Barea 1 1/2 "wheelchairs" for his pitiful acting performance in faking a head injury, after the clothesline from Artest.

Look at the Box score: MArion 2 pts the whole game while the Three Towers were in there. Con: Dirks OPen THree's .

Look at STojacovic coming off the BEnch Points : 15 pts. Cons Lamar had to guard him and he let him get wide open threes-especially when dirk dished it out while he was being guarded by three Lakers .

If it does go down, i rather have Lamar Odom start with the Two big fellas and ron artist come off the bench to stop Peja.

And can we make an effort to Pass it to Bynum in the pain in the fourth quarter. FOrget about kobe handling the Ball one on one with Kid, HE IS NOT MICHAEL JORDAN- Michael Jordan would have passed it out To a WIDE OPEN LAMAR ODOM if he was Double teamed...

Seeing Lamar Odom waiving his hands to Kobe "IM OPEN IM OPEN" and Kobe Just taking a Fade Away, NO look, Double Clutch shot reminds me of that Young Ball Hogging Kobe with no sense of Team Player Mentality. THe less Kobe scores the more the team Starts Running the offense instead of clearing some space for Kobe and just ball watching.

Can't bench Gasol- He needs to find a way to Stop Dirk, either in fouls or defensively, if he cant then the Lakers dont deserve to be Champions.

IF the Bench cant score, at least make some stops.

Artest should come out the bench on Game 4 and Odom Start at his position. Bang It In the Paint...that's all we got.

Starting L.O. ultimately didn't work, so just go back to Ron Ron and bring L.O. off the bench.

Don't like Pau's demeanor. They showed a clip of him on the NBA Countdown pregame show on ABC, he looked down. Mentally down. Tired, weary, sad type of look to him.

Something I want to say about Pau that I've never said but have thought a lot, he is too nice a guy. He tries to please everyone, tries to be nice/kind to everyone. That is the 'white swan' which Kobe refers to. That's fine, he's got a finesse game and when it's working it's a nice piece to the Lakers puzzle.

The thing is, when it's off, it's downright ugly. He's not a scrapper, not a battler. He doesn't out-muscle guys, he's not going to go Charles Oakley on anybody. So, when he's not hitting those top-of-the-key-because-he-couldn't-get-establish-good-low-post-position jumpers it's not good. Not good at all.

But Pau's demeanor is to listen, to accept what people tell him, to try and accommodate everybody's opinion and then he gets himself all out of sorts. Kobe tells him one thing, L.O. tells him something else, Phil is screaming all sorts of things at him. Pau just keeps chugging along. Eventually, he gets numb and goes into his shell a bit. It's a vicious cycle when things are going bad.

Take Drew - in many ways the anti-Pau. He gets pissed, he makes his fouls count. He battles and scraps and bruises his way to great low-post position. He also tells it like it is, he's not afraid to be abrasive. Heck, here's someone who told the greatest scorer in all-time history that he no longer needed his tutelage. If that doesn't take cojones, don't know what does. He also plays like a beast. If he feels slighted, he goes out and plays harder, kicks butt.

All I know, if the Lakers didn't have Drew then they lose these games by 20+ points.

Anyways, being that this is an elimination game, Phil will have about as short a leash as possible.

- - -

Art: YES! You're right. Rick Adelman would be a great choice! I totally overlooked him. He gets the maximum out of his teams, they are always scrappy and play hard. I would highly consider him if I were Mitch, Adelman and Sloan. Retain Shaw and Person, ask Cleamons and Hamblin what they want to do, and bring in Adelman or Sloan.

I believe Shaw will turn out to be a great coach, I can totally see him becoming Laker head coach down the line, but the way this season ended makes me think they need a more experienced voice for the next couple of seasons this core is together to get the max out of what's left in them.

AS ALWAYS - AND FOREVER - GO LAKERS!!!!!!

Tom, I am doubtful that there will be any big trades, but at this point if we are going to entertain the art of the possible the best way to immediately solve this team's most glaring problems would be to trade Pau for Chris Paul for Deron Williams or Chris Paul, and Drew for Dwight Howard. You get one of the best point guards in the league to pair with Kobe, and the best center in the league without the injury risk. I know you don't like or accept that premise, but it doesn't make it any less true. But don't worry, it isn't going to happen.

LakerTom

i give you this:

if DH wants to play in LA, and it's a big IF because lately he said that wants to stay in Orlando

so,

Otis Smith HAS TO MAKE A DECISION TO GET SOMETHING IN RETURN

he will need a BIG - he has none left. so the Lakers remain his only trade partners. the Lakers CAN FORCE his hand

I will package Gasol and IMPOSE to have LUKE 's contract absorbed by the TRADE.

that will empty the Lakers coffins of Gasol's salary and 6 Mil for Luke.

enough to sign Howard and get a PG. Fisher has to be BOUGHT OUT. last night he showed that he is NO VETERAN. and after this year, regardless he will be the El presidente, after the NEGOCIATIONS, regardless how they end nobody will care to use gloves and not criticizing his SUCKTITUDE.

Having Howard will train him to be a PF> he has a pretty decent bank shot a la Ducan. he can improve it.

And, in case Bynum gets injured AGAIN, Howard can play Center with LO at PF. a very dynamic and athletic duo.

If we don't do a trade and Bynum gets injured again, Gasol at center will be UNWATCHABLE for another season. actually i use his images as "vomiting inducing pills" after having hangovers of seeing him PLAY.

You gotta believe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBzvrKtraNw

STATE OF EMERGENCY -- by the Sheriff's office
-------------------------------------------------------------
They show more hockey games on espn than bball games, so all I've been able to see so far in the series is game 3 and to me it's apparent what ails the lakers. Kobe Bryant is playing with common sense and his shot selection has been decent. Like seriously we're down 3 games and kobe hasn't gone into ball hog mode and jacked up 36 shots? What gives? He's took 20/16 shots in games 3/2 respectively and the closest he got to 30 shots is in game 1 with 29 which is the closest we've been to a victory.

Look Pau Gasol is an all-star but he's not in the same league as Dirk. That's not a matchup he's going to win. I think the problem in this series is we've been 2 gung ho about getting Gasol involved. I think the focus needs to be on running our offense through Kobe as many times as possible. Even if he shoots a poor percentage, our bigs can go battle for the offensive rebound.

This is not how our quest for a 3peat should end, not like this, not with Gasol getting the blame. This is not what our 5 championships in the mamba era have been about. Kobe's always been the scape goat, he's always been more than willing to shoulder the burden. Now is not the time 2 stray from that.

No matter how much venom resides within the mamba, the opposition is not going to fear us if he's gun shy. Put the ball in the hands of #24 and ask him to deliver on the promise of being the best basketball player in the world.

Remember the equation y'all: 24 + 16 + [3|1]7 = The Purple Tinted Golden Age

It starts with Kobe ... we've still got a series on our hands ...

damn trollman giving a beatdown to lakeshow

Cyber,

That was a good take on Pau and Drew, I've thought that about Pau too.

He's like a golden retriever and the Lakers need a different breed. I don't think they need the pit bull type like Ron or Barnes, rather, a greyhound would be a good addition and/or a jack russell terrier type PG, sneaky fast and gritty and doesn't know the meaning of quit.

Did you see what Rose did to the Hawks the last game? Man, he was diving on the floor and penetrating, making very tough shots and hitting from outside. As I watched the game I said dang, he looks like a young Kobe.

I've been on the Adelman bandwagon for several weeks now, and found it quite ironic that after Adelman leaves Houston the Lakers give permission to Shaw to interview with Houston (shades of Ariza-Artest).

About some of your asst coach ideas, I think a new coach will want to bring in some new people he knows and trusts (I would), though keeping someone from the old regime might be ok, can't keep them all.

While Sloan had a good run, I'm not too excited about him, but I prefer him over the status quo, which is what I think Shaw represents.

LO = Magic?

In what parallel universe are you living, was Riley saying that just before he traded him?

Hmmm...

That's an insult to Magic.

AH....LAKERTOM VERY QUIET TODAY. I'M STILL WAITING ON A RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS YOU MADE 2 DAYS AGO.

The brutal truth that Dallas fans don’t realize right now is the Lakers have the Mavs right where they want them. This weekend will start with the Lakers blowing Game 3 wide open in the 1st quarter and end with the Mavs trying to pick themselves up off the floor after 2 humiliated thrashings at home and suddenly realizing they not only lost back home court advantage but probably the series as well. With Dallas’ confidence reeling, the Lakers pound out 2 more dominating wins to close out the semis 4-2.

..……………………………………………
TOM

Posted by: LakerTom | May 05, 2011 at 06:44 PM

ARE YOU EATING CROW?

AND WHERE IS MY MAN "THE OUTLAW"

Of course Gunner shows up when the Lakers are against the ropes. He'll disappear (like usual) when the Lakers win out this series, and hopefully he'll take his all-caps.

I believe. And I always will.

Go Lake Show!

Posted by: The Outlaw | May 05, 2011 at 08:55 PM

I THINK ALL TRUE LAKER FANS SHOULD BE REJOICING BECAUSE FINALLY AFTER THIS SEASON, WE WILL GET OUT TEAM BACK FROM THE HANDS OF THIS FRAUD KOBE WHO HAS HURT THIS FRANCHISE EVERY SINCE 2004.

I can't wait

Let's just wait and see what happens before we talk trade, but talking trade is always fun.

Posted by: D(erek)J(eter) | May 07, 2011 at 03:47 PM
----------------------

DJ,

I thought you never passed on an opportunity to talk trade...lol. I though Laker Tom was telling you the same thing during the NO series.

If the reports are true and Pau is pouting because of some off-court stuff then his play is unforgiveable. Buss is paying however many millions and when you go out on the court you give 100%. It isn't like a teammate killed a family member. Short of that, you suck it up when you are on the court and play hard or you refund Dr. Buss all his millions and go find a job where no one relies on you to do anything.

Un-freaking-forgiveable if true. Yeah people are human but Pau is suppose to be a professional. I can forgive bad play when trying, but if these reports are true and it is bad play due to sulking then it does wipe out anything positive he did as a Laker.

People have to deal with stuff all the time. And 99.999999% of humanity is not being paid a king's ransom like Pau is to work. Suck it up as long as you are on the court and DO YOUR JOB. Pau should be ashamed to have a Laker jersey on. I know Pau is a nice guy a thoughtful guy but there should also be honor in a person. It is not honorable to punish EVERYONE, if he cares about anyone connected to the Lakers, any teammate, any coach, any fan, any management, anyone he has ever spent time with while a Laker or anyone he likes in LA because of whatever he thinks might have happened.

Arggggghhhhhhhhh. Unbelivable if these reports are true.

Lakers are GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!! Their going to loose on Sunday no whatever u faggets say

@ Art

LO dont equal Magic baby, I never said that, i said he was compared to Magic, by Pat Riley saying he had the same abilities to play like him, but they never used him at point.

Either way, a Foward/pointguard . that's what he supposed to be. Versatility...But if you dont utilize what you got, then it'll never show.

Can someone tell the referees that Dirk has only had 2 fouls the last 3 games? If the Lakers at least got half the fouls that they deserve this series would be tied. But everyone knows that since the Lakers have been to the finals 4xs and have a chance for a 3peat it's the Lakers vs the other teams and the referees.....The players don't post any blame but if you really watch the game you can see who is getting all the calls and controlling the play of the game...

LakerTom --

I really appreciate the comments, I admit that yours and a few others are the only comments I look forward to as well as I try to navigate away from the trolls and the fair weather fans.

Agree with respect to Pau Gasol, rain in spain is right as rain, and Mitch couldn't have foreseen such a monumental meltdown, but he could and SHOULD have foreseen the lack of a knock-down 3-point shooter on this team. Did he actually think that Shannon Brown would fill that void or Steve Blake or Matt Barnes? If so, he's more stupid than I thought.

Peja the dancing queen was begging to come to L.A. in January after the Raptors bought him off. Why didn't we go after him? He would've been a worthy pick-up -- he's not Korver at this stage of his career, but Peja is a better 3-point shooter than any Laker we have, by far, so why wouldn't he go after this guy? He would've come dirt cheap! Why would he allow a rival to pick him up?

Korver was my choice last year, it is truly criminal that we don't have a solid 3-point shooter on this team to compliment our inside/outside game. This team begs for a sharp-shooter like the old Steve Smith. In this offense, Smith would be a monster! Why didn't we go after Ray Allen back in 2008? Why? Why didn't we go after him when he was with the Bucks?

JERRY WEST gave up a young Eddie Jones (14th pick in the first round, 1994)and Elden Campbell for an old Glen Rice in 1999. Why didn't we go after Ray Allen back then??? That's what this team has been missing since 2000!

Can you imagine a sharp-shooter from downtown (like Steve Smith or Ray Allen) playing along side Shaq and Kobe??? And still, in 2011, we have yet to address this monumental void.

MITCH KUPCHAK needs to take full blame here, 100%. I don't care if Buss signs the checks, Kupchak should have made the imperative case to go out and sign a 3-point threat. Instead, we go out and sign a poor man's Raja Bell and Steve Blake.

THIS TEAM **NEEDS** SOMEONE LIKE KYLE KORVER!!! WHEN WILL THEY REALIZE THIS FACT????

I like and respect LO, and think he does a great job of trying to push into the paint, passing into the other Bigs from outside and I love his snake-in, switch off to the left hand-layups.

But as much as I dig going to the O-Show, we cannot win a comeback without Gasol. No question: he's been in a serious funk but there's just no more room in which to wiggle: it's do or die, every time, from here on out.

If Pau can't score big, our hopes are up. And the easiest way to guarantee he fails is to not trust him enough to make adjustments and bench him. He's a pro: and just like it took (almost too long) a long time to figure out how to guard CP3 properly in the last run, I think that after 3 losses he's ready to redeem himself.

So start him, but with a caveat: if he's struggling after six full minutes, pull him.

One Game at a time, starting with the Next One.
Boston sucks! (but they've already averted a sweep)
Forget about 0-3, it's now a series of 4 sudden-death games.
Can we win one at least, and then unleash the beasts on homecourt?
You bet!

It's high time for these Los Angeles Lakers to start playing like Champions!

Lakers historical post-season winning streak STARTS NOW!

This will be our squad for next season:

Center: Dwight Howard

Power Forward: Andrew Bynum

Small Forward: Blake Griffin

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant

Point Guard: Chris Paul

Bench:

Odom
Fisher
Pau Gasol
Kolver (3 pt. specialist)
Brown
Steve Nash
another power forward