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Preview & Chat: The New Orleans Hornets

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Records: Lakers 6-0Hornets 4-2
Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.3Hornets 110.4
Defensive ratings: Lakers 90.6 Hornets 104.7
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Hornets: Chris Paul, Mo Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler

Lakers notes: What hurt the Lakers last season? Inconsistent bench and defense. What won the Lakers another game this season in Dallas? The very good bench and defense.

That defense was terrible in the first quarter, when the Mavs shot 61.9% (eFG%). But in the third quarter the Lakers defense picked up, starting with Gasol who virtually sat on Dirk’s left hand in the second 24. For the quarter, the Lakers held the Mavs to 35% shooting. In the fourth quarter, Dallas shot 30% and 25% from three.

And the run to the win started with the bench. Not surprisingly, Trevor Ariza led the charge and the team for the night as a +16, with Odom and Sasha close behind at +13. And of course, there was Ariza’s impressive block on Stackhouse. (By the way, Stackhouse had more in the tank and played better than I expected from him.)

Ariza’s play has some Lakers fans thinking he should start. I’m not in that camp for two reasons (despite thinking he would be a good starter). First, the team is 6-0, you don’t jerk around lineups when the team is winning. Don’t fix what is working. Second, I think Phil is right that Ariza’s slashing and running game would be somewhat tied down by the larger and more methodical first unit. His game is best suited to the bust of energy, up-tempo change of pace the Lakers come in with off the bench.

Understand that some day, maybe next season, the starting lineup will include Ariza and Farmar. But there’s no reason to go there now.

The Hornets Coming In: This is the team in the West that scares me the most, at least so far, and to find more about them and how the season has started, I asked a few questions of the Hornets blog At The Hive (and if you head over there I answer some of their questions as well):

This team made the big leap forward last year, becoming a contender. Are their signs so far that they took the lessons of last season to heart and are ready to take the next step forward? Specifically, has the defense improved?

Last year, the Hornets’ biggest positive defensively was that they never fouled anyone. Inside, outside, it didn’t matter- Byron Scott had the guys extremely disciplined. It’s a really small sample size this season, but that defensive discipline simply hasn’t been there. Rotations have been slow, and as a result, the Hornets have been forced to foul to compensate. I expect that their FT/FG allowed rates will eventually regress to last year’s levels, but it’s been a slow start for sure.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hornets forced a lot more turnovers this year. Posey has excelled at getting his hands on loose balls, and Julian Wright- another active defender- figures to get way more minutes than last season.


David West is off to a slow start this season (shooting 44%, his rebounds rate down to an average number), what is going on there?

A quick glance says a few too many jump shots. However, his lack of assertiveness down low is more troubling. He’s had 21% of his inside shots blocked this season, a huge jump from 10% last year. He’s been too worried about drawing contact and finishing the play as soon as he feels contact; I think he needs to try and finish plays at all costs, and not let up when he feels there should be a whistle blown. Overall, I’m not worried about West. He should rebound from this stretch soon enough.

The Hornets beat the Heat in their last game, but had two ugly losses before that (including one to the Bobcats). What happened, and are they over that little spell?

It’s easy to blame at least some of it on Peja and Tyson returning from right ankle injuries. The biggest flaw in both those games was perimeter defense. The Hornets simply did not pressure shooters enough, and guys like Adam Morrison and Ronald Murray made them pay. Most players in this league- big names or no names- will knock down shots if you leave them open enough. New Orleans was definitely more impressive against Miami. I’m not ready to say they in mid-season form defensively, but I think it’s safe to say they are past that skid.

How is James Posey fitting in so far? Is he the key to the Hornets contending for big things this year?

Very well. I know many people weren’t too high on his man-defense skills, but he did a really impressive job against LeBron last week. I don’t expect that he can guard Kobe as well (way quicker, infinitely better jump shot), but he’ll be a huge upgrade over Peja. He has also grasped the Hornets’ offense much quicker than I anticipated, understanding floor spacing and where Chris Paul can get him the ball. I imagine he would be a key factor for a deep playoff run.

Link to Click: Ever wonder what it is like to hang out inside the Lakers locker room? Ask the equipment guy.

Keys To The Game: It may be the second game of a road back-to-back, but the Lakers need to get out and run. Despite all the athletes, the Hornets are a very deliberate team (the Lakers average seven more possessions a game than the Hornets). That said, Paul can push the offense if you don’t get back in transition.

Last night the Lakers packed it in and did not defend the three-point line well in the first half — do that tonight and they could pay. Paul, Peja, Peterson, Posey (that’s a lot of alliteration) along with West and Butler are all good three-point shooters. And the Hornets like the shot, they take a lot of them. The Lakers have to close out on those shooters.

In the past, the Lakers philosophy was to give Paul the “Steve Nash treatment” — let him score but don’t let him become a playmaker and set everyone else up. This season, the Lakers have focused more on stopping the leading scorers from other teams. Not sure what they will do tonight, but they can’t let Paul both score and dish out assists at will.

Read the Lakers scouting report and they note that in the two Hornets losses, the team turned the ball over a lot. The Lakers have been creating a lot of steals with their length, and if they can do that tonight they can steal the back end of a back to back.

Where you can watch: This is a 5pm Pacific start on KCAL 9 in Los Angeles, with no national broadcast. There is also 570 am radio here in LA and online.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brian P. says

    Looking forward to this game. Good write up Kurt. I think this will be a much better test than Houston/Dallas. Houston will come on strong later in the year, and Dallas is a shell of itself.

    Hornets on the other hand are tough test and currently health. I am definitely looking forward to this game.

  2. tonystarks says

    Excellent point Kurt about Pau’s D on on Dirk last night – it was real impressive. Also, I agree with the rotation question – don’t mess with something that’s working already. Move Ariza to the starting lineup and it’ll affect the bench’s production as well.

    Is it just me, or have we gotten off to a slow start in every game except the first game against the Blazers? And it seems like our bench has played a big role at the end of every 1st and 3rd quarter/beginning of 2nd and 4th quarters to bring us back.

    Trevor Ariza. Man…

  3. kwame a. says

    Good preview as always Kurt. I’m glad Gasol went out and showed what many people doubted he could do…slow down DIrk (almost) one-on-one.

    Re: Ariza- I think one of the most surprising things about Ariza is his ability to rebound, both on offense and defense. Last year we had problems late in games with rebounding and interior defense because we were too small (Pau,LO,Kobe, Sasha and Fish or Jordan). Now, because Ariza is part of our closing unit, we can run LO and Pau out there, but allow Kobe to play the 2, and still defend and rebound at a high level. This may mean Sasha is out as a closing lineup player, but it gives Phil even more options.

    Tonight-Another tough test for Pau, with West, who is more athletic than Dirk. This is another game where LO may play a pivotal role as far as match-ups.

  4. SB says

    This should be a good one, coming off of a hard-fought win last night.

    I agree with Kurt about Ariza coming off the bench. I think that his game is so much better suited to the more up-tempo unit. I also suspect that we’re going to see him closing out a lot of games and he’ll end up playing close to starter minutes anyway if he contnues at this pace

  5. Brandon Hoffman says

    I can’t wait for this game to begin.

    CP3 is the ultimate test for LA’s “strong-side zone.”

    It will be interesting to see if the Lakers look to trap Paul like they have other opponents. Paul is extremely crafty and splits defenders with ease. He’s the one player that I think is capable of putting the Lakers on their heels.

    Should be a good one.

  6. tickytack says

    Personally, I don’t understand the significance of being a “starter”. Maybe on a team with a traditional coach where it dictates minutes, but not on our team. Our coach plays the guys who are playing the best at the end of games. That is why Trevor was in at the end last night. The reality of this season is that our 2nd unit is better than the starters of half the teams in the league. I like the discussion, but there is no reason to change our lineup by moving Ariza.

    Thanks again to nomuskles for his hilarious liveblog from last night. Looking forward to more in the future.

  7. harold says

    Boy was I glad to be wrong about Pau vs. Dirk. Now I’m hoping I was wrong about our zone being susceptible to CP3.

  8. David St. Hubbins says

    I know this is off topic, but does anyone know of live stream for tonights UCLA basketball game?

  10. Warren Wee Lim says

    If I am post #9 we win…

    Good points on Ariza and regarding starter minutes… its not really about the “start” its about the “burn”.

    CP3 will keep our hands full tonight but I expect an overall good game. Its aired nationally here in the Philippines. Wooo!

  13. BlizzardOfOz says

    Am I the only one who thinks Chris Paul commits an offensive foul every other time he touches the ball?

  16. harold says

    Wow, just got the stream as Lamar stole the ball for that Ariza dunk and then the buzzer beating Farmar.

    Now let’s get that victory margin back up to 20+!!

  20. j. d. hastings says

    Duuuuuuuude, I’ve totally seen this game before!

    The Lakers dominate the first half, going up by 30 points before giving up the entire lead and narrowly holding on for a win. Though I don’t remember Bynum or Posey playing as much last time…

  25. lakeshow says

    Still haven’t forgotten Peja going for a carreer high 10 threes against the Lakers. Not happening today!

  26. Mico says

    I’m just box score watching so I need to ask,

    How much is the score a mark of the defense and how much of it is just plain old missed shots?

  27. Laker Pauer says

    They’re playing really good defense so far. Almost everything is contested and they’re packing the middle and stopping Paul from executing his penetrate and kick game.

  28. harold says

    24- I’m willing to credit the defense. Some breakdowns, but those are expected against good players. But in general… a lot of hussle. Ariza, as always, and Odom, of late.

  32. j. d. hastings says

    Bynum needs to dunk the ball. He’s had 3 shots at the rim and hasn’t dunked any of them. And he doesn’t have the touch yet to lay it in.

    Inversely, Vlade should never try to dunk it.

  34. harold says

    Fisher goes from ‘stop the pujits’ to ‘wow, you may shoot’ status.

    Vlad, on the other hand… oh well, i think that blown-dunk vs alley-oop the other way comparison is really going to stick…

  36. lakergirl says

    What bothers me most about Space Cadet is his lack of desire. Even when he turns the ball over or misses a point blank shot he doesnt care. There is no element of competitveness in that dude.

  39. MannyP says

    Dang.. Fish is kicking butt. I may have to take back that comment I posted today about him “losing his touch.” Boy was I wrong. Great game thus far. I like what I see defensively.

  44. Darius says

    We need to get back to a more deliberate offense. Every player we have on the court is forcing jumpers. I wouldn’t mind seeing Gasol and Bynum in there together again.

  49. Darius says

    At this point, I’d like to see us start to trap Paul off that P&R. I know we’re tired, but we should be trying to get the ball out of his hands. He’s controlling the game.

  53. Joel says

    43

    For some reason Bynum is sitting on the bench and Paul was taking advantage by getting into the paint and scoring or dishing.

  56. emh101 says

    This should have been a 20 point blowout. The Lakers have their old habit from last year of letting teams get back into it.

  57. fanerman says

    emh101,
    If this is a slump for this team, I’ll take it. They’ve had plenty of blowouts already.

  58. Snoopy2006 says

    50 – Yup, reminds me of a young Shaq stat-line in his Magic days. Down to the FTs and all.

    51 – Agree. You’d think a team with Kobe would adopt his killer instinct, the way the Celts adopted KG’s insanity.

  60. emh101 says

    I didn’t say it was a slump. I said they let a team back into it when they shouldn’t have. It is a bad habit that cost them a game in the finals last season.

  61. Joel says

    The Hornets were always going to make a run, they are a great team and were playing at home. Can’t expect every win to be a blowout.

  63. Snoopy2006 says

    Also, I didn’t watch the game, but from the box score, I’d at least say it doesn’t seem like our defense was very effective against CP3 if you look at the game overall. Then again, he’s the type of guy very few (if any) defenses could stop, so I’ll take it.

  67. wondahbap says

    Snoopy2006,

    they held NOH to 30 pts at the half. A lot of Paul’s points came once the Lakers had a big lead, and relaxed late. I think we’re doing just fine against him and them, because it’s becoming a trend, the Hornets getting into huge deficits against the Lakers, then wild comebacks against a lax 2nd unit.

  68. fanerman says

    Entering yesterday, the Lakers were beating teams by an average of 20 points. I’d cut them some slack.

  69. emh101 says

    I am happy with the win. I just don’t like bad habits that are going to come back and bite them in the butt.

  71. fanerman says

    This year’s team isn’t last year’s team. When they relinquish 20-digit leads a couple more times then we’ll call it a habit. Second game of a back-to-back on the road against what could be our toughest competition in the West… let’s not call it a habit just yet.

  72. wondahbap says

    emh101,

    I understand what you mean, but give NOH some credit also, they are too good to stay held down when they have nothing to lose but to let fly late, and the Lakers did play the 2nd game of a roadie back to back. They gave the Hornets the business. I think they’ll put the relinquishing leads thing behind them, and tonight was due to circumstances. Now if it was a close game early, then we might’ve been complaining about a loss.

  73. busterjonez says

    Looking at the box score, there is *no* way that CP3 had only 2 turnovers. Am I taking crazy pills?

  74. emh101 says

    In this regard this year’s team is like last year’s team. They need to learn to put their collective foot on their opponent’s throat.

  77. wondahbap says

    Look, we’re 7-0. Be glad that we have team good enough to open a 20-30 point lead. How many teams are good enough to do that consistently? Be grateful. Leads never last in the NBA.

  78. El Seano says

    Not pretty but a W in a very tough back to back, on the road, against a very tough team. Can’t ask for more than that.

    Remember it wasn’t some magic pixie dust that earnt us a huge lead and made the hornets shoot like crap, it was excellent D and even better O. Despite blowing a lead you still have to have a hanging jaw at what the lakeshow achieved tonight. Now they just got to rest up and bring it to Detroit strong.

    ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM LEFT!! 😀

  79. kwame a. says

    It’s pretty nice to be stuck in traffic…when you’re listening to the Lakers pile up a 21 pt first half lead….and the commercials in-between are telling people to go check out my favorite blog…at FBG.COM!!!!!!

  80. exhelodrvr says

    72) Totally agree. Hornets are probably the third best team in the league – beat them on the road, second half of a back-to-back, holding off a fourth quarter rally. And the fact that the Hornets got back into the game will provide the Lakers some incentive.

    This kind of game is MUCH more valuable in the evolution of a team than a thirty point blowout.

  81. sT says

    7 – 0 baby…

    Well, I enjoy a nice comfortable lead (with the Lakers schooling the other team) in the beginning of a game (1st 3 quarters?) and then as a fan I can enjoy the excitement of a REAL basketball game at the end while having a heart attack and recovering with the ‘W’.

    Bring on the Pistons, revenge is sweet.

  82. DowJones says

    Is it me or did phil basically throw a 3 man zone against cp3 all night….whenever cp3 tried to penetrate, particularly in the first half, there was always 3 lakers around, two behind the primary defender and with the exception of vladrad (who got caught sleeping a few times, peja’s easy layup 1st quarter) rotated very well and closed out the 3 pt shooters very well. it was almost like a modified strong side zone except cp3 is always the strong side…haha don’t know if that made sense.

    Also, to be fair, peja and mo pete both missed some wide open 3’s. Kind of stopped watching after halftime….the celtics/hawks game was a thriller, couldn’t miss the second half…bibby looked like he turned back the clock to his 2002 prime almost haha

    Anyhow the few possessions i did catch in between watching hte celts game for the 2nd half showed a more lethargic lakers team that wasn’t as aggressive with the trapping and closing out shooters. I remember one player where cp3 literally dribbled through the whole defense, dumped it off to someone (not sure who, bad quality stream =[ )….not sure if cp3 found the weakness or laker let up, just wanted to put that out there.

  83. Lewis says

    Don’t panic Laker nation the squad was on a back to back against a quality opponent and I think fatigue crept In once the game got Into the fourth quarter. Look how many bunnies they missed. But as long as they keep up the stellar D they will be on there way to what i think will be a undefeated Nov

  84. Mattimeo says

    Agree with 75. I cringed at all the blown dunks and by people that are usually solid gold, not just the one Space Cadet had.

  86. Adam T says

    73. You said it best – the late hornets run should help us in the long run as we won’t underestimate them or assume that we can blow them out again (assuming they hadn’t made the late run).

  87. Reed says

    Very frustrated by the lack of bynum to close games (tonight and the weird late big subs last night). He was so obviously what we needed. Drew anchors our defense – paul shredded us inside with him out. And look at the +/-. Does phil feel pressure to close with odom?

  88. Joel says

    Phil had a great line (as usual) according to the AP report: “We sucked the joy out of a good victory.” Funny stuff, but I can’t say I agree with the man. Chris Paul is just one of those transcendent players … a little like our own #24 … who can almost decide that he’s just going to take over the game all by himself. In the 4th quarter, I couldn’t even be mad at him; I just had to shake my head and say, “wow.”

    Anyway, nice to see Fish taking, and making, those three-pointers in the rhythm of the offense for a change. Nice to see us win a big game on the road where Kobe doesn’t have it going (although he did hit the biggest shot of the night).

    Off topic, but now that I’m an Ariza True Believah (trademark pending) I thought we should all band together and come up with a really cool nickname for him. What would you all say to Trevor “The Visa” Ariza? You know, because he … ahem … “takes charge” of the game.

  90. Darius says

    Reed,
    I thought we should have dictated more to the Hornets as well and played Bynum/Gasol as the C/PF combo in the closing stages of the game for better offfensive and defensive execution. To me, it was obvious that Pau was running on fumes and refusing to step out on Paul in any of the P&R situations. Paul was able to then dictate the game (in the tremendous manner that makes him so special) and take advantage of any opening he found. I thought that the combination of Pau and Bynum could have been a better obstacle in the lane against Pauls probing, but Phil decided to stick with Odom instead. In the end, I think that Phil is still feeling out whether a closing a unit even exists that doesn’t have Odom involved, especially in a close game. Phil still does love his veteran players (to steal a line from Kurt’s interview with the Hornets blogger) and Odom is a player that is going to provide the multiple skill set that Phil wants on the floor at the end. Consider too that with Ariza almost a guarantee to be on the court for RadMan, that Phil is going to play the PF that can rebound AND handle the ball AND play enough of a perimeter game on offense that he’ll complement the post offense that Pau provides and be another creator off the dribble as an alternative to Kobe. Plus, this is what Phil did all of last year. Until he actually tries something different (which we know at some point he will just because he’s going to experiment at some point) AND it works, we’ll probably continue to see last years formula.

  92. harold says

    Phil is always going to be Phil and let players know what they did wrong. It is possible that he was willing to absorb a loss in order to teach the Lakers a lesson, which is probably why he wasn’t that thrilled about Kobe’s last shot.

  93. Goo says

    87, agree completely. Not a coincedence the Hornets got any shot they wanted in the paint in the 4th since Bynum wasn’t out there closing the game..but hey, November games are meant for some lineup experimenting

  94. nomuskles says

    Bynum was slow to rotate in the fourth quarter. My feeling is this is what got him pulled. He looked tired and he wasn’t producing anything on offense any longer. At least gasol was having a positive influence on the offense.

    That was a pretty nerve-wracking game at the end. We’ll have to figure out how to defend better against the dark magic of CP3.

  95. Ryan says

    The Lakers looked tired in the 4th quarter last night. The defensive rotations were slow. Pau, Bynum and Odom were not stepping out and stopping penetration from CP3 on PNRs, and they were slow to recover. I think it was a combination of getting tired, getting a little lazy with a big league, and momentum switch to the Hornets. I’ll take the win even if they gave up a big lead, on the second game of their first back-to-back of the year against one of the top teams in the league.

    A little too much Kobe ISO in the fourth quarter especially when his shot was not falling.

  97. Pinky says

    Kas- I just got my copy of the freedarko book in the mail yesterday!

    I’ve already read some of it online, and I’m ready to read the rest in the coming week.

  98. kas says

    same here I just got it yesterday and it was so hard to put off reading any of it till the game was over. I brought it with me to work and I think im going to take an extended lunch to enjoy it.

  99. Simon says

    Game was kind of a reverse of what we’ve seen so far this season. So far it’s been slow starts and great finishes and last night it was a great start with a bad finish. To be honest, I’d prefer more of the former.

    While he hit the biggest shot of the game, Kobe was the main culprit and Phil pretty much said so. Silly fouls and bad shots, he clearly wanted to personally embarrass Paul and Posey. Didn’t cost us tonight, but I could easily see him getting caught up in a game against Cleveland or Boston where we might not have as big of a cushion to play with. He’s been absolutely terrific at getting good shots up to this point so this game is more of an aberration than a trend, but he can play smarter than this.

  100. kas says

    i refuse to find anything to complain about with this 7-0 start. come on people. lets just enjoy it.

    …they have won games in every which way, that bodes well for them.

    youre not going to beat the hornets, at home, on the 2nd end of a back-to-back, with out them making a run at it.

    lets reeeelax

  101. Pinky says

    In regard to Kobe’s ill-advised forays in taking the game over – it’s human nature. Have you ever been the best player on your team? I’m not that great at basketball, but in certain situations, I have been the best one on my team. When your teammates keep coming up empty, you start to think you can do better on your own. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m saying I understand the tendency. Obviously Kobe has trust/control issues. It feels much worse for him to lose the game without having tried to take matters into his own hands, than if he takes control and is responsible for the loss. I really think that he was trying to give up control in that Game 7 in Phoenix in the playoffs. Admittedly, it was a half-hearted effort, but in his mind he thought, “See, I gave up control and we still lost”. I think it’s great that Phil Jackson spoke up after this Hornets game, and said that Kobe was doing to much in the fourth quarter. Another reason Jackson is a HOF coach – his timing of comments is judicious. Phil made his criticism after a win, so his message could be heard without making it sound like he was blaming Kobe for a loss. He gains credibility with his team for scolding his star player, and at the same time, it’s just the right amount of a slap on the wrist where Kobe can digest the reprimand without feeling unfairly slighted or singled out.

  103. Ryan says

    101. I can honestly say that I have never been the best player on any basketball team (even when I was just shooting around by myself), so I don’t know feeling. I guess thats a consequence of being a slow, un-athletic, averaged height person.

  104. wondahbap says

    101,

    I can’t blame Kobe either. When the rest of the team was clearly tired and taking ill-advised shots too early in the shot clock or without moving the ball, meanwhile the lead is getting chipped, then that is HIS time.

    If he was just taking bad shots just to be the hero, then I would mind. But when they were clearly struggling, and playing lazy offense, he has to do something. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.

  105. This Little Pinky says

    103. Ryan – Its easy. Just find a bunch of guys who have never played basketball, force them to play with you, and make up the rules. That’s how I do it.

  106. exhelodrvr says

    103) Ryan,

    Duhhh!! When you miss a shot, it’s because the imaginary defender fouled you. And you get do-overs on missed free throws because of imaginary lane violations.

    You have a lot to learn about the protocol of shooting baskets by yourself!!