Records: Lakers 1-1; Jazz 2-1
Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.7; Jazz 112.4
Defensive ratings: Lakers 98.3; Jazz 102.5
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf, Kwame Brown is a game time decision due to a respiratory infection (if not him, Bynum)
Jazz: Deron Williams, Ronny Brewer, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur.
Lakers Notes: The Lakers come in off their best performance in a long time, a decimation of the Phoenix Suns. For one game everything looked good — but there are still some things that are of issue.
The Lakers are turning the ball over 16 times per game — better than the preseason but still too much. Brian Cook has been a defensive statue in limited minutes. And while the Lakers have done much better on the pick-and-roll, there are still some lapses (particularly from Kwame, whose mind seemed to drift against the Suns to some ASU co-ed in the front row, or something). If things continue as they are, I wouldn’t be shocked if Bynum (who has played well) steals the starting job, but for now I’d just like to see him get more minutes.
The Jazz Coming In: For the second game in a row, the Lakers catch a team in the second game of a back-to-back. The Jazz ran past Golden State last night 133-110, with their starters playing deep into the game due to a second half Warrior run. Both of the Jazz wins this young season have come at the expense of the Warriors (which in part explains the Jazz’s gaudy offensive numbers so far, Golden State isn’t playing much D).
As you might expect, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams have been leading the way for the Jazz so far, both averaging 24 points per game (and Boozer is adding 14 boards). Last night the Warriors were quick to double Boozer and other Jazz players stepped up (AK-47 was 6 of 10, Brewer was 8 of 14 with two threes). Also of note, the Jazz got good play off the bench last night from backup PG Jason Hart (who has taken Fisher’s role and will be a good test for Farmar) and Matt Harpring.
In the previous game, the Rockets handed the Jazz a loss behind a big night from Tracy McGrady. The Jazz did a terrible job defending the pick-and-roll in that game, particularly their bigs, who allowed McGrady way too many easy trips to the hoop coming off the screen. If they play like that again, expect a big night from Kobe (although, to be fair, I don’t expect that the Jazz will stay in a defensive funk for a while, Sloan will not let that happen).
I don’t normally link to media blogs, but Ross Siler at the Salt Lake Trib has one of the best, and then there is also Basketball John’s look at the team.
Note That Would Interest Only Peter King: The thing I’m most looking forward to watching tonight is the start of The Amazing Race. But this year I finally have a HD TV, and this show isn’t shot that way. I was really looking forward to seeing the exotic locals in high def.
Keys To The Game: Really great matchups to watch tonight — Fisher vs. Williams, Boozer vs. Turiaf, Brewer trying to cover Kobe. This game likely will be won by the team that controls the paint — which should be fun, with two teams who have big and deep front lines. Also, after the Houston game, the Lakers should run the pick and roll with Kobe a fair amount.
One defensive key will be Walton on AK-47 — he can’t let the Russian play like he did this summer. Also, as it is a back-to-back for the Jazz, the Lakers need to push the pace, wear out the Jazz starters and get into the bench. If the Jazz can keep it a defensive minded, half-court game, they may have the upper hand.
Thoughts/Prediction: After that last game, can you really pick against the Lakers? This should be an interesting one, I don’t have a great feel for it, but I’ll say the Lakers pull away in the fourth and win 97-90.
Where you can watch my prediction go up in flames: Game time is 6:30 p.m. (Pacific). No national broadcast tonight, just Fox Sports Net (in HD) in Los Angeles, plus those with League Pass (which a lot of cable companies are giving a free glimpse of right now, so give it a shot).
JONESONTHENBA says
A few points:
1) Okur cannot guard Bynum one on one. The double is likely going to come from AK (if he is not guarding Kobe). Whoever he’s covering needs to make sure they make themselves available for a nice shot. Andrew will find the open man when he is doubled.
2) The Lakers seem to be changing their mentality to a hard working team. Fisher coming back has a lot to do with it. Kobe already works hard. But a young guy like Farmar also works very hard. He’s probably just as no-nonsense as KB24 when it comes to getting in the gym and putting his work in. Ronny Turiaf is also a very hard worker. Lastly, Andrew Bynum learned the value of hard work this summer. The culture of the Lakers is changing. Guys like Cook (who doesn’t work hard on defense in the games) and Kwame (who is too worried about being the class clown) will either have to step their games up or be shipped out or benched. Because the will of the team is heading in another direction.
3) When L.O. comes back, not only will their starting five be pretty good, but their bench could possibly become the deepest in the league. A second unit of Farmar, Vlad Rad, Bynum, Luke, and Mo Evans. Tell me a second unit that is better than that. The crazy thing is that Mihm, Critt, and Sasha would get burn on most teams, but because the Lakers are so deep, one of them will likely have to be on the inactive list when the team is at full health.
4) The themes for the season need to be: hard work, focus, and health. If the Lakers have all those things, they will be a 50+ win team.
kwame a. says
Jones- I’ve been saying our bench is one of the best in the leauge. Only bench I like better is Houston (James, Bonzi, Scola, Mutombo, Head, Francis) and maybe S.A. (Finley, Horry, Elson, Bonner, Udoka, Barry).
For tonights game, I think we need Kwame to guard Boozer and Turiaf to guard Okur. Watching Utah, they, like the Lakers the other night, have a great understanding of Sloan’s offense. Williams is the ideal PG for the system because he makes great decisions, and also is explosive to the hole, all while having the threat of a good shot. Boozer and Williams will get there points, the way for the Lakers to win is to limit Brewer, Okur, AK47, Harpring and Giriceck.
Lamar Odom says
cook has to be on that inactive list the entire season.
Stephen says
Sloan prefers to defend the elite players in the League w/single man coverage-much like Phil would prefer to do. The theory being one player cannot outscore a team and if the rest of team is shut down,a win ensues.
The catch is if the McGrady,Kobe,etc shoot a high enough %,they can outscore the Jazz for stretches.
Of note is at end of Rockets game,Sloan conceeded and went to a hard double on McGrady and brought the Rockets offence to a halt. The lesson for Lakers is if Kobe goes off,the rest of the team has to stay involved and moving,not watch Kobe.
Brewer and Kirilenko were routinely beaten by McGrady,so Kobe should have no problem getting past them,altho Brewer’s long arms got to a couple of fade-away Js.
I’ve noticed in the @25 hours I watched so far a ref trend. Tick-tack fouls are being called on perimeter,while mugging is being allowed inside. And the no-flop policy the refs told teams in preseason is barely being enforced.(League Pass is great and I ususally get off work between 4:30 and 5.)
chris says
tonight we see which team shows up…do we build on that Phoenix strong game?
or do we revert to bad habits?
it’s now clear either one could show up, and it comes down to determination, guts, hard work, focus…
let’s hope we see them build on the last game, cause winning is the best way to put all these trade rumors to bed, at least for this season.
Renato Afonso says
Kwame is the only one able to match Boozer’s physical ability.
However, the ker to this game will be Kirilenko, as he’s a great weak side defender, providing a lot of help in the paint.
Seeing the Lakers flow (or lack of) in the offense I wonder if we can ever beat a good defensive team. I’m just not that confident on this one, as I don’t think that our players will be patient enough to pass the ball when the double comes and find the open man.
Should we do that, and control Deron’s drives, and this is a very winnable game. Failing to do so, and we will NOT win, period.
Goo says
Sorry to go off-topic but I figured this would interest many of you…if you’re familiar with torrents at all http://www.sport-scene.net has opened up their registration (usually you need an invite from a member)…they have a pretty ridiculous collection of games so most of you out of LA who can’t watch games will be able to download them usually the next day. As a new member you’re restricted to only certain torrents but after about a week or so you’re free to download anything (check out their forums for full details)
ryan says
I think the key to the game will be controlling the paint and defending the pick and roll. Boozer is too good not go get his but the Lakers need to make him work for it. Okur makes it easier for Utah inside because he is a threat from the 3-point line so it draws the other teams center out of the paint. Okur can’t guard Bynum so Bynumo could potentially have a good game offensively since Sloan likely won’t double him. Also I hope all of the Lakers crash the glass and don’t allow Utah to dominate them on the offensive glass. If they can’t dominate the defensive boards this will be a long game for the Lakers.
carter blanchard says
I’ll be honest guys: I’m real nervous about tonight. Ya, the Jazz have Warriors kryptonite for some reason, but they still looked extremely impressive in both those wins (I didn’t get to see the Houston loss). Not at all like a Phoenix team that for some reason has not looked together at all in the early goings. Deron will be in the All-Star conversation this year. He has perfected the step back 20-footer like few in this league. How well Fish, et al can contain him will be extremely telling.
hertagnism says
(IMO) Keys to the game tonight:
1.) Do not let Cook play. Boozer will destroy him. The Lakers need to battle back with some hitters. Their frontline is suited enough to not let Boozer go out of control.
2.) Apply the same pressure on D-Williams like they did on Nash. Deron Williams is going to be a perennial all-star with time so a feisty defense will (probably) throw him off his game a bit and that’s all we can hope for.
3.) Defense. Defense. Defense. Defense.
4.) Don’t let Brian Cook play. I know this was my first point but I can’t stress this enough. I’m sure alot of people agree with me on this point.
5.) Balanced scoring. Don’t let Kobe resort to his solo act. With balanced scoring, the team has more energy to devote to defense. This won’t be much of a problem since the Triangle is a system that puts points on the board.
kwame a. says
Bynum’s defensive rotations have gotten light years better since last year, great sign
JONESONTHENBA says
Brian Cook is my Smush Parker this year. He is a liability on defense and a ball stopper on offense. Just horrible!
kwame a. says
We need to incorporate some new inbounds plays. Thats 3 timeouts in 2 games because nobody can get open.
Mike in the Mountain West says
I’m not sure if everyone knows but for all of you who, like me, don’t live in the LA area NBA audio league pass on http://www.nba.com is free when you register for the site. Listening to the game while watching ESPN gamecast has worked well for me.
kwame a. says
So, Kobe isn’t going to be passing on 2 on 1 fast breaks this year.
Tony B. says
Anyone who says we over paid for D fish is eating crow. The man works hard and it is contagious. I can remember people saying Vlade and cook are the same type of player… I think not. when LO comes back I hope cook is the odd man out.
carter blanchard says
Farmar superstar!!
Paul says
I’m looking at the box score. Kobe and D Fish are the only ones whose stats are similar to what they have done the other nights. Veterans = consistency. This is why Phil likes them.
JONESONTHENBA says
That’s two years in a row that Kobe has had a sick block on the Jazz. Remember this one last year?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2Mb4luM-grI
Tony B. says
I like what I am seeing in a close game, late, against a contender.
JONESONTHENBA says
Still want to trade Bynum for JO?
Mike in the Mountain West says
The only thing Bynum still has to prove is that he has conditioned himself to keep up this kind of effort for a whole season.
kwame a. says
Things I loved about this win:
1. Farmar/Bynum/Turiaf: Our young talent is real
2. Fish: I love having him late in the 4th
3.Defense: we play it
carter blanchard says
Man, this might just be a hot streak, but this is the most fun I’ve had watching regular season basketball in a looong time. It feels weird having interior D, but the Bynum/Turiaf combo contests every shot and I love it. Our defensive rotations looked real good, and on the other end our ball movement continued to impress. Luke’s pass to Bynum confirms to me that he’s the best non-PG passer in the league. But most of all you have to give it up for Farmar and Fish. They both came up huge when it counted. Here’s hoping the good times last.
harold says
Barring that fluke basket against the rockets, and Kobe not being himself at the free throw line, we’d be 3-0.
Against Rockets, Suns and Jazz too.
2-1 against those three ain’t that bad either, considering each of their preseason projections.
Maybe, just maybe the dream scenario of ‘lakers play good enough to appease Kobe and they get along’ will actually become reality.
JONESONTHENBA says
The thing about Bynum is that he hasn’t even come close to becoming as good as he can be. No way you trade that guy. Like I mentioned before, most of the young bigs in the league have had break out years during their third or fourth season. Look at AL Jefferson last year. The good thing about Andrew is that he is bigger than and longer than all of those cats. I mean, he’s an actual true center. How many of those are left in the league these days?
The only thing I worry about is that Lamar coming back throws off things. Lamar is a great playmaker, but Luke is flowing so well right now. Hopefully moving Luke to the bench doesn’t throw things off.
On another note, I’ve been telling you guys for I don’t know how long that Farmar was going to be a very good player. I’ve known the guy for his entire life, and he is a gamer and a hardworker. He takes the same approach as Kobe in regards to preparation, poise, and confidence. He’s only going to get better.
Lastly, you can just see how D-Fish has changed the culture of this team. What a great pick up he’s turning out to be.
Again, I hope the injury bug avoids this team this season. Without injuries this team will win 50+ games.
burningjoe says
wow!!!! so good to see HEART out of everyone
DMo says
This was a much more telling victory than Friday’s, because the Jazz played well for extended stretches of the game. They did seem a bit tired at the end (again, a back-to-back), but the Lakers defeated another top-5 W.C. team in convincing fashion. Like the Suns, the Jazz have no answer for Bynum’s length and quickness in the post. He also did a nice job on Boozer on a few defensive posessions, forcing C.B. to take tough, midrange jumpers.
Kobe’s post-game comments were tempered, but if the Lakers continue to play this hard, why would he want to leave? Lamar will only make them better–especially playing at his natural position. If the F.O. brings West in as an advisor, Kobe can get his original request and slink out of this media hullabaloo with some dignity. Maybe I’m just giddy from watching actual basketball… we’ve got a long season ahead. But, after a hellish summer for the fans, it’s nice to have cause for some optimism.
Exick says
Another win, another day to savor.
A-Hole Carolla says
Hehehe. Bynum for Wilcox, man!
So far, so good. But it is true that travel back-to-backs are rough on teams, and Utah’s fade at the end wasn’t anything out of the realm of expectation.
But no way are we exactly operating at our peak yet either. Our young ‘uns will still improve, everyone will learn to play better together.
Oh, and we will have our 2nd best player back.
Too soon to say for sure, but it looks like Jimmy Buss and Mitch Kupchak are eventually going to be able to tell the entire world to kiss their ass. And admire their enormous testicles.
chris says
when LO comes back, he should work his way in with the second unit, and then at the 3. Ronnie is impressing me more every time he steps out on the floor. not only is his energy contaigous, but he hits the boards hard, and, his inside passing and composure deep under the rim are amazing. the guy has real basketball knowledge, you can also see his fundamentals are there, good school training.
then, when Farmar and Andrew play this strong, and like everyone else says, Fish being Fish… wow.
how’d you like to have the 1-2 tandem at PG of Fish and farmar coming at ya all night long.
Kobe was really seeming to enjoy harassing Brewer tonight, his D was very impressive, like he can turn it on at will, and he was pretty willing tonight!
finally, isn’t it great to actually believe in your team? (I know, it’s only 3 games) but in the past, we might have 1 really good game, then crash against lesser teams, so we are always nervous they’ll blow a lead or whatever, this team so far has shown real composure, against 2 teams who did not lay down. Utah was playing very agressive tonight and the Lakers hung in there, never quit, and I guess that’s saying alot about the depth of this team, fresh legs, play hard, don’t quit.
now, when the (3 and 0) Bobcats come to tewn…NO LETDOWN! play them tough too, don’t take any teams for granted!
JONESONTHENBA says
I really like how the Lakers are adjusting their game plan according to who they are playing. Against the Suns they were careful to control the tempo and slow things down and pick the Suns apart with their half court offense. Against the Jazz, they looked for more opportunities to get out and run.
Mico says
I had a sense of dejavu while watching game. The play involved Kobe and Luke Walton. With the shot clock winding down, Luke fired up a shot which he actually hit. But if you look at the side there was a frustrated Kobe who had the “Give me the Damn Ball” look on his face and even clapped his hand to try and make Luke look.
Really reminds me of the rick fox shot from some seasons ago.
By the way, Good thing Rick fox (and now Luke Walton) hit their shots. I can’t imagine what would go through Kobe’s mind had either of them missed their shot.
Warren Wee Lim says
I didn’t see all 3 games but I must say we are TECHNICALLY 3-0 and really good. That’s a bit surprising considering that I predict us to go 6-4 at best, 5-5 as as expected and 2-8 as one of the probables – well we’d have to lose 7 straight on this one and I’m pretty sure we won’t.
Not to speculate but a Kobe trade looks farther away from reality now that the Bulls are imploding on these issues. Goes to show how young those bunch are and that the extension talks and trade talks are throwing them off. Kobe meanwhile, just got better. 31ppg, 8rpg, 4apg, 1bpg, 3.3spg. That does not look like a discontent superstar to me. We have a hard-working star whose energy is now feeding off on his teammates. Oh did I mention that Odom did not play on all these games? Perhaps we should consider moving him and Kwame and Cook to get even better.
The comments on our second unit fits properly. I say we have THE best 2nd unit in the league, better that Houston’s and San Antonio’s. The problem why we are not in their league YET is that our starters are not YET that good as a unit. Give us 10 more games with seven more wins and we are set to be ranked in the top 12.
drrayeye says
What pure fun!!!
For those of you who said that Fisher was overpaid with a Laker contract way less than what he left on the table at Utah–wash out your mouth with soap! For those of you who were ready to trade Farmar in almost every speculative trade that came to your minds–slap your hand. The point guard position is not a weakness this year.
I’m waiting for LA bloggers to take back some of their negativity about Kwame. He’s not yet won us over enough to make us practice “Kwaa–mee” “Kwaa–mee” Kwaa–mee”: but it’s coming.
When I’m able to comprehend what’s happened with Andrew, I’ll confess that I badly underestimated him. I might even say that Jimmy was right! I might even fasten a sign saying, “kick me” on my butt.
But even if it will only be these two games, I want to thank the Lakers for being the Lakers of my fantasies once again.
JONESONTHENBA says
Asst. General Manager Ronnie Lester is the one that found Bynum, not Jim Buss. Buss just signed off on it and got behind Lester’s belief that Bynum was their choice at number ten.
nomuskles says
bravisimo! Fisher’s shot was way off today and yet, still found ways to contribute. Kobe played well. Bynum played really well. Also, the refereeing seemed really disruptive today to both teams. Good to see the Lakers persevere through the tough calls, even though they complained a lot.
Mico says
I forgot to mention…
Anyone else notice Kobe being block happy after he stuffed Kirilenko. Not really a bad thing since he just adds some weak/blind side attempt to block the ball and not like biting into fakes or really leaving his man. But It really was quite amusing to see Kobe jumping all over the rim.
Also, I read in one of the previous Comments, Kobe being “challenged” or “inspired” to lock down the opposing SG. One of the plays that really displayed that was in the 4th, when the laker 5 had all went down to the other end of the court, and when Kobe saw it was Brewer who was going to receive the inbound, he raced up to meet the poor kid at the back court.
Exick says
“By the way, Good thing Rick fox (and now Luke Walton) hit their shots. I can’t imagine what would go through Kobe’s mind had either of them missed their shot.”
It doesn’t matter what goes through his mind at the time, but what matters is what’s going on in the back of his mind. Maybe he’s mad on the surface if Luke misses that shot, but him realizing that his teammates have the cajones to take those types of shots is going to mean more in the long run for the overall health of this team.
One of the reasons Kobe has found it hard to trust his teammates these past few years is because of them operating on the floor with a sense of deference, especially in pressure situations. The less his teammates feel like they have to defer to Kobe, the less like Atlas he’s going to need to be on the offensive end. Sure he had 33 tonight, but that was 33 on 68% shooting along with some great defense and a handful of boards, assists, blocks, and steals thrown in.
Karl says
They really need to stop giving Brian Cook playing time. He hasn’t been productive at all these past three games, and it seems every time he comes in the opposing team goes on a run.
Craig W. says
When Lamar comes back, and we are at full strength, I can’t imagine Cook not being one of the inactive players. It is also possible for Crit and Karl to go to the D-League when it starts so that they get regular playing time in the triangle offense. I would hope Crit be tasked with increasing his court vision and passing and Coby his defensive positioning (strength training next summer). With Lamar, Turiaf, Vlade, Brown, Bynum, Mihm we have enough big men and Cook just means someone doesn’t get enough minutes to stay remotely ready to play.
I have said – patience with our youngsters, but even I didn’t think there would be this big a change in Bynum on both sides of the ball. However, someone earlier mentioned consistency is the hallmark of vets, so let’s not let all this success go to our heads. We are still going to see some mistakes from Farmar and Bynum. I think Turiaf is now too experienced and too fundamentally sound to fall off very far.
Lamar Odom says
I hope Ronny injures Cook in practice or in the bench during a game doing his celebration after a laker on the floor makes a highlight-worthy basket. Cook is a major liability to this team. I do not understand how Phil gives him so much playing time. I’d rather play Mihm and Bynum at the same time than give Cook a chance to play. I say let him play in the 4th quarter when the team is up by 20 with 8 minutes left to play, and then pray that he doesn’t singlehandedly blow the lead. He can’t guard, and he can’t move offensively. I’m very surprised he’s still a Laker. Mitch has to wake up and trade the guy for a future late first round pick or something (I don’t think any team would be foolish enough to fall for that, but if anyone takes the bait it’ll be Mitch for GM of the year!!!)
Kobe played Jordanesque tonight. His defense was great. It rubbed off on his teammates. he led by defending tonight, and his baskets came with relative ease compared to past 30+ performances (13-19 is really efficient). I can’t remember the last time he played Jordanesque if he ever played like that at all. I am really enjoying it. I just hope the team keeps it up, unlike last season when they played great for an entire game and then were no where as good the next game.
I’ll be speaking in the third person from now on since all my first person commentary gets edited or deleted:
I hope LO comes off the bench when he comes back. The second unit needs one former starter, I think. When Kobe replaced Cook in the second unit tonight they played better. Imagine when LO comes back. Either he or Luke will lead that second unit, and this team can indeed run smoothly throughout the full 48 and tire their opponents.
Ronny: the next Charles Oakley.
Bynum needs to improve his defense in the paint. He’s still getting lots of silly fouls. But offensively he is a force to reckon with.
kwame a. says
When both teams go to their benches in the late 3rd/early 4th qtr of games, hopefully the Lakers will be able to do what they did to the Jazz, either take the lead or push the lead out. What a weapon this bench is.
kwame a. says
Some nice Kobe quotes about Bynum and Farmar:
“Andrew’s always a little bit more reserved and a little bit more shy when he plays, but it looks like he’s starting to come out of his shell a little bit,” Bryant said. “I think having games like this, — particularly against a team like Utah that’s very physical — I think it helps out his confidence a lot.”
“Jordan’s always had that chip on his shoulder, and I’ve liked him from day one because of that,” Bryant said. “He did a fantastic job, and that’s what we need him to do. He did it well for us last year and he continues to get better.”
Xavier says
That was a great game.
The good:
That’s been the first game I’ve seen this season and Farmar really impressed me. that start of 4th Quarter… god, Crittenton will have a hard time getting playing time.
The energy shown by Turiaf and Kobe was great.
Walton seems to elevate even more his basketball IQ, can his passing skills get even better?
D-Fish is providing a needed leadership. Now we really have a good PG rotation in Fisher and Farmar.
The bad:
Kobe lost 3 balls in the first quarter because he wanted to more than what the team was able to. He realised that lately and canalized that energy in Defense.
Defense on the screens is AWFUL. That might be my vision because I’m comming from a basketball (european) where running through screens is the bread and butter, but I wouldn’t permit never my players to exchange the defense match-up at every single screen. That lead to loads of easy baskets for the Jazz
That said, I feel the team is improving but don’t relax, there is a lot left to do.
Hope health come our way
ryan says
It seems to me that Kobe has taken what everyone was saying about his apparent lack of effort on the defensive end last couple years a little personally. Even if he doesn’t want to be here he looks motivated and it seems the rest of the team is catching it. I think Fisher has helped in that department too. I know its early and this team is young but lets hope they keep the intensity up. I like what kobe said about he and Fisher having to crack the whip a little bit.
I didn’t get to watch the game, because I don’t live in LA and the game was not nationally televised, but from looking at the stats the two that stood out to me were:
+8 points in the paint for the Lakers and
+8 rebounds for the Lakers
These were two areas that killed us last year. Though 18 TO is not good. The Lakers need to clean that up a bit.
Can anyone tell how they did defensively? From the stats it doesn’t look like it was a very good defensive effort from either team.
Craig W. says
ryan,
This was a much better defensive game that the stats say. Utah had just finished two games w/Golden State and the Lakers have speeded things up this year. The pace was much faster than we are used to with Utah and I think Phil was ok with that because of 1) our bench and 2) it was a back-to-back for Utah.
Look at the steals and blocks – these also created a faster pace.
JONESONTHENBA says
Ditto what Kwame A. said about the bench. Just wait until Lamar comes back and Luke goes to the bench. A second unit of Luke, Vlad-Rad, Bynum, Farmar, and Mo Evans will kill almost all of the second units in this league. Most definitely a bench mob…
I’ll be glad when Lamar comes back, just so Cook can go back to his rightful place outside of the rotation. He is a ball stopper on offense and a lost matador on defense. The thing about Brian is that he could be much better. It’s obvious that he doesn’t work on his game or his body as hard as he could in the off-season. He came into the league a good spot up three point shooter and now five years later, he still is just a 6’10” three point shooter. He needs to hit the weights and develop some more aspects of his game. I HATE how he holds the ball when it is passed to him. He stopped the flow of the offense almost every time he touched the ball. It’s one thing if Kobe does that, but this is Brian Cook. He hasn’t come close to earning those stripes. He’s still a good player to have around if the injury bug creeps in again. But with the way everyone else around him is playing much harder, it’s sad to see that he hasn’t been able to hold up his end of the bargain.
Gr8dunk says
off topic but interseting …
Marc Gasol got named Mvp of the Week, thats his second time out of 6 weeks this season.
If somebody knows how to translate the below article, will be great.. Thanks in advance.
http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/baloncesto/acb/es/desarrollo/1053833.html
drrayeye says
Every time the system changes, there are winners and losers. This year, one clear winner is Ronny Turiaf at power forward. The corresponding loser seems to be Brian Cook. At this point, Brian is being asked to play the role of the “energy guy” off the bench just before the half. It’s clearly not working. He looks totally lost out there.
I think Brian will continue to get about 8 minutes, but I hope that some adjustments can be made.
Craig W. says
drrayeye,
When Lamar comes back the Lakers have 6 big men and Brian Cook. How do you think he will get any minutes? We also have 6 guards and I don’t see Coby Karl getting any minutes and Crit getting very few – that’s why I see them spending some time in the D-league, barring injuries. Then we have Mo and Luke for a team that is very deep in players who can contribute in any rotation scheme. There doesn’t seem to be any option for Brian Cook.
Mike in the Mountain West says
I’m as excited as anyone that we are are doing as well as we are but I think we are in for a little crash. We’ve been playing a little above our heads. A quick look at PER is very telling. Bryant is no surprise at 27.57. Bynum, however, is at a totally unsustainable 29.76 as is RadMan at 21.09. But I think the person who has been playing out of their mind who’s inevitable fall back to earth will hurt us the most is Derek Fisher who is at 23.62 PER. As far as I can tell D-Fish has never surpassed a PER of 15, the league average. He’s a good player for our team but don’t be surprised when Fisher plays like he did in the first quarter of last night’s game more often than he plays like he did in the first two games.
I love that we’ve been playing as well as we have been and I think we will be better than most people predicted but I just don’t think we’ll keep playing at this level. Hopefully Odom’s return will soften the fall.
Gr8dunk says
Kobe Bryant
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“We are taking it one day at a time, one game at a time,” Bryant said. “We understand that it is a long season and we played well tonight and what we have to do is get some rest, get our bodies healed back up and get back to practice.”
Jordan Farmar
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“We just try to stay away from that, and let management and Kobe deal with their issues and stay together,” Lakers guard Jordan Farmar said. “We enjoy each other, we really do. We like playing with each other so we want to stay together as much as possible. He’s on board, he’s playing the right way and it’s a lot of fun.”
Andreew Bynum
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“What it is I think is that we bring energy off the bench sometimes,” Bynum said. “It is something (Farmar) along with (Ronny) Turiaf. Sometimes a good amount of energy will change the games outcome.”
Carlos Boozer
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“They over powered us physically,” Boozer said. “Sometimes we just go mixed up a little bit be we have to do a better job of clamping down on them. There team is very good offensively so we have to do a better job defensively in order to slow them down.”
Jeremy says
This is all great, but the team cannot take the ups and downs of a long season when their superstar wants to be traded. If the Lakers start off hot and Kobe does not rescind and sign an extension, when the team has its inevitable bad streak, it could seriously implode preventing the front office from getting its best deal and hindering the development of these young players who seem to have talent but need a leader.
If the roster is as deep as it appears, it is best to keep Kobe. However, if Kobes uncertainty continues to not be addressed, then the trade Kobe situation will end worse then it would otherwise at some point. This team cannot be successful for long periods without knowing its superstar is on board. To me, this is Kobes ideal situation. He is the man, the leader, and the young talent may be good enough to take the next step. If he shows his commitment through words, my guess is these guys improve even more even faster.
Maybe its too early and this issue is best dealt with next summer, but for the good of the Lakers, Kobe and the front office need to reach out to each other and resolve this situation.
Gr8dunk says
Here’s what Williams said after this game: “It was a little frustrating. I mean, Ronnie did a great job of contesting a lot of Kobe’s shots. And it’s frustrating when guys that you don’t expect come in and contribute like that, come in and hit shots like that.â€A lot of opponents can accept that Bryant will get hot and take over games at times — especially toward the end. But there’s no doubt that Lakers opponents do not believe they should be losing to Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, Andrew Bynum, Vladimir Radmanovic, etc. (even though I’ve been saying here from the beginning that the Lakers’ depth is more impressive than people grasp).
Utah’s Carlos Boozer said: “He (Bryant) was being unselfish, and other guys stepped up and had a great game.â€
Xavier says
49. The article isn’t worth translating. It just say that Marc Gasol was the best player last week (in acb we play 1 game per week) and enumerate his statistics (21pts, 14 rebs, 2 steals 2 blocks).
If you are interested I could report you every monday what Marc Gasol is doing here in Spain.
By the way, a month ago I met Adam Filipi, director of international scouting of the lakers (he coached me 3 years ago and now we email regularly) and talked about the lakers situation and european prospects.
He said that Rudy Fernandez was the choice for the draft but crittenton was a can’t-pass decession. he also agrees that Rudy will be a steal from Portland and that he’s way way better than Bellinelli.
kwame a. says
Thanks Xavier, keep the updates from Spain coming.