More than anything else — even more than Andrew Bynum’s emergence as a low-post scorer — it is the Lakers defense that has turned the team around this season.
Last season the Lakers have up 110.5 points per 100 opponent possessions, 24th in the NBA, and opposing teams shot 50% (eFG%). This season other teams are shooting 48% and that is the key reason the Lakers are giving up just 106.5 points per 100, eighth best in the league.
Not that everyone has been happy — the often cranky but almost always right Tex Winter made these comments to Roland Lazenby in a must-read Pau Gasol piece at Sports Hub LA:
(Winter) has fussed all season that the Lakers need to change the way they play the screen and roll, especially how they choose to bring help from the wings, where opponents have their three-point shooters waiting. He says the Lakers too readily leave shooters open, and he favors getting the help on penetrating guards from the big man in the post.
That would mean the Lakers would have to help the helper, the common basketball phrase, but that would force the extra pass from the offense. He was fussing in particular about Odom helping and leaving his man open late in the loss to Detroit.
This has been a particular problem since Bynum went down — Kwame Brown is a solid man-on-man in the block defender, but his rotations have always been slow.
While Pau Gasol has picked up a reputation as “soft†he plays good defense within the team system, but in Memphis he was not getting near the help along the baseline that he will once Bynum is back (and even now with Ronny and Odom).
Commenter Reed had a great breakdown of what Pau can mean to the Lakers defense the rest of this year and for the next few years:
This really transforms our potential on defense. While Gasol is not a great defender by himself, his size will allow us to play a different type of defense — one that has a much higher ceiling for shutting down teams, forcing low percentage shots, and creating turnovers. The transformation began with the addition of Bynum’s shotblocking, length, and rebounding, but adding another 7 footer completes the process.
Last year, Kwame was a strong one on one interior defender, but things fell apart against the pick and roll or penetration. Because we had no shotblocker, we had to switch on the pick and roll, leading to Kwame covering a guard and our point guard scrambling to pick up a big down low (which in turn led to too much help from others down low, leading to open shooters at the 3 pt line). When guards penetrated into the defense (which happened most possessions with Smush up top…), our bigs either gave up layups or fouled, leading to early penalties and too many minutes for our (weak) bench.
Before his injury, Bynum and Fisher really improved the defense. Bynum’s presence made it much harder for penetrating guards to get those easy scores, especially once he learned to alter shots without fouling. Fisher and Farmar were better (but still average) at preventing penetration. They also were more dogged in fighting through the pick and roll, though still also admittedly mediocre there. But, we still had a relatively low ceiling defensively (compared to the best teams) as Bynum really did nothing more than avoid fouling on the pick and roll (allowing guards to turn the corner or take the midrange shot), and there was no secondary shotblocker to attack the ball if it came inside when Bynum was elsewhere (Turiaf is getting better at this, but he still fouls too much and is a little undersized). Too often, Bynum was out of position or just unable to cover all the ground by himself as the ball moved inside, and the team either gave up easy baskets inside or had to overhelp and leave shooters open at the 3 pt line.
Now, with Gasol’s added size, we can employ the Spurs defensive model. While some teams try to pack it in and force teams to shoot outside, San Antonio has traditionally used their strong perimeter defenders to pressure the ball on the perimeter and feed action into their twin towers. They have always tried to pair Duncan with a strong, long, secondary big — from Robinson to Nesterovic to Oberto and Elson today. Having two interior defenders really opens up the defense: there is always one 7 footer positioned to pick up penetration (especially helpful when one gets dragged outside in a pick and roll); one big can usually roam and alter shots from the weak side, as most teams only have one strong low post scorer; the two bigs can switch inside without causing real problems; there is always one 7 footer positioned to battle for rebounds (crucial in preventing offensive rebounds when the shotblocker runs out to alter a shot); etc, etc.
While Gasol isn’t recognized as a brilliant defender, his sheer size will allow the Lakers to really attack the ball on the perimeter and inside. Kobe and Ariza can roam around with a little more freedom to try and cause havoc with strong double teams and in the passing lanes (a la Jordan and Pippen). Add in Odom’s size at small forward and the Lakers should be able to be able to attack the ball, rotate without causing matchup problems down low, create turnovers, and generally force bad shots and control the boards. There just aren’t a lot of teams that throw out two mobile 7 footers, a 6′10″ small forward, and an all-defensive shooting guard. Once Bynum is healthy and Gasol is integrated, I expect them to be one of the top 2-3 teams in FG% allowed — a key stat for any contender. Combine that with the fact that NO ONE can matchup on the other end with our size and Kobe’s all around offensive dominance, and we should be just overpowering.
Chise says
Great article that touches on something myself and others have been lamenting lately (leaving 3pt shooters too often to unnecessarily help…or help to the detriment of the team). One thing though: the link is wrong.
http://www.sportshubla.com/2008/02/04/winter-ecstatic-about-gasol-but-he-wants-odom-to-play-better/
Hopefully LA can shore this up because other than this, they have been playing pretty good defense, even without Bynum/Ariza.
dan reines says
i have a question, then, for the people here who know the Xs and Os way better than i do (like, say, kurt).
what’s the weakness?
i don’t ask in a fan-boy, “we have no weakness!” way. i mean it — if you’re mike d’antoni or avery johnson or greg popovich, how do you play the lakers? as specifically as possible, what’s the lakers’ soft spot on defense, and what do they need to do to minimize it?
Samy says
Reed, I just want to say thank you for a great insightful piece on our new Lakers.
Does this make it easier for J.Farmar and D.Fish to find open pull up threes as teams may try to pack themselves in, in order to try to hold up the twin towers?
Also, I saw Radman driving to the whole a lot against the Wizards and the Raptors and then dish it out… Is this Phil tyring to generate a higher rate of threes per game? And how will this work with the inside clogged by two 7 footers?
Kurt says
1. Chise, thanks for noticing the link was wrong. Not sure what I did but it is fixed now.
Kurt says
By the way, I’m late with this because we had a Super Bowl party at our place, but I love Caron Butler and am glad he played. I loved that me mocked Kobe with the airplane celebration. He will long be a personal favorite of mine.
dan reines says
5 – that was great, when he teased kobe. also great was kobe’s reaction — you could tell they were both having fun with it.
Anand says
I think our main weakness lies when Odom at the 3,is paired off against the prototypical NBA 3,someone like McGrady or Gerald Wallace or Paul Pierce…Lamar’s never had the greatest lateral quickness and that will be severly exposed in ‘iso’ sets on the defensive end(particularly against Josh Howard cos the entire Mavs offense playbook seems to consist of handoffs and endless isos)…besides that,Pau,despite his varied gifts, is just not the quickest end-to-end and neither is Drew…We might struggle a bit against GS and their insane offense cos Fish is just about average at the 1 and Kobe just hasn’t stepped into the defensive groove yet (which I’m beginning to fear he’s lost to a substantial degree)…It just makes sense to me to develop Ariza as a stopper at the 3,maybe a Bruce Bowen with a lot more athleticism…tht is the missing piece to our defensive puzzle,IMO…
Kurt says
8. I think Ariza gives us a good wing stopper. The question is, how will Lamar take it when at the end of a big game the lineup on the floor is Fish, Kobe, Ariza, Gasol and Bynum? Will it shake Odom’s confidence?
burningjoe says
I recall just a few months ago the question “so who is going to play defense” when Boston picked up Ray Ray and KG. None of the Boston 3 party were known as shut down defeneders…KG was noteable…but nothing more than that. And now look at them…dont they rank number one in the league for team defense?
My point is that we dont really know what Pau can do…he has hints of great defense…but for the most part it has been lackluster. Now just imagine the same sort of thing happening with our boys that occured in Boston? Kobe and the rest of the team…gets a little break ont he D-End…and this only can improve the overall D…and good D of course leads to great O…lets see what happens with Pau…see how he plays…I think this is going to be a beyond incredible trade.
Friday was such a great day…I first heard about this trade….then…I got a call back and I got the JOB I have been gunning for. Kurt…thanks for the good luck chant the other day!!!
Xavier says
8. I hope he take it as Farmar took it when he was told that the Lakers drafted an other PG.
Moreover, you won’t always have both Gasol and Bynum out of foultrouble, having a deep frontline rotation is never a problem and Lamar can shift to the PF
Goo says
here’s a really good breakdown on pau in triangle (courtesy of truehoop)
http://coachmac.vox.com/library/post/how-pau-gasol-fits-into-the-triangle-offense.html
reed says
Just to clarify — I’m not saying this defensive improvement will necessarily happen with Gasol. I’m just thinking about our potential defensive upside with the combination of our pre-trade improvement and Gasol’s added length at the 4. We’ll have to see how it plays out in person — it’s possible the trade hurts us defensively (though, I’d be surprised if this were true). Defense is largely about length and quickness, and we combine the two at all 5 positions better than anyone. But those tools don’t mean anything if the rotations aren’t tight and a weak link or two isn’t committed mentally. I hope that Pau’s size and weak side shotblocking ability helps us develop a Spurs like system, but we’ll have to see what Phil draws up and how Gasol integrates with Bynum down low.
kwame a. says
I think that worrying where Odom fits is only an issue when we see a healthy Andrew Bynum. Right now, he is our starting 4, and will be relied upon to be the 3rd scoring option and rebounding leader. He is still gonna play 35+ minutes a game, and maybe he can flourish in the role. All I’m saying is, tommorow and in the near future, he is a key part of this team. Now when Andrew comes back…
Kurt says
Next round is on Burningjoe.
Congrats!
kwame a. says
12-Reed, what do you think about the fact that the Spurs have increasingly gone to essentially small ball for much of the game since they lost to Dallas in ’06. Some of their most effective lineups feature Duncan with Ginobli, Parker, Finley and Bowen, or if they have a big, its Horry, not really a presence.
reed says
2. I think our biggest weakness is still against speed at the point. We still have no answer for Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Deron, or Baron. Those guys will still get into the lane at will. Hopefully adding another weak side shotblocker will help negate this liability by ensuring there is always real size to deter penetration (especially when one of the bigs gets sucked outside on a pick and roll). We also have done well by making those types beat us by scoring this year, but I can still see Paul just destroying us in a 7 game series. For that matter, we remain vulnerable to any elite penetrator, whether it be at the point or not. Paul, Lebron, and Parker scare me the most.
Against most other teams/styles we have as good an answer as anyone. We can throw a few looks at dominant post scorers (Amare, Duncan, Boozer) in Bynum, Gasol, Turiaf, and even Odom. We can match up well against Utah’s rebounding. We can go small with Phoenix or GS or simply punish them with mobile size. We can throw a few looks at Dirk — Odom, Gasol, Ariza. And on and on. In a slow half court grind it out game, we can dump it inside to 2 efficient scorers and see Kobe do his thing on the wing. In a running series, we have Farmar, Ariza, Kobe, Odom, Turiaf, etc. The list goes on and on. There just aren’t any teams out there that are this immune to all styles of play — most have a matchup they have no answer for.
ryan says
9. KG was noteable? KG is one of the best defenders league and has been for a very long time. So I don’t know how you can say that he was noteable. but other than that I agree with you.
James Hastings says
Thinking about this trade puts some things in perspective. The Center position isn’t dead, as some people have said, but size in general has definitely declined. Whereas today some people have said Gasol/Bynum is one of the best frontcourt duos in the league, think back to 2001. A team with this frontcourt would be behind the Duncan/Robinson Spurs, the Webber/Divac Kings, the Sabonis/Wallace Blazers and the Shaq/whoever Lakers. Now I can’t think of any team ready to defend us except the healthy Brand/Kaman combo on the Clippers that we may not have to face. Maybe the McDyess/Wallace pistons. I don’t really have a point, I just find myself daydreaming basketball the last few days.
reed says
15. You’re right, the Spurs have increasingly gone small and played Duncan as the sole big, especially in the playoffs (when Horry wakes up). Two thoughts. One, they are still using the same defensive style, as Horry provides almost 7 foot length, but just not as effectively. And for most of the game, they still have Oberto or Elson operating as that second line of defense inside. Two, they have been able to get away with going smaller because most of the western powers only throw one decent big at you (Suns, Mavs) and rely more on the 3 pt line than inside scoring. I think if the Spurs had their way they’d still pair Duncan with that second big on defense, but they don’t have as skilled of bigs as they used to. One side effect of this trade is that the Spurs will have a much harder time going small against us — that will leave Horry or Bonner guarding Gasol and they just aren’t up to that.
kwame a. says
18-I haven’t stopped smiling when I think about the Lakers since Friday
jodial says
Let’s not forget what Turiaf brings to the table. He has been playing ball recently.
burningjoe says
17…I didnt mean to say that KG was a slacker on Defense…not at all…the guy has made All NBA Defensive Team…7 or 8 years now? He is no slouch. I am just saying that everyone questioned the D of this current Boston team…like was it going to be just KG playing D as usual…and they get nowhere…as usual.
I thought (and commented as such here months ago) that the pressure would be taken off all of them…and they could all improve on D…improving their O…improving their D….etc…etc…
KG…is no Slouch…sorry that it seemed that way.
Kurt…I’ll buy…where you guys want to go? LOL…first off I am just a Computer Tech (well a little bit more than that)….but the money is identical at the new gig to what I am making now…but…its at a College (Santa Barbara City) so it just looks a whole lot better for me…plus its a State job…The place I work now is outsourcing most of our manufactuing to China…so…the writing is on the wall to get out…and this has nothing to do with the Lakers….sorry.
Craig W. says
Goo, thanks for the triangle/Pau link.
I too wonder how Lamar might take being shifted to the 2nd unit, but, if Phil gets off his ‘fixed’ lineup, we may be more situational in how we start our games. The finish is strictly up to the players themselves.
However, Lamar is going to have to adjust to a lower standard of living after next year. How he does that is the key to his remaining with the Lakers. I want him to stay, but he will have to sublimate himself in the team. Fortunately I think that is fairly close to Lamar’s natural personality and, if he can deal with it, I think he will be both happy and very effective in our future team.
Daniel says
It has really started to bother me recently how fans are afraid of Lamar’s confidence as a second string player. Its simple, if he was good enough to be in the starting line up, he would be in it, but he isn’t. He makes too many mistakes and causes too much drama for us fans. Why do people like to anticipate so much without even seeing the real game. Stats are all we can go off of for now and hopefully things workout well for us. I put this together hoping that fans can just take the hard facts for now, and I plan on a few follow ups throughout the remainder of the season: Pau Gasol Stats and Outlook
Chise says
Interesting article about Kwame (with quote from Phil and other players):
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2008/02/cake_love_la_kwame.html
jesterguru says
Joe,
Enjoy life at SBCC. Prettiest women in all the land. I had four great years there! 😉
Go Lakers. It’s ON.
I say we call Pau Spanish Fly.
chibi says
I don’t think Lamar’s defense is anything to worry about. When he has to defend slashing 3s, he’ll overplay them to one side, allowing them to drive into a switching defender(Pau or Bynum) and trapping the slasher. I remember the Bulls of old doing this quite often.
Against jumpshooting 3s, Lamar can hold his own. This is where his height and length can really be appreciated.
I have to agree: Pau will improve the Lakers team defense tremendously.
migala says
I am just saying Pau is someone who plays with sheer passion and is a winner. Just remember the grizzlies (despite their 0-12 record) managed to be a play-off team for three years! He is going to play his heart out, hopefully like he does when wearing the SPAIN jersey. I feel so proud of him, and so happy for the Lakers. It´s a great time to be a gold and blue fan.
Gatinho says
Bill Simmons’ comment about his dad after the Patriots lost yesterday:
“I haven’t seen him this decimated by a sporting event since Magic made the baby sky hook in ’87.”
Jason says
When the Lakers traded Shaq for Odom, Butler, Grant and a future 1st round draft pick, was the 2005 #10 pick (Bynum) the pick from the Heat?
Not Charlie Rosen says
I gotta say, I love this trade so much (insert lolcat here), but probably the best part is the timing of it.
Drew goes down, then Ariza. I don’t care what they said publicly, every single person on the team was thinking “Oh no, here we go again, just like last year.” Then we lose a few tough games leading to a road trip that’s just monstrous. And then a really really tough loss to Detroit in the first game of the trip…
And then, like the freaking cavalry coming over the hill when the battle starts turning against the good guys, here’s Mitch saying ,”You guys look like you could use a little help, have a 7-foot all star.”
I know it’s not like Mitch waited for a specific moment to make the trade, but if there were a better psychological moment for a big “we got your back” from the front office back home, I can’t think of it.
James Hastings says
Devean George is demanding a trade from Dallas. How did this not make the front page of espn?
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/37612
exhelodrvr says
31) You bring up a good question- would Kupchak have made the trade if Bynum hadn’t been hurt? They might have been willing to leave things alone.
fanerman says
30. We “earned” that 10th pick after falling apart when Rudy T unexpectedly left as head coach.
Kurt says
33 (and 31). Mitch said in one ESPN interview I read that prior to Bynum going down they were not going to make a trade.
30. Fanerman is right, that was our pick from the season that shall not be named.
Jason says
34, 35 – Thanks, on ESPN’s most recent Daily Dime, they quote a reader who seemed to think that Bynum was the pick from the Heat.
I just wikipediad to find out it was the draft pick from the Heat that got Farmar.
carter blanchard says
The Heat pick was Farmar.
Also, I love/agree with Reed’s analysis. I think Pau is pretty underrated as a defender for two reasons: 1) As a euro, he will be burdened with the “soft” label, however fair, and 2) for a franchise big man, his D doesn’t live up the standard of dominant bigs like KG and Duncan. You can’t make him your defensive cornerstone because he’s not a worldbeater down there, but it’s not like he’s picking daisies out there. Similar to Dirk, if you surround him with other capable defenders it’s not like it’s going to kill you having him out there. Someone with his length and mobility can always be an asset if used effectively, especially given he’s a smart player and will learn the rotations.
nbahaterade.blogspot.com says
-Pau is not a great defender, but he does average 1.5-2 blocks per game, and that is a great starting point if you don’t think that’s his peak. Furthermore, being an agile, long, 7footer has some intrinsic defensive benefits, such as being capable of being a decent help defender (which Kwame never was). If the Lakers can emulate something like the Spurs used to do with the Twin Towers strategy, using Kobe or Odom to funnel an opposing sg/sf into the twin towers, that would be a real boon.
-Finally, remember that when the Celtics only had Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, defense was still a major, major concern even if offense wasnt. It wasn’t until the addition of a All-NBA defensive 1st teamer, last name Garnett first name Kevin, that the Celtics had a legit shot at being a defensive-minded team. And the team’s defense has been just that–TEAM defense, no the 1on1 defensive scheme that, say, the Pistons have. Bynum is a decent defender and Kobe is a great defender (when he isn’t carrying the entire team on his back). We’ll make something out of Pau. Sounds kind of like the Celtics situation pre-season, doesn’t it?
Sammy says
Good post. I like the comments from the outside sources. The breakdown of the triangle offense was excellent. I”m looking forward to seeing what Pau has to offer as early as tomorrow nights game.
Pacio says
Dying of anticipation to watch Pau debut with the Lakers tomorrow. Granted, he won’t be playing with the Lakers we really envision until andrew gets back, but it’ll be fun to see him and kobe together. funny how kobe had 2 of his best games this season after the trade announcement. even funnier how kobe more or less admitted he *gasp* was wrong this summer by saying he won’t be playing GM anymore.
I’m loving the idea of the spurs-twin towers defense too. and reed’s right on again that the only real matchup flaw we have is versus penetrators. Ariza’s the only one on the roster who might eventually be able to patch that hole, but for all his potential he makes mistakes on the defensive end as well, and I don’t really imagine PJ giving him a lot of crunch time minutes this year. We’ll see about next year.
38. It’s funny: last year Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were conisdered at best mediocre defenders and Doc Rivers was a mediocre coach, at best. Now they’re 2 cogs in the league’s best d, and I’ve even seen Doc get a couple of mentions in the Coach of the year chase (laughable as that may be). Of course KG is awesome on D, a cornerstone big man that any good d needs. But is who he’s playing with really that much more talented defensively than all the teams he played with in Minny? The other added value seems to be asst coach and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, who was with Houston last year. Not so coincidentally Houston, one of the best teams on D last year, are considerably off last year’s pace with largely the same players. (admittedly van gundy to adelman is quite the downgrade at head coach too) Now if the NBA were anything like the NFL, Thibodeau would be tipped as the ‘genius du jour’ and his pick of head coach jobs next year. But in the NBA asst. coaches contributions are very hard to quantify (and that great article about Tex only seemed to confirm that). But circumstantial evidence points to Thibodeau making a real difference there.
drrayeye says
Love the atmosphere and tone, but the details are likely to dribble out over at least the next 6 weeks–no matter how much we speculate. The first thing that Pau will discover is that we want him ready for the playoffs. Phil mentioned something about 2 weeks for Pau to learn the system. At least for a start, that means that we may only play him 26 minutes–20 for Ronny.
The transition of Lamar to the 3, if it happens at all, will take place close to the playoff. Given what Mitch said, I see Lamar as more of a “tweener” spoiler than a 36 minute small forward–but whatever it is, we won’t see it for some time.
Whatever it is, I think it will be worth the wait.
The Dude Abides says
I just watched a live or tape-delayed interview on NBA TV with Jordan Farmar. He was dressed in a suit in the studio with Andre Aldridge and former Sixers GM Billy King. It lasted about 20 or 30 minutes, and was done after today’s practice. Jordan said that Pau picked up the triangle offense like he’s been playing in it all his life. He seemed very surprised when he said it, and said it must be because he has a very high basketball IQ, and has played in a lot of motion offenses before. Heehee…you gotta love it…I’m really looking forward to the rest of this “killer” road trip. 🙂
Warren Wee Lim says
Defense is such a vague word to start with.
If your presence bothers a shot like Shaq does, you do decrease the opposing team’s FG% and he does think twice the next time around, do we qualify that as defense? If so, being merely a big, tall man who can move your feet well with long arms and with decent vertical leap already consitutes as being a defensive presence.
Then there’s body contact. Kwame holds off Duncan and Amare by being able to sustain the pounding down low thus he is considered a good defensive tool against these dominant bigs from the West.
Shot-blocking is a clearer manifestation of defense since it involves a “direct” changeup or cancellation of the proposed offense (I sound like a lawyer). This is where and why Andrew Bynum might be considered a better defensive player than Pau.
Then there are the other things. Being able to reach for a shot (even though you technically did not block it) enough to bother the penetrator or shooter constitutes defense for me. Being able to switch on the pick n roll with relative ease counts as being defensively sound for me.
So if you ask: Will Pau help us defensively? Definitely.
drrayeye says
(41) Interesting comment,
“Jordan said that Pau picked up the triangle offense like he’s been playing in it all his life.”
Can’t say I’m surprised.
I guess the “slug patrol” days are almost over for the Lakers.
j. d. hastings says
I’m really impatient to see the game tommorrow. How choppy are we? How many FGAs do we get Gasol? Does forcing the ball to him disrupt us right now? I think its a good thing we got him during this long road trip. Teams spend a lot of time together on these trips and it’ll jumpstart the bonding, like one of those immersive language courses.
You don’t see this kind of acquisition in the middle of the season much. The last time I remember the Lakers trying to fit in a player of this caliber in the middle of the season was Dennis Rodman… and that doesn’t offer much information that can be applied here. Ariza got acclimated after 2 or 3 weeks, but is it trickier for a guy used to taking 14 shots a game?
Stephen says
While the bigs have declined in the past decade and a half,we are witnessing a new generation of skilled bigs-it’s just that coaches now appreciate the one-dimensional games of most bigs instead of wishing for the all-around dominance of a Wilt,Kareem,Akeem,Shaq,Duncan. There are now several very good big tandems in the West,w/possibility of more next yr. (Bynum/Gasol,Chandler/West,Okur/Boozer and Kaman/Brand,Oden/Aldridge,Duncan/Splitter,possibly Yao/Scola-almost half All-Stars,and several others who could have been.)
Phoenix and Golden State have tried pushing the pace to oercome their lack of bigs and while they have success in reg season they have yet to even make the Finals.Meanwhile Duncan and Shaq have won 8 of last 9 titles. Even Fla won back-to-back NCAAs w/no LeBron,Kobe or MJ,but several good bigs.
As to how to defend the Lakers,we don’t know how Gasol will fit,how Bynum and Gasol will work together,what schemes Phil will use. But in a series I would imagine the game plan would be to be physical against the Lakers for 48 minutes,all series long. Because Lakers are young and you might get Bynum frustrated and have him throw a bad elbow or shove.Kobe has shown in past he can get frustrated by physical D from a player he doesn’t regard as worthy and will commit silly fouls.Mess w/their timing,get them whining all game long,hope they try to retaliate(since you’ve been physical all game long the refs get used to it-when the Lakers try to retaliate it will look out of character so they’ll get rung up for stuff you do constantly,adding to their frustration.) The more the Lakers concentrate on the refs the less attention they’re paying to the game.
The Dude Abides says
LOL. I just read this comment posted on the LA Times blog:
My name is Pau Gasol. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Posted by: Inigo Montoya | February 04, 2008 at 02:20 PM
——————————————————-
the other Stephen says
is it just me, or have the trailblazers been involved in more OT’s than any other team this season?
ian says
Hey Kurt Paragraph 2 line 2 you wrote “have up,” I think you were going for “gave up.”
George says
I really don’t understand everyone’s concern about Odom. In my opinion, I think he will fit just fine, even when Andrew is back. One can only be legitimately concerned about Lamar when a high level of productivity is being expected/demanded. Right now, this is not at all the case, and it will be considerably less so by the playoffs. I think he is likely very pleased with his current situation. He gets to blend in, move the ball, hit the boards, play a team game, and be the guy who hurts the other team while they aren’t really paying attention to him.
The main thing about Lamar that I am curious about is how does he move off the ball, particularly when it is in Gasol’s hands. I am going to be paying attention to his activity level in these situations. And, I think that if he plays a game with a lot of off the ball motion, our offense will be very effective, especially since Pau and Kobe are not only great with the ball in their hands, but great passers to boot.
But, even at full health, Lamar is something I see no point in being concerned about. If anything, when our injury report is clean, Lamar can realistically thrive as 4th cog/role player.
hertagnism says
Does anyone find it funny that even at this point, some people are referring Kobe as somebody else’s sidekick? With this Gasol trade, I’ve read in several places “Gasol never had a sidekick like Kobe” etc etc.
Excited that in 17 hours, we get to see Gasol in FB&G. Can’t even sleep now.
drrayeye says
Only 6 months ago the loss of Garnett to Boston put Kobe and the Laker organization in a funk. Now, the Lakers are sending prayers of gratitude to Kevin McHale. Celtics Kevin Garnett is out indefinitely with an injury. Even while he was playing, they were a beatable 6-4.
And the Lakers have been tending the store.
Is Pau Gasol enough of a final piece?
Today, Memphis Grizz Bloggers were asked to choose which of their former players will win an NBA championship this year. Memphis has traded players to San Antonio, Boston, Houston, or the Lakers.
64% say Gasol and the Lakers
Daniel says
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers coaching staff ends up separating two seven footers to share the floor. They are lucky in that Pau is extremely versatile and is able to shoot from farther away from the basket. Bynum will take up plenty of the space under the basket but the big guys will have plenty of space to rebound. I almost feel like I’m too excited to even think about plays.
We should just all wait and see what happens during the game tomorrow. It’s going to be amazing!!! Is it at all ironic that we’re facing Jason Kidd first??
Bill Bridges says
Advice for Pau on the Triangle…
1. Move to the open spot
2. Shoot if you’re open
3. Pass if you’re not.
4. If 1,2,3 fails, give the ball to Kobe.
repeat…
Samy says
http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/yeswecanvideo
it’s Super Tuesday guys, and if you watch this you’ll see our man Kareem put in a plug for good ol’ Obama. check it out.
kwame a. says
Speaking of Kareem, I would hate to lose him, but how the hell does the all-time scoring leader, insightful thinker, never get a head coaching job. He deserves it.
Craig W. says
It’s Super Tuesday people!
To me that means we finally get to see Pau Gasol play as a Laker.
Oh! and now I move myself off to vote, too.
jime says
While not a great defender, Gasol has proven he can be part of an excellent defense. Just two years ago, Memphis had the 2nd best defense in the league
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/2006.html
DY says
Hey guys, happy Super Tuesday to all. I’ll be going to the Lakers v. Nets game tonight, and I CANNOT WAIT! Every year my wife and I try to go to a Lakers game, be it the Knicks (too expensive) or Nets…and thankfully I’ll be there to usher in a new era. There should be tons of Lakers fans on hand and suddenly, wearing the Purple and Gold is regal once again!
That being said, I think Odom will be fine once Bynum comes back. He becomes the critical “swing†player that Phil can use to establish mismatches, and can fill in comfortably at two maybe three positions. I believe his passing game will improve (along with Kobe) and that he will still have low post looks. It’s a good thing that Pau can hit the mid-range shot so proficiently (or as Walt Frazier says, “provocativelyâ€) that it’ll keep the floor spaced out for all.
As for Kobe, I’m looking for him to average around 25 ppg, and to bump his assists up to 7 or 8 a game, and show that tenacious defense he played during the FIBA tournament. He now (or will after Bynum and Ariza comes back) has guys who will protect the rim so it should allow him to play better D. It might take some time to acclimate everyone but once they’re ready, watch out!
Xavier says
41. I told you guys, euros are used to play a lot witout the ball and moving a lot. Even I can play the triangle efficiently.
His basketball IQ will surprise you a lot
phineas says
This gap between games feels like the longest I can remember. And we last played….two nights ago. Pau expected to “start” tonight unless his back flares up. I am giddy in anticipation.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakerep5feb05,1,1408791.story?ctrack=3&cset=true
carter blanchard says
Tough choice for Lakers fans today. Do you go with Kareem or Magic? Personally, I know I’m an Abdul Jabar kinda guy through and through. The fact that Obama can actually ball kinda seals it doesn’t it? (Sorry to break one of your cardinal rules Kurt, but getting the vote out for Barack is kind of my job today; it’s in my blood and I just couldn’t help myself. I tried to make it as bball-related as possible 🙂 )
Anyway, I am doubly excited today. For the election results AND for the debut of PAUUUUUU! SAP button’s going on tonight.
Bill Bridges says
According to Kevin Ding:
“Former Lakers guard Ron Harper stopped by to say hello and wound up jumping into the fray to teach the offense’s angles for an hour. It was all meant to help Pau Gasol prepare for his Lakers debut Tuesday night in New Jersey.”
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/jackson-gasol-lakers-1973713-offense-new
Good to hear. Anybody know why the Piston’s let him go as assistant coach after 1 season? By the way, I thought that of all of the Lakers players Ron Harper got wide-open looks all the time, seemingly without even trying. He knows the tri-really well and based on what Jordan Farmar reported, Gasol is a very good student.
Samy says
Hey DY! I’m in NYC too and am going to the game. Where you sitting?
kwame a. says
That Harper shot against Portland was huge. He really provided what Fisher is bringing to this team. Good minutes, clutch shooting and immesurable leadership
Jason says
65 – What Harper shot?
kwame a. says
Game 3, in the corner, baseline jumper, we won 93-91 to go up 2-1.
Craig W. says
I just noticed, you have 305 entries on the Pau Gasol trade and are running over 100 on the others.
We really have to cool it on all these entries. I am just not getting anything done because I have to read them all and my wife has threatened to pull the plug on the computer. She puts up with me recording all the games and watching them in the bedroom (the big TV), but now things are getting a bit obsessive.
Brandon J says
Good Lakers people! I’m from Memphis and have watched Pau play for years. There’s no way to sugarcoat or rationalize it…he’s a terrible defender. Always has been, always will be. Pick and roll, interior, perimeter, you name it. I like Pau and hope he succeeds but would not count on him to be able to guard any of the strong 4s in the West (Duncan, Boozer, Stoudemire/Marion, Dirk). There’s a reason why he was the best player on the Grizz and they were 0-12 in the playoffs.
ÇÇɹbÉ says
Lakers are definitely a top 3 team in the entire league. Hopefully Kobe can lead this star studded team to a championship.
jamar says
the lakers will win the title
jamar says
laker fans stop worring about lamar. we have the best player in the game with two twin towers and an excellent bench. defense and everything else will fall into place