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Preview and Chat: The Charlotte Bobcats

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Records: Lakers 38-17 (3rd in West), Bobcats 23-31 (9th in East)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.9 (2nd in NBA), Bobcats 103.0 (26th in NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.8 (10th in NVA), Bobcats 106.4 (14th in NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers:Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Bobcats: Shaun Livingston D.J. Augustin, Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Edjuardo Najera, Kwame Brown
Injuries: Lakers: Matt Barnes & Theo Ratliff (out); Bobcats: DeSagana Diop & Tyrus Thomas (out), D.J. Augustin (doubtful/game time decision)

UPDATE: Per the twitter feed of Mike Cranston (AP Writer for the ‘Cats), D.J. Augustin will play and will start. Obviously that means that the Lakers are back to dealing with a quick-ish guard that has shooting range. It remains to be seen how effective he is with his bum wrist, but this does give the Bobcats one more threat on offense.

UPDATE #2: It’s looking more and more likely that Kobe will also play through his flu like symptoms. Mike Trudell reported that he was going through is regular pregame routine. I still look for Kobe to play more of  distributor role and, as is usual when he plays through an illness, I expect a controlled game from #24 where he really looks to play as efficiently as possible and not expend energy when it’s not needed. Hence, I think we may see more of the facilitator Kobe tonight.

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The Lakers Coming in: As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. After winning 4 straight games to start their Grammy trip, the Lakers fell to Orlando. The defense is still playing well and while the offense could use some long range makes from its “shooters”, it’s tough to argue with the approach the team is taking on that side of the ball. The Magic represented a team that was desperate for a win and the Lakers, a little weary, weren’t up to the challenge. Now they get to attempt to start a new winning streak tonight.

The Bobcats Coming in: Getting a handle on the ‘Cats is a bit difficult. Coming off a playoff berth last season, things were looking up. Larry Brown had them defending and “playing the right way”. But with that success, somewhat hidden was the fact that this was a capped out team that had seemingly peaked with an 8th seed in a top heavy East.

This year, though, things have completely stagnated, if being kind, or completely fallen off, if judging with a more harsh eye. The Cat’s lost Raymond Felton to free agency, traded Tyson Chandler to the Mavs in exchange for Erick Dampier (who they then waived to save money), and didn’t add any other significant pieces to build on last year. Then, as is prone to happen, Larry Brown soured on his roster, jerked guys’ minutes around and ended up resigning with his team floundering. Paul Silas is now in as head man and this team is playing better, but still too up and down to really be counted on to make a playoff push.

Recently, they’ve shown flashes of strong play defeating the Hawks and Celtics in their last 4 games.  They’re getting improved play out of Kwame Brown (who cites new assistant coach Charles Oakley with aiding his better performance) while Steven Jackson and Gerald Wallace always give this team a fighting chance on the wing. D.J. Augustin has improved with more consistent minutes and Shaun Livingston has also been playing well of late. Where this team struggles in their lack of depth, depending on journeymen like Eddy Najera and Nazr Mohammed with Ty Thomas out with an injury. They also struggle to put up enough points to keep pace with teams when their defense can’t generate the needed stops. Of course, that tends to happen when your best players are jump shooting wings. All in all, this team will play hard but with the talent available, grabbing the last spot in the playoffs is really all they could hope for.

Bobcats Blogs: Check out Queen City Hoops and Rufus on Fire for all the ‘Cats news you can handle. Both sites do fine work.

Keys to game: How much love do the Lakers get on Valentines Day? They get to play their 4th game in 5 nights, that’s how much. Not that I’m complaining – sometimes this is how the schedule breaks and teams just have to adjust. But, the point remains: the Lakers are surely starting to feel the wear and tear of this road trip as the combination of multiple games in a short span and the travel from city to city is taxing.

That said, no one is going to cry for the defending champs and they’re sure to get the Bobcats’ best effort tonight. And that could be a problem considering how well this team has fared against the Lakers in season’s past. Thanks to commenter BlizzardOfOz, we know that the Lakers have only beaten the ‘Cats 3 times in the last 10 match ups, a streak that covers several coaches and different rosters of players. This team just always seems to have the Lakers number, so getting a win isn’t just a given considering the talent disparity.

In order to get the win, then, the Lakers must continue the execution they’ve shown on their current road trip. Attacking inside should be priority number one considering the Bynum/Gasol duo will likely be guarded by Kwame, Najera, Mohammed, and Diaw all night. And while Kwame is a good one on one post defender, Bynum should still be able to establish good post position and work his jump hook from low blocks. As for Gasol, he needs to continue his aggressive play and take the undersized defenders he’ll see down into the post. Neither Najera or Diaw has a realistic chance of slowing a tuned in Gasol, so an attack mindset is needed from the big Spaniard tonight.

This is also a game where I hope for Kobe to lay in the weeds a bit more and play off the ball in order to be most effective. Both Jackson and Wallace offer good size and length and they’re two players that have traditionally given Kobe more issues than other defenders. When Kobe has the ball in his hands above the three point line I’d like to see him pass rather than try to initiate off the dribble, with him then cutting to his favored spots on the floor to either catch the ball on the move or establish position at the elbow  or mid post to do his damage. Considering that this is the 4th game in 5 nights and the defenders he’ll be facing, I’d prefer to see less of a perimeter oriented #24.

Defensively, the Lakers are likely to catch a break with D.J. Augustin doubtful for this game. Augustin is the type of quick, good outside shooting, P&R heavy guard that can give the Lakers fits. Instead, they’ll see a heavier dose of Shaun Livingston, who has been playing better, but offers a different type of match up that the Lakers are better equipped to deal with. Livingston will also run the P&R but he’s less a threat as a shooter so the Lakers should be able to go under screens and then bottle off his penetration. Livingston will also try to go to the post more often but Fisher should be able to body him enough that he doesn’t get as comfortable – even though he’s giving up several inches to Shaun.

The other key to slowing the ‘Cats is by pressuring their wings and not giving up open jumpers. Both Wallace and Jackson are true threats and both can find ways to hurt the defense when left open. Jackson has range beyond the three point line and while Wallace has relied more on his jumper this year than in season’s past, he’ll still attack the rim if given the lane. The Lakers must contest jumpers and the bigs must be ready to help if the Lakers successfully run their wings off the three point line.

 Ultimately, this is a game that can go either way. The Lakers aren’t rested and the ‘Cats always give them fits. That said, Charlotte shouldn’t push the pace too much and the Lakers advantages inside should give them enough to outlast the home team. Two straight losses really would put a damper on an otherwise stellar road trip, so here’s hoping that LA musters the energy and focus that will be needed.

Where you can watch: 4:00pm start time out West on KCAL. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710am.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Chownoir says

    I’ve always wondered, Larry Brown wants his players to play the right way. But does he ever coach “the right way”? Or is the right way constantly griping about your players, organization and location?

  3. Darius Soriano says

    #1. I’ve only read that Kobe has flu like symptoms and missed the morning shoot around. I think he’s likely to play as he rarely misses games due to the flu.

    As an aside, the recap won’t be up until the morning for this game. With it Valentines Day and all, I’m not going to catch this game live.

  5. R says

    Chownoir @ 2 – That’s an excellent point and somthing that I dislike about Brown.

    Remember when the Pistons beat the Lakers in ’04 and went back to the Finals the following year. During the playoffs and I think even the ’05 Finals, Brown babbled non stop about his medical issues and future career options. Let me emphasize this: while the team he was coaching was trying to repeat as NBA champions. Is THAT the right way to coach?

  6. Lakers8884 says

    This is one of the few games I will be able to attend this season, here’s hoping the Lakers don’t put up a poor effort performance and that they can kick their recent trend of struggles in Charlotte.

  7. Joe says

    Lakers have struggled big time this year with teams that are playing well. With this being the 4th game in 5 days and coming off an ugly loss, this would be a huge win

  8. Andreas G. says

    Darius: Agreed. But how insane is that when you think about it? He rarely misses games due to the flu..

    Normal people rarely get out of bed when they have the flu – he goes out and plays in the NBA. He’s from another planet;)

  9. Igor Avidon says

    Let’s keep Nazr the Offensive Juggernaut Mohammed below 29 this time.. fourth game in five nights.

  11. Darius Soriano says

    #10. The contest for comment of the day is over. You win. 😉

    #8. One of the things that makes Kobe special is his willingness to play through ailments. In these instances he normally plays an even more controlled game with an even higher level of focus. He’s indeed a rare breed.

  12. Jordan says

    Don’t other players worry about getting sick from kobe when he’s sick? I’m sure Kobe doesn’t care but when he plays with the cold or flu those are very contagious

  14. Craig W. says

    Jordan,
    Are you part of the hater group? They usually try to find something bad about anything Kobe does.

    By the time you are suffering from the flu (it isn’t certain that Kobe has the flu, by the way, only flu-like symptoms) you are usually less contagious. The really contagious time would have been yesterday.

  15. Jordan says

    Haha no I’m a realist. The question just popped in my head when you guys were discussing him playing through his “aliments” I know MJ use to do it too. But I was thinking when i was young I didn’t go to school when I had the cold because my mom didn’t want me to get others sick not because I needed rest. I played water polo in high school and I remember playing a couple times when I was sick because games were that important to me, I didn’t want my team to loose. So I don’t diss Kobe for it at all. And I’m not talking about tonight I’m just talking about in general cuz Kobe just has flu like symptoms tonight

  16. dave m says

    Re: the comments about Brown, he does tend to burn his players and himself out fairly quickly (hence the huge number of teams over the years) but the guy know tons about basketball. At any rate, it’s Silas’s team now.

    I’m looking forward to the Bynum/Kwame matchup – two huge, very strong players who’ve practiced a lot against each other.

  18. Craig W. says

    Darius,
    I would suspect we will not see much evidence of ‘feeling ill’ on offense, but having controlled play on defense could mean he might not roam as much – his man would be less open, but the bigs may take on a greater load – and he might not be as quick to react laterally – at least Jackson and Wallace aren’t the shifty types.

  19. Chownoir says

    @16, Dave m. I never said he didn’t know anything about basketball. I’m sure he’s forgotten more in 1 day than I’ll know in 40 years. That said, knowledge doesn’t mean someone makes a great coach.

    I respects the man’s accomplishments but don’t have a lot of respect for how he’s treated organizations and managed to escape a lot of blame for the burned out franchises he’s left behind. He makes me think of a corporate raider, great short term profits but long term, the company is in ruins and takes a long time to recover.

  23. AusPhil says

    I loved the team play at the start, but the (now all-too-familiar) lack of defensive rebounding is once again a frustrating feature of play.

  27. Don says

    Looks like we don’t feel like playing tonight, not wasting my time on this reg season game, I’ve learned enough lessons from watching LA

  37. joel says

    The lakers look terrible, Kobe looks terrible. It normally takes the lakers a few games to recuperate from an ass whoopin. I just can’t believe it’s been rather normal to see the lakers play this bad. well 4-2 on so far on the trip.

  39. Craig W. says

    In this game they really look tired. Their play has been consistent and, unless they make a miraculous change, they will be unable to make up all the points.

    Kobe really looks whipped – that bug must be really biting him bad.

  41. lakerlord says

    can anyone besides Kobe ever “turn it on” and take over? answer is NO… just too many lazy passes, poor decisions all over the place..
    another slop performance

  42. AusPhil says

    It says a lot about this game that the Lakers can put together a 3-0 run and I feel like they’ve acheived something!

  45. maxnyc says

    i’m not so sure this team can beat a crazy cavalier
    crowd on wednesday night if they play like this…
    dreams of a 7-0 roadtrip turned to 6-1
    after yesterday. now 5-2 looks good

  46. Joel says

    No matter who is playing for this team, no matter who is the coach, no matter how good or bad they are, the Lakers always make them look like title contenders. Amazing.

  48. maxnyc says

    i guess the 4-0 start to this roadtrip (including the win at Boston) convinced the lakers they still had it. and so they decided to mail in the rest of the trip.

    i wish they would let us all know so we don’t waste time watching meaningless games. russell’s last championship was with a 47 win team in 69

  49. Tej says

    4 games in 5 nights, games in the morning, kobe with the flu, dealing with teams absolute best effort of the season, wear and tear of traveling etc.

    lack of: practice, scouting opposition, body recovery

    the bench has to help out when playing this type of schedule.

    barnes would have really helped out tonight defending the cats taller guards.

  50. lakerlord says

    I really rather have Melo than this “mirage” I keep hearing about the Laker ‘BIGS”…yeah bynum is ok, for about 1 quarter…after which he is extinguished of energy and basically irrevelant..

  54. Joel says

    Looks like outside shooting will be a major issue for this team yet again. I mean come on, playing off Kobe and Pau gives you WIDE OPEN jumpers. How is it that nobody other than Kobe has made a 3 so far?

  55. Craig W. says

    I have officially turned this game off.

    Darius,
    If you read this then my recommendation is that you not post a followup thread to this game. There isn’t anything to say.

  59. Andreas G. says

    maxnyc: I wouldn’t exactly point the finger at Pau for this particular loss? (I agree on the game vs the Magic though.) 6-9 fg, 5-6 ft, 17 pts, 10 reb, 4 ass, 2 stl in this one.

    Not saying that it was stuff of legends, but yeah.

  60. Joe says

    “i guess the 4-0 start to this roadtrip (including the win at Boston) convinced the lakers they still had it. and so they decided to mail in the rest of the trip.” – 47

    That is the kind of crap that pisses me off about this team more than anything. Their willingness to go into relax mode, which comes from arrogance by the way. Losing to Orlando was one thing and something I accepted, even though they scored a pitiful amount of points. But this is absolutely inexcusible. Kobe may be sick, it may be the 4th game in 5 nights, but this is PITIFUL!

  61. Travis Y. says

    Steve Blake and Artest seem to disappear when they’re on offense. They both just become corner three point shooters.

    I wonder if there’s something they can do to get more involved on the offense. Neither are offensive weapons.

    I love how Shannon is trying to develop his game. He is determined to not settle for 3 point shots. He pump fakes and should just take a 17 foot jumper. Too often he tries to get in too close. . If he can make that a successful part of his game I would be very impressed. Perfect time to work on your game.

    I wish I could see other signs of improvement. There were not many tonight. Tack it on and continue to Cleveland. I’m calling a 15 point win.

  62. Anonymous says

    How does espn choose it’s top performers? Wallace had more point and rebounds and stats all added up than Henderson. Is it PER?

  63. Jordan says

    Really? After that game you guys want melo again? Common were not going to be playing them in the finals. I know we might not be playing the celtics but that’s the most likely I’m sick of this melo talk from laker fans when we loose a regular season game

  64. Aaron says

    After these games I want Melo less because it shows how we can’t even have Gasol play at Center for 10 minutes a game. We just are too small and give up tp much in the paint. We need to bring in a back up Center. Again… Nothing against Pau… He is a PF.

  66. lil' pau says

    What’s the over/under for how many articles tomw will be entitled ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’?

    I’ll say four.

  70. MannyP says

    Also, why did Bynum look so gassed after the first quarter? Is he sick? I sure hope that was the case. I’m worried that for a young buck, this kid gets tired pretty easily.

  71. Craig W. says

    This game does prove just how much a catalyst Kobe is. When he is not able to be much above average because of illness there is no one else on the team able to grab them by the scruff and bring them back to life. If nothing else it proves Pau and Odom are not #1 options for any team – they require someone else to set things up for them, then they can fulfill their roles.

  72. MannyP says

    Great point Craig. Also another case why Kobe *must* be in the running for another MVP. When he’s flat, this team is horrible and lost. He truly is the MVP of this team and the league.

  73. Joel b. says

    If my memory serves me correctly, the lakers got rid of farmer and Sasha because the didn’t like to run the offense and complained about minutes. Ron was supposed to be better because of another year in the offense, right. But this is by far the worst I’ve seen the lakers execute on both ends of the floor since pau joined the lakers.

    It’s getting pretty said that they keep getting blown own. I’ve said all season you cant count the lakers on the lakers to be competitive. as far as the melo talk, I truly believe if bynum wasnt so fragile they would consider a pau for melo. Not speculating or advocating that just my opinion based on the way Pau has played and re way the lakers played overall.

  74. Ash says

    Just disgusting.

    No heart. No fire. No pride. This Lakers team simply does not compete unless it wants to and that is such a slap in the face to the fans, the NBA and basketball in general. What a joke. I’m so sick of this team and the whole “we’ll turn it on…it’s only the regular season…we’re the defending champs”…blah blah “we’re confident in our abilities”. I understand that it’s difficult to get up for games in January and February, but seriously…it’s like your job. No one is even asking the Lakers to win every game. Just compete for crying out loud.

  75. Gr8 Scott says

    How ironic that on Valentine’s Day our team showed so little heart. I know it’s the fourth game in 5 nights on the road, but what good does beating Boston and NY do if you turn around and not only lose, but get spanked by both Orlando and Charlotte. Had we at least showed some fight and lost competitive games, this might feel better. The truth is the window of opportunity for this team is open for this year and this year only. We need to finish at least #2 in the West to have a crack at getting back to the Finals. This is where the youth and athleticism of Farmar and long-gone Ariza would help. We have absolutely no up-tempo game and rely solely on half-court sets. This will help immensely in the playoffs, but there has to be some quality outside shooting to help. Here’s hoping we can close out the trip with a W in Cleveland and gear up for the stretch run.

  76. Darius Soriano says

    So, I haven’t yet watched this game. It’s Valentines Day and I’m hanging with my wife. However, I’ve seen several comments that are quite angry about this game and have also seen a few speaking to the fact that the Lakers looked tired. Is the latter point valid? How did the team look? I mean, 4 games in 5 nights is tough stretch for any team especially when they’re all on the road. Honestly, not to say that I saw this loss coming but I could honestly say that it was a toss up coming in. Losing by 20 bothers me, sure. But just like a 20 point win, it still only counts once.

    By the way, there’s a bit of a movement on Twitter for me to not recap this game but instead recap me making risotto for my wife for Valentines Day. Thoughts? Ha. Enjoy your night everyone, I’m pretty sure the Lakers will play better on Wednesday.

  77. R says

    “I’m pretty sure the Lakers will play better on Wednesday.”

    Oh, I doubt it. The Cavs are so lousy though maybe the Lakers will steal the game anyway …

    At this point, who knows? I really thought the Lakers has turned the corner starting this trip 4-0. Nope, guess not.

  78. Lakers8884 says

    So I’d just like to thank the Lakers for ruining my Valentine’s Day. Paid a pretty penny for 5th row tickets, drove 6 hours total (to and from) to see this game. And they give a pathetic excuse of a performance like that? Should have known I’d be better off saving my money rather than wasting it on one of the biggest underachieving teams ever in the Lakers.

    Thanks for nothing Lakers, and Darius don’t even bother with a recap if they don’t feel like showing up to a game for us, the fans (especially when you pay to see the game) then why should you even bother with showing up to this blog, it’s only fair they get the coverage they deserve . . . Which is ZERO coverage after that effort

  79. noles says

    Lakers8884, I completely agree with you. I’m so sick and tired of this whole “it’s just a regular season game”, “it’s just one game out of 82”, or even the “4 game in 5 nights” crap of an excuse. But typical of this team and some of it’s fans, we’ll always have to endure these BS cliches that only someone who enjoys losing would say. I really hope that there aren’t fans out there who are going to try to sugarcoat this loss by finding “some positives” in it, but I’m sure there will be. Positives in a loss? Really? Hmm… I guess growing up as a competitor who played sports, it was always instilled in me that it blows to get your ass kicked by some scrub team who would probably lose to Texas or Ohio State. And no, Charlotte gets no damn credit from me. That’s the other thing that annoys me, the whole “let’s credit the opponent” crap. Hell no! The opponent is the damn enemy and they will never get any credit because if the Lakers played their best, or at least put forth an inspired effort, they wouldn’t lose!! So I hope everyone calls this game for what it was. A pathetic performance by a team that didn’t give a damn tonight!

  80. Lakers8884 says

    I’d also like to point out this quote by Derek Fisher after the game tonight.

    “Everything we do is obviously going to be compared to what we’ve done the last two seasons,” guard Derek Fisher said. “But this is an entirely different team. Half of our roster is new, so there are still things we’re learning about ourselves.”

    He is right in the first part, except that the fact is this is the most talented team they’ve had since they got Pau so fans expect better (and frankly so should they).

    The second part of his comment is what annoys the crap out of me and is a bull response. Only ONE player that played significant minutes tonight is new to these title teams, only ONE. So that comment is nothing more than an excuse because the only thing they can learn from a loss like this is that they don’t show consistent effort and the heart they have in previous seasons. This is the same system, players, coaching staff, and mentality they have always had so HOW is this a different team Derek? So sure Derek and other players can use all the excuses in the world for games like this but the fact of the matter is, there is a big elephant in the room that nobody wants to admit to seeing, this team is uninterested, underachieving, and uncertain about why they are struggling because if they knew what their issues were they would have corrected them by now.

  81. Ken says

    Andrew plays 8 minutes in the second half while Brown runs around again throwing up bricks. Good coaching. Time to dump Shannon and find a point guard who has a point. Both Fish and Black are shooting 37% and average 2 assists a game. That LAST in the NBA for any 2 guards. Mitch should be ashamed. Goes into the season with the slowest, worst guard and brings in another slow worst guard. Farmer for nothing. Sasha for 60 year old Joe Smith. This team has no shot of getting out of the West

    Fisher, Blake, Walton, Brown and Smith is a bad high school team.

  82. 3ThreeIII says

    Regular season.

    Really, some of the posts here must be trolls…

    The core of this team has been to the last three NBA Finals, winning the last two.

    And a February loss (during a seven game road trip) to a hot shooting team on the fourth game (after a pair of back to back games) in five days leads to this amount of scorn?

    They ruined your Valentine’s Day? They are shaming the NBA? They don’t deserve the fans loyalty?

    Ridiculous.

    Regular season.

    Happy Valentine’s everyone. May you have something better to look forward to tonight than memories of a Laker game.

  84. John Morris says

    @ #62 – Better pissed off than pissed on.

    I think it’s just fair to say the Bobcats have some major owneage on the Lakers.

  85. Lakers8884 says

    84. You don’t think the Lakers owe us the fans a better performance? being that by us paying to attend games we essentially pay their salary, because without us there is no NBA. Get off your high horse that was a travesty last night. Even Phil Jackson said that was an embarassment. I never said they didn’t deserve our loyalty for the entire season however after last night I said Darius shouldn’t even acknowledge their performance by posting a recap.

  86. Darius Soriano says

    #87. I’m not going to post a recap, either. Spent late last night zooming through this game on my DVR and saw the Lakers play quite poorly while Charlotte took it to us at every turn.

    And, don’t get me wrong, I understand your specific gripe. You spent good money and traveled a fair distance to catch the team and they playwed awful. After the game Phil didn’t even take questions and just said he and the team were embarassed for their play. That, basically, says it all.

    Also, I will say that people aren’t “losers” for finding reasons for a loss. If someone wants to try to argue that playing 4 in 5 nights on the road isn’t hard, I’d say that you haven’t been following the NBA that long. That said, the Lakers played terrible and deserve scorn for it. They should have played better….we know it, they know it, anyone that watched the game knows it.

    But to take this loss (or any other combination of losses this year, really) and say that this team doesn’t have what it takes to win going too far. The fact of the matter is that we don’t know if this team has enough or not and we won’t know until they either accomplish their goal or not. If it were foolproof to predict what would happen based off regular season action the Cavs would be back to back champs and the Lakers would have two titles in Kobe’s time with the team.

    The regular season is still a process. Sometimes a painful one. We’ll just have to wait and see if the pain pays off.

  87. VoR says

    A couple of other pieces to add – the Lakers’ age is a factor in situations like this. Further, with the three championship trips, the motiviation to dig deep and gut out a tough win on a Tuesday night, just isn’t there. That is why they got blown out.

    And then of course, this team uses some form of kryptonite against the Lakers.