The day he announced Devin Ebanks as his starting small forward, Lakers Coach Mike Brown issued this warning.

"If he messes up," Brown said, "I'll pull him so quick that he won't play."

Brown surely backed up the tough talk. Two months after Ebanks started the first four games, the Lakers sent him down to their Development League, the D-Fenders. Brown spouted the cliches after Thursday's practice about the need for Ebanks to sharpen his post presence, outside shooting and defense. But as far as what that means for Ebanks' future playing time with the Lakers?

It's very likely anything Ebanks shows in his D-League stint will translate much at all with the purple and gold.

"The guys in front of him have to be playing really bad and we have to be playing really bad as a team in order for him to get an opportunity," Brown said regarding Ebanks, who has averaged just 2.7 points through 15 games for the Lakers.. "And he's got to keep bringing it every day."

1. An important road win against a conference playoff contender. Let's start with the biggest positive of the night: a quality win on the road against a conference opponent. So it wasn't pretty, but the Lakers still went on the road to beat the Nuggets, 93-89. When they want to know whether you won or lost, they ask how many, not how well you played. The Nuggets (15-8) have proven to be a formidable opponent since the departure of Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks as well as Kenyon Martin (now of the Clippers) and J.R. Smith to China. Just as impressive, the Lakers (14-9) overcame some controversial calls, or non-calls, to earn the victory and move up in the Western Conference standings.

2. Broken record: The Lakers need to execute better on offense. Once again, the Lakers continued to have breakdowns in running their offensive sets, often resulting in poor-quality possessions that ended with rushed shots at the end of the 24-second clock. And with Andrew Bynum running hot, how can he end the game with only 13 shots? The Lakers continually failed to get him the ball when he had great post position. A couple of scenarios in the game included the Lakers' two most veteran players -- guards Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant -- failing to get Bynum the ball when he had established himself on the block. Bryant ended up driving wildly into the lane and hoisting an off-balance shot on more than one occasion.

3. Broken record II: The Lakers need to improve their transition defense. Too many times the Nuggets were able to get down the court for easy layups. And that included big men Nene and Timofey Mozgov as well as the speedy Ty Lawson and other perimeter players. The Nuggets are primarily a young and athletic team, and they're not the only one in the West that will torch teams in transition if defenses aren't paying attention. Think Thunder, Clippers, Blazers, Jazz, Warriors, etc.

PHOTOS: Lakers vs. Nuggets

4. Broken record III: Kobe Bryant needs to know when to defer to the big men. Bynum made 10 of 13 shots for 22 points while collecting 10 rebounds and Pau Gasol was five of 10 from the field for 13 points while pulling down 17 rebounds. It became obvious as the game unfolded that the Lakers had the advantage on the front line. When your two big men are shooting better than 65% combined, they need to take more than 23 shots in the game.

5. Andrew Goudelock continues to impress. The rookie guard made six of 10 shots, including one of three from three-point range, for 13 points, his fourth double-digit effort in the last five games. When Steve Blake returns to the lineup, the Lakers' backcourt will have more weapons and depth, plus the ability to give more rest to Fisher and Bryant.

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Photo: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant drives the baseline for a reverse layup in front of the rim against the Nuggets in the second half Friday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Credit: Jack Dempsey / Associated Press

Some highlights of my breakdown of the Lakers' 106-73 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday:

• The main thing in this win has to do with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum resting. That's because it's misleading to try to gauge anything else after a win against the worst team in the NBA. Considering how little Coach Mike Brown has rested Bryant, Gasol and Bynum, however, it's crucial that the Lakers found an opportunity to do so against Charlotte.

• Andrew Goudelock's confidence continues to grow. Who knows whether he'll able to sustain the double-digit efforts that he's shown in the last four games? But with Steve Blake's continued absence and uncertainty about whether the Lakers can upgrade at point guard, team officials are relieved that someone can at least hold the fort temporarily.

• It remains unclear if Brown will continue shuffling Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes at small forward. But it's very clear that Barnes brings more consistency.

• Games like the one Tuesday night can be deceiving. The victory could serve as a nice psychological boost for the Lakers as they begin a six-game road trip Friday in Denver. Or it could give them a false sense of confidence.

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--Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Matt Barnes remains annoyed at Blake Griffin's perceived flopping.

Just like the dunks, that's a part of his game," Barnes said. "You just got to adjust to it."

Pau Gasol remains annoyed with the Clippers' (9-5) perceived superiority over the Lakers (10-8), mainly because "they have a pretty much easier schedule than us so far," Gasol said.

Derek Fisher remains annoyed that the Clippers' two preseason victories and one regular-season win  over the Lakers makes them into an archrival.

"There's too many of those up there to get into that discussion," Fisher said as he pointed at the Lakers' 16 championship banners at Staples Center during a last week's All-Access event. "At the same time, obviously for a lot of fans that aren't at this particular event, that's exciting for them. That's fair. That's fine. It's been quite some time since you've been able to be excited."

The Lakers enthusiastically enjoyed their time off, as Andrew Bynum slept in, Matt Barnes spent time with his twin sons and everyone on the team finally rested their tired legs.

But once the Lakers set foot in the team's practice facility in El Segundo on Tuesday morning, reality awaited them. The Lakers (10-8) enter Wednesday's game against the Clippers (9-5) with a three-game losing streak. They haven't scored 100 points for 11 consecutive games. And most important, the Lakers have no sense of their identity nearly a quarter of the way through a compacted 66-game season.

"The biggest thing is I'm still searching and looking on both ends of the floor," Coach Mike Brown said."I understand it's a process. The process has taken a little longer than you would hope. But this is a long-term thing for me. It's not a short-term thing."

But no one on the Lakers says he knows what the short term entails. Brown shot down any notion of making any lineup changes but said he "always has to keep that into consideration." Brown mostly lamented the team's inconsistent defense that allowed Indiana to rally Sunday from a double-digit deficit, but Bynum, Barnes and Pau Gasol alike argued the team's problems point more to their offense.

"It comes down to the little things and not just relying on our defense to win," Gasol said. "But also to do enough offensively with the weapons that we do have to win ballgames."

Jason Kapono had one job.

While his wife was giving birth two weeks ago, the Lakers sharpshooter was supposed to film and take photos.

"I did none of those," he said.

Instead, in what Kapono described as a "frozen moment," as soon as he saw his daughters, he began to cry.

"You get overcome with all the emotional things that come with having kids," Kapono said.

Kapono's wife gave birth to twin girls, Isla and Campbell, on Jan. 10. Now when the Lakers forward isn't playing or practicing during the 66-game season, he's changing diapers and feeding his daughters.

"When I hear the letter 'D,' I think about diapers now," Kapono said.

Kapono missed two games after the birth of his daughters. Since they were brought home, he said he has been awakened every 2 1/2 hours.

Matt Barnes has been through it.

He has 3-year-old twin boys -- so he offered some advice to his teammate.

"Keep his daughters away from my sons," Barnes said with a smile.

"No, just to find time. He's going to have to learn how to nap when the kids nap. The kids at their age are up every two hours."

Even though Kapono has been a father for only a very short time, he already has a favorite activity.

"I think feeding them," he said. "Just because when they get up from a nap or sleeping or whatever it's just fun to see all the little weird things they do.

"They're always moving, smiling, making faces, sticking their tongue out. It's their way of telling you how they feel."

Yeah, the babies are adorable now -- but just wait until they get older, Barnes subtly cautioned.

After all, his sons recently have become basketball fans and he's not so sure that he's their favorite player.

"They love Kobe," Barnes said.

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A flagrant foul Type 1 given to Lakers forward Matt Barnes during the Lakers' 73-70 victory Monday over the Dallas Mavericks was rescinded by the league.

Lakers Coach Mike Brown announced the news at the Lakers' All-Access event Tuesday night, which featured several Laker players and Brown speaking on a panel at Staples Center emceed by Lakers' play-by-play announcer Bill Macdonald. 

"I got an e-mail today from Stu Jackson," Brown said referring to the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations in charge of player discipline. "They downgraded Matt's flagrant 1 foul to just a foul yesterday. That was not a flagrant foul."

The TNT announcers disagreed. Moments after Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki drove into the lane, Barnes extended both of his arms toward Nowitzki's shoulders. 

"It's gotta be flagrant," TNT analyst Steve Kerr said.

"Right to the shoulders, above the face," analyst Reggie Miller chimed in.

The play hardly proved to have much significance on the game. Nowitzki made one of two free throws to cut the Lakers' lead to 43-40 with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter. On the next possession, Lakers center Andrew Bynum swiped Delonte West's pass. 

Still, such a foul results in a minimum fine of $1,000. According to NBA rules, a flagrant foul Type 1 is given for "unnecessary contact" and gives the opposing team two free throws and possession. A flagrant foul Type 2 considers the foul having both "unnecessary and excessive contact," resulting in an automatic ejection as well as the two free throws and possession for the other team. Accumulating two flagrant foul 1s in the same game also results in an automatic ejection.

Barnes somewhat sarcastically said, "I don't do stuff like that." But he's developed a well-known reputation for playing chippy at times. He earned a flagrant foul in a preseason games against the Clippers when he pushed Blake Griffin to the floor as soon as he received an entry pass in the lane. Barnes at the Lakers' All-Access event attributed his background as a former letterman wide receiver at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, Calif., as the reason for his physical play.

"It's not because I'm mean; it's because I love contact," Barnes said. "I kind of play football on the basketball court, if you haven't recognized by now." 

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-- Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com.

As he headed toward the trainer's room Monday, Lakers guard Derek Fisher simply shook his head. 

The Lakers' game tonight against the Phoenix Suns marks the second contest of a five-game stretch this week, leaving them with a late-night flight to Utah for Wednesday's game and Monday and Thursday as the only practice days. A reporter pointed out that next week's schedule of games against Dallas (Jan. 16), at Miami (Jan. 19) and at Orlando (Jan. 20) at least gives them four practice days. But that hardly assuaged Fisher's concerns.

When Coach Mike Brown stepped out toward the Lakers' practice court, Fisher said the following within earshot: "This week, we say we wish we had more practices, but when the practices come next week, we're going to say we need more rest."

Brown, Fisher and a small group of reporters laughed at the thought process, but it epitomizes an approach to this year's compacted schedule that Brown admits he's struggled handling. 

"I've been trying to teach and learn and all that, while not trying to do too much," he said. "But I have done that at times."

That's included three-hour practices. A few that were open to reporters included hourlong shooting sessions. After training camp started Dec. 9, the Lakers didn't have a single day off until Dec. 28, after playing three games on consecutive nights.

Brown initially wanted an even more intense schedule, but scrapped some of those plans. Instead of having six two-a-day sessions during training camp, the Lakers had three. Brown reduced the playbook to a third of its original size, and he has tried to limit recent morning shootarounds to no longer than 90 minutes. 

"We knew it was going to be a challenge," Lakers forward Pau Gasol said. We knew we would face adversity first. We knew all that coming in."

The Lakers are lucky they beat the Memphis Grizzlies.

If they commit 27 turnovers, which they did in their 90-82 win Sunday against Memphis, against any other team, the Lakers will most likely lose. They held on only because the Grizzlies shot horribly from the field, lacked frontline depth without Zach Randolph and the Lakers surprisingly featured a balanced offense. That won't happen every game. 

"That's an area I didn't think we'd have a problem with," Lakers Coach Mike Brown said. 

But they do. The Lakers average 16.7 turnovers, third most in the NBA, and they've provided few signs that will change. But here are a few suggestions on where to start. 

1. Know offense better. The Lakers (6-4), like all NBA teams, have experienced challenges facing a compacted 66-game schedule. That includes striking a balance between practice time and rest, and processing as many new concepts as possible without falling into information overload. Brown conceded he hasn't done well in that department and hasn't been able to plan long-term.

But the Lakers' unfamiliarity with the offense will quickly become nothing more than an excuse.  For now, the Lakers clearly show discomfort on where exactly to cut and pass on offense. 

"We have a little ways to go before it's just instinct and you can make things happen," Lakers guard Steve Blake said. "We're in that in between phase between knowing it and reacting on instinct, and sometimes we're just thinking too much."

2. Don't make home-run plays. That's the buzzword Brown and players use for fancy passes. There's been plenty of them. Blake and Derek Fisher have thrown way too many lobs to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in hopes to spark the offense. A simply entry pass will do. 

3. Give Kobe Bryant relief from ball-handling duties. Bryant's the main offender in turnovers, averaging 4.1, which points to problems with the torn ligament in his right wrist. That means the Lakers should keep his ball-handling in isolation sets to a minimum. 

4. Andrew Bynum must learn soon how to play out of double teams. Bynum remains second on the team in turnovers, averaging 3.33. That number will go up the longer Bynum struggles passing out of double teams. Brown and Gasol suggested, however, this process will take time. 

5. Take more shots. Of course, crisp ball movement and sharp cutting will create quality shots. But for the sake of minimizing losses, the Lakers should feel less guilty taking a bad shot than committing the turnover. It's more than likely either Gasol or Bynum can grab the offensive putback. 

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--Mark Medina

Email the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

In a season full of adjusted practice schedules and roster shuffling, the Lakers provided one element of clarity during their 90-82 victory Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies.

After seeing Matt Barnes play in what he called a "whale of a game" with 15 points on five-of-nine shooting, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes, Lakers Coach Mike Brown granted Barnes the permanent starting spot at small forward.

"He's my small forward for the foreseeable future," Brown said. "He earned it, has held onto it and has played the right way for us at that position."

Against Memphis, that involved what Kobe Bryant described as Barnes "playing to his strengths." Barnes switched defensive assignments between Rudy Gay and Mike Conley and limited their opportunities when guarding him. He often penetrated the paint off backdoor cuts and screens, creating open layups or three-point attempts. And he helped the Lakers provide sharper ball movement, particularly when Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum met double teams.

Barnes epitomized his effort on a play after the Grizzlies cut the Lakers' lead to 78-74 with 9:18 remaining. Barnes blocked O.J. Mayo's shot, sprinted down full court, received Derek Fisher's pass and then made a layup to extend the Lakers' lead.

Barnes hardly felt overly excited about the definitive starting spot, however, when reporters relayed to him the news.

"There's no comfort," Barnes said. "I thought I was starting at the beginning of the year. There's no comfort here. I'm going to continue to go out and play hard and do anything I can to help the team win."