Forum Blue And Gold

Box Score: Lakers 87, Jazz 96
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 103.6, Jazz 114.3
True Shooting %: Lakers 53.3%, Jazz 52.5%

The Good:
For most of the first 3 quarters, Andrew Bynum looked dominant. Nobody from the Jazz seemed capable of stopping his offense. He finished with another monster game with 21 points, 12 boards, and 2 blocks. We can’t ignore Pau Gasol’s production also… and while he took a team-leading 20 shots, he did finish with an even better statline (24 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks). He noticeably shortarmed a lot of his shots (including his freethrows) but, nevertheless, he had a good game, overall.

It was nice to see the Lakers’ Big 3 all get over 20 points. They also got to the line quite a bit (30 freethrow attempts by the Lakers compared to 20). They kept the game close for the first three quarters (biggest lead during that time frame was 6 by the Lakers). But the game is played with four quarters (insert very played-out LeBron James joke here).

The Bad:
Lakers shot 38.7%. Bad.

The Lakers lost their composure. We can all look at Mike Brown getting ejected after that play where Earl Watson pickpocketed Pau Gasol from behind (which looked more like a tackle). It got the Energy Solutions Arena crowd into it and the Lakers succumbed to a 16-1 Jazz run spearheaded by Watson himself (who had 8 points and 11 assists overall). The Lakers couldn’t execute in the fourth (heck, in the second half) like they did in the first half… and they couldn’t make a shot to save their lives.

While the Lakers did play well enough to keep the game close in those three quarters, Kobe Bryant looked like he was doing more bad than good during that time frame. He worked way too hard trying to get up a shot early and had two careless fouls in the third quarter. His aggressiveness seemed to work against him rather than for him. But it didn’t seem like much of a factor at the time as the game was close.

Late offensive boards killed any sign of a Laker comeback in the waning seconds. The Jazz beat up the Lakers on the boards, 50-42. And well… the Jazz, despite the Lakers’ big men getting big numbers, beat up the Lakers inside. Al Jefferson had 18 points and 13 boards while Paul Millsap had 16 and 13 to keep up with Bynum and Gasol.

Andrew Goudelock, who has been pretty good over the last few games, finished 1 for 5 (4 points). His misses were not pretty. And, by the way, can we stop with the Mini-Mamba nickname? Please? It’s horrendous.

Also, the Lakers only had 12 dimes (Jazz had 25). So much for ball movement.

Oh, yes. I know I haven’t mentioned that they got in late (4 A.M.). But it really shouldn’t be an excuse.

The Ugly:
As mentioned, Earl Watson led the Jazz to a 16-1 run early in the 4th. The Lakers didn’t make a field goal until 5:56 left when Kobe made the first of back-to-back 3-pointers.

We were thinking in the past few games that the bench may be all right since Goudelock has been carrying the load. With Goudelock not producing, the Laker bench only scored 12 points. It looks way worse when the Jazz bench scored a whopping 49 points. So as mentioned by fellow writer Zephid… if Goudelock goes, so do the Lakers? Pass me the alc… apple juice.

The Play Of The Game:
Bynum had the pass of his life when, after he hustled to get the ball after a Derek Fisher miss, he threw a no-look, over-the-shoulder pass underneath to Pau Gasol for the dunk. It was really pretty and it was nice to see the All-Star starter (YES! ALL-STAR STARTER!) make that kind of play.

Lakers go to Philadelphia next to continue on their six-game road trip. But the Lakers… well, they’re so Jekyll and Hyde. One game, they look like a pretty awesome squad. The next, they’ll lay an egg. I wonder which team we’re going to get against the Sixers.

At least, they won against Denver?

Records: Lakers 14-9 (5th in West), Jazz 12-9 (7th in West)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 103.7 (15th in NBA), Jazz 105.2 (8th in NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 100.4 (10th in NBA), Jazz 105.1 (22nd in NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Jazz: Jamaal Tinsley, Josh Howard, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson
Injuries: Lakers: Steve Blake (out), Derrick Caracter (out); Jazz: Devin Harris (questionable), Raja Bell (questionable), Earl Watson (doubtful)

The Lakers Coming in: So far, so good for the Lakers on their road trip. The Denver game was closer than many would have liked (including, I’m sure, Mike Brown and his players) and the refereeing down the stretch throughout the game left a lot to be desired (from both teams’ perspectives) but the Lakers pulled out the win with a defensive stand with two of their most maligned players being the guys that were key in stopping their men. And while there are still things that the Lakers can be better at, the game provided a solid foundation for future contests and can be used as a building block for the rest of the roadie.

Moving away from the team and the road trip to the individual level, Andrew Goudelock deserves special recognition. Over the past 5 games he’s failed to reach double figures in scoring only once and has averaged nearly 12 points a game on 52% shooting. His ability to make the three point shot (9-17 in that stretch) has provided critical spacing for this team while also making him enough of an outside threat that he must be closed out on, which then opens up his penetration game. Once he gets into the paint, he’s flashed a fantastic floater that allows him to finish at a high enough rate that he maintains his status as threat in three levels of the court (behind the arc, in the long two point range, and in the mid-range). He’s even showing more comfort initiating the Lakers sets and getting guys organized. He still has a ways to go before he’s a point guard in the classic sense of the position, but even if his improvement in that area is only marginal it doesn’t much matter if he’s still making shots; it’s obvious he’s in the game to score and, so far, that’s exactly what he’s doing.

The Jazz Coming in: The Jazz have been bit by the injury bug of late, watching their top two point guards suffer some minor injuries that have kept them out of games. Both Devin Harris and Earl Watson came up lame against the Clippers on Wednesday and both missed Thursday’s game against the Warriors. Their absence contributed to the Jazz dropping that game versus the Dubs and with their status up in the air for tonight’s game (Harris is questionable and Watson is doubtful), the Jazz could again be without their primary lead guards.

Missing those back court players is an issue but it’s more than partially made up for with the play of the Jazz’s bruising front court rotation. Starters Millsap and Jefferson are both having great years, with Millsap’s production especially eye popping as he’s raised his efficiency (top 10 player in PER) while scoring and rebounding at a high level when factoring in his minutes. When those starters go to the bench, the Jazz bring in Derrick Favors and rookie Enes Canter who are both improving as the season progresses. They both clean the glass, play physical defense, and can score when set up in positions where they can play to their strengths. It’s on the backs of these front court players that have the Jazz as one of the West’s eight playoff teams and performing above where many thought they’d be this season.

Jazz Blogs: Check out Salt City Hoops for all your Jazz news and analysis.

Keys to game: It’s strength on strength tonight as the aforementioned Jazz bigs tango with the Lakers front line that’s anchored by Pau and ‘Drew. And like the Nuggets last night, this will be the 3rd time these teams face off so we have a bit of history to shape our perspective coming into this match up. Some of the trends from the first two games (both Lakers wins):

• Kobe’s scoring has been big as he went for 26 and 40 points in the first two games respectively.
• Bynum missed the first contest due to his early season suspension, but in the 2nd game he was only average on offense (12 points on 5-13 shooting) and was decent on the boards. Meanwhile, Gasol came up big in game one, but was only average in the 2nd game (which also happened to be the game that Kobe went for 40).
• On the Jazz side, Al Jefferson has really struggled with L.A.’s length on defense. He’s scored a total of 15 points on 7 for 33 shooting while only taking 2 free throws.
• Millsap, on the other hand, has taken it to the Lakers. He’s put up 18 and 29 points in the two match ups, using his face up game and quickness around the hoop to get the shots he wants and covert them at a high rate.
• The battle of boards has been even in both contests with both teams grabbing 46 total rebounds in both games.
• One area where the Lakers have been better than their season averages is in shooting the 3 point shot, making 10 of their 25 attempts from deep over the two games.

Using these trends as a guide, we get a good idea of what the Lakers can do to win tonight, even though they’re sure to be tired after a hard fought game last night in Denver.

On offense, the Lakers must utilize Kobe and get him going as the Jazz don’t have a defender that can really slow him effectively. Coming off a rough shooting night where he saw constant double teams, Kobe should be able to get cleaner looks against a Jazz team that won’t be as quick to send a second defender Bean’s way. Running Kobe off screens and utilizing him in the post a bit more can get him good looks where should be able to convert.

Beyond Kobe, though, the Lakers must also go into Bynum to make Al Jefferson defend on the block. Bynum’s been a force on offense against most teams and even though he struggled in his last game against this team, he missed several bunnies near the hoop that he should convert at a higher rate should he get those same looks tonight. As for Pau, Millsap will give him some trouble as he’s quick enough to deny Pau his drives to the rim but is also deceptively long and will challenge Pau’s jumper. So, I’d like to see Pau get more touches on the left block so he can work his post moves more rather than settling for the jumper or trying to work off the dribble as much.

Defensively, a lot of the Lakers play will come down if Harris plays as he’s the player that can hurt their D by attacking off the dribble, forcing help, and opening up his teammates for open jumpers and lanes to the rim for offensive rebounding chances. If Harris does go, the Lakers will need to try to deny his driving lanes and show good help and recover skills to deny outside shots while still protecting their backboard. If Harris doesn’t play, the Lakers can focus more on defending the Jazz bigs and shift their perimeter focus to slowing Hayward, Miles, Howard, and rookie Alec Burks. If Bynum can continue to slow Jefferson and Pau can do a better job of keeping Millsap from going off by better contesting his jumper and keeping him off the offensive glass, the Lakers should control the paint, and thus the game.

All that said, accomplishing these things will come down to effort and we’ll see if the Lakers have the energy to do so. Playing back to back in Denver then Utah offers a challenge due to the challenging crowd and the elevation that also exists in Salt Lake. So, we’ll see if Lakers can gather their legs and bring the needed energy.

Where you can watch: 6:00pm start time on KCAL. Also listen at ESPN Radio 710AM.

Boxscore: Lakers 93, Nuggets 89
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 101.9, Nuggets 96.61
True Shooting Percentage: Lakers 52.2, Nuggets 52.3

The Good:
For the first time in the three games versus the Nuggets, the Lakers, and especially Kobe, finally made Denver pay for sending those hard double teams at the Lakers biggest offensive weapons. On more than one occasion, Kobe found a way to get out of a tough situation by finding the open man. In Darius’ preview, he pointed out that, “the Lakers had issues making the defense pay for those double teams by hitting only 6 of their 47 three point attempts.” While the boys in the Forum Blue and Gold were still awful from range (four-for-13 on the night), they still found ways to put points on the board — and of the four that they hit, three of them were timely threes that the Lakers needed down the stretch. Fish hit a long two in the corner with his foot on the line and Jason Kapono hit a long two of his own off the dribble, which definitely skew what seemed like another horrible shooting night in the Lakers favor. Kobe finished the night with nine assists, and made another great pass to Andrew Bynum with less than a minute to play which would have been his 10th, but ‘Drew whiffed on a bunny around the rim (with a little help from the slap on the arm Nene gave him). Regardless, this was one of the highlights of the night.

Also, the Lakers played another great defensive game. The Nuggets scored 18 fast break points and recorded 44 points in the paint — the same exact numbers they had just a night earlier against the Clippers. The difference between the two games is that the Nuggets were able to launch wide open three pointers against the Clips (the made 12-of-21) and shot 53.4 percent from the field. Against the Lakers, a lot of those threes were contested, much like the game winning attempt Al Harrington put up with Ron all over him. The Nuggets shot a pedestrian 44 percent from the field (relative) and just five-for-23 from behind the arc. Timofey Mozgov was the only Nuggets starter who shot on the plus side of 50 percent, and he only took three shots on the night. The Lakers are still trying to find their stride on the offensive end, but are becoming one of the league’s premier defensive teams under Mike Brown’s system.

The Bad:
Going back to Darius’s preview, he noted that when George Karl went small with Al Harrington playing the four, the Lakers had problems finding a way to defend them. Tonight was no exception as Harrington almost single handedly kept the Nuggets alive down the stretch. Harrington hit a pull up jumper over Pau just under six minutes left to play. About 40 seconds later, he hit a three on the left wing, then hit another from range about 30 seconds later. Then, with about 3:30 left o play, Harrington was able to get to the rim and finish for his 10th straight point. The Small ball game left the Lakers defense struggling for stops during that four minute stretch, after they had been solid for the better part of the first 40 minutes.

Also, Kobe’s shooting versus the Nuggets has been bad, to say the least. Through three games, he’s shooting less than 30 percent from the field, 2-of-17 from three point range and has 12 turnovers. Give a lot of credit to Aaron Afflalo who defends as well as anyone in the league, but it’s really a team effort from Denver. They’re one of the few teams that still dedicate their defense to making sure Kobe doesn’t get his by sending hard double-teams whenever possible. A lot of teams have sent occasional double teams while trying to make Kobe a jump shooter as much as possible, but Denver likes to make Kobe’s night as long as possible, by sending tough, physical double teams, sometimes as far as 35 feet away from the basket — which makes passes out of those double teams much tougher, too.

The Ugly:
There isn’t too much to be picky about in a tough road win to start off the Grammy trip, but the Lakers free throw shooting was awful tonight. 15-for-25 from the line isn’t going to get it done as this trip continues. Even five more makes turns tonight into a completely different game down the stretch, leaving the Nuggets fighting just to get back into the game instead of one possession away with 30 seconds left to play. MWP was the biggest offender going 0-for-4 from the line, but Fish was the only Laker to play more than 20 minutes without missing a free throw.

Play of the Night:
With just over three minutes left to play in the game, Andrew Bynum made a great block on Nuggets center Nene then hustled down the court and received an alley-oop pass from Kobe, which Bynum laid in. It’s always good to see the big guys get rewarded for running the floor, it’s a bonus if it comes immediately after a great defensive play. Check the highlight below (about the 1:20 mark).

Records: Lakers 13-9 (6th in West), Nuggets 15-7 (2nd in West)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 103.8 (13th in NBA), Nuggets 108.6 (1st in NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 100.5 (9th in NBA), Nuggets 101.6 (13th in NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Nuggets: Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari, Nene, Timofey Mozgov
Injuries: Lakers: Steve Blake (out), Derrick Caracter (out); Nuggets: none

The Lakers Coming in: The “Grammy Trip” starts tonight with the Lakers playing their next 6 games on the road. And while Kobe and rest of the guys welcome the chance to improve on their wretched road record, the potential for numerous losses are real on this trip. Outside of the Raptors and the Knicks – who both provide challenges in their own right, every team the Lakers will face on this trip has a winning record and is currently a playoff team. No game will be “easy” in the classic sense, and with the Lakers struggling to find their stride so far this season even in games that were considered sure wins, that logic would go out the window. A blowout win over the Bobcats doesn’t change that fact and when you add in that this trip is typically a difficult one, it only adds to the thought that anything could happen while away from Staples.

That said, the Lakers are looking better lately. Their offense (even if you account for playing lesser defenses) is running more smoothly with outside shots starting to fall. Mike Brown has (seemingly) found rotations and player combinations that he’s more comfortable with and that’s led to better consistency from the majority of his roster. Whether this holds true on the trip remains to be seen, but with a long road trip starting the team does seem to be playing good basketball, and that is somewhat comforting.

Moving from the team to an individual level, it was announced that both Kobe and Andrew Bynum were selected as starters on the Western Conference All-Star team. For Kobe it’s his 14th consecutive selection, continuing his reign as the elite shooting guard on the West (as well as the most popular one considering it’s the fan’s vote that gave him the starting nod). As for Bynum, it’s his first selection and I couldn’t be more proud of him. This was a goal he’s set for himself in recent seasons and for him to get there this year is a great moment for him. He’s put up strong numbers and, even more importantly, has impacted the game the way an All-Star big man should by being a real presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. Both Kobe and ‘Drew deserve this recognition and, again, I’m very happy for both of them.

The Nuggets Coming in: This team has won 7 of 10, but has actually lost 2 of their last 3 games. They are, however, coming off a romp of the Clippers by demolishing the other L.A. team with a second half run based off shooting and solid defense. They showed, once again, that they can hang with any team in the league via their depth and ability to hit shots while playing good enough D to get the stops they need.

Really, that’s the formula for the Nuggets. They have the number one offense in the league (in terms of offensive efficiency) and simply wear opponents down over the course of the game with a diverse group of players that comes at you in waves. They can go big (as they do with their starting line up) or small (as they do with their reserves when they play Al Harrington – a strong candidate for 6th MOY, by the way, and a backcourt of Lawson and Miller) and lose nothing in terms of effectiveness while making their opponents switch up their style of play. They have good defensive wings (Afflalo and Gallo are both long, rangy defenders) and their bigs do a good job of protecting the paint. And it all adds up to wins. This is, for all intents and purposes, one of the better teams in the league.

Nuggets Blogs: Roundball Mining Company is a great site that gives you all the info you need on this team.

Keys to game: This is the 2nd night of a back to back for Denver (and the middle game of 3 in 3 nights), so how the Nuggets respond to playing last night on the road and traveling back to Denver will play a big role in who wins this game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, when the Nuggets were playing in Denver, hadn’t played the day before, and a visiting team was playing on the second night of a back to back, their record is 52-8 going back to 2007. That’s dominant level stuff. Now that the tables are turned, will they respond the way that “traveling” teams have in the past, considering the Lakers have been rested and have been in Denver since yesterday?

Of course, regardless of how tired or rested (considering how much the starters had to play in the 2nd half against the Clippers) the Nuggets are, this game will come down to more than just this one variable. As stated above, the Nuggets are a talented, deep team. They have 11 players that average at least 10 minutes a night and can throw a variety of lineups at their opponents to capitalize on any weaknesses.

Considering this will be the third time these teams meet, we’ve already seen a few trends:

• The Nuggets’ speed and ability to force a fast tempo created problems for the Lakers.
• The Nuggets’ small lineup with Al Harrington stretching the floor as a PF created defensive issues that the Lakers couldn’t solve.
• When the Lakers were able to establish the post early with Bynum and Gasol, they hurt the Nuggets’ interior D and forced double teams.
• The Lakers had issues making the defense pay for those double teams by hitting only 6 of their 47 three point attempts.
• The Lakers limited the Nuggets’ offensive rebounding in both contests.
• Kobe Bryant was awful in both contests, combining for 33 points on 26% shooting (1-13 from three point land) with 10 turnovers.

Considering these trends, the keys to a Laker win become easier to decipher. First, the Lakers must play a more deliberate game by establishing the post early, but not at the expense of turning Kobe into a long jump shooter. The offense need not tilt entirely in Kobe’s direction, but having him on an island against Afflalo and Gallinari proved to be a bad strategy that resulted in too many long jumpers where long rebounds led to Nugget run outs. The Lakers must get Kobe the ball on the move and going towards the basket while also involving him a bit more in the P&R as a ball handler.

While looking to involve Kobe, the Lakers still mustn’t ignore their big men. Mozgov and Nene are no slouches as defenders, but Bynum has shown he can muscle both of them and Pau has the both the post skill and foot speed to attack 10 feet and in against either defender. They too must see the ball to make the Denver D make decisions on how they’re going to defend these two. Will they single cover or double them? If they choose the latter, the Lakers’ shooters must hit some shots to make the defense pay. With Goudelock taking a bigger role in the offense and the 2nd unit including him, Murphy, and Kapono, hopefully the long ball will fall.

Defensively, the Lakers must protect against the speedy Lawson in transition while also making sure to slow Andre Miller when he gets a head of steam, as he too will attack the rim in the open court. However, just as important as keeping the pace reasonable, is handling the Nuggets’ half court attack. This means getting out on shooters, contesting shots, and rotating crisply and decisively when the Nuggs run their P&R with Al Harrington. If the Lakers surrender open three pointers to Gallo, Harrington, Lawson, Fernandez, and Afflalo, this game could get out of hand quickly. I know it’s easier said than done, but keeping the penetration to a minimum and then rotating to shooters will be the difference bettween open shots and contested ones. The Lakers need the latter.

Where you can watch: 7:30pm start on KCAL locally and ESPN nationally. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.

Last summer, ESPN solicited the opinions of FB&G’s own, Darius Soriano, Phillip Barnett and I on a host of Lakers offseason questions. One of the questions that led to a flood of my inbox was whether Kobe Bryant was still in fact the best player in the Western Conference. For some, the Dallas Mavericks’ championship was a testament to Dirk Nowitzki eclipsing the Mamba as perhaps the best out in the West; but I on the other hand felt as though Chris Paul was the best player in the conference, which led to me voting for Paul as being somewhere in the top five players in the league as reflected by his #NBARank.

Granted, I looked at Kobe’s play during the 2010-11 regular season as well as the 2011 playoffs, but also projected the inevitable decline in his game going into his 16^th season given his age and the erosion of his skills.

But then something funny happened when the NBA finally resumed on Christmas day.

Through 22 games, Kobe Bryant has lost a step, but only in terms of his athleticism. His overall game remains just as impressive and effective as ever on offense while his best days on defense are now clearly a thing of the past. So far this season, Bean is averaging 30 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals on 44.5 percent field goal shooting; which translates into a PER figure of 26.4.

In case we are keeping count, should Bryant maintain this pace until the end of the season, this would be his second best statistical season, coming up a bit short to his fire-throwing 2005-06 campaign.

And with that, one must once again ask the question: is Kobe Bryant the ruler of everything in the Western Conference?

Compelling arguments could be made for the likes Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Kevin Durant, while Dirk Nowitzki has to take a backseat for the time being given his slow start to the season; but one still has to come back to Chris Paul.

Although Lakers fans probably hate the idea of revisiting the idea that had Paul joined the purple and gold, Mike Brown’s team would have had the best backcourt in the NBA.

Despite missing some time due to a hamstring injury, CP3 has led the Los Angeles Clippers to 13 wins in their first 19 games (good for the second best record in the conference) and has been the perfect case study for late game execution despite the fact that the Clippers do not seem to have any type of sets or offense outside of the pick-and-roll.

Indeed, when points are at a premium late in ball games, Chris Paul just seems to be at his best as he consistently drills jumpers from the right elbow or simply blows by his defender after a switch for a lay up. Let’s be clear though, as great as the former Demon Deacon has been in the clutch in the Clippers uniform, his value throughout the course of the game cannot be overstated.

Heading into Thursday night’s contest against the Denver Nuggets, Paul is averaging 19.2 points, 9.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game on 52.2 percent field goal shooting and 44.4 percent 3-point field goal shooting, which translates into a PER figure of 27.2.

Chris Paul does an amazing job of running the Clippers offense without necessarily monopolizing it. For instance, he will run a pick-and-roll with Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan and then depending on the defense’s strategy, he will figure out his game plan. If Caron Butler is open as a result of the screen action, Paul will feed him for the open jumper, or simply allow him to isolate his defender and take him of the dribble. If another more favorable option presents itself, like Blake Griffin on the low block, CP will go to his big man and let him operate.

The end result is that yes the Wake Forest product is vital to Lob City’s success because he can orchestrate these mismatches, but the players still have the understanding that they will be allowed to create their own shots as where available.

The Clippers playmaker is a savant with the ball in his hands as he perfectly understands the delicate balance between feeding his teammates and asserting himself offensively. Also, unlike other superstars in the league, it’s almost impossible to double team Chris Paul late in the ball games, because he is a willing passer and will also figure out how to get high percentage shots out of the trapping defense.

Earlier in the season, I had stated that Kobe Bryant would be my choice if late game heroics were needed because of his ability to manufacture good looks at the basket regardless of how teams chose to defend him; but after seeing Paul slowly but surely figure out how to close out games for the Clips, he is at this moment in time the player that I would feel safest steering my team to victory in a close game.

It’s a testament to Kobe Bryant’s greatness that now in his 16^th season, he currently easily occupies a spot on the All-NBA 1^st team and makes everyone who thought he would fall off look foolish.

As the Lakers primary option, the Lakers are a mere 13-9 (eighth best conference record) but would probably be looking at sub .500 record had he missed any significant time due to injury. The Black Mamba is playing 38.6 minutes per game simply because Mike Brown cannot afford to keep his star on the bench for too long. On the season, the Lakers are a minus-8.5 points per game when Kobe heads to the bench, and a plus-3.9 points per game better when he is on the court. No matter how the math is done, Kobe has to play in order for the Lakers to be successful.

His ability to create for teammates, score and also the added attention he draws simply by being on the court allows him to facilitate the offense and helps his teammates play within their skill set without having to do too much. For all intents and purposes, Kobe makes his teammates better.

But at this point in the season right now, Chris Paul just does that job better. His defense, playmaking and scoring are all just a little bit better than Kobe Bryant’s; but it’s still amazing to think that both are the best at their respective positions.

Ah yes.

If only that trade hadn’t been vetoed.